THE FOOD GAME

The Overview.

Compered by searing comedians, The Food Game will be the first satirical TV cooking game show. Celebrity contestants will compete in challenges set by Food Bank Judges and Community Kitchens to source, plan, and cook food for various people from various demographics.

In each episode (5 per series), the two teams of contestants will receive their challenge and budget on day one and go out into the specified locations to plan and source the food they will prepare on day two.

The challenges will all be real, i.e. for real people, in real homes, living real lives, covering a diverse range of demographics. Each challenge will also be a race against the clock and be judged according to the criteria below.

1. Meeting the Challenge Brief.

2. The Taste and Joy of Eating the Food.

3. Nutrition

4. Zero Waste and Zero Environmental Impact

The food will be cooked, served, and judged inside a film studio environment.

Why People Will Tune In.

1. It will be funny - Mistakes will happen, bizarre food will be created, things will flop, euphemisms will abound, personalities will spark and collide, and children will look at the cooks like they are on acid when they get presented with a sweet and sour kombucha and a broccoli tempura and chilli dip (you know it will happen). Factor in the race against the clock and a sharp comedian's wit; even if you never cook, you will watch this for the laughs.

2. It will be an emotional rollercoaster. Viewers will watch both good and bad judgement calls being made (and celebrities trying to justify them). The reactions from the people they cook for and the judges will also be very up and down (and mesmerising). Will rich people actually want what the celebrities think they do? How will you stretch a daily £10 budget to feed a family of 5? How do you cater for a couple who diverge in taste in every way?

3. Viewers will have an affinity with the challenges. They will want to see how teams of celebrities cater for them and theirs. Food is a daily dilemma for most of us - what to eat and when. It will be fascinating to see how other people make sense of it.

4. People love great food. They love to watch it being made and being eaten. Would Instagram even be Instagram without food pictures?

5. People are fascinated about where food comes from. Visiting new areas and exploring alternative food sources to prevent waste (like the modern-day misunderstood and maligned tinned and packaged foods) will spark interest and conversation.

How The Food Game Fits in the Food Show Genre.

This is the satirical version of The Great British Bake Off. It evokes all the fuzzy feelings of making jam tarts with Grandma's leftover pastry in a waste-not-want-not way and mixes it with a searing postmodern satire.

It is Come Dine With Me with a social conscience.

Where many food shows talk down to people, dressing up privilege as a "lifestyle aspiration", The Food Game talks back.

The Cast.

The Compere's need to be down to earth, relatable, and not afraid to speak their minds. The combination of the following two personalities would work well.

Both these comedians were recent contestants on UK Taskmaster. Their comedic chemistry was undeniable. Neither of them is afraid to say it as it is.

Comedians from other countries with a similar razor-edged wit would work well if this were to become international (hey - if you are going to dream, dream big!)

The Panel of Experts.

The Panel Of Experts will sit with the people being cooked for and come from Food Banks, Community Kitchens etc. The Panel will be chaired by a great Chef (Gordon Ramsay would be ideal!!).

Before the Final Showdown (the scoring at the end of each episode), they will be encouraged to narrate and comment while they watch the contestants shop, plan and cook their menus.

As a suggestion for potential panellists in the UK, I have long admired the work of this dedicated team of Food Upcyclers from Finsbury Park:

Final Thoughts.

I think Executive Director of the Centre for Media&amp, Caty Borum, said it best with the title of her book:

Nothing gets to the heart of social change better than a good laugh!!

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P.S. If you are trying to figure out the relevance of the cover picture - no reason, it just made me smile!