i'm not interested in ANY cooking competition show. i can't taste the food, so what's the point?

they're entertaining, but I get sick of the ones where its basically the same competitors, making cakes, but with a different theme. yawn.

Actually, the chefs on Food Network Challenge are professionals, they all own their own businesses, and are well known and respected in the cooking world for the skills they are being tested on in the show. They are by no means amateur, they just aren't "celebrity" chefs.

I like the challenges where they do the sugar showpieces and the theme cakes and the food styling. Not the bake off challenges or those types.

I actually just came to comments to say the exact same thing as hex913 - the contestants on Food Network Challenge are far from amateur. A lot of them come from the same caliber of chefs that go on Top Chef. I can't actually think of any amateur cooking contests on tv.....

I will have to agree with Hex. Some of these are not amateur chefs (especially the cakes, candy, sugar competitions). They do show competitions with amateur chefs but they put tons of time and money to perfect their recipes. Also they can make lots of money winning these competitions.

Much agreed that many of the chefs competing on the Challenges are not amateurs. Many are well respected in their industry.

That being said, I love challenges. It's fun watching them create something from nothing, stress out, deal with loops and such. I find them to be artists of the baking world. Though it makes me wonder if any of the cakes, sugar statues etc. are actually eaten or if it all goes to waste. :\

My fiance loves watching the shows with me because he hopes to see some complete fails and destruction of cakes.

I was also going to comment that this people are not amateurs by any means.

I like watching them from time to time, but I do feel like it's the same people over and over. I like the sugar competitions, though, mostly because I like to see if someone's breaks.

it entirely depends on which show it is.
I adddoooorrrreeee 'Iron Chef America'

I dislike Food Network Challenge for the most part. The sugar sculptures and some of the other challenges are great, but watching the same 4 teams make differently themed cakes each week gets tedious.

I am a 3D cake maker. Ace of Cakes style. I am also self taught so I love watching these shows. It is very inspiring and sometimes you see tricks that you hadn't thought of before. Especially when there isn't a lot of time left and the cake starts to fall apart. Gasp!

I'm sick of cake shows. I like cake and all, but no more fondant!

If it's a real lazy afternoon, sometimes I'll watch the shows. Some of the cook offs, like the one for burgers, gave me great ideas to try at home. For the most part, there haven't been many Top Chef recipes I've wanted to try; it seems outside my level and skill set.

No. When they're on, I always change the channel.

I like watching the Food Network Challenges. I will agree with the others that said that the chefs on these shows aren't exactly amateurs; most of them are VERY talented chefs at well-known restaurants/hotels/etc. Duff from Ace of Cakes actually did one of the Challenges before he got his own show, so it provides publicity for a lot of up-and-coming chefs. Sometimes the cake ones are a little repetitive, but I love the fruit-carving ones or the ones where they make neat sculptures out of sugar/chocolate.

Fondant is nasty. Just thought i'd throw that in there