Chef Lee Yeon-bok. BABYMONSTER’s Rora. Still from Lifetime’s ‘Man VS Child’.
Lee Da-in, a child chef who appeared on Lifetime’s cooking variety program ‘Man VS Child’, has been drawing attention after it belatedly became known that she is Rora of the group BABYMONSTER.
In the episode of Lifetime’s cooking variety program ‘Man VS Child’ that aired in July 2018, Lee Da-in appeared as a child chef and faced off in cooking battles against star chefs.
Still from Lifetime’s ‘Man VS Child’.
In particular, in episode 2, Lee went head-to-head with Chef Lee Yeon-bok, whom she had singled out as “the chef I really want to beat,” drawing attention. The two then competed in a ‘corn kernel removal’ challenge.
Before the match, she showed confidence, saying, “My paternal grandmother farms corn, so I’ve shelled it with her.”
In the actual contest, using a fork, Lee initially removed kernels faster than Chef Lee and performed well. However, when Chef Lee abandoned the tools and picked up speed with his bare hands, she appeared flustered. She even asked for help with a cutesy expression, but Chef Lee focused only on the corn, eliciting laughter.
Still from Lifetime’s ‘Man VS Child’.
In a subsequent interview, Lee said, “With (Chef Lee Yeon-bok) right beside me, he was really going (so fast). So I had no choice but to act cute and ask for help,” prompting laughter.
Recently, as the video has been recirculating across online communities and social media, it has again come to light that the child chef Lee Da-in from back then is now BABYMONSTER member Rora, drawing renewed attention.
Online commenters reacted, saying, “She grew up just the same,” “I can’t believe a fourth-grader is that deft,” and “She was exceptional from an early age.”
BABYMONSTER’s Rora. Chef Lee Yeon-bok. Online community.
Still from Lifetime’s ‘Man VS Child’. Provided by YG Entertainment.
Meanwhile, BABYMONSTER is a seven-member multinational girl group under YG Entertainment that debuted on April 1, 2024. The members were selected through global auditions and long-term training, drawing attention even before debut.
