In this unpredictable episode of Cutthroat Kitchen, pocketknives and thievery turn this turkey dinner into a not so "Thanksgiving." Then we'll see which chef gets burned when they're forced to make an edible French toast with burnt bread. And finally, one chef gets their hands dirty when they have to make a lobster roll without utensils.
When judge Antonia Lofaso entered the Cutthroat Kitchen and tasted the chefs’ turkey dinner, French toast and lobster roll dishes, she wasn’t privy to the events that had unfolded and ultimately led to those particular plates of food. Simply critiquing and praising the offerings based solely on taste, she knew not of the thousands of dollars that had been spent to force a competitor to cook with a precooked, processed turkey instead of a fresh bird, to prepare a meal sans utensils, to feature red wine and blue cheese in French toast, and to make bread from scratch in only 30 minutes. On his first-ever Alton’s After-Show, Alton revealed these secrets and others to judge Antonia, who finally realized the making of the meals she had just tasted. “It’s all coming together now,” she told Alton. In perhaps the most telling reveal, she learned that all of these sabotages, seemingly insurmountable given the time constraints and demands of the challenge, had been inflicted on one competitor: Chef Frankie. It was up to him to adapt to these struggles — sometimes multiple ones in a single round — and attempt to turn out passable plates. Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/08/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-episode-1/?oc=linkback
In this sadistic episode of savory sabotage, we'll find out if the chefs can make a winning pork chops and applesauce dish ... without the use of pork chops or apples! Then we'll see a literal meltdown, as the chefs compete to make the perfect mac and cheese. And finally, one chef has to swim upstream as they're forced to whip up fish and chips without use of a fryer.
To succeed in the Cutthroat Kitchen, it’s not enough for a chef to come equipped with his lucky knife kit and years of experience at the stove. After all, a fellow competitor may prevent his use of that cutlery and make him question the extent of his skills, all with the help of $25,000 in spending money and the will to disrupt. Chefs must take assigned curve balls in stride and turn out quality dishes for a judge, who, without knowledge of the earlier mind games, will decide based on taste alone whose plate is the weakest. On Alton’s After-Show, host Alton Brown will reveal to the judge what’s gone down, and together they’ll dish on how the events unfolded and the food ultimately came to light. In the series premiere, judge Simon Majumdar joined Alton in the Cutthroat Kitchen, and even after learning of some chefs’ use of inferior pork products in Round 1, revealed, “They all produced dishes that were kind of passable with one or two errors, rather than bad dishes with one or two good things about them.” Even though Chef Gianchetti had the most sought-after meat — thick-cut bone-in chops — in that round, his pork was severely overcooked, so much so that Simon admitted that “is actually worse than getting a poor ingredient and making it tasty.” In what may prove true in each episode throughout the series, Simon explained: “Being a great chef is one thing. Being a strategic chef is another. If you can combine those, you can actually end up winning Cutthroat Kitchen without being technically the best chef.” It’s that kind of thinking that would lead chefs to risk wisely and cook intelligently in order to best their rivals and ultimately take home cash. Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/08/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-episode-2/?oc=linkback
In this episode full of culinary curveballs, we'll see if one chef can tempt the judge when they're forced to make tacos with bologna. Then we'll find out who the real traitors are as the chefs try to derail each other's Eggs Benedict. And finally we'll see if one chef can hold it together while they try to keep their crab cake from falling apart.
On last week’s After-Show, judge Simon Majumdar said: “Being a great chef is one thing. Being a strategic chef is another. If you can combine those, you can actually end up winning Cutthroat Kitchen without being technically the best chef.” And tonight Alton may have proved that theory to be true when he told Simon the lengths to which one competitor went to claim the win. The name of the game in Cutthroat Kitchen is indeed sabotage, but with that comes personal advantages for the competitor dealing those devastating blows to his or her rivals. With every big-ticket disruption one chef purchases and assigns to another contestant, he’s essentially buying himself safety from that challenge. Alton told Simon that, in this week’s final auction, one chef — who would ultimately go on to win the battle — spent almost all of his or her money ensuring his or her own smooth finish by assigning someone else the challenge of making crab cakes without a binder, like mayonnaise. This person “bought victory,” Simon said of the outcome, chalking up this reality to the fact that “anything is possible in Cutthroat Kitchen.” Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/08/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-episode-3/?oc=linkback
In this episode, one chef bestows dreaded mystery meat on an opponent in hopes of sabotaging their cheese steak. Then one chef makes some real waves when he forces an opponent to make cupcakes in a microwave oven. Finally, we'll see if one chef gets pie in their eye when they're forced to use pie crust as their pizza crust, or ... they just might deliver.
On this week’s After-Show, judge Simon Majumdar and host Alton Brown noticed that in almost every round of cooking, chefs faced significant obstacles - some so damaging that they led to eliminations - on account of their own shortcomings. “He wasn’t sabotaged there,” Alton told Simon of Chef Scipione’s absence of bread in his Round 1 cheese steak sandwich. “He just didn’t make it out of the pantry with any bread.” This oversight ultimately cost Chef Scipione his place in the competition, as Simon noted that the chef’s finished dish “wasn’t a Philly cheese steak in any form that I would recognize.” For another competitor, the problem proved to be not mere forgetfulness but an inability to work well under pressure. “I think he got stuck,” Simon said of Chef Zadi in Round 3, in which he was forced to make a pizza using a pie. “I think he just didn’t know where to go to make a really good pizza.” While it’s no surprise that competitors are left with few ideas of how to proceed when faced with last-minute ingredient changes and diminishing time on the clock, Alton explained: “Sometimes the cooking wins and sometimes the game play wins. And today, the game play won.” In the end, he warns, “Confidence can kill, but then not having enough will kill too.”
In this exciting episode of Cutthroat Kitchen, we'll see if one chef can turn gas station snack food into gourmet ravioli. Then, the chefs are put through the grinder as one of them is forced to make the perfect burger on a camp stove. Finally, we'll see which chef has more guts, as one of them is made to serve giblets with their fried chicken.
No matter how prepared a chef may be when he walks into Cutthroat Kitchen, or how well-conceived his ideas are for one round’s challenge dish, he can’t say for certain whether he’ll be able to use those skills or his thought-out plan, as a sabotage may ultimately get the better of him. The key to success in this contest is a competitor’s ability to adapt to culinary interferences as he meets them — finding new ways to add flavor to food when salt isn’t an option and learning how to fashion utensils out of foil when traditional devices are prohibited, among them. But what happens when, whether because of strategic game play or simple good fortune, a chef has the opportunity — the time, ingredients and equipment — to make just what he had intended? In the latest installment of Alton’s After-Show, the host and this week’s judge, Antonia Lofaso, dished on the competitors’ seeming need to do more and cook more than they ought to have or needed to simply because they could. Antonia explained that Chef McNutt’s Round-2 tuna burger would have been far more successful had she served it without the bread, which she decided to purchase for $2,200 mid-challenge because she didn’t have any. “I’ve seen this in so many … chefs under the gun,” Antonia explained. “They have a plan and they start to doubt themselves, and all of a sudden, their plan just goes right out the window. And it’s so important for them to just stick with what is good in their gut … and do that first idea.” Similarly, Chef Brian should have realized the need for straightforwardness in his fried chicken dinner, instead of forcing additional components on it just because he had the time do so. “The technique of restraint is what chefs always need to work on,” Antonia noted. “These days, just keep it simple and do it well.” Alton may have said it best when he admitted, “Very often, less is more.” Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/20
In this devilishly fun episode of Cutthroat Kitchen, we'll see which chef is the most cold blooded as they bid on a chance to freeze an opponent for 10 whole minutes. Then, one of the chefs will have to wing it when they're forced to use some strange ingredients in their chicken wing plate. And in an exciting climax, we'll see which chef will take home the dough with their superior gourmet doughnuts.
Coming into Cutthroat Kitchen, the chefs know to expect sabotage, backstabbing and true competition. So the only things they can rely on are their skills and experience, but sometimes in the heat of battle those skills and experience go right out the window. After all, the chefs are racing to finish their plates while also maneuvering sabotages they’ve been dealt that often lead their dishes down a disastrous road. In the latest installment of Alton’s After-Show, the host and this week’s judge, Jet Tila, dished on the competitors’ seeming disregard for key basics in cooking, such as taste and texture, and their inability to have a dish live up to some sort of standard of expectation. Taste is No. 1, explained Jet, when talking about Round 1′s spaghetti and meatballs, where one of the sabotages took away the ability to taste from three of the chefs. “You have to have cooked for a phenomenal amount of years to just cook by feel,” says Jet. Alton added that it’s especially true when it comes to making sauce, which often needs many tastings before it’s ready to be served. These chefs were too brash in thinking they didn’t need to taste — and even Chef Davidi who won the auction didn’t manage to put out a flavorful dish. When it came to the wings in Round 2, stuffing them with ingredients that made no sense — like Chef Glick’s celery and carrot batons — just went to show there was no forethought. And the chef’s use of bottled sauce did nothing to show creativity. In Round 3, it all came down to a lack of experience when making the doughnuts. Each chef’s doughnuts turned out to be leaden balls of dough, far from the fluffy, airy confections that anyone would expect. Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/09/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-episode-6/?oc=linkback
Things really heat up in the kitchen as one chef forces an opponent to create a perfect grilled cheese with a hand torch. Then, one chef might come off like a big jerk as they make an opponent fill their shepherd's pie with beef jerky. Finally, we'll find out how a fortune cookie actually changes one chef's fortune in a climactic egg roll showdown.
It’s no surprise that to be successful on Cutthroat Kitchen competitors ought to come equipped with a strategy for how they’ll approach the contest, as Alton’s culinary mind game requires more of contestants than basic kitchen chops and the ability to work under pressure. For a chef to be victorious, he or she will need a strategy, and this week’s champion ultimately claimed the win thanks in part to a method of restrained bidding. After three rounds and only two wins at the auction, the top chef left with $11,800, a grand sum compared to the small wages some rivals have taken home. Alton and judge Jet Tila dished on such an approach to the contest during the latest installment of the host’s After-Show. “You want to walk out of here with your dough,” Alton explained. Jet added, “You’re not here just to spend, spend, spend to sabotage people.” On several past episodes, chefs have gotten caught up in back-and-forth bidding wars only to “spend their way to victory,” as Alton noted. This week’s victor, however, claimed just two wins at the auction, guaranteeing a take-home sum of $11,800, a large figure compared to the small wages some rivals earn after three rounds of seemingly careless spending. What did you think of the spend-less-to-win-more strategy? Is it a riskier maneuver, given that a contestant may find himself saddled with sabotages if he isn’t the one doling them out? Click the play button on the video above to hear more from Alton and Jet, and learn which chef claimed victory, plus more about how he or she managed to secure the win. Then start the conversation with fellow fans in the comments section below. Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/09/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-episode-7/?oc=linkback
In this episode full of culinary combat, the stakes are raised when one chef earns the exclusive right to salt their steak. Then one chef's world is turned upside down as they're challenged to make a perfect omelet on the underside of a pan. And finally, one chef sticks it to another as they force them to serve their bananas foster on a stick.
