Iron Chef USA
Encyclopedia
Iron Chef USA was the first American
adaptation of the Japan
ese television series Iron Chef
. Iron Chef USA appeared on the UPN
television network in 2001. Only two episodes were aired (both are considered pilot
s): "Las Vegas Showdown" and "Holiday Battle"; neither received critical acclaim. It would not be until 2004 when another adaptation of Iron Chef, titled Iron Chef America
, would air.
, who creates his own Gourmet Academy with four elite chefs who take on challengers in a specially-constructed Kitchen Arena ("Kitchen Stadium" in the original). However, unlike the original and the later Iron Chef America adaptation, Kitchen Arena was set in Garden Arena (a venue often used for boxing) in the MGM Grand Hotel
in Las Vegas and not on a sound stage
.
Fans of the series, and critics at large, point to many aspects of the show for the reason why the series failed. Among the most notable reasons was the audience factor: the original Iron Chef (and Iron Chef America) had only minimal guest and VIP seating, while Iron Chef USA was shown in front of a larger audience. The audience also tended to be louder and rowdier, in sharp contrast to the relatively quiet audiences of Iron Chef. Another sharp point of criticism was directed at the commentators, who often showed their lack of knowledge of food (with lines such as "What? It's the sperm
? We eat that?" in reference to sea urchin
roe
; "What's that tool called he's using to cut the ravioli
?", "That would be a ravioli cutter"; and "it's a sauteed Ho Ho", "He's got a flour
thing going" and "It looks like he enjoys cooking with booze
."). However, critics saw Shatner's portrayal of the chairman in Iron Chef USA as a redeeming quality, as his performance paid homage to Takeshi Kaga
and his antics on Iron Chef.
and Anthony Dias Blue
played the roles of play-by-play and color commentator, with Sissy Biggers
serving as the floor reporter. The four Iron Chefs are, presented from left-to-right when they are first introduced:
Of the four Iron Chefs, only Stratta and English saw action on Iron Chef USA, both bringing victories to the Iron Chefs. Todd English, Kerry Simon
and Marcus Samuelsson (both challengers) later competed on Iron Chef America, but there has been absolutely no mention made of their tenure on Iron Chef USA.
Larry A. Thompson
was an executive producer.
Episode one, "Showdown in Las Vegas".
Episode two, "Holiday Showdown" (a.k.a. "Holiday Battle")
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
adaptation of the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese television series Iron Chef
Iron Chef
is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1992, is a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle built around a specific theme ingredient. The series ended...
. Iron Chef USA appeared on the UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
television network in 2001. Only two episodes were aired (both are considered pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
s): "Las Vegas Showdown" and "Holiday Battle"; neither received critical acclaim. It would not be until 2004 when another adaptation of Iron Chef, titled Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America: The Series 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. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...
, would air.
History
Like the original Japanese series, the show featured an eccentric chairman, played by William ShatnerWilliam Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
, who creates his own Gourmet Academy with four elite chefs who take on challengers in a specially-constructed Kitchen Arena ("Kitchen Stadium" in the original). However, unlike the original and the later Iron Chef America adaptation, Kitchen Arena was set in Garden Arena (a venue often used for boxing) in the MGM Grand Hotel
MGM Grand Las Vegas
The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the third largest hotel in the world and largest hotel resort complex in the United States in front of The Venetian. The MGM Grand was the largest hotel in the world when it opened in...
in Las Vegas and not on a sound stage
Sound stage
In common usage, a sound stage is a soundproof, hangar-like structure, building, or room, used for the production of theatrical filmmaking and television production, usually located on a secure movie studio property.-Overview:...
.
Fans of the series, and critics at large, point to many aspects of the show for the reason why the series failed. Among the most notable reasons was the audience factor: the original Iron Chef (and Iron Chef America) had only minimal guest and VIP seating, while Iron Chef USA was shown in front of a larger audience. The audience also tended to be louder and rowdier, in sharp contrast to the relatively quiet audiences of Iron Chef. Another sharp point of criticism was directed at the commentators, who often showed their lack of knowledge of food (with lines such as "What? It's the sperm
Sperm
The term sperm is derived from the Greek word sperma and refers to the male reproductive cells. In the types of sexual reproduction known as anisogamy and oogamy, there is a marked difference in the size of the gametes with the smaller one being termed the "male" or sperm cell...
? We eat that?" in reference to sea urchin
Sea urchin
Sea urchins or urchins are small, spiny, globular animals which, with their close kin, such as sand dollars, constitute the class Echinoidea of the echinoderm phylum. They inhabit all oceans. Their shell, or "test", is round and spiny, typically from across. Common colors include black and dull...
roe
Roe
Roe or hard roe is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses of fish and certain marine animals, such as shrimp, scallop and sea urchins...
; "What's that tool called he's using to cut the ravioli
Ravioli
Ravioli are a traditional type of Italian filled pasta. They are composed of a filling sealed between two layers of thin egg pasta dough and are served either in broth or with a pasta sauce. The word ravioli is reminiscent of the Italian verb riavvolgere , though the two words are not...
