The Backpacker Chef
South Korean television show
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Backpacker Chef (Korean: 백패커; lit. 'Backpacker') is a South Korean variety program that airs on tvN.[1]
| The Backpacker Chef | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster | |
| Hangul | 백패커 |
| Lit. | Backpacker |
| RR | Baekpaekeo |
| MR | Paekp'aek'ŏ |
| Genre | Cooking Travel |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 44 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Park Hee-yeon |
| Producers | Lee Woo-hyung Shin Chan-yang |
| Original release | |
| Network | tvN |
| Release | May 26, 2022 – November 10, 2024 |
Season 1 aired on Thursdays at 20:40 (KST) from May 26 till October 6, 2022, for 20 episodes. It starred Baek Jong-won, Oh Dae-hwan, Ahn Bo-hyun and DinDin.[2]
Season 2 aired on Sundays at 19:40 (KST) from May 26 to November 10, 2024. For this season, Baek Jong-won and Ahn Bo-hyun returned, together with new cast members Lee Soo-geun, Heo Kyung-hwan and Go Kyung-pyo.[3]
Overview
The Backpacker Chef is a cooking entertainment program that challenges the extreme mission of improvising a customized food within a limited time in an unfamiliar place to the customer. Cast members leave with only one backpack containing a variety of kitchen tools and ingredients, and present instant catering for unfamiliar guests at the venue of the day.[4]
In the first season, Backpacker Chefs went on 18 different business trips and cooked for 3078 people, preparing more than 100 different dishes.[5]
Cast
_Baek_Jong-won,_Oh_Dae-hwan,_Ahn_Bo-hyun,_DinDin_(1).png)
Main
Current
- Baek Jong-won (Seasons 1-2)
- Ahn Bo-hyun (Seasons 1-2)
- Lee Soo-geun (Season 2)
- Heo Kyung-hwan (Season 2)
- Go Kyung-pyo (Season 2)
Former
- Oh Dae-hwan (Season 1)
- DinDin (Season 1)
Guest cast
Season 1
- Kim Dong-jun (ZE:A) - Episode 5
- Young K (Day6) - Episode 8 & 9
- Andy (Shinhwa) - Episode 12
- Lee Ho-cheol - Episode 13
- Yang Se-hyung - Episode 18
- Heo Kyung-hwan - Episode 19
- Fabrizio Ferrari - Episode 8, 9, 14, 17, 19
Season 2
- Lee Do-hyun - Episode 2
- Fabrizio Ferrari - Episode 3, 21
- Miyeon ((G)I-dle) - Episode 3
- DinDin - Episode 4, 5, 18
- Bomi (Apink) - Episode 7
- Kang Han-na - Episode 8
- Hyojung (Oh My Girl) - Episode 9
- Seohyun (Girls' Generation) - Episode 11
- Yuri (Girls' Generation) - Episode 12
- Cho Kyu-hyun (Super Junior) - Episode 13
- Soyou (Former member of Sistar) - Episode 17
- Jang Ye-won - Episode 18
- Kwon Eun-bi - Episode 19
- Seok Matthew (Zerobaseone) - Episode 21
- Kim Min-jong - Episode 22
Airtime
| Season | Air date | Airtime |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 26 – October 6, 2022 | Thursdays at 20:40 (KST) |
| 2 | May 26 – November 10, 2024 | Sundays at 19:40 (KST) |
Episodes
Season 1
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Location | Mission | Guest appearance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 26, 2022 | Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province | Unlimited fast food to a wrestling club made up of 22 elementary, middle, and high school students | No guest | [6] |
| 2 | June 2, 2022 | Byeonsan, North Jeolla Province | A vegetarian meal to 20–30 people who visit Wolmyeon-am | [7] | |
| 3 | June 9, 2022 | Meteorology 1[a] in the middle of Yellow Sea | Multinational party dishes for 17 employees of the meteorological ship of Korea Meteorological Administration | [8] | |
| 4 | June 16, 2022 | Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province | A dinner for 300 people of artillery brigade at the Pocheon military base 10 lunchboxes for soldiers training the mountains |
[9] | |
