''Iron Chef Gauntlet'' is a

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ...

that began airing on April 16, 2017. The series is a

reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...

of the ''

Iron Chef is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1993, was a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle bui ...

'' and ''

Iron Chef America ''Iron Chef America'' is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's ''Iron Chef'', and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed ''Iron Chef USA'' that aired in 2001. The show is produced by Food Network, whi ...

'' series that gained popularity on Food Network and is hosted by

Alton Brown Alton Crawford Brown Jr. (born July 30, 1962) is an American television personality, food show presenter, chef, author, voice actor, and cinematographer. He is the creator and host of the Food Network television show ''Good Eats'' that ran for ...

, who also takes over as the series' Chairman. Seven chefs from around the country battle each other in an elimination contest, with the last chef remaining then facing a " gauntlet" challenge of defeating three other Iron Chefs in order to earn the title of Iron Chef. In the first season, the Iron Chefs forming the Gauntlet were

Bobby Flay Robert William Flay (born December 10, 1964), is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and reality television personality. Flay is the owner and executive chef of several restaurants and franchises, including Bobby's Burger Palace, Bobby's ...

Masaharu Morimoto is a Japanese chef, best known as an Iron Chef on the Japanese TV cooking show ''Iron Chef'' and its spinoff '' Iron Chef America''. He is also known for his unique style of presenting food. Career Morimoto received practical training in sush ...

, and

Michael Symon Michael D. Symon (born September 19, 1969) is an American chef, restaurateur, television personality, and author. He is of Greek, Sicilian, and Eastern European descent. He is seen regularly on Food Network on shows such as ''Iron Chef America' ...

. The second season of ''Iron Chef Gauntlet'' began airing April 4, 2018 and was scheduled for six episodes. The Gauntlet Iron Chefs for the second season were

Alex Guarnaschelli {{Infobox chef , name = Alex Guarnaschelli , image = , caption = , birth_date = {{birth date and age, 1969, 6, 20 , birth_place = St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. , birth_name = Alexandra Maria Guarnaschelli ...

, ''Gauntlet'' season one winner Stephanie Izard, and Michael Symon.

Overview

Each regular episode consists of two challenges. The first is the Chairman's Challenge, with Brown announcing a theme in which all chefs must cook a dish for him to judge. The loser of this round is entered into the second round; the winner is safe from elimination for the week and may nominate one other chef to compete in the second round. The second round is the Secret Ingredient Showdown, in which the two chefs have one hour to prepare three dishes featuring a mystery ingredient. The dishes are evaluated by a panel of two judges, who can each award up to 20 points (10 for taste, five each for plating and originality). The chef with the lower total is eliminated, while the winner advances to the next episode. During the next-to-last episode of the season, which features three chefs, the loser of the Chairman's Challenge is automatically eliminated and the remaining two chefs compete in the Secret Ingredient Showdown. In the season finale, the last remaining chef competes in three Secret Ingredient Showdowns, one against each of the three Iron Chefs. If the chef's overall score is higher than the combined total of the three, he/she is awarded the title of Iron Chef. If the chef's overall score falls short, no new Iron Chef is named for the season.

Season 1: 2017

Contestants

Nyesha Arrington ''Top Chef: Texas'' is the ninth season of the American reality television series ''Top Chef''. The season was filmed in various cities in Texas, including San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin, before moving on to British Columbia for the finale. The ...

(

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

); Former Executive Chef/Owner, Leona * Jason Dady (

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

); Executive Chef/Owner, Tre Trattoria *

Sarah Grueneberg Sarah Grueneberg is an American chef who is head chef and owner of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio in Chicago. While executive chef at Spiaggia, she held a Michelin star for three years. In 2017, she was named the 2017 Best Chefs in the Great ...

(

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

); Executive Chef/Owner, Monteverde * Michael Gulotta (

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

); Executive Chef/Owner, MOPHO * Stephanie Izard (Chicago, Illinois); Executive Chef/Owner, Girl & the Goat; Izard lost to Iron Chef Michael Symon in Battle Bread on ''Iron Chef America''. List of Iron Chef America episodes#Season 10: 2011-2012 *

Shota Nakajima Shota Nakajima is a Japanese-American chef best known for competing on the eighteenth season of ''Top Chef'' in Portland, Oregon. Early life and education Nakajima was born in Japan, and raised in Seattle, Washington. At 18, he moved to Osaka t ...

(

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

); Executive Chef/Owner, Adana *

Jonathon Sawyer ''Cleveland Hustles'' is an hour-long American reality TV series created by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, which aired for an 8-episode season between August 24 and October 12, 2016, on CNBC. In it, aspiring entrepreneurs competed to open one of ...

