Ed Levine, who just so happens to have judged Iron Chef, is taking issue with Sietsema's 'unveiling' of the show: "I have always been told that the competing chefs know that the secret ingredient ... it doesn't take anything away from how insanely difficult it is to produce five dishes in an hour in that kind of pressured environment. I have judged Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, and Cat Cora in action, and ... they still sweat bullets and work their asses off because it is, in fact, a real competition and they don't want to be embarrassed in front of their peers, the judges, the audience in Kitchen Stadium, and the viewers at home." So there. [Serious Eats via Eater]