Unexpected Victory: Lee Hye-sung Shines in 'Cheonha Jeppang'

Lee Hye-sung clinched an unexpected victory.

The sixth episode of MBN's 'Cheonha Jeppang', aired on the 8th, reached a peak viewership rating of 1.3%. The episode kicked off with the results of the 'Soboro Battle' between Lee Hong-kyu and Lee Hye-sung, which was the cliffhanger of the previous episode.

Lee Hye-sung impressed Ryu Soo-young with her 'Montecrisoboro', which incorporated ingredients from Monte Cristo, earning the praise, “It’s a taste that makes you go crazy when it crunches. It feels like it bursts all your emotions.” Meanwhile, Lee Hong-kyu's 'Soboro Roche', a confectionery-style soboro, received high praise from Kwon Sung-joon, who said, “It seems tastier than Ferrero Rocher.” However, Lee Hye-sung, who more clearly interpreted the soboro theme, took the win, causing an 'underdog uprising'.

Kwon Sung-joon, a master, dubbed the 'Chocolate Pie' battle between Jang Kyung-joo and Oh Seung-geun as a “preview of the finals”, which was decided by just one vote. Oh Seung-geun, a promising patissier who had participated in developing tiramisu for a famous restaurant 20 years ago, declared, “Even famous singers can lose to unknowns in singing contests,” before presenting his 'Black Rice Yuzu Chocolate Pie' without marshmallows, using black rice flour, yuzu, chestnuts, and pine nuts, which was praised as “pleasant betrayal”. Jang Kyung-joo countered with 'Choco Choco Pie Chewy Siru Bread', featuring sweet ingredients like red bean paste, marshmallows, and chocolate, earning recognition as a trendy retro snack and winning the battle.

The 'Cream Bread Battle' between Kim Jin-seo and Sung Min-soo drew attention as masters Kwon Sung-joon and Lee Seok-won had previously launched unique cream breads that stirred convenience stores. Sung Min-soo showcased 'Cream Bread Katsu', inspired by Japanese tonkatsu, while Kim Jin-seo presented 'Mugwort, Baekseolgi Cream Bread', inspired by traditional Korean desserts. Sung Min-soo's use of breadcrumbs for a crispy texture earned high praise from Lee Seok-won, but he was defeated by Kim Jin-seo's 'Mugwort, Baekseolgi Cream Bread', which introduced a 'new K-Cream Bread'.

The 'Sikhye Battle' unfolded between Yoon Hwa-young, the most avoided challenger, and the daring Choi Jung-hoon, who boldly challenged Yoon. Choi Jung-hoon, who provocatively stated, “Chef Yoon Hwa-young will have to make it really well to beat me this time,” used sikhye in the dough, cream, and jelly to deliver a strong sikhye flavor with 'Have a Drink', receiving overall praise but also the critique, “It lacks a defining kick.” In contrast, Yoon Hwa-young, who aimed to make sikhye sexy, chose 'Baba' as the concept, using homemade sikhye and traditional liquor to create 'BabaOCK', merging French dessert with Korean beverage, winning unanimously and proving her expertise.

Joo Young-seok, who chose 20-year veteran baker Lim Dong-seok, known as the 'Strongest in Baking', as his opponent, declared his determination to win with the words, “I have a knife prepared, sharpened, and hidden.” Known as the 'Cream Master', Joo Young-seok presented 'Sweet Red Bean Mongshil Ball', featuring chewy sesame bread with fresh cream, mascarpone cheese, and sugar, topped with red bean castella powder for maximum chewiness and softness. Lim Dong-seok, known as the 'AI Baker' for his expressionless demeanor, chose 'crispiness' as the concept, contrasting the softness of red bean bread, and created 'Crispy Red Bean Cookie Ciabatta', filled with red bean cookies made with rice and baking powder. Despite the close match, Joo Young-seok emerged victorious, establishing himself as a dark horse.

During the selection of matchups, 'Round 1 Winner' Jo Song-ah and 'Baking Edison' Kwak Dong-wook, who were left unchosen, faced off with 'Cheetos Snack'. Jo Song-ah, initially daunted by the rarely used dessert theme, created 'Real Cheetos Cake', a unique spicy cake reinterpreting the corn and cheese powder of Cheetos. Although praised for balancing sweet and salty flavors, she received a foreboding comment from Lee Seok-won, “This isn’t the Cheetos snack flavor I know.” In contrast, Kwak Dong-wook, who gambled on 'Sfogliatelle', a representative dessert of Naples, not only crafted a dedicated stand and roller but also recreated the Cheetos flavor without using the snack, earning the masters' admiration with comments like, “Did you put Cheetos in? It tastes the same!” However, the critique, “The amount of cheddar cheese, the original flavor of Cheetos, is lacking,” left the outcome uncertain. The 'Cheetos Snack Battle', a clash of strong contenders, heightened curiosity about the winner.

By Tae Yuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr