The term foodie has become popular because there are so darn many cooking programs on television now days! A foodie is basically an amateur gourmet. A foodie is someone who loves food, both eating it and making it. Shows like Top Chef are designed to show how difficult it can be to get that special dish served up, starting with the basics like proper measuring, cooking temperature, timing, and the ability to know what tastes good. Then things get competitive! The idea behind Top Chef is to narrow down the competition by process of elimination until there is one winner. Top prize has been upped from $100,000 to $200,000 plus celebrity appearances and coveted editorials in gourmet type magazines. Along the way some fail because they don't belong in the heat of a professional kitchen and some just can't quite keep up with the rest. Judges have included some big famous names of the culinary world like Emeril Lagasse and Anthony Bourdain who bring their own style of leadership into the mix and make demands that increase the challenges each week. The very competitive world of cooking at the professional level is rewarding and tests the contestants to the limits of their capabilities, and the loser packs up his or her knives and goes home.

Nightwatch is a reality TV series that showcases the work of emergency responders in New Orleans, Louisiana. The show follows police officers, firefighters, and paramedics during their night shifts as they respond to emergencies and save lives. The series premiered in 2015 and has since aired multiple seasons, with each season featuring different emergency responders.

Pawn Stars is an American reality television show that airs on the History Channel. It premiered in 2009 and has since become a popular program. The show takes place at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas and follows the daily operations of the family-owned business.

"The Lost Kitchen" is a cooking show that airs on Discovery+ and is hosted by chef Erin French. The show takes place in a small town in Maine, where Erin's restaurant, The Lost Kitchen, is located. Each episode focuses on a different local ingredient and highlights the unique culinary traditions and stories of the community.

Who would have thought that the same man who used to put surgical gloves over his head to gain laughs could become so enormously popular, not to mention talented as Howie Mandel. His most recent endeavor includes taking the concept of an increasingly popular concept of flash mobs and turning it into a successful Fox television program called Mobbed. The program combines the "candid camera" concept with surprise occurrences leading up to some pretty interesting programming. Among the plans are a marriage proposal, a pregnancy disclosure, and a job applicant finding she got the job. This is all done with the aid of thousands of guests so the surprise ending is saved for show's end. Viewers watch as guests prep for the main event and rehearse their lines and routines. Mandel is there to guide them through detailed plans until the grand finale. Starting with a few dancers the show moves into a grand scale type performance to conclude some pretty life changing events we can all watch on the show. Highly addictive new show!

It has become THE place to be seen and one of the most exciting shows on late-late night television today. Jimmy Kimmel left "The Man Show" back in January of 2003 to host his own talk show on late night TV and has since acquired a large following which includes an audience filled with eager to learn about celebrity lives folks as well as show biz big names that seem to be more than happy to divulge their inner most secrets. Kimmel began his career on Comedy Central where his quirky sense of humor made him popular working with Ben Stein. This led Jimmy to The Man Show where his popularity grew. Now with his own late night talk show he pretty much rules the roost (so to speak) as far as late night viewer are concerned. His latest ritual seems to be hosting the most recent loser from "Dancing With The Stars" on Tuesday nights. He then burns their shoes symbolically. There's a long running joke going with the talented actor Matt Damon where he invites him on but then, at the last minute, states he's run out of time on the show. Damon plots ways to get even with Kimmel and audiences are left to wonder if it's a joke or not.