BBQ Pit Masters

Fresh of his "champions round" run on Bravo's 'Top Chef: Masters,' chef Art Smith is headed to TLC for his own cooking series, under the working title 'Craving Comforts.' So far, eight half-hour episodes have been ordered, with production already underway.

Luckily for Smith, 'Comforts' won't be anywhere near the stress-inducing levels of 'Top Chef: Masters.' Instead, Smith will showcase his teddy bear personality as he travels across the country to uncover stories behind America's favorite comfort foods (think 'Diner's, Drive-Ins and Dives' meets 'Paula's Home Cooking').

Smith seems like a logical choice for his own show, and will likely provide a comforting alternative to the more extreme and abrasive celebrity chefs currently on television (hello, Gordon Ramsay!). His resume also makes him the perfect fit for TLC, given that he's worked for Oprah for years and is a two-time James Beard Award winner.

Yes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but this a bit much. TLC has given the greenlight to BBQ Pit Masters, a new food show about American barbecue competitions. Does Bobby Flay, Mr. Food Network grill master himself, know about this? I can see him getting as red as his hair when he reads about it.

So, TLC is saying that this new show, a documentary about the über-competitive world of competitive grilling, will run for eight hour-long episodes commencing December 2. How this will be different from similar food competitions on other networks -- like Food Network -- remains to be seen.