Jung Ho-young and Bae Jae-hoon faced off in a direct showdown.
In the KBS2 entertainment program ‘The Boss's Ears Are Donkey Ears’ (hereafter ‘Sadangui’) aired on the afternoon of the 12th, Jung Ho-young appeared as the first boss along with his staff, visiting a fish market to explore seasonal autumn ingredients.
On this day’s broadcast, after purchasing seafood, Jung Ho-young met with Bae Jae-hoon, a chef specializing in Japanese cuisine. Bae Jae-hoon, known as a first-generation chef of seasonal cuisine (Kappo), stated, “When special guests come, I cook for them in a private hidden space,” adding, “Lee Byung-hun, Taeyang, Shin Dong-yup, and BTS Jin have all visited.” Jung Ho-young boasted, “We also had Jin here. He came to pick up sashimi with Chef Lee Yeon-bok. We even had a beer together.”
In response, Bae Jae-hoon said, “I do all the cooking in front. I also consulted for the restaurant run by Jin’s older brother. That’s how it revived. I make 300 million won a month. Can’t your brother make 10 million a day? Is that not possible?” provoking Jung Ho-young.
When a staff member asked, “I heard about the rivalry between Jung Ho-young from Gangbuk and Bae Jae-hoon from Gangnam, how did it come to this?” Bae Jae-hoon explained, “It all started 13 years ago. We both started similarly, but we recognized each other’s existence through our expertise.”
Another staff member asked, “I’m curious whose cooking is better between the two chefs,” and suddenly a Japanese cuisine showdown began. They even invited a judge for a fair assessment: a 20-year veteran gourmet YouTuber named ‘Secret’.
Chef Jung Ho-young described Secret, saying, “He’s a friend I’ve known for 10 years, and he’s been to every famous restaurant in the world. He’s an expert on taste, just like me. He distributes caviar and truffles, and you can say that almost all the famous restaurants in Seoul use his products.” Jeon Hyun-moo added, “When he visits, the restaurant just skyrockets.”
After that, the battle of pride began, with both chefs investing generously in ingredients to win. Bae Jae-hoon prepared shrimp spring rolls, grilled shrimp over charcoal, and spicy grilled hairtail soup. Jung Ho-young served sea urchin cream croquettes, crab cream croquettes, and udon with plenty of mushrooms.
After tasting Chef Bae’s spicy soup, Secret commented, “The freshness of the hairtail is amazing. I want to eat it as sashimi, but personally, I wish it had a bit more seasoning,” giving a cold assessment. After tasting Jung Ho-young’s udon, he praised, “I’ve never experienced such a mushroom aroma before. It feels like I’m out picking matsutake mushrooms.”
In contrast to his favorable evaluation of Jung Ho-young, Secret chose Bae Jae-hoon. He said, “The spring rolls were the most delicious. The reason I lost my words after eating this is that it was that impressive. Even the sauce was harmonious. The colors were autumn itself.”
Bae Jae-hoon concluded, “Chef Ho-young did well, but let’s say I won’t be coming back in the future,” sealing the deal. Jung Ho-young replied, “I never liked Gangnam. This isn’t the end,” hinting at a future showdown.
The second boss was Hwang Hee-tae, a judo coach. Contrary to his self-introduction as a gentle, neighborhood brother-like boss, athlete Kim Min-jong stated, “Thanks to the coach, this place has become hell,” and Choi Do-hoon added, “If he doesn’t like how we train, we’re dead.”
Training then began. Hwang Hee-tae said, “You need to have a specialty,” and taught his unique technique of ‘somaeul-eo-chigi’ (a judo throw).
The next day at 6 AM, training resumed. Following Hwang Hee-tae’s command to run 10 laps around the field, the athletes moved in unison. Hwang Hee-tae, who was running alongside them, exclaimed, “Ah, this is tough,” falling behind.
Next was the dreaded training of hiking + hurdles + descending. After the hellish physical training, a refreshing lunch time arrived. Hwang Hee-tae revealed, “I wasn’t a police officer, was I?” stating that he had worked as a violent crime detective in the past. He added, “The police martial arts special recruitment has been revived after 20 years. The competition ratio was 10 to 1. I wanted to become a detective like Ma Dong-seok, so I went to the violent crime unit.”
He then recounted an episode from his past: “While arresting an arsonist caught by my seniors, the arsonist was refusing to get into the police car. I said, ‘Brother, I’ll put you in,’ grabbed his neck, and just tossed him in. I drove the police car to the station and said, ‘Do you want to fold or get out?’ He replied, ‘I’ll get out.’ My seniors said, ‘Hee-tae, we feel secure with you around.’”
The third boss was Jeon Hyun-moo, who visited a Turkish family along with announcers Um Ji-in and Heo Yoo-won. The three were captivated by the lavish Turkish home-cooked meal. Jeon Hyun-moo humorously remarked, “I’ve already been adopted.”
After the meal, the three visited the ‘Sejong Institute’ in Istanbul to conduct a golden bell event, where Josh-kun, who survived until the end, rang the golden bell.
Later, while taking a break on a boat, an Iraqi person asked Um Ji-in, “Is the person next to you your husband?” pointing to Jeon Hyun-moo. Jeon Hyun-moo responded, “Never!” in disgust, clarifying, “Um Ji-in is married, and I’m single.”
Upon hearing this, the Iraqi suggested, “Come to Iraq,” to which Jeon Hyun-moo pondered, “Are you telling me to get married? Should I really get a number?”
‘Sadangui’ airs every Sunday at 4:45 PM on KBS2.
[Seo Ye-ji, Star Today Guest Reporter]
