15 Food Network Shows You Haven't Thought About In Years

Food Network may have only been around since 1993, but for many foodies, it's hard to imagine a time without it. From teaching home cooks how to make impressive meals to entertaining the masses with over-the-top culinary competitions and educating viewers about different cultures, the network has done a lot since its inception.

Some shows have stood the test of time. "Chopped" was first released in 2009, and it's still going strong over 60 seasons later. Plenty of other shows have only run for a couple of seasons and vanished from our memories. As it turns out, there are lots of reasons why shows had to end. Burnout, a lack of interest from the audience, and even massive controversies surrounding the hosts have caused shows to halt production.

Are you a big fan of the Food Network? Take a walk down memory lane to revisit 15 Food Network shows that most of us have forgotten about, but have helped shape the culinary entertainment industry we know and love today.

One of the wildest shows that Food Network ever aired is "Sweet Genius," which ran from 2011 to 2013 with three seasons. Ron Ben-Israel was the host, stepping into a stone-faced, sinister character. If you've ever seen his delightful personality in other Food Network shows, diving into this show will give you whiplash. The premise of the show was simple and entertaining: During each episode, four talented chefs had to make desserts that followed a theme and highlighted a strange mystery ingredient. The winner got $10,000.

But it wasn't all fun and games. The first season is the darkest, and you'll notice that lots of the contestants cry due to how intense everything feels. Hearing the dreaded words, "You are no sweet genius," from Ben-Israel while getting eliminated was devastating for the contestants. The following seasons take on a noticeably lighter tone, but the ambiance is still a bit creepy.

Watching this show will make you laugh at how outrageous and disturbing it can be at times. Considering how quickly the show was terminated despite being engaging, it's safe to say that it was simply too ahead of its time. Unfortunately, Ron Ben-Israel is just one of the many talented celebrity chefs people have forgotten about.

Rachael Ray's "$40 a Day" television show arguably paved the way for viral YouTube videos showing normal folks eating for only a dollar per day. Since many Americans try to be aware of their spending even if they're not on a strict budget, it's easy to see why we fell in love with Ray's concept. Her goal was to prove that, with a little clever planning, you can still enjoy dining out without breaking the bank.

Instead of ordering off the value menus at fast-food joints, she traveled the world while never going beyond that $40 daily limit for all three meals. What was depicted on the show isn't what Rachael Ray normally eats in her day-to-day life, of course, but fans had a blast jet-setting around the globe with her.

Ray's show started airing in 2002 and continued running until 2005 after she finished three seasons. Each episode was named after the location of where she'd eat that day. In Season 1 alone, she visited San Francisco, Vancouver, Canada, Paris, Amsterdam, New York City, Miami, and many other places in between.

Food Network fans quickly fell in love with "Down Home with the Neelys" once it started airing in 2008. By 2014, the show concluded with 11 seasons. During each episode, Pat and Gina Neely gave viewers an intimate look at their life together as they cooked in their home kitchen. The pair's family ran some of the nicest barbecue restaurants in Tennessee, so everyone was eager to gain any insider recipes and cooking tips from them.

So what was the real reason why "Down Home with the Neelys got canceled if it was so beloved? Like with much of what we see on TV and online, we only got a little piece of reality. As it turns out, Gina Neely was planning on divorcing her husband and co-star before the show had even started, but felt pressured to stick around once production began. Once she'd had enough, she said goodbye to both the marriage and the show in 2014. Many fans were heartbroken when they learned about the tension behind the couple's sweet on-screen chemistry.

Unlike the majority of these other Food Network shows, you can't find any information about "Paula's Best Dishes" anywhere on the network's website. Thirteen years ago, Food Network cut all ties with Paula Deen due to her racism scandal. Since then, the network has been trying to scrub itself and remove any mention of her. While she still has a page that was dedicated to her work, there's no information on it, and you'll get an error message if you try to find any videos or information.

Before this scandal, her show "Paula's Best Dishes" seemed to be going strong. It began airing in 2008 but was axed amidst the controversy in 2013. There are 14 seasons, but the 14th only features a single episode. During each episode, Paula cooked for viewers in her home kitchen, had other celebrity chefs visit, and also breathed new life into bland recipes that fans sent in.

