The 10 best competitive cooking shows to watch before 2022 ends

About the only thing better than a classic competition is one involving food. For the viewer, it’s the ultimate win-win, pairing contentious and often dramatic battles with the stuff we love to put in our bellies.

Some of these shows involve Michelin Star level talent, assembling things we could never do in our wildest dreams. Others are just duking it out with a certain ingredient, or lack thereof. They’re easy to binge, satisfying our most primal urges. And now, as you might guess, there are more than ever to choose from, with multiple streaming services and a collective love for culinary culture that’s still very much intact.

There are a number of good cooking shows on Netflix right now, but if you’re looking for variety, you’ll have to branch out to other streaming services. We’ve handpicked 10 of the best competitive cooking shows you can watch online right now. Who knows? Perhaps you’ll feel inspired to make some extravagant dishes — or, at the very least, take on some easy recipes to make.

If you’re looking for films to watch on other platforms, we’ve also found the best Amazon Prime movies for 2022.

Top Chef (2006)

Genre Reality

watch on Peacock

Top Chef is a reality competitive cooking show focused on finding America’s best chefs and pitting them against one another. The chefs face off in a series of culinary challenges that culminate in one or more contestants getting eliminated at the end of each episode until only one winner remains at the end of the season. Since its launch, Top Chef has spawned multiple spin-offs, including Top Chef Masters and Top Chef Junior.

Top Chef: Season 14 Official Trailer | Bravo

The Final Table (2018)

Genre Reality

Cast Andrew Knowlton

watch on Netflix

A Netflix original, The Final Table is a culinary competition that spans the globe. The competition involves 12 pairs of chefs from around the world, all fighting to earn a place at the Final Table. Naturally, the show features a ton of famous chefs. Each episode focuses on one country’s national dishes and features a variety of celebrity critics and ambassadors. Teams are eliminated until just the finalists reach the finale. The Final Table is presented by Andrew Knowlton (James Beard Award-winning writer and editor-at-large for Bon Appétit).

The Final Table | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix

Chopped (2009)

Genre Reality

Cast Ted Allen

Created by Michael Krupat, Dave Noll, Linda Lea

watch on Hulu

Chopped, hosted by Ted Allen, is a lot like Top Chef in terms of series format, but it’s a little more expedited. In each episode, four chefs compete in a three-round contest in which they have to cook and plate an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert. Each chef’s overall performance is judged by a panel of three judges to determine who will win $10,000 at the end of the competition. Of course, there are plenty of twists and turns that test each chef’s ability to think creatively and quickly.

Food Network "Chopped" Promo

Guy's Grocery Games (2013)

Genre Reality

Cast Guy Fieri

Created by Guy Fieri

watch on Hulu

Guy’s Grocery Games is a more relaxed, down-to-earth version of Chopped. Hosted by one of our favorite celebrity chefs, Guy Fieri, each episode takes place in an actual grocery store called Flavortown Market. It’s a fairly lighthearted show in which chefs from all over the U.S. compete in a series of challenges focused on making high-end dishes only with ingredients you can buy in any average grocery store.

American Barbecue Showdown (2020)

watch on Netflix

With so many cooking shows focused on making food in the kitchen, this Netflix original series takes the competition to barbecue country. American Barbecue Showdown takes place in a massive barn where contestants compete over the grill to make deliciously charred meats, vegetables, and more. It also comes with a similar levity you’d get from The Great British Baking Show, which is a lot less stressful than some of the other shows on our list.

American Barbecue Showdown | Official Trailer | Netflix

Iron Chef America (2005)

Genre Reality

Created by Alton Brown

watch on Hulu

Iron Chef America is a competitive cooking show where lesser-known chefs take on the seasoned pros. The series itself is based on the Japanese cult sensation of the same name, but with a focus on American chefs. Hosted by the always-entertaining Alton Brown, this show has the intensity of Top Chef with the culinary insights of famous chefs you already know and love.

Nailed It! (2018)

Genre Reality, Family

Cast Nicole Byer, Jacques Torres

watch on Netflix

Nailed It! has, in its first four seasons, developed a cult-like following. Perhaps the best part is how engaging it is — even if you don’t want to like Nailed It!, you’re going to like it. The series pits amateur bakers against each other as they attempt to re-create complicated cakes, pastries, and other baked goods. The results are usually hilariously awful, but the winner of each episode receives a solid cash prize of $10,000. Not a bad consolation prize for a little public humiliation.

Hell's Kitchen (2005)

Genre Reality

Cast Gordon Ramsay

watch on Hulu

No list would be complete without arguably the most famous (or infamous) cooking competition show. Hell’s Kitchen is the granddaddy of the genre and the definition of a stressful cooking competition. Hosted by world-famous chef Gordon Ramsey himself, each season features two teams of chefs competing for the job as head chef at a restaurant. With progressive elimination and excessive yelling, Hell’s Kitchen is more about handling the stresses of a successful restaurant than simply making delicious food.

First Look: Gordon Ramsay Introduces Season 17 | HELL'S KITCHEN: ALL STARS

The Great British Bake Off (2017)

Genre Reality

Cast Noel Fielding, Matt Lucas, Paul Hollywood

watch on Netflix

The Great British Baking Show is one of the most relaxing food competitions you’ll ever see, though that could be partly because the winner doesn’t actually win any prize money. Each season focuses on a group of amateur bakers from the U.K. competing in a series of challenges each week to find out who is the best. With a mix of technical challenges and delightfully pleasant commentary, it’s one of the easiest shows on Netflix to binge all day. There’s even a kids version now, if you need something family friendly.

The Great British Baking Show (Collection 8) | Official Trailer | Netflix

Cooked with Cannabis (2020)

Genre Reality

Cast Leather Storrs, Kelis

Created by Rik Reinholdtsen

watch on Netflix

Cooked with Cannabis is pretty much your average cooking competition, but with a unique twist — each meal is made with some form of THC and CBD. Each chef is competing to impress a panel of judges that slowly get higher as each meal progresses. And while this may seem like an entirely new concept, there have been a number of great cannabis cookbooks published in recent years that prove this style of cooking is on an upward trend.

This Gourmet Food Gets You High | Best of Cooked with Cannabis | Netflix

The 10 best competitive cooking shows to watch before 2022 ends

From Nailed It! to Chopped, here are our top cooking contest shows

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