The Chopping Block (NBC)

Like most food and restaurant-themed competition shows, The Chopping Block features lots of frazzled cooks and servers trying to feed picky patrons, win over food critics, and impress a celebrity judge. What sets this show apart (and not in a good way) is that it focuses so much on White that it's sometimes hard to remember that it's a competition.

Thanks to the master chef's pretentious demeanor, watching him isn't particularly inspirational or educational. While the series does highlight the need to use strategic thinking, teamwork, organization, and leadership in order to run a successful restaurant, it doesn't really emphasize the passion that White and the contestants have about food and/or cooking. And thanks to some heated arguments between the competitors (which are usually peppered with iffy language, though the worst is bleeped), it's hard to really like or root for any of the contestants. Bottom line? In the end, this show fails to serve up any real fun and/or inspiration.