Series synopsis
Iron Chef America is an American reality television series that premiered on Food Network on January 16, 2005. It was created by Alton Brown. It stars Wolfgang Puck, Masaharu Morimoto, Mario Batali and Jamie Oliver.
Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the original Japanese program, the program is a culinary game show. In each episode, a new challenger chef competes against one of the resident "Iron Chefs" in a one-hour cooking competition based on a secret ...
Premise
Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the original Japanese program, the program is a culinary game show. In each episode, a new challenger chef competes against one of the resident "Iron Chefs" in a one-hour cooking competition based on a secret ingredient or ingredients, and sometimes theme.
The show is presented as a successor to the original Iron Chef, as opposed to being a remake. The Chairman is portrayed by actor and martial artist Mark Dacascos, who is introduced as the nephew of the original Japanese chairman Takeshi Kaga. The commentary is provided solely by Alton Brown, & Kevin Brauch is the floor reporter. The music is written by composer Craig Marks, who released the soundtrack titled "Iron Chef America & The Next Iron Chef" by the end of 2010. In addition, regular ICA judge and Chopped host Ted Allen provided additional floor commentary for two special battles: Battle First Thanksgiving and Battle White House Produce.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Wolfgang Puck as Self
- Masaharu Morimoto as Self
- Mario Batali as Self
- Jamie Oliver as Self
- Duff Goldman as Self
- Rachael Ray as Self
- Alton Brown as Self
- Walter Scheib as Self
Supporting cast
- Cat Cora as Self
- Paula Deen as Self
- Rick Tramonto as Self
- Ming Tsai as Self
- Giada De Laurentiis as Self
- Emeril Lagasse as chef
- Kent Rathbun as Self
- Hiroyuki Sakai as Self
- Tyson Cole as Self
- Tyler Florence as Self
- Aarón Sánchez as Self
- Michael Symon as Self
Guest cast
- Bobby Flay as Self - Iron Chef
- Ted Allen
- Julie Chen
- Gael Greene
- Joel McHale as Himself
- Antonia Lofaso as Judge
- Judy Joo as Judge
- Geoffrey Zakarian
- Marc Forgione
- Jonathan Waxman as Judge
- Stephanie Izard
- Tanya Holland as Judge
Episodes
This series spans 14 seasons with 253 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 17 | April 23, 2004 | December 2, 2012 |
| Season 1 | 13 | January 16, 2005 | April 3, 2005 |
| Season 2 | 14 | July 10, 2005 | January 22, 2006 |
| Season 3 | 24 | February 26, 2006 | January 21, 2007 |
| Season 4 | 9 | February 11, 2007 | May 27, 2007 |
| Season 5 | 12 | July 29, 2007 | January 20, 2008 |
| Season 6 | 18 | January 6, 2008 | September 7, 2008 |
| Season 7 | 28 | October 5, 2008 | November 29, 2009 |
| Season 8 | 32 | January 1, 2010 | December 12, 2010 |
| Season 9 | 20 | January 2, 2011 | November 27, 2011 |
| Season 10 | 23 | December 11, 2011 | October 14, 2012 |
| Season 11 | 21 | December 30, 2012 | September 15, 2013 |
| Season 12 | 12 | October 12, 2013 | September 7, 2014 |
| Season 13 | 10 | May 16, 2018 | July 22, 2018 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Battle of the Masters: Flay vs. Sakai Theme : Trout In a new Iron Chef rivalry, Bobby Flay takes on Iron Chef French Hiroyuki Sakai, who has won more battles than any other Iron Chef and will open a new restaurant in Hawaii this year. |
April 23, 2004 |
| 2 |
Battle of the Masters: Morimoto vs. Batali Theme : Spiny lobster Iron Chef Japanese Masaharu Morimoto proves he is an Iron Man by battling two of the American Iron Chefs. In the first battle, the chef/owner of Morimoto restaurant in Philadelphia faces Mario Batali host of Molto Mario and Ciao America on Food Network. |
April 30, 2004 |
| 3 |
Battle of the Masters: Morimoto vs. Puck Theme : Eggs The competition continues with Morimoto accepting the challenge from Wolfgang Puck. Puck, the original celebrity chef, is host of Wolfgang Puck's Cooking Class on Food Network. Can Morimoto make it through an unprecedented two battles in a row? |
May 7, 2004 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Iron Chef Flay vs Rick Bayless Theme : Buffalo The first all women team challenge Iron Chef Batali in a courageous battle to the finish. See who's cuisine reigns supreme! |
January 16, 2005 |
