Set them free: The judges are let loose in ‘Guy’s Grocery Games’

By Andrew Warren TV Media

Quick, someone call store security — Flavortown Market’s judges are running amok! At the best of times, “Guy’s Grocery Games” can sometimes feel like organized chaos, but if the judges themselves abandon their posts, then it’s anyone’s guess as to what host Guy Fieri may be up to.

A new season of the cooking competition gets underway Sunday, March 4, on Food Network, with a very special episode titled “Judge vs. Judge.” None of “Triple G’s” long-established rules are safe as Guy tosses them out and challenges some of the show’s most familiar judges to a series of one-on-one, head-to-head culinary battles.

In the first round, “Food Network Star” winner Justin Warner brings his new school style of cooking in a faceoff against celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito’s old school cuisine. Unlike a normal “Grocery Games” contest, though, the second round features an entirely new pair of competing judges, with grilled cheese master Eric Greenspan battling it out for supermarket superiority against chef Aaron May. Finally, in Round 3, chef Carl Ruiz and restaurateur Antonia Lofaso go head to head.

Don’t worry, though: “Guy’s Grocery Games” hasn’t permanently changed up its successful formula. After all, with an incredible 16 seasons behind it, it must be doing something right. This season’s next episode, airing Wednesday, March 7, is a themed episode that’s sure to get every carnivore’s mouth watering: bacon. Four bacon-loving chefs are in Flavortown Market competing for a shot at the $20,000 prize, and Guy’s ready to throw curveball after curveball at them as they zip around the supermarket shopping for their baconfocused dishes.

Even when it veers off its wellworn path, “Guy’s Grocery Games” never strays too far from its winning premise: chefs preparing amazing dishes in a supermarket, with fun twists and speedbumps all tying into the all-too-familiar setting. It’s that setting that’s set “Triple G” apart from similar cooking competitions and helped it carve out its own unique identity. The new season premieres Sunday, March 4, on Food Network.

Sunday, March 4

3:00 p.m. TRAV Food Paradise This over-the-top trip includes foods that will satisfy any carb craving.

4:00 p.m. TRAV Food Paradise We’re frying a batch of donuts for every meal of the day.

5:00 p.m. TRAV Food Paradise We take you to the most sizzling hotspots for beef in the U.S.

6:00 p.m. TRAV Food Paradise Bird is the word as the country’s choicest chicken dishes are highlighted.

7:00 p.m. TRAV Food Paradise

Frugal foodies across the country savor the savings while eating high-quality meals. (N)

8:00 p.m. TRAV Food Paradise

Diners enjoy fry-day every day at these hot spots across the country. (N)

9:00 p.m. TRAV Greatest BBQ of America Roger Mooking travels coast-to-coast to discover what makes BBQ great.

11:00 p.m. TRAV Food Paradise

Diners enjoy fry-day every day at these hot spots across the country.

Monday, March 5

3:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods

Andrew goes to Hawaii to sample the authentic Hawaiian cuisine.

4:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods

Andrew follows Mark Twain’s path down the Mississippi River for a slice of Americana.

5:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods In Finland, Andrew samples blood pudding, reindeer tartare, brown bear rump and tree bark.

6:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods

Andrew gets a taste of the culinary impact of Napoleon Bonaparte’s march through Poland.

7:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods:

Delicious Destinations Andrew reveals Manila’s iconic foods, from slow roasted pork to chicken inasal.

10:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations Andrew explores regional specialties in Oaxaca, Mexico.

10:30 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations Andrew reveals the most iconic foods of Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Tuesday, March 6

3:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods:

Delicious Destinations Andrew explores Jamaican icons jerk chicken and mannish water soup.

3:30 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations Andrew takes us to Zurich, the origin of some of Switzerland’s most famous foods.

4:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods:

Delicious Destinations Andrew reveals the must-try foods of Managua: steamed beef, crispy pork skin salad.

4:30 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods:

Delicious Destinations Andrew explores the favorite foods of Pittsburgh - home to a half-pound fish sandwich.

5:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods Andrew tries fresh bull testicle ceviche in a market in Guatemala.

6:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods

America Andrew samples foods from the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

7:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations Andrew samples the cuisine of Vienna and enjoys a dessert dating back to the 1800s.

7:30 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations Andrew reveals the foods of Hanoi, Vietnam, including snail soup and pork-filled crepes.

8:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods (N)

9:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods

Andrew dives into the culinary treasures of Italy’s majestically beautiful Amalfi Coast.

10:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods

Andrew tries huge freshwater prawns, harvests abalone and feasts on tuna eyeballs.

11:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods

Wednesday, March 7

3:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods

Andrew is back for another adventure, this time to sample the local cuisine of Sardinia.

4:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods

Andrew eats baby goats, cow heads, and calves’ balls in Texas.

5:00 p.m. TRAV Bizarre Foods

Thursday, March 8

1:00 p.m. (11) KARE The Rachael Ray Show Viewers are presented with great recipes and simple solutions for everyday issues.

Friday, March 9

1:00 p.m. (11) KARE The Rachael Ray Show Viewers are presented with great recipes and simple solutions for everyday issues.

Saturday, March 10

3:00 p.m. TRAV Food Paradise We are serving up deli dishes beyond your wildest cheat day fantasies.

4:00 p.m. TRAV Food Paradise

Diners enjoy fry-day every day at these hot spots across the country.

Brainerd Daily Dispatch, MN: Food Mar 4, 2018 to Mar 10, 2018

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