IT'S COOK OR BE COOKED: NEW ORIGINAL SERIES "KNIFE FIGHT" PREMIERES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 ON ESQUIRE NETWORK

LOS ANGELES - September 6, 2013 - KNIFE FIGHT, a gritty new cooking competition show hosted by Top Chef Season 2 winner Ilan Hall, features underground, after-hours cooking bouts between Los Angeles's most exciting chefs. Two half hour episodes of KNIFE FIGHT premiere back to back on Esquire Network Tuesdays at 9 and 9:30p e/p beginning Tuesday, September 24.

Executive produced by Drew Barrymore, Flower Films and Authentic Entertainment, KNIFE FIGHT is not a made-for-TV competition. Hall's friends have gathered for years after hours at his downtown LA restaurant, The Gorbals -- eating, drinking, hanging out and competing against each other to see who could cook the tastiest dishes out of whatever was left over in his pantry.

In each episode of KNIFE FIGHT, two chefs go head-to-head, making at least two dishes in one hour from a combination of two to three secret ingredients. The chefs feel the heat as they're cheered and heckled by a rowdy crowd, including friends, neighbors and an eclectic group of celebrities, food professionals and die-hard foodies who serve as judges and timekeepers for each bout. Among them: Drew Barrymore, Elijah Wood, Jason Lee, Bijou Phillips, Erika Christensen, food writers Jeanne Kelly and Evan Kleiman, and Hall's Top Chef colleagues including Elia Aboumrad and Michael Voltaggio. Renowned skateboarding photographer Giovanni Reda acts as master of ceremonies.

This season of KNIFE FIGHT features acclaimed chefs including James Beard nominees, Food & Wine "Best New Chefs," Top Chef competitors, those who've worked at Michelin-starred restaurants, and more.

"It's real chefs cooking in a real kitchen in front of real people," says Hall. "What started as one chef talking smack to another has grown organically into a full-on competition. At the end, it's not about winning and there's no big prize. These chefs are just pouring their hearts into what goes onto their plates out of a genuine love of food."

EsquireTV.com will feature original online companion series to KNIFE FIGHT, including The Mix, an exploration of the perfect cocktail, and Eat Like A Man, which extends the long-running Esquire franchise to television and features Hall's tips guaranteed to elevate your game in the kitchen.

KNIFE FIGHT is produced for Esquire Network by Flower Films and Authentic Entertainment. For Flower Films, Drew Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen are executive producers; co-executive producers are Ember Truesdell and Chris Miller. For Authentic Entertainment, Lauren Lexton, Tom Rogan and J.C. Begley are executive producers. Ilan Hall, Rich Kim and Kevin Johnston are executive producers.