"A whole different level of anxiety": Chef Grudge Match host Laila Ali opens up about hosting the culinary competition

Chef Grudge Match premiered on August 12, 2025. Food Network's latest show features Laila Ali as the host. The show focuses on chefs settling their disputes through a single round. Whoever wins the head-to-head culinary challenge gets home with a prized knife, cash prize and "bragging rights."

Sharing about hosting the culinary competition, Laila Ali, in her August 11, 2025, interview with People magazine, opened up about competing.

She recalled competing on cooking shows. Laila also reflected on her time in the boxing ring and shared:

"When you're stepping into a boxing ring, you've got to worry about somebody trying to take your head off. I've competed on cooking shows before, and it's just a whole different level of anxiety. I love hosting the show rather than being one of the competitors."

Chef Grudge Match: Show host Laila Ali shares her thoughts on the show's format, different kinds of competitions, her favorite battle, and more

In her recent interview with People magazine, Chef Grudge Match host said that participating in a cooking competition had a "whole different level" of anxiety. Rather than competing, she would prefer hosting.

While Laila Ali hosts the culinary competition, resident judge Jet Tila, along with rotating judges, will choose the winners. Laila herself has also won two seasons of the renowned culinary competition, Chopped.

Food Network describes the competition show as:

"Host Laila Ali challenges chefs to settle their disputes in a single round, head-to-head culinary battle; the winners walk out with $10,000 cash, a prized knife from the losing chef's knife roll and bragging rights for life."

Sharing more about the show's format and what kind of disputes chefs would be walking into, Laila said:

"We have chefs that might have felt like the other chef stole a recipe from them, and then went and started a business. It's like, No, that was actually not your recipe, I created it. Who's the better chef? Well, let's settle it right here, right now, with one round, head to head, in a culinary battle."

It included personal disputes, professional ones, and even romantic ones. Referring to participating chefs, Laila said some of the chefs had "bold attitudes" and "egos."

Chef Grudge Match host revealed her favorite battle on the show. It was between a husband and wife chef team. While the wife challenged her husband, because she wanted to get herself to become the lead chef, not the sous chef.

"Whoever won that day would be the lead chef, it was a really fun one to watch," said Laila.

Along with the prize money and bragging rights, the winner also takes home the Chef's prized knife. Chef Grudge Match host Laila mentioned that they are special knives. Each of them has a story behind how chefs got their knives. She said that they don't want to give that knife up.

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Fans can stream Chef Grudge Match Episode 1 on August 12, 2025. It can be streamed on HBO Max the next day.

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