Last night, I walked into a crowded Pantages theater with my boyfriend, dad and little sister.  We found ourselves surrounded by children, foodies, and housewives. We were seated in the very front row (for a group of introverted people, this was slightly unnerving), uncertain of what was about to come.

For those that don't know, Alton Brown is one of the original Food Network Stars. He created and hosted the show, Good Eats, which lasted for 14 seasons (and which he confirmed to the audience last night, will be making a return to television this year!).  He is also the main commentator of Iron Chef America and host of Cutthroat Kitchen.

He is quite a character -- the performance was full of over-dramatizations, food-puns, songs about popcorn and a wildly enthusiastic audience screaming at the chance to join Alton on stage for a science demonstration.

It has got to be one of the strangest shows I have ever seen (and I've been to an all-male rendition of Black Swan). 

When Alton wasn't singing songs about mise-en-place set to the tune of Edelweiss (from the Rogers & Hammerstein musical, The Sound of Music), he was making in-jokes that somehow the entire audience understood (not me) or saying crude comments that would make all the middle-aged women in the audience giggle and swoon.

It wasn't all extremely uncomfortable though -- he used liquid Nitrogen to create an alcoholic snowcone, used a massive production light (said to reach temperatures of 600-700 degrees) to pop popcorn and also popped popcorn in a gigantic rocket, which proceeded to explode all over the first few rows of the audience. In this moment, my family and I were very excited to be in the front row (Sakais may hate the prospect of being called on-stage, but we sure do love popcorn).

Alton has always been one of my favorite TV personalities. He's extremely knowledgable about food on a scientific level, which I find fascinating. He uses silly props, like sock puppets to signify yeast, which makes his show like an adult version of a children's educational program. When you match his encyclopedic knowledge to his extremely quick wit and southern charm, it's no wonder he has become a Food Network powerhouse.

Overall, the experience was truly once in a lifetime. If you're a huge foodie like I am, you will find it interesting and entertaining enough. If you find Alton Brown to be a dreamboat, this is your show. My advice to those interested in attending? Make sure to hit the bar before the show and during intermission, get some snacks (lest you be stuck in your seat, jealous as Alton drinks bourbon and eats popcorn) and don't volunteer to participate unless you want to get dressed in wacky costumes and poked fun at by Alton Brown.