Sean Combs - Combs To Get Cooking

Rapper SEAN COMBS will produce a new reality TV series - CELEBRITY COOKING SHOWDOWN - which is set to debut next month (APR06). The show will blend elements from IRON CHEF AMERICA and DANCING WITH THE STARS and will pair superstar chefs with celebrities in a week-long cooking competition. The show, which will debut on April 17 (06), will appear on US network NBC and air five nights a week. Combs, who owns two restaurants, says cooking is "not out of my space". He explains, "The sexiest trend going on right now is young men learning how to cook. "There's nothing more sensual than a man cooking for his woman. We wanted to do something that fit that trend in the marketplace." Several celebrities are reportedly close to signing on for the show. Culinary stars WOLFGANG PUCK (Executive Chef at Spago in Beverly Hills, California), CAT CORA (from the US Food Network's show KITCHEN ACCOMPLISHED) and GOVIND ARMSTRONG (Executive Chef at TABLE 8 in Los Angeles), will tutor three celebrities for the first three nights of the competition. One celebrity winner will be chosen each night, with the finalists squaring off on Thursday night's show for a cook-off to create the best three-course gourmet meal. The winner will be determined by a combination of judges and viewer votes and will be revealed on Friday's show.