Food Network's late-night culinary card game, "Wildcard Kitchen", returns with a brand-new season of high-stakes competition, promising viewers an intense culinary battle like no other.

The first season invited top chefs to a culinary card game where they brought $5,000 (about R90,340) of their own money. They were given a dish, limited time and specific ingredients. Each chef had a secret wildcard that could dramatically impact the outcome of the game.

Hosted by Ghanaian-American chef Eric Adjepong, the new season promises to keep the same theme while being the most intense yet, with top chefs competing for cold hard cash and ultimate bragging rights.

Three chefs with longstanding culinary rivalries will be featured in each episode. They will each gamble their own money and compete against one another in three rounds of Adjepong's underground poker game.

But it is not just about the cooking, it is about the bluffing, betting and backstabbing that comes with it. And with unexpected challenges thrown in by Adjepong, the chefs will need to think on their feet to stay ahead of the game.

The season premiere promises to be explosive, with Vegas big spenders Jet Tila and siblings Michael and Bryan Voltaggio raising the ante by bringing double the cash to the table.

Throughout the season, fans can expect to see an exciting lineup of culinary titans, including Alex Guarnaschelli, Rocco DiSpirito, Andrew Zimmern, Michael Symon, Esther Choi, Marcel Vigneron, Karen Akunowicz and Stephanie Izard, Jonathan Sawyer.

They will be joined by Tiffani Faison, Amanda Freitag, Geoffrey Zakarian, Tiffany Derry, Mei Lin, Brian Malarkey, Eddie Jackson, Damaris Phillips and Molly Yeh, among others.

“Anyone who has ever wondered what it’s like to hang out with their favourite Food Network chefs for an outrageous late-night card game can experience it on 'Wildcard Kitchen',” said Betsy Ayala, head of content: food at Warner Bros. Discovery.

“Eric really amps up the gameplay this season with bigger stakes, bigger challenges and bigger twists to keep both his guests and the audience guessing at every turn,” she added.

∎ Season two of "Wildcard Kitchen" will premiere on Food Network Africa (DStv channel 175) on Saturday, March 29, at 9pm.

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‘Wildcard Kitchen’ returns for second season with bigger bets and higher stakes