THE FOOD BATTLE

Imagine if you will, all the top cooking shows merged into one! Which ones are the top? That’s as easy as pie, one portion Hell’s Kitchen, one portion Top Chef, one portion Iron Chef America with a touch of the original Iron Chef (with subtitles) and finally one portion of The Next Food Network Star. In addition, everyone knows you can always top it off with the sizzling Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares.

From the twilight zone of what looks like The Top Chef Glad Kitchen/Iron Chef Kitchen Stadium, Padma introduces our next competitors to the music of “Fire” as the nimble Chairman Mark Dacascos winks at her and tumbles to the podium.
The winning chef will receive $100,000 in seed money to help open a restaurant, furnished by the makers of the Glad family of products, a job with Gordon Ramsey in his new Vegas Restaurant, a feature in Food & Wine magazine, a showcase at the Annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, a gourmet dream vacation in the French Alps, a Cooking Segment on The Food Network and will earn the title of "Top Iron Chef Network Star from Hell."

Padma Lakshmi presides over the judge's table alongside head judge Tom Colicchio, renowned culinary figure and chef/owner, Craft Restaurants, judge Gail Simmons, of Food & Wine Magazine and judge Ted Allen, Emmy-winning cookbook author and TV personality. Susie Fogelson, Vice President, Marketing, Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production for the Next Food Network Star Jeffrey Steingarten , Food critic at Vogue, author of The Man Who Ate Everything and It Must've Been Something I Ate and Gordon Ramsey of Hell’s Kitchen. Alton Brown, and Ishinabe Yutake serve as the Commentators. Floor Reporters: Kevin Brauch, Hattori Yukio and Fukui Kenji

Rising from behind the judges table in their smoke filled tubes are the Iron Chefs while Alton and Ishinabe struggle to decide who announces who and how to pronounce their names.
1. Iron Chef Southwestern Bobby Flay
2. Iron Chef Italian Mario Batali
3. Iron Chef Japanese Masaharu Morimoto
4. Iron Chef Asian Michael Symon
5. Iron Chef French Cat Cora
6. Iron Chef French-Hiroyuki Sakai
7. Iron Chef Italian- Kobe Masahiko
8. Iron Chef Chinese- Chen Kenichi

While floor reporters are huddled together to check microphones and comment on Padma’s nearly naked form, Gordon Ramsey intervenes and notes, these are the best of the worst of all contestants.
1. Spike Age: 27 Hometown: Clearwater Beach, FL - currently resides in Williamsburg, NY PROFESSION: Chef de Cuisine, Mai House, Drew Nieporent CULINARY EDUCATION: A.O.S Culinary Arts, C.I.A- Comes with funky hats and attitude
2. Dale Hometown: Chicago, Ill. PROFESSION: Chef/Consultant CULINARY EDUCATION: Self-Taught - weird haircut, secretly wants to surf
3. Clay Hometown: Northern Mississippi – currently resides in Santa Barbara, Calif. PROFESSION: Sous Chef, Santa Barbara University Club CULINARY EDUCATION: Self-Taught - doesn’t know a quiche from a soufflé
4. Michael Midgley Age: 28 Hometown: Stockton, CA Profession: Line cook at Wine and Roses restaurant in Lodi, CA Education: California Culinary Academy would rather eat and drink than cook. Shares Mario Batali’s passion for crocks.
5. Mia Gaines-Alt Age: 32 Hometown: Oakdale, CA Profession: Owner of Feed the People Restaurant Education: Modesto Junior College Culinary Arts Program Has to tie up those dread locks but likes to save souls with her soulful cooking.
6. Jen Hometown: Chicago, IL Age: 24 Occupation: Line Cook -A bitter and imposing opinionated cook who actually can get the job done.
7. Matt Hometown: Pinehill, NJ Age: 35 Occupation: Sous Chef Shares a station with Aaron to see who will first cry or faint.
8. Aaron Hometown: Palos Verdes, CA Age: 48 Occupation: Retirement Home Chef – Likes Matt’s stamina in the kitchen.
9. Julia Hometown: Atlanta, GA Age: 28 Occupation: Short-Order Cook – Learned a lot from Chef Ramsey and can still make a great breakfast.
10. Nipa Bhatt Age: 35 Hometown: Victoria, Minn. Occupation: Marketing manager – If it does not have curry, you probably just don’t want to know what is in it.

Padma announces there will be a twist; the Iron Chefs will be pairing with the competitors to ensure they win something this time! How will this be decided? They will draw knives that are numbered. The knives are brought to the two lines of chefs and a rumble from the commentators and the show is stopped; there are only 8 Iron Chefs, which means two contestants will have to be eliminated right away. Fan voting will decide. Vote now by Text or Online to eliminate two contestants while we cut to 10 commercials.

Another turn of events, the wonderful, kind, and ever soulful Mia decides to go home, that leaves only one contestant to be eliminated. Immediately Jen throws Dale under the bus and we are now on to eight contestants. However, Gordon cannot remain silent; he decides to retrieve Dale and cook with him since there are virtually no real English chefs present. Gordon looks at Dale and says, “You can do this Yes?”
The suspenseful moment, who now will be paired with which Iron Chef?
Spike selects Michael Symon. Both look each other over with that heavy brow look.
Clay looks astonished as he receives Cat Cora
Michael yells, “yes, dude” as he has been paired with Mario Batali
Jen gives a major “oh hell no” comment as her knife matches Masaharu Morimoto
Matt begins to sweat when he is paired with Hiroyuki Sakai
Aaron staggering must be suffering hypoglycemic shock when Chen Kenichi matches him.
Julia jumps and claps her hands she has received Bobby Flay
Nipa looks baffled as she matches with Kobe Masahiko
Next episode the famed "secret ingredient." In addition, the first battle when the Chairman shouts “Allez Cuisine.”