Cat Cora to compete on … The Real Dirty Dancing?

Chef Cat Cora has broken down a lot of boundaries in her career. She proudly represents the LBGTQ community as one of the most high profile chefs in the culinary industry. In addition she has won awards, opened restaurants and appeared and won more food competitions than we could possibly name here.

But Cora’s crowning achievement to many was becoming the very first woman to ever become an Iron Chef. She went on to appear on Iron Chef America for 10 seasons, finishing with a record of 21-12 before retiring.

Cora briefly came out of retirement to compete on Tournament of Champions II where she lost in the first round to Michael Voltaggio. It was recently announced that she would be returning for Tournament of Champions III but this time as one of the rotating judges.

However, that won’t be the only place you’ll be able to catch Cat Cora on your television this year. Deadline is reporting that the Iron Chef will be a contestant on … wait for it … The Real Dirty Dancing.

Yeah. You weren’t expecting that, were you?

The Real Dirty Dancing with Cat Cora will be launching February 1.

The Real Dirty Dancing will see eight celebrities paired up to recreate classic dance routines from the beloved film. It is being shot at Virginia’s Mountain Lake Lodge, which served as the location for Kellerman’s Lodge in Dirty Dancing and before you ask, yes, the iconic lift routine is included.

In addition to Cora the cast includes Brie Bella, Corbin Bleu, Tyler Cameron, Howie Dorough, Antonio Gates, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes and Loni Love. But it’s safe to say that foodies everywhere will be rooting for our own Iron Chef.

It is always easy to get smarmy and sarcastic when a food personality attempts something outside what they are best known for. But that is far from the case here. Cat Cora is a big personality who has legions of fans both in the world of food and without. We’ll be cheering her on loud and proud and supporting her all the way.

The Real Dirty Dancing will run for four episodes and premieres on February 1 at 9 PM of your local Fox channel.

What do you think Guilty Eaters? Do you think Cat Cora has what it takes to win a dancing competition? Leave a comment below and let us know or join the conversation on our Twitter and Facebook pages.