Cutthroat Kitchen

Many of the reviews on here seem to be from people who miss the point of the show entirely. The sabotages force the chefs to be creative to overcome them. It is fun to watch them try to work around a crazy cooking vessel, a crazy thing to carry around, or a time waster. There is an educational component to the show. We learn how to improvise and make something when the ideal conditions are not there. That is good information. Alton Brown is adorable, as always, and is a key component to the show. Without him it would definitely not be as fun to watch. He is the one that provides a lot of the educational commentary on the show as well. It kills me that there are so many snobs out there that want to watch what would be the most boring cooking show ever - chefs cooking fancy food with no obstacles to overcome. Talk about boring. These are probably the people that watch early morning Food Network fare, which consists entirely of the "here is a chef who will cook a dish and talk about it" shows. I prefer primetime Food Network competition shows. And no, the one with the least amount of money is not always the winner in the end. Not even most of the time.

I've watched the first 6 seasons. At first I really liked it. You have an interesting host and some funny moments. I can't pinpoint why it got stale for me. Maybe it was the same challenges being used in multiple episodes. Maybe the cooking sections weren't that interesting. It's a fine show but if you binge watch shows like I do I think you'll get bored after a while.

I find this game show to be a gem of a show. It's not, as some claim, about a bunch of jerks being jerky to each other because they like being jerks.

When you watch this show think of classic board games, like Sorry or humorous new fashion games like Munchkin. The point of these games isn't really to get to base first, or be the last Min-Maxer standing, the point is the game play itself, and that game play is Zinging your friends and family and to exchange competitive banter without hurt feelings.

The same is true for Cutthroat Kitchen. The players go into the game knowing that there are going to be be sabotages and the producers tell them to ham it up with the trash talking.

If you enjoy stupid beer and pretzels gaming, then you should enjoy these show, once you realize that this show is TV tapping into that same spirit.

If you're tuning in expecting a cooking competition show, forget it. But if you accept the premise that this is a game show, it is quite entertaining.

Yes, the obstacles are ridiculous - but that's the fun of the game. Unlike "Chopped", where the mystery baskets feature obscure and often incompatible items - and which takes itself far too seriously, with pretension reaching new heights - "Cutthroat" manages to serve up a delicious blend of tongue-in-cheek malice with on-the-fly inventiveness that is fun and satisfying.

Forgive me, but if you take this show with a grain of salt, you could end up finding a new guilty pleasure.

In many cooking contest shows they do things like have 6 haute- cuisine chefs preparing six haute-cuisine dishes using ingredients I can't even identify, or they pair ridiculously incompatible ingredients (chocolate, sardines and cotton candy). I can't learn anything from such shows.

Despite the fact that some of the sabotages are so silly they detract from the show, the food the contestants cook, on Cutthroat Kitchen is normal everyday food, such a tomato soup made from scratch. THAT, I learn from.

Sometimes when I cook I don't have every last ingredient I want, or don't have proper utensils, or have to used a heat source that is not my first choice. I think that happens to all home chefs. When two chefs have took cook tied together at the waist, well, that's just comic relief and sometimes a lesson in teamwork.