The Chopped: Grill Masters series premiere to air tonight moves the competition from the Food Network‘s New York City studios to a Tucson, Arizona, ranch.
Sixteen chefs will compete in the five-part series. According to the New York Daily News…
Every week, four chefs duke it out under the Tucson sun with a grill, smoker and the show’s infamous basket of mystery ingredients. One champion from each episode will then compete in the grand finale for a $50,000 prize.
The Chopped: Grill Masters shoot took nine days and was the first time that Chopped was taped outside of the Food Network Manhattan production facilities, but “producers made sure everything else stayed true to the show’s concept.”
Amanda Freitag, Aaron Sanchez, and Marc Murphy are the returning judges who “chop” the contestants from the tournament until there is one chef left standing. The first episode premieres at 10 p.m. Eastern time this evening.
In a bit of a twist (after all, this is reality TV), it turns out that two of the contestants are husband and wife, according to the Phoenix New Times:
Not only that, the two — Jennifer and Tommy Duncan –are married, and they run a barbecue catering business together in Gilbert [Arizona] called Whiskey Ranch. They played nice until the cameras started rolling, and as we’ve heard it, boa feathers were flying during the intense Chopped style grilling contest, filmed in Tucson.
The Food Network describes the show’s underlying concept as follows:
Chopped is a cooking competition show that’s all about skill, speed and ingenuity where four up-and-coming chefs compete before a panel of three expert judges and take everyday items and turn them into an extraordinary three-course meal.
Will you be watching Chopped: Grill Masters or are you more likely to tune in to Breaking Bad? Do you think there are way too many cooking competition shows on television (e.g.. Food Network, Bravo, Fox, and other networks) already?
[Image credit: Food Network]
I believe this was actually filmed at Old Tucson, and not at a local ranch.
Mike Davis would put them all to shame……..
I think you're correct.
Chopped is one of my favorites. This series is set to record since I have to be up early on Mondays.
I'll. Be tuning in. I cant get enough especially in the offseason(nfl). If you think about it its like an individual sport…..I tell my husband he's lucky, my hobbies are cooking and sports… loo.
I, also, think you ar correct. Used to live out there, & have been to old Tucson, & the set looks very familiar.
I am sorry but these judges are lame for Grilling. They actually talk about presentation and make it sound like something you should find in fine dining. What a joke. A true griller wants that meat hacked off the cow and grilled and tasting good. We want messy finger licking good. Now some NY or Californian decorative look to it.
Completely agree.
Will not be watching your show anymore- the cowboy should have won- he added so much to the series- if I could I would give him the fifty thousand- he cooked the way you should on a grill- so very sad.