For those of you out there who find culinary television just as appetizing as the featured dishes themselves, Bobby Flay and Alton Brown have likely become household names. As a gratuitous nod to all of you, we've pitted these two Food Network favorites against each other in a Battle of Charisma. Who will emerge triumphant? Will it be the host of Good Eats, the Monday night cooking show that digs deep into the history and meaning behind every ingredient, or the ever-present, ever-praised chef Bobby Flay?
Alton Brown
Occupation: Host of Good Eats and Iron Chef America
Taste: 8/10
Smart with a dash of sassy, this ultimate foodie dork utilizes puppets, Styrofoam ball molecules and really bad actors to school us on the science behind the goods.
Plating/Appearance: 10/10
Good Eats flies by in a quick 30 minutes — we get a delicious recipe, the science behind why it's so delectable and pop-up trivia, all with a side of spiky hair, glasses and sarcasm. Hot.
Originality: 8/10
Chemistry hasn’t been so cool and comprehensible since Bill Nye was our Science Guy.
Total: 26/30 points
Bobby Flay
Occupation: Host of Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and southwestern chef/restaurateur behind Mesa Grill and Bar Americain in New York City.
Taste: 6/10
A frat boy with a pinch of threatening attitude, Flay challenges down-home chefs to throw-downs on their prized recipes. His mantra: “I’m an Iron Chef, so I can obviously kick your ass.” You’d think that his cockiness would decrease after losing in so many episodes, but you’d be wrong.
Plating/Appearance: 8/10
Worth watching for the long-suffering, sidelong glances of his two sous chefs and for Flay's attempts to accept defeat graciously while the vein on his forehead twitches with unbridled rage.
Originality: 8/10
Rather than teaching, Flay dares us to live up to his awesomeness. Basically, he’s a tool, but a unique tool. For added viewing pleasure, do a shot every time Bobby adds cayenne to the mix.
Total: 22/30
Winner: Alton Brown. Once again, geek cuisine reigns supreme. Bobby Flay may be the shining star on Food Network’s Iron Chef America, but Brown, the show’s host, gets the final say yet again. Fukui-san.
