FOOD NETWORK REVEALS CAST FOR NEXT IRON CHEF: REDEMPTION
Premiering Sunday, November 4th at 9pm ET/PT
NEW YORK – August 7, 2012 – Food Network reveals the cast for returning primetime competition series The Next Iron Chef: Redemption with a roster of elite competitors, most returning for a second chance at the ultimate culinary title. The fifth season is all about redemption, with many cast members taking another shot to prove their skills are Iron Chef-worthy, along with some newcomers who have their own redemption stories. The cast includes: Nate Appleman, Amanda Freitag, Eric Greenspan, and Jehangir Mehta from The Next Iron Chef: Season Two; Elizabeth Faulkner, Alex Guarnaschelli and Spike Mendelsohn from the cast of The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs; and first-time Next Iron Chef competitors Tim Love and Marcel Vigneron. Premiering on Sunday, November 4th at 9pm ET/PT, Alton Brown will again host this 8-episode, top-rated series, which recently completed production in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
The tenth slot will go to the winner of a web-exclusive competition taking place on FoodNetwork.com, the four chefs taking part in the web battle are: Duske Estes and Robert Trevino, who have previously competed on The Next Iron Chef, and newcomers Lee Anne Wong and Madison Cowan.
In The Next Iron Chef, the contestants bet on their culinary skills and put their reputations on the line for the chance to compete in legendary Kitchen Stadium. The winner will join the ranks of chefs including Bobby Flay, Marc Forgione, Jose Garces, Masaharu Morimoto, Michael Symon and Geoffrey Zakarian as a member of the Chairman’s team on Iron Chef America.
I’ve got a hunch we’ll be seeing something of this nature for Food Network Star next year as well. Thus far there has been no casting call for season nine and I’ve heard a few comments from former cast members. However, no one has been willing to go on record about it.
Review: Unique Eats
I finally got a little quality time with the Cooking Channel so I am attempting to review several of the shows I have not seen. This time I’m watching Unique Eats.
I really, really like this show. The formula is quite similar to the Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate, but it takes that idea to another level. Best Thing was already one of my favorite shows but I think it just dropped a notch after checking out Unique Eats.
Where Best Thing is a series of interviews with culinary movers and shakers discussing one item from one restaurant that they love, Unique Eats features a gaggle of foodies discussing the same eatery and what they find intriguing about it. Each episode is themed, Small Plates, Meats, Comfort Food, etc. with each cheflebrity pontificating about what they respect about the chosen purveyor. These gastronomic round tables are made up of foodies, food writers, chefs and TV personalities.
Here’s how the network web site describes the show:
Unique Eats spotlights America’s most exciting and revolutionary restaurants. It’s the first look and the last word in everything extreme in food today. The locations range from high-end dining rooms to casual neighborhood treasures, and even roving eateries with no permanent addresses. We seek out the most amazing examples of modern dining across America.
The editing, the sound quality, the cinematography and especially the venues featured are the very essence of what food television should be. If you prefer your food oriented programming to be about food rather than drama then you really need to watch Unique Eats. As an added bonus, there is a place on the Cooking Channel web site that will help you plan a Unique Eats road trip. Put that on your bucket list.
