The Top 10 Biggest Food Show Flops Slideshow
Have you been wondering what Roseanne Barr has been up to? No? Well, neither was the rest of America, apparently. The reality show about the comedienne's macadamia nut farm in Hawaii was probably the only food-based reality show that probably would have fared better as a sitcom.
9) VH1’s 'Famous Food' (One season, 10 episodes, 2011)
Tossing "celebrities" into the reality show ring sometimes works, and sometimes doesn't. In this case, it didn't. Famous Food featured contestants ranging from Danielle Staub (alumni of the Real Housewives series) to Heidi Montag (alumni of MTV reality shows). The show's premise was pitting seven "stars" against each other in a competition to open their own Hollywood-based restaurant. On top of lasting only 10 episodes, the restaurant, from winner Daniel Staub, Lemon Basket, closed after five months.
8) Bravo’s 'Chef Academy' (One season, nine episodes, 2009)
This show aimed to show what culinary school is really like, as seen through the eyes of nine students. Unfortunately for Bravo, the show was about as exciting as taking a final exam. It dropped out after nine episodes.
5) NBC’s 'Emeril,' the sitcom (One season, seven episodes, 2001):
Once upon a time, Emeril Lagasse was king of the food show. He has his "stand-and-stir" show, his live show, and rabid fans followed him wherever he went. He made the jump from Food Network to NBC by way of a sitcom about the behind-the-scenes hijinks that ensue while taping a fictional cooking show, but even if all his fans had tuned in the ratings still wouldn't have been big enough to make the show viable on a major network. After just seven episodes the show was put in a doggie bag and presumably thrown out with the person who green-lit the project.
7) NBC’s 'America’s Next Great Restaurant' (One season, nine episodes, 2011)
Watching ordinary people pitch a restaurant idea before a panel of the culinary world's "rich and famous" (including Chipotle founder Steve Ells) for a shot at funding didn't quite hit the mark. The show finished its nine-episode order, but the three restaurants it spawned all closed within months. Ouch.
3) Food Network’s '2 Dudes Catering' (One season, five episodes, 2007)
Based on a couple of free-spirited caterers, the show was a fairly obvious attempt to grab a younger viewership. After a mere five episodes, the network realized relying heavily on slacker interest was somehow a miscalculation. But don't feel sorry for the two dudes; Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo went on to open Animal and Son of a Gun, two of Los Angeles' hottest restaurants.
4) Food Network’s 'The Gourmet Next Door' (One season, six episodes, 2007)
Amy Finley, winner of the third season of The Next Food Network Star, anchored this blink-and-you'll miss-it cooking show. It seems even the host didn't want to be a part of this program, as she left the country with her family before production was over, declining to film any more episodes.
6) NBC’s 'The Chopping Block' (One season, eight episodes, 2009)
Like other popular chefs from across the pond with wildly successful television shows, British chef Marco Pierre White has no shortage of name recognition. However, this reality program, about contestants trying to open a restaurant, proved that if American viewers want to watch a British chef yelling at people, they'll just stick with Gordon Ramsay.
2) Fox’s 'Kitchen Confidential' (One season, four episodes, 2005)
Did you know that Anthony Bourdain briefly had a Fox sitcom based on his bestselling Kitchen Confidential? Neither did we. The show about a former addict running a restaurant didn't take (even with Bradley Cooper as the lead!), and the network quit it cold turkey after only four episodes.