Cutthroat Kitchen

Cutthroat Kitchen
Genre	Reality, Cooking
Starring	Alton Brown
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	80 (through 2/22/2015)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Shauna Minoprio, Julia Cassidy, Michael Davies
Running time	60 Minutes
Production company(s)	Embassy Row
Broadcast
Original channel	Food Network
Original run	August 11, 2013 (2013-08-11) – present
External links
Official Website

Cutthroat Kitchen is a reality cooking television show hosted by Alton Brown that premiered on August 11, 2013 on Food Network. It features four chefs competing in a three-round elimination cooking competition. However, the contestants face auctions in which they can purchase opportunities to sabotage each other or benefit themselves. Each chef is given $25,000 at the start of the show; the winner keeps whatever money he/she has not spent in the auctions. The show is in its seventh season as of April 2015, with an eighth season planned to begin in May.^[1] The series shares some basic elements with other four-chef three-round elimination-style competitions on Food Network including Chopped and Guy's Grocery Games.

Format

Each episode features four chefs competing in a three-round elimination contest. Brown gives each chef $25,000 cash before the first round.

In each round, the chefs are assigned a specific dish to create. The assigned dishes are typically specific and commonplace, such as macaroni and cheese, French toast, or fish and chips; on occasion, Brown announces a more general challenge such as British pub food or a skillet breakfast. In later seasons, the first two rounds are commonly savory with a dessert for the third round. After the dish is announced, the chefs have 60 seconds to collect all of the ingredients they need for their dishes from an onstage pantry, using hand-carried shopping baskets. When the time runs out, Brown shuts the pantry doors; any chefs who remain inside must surrender an ingredient of his choosing before he will let them out.

In each of the first two rounds, Brown follows the ingredient collection time by auctioning off a series of items that the chefs can use to sabotage one another (or, in some cases, to benefit themselves). The highest bidder pays for the item out of his/her remaining funds, then decides which opponent(s) will face the sabotage, if applicable. The auctions are followed by a timed period (usually 30 minutes) in which the chefs must prepare and plate their dishes. Brown occasionally offers additional auctions during the cooking time. In the final round, the chefs begin cooking immediately after collecting their ingredients, and the auctions take place while they are working.

Once the cooking time has expired, any visible indication of the sabotages/benefits is removed from the set and a judge is brought out to evaluate the dishes. The judge is sequestered in an isolation room except during the judging, and has no knowledge of what has occurred during the round. Each dish is evaluated on three criteria: taste, presentation, and resemblance to the assigned dish. The chefs are given a chance to describe and explain their dish and choices. They may not complain in general or disclose any sabotages they faced. They can, however, attempt to explain away (truthfully or otherwise) the cooking choices they made or were forced to make.

The chef whose dish is judged the least satisfactory is eliminated from the game and forfeits all of his/her remaining money. After the third round, the surviving chef keeps whatever money s/he has not spent on auction items.

Auctions

Brown typically starts each auction by asking for an opening bid of either $500 or $1,000. However, where only one contestant has more than $500, the bidding may begin lower. All bids are in multiples of $100.

Auction items are generally introduced by being lowered in a dumbwaiter. The auction "items" are generally represented by a token object, even when the sabotage is not tangible. Some auction items have been reused in several episodes.

Auctions often feature equipment that has been custom-built by the show's creative team. Items are often thematically related to the assigned dish, or are a pun on or inspired by the name of the dish (for example, a string of velvet ropes to hinder a chef's movements while making red velvet cake). Brown often weaves a story around the item being auctioned, suggesting a personal connection. At Brown's discretion, an auction winner may be allowed to apply a sabotage to him/herself, such as accepting a poor-quality ingredient after s/he has neglected to obtain its better-quality counterpart from the pantry.

Some common types of sabotages include:

• A "swap": Forcing one chef to give up one or more ingredients or pieces of equipment and accept a less desirable replacement.
  • One specific type of swap forces a chef to give up one or more ingredients and obtain them from a different source, such as a coin-operated vending machine or by digging through a vegetable garden.
• A "swap and assign": The winner can confiscate one type of ingredient or equipment from every opponent, then assign a different replacement to each.
• Forcing one or more opponents to incorporate an unorthodox ingredient into the dish.
• Confiscating an ingredient type from one or more opponents, without a replacement being offered.
• Requiring one or or more opponents to prepare their dishes in a particular manner, or banning them from using certain cooking methods.
• A replacement prep station that is typically smaller, more awkward, and/or less stable than the standard ones in the kitchen. In some cases, the chef must first build the station from provided materials and/or be restricted to using a built-in heat source such as a hot plate or toaster oven.
• Being forced to hold, do, or wear something throughout the cooking period.
• Restriction to a chef's freedom of movement, or requiring two chefs to be physically attached in some way.
• A "time suck": Loss of cooking time either by simply sitting out for a certain set period of time, or by having to stop cooking and complete a task before being allowed to continue. In the latter case, the amount of time lost is partially in the control of the chef.
  • In some cases, two or more chefs must take part in a contest, with the loser sitting out as above.
  • In some cases, a time suck is combined with a swap. A chef loses one or more ingredients, but can win back either the lost ingredients or an equivalent through some activity (often a carnival game or similar) that acts as a time suck. The chef may usually elect to stop trying to recover ingredients when they want to in order resume cooking sooner.
• A "station swap": This auction is typically offered during partway through a round; the winner can force two of his/her opponents to trade prep stations. Each affected chef must use the other chef's ingredients and work-in-progress as his/her own and comply with any sabotages in effect against the other.

Failure to comply with the sabotage conditions can lead to mockery from Brown, a fine (usually $500), and/or being forced to restart the recipe.^[2][3]

Judges

The show's regular judges are Jet Tila, Simon Majumdar, and Antonia Lofaso. Each typical episode features only one judge who evaluates the dishes in all three rounds. The contestants do not learn the judge's identity until he/she enters the kitchen at the end of the first round.

Guest judges have included Giada DeLaurentiis ("The Yolk's on You"), Geoffrey Zakarian ("Well, Hot Clam!"), Jaime Martin Del Campo ("Judging Judges"), Ramiro Arvizu ("Judging Judges"), Daniel Holzman ("Judging Judges"), Sherry Yard ("Judging Judges"), Valerie Bertinelli ("Who Tarted?"), and Anne Burrell ("Whatcho' Taco-ing About, Alton?").

Special sabotages and episodes

"A Crepe-y Situation" featured the first viewer-submitted sabotage. The auction for this sabotage was held before the chefs entered the pantry; the winner could force one opponent to collect ingredients without using a basket to hold them.

"Gluttons for Punishment" featured former contestants who lost in earlier episodes looking to redeem themselves, while "Breakfast in Bed" featured former champions. The latter is also known as "Wicked Winners" for the ways the contestants first won.

In the 2014 Halloween episode "SaBOOOtage," one of the first-round auctions offered a "Deal with the Devil." The winner gained immunity from elimination for the round; if his/her dish was judged the worst, the chef with the second-worst dish was eliminated instead. However, the winner was prohibited from bidding on auctions for all subsequent rounds.

"Judging Judges" featured the three main judges and Geoffrey Zakarian competing, with the winnings going to charity. The winner's charity received $25,000 while the three other charities received $5,000.

In October 2014, the show aired a special five-part celebrity tournament subtitled "Superstar Sabotage," with a potential top prize of $75,000 for the favorite charity of the winning chef.^[4] In early September, the 16 chefs involved were announced. Episodes aired on Wednesday instead of the usual Sunday.^[5] Four different chefs competed in each of four preliminary heats; the eliminated chefs each received $2,500 for the charity they were representing. The winners of these heats received their unspent balances as charity donations and advanced to the finals, in which their initial stake was doubled to $50,000. Eric Greenspan won the tournament, collecting a total of $69,600 for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - $24,600 in his preliminary heat (the most won in a single episode up to that point), and $45,000 in the finals.

In "Crabs of Steel," Tila announced a tie between the two chefs in the final round. They both got to keep the money they had left.

In "The Cone Ranger," chef Kyle Schutte won the game without bidding on any auctions, allowing him to keep the full $25,000.

The episode "Tiki Torch-ure" contained an auction item sponsored by Farmers Insurance. The winner of this auction could reject any one sabotage assigned to him/her by an opponent, who would then have to give it to someone else.

Starting April 19, 2015, Cutthroat Kitchen aired an "Evilicious" Tournament containing sixteen of the show's most memorable contestants.^[6]

Webisodes

Two companion series are available on the Food Network website. In Alton's After-Show, Brown meets with the judge from a particular episode and reveals the sabotages that were in effect during each round of the competition. The two discuss methods by which the chefs could have adjusted their recipes to compensate for these disadvantages. Testing the Sabotages features food stylists' efforts to create assigned dishes while complying with restrictions on ingredients and equipment.

