Alton Brown ending Food Network’s ‘Good Eats’ after 249 episodes
CREDIT: AP
Marietta food guru Alton Brown announced yesterday that after 249 episodes, he is shutting down “Good Eats,” a Food Network staple since 1999.
Beau Benton, his spokesman, confirmed that “Good Eats” will no longer be a regular series though Brown does plan three one-hour specials this year. He said Brown was not available for interviews.
Brown’s “Good Eats” has been a standard dish on Food Network’s menu for years, frequently in prime time. A fast-paced, intricately-created concoction, the show provides viewers with food history, cooking tips and oddball trivia on a single topic in Brown’s signature light-hearted and frequently sardonic tone. Over nearly 250 episodes, he chewed on almost every food subject there is, be it olives, steak or bouillabaisse. With some common staples like pasta or eggs, he’s done multiple episodes. And he’d hire local actors to play goofy parts.
One of those actors, Vickie Eng, who played the mysterious W character on about 30 episodes, said Brown put “blood, sweat and tears” into the show as director, writer and star. Her favorite moment was dangling from the ceiling Tom Cruise/”Mission Impossible” style for an episode on oysters.
Bobby Flay, another Food Network staple, said in an interview yesterday that he admires Brown for his “encyclopedic knowledge” of food and how he’s able to leverage that in multiple arenas.
Brown owns a 15,000-square-foot studio in Atlanta where he has shot “Good Eats.” Much of his staff and crew has been with him for years, a testament to his good works as a boss. “Everybody there is like family,” Eng said.
The Welch’s spokesman and author recently re-signed a new contract with Food Network and has an entrenched job with “Iron Chef” and its various incarnations. Undoubtedly, he has another show idea in his fridge.
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By Rodney Ho, rho@ajc.com, AJCRadioTV blog
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89 comments Add your comment
WHY??????
May 13th, 2011
8:15 am
To all of the food-consumed couch potatoes- “Please Move Away From The Television”…and get a life…or possibly exercise.
carlaroqs
May 13th, 2011
8:50 am
i cannot believe no one has mentioned the turkey frying episode. even though i could not watch ALL of the episodes, some were too teachy- don’t scream, i know that was the point; alton brown totally roqs. he thinks outside of the box and the fn is not going to let him get away. for all of the haters: YOU get a life.
carlaroqs
May 13th, 2011
8:55 am
oh, and the pie episode was eerily good.
Donna
May 13th, 2011
10:56 am
So sorry to see this news, Brown’s knowledge and humor has made this learning experience so fun and so intriguing….made me want to try many of the subject matter recipes. I’ll miss your show, Alton Brown!
lal
May 13th, 2011
11:16 am
@Cat Wow, so hateful. You must really have a miserable life. Pity.
Fred
May 13th, 2011
11:49 am
Best show on the Food Network, I learn something new everyweek. Sure hope they show reruns!!!
Benita Wheeler
May 13th, 2011
12:19 pm
I love that show. It will be a great loss with creative ideas he brought to it. Besides, I love science.
Kathy Hawkins
May 13th, 2011
1:50 pm
What a shame! One of the few shows that really teaches you something. It is rare that you get both entertaining and educational all at one time. Have cooked so many of your dishes and learned so much. We will miss you Alton! Thanks for all you do.
Quad
May 13th, 2011
1:50 pm
It has not aired on tv in a while and there has been a void in my life cause of it. I have 80 or so episodes on my DVR, but it will never be the same! This was, is and will always be my one ultimate favorite show of all (cooking or otherwise)! Hey Alton If it means anything to you You were a Genius! and I really truly wish you would come back! Hey Food Network would it be too much trouble to at least ask for reruns?
And another thing...
