Since 2013, Food Network’s reality competition Beat Bobby Flay has given accomplished cooks a chance to prove that they can outperform the celebrity chef. It’s not an easy task: since 1991, Flay has evolved from a New York City culinary darling to a household name with a portfolio of successful restaurants. His wit and personality make him fun to watch, but his talent is what keeps him in the spotlight.
Despite rumors that something about the show seems fishy, Beat Bobby Flay continues to attract viewers. Find out what makes the show so watchable and what makes Flay practically unbeatable.
‘Beat Bobby Flay’ Is A TV Series On The Food Network
Bobby Flay has hosted over a dozen cooking shows and specials on the Food Network (and its sister, the Cooking Channel), but Beat Bobby Flay is the longest-running series of them all.
The reality show, which premiered on August 24, 2013, is an opportunity for chefs to compete against Flay. Each episode begins with two competitors who face off in a 20-minute cooking challenge using ingredients selected by Flay. The winner advances to a 45-minute cooking battle against the host himself. Flay must improve upon the challenger’s signature dish, and the champion is decided by a panel of celebrity judges who rate the food in a blind taste test.
In a whopping 26 seasons (and counting), Flay has won 199 out of 316 episodes—that’s roughly two-thirds of his battles. Check out this promo for a taste of what goes down in a typical episode:
Is ‘Beat Bobby Flay’ Fake?
We all know that reality shows often have an element of scripting, but could that really apply to a cooking competition?
There are definitely skeptics who seem to think so. At the very least, bits of the show seem staged for the sake of heightening drama. Take Flay’s occasional surprise when he learns which dish he is tasked with cooking. Viewers find it hard to believe that a culinary school grad with over three decades of professional cooking experience can be stumped by any recipe at this point.
“I think his reaction here is the fakest part of the show,” said a writer for TV Overmind. “The guy’s an Iron Chef. There isn’t much he hasn’t cooked.”
At the end of the day, of course the show isn’t fake. Even if it’s highly produced, the competitors and Flay still cook on screen and before a live in-studio audience. Their skills ultimately decide who gets bragging rights. Even cynics allow for the possibility that Flay is just that good.
Why There Aren’t Many Chefs Who Have Beaten Bobby Flay
In 2018, a reddit user posted an analysis of the series and presented various theories as to “why very few actually beat Bobby Flay.”
The original poster believes that people behind the scenes essentially rig the show in his favor. Without providing any evidence, the user believes that challengers who know Flay’s weak spot (dessert) are prevented from appearing on the show, In other cases, producers select a contestant who makes an unconventional specialty, knowing that Flay’s simplified version is guaranteed to win. They also point out that fellow celeb chefs are more likely to win because the loss would be less likely to damage Flay’s reputation.
Some of the theories are reasonable enough, but others venture into tin-foil hat territory. “Though I’m inclined to believe that Bobby doesn’t actually know what the signature dish will be (even though the producers do), I wouldn’t be too terribly surprised if one of his assistants or sous-chefs has been told the dish and has “seeded” Bobby’s pantry with ideas,” they wrote.
It’s not like prospective challengers are denied their own advantages. They have plenty of old footage to study, and they also have no excuse to fail at making a dish that they consider their signature. The Food Network even provides tips and tricks for beating Flay, courtesy of 13 former judges and guests.
“What I think is important to remember is there are a couple of things that are not his strong points,” revealed Giada De Laurentiis. “One would be pasta. Number two: desserts.”
“People go on the show thinking that they have to cook fancy,” added Geoffrey Zakarian. “My advice is, cook a fried egg. Use just a few ingredients, because if you try to use all of the ingredients he will kill you.”
If Flay is unbeatable, perhaps it has to do with his pedigree more than the show’s producers. Viewers so often think of him as a TV personality that they forget his restaurants have earned him multiple James Beard Awards and a coveted Michelin star. He earned his place in the culinary pantheon, and he makes it clear that cooking is his life.
“It’s what I love to do way more than television, no offense,” he told CBS News. “It’s really easy for people to discount you because you’re on television. I’m not really sure why that takes your skills away, but I understand it, and I stopped fighting that fight a long time ago … It used to bug me a lot; it doesn’t bug me anymore.”
For a look at Flay’s life outside of the Food Network’s studios, check out the entire interview:
