Food Network Challenge
| Food Network Challenge | |
|---|---|
| Presented by | Claire Robinson (as of 4/4/2010) Keegan Gerhard (2005 - 3/2010) |
| Starring | Various contestants and a rotating panel of judges which includes: Kerry Vincent Keegan Gerhard Patrick Coston Katherine Alford Mark Bittman Mark O'Connor |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 1 hour |
| Original release | |
| Network | Food Network |
| Release | as specials, 2005 as series, 2006 – present |
Food Network Challenge is a competitive cooking television series that currently airs on the Food Network. Each episode, professional chefs compete in a timed competition in their professional specialty. The winner receives a check for $10,000 and a gold medal.
Format
The competitions usually emceed by chef Keegan Gerhard and judged by various chefs that specialize in the task being focused on. Contestants have eight hours of time to complete a task, usually with qualifiers. For example, cake competitions often have minimum height requirement, must match a certain theme, and require the competitor and assistant be able to move the cake to a judging table without it falling over. When the time runs out Keegan will say the show's catchphrase: "Competitors Stop Your Work". After the first commercial break Keegan announce the judges.
Episodes are shot in front of a live audience, usually at tourist attractions such as the Mall of America or Disney World. Depending on the discipline and scope of the competition, the number of competitors range from three to hundreds. Occasionally, regional competitions are held to determine the competitors each week. Some of the events are also held as world championships or as invitationals.
The winner usually receives a check for $10,000 and a gold medal. In competitions featuring five or more competitors, silver and bronze medals are also sometimes awarded, though they have no cash prize. In 2009, the show debuted its first elimination-style competition called "Last Cake Standing".[1] In this format, 6 cake designers are competing for a prize of $50,000. Each week, one competitor is eliminated.
As of April 2010, Claire Robinson replaced Keegan Gerhard as the host of the newly revamped Food Network Challenge.[2] This is due to Keegan Gerhard getting promoted to judge alongside Kerry Vincent.
Competitions
The competitions presented on the program cover a wide range of areas, from cake decorating to ice sculpting to Teppanyaki to macaroni and cheese, with cakes being the most frequently covered area.
Notable Competitors
- Duff Goldman (of Ace of Cakes)
- Buddy Valastro (of Cake Boss)
- Anna Ellison (of Ace of Cakes)
- Vinny and Michelle Garcia
- Bronwen Weber
Episode Guide
Season 1
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Wedding Cake Challenge |
| 2 | Birthday Cake Competition |
| 3 | Vegas Pastry Battle |
| 4 | Chocolate Competition |
| 5 | Pizza Battle |
| 6 | Spooky Cake & Candy Cook-Off |
| 7 | Holiday Cake-Off |
| 8 | Designer Wedding Cake Cook-Off |
| 9 | Army Cook-Off |
| 10 | Navy Chef Challenge |
| 11 | Al Roker's BBQ Showdown |
| 12 | The Road to Bocuse d'Or |
| 13 | Going for the Gold: Bocuse d'Or |
| 14 | Bocuse d'Or: A Chef's Dream |
| 15 | Food Network Pastry Daredevils |
| 16 | Mystery Cake |
| 17 | Fire & Ice |
| 18 | Elvis Birthday Cakes |
| 19 | Texas Steak Cook-Off |
| 20 | National Pie Championship |
| 21 | Memphis in May BBQ |
| 22 | Campfire Cook-Off |
| 23 | World Pastry Championship |
| 24 | Seafood Cook-Off |
| 25 | Teen Chef |
| 26 | Southern Living Showdown |
| 27 | Reno Rib Cook-Off |
| 28 | America's Bread Battle |
| 29 | Build a Better Burger |
| 30 | Wedding Cake Classic |
| 31 | Gingerbread Championship |
| 32 | World's Best Bartender |
| 33 | U.S. BBQ Championship |
| 34 | $50,000 Pastry Challenge |
| 35 | The Chili Competition |
| 36 | Cook & Ladder Competition |
| 37 | Fiery Foods Challenge |
| 38 | Culinary Team USA |
| 39 | World's Best Pastry |
| 40 | BBQ Bootcamp |
| 41 | The BBQ Circuit |
| 42 | Chocolate Festival Fantasies |
| 43 | Cowboy Cook-Off |
| 44 | BBQ Country Cook-Off |
| 45 | Big Island Cook-Off |
| 46 | The National Chicken Cook-Off |
| 47 | Great Chowder Cook-Off |
| 48 | America's Best Pastry |
| 49 | Great Garlic Cook-Off |
| 50 | Big Beef Battle |
| 51 | Chili Bowl |
| 52 | The Great American Pie Cook-Off |
| 53 | Varsity Cook-Off |
| 54 | The Spam Cook-Off |
| 55 | World Pizza Challenge |
| 56 | Wild Game Cook-Off |
| 57 | Best Young Chefs in America |
