Many of you said that when it comes to food reality TV shows, the novelty has completely worn off. But this type of culinary programming hasn't let up; last night was the premiere of Food Network Star, and tonight Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliott, and Joe Bastianich will return for the second series kickoff of Masterchef. Will you watch these two new cooking shows?
Photo courtesy of Fox
Get excited: Food Network's number one series, Food Network Star, premieres its seventh season tonight at 9 p.m. As we once again count down to more hopefuls competing for their own show (get acquainted with the new cast!), we take a look back at winners and finalists from seasons past and come to a conclusion: what happens on the Food Network stays in the Food Network. To see what we're talking about, keep reading.
All Photos Courtesy of Food Network
Between the Top Chef franchise, Next Iron Chef, and Food Network Star, there are probably enough reality TV cooking competitions to comprise an entire network. But the buck doesn't stop there.
On June 30, Food Network's Extreme Chef will air, taking a set of brave chefs to a new level of thrill and adventure. We're talking gathering ingredients from a bucket of rattlesnakes, cooking off a hot car engine, and making a meal on a deserted island! Exciting stuff, people.
I've got to be honest: my enthusiasm for cooking reality TV shows has long waned. And with America's Next Great Restaurant getting canceled, and an utterly lackluster Top Chef Masters 3, I can't help but think the rest of the country's interest has ebbed, too.
At her South Beach cooking demo, Rachael Ray and Guy Fieri announced they'd be hosting a new show on Food Network later this year. Ray was pretty mum about the details, but did say it'd be a "culinary version of Dancing With the Stars."
Well, Rachael and Guy took to the airwaves today to formally announce their upcoming show, amid a cheering crowd and a culinary assembly that included Mario Batali, Sara Moulton, and Graham Kerr. Said Fieri: It's going to be "a brother and sister culinary battle. We're going to get some celebrities that are going to come on the show, with different levels of culinary ability but who are all into cooking. Rachael's going to get five, I'm going to get five, and it's going to battle royale."
It remains to be seen who'll win — or, even more important, which stars will face off on the show. We're hedging our bets on former Fieri sidekick Matthew McConaughey, as well as celebs-turned-chefs like Gwyneth Paltrow, Eva Longoria, and Sheryl Crow. Is this new show worthy of your TiVo? Who do you want to see on the competition?
Last Summer, the Food Network debuted its first series devoted to the food truck craze, The Great Food Truck Race, a reality competition hosted by Tyler Florence. Today, the network announced that the show will be back for a second season premiering on Aug. 14 at 10 p.m.
Eight food trucks from across the country will compete in a "coast-to-coast culinary road trip" through cities like Denver, Memphis, and Atlanta. Although the Food Network hasn't released an official list of the participating food trucks, our friends at Eater have some guesses.
Did you watch The Great Food Truck Race? Will you tune in for its sophomore season?
We've got more details on one of Food Network's brand-new primetime television shows, Best in Smoke: turns out the reality TV series, which premieres May 8 at 10 p.m., will be hosted by none other than The Next Iron Chef's "linebacker ballerina" Bryan Caswell.
The Texas restaurateur, who's no amateur when it comes to barbecue himself, will follow America's best pitmasters as they compete head to head in venues across Manhattan for a $50,000 grand prize and the title of "best in smoke." He'll be joined by judges celebrity chef Tim Love, cookbook author Amy Mills Tunnicliffe, and James Beard Foundation executive Mitchell Davis.
Contestants include "Famous Dave" Anderson, founder of Famous Dave's America; Chris Hart, winner of the 2009 Jack Daniel's Invitational; Sara Horowitz, runner-up at the Versus National BBQ Championship series; Matt Lang, former head chef at New York's Fette Sau; Chris Lilly, vice president at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q Restaurant; and Brad Orrison, founder of The Shed BBQ.
I'm a huge fan of both barbecue and Bryan, so I can already smell the hickory smoke coming out of my TV screen. Will you tune in to watch?
My favorite time to watch the Food Network is on weekend mornings. With programs like Giada at Home, 5 Ingredient Fix, and Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, it's when new episodes of their "In the Kitchen" series air. I much prefer this style of cooking show over the reality, competition, and travel shows that air at night on the network. Thus, everyday Saturday and Sunday, when I'm home I like to tune in. How about you?
Food Network doesn't just have a new wine coming out — it's also got a roster of brand-new shows for both daytime and primetime.
The surprising programming offers a broad range of variety, from the cooking-centric (on the ranch with Pioneer Woman and blogger Ree Drummond) to the reality-heavy (a squabbling, multigenerational family of cookie bakers).
To see the full list, keep reading.
Following in the footsteps of Top Chef, Twitter, and Mario Batali, the Food Network has jumped on the wine bandwagon. The television channel has just launched a new wine label, entwine, in partnership with Wente Vineyards, a winery in California's Livermore Valley.
The wine portfolio will have four varietals from the 2009 vintage: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. All wines will retail at $12.99 and are expected to hit the market in August.
Yesterday, the network hosted an event announcing the wines and Anne Burrell was on hand encouraging viewers to learn more about wine by drinking more. I agree with Burrell — the more you drink, the more you learn, and I'm curious to see how these wines taste. How about you? Are you interested in sipping entwine?