Notable contestants

• Former Olympic long jumper Dawn Burrell was in the episode "Foul Play."
• Tiffany Derry was in "S'more Sabotage."
• Joe Arvin HouseGuest on Big Brother 14, was in "Thanks, But No Thanksgiving"
• Barret Beyer, Contestant on Hell's Kitchen (U.S. season 11), was in "With a Chariot on Top"
• Tommy Stevens, Contestant on Hell's Kitchen (U.S. season 9), was in "Hawai'i 5-Oh No!" He will be competing in Heat 3 of the "Evilicious Tournament"

Production

On April 23, 2013 Food Network announced Cutthroat Kitchen as part of a package of new series to be presented on Food Network.^[3][7][8]

Episodes

Season 1

No. in series	No. in season	Episode Title	Original Air Date	Episode/Production #[9]
1	1	Vive Le Sabotage	August 11, 2013	KT0104H
2	2	Pork Chops and Sabotage	August 18, 2013	KT0103H
3	3	Tac'o the Town	August 25, 2013	KT0102H
4	4	Let Them Eat Cupcakes	September 1, 2013	KT0105H
5	5	Winner, Winner, Fried Chicken Dinner	September 8, 2013	KT0106H
6	6	Wing It	September 15, 2013	KT0101H
7	7	Tiny Tools, Big Problems	September 22, 2013	KT0107H
8	8	Steak Out	September 29, 2013	KT0108H
9	9	Kiss My Grits	October 6, 2013	KT0109H
10	10	Humble Pie	October 13, 2013	KT0110H
11	11	Un-Holy Trinity	October 20, 2013	KT0111H
12	12	Chicken Cordon 'Blue'	October 27, 2013	KT0112H
13	13	S'more Sabotage	November 3, 2013	KT0113H

Season 2

No. in series	No. in season	Episode Title	Original Air Date	Episode/Production #[9]
14	1	Wham Clam Thank You Ma'am	December 15, 2013	KT0201H
15	2	Duck, Duck, Gnocchi	December 22, 2013	KT0203H
16	3	Shrimp or Get Off the Pot Sticker	December 29, 2013	KT0204H
17	4	The Yolk's on You	January 5, 2014	KT0205H
18	5	Cutthroat Kiddy Kitchen	January 12, 2014	KT0202H
19	6	Soupsy Daisy	January 19, 2014	KT0206H
20	7	A Penny for Your Chocolates	January 26, 2014	KT0207H
21	8	A Crepe-Y Situation	February 2, 2014	KT0208H
22	9	Melts in Your Pot, Not in Your Hand	February 9, 2014	KT0209H
23	10	Foul Play	February 16, 2014	KT0210H
24	11	Gluttons for Punishment	February 23, 2014	KT0211H
25	12	It's Not Delivery, It's Old Delivery	March 2, 2014	KT0212H
26	13	Pressed or Steamed	March 9, 2014	KT0213H

Season 3

No. in series	No. in season	Episode Title	Original Air Date	Episode/ Production #[9]
27	1	A Few Good Ramen	March 16, 2014	KT0307H
28	2	Breakfast in Bed Alternate title: Wicked Winners	March 23, 2014	KT0308H
29	3	Hawaiʻi 5-Oh No!	March 30, 2014	KT0309H
30	4	Two Chefs in a Pod	April 6, 2014	KT0301H
31	5	Chain of Tools Original title: Layer, I Hardly Know Her!	April 13, 2014	KT0302H
32	6	Tso Good	April 20, 2014	KT0303H
33	7	The Rice Stuff	April 27, 2014	KT0304H
34	8	Ladel-ayheehoo	May 4, 2014	KT0305H
35	9	Life's a Mystery... Meat	May 11, 2014	KT0306H
36	10	Hakuna Frittata	May 18, 2014	KT0312H
37	11	Well, Hot Clam!	May 25, 2014	KT0311H
38	12	Judging Judges	June 1, 2014	KT0310H
39	13	Panini, Meeny, Miny, Moe	June 15, 2014	KT0313H

Season 4

No. in series	No. in season	Episode Title	Original Air Date	Episode/Production #[9]
40	1	I Can't Believe It's Not Udder	June 22, 2014	KT0401H
41	2	You Wanna Pizza This?	June 29, 2014	KT0402H
42	3	Anything But a Cake Walk	July 6, 2014	KT0404H
43	4	Big Trouble in Little Chinese Chicken Salad	July 13, 2014	KT0403H
44	5	Welcome to the Jungle	July 20, 2014	KT0405H
45	6	I Like My Peppers Pulverized	July 27, 2014	KT0406H
46	7	Two Chefs, One Toga	August 3, 2014	KT0409H
47	8	Ho-Ley Pot	August 10, 2014	KT0407H
48	9	Superhero Sabotage	August 17, 2014	KT0411H
49	10	The Eggs-Orcist	August 24, 2014	KT0408H
50	11	When in Rome, Cook on a Scooter	August 31, 2014	KT0410H
51	12	Chili'd to the Bone	September 7, 2014	KT0412H
52	13	Tongue Thai-ed	September 14, 2014	KT0413H

