Iron Chef Australia

Channel: Seven
Day & time: Tuesday, 7.30 p.m.
To watch full episodes of both Iron Chef Australia, CLICK HERE

This was inevitable. The mix of cooking show mania, the huge viewership of Masterchef, and the simplicity of re-makes meant that Iron Chef Australia was just a matter of time. Channel 7 must have been delirious at getting the opportunity to make a local version of the original, which has been popular for around two decades. This is reason to celebrate, but while the idea is sound, there is a lot lost in translation.

Iron Chef was originally a Japanese cooking show that pitted a challenger against one of three masters of the kitchen. There were many iterations of this general style, but the Australian rules are as follows. The goal is to plate up four dishes that all utilise a key ingredient—for example, the first episode was a Coconut Battle. These are then judged on taste or complexity, originality, and presentation. Three judges grade the meals, with a combined score out of sixty revealing the winner. Contestants have one hour only in which to serve up, and are allowed two assistants. If you thought the Pressure Challenge from Masterchef was tough, think again.

The host, Grant Denyer, is right when he describes it as a competitive sport. The players run back and forth, sweat dripping from every surface. There are displays of great sportsmanship when one team has an ingredient missing, or their equipment fails. Friendly banter goes back and forth between the competitors. And to top it all off, there’s even a commentator keeping us up to date. And as much as it is a sport, it’s also a war ground (or battle, as Grant likes to repeat—endlessly). These aren’t amateur chefs. What we are witness to is immense skill, talent, innovation, and determination. Of course, the chefs have their menu planned in advance, and appropriate equipment at hand (party balloons were needed for the challenger in the first episode). The catch is that they had to plan two menus, based on two key ingredients. The reveal happens in Kitchen Stadium. From there they have that single hour to produce, from scratch, the appropriate banquet. It is truly a warzone, even medics are on standby to tend the wounded. Never have kitchen antics been so enthralling.

But that’s all the show has. Part of the charm of the original was the extreme kitschiness of it. There’s even a story behind why it takes place, and the English dubs added a whole other level of humour. In this regard, Iron Chef Australia is like Top Gear Australia—it’s the exact same principle, only all sense of personality has been stripped away. There are a number of things that need improving.

Fortunately, most of these are simply teething problems. The main issue is the personalities. While a host is appreciated, Grant is far too charming to fit in. He seems to interject the cooking, which must frustrate the chefs. To keep in theme with the sport-like nature, two commentators would better suit, something a bit like a wrestling match. On that, the current commentator is a bit hit-and-miss. On the one hand he seems to have a reasonable knowledge of everything culinary, and teaches the viewer all manner of kitchen secrets. On the other, a lot of what he says is superfluous. For example, at one point he said, “The meringue looks like it’s going into a piping bag” even as we watch this occur. But then, commentating cooking is no doubt difficult when it comes to making it exciting, and he does a fair enough job. But if telling us what we can already see is redundant, then the Chairman is doubly so. Honestly, why does the Australian version need a man of Asian origin faking the campiness of the original? At least then it served a purpose. And having the Chairman taste the meals with the judges without any input is incomprehensible. The three faces need to be removed or re-imagined.

The format also needs tinkering. For the most part it works, with backstory, judge input, and explanations appropriately spaced, but it’s the conclusion that leaves an unsatisfying aftertaste. Currently the judges sample the food in alternating order. There is no need for an attempted comparison of entree/main/dessert. Each feast should be tasted together so that the whole is appreciated. This also plays into the very apparent ‘editing for emotional effect’. If you had watched the end of the first episode, it would have been clear that the judges favoured the challenger, Matt Stone, over Iron Chef, Neil Perry. But the result was that Neil won by four points, even beating Matt on plating who used his own recycled crockery. The editors did a terrible job of building suspense. Either that or Channel 7 didn’t want their Iron Chef being beaten one episode in. Reality television should at least feel authentic.

Hopefully these faults are the result of an awkward beginning. The judges are great, with the cheery Leo Schofield, the icy Larissa Dubecki, and the articulate Simon Thomsen. They form a fantastic trinity that helps the audience understand the food. The editing (apart from that at the end) works, with a great pace keeping you totally involved. Using young, less-experienced chefs rather than those with a huge pedigree is also a great hook, with a lot of flair and feeling coming through. There is definitely good mixed in with the cringe-worthy.

Channel 7 has something awesome on their hands, and a bit of reshuffling will draw out the best bits. The main thing is to not attempt to replicate the Japanese cheesiness. The sporting competition theme is prime for running with, and would truly make it Iron Chef Australia.

Thomas Wilson