The first attempt at an American version of "Iron Chef" resulted in something that Sofia Coppola makes movies about. Everything, from the tension of the competition to the over-the-top dramatics of the original, was lost in translation.

That won't happen with Food Network's "Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters," Alton Brown maintains.

"UPN tried to do this [in 2001], but they forgot that it was about food," says Brown, who hosts Food Network's "Good Eats" and will serve as the announcer/commentator for "Iron Chef America." The weekend-long set of specials pitting Food Network stars against two of Japan's Iron Chefs kicks off at 9 p.m. ET Friday (April 23).

"That doesn't happen at Food Network," Brown says. "... It wasn't going to be a freak show; it wasn't going to be pro wrestling. But I also knew that they were going to supply the back story, that there was going to be a story structure to support the handing over of this from Japan to America."

The show has a new chairman, martial artist and actor Mark Dacascos, who will explain to viewers that "Iron Chef" mastermind Takeshi Kaga wanted to pass the torch to someone new after so many years on Japan's Fuji TV. Aside from that, however, the American version, which taped in early March, sticks pretty close to its predecessor.

The new Kitchen Stadium, set up on a soundstage just across the 110 freeway from downtown Los Angeles, is a close replica of the original. Iron Chef French Hiroyuki Sakai made the trip from Japan; U.S.-based Iron Chef Japanese Masaharu Morimoto was on hand as well. Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi was in poor health at the time and couldn't make the trip, but one of the sous chefs working with Sakai brought along his signature cleaver.

As in the original, each chef gets an hour to prepare as many original dishes as possible using a theme ingredient. The chefs get a small list of possible ingredients beforehand, but they have to make up recipes on the fly, aided by two sous chefs and a supremely well-stocked kitchen.

The chefs' ability to juggle multiple preparations and turn out great dishes under pressure was one of the most impressive things Brown witnessed during the competition.

"When we see these people on TV and become familiar with them, it's very easy to forget the level of proficiency we're talking about," he says. "I've always been in awe of these guys, but even more so in watching them work. ... Everyone on that stage was amazing. I only hope we conveyed that to some degree."

In the battle between Sakai and Bobby Flay, airing Friday, trout is the secret ingredient, and both chefs are on their games. Fish are filleted in seconds, and about 15 minutes in, a smoky-sweet smell permeates the soundstage, courtesy of Flay. The smoked trout will later be combined with guacamole and served atop a blue-corn tortilla as an appetizer.

Sakai, for his part, whips together a beautifully presented tartare, hibachi-grilled trout, even trout ice cream among his dishes.

Brown, meanwhile, keeps up a running commentary on what each chef is doing, aided by floor reporter Kevin Brauch -- host of "The Thirsty Traveler" on Fine Living -- and a Food Network staffer who's relaying information to him through his earpiece. Runners also relay information, and Brown has a PowerPoint presentation on his laptop about some of the more exotic pantry ingredients the chefs employed.

"[The research] was a pretty daunting task," he says. "It's hard enough to learn about a cuisine -- I eat Japanese food, but by no means have I done much preparation of it. So there were just a huge number of ingredients I wasn't familiar with. The same was true of some of the American chefs." In addition to Flay, Mario Batali and Wolfgang Puck also took part in "Iron Chef America."

When the cooking ends, the chefs start asking how long it will be before the judges -- for this battle, comedian Brian Unger, chef Kerry Simon and Bon Appetit executive editor Victoria von Biel -- taste their dishes. The cooking goes on in real time, but like most TV shows, "Iron Chef" is heavily edited as well. Earlier, crew members spent the better part of an hour tinkering with the tank holding the theme ingredient; the tasting segment also takes significantly longer than what ends up on screen.

Brown has been an "Iron Chef" fan since seeing an original, undubbed episode on a tape a friend sent him. About the only thing this version might lose, he thinks, is its "alien" quality.

"It's a Godzilla movie," he says of the Japanese version. "It's something so intriguing and strange -- I mean strange in simply the unfamiliarity of it, not strange like freaky-strange. ... You can't look away. It's very, very enthralling."

And although he's a fan, Brown says he can't pick a favorite Iron Chef.

"I don't play favorites. They're all great," he says. "That's like picking your favorite Ninja Turtle -- you can't do that either."