Even though I watch a lot of programming on the Food Network, I have to admit I missed almost all of the The Next Iron Chef in season one. Last Sunday, the second season of The Next Iron Chef blasted off with the best ratings for a series opener in Food Network history. Over two million viewers, a 1.1 rating among adults 25-54.
Why the big jump? Well, I think a lot of other people are like me. On Sunday, before I switched over to watch pro football, I clicked on Food Network where they were showing a marathon rerun of the first season of The Next Iron Chef. It only took half an episode for me to kick myself for not having watched the whole first season when it aired. It was terrific.
Alton Brown, one of my favorite Food Network pros, hosted and if you think Tom Colicchio is tough on Top Chef, you should see Alton. When Aaron Sanchez tried to add a little something to a plate after the timer had sounded on a challenge, I thought Alton was going to slug him. And the challenges were really tough; perhaps even more daunting than some of the Top Chef challenges.
Because I liked what I saw, I DVR'd the second season bow on Sunday night. Obviously, two million other viewers felt like me. I'm hooked for the rest of the season.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-08-2009 @ 1:09PM
Daune said...
I never really got on board with the American Iron Chef, because we were die hards of the original series, so I probably wouldn't have watched The Next Iron Chef, except that Michael Symon was a contender, and we live in Cleveland and are big fans. Having Michael Ruhlman on the panel made things even more fun for us.
I ended up really enjoying the season and how the chefs, for the most part, seemed to like and respect each other, while competing. Since then, Aaron Sanchez has opened a restaurant in Cleveland, right across the street from one of Michael's, so it's a nice synergy.
Wasn't planning to watch the new series, but you might have changed my mind. Anyone from Cleveland on it??
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10-08-2009 @ 1:21PM
Cyn said...
I like the show but think Alton Brown comes across as an arrogant jerk. On his show, he tries to be light and funny but in real life he is a shark. His comments can be cutting and sharp. But, I like the show since I have seen a lot of these folks on Top Chef as judges.
But, Alton is replaceable. A little bit of him goes a long way.
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10-08-2009 @ 4:33PM
Rachel said...
I am a Top Chef obsessive, but I for some reason had previously strayed from sampling the Food Network's offerings of similar-type programming.
But man, I am sold. I too watched the First season marathon and then stuck around for the second season premiere. It's pretty much the identical format to Top Chef (until the last episode), but with arguably more talent (since the chefs are more established) and a slightly higher cheesiness factor.
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10-12-2009 @ 4:06PM
Gabygirl said...
In case you miss any episodes of this season's The Next Iron Chef, you can watch them the next day after airing at Fancast.com. Now you won't be the last to know :) http://bit.ly/kXSHZ
-Gaby (for Fancast)
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