Here's a Preview of Cutthroat Kitchen, Alton Brown's New Food Network Show

Food Network announced more details today about its new upcoming reality cooking competition show Cutthroat Kitchen. According to the press release, the show will be hosted by food nerd Alton Brown and will give chefs the chance to sabotage each other as they compete to win each episode and up to $25,000. Brown's role in the show is not entirely clear, but he is being referred to by Food Network as "the kitchen's cunning provocateur" so that's something. Food Network also released a preview (below) in which Brown is seen swapping real knives for plastic ones.

The structure of the show is fairly convoluted:

In each episode, four chefs are greeted by Alton with a briefcase filled with $100,000 in cold hard cash and each contestant receives $25,000 to spend wisely over the course of the game on auction items to help themselves or sabotage their competitors. After each cooking challenge is given, chefs have sixty seconds to gather ingredients in the pantry and then regroup for an auction to bid on culinary curveballs such as the exclusive use of salt or not allowing their opponents to taste their dishes. A chef will be eliminated after each of the three rounds, and the last competitor to survive wins the money they have left in their bank.

It's like Chopped meets Top Chef quickfires meets Sugar Dome meets who can keep track anymore.

The show will premiere on Sunday, August 11 at 10pm ET, about a month earlier than previously announced. Below, a brief preview of Cutthroat Kitchen and the press release:

Video: Cutthroat Kitchen

COOKING CHOPS, SABOTAGE SKILLS AND COLD HARD CASH ARE ON THE MENU IN BRAND-NEW SERIES CUTTHROAT KITCHEN, HOSTED BY ALTON BROWN

Culinary Competition Premieres Sunday, August 11th at 10pm ET/PT
Immediately Following Food Network Star Finale at 9pm ET/PT

NEW YORK - July 9, 2013 - Cooking skills aren't enough to win in Food Network's Cutthroat Kitchen - in this new competition series, chefs must also be crafty, clever and willing to sabotage their opponents. Led by Alton Brown as the kitchen's cunning provocateur, this game features a briefcase filled with $100,000 in cash, four competitors, three rounds of cooking and auctions where chefs bid on items to help themselves or hinder their opponents. The thirteen-episode series premieres on Sunday, August 11th at 10pm ET/PT, immediately following the Food Network Star finale, which airs at 9pm ET/PT.

"Cutthroat Kitchen is a cooking competition like viewers have never seen before - culinary skills can get chefs into the kitchen, but they will have to play a game of wits to stay there," said Bob Tuschman, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Food Network. "Alton is the perfect ring leader to the mayhem - his expertise and devilishly delightful sense of humor set just the right tone for this unique new series."

In each episode, four chefs are greeted by Alton with a briefcase filled with $100,000 in cold hard cash and each contestant receives $25,000 to spend wisely over the course of the game on auction items to help themselves or sabotage their competitors. After each cooking challenge is given, chefs have sixty seconds to gather ingredients in the pantry and then regroup for an auction to bid on culinary curveballs such as the exclusive use of salt or not allowing their opponents to taste their dishes. A chef will be eliminated after each of the three rounds, and the last competitor to survive wins the money they have left in their bank.

After the show, viewers can visit FoodNetwork.com/CK to watch Alton and each episode's judge revisit the chefs' biggest missteps and most surprising triumphs.

Alton Brown has served as the culinary commentator of Iron Chef America for eleven seasons, and hosted The Next Iron Chef for five. He also joined Food Network Star in 2012, and currently appears in the show's ninth season. Brown wrote, produced and hosted the Peabody Award-winning series Good Eats for thirteen years on Food Network, and the show can still be seen on Cooking Channel. Brown has written seven books and he also performs live stage shows, demos, speeches, lectures and talks. His first live tour is slated to hit the road in October, 2013.

Cutthroat Kitchen is produced by Embassy Row.

· COOKING CHOPS, SABOTAGE SKILLS AND COLD HARD CASH ARE ON THE MENU [Food Network]
· All Food Network Coverage on Eater [-E-]