Curtis Stone To Host Food Network's Kitchen Inferno

Photo - Multivu

A new series on the Food Network called Kitchen Inferno will be hosted by Curtis Stone and premiere on Wednesday, November 5th at 9pm.  This is a competition show where chefs go head-to-head over four possible rounds against "Culinary Gladiators."  Each round is judged in a blind taste-test by judges Daniel Green, Judy Joo, and Michael Ruhlman.  If the competing chef wins, they can keep moving up to higher levels which increase in difficulty.  In the final round, the contestants "face a pivotal choice: take the money and run, or risk it all for a chance to reach the final round and win up to $25,000, all in front of a studio audience. If they lose, they will watch their winnings go up in smoke and leave with nothing."

The show had a working title of Food Chain and was casting back in July.   When they were casting, the flyer said the prize was for up to $50,000, but now it looks like the top prize is only $25,000.  Kitchen Inferno is also similar to NBC's Food Fighters, but on that show there is not as much risk as chefs don't have to put any of their winnings on the line.


There will be eight episodes in this season of Kitchen Inferno and the episode descriptions can be found here.  Some chefs are competing for charity, while others are competing to win the prize for themselves.  In one episode Viet Pham from Iron Chef/Food Network Star/Extreme Chef is competing against a 16 year-old chef.

The four levels of "Culinary Gladiators" which have been identified include:

• Level 1 Culinary Gladiators - Penny Davidi (pictured above), Stephanie Goldfarb, and Mikey Robins
• Level 2 Culinary Gladiators - Vic Casanova, Nyesha Arrington, Chris Oh, and Michael Psilakis
• Level 3 Culinary Gladiators - Madison Cowan, Elizabeth Falkner, Jet Tila
• Level 4 Culinary Gladiators - Michael Chiarello, Curtis Stone, and Geoffrey Zakarian

The full press release about the show is below:

COMPETITORS FACE THE HEAT IN NEW FOOD NETWORK SERIES KITCHEN INFERNO
Hosted by Curtis Stone, Chefs Go to Battle for a Chance to Win up to $25,000

Series Premieres Wednesday, November 5th at 10pm ET/PT

#KitchenInferno premieres Wednesday, November 5th at 10:00pm ET/PT on @FoodNetwork
NEW YORK — October 6, 2014 / PR Newswire / — Host Curtis Stone turns up the heat in new Food Network primetime culinary competition, Kitchen Inferno, premiering Wednesday, November 5th at 10pm ET/PT. The game is simple but the stakes are red hot. Each episode features talented chefs going head-to-head in culinary showdowns over four possible rounds. Each round will have a blind taste-test judged by the Inferno’s panel of judges to determine which dish is best. If the competing chef is victorious, they have the chance to move up to the next level, with each round advancement growing in difficulty as they bring the skills of a new culinary talent to battle against. The contestants face a pivotal choice: take the money and run, or risk it all for a chance to reach the final round and win up to $25,000, all in front of a studio audience. If they lose, they will watch their winnings go up in smoke and leave with nothing. Can these chefs cook their way through four rounds in this blazing competition for the ultimate prize?

“The challengers not only have to go against some of the best chefs in the world, but must also make the high pressure and high stakes decision of moving forward or walking away with any money they have won, all as an audience is watching their every move and decision each step of the way,” said Bob Tuschman, General Manager and Senior Vice President Programming, Food Network. “Curtis Stone is perfect at pushing all the right buttons, to bring out the competitive fires in each chef.”

In the sizzling premiere, James Beard nominated chef Duane Nutter, and the pride of New Orleans’ chef Tory McPhail take on Kitchen Inferno’s culinary gladiators. One challenger is playing for charity, the other playing for an entire city. With the Inferno’s panel of judges, including chef Daniel Green, chef Judy Joo, and chef Michael Ruhlman, determining which dish is best, who will reign supreme when battling it out over ultimate hot dogs and stuffed burgers? Will one lucky winner be able to move up the levels for a chance to win $25,000? Don’t miss all the action over eight episodes, as these talented chefs from across the country battle it out in the kitchen for bragging rights and the grand prize, against some of the most elite chefs around – including amongst others – Michael Chiarello, Madison Cowan, Elizabeth Falkner, Jet Tila, Geoffrey Zakarian, and possibly even Curtis Stone himself.

Curtis Stone is an internationally-known chef, TV host, entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author. Born in Melbourne, Australia, Curtis first found his passion for food while watching his grandmother make her legendary fudge and his mother roast her perfect pork crackling. After finishing culinary school, he took a job at the Savoy hotel in Melbourne before heading to London, where he honed his skills under legendary three-star Michelin genius, Marco Pierre White. While living in London, Curtis appeared in several U.K. cooking shows before catching the eye of television producers in Australia. Curtis has appeared on numerous daytime and primetime television shows. Curtis most recently opened his first restaurant, Maude in Beverly Hills in February 2014, which has received rave reviews from LA Magazine, Angeleno and more.

Viewers can visit FoodNetwork.com/KitchenInferno for behind-the-scenes photos and more from the competition.

Kitchen Inferno is produced by Relativity Lifestyle Television, a division of Relativity Television.

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