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New Ways to Cook and Showcase Food At The Food Network 2013 Upfronts



Food Network has an ambition slate of new and returning original content. The Food Network channel has become somewhat of a Cinderella story. It started off with critics thinking how could a channel devoted solely to cooking survive and thrive, and now it is one of the top rated cable channels, and has even garnered a spin off. There are more than a dozen new shows headed to the Food Network this season and they will feature everything from celebrities to fast-food and everything in between. There are so many new shows on the Food Network that I have trouble keeping count and I wrote the blog, if I missed a premiere date, or a new show just let me know in the comments section. 


NEW SERIES/PRIME TIME


Giving You the Business (Premiered April 25th 2013)
CEOs of well-known food chains are looking to expand and reward one of their loyal, hard-working employees with the opportunity to own their own franchise. The twist? The employees don’t know. The bosses secretly enter them into a hidden-camera competition that will test them on their skills, their honesty and their ability to handle themselves in increasingly outrageous situations. In the end, one will be given the opportunity of a lifetime.

Food Court Wars - Premieres Sunday, July 7th at 10pm
Food Court Wars pits two teams of aspiring food entrepreneurs against one another as they battle to win their own food court restaurant rent-free for a year. Hosted by Tyler Florence, in every episode a mall in a different city wants to open a new ‘local’ eatery in the food court that offers a fresh region-specific menu. Stakes are high as teams must test their concept, market their brand, and run their outlet for a full day feeding hungry shoppers. The team whose restaurant makes the most profit wins their eatery space – a prize worth $100,000.

Bubba’s Grills Gone Wild (PREMIERES July 2013)
Bubba’s Grills Gone Wild profiles the lives of Bubba, his family and his crew, the creators of the world’s most outrageous custom barbecue grills. From car engines to big rigs, Bubba and his team can turn just about anything into a grill. Follow the day-to-day fun and drama as they battle impossible deadlines, and each other, to push the envelope of grill design and fabrication.

Chef Roulette (PREMIERES August 2013)
This cooking competition takes on a new spin, literally, when Chef Roulette brings four talented chefs together in a high stakes game of chance. Preparing a masterful meal, chefs must learn to expect the unexpected as their entire cooking station and dish may change hands as the wheel turns. The dish they started may not be the one they finish, as the wheel will decide which plate they are completing and ultimately being judged on.

The Shed (PREMIERES AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013)
Follow the lives and exploits of the Orrisons – the (unofficial) First Family of Mississippi. Brad Orrison and his family have amassed a fortune through a chain of Barbecue restaurants ultimately becoming the premier team in nationwide barbecue competitions. The Orrisons are a family full of big characters, big toys, and big laughs, and each episode will chronicle a different component of the Orrison’s ever growing family and business empire in the great state of Mississippi. Nothing is too wild for Brad, his family or the “Shed Heads” to conquer…in or out of the Shed

On the Rocks (PREMIERES SEPTEMBER 2013)
After opening his own consulting business and overseeing bar and club openings in seven countries, it’s safe to say that John Green knows bars. But if John is coming to your bar it means you are On the Rocks. Luckily for struggling bar owners, it’s John to the rescue. In each episode, John travels to bars around the country to help them keep their doors open and get business back to normal. He assesses the bar’s problems, confronts the owner and lets them know what needs to be fixed, whether it’s newly trained staff or a whole new design, John’s got the answers for what ails the bar.

Cutthroat Kitchen (PREMIERES SEPTEMBER 2013)
Just how far is a chef willing to go to win a cooking competition? Cutthroat Kitchen hands four chefs $25,000 and the opportunity to spend that money on helping themselves or sabotaging their competitors. Ingredients will be thieved, utensils destroyed and valuable time on the clock lost when these chefs compete to cook delicious dishes while also having to out plot the competition. With Alton Brown as the devilish provocateur, nothing is out of bounds when money changes hands and we see just how far one chef will go to insure they have the winning dish.

Grocery Games (PREMIERES SEPTMEBER/OCTOBER 2013)
Four talented chefs compete in supermarket-themed cooking challenges as they must navigate their way through the aisles, adhering to “real-world” challenges of shopping on a budget, substituting out-of-stock ingredients, and cooking (and checking out) with five items or less. In the end, the food does the talking, as one-by-one the losing chefs are “bagged,” and the last chef standing goes on the shopping spree of a lifetime to make big bucks.
 
Poster is from last year. 2013 premiere date below
Extreme Tupperware Ladies (PREMIERES OCTOBER 2013)

Extreme Tupperware Ladies pulls the curtain back from one of America’s most iconic brands, giving viewers an insider’s glimpse of a vibrant, fun and completely unexpected culture where top saleswomen and men are making millions, and having a ball doing it.

