The Way Cutthroat Kitchen Contestants Were Found
Reality TV show "Cutthroat Kitchen" is a rollercoaster ride for fans that enjoy witnessing intense drama and competition in a cooking program that promises to entertain in massive doses. Hosted by chef and TV personality Alton Brown, the show (which aired its last new episode in 2017) gives each aspiring culinary talent $25,000, which they can use to buy a number of challenges that could sabotage their competition in the kitchen. All as they attempt to cook new dishes and be the last one standing (via IMDB).
It's definitely not a show for the faint-hearted. As noted by Food Network, in one of the episodes, chef Eric Greenspan had to work from a literal play ball pit as he cooked meatballs. Another episode featured a spinning work station where chef Todd Stein prepared crepes and yet another gave a chef a hammock as their tabletop work space. Whew!
Turns out, the show's team also had an interesting process that they followed when picking participants to compete on "Cutthroat Kitchen" — and the tough obstacles clearly started from the very beginning.
"Cutthroat Kitchen" producers turned to social media
The team at "Cutthroat Kitchen" put in quite a bit of work while hunting for the best chefs to be a part of the show. A former participant, chef Joe Arvin told Chef's Roll that he was tracked down on YouTube. Arvin said, "One of the directors from the casting company called me and said they found me through my Mad Love Cooking YouTube Channel. They initially wanted to know how strong of a competitor I was and if I thought that I would be able to handle the pressure of competing on a show like 'Cutthroat Kitchen.'"
He added that the team finds most of the participants on social media platforms like YouTube and Twitter. And there's no formal audition but the chefs do have to be able to show that they can handle the intensity of the show. For example, Arvin had to share some of his recipes with the team and provide industry accolades, among other things. He also participated in interviews with the producers and casting directors, highlighting his work experience and his style of cooking when things get hot in the kitchen. The whole process, he said, took four months but surprisingly the steps did not involve cooking.