"Food Court Wars" was hosted by Tyler Florence, and it consisted of two seasons that were released from 2012 to 2014. Each episode, two teams competed to develop a killer marketing strategy and tried to outsell the competition. Whoever won got to stay in that food court rent-free for an entire year, which was valued at $100,000. Each episode took place at a different mall in America, and the food often highlighted local flavors. As with many cooking competitions, there were countless hiccups in the kitchen and margins so close that one or two customers could determine the winner.

It's up for debate why Florence's other show with a similar concept, "The Great Food Truck Race," soared to popularity and continues airing nowadays, while this show flopped. Maybe it's because malls have been dying for quite a while now, and not as many people are interested in shows about them.

Who doesn't love a good sweet? If you ever got frustrated as a kid when you were told that you had to finish your dinner before you could have dessert, the idea of a show like "Dessert First with Anne Thornton" can feel healing for your inner child. Each episode walked viewers through tips that could help any home baker feel like a pastry pro. Anne Thornton also leveled up classic desserts like apple pie to make these old-fashioned treats feel new and exciting.

The show aired from 2010 to 2011 with two seasons. How did such a fun concept fade into obscurity so quickly? As it turns out, Anne Thornton faced legal trouble after people started realizing how suspiciously similar her recipes were to other culinary icons, like Martha Stewart and Ina Garten. Only a couple of small tweaks separated these recipes. The show ultimately got cut due to these plagiarism concerns.

There's nothing more aggravating than building up the courage to try a new recipe only to discover that it requires a million ingredients. You can always trust Food Network to showcase tasty recipes, but they're not always the easiest meals to pull off. This is why the world was ready for the show "5 Ingredient Fix."

Claire Robinson, the host, promised to make cooking at home more accessible by presenting dishes that only needed five ingredients to come together. Better yet, Robinson also utilized seasonal ingredients and tried to make each recipe as wholesome as possible. Some recipes included sautéed trout, curried chicken thighs, chopped asparagus salad, beef tenderloin with port sauce, and blueberry strudel. Her simple, healthy recipes were a breath of fresh air for many viewers.

Robinson's show ran from 2009 to 2013, with six seasons in total. There doesn't seem to be a clear or dramatic reason as to why the show ended, so maybe there's hope for a reboot or a similar show in the future.

Who says that you can't have access to high-quality ingredients when money is tight? Dave Lieberman set out to educate Food Network fans on how to navigate the grocery store to get the most bang for their buck on "Good Deal with Dave Lieberman." He was also passionate about teaching folks how to feed a crowd, which was great for viewers with big families or those who love to entertain. Some of his episodes included one-pot recipes for potlucks, cocktails and finger foods for happy hour parties, how to host Thanksgiving for $45, and meals made almost entirely from frozen ingredients.

There's an interesting reason why "Good Deal with Dave Lieberman" ended and Lieberman faded from our memories. The show ran from 2005 to 2007 with four seasons. Over those few years, Lieberman realized  that being a TV personality wasn't the most fulfilling thing he could do with his life. This unease pushed him to go back to school and eventually become a primary care physician near Boston. Lieberman may not be on our TV screens anymore, but it's nice to know that he still loves cooking for his friends and family at home.

When people think about Food Network, Giada De Laurentiis often comes to mind. She's released a goldmine of classic Food Network cooking shows and appeared as a judge for many others as well. Recently, Giada De Laurentiis decided to leave Food Network, which definitely marks the end of an era.

One of her most beloved shows was "Everyday Italian." It ran for a whopping 12 seasons from 2003 to 2011. In this series, De Laurentiis walked home cooks through classic Italian recipes and discussed the Mediterranean lifestyle. She wanted Americans to feel empowered to take simple and healthy ingredients and create gorgeous, nourishing dishes.

Many of the episodes were centered around a fun theme, such as girls' night in, pasta potluck, romantic dinners, and wine tasting parties. Fans adored the show, but De Laurentiis felt like things were getting stale. She decided to say goodbye to "Everyday Italian" and pivot to a new show, "Giada at Home."

The culinary world still hasn't recovered from the sudden and tragic passing of Anne Burrell. It was so touching to see other Food Network stars pay tribute to Anne Burrell and honor her legacy. Without her, we wouldn't have classic shows like "Worst Cooks in America." One of her shows that many fans have forgotten about is "Chef Wanted With Anne Burrell." It ran from 2012 to 2013 and boasted three seasons.

