A contestant and host Curtis Stone as seen in “Kitchen Inferno”

What is it about high-pressure cooking and high-stakes gambling that makes them go so well together?

Is that a weird question? They're really not two things that traditionally go hand in hand, and yet if the incredible success of the Food Network's "Cutthroat Kitchen" has taught us anything, it's that there's a huge appetite for this unconventional melange.

Alright, so "Cutthroat Kitchen" isn't really gambling -- the contestants aren't actually betting their own money, just the cash prize that they could potentially win. But it still adds a tense element to the Alton Brown-hosted show that would otherwise be absent.

In a similar vein, the network's latest competition, "Kitchen Inferno," ups the stakes for its contestants, who have the opportunity to walk away with a hefty amount of cash -- or lose it all if they get too cocky.

Airing Wednesday nights on the Food Network, the Curtis Stone-hosted "Kitchen Inferno" premiered earlier this month and is already heating up the airwaves with a new episode on Nov. 26.

There's ultimately $25,000 at stake here, but that prize isn't guaranteed. In a format that brings to mind "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and similar game shows, the contestants will face progressively more difficult culinary challenges as they work their way up the ladder. They can walk away at any time and keep the cash they've won so far, but the temptation of more money is always there. Of course, should they push on and lose a challenge, they also lose all of the money that they've won.

Like any good cooking contest, though, the competition is really just a fun window dressing for the best part: watching skilled chefs put together amazing dishes while under incredible pressure.

"Kitchen Inferno" is an exciting new take on the popular cooking competition genre, and it's definitely heating up Wednesday nights. Take a risk and check out the Curtis Stone-hosted show when a new episode airs Wednesday, Nov. 26, on Food Network.