Does the challenger know ahead of time what the theme will be?
A week before the show tapes, both the Iron Chefs and the challenger are given a list of 5 ingredients. The final ingredient will be chosen from this list but they don’t know which it will be until Kaga announces it during the taping. This way they have some time to request special ingredients and cooking utensils (not to mention special serving dishes like the ice bowls seen on Battle Salmon Roe). Also, after the theme ingredient is announced, the chefs have about 5 minutes to gather their wits and get their cooking strategy hammered out before the “Gong of Fate” sounds. Part of the reason for that is that the cameras and crew need to position themselves for the next shot.
