Synopsis: Culinary skills will not be enough to rise to the top in Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out - where chefs must be willing to sabotage their opponents while being cunning in how they surmount the sabotages thrown their way. Host Brian Malarkey dishes out the unpredictable and diabolical culinary challenges that will test four chefs on their cooking prowess, strategic thinking, and ability to innovate under pressure. With a starting bank of $25,000 each, the chefs will have opportunities to spend that money on advantages for themselves or on sabotages for their competition. The last chef standing walks away with the money they have left in their bank.
In the first round of each episode, host Brian Malarkey sets up the challenge and dishes out the sabotages while auctioning off advantages as competitors fight to survive and see round two. And with only one minute to gather ingredients before tackling the challenges, chefs must be quick to get what they need before the doors swing closed or risk getting stuck in the pantry. One chef goes home at the end of round one and the winner gets an additional thousand dollars added to their bank. In the second round, the three remaining chefs will bid on sabotages to bestow on their competition, playing a simultaneous game of offense and defense to try and make it to the end.
From foraging ingredients from a plane’s bar and snack carts, to cooking a posh meal using only a hot dog roller and popcorn maker, the chefs must be strategic and crafty to navigate obstacles and outdo the competition. Each episode will feature one judge who will determine the winner of each round, tasting and evaluating the dishes before they know what challenges and sabotages were endured. Judges joining the fray across the season include Maneet Chauhan, Scott Conant, Alex Guarnaschelli, Aarti Sequeira and Jet Tila. The competitor with the best dish in the final round wins the game and the remaining money in their bank. (Courtesy Food Network 2025)
The Cast:
Brian Malarkey as The Host
Production Credits:
Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out is produced by Big Fish Entertainment for Food Network.
The Episodes:
Season One Episode Guide (Food Network)
1-01 Carry-On Sabotage--05/13/2025
The Cutthroat Airlines flight is about to take off and the first-class meals never arrived! Host Brian Malarkey informs the chefs that they have 30 minutes to prepare in-flight dinners using limited raw proteins and produce from the food court, plus whatever they can scrounge from the plane's bar and snack carts. They may only use plastic utensils for prep, and their only heat sources are coffee pots and two shared convection ovens. Judge Alex Guarnaschelli.
1-02 Freezer Burned--05/20/2025
The chefs find themselves in a cozy snow-covered lodge nestled within the French Alps. Brian Malarkey challenges them to create a hearty French entrée and side in 45 minutes to keep the guests warm on a cold night, but the pantry is frozen solid and so are the water pipes and utilities. With shared access to only one oven, stovetop and fryer, the competitors must defrost their creativity to serve up something spectacular for judge Aarti Sequeira.
1-03 Gas Station Romance--05/27/2025
Brian Malarkey informs the chefs that they're on a weekend getaway and must cook a fancy romantic dinner in the hotel room in 30 minutes. However, the only place open for ingredients is the convenience store across the street, and the hotel kitchen is locked up, so no ovens, fryers or stoves are available! Judge Scott Conant picks the chef who manages to create the most deliciously romantic meal.
1-04 Unhappy Campers--06/03/2025
Brian Malarkey's annual camping trip is underway, and he gives the chefs 30 minutes to whip up a duo of juicy and stacked sliders fit for a campsite feast. Unfortunately, Brian packed the car with everything but slider ingredients! Plus, it's raining, so there's no campfire to cook on, just single-burner camp stoves and minimalist camp cooking tools. Judge Maneet Chauhan selects the tastiest pair of sliders.
1-05 I've Never Cooked Cow Tongue--06/10/2025
Brian Malarkey is hosting his monthly meeting of the Meat Lovers' League, and the chefs have 30 minutes to create a protein-forward masterpiece. The competitors first face "The Board of Impossible Ingredients," a carnival-style game that determines their exotic and challenging protein choice. Then, once shopping starts, they find no salt in the pantry, only snacks and other foods that must be harvested for their flavor. Judge Scott Conant decides which chef made the best meat-loving meal.
1-06 A Spoonful Of Sabotage--06/17/2025
Brian Malarkey challenges the chefs to craft the perfect sweet and savory entrée in 30 minutes, but the pantry holds only savory ingredients -- not a sweet ingredient in sight. After the shop, Brian unveils a conveyor belt that will spit out four baskets of devilishly sweet ingredients. Judge Aarti Sequeira decides who makes the most balanced dish.
1-07 Science Of Sabotage--06/24/2025
Brian Malarkey's restaurant is under renovation, but the construction crew is behind schedule. He needs the chefs to make them a hearty dinner with high-end flair in 45 minutes to speed things along. Unfortunately, there are no fresh proteins or ingredients, only the construction crew's lunches. Plus, the new cooking tools haven't arrived, so the chefs will have to use pans that are bent and full of holes, as well as construction tools, to make dinner. Judge Alex Guarnaschelli decides who made the best meal.