No matter the competition, judges aren’t shy about their desire to receive thoughtfully plated dishes. After all, the saying goes that we eat with our eyes before our mouths, and it’s important for food to look as appetizing as it tastes. But oftentimes contestants take the notion of inspired plates too far, opting to include edible — or not — garnishes atop their offerings. In a supposed effort to showcase their commitment to elegance and simple visual appeal, they end up self-sabotaging what would have been a fine meal with unnecessary toppings. A frequent judge on Cutthroat Kitchen and Iron Chef America, Simon Majumdar knows what he likes to see on a plate, and superfluous finishes is not on his list of must-haves. In this week’s battle, several chefs learned the hard way that too much of a garnish — or the inclusion of something inedible — could be disastrous, as he explained on Alton’s After-Show. “Putting … what was for all intents and purposes a Christmas tree atop your steak is not a good idea,” Simon said of the oversize sprig of rosemary on one contestant’s steak. “Chefs really need to learn how to garnish when they’re doing a competition like this.” Another competitor failed to remove a piece of plastic from a product and it ultimately landed on Simon’s plate, an unforgiveable offense in the judge’s eye. Such a mistake was enough to eliminate that chef, as Simon explained: “It’s the unforgiveable sin. Never give your customers something that might kill them.” Alton added, “It was a last-minute, careless error made because [the chef] was trying to cover up … [the] food that shouldn’t have been there.” Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/09/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-episode-8/?oc=linkback
All of the competitors throw their chips into the pot in a cutthroat auction, for the right to force a rival to make nachos without utensils. Then, we'll see how one chef deals with a flavorful dilemma as they must hand in their herbs and spices and use savory jelly beans to flavor their sausage and peppers dish. Finally, one chef shows true grit as they attempt to make shrimp and grits without grits.
Some weeks on Alton’s After-Show the focus of Alton’s chat with the judge revolves primarily around the finalists’ abilities — or inabilities — to cook within the confines of Cutthroat Kitchen, particularly the sabotages. But other times it’s the sabotages themselves that dominate the conversation, almost too shocking or simply laughable for the judges to believe. That was the case this week as Alton revealed to returning judge Jet Tila the roster of culinary interferences to befall the chefs. Perhaps most appalling to Jet was the ingredient swap-out in Round 2, when the competitors were tasked with preparing a dish of sausage and peppers. Instead of being able to cook with everyday salt, pepper, spices and herbs, the contestant to receive this sabotage would be forced to use jelly beans flavored with tastes like habanero, wasabi, buttered popcorn and bacon. “That’s genius,” Jet admitted after a hearty laugh, before wincing at the thought of incorporating such oddball flavors into a dish. “I would have bid the farm and torpedoed somebody.” He soon realized how the unlucky chef to receive this sabotage ultimately offered a too-sweet plate of sausage and peppers. “The sweet … sticky sweet — it worked,” Jet said, reflecting on the contest. “I almost felt bad offering it. Almost,” Alton told him later. Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/10/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-episode-9/?oc=linkback
The competition gets rolling when one chef has to wear oven mitts to roll up his burrito. Then one chef gets "served" as they deal with creating the perfect pie using a pie server as their only tool. Finally, it's a jungle out there in the final teriyaki bowl challenge when one chef is forced to harvest all of their water from whole coconuts.
Although the stipulations of almost every Cutthroat Kitchen sabotage force competitors to reimagine the classic versions of challenge dishes, chefs still should be able to serve plates that are at least reminiscent of the original concept. They may not be able to cook with every seemingly crucial ingredient or prepare plates in the most traditional style, but the final offerings ought to be valid interpretations of assigned dishes; for this week’s competitors, that meant burritos, pie and teriyaki bowls. “It has to come down to what the challenge is,” judge Jet Tila told Alton Brown on the latest installment of Alton’s After-Show. The competitor ousted in the Round 1 burrito challenge presented a deconstructed Vietnamese-style burrito that was, in fact, hardly a burrito at all, according to Jet. “I’m sorry, but it was a ridiculous play on a burrito,” Jet explained of the summer roll-inspired dish. He added, “If she took a few pieces of lettuce and actually made a tight, concise roll, at least I know you’re thinking burrito,” noting how the contestant could have improved. The same proved true in Round 3, when the eventual runner-up was forced to say goodbye, given that the sauce used in the offering strayed too far from the tried-and-true taste of teriyaki. “It was Sriracha, sweet chili sauce and a little bit of soy. That’s my guess because I know these flavors,” Jet told Alton. “That’s not teriyaki. When you think teriyaki, you want this kind of silky, sweet and salty, soy sauce-driven sauce.” Ultimately, what Jet called “fusion confusion” was enough to send home the final competitor. Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/10/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-episode-10/?oc=linkback
Time to see how the chefs stack up for the round one pancake challenge! Then, times get tough in Cutthroat Kitchen when one chef is forced to cut their overflowing jambalaya ingredients to just five pounds. Finally, one chef "meats" their match when they get "creamed" (or smashed?) by the winning dish of meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
While the sabotages dealt to chefs on Cutthroat Kitchen may be downright devious and may cause the competitors to rethink their culinary approaches, the dishes they’re tasked to cook are, in fact, straightforward. Common plates like tacos, cupcakes, fried chicken and burritos have made appearances in the past, and all Alton asks of the contestants is that they create these meals for the judge. It sounds easy enough — until he reveals unknown curve balls, like mandatory ingredients and inferior cooking utensils, of course. It’s these challenging sabotages that cause — or, perhaps, force — the chefs to abandon all aspects of simplicity and ultimately reinvent the dishes as next-level versions. Although this week’s battle indeed featured its share of sabotages, judge Antonia Lofaso told Alton Brown on the host’s After-Showthat the chefs’ culinary offerings could have been stronger, if only they had not tried to make the dishes complicated and too unlike the originals. In Round 2, one chef was given leftover fried rice to feature in jambalaya, and rather than merely steam it to outfit it with the proper texture, he or she turned it into rice patties, but the rice wasn’t apparent. “You would have been starting with a product that you can have control over,” Antonia told Alton. “[The chef] could have just resuscitated it, but instead [the competitor] ground it into a paste,” Alton added. “I would have simply just used it.” Similarly, in Round 3′s meatloaf and mashed potatoes challenge, one competitor’s overzealous approach to the comfort food turned disastrous with a too-fancy and too-petite offering. “It’s meatloaf and mashed potatoes,” Antonia told Alton. “At the end of the day, I start pulling points because people are getting … too serious.” Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/10/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-episode-11/?oc=linkback
In this comfort food episode of Cutthroat Kitchen, these chefs are anything but comfortable. Watch as one chef attempts lasagna "grate"-ness as they make an opponent grate a three pound block of Parmesan cheese! Then, there's a noticeable chill in the area when one chef denies his opponent the ability to taste their chili. Finally, one chef fights until he's blue in the face when he's forced to make his chicken cordon bleu ... blue.
Given the unexpected sabotages, limited time on the clock and looming judgment with which they’re forced to adapt, it’s likely that when chefs compete on Cutthroat Kitchen, they’re cooking under a crushing amount of stress and pressure. For some, that anxiety may serve only to better their game, forcing them to work smartly and efficiently, but for others, such a burden may get the better of them. In this week’s competition, a chef’s inability to cope with the competition’s demands ultimately led to his or her exit. Judge Antonia Lofaso told Alton on his After-Show that the contestant’s Round 1 lasagna offering featured such grievous errors that she had no choice but to eliminate him or her on account of these seemingly elementary errors. Although inexperienced with making fresh pasta, this chef was forced to make pasta dough from scratch, but the end result proved “dense,” according to Antonia, and was only one part of an overall unsuccessful plate. “It was just poorly executed, everything on the dish,” she said, “from the cuts of the bell peppers to them not being cooked to pasta that was just completely inadequate.” “I think [the competitor] was so flipped out that [he or she] simply got derailed and never got back,” Alton mused. Antonia agreed, noting, “I have so much sympathy for these guys doing this, because no doubt when that time clock is on you and things are being thrown at you … nerves get to you.” Antonia’s advice to future contestants, however, is simple: “Just make something that’s cooked well, seasoned well.” Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/10/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-episode-12/?oc=linkback
In this episode of Cutthroat Kitchen, we take it back to the classics. As the chefs battle to make the most be"wich"ing sandwich, things get switched up when two chefs are forced to swap their baskets! Then, sharing is anything but caring in the fiery barbecue round when two chefs have to share their cook time. Finally, the competition gets s'more heat when one chef adds s'more fuel to the flame when they force their opponent to build their own campfire.
Things steam up when a chef is forced to cook an entire meal with a household iron. Then, a chef's clams casino gets supersized when they're forced to use geoduck. Things finally cool down in the kitchen, except for one chef who becomes extremely shaken up, when making an ice cream sundae.
Having been a judge on the premiere season of Cutthroat Kitchen, Simon Majumdar is no stranger to the tricks and challenges that befall competitors in each round of cooking, but after eating set cheese and soupy ice cream on tonight’s all-new Season 2 premiere, he needed a few clarifications on how the dishes came to be. Host Alton Brown — who’s not only privy to the sabotages, but in charge of auctioning them off as well — filled in Simon during the latest installment of his After-Show. It turns out that the patty melt-inspired dish that Chef Stratton gave Simon was mushroom-heavy on account of the Freeze Dried Meat product he was forced to work with after Chef Wiginton assigned it to him. “There was no patty in the dish, really,” Simon told Alton. “It was mushroom-heavy, and I guess that’s what he did to try and compensate, but it kind of overcompensated a bit.” This ingredient was so unlike fresh meat that it prevented Chef Stratton from turning it into a traditional patty. Simon finally understood why Chef Doruil’s cheese was so oddly clumped together: First he was gifted a plate of nachos from which he had to source the cheese for his patty melt, then he was forced to cook the rest of this dish with an iron. This household item ultimately prevented him from thoroughly melting the cheese. He “was holding the iron over the cheese trying to get the radiant heat from the iron to melt the cheese,” Alton explained. Come Round 3, the eventual winning chef received a hands-on lesson in ice cream making when a sabotage forced her to shake an ice-filled ball with cream until the mixture became frozen. “That probably explains why that ice cream was just a little bit loose,” Simon said, after learning of the mandatory product. Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/12/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-201/?oc=linkback
Things get messy when one chef is forced to wear a potato masher on their hand while making gnocchi. Then, one chef is turned into a handy man when they're given broken cooking utensils and a roll of duct tape. And finally, there's more than meets the eye when one chef's ice cream toppings are swapped out for some unusual imposters.
For the first time this season, Antonia Lofaso took her turn judging four competitors in the latest round of evilicious contest on Cutthroat Kitchen, and because no judge is privy to the bidding for sabotages and cooking, she joined Alton Brown on his After-Show to learn what had gone down. The chefs had to create gnocchi during Round 1 of the competition; though a hand masher may have been an appropriate tool for the job, it became an obstacle for Chef Gentile when he was forced to have it duct taped to his arm for the duration of the round. “He was looking for garnish that was going to build a dish,” Antonia told Alton, realizing that this impediment is what prevented Chef Gentile from breaking down ingredients and cooking with more precision. Having been gifted a campfire stove in Round 2′s duck a l’orange challenge, Chef Tzorin was tasked with cooking all components of his dish in a miniature skillet over a small open flame. Although this sabotage likely didn’t help Chef Tzorin avoid eventual elimination in that round, it may not have been what ultimately did him in, according to Antonia. “Choosing papaya and bell peppers and potatoes — these are just not the vision I have when you see duck a l’orange. So I’m going to say he may not have realized what the dish looks like or, like, classically what it’s about,” Antonia noted of Chef Tzorin. “That was also just the worst duck,” Alton told her, further justifying her decision to send home Chef Tzorin in Round 2. Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/12/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-203/?oc=linkback
One chef gets put in a sticky situation when their pot sticker wrappers are doused in honey. Then, two chefs get up close and personal when they are forced to share ingredients to create their best peanut butter and jelly. And in a climatic conclusion, it's fresh versus frozen when a chef must harvest their shrimp from a block of ice.
