I was curious why Michael Ruhlman was judging a competition that included Michael Symon. A third of Ruhlman's book The Soul of a Chef is about Symon and his restaurant Lola. Seems like a conflict of interest to me.

I was also stunned to see De Jardins as the first to go. I thought for sure that because Symon's dessert was "borrowed" he would be going home.

more of a question then comment Are any of the recipes available from the show?
ok here is your comment I agree with the whole sweat thing, it crossed my mind more than once that maybe this actually became part of the recipe.

Adam- first of all, great to see you doing what you do best. Your commentary on Jill Davies' statement was HILARIOUS. I, for one, loved the show but, like you, was a bit surprised at all of the blood and sweat. Thankfully Alton didn't say anything about the oysters having to be edible, but it was a bit disturbing.

However, I have to say it's nice to see a Food Network show with REAL chefs. Although I don't plan on eating catfish truffles anytime soon, I love to see these creative, skilled and very experienced chefs in action. Between all of the "short cut" and "instant soup packet" type shows that are all over the network these days, it's nice to see some REAL talent.

You included, Adam. Congrats.

I actually enjoyed the show last night. It seems like a direct take on Top Chef though which bugs a little. I'm not a foodie in ANY sense of the word. Half the ingredents they use scare me witless lol. However I like to see what they come up with. Its interesting and the gross out factor for some of the ingredients is kinda fun. Yeah.. I'm odd.

I enjoyed the show last night. But I, too, was disappointed to see Chef Des Jardins leave. She made something different with her ingredient while some of the others fell back on 'things that were familiar'. And who are these judges? They look freightened to try the dishes prepared.
The sweat and blood was sickening. Morou didn't even realize he had done it. That's not a chef I want cooking for me.

After Davie impressively made her own cheese during that dessert challenge, she can believe in the Easter Bunny if she wants.

Seriously, though, I think she was just getting into the spirit of the whole thing, which is over the top. This *is* the universe of Iron Chef she's participating in, after all.

In the first season of Iron Chef America, there were NO female Iron chefs and NO female challengers. I wrote in a comment, as I'm sure many others did, too. After that, a handful of female challengers appeared, including Chef Des Jardins, who won her challenge. It was a shame to see her be the first to go. It is much more of a shame that with eight chefs competing, Food Network could only find two women, with so many outstanding female chefs in America today. The Next Iron Chef promises to be the same kind of testosterone fest that has characterized Iron Chef America.

In the first season of Iron Chef America, there were NO female Iron chefs and NO female challengers. I wrote in a comment, as I'm sure many others did, too. After that, a handful of female challengers appeared, including Chef Des Jardins, who won her challenge. It was a shame to see her be the first to go. It is much more of a shame that with eight chefs competing, Food Network could only find two women, with so many outstanding female chefs in America today. The Next Iron Chef promises to be the same kind of testosterone fest that has characterized Iron Chef America.

I, too, was sorry to see Des Jardins eliminated. But I guess I shouldn't have been surprised; there is a certain machismo inherent in the format of Iron Chef, and the show is clearly part of the Food Network's ongoing effort to expand its young, male audience. I wouldn't be surprised if Jill Davies were the next to be eliminated.

I think part of the problem is also that they started eliminating people right away, which always ends up being somewhat arbitrary. What I would prefer to see is, say, a few shows with in which nobody is eliminated, but the results of the challenges are used to "seed" the chefs in a series of iron-chef style, single-elimination match-ups. But nobody asked me.

That's an interesting point, above, about Ruhlman's conflict of interest.

And I second the person who mentioned the fun of seeing some real cooking; Iron Chef is one of the few shows on the network in which you ever see any technically difficult cooking being done. Not all of us want everything easy and quick.

I don't know why, but I wasn't bothered by the blood and sweat -- though it did seem to me that Morou did get docked for being sloppy, even if not specifically for the blood.

I was really disappointed in the show; the "contests" had nothing to do with successfully being an Iron Chef. Don't the sous chefs do 99% of the slicing, fileting, opening shellfish, etc.? And a chef is eliminated because she can't make a passable dessert out of SALMON ROE? C'mon. This is TV-pandering of the lowest sort. Can Bobby or Mario make a dessert of fish eggs? Even the normally engaging AB fell over the line into being annoying. I'll give it one more episode. Another like the first, and I'm outta here.

