Iron Chef

If memory serves me correctly ...

A marvelous Japanese ExtremeCooking show. Available with English voice-overs on cable TV in the US. Today's special ingredient is potatoes!

• http://www.ironchef.com/

The American version of IronChef will star WilliamShatner as host.

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will star William Shatner...

Couldn't they find an actor ? </duck> For a show like IronChef, you don't need an actor, you need an over-actor, for which Shatner fits perfectly. good point :)

Shatner is a 'bon vivant', an equestrian, and probably a fairly cultured man. He doesn't take himself too seriously and can poke fun at himself and his public persona. I think this show is perfect for him to have a fun day out. This may all be true, but it doesn't mean he can act ;) I agree with your sentiments

Regrettably, the production values and writing were appalling. Shatner might have been good in the role ... if he'd been given an opportunity to be himself, which he wasn't.

I have only seen one William Shatner Iron Chef and found it to be very fun. Mr. Shatner overplayed his role, but coupled with the WWF-like announcers, it made for an entertaining presentation of skilled chefs at work. I am also a fan of the Japanese version on the Food Network. I find the the review panel to be critical, yet polite. For either version, I just find it enjoyable to watch skilled people do what they do best, especially under the time constraints.

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I fear this will take much of the fun away. The (translated) commentary on the original show blended an obsession with relative status with an inappropriate overuse of sports metaphors. The jury would be very reluctant to criticize, or vote against, the IronChef. I remember one show where the guest (Japanese) actress, faced with the necessity of criticizing the IronChef's dish, was giggling with nervousness as she said "it's a little bit salty". [This is now a catch phrase in my social circle. Sad or what?]

The finest edition I saw was where every single jury member explicitly preferred the young pretender's food to the IronChef's efforts. Yet somehow the IronChef still won! What happened? We will never know.

I hope that the American version can capture some of the spirit of the original, but I fear that some things are untranslatable.