Food Fighters | |
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Genre | |
Created by | Tim Puntillo |
Directed by | Ivan Dudynsky |
Presented by | Adam Richman |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 18 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Production location | Los Angeles, California |
Running time | 42 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | July 22, 2014 – September 3, 2015 |
Food Fighters is an American reality based cooking television series hosted by Adam Richman that pits a home chef against five professional chefs in a series of cooking competitions for a chance to win up to $100,000. The series premiered July 22, 2014 on NBC as a summer replacement series. On January 21, 2015, NBC renewed the show for a second season. [1] The second season premiered July 2, 2015 [2] and concluded September 3, 2015. In season one, new episodes aired every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, [3] while in season two new episodes aired every Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
Food Fighters bills itself as "one part cooking competition, one part game show." [4] In each episode, a contestant who is a home-based amateur cook comes to the show with a list of five of their best recipes to prepare on the show. The show is divided into five rounds, one round for each recipe. In each round, a mystery professional chef comes in to challenge the contestant. The chefs are represented as black silhouettes of themselves on a large video screen and on a graphic to the home viewer before being shown. Once the chef is introduced, the contestant chooses one of their recipes to cook against the professional, and they cannot prepare a recipe more than once. The contestant generally attempts to select a recipe that is not in the known style of the chef, as the chef does not know in advance what dish they will be cooking. After a set cooking time (generally varying from 15–25 minutes), the contestant's and the chef's respective recipes are judged by a group of five ordinary food-loving people known as the "Dinner Party" in a blind taste test, who discuss positive and negative aspects of each dish. A majority vote of the Dinner Party determines the winner of the round. Each round that the contestant wins earns them a cash prize. The first round is worth $5,000, the second round is worth $10,000, the third round is worth $15,000, the fourth round is worth $20,000, and the fifth round is worth double the amount of the contestant's previous winnings, making a top possible prize of $100,000. If the chef wins a round, the contestant does not win any money for that round but continues through the entire show. [5] [6] If the contestant does not win any round prior to the final round, that final round will be worth $10,000.
The fifth professional chef that competes is generally a celebrity chef that has frequently appeared on other cooking shows, especially those on Food Network, including Cat Cora, Elizabeth Falkner, Duff Goldman, Lorena Garcia, Jet Tila, and Gerry Garvin. [4] The set of the show is unique from other cooking shows in that it is a two-story set, with the contestant cooking in a kitchen upstairs on an upper level while the chef cooks in a similar kitchen on the lower level. [7] The show also publishes the contestant recipes on their website.
Professional Chefs | Kevin Belton | Jonny Giordani | Michele Ragussis | Marcel Vigneron | Lorena Garcia | Total Winnings |
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Contestant Dishes | Egg Rolls | Fish Tacos | Mango Tart | Stewed Chicken & Rice | Salmon & Quinoa | $60,000 |
Professional Chefs | Chad Ward | Daniel Shemtob | Deborah Benaim | Stefan Richter | Cat Cora | Total Winnings |
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Contestant Dishes | Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese | Milk & Cookies | Spring Rolls | Shrimp Po'boy | Pan-seared Pork | $100,000 |
Professional Chefs | Kent Rollins | Manouschka Guerrier | Sharone Hakman | Antonia Lofaso | Gerry "G" Garvin | Total Winnings |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contestant Dishes | Raspberry Soufflé | Chicken Pot Pie | Chicken Fettucine Alfredo | Sweet & Spicy Shrimp | Seared Ahi Tuna | $90,000 |
NOTE: In addition to the cash, Annie Smith was given a Tobii eye tracking speech recognition device for her disabled daughter.