In Japan, salmon roe and uni (sea urchin roe) are often served as desserts. So I thought that the elimination of Chef Des Jardins was ridiculously stupid because it seems obvious that none of the judges knew that, or if they did, they didn't care. I'm not sure which I deplore more: the ignorance, or the apathy.

I am posting this because I dont know where else to report this. Amy Pataki of The Toronto Star has revealed the winner of The Next Iron Chef in her October 6th article. I will NOT post the link to the article for obvious reasons but you can easily find it by visiting the paper's website. Please SUE her for ruining the surprise.

Arielle, I sure hope you have complained to the Toronto Star. That's terrible. Ruins it for everyone!

Loved the episode. Was unhappy about the blood and sweat, but I try not to think about things I might have unknowingly consumed at the hands of others. I'm a New Orleans girl, so I'm rooting for Besh, but I am very happy with the level of talent from all the contestants. It's fun to watch a show where the contestants are already so well accomplished. I thought Besh deserved to win last night because he served three preparations. I don't recall anyone else doing that, and I think that was a big part of his win.

Okay folks, gather 'round to laugh. After thinking about this way too much, I came up with a recipe which I think would have satisfied the judges had Chef des Jardins handed it in last night. Want to read it? Please check out http://www.annienewman.typepad.com

I liked Chef Des Jardins a lot, and I have a lot of respect for her; but I don't think she has the personality to carry the show. Ditto for Chef Davies, who is a little dotty and inexperienced.

I was thinking about it last night after I watched the re-run, trying to decide who I would enjoy watching in Kitchen Stadium. I think Chef Sanchez and Chef Cosentino have the bravado, the flair, the style, the guts, and the knowledge to be an Iron Chef...but I worry about their tempers. Both men have very bad tempers and both men have showed that on TV; I'd be worried.

Chef Symon is...bland. He's passe. He's not impressive. Ditto with Chef Kaysen. So boring I can't even remember what Chef Kaysen actually did last night on the show.

In my mind, Chef Besh and Chef Morou have enough charisma and skill to really pull it off. Neither of them have tempers that are out of control, nor are they really lacking in skills.

Still, my money is on Chef Besh or Chef Cosentino.

Thanks for the thoughts; I'll watch your corner of the internet with interested over the next few weeks!

First, I need to comment to The Grown Diaries, commenting that Iron Chef America is a testosterone festival. I'll point out that the ORIGINAL Iron Chef had NO female Iron Chefs at all during their entire run! In fact, their fourth Iron Chef, Masahiko Kobe, didn't show up until the fourth season's waning! Ironically, he was Iron Chef Italian - if it wasn't for the fact that the whole idea is silly, he might have attended the same culinary insttitute with Mario Batali! ^_^

Again, I'm thinking this new Iron Chef will replace one of the others, similar to how a couple Iron Chefs were replaced in the original series(FUN FACT: Morimoto is not one of the "original" Iron Chefs as was stated by Alton in the early seasons of ICA - he replaced a guy who had replaced the first Iron Chef Japanese, Rokusaba Michiba, earlier; I'm curious as to what FN bribed Morimoto with to get him to be one of their own Iron Chefs).

Well, I'm dragging on again, but one more comment - two, actually - about Tracy's elimination.

Adam, you said poetic, but I believe it poetic justice. Mario Batali must be smiling now that the girl who kicked his butt due to his stupid nightmare shrimp parfait killed him got killed by a similar seafood dish.

The second comment: I mean no offense towards Miss Des Jardins(which translates to "Of The Gardens"), but I think that battle she had in Kitchen Stadium was a terrible fluke and I demand a rematch someday and have Mario Batali kick her butt. I know Mario admitted that he made a mistake and ignored his sous-chefs, but if I had been him, I wuold have demanded a rematch with a neutral ingredient to prove that the parfait was a fluke. I mean, if you saw Tracy's reaction to her win, she was whooping like she had won the **** Super Bowl because of some dumb-*** mistake Mario made! That's just disgusting to me. >_

I apologize to double-posting, but I wanted to strike some of my last message and replace it with other stuff, and I can't find a way to edit comments. This isn't a message board. >_

First off, I watched Des Jardins's exit interview, and take back what I said:

To Miss Des Jardins:
I sincerely apologize for blasting you about yuor reaction for beating Mario Batali in Battle Shrimp. That was years ago and I'm sure you're much more mature now. also, my condolences for getting booted first. Your name and style were really great, but you might have tried to do something more to the roe before serving it and cut down on the amount served. Just my thoughts. Good luck in your business.