| 2 |
Batali vs. Trevino Theme : Catfish Iron Chef Mario Batali takes on Challenger Roberto Trevino in a battle of huge proportions! See who’s cuisine reigns supreme! |
January 23, 2005 |
| 3 |
Flay vs.Tsai Theme : Duck Iron Chef Bobby Flay takes on Challenger Ming Tsai in a battle to remember! See these two great culinary stars go head to head! |
January 30, 2005 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Iron Chef Batali vs Todd English A pizza-dough battle pits Iron Chef Mario Batali against chef Todd English. Judges: Donatella Arpaia; Ed Levine and Jeffrey Steingarten. |
July 10, 2005 |
| 2 |
Iron Chef Cora vs Kerry Simon Theme : Lamb Bobby Flay faces David Burke in the culinary competition. |
July 17, 2005 |
| 3 |
Iron Chef Flay vs Adam Lang Theme: Chicken Adam Perry Lang, famed BBQ Chef challenges Iron Chef Bobby Flay! |
July 24, 2005 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Batali vs. Besh Theme : Andouille Sausage Chefs : Iron Chef Mario Batali takes on "French" specialty chef John Besh |
February 26, 2006 |
| 2 |
Flay vs. MacMillan Theme : American Kobe beef Chefs : Iron Chef Bobby Flay takes on Contemporary American specialist Beau MacMillan |
March 5, 2006 |
| 3 |
Cora vs. Shook & Dotolo Theme : Eggplant Chefs : Iron Chef Cat Cora takes on Eclectic specialists Jon Shook & Vinny Dotolo |
March 12, 2006 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Flay vs. Bowles (Chocolate Battle) Theme: Mango Mixologists Tony Abou-Ganim and Bridget Albert compete alongside chefs Mario Batali and Robert Gadsby, respectively, to pair five original dishes with unique drinks. |
February 11, 2007 |
| 2 |
Flay vs. Crawford Theme: Peanuts |
February 25, 2007 |
| 3 | Batali/Abou-Ganim vs. Gadsby/Albert | March 4, 2007 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Flay vs. Ford Theme: Opah |
July 29, 2007 |
| 2 |
Batali vs. Liu Theme: Milk and cream |
August 5, 2007 |
| 3 |
Cora vs. Guarnaschelli Theme: Traditional Thanksgiving |
August 12, 2007 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Batali vs. Oliver Theme: Cobia Jamie Oliver challenges Iron Chef Mario Batali. |
January 6, 2008 |
| 2 |
Cora vs. Stupak Theme: Chocolate Alex Stupak and Iron Chef Cat Cora battle in Kitchen Stadium. |
February 10, 2008 |
| 3 |
Flay vs. Kent and Kevin Rathbun Theme: Elk Iron Chef Bobby Flay faces the Rathbun brothers. |
February 23, 2008 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Symon vs Adjey Theme: Sturgeon |
October 5, 2008 |
| 2 |
Flay vs. Angerer Theme: Beer |
October 12, 2008 |
| 3 |
Cora vs. Smith Theme: Cheddar Cheese |
October 19, 2008 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Symon/Psilakis vs. Carro Brothers Theme: Lemons Italian brothers Nicola and Fabrizio Carro enter kitchen stadium to take on Iron Chef Michael Symon paired with Chef Michael Psilakis. Will the brothers take down the Michael's with their classic cuisine, or will Symon and Psilakis wow the judges with their paired dishes? Tune in to see whose cuisine reigns supreme! |
January 1, 2010 |
| 2 |
Batali & Lagasse vs. Flay & Comerford Theme: White House garden produce Michelle Obama shows up in the Season 8 premiere and informs the chefs that the White House garden will be their secret ingredient. Teaming up to create the "ultimate meal for America" are Emeril Lagasse and Mario Batali, who will compete against Bobby Flay and White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford. |
January 3, 2010 |
| 3 |
Morimoto vs. Marino Theme: Figs Aspen chef Dena Marino enters kitchen stadium to take on acclaimed Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. Will Chef Marino's clean flavors impress the judges enough to take home the win? Tune in to see whose cuisine reigns supreme. |
January 10, 2010 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Symon/Burrell vs. Cora/Irvine Theme : Deep freeze (multiple courses with a specified ingredient, containing a frozen element) Michael Symon and Anne Burrell team up to take on Cat Cora and Robert Irvine. |
January 2, 2011 |
| 2 |
Flay vs. Hughes Theme : Canadian lobster It's network vs. network when Cooking Channel host Chuck Hughes uses his "Day Off" to enter into battle at Kitchen Stadium. Will Iron Chef Bobby Flay defend the honor of the Chairman, or will the new kid on the block take him down? |
