Rat In The Kitchen Season 1 Release Date, Cast, And More Information
Move over, Gordon Ramsay! There's a new kitchen in town, and in addition to some hell, this one also has a rat. However, this particular rodent won't be subject to a Food and Safety department probe. Instead, it'll be the secret star of a TV cooking competition. TBS is dishing up a whole new culinary treat for viewers, and it's got a heavy dash of cunning mixed in with the cooking.
According to the network's press release, "Rat in the Kitchen" promises "culinary chaos" as contestants compete in numerous cookhouse challenges. Adding a twist to the regular reality mix, the show is part competition, part mystery. Over 10 episodes, an undercover saboteur — aka the rat — secretly wrecks competitors' dishes in a bid to diminish their chances of winning.
The combo of pro and home cooks engage in "a game of high stakes cat and mouse" as they attempt to sniff out who's the devious destroyer — and viewers get to play along too. At the end of each week's installment, contestants and armchair detectives have to decide who's the shady renegade amongst the ranks. If they're right, they win. If they're wrong, the rat scuttles off with the bank. Here's what we know about Season 1 so far.
When will Season 1 of Rat in the Kitchen be released?
If you're hankering for a sneaky snoop in the scullery before the release date, then you're in luck. TBS has released a teaser video, offering a faint whiff of the six warring chefs' shenanigans, and it looks every bit as chaotic and crazy as promised. But, when is the network letting the rat out of the (grocery) bag and onto our screens?
Season 1 of "Rat in the Kitchen" will premiere on March 31 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The show is a joint venture between ITV Studios' Possessed and ITV America's Thinkfactory Media. TBS' reality TV head honcho said the program's premise is one of the smartest and freshest they've ever come across.
"It combines innovative cooking and everything you love about your favorite food shows, with a healthy serving of classic true-crime whodunnit," Corie Henson, EVP/Head of Unscripted Development, TNT, TBS, and truTV said in an ITV press release. "[It's] the perfect recipe for a good time," she added.
Who's in the cast of Rat in the Kitchen Season 1?
So, who's in the hosting hot seat? Well, with the amount of trickery and mischief that's going down each episode, it takes more than one person. Two hosts preside over the weekly culinary crime capers — famed chef Ludo Lefebvre and comedian Natasha Leggero.
Lefebvre is a Michelin star chef who earned his cooking credentials by working in some of France's fanciest restaurants. According to his cast bio, Lefebvre honed his skills under the watchful eyes of acclaimed chefs, such as Alain Passard and Guy Martin. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1996, climbing his way up the US culinary ladder before opening several of his own restaurants. Lefebvre told Purple that he ruled out New York City when he first decided to move stateside because of his lack of English. He admitted that he eventually settled on California because of "Baywatch, Pamela Anderson, the beach."
Meanwhile, Leggero is as American as apple pie. The 47-year-old describes herself as having "timeless appeal & legendary glamour" on her Twitter bio. She's also "an accomplished actress, writer, and stand-up comedian," in addition to a podcast host, (kind of) relationship advisor, producer, and accomplished Justin Bieber roaster, per TBS.
What else do we know about Rat in the Kitchen Season 1?
According to Eater, this isn't Ludo Lefebvre's first TV cooking competition gig. He was previously a judge on ABC's "The Taste" along with fellow chefs Marcus Samuelsson, Nigella Lawson, and the late, great Anthony Bourdain.
Sadly, the show never really took off. Per The Hollywood Reporter, "The Taste" struggled to pull in any fans from the get-go. It was canceled after Season 3 managed to score only 3.6 million viewers. As THR notes, except for Gordon Ramsay's stable of shows on Fox, US networks have struggled with whipping up a successful culinary concoction to date.
Hopefully, "Rat in the Kitchen" will fare better for TBS. The CEO of Thinkfactory certainly believes it's a sure-fire hit. "Episodes will have viewers laughing, drooling over enticing dishes and cringing at the chefs' glorious failures — all while obsessing over finding the 'rat,'" Adam Reed said in a show press release.