| 5 | June 23, 2022 | Paju, Gyeonggi Province | A dinner for 400 members of the 1st Infantry Division, Ilwolseong Battalion | Kim Dong-jun (ZE:A) | [10] |
| 6 | June 30, 2022 | Jeju Island | Pork course dishes for a group made up of 15 of haenyeo | No guest | [11] |
| 7 | July 7, 2022 | 50 servings of healthy course meals for the Jeju United FC football team | [12] | ||
| 8 | July 14, 2022 | Camp Humphreys | Korean snacks for 15 drill instructors of US Army and KATUSA | Young K (Day6) & Fabrizio Ferrari | [13] |
| 9 | July 21, 2022 | Korean food for lunch of 500 US and KATUSA soldiers | [14] | ||
| 10 | July 28, 2022 | Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do | A cool summer dinner for 250 trainees at Fire Fighters' Academy | No guest | [15] |
| 11 | August 4, 2022 | A low-sugar, low-salt lunch for 32 children at Seobuk District Police Station day care center An afternoon snack for the same children later |
[16] | ||
| 12 | August 11, 2022 | Seoul Grand Park | A hot meal for 120 zookeepers A summer snack for 4 elephants |
Andy (Shinhwa) | [17] |
| 13 | August 18, 2022 | North Gyeongsang Province Correctional Institution | High protein, high calorie, and high fat lunch for 200 prison guards | Lee Ho-cheol | [18] |
| 14 | August 25, 2022 | Yeongdam, Busan | Cheat day meals for 150 athletic students at Busan Sports High School | Fabrizio Ferrari | [19] |
| 15 | September 1, 2022 | Jinhae Naval Base | Fusion Korean food for 120 sailors of ROKS Hansando | No guest | [20] |
| 16 | September 8, 2022 | Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province | MZ food for 27 elderly female painters at Shinpoong-ri Painting School | [21][22] | |
| 17 | September 15, 2022 | Ganghwado | Western, Chinese, and Japanese food for 280 students at Chef High School | Fabrizio Ferrari | [23][24] |
| 18 | September 22, 2022 | Goyang, Gyeonggi Province | Superfood for 150 staff members of the operation room of National Cancer Hospital | Yang Se-hyung | [25] |
| 19 | September 29, 2022 | Yuseong District, Daejeon | College food for the 330 cadets at Armed Forces Nursing Academy | Fabrizio Ferrari & Heo Kyung-hwan [b] |
[26] |
| 20 | October 6, 2022 | Wonju, Gangwon Province | Camping food for cast members themselves who go on a healing camping trip as a reward vacation | No guest | [27] |
Season 2
| Ep.[28] | Original broadcast date | Location | Mission | Guest appearance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 26, 2024 | Mageum-ri, Taean, South Chungcheong Province | Clam cuisine for 150 workers of a clam fishing village, and their families | No guest | |
| 2 | June 2, 2024 | Republic of Korea Air Force Headquarter in Gyeryong, South Chungcheong Province | "Dinner Show, Western Food, and Cooking Performance" for 100 people | Lee Do-hyun | |
| 3 | June 9, 2024 | Jincheon National Training Center [c] |
"Special meal" and "Paik Jong Won Street" for 500 people | Fabrizio Ferrari & Miyeon ((G)I-dle) | |
| 4 | June 16, 2024 [d] [e] |
Gyechon Elementary School | "Music is classical" and "Taste is latest style spicy tteokbokki" for 44 people | DinDin | |
| 5 | June 23, 2024 | Baegunsan, Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province | "Cold Food" and "Quick Delivery" for 120 soldiers at the "1000m above sea level". | ||
| 6 | June 30, 2024 | Hwaseong Fire Station in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province | "Taste good even if you eat it later", "Easy to digest", and "Strongest nutritious food" for 110 firefighters during the Merit Reward Month. | No guest | |
| 7 | July 7, 2024 | Incheon International Airport | "Feeling good, Tasty and Resort food" from famous holiday place (Hawaii, Ganmun-ri, Jeollanam-do, Bali, Da Nang, Maldives, Okinawa, Hainan, and Boracay) for 300 Airport Workers during the busiest Holiday month. | Bomi | |
