{{short description|Canadian cooking reality show}} {{Use American English|date=August 2020}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Infobox television | image = Fridge Wars.jpg | caption = Promotional poster for the series, containing the US airdate. | genre = Cookery | creator = | developer = | presenter = Emma Hunter | judges = <!-- Organized by broadcast credit order, with new main cast added to the end of the list --> | narrator = | country = Canada | language = English | num_seasons = 1 | num_episodes = 6 | list_episodes = | executive_producer = | producer = | camera = <!-- Either Single-camera or Multi-camera --> | runtime = <!-- Reliable source required --> | company = The Gurin Company<br>Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | budget = | network = CBC Television | released = <!-- {{Start date|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | first_aired = {{Start date|2020|02|27}} | last_aired = {{End date|2020|4|2}} }} '''''Fridge Wars''''' is a Canadian reality television series, which premiered February 27, 2020 on CBC Television.<ref>Rita DeMontis, [https://torontosun.com/life/food/0226-ggfridgewars "Scrapping it out on the competition series Fridge Wars"]. ''Toronto Sun'', February 26, 2020.</ref> Hosted by Emma Hunter, the series features professional chefs competing to create restaurant-quality meals using only the contents found in a real Canadian family's refrigerator, which are then judged by the families whose fridges were raided to determine the winner.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/program/fridge-wars|title=Fridge Wars|website=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref>
The series is produced by The Gurin Company and the CBC.
==Format== Each episode of ''Fridge Wars'' features two chefs cooking two meals (separated by two rounds) for two different families, with the sole ingredients they find in each family's fridge. They are given 45 minutes to prepare each meal and are given clues to help them make a meal that the family they are cooking for might enjoy. After each round, the families are allowed to taste the meal, without knowing which of the two chefs cooked it. They are then given devices to rate the food on 3 categories: ''Look'', ''Taste'', and ''Originality''. These scores are later averaged, and the chef with the highest score wins the episode and is awarded a trophy.
===What the Fridge Challenge=== During round two, the chefs are given a challenge that increases the difficulty in the meals they are preparing. *In the premiere episode, the chefs were told that their original meal for six was to be increased into a meal for ten. *In episode 2, the chefs were forced to blindly pick a "sauce" (from 3 options) to use in their meals. *In episode 3, the chefs were forced to add bitter melon and Vietnamese basil to their meals. *In episode 6, the chefs had to switch the dishes that they were cooking with each other.
==Episodes== The winners of each episode are listed in '''bold.''' {{Episode table |background = #000000 |overall = |title = |airdate = |episodes = {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 1 |Title = Matt Basile vs. Massimo Capra |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|2|27}} |ShortSummary = '''Matt Basile''': *Total Score: '''8.9''' **Round 1: Reverse seared sirloin steak, sweet peas, and a side of fried gnudi. **Round 2: Trinity sauce bean ragù with prosciutto, toasted sourdough, and crispy cheese frico, and a side of fish fry. Massimo Capra: *Total Score: 8.6 **Round 1: Roasted pork chops in a mustard orange sauce, sweet potato flan, and a side of meatballs. **Round 2: Fideuà with chorizo, raw broccoli Greek salad, and cornmeal-crusted basa fish. |LineColor = 000000 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 2 |Title = Shahir Massoud vs. Wallace Wong |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|3|5}} |ShortSummary = Shahir Massoud: *Total Score: 8.0 **Round 1: Indian chicken Milanese in a carbonara sauce, and a romesco purée with roasted peppers. **Round 2: Homemade tagliatelle pasta with pork, cabbage, and lentil ragu topped with a crispy pangrattato. '''Wallace Wong''': *Total Score: '''9.2''' **Round 1: Shrimp and sausage croquette stuffed with cheese and a ramen crust, a butternut squash sauce, and stir-fried roti strips. **Round 2: Pan-fried dumplings with Bolognese sauce consisting of lentils and leeks, and fried chow mein noodles on top. |LineColor = 000000 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 3 |Title = Nicole Gomes vs. Dustin Gallagher |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|3|12}} |ShortSummary = '''Nicole Gomes''': *Total Score: '''8.6''' **Round 1: Frilly pork cutlet in a yellow curry sauce. **Round 2: Scallop crab cake with lobster salad. Dustin Gallagher: *Total Score: 8.1 **Round 1: Tortilla polenta with sausage. **Round 2: Lobster Thermidor. |LineColor = 000000 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 4 |Title = La-Toya Fagon vs. Julie Miguel |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|3|19}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = 000000 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 5 |Title = Nadia G vs. Rodney Bowers |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|3|26}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = 000000 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 6 |Title = Shane Chartrand vs. Joshna Maharaj |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|4|2}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = 000000 }} }}
==International broadcast== The series premiered in the US on August 2, 2020, as part of The CW's Summer 2020 programming lineup.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/cw-summer-schedule-2020-1234637322/|title=CW Acquires Four More Series for Summer Lineup|date=June 16, 2020|website=Variety|author=Joe Otterson|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617101333/https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/cw-summer-schedule-2020-1234637322/|archive-date=June 17, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
In April 2022 the German spin-off ''Kühlschrank öffne dich!'' (en: ''Fridge open!'') was aired on Sat.1 and is based on the Canadian original ''Fridge Wars''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dwdl.de/meinungen/87370/kuehlschrank_oeffne_dich_schmackhafte_resteverwertung/|title="Kühlschrank öffne dich!": Schmackhafte Resteverwertung|date=April 7, 2022|website=DWDL|author=Alexander Krei}}</ref>
==Reception== ===Critical reception=== Joel Keller, writing for ''Decider'', lauded the series, stating that "[I] didn’t think that ''Fridge Wars'' was going to be as fun as it was; [I] thought that it would be a standard-grade cooking competition and that’s that. But executive producers Phil Gurin and Tracie Tighe have hit on a formula that takes the ''Chopped''-style format and brings it down to earth."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://decider.com/2020/08/03/fridge-wars-cw-stream-it-or-skip-it/|title=Stream It Or Skip It: 'Fridge Wars' On The CW, Where Two Chefs Create Great Meals From Stuff In A Family's Fridge|date=August 3, 2020|website=Decider|author=Joel Keller|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812175706/https://decider.com/2020/08/03/fridge-wars-cw-stream-it-or-skip-it/|archive-date=August 12, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Meanwhile, Rob Owen, writing for the ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', criticized the series, saying that it felt too long. Rob writes: "As with plenty of reality competitions, one wonders if ''Fridge Wars'' might be stronger with one family at a half-hour rather than the one-hour running time, but for the most part ''Fridge Wars'' doesn’t feel padded."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://communityvoices.post-gazette.com/arts-entertainment-living/tuned-in/item/41738-reality-competition-fridge-wars-debuts-sunday-on-the-cw|title=Reality competition ''Fridge Wars'' debuts Sunday on The CW|date=July 28, 2020|website=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|author=Rob Owen|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729105810/http://communityvoices.post-gazette.com/arts-entertainment-living/tuned-in/item/41738-reality-competition-fridge-wars-debuts-sunday-on-the-cw|archive-date=July 29, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Official website|https://www.cbc.ca/life/fridgewars}} * {{official website|https://www.cwtv.com/shows/fridge-wars/|Fridge Wars on The CW}} * {{TV Guide|1411466}}
{{CBC Television Shows (current and upcoming)}}
Category:2020 Canadian television series debuts Category:2020s Canadian cooking television series Category:2020s Canadian reality television series Category:CBC Television original programming Category:Cooking competitions in Canada Category:Reality cooking competition television series Category:Canadian reality competition television series