Professional Chefs | Kent Rollins | Elise Wims | Vic Vegas | Casey Thompson | Duff Goldman | Total Winnings |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contestant Dishes | Chorizo Tacos | Chicken Wings & Dipping Sauce | Mashed Potato Pizza | Veggie Burger & Chips | Eggs Benedict | $70,000 |
Professional Chefs | Hop Phan | Sarah Simington | Stuart O'Keefe | Eric Greenspan | Lorena Garcia | Total Winnings |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contestant Dishes | French Toast w/ Fruit | Asian Salmon | Chocolate Tart | Lobster with Stuffing | Biscuits & Gravy | $100,000 |
Professional Chefs | Daniel Shemtob | Devin Alexander | Vic Vegas | Eric Greenspan | Cat Cora | Total Winnings |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contestant Dishes | Scallops & Potatoes | Macaroni & Cheese | Caribbean Chicken | Cookie Sandwich | Shrimp & Grits | $70,000 |
Professional Chefs | Josh Stone | Manouschka Guerrier | Michele Ragussis | Mike Brown | Jet Tila | Total Winnings |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contestant Dishes | Stuffed Chicken w/ Mashed Potatoes | Meatballs w/ Ratatouille | Pork Wellington | Chicken Burger & Onion Rings | Bacon Brownies | $50,000 |
Professional Chefs | Josh Stone | Yaku Moton-Spruill | Deborah Benaim | Marcel Vigneron | Elizabeth Falkner | Total Winnings |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contestant Dishes | Fried Catfish | Chocolate Cake | Steak w/ Mushroom Sauce | Baby Back Ribs | Cheesy Polenta | $70,000 |
Professional Chefs | Ray Lampe | Daniel Shemtob | Stuart O'Keefe | Danielle Saunders | Antonia Lofaso | Total Winnings |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contestant Dishes | Cheese Enchiladas | Beef Empanadas | Pan-fried Salmon | Spicy Meatballs | Berry Sponge Cake | $50,000 |
Professional Chefs | Alejandra Schrader | Daniel Shemtob | Michele Ragussis | Tiffany Derry | Eric Greenspan | Total Winnings |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contestant Dishes | Chicken & Waffles | Catfish & Hushpuppies | Steak Lettuce Wrap w/ Chimichurri | Chocolate Cake w/ Strawberries | Shrimp & Grits | $45,000 |
Professional Chefs | Hop Phan | Connie "Lovely" Jackson | Chris Nirschel | Keriann Von Raesfeld | Rocco DiSpirito | Total Winnings |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contestant Dishes | Mac & Cheese | Chicken Tacos w/ Fresh Tortillas | Banana Bread & Ice Cream | Hamburger & Fries | Fresh Pappardelle w/ Tuna | $20,000 |
NOTE: In addition to the cash, 14-year-old Troy Glass was given a full two-year scholarship to The Culinary Institute of America.
Professional Chefs | Shariff Herndon | Sarah Simington | Viet Pham | Brendan Collins | Nadia G. | Total Winnings |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contestant Dishes | Chicken & Wine Sauce | Shrimp Scampi | S'mores | Spaghetti & Meatballs | Sausage & Peppers Sandwich | $70,000 |
Professional Chefs | Dave Mueller | Kai Kani | Jamika Pessoa | Brad Miller | Lorena Garcia | Total Winnings |
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Contestant Dishes | Spicy Chicken Wings | Chicken Enchiladas | Crepes Suzette | Southern Breakfast Biscuit | Shepherd's Pie | $50,000 |
Professional Chefs | Ronnie Woo | Manouschka Guerrier | Michele Ragussis | Katsuji Tanabe | Brian Malarkey | Total Winnings |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contestant Dishes | Walnut Brownies | Pasta w/ Mushroom Sauce | Fried Chicken Sandwich | Butternut Squash Ravioli | Fried Mahi Mahi w/ Sauce | $35,000 |
Professional Chefs | Deborah VanTrece | Sarah Simington | Sharone Hakman | Chris Oh | Fabio Viviani | Total Winnings |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contestant Dishes | Pad Thai | Chicken Tikka Masala | Chili & Cornbread | Cookies & Ice Cream | Asian Pork Sandwich | $60,000 |
Professional Chefs | Deborah VanTrece | Alex Williams | Jamika Pessoa | Katsuji Tanabe | Duff Goldman | Total Winnings |
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Contestant Dishes | Scallops & Cauliflower | Pork Chops & Apples | Pasta w/ Cream Sauce | Chicken Roulade | Steak Tostada w/ Salsa | $0 |
NOTE: When the contestant lost the first four rounds, it was announced that the last match would be for $10,000.
12-year-old Danielle McNerney was given a trip to science camp from Education Unlimited and Sally Ride Science held at Stanford University, [8] and Walmart gave $20,000 to help with her mother's charity.
Professional Chefs | Alejandra Schrader | Connie "Lovely" Jackson | Kayne Raymond | Keriann Von Raesfeld | Aaron McCargo, Jr. | Total Winnings |
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Contestant Dishes | Chicken & Waffles | Steak & Plantains | Shrimp & Grits | Crab Cakes w/ Remoulade | Chicken Curry w/ Rice | $35,000 |
Professional Chefs | Stephanie Goldfarb | Jason Febres | Deborah Benaim | Chris Oh | Marcel Vigneron | Total Winnings |
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Contestant Dishes | Clams & Curry Sauce | Black Cod & Broccoli | Pumpkin Pie | Chicken Wings & Slaw | Pork Fried Rice | $30,000 |
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