Food Network’s ‘Chopped’: TiVo worthy?

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It’s a TV cooking competition with a knife for a logo. A celebrity host. Guest judges. Mystery ingredients. A sleek industrialized kitchen. Men and women in chef’s jackets racing to plate their dishes. A cash prize for the winner. And, of course, a somber parting line for those who didn’t make the cut: ‘You’ve been chopped.’

What? You were expecting ‘Please pack your knives and go’?

Long before ‘Chopped’ premiered Tuesday night on Food Network, the blogosphere had summarily labeled it a ripoff of Bravo’s Emmy-winning TV show and pop culture phenomenon, ‘Top Chef.’ Exhibit A? Ted Allen, a popular guest judge on ‘Top Chef,’ is the host of ‘Chopped.’

In fact, viewers who give ‘Chopped’ a chance may be pleasantly surprised to find that its stripped-down style relates to the everyday cook in a way that other cooking competitions don’t.
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Photo credit: Food Network