Throwdown! with Bobby Flay | |
---|---|
Genre | Reality television Cooking show |
Starring | Bobby Flay |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 92 |
Production | |
Running time | 30 minutes (with commercials) |
Original release | |
Network | Food Network |
Release | July 13, 2006 – March 10, 2010 |
Throwdown! with Bobby Flay is a Food Network television program in which celebrity chef Bobby Flay challenges cooks renowned for a specific dish or type of cooking to a cook-off of their signature dish.
At the beginning of each show, Flay receives – via bicycle messenger – a package detailing the chef he is to compete against as well as the dish. Examples of opponents include a skilled chili maker or a famous wedding cake designer. After practicing and preparing the item in question, Flay shows up for a surprise competition (or "Throwdown"). During the competition, both chefs prepare their particular version of the dish, and both are then evaluated by local judges to determine a winner.
Each show includes a mini-biography about the chef who is to be challenged, shown before the challenge takes place. The content for the biography is actually collected as part of an elaborate ruse or setup, where the chef or cook is told that they are going to be featured on a fictitious Food Network show. As part of the show, the featured chef (and their associated restaurant, if any) hosts a small party, which is then unexpectedly "crashed" by Bobby Flay. Upon Flay's arrival, he reveals the true nature of the show, and the "Throwdown" is initiated.
In the Food Network's test kitchen, Flay and his two sous-chefs (Stephanie Banyas and Miriam Garron) experiment and prepare a particular dish, often opting for a variant of the dish.
When Flay makes his appearance at a rival's event, he is usually greeted with surprise and confusion, although there has been one occasion where the challenged chef figured out that Flay would be appearing for a throwdown and ended up challenging him. Flay's comment was that he "had been set up." [1] However, the rival usually quickly gets over the initial shock and warms up to the challenge. After the dishes are prepared, the two chefs taste each other's creations and are usually quite complimentary towards one another. Finally, the dishes are evaluated by one or more connoisseurs or notable veterans in that field (via a blind taste test), with the winner then being announced.
Each episode ends with a challenge from Flay looking directly into the camera and saying, "All you chefs keep doing what you do, but ask yourself this..." Finished with the featured chef saying "are you ready for a Throwdown?"
The format of the show does not edit or disguise Flay's lack of knowledge of technique regarding cooking for the challenge. He often makes use of New York City-area experts to teach him basic techniques. In other instances, he acknowledges the traditional approach to the dish but then explains how he will make it more modern or more his own style of cooking with various added ingredients.
Flay's record is 32 wins, 1 tie, and 68 losses. Flay has a winning record (5 wins and 4 losses) with cake challenges, winning throwdowns for cheesecake and cupcakes in season 2, coconut cake and red velvet cake in season 5, and German chocolate cake in season 6. Flay lost throwdowns for a wedding cake in season 1, Bûche de Noël in season 5, and carrot cake and pineapple Upside-down cake in season 8.
As of 2021, Bobby Flay wins about 66% of the time on Beat Bobby Flay.
Episode | Show number | Food | Chef | Restaurant | Location | Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | BT0101 | Chowder | Benjamin Sargent | Hurricane Hopeful Surf Bar | Brooklyn, New York | Bobby Flay |
2 | BT0102 | Wedding cake | Michelle Doll | Michelle Doll Cakes | Brooklyn, New York | Michelle Doll |
3 | BT0103 | Chili | Cindy Reed Wilkins | Cin Chili & Company | Houston, Texas | Tie |
4 | BT0104 | Jerk chicken | Angela Shelf Medearis | Austin, Texas | Angela Shelf Medearis | |
