Corporate Press Release Theater: Ted Allen Returns!

Sadly, it seems like this show might go unnoticed like Food Network's other shows with similar concepts - then again it might come out as something unique, fresh, delicious. I was sad as well to hear that Allen wouldn't be on Top Chef anymore, but at the same time, he didn't have that big of a role on the show, just as a guest judge. If someone tried to take away our Padma or Tom, that's another story. I think Anthony Bourdain is a better judge just for the fact that he has a tendency to psyche the contestants out.

Sadly, it seems like this show might go unnoticed like Food Network's other shows with similar concepts - then again it might come out as something unique, fresh, delicious. I was sad as well to hear that Allen wouldn't be on Top Chef anymore, but at the same time, he didn't have that big of a role on the show, just as a guest judge. If someone tried to take away our Padma or Tom, that's another story. I think Anthony Bourdain is a better judge just for the fact that he has a tendency to psyche the contestants out.

See to me it sounds like the're combining Iron Chef with one of those cr@ppy dating shows on MTV, let's go with Next. Why pick a dating show? Because its more fun to picture that hybrid than the simple Iron Chef / Food Network Challenge combo.

I too was a big fan of Ted Allen (and Ted Allen alone) - and looking into his biography, with his history at Esquire, I suppose I should not be surprised that he alone was more interested in stylish than fabulous.

(Disclaimer: Midwestern bias also at work; Allen grew up in Indiana.)

Best cooking show I ever regularly watched, courtesy of BBC America, and one that Food Network should adapt (like ready Set Cook, if memory serves): The Best.

3 chefs in a kitchen face off to cook the best (something)... could be a sandwich, a breakfast or a lamb dish. They slide their offerings to a panel of judges (regular people) on the other side of the wall to judge which was "the best." Over the course of the season, they kept a tally.

Maybe it was the chemistry between the chefs, maybe it was the English-ness of the whole operation (no catch phrases, no "bold flavors"), but it was a really great show.

I'll watch this show but I expect it to be exactly what it sounds like - ham-handed amalgam of Top Chef and Iron Chef with plenty of recycled celebrity chefs.