.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.196.196.suffix/1679332577620.jpeg "1467756599")
Behind the Scenes of Iron Chef Gauntlet
Go on set with Alton Brown and the contestants to find out what goes on between takes and see what it takes to bring this competition to life.
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Pat Wymore
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Zac Hahn
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Zac Hahn
Photo By: Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen
Photo By: Zac Hahn
Photo By: Eddy Chen
Photo By: Zac Hahn
Photo By: Zac Hahn
Photo By: Eddy Chen
Photo By: Patrick Wymore
Photo By: Patrick Wymore
Photo By: Eddy Chen
Photo By: Patrick Wymore
Photo By: Patrick Wymore
Photo By: Patrick Wymore
Photo By: Patrick Wymore
Photo By: Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen
Photo By: Patrick Wymore
Photo By: Eddy Chen
Photo By: Patrick Wymore
Photo By: Patrick Wymore
Photo By: Patrick Wymore
Photo By: Patrick Wymore
Photo By: Eddy Chen
Photo By: Patrick Wymore
Photo By: Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Patrick Wymore
Photo By: Patrick Wymore
Photo By: Patrick Wymore
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Patrick Wymore
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Eddy Chen , Eddy Chen
Photo By: Patrick Wymore
Week 6: Telling Shadows
Let's just say that Iron Chef Morimoto managed to keep the mood light on set while waiting for filming to begin.
Week 6: Battle Moves
Iron Chef Flay fused Mediterranean flavors with his Southwestern style when prepping his eggplant-stuffed chile relleno.
Week 6: Challenger Check-In
After time was called in the first heat, Chef Izard dropped by Iron Chef Flay's station to take a peek at his finished dish.
Week 6: Two Times the Work
Iron Chef Symon took a two-pan approach to prepping his brown butter-based sauce, flavored with the deeply savory taste of chicken livers.
Week 6: Planning and Chatting
Alton visited Chef Izard at the start of the second heat to gauge her approach to her Battle Cheese offering.
Week 6: Presentation Details
Renowned for his meticulous mastery of seafood, Iron Chef Morimoto worked with careful precision as he plated several of his tilefish offerings.
Week 6: Pure Elation
Upon learning of her victory, the newly crowned Iron Chef Izard threw back her head in joy.
Week 5: A One-on-One Chat
Alton spoke right to camera as he detailed the latest action of the competition.
Week 5: Altar Reveal
As Alton unveiled an altar full of not food but three empty baskets, Chef Grueneberg's expression told the story of what she was feeling.
Week 5: The All-Important Lemon
Chef Dady chose lemon for one of his five ingredients in the Chairman's Challenge, and ultimately Alton found that it proved to be the one utilized least successfully.
Week 5: Intensity Abounds
Chef Izard kept her focus on the task at hand as she executed her Round 1 custard.
Week 5: Evaluation Setup
As Alton prepared to taste Chef Grueneberg's pasta offering in the Chairman's Challenge, a team of cameramen flocked to her station to capture the moment.
Week 5: The Other Side of the Table
No stranger to Iron Chef competitions, Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli took her place not at the stove but at the judge's table this time.
Week 4: Careful Watch
Ever the attentive host, Alton observed Chef Izard's progress as she put together elements of her short rib offering.
Week 4: A Curry Coming Together
Chef Jason Dady prepares his dish, Thai Red Curry with Frozen Coconut Lime and Sea Diver Scallops, for the Chairman's Challenge, as seen on Iron Chef Gauntlet, Season 1
Week 4: Sake Silliness
While Chef Dady sprinted through the kitchen, Chef Nakajima and Alton found a moment to laugh over a bottle of sake.
Week 4: Chicken Shock
Both Chef Izard and Chef Nakajima could hardly believe it when Alton unveiled a variety of chicken — a deceptively tricky ingredient — as the Secret Ingredient.
Week 4: Full Focus
It took multiple camera operators to capture the intricate work of Chef Nakajima and Chef Izard as they executed their chicken offerings.
Week 4: The View from Here
Both safe from the Secret Ingredient Showdown, Chefs Dady and Grueneberg took in the action of their fellow competitors as Battle Chicken unfolded.
Week 4: Swapping Stories
Iron Chef Cat Cora and Alton exchanged a few words during a brief break between scenes.
Week 3: Station Setup
With an all-angle view of the action, Alton never missed a moment of the cooking at any challenger's prep table.
Week 3: A Balanced Approach
Chef Dady was sure to showcase not only sweet and savory elements on his dish, but also the contrasting colors of black and white, given his altar ingredient of sesame seeds.
Week 3: In-Progress Prep
It took Chef Izard considerable time to formulate an approach to her sweet and savory black bean offerings, but that doesn't mean she simply stopped working. She was sure to keep up momentum as she narrowed her focus.
Week 3: Back. Again.
For the second week in a row, Chef Nakajima landed in the Secret Ingredient Showdown. And from the looks of his reaction, he's not exactly thrilled.
Week 3: Multitasking
It was essential that chefs balance multiple components of their dishes at once, as the time constraints of the challenge prevented them from taking a more relaxed approach.
