Alex Vs. America (2022– ) User Reviews

Fun format and interesting chefs

[Valentijn78 · 8/10 · 13 February 2022]

Alex's snark and food have always been a fun combination. Now three chefs get a chance to take advantage of her weaknesses by choosing ingredients, cooking times, and other factors as they attempt to beat her dishes for a cash prize.

Thus far the competitors are top-quality, with diverse cuisines and extensive experience. So it's nicely inspirational to watch, and usually mouth-watering.

The only drawback is that the judges likely know Alex's style very well, and it stands out from most of the competitors. But they also aren't judges known for cutting anyone a break, and their blind assessment of strengths and weakness of the dishes seems genuine enough.

Fun showcase for Guarnaschelli genius

[riverlizzie · 9/10 · 10 January 2022]

I'm an Alex Guarnaschelli fan to start with, and this is a fun showcase for her genius. Yes, it has some elements of other cooking competitions, but it's different enough to be interesting, e.g., contestants who are experts in certain cuisines competing against each other and Alex. Chef Adjepong makes a knowledgeable, well-spoken host, but it's hard to tear my eyes off him to look at the food. He's distractingly gorgeous. Alex maintains a nice balance between acknowledging her own talents and those of her guests. I'm hooked.

Refreshing Twist on Beat Bobby

[abbykvelazquez · 9/10 · 28 January 2022]

I don't understand why most reviews are so negative. It's a fun show! I appreciate how Alex is down to earth and not incredibly cocky like Bobby Flay. She actually gets visibly nervous every time she competes. She is obviously very competitive but doesn't have a huge off-putting ego.

Love Alex!

[colligrapher · 9/10 · 24 January 2022]

I do not agree with the grumpy naysayers who commented before me. Seems like no one wants to be nice anymore anyway but come on! There are always going to be similarities in cooking competitions. It's inevitable but this one has some refreshing elements and I do not believe it is"fixed"! There are also some fun, exciting new elements to this one so give it a watch!

Give Alex a job somewhere, anywhere

[tonycollums · 4/10 · 13 January 2022]

Why the Food Network continues to try and force feed her on the viewers is bizarre. She has no appeal from a TV show standpoint. Probably a great chef she just has absolutely no star quality. They've bounced her around on a dozen shows and she never lasts.

Worthy Continuation of Guarnaschelli's Iron Chef Legacy

[cjhetherington-89855 · 9/10 · 4 June 2023]

I was saddened but not unsurprised to hear of Iron Chef American's cancellation. I grew up watching competitive cooking, and Iron Chef was its pinacle. I watched beat out Amanda Freitag to her earn the right to use the title "Iron Chef. Since then, she has demonstrated her prowess time and time again. Guarnaschelli had always been a consistent, charismatic, and creative competitor on the show, and no matter how staged it was, I always found myself learning from her.

Alex Vs. America continues the journey of this culinary heavyweight, continuing Alex Guarnaschelli's legacy as an Iron Chef. Not only is Guarnaschelli's genius persistently on display, but her personality comes out in every episode. I smirk every time competitors make their choices in the first round because Guarnaschelli plays mind games with them every time! Sometimes, she employs reverse psychology; other times, she circles like a hungry shark. And, despite maintaining a degree of distance from the competitors to portray her as the "one to beat," she does not come off as inaccessible.

The other faces on this series are of the calibur you would expect. Competitors are experts in their field and include victors of Beat Bobby Flay and Chopped alums. Perennial Chopped judges also make appearences as judges here, such as Simon Majumdar; other judges are also well-respected field experts. Host Eric Adjepong's commentary is always natural and enlightening.

If you love competition cooking, this is for you!

Gotten predictable

[toncincin · 3/10 · 1 September 2022]

We started watching and it seemed like a fun show. After seeing several of them (all of S1 and now into S2), it's increasingly obvious the show us fixed. Alex rarely loses - IMPOSSIBLE. She is apparently a great chef - but many of the guest chefs are better. Watching the pastry episode - three classically trained pastry chefs ... and she beats all of them. No flipping way - sorry. We're done watching. We'll find something else ... FoodNetwork - give up on the fixed competition shows. They're getting old. FN needs to get back to its roots and.

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Like Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay, except longer time limit allows for more complex dishes

[jessicahamilton-11840 · 9/10 · 25 August 2023]

The food on this show is much more elevated than Chopped due to getting more time. The variables are so facinating and the blind judging is pretty cool.

