Has Bobby Flay Ever Won a Throwdown?
2December 4, 2008 by Tyson Wynn
I only watch the Food Network’s Throwdown with Bobby Flay when my TV still happens to be on Food TV after my Tivo has recorded something else (likely Good Eats), but I have seen a few episodes of Throwdown lately.
If you’re not familiar with the show, Bobby Flay—one of my least favorite Iron Chefs and Food Network personalities—seeks out someone who is a relatively famous for a certain dish, takes a week to come up with his version of their specialty (usually containing his trademark outlandish spices and in all probability utilizing a grill), surprises them when they have typically been led to believe that the Food Network is taping them for some other reason, and challenges them to a “throwdown,” wherein they each prepare the dish and have it evaluated by two judges.
Aside from coming across as a total egomaniac—you know, mastering someone’s specialty in one short week—Bobby Flay also comes off as a horrible chef on this show. I have yet to see the judges select his creation as a winner. Sure, it’s some exposure for a few amateur chefs, but you’d think his win/loss ratio might humble Flay the next time he rolls into town under false pretenses to take on someone on their own turf and with their specialty. Then again, maybe I’m just a nut.
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Tyson, in fact Flay has won a couple of throw-downs, but not many. As something of a “foodie,” I noticed that Flay’s win-loss ratio on “Throw Down” was pretty dismal, but I think it’s deliberate and part of the show’s appeal. I suspect that Flay recognizes that his appearance strikes some people as arrogant, and that show is a way for him to demonstrate that he is willing to lose while celebrating good cooking.
I have also read numerous accounts from people who have met Flay who say that he is a genuinely nice guy. As the old saying goes, looks can be deceiving.
At the same time, I agree that Flay is often brutal on “Iron Chef.” He and his sous chefs routinely screw up their meals, he seems to cut himself every other episode, and I generally think that Batali is just better in that kind of format.
For the record, I have also heard that Batali can be a bit of a jerk, even though he’s one of my favorites and I am confident we wouldn’t be a jerk to me!
I love Alton Brown, Paula Deen, Tyler Florence, Guy Fieri, Julia Child, and the America’s Test Kitchen Folks. Some of the rest come off as just really obnoxious. Ina Garten seems particularly pretentious, though I agree with her liberal use of butter. Emeril lost me at “Bam!” Rachel Ray is just too cute for me to stomach, and there’s no point in abbreviating something (E.V.O.O.) if you’re going to say what it stands for every time you use the initials.
I grew up devoted to the Frugal Gourmet, Jeff Smith on PBS, but he had some real issues, apparently. Oh, and I saw the thing where Batali was going to be on some morning show, and he was a total jerk. I pity some of the Food Network chefs who have to work with the “personalities.”