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Iron Chef USA debuts Friday
devinoni writes "Yes, the long awaited American version of Iron Chef is coming. As reported on Slashdot, William Shatner will be hosting it on UPN 9pm (8 central) on Friday. The 4 Iron Chefs are: Todd English, Iron Chef American; Jean Francois Meteigner, Iron Chef French; Alessandro Stratta, Iron Chef Italian; and Roy Yamaguchi is Iron Chef Asian. Check out UPN's site (flash required) for more info." CD: The SF Chronicle review wasn't all that enthusiastic about this, so heads up, foodies.
Today's theme ingredient... PLOMIK SOUP!
Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
...tribbles!
Liberal (adj.): Free from bigotry; open to progress; tolerant of others.
I can just see William Shatner biting into a big yellow pepper already..
Yeah, I can NEVER wait until great foreign TV shows get moved over to the US, where they are immediatly ruined (eg. Whose line is it anyway, Junkyard Wars, Robot Wars, etc.) The originals are much better.
What is Iron chef American? Hamburgers and hot dogs? Why not iron chef Cajun instead? All "American" food is really mostly Italian and French anyways. I certainly don't think the Iron chef is going to be slow roasting a turkey on a spit.
What was so cool about the show (for me) was that it was dubbed over a foriegn language. If everyone is speaking english, then its just another cooking show. Boring.
Reality has a liberal bias
If you're like me, you assumed that this was the Japanese show "ported" over to the USA, with no modifications. Don't be silly.
What made Iron Chef so entertaining? The hosts. The voice-overs. The theatrical music. Kitchen Stadium.
Guess what! They're all gone. They've been replaced by Shattner, English-speaking announcers, no sound effects, and a mock-up of Kitchen Stadium, but including screaming fans. That is NOT what Iron Chef was about.
It's lame, through and through.
Damn.
One of the reasons I like it so much is because of the Chairman, and the cheesy voice-overs, not to mention the occasionally-cute Japanese Ch1X0rZ on the panel.
A big par tof the entire allure of it is the fact that it is predominantly Japanese/Asian cuisine, and the Nippon-centric interpretation of it.
As it is cuturally known, the Japanese pop culture is not special necessarily because of its originality, but BECAUSE of the Japanese "twist" they give things.
Sorry trekkies, William Shatner is going to take the show where it's never gone before - into the toilet.
wouldn't it have been ever nicer if there could have been an international iron chef show? French, Swedish (meatballs! Guess where I am from;), Italian, Greek, Spanish, Mexican, American (your food tastes too damn good!), Japanese, Korean, the list goes on!
Maybe we could hope for a european iron chef program? As posted above, if there is a good show anywhere, it's sure to be copied. Just look at all the Expedition: Robinson (survivors for you non Swedes;))
[I miss a checkbox for "posting while you are ill"]
They shouldn't be busting on the new show so much. Sure, it's Americanized, removing every hint of high cuisine and majesty that made the show what it was.
But Shatner will clasp his hands together and deliver crushing two handed blows to the losing chef. So it can't be all bad.
Right?
If guns kill people, then CmdrTaco's keyboard misspells words.
Einstein without a mustache.
Plain unnatural!
The show is so distinctly japanese that I worry it won't translate well using american production teams.
:-)
I also can't see them using gooey soybeans and lobster brains a theme ingredients either. After all how many ways can you actually cook mac & cheese
Also, it just *won't* be iron chef without morimoto or sakai.
Well, I hope it ends up being good. It will be different for sure.
It's food, Jim, but not as we know it.. -Spock
Oh god. What a waste of TV space. I'm a hug fan of the original series and sure, the dubbed version on the Food Network is a little odd but that's what makes Iron Chef. The quirky commentary from the floor reporter, the goofy dubbing (and apparently brainless actions) of the food testers (1 of which is some pop star nobody ever knew, 1 is a ditzy actress, 1 is a distinguished person and 1 is a food critic). Master Takeshi unveiling the main ingrediant (which usually amounts to some endangered species where the beef of the creature is $3000/lb.) is the highlight of the program and from there on in, it's a wild ride.
