FOOD NETWORK PICKS UP "CHEF BOOT CAMP" STARRING BREAKOUT TALENT CLIFF CROOKS FOR SECOND SEASON

Eight Episode Season Scheduled to Start Production This Summer

NEW YORK - May 26, 2021 - Food Network has picked up primetime series Chef Boot Camp led by charismatic culinary director Chef Cliff Crooks for an eight-episode second season, it was announced today by network president Courtney White. In season one, which premiered April 8th, Cliff is a tough yet supportive culinary drill sergeant to three struggling restaurant chefs who have been nominated by their establishment owners for their lackluster performance in the kitchen. With their jobs on the line, Cliff takes them through a series of grueling food challenges to determine who has the talent and passion to succeed and who is better off leaving the restaurant for good. Chef Boot Camp is produced by Left/Right Productions.

"Cliff is an exciting addition to Food Network - he demands a lot from those under his Chef Boot Camp tutelage and at the same time genuinely wants to inspire and re-ignite their passion for food," said White. "He is a fantastic talent who immediately resonated with our audience and we knew quickly they wanted to see more of him."

Chef Cliff Crooks has been cooking in prominent kitchens throughout New York City for more than 20 years. Prior to joining BLT Restaurant Group in 2010 as Executive Chef of BLT Steak New York, he held positions at Salute!, Blue Water Grill and Gramercy Tavern. Cliff has appeared as a contestant on Top Chef and a judge on Hell's Kitchen, Chopped Junior and Worst Cooks in America. He recently competed on Food Network's Tournament of Champions and will be seen on the upcoming series Battle of the Brothers. After more than two years of leading the kitchen at BLT Steak New York, the hospitality group's flagship restaurant, Crooks was named Culinary Director of BLT Restaurant Group and has since played an integral role in inspiring culinary growth among his staff while demonstrating a strong commitment to the brand's ethos of exceeding expectations through outstanding food and hospitality.

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FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food. The network strives to be viewers' best friend in food and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring, empowering and entertaining through its talent and expertise. Food Network is distributed to nearly 100 million U.S. households and draws over 46 million unique web users monthly. Since launching in 2009, Food Network Magazine's rate base has grown 13 times and is the No. 2 best-selling monthly magazine on the newsstand, with 13.5 million readers. Food Network is owned by Discovery, Inc., a global leader in real life entertainment serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world and spanning 220 countries and territories; the portfolio also includes direct-to-consumer streaming services such as discovery+ and Food Network Kitchen, along with premium brands Discovery Channel, HGTV, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, and the forthcoming multi-platform JV with Chip and Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Network as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport.