Goldberg74

For some odd reason I have been a fan of the original Iron Chef for over a year now and watch it every night (its replaced the news as my 10 PM show).

I watched the special week of Icron Chef America last Fall and even the special with William Shatner last Christmas.

Well, it looks like they are in production of the ICA series which will debut in January on the Food Network.

Alton Brown is still the Commentator, and Mark Dacascos (now bald) is still the "Chairman".

But the representatives have been shaken up. On the left is Iron Chef (Bobby) Flay, while Iron Chef (Mario) Batali is on the right...

Standing center stage is Iron Chef (Masaharu) Morimoto... Iron Chef Japanese III... replacing Wolfgang Puck. This makes sense since he lives on the East Coast again, with a resaurant in Philly.

I am rather excited for this to be starting up and will definately add this to my Season Pass.

I doubt anyone here will share my enthusiasm, but I thought I'd let y'all know.

Roto

I don't see how it could be nearly as entertaining without the dubbing.

Damfino

Probably won't be as good, but Morimoto gives it crediblity.

Also as IC fans are well aware, Bobby Flay and Morimoto had a couple of battles on the original IC, so it's interesting that they'll both be Iron Chefs now.

wmansir

I'll give it a shot, though I was seriously disappointed with the Shatner version. The whole production seemed off and some aspects too americanized.

How do the chefs break down?

Morimoto: Iron Chef Japanese

Mario: Iron Chef Italian

Bobby Flay: Iron Chef Grill??

grifter

Iron Chef Tamale

Goldberg74

My guess would be Iron Chef Southwest... or Iron Chef Gringo.

Damfino

Bobby Flay: Iron Chef Tex Mex

Scotts35

I absolutely hated the Iron Chef Shattner special. It was the worst thing I had seen on television for a while. With trying to be hip by having a chef answer a cell phone and just being AWFUL.

CarlitoBrown

I lost all enthusiasm for this show about 2-3 years ago. The Shattner special indeed sucked and killed any love I had for the show.

I was into it from the beginning (when it aired on Fujisankei without subs or anything) and now all I have left are memories. Farewell

devilshalo

Unfortunately, I thought Wolfgang Puck was the only one worthy enough to be considered an Iron Chef.

Morf

I loved the Alton Brown special(s). Looking forward to this.

AGuyNamedMike

No Fukui-san, no sale.

dstrauss

The Shatner thing was a UPN travesty. At least the Brown/Dacascos version was done by the Food Network who attempted to take it seriously.

El-Kabong

Iron Chef Japan: Gaudy, over the top, and yet somehow managed to maintain dignity

Iron Chef USA: Gaudy and flashy without the charm of the Japan version. More about the grandstanding than the food.

I'll give it a miss.

clemente

You know what the Iron Chef America special earlier this year was missing....the audience. It seemed so sterile without an audience.

However, I'll be watching.

Numanoid

I'd say it was more the fact that Alton Brown was doing the commenting alone. Where is the Dr. Hattori counterpart? And why not have the guest diners commenting as well, as the Japanese version did.

I agree, that without that vibe, it seemed very clinical and sterile.

DJLinus

Although the Food Network website says it premieres on 1/16, there are three episodes on tonight, starting at 9 EST. Or are these specials that had aired earlier in the year?

I'll probably watch at least the first one (Flay v. Sakai) tonight. I like Flay and really dig Alton Brown, so I'll give it a shot.

tofu

I think that these are reruns of the specials.

Goldberg74

Yeah there were 4 specials that constituted "Iron Chef: Battle of the Masters". The show is available on DVD.

The four battles were:

Flay vs Sakai
Batali vs Sakai
Puck vs Morimoto
Morimoto/Flay vs Sakai/Batali

(Chen was sick, so he was a no show).

Funny thing is, they aren't showing the Wolfgang Puck episode in these repeats. Probably don't want to throw off those who are wondering why Morimoto replaced him the series.

Two weeks from tomorrow is the new one!

DJLinus

Thanks. I was getting confused with these airing tonight, but Iron Chef America premiering on 1/16. Funny how I didn't know about these specials, yet I watch a lot of Food Network.

FantasticVSDoom

This IC America is much better than the Shatner debacle...No, its not the original, but its not too bad, and with Brown hosting, you get some pretty good information and its pretty entertaining to watch. Im looking forward to the new episodes.

Quake1028

Alton Brown rules, so I will definitely give this a shot. Mario is a gangsta, so that helps also .

Timber

As long as Alton Brown is around I'll check it out again.

MonkeyG

And I can't stand Bobby Flay.

devilshalo

Another reason why Wolfgang Puck should have remained an Iron Chef. I think Flay is overrated.