The WORST episodes of The Next Iron Chef
Every episode of The Next Iron Chef ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of The Next Iron Chef!
The world's greatest culinary artists come together to compete for the prestigious title of Iron Chef America in this Alton Brown-hosted series. Catch all the yummy intensity on the Food Network.
#1 - New York on a Plate
Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/27/2011
The remaining chefs are brought to Charlie Palmer in NYC's Grand Central Station for their next test: STORYTELLING. Alton reveals six postcards and hidden on the back of the cards are six iconic NYC locations. The chef who won the Chairman's Challenge the previous week assigns each chef a New York location. The mission? The chefs must create a culinary story based on one of these iconic sites and present how they have each put New York on a plate. Will they incorporate iconic foods like the beloved New York bagel?
#2 - Ingenuity
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/3/2010
Secret Ingredient Challenge (Secret Ingredient: Bread): Make a sandwich expressing their culinary style Chairman's Challenge: Cook a dish on the beach, using tropical ingredients. Their dish must feature the one food they would want to have on a deserted island.
#3 - Resourcefulness
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/17/2010
The eight remaining chefs must prove their resourcefulness when they're tasked with making unique snacks using a variety of pickles. Then, they head out on a fishing field trip, where they'll have to catch the ingredients they'll later prepare.
#4 - Transformation
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/24/2010
The chefs are tested on their ability to take ordinary ingredients, like ketchup and mayo, and make extraordinary dishes. Then, they're taken to the San Diego County Fair, where they'll transform fair foods into gourmet dishes.
#5 - Respect
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/31/2010
The humble potato is the secret ingredient, and the six remaining chefs have 45 minutes to make innovative dishes using all types of potatoes.
#6 - Inspiration
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/7/2010
The five remaining chefs arrive in Las Vegas, where they're challenged to create a modern buffet inspired by their surroundings. Later, two hopefuls are eliminated.
#7 - Seduction
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/14/2010
#8 - Honor
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/21/2010
After a season packed with grueling challenges, only two chefs remain to battle it out for the ultimate 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. In the end, only one chef will reign supreme to earn the title of The Next Iron Chef.
#9 - Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/6/2011
The chefs head to Petco Park in San Diego to take on food related to baseball. They meet host Alton Brown and former Cy Young winner Randy Jones at home plate and are challenged to transform classic ballpark favorites into "Iron Chef" cuisine. With only minutes to grab ingredients from food carts, concession stands and the park kitchens, the chefs attempt to hit a gustatory grand slam in just one hour.
#10 - Food Is Funny
Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/20/2011
An Iron Chef's ability to IMPROVISE is a key to success in Kitchen Stadium. When ingredients on the altar are revealed, combatants in Kitchen Stadium must respond quickly to what the Chairman has thrown at them. Guest comedian Kevin Nealon and the audience at the Improv comedy club in Hollywood throw ingredient suggestions at the chefs - everything from octopus to marshmallows, perhaps a coconut? Kevin selects a disparate list of ingredients to cook with and the chefs have 45 minutes to improvise an Iron Chef-worthy dish.
#11 - Imagination (Season 2 Finale)
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/22/2009
The remaining two chefs walk into the hallowed halls of Kitchen Stadium to complete their final test: Imagination. With the Chairman looking on and host Alton Brown (Iron Chef America) commentating from the side, the two finalists compete in a head-to-head battle. Using everything they have learned, they must take the secret ingredient and create a five course meal that reflects the melting pot that is the American culinary experience. One of the chefs will then be selected as the winner and become the new Iron Chef!
#12 - Food Auction
Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/4/2011
In Kitchen Stadium, chefs must take culinary RISKS. Time and again the risk-takers are the ones who create the spectacular dishes that dazzle the judges. Alton and the Chairman welcome the five remaining chefs at an empty auction house. In this challenge the chefs bid on ingredients (ponzu sauce, perhaps?) with time; a winning bid comes from the chef who claims he/she can cook an interesting dish in the least amount of time. The chefs are judged based on the chance the chef has taken and the riskiness of the dish. Taking a calculated risk and acting on instincts may be more beneficial than playing it safe.
#13 - Finale
Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/18/2011
The remaining two chefs walk into Kitchen Stadium to complete their final test: PRESSURE. With the Chairman looking on and host Alton Brown commentating from the sidelines, the final challenge is themed around the winter holidays. Enduring the unpredictability and PRESSURE of Kitchen Stadium will determine who will become the Next Iron Chef.
#14 - Innovation
Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/11/2012
The chefs create an innovative take on international classics.
#15 - Simplicity
Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/18/2012
Photographer Todd Selby captures each chef's personality in a single snapshot; the chefs must use these photos as inspiration for putting one of their opponents' personalities on a plate.
#16 - Transformation
Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/25/2012
The remaining 7 use can goods to make a dish they choose.
#17 - Risk
Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/2/2012
An ingredient auction where the currency is the chef's cooking time.
#18 - Fusion
Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/9/2012
The chefs are asked to fuse unusual ingredients into something new.
#19 - Transcendence
Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/16/2012
The chefs must create a buffet that is Las Vegas style.
#20 - Integrity
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/15/2009
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.
#21 - Speed and Artistry
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/7/2007
Alton Brown and the Chairman greet the contestants who wish to be the Next Iron Chef. After they explore their surroundings (the Culinary Institute of America), they are given their first two tests.
#22 - Simplicity and Innovation
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/14/2007
Alton assigns the chefs their next tasks: simplicity and innovation. The chefs must create one perfect bite that reveals their culinary viewpoint.
#23 - Resourcefulness
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/21/2007
#24 - Create Under Pressure
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/28/2007