Netflix announced that one of the most popular cooking competitions on reality television is returning.
Iron Chef America Will Return Soon
As per the news story of Variety, Former "Iron Chef America" host Alton Brown and Mark Dacascos, who portrayed the iconic role of "The Chairman" on the show, are returning to Kitchen Stadium for another round as part of Netflix's relaunch of the "Iron Chef" series. The latest Netflix series, titled "Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend" will launch on June 15, will see Brown hosting alongside "Top Chef" winner Kristen Kish, while Dacascos will reprise his role as The Chairman.
It was reported that the "Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend" will consist of eight, 45-minute episodes.
Meanwhile, according to Polygon, Iron Chef was first broadcast in Japan before being adapted into Iron Chef America, which aired on Food Network for 13 seasons. In cooking challenges centered on a certain ingredient, the series pitted challenger cooks against recognized pros. The show also featured a number of spinoffs, including themed specials, regional competitions like the U.K. and Canada, and other variations. As per Variety, this year, Netflix will also release "Iron Chef Mexico" and "Iron Chef Brazil."
What the Cameras Don't Show You on This Show
Each episode featured two accomplished chefs (one Iron Chef and the other not) competing in a fast-paced cooking duel, with host Alton Brown breaking down the action for the viewers.
However, Mashed said that as culinary producer Jill Novatt told Courant, creating a single episode can take months of planning, from deciding on the secret ingredient to recruiting the greatest chefs from throughout the country. What you might not know is that what happened behind the scenes of "Iron Chef America" was sometimes just as exciting as what was seen on camera.
The adrenaline rush is one of the charms of "Iron Chef America." The chefs had no time to waste because they had to prepare five dishes in under an hour. That's less than 15 minutes for each dish. What the cameras didn't show you was that the crew behind the scenes was also working hard. According to Eater, they filmed two episodes a day for three weeks straight.
Mashed, citing DGA Quarterly Magazine, reported that it took roughly five hours to shoot a 40-minute episode of "Iron Chef America." According to director Eytan Keller, once the camera started rolling, there was no stopping it until the war was over - even if the cooks were having a bad day with their knives.
Mashed further reported that after the tough battle against time, the cooks simply flipped a coin to determine which meals would be presented to the judges first. Cameras bypassed the flip and went right to a panel of judges, where they were served quickly prepared food. While it may appear like the food was hurried from the station to the judgment table in the blink of an eye, things actually slow down once the battle is over.
