(Not So) Great Moments in Iron Chef History

From the Iron Chef America special this past weekend, which pitted Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis against Mario Batali and Rachael Ray in a cranberry battle:

1. Rachael saying: "Being surrounded by real chefs, when you're not one, it really does build a lot of tension." I respect her honesty and humility, but god that was funny. I loved how Mario made her stir a pot for half the contest.

2. Giada using pre-made pasta dough. Did they never make pasta from scratch in her family? Maybe that's why the ravioli weren't so well received.

3. Rachael using pre-made hot and sweet sausage. This is Iron Chef honey, not a Wegman's demonstration. Throw the pork and the seasonings in the food processor and teach the ladies at home how the stuff actually gets made.

Two other observations:
-- Does Giada have the largest head to body size ratio of any person on the planet? I worry she's going to fall over sometimes.
-- At what point does Mario Batali's seemingly ever-expanding abdomen affect what's on the stove? Does his gut ever knock over pots or catch on fire? He might have Fernand Point beat.