Jamie Oliver Decides To Pit America Against England
Sure, the whole America versus Britain competition may have been resolved since, you know, 1776 (not to mention America's general infatuation with the royals across the pond), but Jamie Oliver seems to be digging up some dirt. In the Oliver-produced BBC series Chef Race: U.K. vs. U.S., eight American and eight British chefs will compete for $100,000 in various cities across America.
According to a press release, the show starts out in Santa Monica, Calif., where the chefs are left without cash and credit cards; "the teams battle coast to coast... with the chefs living off their cooking skills, resourcefulness, ingenuity, leadership and finesse to survive and make it to their next destination." Think a less-dystopian, more food-oriented, nonviolent Hunger Games (probably no forbidden relationships, either).
We're not really sure what exactly the premise is, but it looks like hunting, bartering, and teamwork is involved. The first episode takes place in Las Vegas, where the chefs "barter and trade their services" for money or transportation. Another episode features chefs foraging to create meals for locals (sounds like No Kitchen Required).
Richard Corrigan from MasterChef and Claire Robinson from 5 Ingredient Fix serve as hosts, but considering the patriotic pride just after the Olympics (and even more patriotism as the presidential election approaches), we imagine there will be a lot of "USA! USA!" cheering. It is our turf, after all.