(

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

); Executive Chef/Owner, The Greenhouse Tavern; Sawyer was Iron Chef Michael Symon's sous chef in his early battles, and later lost to Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian in Battle Mint.

Judges

* Episode 1:

Geoffrey Zakarian Geoffrey Zakarian (born July 25, 1959) is an American chef, restaurateur, television personality and author. He is the executive chef of several restaurants in New York City, Atlantic City and Miami. Gillespie, Nick and Amanda Winkler (2013- ...

and Donatella Arpaia Stewart * Episode 2:

Jose Garces Jose Garces is an Ecuadorian American chef, restaurant owner, and Iron Chef. He was born in Chicago to Ecuadorian parents. He won in the second season of ''The Next Iron Chef''. Garces studied Culinary Arts at Kendall College in Chicago, graduat ...

and

Anne Burrell Anne W. Burrell (born September 21, 1969) is an American chef, television personality, and former instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education. She is the host of the Food Network show '' Secrets of a Restaurant Chef'' and co-host of ''Worst ...

* Episode 3:

Marc Forgione Marc Forgione is an American chef who formerly competed in Food Network's ''Iron Chef America'' and is now the owner of Restaurant Marc Forgione in Tribeca, New York City. He was born on December 16, 1978, and raised in Bellerose, New York. Chef ...

and

Giada De Laurentiis Giada Pamela De Laurentiis (; born August 22, 1970) is an Italian-American chef, writer, and television personality. She was the host of Food Network's ''Giada at Home''. She also appears regularly as a contributor and guest co-host on NBC's ...

* Episode 4:

Cat Cora Catherine Ann Cora is an American professional chef, television personality, business person, and cookbook author. She is best known for her featured role as an "Iron Chef" on ''Iron Chef America''Yancey, Kitty Bean"'Iron Chef' Cat Cora is out of ...

and Ali Bouzari * Episode 5:

and

Ching He Huang Ching-He Huang (; (born 8 April 1978), often known in English-language merely as Ching, is a Taiwanese-born food writer and TV chef. She has appeared in a variety of television cooking programmes, and is the author of nine best-selling cook ...

* Episode 6: Anya Fernald and

Ludo Lefebvre Ludovic Lefebvre (; born 18 April 1971) is a Michelin-star French chef, restaurateur, author, and television personality. He trained in France for 12 years before moving to Los Angeles. He was awarded the prestigious Forbes Travel Guide Five Sta ...

Contestant progress

: (IRON CHEF) The final chef survived the Gauntlet and became an Iron Chef. : (WINNER) This chef won the competition. : (IN) The chef was not selected as a top or bottom entry in the Chairman's Challenge or did not compete in the Secret Ingredient Showdown. : (LOW) The chef lost the Chairman's Challenge and must compete in the Secret Ingredient Showdown. : (SEL) The chef was selected to compete in the Secret Ingredient Showdown. : (WIN) The chef won the Chairman's Challenge or Secret Ingredient Showdown. : (OUT) The chef lost the Secret Ingredient Showdown and was eliminated.

Results

Episode 1: Into the Wild

* Chairman's Challenge: The chefs are given 30 minutes to prepare a dish using various wild game meats and earthy vegetables and mushrooms. :*WINNER: Stephanie Izard :*LOSER: Sarah Grueneberg :*CHOSEN TO CHALLENGE: Nyesha Arrington * Secret Ingredient Showdown: Lobster is the secret ingredient. :*WINNER: Sarah Grueneberg :*ELIMINATED: Nyesha Arrington * First aired: April 16, 2017

Episode 2: Nose to Tail

* Chairman's Challenge: The chefs draw cards to select a cut of a suckling pig and must prepare a dish with their cut. :*WINNER: Sarah Grueneberg :*LOSER: Shota Nakajima :*CHOSEN TO CHALLENGE: Jonathon Sawyer * Secret Ingredient Showdown: Bananas and plantains are the secret ingredients. :*WINNER: Shota Nakajima :*ELIMINATED: Jonathon Sawyer * First aired: April 23, 2017

Episode 3: Sweet and Savory

* Chairman's Challenge: The chefs are presented with a selection of sweet and savory items, but can only pick one item and must make both a sweet and a savory dish with it. :*WINNER: Sarah Grueneberg :*LOSER: Michael Gulotta :*CHOSEN TO CHALLENGE: Shota Nakajima * Secret Ingredient Showdown: Octopus is the secret ingredient. :*WINNER: Shota Nakajima :*ELIMINATED: Michael Gulotta * First aired: April 30, 2017