5 | BT0105 | Steak | Eric Dominijanni | Twentynine Palms, California | Eric Dominijanni | |
6 | BT0106 | Breakfast | Lynn Winter | Lynn's Paradise Cafe | Louisville, Kentucky | Lynn Winter |
7 | BT0107 | Burgers | Susan Mello | Queens, New York | Bobby Flay | |
8 | BT0108 | Jambalaya | Emile Stieffel | New Orleans, Louisiana | Emile Stieffel | |
9 | BT0109 | Cocktails | Tobin Ellis | Las Vegas, Nevada | Bobby Flay | |
10 | BT0110 | Doughnuts | Mark Israel | Doughnut Plant | New York City, New York | Mark Israel |
11 | BT0111 | Cheesesteak | Tony Luke, Jr. | Tony Luke's | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Tony Luke |
12 | BT0112 | Ice cream | Jeff Sommers | Izzy's Ice Cream | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Jeff Sommers |
13 | BT0113 | Fried chicken | Jasper Alexander | Hattie's Restaurant | Saratoga Springs, New York | Jasper Alexander |
14 | BT0114 | Barbecue | Butch Lupinetti | Mount Laurel, New Jersey | Butch Lupinetti | |
15 | BT0115 | Pizza | Giorgio Giove | Brother's Pizzeria | Staten Island, New York | Giorgio Giove |
Episode | Show number | Food | Chef | Restaurant | Location | Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | BT0201 | Chocolate | Fritz Knipschildt | Chocopologie / Knipschildt Chocolatier | Norwalk, Connecticut | Fritz Knipschildt |
2 | BT0202 | Bulos Flavored Ice Cream | Keith Young | New York City, New York | Keith Young | |
3 | BT0203 | Meatloaf | Jack and Rocco Collucci | Collucci Brother's Diner | Hyannis, Massachusetts | Jack and Rocco Collucci |
4 | BT0204 | Macaroni and cheese | Delilah Winder | Delilah's | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Bobby Flay |
5 | BT0205 | Fish and chips | Mat Arnfield | A Salt and Battery | New York City, New York | Mat Arnfield |
6 | BT0206 | Cheesecake | Alan Rosen | Junior's | Brooklyn, New York | Bobby Flay |
7 | BT0207 | Cuban roast pork | Roberto Guerra | Roberto Guerra | ||
8 | BT0208 | Spare ribs | Buz Grossberg | Buz and Ned's | Richmond, Virginia | Buz Grossberg |
9 | BT0209 | Cupcakes | Terri Wahl | Auntie Em's Kitchen | Eagle Rock, California | Bobby Flay |
10 | BT0210 | Hot dogs | Richard, Gloria, and Beverly Pink | Pink's Hot Dogs | Hollywood, California | Bobby Flay |
11 | BT0211 | Buffalo wings | Drew Cerza | The Anchor Bar | Buffalo, New York | Drew Cerza |
12 | BT0212 | Sticky buns | Joanne Chang | Flour Bakery | Boston, Massachusetts | Joanne Chang |
13 | BT0213 | Hot browns | Joe and John Castro | Brown Hotel | Louisville, Kentucky | Joe and John Castro |
Episode | Show number | Food | Chef | Restaurant | Location | Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | BT0301 | Crepes | Nessa Higgins & Andrea Day Boykin | Flip Happy Crepes | Austin, Texas | Nessa Higgins & Andrea Day Boykin |
2 | BT0302 | Puffy tacos | Diana Barrios-Trevino | La Hacienda/Los Barrios | San Antonio, Texas | Diana Barrios-Trevino |
3 | BT0303 | Jerk ribeye | Nigel Spence | Ripe Kitchen and Bar | Mount Vernon, New York | Nigel Spence |
4 | BT0304 | Chicken fried steak [lower-alpha 1] | Paula Deen | Uncle Bubba's Oyster House | Savannah, Georgia | Paula Deen |
5 | BT0305 | Pie | Janet LaPosta & Ally Taylor | Pie Moms | Rockland, Maine | Bobby Flay |
6 | BT0306 | Crab cake | Mitch Weiss | The Lobster Dock | Boothbay Harbor, Maine | Bobby Flay |
7 | BT0307 | Muffuletta | Mike and Jack Serio [lower-alpha 2] | Serio's Deli | New Orleans, Louisiana | Mike and Jack Serio |
8 | BT0308 | Blondies | Tom Finney and Mark Ballard | Sugardaddy's Sumptuous Sweeties | Columbus, Ohio | Tom Finney and Mark Ballard |
9 | BT0309 | Meatballs | Mike Maroni | Maroni Cuisine | Northport, New York | Mike Maroni |
10 | BT0310 | Ice cream sundae | Julia Reynolds | Ice Cream Man | Greenwich, New York | Bobby Flay |
11 | BT0311 | Lasagna | Mark Bove | Bove's Café | Burlington, Vermont | Bobby Flay |
12 | BT0312 | Turkey and dressing | Renee Ferguson | Geneva, Illinois | Bobby Flay | |
13 | BT0313 | Gingerbread | Johanna Rosson | Macomb, Illinois | Johanna Rosson |
