TVSquad

Given the popularity of the second-season opener of The Next Iron Chef, I figured it was a good time to pull out this interview I did with the show's host, Alton Brown, at the network's TCA party in July. It was definitely the tastiest party of the tour, as each Iron Chef contestant plied the critics with delectable morsels of their creativity at various stations.

In a bit of a surprise, one of the contestants, Amanda Freitag, was being assisted by her friend Ariane Duarte, one of the more popular contestants from rival program Top Chef's New York season (I was so flabbergasted by the turn of events, I snapped a pic of the two with my cell phone). When I pointed this tidbit out to Brown, his response was very interesting...

Thanks Chef Michael Symon, but your services are no longer needed on Dinner: Impossible. Yes, he's been given the pink slip because it seems the folks at Food Network realize that they may have acted a bit rashly when they changed chefs last April. The Food Network has rehired Robert Irvine and will reinstate him as the host of Dinner: Impossible.

Apparently, fudging his resume wasn't quite the high crime and misdemeanor it was made out to be. In fact, the network's dramatic reversal is proof positive that Dinner: Impossible has not been the same show with Chef Robert.

It's easier to forgive Irvine for padding his credits -- including facts like cooking for the Queen and preparing meals at the White House -- than it was to find as charismatic a star to anchor the weekly show.

Perhaps it's unfair to prejudge, but I am really, really disappointed in the Food Network. The announcement that they are planning a new series that involves competitive eating called Eat the Clock sounds like a sell-out.

It sounds like Food Network is following in the footsteps of classy shows like Hurl and Fear Factor. I expect better from the network that espouses to be about the best in food and cooking, not how fast you can jam it down your throat.

The same company that's behind Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels, Pie Town Productions, has cooked up Eat the Clock. They're comparing it to The Amazing Race, but with eating contests thrown up -- I mean, in. There will be travel involved, which relates to Rachael's travel show. Maybe they'll have Rachael try her gullet at consuming mass quantities. (Oh wait, that's the Coneheads.)

Food Network is either creating a new reality food competition program that sounds remarkably like a miniature version of Top Chef or this is the biggest coincidence in the world of cable television. Food Network has put out a casting notice that calls for professional chefs who are interested in testing their skills in the kitchen against other chefs by having their food judged on taste, creativity and presentation by experts.

They're looking for four contestants; each week one will be eliminated till a winner remains. The winner will then be -- wait for it -- top food maker. No, that part I made up. They're not saying what the winner will be called or even what the best chef will win. The details aren't spelled out in the casting notice.

(S01E03) "Slutty But Sweet," the business mantra of restaurant The Booty Chest

Even the previews for The Middle Man capture that cheese-tastic tone that made the '60s Batman an instant classic. Like Paul, I also enjoy the frenetic pace of the dialogue and the bright colors that sprinkle the show. I've selected the picture over there to explore the costume difference Paul mentioned, wherein Natalie Morales' Wendy Watson dresses pretty hot when off-duty, and then when working wears a suit that truly doesn't work on a woman, as mentioned last episode.

Why can't she put on that Avengers' Emma Peel catsuit she's wearing in the opening credits. She looks really damned hot there. The show itself seems to speak to a mix of that and Get Smart! though The Middle Man is more Agent 99 to Wendy's Maxwell Smart. Even the little goofy things like giving us the time from different time zones each scene change, and not necessarily a time zone that we're in. But in each case it's relevant to the plotline. We get Shanghai time when we're in a Chinese restaurant for example. It's these little touches of quirky humor that make the show such a unique success.

It sounds like the Food Network has finally come up with a show that will compliment Alton Brown's Peabody-award winner Good Eats. The foodiest member of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Ted Allen, has signed to host Food Detectives, a new Food Network series. Starting Tuesday, July 29th at 9 o'clock ET, the half-hour show will begin illuminating the world about the stuff we eat. They will be "pulling back the curtain and revealing the answers to some of the most puzzling food mysteries."

Actually, the concept is kind of like a Mythbusters for food. Ted will host the show and folks from Popular Science Magazine will provide the expertise. For instance, does an apple a day keep the doctor away? What about baked beans, do they really give you gas? If not, what's Beano going to do with all those commercials and product?

Food Network has been smarting from the debacle involving Robert Irvine, the former host of Dinner: Impossible. Now, the other shoe has dropped in the kitchen. Food Network announced that Michael Symon will replace Chef Irvine on Dinner: Impossible. This should be a piece of cake -- ha, ha, food metaphor -- for Chef Symon. He has already competed for a major role at Food Network and won. He's one of the Iron Chefs, having defeated all challengers in last seasons on air contest.

Since that victory last summer, he has joined Mario Batali, Cat Cora, Bobby Flay and Masaharu Morimoto as a member of the home team on Iron Chef America. He's been cooking in Kitchen Stadium along with the rest of the gang.

Chef Symon owns the Lola and Lolita restaurants in Cleveland, Ohio, and is a graduate from The Culinary Institute of America. After the Food Network's experience with Chef Robert Irvine, it's safe to say that Michael Symon's resume has been fully vetted.

They're cooking up a new show for Bobby Flay, the Food Network chef who is quickly becoming the boy who just can't say no. The guy is cooking everywhere -- CBS' Early Show, Boy Meets Grill, Throwdown with Bobby Flay and, of course, he's one of the principals on Iron Chef America. And that doesn't include reruns of BBQ with Bobby Flay. But it's clearly not enough.

The Food Network is making headlines lately! They have not renewed Emeril Lagasse's nightly Live show and recently declined carrying Mario Batali's new series. So, who does the Food Network want? Apparently, they want Alton Brown who they just signed to a three year deal. Brown will continue to host Iron Chef America, continue to produce and host his show Good Eats, and he's getting a new show called Feasting on Waves (a follow-up to Feasting on Asphalt).

Why so much Alton? The Food Network is aggressively pushing for a younger audience. Bob Tuschman, Senior VP, said that their campaign is working citing that the average age of the network's audience dropped from 50 in 2003 to 46 in 2007. Wow, what a big drop! (Note the sarcasm.)