Restaurant: Impossible Cancellation Explained by Host Robert Irvine: It Was a ‘Great Show,’ But…

Matt Webb Mitovich
·2 min read
25

Restaurant: Impossible host Robert Irvine has shed some light on why his long-running eatery overhaul show was quietly cancelled this spring, after some 20 seasons.

Irvine had told fans, shortly after the latest season finale in April, that Food Network “hasn’t told me anything yet” about the show’s fate. “So I assume it’s done.” Soon after, Reality Blurred confirmed that Food Network had put a fork in the show. (Coincidentally, Fox around the same time announced that Gordon Ramsay’s similar Kitchen Nightmares would be coming back after a nine-season hiatus.)

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Now, Irvine recently explained Restaurant: Impossible‘s cancellation on Twitter, saying, “I’m old news, and although the show is a great show that helps small business and families/communities, it’s not a show that they [at the network and/or Warner Bros. Discovery] believe fits into who or what they want, or the younger viewers like.”

When a fan inquired about Restaurant: Impossible‘s cancellation possibly being reversed, Irvine indicated that’d be… a mission impossible.

“I don’t think any amount of fans telling Food Network to bring it back will do anything to change their mind,” he said. “They have a different idea of what the viewers want and @Rest_Imposs isn’t in that, so we will move on and see what happens next.” Hinting at having other projects in the works, he said, “When I know, I will let you know.”

Though disappointed by the doors closing on Restaurant: Impossible, Irvine is undeterred in his mission to help struggling eateries get their groove back. “All I know is I will continue to help all those in need regardless,” he said.

Restaurant: Impossible debuted in January 2011 and originally aired into May 2016, when it took a break after 13 seasons. The series eventually resumed in April 2019, and it last aired on April 6 of this year.

Virtually all episodes aired on Food Network, save for a hot minute in January 2021 when parent company Warner Bros. Discovery had the idea to move it to Discovery+ — only to near-instantly reverse that decision.

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