May 13th, 2011
2:38 pm
Alton, you will be missed! I still remember when you spoke at UGA’s graduation ceremony this same time last year. You were so engaging and funny, but yet serious in your message to the 2010 graduation class. No matter what you do for a living, in the end its all about your family foundation that you create with love, respect, sharing, nurturing, and commitment to raising your children to be good citizens of the earth and mankind. You nailed it!
currymac
May 13th, 2011
3:44 pm
There goes the only show left on Food Network that was worth watching… and that includes the other crap Alton graces. I want to learn about food and cooking. That’s what Alton taught. So did Mario, for the first year or 2. Now it’s nothing but contests and primadona “celebrity” chefs like Paula Dean… Gomer Pyle in drag. What a waste!
B. Thenet
May 13th, 2011
4:34 pm
Thanks for everything Alton. A fantastic show.
dnb
May 13th, 2011
4:40 pm
I will truly miss you
Susan
May 13th, 2011
4:47 pm
Have enjoyed your shows so much. I’m sure you’re working on something else that will be just as informative. P.S. I’m still using the cooktop and vent-a-hood you installed when you were my neighbor. Good Luck in all your ventures.
PTC DAWG
May 13th, 2011
4:59 pm
This show will be missed by me.
The Feasting on…..shows were one of the most enjoyable things I’ve seen on Food Network. I hope we more of something like that from Alton.
mama moe of milton
May 13th, 2011
5:33 pm
Noooooooooooooooooooooooo! It was actually one of the very few shows me and my kids learned from!
shells
May 13th, 2011
6:04 pm
I agree with what Javis said, cup cake wars?? ??? Realy ???? and also Mat there are too many
competition/challenge shows,,,, where did all the show ya how to cook shows go???
i will to miss Good Eats,,,, but wait… there ARE the DVDs!!!!
my thoughts
May 13th, 2011
7:00 pm
Alton Brown was awesome…easily the best cooking show imo…the show will be missed as one of a kind!
Food Network is tanking
May 13th, 2011
8:19 pm
FN is getting away from what got it “there”- good shows about COOKING- not fake cook-off quasi-reality shows with loads of manufactured drama.
Bilbo
May 13th, 2011
8:45 pm
I enjoyed the science behind cooking on GOOD EATS. Alton Brown is a very talented showman with a deep knowledge of cooking and possesses the real spirit of a teacher. I will miss his show!
19&41
May 13th, 2011
8:46 pm
Please keep the reruns going for a while. I know I haven’t seen all the episodes! Jack Webb couldn’t fill a half hour with such interesting content! Good luck AB!
Tim K.
May 14th, 2011
10:31 pm
Damn, that was a great show. And it LOOKED amazing (Okay, aside from the opening show credits sequence). Anyway, bright guy and great food. That’s the kind of show Food Network was known for and I hope we aren’t stuck with another competition show about baking.
Tawana
May 15th, 2011
8:48 pm
I love his Thanksgiving episode….watch every year the best!!
Kamla
May 16th, 2011
12:06 am
I can’t believe i’d only started watching this show in November ‘10. since then, i’ve been absorbed in reading food science until my eyes bleed.. and of course catching up on all his episodes through hulu/youtube. Thanks for keeping it real Mr. brown and you will always be the best food network guru ever.
Veronica
May 16th, 2011
1:50 pm
RIP Good Eats especially for those of us that could actually keep up w/ a host that has an extended vocabulary and mad skills unlike Paula who is cackling and groaning as she adds sticks of butter to everything. I hope Alton replaces Good Eats with something equally as good.
Baltisraul
May 16th, 2011
5:45 pm
R. Ray and P. Dean are combining to do a show. One hour specials with at least 5 min of cooking. Mostly with butter and lard as the top ingredients. First show “how to make a shepards pie key lime cake.” This is good ya’ll. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Holley .
May 17th, 2011
12:01 pm
I am terribly sad to hear this news. Love Alton!!!
Praveen
May 17th, 2011
12:15 pm
“SCIIIIIIIENCE” (OK, you gotta be old enough to watch the Thomas Dolby video to get this).
Anyway, Alton Brown is the reason why I started to watch the Food Channel. The channel sucks otherwise. All the good food shows are on the TRAVEL channel.
A lot of these “learning” type channels are showing a lot of reality crap(TLC being the worst). I learn very little from the Food network’s other shows.
