8 Food Network Shows That Are Seriously Hard To Stay Awake Through

Food Network first graced our television sets way back in 1993 with a programming slate that was heavy on teaching people how to cook, and suspiciously light on Guy Fieri. Fast-forward more than three decades, though, and that formula has been completely flipped. Placid cooking tutorials are now the exception rather than the rule, while high-octane, reality-style competition shows seem to run around the clock.

You would think that would make today's Food Network lineup more exciting and thrilling than ever to watch. But in a weird way, the constant bells, whistles, and frantic action are even more mind-numbing. There are only so many times you can reasonably get excited while watching people figure out how to use durian in their dish, or see Bobby Flay break out Calabrian chiles. Eventually, you feel your eyes start to gently close, and a deep wave of gentle lethargy carries you away to slumberland.

Of course, some people watch Food Network shows for exactly that reason: The easy, repetitive drone of comfort food is their comfort food. Whether you tune in because the shows are boring or tune out for the same reason, it seems like some Food Network shows are less suited for prime time and more suited for nap time. So if you're having trouble catching some zzz's, maybe put away the melatonin supplements and try one of these shows instead.

"Cutthroat Kitchen" starring Alton Brown debuted on Food Network in 2013 and became an instant fan-favorite. Every episode was filled with bizarre hijinks as competitors bid to saddle their fellow chefs with weird penalties in an effort to hinder their cooking ability. From being forced to craft all of their kitchen utensils out of aluminum foil to having to cook while dangling off the side of a rock wall, the chefs were subjected to all manner of cooking goofiness that made each episode a madcap explosion.

Then, the original version of the show ended in 2017. Fans wondered why "Cutthroat Kitchen" was canceled, but were excited when Food Network announced a 2025 revival starring the wacky and wild celebrity chef Brian Malarkey. It sounded like a surefire recipe for success, but it somehow resulted in a show that was actually kind of ... boring?

"I wanted to like this new era of Cutthroat Kitchen so bad but it is so boring," wrote one disappointed Redditor. "With a reputation like [Malarkey's] I expected to enjoy him here. He isn't bringing the crazy, evil mastermind energy that I thought he would give to the show." Others blame the somnolent vibe on unnecessary format changes. "It's the sabotages," wrote another Redditor. "The reason people watch the damn show. I don't get why they thought doing the same ones every single episode was a good idea ... The show should be 3 rounds like the original show. 2 rounds is too slow."

Since 2013, when they first launched their home renovation show, "Fixer Upper," Joanna Gaines and her husband, Chip Gaines, have turned their entire life into a lifestyle brand. The couple's Magnolia brand even has its own media company, the Magnolia Network, which Joanna fills with shows like "Magnolia Table." (Hey, if you're going to build a media empire, you have to check "cooking show" off the list, right?)

Food Network executives appear to like the Gaines' stab at a cooking show, as they have broadcast nine seasons and counting of "Magnolia Table", including various spin-offs such as "Magnolia Table: At the Farm." However, viewers have mixed opinions. On the one hand, the show is a gentle callback to the days of yore when Food Network was known for calming cooking demonstrations and culinary lessons. On the other hand, it's pretty boring.

A funny byproduct of this decidedly un-funny show is that some viewers seem to derive more entertainment from kvetching about it online than they do from actually watching it. "Watched Magnolia Table and thought it was the most boring cooking show," wrote one viewer on Reddit. "Honestly, cannot understand the appeal." Another added, "I find her topics boring; a biscuit episode today, how trite. There's something unauthentic about her presentation, like she's going through the motions or whatever."

Ina Garten knows her way around both a kitchen and a television studio. Starting in 2002, her show "Barefoot Contessa" ran for two decades, and made her a fan favorite. Viewers loved her calm and simple demonstrations of useful, everyday cooking recipes and hosting tips. The show was so soothing that it might have helped more than a few people nod off now and then — but, you know, in a good way.

The follow-up to Garten's show, "Be My Guest with Ina Garten," is a horse of a different color. Launched in 2022, "Be My Guest" is where Garten puts theory into practice by actually hosting celebrities for informal discussions over a home-cooked meal. You would think that it would be the perfect vehicle for Garten, and that throwing random celebrities into an already tested formula would add that splash of pizzazz needed to make sure the format doesn't get tired. Instead, though, it's unexpectedly tedious.

Unimpressed viewers chalk the lackluster vibe up to Garten being more comfortable with a whisk than a guest star. "Disappointing show. The nervous laugh is very annoying. She's a terrible interviewer, so patronizing," wrote one Redditor. "Skip this show." Another disappointed fan added, "I love her cooking shows, but was bored senseless with Be My Guest, even with guests I also loved and knew to be good in interviews. I couldn't figure out why, but I gave up after only a few episodes."

Since 2013, Food Network has aired well over 400 episodes of "Guy's Grocery Games." It's basically Fieri's version of the classic game show, "Supermarket Sweep," with the serial numbers barely filed off. On it, contestants race around a fake grocery store — Guy Fieri built a replica of a grocery store just for the show — while finding ingredients to make a meal for Fieri and his celebrity friends.

