Celebrity Cooking Showdown was a program that aired on NBC from April 17–19 and April 22, 2006. It was hosted by Alan Thicke.
Format
The competition was divided into three "preliminary rounds", where each celebrity was paired with a famous chef. The three chefs participating were Wolfgang Puck, Cat Cora and Govind Armstrong, all of whom had been on Food Network's Iron Chef America. The program's host was Alan Thicke; early articles on the show stated that Food Network host and author Sandra Lee would serve as co-host, but she never appeared on the program when it aired. Following a montage of clips showing the chefs teaching their new pupils the ropes, the actual contest would begin.
Each contestant had to prepare three dishes (an appetizer, a main course and a dessert) within 50 minutes. To aid them, after the second commercial break had passed (roughly 15–20 minutes into the contest) each team was allowed two "chef's passes" (one by the chef and one by the contestant). In order to activate the chef's pass, either the contestant or the chef must place their towel into a wire basket just outside the kitchen area. A horn as if to end a hockey period would go off, and this would allow the chef to come into the kitchen for two minutes and assist the contestant. Only one chef could be in the kitchen area on a chef's pass at a time. Also, when only five minutes remains in the contest, the chefs are allowed to return for whatever last-minute advice and help they can give.
As a disadvantage for each contestant, two ingredients for their dishes are not in their kitchen area. Instead, they are kept in the pantry located on an elevated stage behind where the chefs stand. Once the contestant realizes that the ingredients are missing, they must run over and find them in the pantry.
When time runs out, the judges (event planner Colin Cowie and food critic Gael Greene) evaluate the final product. In order for a dish to be considered, it must be finished and on the judge's platform when the clock hits zero. The judges then evaluate each meal on a scale of 1-10 using two criteria: flavor and presentation. Each judge can give a maximum of 20 points, so a perfect score for a contestant would be 40.
The top winner from each preliminary round advanced to the final round. However, due to low ratings in head-to-head competition with shows like NCIS, Gilmore Girls and American Idol, NBC pulled the plug before the finals were aired due to very dismal ratings (the Tuesday and Wednesday editions finished an embarrassing fifth out of the six broadcast networks in their 8:00 time slots). The network originally announced the two episodes would be available only on nbc.com, and the Thursday night (Day 4) episode was available to watch on NBC.com until the time it would have ended airing in the Pacific Time Zone (9pm PDT/12am EDT). NBC later reversed its decision not to broadcast the final episodes and ran them back-to-back on the night of Saturday April 22, though only those who watched the final round on nbc.com were able to vote on the outcome.
Celebrities participating
Alison Sweeney (Days of Our Lives) Chelsea Cooley (Miss USA 2005) Cindy Margolis (Actress/Model) Tony Gonzalez (Tight End, NFL's Kansas City Chiefs) Big Kenny (Half of Country Music Duo Big & Rich) Patti LaBelle (Singer) Gabrielle Reece (Former professional beach volleyball player) Tom Arnold (Actor/Comedian) Ashley Parker Angel (Singer) Colin Cowie (Celeb Party Planner) Served as a judge on the show.
Results
On Monday, April 17, the three contestants were Cindy Margolis (paired with Wolfgang), Tony Gonzalez (paired with Cat) and Alison Sweeney (paired with Govind). In a 34-33 decision, Cindy's menu of Chinois Chicken Salad, Pan-seared Szechuan Beef and Baked Alaska narrowly edged out Tony's Caprese Salad Tower, Penne á la Vodka with Salmon and Affogado Italian Sundae. Alison's menu of Marinated Lobster, Blue-Cheese Stuffed Tenderloin and Citrus Crepes finished a close third with 31 points. Alison also suffered a burned hand when she grabbed a hot metal saucepan without a mitt.