Now that is off my chest, with the final addition of the comment below, let's go on.

Keith, while Des Jardins might have done better if she had served that caviar dish in the original Iron Chef Kitchen Stadium, this is burgers-and-fries USA. Sad, but true, we Americans are meat-and-potatoes and have a hard time with exotic foods. Heck, I bet my dad and sisters would squirm at the thought of catfish truffles!

Again with the stupid pandering rant! I heard it before on Jess Dang's site about the Next Food Network Star season 3, and now here! While it might be fun to watch those eight fight to the death in Kitchen Stadium, they'd all burn out and we wouldn't get anywhere. Give the network some slack, guys.

Finally, to Ariella...does Amy Pataki have a blog? I'd like to go there and lead a group in flaming her site until it's shut down. Journalists should know better than to spoil things like that. Yeah, everyone should know that the winner was decided already(the Network has to do the competition months in advance), but idiots like her should be smart enough not to say that! >_

I don't think Amy Pataki has a blog, but she does have an email address, apataki@thestar.ca(its available publically on the Toronto Star's website so I'm sure they wont mind). I've been thinking of emailing her, but really, if she had the audacity to publish such info in the first place, I doubt she has a good explanation for it. I've also read some of her articles and she's quite a harsh food critic, slamming some of Canada's best chefs often, so yea, she sorta scares me. She's like that food critic from the film Ratatouille.

I've actually read the article, and Pataki doesn't outright reveal the winner, but rather, she assumes you already know it. The article is not about TNIC, its about a local Canadian chef who just completed filming an ICA episode for the new season, and she mentions who this local chef challenges...someone who is NOT a current IC, but rather, one of the current contestants on TNIC. It's a loophole, a play on words- but it does indeed reveal who the winner is, without a doubt.

I actually wonder what FN will do about this since they're usually ultra secretive about even a regular season ICA show.

I will definitely be reviewing this show, episode by episode, in my blog: http://katieeatsalot.squarespace.com/

I'm so glad there's a blog here to post comments! The timing of TNIRA couldn't be better for me, since Top Chef is over. I actually like some of the similarities between the 2 shows in that I always wanted to see what real chefs would and could do in the kitchen. Was it just me or did it seem extra warm in the kitchen? I thought a couple of chefs commented on the heat. As for personalities, I've liked Chef Besh since I first saw him on Food Network for some contest or something. Chef Sanchez looks like he better learn to walk away once the clock hits "0". This looks like it will be fun to watch. The whole Iron Chef over the top drama has always felt fun to me. :D

I thought that the blood in the food was disgusting! That chef should have been disqualified from the challenge. For heaven's sake, a player can't even be on a basketball court in the NBA if he is actively bleeding. This blood is a bio-hazard. I also saw on the regular show, "the Iron Chef", a chef with a bloody looking bandage. How sick! If anything, I am eating out less since watching these shows. There seems to be no standards for sanitation.

Yay Adam! Hilarious post, "That the chairman is an actor?" Ha! I felt the same way about the sweat, ewwww.

I not southerner, but I am very impressed with John Besh. I thought when he was on the program he should be one of them. Blood and sweat in food is utterly repulsive! The chef should have been disqualified!

I really would like to see Chef Besh become the next Iron Chef.

I've always enjoyed Iron Chef America for its excitement. Even though i know that the chairman is an actor, i'd always thought (naively?) that atleast the battles are real, the chefs make real food in real time. Would you know what parts of ICA are staged? Do the contestants know the "secret ingredient" beforehand? do they actually make the food at their own leisure or its actually just 1 hour?

I've always enjoyed Iron Chef America for its excitement. Even though i know that the chairman is an actor, i'd always thought (naively?) that atleast the battles are real, the chefs make real food in real time. Would you know what parts of ICA are staged? Do the contestants know the "secret ingredient" beforehand? do they actually make the food at their own leisure or its actually just 1 hour?

I'm mostly interested in seeing how the winner of this competition meshes with Flay, Morimoto, and Batolli - all well seasoned iron chefs. I think that will be the hardest part, but hopefully this competition trains them. After watcing the first episode, I will stay tuned...

