Food Network's December 2015 Programming Highlights

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Here are some of the highlights of the Food Network programming scheduled to air on the channel in December:

• The finale of Cake Wars: Christmas on Monday, December 14th at 9pm for $50,000.
• The finale of Cutthroat Kitchen: Superstar Sabotage on Wednesday, December 2nd at 9pm.
• The finale of Holiday Baking Championship on Sunday, December 20th at 9pm for $50,000.
• The finale of Guys Grocery Games: Tournament of Champions on Sunday, December 27th at 8pm.
• Holiday-themed episodes of pretty much every daytime and nighttime show throughout the month.
• An All-Star Holiday special on Wednesday, December 9th at 8pm where Food Network stars such as Giada De Laurentiis, Ree Drummond, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Nancy Fuller and Ina Garten whip up their favorite dishes from their kitchen.
• A Celebrity Food Fight special on Wednesday, December 9th at 10pm hosted by Andy Richter.
• A daytime special called Christmas at Bobby's on Sunday, December 13th at 1pm where Food Network stars such as Sunny Anderson, Anne Burrell, Scott Conant, Alex Guarnaschelli, Eddie Jackson, Katie Lee and Geoffrey Zakarian are over Bobby's house to cook their favorite Christmas dishes with him. 
• A Chopped episode with Cooking Channel stars on Tuesday, December 8th at 10pm featuring Gabriele Corcos, Roger Mooking, Kelsey Nixon and Jim Stacy.
• New primetime episodes of  Beat Bobby Flay, Chopped, Chopped Junior, Cutthroat Kitchen, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Guilty Pleasures, Mystery Diners, Top Five Restaurants, and Unwrapped 2.0.
• New daytime episodes of Brunch @ Bobby’s, Farmhouse Rules, Giada’s Holiday Handbook, Guy’s Big Bite, The Kitchen, Southern at Heart, Patricia Heaton Parties, The Pioneer Woman and Valerie’s Home Cooking.

 Press release with episode descriptions and air dates is below:

Food Network Related News and Links

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Here is some recent news involving Food Network shows and chefs/personalities from the Food Network:

• Jeff Mauro was recently selected to play Shoot the Puck at a Chicago Blackhawks game. (Link)
• Someone put up Craigslist ads hoping to cast Ina Garten and Guy Fieri look-a-likes for a rap video in New York City.  The concept is a cooking show that erupts into a party scene. The Ina ad says no nudity but possibly a bikini shot. (Ina ad, Guy ad)
• Giada De Laurentiis has a new boyfriend, who is technically still married (going through a divorce), and they were caught kissing at a Houston bar. (Link)
• Guy Fieri did a long interview with GQ where he talks about feeding his turtle dog poop and talking some trash on Anthony Bourdain for always making fun of him.  The article was written by Drew Magary, who won an episode of Chopped.
• A clip of Guy Fieri signing a Lean Cuisine and throwing it into a crowd has gone viral this week. (Link)
• Cat Cora and her wife filed for divorce after being together for 17 years (married for about 2).  Cat filed for joint custody of their sons, while her wife wants full custody, so it appears there will be a custody battle.  They have four sons together, and three were carried by her wife Jennifer and one was carried by Cat. (Link)
• Alex Guarnaschelli is trying her hand at some comedy and recently did a show at Caroline's in New York City (Link).  Food Network stars such as Bobby Flay, Katie Lee, and Anne Burrell were in attendance to support her (pictured above). 
• Marc Murphy recently opened a new restaurant in Tampa called Grey Salt, which is in The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa. (Link)

Restaurant Impossible - Stella's Dine-Inn Update

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Tonight on  Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in New Kensington, Pennsylvania to makeover Stella's Dine-Inn Restaurant.  In this ambush episode, the owner's daughter reached out to Restaurant Impossible for help.  The owner Stacey and her son Dom, who is the main cook are constantly fighting and the fighting is tearing the restaurant and family apart.  Stacy wants to keep the restaurant going in her late husband's memory.

As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Stella's Dine-Inn Restaurant to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant: Impossible):

Two Restaurant Impossible Closures - Shade Tree Customs, Salt Works II

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Two restaurants that appeared on Restaurant Impossible have recently closed.  Shade Tree Customs in Albuquerque, New Mexico closed after two years in business.  The restaurant closed due to a combination of things including: not enough business, problems getting approval to open a patio, and back taxes.  They even tried to raise $30,000 through GoFundMe, but ended up only getting $65 in donations (Link).  The motorcycle shop component of Shade Tree remains open, but it will probably be moving to a new location.

Salt Works II in Wilmington, North Carolina also closed recently and posted the following message to their Facebook page on November 6th:

Well today is a sad day for most of the Saltworks II family...today was our last day to be open for business . We want to say thank you to all of our loyal customers for your patronage and to all of our valued employees for your hard work over the last 6 years. It's been one heck of a run, but sadly it must come to an end.

We had planned on letting the public know today and had hoped to work through the weekend and go out with a bang, but due to the loss of some key employees mid-day today, we cannot staff accordingly. We're sorry for the short notice.

To those employees who were going to stick it out to the end... thank you. Thank you for your loyalty and hard work . Thank you for your early mornings and late afternoons. We will miss you and if you ever need anything from us, all you need to do is ask.

