I watch a bit of TV. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve veered more towards home improvement and cooking shows – HGTV, Food Network, etc. I would say I truly “follow” only one – Top Chef, which is one of the few TV shows I actually record (along with NCIS and The Walking Dead.) That’s not to say I don’t enjoy a good show once in awhile and often find myself watching a rerun of Iron Chef, House Hunters, or Restaurant Impossible.

I was a happy camper watching these shows until someone told me the truth about Iron Chef secret ingredients which totally changed how I viewed the show. I decided to discover the truth behind some of the other shows I might have watched.

I’ll preface this by saying that these are all things that I’ve read online or heard from other people. These may be rumors or they may be true. Only the people involved with the shows know “for sure”.

7 Disappointing Reality Show Secrets:

1. Iron Chef “Secret” Ingredients Not a Secret

Every episode, the Chairman dramatically reveals the secret ingredient the chefs must use in their dishes. I’ve always been so impressed when Flay or Morimoto seem to come up with dishes on the spot.

Turns out, the chefs actually plan their menus in advance. Before the show, they’re given a list of three or five (I’ve seen different numbers) ingredients from which the secret ingredient will be chosen.

It’s still impressive that they execute the dishes in an hour, but a little disappointing that they know the potential ingredients beforehand.

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