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TV Media Weekly | October 7 - 13, 2017 By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: My favorite shows are always being canceled — I may be the kiss of death. Has "Elementary" been can- celed? A: You're likely not the only "Elementary" fan feeling a little worried right now. Previous sea- sons of the CBS mystery series have shown up late in the fall — season 4 was the latest, premier- ing Nov. 5, 2015 — but they've always shown up before the snow does. Not this time, though. The good news is, Sherlock Holmes (this version of him, at least, played by Jonny Lee Miller) is still in New York. However, be- ing the impolite and thoughtless character he is, he's keeping us waiting: "Elementary's" sixth season won't premiere until sometime in early 2018. In other bad news, it might be a shorter season than usual. All five previous rounds have been at least 22 episodes long — what's considered a "full" sea- son by the broadcast networks — but so far, only 13 episodes have been ordered for season 6. I say "so far" because there's still time for CBS to pick up the other nine — networks often do that, ordering a partial season at first and then committing to the rest later, depending on how the rest of their lineup shapes up. Q: The actor who plays Zack Addy in "Bones" looks a lot like Tim Robbins in the lat- er seasons. Are they related? A: The resemblance is there. Both actors possess a sort of twinkle-eyed baby-facedness, despite both being well past youth (Robbins is 58; "Bones" actor Eric Millegan is 43). But it's just chance, apparently. Robbins and Millegan are not related. Both of them do have family in the business, but no one in common. This is less surprising in Rob- bins' case. He and Susan Saran- don were a Hollywood power couple for a while, so it's unsur- prising their sons, Jack and Miles Robbins, would go into showbiz (as a director and actor, respectively). More surprising, albeit more distant, is Millegan's famous re- lation: He's film star Jeremy Renner's step-uncle. He explained the rather strange designation on his Twit- ter feed a few years ago: His old- er sister is married to Renner's father. This is made even more complicated by the fact that Renner is actually three years older. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Hollywood Q&A By Andrew Warren TV Media A mong culinary televi- sion's many star-stud- ded personalities, there's really no one like Alton Brown. The man is a legend in some fan circles, and it's no wonder why. While other TV chefs happily share their ad- vice on how to prepare an ingre- dient, Alton would much rather share the underlying science and reasoning behind all things culinary — the why. Of course, his distinct, kooky personality doesn't hurt his case, either. Well, the contestants for Food Network's next "Chopped" tournament had better be brushing up on their culinary science. "Chopped: Alton's Chal- lenge" premieres Tuesday, Oct. 10, with the man himself not only sitting at the judges table but also setting the challenges themselves. In the first episode of the culi- nary contest, Alton is joined at the judges table by "Chopped" regulars Amanda Freitag and Alex Guarnaschelli, along with host Ted Allen. The three "Chopped" veterans have seen more than their fair share of in- teresting ingredient challenges in the "Chopped" kitchen, but Alton's maniacal mind still has some surprises in store. For the appetizer round, the four hopeful contestants must understand the mad science of champagne and fermentation. After a chef is sent packing by the judges, it's on to the entrée round with a really weird and stringy Japanese specialty hid- ing in the basket of mystery in- gredients. It's the dessert chal- lenge that truly tests the cook- ing mettle of the chefs, though, when they find a highly unusual cake lurking in the basket. Each week, four new chefs enter the "Chopped" kitchen, with only one remaining at the end. In the tournament's grand finale Tuesday, Nov. 7, the four champions return to face off against each other for the ulti- mate $50,000 prize. To earn that payday, though, they have to endure Alton's most diabolical challenges yet: dehydration, fer- mentation, smoke and molecu- lar gastronomy are all on the menu, and with that kind of money on the line, the "Chopped" judges expect noth- ing short of perfection. Alton Brown knows food in- side, outside and on sides that most people didn't even know ex- isted — and contestants in "Chopped: Alton's Challenge" had better hope that they do, too. The tournament premieres Tues- day, Oct. 10, on Food Network. Alton Brown enters the 'Chopped' kitchen 10 | Cooking this week Sunspot 2 x 2" Vicker's Graphics 2 x 1.5" Tech Repairadise 2 x 1.5" Amanda Freitag, Alex Guarnaschelli, Ted Allen and Alton Brown as seen in "Chopped: Alton's Challenge"

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