Thank you again to all of our customers. We are sorry that things are ending this way. We will miss seeing you every day or every weekend. We thank you for your support over the years.

Sincerely
Mike & Jon
Saltworks II

Shade Tree Customs was the 5th (out of 7) restaurant to close from season 10 of Restaurant Impossible.  Salt Works II was the last remaining restaurant from season 1 of Restaurant Impossible that was still open with the same owners.  One of the restaurants from season 1 is still open, but it is operating under different ownership.  The Restaurant Impossible Update Page has been updated to show these two restaurants as Closed.

Restaurant Impossible - Ellendale's Restaurant Update

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Tonight on  Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Nashville, Tennessee to makeover Ellendale's Restaurant.  In this ambush episode, the employees of the restaurant reached out for help as the restaurant has become rundown and owner Julie's management style has left the staff frustrated.  The employees see potential in the restaurant as it is a staple in Nashville, however Julie isn't sure if being on TV is a good thing.  She needs to decide if she wants Robert's help or if she wants him to leave.

As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Ellendale's Restaurant to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant: Impossible):

Giada De Laurentiis Has A Boyfriend.... Kind Of

Giada De Laurentiis is currently on tour promoting her new cookbook Happy Cooking and she has also been appearing on shows such as Today and Ellen to promote her book.

Giada De Laurentiis was on the Wendy Williams Show yesterday, and during a cooking segment, Wendy asked Giada if she was dating anybody and if she had a boyfriend.  Giada responded with, "I'm gonna say...uh...Kind of."

She went on to say that was the first time she had actually said that and refused to answer if she was in love.  Giada also dismissed the rumors about Matt Lauer and Bobby Flay earlier in the interview.

The video is below - Fast Forward to the 4:15 mark if you want to see where Wendy asks if Giada is dating.

Who knows who it is, but unless he is traveling with her over the next month, he probably will not see much of her.  Giada will be all over the country to promote her book during the month of November.

UPDATE - It appears Giada's new boyfriend is Shane Farley, who is an executive producer in New York City.  He was going to produce a daytime talkshow with Giada and Bobby Flay back in 2012, but the show was never picked up.  (Link with more info)

Restaurant Impossible - Copper Still CD Vodka Lounge and Eatery Update

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Tonight on  Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Crestwood, Illinois to makeover Copper Still CD Vodka Lounge and Eatery.  The place hasn't earned a profit since opening eight months ago and the restaurant is causing a strain in the relationship of owner Christina and her husband Dominic.  Stephanie, the manager of the restaurant, reached out to the show for help, and Robert does a "double ambush" by showing up without notifying her either.  Stephanie refuses to help after this and the show also has to deal with an unexpected theft.

As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Copper Still CD Vodka Lounge and Eatery to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant: Impossible):

Food Network's November 2015 Programming Highlights

Here are some of the highlights of the Food Network programming scheduled to air on the channel in November:

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• The start of Holiday Baking Championship on November 1st.
• The premiere of Cutthroat Kitchen: Superstar Sabotage on Wednesday, November 4th where 16 chefs compete for up to $75,000 for charity - See the competitors.
• The premiere of Cake Wars: Christmas on Monday, November 9th for a $50,000 prize.
• The premiere of Guy’s Grocery Games: Tournament of Champions on Sunday, November 29th, where previous winners return to compete for "the biggest prize ever" on the show.
• The return of Top 5 Restaurants and Guilty Pleasures on Monday nights.
• The Chopped: Impossible finale on November 12th at 8pm where someone will take home $15,000 and get to go up against Robert Irvine for an additional $25,000.
• New primetime episodes of Beat Bobby Flay, Chopped, Chopped Junior, Cutthroat Kitchen, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Guy’s Grocery Games, Mystery Diners, Unwrapped 2.0 and Restaurant Impossible.
• New daytime episodes of Valerie’s Home Cooking, Giada’s Holiday Handbook, Barefoot Contessa,  Brunch @ Bobby’s, Farmhouse Rules, Guy’s Big Bite, The Kitchen, Patricia Heaton Parties and Southern at Heart.
• There are tons of Thanksgiving themed episodes throughout the month and some of the biggest ones are: Pioneer Woman's Ultimate Thanksgiving Monday, November 16th at 8pm,  a Barefoot Contessa Thanksgiving special Sunday, November 15th at 1pm where Bobby Flay joins Ina Garten in the kitchen and Guy’s Big Bite: A Very Fieri Thanksgiving – Premiering Friday, November 20th at 8pm.
• There is also an All-Star Thanksgiving special on Saturday, November 21st at 8pm that will star Giada De Laurentiis, Ree Drummond, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Nancy Fuller and Damaris Phillips.
• A Clash of the Grandmas Thanksgiving special on Wednesday, November 18th where grandmas compete for $10,000 by cooking a Thanksgiving meal.  Judges for this special are Nancy Fuller, recent Food Network Star winner Eddie Jackson and Aarti Sequeira. 
• Not on this press release - American Diner Revival was renewed for a second season and will premiere November 27th. (Link)

 Press release with episode descriptions and air dates is below: