Leaving in the new year
Flay and Food Network to part ways
Leaving in the new year: Celebrity chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay has been with Food Network since 1994, and he quickly became an on-air fixture after his first series, “Grillin' & Chillin',” premiered in 1996. But after 25 years and several successful TV series, cookbooks and restaurants, the former Iron Chef and the Discovery-owned cable network are now poised to part ways.
Flay's current contract with Food Network is a threeyear content pact that's set to expire at the end of 2021. Contract negotiations had been going on for some time, but according to Variety, talks broke off because the two sides were “far apart on financial terms.”
Neither side issued a statement at the time, but details have since emerged about how wide of a (pay) gap is keeping the two negotiating sides apart. A source told People that the host of “Beat Bobby Flay” and “Boy Meets Grill” (and his “Always Hungry” podcast) was seeking a deal that would top Guy Fieri's recent $80-million contract, which has made the “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” host the highest-paid chef on TV.
Flay is reportedly looking for $100 million, though another source told People that Flay's terms “were longer, the scope of work was different and thus the dollars were different” than the terms of Fieri's deal, so this isn't a simple case of salary oneupmanship.
There could certainly be a new twist in this story, given that Flay's current contract is still in place until the new year. But for now, Food Network viewers may want to start preparing for life after Flay, though the break is reportedly “amicable.”
Mandel's `Got Talent': It's been two months since “America's Got Talent” crowned magician Dustin Tavella the winner of Season 16, and one month since judge Howie Mandel had fans worried over news that he had collapsed during a Starbucks run. (Thankfully he was OK: “I was dehydrated and had low blood sugar,” Mandel tweeted.)
Virtual open calls are already underway for Season 17 of “America's Got Talent” (visit AmericasGotTalentAuditions.com for more details), but in the meantime, Mandel has managed to squeeze in another project before filming begins: he's lending his talent and judging expertise to a Canadian version of his NBC talent competition.
“Canada's Got Talent” previously ran for just one season in 2012, when comedian Martin Short and opera singer Measha Brueggergosman were among the judges. Now, nine years later, it's being revived — in fact, a live audition round was scheduled to film between Nov. 9 and 12 in Niagara Falls, Ont.
This isn't the first time that Mandel, who was born in Toronto, has travelled to Canada to host a homegrown version of a popular U.S. franchise. He previously hosted “Deal or No Deal Canada” in 2007, but like “Canada's Got Talent,” it didn't last beyond its initial run.
“Canada's Got Talent” will air on Citytv in spring 2022, and late-night talk show host Lilly Singh, rapper/ producer Kardinal Offishall and WWE star Trish Stratus will join Mandel on the judging panel. Country music singer Lindsay Ell will serve as host.
Stellar McKellar: When ABC's “The Wonder Years” revival premiered in September, it boasted the strongest debut of any ABC comedy from the past two years. It continues to perform well in the ratings, so it's not surprising to learn that ABC has handed it a full-season order, for a total of 22 episodes airing in the 2021-22 season. The network also picked up more episodes of “Home Economics.”
Meanwhile, a cast member from the 1988 to 1993 “Wonder Years” series has been busy negotiating a deal of her own.
Danica McKellar, who recently guest starred on “Home Economics” but who may be forever known as Winnie Cooper to `80s kids, has been a regular in Hallmark Channel holiday movies since 2015. That will change in 2022: McKellar has signed an exclusive deal with GAC Media that extends through 2023, meaning this year's “You, Me and the Christmas Trees” may be her last Hallmark holiday movie for a while.
Under the terms of the new deal, McKellar will star in and executive produce four original films (rom-coms and holiday films, mostly) that will air on GAC Family and GAC Living. The first is “The Winter Palace,” coming to GAC Family in January 2022.
McKellar, who is also a New York Times bestselling author of children's books and an advocate for math education, has also been announced as one of the judges on Fox's “Domino Masters” competition series, which is also set to air sometime in early next year. It looks like 2022 is shaping up to be a busy year for her.
In a statement, Bill Abbott, president and CEO of GAC Media, said “Danica [McKellar] is a world-class talent who is among TV's most beloved and enduring stars. Her combination of creativity and passion is second to none, and I am thrilled to have her join GAC's closeknit family.”
McKellar is the latest Hallmark Channel star to join that “close-knit family,” and that's hardly a coincidence: Abbott was previously the CEO of Crown Media Family Networks, which owns Hallmark Channel.