?", "That would be a ravioli cutter"; and "it's a sauteed Ho Ho", "He's got a flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
thing going" and "It looks like he enjoys cooking with booze
Booze
Booze is an informal term for an alcoholic beverage. It can also refer to:Places*Booze, North Yorkshire, an English hamletPeople*Bea Booze , American jazz singer*Tyrone Booze , American boxer...
."). However, critics saw Shatner's portrayal of the chairman in Iron Chef USA as a redeeming quality, as his performance paid homage to Takeshi Kaga
Takeshi Kaga
is a well-known stage and movie actor in Japan who is probably best known internationally for his portrayal of Chairman Kaga in the Japanese television show Iron Chef produced by Fuji TV. His real name is .-Biography:...
and his antics on Iron Chef.
Format
Like the original Iron Chef, chefs are given 60 minutes and a theme ingredient (called a "secret" ingredient) to create their culinary creations. Unlike the original, however, chefs brought in their own assistants, and were required to prepare five dishes. The dishes were judged by four celebrity judges (none of whom are food experts or food critics), and the chef with the higher rating was declared the winner. Curiously, the scoring system used was different from the one used on Iron Chef and later on Iron Chef America.Chefs and crew
In addition to Shatner as the chairman of Gourmet Academy USA, Michael BurgerMichael Burger
Michael Burger is an American actor and game show host. He is best known for hosting the game show, Match Game, and co-hosting the 1994 ABC talk show Mike and Maty...
and Anthony Dias Blue
Anthony Dias Blue
Anthony Dias Blue is a published author, columnist, television and radio personality and the owner of a food and wine event company in Los Angeles, CA. His work spans all forms of media and is circulated to more than 30,000,000 consumers each month. -Career:Blue has a long-running feature spot on...
played the roles of play-by-play and color commentator, with Sissy Biggers
Sissy Biggers
Martha "Sissy" Cargill Biggers is an American television personality, lifestyle expert, wife and mother of two. She has hosted the Food Network's Ready.. Set... Cook! and Lifetime's Biggers & Summers and Live from Queens talk shows, the latter of which won a CableACE Award...
serving as the floor reporter. The four Iron Chefs are, presented from left-to-right when they are first introduced:
- Iron Chef FrenchFrench cuisineFrench cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...
Jean-Francois Meteigner, the "BatterBatter (cooking)Batter is a semi-liquid mixture of one or more flours combined with liquids such as water, milk or eggs used to prepare various foods. Often a leavening agent such as baking powder is included to aerate and fluff up the batter as it cooks, or the mixture may be naturally fermented for this purpose...
ing Bon Vivant" - Iron Chef ItalianItalian cuisineItalian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BCE. Italian cuisine in itself takes heavy influences, including Etruscan, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Byzantine, Jewish and Arab cuisines...
Alessandro StrattaAlessandro StrattaAlessandro Stratta is a celebrity chef and restaurateur of mixed Italian and French heritage. Stratta played the role of Iron Chef Italian on the television show Iron Chef USA...
, the "Italian ScallionScallionScallions , are the edible plants of various Allium species, all of which are "onion-like", having hollow green leaves and lacking a fully developed root bulb.-Etymology:The words...
" - Iron Chef AsianAsian cuisineAsian cuisine styles can be broken down into several tiny regional styles that have roots in the peoples and cultures of those regions. The major types can be roughly defined as East Asian with its origins in Imperial China and now encompassing modern Japan and the Korean peninsula; Southeast Asian...
Roy YamaguchiRoy Yamaguchi-Biography:Yamaguchi was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan but now lives in the U.S. State of Hawaii.After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, he spent time in Los Angeles in apprenticeships at L'Escoffier and L'Ermitage under the late master chef Jean Bertanou....
, the "Samurai of Stir-Fry" (though his specialty is in fact Hawaiian fusion) - Iron Chef AmericanCuisine of the United StatesAmerican cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from the United States of America. European colonization of the Americas yielded the introduction of a number of ingredients and cooking styles to the latter...
Todd EnglishTodd EnglishWilliam Todd English is a celebrity chef, restaurateur, author, entrepreneur, and television personality based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States...
, "Captain America" (though his specialty is in fact Mediterranean cuisine)
Of the four Iron Chefs, only Stratta and English saw action on Iron Chef USA, both bringing victories to the Iron Chefs. Todd English, Kerry Simon
Kerry Simon
Kerry Simon is an American celebrity chef and restaurateur based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dubbed the "Rock n' Roll Chef" by Rolling Stone Magazine, Simon is known for "L'American" cuisine, expanding the limits and notions of simple comfort food via his classic training. He is the executive chef and...
and Marcus Samuelsson (both challengers) later competed on Iron Chef America, but there has been absolutely no mention made of their tenure on Iron Chef USA.