Hear hear to the poster who questioned that these were the only women that could be found! des Jardins at least has run her own kitchen and appeared on ICA. Davie is basically a hired hand in someone else's kitchen who was probably recruited for the ditz factor. Is this the best FN could do?

Hey, Mo, although the trappings of ICA are fake, the cooking is real. Watch some of the "inside Iron Chef America" video clips on the foodnetwork site.

The chefs (Iron and challenger) learn the secret ingredient about 30 minutes before the battle starts; they film the "reveal" of the ingredient a half-dozen times, and only the final shot leads into the battle.

The chefs only have to make one copy of each dish during the 60 minutes; after the battle is over, they have another 45 minutes to make four more plates of each dish to serve to the judges. That's pretty fair; judging takes some, lots of stops for video work, and the food would be pretty darn cold and congealed by the time it was served if they couldn't prepare it fresh. The plating prepared during the 60 minute battle is used for "beauty shots", the loving foodporn images show just prior to and during the judging sequences.

Oh my goodness, This: "we all know the whole Iron Chef universe is a fabrication right? That the chairman is an actor? What? You didn't know that? Stop crying, I'm sorry!" made me laugh out loud!

It is so easy to forget that these shows are all a game. I watch Top Chef, Project Runway, The Next Food Network Star, and now this. The contenders are all my friends! (Well, except the ones I don't like...)

I am new to this one, and I love it. Are you taking bets on who wins? I'd say John Besh.

Also, I don't think this is a copy of Top Chef. The prize is very different, and much more valuable. Plus, we don't have to watch the behind the scenes shenanigans. This really is all about the cooking. I love it!

One other thing: I think many of you are very naive about the sweat and the blood. I have known for years that none of us would really like to see the kitchens where our food is prepared. Any of you read Anthony Bourdain's book, "Kitchen Confidential"? Chefs are often drunk and drug addicted, they don't sleep or bathe regularly, and they are often totally undesirable creatures. But if they can cook, they will do well.

Bourdain is by all accounts an outstanding chef, but he is not a man I'd want to hang out with.

Lots of interesting reading here. Let me just add a couple of my own comments.

I wasn't really bothered by the blood & sweat. It was a timed competition. Accidents in the kitchen happen (think sharp knives, whirring tools, and hot pans) and I can assure you that had that happened in real life they would have washed up, put a latex glove on, and started over.

I'm really kind of bummed if the Pataki story is true. I just hope somehow we are reading too much into it? I very easily could have seen Chef Symon cut on the first episode.

I have had the opportunity to meet several of the next Iron Chef candidates (and 3 of the current IC's)....for my money it would be Chef Besh's to lose. Don't get me wrong, if he has a bad day I think 2 or 3 (e.g. Morou or Consentino)are right on his heels. I was also quite impressed with Jill Davie. I was not familiar with her, but you don't survive Tru or Charlie Trotter's without being exceptional in the kitchen.

Lastly, there is a book out (sorry don't remember the title) about Thomas Keller of French Laundry and Per Se that I recall him saying something to the effect of "good chefs can make great food with good ingredients, great chefs can make great food with the leftover and inexpensive animal parts". So next time you eat out try the Catfish or Trifle for dessert!

"It is in preparing food that we honor it.
It is in sharing food that we honor each other."

i know in the original iron chef the chairman was fun to watch, all those costumes, but he's pretty useless in iron chef america. Alton Brown has pretty much taken over that function.

As for "everyone wants to be an Iron Chef" well why not? The Iron Chefs are some of the best chefs in the world. The battles are real, the iron chefs cook real food, the judges are real.

I've noticed in next iron chef, Alton Brown even sits down and samples the food, exactly like a chairman.

They should just retire that actor in Iron Chef, let Alton Brown be the chairman in addition to the commentator.

Jason, thanks for explaining - certainly gives me a little wider perspective on ICA. I'm sure i'll still enjoy it! Cheers!

