Don’t sleep on Season 2 of 24 in 24: Final Chef Standing. The Meals Community competitors sequence returns April 27 as hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi welcome two dozen courageous souls for an additional spherical of the last word culinary showdown. They’ll put their talent, creativity and stamina to the take a look at with 24 challenges over the course of 24 straight hours. By the top, just one (absolutely exhausted) competitor can be left standing and $75,000 richer.
Challenges are damaged down into eight shifts which might be indicative of the calls for of a chef every day. Focus facilities on completely different abilities together with velocity, resourcefulness, artistry and adaptableness. Visitor judges cease by to evaluate the contributors, that are a powerful array of trade leaders, rising skills and acquainted Meals Community staples. Twists and curve balls are additionally on the menu to additional take a look at the contributors.
For a veteran like Symon, the idea is not like something he has seen. That’s saying one thing while you take a look at the chef, restaurateur, tv persona and writer’s spectacular resume. The 55-year-old is understood over the many years for all the things from Iron Chef America to sitting on the panel of hosts on The Chew and being an general common presence on Meals Community in quite a few capacities. Forward of the supersized premiere, we caught up with Symon to preview the pressure-cooker competitors to return.
Hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi, as seen on 24 in 24: Final Chef Standing, Season 2. (Meals Community)
How do you mirror on the final season? Are you shocked there have been 24 extra needed to take part after seeing the grueling gauntlet this was?
Michael Symon: After I first heard about it, I used to be very excited as a result of that is actually how a chef’s life is. Whenever you’re opening a restaurant or doing all these issues as a chef, that’s sort of how our lives are. A lot of the cooks doing this, particularly ones who’ve opened eating places of their profession…I at all times say when [my wife] Liz [Shanahan] and I opened Lola we sort of slept within the restaurant principally for 3 days main into opening and it was in all probability an hour at a time. If there has ever been a present that actually is a real look right into a chef’s life, that is the present. I really feel the primary yr was more durable to search out the 24 cooks as a result of folks didn’t actually know what they have been entering into. Then as soon as the present was on, I actually in all probability obtained 200 texts from cooks saying, “I would like in.” All of them needed to do it as a result of they do that on a regular basis. It was an thrilling present to shoot. I feel it was the highest-rated freshman present for Meals Community over 5 years. Clearly the viewers obtained into it too. It was only a actually enjoyable present. Exhausting, sure, however extremely enjoyable.
Take us behind the scenes. What’s it like for you and Esther through the filming course of? You even have the crew too. It’s such as you’re going via it with them.
For Esther and I, we’re principally up for over 30 hours as a result of we now have to get there earlier than the cooks. As a result of it’s real-time and the clock doesn’t cease and there’s no actual stopping. It’s not like some other TV present the place you might shoot a phase, there’s a cease down. You shoot one other phase and the identical factor. There’s now cease downs. You’re going the entire time. There have been three separate digital camera crews that rotated via each eight hours. Identical with sound and all these issues. For Esther and I, it was over 30 hours of being awake. Even within the first season, among the manufacturing was like, “You possibly can take a break.” I believed if the opponents have been going via it, we’re going via it. We simply stayed up with them.
What stands out in Season 2?
I feel the primary yr we had unbelievable cooks. Season 2 although, the extent of cooks was madness, we simply actually had an unbelievable lineup of cooks. That I really feel helps elevate issues instantly. The opposite factor that occurred was everybody doing Season 2 had seen Season 1, so that they felt they knew what would occur subsequent. That wasn’t the case. We combined issues up. We modified issues up a bit for the competitions, simply so that they couldn’t stroll in and go, “Now I do that. Now I do that.” Predict what would occur. It made the present very unpredictable.
Chef Nini Nguyen and Chef Gabriele Bertaccini, as seen on 24 in 24: Final Chef Standing, Season 2. (Discovery Channel)
What are you able to tease when it comes to what they are going to face this time round?
We had some related challenges, however modified the order of issues. I do some issues to mess with them a little bit bit like pull some issues that you simply’re accustomed to having every day. Now they should take a breath and go, “Okay, what do I must do right here?” We sat down after Season 1 and thought, “Okay, what are the worst issues that occurred to us within the restaurant?” We’ve had a full restaurant and the ability went out, a full restaurant when the hood system goes down, full restaurant and lose fuel. These are all issues which have occurred in our careers at one level. Then it’s about the way you reply . Luckily, Liz and I have been in a position to determine these issues out when the restaurant down the road couldn’t. One succeeds and one fails in these crunch occasions. So, we attempt to sneak these issues in there that have been actually actual life restaurant tragedies which have occurred to us all through our careers. Issues that we throw at them which have by no means occurred earlier than in a cooking competitors or studio sort scenario.
