Imagination is chef's best tool. Most cooking shows (like this one), the cooks call upon the tried and true recipes that they have made many times before.
I never saw the show, but have watched Iron Chef many times. So like does like. Flay always does Southwestern dishes and Batalli always makes Italian.
Don't think they would pre-prepare dishes. Just use chefs that have some knowledge on the herbs, cooking techniques and what goes good together.
