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Iron Chef Showdown is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the fourth American adaptation of the series, following Iron Chef USA and Iron Chef America and Iron Chef Gauntlet. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the original Japanese program, the program is considered to be a culinary game show. In each episode, two new challenger chefs first compete against one another with the winner competing against one of the resident "Iron Chefs" in a one-hour cooking competition based on a secret ingredient or ingredients, and sometimes theme.[1]
| Iron Chef Showdown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Production location | New York City |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 46 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Food Network |
| Release | November 8, 2017 – January 18, 2018 |
| Related | |
The show is presented as a re-imagined take on Iron Chef America. The Chairman is once again portrayed by actor and martial artist Mark Dacascos, who was introduced as the nephew of the original Japanese chairman Takeshi Kaga on Iron Chef America. The commentary is provided by Alton Brown who also serves as the host as well as a judge, and a new floor reporter Jaymee Sire is introduced.[1][2]
The series premiered on Food Network on November 8, 2017 with a Thanksgiving-themed episode, with ten episodes aired in the first season. Iron Chefs Bobby Flay, Jose Garces, Alex Guarnaschelli, and Michael Symon return for this series; they are joined by the newest Iron Chef, Iron Chef Gauntlet winner Stephanie Izard.[1][3][4][5] During taping of the first season, Bobby Flay removed his chef's coat to reveal a T-shirt which read "This is my last Iron Chef battle ever"; he later confirmed that he has officially quit the Iron Chef franchise.[6]
Format
editTwo challengers enter Kitchen Stadium and battle one another in a Chairman's Challenge based upon a secret ingredient. Alton Brown is the sole judge of this challenge and decides which of the two challengers advance to the next stage. The winner then faces an Iron Chef in a Secret Ingredient Showdown, in the traditional Iron Chef and Iron Chef America format. A panel of two guest judges decide the winner. Unlike the original Iron Chef America, the Chairman does not dine with the judges; host Alton Brown takes his place at the judging table, but does not vote on the winner. The two parts of the show, the Chairman's Challenge and the Secret Ingredient Showdown were introduced in Iron Chef Gauntlet.
The Iron Chefs
editIron Chef statistics
editThe win/loss data is based solely on the performance of the participant as an Iron Chef in Iron Chef Showdown and does not include win–loss records on any previous programs including Iron Chef, Iron Chef America, The Next Iron Chef, or Iron Chef Gauntlet.
| Iron Chef | Specialty | Win | Loss | Total | Win %[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Flay[b] | Southwestern | 1 | 1 | 2 | .500 |
| Jose Garces[c] | Latin Fusion | 1 | 1 | 2 | .500 |
| Alexandra Guarnaschelli[d] | Modern American | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 |
| Stephanie Izard[e] | Modern American | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 |
| Michael Symon[f] | Mediterranean | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 |
- ^ Based on weighted average (.5 victory for a draw). The win/loss data is based on the performance of the Iron Chef in Iron Chef Showdown only.
- ^ Flay's record excludes his 43-16-2 record in Iron Chef America.
- ^ Garces' record excludes his 16-7 record in Iron Chef America.
- ^ Guarnaschelli's record excludes her 4-3 record in Iron Chef America.
- ^ Izard's record excludes her participation in Iron Chef Gauntlet, including her defeat of Symon, Flay, and Masaharu Morimoto in the Gauntlet round, as she was not an Iron Chef at the time.
- ^ Symon's record excludes his 34-7-1 record in Iron Chef America.
