Culinary TV stars step up to challenge Bobby Flay

Whether it’s been in “Iron Chef America,” “Worst Cooks in America” or “Throwdown with Bobby Flay,” the acclaimed chef’s many appearances have made it pretty clear that there are at least two things that he loves in the world: cooking and competition. Sure, he has “Brunch at Bobby’s” and the new “Bobby and Damaris Show,” in which he gets to show off his less hectic side, but Flay’s on-screen persona was built on competition, and he thrives under the pressure that it brings.

That’s where Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay” comes in. It’s a series with a purpose: to pit Flay against other chefs in one-on-one culinary contests — contests that Flay wins far more often than he loses.

This week’s new episode, airing Thursday, Oct. 5, has some fun Halloween twists in store for Flay and his challengers. The first round always features two chefs competing to see which one gets to go up against Flay, and this week two challengers who aren’t strangers to the TV camera are front and center. Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis (“Giada in Italy”) goes head-to-head with longtime “The Chew” co-host Daphne Oz.They each have to cook a tasty dish with an ingredient chosen by Flay, and once those are judged, only one challenger gets to move forward.

In the second round, the cards favor the challenger.The winner of that first round gets to choose a dish — any dish — that both she and Flay need to cook in a limited amount of time.With the deck stacked like that against Flay, you’d think that he’d lose more often than not — but it’s the opposite that happens. Three judges taste the dishes blind, not knowing which chef cooked which, and somehow Flay pulls off a win more often than his challengers.

But that’s what makes “Beat Bobby Flay” such good television; it wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining if beating him wasn’t a challenge, after all. Flay loves the competition, and “Beat Bobby Flay” is him in his element.This week’s new episode airs Thursday, Oct. 5, on Food Network.

Bobby Flay in “Beat Bobby Flay”