BBC America Launching 'Chef Race: UK vs U.S.' With Jamie Oliver

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Already making its way from Los Angeles to New York City, production is underway for BBC America's latest original series, Chef Race: UK vs. U.S.

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The competition, executive produced by Jamie Oliver, comes on the heels of culinary original No Kitchen Required and the cable network's successful stateside broadcasts of several series from Oliver and fellow Brit chef Gordon Ramsay. It will follow 16 chefs (half from the U.S. and half from the U.K.) as they travel cross-country, competing in culinary challenges in an attempt to win the $100,000 prize.

“The restaurant business is one of the toughest in the world, and to be successful in it these days takes so much more than just being able to cook," Oliver said of the latest production group, Fresh One. "You've got to have a good business sense, vision, leadership and so much more. This series is the first time that anyone has really dug deep into what it takes to be successful, and it's going to take an incredible individual to win it.”

London chef Richard Corrigan joins the series as the chef's mentor and judge, while Claire Robinson (5 Ingredient Fix and Food Network Challenge) will serve as host.

“Chef Race: UK vs U.S. celebrates great chefs from both sides of the pond, bringing their best cooking and entrepreneurial skills to bear in a creative format that showcases the diversity of America," said Perry Simon, GM of channels at BBC Worldwide America. "The show is a great fit with our BBC America brand and our slate of new original series.”

Amy Chacon (The Amazing Race), Stef Wagstaffe (Undercover Boss), Roy Ackerman (Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution), Sebastian Grant (Lilly Allen and Friends) and Jo Ralling (Jamie’s American Road Trip) join Oliver as EPs.

Chef Race comes just almost a year after BBC America formalized its plans for a push in original programming. Its first scripted venture, Copper, is set to debut Aug. 19.