I did some digging and couldn't find a blog, but I did find an email:
apataki@thestar.ca

I'm so irritated that I know the winner! I hope the show is still enjoyable. :(

What is wrong with the editors?!?!?! They excluded judges' comments to the point of frustration. Chef Besh made one of the most bizarre, intriguing, crazy, scary, interesting deserts I've never conceived of, and they didn't show a single word of the judges reactions, thoughts or traces of epiphonetic enlightenment (okay a stretch, but isn't that the ultimate goal?) other than "I'm scared." I was DYING to know what they thought of it! The true reward of facing something you are terrified of is the possibiity that you will be surprised with pleasure and excitement. Who forgets to ask a first-time sky diver "what was it like?" A huge part of this show is innovation and I personally want to know who is successful and talented at improvisation and who cannot adapt. Isn't that the nature of Iron Chef?

This was the first ICA competition I watched and definitely will watch. Its humanizing to watch these professional interract with each other. Will they turn on each other and backstab- I doubt it. Why dont we see the judges actually eating the food- or did I miss it. I recommend we all email the writer who disclosed the winner. That is unforgivable. Also, Sanchez better watch the clock...

Sure, chefs must work under extreme pressure with hazards like faulty equipment and clueless coworkers, and their 'audience' may include the kind of idiots the Food Network has found to judge them. But watching all that crap is a busman's holiday, who wants to do that after a hard day's work? Not my idea of escapism television. I wish the dimwits at Food TV would find something else besides food as an Olympiad. And lose the bimbo judgettes, too.

Sure, chefs must work under extreme pressure with hazards like faulty equipment and clueless coworkers, and their 'audience' may include the kind of idiots the Food Network has found to judge them. But watching all that crap is a busman's holiday, who wants to do that after a hard day's work? Not my idea of escapism television. I wish the dimwits at Food TV would find something else besides food as an Olympiad. And lose the bimbo judgettes, too.

One final comment I'm going to make before tomorrow's episode, and it's about the gym they were working in. (Censored for younger readers.)

"My gosh, what the heck were they THINKING?"

I remember something about gymnasiums - they get HOT, very hot, especially when a bunch of people are in it. Even a few people can get the gym to cook like a pressure cooker on a crisp winter day. Alton claims that he knows thermodynamics, but does he really? If you know from his show, Good Eats, he says that heat moves to areas of high heat.

A gym is the best place to cook something. Trust me, I've worked out and attended events in school gyms, and those places are balmy on the best days, scorchers on the worst.

(Apology if this got cut off - stupid keyboard clicked on "post." Grr....)

Anyways, why would they hold such contests in a gym, for Christ's sake? Don't they know that even one that is air-conditioned roasts the people in it? It was no wonder the chefs had trouble with the heat! Add in all those machines brought in for the mock kitchens and it was a miracle the chefs didn't faint from heat stroke! Before you call grossness of the sweat factor, tell them that next season, you don't want to see the show done in a gym.

Yabbi...obviously, most of us who watch FN disagree. Correct me if I'm wrong, but are you complaining about the entire channel, the entire concept of what Food Network is about, and hell, even about those of us who watch Food Network(which I cannot understand how that affects you)?

Honestly, there are bigger problems in this world. Chill.

..or wait just a sec.

Were you talking about the lack of actual COOKING done on FN? Once upon a time, there was Jacques Torres, Sara Moulton, and Molto Mario..now there are Rachael Bubblehead Ray, Fake n' Bake Sandra Lee(chocolate dipped Nilla wafers counts as a recipe?!) and loads of cheezy reality shows.

If that's what you meant Yabbi...Im with you. But this particular show, I think is great. Ruhlman especially, is hardcore...and these are well established chefs which I have the utmost respect for.

I am very unhappy when Chef Des Jardins was let go. I had seen her in her competition on Iron chef america a while back and she was great. I am very disappointed, i was going for her all the way. I love you Chef Des Jardins!

Is anyone else getting bugged by the SOUND OF THE SCRAPING KNIVES on this show? They grate on me like FINGERNAILS ON CHALKBOARD! Help! What can be done? I'll have to watch with subtitles!

Let me just remind you that in the original Iron Chef (from Japan) the chefs sweat bullets during the hour of cooking and aside from Fukui-son making the occasional comment, no one really cared.

Also, if it was actually 130 degrees in there, a little sweat is not a big deal (people can easily lose consciousness at that temperature)

The Chairman nothing but a common actor! Iron Chef nothing but television! Egad, say it isn'tso! What next? Will we discover that Chairman McMahon isn't really the head of the WWE? Will we find out that the midget isn't his illegitimate child? Was it all to garner ratings?

My illusions are shattered... I now contemplate hari kari with my Official Rachel Ray knife set...

