Why is bobby flay on iron chef

Flay later assured fans that the shirt was nothing more than a stunt. In fact, he admitted that it was not the brightest decision on his part because it made people think that he was actually quitting. Despite the statement, we now know that Flay departed Iron Chef and has no plans to return to the show. In his official exit statement — which he gave four months after assuring fans that he was staying — Flay revealed that taking part in over Iron Chef battles has been a huge drain.

Flay explained how the competition is physically and emotionally exhausting and has been eating too much of his time. At the end of the day, Bobby Flay realized that he wanted out and that leaving on a high note was ideal. A post shared by bobbyflay bobbyflay on Nov 13, at pm PST. While it certainly sounds like Flay was the one who quit the series, his stunt no doubt angered Food Network executives. Bobby Flay even admitted that he angered the network and that they did not think the stunt was good for the show.

This naturally didn't sit well with Morimoto, who, while usually subdued and reserved, angrily said Flay "is not a chef! That wasn't even the worst of the controversy. After Flay dubbing himself the winner, the judges tasted the cooking of each chef and disagreed. In a humiliating turn of events for Flay, Morimoto was crowned that evening's Iron Chef champion. Iron Chef is filmed in front of a live audience. While episodes are edited before airing, segments can't be re-taped.

The story of Flay's apparent resignation broke in October of that year, before that season of Iron Chef even had an air date. According to Vanity Fair , the cameras had to keep rolling, but when they stopped Flay was told they wouldn't be able to cut around the shirt. Flay allegedly said "I know.

That's the point. Food Network refused to comment immediately after news of the incident broke, but inside sources verified that the move was completely unexpected and that Flay had been acting on his own without the approval or knowledge of the network.

People weren't too sure what to make of the announcement at first. Shortly after news of the incident broke, Flay backtracked, telling People it was just a joke. Flay emphasized that he wasn't going anywhere, saying, "Food Network has been part of my family for over 20 years and will absolutely continue to be, and though there is a talented bench of Iron Chefs to tap, if I were asked, I'd be excited to return to Kitchen Stadium , whenever my schedule allows.

Did the network put pressure on him to backtrack, or did it really start out as joke? The chef explained that he was burned out and needed a change of pace. In a season of Iron Chef , Flay would do six to eight battles per week. He said,"It crushes me because it's 60 minutes of pure energy, creativity and execution. And so at some point I was like, 'I've been doing this for a long time and I want to go out on a high note. Flay also explained why he wore the T-shirt. Bobby Flay's 17 years as part of Iron Chef are just a drop in the bucket when it comes to the chef's TV appearances.

He started off as a guest on Food Network in when the channel was just getting its start. Since then, he has hosted more than a dozen shows on the network. Flay told StarChefs that when he first started cooking, it was "really a blue-collar profession" and that cooking on TV wasn't a thing that had occurred to him since cooking shows were far from common.

Since then, the profession has transformed. It makes sense that after decades of juggling TV appearances, Flay might want to cut back and do what he loves to do best: cook. Flay is perhaps even more successful as a restaurateur than as a TV chef. He has launched more than two dozen restaurants throughout his career, and was just 26 years old when he opened his first restaurant, Mesa Grill, in He's balanced his restaurants and TV shows for years, but the schedule is demanding — not to mention exhausting.

Sometimes, I'll be in 10 places in one day. While leaving Iron Chef doesn't free up endless amounts of leisure time, it does give him a bit more room in his schedule to focus on his beloved restaurants, which he said are "the most important thing. In addition to running his restaurants and sticking to a grueling filming schedule, Flay's love life , which has long been tabloid fodder, has also kept him busy.