While Cutthroat Kitchen judges are quick to taste the food before them in each round of evilicious competition on the show, they don’t know exactly how that dish came to be, what ingredients were used to prepare it and which methods were undertaken to produce it. For help in clarifying the unknown, host Alton Brown sits down with the judges in his Web-exclusive After-Show to break down the ins and outs of the challenges; this week, he and Antonia Lofaso chatted about the latest contest to unfold. Traditional wonton wrappers may seem like a must-have ingredient for chefs tasked with preparing pot stickers, but in Round 1, three of the four competitors were forced to work with wontons in other forms, like honey-soaked wontons, frozen wontons and wonton soup. Thinking about the offerings she had just tasted, Antonia correctly guessed that Chef Velez was the one fortunate enough to work with the fresh product. Although she was initially hesitant about Chef Miranda’s dish, which was crafted out of frozen wontons and featured cabbage-wrapped bites, Antonia ultimately told the finalist, “I’m not mad at it.” Later she explained to Alton: “When someone says ‘pot sticker,’ you have this idea in your head of exactly what you want. So when I walk over and there’s cabbage, and I’m like, am I going to get that texture on the outside? Am I going to get that little bit of, like, char? And then I really enjoyed it.” Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/12/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-204/?oc=linkback
Giada De Laurentiis guest judges this episode of Cutthroat Kitchen and is welcomed with a sweet version of a deviled egg. Then, one chef must avoid being canned when they have to create chicken and waffles with a whole canned chicken. Finally, we see if one chef can create a delicious dessert after their sugar is replaced with sugar cane.
From prohibited cooking utensils to forced ingredient swaps and mandatory products, Cutthroat Kitchen sabotages are the ultimate in culinary challenges. While these sabotages may send contestants into fits of panic during the competition, most rivals manage to turn out acceptable dishes for the judge of the day. No matter if chefs unapologetically show off or brilliantly hide the obstacles that befell them, it’s up to the judges to taste the plates before them and unknowingly eat sometimes hilariously inferior ingredients. That’s what happened on today’s brand-new episode of Cutthroat Kitchen when special guest Giada De Laurentiis stopped by to judge. In Round 2, Chef La Salle presented her with a dish of chicken and waffles, but instead of using fresh chicken, Chef La Salle featured canned chicken. This chicken, which was packed in liquid, was first ground through a food processor and ultimately turned into chicken pate. When Giada finally saw — and smelled — the canned chicken firsthand during Alton’s After-Show, she couldn’t help but look away and hold her nose to avoid the stench. “The whole thing really reeks,” she admitted of the meat before Alton told her, “You put that in your mouth.” Looking back on Chef La Salle’s dish, Giada explained: “When she pureed that whole thing, the texture was very strange. It was so gritty on my tongue.” She added, “I think the seasoning in the end is what would have helped her.” Chef La Salle’s dish, however, was beyond saving, and it cost her the competition. Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2014/01/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-205/?oc=linkback
It's a tough dilemma when one chef forces another to choose between cooking with canned chicken or forfeit half their cooking time. Then, two chefs battle the cutthroat kitchen ball and chain when they are forced to share knives and tools. And in a climatic culmination, one chef has big problems with a tiny kitchen.
From competition and available prize money to chefs’ hopes and judges’ expectations, Cutthroat Kitchen isn’t short on anything, least of all sabotage. But tonight the contest took a turn for the pintsize in Round 3, when Chef Midgley found himself cooking strawberry shortcake in a tiny kids’ kitchen, equipped with a miniscule sink, toaster oven and induction range, as well as petite utensils. “If you can only imagine in your mind’s eye big ol’ mitts on that guy using these little-bitty tools,” Alton said to Simon after he revealed the play-size setup to the judge on his After-Show. “I probably would have cried and run off into the corner,” Simon joked of how he may have approached this challenge, as he and Alton crouched down next to it. It turns out, however, that Chef Midgley found success with this sabotage, as he completed the round on time and presented Simon with a dish superior to his rival’s balsamic-soaked plate. Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2014/01/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-202/?oc=linkback
One chef must get to work when they are handed a 500 watt work light as their only heat source to cook a quesadilla. Then it's careful cooking when someone is forced to cook chicken soup on a cookie sheet. And finally, Alton's bait bucket becomes one chef's main supply for a fish fry.
While competitors may not know the dishes they’ll be tasked with cooking on Cutthroat Kitchen, or the specifics of the challenges that will befall them in battle, a few things are certain about the contest: Chefs will sabotage each other and be sabotaged in return. It’s how contestants cope that will ultimately determine the success of their food, and while much of their adaptation involves recipe tweaks and ingredient swap-outs, it also requires strategy in bidding and the assigning of a particular sabotage once it’s been earned. On this week’s episode of Cutthroat Kitchen, Chef Leah wasted no time in gifting a doozy of a challenge to all three of her rivals during Round 1′s quesadilla test. She paid a whopping $6,900 to force the other competitors to use a high-powered work lamp, a kitchen torch and a hair-straightening flat iron as their sole heat sources. “So, at this point, Chef Leah is hated by almost everyone universally. When the mid-challenge item came up, it was almost a fait accompli that somebody would make sure she got it,” Alton revealed to judge Simon Majumdar on the host’s After-Show. Sure enough, as a form of evilicious retribution, she was tasked with making two pitchers of margaritas using a human-powered blender attached to a bicycle, so she ultimately learned the sting of sabotage as she peddled to make the motor run. “But in the end, I don’t know how bad it hurt her,” Alton explained to Simon. Not only did Chef Leah survive the round, but she went on to win the entire competition after outcooking her rivals in rounds of chicken noodle soup and fish fries. Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2014/01/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-206/?oc=linkback
A chef is turned into a potato artist when they are forced to mold French fries out of a vat of mashed potatoes. Then it's time to go camping when a chef must build a fire to cook a kebab plate. Finally, one chef takes more than their fare share of turns, while searching for chocolate for their chocolate chip cookies.
Alton Brown recently told FN Dish his top pieces of advice for Cutthroat Kitchen competitors, and among them was to “always leave the pantry with something that has salt in it.” This strategy for success would have proved especially useful during tonight’s brand-new episode, as three out of the four chefs were prohibited from using any salt in Round 1 after Chef Emily won the exclusive right to it. But while those rivals may have suffered bland food on account of sabotage, Emily, too, offered an improperly seasoned dish to judge Antonia Lofaso, and it ultimately cost her the competition. It turns out that what ultimately did in Chef Emily wasn’t a high prevalence of salt but, ironically enough, the drastic underuse of her high-priced ingredient. “There’s something about when you got it, you’re afraid to use it, I guess,” Alton told Antonia as the two dished on the challenges during the host’s After-Show. According to Antonia, Chef Emily’s sweet potato fries were far too sweet, served with maple syrup and bacon. “There was just no balance of anything ’cause it was like a sweet fry, then a sweet sauce,” Antonia explained. “I think maybe, like, rendering the bacon fat and using that — the fat — and the maple and the crushed bacon would have just given it more balance.”
One chef has their arms full when they're forced to do all of their ingredient shopping without the use of a basket. Then, someone needs to think fast when they have to start their huevos rancheros over from scratch. And one chef attempts not to get bent out of shape even though their crepe pan is.
Surviving a round of Cutthroat Kitchen is no small feat, and for most chefs, each of the 30 minutes on the clock is precious. On this week’s all-new episode, however, one competitor learned what it’s like to attempt a round in half that time — in only 15 quick minutes. In what judge Jet Tila deemed “the worst sabotage I think I’ve heard of,” Alton announced halfway through Round 2′s huevos rancheros challenge that the mid-round sabotage was to begin the entire challenge over again, from scratch. Chef David was gifted this task, and he was ultimately forced to not just start over in cooking, but to also grocery shop and prep his ingredients for a second time. “It totally makes sense why his dish didn’t come together,” Jet noted to Alton during the host’s After-Show. “You can’t hit the reset button,” Alton added. While Chef David was no match for this sabotage and faced elimination because of it, Jet said to Alton, “I think Alton Brown or Jet Tila could have pulled that one off in 15 minutes.” His thoughts on how to succeed? “Build it on the skillet,” he said, explaining that nearly every element could have been made in fry pans.
Two chefs must get creative when they're handed peelings or skinless potatoes to make potato skins. Then one chef goes island style when they must harvest all their water from coconuts to make pad Thai. Finally, a surprise party in the kitchen sends one chef searching for the right gift to complete their cake.
While some Cutthroat Kitchen sabotages, like mandatory utensils and the exclusive use of salt, are frequently used on the show, some are used far less often. On tonight’s all-new episode, Alton unveiled a never-before-seen sabotage that was enough to turn the kitchen into a party of sorts. In Round 3′s birthday cake challenge, Chef Jessica was gifted what every birthday girl surely wants on her special day: a tower of beautifully wrapped presents. Some boxes were filled with silly toys and games, but Chef Jessica was after the select few containing critical ingredients needed to execute her cake, including flour, eggs and sugar. “Make them unwrap presents until they found [what they needed],” Alton explained to judge Jet Tila of the objective of this particular sabotage. “It was one of my proudest moments,” he joked with a smile during his After-Show. “If you picked incorrectly, this would take 20, 30 minutes,” Jet mused. Despite the novelty of this challenge and the extra work Chef Jessica had to endure in order to find her baking supplies, she ultimately rose to the occasion and turned out a cake plate worthy of her talents as a pastry chef.
Two chefs learn the true meaning of improvising when they're forced to switch dishes and sabotages in the middle of a challenge. Then, someone has to get innovative when they are given a loaf of sliced bread to use as a bread bowl for clam chowder. Finally, a chef is taken back to their childhood when they must harvest breading from chicken nuggets for their chicken fried steak.
“Let nobody ever say that I am not a risk taker,” Simon proclaimed on Alton’s After-Show following this week’s brand-new episode of Cutthroat Kitchen. He and Alton were catching up after the latest rounds of sabotage had unfolded, and they reflected on Simon’s no-holds-barred maneuver of testing the viscosity of Chef Billy New England clam chowder in Round 2. During what Alton deemed “one of the finest moments,” Simon picked up Chef Billy’s bowl of soup and held it upside down directly on top of his head. “Chef, there’s thick,” Simon told the rival of his soup during tasting, “and there’s you-can-hold-it-over-your-head-without-danger-of-it-splashing-on-my-bald-bonce thick.” According to Alton, Chef Billy “had some starch manipulation issues,” which ultimate turned his chowder into a nearly solid soup. “It was just kind of wobbling there rather threateningly for a while,” Simon explained.
Four chefs return to Cutthroat Kitchen for more punishment and a second chance to outsmart and outcook their competition. Things start off with a blend when a chef gets to pulverize one competitor's hot dogs in a food processor. Then one chef goes back to science class when they're forced to cook pasta carbonara with a chemistry set. And finally it's anything but a day at the fair when a chef is handed a cotton candy machine to use as sugar for their brownies.
Even if a competitor manages to secure a win on Cutthroat Kitchen, it is likely only earned after some of the most-painstakingly fierce cooking in his or her career. From mandatory ingredients to forbidden appliances and inferior tools, Cutthroat sabotages are notoriously grueling, and most chefs will only endure this kind of face-off once. But on tonight’s all-new episode, four previously eliminated competitors returned to the kitchen for a second chance to overcome sabotage. These chefs had fallen in battle before, but with experience on their side, they took their places in front of Alton, ready to attempt to prove themselves once again. “All of these people learned the first time they were on the show that at the end of the day, you got to secure the win, or you don’t win anything at all,” Alton told judge Jet Tila on the host’s After-Show. ”I would rather walk out of here with a grand than walk out of here with nothing.” He didn’t make the chefs’ return to the contest any easier this time around, auctioning off waterlogged buns during a hot dog challenge and the forced use of strainers as mixing bowls during a brownie challenge. Jet deemed the mixing bowl sabotage “amazingly diabolical,” and indeed it ultimately contributed to Chef Zadi’s elimination.