Hopefully Alton Brown will have something good in store.
Lyle Gunderson
May 18th, 2011
12:05 pm
I’m glad to learn the show is on DVD. 249 shows should be quite a stack! Time to start saving up!
Browsing Catharsis – 05.19.11 « Increasing Marginal Utility
May 19th, 2011
8:09 am
[...] Good Eats is canceled??? NOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo [...]
Carole
May 22nd, 2011
9:34 am
This is probably the REAL reason why the best program on FN is stopping and Alton is going on to bigger and better things! Thanks Alton, for the one of funniest shows on any network of TV programs. I found Good Eats thought provoking, exciting, creatively entertaining and many of the episodes memorable.
Alton lost weight on a sorta low carb diet, but he probably is not allowed to make a really great – Low Carb show to help the viewing audience! It is too radical to sell and is not supported by FN, the ADA, or the medical community.
I know I’m not just speaking for myself, the viewers of food network are seeking a well produced show which helps us combat diseases, while being entertaining, knowledgeable, funny and intelligent! This would require out of the box thinking…
As many of us develop diabetes,age related illness, etc where are the programs on FN to address our real needs?? Americans are tired of being treated like a bunch of undereducated consumers.
Create TV and PBS should not be the only food networks diverse enough to handle complex intelligent and funny programs on cooking and disease prevention.
Susie
May 22nd, 2011
3:21 pm
so so soooooooooooo sad about Good Eats. Had already missed Alton for weeks now. Loved putting folks onto his show. Hope all is well with him and the family. He brought nothing but joy to my household.
AltonfaninNY
May 23rd, 2011
11:10 am
Are you kidding? Of all the BS shows on Food Network, they are getting rid of one of the only decent, intelligent, and educational shows they’ve got? I will never watch FN again, even if they keep Alton on the Iron Chef America series, because that crap blows too. Good going FN, nice work.
Mike B
May 23rd, 2011
8:50 pm
I agree with AltonfaninNY… drop the drama shows and get back to cooking. I’m sure if Julia were still alive she would disapprove of these vapid, drama filled shows.
Perhaps you could have a smart aleck Brit making fun of new cooks trying to make something of themselves but end up being the butt of jokes on national TV…now theres an idea.
Alton, Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Ginakuma
May 25th, 2011
12:04 pm
@Cat Flay Morimoto, Alton does not think of himself as a chef, nor has he ever called himself that. He declines competitions and other signs of culinary recognition because he has so much respect for REAL CHEFS. His reasons are that he doesn’t think he has the culinary intuition or creativity to be on par with that kind of talent. In all actuality, he could NOT be an Iron Chef, “if he wanted.” His drive to study food came from his aspiration to create a cooking show, not to be a chef.
You’re calling him a “phony”, but a phony what? A phony chef? He never claimed to be a chef and doesn’t pretend to be one. You are mistaken. He is an educator and an entertainer, and is very good at both.
Nathan
May 26th, 2011
2:57 pm
Alton Brown is to cooking as Bob Ross was to painting…both are masters of what they do (did) and I appreciate both of them. Alton, you can come cook in MY kitchen, anytime.
Thanks Food Network.
May 31st, 2011
11:49 am
I can see AB leaving he is kind of hitting the limit of shows he can do.
If Food Network is forcing him out.
NO… NO… NO… Don’t get rid of AB get rid of Cupcake Wars or one of the other competition shows.
Michael
June 2nd, 2011
1:30 pm
Say it aint so! Good Eats was my favorite show! Well I guess there will always be reruns… Thank you Alton Brown, for writing and starring in such a fantastic show. Good Eats will be greatly missed, but I wish you luck and success in whatever your future plans are.
Dee M.
June 2nd, 2011
4:39 pm
Alton, I literally cried when I found out you were leaving. There is no show to compare on Food Network like the ones you have produced since 1999. We love you, please don’t go!!!
I will keep checking your website in the hopes that you miss us as much as we miss you, and then you will put back on your cute and funny outfits and teach us the REAL way to cook. Hugs (and tears).