Fridge Wars

Last updated

Fridge Wars
Fridge Wars.jpg
Promotional poster for the series, containing the US airdate.
Genre Cookery
Presented by Emma Hunter
Country of origin Canada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Production companiesThe Gurin Company
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Original release
Network CBC Television
ReleaseFebruary 27, 2020 (2020-02-27) –
present

Fridge Wars is a Canadian reality television series, which premiered February 27, 2020 on CBC Television. [1] Hosted by Emma Hunter, the series features professional chefs competing to create restaurant-quality meals using only the contents found in a real Canadian family's refrigerator, which are then judged by the families whose fridges were raided to determine the winner. [2]

Contents

The series is produced by The Gurin Company and the CBC.

Format

Each episode of Fridge Wars features two chefs cooking two meals (separated by two rounds) for two different families, with the sole ingredients they find in each family's fridge. They are given 45 minutes to prepare each meal and are given clues to help them make a meal that the family they are cooking for might enjoy. After each round, the families are allowed to taste the meal, without knowing which of the two chefs cooked it. They are then given devices to rate the food on 3 categories: Look, Taste, and Originality. These scores are later averaged, and the chef with the highest score wins the episode and is awarded a trophy.

What the Fridge Challenge

During round two, the chefs are given a challenge that increases the difficulty in the meals they are preparing.

Episodes

The winners of each episode are listed in bold.

No.TitleOriginal air date
1"Matt Basile vs. Massimo Capra"February 27, 2020 (2020-02-27)

Matt Basile:

Massimo Capra:

  • Total Score: 8.6
    • Round 1: Roasted pork chops in a mustard orange sauce, sweet potato flan, and a side of meatballs.
    • Round 2: Fideuà with chorizo, raw broccoli Greek salad, and cornmeal-crusted basa fish.
2"Shahir Massoud vs. Wallace Wong"March 5, 2020 (2020-03-05)

Shahir Massoud:

Wallace Wong:

3"Nicole Gomes vs. Dustin Gallagher"March 12, 2020 (2020-03-12)

Nicole Gomes:

  • Total Score: 8.6
    • Round 1: Frilly pork cutlet in a yellow curry sauce.
    • Round 2: Scallop crab cake with lobster salad.

Dustin Gallagher:

4"La-Toya Fagon vs. Julie Miguel"March 19, 2020 (2020-03-19)
5"Nadia G vs. Rodney Bowers"March 26, 2020 (2020-03-26)
6"Shane Chartrand vs. Joshna Maharaj"April 2, 2020 (2020-04-02)

International broadcast

The series premiered in the US on August 2, 2020, as part of The CW's Summer 2020 programming lineup. [3]

In April 2022 the German spin-off Kühlschrank öffne dich! (en: Fridge open!) was aired on Sat.1 and is based on the Canadian original Fridge Wars. [4]

Reception

Critical reception

Joel Keller, writing for Decider , lauded the series, stating that "[I] didn’t think that Fridge Wars was going to be as fun as it was; [I] thought that it would be a standard-grade cooking competition and that’s that. But executive producers Phil Gurin and Tracie Tighe have hit on a formula that takes the Chopped -style format and brings it down to earth." [5] Meanwhile, Rob Owen, writing for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , criticized the series, saying that it felt too long. Rob writes: "As with plenty of reality competitions, one wonders if Fridge Wars might be stronger with one family at a half-hour rather than the one-hour running time, but for the most part Fridge Wars doesn’t feel padded." [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Food reality television</span>

Food reality television is a genre of reality television programming that considers the production, consumption and/or sociocultural impact of food.

<i>Top Chef</i> American reality competition TV series

Top Chef is an American reality competition television series which premiered on Bravo in March 2006. The show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges. The contestants are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry, with one or more contestants eliminated in each episode. The show is produced by Magical Elves Productions, the company that created Project Runway.

<i>MasterChef</i> (British TV series) British cooking competition television show (1990–)

MasterChef is a British competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 2005 as MasterChef Goes Large. The revival featured a new format devised by Franc Roddam and John Silver, with Karen Ross producing. In 2008, the name was changed back to MasterChef but the format remained unchanged.

Chef at Home is a Canadian cooking reality TV show presented by professionally trained chef Michael Smith. Produced by Ocean Entertainment, it debuted October 5, 2004 on Food Network Canada and in the United States was aired on ION Life until September 17, 2015.

<i>Hells Kitchen</i> (American TV series) American television series hosted by Gordon Ramsay

Hell's Kitchen is an American reality competition cooking show that premiered on Fox on May 30, 2005. The series is hosted by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who created and appeared in the British series of the same name. Each season, two teams of chefs compete for a job as head chef at a restaurant, while working in the kitchen of a restaurant set up in the television studio.

<i>Chopped</i> (TV series) American reality cooking television show

Chopped is an American reality-based cooking television game show series created by Michael Krupat, Dave Noll and Linda Lea. It is hosted by Ted Allen. The series pits four chefs against each other as they compete for a chance to win $10,000. The series debuted in 2009, and episodes air every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on Food Network.

<i>My Kitchen Rules</i> Australian TV series or program

My Kitchen Rules is an Australian competitive cooking game show broadcast on the Seven Network since 2010. The show is currently hosted and judged by chefs Manu Feildel and Colin Fasnidge, with Feildel being the only judge who has appeared in every season of the show. Fellow chef Pete Evans co-hosted until his departure after season 11, following controversy about his personal views and social media posts. Other celebrity chefs and food critics frequently appear as guest judges or mentors in the kitchen. The series was originally produced by the team who created the Seven reality show My Restaurant Rules, and was put into production based on the success of Network 10's MasterChef Australia.