Breakfast becomes the most important meal of the day when three chefs must find new uses for common breakfast appliances. Then, a chef must decide to go sweet or savory with their calzone when their entire stash of cheese is swapped out for tiramisu. In the final challenge, a chef is forced to downsize when they have to cook their fajitas on a mini skillet.
While some challenge dishes on Cutthroat Kitchen are straightforward, like apple pie, a burrito and grilled cheese, the Round 1 plate on tonight’s brand-new episode left some room for interpretation. The task was to create an all-American breakfast in 30 minutes — Alton gave no other instructions and simply let the chefs prepare their own definitions of that morning meal. “Usually it would feature eggs, bread, perhaps a smoked pork product — bacon, ham,” judge Jet Tila said on the latest installment of Alton’s After-Show of his idea of an all-American breakfast. It turns out that nearly all of the competitors held similar beliefs, as three attempted to turn out egg-focused dishes and another offered two takes on toast. Within these plates, however, there existed strong disparities, and each highlighted unique inspirations, including California flair, Southern ingredients and a love of hash.
Cutthroat Kitchen takes things to the extreme when one chef loses everything but a roll of tin foil and heat while cooking a dish. Then, Alton auctions off his compost bucket forcing one chef to make a quiche out of the food bits that are normally thrown out. Finally, a clothes steamer and iron are the only sources of heat for a chef cooking mussels.
Three chefs are forced to come up with new versions of BLTs when their main ingredients are taken away. A chef is forced to make ramen without noodles and someone is slowed down when they get a little puffed up while making a souffle.
While many Cutthroat Kitchen sabotages may be downright evilicious, most are, at least in some way, related to the challenge dish in any given round, and they are often inspired by common ingredients, tools and processes used to make that plate. On tonight’s all-new episode, Alton took that idea one step further during the Round 3 souffle battle when he auctioned off what he deemed “a souffle suit,” an oversize, puffed-up outfit that would force a contestant to match the general qualities of a souffle: rounded and inflated. Chef Millie ultimately found herself victim of the getup, and when judge Simon Majumdar learned of her unfortunate apparel, he told Alton on the host’s After-Show, “The fact that she was able to deliver anything is really remarkable.” Although he was impressed by her ability to cook while dressed up, he couldn’t excuse her dish, which was a sorry attempt at a souffle, as it was wholly without egg whites. “Chef Milly’s was so far away from being a souffle that I just couldn’t make the call any other way,” he explained to Alton of his decision to eliminate Chef Millie. Alton admitted, however, that no matter the outcome, “Chef Millie was an incredible sport” in the face of the sabotage. Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2014/03/dressed-to-souffle-altons-after-show/?oc=linkback
One chef must use alcohol as the only means of heat; a chef must prepare a breakfast burrito in bed; Alton cleans out the fridge.
For the first time in Cutthroat Kitchen history, Alton Brown welcomed four of the “wickedest winners” back to the contest to see who among them could uphold their victorious records and outcook their competition yet again. After claiming wins in Season 1, Chefs Brian, Charles, Frankie and Gwen took their places at their workstations, confident that they would be able to keep up with their newest culinary rivals — but ultimately only one proved his or her staying power. After three hard-fought rounds that found him making impromptu drinks for Alton, cooking in bed and deep-frying bread pudding, Chef Brian claimed a second Cutthroat win. Jet told Alton on the host’s After-Show that Chef Brian’s cocktail-concoction sabotage was “a giant time killer,” but it was surely not as wow-worthy as his Round 2 challenge, which forced him to prepare a breakfast burrito in bed atop a small cook station. “Are you kidding me?” Jet asked Alton with a smile when he saw the bed rolled in the kitchen. In true Cutthroat fashion, however, Chef Brian recovered from this doozy of a sabotage and survived to offer a deep-fried bread pudding in Round 3 that Jet said “totally worked.” He told Alton, “I questioned [Chef Brian] on ingredients, and he says, ‘Look, everything that’s in a bread pudding is in there.’ … Even if he fried it, [his dish] still was a bread pudding,” Jet added.
Pasta art is up for auction in a pesto pasta challenge. A chef hangs loose when creating a Hawaiian plate lunch and someone gets their dose of sabotage when they're forced to use olive oil capsules for their muffins.
Alton reveals sabotages of pesto pasta and muffins to judge Lofaso
Muffin tins as a mixing bowl? Check out if this sabotage passes the test.
Two chefs get up close and personal while making pea soup. One chef must come up with innovative uses for lamb shears when they're forced to use them instead of their knives, and someone's whisk gets supersized for chocolate mousse.
Alton reveals sabotages of pea soup, lamb chop dinner and chocolate mousse.
Will the chefs be able to use moose antlers to make chocolate mousse?
A chef is forced to serve a hot version of cobb salad; someone must build their own kitchen from random items inside of a shopping cart; a chef is forced to make layer cake with a cement mixer.
Alton reveals sabotages of cobb salad, enchiladas and layer cake.
Can you build a grill out of a shopping cart to cook an enchilada?
One chef is left skating on thin ice when their knives are replaced with a hockey skate. Next, a chef is in a bind when their fingers get trapped while cooking General Tso's chicken. Finally, one chef finds new uses for gardening tools to create their best carrot cake.
Chicken has a storied past on Cutthroat Kitchen: Just last season when Giada De Laurentiis stopped by for a special episode, one rival was gifted a whole chicken in a can, which she was forced to turn into chicken and waffles for the guest judge. And on tonight’s all-new episode, subpar chicken — or something like it — once again appeared on the auction table, this time during a General Tso’s Chicken challenge. After being gifted a sabotage of MREs, which Alton deemed “meals ready to eat,” one chef was forced to pick through the innards of such prepared and packaged dishes as “a chicken stew [and] a chicken fajita,” according to Alton. For Antonia, these products were “mushy,” and on the host’s After-Show, Alton told her with a smile, “It’s the best kind of sick that you could possibly imagine.” It turns out, however, that for the competitor who worked with this sabotage, the inferior meat wasn’t a hindrance at all. “She really didn’t have any choice but to make a fritter,” Alton explained to Antonia. “And it looked just like General Tso’s chicken.”
Things get evil when a chef must tediously separate grains of rice to make risotto. A chef's patience is tested as they wait, and wait and wait for their number to be called at the Cutthroat Kitchen Deli. And revenge is best served cold when one chef must chisel their ingredients from a block of ice.
Since Cutthroat Kitchen judges are sequestered from the kitchen while the chefs are cooking, they’re not privy to the evilicious sabotages that unfold during each round. This means that when they first lay eyes on the dish before them, they have no information other than how it’s presented; then once they’ve tasted it, of course, they can take its flavor and texture into consideration. Tonight’s judge, Simon Majumdar, explained what that feeling is like as he approaches the kitchen and sees contestants’ plates for the first time. “Sometimes as you come down the stairs,” he told Alton Brown on the host’s After-Show, “and you look at the dishes as they’re laid, and you go, ‘Uh, I think I know the way this is going to go.’ And often I’m wrong because they taste great.” It turns out, however, that Simon’s worst suspicions were confirmed when it came to tonight’s Round-2 Reuben sandwich challenge. For this round, one chef was forced to harvest matzo balls out of matzo ball soup to use in place of the bread in the Reuben. Alton revealed that “Chef Sammy gave it to Michael, who ended up serving you a sandwich on sliced matzo balls.” Simon replied, “The moment I saw two good-looking sandwiches and that, I knew.” He added, “It would have [had] to taste like Christmas laced with diamonds for him to have won, and it didn’t.“ Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2014/04/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-304/?oc=linkback
Serving ladles become one chef's cooking vessels to cook French Onion Soup. The Cutthroat Kitchen Wheel of Heat makes its debut for a Blackened Fish challenge, and one chef's bananas are pulverized to a pulp for their banana split.
From ingredient swaps and time-sucks to inferior utensils and makeshift workstations, Cutthroat Kitchen sabotages are notoriously evilicious and designed to keep the competitors guessing at all times. On tonight’s all-new episode, the chefs were wowed when host Alton Brown introduced a never-before-seen challenge, what he deemed the Wheel of Heat. Labeled with multiple heat sources like oven, microwave, stove and broiler, this sabotage would forced the rival who was gifted this challenge to spin the wheel while cooking and switch his or her cooking method to whichever heat source was landed upon. It turns out that the wheel offered no beginner’s luck, as Chef Renae found out when she was forced to work with it during the Round 2 blackened-fish test. “Every time she spun it, it came up ‘microwave,’” Alton explained to judge Simon Majumdar during the After-Show. “This, I think, was the end for Chef Renae because she had to do her entire blackened dish with a microwave,” he added. Simon admitted, “The fish was dry. It lacked that crust, which you expect from blackened fish.” But he noted that had other elements of her dish been executed better, he may have been more likely to excuse her microwave seafood. “There were too many things wrong,” Simon said, “whereas I could have forgiven her if she’d served that fish that wasn’t perfect with a really good accompaniment.” Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2014/05/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-305/?oc=linkback
The term mystery meat is given new meaning for three chefs while making Sloppy Joes. Alton's left over chicken coop wire becomes a big headache for one competitor, and it's game time when the carnival comes to town in the final round.
Cutthroat Kitchen competitors know that when they begin their time in the contest, they’re agreeing to as many as three rounds of unforeseeable problems; chances are high that no matter what dish host Alton Brown asks for, the chefs won’t be able to execute their dream versions of it, be that on account of sabotage, poor planning or simply bad luck. Adapting to challenges is the name of the game on Cutthroat Kitchen, and a contestant’s inability to do that may ultimately do him or her in. That’s precisely what happened on tonight’s all-new episode when Chef Kristina was gifted a can of spiced ham to use in place of fresh meat in her sloppy joes dish. “I think she wasn’t willing to embrace an ingredient,” Alton told judge Jet Tila on the After-Show. “She saw something that she knew came out of a can, and it was, like, checkout,” he added. Instead of sticking with a traditional approach of ground protein in sloppy joes, Chef Kristina simply sliced the canned product, and Jet wasn’t willing to pardon her for that. “It was slop on a plate,” Jet admitted, and Alton reminded fans, “You’ve got to embrace the ingredient, regardless of its origin.”
Making a frittata becomes nearly impossible as one chef must cook inside eggshells. A yard sale box of old kitchen supplies becomes one chef's worst nightmare and one chef earns the right to shred their opponent's Steak Diane.
“This is awesome. I say that all the time, but I really mean it,” judge Jet Tila told Cutthroat Kitchen host Alton Brown on tonight’s brand-new After-Show. “I know I keep saying that. This really is awesome,” he added. Jet has judged multiple episodes of Cutthroat Kitchen and is no stranger to the kind of evilicious Alton is capable of bestowing upon the competitors. So when Jet showed such a wowed reaction to one particular sabotage featured on tonight’s episode, fans knew this challenge must have been especially diabolical. The sabotage in question was none other than the paper cutter auctioned off during Round 3′s steak Diane test, which allowed Chef Frances to slice or dice Chef Jaron’s piece of meat for a whopping 30 seconds. Because a singular round of meat — usually a fillet — is a signature element of steak Diane, shredded meat could mean disaster, and it ultimately did for Chef Jaron, who failed to take advantage of his newly cut-up beef. Alton told Jet of how he would have approached the obstacle, explaining: “I’m going to chop it down to even smaller pieces, and I’m going to either do it like it started to be a tartare, or I’m going to make a fricken burger kind of thing out of it.” He added of Chef Jaron’s obvious demise, “The second that he didn’t do that, I thought, ‘This is over.’” And sure enough, Chef Jaron walked away empty-handed.
The ultimate backyard grill suit is unveiled. One chef's equipment becomes all tangled up in fish nets. In the final round, claw hands are the name of the game for a barbecue chicken sandwich.
Alton reveals sabotages of sliders, clam bake and BBQ chicken sandwich.