| 58 | Culinary Champions |
| 59 | Here Comes the Cake |
| 60 | The Great Steak Cook-Off |
| 61 | Royal BBQ Battle |
| 62 | All Fired Up! |
| 63 | Extreme Pastry |
| 64 | Cowboy Challenge |
| 65 | Big Pig Jig |
| 66 | BBQ Chili Challenge |
| 67 | The Great Cake-Off |
| 68 | Slam Dunk Skillet Showdown |
| 69 | World Bartending Championship |
| 70 | Gilroy Garlic Cook-Off |
| 71 | Gingerbread Challenge |
| 72 | Gordon Elliott's Door Knock Dinner College Cook-Off |
| 73 | Keep on Shucking |
| 74 | Master Chefs |
| 75 | National Pastry Team Championship |
| 76 | Pillsbury Kids Bake-Off |
| 77 | Southern Living Cook-Off |
| 78 | All-American Tailgating Cook-Off |
| 79 | World Baking Cup |
| 80 | World Pastry Cup |
| 81 | World Pastry Cup: Sweet Rewards |
Season 2
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 Chicken Challenge |
| 2 | Cupcake |
| 3 | Food Network Chocolate Fantasy Challenge |
| 4 | Food Network Pastry Daredevils |
| 5 | Build a Better Burger 2 |
| 6 | Disney Dream Desserts |
| 7 | Ultimate Wedding Cakes |
| 8 | Gingerbread Champions |
| 9 | Incredible Edible Mansions |
| 10 | Rock & Roll Pastry |
Season 3
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sugar Showdown |
| 2 | Celebration Cakes |
| 3 | Bartender Battle |
| 4 | Hot Chefs |
| 5 | Cookies |
| 6 | Birthday Cake Surprise |
| 7 | Ultimate Thanksgiving Feast |
| 8 | Candy Castles |
| 9 | Cereal Skylines |
| 10 | Pizza Champions |
| 11 | Sugar Skyscrapers |
| 12 | Flying Knives |
Season 4
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fantasy Fruit Sculptures |
| 2 | Luau Beach BBQ |
| 3 | World Championship Steak Cook-Off |
| 4 | Cartoon Cakes |
| 5 | Fastest Foods |
| 6 | World Pastry Team Championship |
| 7 | Popcorn Giants |
| 8 | The Great American Seafood Cook-Off II |
| 9 | The Cake Awards |
| 10 | Award Cakes |
| 11 | Build a Better Burger III |
| 12 | Chocolate Runway Challenge |
| 13 | Wedding Cake Surprise |
| 14 | National Wedding Cake Championship |
Season 5
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Edible Ornaments |
| 2 | Princess Cakes |
| 3 | Villain Cakes |
| 4 | Great American Pie Cook-Off |
| 5 | Haunted Gingerbread House |
| 6 | Sweet 16 |
| 7 | Extreme Cakes |
| 8 | Simpsons Movie Cake |
| 9 | Mac and Cheese |
| 10 | Super Heroes |
| 11 | National Chicken Cook-Off |
| 12 | World Championship BBQ Cook-Off |
| 13 | National Beef Cook-Off |
Season 6
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Outrageous Pumpkins |
| 2 | Mystery Client Cakes |
| 3 | Chocolate Landmarks |
| 4 | Dr. Seuss Cake Extrodinaire |
| 5 | Surprise Engagement Cake |
| 6 | The Rematch: Fantasy Fruit Sculpture |
| 7 | Superstar Food Stylists |
| 8 | Disney Pixar Cakes |
| 9 | Cirque du Soleil Cakes |
| 10 | Pillsbury Bake-Off |
| 11 | Dr. Seuss Cakes |
Season 7
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | American Pie Festival |
| 2 | Big Bash Caterers |
| 3 | Ice Cream Clash |
| 4 | Tag Team Cakes |
| 5 | Extreme Holiday Cakes |
| 6 | The Next Great Chef |
| 7 | Big City Cakes |
| 8 | Cereal Bridges |
| 9 | Battle of the Brides |
| 10 | Birthday Bombshell |
| 11 | Chocolate Masterpieces |
| 12 | Italian Family Feast |
| 13 | America's Best Burger |
Season 8
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Disney Celebration Cakes |
| 2 | Miley Cyrus' Sweet 16 Cakes |
| 3 | Surprise Birthday Cakes |
| 4 | Blind Date Cakes |
| 5 | Disney Classics Cakes |
| 6 | Last Cake Standing: Personal Best Cakes |
| 7 | Last Cake Standing: Elopement Cakes |
| 8 | Last Cake Standing: Extreme Superhero Cakes |
| 9 | Last Cake Standing: Sweet 16 Sextuplets |
| 10 | Shrek Cakes |
| 11 | Extreme Candy Carnivals |
| 12 | Ice Age Cakes |
Season 9
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Food Magicians |
| 2 | Sesame Street Cakes |
| 3 | Fashion Cakes |
| 4 | Amazing Pie Championship |
| 5 | Edible Cities |
| 6 | Cereal Bridges 2 |
| 7 | Fantasy Vacation Cakes |
| 8 | Sugar Adventures |
| 9 | Newlywed Cakes |
Season 10
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Beauty Pageant Cakes |
| 2 | Extreme Cakes 4 |
| 3 | Chocolate Wonders |
| 4 | Incredible Anniversary Cakes |
| 5 | Spongebob Birthday Cakes |
| 6 | Extreme Villain Cakes |
| 7 | Sugar Impossible |
| 8 | High School Reunion Cakes |
References
- ^ http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/last-cake-standing-finalists/index.html Last Cake Standing Finalists
- ^ Food Network insider
External links
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