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The competition hasn't started yet, but things are already picking up for the Famiglia team. In Episode 3 of « Final Table », which airs this Saturday, Kang Han and Choi Song-yi must quickly round out their team. And on the show's set, the chef runs into an old rival who is determined to get his revenge.
Warning: Spoilers for previous episodes.
Kang Han stays… and takes the reins
In Episode 2, Choi Song-yi (Hong Hwa-yeon) had run to the airport to stop Kang Han (Ahn Hyo-seop) to go to the United States. His plea paid off: the head of engineering agreed to become Famiglia’s head chef and to participate in «The Table: K-Chef 2026,» the competition to crown the best Korean chef.
The first hurdle, even before registration: the rules require teams of four. But Famiglia has only three cooks: Kang Han, Choi Song-yi, and Choi Doo-young (Kim Jae-hwa), Song-yi’s aunt, who has only one year of cooking experience.
And the recruitment process is shaping up to be complicated. The open conflict between Famiglia and the powerful Pyeongyeon Group—the contest’s organizer, which Song-yi accuses of being responsible for her father’s death—is scaring off candidates. No one wants to risk retaliation.
One Candidate, a High-Stakes Interview
Only one application eventually comes in: that of Park Geon-woo, played by Lee Bong-jun. The new footage shows the interview, during which the Famiglia trio subjects him to a rigorous evaluation to assess his skills.
Yet, despite their piercing stares, the contestant remains completely relaxed. This confidence may be due to his background: a specialist in desserts and cold dishes, he is also a sommelier specializing in traditional Korean liquors and ran his own restaurant at just 23 years old.
The Showdown with Cha Woo-jin Finally Explained
The episode also features the first real face-off between Kang Han and his archrival, Cha Woo-jin (Chang Ryul), the perfectionist chef at the helm of the country’s best restaurant. On the set of «The Table,» even before the competition begins, the two men trade barbs.
We finally learn the origin of their rivalry. At an international cooking competition, Kang Han took first place, while Cha Woo-jin had to settle for second. It’s a defeat that Kang Han never fails to rub in his face. This sheds light on the line from the first teaser, in which he claimed that his rival would lose to him «again.» But Cha Woo-jin is convinced that, this time, victory will be his.
As a witness to this shared past, Seon Jung-won (Jung Eugene), the executive producer at Pyeongyeon Media, might well use it to spice up her show.
A series that keeps getting better
After a modest start at 1.9 %, «Final Table» rose to 2.4 % for its second episode. This trend could very well continue with this showdown.
Episode 3 of «Final Table» will air this Saturday, October 31, at 10:40 p.m. (Korean time)—which is 2:40 p.m. in France—on JTBC, and will be available on Prime Video.
