Chopping Block : Season 01 : Episode 08 : Week 08 : Bottom Line: It's not "Hell's Kitchen," merely an incredible simulation.
It simply isn't possible for this reality series to be more aptly titled than "The Chopping Block," given its similarities to Fox's long-running "Hell's Kitchen" and pretty much every other restaurant/food competition show there's ever been. This new effort from NBC is literally a chop off the old block. About the only significant difference is this one's got Brit chef/restaurateur Marco Pierre White, host of the U.K. version of "Hell's Kitchen," instead of Gordon Ramsay (also British) as the latest arrogant incarnation of Simon Cowell. This one also features wannabe star foodies paired up as couples (chef/waiter) rather than individuals competing on two teams of eight. It adds the wrinkle of having the nervousness and hostility of the contestants doubled-down, if you will. And "Chopping Block" is a mite more traditional in its shameless use of those old standbys: driving music, ratcheted-up suspense and manufactured conflict.
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