On the clock: All-new series asks chefs to compete for 24-hours straight
Start your timers, but don’t hold your breath. Putting chefs through a once-in-a-lifetime culinary marathon, the all-new cooking-competition series, “24 in 24: Last Chef Standing,” premieres Sunday, April 14, on Food Network.
Hosted by Michael Symon (“Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out”) and Esther Choi (“Battle of the Brothers”), this supersized competition puts 24 chefs in a 24 hour, non-stop race, in which they’ll have to face 24 different cooking challenges. Dubbed by the network as their “most ambitious and grueling culinary competition to date,” Food Network describes the upcoming series as an extreme marathon demanding the skill, creativity and stamina required of elite chefs.
“This competition is as extreme as it sounds,” Symon was quoted to say. “Chefs often talk about the 24/7 nature of our industry, but this is the first competition to truly capture that intensity.”
His co-host Esther chimed in, adding: “it’s a culinary battle like no other with surprising twists and curveballs along the way. It’s a test of endurance, creativity, and collaboration that push these chefs to their limits.”
After 24 hours, endless taste-tests and a series of heartbreaking eliminations, only one true champion will be left standing — one lucky winner determined by the season’s judges: Eric Adjepong (“Alex Vs. America”), Maneet Chauhan (“Festive Cooking with Maneet”), Scott Conant (“Wildcard Kitchen”), Stephanie Izard (“Guy’s Grocery Games: All-Star Invitational”), Jet Tila (“Kitchen Lab”) and Brooke Williamson (“Beachside Brawl”), along with Bryan and Michael Voltaggio (“Battle of Brothers”). This masterful (and exhausted) chef will be awarded $50,000, the trip of a lifetime and, of course, ultimate bragging rights.
The 24 chefs in question range from Food Network stars and culinary icons to rising stars and competition “newbies,” with an impressive list of names including Carlos Anthony (“Tournament of Champions”), Emilie Rose Bishop (“Guy’s Grocery Games”), Josephine Clemens (“Peeled”), Kess Eshun (“Holiday Baking Championship”), Declan Horgan (“Superchef Grudge Match”), Airis Johnson (“Beat Bobby Flay”), Camille La Caer (“Chopped”), Mika Leon (“Guy’s Grocery Games”), Chris Oh (“Tournament of Champions”), Viet Pham (“Extreme Chef ”), Marc Quinones (“Cutthroat Kitchen”), Vijay Sadhu (“Cutthroat Kitchen”), Aarthi Sampath (“Tournament of Champions”), Martel Stone (“Beachside Brawl”) and Marcel Vigneron (“America’s Best Cook”), among many others.
With a hefty prize on the line — and plenty of hours on the clock — these chefs will have to prove their talent and their durability in “24 in 24: Last Chef Standing,” premiering Sunday, April 14, on Food Network.