No matter what recipe you’re cooking, when it comes to being prepared in the kitchen, few things are more important than a quality heat source. From live flames from a gas stove to the warmth of an oven or the power from a microwave, heat is needed to make critical things happen, and without it, or with an inferior heat supply, cooking anything well can be nearly impossible. On tonight’s all-new episode of Cutthroat Kitchen, host Alton Brown auctioned off a sabotage that would seem to spell doom for one competitor: Instead of being able to prepare a clambake on a conventional stove, one chef would have to use tiny flame cubes set within a miniature prop. Was this too much to ask of a contestant in a 30-minute round? No, the sabotage was indeed fair, as the culinary team had tested the obstacle beforehand.
The tables are turned in this special "judges compete" episode of Cutthroat Kitchen. Someone's tortillas are shredded to make taquitos. Then, two chefs are forced to purchase tickets to a meatball lottery. Finally, we see how easy it is for these chefs to cook with one hand literally tied behind their back.
This week’s was a Cutthroat Kitchen episode like none other as host Alton Brown welcomed four of Cutthroat’s frequent judges into the kitchen — not to evaluate competitors’ dishes, but to be the battling chefs for the day. In true evilicious fashion, the sabotages didn’t stop just because the contestants were superstars Antonia Lofaso, Geoffrey Zakarian, Jet Tila and Simon Majumdar; in fact, this episode saw some of the trickiest tests yet, and what resulted were three rounds of brutal mind games. While Alton’s After-Shows are known for revealing all to the once-sequestered judges, this week’s catch-up found Alton with the judges-turned-competitors, and together they shared plenty of laughs as they looked back at the good-natured challenges that had just taken place. The infamous mini kitchen made an appearance in Round 1, and much of the group agreed with Simon when he deemed it the “Best. Challenge. Ever.” After being gifted that challenge, Jet admitted, “I was deathly afraid of it. I didn’t even know how to, like, navigate that thing.” Geoffrey ultimately found himself tasked with adapting to this tiny workspace, but, according to him, “It’s not as bad as it appears.” And it’s a good thing that Geoffrey didn’t seem to mind the sabotage, as Simon — jokingly — noted later: “The reason it only went for $1,500 is I think some of us agreed that we should give it to Geoffrey for no other reason than we wanted to see Geoffrey Zakarian — the Iron Chef — kneeling down, cooking in the kitchen.”
One chef is forced to perform a balancing act while they cook chicken pot pie. A childhood rhyme turns into one chef's nightmare and one chef must spring into action to save their cheesecake.
A cocky chef is thrown under the culinary bus when an old breakfast buffet replaces his gourmet basket. Then one chef scratches her head trying to cook an authentic Pasta Bolognese in an Italian espresso pot. Finally, someone loses their milk products in exchange for a cow while making tres leches cake.
The Cutthroat Kitchen competitors are no strangers to host Alton Brown‘s diabolical sabotages – from ingredient swaps to alternate sources of heat, there’s no limit to the amount of tricks up his sleeve. Still, no one could have prepared for Sally, a mechanical cow that had udders underneath that one chef had to milk in order to get the dairy needed to create a Tres Leches cake, which involves three types of milk. “Here’s the terrible thing. We didn’t label them either,” said Alton to Judge Jet Tila. “So they really had to know their dairies.” Chef Shane was given this sabotage and made an ice-cream, which turned out to be a very smart move. “The cool thing about ice-cream is that it makes your mouth cold and once your mouth is cold you don’t notice certain things in the rest of the food,” said Alton on this week’s After-Show. ‘If I didn’t trust the rest of my food, say my cake, I would so make you an ice-cream!” Ultimately, Chef Shane won the show and Chef Candace was eliminated, on account of her ‘cake’ being more like a crepe. “It just doesn’t work, man,” said Judge Tila. Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2014/06/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-401/?oc=linkback
On this week’s episode of Cutthroat Kitchen, competitors had to cook the perfect breakfast sandwich — a standard dish that involves toast, eggs and meat. It may seem easy enough, but not on this show, where the competitors are sabotaged in every way, from ingredient swaps to the removal of cooking utensils. While some of these sabotages may seem completely outlandish, they are indeed possible; Food Network’s culinary team tests each ingredient, heat source and kitchen appliance to make sure that the contestants will be able to create a dish with the sabotage within 30 minutes. In this round, one competitor had to give up all of his or her heat sources and use a paint-dryer to cook all of the ingredients.
Will the chefs be able to use an espresso machine to cook pasta Bolognese?
Alton Brown gives a tour of the Cutthroat Kitchen set.
One chef gets their hands dirty when they dig up all of their ingredients from a wacky vegetable garden — that grows anything but vegetables. Then one chef gets punished for trying to "phone it in" during a pizza challenge.
Alton reveals sabotages to Judge Antonia Lofaso after the chefs have prepared Soup & Salad, Pizza and Key Lime Pie.
Many times on Cutthroat Kitchen, host Alton Brown demonstrates his truly evilicious side by taking away the contestants’ ingredients, their heating appliances and even all their knives. In this week’s episode, Alton takes evil to a whole new level — he takes away all pots, pans and mixing bowls, and replaces them with a bread bowl for one of the contestants and a soup ladle for the other. The two contestants have to make both a soup and a salad without all their mixing equipment. This challenge didn’t come without its share of difficulty — the soup ladle was extremely small and could heat up only a small amount at a time, and the bread bowl kept soaking up all the liquid for both the dressing and the soup. While sabotages on Cutthroat Kitchen have to slow the contestants down and make things difficult for them, they can’t make it impossible for them to make a dish.
Things get sizzling when two chefs cook steak over a romantic candlelit dinner. Then one chef is cut down to size while stuck with a giant whisk as their only tool. Finally one chef learns making cake is no cake walk when forced to walk around the kitchen on cake boxes!
Alton reveals sabotages to Judge Simon Majumdar after the chefs have prepared Steak Dinner, Biscuits and Gravy and Ice Cream Cake.
Can cones serve as mixing bowls and baking vessels to make ice cream cake?
On Cutthroat Kitchen, there is nothing worse than an ingredient swap. Ingredients can make or break a dish, and switching out quality ones for those that are inferior can completely ruin the elevated flavors the competitors are trying to accomplish. In this week’s episode, the contestants have to make biscuits with gravy, so the culinary team was experimenting with an ingredient swap where the butter was replaced by cooking spray. While the team realized that the cooking spray could be gathered and solidified to develop a butter-like consistency, the real test was whether the cooking spray could provide the same taste and texture that butter could in a buttermilk biscuit. The taste of the biscuit alone would determine whether the cooking spray swap would work for the episode.
Gravy boats to mix and bake biscuits? Find out if this sabotage passes.
Three chefs discover that the great wall isn't as spacious as they'd like it to be. One chef's cooking tools get swapped out for a set of golf clubs while another chef dunks doughnuts into coffee like they never have before.
Alton reveals sabotages to Judge Antonia Lofaso after the chefs have prepared Chinese Chicken Salad, Club Sandwich and Doughnuts.
While Cutthroat Kitchen often involves sabotages that take away a contestant’s desired cooking utensils like knives or spatulas, most chefs would agree that the most valuable tool in the kitchen is one’s hands. That’s why this sabotage is especially diabolical: It makes sure that the contestants aren’t allowed to touch their food without using some kind of tool to pick it up. The chef is given a pair of white gloves and isn’t allowed to get them dirty under any cost, which causes major difficulty when trying to assemble a club sandwich, as it involves a plethora of ingredients: Chicken, salt, mayonnaise, lettuce, bacon and more. A lot of foods need to be handled, but is it possible to do so without using your hands?
China caps as bowls and pans? Find out if this sabotage passes the test.
Alton Brown presents five favorite Cutthroat Kitchen culinary sabotages.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be Alton Brown for a day? It’s not easy. I mean, sure, there are numerous perks and fun moments. But to tape a TV show, in this case Cutthroat Kitchen, takes a lot of work. FN Dish had the opportunity to shadow the host of this evilicious show and capture the ins and outs of a full day of taping (one day equals one episode). He opened up the door to his trailer, and showed us where he gets his coffee and how he enters each show and interacts with the culinary production team. Have you ever asked yourself whether the money in that briefcase is real? Alton dishes on that too.
The kitchen erupts in flames when one chef cooks with Alton's jungle torch. Later, an oversized fondue pot leads to an oversized mess.
Alton reveals sabotages to Judge Jet Tila after the chefs have prepared Satay with Peanut Sauce, Beef Stroganoff and Fondue. Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/cutthroat-kitchen/altons-after-show.html?oc=linkback
Cutthroat Kitchen is in full swing (now in its fourth season), and with time also come lessons learned — many lessons learned. Frequent judge Simon Majumdar recently revealed the mind of a Cutthroat judge to FN Dish, and now host Alton Brown is sharing survival techniques. From the pantry to the kitchen, Alton breaks down the most-common mistakes that can easily be rectified, as well as how a chef should best prep himself or herself for sabotages.
It's tough to smoke out the competition when forced to use a cigar cutter to make a cubano. Then two chefs get up close and personal when stuffed like peppers into a very confined workspace. Finally one chef must make a tiramisu using coffee filters and stirrers as their only tools.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Antonia Lofaso after the chefs have prepared cuban sandwiches, stuffed peppers and tiramisu.
Creating tiramisu can be time-consuming, as it involves soaking lady fingers in an espresso mixture and topping them with a sweet mascarpone cheese-based cream. This specifically requires the use of superior utensils, like whisks and mixing bowls, in order to make sure each layer has the perfect flavor profile. Host Alton Brown decided that the contestants on Cutthroat Kitchen needed to forgo these tools – one of the contestants had to replace all of his cooking tools with coffee strainers and stirrers. This made the dish especially difficult, because the coffee filter didn’t allow the mascarpone creation to be mixed properly, and it also starting soaking up all the espresso meant for the lady fingers. How could the Food Network team deem it an appropriate sabotage for the show?
Alton hands off the Olympic cooking torch and one chef is forced to spice things up when they have their ginger replaced with sushi ginger.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Simon Majumdar after the chefs prepared corn chowder, gyros and gingersnap cookies.
A chef is forced to cook soup using a single brew coffee machine. Later, chefs get hands-on when Alton asks for peace in the kitchen.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Antonia Lofaso after the chefs have prepared minestrone soup, falafel and milkshakes.
One chef enters a phone booth and attempts to transform into a super chef. Next, two chefs get cozy in Alton's living room circa 1974 and then one chef attempts to ride a bike in the kitchen.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Jet Tila after the chefs prepared hero sandwiches, TV dinners and banana splits.
One chef must make a lobster roll using a roll submerged in a lobster tank, and someone is given a rather unusual chocolate platter for their chocolate cake.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Simon Majumdar after the chefs prepared lobster rolls and chocolate cake.
A kid's stand mixer to make chocolate cake? Find out if the sabotage works.
One chef does as the Italians do and cooks while riding a scooter. Next, one chef pays tribute to a 1950's housewife while making a casserole. Finally, one chef goes the distance as they navigate a red velvet maze that stands between them and victory.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Simon Majumdar after the chefs prepared bruschetta, casseroles and red velvet cake.
Things get chilly when one chef must use freezer burnt ingredients to make a chili cheese dog. Then Alton's done it again with a pasta art masterpiece, but it turns out not everyone is art lover. Finally one chef feels like they're going around in circles when forced to use a spinning cook station.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Simon Majumdar as the chefs prepared chili cheese dogs, fettuccine alfredo and crepes suzette.
One chef gets a helping hand from a Buddha. Then two chefs help each other out by shopping for each other. Finally, Alton becomes the target as one chef tries to shoot for the win.
