Heat (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Heat is an Irish
prime time
reality television
series broadcast on RTÉ One
. The programme sees two professional chefs, Kevin Dundon
and Kevin Thornton
, attempt to train amateur participants to each compose a restaurant menu. Each chef has won one series each. Each series, of which there have so far been two, runs for six weeks. The first series began broadcasting weekly in July 2008, with Team Dundon winning. A second series followed in February 2009, airing on Tuesday nights at 20:30, with Team Thornton winning. Dundon has described the series as being akin to "a fly-on-the wall documentary
inside the kitchen of a very high-end kitchen".
. The participants are said to have never previously cooked in a professional environment and applicants must be over the age of eighteen years. The restaurant is effectively "split down the middle", with the winners of the first five shows progressing to the semi-finals. Winning amateurs return the following week to take on a new opponent. Customers pay for a choice of two menus the menu of their choice is rated by them at the end of the night/episode. The contestants are eventually reduced over a six-week period until the season finale when the last remaining amateurs compete against each other. The winners are confirmed using three criteria; "profit", "punters" and "peers". The punters are those who are dining on the night and the peers are those chefs not participating on the night. The winner and their mentor are crowned Heat champions. Prizes include cash prizes and holidays worth €
10,000.
n theme and the fourth having an Asia
n theme. Then followed the semi-final and final. Paul Mahon, a classical guitar teacher, was the first Heat champion at the end of the first series, beating Ann Hamil, a businesswoman from Mullingar
, County Westmeath
. Kevin Dundon was the winning professional chef.
. Boland compared Dundon and Thornton to Robert de Niro
and Al Pacino
, although he stated that "fussing about with vegetable tart
lets and raspberry
mousse
s isn't quite as machismo as discharging Magnum 357
s and AK-47
s in crowded city streets".
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series broadcast on RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
. The programme sees two professional chefs, Kevin Dundon
Kevin Dundon
Kevin Dundon is an award-winning Irish celebrity chef, television personality and author, known for featuring on television series such as Guerrilla Gourmet and Heat. He is the author of the book, Full On Irish: Contemporary Creative Cooking and his recipes have been featured in publications such...
and Kevin Thornton
Kevin Thornton (chef)
Kevin Thornton is an Irish celebrity chef, radio and television personality and author, known for featuring on television series such as Guerrilla Gourmet and Heat and characterised by a supposed dislike of chips and confirmed dislike of pizza. He has written the book Food for Life and had his...
, attempt to train amateur participants to each compose a restaurant menu. Each chef has won one series each. Each series, of which there have so far been two, runs for six weeks. The first series began broadcasting weekly in July 2008, with Team Dundon winning. A second series followed in February 2009, airing on Tuesday nights at 20:30, with Team Thornton winning. Dundon has described the series as being akin to "a fly-on-the wall documentary
Fly on the wall
Fly on the wall is a style of documentary-making used in filmmaking and television production. The name derived from the idea that events are seen candidly, as a fly on a wall might see them...
inside the kitchen of a very high-end kitchen".
Premise
The premise of the programme is that celebrity chefs Dundon and Thornton compete against the other in the act of each mentoring one amateur participant as they compose a menu in the kitchen of the highly-regarded Ely HQ restaurant located in the Dublin DocklandsDublin Docklands
Dublin Docklands is the area of the city of Dublin, Ireland, on both sides of the River Liffey, roughly from Talbot Memorial Bridge eastwards to the Point Depot.It is currently undergoing a large amount of development.-Projects:...
. The participants are said to have never previously cooked in a professional environment and applicants must be over the age of eighteen years. The restaurant is effectively "split down the middle", with the winners of the first five shows progressing to the semi-finals. Winning amateurs return the following week to take on a new opponent. Customers pay for a choice of two menus the menu of their choice is rated by them at the end of the night/episode. The contestants are eventually reduced over a six-week period until the season finale when the last remaining amateurs compete against each other. The winners are confirmed using three criteria; "profit", "punters" and "peers". The punters are those who are dining on the night and the peers are those chefs not participating on the night. The winner and their mentor are crowned Heat champions. Prizes include cash prizes and holidays worth €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
10,000.
Series one
RTÉ announced they were searching for a number of amateur chefs to take part in a new television series in March 2008. Each programme was themed, with the first programme having an Irish theme, the second having a budget theme, the third having an ItaliaItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
n theme and the fourth having an Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n theme. Then followed the semi-final and final. Paul Mahon, a classical guitar teacher, was the first Heat champion at the end of the first series, beating Ann Hamil, a businesswoman from Mullingar
Mullingar
Mullingar is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act of 1542, proclaimed Westmeath a county, separating it from Meath. Mullingar became the administrative centre for County Westmeath...
, County Westmeath
County Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
. Kevin Dundon was the winning professional chef.
Series two
RTÉ announced they were searching for a new batch of amateur chefs in October 2008. The second series began on 17 February 2009, with contestants being mentored by Thornton including Westmeath native, John Donlon and Tralee student Niamh Switzer. Engineer Trevor Thornton also featured, being proclaimed the eventual winner in the finale on 14 April 2009. Kevin Thornton was the mentor who won this series. There were eight episodes, with five quarter finals being followed by a chef's choice, a semi-final and the final itself.Reaction
The Irish Independents television critic, John Boland, bemoaned RTÉ's habit of giving its programmes one word titles, the first series of Heat coming just before another RTÉ series, HeistHeist (Irish TV series)
Heist is a three-part Irish crime documentary series broadcast on RTÉ One. It examined three memorable and notorious large-scale crimes committed in the country and was broadcast on a sequence of Tuesday evenings in July 2008 at 21:35...
. Boland compared Dundon and Thornton to Robert de Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
and Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
, although he stated that "fussing about with vegetable tart
Tart
A tart is a baked dish consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top not covered with pastry. The pastry is usually shortcrust pastry; the filling may be sweet or savoury, though modern tarts are usually fruit-based, sometimes with custard....
lets and raspberry
Raspberry
The raspberry or hindberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus Rubus, most of which are in the subgenus Idaeobatus; the name also applies to these plants themselves...
mousse
Mousse
Mousse is derived from the French word mousse which means "lather" or "foam". A mousse is a prepared food that incorporates air bubbles to give it a light and airy texture...
s isn't quite as machismo as discharging Magnum 357
.357 Magnum
The .357 S&W Magnum , or simply .357 Magnum, is a revolver cartridge created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, Colonel D. B. Wesson of firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson, and Winchester. It is based upon Smith & Wesson's earlier .38 Special cartridge. The .357 Magnum cartridge was introduced in...
s and AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
s in crowded city streets".