The film crew gathered the 16 contestants individually from the transportation hub to the first filming area in Panda City, the Dragon Luxury Hotel. The filming for season 7 of Great Chef was about to begin.

The contestants arrived on site with a feeling of excitement. One contestant, Ang, scoped out the other competitors. He wasn’t being arrogant, but he thought about his chances to win were high. In the past, the competitors who won weren't necessarily the best chefs, but one with a good background story and brilliant storytelling. Ang was a script writer, so he came prepared with food and recipes that will not only blow the judges away with flavors, but with engaging stories that will keep him in the running!

Mingya, another contestant, was fresh out of college. She cooked as a child for her family and fell in love with cooking. She was studying nursing, but she had always wanted a career as a chef. Using all her vacation time, she took the rare opportunity to be on the Great Chef. However, being a chef didn’t guarantee food on the table. She was hoping to gain experience and insight into the cooking world. Whether it would lead into to another path, she did not know.

“All right everyone, we will start filming today,” Director Xian announced.

The contestants clamored in shock. They had just arrived at the lobby of Dragon Luxury Hotel and were hoping to greet the other contestants first in before the filming began. No one expected the camera to start rolling immediately. It seemed like the producers wanted real-time interactions.

The contestants greeted one another, even the ones who were a bit socially awkward. It was difficult to greet people in random places, but here, everyone was an amateur chef and naturally have things in common.

“What do you enjoy cooking?”

“What’s your favorite dish to make? Worst dish? Dish you could make in your sleep?”

“How much experience do you have?”

Talking to the other contestants were great ways to get ahead of the curve. And then, there was Mingya, who was swarmed with other contestants wishing to know her. There was no question about her being a possible shoo-in as she was the youngest of the cast and the prettiest.

Mingya greeted everyone warmly, but it was overwhelming. It was good that everyone had their name tags, otherwise, it was impossible to keep track of everyone. One particular contestant was especially chatty. He went on and on about his job experiences and some nonsensical stories. Mingya tried to be pleasant, but it was extremely difficult when people that couldn't read the mood or stop talking. She saw an unfamiliar face nearby, and decided this was her chance to escape. The young man was standing near the director and his name tag simply stated ‘Li Yun.’ As she walked toward him, Ang had also stopped by to say hello.

“Oh hey, you just arrived?” Ang asked Li Yun. “I’m Ang.”

Li Yun nodded and introduced himself.

“So, what’s your main career?” Ang curiously asked. “I’m a scriptwriter, so it’s interesting to hear people who are lawyers and teachers taking time off to enter a cooking competition.”

Li Yun wondered if he should say researcher or surgeon. “I’m a doctor,” he responded.

“Ooh, interesting field! I think there was a doctor in season 3,” Ang replied, he was an avid fan before joining the show as a competitor. Judging from Li Yun's age, he should be a resident. However, he was aware that some people look younger than their actual age and it was better not to underestimate people. He then turned to Mingya, "Miss Mingya, aren't you a nurse?"

Mingya shook her head, "I'm just an intern." Ang had greeted her earlier and her impression of him was someone with high EQ. "Dr. Li, what hospital do you work for?"

" I work for Qinbei Hospital," Li Yun replied.

“Ah, Qinbei?” Mingya was unfamiliar with the geography and didn't know where the city was located. She was more curious about why a doctor would enter a cooking competition. She heard doctors complaining all the time about overtime and pestering patients, she understood why many wanted to change their profession. She herself wasn't sure if she wanted to be a nurse. "Do you like working in the medical field?"

“I like it, but it's tough,” Li Yun didn’t want to discourage her, but she wasn’t suitable to be a nurse. Her being in the competition had already shown her disinterest.

“Do you cook regularly at home?” She asked him.

“I'm not allowed to cook unless it's supervised.”

Mingya and Ang looked at each other, wondering if they had heard him right.