One chef has to step up their game when they're forced to work on a traditional Japanese tea table, while another chef becomes crabby when forced to make a crab cake with a toy crab claw in one hand. Finally, a chef looks for a little R and R as they prepare all their food in a hammock.
Alton reveals sabotages to Judge Jet Tila after the chefs have prepared bento boxes, crab cakes and pineapple upside-down cake.
One chef is brought back to their childhood when they cook in a high chair. Alton's new magic hobby forces two chefs to share a giant saw, then a chef has all of their cooking vessels replaced with corn husks.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Jet Tila after the chefs have prepared chicken fingers, tostadas and corn muffins.
In this special Halloween episode, one chef pays a heavy price for a deal with the devil. Later, a chef digs themselves out of their own grave while another does all their cooking over a hell flame.
Alton reveals the sabotages for deviled eggs, stew and devil's food cake.
Chefs Susan Feniger, Jeff Mauro, Michael Psilakis and Aarti Sequeira face off in the first heat of the Cutthroat Kitchen Superstar Sabotage. The chefs will face sabotages including a treadmill station, a hammer carnival game and cooking in a conveyor toaster.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Antonia Lofaso after the superstar chefs have prepared salmon dinners, kung pao chicken and French toast.
Elbows are the perfect pastas for macaroni, so one chef uses a metal plumbing elbow to do all of their cooking. One chef must play ring toss for their calamari rings while another chef gets the jitters trying to use a coffee maker to make coffee cake.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Simon Majumdar after the chefs have prepared macaroni and cheese, fried calamari and coffee cake.
Alton Brown has even more sabotage favorites. Check out the top evilicious sabotages from Cutthroat Kitchen.
Chefs Nadia G., Brian Malarkey, Marcel Vigneron, and Justin Warner face sabotages.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Jet Tila after the superstar chefs have prepared pancake breakfasts, popcorn shrimp and oatmeal cookies.
Can the chefs make pancakes using a colander and a bundt pan?
The chefs have to rummage through boxes to get their cookware in the first challenge. Later, kitchen tools are replaced with tortilla chips; and ingredients must be harvested out of a pot of honey.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Jet Tila after the chefs have prepared wraps, chips and dip and baklava.
Chefs Anne Burrell, Eric Greenspan, Johnny Iuzzini and Damaris Phillips battle each other and sabotages such as a floating prep station, holding hands with another chef around the kitchen and having their mixing and cooking vessels replaced by lemons.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Simon Majumdar after the superstar chefs have prepared surf and turf, croque monsieur and lemon bars.
One chef tries to outrun a giant boulder of aluminum foil while two chefs put aside their differences and cook for each other. Finally, a chef loses all of their ingredients and must play a memory game to get them back.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Antonia Lofaso after the chefs have prepared loaded baked potatoes, Korean barbecue dinner and turnovers.
There's only one more spot in the Superstar Sabotage finale and chefs Melissa d'Arabian, Elizabeth Falkner, Alex Guarnaschelli and Fabio Viviani each think they have what it takes to get there. But first, they'll be faced with sabotages including hitting the slots for ingredients, harvesting cheese from a giant cheese block and cooking in banana leaves.
One chef rides a chariot in a culinary fight for the ages and then the South rises again in a Civil War-inspired sabotage. Finally, one chef makes an ice cream sandwich out of sandwich ingredients.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Simon Majumdar after the chefs have prepared shrimp and grits and ice cream sandwiches.
Four star chefs return to the Cutthroat Kitchen for the Superstar Sabotage Finale. In order to win the tournament, they'll have to face sabotages such as prepping in a ball pit, cooking on a moving boat ride and facing down the notorious miniature kitchen.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Simon Majumdar after the superstar chefs have prepared meatballs, fish and chips and candy.
Three of the chefs will have to make their waffles in weird ways. Then, two chefs get stuffed together as they make empanadas. Finally, two chefs get a workout as they make lemon meringue pies.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Antonia Lofaso after the chefs have prepared waffle breakfasts, empanadas and lemon meringue pie.
Can a stationary whisk transform egg whites into a fluffy meringue?
What makes a better waffle: a meat tenderizer or an ice cube tray?
In this Thanksgiving episode, three chefs make a mad dash for all of their cooking equipment for Black Friday. Next, a chef loses their cooking vessels and must cook in nuts. Finally, a chef parades around the kitchen in a turkey suit.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Simon Majumdar after the chefs have prepared turkey dinners, butternut squash soup and pecan pie.
There are two sets of twins competing for Cutthroat victory and three of them deal with some calzone re-zoning. Then, pirates invade the kitchen and later, one chef has a really sad birthday.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Antonia Lofaso after the twin chefs have prepared calzones, caribbean dinners and birthday cake.
It's a chilly chili sabotage when two chefs have to harvest ingredients from a block of ice. Then, chefs face the delicious danger of dim sum. Finally, s'mores are made after a chef shoots marshmallows at a giant target.
Alton reveals sabotages to Judge Jet Tila after the chefs have prepared chili and cornbread, dim sum and s'mores.
Three chefs play white elephant to determine their sabotages for their ham dinner. Later, two chefs gather around the tree to open presents filled with their new ingredients. Lastly, a chef cooks their holiday cookies in a fireplace.
Alton reveals the holiday sabotages to Judge Simon Majumdar after the chefs have prepared ham dinners, cocktail parties and holiday cookies.
Three chefs get sloppy as they dig for ingredients in a slop trough. Then, one chef has to grab their curry spices out of midair. Finally, one chef gets into a big, blue ball to make blueberry muffins.
Alton reveals sabotages to Judge Jet Tila after the chefs have prepared pigs in a blanket, curry and blueberry muffins. Special Guest is Challenge Producer Brian Fowler.
Is it possible to mix and bake muffins using blueberry cartons?
A chef wears Alton's ultimate poncho as they make a breakfast quesadilla. Then, one chef has to cook meatloaf while in a recliner. Finally, a chef has to walk on cupcake boxes when they make cupcakes.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Jet Tila after the chefs have prepared breakfast quesadillas, meatloaf and cupcakes.
Can the chefs mix and bake meatloaf in a loaf of bread? Watch and find out.
Is it possible to mix cupcake batter in your hand? Find out if the sabotage passes.
Two chefs have to cook breakfast as a tag team. Then, another chef gets to chop up someone's pork chop with an ax. Finally, someone has to cook an ice cream cone in traffic cones.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Jet Tila after the chefs have prepared pork chops and applesauce and ice cream cones.
A chef has to make breakfast has in a bunk bed. Then, another chef has to recreate Alton's hike out of the Grand Canyon. Finally, a chef has to make strawberry shortcake with long tools.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Simon Majumdar after the chefs have prepared breakfast hash and strawberry shortcake.
One chef has to cook fish tacos on tiki torches. Then, one chef has to make pasta salad, using water that they harvest from a patio mister. Finally, one chef has to bake an apple pie inside apples.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Antonia Lofaso after the chefs have prepared fish tacos, pasta salad and apple pie.
One chef has to make grilled cheese and tomato soup while in a giant high chair. Then someone has to cook orange chicken in oranges. Finally, one chef has to make granola using only the tools from the hiker's backpack that they wear during the whole round.
Alton reveals the sabotages to judge Simon Majumdar after the chefs have prepared grilled cheese and tomato soup, orange chicken and granola bars.
In this special big game episode, two chefs have to wear tailgates on their backs. Then, two chefs have to cook in bleachers. Finally, one chef has to make brownies while kneeling.
Three chefs have to dig for clams in a clam bed to make a dish that impresses special guest judge, Valerie Bertinelli. One chef has to make turkey burgers while wearing arm weights. Finally, one chef has to make a fruit tart with vegetables that are actually fruits
Alton reveals the sabotages to Special Guest Judge Valerie Bertinelli after the chefs have prepared steamed clams, turkey burgers and fruit tarts.
Can the chefs transform deli turkey into a juicy turkey burger? Find out.
In a special chocolate episode, one chef has to make molten chocolate cake — without chocolate! Then, two chefs have to make a savory chocolate dish with fish and eggs. Finally, one chef has to work a shift on Alton Brown's chocolate conveyor belt
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Simon Majumdar after the chefs have prepared molten chocolate cake, savory chocolate dishes and boxes of chocolate.
Find out if mixing molten chocolate cake in a chocolate box is approved.
Two chefs have to get their ingredients for a deli sandwich from vending machine. Then, two chefs have to cook each other's tacos. Finally, one chef takes a lazy “sundae” drive around the kitchen, all in the hopes of winning over special guest judge Anne Burrell
Alton reveals the sabotages to Special Guest Anne Burrell after the chefs have prepared deli sandwiches, tacos and ice cream sundaes.
As they make gnocchi, one chef has to wear a potato masher on their hand. Then someone cooks drunken noodles on a keg of fire. Finally, someone has to make thumbprint cookies without the use of their thumbs
Find out if crispy potato chips can be turned into airy gnocchi.
One chef has to use finger tools while making a bacon-wrapped dish. Another chef has to make lasagna while driving around the kitchen in a racecar seat. Finally, a chef has to make a black and white cookie while doubling their movements on a black and white prep station.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Antonia Lofaso after the chefs have prepared bacon-wrapped dishes, lasagna and black and white cookies.
In a speed round, three chefs have to make an omelet in one pan. Then, a chef has to get all of their oyster Rockefeller ingredients out of an oil drum. Finally, one chef has to use finger whisks to make a cream puff.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Antonia Lofaso after the chefs have prepared omelets and cream puffs.
Three chefs have to make a tuna melt with a glob of melted tools. Another chef has to cook Salisbury steak while standing on a "high stakes" platform above the kitchen. Finally, a chef has a tea party while trying to make scones.
While making Eggs Benedict, one chef has to harvest their eggs from a chicken coop. Then, two chefs have to make British pub food while in a double decker bus. Finally, one chef has to mix everything for sandwich cookies in milk bottles.
A chef has to use only a martini glass while making Bahn Mi. Then two chefs have to get their tortilla soup ingredients out of a pinata. Finally, one chef has to bake a galette on a tennis racket.
In a special springtime episode, two chefs have to make an egg salad sandwich on a picnic blanket they wear around their necks. Then, one chef has to herd "sheep" while making a lamb dinner. Finally, one chef has to harvest their carrot cake ingredients out of a carrot garden.
Three chefs find themselves on the other side of the diner counter. Then, Paris is for haters in a French-inspired challenge. Finally, one chef has to make a rum cake in a bottle of rum.
Three chefs have to make fish stew in a canoe. Another chef has to make pasta carbonara in a moving mine cart. Finally, one chef has to use a chemistry set to make pound cake.
Three chefs have to make stir-fry while sitting in airline seats. Then, two chefs have to work as good neighbors to make chicken fried steak. Finally, one chef has to shop for their cobbler ingredients blindfolded.
Two chefs have to make fast food while carrying around a cardboard car. Then one chef has to prep their scallop dish underwater. Finally, one chef has to make donuts on the giant donut that they have to wear.
Three chefs have to play musical stations while making sushi rolls. Then, two chefs have to walk the fashion runway while making veal Milanese. Finally, one chef has to wear a pumpkin on their head while making pumpkin pie.
Two chefs have to make meatballs in a ball pit. Then, two chefs have to make a teriyaki dinner while on a seesaw. Finally, one chef has to harvest coconuts from a tree to make coconut macaroons.
One chef must use a shark jaw as a knife. Then, two chefs must cook out of — and on top of — a suitcase. Finally, a banana nut muffin challenge that drives the chefs both bananas and nuts.
Four chefs are fired up to be named Cutthroat's grill master. One chef makes a dish that almost tastes like chicken. Then somebody feels the heat while tied to a rotisserie. Finally, burgers as never before.
A twisted pan and a big burrito give the competing chefs trouble as does a "kitchen" up a tree.