So now we have the second chef eliminated, and it was Jill. Chauvanism anyone? Lack of spice and blood in the food were all acceptable, but obviously being a female in "a man's world" is not. The rest of my comment is probably unprintable, so I'll refrain.

Seem mighty strange that two of the best chefs are gone,while average chefs are left. Have something against women do we?

I think your show comes off as total mysogenist! It looks like you just got rid of the two women first because you guys are trying to make a statement about women to you mostly FEMALE audience! I'll never watch any of your shows again. I think your judging is totally biased against women.

We have to remember that this is the same bunch that thinks a pompous pretentious prick like Bobby Flay is someone to emulate. Uhhh, no thanks, and he can "throwdown" against me anyday.

There were only two women in the competition to start with and they are both eliminated in the first two shows? No "good ol' boys" sexism attitude there - no sireee. (Excuse me while I find a spatula to help dislodge my tongue so firmly planted in my cheek.) Sad, sad, sad!

When I first started watching the show, I was disappointed that it was mostly white men competing (of which the current Iron Chef already has two). Perhaps white men do make up the majority of highly rated chefs. However, this is a television show and I'm surprised that they didn't look for a more diverse group of chefs to appeal to their audience. I couldn't believe that both women were told to leave within the first two episodes of this show. This show is not really about the absolute best chefs in America, it's about entertaining viewers for an hour and learning what amazing things can be done in a kitchen. Shame on Food Network for not catering to its diverse audience.

When I first started watching the show, I was disappointed that it was mostly white men competing (of which the current Iron Chef already has two). Perhaps white men do make up the majority of highly rated chefs. However, this is a television show and I'm surprised that they didn't look for a more diverse group of chefs to appeal to their audience. I couldn't believe that both women were told to leave within the first two episodes of this show. This show is not really about the absolute best chefs in America, it's about entertaining viewers for an hour and learning what amazing things can be done in a kitchen. Shame on Food Network for not catering to its diverse audience.

I'm disgusted with the statement ICA is seemingly making about women. Cooking has historically been a woman's domain (traditionally speaking) but when men get involved, the women just can't meet up. In the perspective of ICA it seems women are an inferior species. Message received loud and clear! What an insult!!!!

Did anyone else see Chef Sanchez cheating left and right??

He never stops when time is up??

He should have been sent packing instead of the only female chef!! (in my opinion)

Did anyone else see Chef Sanchez cheating left and right??

He never stops when time is up??

He should have been sent packing instead of the only female chef!! (in my opinion)

As I predicted, Davie is the next to be eliminated. I predict that Besh will be next; he's not the oldest (Morou is), but unlike the rest he comes across as an actual grown-up, and the FN is clearly looking for a young a**hole -- er, scuse me, hotshot.

I was so looking forward to this show, and I'm a big fan of John Besh. But I just deleted it from my Tivo Season Pass, after the second of only two women got canned in two weeks. I see one of the judges is from Bon Appetit, so I guess it makes sense. That magazine can never seem to find more than one woman to include in a crowd of "Best New Chefs." I can't believe Food Network couldn't get more than two women in the group of eight when there are great women cooking all over this country.

The Boys Club is boring. What a disappointment.

Food networks version of top chef? OK three years to Late! I liked it the only thing that bothered me was alton brown get rid of him. he was all in the mix during the first challenge and again in the elimination challenge you don't see chef tom all in the mix on top chef get him out of there! let him stay on good eats the only place i can stand him in. so annoying!!!!!!!!!!!!! he makes the show hard to watch.

The SCRAPING KNIVES??? They don't bother anyone??? I guess I'm just an ordinary TV watcher and everyone here is a hardcore iron (nerves of steel) chef. Well, I won't be watching unless they drop that sound effect is overused during the "judging" of the chefs.

The SCRAPING KNIVES sound effect is OVERUSED and gets on my nerves, which are not steel. I WON'T BE WATCHING if they keep using that sound. Does anyone care????

Re: SWEAT

How about a cloth to mop some of that sweat up??? Or a "sweat band" or scarf??? Cute babes running onto the set to dab about the drippings??? Who produces these shows?? And do we really need the behind the scenes show? We need less "show" and more "cooking". How about some ideas and tips from these guys. I agree that we are not getting to hear any comments from the judges. Too much (sorry AB) color from Alden, not enough real meat.