The Taste: Bourdain & Nigella's Reality Show Gets a Name

Details are in on the mysterious upcoming Nigella Lawson/Anthony Bourdain cooking competition show: ABC has picked up eight episodes of the show, which will be called The Taste. It will be an elimination-based competition show featuring both amateur and professional cooks. Four "culinary experts" will mentor teams, selected "based on their dishes alone." So a blind taste test? Each episode will feature a team challenge and an individual challenge, after which the mentors must agree on who goes home.

The mentors have not yet been announced, and it's unclear whether the "famed foodies" Bourdain and Lawson will be considered mentors or will just host the show. Back when the first details were released about the show, Bourdain told Eater, "I'm particularly looking forward to working with Nigella--who's a friend from way back." Bourdain recently announced he was leaving The Travel Channel and is also preparing a weekend travel show for CNN. Here's a press release; no word on the premiere date of The Taste.

Munich, July 9, 2012. It’s all about the taste! U.S. network ABC has ordered eight episodes of “The Taste”, America's hot new cooking show. Famed foodies Nigella Lawson and Anthony Bourdain head a distinct panel of four judges in this unique cooking competition pitting America’s most skilled cooks against one another. “The Taste” was created and produced by Kinetic Content, Red Arrow's US production company led by Chris Coelen.

Caroline Kusser, Director North America of SevenOne International, says, “Anthony Bourdain’s trademark of holding nothing back coupled with Nigella Lawson’s extensive culinary experience create a strong backbone for a completely innovative cooking competition. We are thrilled about ABC’s pick-up and look forward to capitalizing on this success with a series of strong international partnerships.”

The Taste

For the first time ever Anthony Bourdain and Nigella Lawson are teaming up to get down to what truly matters, the way the food tastes! Our culinary superstars are going back to basics: the taste! Both home cooks and restaurateurs are given the opportunity of a lifetime, as they sharpen their skills and train with the best culinary experts in the business. Our superstar mentors will each coach a team of cooks, who they hand pick based on their dishes alone. In each episode there are two challenges; a team
challenge and an individual challenge. At the end of each show the mentors must decide together who to eliminate.

· ABC Picks Up the Taste [Press Release]
· All Nigella Lawson Coverage on Eater [-E-]
· All Anthony Bourdain Coverage on Eater [-E-]