Host Alton Brown revisits some of the worst sabotages of all time. Included: cooking upstream; and canned chicken Parmesan. Also: making crepes becomes even more tricky.
Challenges are encountered while making artichoke dip, stromboli and waffles.
Guest judge Susan Feniger samples the chefs' smoothie moves. Then, someone takes a ride on an elephant they'll never forget. Finally, a chef raises the roof in an oatmeal cookie challenge.
Challenges are inspired by the circus. Included: Corn dogs are prepared in a clown car; a ring of fire drives somebody nuts; and a chef goes three-wheeling while making funnel cake.
An egg soccer match gets intense; two chefs literally can't get off each other's backs; and a bad memory hounds a chef while making blondies
A gang of chefs on bouncy horses face a biscuit breakfast challenge; two on a stroller making chicken nuggets; two chefs battle with long tools and short legs.
A chef gets hassled by haggis; a pair of chopsticks becomes a huge obstacle for someone; a chef finds struggles with key lime pie.
Guest judge Cat Cora; it's all downhill for three chefs in a bobsled; Swedish meatballs; one chef learns that peanut butter and jelly isn't child's play.
One chef makes vegetable soup in a kitchen sink. Then, two chefs make Philly cheesesteak and really get on a roll ... really! Finally, a molasses cookie challenge slows the chefs down.
One of the firefighter chefs gets hosed in the chili cheese fries challenge. Then, a burning buffalo chicken sandwich factory fires up the contestants. Finally, the chefs' dishes go up in flames.
Four food truck chefs get locked in a breakfast sandwich showdown. Then, it's a double-decker burrito battle. Finally, one chef gets the scoop on their opponent and it isn't pretty.
Two chefs rumble on ancient Greek rubble. Then, it's the blind leading the blindfolded in a seafood risotto challenge. Finally, it's a head-to-head battle that's nothing but monkey business.
One grandma gets down to the "knitty" gritty on an afghan. Then, a granny cooks a casserole with a torch. Finally, someone is forced to eat a whole lot of humble pie.
Guest judge David Alan Grier dives into some breakfast tacos. Then, things get romantic when two chefs get hitched. Finally, one chef gets taken for a ride on the CTK Express.
One chef finds themselves working around the clock. Then, someone makes gumbo by tossing their ingredients from a balcony. Finally, white chocolate macadamia drives everybody nuts.
It's toad in a hole on a trio of funky pans. Then, it's up and down for two chefs cooking on a see-saw. Finally, one chef's plan for a perfect Napoleon is "blown apart."
The chefs make wraps that only a mummy could love. Then, a ghoul-ash challenge turns gruesome. Finally, one chef slams the front door on another in an all-out candy competition.
A chef draws a sword during a Monte Cristo challenge. Then, it's not exactly the lab of luxury for one chef. Finally, rocky road really lives up to its name.
Guest judge Susan Feniger tastes fish sandwiches. Also: A chef is forced to ride a bucking bronco; and someone gets sent up the river while making Mississippi mud pie.
One chef takes Manhattan ... clam chowder, that is. Then, someone gets shell-shocked by their opponent. Finally, it's a cold, cold winter when one chef feels the heat.
Two chefs dive headfirst into a ceviche challenge. Then, somebody gets a raw deal from the "Half-Cooked Cafe." Finally, one chef tries to make cookies with laser-sharp precision.
Ever wonder if you could make it in Cutthroat Kitchen? This special episode reveals the secrets to surviving even the most wicked sabotages. Discover tips and tricks to outmaneuver the competition, impress the judges, and become the last chef standing.
Chefs Richard Blais, Cat Cora, Melissa d'Arabian, and Aarti Sequeria face off in the first heat of the Superstar Sabotage tournament. First, one chef has to make an English breakfast while wearing knight armor. Then, two chefs have to make a tofu dish while strapped toe-to-toe. Finally, one chef has to make an angel food cake on top of their head in a halo.
Alton and Superstar Sabotage heat one winner Richard Blais reveal the sabotages to Judge Simon Majumdar after the chefs have prepared English breakfasts, tofu dishes and angel food cake.
Four members of the Armed Services square off to make steak and eggs. Then, it's "tanks but no tanks" for one chef. Finally, it's hooray for a red, white and blue dessert challenge.
In the second heat of the Superstar Sabotage tournament, chefs Josh Elkin, Eric Greenspan, Kelsey Nixon, and Justin Warner face sabotages that include making Swedish pancakes in a Viking boat and feeling the bass on a turntable as they make bouillabaisse. Finally, one chef has to play a giant kitchen board game as they make a brownie sundae.
Alton and Superstar Sabotage heat two winner Justin Warner reveal the sabotages to Judge Antonia Lofaso after the chefs have prepared Swedish pancakes and bouillabaisse.
Chefs Rocco DiSpirito, Duff Goldman, Claire Robinson, and Fabio Viviani battle it out in the third heat of the Superstar Sabotage tournament. In round one, three chefs have to make pu pu platters while working in a giant pu pu platter. Then, one chef has to make tortellini while torte-leaning. Finally, one chef has to make whoopee pies while walking around with whoopee cushions attached to their feet.
In round one, three chefs have to make Thanksgiving dinner while carrying around a family dinner table. Then, two chefs must make turkey tacos over an open fire with antique Pilgrim tools. Finally, one chef has to push around a football tackling dummy while making sweet potato pie.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Antonia Lofaso after the chefs have endured Thanksgiving-themed sabotages.
One chef has to cook hush puppies in Alton's Hush Puppet theater. Then, two chefs have to share a giant knife while making fajitas.
Alton reveals the Hush Puppet Theater sabotage to Judge Antonia Lofaso as she attempts to make the perfect hush puppy.
There's only one more spot in the Superstar Sabotage finale and chefs Bobby Deen, Alex Guarnaschelli, Marcel Vigneron, and Sherry Yard each think they have what it takes to get there. To prove their skills, they must face sabotages such as making an omelet while walking on a giant hamster wheel, playing pin the tail on the donkey for burrito ingredients, and joining the Rockettes while making a New York cheesecake.
Alton and Superstar Sabotage heat four winner Sherry Yard reveal the sabotages to judge Jet Tila after the chefs have prepared Denver omelettes and New York cheesecake.
Two chefs roll around in a rickshaw while they make green papaya salad. One chef rides a mechanical bull while making a barbecue bacon cheeseburger. Finally, one chef has to bake a spice cake in a spice grinder.
Alton reveals the sabotages to judge Antonia Lofaso after the chefs have prepared green papaya salad and barbecue bacon cheeseburgers.
Four star chefs return for the Superstar Sabotage finale, and first, one chef has to cook fish sticks in a weather chamber. Then, two chefs have to star in a giant monster movie as they make ramen. Finally, one chef has to cook a dessert with both hands behind their back.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Simon Majumdar with the help of the Superstar Sabotage finalists.
Two chefs have to make Dutch baby pancakes while Double Dutch jump roping. Two chefs join the Queen's guard while making bangers and mash. One chef has to snap photos while making ginger snaps.
In a special holiday episode, three chefs have to harvest ingredients from Christmas stockings to make a party dip. Then, two chefs must pull around Santa in his sleigh while preparing a beef tenderloin dinner. Finally, one chef has to make their snack for Santa in Santa's workshop.
An old trend makes a comeback as one chef planks as they make crab cake benedict. One chef has to make a gyro while spinning around on a giant spit. Finally, one chef has to make rhubarb pie in a pi pan.
In this special holiday episode, two chefs have to prep their Christmas quiche on a pile of snow. Then, two chefs must make a duck dinner while sitting on Santa's lap. Finally, one chef has to make their eggnog dessert in a giant snow globe.
Two chefs make a Hawaiian pizza on a swaying hula prep station. While making shrimp stir-fry, one chef has to ride around in a shrimped-out ride. Finally, one chef has to make a candy bar in an actual bar.
One chef has to make potato pancakes with tiny tools stuck in potato people. Then, two chefs have to make tandoori chicken while their arms are strapped in tandem. Finally, one chef has to make a crisp while working on an ab bench.
Three chefs have to make potato salad while wearing one potato sack. Two chefs have to play catch with their ingredients while making chicken cacciatore. One chef has to make donuts with ingredients they get from a giant box of donuts.
One chef has to drive around in a delivery car while they make a breakfast pizza. Another chef has to make jalapeno poppers in a popcorn machine. Finally, one chef has to make sorbet while dragging around a giant action movie poster.
Two chefs have to play croquet with their ingredients as they make croquettes. Then, two chefs have a sumo showdown as they make yakitori. Finally, one chef has to ride on a banana boat as they make bananas Foster.
Three chefs have to make pho in a pho-to booth. Then, two chefs have to make flatbread while lying flat on their backs. Finally, one chef has to make cherries jubilee in a giant pit of cherry pits.
For guest judge Ted Allen, three chefs have to make their chopped salads with gardening tools. One chef has to use "belly dancing" tools to make their tagine. Finally, one chef has to wear a giant cherry on their head as they make a cherry cobbler.
In a special chocolate episode, one chef has to play roulette for their chocolate chip cookie dessert ingredients. Then, two chefs have to play whack-a-mole for their mole ingredients. Finally, one chef has to play a giant marble maze as they make chocolate marble cake.
While making cocktails and hors d'oeuvre, two chefs have to get their ingredients from trays of passed appetizers. Then, one chef has to make cashew chicken on a horseshoe. Finally, one chef has to shoot their tres leches cake ingredients through a basketball hoop.
In a special man cave episode judged by William Shatner, three chefs have to make their bacon dishes while sitting on a couch. Then, two chefs have to get in the wrestling ring to make their burger and onion rings. Finally, one chef has to shoot pool to move around the kitchen as they make their booze dessert.
Three chefs have to play the "enchi-lottery" for their enchilada ingredients. Two chefs have to go back to the stone age to make their bibimbap. Finally, one chef has to make their frozen custard concrete in a concrete mixer.
Three chefs have to make stuffed cabbage while stuffed in a cab. Then, two chefs have to play a "shock"-shuka game for their shakshuka ingredients. Finally, one chef has to make their trifle one layer at a time.
Two chefs have to prep their duck l'orange on rubber duckies. Then, one chef has to make glazed salmon in tiny fish molds. Finally, one chef has to prep their coffee dessert on a jittery table.
Two chefs have to make spring rolls on a prep table they make of bungee cords. Then, two chefs have to make brick chicken in a brick building. Finally, one chef has to make a banana split with a bowling ball on their hand.
One chef has to prep their biscuits and gravy on a tiny bed they wear on their head, then two chefs have to make linguine and clams while holding a noodle in their mouths between them. Finally, one chef has to make an ice cream float while floating in an inner tube.
Three chefs have to work in a drum circle while they make a kale salad. Next, two chefs have to play air hockey to get their ingredients for poutine. Finally, one chef has to make their red velvet cupcakes behind a red velvet curtain.
In this special breakfast episode, two chefs have to make their coffee and pastry dishes at a crowded coffee shop table. Then, two chefs have to make an omelet while walking around the kitchen on balance beams. Finally, one chef has to make a cereal and milk dish while balancing a giant cereal bowl on their head.
Two chefs have to play beer pong for their Greek salad ingredients, then one chef has to cook a surf and turf dish using only a branding iron. Finally, one chef has to make poppy seed muffins in an upside-down muffin tin.
Two chefs must make pesto dishes while working in a personal pine forest, then one chef has to make shaking beef on a shaking prep station. Finally, one chef has to hit home runs over Cutthroat Kitchen's Green Monster stadium wall while making Boston cream pie.
To celebrate Mother's Day, mother and daughter teams have to be driven around the kitchen in a minivan while they make breakfast in bed. Then, one team has to make lasagna while carrying a "bun in an oven." Finally, one team must make their chocolate-covered dessert while moving around the kitchen in a giant magazine cover.