Week 3: A Quality View
As the challengers safe from the Secret Ingredient Showdown watched the Round 2 battle unfold, Alton checked in with them about their thoughts on the face-off.
Week 3: Friends and Foes
Before the judging got underway, Chef Nakajima stopped by his rival Chef Gulotta's station after an intense one-on-one Secret Ingredient Showdown.
Week 3: Catching Up
Iron Chef Forgione and Giada De Laurentiis took a few moments to chat on set during a brief break in filming.
Week 2: Brown Vision
This is the view Alton had as he took his place at his mobile workstation, complete with all the shots coming from the show's cameras.
Week 2: All Business
Chef Dady kept his focus on his homemade pasta dough as Alton stopped by for a quick check-in during the Chairman's Challenge.
Week 2: A Shocked Stare
Don't let the look on Chef Grueneberg's face fool you. Her wonton preparation turned out exceedingly well, so much so that she took top honors in this week.
Week 2: Last Hope
When Chef Gulotta's pig's feet failed to cook thoroughly in their first stint in the pressure cooker, he was forced to give them one last chance to cook by adding more liquid and allowing for a few minutes more on the stove.
Week 2: Balancing Components
True to her culinary point of view, Chef Izard set out to make an Asian-inspired dish to showcase pork belly, and for that, she needed to complete multiple elements in the allotted 45 minutes.
Week 2: Battle Banana
With an overflowing altar featuring multiple kinds of bananas in varying degrees of ripeness, this Secret Ingredient Showdown indeed went above and beyond the usual yellow-fruit conditions of ripeness.
Week 2: Goods Galore
After a productive trip to the pantry, Chef Nakajima dropped off a few items at his prep station.
Week 2: An Audience of Lenses
No fewer than four cameras flanked Chef Sawyer's station as the challenger executed his banana offerings.
Week 2: Spectators' Section
While Chefs Sawyer and Nakajima battled in an intense 60-minute Secret Ingredient Showdown, their rivals, all safe from elimination, watched the face-off unfold from the sidelines.
Week 2: Quick Test
Chef Sawyer got up close with his Boca Negra (aka a super-rich chocolate cake) as he tested the doneness of the dessert during the final moments of the Secret Ingredient Showdown.
Week 2: Taking It In
If you find yourself watching Iron Chef battles and commenting on how you'd approach the Secret Ingredient, you can imagine what this moment was like for Chefs Gulotta and Dady as they observed their fellow competitors in the throes of battle.
Week 2: Parting Embrace
After learning of Chef Sawyer's elimination, both challengers came together for a handshake and hug before going their separate ways.
Week 1: The View from Afar
Minimalist, dark and powerful, the Iron Chef Gauntlet kitchen exudes intensity, a feeling almost surely felt by all the chefs who cooked in it.
Week 1: The Chairman's Corner
Decked out with multiple stickers, Alton's personal laptop took center stage on his moveable work station from which he could see the views of all cameras on set.
Week 1: New Pals
Despite being rivals, Chefs Nakajima and Izard were quick to exchange friendly banter while waiting on set between takes.
Week 1: A Myriad of Preparations
Like his fellow competitors, Chef Sawyer utilized all tools and ingredients at his disposal, even going so far as to fill up almost his entire gas range with pots and pans. Alton made his way to the challenger's station to find out what Chef Sawyer had in the works.
Week 1: Manual Labor
Leave it to an Iron Chef hopeful to not shy away from using elbow grease to prepare his dish, like Chef Gulotta is doing with a mortar and pestle during the Chairman's Challenge.
Week 1: Hey, Alton
We see you over there.
Week 1: Up-Close Action
As the Chairman's Challenge unfolded, Chef Arrington was all business as she worked to execute her roasted squab presentation and salsify side dish.
Week 1: The Sniff Test
Before tasting Chef Nakajima's quail offering, Alton got up close and personal with it, giving it a quick smell as it rested on the plate.
Week 1: An Audience for Tasting
When Alton stopped by Chef Sawyer's station to sample his Chairman's Challenge offering, multiple cameras were on hand to capture not only Alton's feedback but also the challenger's reaction.
Week 1: A Seafood Sidekick
Alton just couldn't help but get his hands on one of the lobsters adorning the altar.
Week 1: Careful Attention
Both Chef Grueneberg and the cameraman focused intently on the jobs before them during the Secret Ingredient Showdown.
Week 1: Playing Through Anxiety
Chef Arrington admitted that in the Secret Ingredient Showdown, she was "fighting for [her] culinary immortality." Still, though, she managed to smile through the stress.
Week 1: Together Again
It's been years since this culinary trio were last in the kitchen together, and sure enough, when they returned to the world of Iron Chef, it was as if no time had passed.
Week 1: A Moment to Relax
No matter the air of tension in the kitchen, the challengers managed to let loose a bit as they awaited the results of the first Secret Ingredient Showdown,
Want More Iron Chef Gauntlet?
Check out Food Network's Iron Chef Gauntlet headquarters for more insider coverage of the competition, and hear from Alton and the challengers as they reveal their thoughts on battle.
