BY LORI ACKEN
Chef" has the most intriguing resume yet. Born in the U.K. to an English mother and a food-loving Persian
As Food Network show hosts go, Marsh Mokhtari of "Extreme •What are you currently reading?
" 'Gone Girl' by Gillian Flynn. She's a friend of ours. To see her meteoric rise – we're just thrilled."
•What did you have for dinner last night?
"I made salmon on my Big Green Egg, which is my grill. I'm in love with my Big Green Egg." •What is your next project?
"My wife and I own a production company called Jolly Good Productions, and we have 15 projects in development, but the one that is really good right now is called 'War, Incorporated.' It's a reality show about Special Forces contractors."
Marsh Mokhtari Weblinks
Already renewed for a second season, HBO's critically ac- claimed cable news drama "The Newsroom" ends its first season Sunday. Learn more at www.hbo.com/the-news- room/index.html
•Where did you go on vacation last?
"Omaha, Neb. My wife is from Omaha, so we went back for a week and got to have some real quality family time."
dad, Mokhtari has lived on four continents, earned a degree in medical physics, worked in finance, guest starred on "Passions" and "The Young and the Restless," and combined his love of performing and travel by hosting adventure-based series around the globe. So when the network approached him to audition for its first
in desert wastelands, a floating dock in the middle of the sea and the jungles of Thailand, Mokhtari says he'll occasionally turn the other cheek for the sake of supreme creativity. "On one episode, with a particular ingredient – and I'm not going
"They said, 'We want someone that can handle a chef – and chefs are not the easiest people to get along with," Mokhtari says of the tryout, in which he discovered a natural affinity for the flinty personalities who sign on to have their physical, mental and culinary mettle tested in grueling challenges for a hefty cash prize. "I'm more of a mentor than a provocateur. I'm trying to help them, but at the same time I don't let them get away with whining in the kitchen." Still, with tests that this season will include creating gourmet meals
extreme cooking show, "Extreme Chef," now airing its second season on Thursday nights, Mokhtari knew he'
d found his next TV home.
to tell what ingredient or which chef – the chef needed a cheesecloth and didn't have one, so they grabbed a knife, cut their own shirt, put the ingredient in the shirt and squeezed. I didn't say too much about the sweat impregnated in the food – but what an ingenious thought process!" With the new season wrapped, the happily married dad of two
daughters has embarked on his own new adventure – one designed to both hone his craft and soothe another crop of mercurial chefs. "It's called Upright Citizens Brigade – Amy Poehler and her brigade – and I'm doing a two-week improv class. Like I said, being in the moment with the chefs, you have to be on your toes to be able to whip them into shape. And maybe get a giggle out of them. Or tears. Tears are OK, too."
Having recently celebrated its first anniversary, Fox News Channel's daytime round-table show "The Five" looks at the headlines of the day. Meet the crew at www.foxnews.com/ on-air/the-five/index.html
Tuesday, TLC's reality show "19 Kids and Counting" starts a new season featuring the large Duggar family. Learn more about the clan at www.duggarfamily.com/
On Wednesday, Food Network's "Restaurant Stakeout" returns with new episodes, as Willie Degel uncovers troubled restau- rants' secrets. Click on www.foodnetwork.com/restaurant- stakeout/index.html
"Impractical Jokers" starts a new season Friday on truTV, with four friends trying to inflict the ultimate embarrassment on one another. Go to www.trutv.com/shows/impractical-jokers/in- dex.html
Airing Saturdays, HGTV's "Donna Decorates Dallas" follows designer Donna Moss and daughters Tiffany and Ashley. Click on www.hgtv.com/donna-decorates-dallas/show/index. html
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