Chef Richard Blais hosts “Hungry Games”

Hungry? How often do we stop and think about our food? No, not give a passing thought to the ingredients that went into making it or the fantastic skill it was prepared with. I mean really think about it on a deeper level: why do we react to food the way we do?

Eating ice cream can make your brain freeze up -- what a pain! Catching a whiff of bacon frying can make your mouth start to salivate, and just hearing a creative hamburger described can sometimes lead to you actually tasting it in your mouth.

Yes, there's a science behind the food we eat, and chef Richard Blais is on a mission to get to the bottom of all of this. "Hungry Games" premieres Monday, Oct. 20, on the Food Network with a special sneak peek airing the night before.

In his quest to get to the bottom of the many ways that our minds and our bodies react to food, Blais has set up hidden cameras -- "Candid Camera" style -- to test the ways that ordinary folks experience food.

"Hungry Games" isn't just some reality show, though. It's an exploration of the science behind it all. Throughout the series, Blais will explore the psychology behind our cravings and our decisions, from determining why mom's cooking always tastes so good to how using the right language can trigger a craving for a big, greasy slice of pizza.

Chef Blais is just the man to bring all of this together into an entertaining package. Trained at The Culinary Institute of America, he was the runner-up in season 4 of Bravo's "Top Chef," a feat he topped when he took home the top prize in "Top Chef: All Stars."

His cookbook, "Try This at Home," was nominated for a prestigious James Beard Award, and he's a frequent guest in "Guy's Grocery Games" and "The Rachael Ray Show," as well as returning to "Top Chef" as a judge in the current season airing on Bravo.

He's a man who knows his food, and he's a great TV personality to boot. With so many shows on the air focused on who's the "best" chef, "Hungry Games" instead takes a look at what makes the rest of us tick. "Hungry Games" premieres Monday, Oct. 20, on the Food Network.