I watched the premiere of “Chopped” on Food Network last night, and like most people I didn’t like it much. I was actually most struck by the seeming omnipresence of Ted Allen on Food Network when “Chopped” went to commercial and the first ad was for Ted Allen’s “Food Detectives.” Is he on the verge of becoming the next Rachael Ray? Let’s hope not. The very next commercial was for Guy Fieri’s “Ultimate Recipe Showdown” which looks like the same kind of show as “Chopped.” Of course there’s also “Iron Chef America,” to complete the trifecta of cooking competition shows. Is there any truly original programming to be found on Food Network these days? Between Ted’s forced, somber pronunciation of “You’ve been chopped” and the unnecessary recap of the show about two-thirds of the way through, I don’t foresee much of a future for the “Chopped.” The only thing I really liked about it was the contestant Chef Sandy, who worked more slowly and methodically than the other competitors, and (SPOILER!) ended up walking away with the $10,000 prize, much to his surprise.

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