Last weekend the moment I’ve been waiting for came. Iron Chef was to go into overtime. Not only were the judges split between Chen-son and the challanger, but the scores were the same. I believe it was the battle of fios gras (sp?). Exactly what we were all saying, “How can Chen integrate duck liver into chinese cooking?!” But he did and the famous French chef challanger Chen something to worry about. So I waited. For the first time since I’d been watching, Iron Chef was going into overtime. Just as Chairman Kaga was about to unveil the overtime ingredient. . . the credits roll! AHHHHHHHHH! I need closure! Why didn’t anyone tell me that Food Network doesn’t air the overtime for Iron Chef!
It does. The next episode of Iron Chef will be the overtime battle. IIRC, this is how it’s aired in Japan as well, but I could be wrong.
So, from what you are saying, Athena the next time Food Network is scheduled to air Iron Chef, they will air the overtime battle? I could have missed it then. Do overtime battles take a full hour? If not, what do they air for the rest of the half hour? Anyone? And I would be interested in knowing if that is how they air it in Japan.
I have seen the Overtime Battle in question, and it does last a whole hour. Well, they have less time to cook, but the show lasts an hour.
So, who did win the overtime showoff to “Battle Foie Gras”? That is the only “Iron Chef” I have ever seen, and I’d like to hear how it worked out.
racerx: overtime is half an hour in real time, but they show pretty much every second of it, so the show is an hour long as usual.
I have seen the battles in question: they were aired on New Year’s Day’s 24-hour Iron Chef marathon. But I don’t remember who won the overtime battle . . . I think it was the challenger. I have them all on tape, though, so if I can find it (I have not yet catalogued the 24 hours of video tape) I’ll post again.
If my memory serves me correctly, the follow up to the Foie Gras battle is the Asparagus battle. A quick check of http://www.ironchef.com not only confirms this, but reveals who reigns supreme for those of you who don’t want to watch the show.
A quick check of http://www.foodtv.com tells me the Asparagus battle is scheduled to be on this Saturday. In general, if the Friday show goes into overtime, the overtime battle is the following Friday. If the Saturday show goes into overtime, the overtime battle is the follow Saturday. And so on and so forth.
The overtime battles do last an hour.
Now, to make sure this stays in the pit, Fuck you! Go do your own damn research!
It is really cheap that they don’t tell you what the theme ingredient for the overtime battle is going to be. The suspense for this one about killed me. It was worth it, though-- Chen is my faaaavorite.
Racerx, as a man of taste and distiction (since you like Iron Chef) I am honored to fill you in.
Food TV has three groups of showings of Iron Chef. (All times are in Mountain Time…adjust as needed)
Friday Nights:
8:00-Brand new episode
11:00- Rerun of the 8:00 episode
Saturday Night
8:00-Rerun of an episode from roughly 2 weeks back
11:00-as 8:00 Sat.
Sunday Night
either 5 or 6:00-Haven’t figured out how far back it’s reruns from. This week is Big Battle Sturgeon. (not Theodore, though! :eek: )
Therefore: if you watched it at 8:00 Saturday, tune in at the next Saturday night episode in sequence.
I don’t know why Food TV doesn’t bother to put “Continued Next Week” as a caption, but it’s probably the most asked question on alt.fan.iron-chef (second most is “What’s Kaga saying, anyway?” Answer: Allez Cuisine or Hurry up and Cook!, and third most is "What’s the theme music?) answer: Bits and pieces from Backdraft and other sources)
One bit of clarification: while the overtime episode lasts a full hour, the actual battle is only a half hour. You see lots more panel discussion and actual cooking than you normally do. BTW, I’ve been watching IC for almost two years, and Big Battle Asparagus may be the single best battle! Watch or record it if you can.
Iron Chef Fenris
Just to prove that I am also an IC fanatic, I hereby reveal the winner of the asparagus battle:
They tied. Again. Absolutely unbelieveable! In a fit of PC, can’t-we-all-just-get-along-itis, Kaga declares them both winners, and everyone goes home with smiles on their faces.