UPN and Shatner? Yeah, right. Since when did putting a cooking show on UPN be something that would be a success. Then there's Shatner, who needs some serious help in the geriatric department not to mention the acting arena (T.J. Hooker, nuff said).
This is going to leave a base taste in any Iron Chef fans mouth no matter what they try to do with it. I've already seen some clips and Shatner and the floor reporter look awkward at best. Don't expect anything like the original and as someone else said, the U.S. seems to almost always ruin a good foreign show without even trying.
liB
I'm kind of surprised they didn't get Bobby Flay to be one of the Iron Chefs. He had 2 appearances on the original Japanese show against Iron Chef Japanese Masaharu Morimoto (one)(two), one of which was a bit controversial as Bobby was almost electrocuted during the battle and then at the end Masaharu claimed that Flay was not a true chef since a true chef wouldn't stand on his cutting board.
I wonder if Shatner will dress like Liberace to keep with the spirit of Chairman Kaga?
it's not going to stop until you wise up, no it's not going to stop. so just give up.
-Make them deliver Dominoes pizzas in South Central.
-Have them work as an "expeditor" for either an Applebee's or a Denny's in a medium-sized Midwestern college town.
-Work as one of those weird New York street vendors selling unidenfied meat on a stick.
-Feed all Detroit's homeless with one Swanson's TV dinner.
The possibilities are endless.
bork! bork! bork!
If it is not on fire, it is a software problem.
I think part of the poplarity of The Iron Chef is its Japaneseness. It is at least partially a fascinating look into a bizarre part of a culture which we don't usually see. I don't see an American equivalent catching on nearly as much in the USA. Though it might see some interest in Japan...
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
"Data-san?"
"Yes, Wesley?"
"It appears that Quark is having second thoughts about challenging Iron Chef Klingon. He's headed over to talk to him, and..."
[Half a minute later]
"Well, *that* was unexpected. Worf's display has convinced Picard to change the theme ingredient to Ferengi, which of course disqualifies all of Quark's dishes so far. Quark will have a hard time preparing more while being the theme ingredient."
"If my memory serves me correctly, this happened the last time someone challenged Iron Chef Klingon."
--- or ---
Q: "The theme ingredient..." [removes drape with a dramatic flourish] "...PARADOXES!"
I agree.
99% of the fun of watching Iron Chef is the intensity the Japanese cast gives the show. Even if it's faked, they display such an incredible depth of passion for what they're doing that it verges on being ridiculous.
And can we get Shatner into a Rhinestone-studded, sequined suit like Kaga? Well, maybe.
Americans just don't get that passionate about simple things like that, whereas I can (almost) really believe all the old grudges and tests of honor that happen on Iron Chef Japan.
Well, unlike most Japanese shows that come to the U.S. (America's Funniest Videos, ?!?!) we USians have fairly broad access to Iron Chef, both through Food Network and through the episodes that float around on FT and Gnutella. I wouldn't be suprised to see the Iron Chef Japan get quite a bit more recognition by the major players in the U.S.
The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
This is what happens when people who are too stupid to come up with their own ideas try to copy the ideas of creative people. They invariably misunderstand what was good about the original. To my mind, what makes Iron Chef so interesting to watch is the contrast between how over the top it is and how seriously the participants take it. Sure, they're wearing absurd costumes, battling in an arena like gladiators, but the contestants, judges, and the Iron Chefs take it all very seriously. Clearly the people at UPN don't get that. It looks like they are going to take the "over the top" element and exagerate it even further, but ignore the serious side.
What is the show without Chairman Kaga biting into the pepper... the real kitchen stadium... the taste testers (loopy Japanese actress, fortune teller, egotistical male of the day, and famous murderer). Nothing beats Iron Chef Japanese vs. The American Bachelor Chef (mmmmm - mini-shark-head pizza bagels).
"It's tough to be bilingual when you get hit in the head."
They should wheel barbeeque carts into the ring after WWF matches and have Pamela Andersen host the show. That's what they need to keep the ratings up! The wrestlers could be the judges! Wouldn't it be funny to watch The Rock eat speetbreads? And Pamela could say, "And the secret ingredient is... breast of chicken!"
Disconnect your television. Do your own research. Draw your own conclusions. They're probably lying. Don't be a sheep.
The Chronicle's stuck-up staff strikes out again.
The thing that made IC great in the first place was the camp and the dialogue. We can watch French Chef reruns if we want the food to star.
As long as it's not "Let's Bowl" with food, it'll work.
--Blair
Jump
The
Shark
European food is pretty homogenous? Even northern and southern Italian are pretty different. Also, Scandinavian food is very different from Continental. German food is quite distinct from Spanish food. And above all, I challenge you to find a good Irish corned beef and cabbage dish anywhere in Greece, even on Easter. :)
I do not have a signature
What is it about these replies complaining that the show won't be the same? Of course it won't be the same -- if it was the same show, what would be the point?
Then there's the people who say that the show won't be as good because it's the inherent Japanese-ness that makes it good. Could be true, could be true...but I kind of doubt it. The show won't be the same as the original -- it's obviously going to be far less somber and and dignified -- but that doesn't immediately translate into "bad". It's different. Give it a chance.
I now get a lot of the tv I watch online. I get anime fansubs from private ftps, and I download Enterprise epsiodes from newsgroups. Is there any place I can get Iron Chef episodes? My cable has the WORST LINEUP EVER (no cartoon network, no news except cnn, no food channel, comedy central from 6p-6a only) so I can't get the dubbed version. It would be cool if someone out there was capping iron chef and fansubbing them, but I'll settle for food network versions. Ideas? offers?
If Emeril is any indication of successful cooking-related shows today, it will be cancelled faster than he can say BAM!@#!@#
- Las Vegas screaming fans venue (they did have a live audience on some (IC Specials)
- Female floor reporter
- Bogus tasters / judges
- Non-bizzarro theme ingredients
- UPN
OK, the last one sent me over the edge. Think about it - what type of show would UPN try to sell to its advertisers given their viewership demographics? But wait a minute. They are also the Star Trek network and IC USA is hosted by William Shatner! I'm willing to give it a shot.One problem with
For anyone in Philadelphia who doesn't know, the Iron Chef Japanese is opening a restaurant on the 13th of November. More information:
click me
How are they going to tie in the story about kitchen stadium? How will it work with the glitz and show of the original without the storyline behind it? Of course, Big Bill Shatner is excentric enough to fill the part. I just hope he doesn't sing the theme song.
And for god sake, please don't tell me that Shanter is going to bite into a yellow pepper. A doughnut or a handfull of McDonalds fries would be more fitting.
Let me be blunt.
Never serve me anything that includes semen as an ingredient.
I seem to remember insulting food by saying that's an incredient, now they want to squeeze sea urchins for it.
This show can't be good
They will surely kill the theme
UPN Bites It
---------
Fuck you, motherfucker. Fuck yous to: Rob "Taco-Snotter" Malda, Homos, Kowboi Kneel, and RMS.
FoodTV already tried their own "Iron Chef" wannabe - it was called "Ready-Set-Cook!"...
I think it only lasted a season or so - but it had to be the cheesiest of cheesy cooking shows: Picture two "chefs" on a set from "Price Is Right" , in front of a studio audience (behind the camera, though always panned to, and on cheap bleachers or chairs, or something) given (30?) minutes to cook the "theme" ingredient for judging. Add in a ditzy, flat-chested blonde bimbo for a commentator, making rude and obviously non-insightful comments ("and now contestent one is doing...are you coring an apple?!") - and you get the American equivalent of Iron Chef.