<i>MasterChef</i> (American TV series) American competitive reality television series

MasterChef is an American competitive cooking reality television series that premiered on Fox on July 27, 2010. Based on the British series of the same name and produced by Endemol Shine North America and One Potato Two Potato, the series features amateur and home chefs competing to win the title of 'MasterChef'. The current line-up of judges consists of Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich, and Aarón Sánchez.

<i>Cupcake Wars</i> American TV series or program

Cupcake Wars is an American reality competition series that premiered on December 27, 2009, on cable television network Food Network. The show, which is based on creating unique and professional-style cupcakes, was hosted by Justin Willman and later by Jonathan Bennett.

<i>MasterChef India – Hindi</i> Indian cooking reality television series

MasterChefIndia – Hindi is an Indian Hindi-language competitive cooking reality television series based on MasterChef Australia and is part of MasterChef India. The series features amateur and home chefs competing to win the title of 'MasterChef'. The current line-up of judges consists of Vikas Khanna, Pooja Dhingra, and Ranveer Brar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nadia G</span> Canadian chef

Nadia Giosia, better known by the stage name Nadia G, is a Canadian musician and celebrity chef. She is known for hosting the television series Nadia G's Bitchin' Kitchen and Bite This with Nadia G, both of which aired on Food Network Canada and the Cooking Channel. Giosia also created the 2015 music festival Riot Grill and plays in a punk rock band called The Menstruators.

<i>Cutthroat Kitchen</i> American television series

Cutthroat Kitchen is an American cooking show hosted by Alton Brown that aired on the Food Network from August 11, 2013 to July 19, 2017. It features four chefs competing in a three-round elimination cooking competition. The contestants face auctions in which they can purchase opportunities to sabotage one another. Each chef is given $25,000 at the start of the show; the person left standing keeps whatever money they have not spent in the auctions. The show ended on its 15th season in July 2017. 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. Numerous Cutthroat Kitchen contestants have competed on these shows.

Chopped Canada is a Canadian reality cooking television series based on the US series Chopped. The program pits four chefs against each other as they compete to win $10,000 and the title of Chopped Canada Champion. It first aired on January 2, 2014 and last aired on February 11, 2017. In May 2017, the show's producers announced that Food Network Canada had cancelled the show.

<i>Rewrapped</i> American TV series or program

Rewrapped is a reality cooking television show hosted by Joey Fatone that premiered on April 21, 2014, on Food Network. Similar to short-form cooking reality shows, it features three chefs challenged to first recreate a classic snack food, then innovate a totally new dish using said snack food as the main ingredient. The show is a loose spinoff of the show Unwrapped, whose host Marc Summers acts as "Head Judge" for each episode, alongside a representative of the company that produces the food of the day, and a third impartial judge involved in the food industry in some way.

Chef in Your Ear is a Canadian cooking competition television series, that premiered on Food Network Canada on August 31, 2015.

<i>Go Fridge</i> Chinese TV series or program

Go Fridge, also known as Play, Fridge, is a Chinese cooking show produced by Tencent Video. The rights were bought from South Korean television series Please Take Care of My Refrigerator.

MasterChef Paraguay is a Paraguayan competitive cooking reality show, based on the original British series of MasterChef, open to amateur and home chefs. Produced by Chena TV, it debuted on April 3, 2018 on Telefuturo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Berg (chef)</span> Canadian television host, author and cook

Mary Berg is a Canadian television host, author and cook, who rose to fame as the winner of the third season of MasterChef Canada. She has been the host of two television cooking shows, Mary's Kitchen Crush and Mary Makes It Easy, and the daytime talk show, The Good Stuff with Mary Berg. She has released three cookbooks, Kitchen Party,Well Seasoned and In Mary's Kitchen.

<i>Wall of Chefs</i> Canadian reality television series

Wall of Chefs is a Canadian reality television series, which premiered February 3, 2020 on Food Network. Hosted by Noah Cappe, the series features four amateur home chefs per episode competing in culinary challenges, judged by a rotating panel featuring some of Canada's most prominent chefs and restaurateurs. After each round, one of the competitors is eliminated, and the winner of the episode is awarded $10,000.

Recipe for Disaster is an American cooking competition television series that premiered on August 5, 2023 on The CW and completed its first season on September 3, 2023.

References

  1. ↑ Rita DeMontis, "Scrapping it out on the competition series Fridge Wars". Toronto Sun , February 26, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Fridge Wars". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
  3. ↑ Joe Otterson (June 16, 2020). "CW Acquires Four More Series for Summer Lineup". Variety . Archived from the original on June 17, 2020.
  4. ↑ Alexander Krei (April 7, 2022). ""Kühlschrank öffne dich!": Schmackhafte Resteverwertung". DWDL.
  5. ↑ Joel Keller (August 3, 2020). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Fridge Wars' On The CW, Where Two Chefs Create Great Meals From Stuff In A Family's Fridge". Decider . Archived from the original on August 12, 2020.
  6. ↑ Rob Owen (July 28, 2020). "Reality competition Fridge Wars debuts Sunday on The CW". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Archived from the original on July 29, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.