It sounds fun enough, but if you've seen one (hundred) episodes, you've seen them all. Even the host seems to struggle to find ways to make it interesting, giving himself the secret bonus task of trying to trick contestants with the best Guy Fieri catchphrases. And due to the format's repetitiveness, fans are finding it hard to stay invested. "It has totally gotten stale," wrote a viewer on Reddit. "I preferred it when home cooks and unknown chefs got to compete on the show, instead of Guy's chef friends week in and week out." Another said, "The episodes sit in my DVR for weeks now. It's just not holding my interest anymore." 

For those who love Fieri, this is an instance where they've gotten too much of a good thing. Now some are suffering from flavor fatigue. "I used to watch Food Network all the time," one viewer posted on Reddit. "Now it seems like every time I turn it on, it's a show with Guy Fieri. I don't mind him at all, but some variety would be nice!"

"Boring show with subpar camera work and zero pizzazz. Sad disappointment," reads one Redditor's review of Guy Fieri's latest cooking competition, "Flavortown Food Fight." But why are fans finding this latest addition to the Fieriverse less than compelling? 

It all begins with the basic premise, which — according to Food Network — consists of Fieri "challenging America's best chefs to compete in his ever-changing lineup of out-of-the-box restaurants." It's a little unclear whether the network is referring to the fake restaurant built for the show — which includes fake customers, something that many fans find particularly jarring and weird — or if the whole show is a backdoor ad for Guy Fieri's Flavortown Kitchen restaurants. Either way, many agree that this trip to Flavortown could use a little more seasoning.

"I think Flavortown Food Fight is the most boring show I've ever watched and I'm a huge Guy Fieri fan," one viewer wrote on Facebook. Another replied, saying, "This one is not doing it for me at all. Borrrinnnggggg." But there is some good news for Fieri fans. Given that shows like "Guy's Grocery Games" and "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" both have lasted for more than 40 seasons and counting, Food Network will probably give "Flavortown Food Fight" plenty of time to tweak the format. And in the meantime, you can plan to safely take a nap without missing anything.

Ree Drummond has been showing Americans the joys of ranch living since her eponymous TV show, "The Pioneer Woman," first debuted in 2011. Fast-forward 15 years and more than 500 episodes later, and Drummond continues to highlight life on a working Oklahoma cattle ranch. Nearly every episode features plenty of family, food, and thick slabs of prime beef (and we're not just talking about The Pioneer Woman's husband, Ladd!)

But while Drummond does a great job of highlighting how great it is to live on a ranch that's reportedly worth roughly $200 million, some fans feel that it can be a little boring to watch a show that seemingly prioritizes selling a lifestyle over doing any actual cooking. "Pioneer Woman is lame. She is not even a chef and cooks the easiest most basic stuff," one viewer wrote on Reddit. Another said, "That woman put barely a sprinkle of salt and pepper on some chicken and said it was 'seasoned.' We were appalled. I yelled out 'that's all?' and my wife said 'do better' and changed the channel."

For what's ostensibly a cooking show, there's a prevalent sentiment among viewers that Drummond's recipes are strangely subpar. Some even say that The Pioneer Woman lies about cooking. And even those who identify as fans agree that after churning out so many episodes for so long, Drummond seems to have run out of ideas, leaving "The Pioneer Woman" as exciting as watching a ½-hour pickup truck commercial.

When "Worst Cooks in America" launched back in 2010, the premise was simple: Chef Anne Burrell would teach some of the nation's most inept chefs some new, much-needed cooking skills. Somewhere along the way, though, things shifted, and now many seasons feature D-list celebrities instead of everyday folks. And those questionably famous contestants often appear to be less concerned with learning how to make ham, and more interested in who can ham it up the most for the cameras.

When Chef Anne Burrell tragically passed away in 2025, "Worst Cooks in America" lost its gracious host. But the network pivoted quickly, and decided to press on with new hosts, Jeff Mauro and Tiffany Derry. By that point, though, many fans had already decided that the show lost its appeal due to its obvious reliance on celebrity appearances and gimmicky reality show games. 

"God I hope they go back to more of what it was like in the beginning," one viewer wrote on Reddit. "Last few seasons were unwatchable. Used to love this show." Another chimed in on the same thread, saying, "I miss the early seasons where it was regular people ... It's a clown show now."

People have been trying to "Beat Bobby Flay" in the on-screen cooking arena since 2013. Since then, hundreds of episodes have featured hundreds of contestants making hundreds of dishes. Some have won, some have lost — but can you remember which was which, or who was competing at all, even just a few minutes after the show has ended? It seems that many viewers can't, or they just don't care, as the cooking show has reportedly fallen into a deep rut that it can't pull itself out of. Even Flay himself often seems bored with the whole thing.

As one viewer wrote on Reddit, "Bobby seems to do the same things every time. Calabrian chilies, crunchy rice, crispy chicken skins, pickled shallots, tangerine juice, etc ... He's just so predictable. I know it works, but it's boring to see him do the same thing over and over."

Others have complained that even the competition's judging has gotten too predictable, as kissing up to Flay on his own show seems to be more important than the quality of the food. "If your signature dish a BLT sandwich, Bobby will make spaghetti and meatballs and the judges will love his reinventing of a sandwich," a Redditor griped. Maybe it's time for Flay to move on to something with a fresher concept.