But this setup is sooo American - it wasn't taken seriously, but you could see the contestant "chefs" (they were apparently real chefs for real restaurants - but sometimes they would have "theme chefs" - think firehouse and navy ship cooks) were sometimes annoyed - some were even somewhat distraught or something - a very wierd look in their eye...
I don't ever think I will forget the time the theme ingredient was SPAM - IIRC, there was some sorta "famous" chef as a contestant (not from FoodTV, but supposedly had a few restaurants or something) - and he damn near looked like he was going to faint, as in "HOW IN THE F--K AM I GOING TO COOK THAT?!"...
Oh, the joy...
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
Is this really news for nerd? I'd rather read about working at WorldCom ;-)
And Chris is proofreading.
Maybe life is looking up.
Iron Chef White Trash presents four dishes showcasing the theme ingredient of squid.
First, a deep fried squid, served with ketchup and a side of fires.
Second, a squid and peanut butter sandwich, served on Wonder Bread (tm) with the crusts carefully trimmed.
Third, a delicious squid Jello salad. The squid is chopped and suspended in lime Jello with carrots. The Jello mold is topped with Miracle Whip.
Fourth, squid nachos. Hunks of squid are spread over Doritos, covered with Velveeta and Pace Picante sauce and nuked.
Is it just me, or is anyone else's palatte "sophisticated" enough to handle the food they serve on that show? Minus the one episode with Bobby Flay, I can't think of a single dish I would let near my face. Octopus ink soup, lobster heads, etc, etc. Gross!
If you fall off a building, go real limp, because maybe you'll look like a dummy and people will be like hey, free dummy
Okay, American, French, Italian, and... Asian. Three countries and an entire freakin' continent.
"Iron Chef Asian." How... American. Makes me proud to be a citizen. Gods bless the empire.
Karma: T-rexcellent.
"He's reaching for the ramen! It looks like it's going to be Mountain Dew and ramen!"
Will it be the same without Chairman Kaga? I think not. Iron Chef was about cooking as opera, a battle of honorable peers, guided by an eccentric man with a taste for something different.
IC-USA loses that. The battles with Bobby Flay were horrible because the battles lacked the dignity of the other ones. Who didn't feel for the young Iron Chef Italian when he lost to the Wine Steward? That is pathos. William Shatner gooning at the camera won't be very appealing.
This is not the way to build a lasting empire.
They either assume that people don't read subtitles (which is probably true, lazy fucks
that we all are), or need some Americanization (e.g. dumbing down to joe six-pack) of
every fucking show or product that is imported to this country.
Maybe we should just get direct feeds from other countries and hope that they have closed captioning.
Your best bet then would be to learn a minor language, such as swedish. In Europe, the really big countries like France, Germany and Italy use dubbing extensively. While the smaller countries hardly ever dub. So dubbing is not a typically american phenomenon. It's size that matters. There are millions of Joe Sixpack's just because there are 200 mill americans, and millions of Hermann EinBisschenUnterMittel just because there are some 80 million Germans.
Small countries can't afford to dub just to accomodate Svenn MuchLessThanAverageMedelSvennson, because there's only a few thousand of them.
-- Another senseless waste of fine bytes.
I bet by the 3rd show the producers will make Shatner say "Where no chef has gone before"
How the hell do those chefs get anything done in such a short period of time (1Hr). They supposedly don't even know what the "secret" ingredient is before the show, although they immediately seem to know what their dishes are going to be and have special ingredients that they have brought with them to the show (certain type of flour, oil, spices etc ...) that are key to the dishes that they didn't know they were going to make, so that seems a little fishy. But how the hell can they possibly get 5 gourmet dishes done in such a short period including masterful presentation. I can't seem to heat a can of soup in 1Hr and these guys are cooking lamb, making ice cream, making pasta from scratch, etc... . Just 1 dish would take me 2 hrs and they pull off 5 in half the time and they seem to have at least 5 servings, all perfectly arranged with garnish, sauces, real art works. I have trouble keeping the peas from rolling off the plate and they are creating masterpieces!!! The show does hide the fact that they have 3 or 4 helpers but still how the hell can they get that much done in 1 hr???? I realize that these guys are professional chefs and this is an every night sort of thing for them, but I still find this amazing and they never seem to accidentally added too much salt or overcooked something or made a bad guess in creating a new dish. Again I understand that they have much more experience than me and they probably couldn't write code to save thier lives, but it still blows my mind what they do. I do make one hell of a PB&J, but beyond that they got me beat by a mile (light year).