I was scared of Alex from Chopped so going into this show I was undecided, but after binging all 3 seasons in 2 weeks, I can say she won me over. Alex is a stress head but she is relatable. She shows humility and grace when she knows something is not in her wheelhouse.

I feel like being a female chef who isn't a supermodel is hard to win over a crowd, but put away all the shallow judgment and she is actually a fierce competitor and skilled chef. I really love this show and hope to see more.

Same old stuff

[artpym · 5/10 · 3 January 2022]

As much as I like Alex, there is nothing new here. It's an amalgam of other shows. Also the host a bit lost and boring. Hopefully, it will improve as the season progresses.

Eric the Stiff!! Just...no

[acsnyder19 · 1/10 · 5 September 2022]

Qualified chef aside, say what you will, Eric is easily the worst excuse for a TV host I've ever seen in the Food Network universe. The guy's stage presence is ZERO, and he looks generally uncomfortable being a part of this entire operation. Quiet, awkward, no expert input, confused, simply a deer in the headlights. Yikes! This show sucks simply because of him.

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mildly interesting, but in no way "blind"

[donnaleighgresh · 5/10 · 24 January 2022]

Seriously, each episode has someone on as a challenger who cooks something that in no universe imaginable would Alex have cooked, whether it's niche Mexican, authentic Asian, etc. So right away they no which one dish Alex DIDN'T make.

Same Ole Same Ole

[GNickL · 5/10 · 26 July 2022]

Now we need a female version of Beat Bobby Flay. Nothing against Alex, but why do we need another Food Network retread? Why do we need yet another cooking competition? Here's an idea...go back to the ole days when Julia Child or Emeril Lagasse actually showed us how to cook. The Food Network has just become a parody of itself.

Terrible

[steelman-27511 · 2/10 · 30 July 2022]

She has the personality of an orange. It's hard to watch. How she was able to ever be a TV personality is beyond me. There has to be chefs out there who are fun to watch. Rather than this hunk of garbage. It's a trajedy she's allowed to be on TV.

Love Chef Alex

[AlohaKatt · 5/10 · 14 January 2022]

I like Chef Alex on whatever show she is on for the Food Network. The host of her latest show is soooo boring and not exhilarating at all. That may be his personality, but it doesn't work on this show.

I tried

[jason-kraeger · 1/10 · 26 January 2022]

She must have an ego because Food Network appears to always need her to win everything. Yes, the first 4 episodes she wins round 1 and the overall. Boring and no mystery whatsoever! Blah.

Noodles

[cliffrmow · 5/10 · 1 March 2022]

In the last round of the competition the Asian chef judge referred to the competition plates as their and when it came to judging Alex's he referred it to hers so they knew what dish she cooked!! What a drag because I really enjoyed the show till then😩

Fake show You know from the start that Alex is the winner

[nagantusa · 4/10 · 24 January 2022]

I love cooking show but this one is fake. The producer is pushing Alex to the top as a "winner" but there is no fun to see always the same winner. Alex is a great chef but the show is not attractive to me. Beat Bobby, chopped and Iron chef are much better shows.

Fraudachelli at it again

[cdchandler-98365 · 1/10 · 15 July 2023]

How can she win all the time??? The commercial of her being announced to take on 3 culinary EXPERTS and she is arrogant to know that she will win by saying .... i am only human ... what a fraud.

She got her iron chef title handed to her .. she left off ingredients, but was pushed through. She only was able to cook THREE mediocre dishes in stead of FIVE that all the other iron chefs had to do. She will kick people to the curb with that smug face if they leave off an ingredient.

Where is her home restaurant??? She no longer works as a chef, but is being pushed as the new face of food network. All the other judges/chefs still put in time at their places.

Remember folks ... her name is FRAUDachelli.

Production miss

[keatenw-97176 · 2/10 · 2 August 2022]

You wouldn't think after an umpteenth amount of competition reality cooking shows Food Network has produced that this show would look so rag tag. Nobody ever gets to sit down. Give Alex to me 24 hours a day, but make it make sense. The camera shots are offensive. They're playing to the camera like it was in front of a live audience. I absolutely hate how broad and specific the categories are. It was funny to watch the rules being explained and you could kind of see the question mark at the end of the reading of the cue cards.