Bossover (PREMIERES October 2013)
The restaurant business is a cutthroat pressure cooker where every moment counts and failure is always right around the corner. With success rates at less than 50%, there’s a wide range of reasons that can cause closures, but sometimes it’s not the food, it’s not the location, and it’s not the employees – sometimes it’s the boss. That’s where Joe Bastianich comes in. Restaurants nominate their terrible bosses for a makeover from Joe, and the owner will have to perform his employees’ jobs to realize that success must start at the top.

Restaurant Divided (PREMIERES October 2013)
Restaurant Divided is a reality series that pits two warring factions in a failing, family-run restaurant – each with a different vision of how to save it – against each other to determine who has the best plan. After dividing the entire restaurant space in half, each group is given a limited time and budget to transform their space into their vision for a new restaurant. Then, the two restaurants open and compete, side-by-side, by serving real customers over a period of two nights. The concept that does best overall in customer reviews, critic reviews and profitability will be the one that unites the restaurant again.

Restaurant Express (PREMIERES November 2013)
Robert Irvine has gathered eight aspiring restaurateurs for a bus road trip of a lifetime. Through a rigorous set of challenges, Robert will be looking at every aspect of their business acumen and testing all the skills needed to run their own restaurant. In the end, only one person will remain on the bus, ultimately dropped-off at their final stop: their very own restaurant.

Beat Bobby Flay (PREMIERES 2013)
In order to beat Bobby Flay, you have to get to him first. This new series is the ultimate throwdown-showdown…. Three culinary masters, each with their own signature dish, a dish that they’d stake their reputations on, travel to New York for the chance to challenge Bobby Flay to a head-to-head cook-off of their specialty. But first, these contenders must battle it out to see who has the culinary prowess to ultimately go one-on-one against Bobby on his own turf.


Chef Marks the Spot (PREMIERES 2013)
In this cutting edge, culinary competition, two blindfolded chefs are dropped into a real-world environment far from a standard kitchen and pantry – a carnival, dormitory, boardwalk, shopping mall, airplane, hospital, the Las Vegas Strip, Times Square, etc. After removing their blindfolds, the chefs only have a 50-foot radius to source their ingredients and prepare a masterful meal. Regulated by ankle monitors and armed with only a mobile cooking station, the chefs must use their resourcefulness, creativity, and culinary prowess to impress the palates of a group of judges. In the end, only one chef will be victorious in this one-of-a-kind challenge.

Amateur Chefs Competition Show / American Superstar Chef (PREMIERES 2014)
The biggest home cook tournament spanning the entire country. Join eight celebrity chefs, each representing their own region of the country, as they pick one home cook to represent them and their region in the tournament of their lives. Through a series of head-to-head competitions coached by their celebrity chef, ultimately, one home cook will be crowned the American Superstar Chef.

Undercover Critics (PREMIERES 2014)
Restaurant critics are armed with hidden cameras, looking to unveil the good, the bad and the ugly of established restaurants. Undercover Critics will give restaurant owners a second chance to improve on their faults and flaws, before any review is actually published. After visiting the restaurant, our Undercover Critics will reveal themselves, letting the owner know about the visit and handing over the ‘would-be/could-be’ negative review. With a laundry list of things to fix, we’ll see owners do whatever it takes to turn a bad review into a great one before it hits the press.


RETURNING SERIES

Chopped All-Stars (SEASON 3 PREMIERES APRIL 2013)
Season 3 of Food Network’s top-rated series Chopped All-Stars returns, as sixteen culinary competitors battle it out for the title of All-Star champion and a $50,000 prize for the winner’s charity. The five-part competition series, includes four chefs going head-to-head each week in themed episodes featuring Food Network chefs vs. Cooking Channel chefs, an all-out battle of the Mega Chefs, the much-anticipated battle of the Chopped judges, and a can’t miss culinary showdown as four celebrities with a shared love of cooking compete against each other in the Chopped kitchen. Judged by arotating roster of Chopped regulars, the competitors are challenged to create delectable courses in a limited amount of time from the ingredients in the renowned Chopped mystery basket. The winner of each episode will compete for the grand prize.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Premiers- Monday, July 1st at 10pm - 
Host Guy Fieri takes a cross-country road trip to visit some of America’s classic “greasy spoon” restaurants that have been doing it right for decades. These days they’re booming again – being run by a whole new generation of owners, and catering delicious homemade food to fans young and old alike. It might be a shack on the side of the highway in Tarpley, Texas or a sports bar in Vegas famous for stromboli, but across the board, these are the kind of places that make America great.