Season 5

No. in series	No. in season	Episode Title	Original Air Date	Episode/Production #[9]	U.S. viewers
53	1	Crabs of Steel	September 21, 2014	KT0501H	1,330,000[10]
54	2	Tos-ta-da!	September 28, 2014	KT0502H	1,194,000[11]
55	3	SaBOOOtage (Halloween Special)	October 5, 2014	KT0504H	1,697,000[12]
56	4	Superstar Sabotage: Heat One	October 8, 2014	KT0507H	1,418,000[13]
57	5	Here's Looking at You, Squid	October 12, 2014	KT0503H	1,312,000[14]
58	6	Superstar Sabotage: Heat Two	October 15, 2014	KT0509H	1,069,000[15]
59	7	Chip Off the Ol' Baklava	October 19, 2014	KT0508H	954,000[16]
60	8	Superstar Sabotage: Heat Three	October 22, 2014	KT0510H	1,223,000[17]
61	9	The Undertater	October 26, 2014	KT0512H	1,266,000[18]
62	10	Superstar Sabotage: Heat Four	October 29, 2014	KT0511H	1,081,000[15]
63	11	With a Chariot on Top	November 2, 2014	KT0601H	1,019,000[19]
64	12	Superstar Sabotage: Finale	November 5, 2014	KT0513H	981,000[20]
65	13	Empanada Chance	November 9, 2014	KT0602H	1,210,000[19]

Season 6

No. in series	No. in season	Episode Title	Original Air Date	Episode/Production #[9]	U.S. viewers
66	1	Thanks, But No Thanksgiving	November 16, 2014	KT0505H	1.33[21]
67	2	In It to Twin It	November 23, 2014	KT0603H	1.16[22]
68	3	S'Mortal Combat	November 30, 2014	KT0604H	1.21[23]
69	4	Sabotage is Comin' to Town (Christmas Special)	December 7, 2014	KT0506H	1.30[24]
70	5	When Pigs Fry	December 14, 2014	KT0605H	1.28[25]
71	6	I Would Do Anything for Loaf	December 21, 2014	KT0607H	1.03[26]
72	7	The Cone Ranger	December 28, 2014	KT0610H	1.34[27]
73	8	The Long Tools and Shortcake Of It	January 4, 2015	KT0609H	1.48[28]
74	9	Tiki Torch-ure	January 11, 2015	KT0611H	1.17[29]
75	10	Baby Got Backpack	January 18, 2015	KT0612H	1.38[30]
76	11	The Supper Bowl	January 25, 2015	KT0608H	1.18[31]
77	12	Who Tarted?	February 1, 2015	KT0702H
78	13	Alton and the Chocolate Factory Valentine's Day Special; a/k/a "Choco-tage"	February 8, 2015	KT0606H	1.09[32]

Season 7

No. in series	No. in season	Episode Title	Original Air Date	Episode/Production #[9]
79	1	Whatcoo Taco'ing About, Alton?	February 15, 2015	KT0701H
80	2	Gno-cchi to Victory	February 22, 2015	KT0613H
81	3	You're Bacon Me Crazy	March 1, 2015	KT0703H
82	4	Whisk-ey Business	March 8, 2015	KT0704H
83	5	Scone Home	March 15, 2015	KT0705H
84	6	Great Egg-scape	March 22, 2015	KT0706H
85	7	You're All Up Banh Mi	March 29, 2015	KT0707H
86	8	Lamb-a Dama Ding Dong	April 5, 2015	KT0713H
87	9	Live And Let Diner	April 12, 2015	KT0801H
88	10	Evilicious: Canoe Jack City	April 19, 2015	KT0709H
89	11	Evilicious: Frying Up First Class	April 26, 2015	KT0710H
90	12	Evilicous: 20,000 Leagues Under the Prep Table	May 3, 2015	KT0711H
91	13	Evilicouus: Moo-in' on Up	May 10, 2015	KT0712H

References

External links

• Official Website
• Cutthroat Kitchen at the Internet Movie Database
• Cutthroat Kitchen at TV.com