Taste TV

Fired up: 'American Grilled' wraps up a smokin' hot first season

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Author: 
Andrew Warren / TV Media
Host David Guas with fellow judges Danielle Dimovski and John Jamison as seen in “American Grilled”

Host David Guas with fellow judges Danielle Dimovski and John Jamison as seen in “American Grilled”

What could be more American than grilling?

It's not just a rhetorical question. From north to south, east to west, no matter what the culinary traditions are in the region, the grill is there. Whether it is whole hogs in Virginia or blue crabs along Maryland's eastern shoreline, T-bone steaks in Texas or quail in Georgia, cooks from all walks of life fire up the heat and throw down some meat -- and sometimes even veggies.

"American Grilled" is airing its season finale Wednesday, Sept. 24, on Travel Channel, and if you haven't been watching this sizzling sensation with host David Guas, you've been missing out on something special.

Cut from the Food Network's "Chopped" mold (but what serial cooking competition isn't nowadays?), "American Grilled" is redefining the formula and making it feel fresh again. Four masters of the grill come together and, through several sweat-inducing rounds, take mystery ingredients and transform them on the grill into what will hopefully be mouth-watering dishes. One by one they're eliminated until just one remains to take home the $10,000 prize.

Yeah, that sounds familiar all right. But the Devil's in the details, and it's those details that shake things up here. The secret ingredient that makes this dish unique is that it's all local.

Each episode touches down in a different city, where they rustle up four local grill masters to compete -- these men and women are the masters of their domain, and they're fighting on home turf.

They aren't using random ingredients, either. While they may not know ahead of time what they'll be cooking with, the cooks are given local specialties that they should be familiar with, resulting in top-quality food that's as good as anything served in local restaurants.

And it's that local touch that makes "American Grilled" unique. Filmed outdoors at iconic landmarks like Chicago's Wrigley Field, the city itself is a character as much as the contestants and judges are.

With a second season hinted at but not yet officially announced, Travel Channel's "American Grilled" is a load of fun that really shouldn't be missed. Don't miss its season 1 finale, Wednesday Sept. 24.