The Celebrity Chef Bobby Flay Says Would 'Kill' Him In A Cooking Competition

While celebrity chef Bobby Flay has struggled against some competitors on his hit show "Beat Bobby Flay," he comes out on top more often than not. But make no mistake — the competition is stiff. Sometimes a specific dish trips him up, or he's simply not as familiar with a culinary technique as one of his challengers. Yet, even when he presumes that he may be outmatched, he is still willing to stand up and defend his reputation as a top-tier chef. Against most people, that is.

In an interview with Tasting Table, Flay was told that there was heavy interest in allowing the show's viewers and audience members to witness a battle between himself and celebrity chef Ina Garten. Despite the enthusiasm, he indicated it's probably not in the cards. "Oh, no, I would get killed," he said. "Ina is the queen."

While it is sometimes a treat to see someone upstage the champ, Flay explained that it can only happen so often or those underdog victories lose their significance. "If it becomes really easy to beat Bobby Flay, there's nothing left to do," he said. "I have to stay sharp, because otherwise, if I just lose every time, there's no show."

Chef Bobby Flay isn't invincible, and he only ends up victorious about 61% of the time on "Beat Bobby Flay." Because of this, he probably isn't interested in taking on someone he is sure would defeat him, like chef Ina Garten. Besides, Garten has already notched a win against the successful restauranteur – in his own home, no less.

Flay's daughter, Sophie, wanted to do something special for her dad on Father's Day one year, but unknowingly granted Garten some bragging rights in the process. "[Sophie] was making me a Father's Day brunch at home, and I looked over to see which one of my cookbooks she was using. And of course, she was using Ina Garten's." Ouch, that's got to sting.

Good intentions aside, Sophie unwittingly handed Garten a victory in her own right. Still, even if that incident had never occurred, Flay might still be hesitant to take on a celebrity chef he has the utmost respect for. "I love her so much," he said. "There's only one Ina."

Static Media owns and operates Tasting Table and The Takeout