If you’re a fan of Food Network’s reality shows, then get ready to set your DVR! This month, Buy This Restaurant premiered on February 5th and two fan favorite shows are set to premiere in the next couple of weeks– Worst Cooks In America begins on February 17th as well as Food Court Wars on February 23rd.
*Photo Courtesy of Food Network
Works Cooks in America has been a favorite of mine since it first debuted. Now in its fifth season, last year’s superstar chefs Anne Burrell and Bobby Flay return for another battle to turn kitchen disasters into culinary success stories through their intense ‘culinary boot-camp.’
*Photo Courtesy of Food Network
I’ve followed the show through all of its seasons and am always tugged back in (maybe because I’m a sucker for reality TV). The show begins with some of America’s worst cooks (some of them don’t even know how to boil water) which makes for great entertainment and those ‘train-wreck moments’ we all love about “good” reality TV, but near the end, you find that there are a few gems within the contestant group that really have a hunger for learning to cook but they’ve never been shown the way. By the finale episode, you’re bound to have found a contestant you’re rooting for whether their motive is to adapt a healthier lifestyle by cooking their own meals or a parent wanting to feed their children nutritious food that doesn’t come from a box. I’ve followed several past contestants through their ongoing culinary journey via social media including Season 1 runner-up Jenny Cross and Season 1 favorite Marque Hernandez.
The seven-episode season typically covers basic skills like good mise en place and the importance of uniform knife cuts, though contestants have had to learn slightly more challenging tasks in past seasons like quickly butchering a whole chicken. If you’re a beginner cook watching from home, you’ll probably even learn a thing or two. At the end, a $25,000 grand prize will be awarded to the contestant who achieves the most impressive culinary transformation, in addition to delivering a victory and bragging rights for their team leader.
Catch the season premiere on Monday, February 17th on Food Network!
*Photo Courtesy of Food Network
Also, be sure to set your DVR for the upcoming second season of Food Court Wars, premiering Sunday, February 23rd. Over the 13 episode series, Tyler travels the United States, helping aspiring entrepreneurs realize their lifelong dreams of opening a restaurant, with a chance to open their own spot in a local mall food court, rent-free for a year. But first, two teams must battle it out against each other over the course of 72 hours, as each team must create an irresistible food court concept, market it and then outsell the other team in a single day of business at the mall. The winning team is rewarded with their very own, new food court restaurant.
Will you be watching?