Iron Chef is a Sham!
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008Yeah yeah, it’s a network TV show, of course it’s got some secrets… I am an avid viewer of Iron Chef America, a popular show that airs on “The Food Network” several nights per week, featuring a 1 hour duel between two culinary masterminds, tasked at creating 5 unique dishes - featuring an unknown secret ingredient.
I was a bit shocked when I recently read a post on Village Voice; they have an in-depth review of the entire taping experience, and the how the show works. However, at the end of the review, I found myself a little bit shocked, disgruntled, that a show that I enjoy so much, was completely and totally staged.
It’s obvious that several parts of the show are staged, like the menu, timing, delivery of menu to the judges… but I was a bit surprised at some of the details of this article.
At one point, with only minutes in the real-time hour to go, one of Nicotra’s sous chefs—an attractive and poised brunette named Lara—was seen kneeling next to the ingredient table, stacking and restacking the spice jars so that the one she had used would fit perfectly back in the shelf. Urgency, indeed!
I expected the dishes to be whisked over to the judges for tasting, but where were the judges? The finished concoctions—many involving raw fish—languished on a side board as the judges ambled around and production people wiped their brows and relaxed. At one point, one of the judges—Queer Eye guy Ted Allen—strolled over to our bleachers and chatted up the guests like he was running for political office.
Anyway - check out the full post at The Village Voice….