Date of Award
Summer 2025
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Department
Moore School of Business
First Advisor
Philip Brookins
Abstract
Cooking shows have been popular for decades with many variations, prizes, and a collection of talented chefs. The Netflix series Cook at All Costs provides a newer playing field incorporating auctions into the challenging landscape. Home chefs are challenged with creating unique dishes from mystery ingredients boxes acquired through various auction types in hopes of winning a monetary prize. The chefs must balance the trade-off between spending money on higher-quality ingredients to improve their chances of winning and saving money across rounds. This thesis will explore the economic concepts presented in the show by providing an understanding of how the game structure, connections to economic theory, and strategies observed through episode data. Analyzation of the show concludes that a balanced bidding strategy yields the best outcomes along with a mix of uncertainty related to skill level and knowledge. Ultimately, this thesis offers a deeper understanding of the strategic decisions contestants face and provides an opportunity for future research.
Rights
© 2025, Abigail Green
Recommended Citation
Green, A.(2025). An Economic Evaluation of Cook at All Costs. (Master's thesis). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/8555