Iron Chef America: Tournament of Champions (PREMIERED SUNDAY, MAY 5TH 2013)
In this Tournament of Champions, Iron Chefs battle Iron Chefs to see whose cuisine will reign supreme. Participating in this battle of the best are Geoffrey Zakarian, Alex Guarnaschelli, Jose Garces, Michael Symon, and Masaharu Morimoto. Joined by a rotating panel of judges including G. Garvin, Trisha Yearwood, Simon Majumbar, Donatella Arpaia, Ree Drummond, Aaron Sanchez, Jeffrey Steingarten and Bobby Flay, these Iron Chefs are put to the ultimate test to earn the title of best of the best.

Food Network Star (PREMIERES Sunday, July 7th at 9pm )
Long-running hit primetime series Food Network Star returns for season nine with twelve talented hopefuls competing for the ultimate prize: their own Food Network show. Culinary superstars Alton Brown, Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay are all back for the new season, this year in a hybrid mentor/judge role. An audience vote will again determine who possesses the personality and kitchen chops to be the next Food Network Star.

Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell - Season Three Premiere: August 2013
Superstar chef Anne Burrell hits the pavement to help prominent restaurants around the country find their most valuable employee – the Executive Chef. Chef Anne puts four top-level candidates through the ultimate job interview as she tests their culinary chops and business savvy in kitchen challenges that run the gamut. From testing their resourcefulness by creating a delicious dish using only four ingredients, to assessing their ability to pair their own dishes with a signature beer from the restaurant’s menu, these chefs are in for the challenge of their lives. For the final two chefs it all boils down to one night of service when they are handed the keys to the restaurant and, potentially, the job of their dreams.


The Great Food Truck Race - Season Four Premiere: August 2013
The Great Food Truck Race’s fourth outing will have more drama, more twists, more strategy, but most of all, more dreams. Hosted by Tyler Florence, this season’s not a competition between current food truck operators – it’s between people who desperately want to be. Eight teams of hopefuls will have their dream truck handed to them before they race from city to city trying to prove they have what it takes to own and operate a successful food truck, and the winning team will get to keep their truck and immediately launch their food empire.

Halloween Wars - Season Three Premiere: October 2013
Food Network puts viewers in the Halloween spirit serving up a deliciously scary series, Halloween Wars, for a third season. The four episode competition places five teams – comprised of cake decorators, candy makers and pumpkin carvers- working in unison to create the ultimate Halloween-themed display. One team is eliminated each week, with the winner taking home $50,000.

Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off - Season Three Premiere: January 2014
Food Network icon Rachael Ray and best-selling cookbook author and successful restaurateur Guy Fieri, return to coach and mentor new celebrity contestants for the third season of Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off. The celebrities are divided into Team Guy and Team Rachael, as they compete in intense weekly challenges that are sure to have them working, fighting and laughing along the way. The losing team must send its two bottom-rated contestants to face off against each other, with one member sent home each week in a blind tasting elimination challenge. The last celebrity standing will join the ranks of winners, Lou Diamond Phillips and Dean McDermott, and win $50,000 for the charity which they are playing for.

Worst Cooks in America - Season Five Premiere: TBD 2014
Worst Cooks in America, the primetime Food Network hit that turns kitchen zeroes into kitchen heroes returns for a fifth season. The cooking-challenged contestants are split into two teams for a grueling competition designed to turn them into competent cooks. A $25,000 grand prize will be awarded to the winning contestant who has achieved the most successful culinary transformation, along with a victory for their team leader. Produced by Optomen for Food Network


RETURNING SERIES/DAYTIME



Sandwich King - Season Four Premiered: April 2013
Jeff Mauro, season-seven winner of Food Network Star and hoagie aficionado, returns to FoodNetwork daytime for a fourth season of Emmy-nominated Sandwich King. Mauro takes Food Network viewers on a mouthwatering journey as he visits his favorite restaurants and heads back to the kitchen to add his own spin on these sandwiches and more, proving you can make any sandwich into a meal, and any meal into a sandwich.

Guy’s Big Bite - Season Fourteen Premiered: April 2013
Guy Fieri’s bleached blonde hair, goatee and skateboarder shorts make a strong statement – you are what you eat! Whether it’s his Mojito Chicken, Pepperoni Lasagna or Jambalaya Sandwich, one thing is certain, Guy Fieri’s food is as fun, fearless and fundamental as his larger-than-life Emmy-nominated personality.

Home for Dinner with Jamie Deen - Season Two Premiered: Sunday, June 2nd at 10am
For Jamie Deen, it’s all about food and family. As a husband, father, and cook, Jamie puts his personal and professional skills to the test to create great family dinners. Jamie always welcomes a helping hand, whether his son Jack joins to make dessert or Grandma Ginny (aka Paula Deen) comes over to help put the finishing touches on the meal. In the Deen family, there’s nothing more fun that being Home for Dinner.

