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NIC Season 5 Behind the Scenes
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NIC Season 5 Behind the Scenes 03:06
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Cooking Differences 01:42
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One-Dish Do-Over 01:25
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Cooking Under Pressure 01:22
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Behind the Scenes With Alton 01:42
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A Culinary Sneak Peek 01:40
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Bobby Flay on Kitchen Stadium 03:03
BONUS FOOTAGE AND THE NEXT IRON CHEF REVEALED
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Episodes
See Episode GuideInnovation
The last time the Chairman brought NIC competitors to a diner, he asked them to elevate American comfort food classics to Kitchen Stadium fare. This time, the transformation will take on a global accent. The chefs, competing in groups of three, must create an innovative and Iron Chef worthy take on humble international classics.
Passion/Respect
For the final cooking challenge in Las Vegas, the three remaining Chefs must demonstrate their passion for cooking ... and their passion to become the Next Iron Chef. Each Judge selects an ingredient that stirs his/her own culinary passion which will shape the chefs' "last supper" in Las Vegas. One chef's Next Iron Chef dream will end after this meal and the final two will move on to Kitchen Stadium -- who will be "The Next Iron Chef?"
Innovation (Season 2)
Host Alton Brown explains that Innovation is one of the most important traits of an Iron Chef and both challenges in this episode must embody that trait. First, the chefs disperse to four of the best Asian eateries in Los Angeles where they quickly taste and then attempt to recreate the house specialty from each restaurant. The chefs are armed only with their discerning palates to figure out how the dish is made. Next, the chefs are tasked with innovating and creating a new dish that is a hybrid of Asian flavors and American culinary sensibilities. The next chef is eliminated.
Integrity (Season 2)
The final three chefs undergo a test of Integrity, and how they can honor both personal integrity and integrity of ingredients. At the most famous fish market in the world, Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market, the chefs race to gather ingredients to prepare their version of the most revered and traditional Japanese meal known as kaiseki. This kaiseki meal is filtered through each chef’s unique culinary personality. This traditional Japanese cooking style consists of an elaborately choreographed tasting menu with extreme attention focused on the beauty of each plate and the seasonality of the ingredients. One chef is eliminated, and the last two standing prepare for the final battle in Kitchen Stadium.
Ingenuity
The theme this season is “American Cuisine” as 10 esteemed Chefs arrive in Los Angeles ready to prove to the Chairman they have what it takes to become The Next Iron Chef. The Chairman’s charge for this episode is ingenuity and for the Secret Ingredient Challenge, the secret ingredient is bread. The chefs must make a sandwich that represents their personality in 30 minutes. Ingenuity is vital in the Chairman’s Challenge, because the threat of elimination looms as the chefs find themselves on a beach cooking with the one ingredient they said they would want if stranded on a desert island.
Primal: Heat and Meat
In the season premiere of Next Iron Chef: All Stars, 10 chefs are brought to the middle of nowhere and their primal instincts are put to the test. Split into five teams, the chefs are given the most basic tools to build their own cooking stations before creating their Iron Chef-worthy dishes.
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
The chefs are brought to Petco Park in San Diego, where host Alton Brown presents their next test: TRANSFORMATION. The chefs are asked to use ingredients they source at the ballpark concession stands (think hot dogs and peanuts) to prepare two Iron Chef-worthy interpretations of stadium classics. Transformation is the goal: Which chef takes ballpark foods and transforms them into dishes worthy of Kitchen Stadium?
Hamptons Beach Cookout
In this challenge, the chefs must create food for a Hamptons event that reflects the rich seafood bounty of the area. Double-elimination looms while the chefs must entwine their skills and focus on finding their "passion" to take a traditional beach cookout to Iron Chef-worthy heights. Who has the passion, the burning desire, to become the Next Iron Chef?
Fearlessness (Season 2)
In the season premiere of The Next Iron Chef, ten chefs arrive in Los Angeles to compete in a series of globally-inspired cooking challenges that will test their abilities to master culinary styles from around the world. The chefs are greeted by host Alton Brown (Iron Chef America, Good Eats), who gives them their first two tests: Memory and Fearlessness. For Memory, the chefs are asked to use an ingredient that has played a significant role in their lives to create a dish that expresses their culinary style and heritage. Next, the chefs are assigned exotic ingredients from around the world that test their iron wills and stomachs. They must showcase their fearless nature through their approach in using these ingredients as the centerpiece of two dishes. The first chef is then eliminated.
Pressure (Season 2)
The six remaining competitors meet acclaimed Indian chef, Suvir Saran, and begin their next test: Pressure. First, the chefs have 30 minutes to capture the essence and balance of Indian fare in just one bite. Then, the chefs attend a Bollywood-style gala to gain a true understanding of the traditional foods and culture of India. With this knowledge, they then have two hours to prepare a five-course Indian feast judged for the authenticity, flavor, drama, and theatrical presentation of the food. Two chefs are eliminated, and the remaining chefs learn they will head to the airport and travel on American Airlines to one of the great culinary hotspots in the world – Tokyo, Japan.
Umami (Deliciousness) (Season 2)
The four remaining chefs board an American Airlines flight and travel to Tokyo, Japan. The chefs begin a culinary adventure into the world of umami (a Japanese term for 'delicious' that is used to describe the fifth taste). First the chefs arrive at a traditional Japanese yakitori grill restaurant where they are asked to use Kikkoman soy sauce to infuse umami into their dishes and enhance the flavor profiles of a variety of ingredients. Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto arrives as a surprise judge for this test. Then the chefs travel through Tokyo to the most renowned culinary academy in the city where they meet Dr. Yukio Hattori, the original Iron Chef Japanese culinary commentator. Dr. Hattori opens the doors to his academy where the chefs are challenged to use different cooking styles in a test that highlights the five tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami. The next chef is eliminated.
Innovation
After seeing their first fellow chef sent home, the competition among the remaining 9 chefs escalates. In this episode, the Chairman’s charge is INNOVATION and for the Secret Ingredient Challenge, the chefs arrive at a coffee shop where they learn the secret ingredient is COFFEE AND DONUTS. The chefs must create two dishes featuring coffee and donuts in 30 mins. The cooking is fast and furious as the chefs struggle to innovate these American breakfast favorites. The Chairman’s Challenge, builds upon the coffee shop theme by demanding that the chefs INNOVATE classic diner foods like meatloaf, hamburgers and corned beef hash to Iron Chef level in 60 minutes.
Honor
After a season packed with grueling challenges, only two chefs remain to battle it out for the ultimate culinary title of Iron Chef. The challengers head to New York for a Thanksgiving-themed showdown in legendary Kitchen Stadium, where they face a true Iron Chef challenge: prepare five creative and delicious dishes in 60 minutes using the always-feared Secret Ingredient. In addition to the season's three judges, the finalists also try to impress special guest judges, Iron Chefs Bobby Flay and Masaharu Morimoto. In the end, only one chef will reign supreme to earn the title of The Next Iron Chef.
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