Judges See episodes Original language(s) English | Country of origin United States No. of seasons 4 | |
Genre Reality
Competition
Cooking Presented by Ilan Hall
Giovanni Reda (Master of Ceremonies) | ||
Knife Fight is an American reality/cooking competition television series on the Esquire Network. It was set to premiere April 23, 2013, but was pushed to September 24, 2013, the same week the network rebranding takes place in order for Esquire Network to have a broader range of original programs aside from this show and The Getaway. Knife Fight is being hosted by season 2 Top Chef winner Ilan Hall and executive produced by Drew Barrymore.
The show was renewed for season 3, which premiered on May 26, 2015 with a new tournament-style format.
Synopsis
Originally set in Hall's restaurant The Gorbals in downtown Los Angeles, this secret underground happening has taken place during the overnight hours when restaurants close their doors to the public. This kind of competition has not been (nor meant to be) televised. In the show's premise, two talented cooks are selected to prove who's the best. They're cheered and heckled by a rowdy crowd of celebrities, restaurant critics, die-hard foodies, and sometimes each other. The chefs are given 1-3 mandatory ingredients, such as pig heads, jackfruit, and live catfish. They're given one hour to prepare at least two dishes, but may prepare more. The chefs may plate and present dishes at any time during the hour. The winner of each episode earns "bragging rights" as well as a cleaver with "I Won" written on it. The loser receives a smaller cleaver with "I Almost Won" written on it. In rare cases where picking the winner is too close to call, the 2 chefs go through a "Sudden Death" round where they make a dish in 5 minutes.
Former Top Chef contestant CJ Jacobson revealed on his podcast that the show was originally going to be named Food Fight Club after the David Fincher film Fight Club.