Episode 4: Classic Combos

*Chairman's Challenge: The chefs are assigned a classic combination of flavors and must construct a dish around them. :*WINNER: Jason Dady :*LOSER: Shota Nakajima :*CHOSEN TO CHALLENGE: Stephanie Izard * Secret Ingredient Showdown: Chicken is the secret ingredient. :*WINNER: Stephanie Izard :*ELIMINATED: Shota Nakajima * First aired: May 7, 2017

Episode 5: Five Ingredients

* Chairman's Challenge: The chefs are only allowed to use five ingredients to make their dish, but they may use as much of the ingredients as they choose. In addition, the chef who loses this challenge will be automatically eliminated. :*WINNER: Stephanie Izard :*ELIMINATED: Jason Dady * Secret Ingredient Showdown: Eggs are the secret ingredient. :*WINNER: Stephanie Izard :*ELIMINATED: Sarah Grueneberg * First aired: May 14, 2017

Episode 6: The Gauntlet

* Stephanie Izard must now compete against Iron Chefs Flay, Morimoto, and Symon in three separate Secret Ingredient Showdowns, in an order of her choosing. * Secret Ingredient Showdown 1: Peppers are the secret ingredient, and Izard chooses to battle Flay. * Secret Ingredient Showdown 2: Cheese is the secret ingredient, and Izard chooses to battle Symon. * Secret Ingredient Showdown 3: Tilefish is the secret ingredient, and by process of elimination, Izard battles Morimoto. * RESULTS: With a final total score of 90-87, Izard defeats the Iron Chefs and earns the title of Iron Chef. :*NEW IRON CHEF: Stephanie Izard * First aired: May 21, 2017

Season 2: 2018

Contestants

* Timon Balloo (

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

); Executive Chef/Partner, SUGARCANE raw bar grill. Balloo lost to Iron Chef Guarnaschelli in Battle Bar Food on ''Iron Chef Showdown''. * Nicole Gomes (

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

); Executive Chef/Owner, Nicole Gourmet Catering. * David LeFevre (

Manhattan Beach, California Manhattan Beach is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast south of El Segundo, California, El Segundo, west of Hawthorne, California, Hawthorne and Redondo Beach, California, Red ...

); Executive Chef/Owner, Manhattan Beach Post. * Dale MacKay (

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

); Executive Chef/Owner, Grassroots. * Jeanie Roland (

Punta Gorda, Florida , nickname = , settlement_type = City , motto = , image_skyline = Punta Gorda City Hall.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = Punta Gorda City Hall , image_fla ...

); Executive Chef/Owner, The Perfect Caper and Ella's Fine Food. * Hong Thaimee (

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

); Executive Chef/Owner, Thaimee Box, Thaimee Table and Thaimee Magic. Thaimee lost to Iron Chef Flay in Battle Tamarind on ''Iron Chef America''. * Kevin Tien (

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

); Executive Chef/Owner, Himitsu.

Judges

* Episode 1:

and Ching-He Huang * Episode 2:

and

Judy Joo Judy Joo is a chef and television personality. She is best known as being the host of Food Network's "Korean Food Made Simple" and an ''Iron Chef UK'' and her restaurant Seoul Bird in London. Joo splits her time between New York City, London, and ...

* Episode 3:

and

* Episode 4:

and

Simon Majumdar Simon Majumdar (born April 7, 1964) is a British-born food and travel author, and food television personality. He has appeared on many Food Network shows and is based in Los Angeles and London. He also judges tables on shows such as ''Iron Chef''. ...

* Episode 5:

and

Rocco DiSpirito Rocco DiSpirito (born November 19, 1966) is an American chef and reality television personality based in New York City, known for starring in the program '' The Restaurant''. Early life and education DiSpirito was born in Queens, New York. He gr ...

* Episode 6: Donatella Arpaia,

Marcus Samuelsson 25 January 1971) is an Ethiopian-born Swedish-American celebrity chef, restaurateur and television personality. He is the head chef of Red Rooster in Harlem, New York. Early life and education Kassahun Joar Tsegie was born in Ethiopia. His fat ...

and

Alton Brown was added as a third judge only for the third battle of the Gauntlet

Contestant progress

: (LOST) This chef lost the Gauntlet and did not become an Iron Chef. : (WINNER) This chef won the competition. : (IN) The chef was not selected as a top or bottom entry in the Chairman's Challenge or did not compete in the Secret Ingredient Showdown. : (LOW) The chef lost the Chairman's Challenge and must compete in the Secret Ingredient Showdown. : (SEL) The chef was selected to compete in the Secret Ingredient Showdown. : (WIN) The chef won the Chairman's Challenge or Secret Ingredient Showdown. : (OUT) The chef lost the Secret Ingredient Showdown and was eliminated.

