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“I’ve been talking to Michael about it for years,” Flay tells PEOPLE exclusively. “He’s a great guy and he’s a great chef and he has a great way about him. I just thought that he’d be perfect to bring the role back.”
“Michael is a sweet guy but he’s also very secretly competitive,” Flay adds of the Cleveland native and former co-host ofThe Chew.
That competitive edge will be useful in the show’s unique format. InThrowdown, Symon and his culinary director Katie Pickens go against top restaurant owners in a surprise battle of each chef’s signature dish. Prior to meeting, Symon doesn’t know what he’ll be making, and the chefs don’t know Symon is coming.
This time around, Flay is purely behind the scenes. “It’s Michael’s show,” he insists.
Still, don’t lettheir friendshipfool you, Flay wants to see Symon go down.
“I’m rooting against him. I want the people that he challenges to kick his ass. It would be good to humble him,” Flay says with a laugh.
The competition series kicks off with a double episode on Tuesday, and two more episodes follow on Dec. 21. If all goes to plan though, Flay says viewers can expect “a bunch more.”
“I would say that Michael fares fairly well,” Flay teases of the outcome.
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Outside of the kitchen, Flay and Symon continue to go head to head in everything they do.
Throwdown with Michael Symonpremieres Tuesday, Dec. 14 at 9:30 p.m. on Food Network.
source: people.com
