Bravo vs. Food Network

[David Ross]

This morning I came across the new iteration of "Chopped" on Food Network-"Chopped: All-Stars." The Chefs included Robert Irvine, Anne Burrell and Duff Goldman, all Food Network "Stars" with their own shows. (You can read our discussion of Chopped: All-Stars here).

After just a few minutes, a thought that has been at the back of my mind came to the forefront-is this another woeful attempt by Food Network to rip-off Bravo's "Top Chef?" I've been thinking about this issue for some time now and it seems as though "Chopped" and "The Next Food Network Star" are incredibly similar to "Top Chef." Is it just a coincidence? Is it a case of "we were first," or "no you weren't, we had the idea first?" Is Food Network tagging on to the success of Top Chef on Bravo along with a few jabs of "in your face?"

While I'm not always fawning over "Top Chef" and I supply plenty of criticism for the often inane challenges they present to the cheftestants, (go here for a review of our current discussion of Top Chef All-Stars), at least a see some quality on Top Chef in terms of the Chefs in the competition, the level of the elimination challenges and the level of the judges on the panel. Seems like Food Network is just lagging way, way behind in terms of copying Bravo.

What do you think? Is the "reality" of the situation that Food Network ripped off ideas from Bravo?

[jsmeeker]

I dunno.. I think Top Chef came out well after Food Network started to air the original Japanese version of "Iron Chef"

The idea of food on television was also well established. And so what reality competition shows.

[AaronM]

I don't think it really matters - they're pretty different shows.

[David Ross]

I dunno.. I think Top Chef came out well after Food Network started to air the original Japanese version of "Iron Chef"

The idea of food on television was also well established. And so what reality competition shows.

Top Chef did come out after the original Iron Chef series and history actually records that cooking competitions on television, (i.e. Art Linkletter doing interviews of contestants at the Pillsbury Bake-off in the early days of television), are not a new concept. However, it seems to me that in this case, Top Chef All Stars and Chopped: All Stars are incredibly close together in terms of format and timing.

[IndyRob]

I don't think it's the Food Network vs. Bravo. It's the Food Network vs. All That is Holy.

The Food Network would be more accurately named The Food Clique For People Who Want To Be Popular. It's first reality show (besides Iron Chef which they stole from Japan and plugged in members of its own clique) was the self serving Next Food Network Star - whose rejects were recruited for their Chopped All Stars - much as Top Chef's rejects we recruited for Top Chef: All Stars.

The Food Network is all about promoting their own.

Looking for Eric Ripert? Marco Pierre White? Daniel Boulud? Jaques Pepin?... Look elsewhere. Oh, screw all this enumeration....Just look up Top Chef: Masters for many others....

It's not just Bravo. PBS, The Travel Channel, Creat, Planet Green, and Bravo's owner, NBC. They all have shows that exist on their own merit. Not by putting Duff Goldman up against their own stable of competition chefs.