The Unique Way The Winner Of Netflix's Pressure Cooker Was Chosen
The following article contains spoilers about Season 1 of Netflix's "Pressure Cooker."
When cooking shows and reality television collide, magic happens. "Pressure Cooker," which premiered on Netflix on January 6, pits 11 chefs against each other in hopes of winning a $100,000 prize, according to the Daily Beast. The group gets alerted to the cooking challenges via a point of sale machine that prints tickets with all the information they need. The contestants, all of whom come from diverse backgrounds and uphold different values, live together while they compete in culinary showdowns that would intimidate even the most seasoned chef. Some own restaurants, some are private chefs — some have even appeared on television before.
Each competitor does their best to show off skills and cooking technique, but there's a definite twist when it comes to how the show is set up. There is no host, and there's no judge, a unique concept that's putting this show on the path to becoming a gem every foodie must watch.
Contestants play judge and jury
"Pressure Cooker" on Netflix takes the best parts of cooking competition shows and marries them with reality television. The show puts 11 contestants under the same roof and has them battle for $100,000 in the kitchen. You might be thinking that a panel of judges names the winner, but that's not the case in "Pressure Cooker."
According to Distractify, the competitors judge each other's work by doing tastings after the challenges, which they record in a black book. This unexpected judging method predictably results in drama that unfolds over eight 45-minute episodes, per the Daily Beast, which likened the show to a "Big Brother"/"Top Chef" hybrid. Throughout the show, contestants form and dissolve alliances and do their best to win favor among their peers to avoid being eliminated.
[Spoiler alert!] Chefs received the boot one after the next until Robbie Jester was named the winner. While 28% of people think Hell's Kitchen has the most entertaining format, this concept is a surefire way to stir up spectacle on-screen.