Episode | Show number | Food | Chef | Restaurant | Location | Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | BT0401 | Biscuits and jam | Carol Fay | Loveless Cafe | Nashville, Tennessee | Bobby Flay |
2 | BT0402 | Ice pops | Irma and Norma Paz | Las Paletas | Nashville, Tennessee | Irma and Norma Paz |
3 | BT0403 | Chocolate chip cookies | Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald | Levain Bakery | New York | Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald |
4 | BT0404 | Eggplant parmesan | David Greco | Mike's Deli | Bronx, New York | David Greco |
5 | BT0405 | Chicken and waffles | Melba Wilson | Melba's | Harlem, New York | Melba Wilson |
6 | BT0406 | Pretzels | The Pretzel Boys | The Pretzel Boys | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Bobby Flay |
7 | BT0407 | Arroz con pollo | Jorge Ayala | La Fonda Boricua | New York | Jorge Ayala |
8 | BT0408 | Grilled cheese sandwich | The Pop Shop | The Pop Shop | Collingswood, New Jersey | Bobby Flay |
9 | BT0409 | Dumplings | Sohui Kim | The Good Fork | Red Hook, New York | Sohui Kim |
10 | BT0410 | Pulled pork | Lee Ann Whippen | Wood Chicks BBQ | Chesapeake, Virginia | Lee Ann Whippen |
11 | BT0411 | Arepas | Maribel and Aristides Barrios | Caracas Arepas Bar | Manhattan, New York | Maribel and Aristides Barrios |
12 | BT0412 [lower-alpha 1] | Grilled pork tenderloin vegetable skewers grilled whole fish cocktails | Butch Lupinetti Delilah Winder Nigel Spence Tobin Ellis | Miami, Florida | Bobby Flay |
Episode | Show number | Food | Chef | Restaurant | Location | Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | BT0501 | Coconut cake | Robert Carter | Peninsula Grill | Charleston, South Carolina | Bobby Flay |
2 | BT0502 | Moules frites | Teddy Folkman | Granville Moore | Washington, D.C. | Teddy Folkman |
3 | BT0503 | Seafood gumbo | Poppy Tooker | New Orleans, Louisiana | Poppy Tooker | |
4 | BT0504 | Paella | Gerard Nebesky | Gerard's Paella | Occidental, California | Gerard Nebesky |
5 | BT0505 | Chile relleno | Ramiro Arvizu and Jaime Martin del Campo | La Casita Mexicana | Los Angeles, California | Ramiro Arvizu and Jaime Martin del Campo |
6 | BT0507 | Brown bag apple pie | Dan Scheel and John Bauer | The Elegant Farmer | Mukwonago, Wisconsin | Dan Scheel and John Bauer |
7 | BT0506 | Red velvet cake | Raven Dennis | Cakeman Raven Confectionery | Brooklyn, New York | Bobby Flay |
8 | BT0513 | Bûche de Noël | François Payard | Payard | New York | François Payard |
9 | BT0508H | Deep-dish pizza | Marc Malnati | Lou Malnati's Pizzeria | Chicago, Illinois | Marc Malnati |
10 | BT0509H | Falafel | Einat Admony | Taim Falafel and Smoothie | New York | Bobby Flay |
11 | BT0510H | Chocolate bread pudding | Jerome Chang and Chris Chen | Dessert Truck | New York | Jerome Chang and Chris Chen |
12 | BT0512H | Cioppino | Phil DiGirolamo | Phil's Fish Market | Moss Landing, California | Phil DiGirolamo |
13 | BT0511H | Sushi | Philip Yi | Sushi Central | Los Angeles, California | Philip Yi |
Episode | Show number | Food | Chef | Restaurant | Location | Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | BT0601H | Pad Thai | Nongkran Daks | Thai Basil | Chantilly, Virginia | Nongkran Daks |
2 | BT0602H | Ravioli | Robert Durso Sr. & Robert Durso II | Durso's Pasta & Ravioli Company | Flushing, New York | Bobby Flay |
3 | BT0603H | Chicken pot pie | Sandy Pollock & Crystal Cook | Casserole Queens | Austin, Texas | Bobby Flay |
4 | BT0604H | Blueberry pancakes | Neil Kleinberg and DeDe Lahman | Clinton St. Baking Company & Restaurant | New York | Bobby Flay |
5 | BT0605H | Chicken matzoh ball soup | Jeff Nathan | Abigael's | New York | Jeff Nathan |
6 | BT0606H | Shrimp and grits | Joe Barnett | Washington, Georgia | Joe Barnett | |
7 | BT0607H | North Carolina ribs and baked beans | Ed Mitchell | The Pit | Raleigh, North Carolina | Ed Mitchell |
8 | BT0608 | German chocolate cake | Aliyyah Smith | Make My Cake | Harlem, New York | Bobby Flay |
