White House 'Super Chefs': Were The Obamas Steaming?

First Lady Michelle and President Barack Obama during an event on Olympics, Paralympics and youth sport in September. INFDaily.com.

A wild threesome between potluck, politics and pop culture.

If you thought Food Network's Iron Chef host Mark Dascascos appearance on the last season of Dancing With the Stars was entertaining, what happens when you take the most famous television food competition in the world to the White House?! Viewers found out this weekend and subsequently entered a delicious buzz of online searches. Allez cuisine! Or as we say in English: "To your kitchens!"

Kind of.

Taking Iron Chef outside of Kitchen Stadium in New York and traipsing it to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue sounded like a brilliant idea. The "super-chef" competitors included world-renowned chefs Bobby Flay, Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse. Throw in a generous helping of Michelle Obama and White House exec chef Cristeta Comerford and it's a recipe for well-done TV...right?

Well, yes and no. Michelle Obama ("stunning...absolutely striking," as Lagasse noted) announced the episode's always-anticipated secret ingredient, telling her guests they were limited to "anything from the White House garden." While the competitors opted for veggies like eggplants, radishes and beans, Mrs. Obama explained, "We are sweet potato lovers -- especially the President."

But the rare sweet potato dish that the chefs employed was full of mayo and cream...ingredients that are counter to the Obamas' mission to reduce obesity across America, especially in children. No doubt it was Mario Batali making the naughty, high-fat version of the American sweet potato -- and no wonder, because if you know Batali, you know he adores the color orange. He's being criticized for not wearing pants under his apron at the White House (!!!) and for marching across the Obamas' lawn in his typical orange Crocs. Plus he makes note that Michelle Obama is wearing "Batali orange"...and he made sure she knew it!

God bless America...despite the diplomatic blunders, it's said ratings rocked way higher than the usual 1.5 million they usually bring in. Judges Nigella Lawson, Natalie Coughlin and Jane Seymour were said to have contributed to the draw, but even Coughlin, an Olympic swimming champ made a faux pas with black nail polish at the White House!

Good thing they finished the episode at Kitchen Stadium. Check out some highlights here.