“Dr. Li is a funny guy!” Ang responded. “I was writing a script in college for this cooking program, and I was so absorbed in the research that I ended up becoming one. I bet you’re the type that cooks for your patients. The previous doctor on season 3 was a vegan, and only cooked healthy meals.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” Li Yun noticed that Ang was really good with mixing half-truths and lies.

Ang had a very well-rehearsed persona. There was no reason to lie, but a big part of Ang's lies was to make himself more interesting. Li Yun liked Ang's strategy, as it was very methodological. Other contestants sounded like they were trying to brag, but Ang came off as wise and knowledgeable. It was a competition, and some people did whatever it took to win. Telling the truths or making friends wasn’t the goal, it was about winning 250k yuan, which was a lot for many people.

Li Yun also greeted the other contestants. For the most part, they all assumed he was one of the contestants. Only a few contestants were keeping track of the number count.

“Why are there 17 contestants?” asked Anthonio, a lawyer. “I thought the director said sixteen?”

“Are you counting wrong?” asked Xinda, a marketing director. Xinda counted the heads of everyone with a name tag. “There really are seventeen. Wait, I didn’t hear any news on the third judge, could they be here?”

“I think everyone has the chance to introduce themselves, so there will be some exciting changes to this season,” Director Xian announced just as everyone was starting to realize the number count. “Our guest judge will be cooking amongst you for the first round. Whoever can figure out the judge will have immunity for the first round.”

Another wave of shock vibrated through the competitors. Their necks turned around, looking at each other once again. Usually, the third guest was someone well-known or a big name celebrity, but they couldn’t recognize anyone. To some extent, everyone else was a bit normal. Was it possible to be an up-and-coming celebrity that paid their way in? It was possible.

The following morning, the director ushered the contestants into the large kitchen. As the crew set up, everyone had their chances for a confessional style interview in a booth. The clips would only be seen during the broadcast. Arriving at the scene near the shooting were Long Suah and Nicholas. They greeted everyone briefly.

Nicholas met everyone the day before, but it was Long Suah first time meeting the contestants. She went around quickly to chat with all the contestants.

“You must be Li Yun?” Long Suah asked. It was also the first time Long Suah met Li Yun, but she remembered seeing his picture in her group chat.

“Hi Ms. Long, nice to meet you.” Li Yun greeted her like any other. The tone of her voice sounded a bit like the other elites Li Yun had encountered. As someone from the Long family, it was likely she was aware of his relationship status with Rouxi.

Long Suah laughed. “Don’t be so formal. I have heard I bit about you. You can call me Sister Suah.”

Li Yun nodded, but everyone called her Sister Suah, so it really wasn’t anything special. After the quick introduction, Long Suah stood in her position and introduced the format of the show.

“Welcome everyone! It’s me, Sister Suah, back again for another wonderful season of Great Chef!” Long Suah announced to the camera. “And no Great Chef will be complete without our own great chef, Nicholas!”

The camera panned to Nicholas who said more scripted lines. Afterward, it was the introduction of all the contestants, but since they had already filmed the individual segment, the introduction involved panning around the room with the contestants ready for their first competition.

“We have screened the best of the best amateur chefs from around China, with only one going away with the title Great Chef, 250k yuan in prize money, and an opportunity to cook at the most famous hotel in Imperial City,” Long Suah explained. “Now, everyone is wondering why I have not introduced the third guest. That’s because the third guest is hidden amongst the candidates.”

“I’m sure you’re all wondering if it’s a big-time celebrity actor or chef, but it’s not,” Nicholas explained. “Our third guest is someone who has absolute taste, but not by modern standards. They are capable of telling you the origin of the ingredients, and analyzing the effects it has on the body.”

“Absolute taste? I thought it was a myth,” the contestants whispered.

“I thought it was from a webnovel,” the contestants wondered if there was really such a thing.

“After cooking the first themed challenge, we will judge the top three and bottom three. However, if you are able to identify the third guest, you will automatically pass to the next round. With the rules settled, I will give you one hint about the judge,” Nicholas paused for suspense, “they do not know how to cook.”