Results

Episode 1: Resourcefulness

* Chairman's Challenge: The chefs are given 45 minutes to prepare a dish using as many preparations and parts of the various proteins they obtain from the altar. :*WINNER: Dale MacKay :*LOSER: Jeanie Roland :*CHOSEN TO CHALLENGE: Kevin Tien * Secret Ingredient Showdown: Spanish mackerel is the secret ingredient. :*WINNER: Kevin Tien :*ELIMINATED: Jeanie Roland * First aired: April 4, 2018

Episode 2: Innovation

* Chairman's Challenge: The chefs must present an innovative sandwich in 30 minutes. :*WINNER: Hong Thaimee :*LOSER: Dale MacKay :*CHOSEN TO CHALLENGE: David LeFevre * Secret Ingredient Showdown: Beets are the secret ingredient. :*WINNER: David LeFevre :*ELIMINATED: Dale MacKay * First aired: April 11, 2018

Episode 3: Versatility

* Chairman's Challenge: The chefs are given 30 minutes to prepare dishes with ingredients based on their assigned regional cuisine. :*WINNER: Nicole Gomes :*LOSER: Hong Thaimee :*CHOSEN TO CHALLENGE: Kevin Tien * Secret Ingredient Showdown: Wild boar is the secret ingredient. :*WINNER: Hong Thaimee :*ELIMINATED: Kevin Tien * First aired: April 18, 2018

Episode 4: Ingenuity

* Chairman's Challenge: The final four chefs must prepare an inventive breakfast dish in 30 minutes. :*WINNER: Nicole Gomes :*LOSER: Hong Thaimee :*CHOSEN TO CHALLENGE: David LeFevre * Secret Ingredient Showdown: Scallops are the secret ingredient. :*WINNER: David LeFevre :*ELIMINATED: Hong Thaimee * First aired: April 25, 2018

Episode 5: Adaptabiliity

* Chairman's Challenge: Each chef selected two ingredients that are difficult to pair, then assigned them to another chef. The chef who loses this challenge will be automatically eliminated. :*WINNER: None :*ELIMINATED: Timon Balloo * Secret Ingredient Showdown: Chops are the secret ingredient. :*WINNER: David LeFevre :*ELIMINATED: Nicole Gomes * First aired: May 2, 2018

Episode 6: The Gauntlet Finale

* David LeFevre must now compete against Iron Chefs Izard, Symon, and Guarnaschelli in three separate Secret Ingredient Showdowns. In each round, LeFevre must decide between two ingredients, with significance to his opponent, to use as the secret ingredient they both must use. The chefs will only prepare one dish in each showdown. * Secret Ingredient Showdown 1: Stephanie Izard Goat and chocolate are the options, and LeFevre chooses goat. * Secret Ingredient Showdown 2: Michael Symon Bacon and sturgeon are the options, and LeFevre chooses sturgeon. * Secret Ingredient Showdown 3: Alex Guarnaschelli Eggplant and sea urchin are the options, and LeFevre chooses sea urchin. In addition, Alton Brown is added as a judge for this third battle. * RESULTS: With a final total score of 115-113, the Iron Chefs emerge as the victors, and LeFevre fails to become an Iron Chef. :*WINNER(S): Stephanie Izard, Michael Symon, & Alex Guarnaschelli * First aired: May 9, 2018

Companion shows

The Legend of Iron Chef

The series was preceded by the special episode "The Legend of Iron Chef", an overview of ''

'', ''

'' and ''

The Next Iron Chef ''The Next Iron Chef'' is a limited-run series on the Food Network that aired its fifth season in 2012. Each season is a stand-alone competition to select a chef to be designated an Iron Chef, who will appear on the Food Network program ''Iron ...

'' on Food Network, with Alton Brown reviewing key aspects and highlights from the shows. It also previewed ''Iron Chef Gauntlet'' and Alton Brown's new role in the new show.

''Iron Chef Eats''

A companion series, ''Iron Chef Eats'', has been produced to go along with Iron Chef Gauntlet. In the show, various restaurants and foods are profiled which are places where Iron Chefs and Iron Chef competitors go to eat.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iron Chef Gauntlet Food Network original programming 2017 American television series debuts 2010s American reality television series 2010s American cooking television series Iron Chef Cooking competitions in the United States 2018 American television series endings