Crafty chefs, twisted challenges, shrewd sabotage return in second season of 'Cutthroat Kitchen' with Alton Brown

Hit primetime competition series "Cutthroat Kitchen" serves up ingenious cooking skills, devilish challenges and a side of sabotage with a brand-new 13-episode season, kicking off Sunday, Dec. 15, at 10 p.m. on the Food Network. Culinary master Alton Brown leads the action in this one-of-a-kind gastronomic competition, where cooking chops aren't enough to win. In "Cutthroat Kitchen," contestants must be cunning, strategic and not afraid to undermine their opponents.

"Alton Brown runs this show in his own inimitable way, making 'Cutthroat Kitchen' a smart, intense cooking competition with a wicked sense of humor," said Bob Tuschman, general manager and senior vice president of the Food Network. "Viewers responded quickly to this unique show and we are thrilled to deliver new entertaining episodes in time for the holidays."

In each episode, four chefs are greeted by Alton with a briefcase filled with $100,000 in cold hard cash. Each contestant receives $25,000 to spend wisely over the course of the game on auction items to help themselves or sabotage their competitors. After each cooking challenge is given, chefs have 60 seconds to gather ingredients in the pantry and then regroup for an auction to bid on culinary curveballs such as the exclusive use of salt or not allowing their opponents to taste their dishes. A chef is eliminated after each of the three rounds, and the last competitor to survive wins the money he or she has left in the bank.

After the show, viewers can visit FoodNetwork.com/Cutthroat to watch Alton and each episode's judge revisit the chefs' biggest missteps and most surprising triumphs.

Alton Brown has served as the culinary commentator of "Iron Chef America" for 12 seasons, and hosted "The Next Iron Chef" for five. He also joined "Food Network Star" in 2012, and will appear in the show's upcoming tenth season. Brown wrote, produced and hosted the Peabody Award-winning series "Good Eats" for 13 years on the Food Network. The show can still be seen on Cooking Channel. Brown has written seven books and he also performs live stage shows, demos, speeches, lectures and talks. His first live tour, "Alton Brown LIVE!," is currently on the road through March 2014.