9 | BT0609H | Fried fish escovitch | Sheron Barnes | Mo Bay Restaurant | Harlem, New York | Sheron Barnes |
10 | BT0610H | Country Captain | Lee Bros | Charleston, South Carolina | Lee Brothers | |
11 | BT0611H | Fish tacos | Cesar Gonzales | Mama Testa Taqueria | San Diego, California | Cesar Gonzales |
12 | BT0612H | Green chile burger | Bobby Olguin | Manny's Buckhorn Tavern | San Antonio, New Mexico | Bobby Olguin |
13 | BT0613H | Sloppy Joes | Andrew and John Schnipper | Schnipper's Quality Kitchen | New York | Bobby Flay |
Episode | Show number | Food | Chef | Restaurant | Location | Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | BT0701H | Fajita | Father Leo Patalinghug | Emmitsburg, Maryland | Father Leo Patalinghug | |
2 | BT0702H | Barbecue chicken | Brad Turner | Fort Lee, Virginia | Bobby Flay | |
3 | BT0703H | Lobster club sandwich | Lynn Archer | The Brass Compass Cafe | Rockland, Maine | Lynn Archer |
4 | BT0705H | Pumpkin pie | Michele Albano | Michele's Pies | Norwalk, Connecticut | Bobby Flay |
5 | BT0704H | Feast of the Seven Fishes | The Pellegrino Family | Rao's | Las Vegas, Nevada | The Pellegrino Family |
6 | BT0706H | Manhattan fish chowder | John Addis | Fish Tales | Brooklyn, New York | Bobby Flay |
7 | BT0707H | Liege Belgian waffles | Thomas DeGeest | Wafels & Dinges Truck | New York | Thomas DeGeest |
8 | BT0708H | Brownies | Shawna Lidsky & Katherine Hayward | Vermont Brownie Company | South Hero, Vermont | Shawna Lidsky & Katherine Hayward |
9 | BT0709H | Burritos | Victor & Miguel Escobedo | Papalote Mexican Grill | San Francisco, California | Victor & Miguel Escobedo |
10 | BT0710H | Omelets | Misty Young | Squeeze In | Truckee, California | Bobby Flay |
11 | BT0711H | Stuffed French toast | Omar Giner | La Isla Restaurant | Hoboken, New Jersey | Omar Giner |
12 | BT0712H | Cuban Sandwich | Nick Vazquez | Azucar Cuban Cuisine | Jersey City, New Jersey | Nick Vazquez |
Episode | Show number | Food | Chef | Restaurant | Location | Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | BT0801H | Hot dogs | Nick Suarez | Brooklyn's Cheesiest Dog | Brooklyn, New York | Nick Suarez |
2 | BT0802H | Quiche | Rodney Henry | Dangerously Delicious Pies | Baltimore, Maryland | Bobby Flay |
3 | BT0803H | Chicken Tikka Masala | Chef Marianna | Saffron | Hudson, New York | Bobby Flay |
4 | BT0804H | Pineapple upside-down cake | Marilyn and Sheila Brass | Cookbook authors | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Brass Sisters |
5 | BT0805H | Carrot cake | Vera Stewart | Very Vera | Augusta, Georgia | Vera Stewart |
6 | BT0806H | Huevos rancheros | Teresa and David Matias | Mosaic Cafe | Tucson, Arizona | Bobby Flay |
7 | BT0807H | Banana cream pie | Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito | Baked Bakery | Brooklyn, New York | Bobby Flay |
8 | BT0808H | Chicken wings | Colette Burnett | Super Wings NY | Brooklyn, New York | Colette Burnett |
9 | BT0809H | Chicken-fried steak | Kent Rollins | Red River Ranch Chuckwagon Catering | Texas | Kent Rollins |
10 | BT0810H | Whoopie pies | Carol Ford and Karen Haase | Cranberry Island Kitchen | Portland, Maine | Carol Ford and Karen Haase |
11 | BTO811H | Moussaka | Diane Kochilas | New York | Bobby Flay | |
12 | BT0812H | Lobster Mac and Cheese | Cal Hancock | Hancock Gourmet Lobster Company | Cundy's Harbor, Maine | Cal Hancock |
Iron Chef is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1993, was a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle built around a specific theme ingredient. The series ended on September 24, 1999, although four occasional specials were produced from January 5, 2000, to January 2, 2002. The series aired 309 episodes. Repeats are regularly aired on the Food Network in Canada, the Cooking Channel in the United States, and on Special Broadcasting Service in Australia. Iron Chef can be viewed on Peacock TV and streamed for free on Pluto TV in the United States. There are 5 spinoffs, with the latest being Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend.
