Trivia / Food Network

• Adored by the Network: Many examples. Given that cooking/travel/reality shows can be produced relatively quickly, its easy for the network to air their shows noon and night until the audience finally gets used to, or sick of them.
  • Episodes of 30 Minute Meals and 40 Dollars A Day were on constant repeat shortly before Rachael Ray got her own talk show.
  • Once the network discovered Guy Fieri may have a chance among the much-coveted young male Demographic, they began to run his shows constantly. If you tune in to Food Network at any given time these days, chances are that they're showing Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, or are about to start showing it within an hour. His newer shows Guy's Grocery Games (a sort of hybrid of Chopped and Cutthroat Kitchen set in a supermarket) and Guy's Big Bite get a lot of rotation as well.
  • Emeril Legasse had Wolverine Publicity for a while, and made a big deal over how much butter and fat he used long before Paula Deen came on the scene. He has since been Demoted to Extra.
  • As of 2011-12, Food Network has basically become the "Iron Chef and Anything Like It" Channel, featuring hours upon hours of Iron Chef, Chopped, and similar shows clogging up the schedule.
  • And increasingly a number of Restaurant: Impossible clones including Restaurant: Impossible itself.
    • As well as not only Chopped itself but an increasing number of Chopped clones, including Chopped Canada, Cutthroat Kitchen and Kitchen Casino.
  • As of summer 2014, Tuesday evening is devoted to Chopped, Wednesday night to Restaurant: Impossible and its clone Restaurant Stakeout, and Friday evening to Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.
• …But I Play One on TV: A higher number of the "chefs" who host shows on this network than you would suspect are actually not chefs at all, but are merely "enthusiastic amateurs" who love to cook.
• Long-Runners: The longest runner on the network is How To Boil Water, which has aired on the network since the day it launched, though it is now relegated to an early-morning slot. Other shows, such as The Essence Of Emeril (debuted in 1994) and Emeril Live (debuted in 1997) are also long runners, though Emeril Live has since hopped over to Fine Living/Cooking Channel, staying on Food Network only for reruns. Good Eats had a 10-year anniversary special, and started a reboot in 2019, which is really more of a continuation.
• Role-Ending Misdemeanor: The network chose not to renew Paula Deen's contract after a racist incident involving her in 2013. ^note However, at least one article suggested that the incident just gave them an excuse, and the real reason she was dropped was because she wasn't getting the 18-49 demographic advertisers love.
• Romance on the Set: Robert Irvine met his future wife, pro wrestler Gail Kim, during a SummerSlam-themed edition of Restaurant: Impossible.
• Screwed by the Network: Sara Moulton was a highly qualified, well-versed chef who cut her teeth working with Julia Child and quick enough to host a live call in cooking show when the network was just getting started. Later she was axed and had to leave for PBS when the network decided against more technically-based shows in favor of marketable personalities and reality programing.

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