Asparagus. Helluva theme for a tie breaker.
Had I been on the panel, the chef that provided me with the food that least resembled and tasted like asparagus would’ve been the one that received my vote.
What’s the next tie-breaker scheme…a lutefisk and lima bean challenge?
Asparagus. Yuck.
Just as an aside, since the OP said he hadn’t seen it, a spoiler warning might have been called for.
Fenris
Well, I left a blank line in there…
I’ve only seen one episode on Iron Chef but it was freakin’ awesome. I was just flipping through the channels one day and…
“Iron Chef…I’ve heard of that. Well, it’s either that or senior trampoline golf on ESPN4.”
So I watched. It was great. It was the King Crab episode a few weeks ago. I hate crab, but the dishes looked amazing.
Haven’t seen it since. Maybe this Sunday…
Ender: You passed up old people with clubs on trampolines to watch a cooking show? Not to knock Iron Chef, but you’re priorities are way outta whack.
Look, you’ve seen one hip displacement you’ve seen them all. Besides, there’s only so many times you can hear “I’ve fallen and I can’t bounce up.” without becoming desensitized to the whole thing.
This doesn’t really seem like a pit topic anymore, but I feel I must also add that I LOVE IC. I’ve been watching it for quite a while and I want to marry Kobe. Okay, so we’ll never be able to communicate, but we can cook for each other!
Kobe? Really? I don’t wanna marry any of 'em, but I’d love to pal around with Chen. He always looks like he’s having fun. Kobe always seems just a tiny bit pissed off.
Anyway, let’s keep it in the pit:
Emeril sucks! His cooking sucks. Everything about him sucks! Alton Brown could kick his ass in a fist-fight! Emeril’s momma has painted-on eyebrows. And he calls her “Hilder”! What kind of name is Hilder? And what’s with the preying mantis routine he does with his hands? Is he rubbing his hands in anticipation of the subtle flavors of burnt lard that make up the majority of his dishes? Or is it just an annoying affectation that’s kind of creepy? Anyone on Iron Chef, even that big lunk, Otah, could kick his butt in an IC Deathmatch! The dumbest of the Bimbos Du Jour could outcook him if she was blindfolded!
And don’t even get me started on Bobby “Smarmy” Flay and his “I’m so fucking precious, watch me tapdance on the cutting board that I cook on.” I enjoyed watching him get shocked when he dumped his garbage on the floor…on top of electrical cords! I wish he’d got zapped more! I took joy in watching the smirk get zapped off his smug face! His snotty attitude and smarmy demeanor and condescending smirk and “Vomit on a platter…no wait! It’s ‘salsa’!” cooking methods make him the most obnoxious thing American food has to offer since Batter Dipped, Deep Fried Twinkies (real dish. Yuk.) And his girlfriend, the Skank: what’s up with the multi-colored hair by “Rat’s Nest”? And doesn’t she know that the Heroin-Chic look is passe’? or is it authentic? I’m glad Morimoto kicked Flay’s sorry ass and I hope he does it again in the rematch (if anyone knows how the rematch comes out, PLEASE DON’T TELL ME! or at least put in a spoiler warning)
That ought to keep this pit-worthy AND stir up some discussion. 
Fenris
Alton Brown is awsome and I’d love to see him kick some butts on the Food Network liiiiiike. . . Mario Batali’s stupid side kick and that damn Jamie Oliver. While I like the Naked Chef because it offers realistic cooking, I can’t stand Jamie Oliver. shudder
I did catch the overtime battle and it was spectacular! Thanks for the updates and Fuck Food 911 and The Best Of.
Emeril DOES suck. He’s such a fuckin’ mediaboy. He makes mediocre food with difficult to find ingredients and everyone just falls all over the floor telling him how good he is.
However, my newest favorite Chef du Merde is Wolfgang Puck. For the life of me, he sounds just like Arnold Swartzenegger. I call the show “Ah-nold Cooks” for short.
Iron Chef rules. Everything else on FoodTV can kiss my ass.