I am glad Symon won, he seemed more dynamic and more willing to take risks.

Not sure if anyone else has thought about this, but why is Cat Cora an Iron Chef?

She does not have nearly the number of credentials of any other Iron Chef, Bobby Flay, Morimoto, Mario Batali and even Symon and Besh all own their own restaurants and seem to "walk the walk". Cat Cora's main claim to fame seems to be her "Celebrity Chef" status.

I realize this is just a silly game show, but she seemed outmatched by the other chefs on the show by a long shot.

Why is Cat Cora an Iron Chef? Well, let's see:

1) she is a woman (I'm sure Iron Chef has received a lot of flack for an all around lack of female participants)

2) she is attractive (for better or for worse this does count in the fickle business that is television)

3) she is a great cook (and brings deep south and greek influences to the table, literally)

4) she was available and agreeable to do the show

I think that pretty much covers it.

Props to Chef Symon - he is going to be a blast to watch in the new season methinks.

Evil! Evil! In Canada, we're a week behind, so I haven't been reading the blog posts. Putting "spoiler alert" immediately before the results doesn't mean my eyes can stop reading that quickly. Spoiler alert should have been put at the beginning of the post. I was actually really excited about this show. Sad...

Did Michael Ruhlmann vote for Symon? There appears to be a conflict of interest in the judges booth. I have no interest in watching Iron Chef going forward merely because I think the wrong man was chosen for the job. Who made this error?

Sincerely,
Nancy Misra

Um, if you are going to reveal something about a show with a spoiler alert, do a better job, like maybe putting the spoiler UNDER A CUT, not right after the words spoiler alert.

The results were ruined for me weeks ago when a Toronto newspaper had an article about a local big time chef (Guy Rubino of Rain and Luce) was to be battling Michael Symon on Iron Chef in an episode airing in January.

I can't wait to see that episode!

Words cannot express how disappointed I am that the winner of this competition was Michael Symon. I have sworn off watching this show for good, in the aftermath of this outlandish blunder. That is how strongly I feel that everyone involved made a bad decision.

Of course, the show was *already* a bit flawed. For example: they lost Wolfgang Puck, from the original lineup; and gave us Cat Cora instead. Who had ever heard of her? How come she did not have to pass a competition to join? For that matter, Flay and Batali were 'grandfathered' in because they had tv shows on the network.

Even so, with the existing cast we have some of the most important international cuisines covered (each with an expert 'Iron Chef' representative): Southwest, Italian-american, Japanese and (with Cora) Mediterranean/Greek. This is vital, because Iron Chefs are each supposed to excel in a particular style of food. American Iron Chefs are not just chefs, they are ambassadors--via television--of their particular ethnic food influence. Their purpose is to introduce audiences to unusual food.

So what does Michael Symon add to this concept? He is from CLEVELAND. Does no one else see how outlandish his addition to the show is? Are we to look forward every week to learning about the cuisine of Cleveland?

Now, he does have a 'regional style' he claims allegiance to: Mediterranean and Greek. This was brought out during the show. But CAT CORA already covers that sphere!

What the show does NOT have is a FRENCH food expert. That is what John Besh is. The show needed John Besh a lot more than it needed Michael Symon. The Iron Chef program, conspicuously missing a French chef, but saddled with two Mediterranean chefs, is absurd.

Next: the Iron Chef TV show is emphatically, a visual product. Let's remember that. We, the audience, cannot taste their food. The medium is entirely visual. Michael Symon, however, was not the best at preparing food with *visual artistry* during the past eight weeks. In fact, he almost got eliminated from the contest due to his 'sloppy' style. But John Besh was the best at plating design (he never did anything as silly as 'fish hot dog' either).

See, in every Iron Chef show, that is really what counts--the visual of the final dish. It matters to a degree far more than FoodNetwork perhaps realizes. If plating design matters only 5 marks to the judges, that is not the point. Plating is truly crucial to us at home. We want to see just what can be accomplished with food! Seeing is believing. What the audience can see with their own eyes, is the magic we take away with us from each episode. And Besh would have excelled in this. But the show's producers overlooked this.

Next: cooking style. What are we going to see in Kitchen Stadium from Michael Symon? During the contest, Symon was awkward, bumbling, always falling behind. He was under-confident and he was even prone to lose his temper--is this the mark of a pro? Meanwhile, all throughout the contest, John Besh was adroit and composed in his dishes. Solid throughout. He never made a serious misstep.

Besh is an example of an exemplary chef in every way. Smooth, confident, polished and poised in the kitchen. Did you see Besh speaking French during the Paris episode? This is a chef with world-class depth.

He is also a rebel with his own bold ideas: he breaks from the same old cooking we see all the time (garlic, oil, lemon). His approach is far more unique.

Besh is simply, a chef to emulate. His entire style just exudes class. He is someone that aspiring chefs or home cooks could have been inspired by for years to come.

Michael Symon, on the other hand, is a midwestern boor. Badly-dressed, loud-voiced, and crass. Cackling all the time at his own insipid jokes! He just has no erudition to speak of and pretty much looks like an indie punk. Just look at him!

Bottom line: what can Symon bring the Iron Chef audience? What can he teach us? Answer: nothing. I am DONE with this show. Here's hoping something unsavory comes out about Symon which eliminates him from future programs. That's the only way I'll return to watching it every week.

signed
Cortez the Killer

p.s. 'goat cheese rootbeer float' = LAME

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