The Chopping Block
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Catriona Rowntree
| The Chopping Block | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reality |
| Presented by | Matt Moran Catriona Rowntree |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Producers | David Barbour Julian Cress |
| Running time | 60 minutes (including commercials) |
| Original release | |
| Network | Nine Network |
| Release | 6 February – 2 December 2008 |
| Related | |
| The Chopping Block (U.S. TV series) | |
The Chopping Block is an Australian reality television series which began airing on the Nine Network on 6 February 2008.[1] Produced by Granada Productions, it was hosted by chef Matt Moran. Catriona Rowntree co-hosted the show with Moran in its first season.[2] It ran for two series of 8 episodes each.
Each week two Melbourne and Sydney restaurants were reviewed by a secret critic (ABC Radio National broadcaster and food critic Alan Saunders) and given A$5,000. With assistance from restaurateur Matt Moran, they were given 72 hours to use that money to overhaul their menu, service and décor in an effort to win both his and the critics' approval.
Episodes
Season 1
| Episode | Original Airdate | Ratings | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
01 |
"Café Parlo vs Café 43" | 6 February 2008 | 718,000 | [3] |
02 |
"Bella Vita vs Mamma Teresa's" | 13 February 2008 | 1,040,000 | [4] |
03 |
"Dimitris vs Morris'" | 20 February 2008 | 918,000 | [5] |
04 |
"Grace vs Wild Oscars" | 27 February 2008 | 943,000 | [6] |
05 |
"Cafe Burgundy vs Cafe Matto" | 5 March 2008 | 979,000 | [7] |
06 |
"La Bella Vista vs Sophocles" | 12 March 2008 | 1,062,000 | [8] |
07 |
"The Olive Drum vs Unwine" | 19 March 2008 | 1,025,000 | [9] |
08 |
"Michelinos vs Zingarella" | 2 April 2008 | 1,081,000 | [10] |
Season 2
| Episode | Original Airdate | Ratings | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
01 |
"Angelina’s vs Tandoori Junction" | 14 October 2008 | 825,000 | [11] |
02 |
"Emad's vs Gloria's Cafe" | 21 October 2008 | 825,000 | [12] |
03 |
"Anacapri vs La De Da's" | 28 October 2008 | 856,000 | [13] |
04 |
"Piazza Navona vs South Yarra China House" | 4 November 2008 | 962,000 | [14] |
05 |
"Courthouse Restaurant vs Hotel Eden" | 11 November 2008 | 902,000 | [15] |
06 |
"Mambo Italiano vs Spargo Espresso" | 18 November 2008 | 953,000 | [16] |
07 |
"Baja Cantina vs Modena 88" | 25 November 2008 | 913,000 | [17] |
08 |
"Morri's Place vs Pizza Piazza" | 2 December 2008 | 952,000 | [18] |
Ratings
The first episode of The Chopping Block had a disappointing debut, with only 718,000 viewers nationally, a low figure for its 7:30–8:30 timeslot.[3] An uncut repeat of the first episode was aired the following night at 10:30pm, managing a reasonable 546,000 viewers for its timeslot.[19] The second episode fared much better, managing 1,040,000 viewers nationally - nearly 300,000 more viewers than the first episode.[4]
Overall, ratings for the second series were generally higher than the first, and both series averaged 959,517 viewers across the year.[20]
