Food Network Crowns New Iron Chef

After several weeks of intense cook-offs between a number of renowned chefs, Food Network named Michael Symon its newest Iron Chef last night.

The Cleveland, Ohio native battled eight other chefs from around the country over several episodes of "The Next Iron Chef," before finally winning last night against competitor John Besh. The final throw-down had the top two contestants cooking against each other in Kitchen Stadium, the giant kitchen that serves as the battle arena for chefs on "Iron Chef America."

The reality competition featured several chefs who had previously competed on "Iron Chef America." Each week the contestants battled against each other in stressful tasks that ranged from creating deserts out of strange ingredients to incorporating cutting-edge technology in timed cooking battles.

As most foodies already know, the show usually pits one Iron Chef against a well-known chef from somewhere in the United States. Only seconds before the hour long cook-off begins do the chefs find out what secret ingredient they must include in each part of a five-course meal. The ingredient last night was swordfish, with both chefs creating some interesting dishes. In the end, though, Michael Symon came out on top.

See Symon join the ranks of Mario Batali and Bobby Flay in his first episode on November 18 at 10 pm on Food Network. --Chris Sardelli