...but will they let him sing?
/*drunk.. fix later*/
Roy Yamaguchi rules. If you've never been to Roy's on any island in Hawaii, you haven't lived. I can't wait to see his first battle...
Can your IM do this?
Sure you will, just go out to an Irish pub in Greece that serves food!
"Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons!"
UPN's got a great new strategy. Since they couldn't come up with a decent show besides Star Trek (anyone remember "Homeboys in Space" or "The Watcher" starring Sir Mix-A-Lot?), they just bought a bunch of other popular shows - Buffy, Roswell, Senfield reruns, and Iron Chef.
Roy Yamaguchi is Iron Chef Asian
If you haven't eaten at Roy's you're really missing out. He specializes in a fabulous Hawaian Fusion dishes. I've eaten at his resturants on Maui and in Carmel. Also, the desserts are incredible.
The Iron Chef show is fun, but we American's would rarely have the opportunity to sample food from one of the "Iron Chef's". You should check out one of Roy's locations in the US for a great meal.
-Steve
And the water is already boiling! That's not JUST for dramatic effect in the opening shots :)
Contrary to popular belief, coding is not all free blow-jobs and beer. Those things cost MONEY!
William Shatner's little speech at the end reminded me of Jerry Springer's Final Thoughts at the end of each episode.
Reality has a liberal bias
Dear Shatner:
Can you stick to the script, and tell the guys who's doing the special affects to cut half of 'em out?!? And get some culinary experts and identify the panelists while cutting down on the crowd. I becha you'll get better dishes that way.
--
# Canmephians for a better Linux Kernel
$Stalag99{"URL"}="http://stalag99.net";
9. Show is more concerned with obnoxious video effects than with food.
8. William Fatner is a pompous ass, not a dignified chairman.
7. Can't hear the commentary through the crowd noise. (What you say again?)
6. Commentary sucks anyway -- not enough substance about the food, but plenty of information about who cuts the chef's hair. Anthony Dias Blue should be ashamed of himself.
5. Judges are obviously two-bit no-name losers from failing UPN shows (no wait a minute -- all UPN shows are failing...) that are about to be canceled.
4. No drama. No logic behind why the theme ingredient was chosen. Doesn't matter, nobody seems to notice anyway. (Since when is Dungeness crab "unusual"?
3. Chefs are more concerned with playing to the camera than with cooking -- talking on the cell phone in an obviously set up call (you could hear both halves of the conversation!) and throwing caviar to the commentators? Puh-leeze! Escoffier would roll over in his grave....
2. The three "Iron Chefs" watching the competition look like the Three (fat) Stooges.
1. Commentator's yellow blazers look like they were fished from a dumpster behind the local Century 21 office.
0. Sissy Biggers.
Maybe this was all just a bad Priceline ad. We can only hope. The show was so bad that it made Shatner's toupee look good.
On a clear disk you can seek forever
They obviously went for camp. I mean, the the Idea of "American cuisine" has only begun to be specable in recent years.
There is, for example. this guy, who claims to be Iron Chef Kentucky:
http://jeffholland.tripod.com/food.html
Worth checking out on his own. - - Some of the recipes are truly scary.
Kentucky Bourbon Deviled Crab
Bacon-Burger-Fried Okra
Chocolate Steak
Survival Biscuit Casserole
Bubblegum Sauce
and there's more!