The premise of the show was fascinating. Prestigious restaurants that wanted to wow critics and casual food enthusiasts alike needed talented chefs working in the kitchen. Burrell took it upon herself to put these hopeful professionals through the wringer to see if they had what it took to be an executive chef at a top-notch restaurant. Anne Burrell was the perfect host for a show like this due to her meticulousness and tough love. The competition was fierce, and Burrell was even fiercer at times, but it was incredible seeing who came out on top when they had a chance to run the restaurant for a night.

Many foodies will never forget Anthony Bourdain's legacy. He has not been with us since his heartbreaking suicide in 2018, but there's still so much more to learn and appreciate about Anthony Bourdain and his career. His tone was always empathetic, and he shared so many stories about different cultures around the world and their cuisines that the average outsider may not have ever known about otherwise.

Bourdain created all kinds of fascinating content throughout the years, but he got his start with the show "A Cook's Tour," which aired from 2002 to 2003. Across its two seasons, Bourdain traveled the world and tried all kinds of dishes that shocked American viewers. From live cobra hearts to toasted ant eggs and deep-fried frog skins, viewers couldn't look away. If you find yourself missing Anthony Bourdain, you'll love going back to his humble beginnings and seeing the world through his eyes and taste buds.

Many Americans are intimidated by cooking because of how much time some recipes require. Sandra Lee set out with a simple mission: to strategically combine store-bought items with fresh ingredients to whip up impressive meals that cut the effort while preserving the flavor. "Semi-Homemade Cooking" was somewhat controversial because some viewers felt like her style of cooking took too many shortcuts.

We can thank the internet for creating funny memes about Ina Garten's endearing catchphrase "Store-bought is fine." While there will always be critics ready to chime in when they see professional cooks using store-bought ingredients, this relaxed approach makes the art of cooking feel more inviting for beginners and those short on time.

"Semi-Homemade Cooking" clearly did something right because Sandra Lee was able to create 15 seasons from 2003 to 2016. She also won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2012 for Outstanding Lifestyle/Culinary Host. People may not remember "Semi-Homemade Cooking" nowadays, but we should all thank Sandra Lee for helping us feel less guilty in the kitchen.

There are a lot of things you probably don't know about Bobby Flay. He's been a Food Network darling since the '90s, and he's hosted countless different shows throughout his career. One show that you may have loved back in the day but forgot about is "BBQ with Bobby Flay."

The show began airing in 2004 and concluded in 2006, with two seasons and a total of 35 episodes. It utilized the tried-and-true concept of traveling around the country to uncover the tastiest dishes that have been barbecued or smoked. Flay even showed up for fun events, such as the American Royal in Kansas City, which reigns as the largest BBQ cook-off.

The show also explored various barbecuing tools, so it was quite informative for BBQ enthusiasts. All in all, it was a fun show that's worth revisiting if you need some inspiration for your summer dinner menu.

We all have a favorite meal, snack, or dessert that we can never say no to. It's always fascinating when we get to hear about celebrity chefs' favorite treats, because they spend each day tasting all kinds of spectacular foods. For example, Duff Goldman's guilty pleasure is a meatball sub.

It's no wonder that Food Network capitalized on our curiosity and developed the show "Guilty Pleasures." The show centers around celebrity chefs' most indulgent cravings from restaurants all around the country. Not only did we get to hear about these gems and fantasize about planning foodie road trips, but we also got to understand the culinary science behind why a particular dish was so outstanding. Sometimes, the show would bring on other celebrities outside of the culinary world, such as Tia Mowry, to share their favorites as well. The show only ran for three seasons from 2015 to 2016.

In 2009, Food Network aired "Private Chefs of Beverly Hills." Its run only lasted until 2010, and with 15 total episodes spread throughout its two seasons. As the location in the title might imply, this show was all about rich people with eccentric tastes. Viewers followed the private chefs who had to be available to their clients 24/7 and meet their every demand. In the promo video for the show, one clip revealed that the chefs had to prepare fancy food for a dog party.

We can thank stars like Paris Hilton for the culture's obsession with celebrities in the early 2000s, but our collective interest must have waned enough by 2009 for this show to flop. As the wealth gap continues to grow in America, it's clear that more folks are getting sick of seeing celebrities flaunting their excessive wealth on meaningless things. This is why it's unlikely that we'll see a reboot or a new show riffing on this concept.