how can a show like iron chef jump the shark? Granted I get that they're being more dramatic, but that could be for sweeps or something. It doesn't seem like a cooing contest show could jump the shark without fundamentally altering its formula.

That the ting they are fundamental altering its formula, before they had zany cooking challenge, then it was more challenge that don't really have anything to do with cooking but we squeezed some cooking in to it, now they have challenges that are mostly about skills that have nothing to do with cooking with the only thing making it suitable for a cooking show is putting "then cook" at the end of it.

For example, this week one challenge they first had to complete a cross-country skiing course. Weather or not you can ski has nothing to do with cooking. Then shoot targets to detriment you ingredients, again marksmen ship has nothing to do with cooking.

To compare 2 season back the episode had the chef cook using grape leaves in a Napa valley food train. link a challenging kitchen environment but one real chefs actually work in. There is no kitchen on the plant where you have to know both how to ski and have good marksmen ship skills.