| 8 | July 14, 2024 | National Institute of Ecology (NIE) | "Cities" and "Summer seasonal food" for 200 NIE Staff. | Kang Han-na | |
| 9 | July 21, 2024 | Incheon National Maritime High School [f] |
Turned the bad school foods with Baek Jong-won's magic into good food for 230 Students. | Hyojung (Oh My Girl) | |
| 10 | July 28, 2024 | Geumsu Culture and Art Village | Cook traditional korean foods for 35 Geumsu village elders. | No guest | |
| 11 | August 11, 2024 [g] |
National Archives of Korea | Cook the lost dishes that were originally popular in the past to 310 National Archives Korea staff. | Seohyun (Girls' Generation) | |
| 12 | August 18, 2024 | Metropolitan Railway Vehicle Maintenance Workshop in Gyeonggi Province, Goyang | Cook Signature dishes from places that KTX visited for 180 workers. | Yuri (Girls' Generation) | |
| 13 | August 25, 2024 | Arisu Water Purification Center, Gangbuk District, South Korea | "Rainy season, typhoon, stay away", "Taste that goes through fire and water" and "Number of people for drinking water is 3.5 million" for 100 workers. | Cho Kyu-hyun (Super Junior) | |
| 14 | September 1, 2024 | National Forensic Service, Gangwon Province, Wonju | "Find a flavor solution" "Endorphin explosion" and "Adrenaline detected at the location" for 140 workers. | No guest | |
| 15 | September 8, 2024 | Korea Expressway Corporation, Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province | "An important stop on the way home", "The flavor that started it, Chestnut, Geobong Wine, Chun Hyang", for 120 employees. | ||
| 16 | September 15, 2024 | Midong Elementary School, Taebaek, Gangwon Province | "Tornado Kick, "Knifehand Strike" and "Hammer Smash" for 28 Students of the first children Taekwondo Demonstration team before the National Liberation Day of Korea event. | ||
| 17 | September 22, 2024 | National Theater of Korea | "Multiple Toppings at once" and "Harmonious Meal" For 170 National Theater Workers. | Soyou | |
| 18 | September 29, 2024 [h] |
Korea Aerospace Industries | "Stomach Booster", "GO Capacity, GO Calories", and "High Fast Food" for 200 Workers. | Jang Ye-won & DinDin | |
| 19 | October 6, 2024 | Republic of Korea 1st Special Forces Brigade Headquarter | Cook the high quality fresh foods to the unit of 200 people before going for the 1,000-Ri March. | Kwon Eun-bi | |
| 20 | October 13, 2024 | Gwangju Women's University, Gwangsan District, Gwangju | Cook the $1 breakfast for 120 college students with just $120. | No guest | |
| 21 | October 20, 2024 | Daegu Agricultural Meister High School, Suseong District, Daegu | "Harvest Season" and "100% self-sufficient" for 240 People. | Seok Matthew (Zerobaseone) & Fabrizio Ferrari | |
| 22 | October 27, 2024 | Cheongju Post Office | "Breaking from Eating Alone Today" and "An Order for 4 or More People" for 84 Post Office Worker | Kim Min-jong [i] |
|
| 23 | November 3, 2024 | Gwanak Police Station, Gwanak District, Seoul | "A meal that call for rice" for 140 Police Officer | No guest | |
| 24 | November 10, 2024 | Youth Meal Mungan, Sinchon-dong, Seoul | "House Cook Master Paik" and "Kimchi's Transformation is Innocent" for 100 people. | ||
Viewership
The Backpacker Chef : South Korea viewers per episode (thousands)
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Media Research.[29]
| Episodes | Episode number | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 1-10 | 803 | 716 | 809 | 1120 | 1259 | 1015 | 897 | 944 | 977 | 908 | |
| 1-20 | 845 | 800 | 823 | 1072 | 1076 | 967 | 1063 | 918 | 1226 | 902 | |