And I wonder if the chairman in the original Iron Chef was the Japanes equivalent of William Shantner from an earlier Japanese TV show
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
That show was the funniest thing I have seen in months (mind you, I don't get you much, and I used to watch the Japanese version on FoodTV religiously), but the American twist on this Japanese crackpipe had me rolling on the floor during the opening credits. The other interesting thing I noticed about the show was the amazing ego battle between the two competitors. They threw in these preshow interviews and clips of the chefs and these guys were real jerk-offs. It was the funniest thing to watch them puff up thier heads and try to cook at the same time. Plus the announcers were complete joe-sixpack morons (at least one of them kept quipping with things like "I sure to love me some crab legs"). I couldn't stop watching until the end and I actually felt like these two buffoons were serious about this competition. And then there was Shatner, the man, the myth, the legend. He has really mellowed since his hissy fits about being typecast in sci-fi for the rest of his career, and only being famous for his role as the Kirkster. His interview on Conan O'Brian earlier this week was one of the funniest displays of someone purposely trying to make as big a fool of himself as possible and succeeding better than anyone. He does not take himself seriously anymore. Someone must have slipped him some SOMA or something because he has become one of the coolest Hollywoods personalities out there. I sure hope this gets through at least one season so I can record them all on my Tivo and rip them to DVD. Man, talk about classic comedy.
Don't Ask Questions. I don't know the answers and even if I did I wouldn't tell you.
The good points:
The two chefs really kind of got into it.
Shatner's natural cheeziness is perfect for this sort of production.
I thought the audience screaming, cheering, and holding up signs like it was a SmackDown! taping was hysterical.
The motorcycle entrance.
The suckitude:
Lame secret ingredient.
The announcers absolutely blew goats. Big-time.
Way too much computer graphics to distract from the action.
And not enough attention was paid to the food itself - the sheer exoticness and detail is one of the key things that makes the original Iron Chef so cool.
There's a fine line between the kind of cheeziness that comes from good intent and earnestness, and the kind that comes from a calculated effort to be cheese. Iron Chef (classic) is the former kind - the US version, while watchable, is more like the latter. I'll watch the second one, but I'm not sure I'd watch it regularly if it became an ongoing series.
-- Josh Turiel
"2. Do not eat iPod Shuffle."
For those that did not see it: dungeness crab. Iron Chef American won (unsurprisingly, for the pilot).
Not too bad an adaptation, IMO, though there was showboating by both sides - more from the Iron Chef than his opponent. A little excessive explanation of the rules, though that can perhaps be forgiven for the pilot. Even the commentators got involved at one point (Chairman Shatner was tasting some caviar, the commentators made a quip about getting some themselves, and the Iron Chef obliged, tossing it up to them).
Overall: it could have been a little more faithful to the original - but at the risk of being nothing more than a clone/ripoff. They had fun with it, and it showed. If they can keep that up, they may well have enough audience for at least a few seasons' run.
What made the original a success:
1. Token 14yr old Japaneese actress.
2. Godzilla could storm in at any moment.
3. Chairman eats a bell pepper follwed by drueling.
Someone you trust is one of us.
Of course I don't think Iron Chef is really taken seriously - at least not by most people - but the show seems to take itself a little seriously (but not too much - that shit eating grin of Kaga's after biting the pepper shows that much). I don't think they will capture what Iron Chef is really about - which is more of the American Perception of Japan.
I really don't know how Iron Chef is (was?) perceived by the Japanese - is it a serious show for them, or is it more like a game show? Regardless of how they see it - we see it differently. I am sure if they took this American Iron Chef, dropped it in Japan with some dubbing - they would snarf it up madly (maybe).
I just hope they don't ruin the whole Iron Chef "idea" or feel...
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
Oh, come on. Is there any period in Irish history that isn't called "The Troubles", at least since Patrick chased out the leprachauns or whatever it was he did?
This next song is very sad. Please clap along. -- Robin Zander