Larry A. Thompson
Larry A. Thompson
Larry A. Thompson is a Hollywood film producer, personal manager, book packager, author, and motivational speaker. He is founder and President of the Larry Thompson Organization, a Los Angeles based Talent Management, Motion Picture, Television, and New Media Production Studio.Having managed the...
was an executive producer.
Episodes
Only two episodes of Iron Chef USA were produced.Episode one, "Showdown in Las Vegas".
- Kerry SimonKerry SimonKerry Simon is an American celebrity chef and restaurateur based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dubbed the "Rock n' Roll Chef" by Rolling Stone Magazine, Simon is known for "L'American" cuisine, expanding the limits and notions of simple comfort food via his classic training. He is the executive chef and...
– Challenger – chef at Prime restaurant in the BellagioBellagio (hotel and casino)Bellagio is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in the Paradise area of unincorporated Clark County, Nevada, USA and a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. It is owned by MGM Resorts International and was built on the site of the demolished Dunes hotel and casino.Inspired by the...
Hotel - Bruce VilanchBruce VilanchBruce Vilanch is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a six-time Emmy Award-winner Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on Hollywood Squares, as a celebrity participant; in the entertainment industry he is best known as head writer for the show...
– Judge – comedian with regular appearances on the game show Hollywood SquaresHollywood SquaresHollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants... - Elise NealElise NealElise Neal is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Neal, a Memphis, Tennessee native, was born on March 14, 1966, the daughter of a nurse and a construction worker. She attended Lakeview Elementary. She was a ballet dancer and a cheerleader...
– Judge – actress, perhaps best known as Yvonne Hughley from the TV series The HughleysThe HughleysThe Hughleys is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 22, 1998 to April 28, 2000 and on the UPN network from September 11, 2000 to May 20, 2002. It starred comedian D. L... - Brande RoderickBrande RoderickBrande Nicole Roderick is an American model and actress known for her appearances in Baywatch and Playboy.-Personal life:...
– Judge – 2001 Playboy Playmate of the Year - Mark FamigliettiMark Famiglietti-Early life:Famiglietti was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He was raised in Clinton, Connecticut, where frequent family trips to the Goodspeed Opera House sparked his interest in performing...
– Judge – actor, who played Scout Calhoun on the Dawson's CreekDawson's CreekDawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons...
spin-off series Young AmericansYoung Americans (TV series)Young Americans is an American television drama created by Steven Antin. The show debuted on July 12, 2000 on The WB network as a summer replacement for, and spin-off from, another Columbia TriStar Television production, Dawson's Creek. The series was originally ordered for the fall 1999-2000...
Episode two, "Holiday Showdown" (a.k.a. "Holiday Battle")
- Marcus SamuelssonMarcus SamuelssonMarcus Samuelsson is a Swedish chef and co-owner of Aquavit restaurant in New York City and C-House Restaurant, located in the Affinia Hotel in Chicago.-Early life and career:...
– Challenger – chef and co-owner of Restaurant AquavitRestaurant Aquavit-History:Aquavit was created and opened by Håkan Swahn in 1987. After 17 years in one location, Aquavit relocated in 2005 to new premises giving the restaurant an entirely new look.... - Ron PopeilRon PopeilRonald M. Popeil is an American inventor and marketing personality, best known for his direct response marketing company Ronco...
– Judge – inventor of many products sold through infomercials - Loretta DevineLoretta DevineLoretta Devine is an American stage, film and television actress known for her roles on Boston Public, Grey's Anatomy, and Eli Stone. She also provided her voice for the stop motion animated television series The PJs. Devine is a NAACP Image Award and Emmy award winning actress.-Early life:Devine...
– Judge – actress best known as Marla Hendricks on the TV series Boston PublicBoston PublicBoston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place... - Kelly HuKelly HuKelly Ann Hu is an American actress and former fashion model. She was Miss Teen USA 1985 and Miss Hawaii USA 1993.-Early life:Hu was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the daughter of Juanita, an engineering drafter for Honolulu, and Herbert Hu, a salesman and exotic bird breeder; the two divorced during...
– Judge – actress; notable roles as DeathstrikeLady DeathstrikeLady Deathstrike , occasionally spelled "Deathstryke", is a Marvel Comics supervillain, a foe of the X-Men, especially Wolverine.Her father Lord Dark Wind created the adamantium-bonding process that was forced on Wolverine...
from the movie X2X2 (film)X2 is a 2003 superhero film based on the fictional characters the X-Men. Directed by Bryan Singer, it is the second film in the X-Men film series...
or Rae Chang from the TV series Sunset BeachSunset Beach (TV series)Sunset Beach was an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on January 6, 1997, and last airing on December 31, 1999. The show followed the loves and lives of the people living in a fictional coastal city named Sunset Beach, on the coast of California... - Steven Schirripa – Judge – actor, perhaps best known as Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri from the TV series The SopranosThe SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
External links
- Iron Chef USA: "Holiday Battle" at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Iron Chef USA: "Showdown in Las Vegas" at the Internet Movie Database