Marco Pierre White: The Chopping Block

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Why is NBC taking a chance on another egotistical chef show after it was burned so badly by Rocco DiSpirito's The Restaurant and Emeril Lagasse's failed sitcom? Maybe NBC is betting on the oversized personality of Marco Pierre White, who already stars in the Gordon Ramsay vehicle, Hell's Kitchen (UK). The Chopping Block, premiering this Wednesday, March 11, 2009, at 8:00 P.M., features eight couples who compete against each other under Marco's direction. According to the press release: "The Chopping Block" will expose the unseen pitfalls and behind-the-scenes madness that goes into opening a restaurant -- with the help of a grand prize of $250,000. The controversial and unpredictable White represents their best chance at obtaining their dreams, as he is one of the world's most notable chefs and restaurateurs and they will all be under his critical eye. The opening episode takes place in New York. Like other reality-TV food shows like Top Chef (which it resembles), the couples are split into two groups and set an impossible task. In this case, they have a week to open a restaurant and win the favor of diners and food critics. At the end of the episode one couple is "asked to remove their aprons as they are sent home" or chopped, but that sounds too much like The Food Network Show: Chopped. Why watch? Marco has a reputation that exceeds Gordon's for demanding excellence and meting out abuse when he doesn't get it – check out his autobiography (see Super Chef's review). But he also has a reputation of being a great chef – and for that reason alone, this should be an interesting show. Super Chef has not seen an episode, but you can check out previews (below) beforehand. Video: About The Chopping Block A Nice Clean Fight Other news: TIME Los Angeles Times Seattle Times New York Times Previous articles: Marco Pierre White: Knorr is Best Marco Pierre White: Devil in the Kitchen Are British Chefs Richer? [Food Television - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, cookbooks, cookbook reviews, Marco Pierre White --> back to Super Chef