Affably Evil: Well, as evil as you can be on a cooking show.Iron Chef title against Chen Kenichi) was on his 65th birthday. Michiba's final battle as an Iron Chef (to win the Mr.Chen was less than pleased with the ingredient and regarded it as one of his tougher battles (though he did end up winning). A Birthday, Not a Break: The dried abalone battle between Chen and Gao Jinyi was apparently filmed on Chen's fortieth birthday.If you're looking for the trope about chefs that are powerful fighters, see Chef of Iron. In 2022, Netflix released a new version entitled Iron Chef: Quest for the Iron Legend, which introduced a slightly new format in which the victorious challenger with the highest overall score from the earlier episodes wins the right to challenge all the Iron Chefs in the season finale in order to claim the title of Iron Legend. Iron Chef Showdown is a two-round competition: A 30-minute appetizer round in which two chefs compete for the right to face an Iron Chef, judged solely by host Alton Brown the second round is the traditional 60-minute competition to produce a 4-to-6 course meal. This version premiered in the US on the Cooking Channel in 2018.Īfter a three-year hiatus after the end of the 2014 season, Iron Chef returned to American television as Iron Chef Showdown, with a slightly retooled format, tested during Summer 2017 as Iron Chef Gauntlet, itself a re-tool of Food Network's The Next Iron Chef. Hiroshi Tamaki of live action Nodame Cantabile fame was the new Chairman former challenger Yuji Wakiya returned as Iron Chef Chinese the two newcomers were Yosuke Suga as Iron Chef French and Jun Kurogi as Iron Chef Japanese and the fourth Iron Chef was never announced (the show was canceled before they could name one).
The remake premiered on October 26th, 2012, and ran for 13 episodes and one special. There are several further spinoffs: an Israeli version ( Krav Sakinim, literally, " Knife Fight"), a UK version ( Iron Chef UK), an Australian version ( Iron Chef Australia), note It even flew in Mark Dacasos to chair! Which makes it easier to add to the greater Kayfabe of Iron Chef America Iron Chef Thailand, Iron Chef Vietnam, and most recently, Iron Chef Indonesia.īelieve it or not, it returned for a short time in Japan. The original Iron Chef is now running on Food Network's sibling channel, The Cooking Channel (formerly the Fine Living Network). That itself has a spin-off: The Next Iron Chef, a competition a la Top Chef where the prize is ascending to a position as an Iron Chef.
It proved so popular that two spinoff series were made: an abortive series of specials on UPN, hosted by William Shatner, and the Food Network's own, far more successful Iron Chef America, hosted by Mark Dacascos and commentator Alton Brown.
It ran for six years on Fuji TV after being popularized by a few Japanese-language stations in the United States, it was picked up by the Food Network and broadcast across the US. A panel of tasters then judge and rate the dishes served, and the points they give are tallied up at the end to decide "whose cuisine reigns supreme." The competition is introduced and hosted by the flamboyant Chairman Kaga (Takeshi Kaga).
The classic format is this: The challenger would select which of the iron chefs that challenger wanted to compete against, the theme ingredient is announced, the challenger and the Iron Chef are given one hour to create a full meal - between three and five courses, usually, all of which have to use the theme ingredient in some way.
Hence the basic concept for Ryōri no Tetsujin ("Ironmen of Cooking"), better known as Iron Chef. He would pay for the set and all the food purchased - and proposed to pick three top chefs, each the master of a different style of cuisine, and call in chefs from around Japan (and the world) to challenge them. You wish to know the Backstory? Well, if my memory serves me correctly.Ī rich gourmand from a long line of Japanese nobles once came to the offices of Fuji TV with an idea for a program: a Cooking Show with a competitive edge with the express purpose of finding the heir to Rosanjin.