Supermarket Stakeout is a high-energy reality cooking competition that airs on Food Network. It stands out among Food Network competitions for its unconventional setting: a pop-up kitchen in a supermarket parking lot.
The show features professional chefs creating dishes in multiple rounds using only the groceries they procure from customers exiting the supermarket. Chefs begin each round with a set budget—commonly $500—to negotiate with shoppers for bags of groceries, which they must then turn into creative, themed dishes.
The competition runs across three rounds. In Round 1, four chefs approach exiting shoppers and negotiate for their grocery bags without seeing what is inside, then cook a themed dish from whatever they end up with. In Round 2, chefs can look through the bags before agreeing on a price, but may only purchase from one shopper.
In Round 3, the final two chefs may approach as many shoppers as needed, but they are restricted to a specific number of items, usually five. In the final minutes of the round, chefs may buy one specific item of their choice from the grocery store, provided they still have money left in their budget. A rotating panel of two guest judges evaluates each round, and one chef is eliminated after Rounds 1 and 2. The last chef standing wins a grand prize of $10,000.
Supermarket Stakeout is hosted by Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, whose hosting style has become synonymous with the brand. The judging panel consists of several Food Network personalities, including Antonia Lofaso, Aarti Sequeira, Jet Tila, Mei Lin, Maneet Chauhan, Eric Adjepong, Rocco DiSpirito, and Damaris Phillips, among many others.
