Iron Chef America Television Program

Attention, "Iron Chef" fans: Someone moved our cheese. Rest assured, the campy original series from Japan is still on the Food Network, Fridays through Sundays. But, sadly, tonight's premiere of "Iron Chef USA" (9 p.m. UPN), set in Las Vegas, is a hollow shell of the cult classic. Start with the basic ingredients, good ones all: An eccentric zillionaire assembles a stable of four Iron Chefs, representing different cooking styles, to battle in a kitchen stadium.

Oh, how to explain Iron Chef to the uninitiated. Julia Child meets World Wrestling Entertainment. Godzilla vs. Nigella. "Monday Night Football" for cooking fanatics. Produced by Fuji Television, the popular show first aired in Japan from 1993 to 1999. It was picked up by the Food Network four years ago and became a cult hit that still airs at least once a day on the channel. The program pits one master chef against a weekly challenger in a fierce cook-off.

Oh, how to explain Iron Chef to the uninitiated. Julia Child meets World Wrestling Entertainment. Godzilla vs. Nigella. "Monday Night Football" for cooking fanatics. Produced by Fuji Television, the popular show first aired in Japan from 1993 to 1999. It was picked up by the Food Network four years ago and became a cult hit that still airs at least once a day on the channel. The program pits one master chef against a weekly challenger in a fierce cook-off.

Attention, "Iron Chef" fans: Someone moved our cheese. Rest assured, the campy original series from Japan is still on the Food Network, Fridays through Sundays. But, sadly, tonight's premiere of "Iron Chef USA" (9 p.m. UPN), set in Las Vegas, is a hollow shell of the cult classic. Start with the basic ingredients, good ones all: An eccentric zillionaire assembles a stable of four Iron Chefs, representing different cooking styles, to battle in a kitchen stadium.