‘Restaurant: Impossible’ Host Robert Irvine Says Show Was Canceled Because He’s ‘Old News’
Robert Irvine has weighed in on the end of his long-running Food Network series Restaurant: Impossible. The series followed Irvine as he made over struggling restaurants in just two days and with a $10,000 budget. But the show no longer fit with what Food Network viewers wanted to see on TV, leading the network to cancel the series, the chef and TV host recently shared on social media.
‘Restaurant: Impossible’ canceled after 22 seasons
Restaurant: Impossible was a Food Network staple for years, originally airing from 2011 to 2016. The show then went on hiatus for three years before returning in 2019. It wrapped up its 22nd season in April 2023. Those episodes proved to be the last for the show. In May, Irvine responded to a fan question about the program’s future with some disappointing news.
“@FoodNetwork hasn’t told me anything yet,” he tweeted. “So I assume it’s done.”
A Food Network source later confirmed to Reality Blurred that Restaurant: Impossible had been canceled.
Robert Irvine explains why he thinks Food Network canceled his show
Dedicated Restaurant: Impossible fans were stunned to learn Food Network had pulled the plug on the show. But according to Irvine, the network is moving in a different direction.
“I’m old news and although the show is a GREAT show that helps small business[es] and families /communities it’s not a show that they believe fits into who or what they want or the younger viewers like,” he tweeted on July 6. “I really have no idea.”
In another tweet, Irvine said lobbying Food Network to bring back Restaurant: Impossible wasn’t likely to be successful.
“I don’t think any amount of fans telling Food Network to bring it back will do anything.. to change their mind,” he wrote.
In another messages to fans, Irvine acknowledged that the Food Network seemed to be favoring competition-focused cooking shows. Those are “quick easy and can put them in a studio and knock out many shows in a day which makes them cheaper and easier to do .. but our show was just as cheap,” he tweeted.
In addition to Restaurant: Impossible, Irvine also hosted Dinner: Impossible and appeared on Worst Cooks in America and The Next Food Network Star, among other Food Network shows.
While Restaurant: Impossible has come to an end, fans can catch up on old episodes on streaming. All 22 seasons are available on both Max and discovery+.
Food Network also canceled ‘Valerie’s Home Cooking’
Irvine isn’t the only Food Network personality whose show recently got the chop. Valerie Bertinelli’s show Valerie’s Home Cooking was also canceled earlier this year.
“It has been one of the huge joys in my life to bring you this sweet little show,” Bertinelli wrote in an April 2023 Instagram post announcing the premiere of her show’s 14th and final season. “We loved making every single episode for you and I will really, really miss it. Thank you so much for watching!”
“Food Network canceled us last summer,” Bertinelli explained in an accompanying video. “I have no idea why. I didn’t say anything last summer because, honestly, I was hoping they would change their mind. But they have not. So this is it. This is the final season.”
Source: Reality Blurred.
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