There were many special episodes of Iron Chef over the years. Despite the fact that the later FN show introduction mentioned and showed clips from some of these specials, most of them never aired on Food Network. (If anyone has any tapes of any of these specials, we will buy them from you. Contact us.)
- Hong Kong Special (313) – This special never aired on Food Network
- 1995 Iron Chef World Cup (339) – One of the challengers from this special, Pierre Gagniare, later did battle in the France Battle Special. We have a very short Beyond Kitchen Stadium video of Kaga’s entrance from this special. This special never aired on Food Network.
- France Special (415,416) – This special featured two battles fought in a castle in France.
- Beijing Special (441) – We have a Beyond Kitchen Stadium video of the opening from this show. This special never aired on Food Network.
- 1996 New Year’s Special (452) – This battle apparently had 100 judges. This special never aired on Food Network.
- 1997 Iron Chef World Cup (538) – The challenger from the final Kitchen Stadium battle, Alain Passard, was a part of this special. This special never aired on Food Network.
- 2000th Dish Special (631) – This battle featured the all-French team vs. all-Chinese team.
- Morimoto Retrospective (709) – Two hour special that showed Michiba and Morimoto touring New York City, then a battle between Nakamura and Morimoto. The only clip from this special I have seen is our BKS clip of Michiba announcing the theme ingredient, tamago (egg). This special never aired on Food Network.
- Indonesia Expedition (720) – This special never aired on Food Network.
- The Millenium Special (801) – This special never aired on FoodNetwork.
- New York Battle (802) – The memorable first battle between Morimoto and Bobby Flay.
- 21st Century Special (901) – Memorable for the shaved headed Kandagawa and the Morimoto/Flay rematch.
- Japan Cup 2002 (1001) – This special featured the shocking news that Chairman Kaga had “died” from eating bad fugu. This special never aired on Food Network. (We have added this episode to the database since this was written. Go check it out now.) (1001a, 1001b)
The following episodes may be found by searching our video database: 415/416, 631, 802a, 802b, 901.
New in the database this week: New York Battle (802a/b), 21st Century Special (901)
We have several related videos in our Beyond Kitchen Stadium collection. Be sure to go check them out as well as the new episodes we have this week.
I didn’t forget you guys, I was out of town. This is part two of our Episodes of the Week – Potato Battles. This week, we have the added bonus that these potato battles also showcase the Kobayashi family. Here’s what we have for you.
- Episode 621 – Kentaro vs Iron Chef Chen – Kentaro is Kobayashi’s son but he changed his last name so he wouldn’t have a free pass in the culinary industry.
- Episode 232 – Katsuyo Kobayashi vs Iron Chef Chen – I’m out of words to describe this battle, a weird and funny one.
These episodes can be found in our video database.
New this week to the database : 232 and 621
We also have a related Beyond Kitchen Stadium video this week. We have a Japanese commercial featuring Katsuyo Kobayashi. The commercial is in Japanese with no subtitles. Enjoy.
While Mel Brooks wasn’t exactly talking about Iron Chef when he said that famous line in “History of the World: Part 1,” it is fitting for this week’s Episodes of the Week. As the time to close Kitchen Stadium came near, Chairman Kaga decided he wanted a final tournament to crown the King of the Iron Chefs.
- Semi-Final 1 – Iron Chef Chen vs. Iron Chef Kobe – Tokyo X Pork
- Semi-Final 2 – Iron Chef Morimoto vs. Iron Chef Sakai – Bell Pepper
- Final – Iron Chef Chen vs. Iron Chef Sakai – Lobster (Homard) — Two of the longest tenured Iron Chefs (and really good friends) meet in the King of Iron Chefs Final.
- Final Kitchen Stadium Battle – The Champion Iron Chef (no spoilers here) vs. Alain Passard – Longgang Chicken — This was the last episode of the original production run of the show. Alain Passard competed in the 1997 World Cup vs. Nakamura. They tied in a Foie Gras battle. (That episode did not air on Food Network.)
You may find all of these episodes for download or viewing in our files database in the Iron Chef Specials category.
- We also have an additional bonus BKS video for this week. We have a clip from the Japanese language broadcast of the announcement of the theme ingredient from Semi-Final #1 (Tokyo X) and Kobe’s mad dash to the podium. Enjoy.
Easter is this weekend, so I thought I’d make it this week’s Episodes of the Week theme. The obvious choice for an Easter theme would be eggs. While egg was the theme ingredient 5 times during the run of the show (203, 310, 417, 519, 709), three of the episodes did not air on Food Network, and the other two are already in our database. Of course, the whole point of these EotW posts is to add new episodes to the database, so let’s change directions slightly. This week’s Episodes of the Week theme is EGGplant.
- Episode 225 – Iron Chef Chen vs. Koichi Tabata (The challenger is the oldest to compete in Kitchen Stadium)
- Episode 330 – Iron Chef Sakai vs. Shinichi Nagamatsu (The challenger runs an exclusive restaurant in the mountains of Nara. He grows his own vegetables and catches his own fish every morning.)
- Episode 531 – Iron Chef Chen vs. Sousei Kawaguchi (Not aired on Food Network)
- Episode 622 – Iron Chef Kobe vs. Yasuhiro Sasajima
New this week in the video database: Eggplant (225), Eggplant (330)
- And as an Easter bonus, we add a new video to BKS. This addition to Beyond Kitchen Stadium shows Iron Chef Michiba announcing the theme ingredient for a battle between Nakamura and Morimoto. (This episode did not air on Food Network.) The theme ingredient is tamago (egg). For some reason, Chairman Kaga thinks this announcement is funny. This short clip is in Japanese with no subtitles.
These episodes (225, 330, 622, BKS-tamago) may be found by searching our video database.
I know I may be feeding a stereotype of the Japanese diet with this week’s theme, but what else would you expect to see on a Japanese cooking show but Rice? Rice was the theme ingredient four times on Iron Chef. (Of course, it also had a huge role in the Sushi Battle, but that doesn’t count for this.)
- Episode 213 – Iron Chef Rokusaburo Michiba vs. Koichiro Goto (Not aired on Food Network)
- Episode 340 – Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai vs. Sadaharu Nakajima
- Episode 506 – Iron Chef Chen Kenichi vs. Kou Houko (Not aired on Food Network)
- Episode 610 – Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto vs. Masuyoshi Kimura
New this week in the video database: Rice (340), Rice (610).
Of course, all of these episodes may be found by searching our video database.
What is better than watching a close Iron Chef battle? Watching a battle so close that it needed overtime to be decided. This week’s additions to the database include a pair of classic overtime battles.
- First up are the battles between Iron Chef Rokusaburo Michiba and Lin Kunbi from October 1995. Battle Potato (341) and Battle Sweet Potato (341OT)
- Our second overtime offering features Iron Chef Chen Kenichi and Liang Shuqing from 1998. Battle Pork Belly (617) and Battle Konnyaku (618)
- Our third and final overtime battle is considered among the best battles ever fought in Kitchen Stadium. Of course, I am talking about the epic battles between Iron Chef Chen Kenichi and Dominique Corby. Battle Foie Gras (728) and Battle Asparagus (729)
New this week in the video database: Potato (341), Sweet Potato (341OT), Foie Gras (728), Asparagus (729)
The following episodes may be found by searching our video database: 341, 341OT, 617, 618, 728, 729
tuthead
19 February, 2008