Trisha’s Southern Kitchen - Season Three Premiere: May 2013
Music superstar and best-selling cookbook author Trisha Yearwood brings her family-inspired recipes and food traditions to Food Network with Trisha’s Southern Kitchen. Each themed show invites viewers into Trisha’s kitchen for her favorite meals, nostalgic stories and visits from family and friends, giving viewers a one-of-a-kind look into Trisha’s life, and unique how-to tips and techniques for down-home dishes.


The Pioneer Woman - Season Five Premiered: June 1st 2013Award-winning blogger and best-selling cookbook author Ree Drummond brings her signature wit and down-home recipes to Food Network for a fourth season. Shot on location at her Oklahoma ranch, The Pioneer Womanserves up a slice of frontier life along with the “accidental country girl’s” step-by-step recipes for creating wholesome, hearty family meals and elegant menus for entertaining.

Barefoot Contessa - Season Nine Premiere: Saturday, June 29th at 10am
As America’s hostess, Ina Garten shares her elegant tips, techniques and easy recipes, and throws open the doors of her Hampton’s home for more delicious food, dazzling ideas and good fun. Throughout the season, Ina offers up fresh ideas and ventures out of the kitchen to learn from experts and help cook meals for people in her community.

Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction - Season Three: Premiering Sunday, June 16th at 11:30am
2012 Emmy award-winning, Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction is back with quintessential grill master, Bobby Flay taking outdoor grilling to a whole new level in this high-impact cooking series. Bobby pulls out all the stops and delivers a one-two culinary punch, showcasing his expert grilling techniques in surprising new ways. Using abundant, flavor-packed ingredients and the grilling tools he loves most, Bobby transforms a backyard into a Mecca of barbecue deliciousness. The grilling maestro steps up his game – from charcoal, to smoke, to the global Q – and proves why he’s truly addicted to barbecue.

Paula’s Best Dishes - Season Premiere: June/July 2013
Paula Deen’s cooking up something new as she rescues viewer recipes, shares stories and traditions with friends and strangers alike, and learns the secrets of some of America’s best cooks. The queen of southern cuisine dishes up good times and great food with the gang! Produced by Follow Productions for Food Network


Giada at Home Season - Premiered: Saturday, June 1st at 11:30am

Giada De Laurentiis shares her love for entertaining California-style. Be Giada’s guest as she puts together unique meals for gatherings with friends and family. Whether it’s a festive bash or an intimate meal, in her own kitchen or at the beach, it’s a day of memorable food and fun with multiple Emmy-nominated Giada at Home.


Rachael Ray’s Week in a Day - Season Premiere: September 2013
If you’ve ever wished there was an easier and better way to get dinner on the table every night, you need Rachael Ray’s Week in a Day. The woman who taught America how to make a meal in 30 minutes is back with an even bigger promise: one day of cooking, up to five days of eating! In every episode, Rachael will show you five meals you can put together in a single day. So when you come home from a hard day of work, the hard work in the kitchen’s already done. Using the recipes, strategies, and tips from Week in a Day, you can eat well every night — even on those days when the clock is working against you. Produced by PreSliced for Food Network

SPECIALS
Guy & Rachael’s Kids Cook-Off - Series Premiere: September 2013
Rachael Ray and Guy Fieri team up again, this time they are challenging the most impressive, determined and downright adorable contestants ever – kids! They’ll mentor and guide all along the way, as these young chefs prove to themselves and America that you don’t need a driver’s license to be an amazing cook. Produced by Jane Street for Food Network

Food Network’s 20th Birthday Special - Premiere: November 2013
Take a look back at the last 20 years as we revisit Food Network’s start and see just how far we’ve come. Hear from the beloved chefs and hosts who helped make Food Network what it is today. Food Network is celebrating our 20th birthday and audiences are invited to the party!

Thanksgiving Live! - Live Premiere: November 2013
The experts at Food Network come together to answer viewers toughest questions about holiday meal-making on Thanksgiving Live!, a two-hour, live-interactive show. They address the perennial holiday problems from dry turkey to lumpy gravy, as well as demonstrate helpful tips and delicious recipes.

Your Dish Is My Command - Premiere: December 2013
Join Rachael Ray as she fulfills the dream of some of her biggest fans by cooking with them.

Breezy's Recap
The food Network isn't just about eating or even learning how to cook. The Kitchen is the heart of the home, and the food network shows individuals how to make the best use of that space and the food that is cooked and consumed there. I personally love Diners Drive-ins and Dive's and Restaurant impossible is always fun to watch. I will try and give the news shows a chance but no promises! What about you who is your favorite food network star? What is your favorite cooking show? Do any of these new shows tickle your fancy? Let us know in the comments section.

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