What do you make of the competitor lineup?
They’re simply unbelievable. Some new faces folks haven’t seen on Meals Community earlier than. Some faces they see frequently and ones they could haven’t seen for a very long time. Bryan Voltaggio hasn’t competed for a very long time. The very fact he determined to do that is incredible. Somebody like Marc Murphy usually doesn’t do competitions like this. He threw his hat within the ring and mentioned, “I’ve to indicate them the outdated guys can nonetheless do that.” I feel there have been quite a lot of these sorts of issues. There have been additionally those that folks could not think about competitors cooks. Somebody like Damaris [Phillips], who folks see extra as a number than a chef so to talk. She threw her hat within the ring and obtained after it too. I feel that makes it actually enjoyable.
I really like that there are this number of backgrounds and approaches.
The factor I really like a couple of present like that is you may take the identical cooks and have them undergo this 3 times and each time you’re going to finish up with a distinct winner. It comes all the way down to who doesn’t have an off day, who’s not getting flustered. It’s actually that day. When you’re off that day, it’s a foul day to have an off day as a result of there isn’t a break within the motion as a result of it’s 24 straight hours. I feel the fantastic thing about the present is that due to its unpredictability. On paper you might assume somebody would make it to the ultimate 4 and had a superb probability at profitable. But if they’d a foul night time’s sleep the day earlier than or in the event that they’re simply off that day, it’s not going to be their day.
MARIO BATALI, JB SMOOVE, CARLA HALL, MICHAEL SYMON, CLINTON KELLY ( (Photograph: Lorenzo Bevilaqua/ABC by way of Getty Photos)
So many variables. What are you able to preview in regards to the premiere with the concentrate on velocity and Antonia Lofaso because the visitor choose?
Antonia judging within the first episode is nice as a result of she is so battle examined and been via so many issues. The judges are all cooks who’ve had great quantities of success within the restaurant world and competing on tv. Each one in every of them has mentioned, “That is the toughest I’ve ever seen.” They virtually query in the event that they’d have the ability to do it. There’s the response of the judges watching the entire thing occur, which I feel is gold. The early competitions are actually displaying pure chef restaurant abilities. Velocity is a talent should you’re within the kitchen day by day and grinding day by day, you must not solely need to have quite a lot of finesse however be extremely environment friendly. The cooks are in a position to showcase these abilities instantly.
It offers you a very nice peak into who will do nicely on this competitors. That’s at all times enjoyable for the viewer to see. I’ve been doing Meals Community since 1998 and I’ve by no means seen a present or competitors scenario that’s shot in real-time with no breaks, no cuts, breaking the partitions. You actually get to see as you’re watching the present unfold a behind the scenes take a look at the present. There are not any breaks. It’s virtually such as you’re watching two exhibits. You’re getting to observe it occur whereas additionally attending to see a behind the scenes take a look at how a present is shot. We don’t care in the event that they catch a cameraman or somebody has to run to the toilet. We don’t care if you might want to take a break. If you might want to take a break, nice. Simply know the clock just isn’t stopping. That’s your resolution. You actually get to see this insider look of what goes right into a present and what goes right into a present of this degree.
You as a viewer undoubtedly really feel like a fly on the wall.
You’re a fly on the wall! Precisely. Everybody who goes how they want they may very well be a fly on the wall, right here you go.
It’s loopy to assume 10 years in the past you and the remainder of the hosts earned an Emmy for The Chew. How do you mirror on that point a decade later? Do you see that sort of format doing nicely as we speak?
As everybody is aware of, I really like cooking exhibits. I really like to show and prepare dinner. I at all times say there’s at all times room for these exhibits. Profitable the Emmy was extremely flattering. Oddly sufficient, it additionally taught me an amazing talent set that helped me so much as host of this present as a result of The Chew was additionally shot reside. 24 in 24, though we’ve already shot it, the present was taped like a reside present. For me as a number, with the ability to assume on my ft rapidly and simply react to issues naturally. There is no such thing as a script or folks telling you what to do subsequent in your ear.
You simply need to run the present so to talk. That benefited me enormously in internet hosting this present as a result of I did reside tv for 1,500 episodes in seven years. That was one thing in my instrument belt I used to be ready to make use of. Then being an Iron Chef for a decade, that works very nicely watching this unfold too as a result of I do know what’s taking place and on their minds. I’ve been there in competitors. I do assume a chat present format for cooking is nice and would work. It was an expertise I loved very a lot and in addition helped put together me to host a present like 24 in 24.
24 in 24: Final Chef Standing Season 2 premiere, April 27, 8/7c, Meals Community (subsequent day on Max)