Iron Chef America 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 that aired in 2001. 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.
Robert William Flay is an American celebrity chef, food writer, restaurateur, and television personality. Flay is the owner and executive chef of several restaurants and franchises, including Bobby's Burger Palace, Bobby's Burgers, and Amalfi. He has worked with Food Network since 1995, which won him four Daytime Emmy Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
A Hot Brown sandwich is an American hot sandwich originally created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, by Fred K. Schmidt in 1926. It is a variation of traditional Welsh rarebit and was one of two signature sandwiches created by chefs at the Brown Hotel shortly after its founding in 1923. It was created to serve as an alternative to ham and egg late-night dinners.
Fried green tomatoes are a culinary dish usually found in the United States, made from unripe (green) tomatoes coated with cornmeal and fried.
Country captain is a curried chicken and rice dish, which is popular in the Southern United States. It was introduced to the United States through Charleston, Savannah, New York City, and Philadelphia, but has origins in the Indian subcontinent. The dish was also included in the U.S. military's Meal, Ready-to-Eat packs from 2000 to 2004, in honor of it being a favorite dish of George S. Patton.
The Next Iron Chef is a limited-run series on the Food Network that aired its fifth season in 2012. Each season is a stand-alone competition to select a chef to be designated an Iron Chef, who will appear on the Food Network program Iron Chef America.
The fourth season of the American reality television series The Next Food Network Star premiered on Sunday, June 1, 2008. Food Network executives, Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson, were joined by Bobby Flay as the Selection Committee for this season, which was filmed early 2008 in New York, New York and Las Vegas, Nevada.
The fifth season of the American reality television series The Next Food Network Star premiered on Sunday, June 7, 2009. Food Network executives, Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson, were joined by Bobby Flay as the Selection Committee for this season, which was filmed early 2009 in New York, New York and Miami, Florida.
The Best Thing I Ever Ate is a television series that originally aired on Food Network, debuting on June 22, 2009.
Worst Cooks in America is an American reality television series that premiered on January 3, 2010, on Food Network. The show takes 12 to 16 contestants with very poor cooking skills through a culinary boot camp, to earn a cash prize of $25,000 and a Food Network cooking set. In the celebrity edition of the show, the winning celebrity gets a $50,000 prize to donate to the charity of their choice. The recruits are trained on the various basic cooking techniques including baking, knife skills, temperature, seasoning and preparation. The final challenge is to cook a restaurant-quality, three-course meal for three food critics.
The seventh season of the renamed American reality television series Food Network Star premiered Sunday, June 5, 2011. Food Network executives, Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson, are joined again by Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis as the judges for this season. The series was filmed in Los Angeles, California and New York, New York.
Beat Bobby Flay is an American cooking competition show on the Food Network. It features various chefs competing against Bobby Flay. The show is taped in front of a live audience.
The fourth season of Top Chef Masters was announced on May 24, 2012. Food and travel journalist, Krista Simmons, and features editor of Gilt Taste, Francis Lam, join James Oseland and Ruth Reichl as new additions to the judges' table. The season premiered on July 25, 2012 with 12 award-winning chefs competing in weekly challenges to win $100,000 for their charity and the title of Top Chef Master.
The ninth season of the American reality television series Food Network Star premiered Sunday, June 2, 2013.
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.