Figure Skater Brian Boitano Lands Food Network Show

Figure skater Brian Boitano will soon have his own show on Food Network. On the first episode, Brian Boitano hosts a dinner party for an all-girl roller derby team. The menu includes Spicy Fried Chicken Bites with Derby Dip, Bacon Corn Muffins with Savory Cream Cheese Frosting, Bacon Cups with Sweet Potato Hash, and Bourbon Bacon Apple Tarts. According to Backseat Cuddler, Brian Boitano's show will premiere on August 23, 2009 at 1 pm on the Food Network. The name of the show is What Would Brian Boitano Make?

Brian Boitano Lands Food Nework Show: Life and Career

Brian Boitano, 45, is an American figure skater living in San Francisco, California. His accomplishments include four national titles, two world titles, and the 1988 Olympic Gold medal which he won in a 5-4 vote against Brian Orser in the Battle of the Brians. Brian Boitano is the first American to land a triple axel. His other trademark jump is the 'Tano lutz where he raises his left arm above his head.

Brian Boitano has been parodied on the South Park cartoon series as well as the 1999 movie which features a musical number What Would Brian Boitano Do? The song also appears in The Spirit of Christmas as a parody of the song What Would Jesus Do?

The Food Network show title What would Brian Boitano make? is a possible reference to his South Park parody.

Brian Boitano Lands Food Network Show: Olympians and Unusual Career Paths

While many retired figure skaters become coaches or commentators, Brian Boitano is taking a bit of an unusual path by joining the Food Network, showing that he has other talents besides skating. When Olympic champion Kristi Yamaguchi retired from amateur competition, she dominated the professional ranks for many years before cutting back to focus on marriage and family. In 2008, Kristi Yamaguchi showed her versatility by winning Dancing With the Stars. Host Tom Bergeron announced that she and partner Mark Ballas had received the highest scores in the show's history.

Tenley Albright, who won the 1956 Olympic Gold medal for ladies figure skating, demonstrated that it is possible to balance sports and academics. In 1953 she entered Radcliffe College as a premed student. In 1961, she graduated from Harvard Medical School and became a surgeon.

Debi Thomas, who won the world championships in 1986 and the Olympic Bronze in 1988, also successfully juggled sports and academics. In 1991, she graduated from Stanford University with a degree in engineering. In 1997, she graduated from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is now an orthopedic surgeon.

In addition to his accomplishments as a skater, Brian Boitano has always seemed like an intelligent and likable character. I am looking forward to seeing What Would Brian Boitano Make?

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Olympic Gold: Brian Boitano Goes From The Ice To The Kitchen, Backseat Cuddler