The Backpacker Chef 2 : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Media Research.[29]
| Episodes | Episode number | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | ||
| 1-12 | 1.278 | 1.145 | 1.296 | 1.087 | 1.198 | 1.138 | 1.342 | 1.686 | 1.787 | 1.365 | 0.908 | 1.146 | |
| 13-24 | 1.225 | 1.391 | 1.395 | 1.068 | 1.323 | 1.396 | 1.584 | 1.490 | 1.510 | 1.414 | 1.330 | 1.524 | |
| Ep. (2022 & 2024) | Original broadcast date | Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)[29] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nationwide | Seoul | ||
| 1 | May 26, 2022 | 3.853% (1st) | 3.810% (1st) |
| 2 | June 2, 2022 | 3.196% (2nd) | 2.986% (2nd) |
| 3 | June 9, 2022 | 3.223% (1st) | 3.238% (1st) |
| 4 | June 16, 2022 | 4.727% (1st) | 4.435% (1st) |
| 5 | June 23, 2022 | 5.333% (1st) | 5.266% (1st) |
| 6 | June 30, 2022 | 4.236% (1st) | 4.295% (1st) |
| 7 | July 7, 2022 | 3.707% (2nd) | 4.146% (2nd) |
| 8 | July 14, 2022 | 4.171% (2nd) | 4.111% (2nd) |
| 9 | July 21, 2022 | 4.275% (3rd) | 4.331% (3rd) |
| 10 | July 28, 2022 | 4.056% (2nd) | 3.985% (2nd) |
| 11 | August 4, 2022 | 3.319% (2nd) | 3.564% (2nd) |
| 12 | August 11, 2022 | 3.275% (3rd) | 3.246% (3rd) |
| 13 | August 18, 2022 | 3.879% (3rd) | 4.146% (2nd) |
| 14 | August 25, 2022 | 4.636% (1st) | 4.766% (1st) |
| 15 | September 1, 2022 | 4.839% (1st) | 4.598% (1st) |
| 16 | September 8, 2022 | 3.748% (1st) | 3.697% (1st) |
| 17 | September 15, 2022 | 4.539% (1st) | 4.757% (1st) |
| 18 | September 22, 2022 | 4.175% (1st) | 4.094% (1st) |
| 19 | September 29, 2022 | 4.979% (1st) | 4.786% (1st) |
| 20 | October 6, 2022 | 3.946% (1st) | 4.068% (1st) |
| 1 | May 26, 2024 | 4.895% (2nd) | 5.435% (2nd) |
| 2 | June 2, 2024 | 4.621% (1st) | 5.075% (2nd) |
| 3 | June 9, 2024 | 4.839% (1st) | 5.473% (1st) |
| 4 | June 16, 2024 | 4.790% (1st) | 5.950% (1st) |
| 5 | June 23, 2024 | 5.192% (1st) | 4.843% (2nd) |
| 6 | June 30, 2024 | 4.291% (2nd) | 4.631% (2nd) |
| 7 | July 7, 2024 | 5.320% (2nd) | 5.785% (2nd) |
| 8 | July 14, 2024 | 4.790% (2nd) | 4.807% (2nd) |
| 9 | July 21, 2024 | 4.857% (2nd) | 5.509% (2nd) |
| 10 | July 28, 2024 | 5.312% (2nd) | 6.117% (2nd) |
| 11 | August 11, 2024 | 3.742% (2nd) | 4.112% (2nd) |
| 12 | August 18, 2024 | 4.298% (2nd) | 4.693% (2nd) |
| 13 | August 25, 2024 | 4.533% (2nd) | 4.879% (2nd) |
| 14 | September 1, 2024 | 4.949% (2nd) | 4.952% (2nd) |
| 15 | September 8, 2024 | 5.251% (2nd) | 5.897% (2nd) |
| 16 | September 15, 2024 | 4.012% (2nd) | 4.174% (2nd) |
| 17 | September 22, 2024 | 4.885% (2nd) | 5.643% (2nd) |
| 18 | September 29, 2024 | 5.270% (2nd) | 5.476% (2nd) |
| 19 | October 6, 2024 | 6.109% (2nd) | 6.674% (2nd) |
| 20 | October 13, 2024 | 5.561% (2nd) | 6.674% (2nd) |
| 21 | October 20, 2024 | 6.125% (2nd) | 6.903% (2nd) |
| 22 | October 27, 2024 | 5.341% (2nd) | 5.903% (2nd) |
| 23 | November 3, 2024 | 5.383% (2nd) | 5.908% (2nd) |
| 24 | November 10, 2024 | 6.171% (2nd) | 6.714% (2nd) |
Notes
- The first meteorological observation ship of South Korea.
- Heo Kyung-hwan would eventually joined the main cast later on in the season 2.
- Kim Min-jong who appeared as a cameo in this episode, returned as guest cast on episode 22
- Go Kyung-pyo did not attend the filming due to the filming of his drama.
- DinDin became temporary assistant chef in this episode.
- The location was previously visited by Baek Jong-won 5 years ago on High School Lunch Cook-off.
- Episode 11 originally scheduled to aired one week early and so on until episode 20, but later was postponed due to 2024 Paris Olympics.
- Ahn Bo-hyun did not attend the filming due to the filming of his drama.
- Kim Min-jong once appeared as a cameo in the episode 3 of Season 2.