Episodes
edit| # | Original airdate | Title | Chairman's challenge | Secret ingredient showdown | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challengers | Ingredient | Winner | Iron Chef | Ingredient/theme | Winner | Final score | |||
| 1 | November 8, 2017 | "Big Thanksgiving Battle" | Lindsay Autry Matt Kerney |
Corn | Matt Kerney | Bobby Flay | Thanksgiving leftovers | Bobby Flay | 49-44 |
| 2 | November 15, 2017 | "Battle Symon Says" | Hiroo Nagamura David Schlosser |
Mushrooms | David Schlosser | Michael Symon | Holstein beef | Michael Symon | 48-37 |
| 3 | November 22, 2017 | "Battle Beantown" | Matt Jennings Kristen Kish |
Prosciutto | Kristen Kish | Jose Garces | Parmesan cheese | Jose Garces | 47-41 |
| 4 | November 29, 2017 | "Battle Stuffed and Savory" | Marcellus Coleman Leah Cohen |
Squash | Leah Cohen | Stephanie Izard | Sausage | Stephanie Izard | 42-36 |
| 5 | December 6, 2017 | "Italian Holiday Battle" | Ted Hopson Kate Williams |
Gingerbread | Ted Hopson | Alex Guarnaschelli | Feast of the Seven Fishes | Alex Guarnaschelli | 44-37 |
| 6 | December 13, 2017 | "Battle Deep Sea Duel" | Brian Landry Ryan McCaskey |
Pork belly | Brian Landry | Stephanie Izard | Yellowfin tuna | Stephanie Izard | 45-37 |
| 7 | December 20, 2017 | "Battle Meaty Matchup" | David Bancroft Roxanne Spruance |
Apple | David Bancroft | Jose Garces | Racks and ribs | David Bancroft | 42-40 |
| 8 | December 27, 2017 | "Battle Bar Food" | Timon Balloo Nicholas Elmi |
Wings | Timon Balloo | Alex Guarnaschelli | Shrimp | Alex Guarnaschelli | 35-30 |
| 9 | January 3, 2018 | "Battle Fruit and Fowl" | Gregory Gourdet Brian Redzikowski |
Grapes | Gregory Gourdet | Michael Symon | Duck | Michael Symon | 41-35 |
| 10 | January 10, 2018[n 1] | "Battle Bobby Flay All Day" | Tory Miller Jenner Tomaska |
Potato | Tory Miller | Bobby Flay | Bison | Tory Miller | 41-38 |
- ^ This episode was originally scheduled for December 13, 2017. It was pulled from the schedule and re-edited to remove judge John Besh from the broadcast version; Giada De Laurentiis was the only judge on screen.
Companion shows
editIron Chef: Outside the Stadium
editPrior to the premiere episode of Showdown, Food Network aired a one-time special, Iron Chef: Outside the Stadium, which reviewed current status of former and current Iron Chefs Bobby Flay, Alex Guarnaschelli, Geoffrey Zakarian, Stephanie Izard, Michael Symon, Jose Garces and Wolfgang Puck.
Iron Chef: Behind the Battle
editAfter each episode of Showdown, Food Network will air an episode of the companion series Iron Chef: Behind the Battle. In this series, Alton Brown will revisit some of the fan-favorite battles of the past from Iron Chef America and provide his unique perspective and in-depth look at these battles.
References
edit- ^ a b c "Iron Chefs Return to Kitchen Stadium for Reimagined Take on Fan-Favorite Franchise in Iron Chef Showdown". PR Newswire. October 9, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- ^ Heller, Charlie (October 9, 2017). "'Iron Chef' Returns With 'Iron Chef Showdown'". Food & Wine. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ Calderone, Ana. "Get a Sneak Peek of the New Iron Chef Showdown (Yes, Bobby Flay Makes an Appearance!)". People. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
- ^ Casselberry, Ian (November 4, 2017). "Former ESPN anchor Jaymee Sire compares new Iron Chef Showdown job to football sideline reporting". Awfulannouncing.com. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ Flager, Madison (July 28, 2017). "There's A New Iron Chef Spinoff In The Works With All Your Favorite Chefs". Delish. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ Spence, Shay (February 26, 2018). "Bobby Flay Explains Why He Quit Iron Chef During Filming - and Why Food Network Was 'Not Thrilled'". People. Retrieved April 5, 2018.