Can I just real quick point out that we’re on Episode 6 and not one of the ladies has been booted from Super Chef island? Which alternately makes me proud as punch and nervous as hell, because one would imagine that it is time. I get that this isn’t like a multitude of other reality competition series where the editors can fiddle the outcome, but still. Law of averages. The universe. Stuff like that.
But you have to hand it to Alex, Anne and Elizabeth — they were outnumbered 7-3 and only Geoffrey Zakarian and Michael Chiarello remain to cook along side them. And each week’s ouster only reinforces that there can be no real “shocking elimination” on Super Chefs, because everyone here is a food-TV superstar. They’re all shocking eliminations, but the ranks left to face the Chairman another day still seems supremely satisfying. To me, anyway.
That said, I’m going to prognosticate: Alex and Geoffrey in the finals. Anne in third. This is based on hours and hours of time spent trying to calculate who has other new series and seasons and obligations upcoming, who is currently all over the Food Network schedule indicating a hefty PR push, who just kind of fits the Iron Chef mold … and realizing I have no boiling idea what’s going to happen other than my gut. Alex and Geoffrey. Alex for the win. You can pat me on the back or laugh at me later.
THAT said, here’s what we have cooking for Episode 6. The Chairman’s challenge is all about risk. Which, if you’ve been tuning in with any regularity, is sort of what all the Chairman’s challenges have been about. But this time it’s official.
Upon seeing this, my first thought is “Geoffrey, it’s your ep — because Judy Joo can hardly adjudicate spankings for cooking multiple dishes on a day that’s all about risk.” My second thought: I bet he cooks a single dish.
Anyway, this time the fab five are ushered off to an auction house where they must bid on ingredients. But no cash will exchange hands — instead the chef who gets the goods is the one who claims he or she can put it to gustatory good use in the least amount of time. I’m not solid on this premise, because up to this point in Iron Chef history everyone has had the same amount of time to cook, give or take a few minutes’ reward for winning a challenge. So, I’m smelling staggered cooking times for all five chefs. Want more minutes? Iffy ingredient. Want a good foodstuff? Forget about taking your time with it. But we’ll see.
The two chefs who are the least successful in their bid to be Iron Chef must create an Asian-inspired dessert out of distinctly un-dessert-like ingredients. And then there will be four …
The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs airs Sundays at 9pm on Food Network