Two chefs have to become mimes and silently make each other's dishes of pain perdu. Then, two chefs have to walk around in "meatloafers" as they make meatloaf. Finally, one chef has to get their raspberry tart ingredients by playing a raspberry dart game.
In this special grilling episode, two chefs have to hold grill grates for each other as they make hamburgers. Then, two chefs are strapped together in the ultimate grilling apron as they make a grilled chicken dinner. Finally, one chef has to make a grilled dessert on top of a bouncing trampoline.
In the first heat of the Time Warp Tournament, the chefs head back to the 1950s. In the first round, three chefs have to stuff themselves into a phone booth as they make an all-American breakfast. Then, one chef has to make rock and roll moves to get ingredients for their TV dinner. Finally, one chef has to wear a dress blowing in their face while they make a milkshake and fries.
In the second heat of the Time Warp Tournament, the chefs head back to the sixties. In the first round, three chefs ride around the kitchen in a mustard submarine. Then, two chefs have to prep chicken Kiev on protest signs. Finally, one chef has to make banana pudding while wearing a space suit.
In heat three of the Time Warp Tournament, the chefs head back to the 1970s. First up, three chefs have to ride on a banana seat bicycle while making hamburger mac and cheese. Then, one chef has to make quiche on a disco dance floor. Finally, one chef must dress up like a human disco ball as they make crepes suzette.
In heat four of the Time Warp Tournament, the chefs head back to the 1980s. First, one chef has to get their Chinese chicken salad ingredients from rented VHS tapes. Then, one chef has to make their blackened fish dish in a bouncing cigarette boat. Finally, one chef has to play a giant, live action video game as they make a toaster pastry.
In the grand finale of the Time Warp Tournament, the chefs head back to the 1990s. First up, three chefs have to join a boy band as they make barbecue chicken pizza. Then, two chefs have to make fried calamari while riding on a ship bow. Finally, one chef has to go through a giant, physically-challenging obstacle course as they make cookie dough ice cream.
The Cutthroat Kitchen judges compete, and the first task is making a poached egg on a bench press prep station. Then, one judge has to make a grain bowl while working backwards, and finally, one judge enters a soundproof chamber.
One chef has to get their dim sum ingredients by solving pictographs, then another chef has to boil their penne pasta in flaming vodka. Finally, one chef must make sugar cookies while carrying around a 'sugar baby.'
Three chefs must make their lobster rolls in a giant lobster pot, then two chefs have to tandem skydive as they make their navy bean soup. Finally, one chef has to make their peanut butter cookies in a giant jumper chair.
One chef has to join a "flash cobb" dance while making a cobb salad. Then, one chef has to make moo shu in a cowbell, and finally, one chef has to make baked Alaska while being pulled around the kitchen in a dog sled.
Three chefs have to dress up as Cutthroat Kitchen superheroes as they make hero sandwiches. Then, one chef flies through the kitchen to make a gyro. Finally, one chef makes a superfood dessert on their own flaming hand.
Three chefs have to carry a fish as they make fish and chips, then two chefs have to wear giant chicken parts as they make fried chicken. Finally, one chef is sandwiched between churros to make churro ice cream.
In the first heat of Camp Cutthroat 2: Alton's Revenge, three chefs have to cook a scramble with either an ax, a knife or an arrowhead. Then, two chefs have to make meat and potatoes while wearing a giant life jacket. Finally, one chef has to make dessert pancakes on an enormous compass. (Episode: KTSP08H)
In the second heat of Camp Cutthroat 2: Alton's Revenge, three chefs have to make hunter's stew while dressed as forest animals. Then, two chefs have to make their trail lunch while wearing a giant big foot and one chef has to balance on a log in the lake as they make a skillet cookie.
In the third heat of Camp Cutthroat 2: Alton's Revenge, two chefs have to make waffle breakfasts with their arms stuck in rocks. Then, one chef has to have Bob the Bear cook their grilled fish dish for them. Finally, one chef has to prep their crumble in quicksand.
In the fourth heat of Camp Cutthroat 2: Alton's Revenge, two chefs have to make a breakfast burrito while hanging a net. Then, one chef has to light a hiking snack on fire to cook their burger. Finally, one chef has to be pulled behind a jet ski to get new ingredients for their trail mix dessert.
In the finale of Camp Cutthroat 2: Alton's Revenge, two chefs must make their chili dogs in a leaky boat. Then, two chefs have to make their game dishes while helping each other balance on a log, and finally, two chefs have to go to war to make their s'mores desserts.
In heat one of the Halloween Tournament of Terror, two chefs have to cook their liver and fava beans while being rolled around on a dolly. Then, two chefs have to cut and cook their garlic chicken with deadly murder weapons. Finally, one chef has to get their blood orange dessert ingredients from a possessed seance board.
In heat two of the Halloween Tournament of Terror, three chefs have to make their deviled eggs while dressed as scary monsters. Then, two chefs have to make their spider rolls on a giant spider web. Finally, one chef has to make their flambe dessert in a haunted, spinning kitchen.
In heat three of the Halloween Tournament of Terror, three chefs have to make their frogs' legs in a graveyard. Then, two chefs have to make their witch's stew while riding around on a witch's broom. Finally, one chef has to make their devil's food cake with tools attached to a giant spider costume.
In heat four of the Halloween Tournament of Terror, three chefs have to cut their steak tartare with deadly weapons, then one chef has to dig up their fra diavolo ingredients in a graveyard. Finally, one chef has to make their pumpkin dessert in a spooky autumn chamber with blowing leaves.
In the finale of the Halloween Tournament of Terror, all of the chefs have to shop for their loaded Bloody Mary ingredients in a dark, haunted pantry. Then, one chef has to cook their bone-in dish on a flaming organ. Finally, one chef has to make their candy on a possessed, spinning bed, all in the hopes of winning over special guest judge Anne Burrell.
In a special redemption episode, all of the chefs have to face the same sabotage they were eliminated with as they make the same dish. Then, one chef has to walk on a high wire as they make their quiche. Finally, two chefs have to make their pineapple upside-down cakes while hanging upside-down.
Former NFL pro Chad Johnson judges in a special big game episode. The sabotages include cooking loaded nachos on a flaming halftime show stage and making a fried chicken sandwich wearing a helmet with a football stuck on it.
Couples compete in Cutthroat Kitchen for a special Valentine's day episode. The sabotages include cooking chocolate chip pancakes on candles floating in a tub and preparing a romantic strawberry dessert while blindfolded.
In Round 1, a chef has to flip their shrimp stir-fry ingredients into their chef’s hat before they can cook them. Then, two chefs have to cook their Bolognese dish in espresso devices. Finally, one chef has to make a Bundt cake while holding a bat in a bunt position.
A special cowboy episode judged by Clay Walker; one chef has to use new hash ingredients that are slid down a bar; two chefs have to prep and cook their steak dinners while riding in a wagon; one chef has to prep their cornbread on saloon doors.
In Round 1, two chefs have to prep their waffle breakfast sandwich on a table covered with eggs. Then, two chefs have to make their Korean barbecue dish while sitting at a crowded Korean barbecue restaurant table. Finally, one chef has to make gelato using only tools attached to the statue of David.
Two chefs have to prep their popcorn dish in a giant bucket of popcorn. Then, one chef has to harvest their wonton soup ingredients from a ton of soup that Alton won. Finally, one chef gets caught in the rain as they make their pina colada dessert. Food Network Star Kids host Donal Skehan serves as special guest judge.
One chef has to cook their flauta on a flaming flute; chefs have to make their pork chops and apple sauce while rolling around the kitchen; one chef has to roll around in a tube as they make their profiteroles.
In a special high school episode, three teenage chefs have to join a clique as they make their high school breakfast. Then, two chefs have to get their sack lunch ingredients from a cafeteria line. Finally, one chef has to prep their after school snack while standing inside of a locker. Duff Goldman serves as special guest judge.
One chef has to make their nachos on a metal nacho pan, then two chefs have to make their crab melt in a rocking crab boat. Finally, one chef has to play flip cup as they make their filled cupcakes.
One chef has to make their nachos on a metal nacho pan, then two chefs have to make their crab melt in a rocking crab boat. Finally, one chef has to play flip cup as they make their filled cupcakes.
In the first round, one chef has to make their loaded hash browns on a pan shaped like Alton Brown's face. Then, two chefs have to prep and cook their Cubanos on baseball bats. Finally, one chef has to make their tiramisu while holding tiny hands.
Cutthroat Kitchen fans knows that when competitors are gifted a sabotage, no matter how treacherous or simple it may seem, it could ultimately mean disaster for them if they don’t know how or do not have the time to remedy it. But what happens when a challenge must incorporate not just one sabotage, but multiple? Will they use the double dose of damage to further fuel their creative energy, or will they succumb to the pressure of the contest and crumble? On this week’s installment of Alton’s After-Show, the host revealed to judge Jet Tila two competitors’ attempts to adapt to multiple challenges after finding themselves victim to an onslaught of sabotages. The first set occurred in the initial round’s sandwich-and-side battle, when a chef was forced to harvest bread from prepared convenience-store sandwiches before learning that he or she would also have to make the dish on a TV-dinner-size tray instead of an oversized workspace. “And I think from there [the contestant] went insane,” Alton joked of the competitor. This chef was ultimately overwhelmed by the tasks at hand, as he or she didn’t make it past the first round of competition. Jet and Alton also chat about another chef who’s left to build a fire in a miniature grill after being forced to scour the contents of a piñata to find the chocolate that would eventually be featured in s’mores. While the piñata sabotage wasn’t seen on television, fans can watch it here to find out what happened. (Because of time, it was cut from the episode, as it ultimately did not impact the results of the round.) Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/11/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-episode-13/?oc=linkback
It’s no secret that success on Cutthroat Kitchen often entails strategy; it’s not enough to show up and cook on this evilicious competition, as at its heart the contest is a game that requires careful manipulation in order to win. While catching up with judge Antonia Lofaso on tonight’s all-new installment of Alton’s After-Show, the host explained that in Round 2′s quiche challenge, two of the remaining chefs could have potentially bettered their own outlooks had they joined forces to sabotage and outcook one rival in particular. “If I’d been playing the game,” Alton said, “and I was Chef Gregory, I would [have] wanted to preserve Chef Bryan, so then I could have killed him in the end.” He mused of Chef Emmanuel, who likely had vast experience in cooking quiche on account of heritage: “Who wants a French guy to be able to fight a quiche battle?” Antonia agreed and suggested later, “They should have all actually ganged up on [Chef Emmanuel].” She added that it was “lights out” once Chef Emmanuel presented a quiche with Gruyere and bacon on account of these naturally rich, flavorful ingredients. ”Everything else could be bad because I put Gruyere and bacon together,” Antonia imagined as Chef Gregory. Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2014/03/cutthroat-kitchen-altons-after-show-213/?oc=linkback
Alton reveals sabotages of chicken pot pie, panini and cheesecake.
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Antonia Lofaso as the chefs prepared Thai coconut soup and marshmallow crispy treats.
Can a Thai krok pot replace a traditional pot for making soup?
Can the chefs make crispy marshmallow treats with milk-soaked cereal?
Alton reveals the sabotages to Judge Antonia Lofaso after the superstar chefs have prepared seven-layer dip, eggplant parmesan and banana bread.
Alton reveals the game day sabotages to Judge Antonia Lofaso after the chefs have prepared sliders, chicken wings and brownies.
Can the chefs mix and bake brownies in brown paper bags? Find out.
Three family teams compete in a special Thanksgiving episode.
The chefs face sabotages while making holiday meals and fish dishes.
Chefs face sabotages while making breakfast, salad, and dessert.
