First Contestants Eliminated in 'Baek Jong-won's Le Misérables'

'Baek Jong-won's Le Misérables' witnessed its first elimination during the team mission titled 'Creating a Seafood Platter' aired on December 14. Contestants had only two hours to complete their dishes, with the advantage of finishing early. They were required to select two types of seafood caught the previous day for their culinary creations.

A key judging criterion for this mission was 'storytelling.' Baek Jong-won emphasized that while taste was important, the foundation of marketing lies in storytelling, urging contestants to engage customers and reflect on their ingredient choices.

Team D drew attention for its problematic dynamics throughout the mission. Leader Jo Do-yeon faced sharp conflicts with team members, resembling a struggle between a stubborn employee and an overbearing boss. Jo expressed her determination not to be eliminated, stating, "If I fall, I can just sleep it off. I don’t want to be eliminated," as she took on the task of preparing ingredients alone while others considered leaving.

The discord within Team D was evident, and mentors closely monitored their situation. Lim Tae-hoon noted, "Team D looks unstable," while David Lee warned that Jo's approach could lead to burnout as she attempted to handle everything herself without trusting her teammates.

Team D struggled from the start, particularly with the preparation of their main ingredients, mackerel and anchovies. Criticism arose when Yoon Nam-no pointed out the poor handling of the mackerel, saying, "Is this 'jjam'? I thought it was food waste." Lim Tae-hoon further shocked everyone by revealing a live whale parasite found in the mackerel.

Additionally, Team D failed to remove the label from their cooking pot and served dishes like 'anchovy rice wraps' without knowing the types of vegetables used or properly preparing them. Baek Jong-won remarked, "If you run a business like this, you deserve to fail."

Ultimately, Team D was relegated to Team F and faced elimination. Baek Jong-won explained, "The preparation was the weakest. Most team members lacked knowledge about the menu. Unfortunately, Team D was the least prepared for this mission, leading to their elimination." Despite this, he suggested to the production team that individual missions could provide new opportunities for Team D members, as teamwork might not showcase everyone's abilities.

However, Jo Do-yeon rejected this idea, stating, "I believe it’s wrong to do this. I can’t let down those who trusted and followed me." Other members expressed their desire to take on the challenge, creating a tense situation. Viewers are now left wondering if 'Baek Jong-won's Le Misérables' will showcase individual competitions for the first eliminated team members.