To all you Top Chef fans who've been asking and wondering -- Where is the affable guest judge Ted Allen? I found him -- quite by accident on New Year's Eve.



While watching a marathon of the Next Food Network Star (on the Food Network, of course), I couldn't escape the myriad of self-promotional commercials for the network's new food competition show -- Chopped.

And guess who happens to be the host -- Yes, our fave food-luving Queer Eye guy Ted Allen. So I guess that means we won't be seeing him on Top Chef anytime soon. Which is a shame, I like to see him mix it up with the other judges. However, since Gail's gone for the rest of the season too, here's wishing good luck to Ted on his new venture.

According to their web site, "Passion and expertise rule the kitchen on the fast-paced new series, Chopped. Hosted by Ted Allen (Food Detectives), the series challenges four up-and-coming chefs to turn a selection of everyday ingredients into an extraordinary three-course meal. After each course, a contestant gets 'chopped' until the last man or woman left standing claims victory. Each week, a rotating panel of culinary elite judges including Alex Guarnaschelli, Aaron Sanchez, and Geoffrey Zakarian (who???) will decide whose dishes shine the brightest and award the winner $10,000."
Hey, sounds a lot like the Top Chef Holiday Special from last year ...



Anyway, the new reality-based show comes with its own soon-to-be imitated catch phrase --- "You Are Chopped." Not quite as good as "Please Pack Your Knives and Go," "You Are Out," "You're Fired," "The Tribe Has Spoken" ... or, my personal favorite from Flava of Love -- "Will You Take This Clock?"

I'll be tuning in on January 13 and 10 p.m. to check it out. For more information visit http://www.foodnetwork.com/chopped/index.html