Looks like Food Network's switching gears to focus less on cooking expertise and more on entertainment. On the roster for 2010: more Brian Boitano, and a new show, Worst Cooks in America.
Worst Cooks in America, which premieres Sunday, Jan. 3, features 12 "hopeless cooks" who are divided into two teams, one under the tutelage of network vet Anne Burrell and the other led by Arizona chef Beau MacMillan.
The show's premise: bad cooks undergo a five-week "culinary boot camp" where they will learn kitchen techniques from Burrell and MacMillan that they must apply in weekly elimination challenges.
After the contestants have been narrowed down to two, they will compete for a grand prize of $25,000 in a final challenge that has them preparing a three-course meal for a panel of food critics who think the dishes have been prepared by chefs Anne and Beau.
For even more entertainment, Brian Boitano fans should also stay tuned for the return of the Olympic medalist, who's back with a second season of the screwball show What Would Brian Boitano Make? in March. Will you tune in to watch either of these shows — or are they too far a departure from the classic cooking shows that once dominated Food Network?
Question: what would Brian Boitano make? Answer: a pretty ridiculously offbeat cooking show. The Olympic figure skating champion's Food Network series, which was first announced back in April, debuted yesterday, and it was certainly not what I expected.
The skater described his show as "goofy and funny," but that's an understatement. The theme song riffs on the South Park movie's satirical tune "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" and although his cooking skills appear to be legit, recipes are interspersed with hammed-up interludes of Brian biking behind rainbows, lounging in a velvet robe, and running from an animated goat cheese log. He throws out corny lines, like, "I'm gonna holla at my homegirl, my mother from another grandmother." At times, he's hilarious; other moments, trying way too hard. All in all, the show is very uncharacteristic of the Food Network.
The strangest part of the episode was the party's theme. Brian decides to throw a soirée for a bachelor friend and proceeds to round up 15 bachelorettes. The show nears an end when Tony, Brian's pal, turns beet red as he enters a "party" — really, just a room filled with more than a dozen single, dolled-up women.
In case you missed out yesterday, this video sums up the episode's screwball scenes. Did you watch? What did you think of the show?
Belong to the camp that loves watching the Food Network? You'll be happy to know that it's not only bringing back some of its popular shows for more seasons, but it'll also be adding some surprising new developments into the mix.
The Next Food Network Star is back for a fifth season in June — and a sixth is already planned for 2010. Once Top Chef Masters is over, you can tune into season two of The Next Iron Chef, which returns in October. Wondering what happened to season one contestants Chris Cosentino and Aaron Sanchez? Well, they'll be featured in a new program called Chef vs. City.
In the show, which debuts this July, the duo will be "pitted against two local foodies in a winner-takes-all race through a different city each week."
Intrigue is only one word we have for a new cooking show airing in August, starring none other than — you'll never guess — Olympic gold medalist Brian Boitano. In the daytime show — tentatively and humorously titled What Would Brian Boitano Make?, the ice skater will demonstrate how he entertains for friends.
Also coming this year is Sandra Lee's budget-friendly cooking show Sandra's Money Saving Meals and Extreme Cuisine With Jeff Corwin, which sounds like Food Network's answer to Bizarre Foods. In 2010's lineup, Rescue Chef Danny Boome will host a new series that shows diners how to prepare healthier, cheaper versions of their favorite take-out dishes; Alton Brown will host a miniseries on foods that have changed the world; and Anne Burrell tackles a team of hopeless home cooks in Worst Cooks in America.
I can't wait to check out Boitano's show, for the shock factor. I'll also tune into watch Chris Cosentino and Aaron Sanchez, some of my favorites from Next Iron Chef. What shows are you looking forward to watching?