January 9, 2011 |
| 3 |
Forgione vs. Cantrel Theme : Gruyère cheese New York-based chef Nicolas Cantrel enters Kitchen Stadium to take on the newest addition to the Chairman's Iron Chef team, Marc Forgione. Will the Iron Chef do the Chairman proud, or will Chef Cantrel take down the newly crowned? |
January 23, 2011 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Forgione vs. Curtin Iron Chef Marc Forgione battles young New York-based chef Nick Curtin in Kitchen Stadium. |
December 11, 2011 |
| 2 |
Zakarian vs. Casanova In his debut battle, Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian takes on Challenger Chef Victor Casanova. Judges are Karine Bakhoum, Art Smith and Jill Zarin. Chef Casanova is Executive Chef at Culina, an Italian restaurant at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills. |
December 25, 2011 |
| 3 |
Flay/Valladolid vs. Morimoto/Zimmern Two Iron Chefs are teamed up with special guests in this All-Star Kitchen Stadium battle. Marcela Valladolid, who appears on Food Network's 'Mexican Made Easy' is paired with Iron Chef Bobby Flay; and Andrew Zimmern, of Travel Channel's 'Bizarre Foods,' joins Iron Chef Masuhara Morimoto. Judges are Penn Jillette, Donatella Arpaia Stewart and Simon Majumdar. |
January 1, 2012 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Guarnaschelli vs Joo In this international competition, Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli faces off against Iron Chef UK Judy Joo. The judges are Jeffrey Steingarten, Karine Bakhoum, and Tory Belleci. |
December 30, 2012 |
| 2 |
Flay vs. Pham Iron Chef Bobby Flay faces off against Challenger Viet Pham. Chef Pham is co-owner of Forage, an award-winning restaurant in Salt Lake City. Judges are Simon Majumdar, Donatella Arpaia and Ben Sargent. |
January 6, 2013 |
| 3 |
Zakarian vs Chiarello Challenger Michael Chiarello seeks redemption in his face off against Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian in this grudge match. Chef Chiarello lost to Iron Chef Zakarian in The Next Iron Chef: All-Stars. Judges are Neil Patrick Harris, Donatella Arpaia and David Burtka. |
January 13, 2013 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Symon/Zakarian vs.Team Mairinger Iron Chefs Michael Symon and Geoffrey Zakarian go face to face with a team of Austro-German chefs, led by Bernhard Mairinger, Executive Chef at Bierbeisl in Beverly Hills, Calif., to celebrate this Bavarian holiday. Judges are Valerie Bertinelli, Karine Bakhoum and Eugene Remm. |
October 12, 2013 |
| 2 |
Zakarian/Guarnaschelli vs. Mendelsohn/Vigneron Iron Chefs Geoffrey Zakarian and Alex Guarnaschelli face off against chefs Spike Mendelsohn and Marcel Vigneron in this spooky trick-or-treat battle. Judges are Audra McDonald, Josh Elliott and Donatella Arpaia. |
October 26, 2013 |
| 3 |
Flay/Symon vs. Zakarian/Guarnaschelli Iron Chef veterans and reigning Thanksgiving Battle victors Bobby Flay and Michael Symon are challenged by the new kids in Kitchen Stadium, Iron Chefs Geoffrey Zakarian and Alex Guarnaschelli in this Thanksgiving battle. Judges are Laurence Fishburne, Gina Torres and Donatella Arpaia. |
November 10, 2013 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Guarnaschelli vs. Anderson Richmond, Virginia's schnitzel queen, Chef Brittanny Anderson, hopes that she doesn't leave Kitchen Stadium feeling blue after battling one of the Chairman's best, Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli. Antonia Lofaso and Simon Majumdar serve as judges. |
May 16, 2018 |
| 2 |
Izard vs Blamey It’s the Chairman’s special grill battle, and New York burger master, Chef Victoria Blamey, has a beef with Iron Chef Stephanie Izard. Judges Anthony Anderson and Judy Joo decide which chef makes the grade. |
May 23, 2018 |
| 3 |
Zakarian vs. Taymor Coastal Californian Chef Ari Taymor rides a wave of success into Kitchen Stadium and immediately gets to the root of the matter against Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian. Judges Leslie Bargar Suter and Dr. Woo will determine the winner. |
June 3, 2018 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | Food Network |
|---|---|
| First aired | January 16, 2005 |
| Last aired | July 22, 2018 |
| Runtime | 46 minutes |
| Status | Returning Series |
| Schedule | Sunday at 22:00:00 |