Chopped 2020: A Year Without Chopsticks ... Please??

[xaxat]

I just watched the Champions episode where the contestants had to break their pasta because it was too long to fit in the pot.

Scott Conant was a judge! I was sooo disappointed that we didn't get a "don't disrespect the pasta" lecture.

Maybe he's mellowed in his old age.                      

[sharifa70]

8 minutes ago, xaxat said:

I just watched the Champions episode where the contestants had to break their pasta because it was too long to fit in the pot.

Scott Conant was a judge! I was sooo disappointed that we didn't get a "don't disrespect the pasta" lecture.

Maybe he's mellowed in his old age.                      

"You have knives" still makes me laugh.

[mlp]

I thought last night's episode was the worst Chopped ever from the two obnoxious male contestants who were eliminated to the frequent cuts to Alex like she's some deity of cooking to Maneet very obviously rooting for Alex when judges are supposed to be impartial.  It crossed my mind to wonder if Alex dropping her sherbet was deliberate and planned to show how great and resourceful she is because they didn't really show how it happened.  OTOH I figured the other gal would lose as soon as she said "panna cotta."  It never sets in time.  I wonder how the other chefs really feel about the constant adulation of Alex.

[spiderpig]

^^^I couldn't agree more.  The burned cookies and dropped sorbet just screamed "fake".  All that manufactured drama made me burn worse than the cookies.

That entire farce of having three chefs compete for breakfast and lunch, and then bringing in Her Majesty for the dessert challenge was lame.  I am so sick of FN pimping for Guarnaschelli on every damn show.

How Chopped has fallen.

[buttersister]

Ha, reminds me of when Bobby Flay's PR person used to be a judge on Iron Chef. As long as I look at these like the comedy episodes (or vanity projects) they are, I don't get pissed at the obvious bs. Or mostly, I don't watch😉

[xaxat]

As soon as they started the intros, I knew where this episode was headed. It was like watching pro wrestling. 

As for it being staged, it reminds me of the Tournament of Champions hosted by Guy. Alex got "upset" in her bracket on the first episode and I seriously wonder if she just tanked because she didn't want to commit to filming the entire show.

 

[mlp]

6 hours ago, xaxat said:

As soon as they started the intros, I knew where this episode was headed. It was like watching pro wrestling. 

As for it being staged, it reminds me of the Tournament of Champions hosted by Guy. Alex got "upset" in her bracket on the first episode and I seriously wonder if she just tanked because she didn't want to commit to filming the entire show.

I would have been shocked if Alex hadn't won, especially after the big build up all through the show.

I don't think Alex's huge ego would allow her to lose on purpose.  I suspect that all the compliments she's received on GGG for winning with simple dishes caused her to think she could do the same against Darnell.

[Rammchick]

On 4/8/2020 at 11:54 AM, mlp said:

I thought last night's episode was the worst Chopped ever from the two obnoxious male contestants who were eliminated to the frequent cuts to Alex like she's some deity of cooking to Maneet very obviously rooting for Alex when judges are supposed to be impartial.  

Blind judging would've been better and more "seemingly" fair.

[ShortyMac]

Did Alex use the pomelo in anything besides the dropped sorbet? From what I saw, she just cut segments, and placed them on top. That's not transforming an ingredient... 

[Colleenna]

On 1/29/2020 at 12:57 AM, GaT said:

I keep recording this show & then deleting it without watching. I think I may be done with it.

I refuse to  watch  if Mahhh-thaaaah is one of the  judges.  And GZ is plucking  my last nerve with  those  chopsticks 🤬

[Maverick]

Apparently this is going to be a series of episodes with each judge getting a turn.  Alex was just the first up.  I'm sure they will all be talked up.  The FN stable always talks about how awesome they cook, whether it's Chopped, GGG or Guy's Ranch Kitchen.  I'll take Alex or most of the other judges over another compete to beat blowhard Irvine any day. 

[sharifa70]

On 4/11/2020 at 4:52 PM, Maverick said:

Apparently this is going to be a series of episodes with each judge getting a turn.  Alex was just the first up.  I'm sure they will all be talked up.  The FN stable always talks about how awesome they cook, whether it's Chopped, GGG or Guy's Ranch Kitchen.  I'll take Alex or most of the other judges over another compete to beat blowhard Irvine any day. 

I love when the Chopped judges get to cook.

Oh, man, I totally agree re Irvine. I hate that guy! So loud, so cocky, so...Irvine!

[RealityCheck]

BEAT THE JUDGE series

Quote

E01 (04/07/2020) : Alex Guarnaschelli
E02 (04/14/2020) : Scott Conan
E03 (04/21/2020) : Tiffani Faison
E04 (04/28/2020) : Amanda Freitag

I'm interested in seeing Tiffani in competition again.  And I think this is only the second time I'm going to see Scott doing a competition.

[mlp]

 Tiffani Faison is a very occasional judge who "just happened" to be on tonight.  How did she get into that line up?  I've never liked her.

I'm finding these episodes annoying because the judges are very obviously rooting for their judging buddies.  They should have used a panel of impartial chefs IMO.  

 

[ShortyMac]

2 hours ago, mlp said:

 I'm finding these episodes annoying because the judges are very obviously rooting for their judging buddies.  They should have used a panel of impartial chefs IMO.  

Agreed.

I'm surprised that Scott's cut/blood wasn't brought up. They couldn't be 100% certain his food wasn't contaminated. 

Michael's sauce must have been bad. Scott really didn't transform the ranch dressing, he just put it in the sauce...

[Maverick]

Wow, people want to talk about Alex but Scott is really an arrogant crybaby.   If he did the competition rounds on the regular (rather than once a decade or so) I thin he'd go postal.  I always thought he was second only to pompous ass Zakarian in terms of arrogance on the judging panel but now I'm beginning to wonder.

 Tiffany being in this is a total WTF.   There are other chefs who have guest judged more than she has.   No way is she a Chopped judge.   Maybe they're planning on adding her as a regular judge since they're lost Aaron and Marcus and they seem to be done with Martha (or her with them) but even then she's a dubious choice.   

[xaxat]

Not only did Jeffery use a knife and fork in this episode, he picked up a taco with his hands!

Another sign of the end times?

17 hours ago, ShortyMac said:

I'm surprised that Scott's cut/blood wasn't brought up.

Remember the days when "I would like to taste your food, but I can't because you might have bled in it." was a thing?

[awaken]

On 4/14/2020 at 10:37 PM, mlp said:

 Tiffani Faison is a very occasional judge who "just happened" to be on tonight.  How did she get into that line up?  I've never liked her.

I'm finding these episodes annoying because the judges are very obviously rooting for their judging buddies.  They should have used a panel of impartial chefs IMO.  

 

I’m curious, how much do you think these occasional judges get paid per episode?  

[cooksdelight]

Tiffani a judge? WTF??? There are so many WINNERS of Top Chef who’d be a better choice.

I think they should pick fans of the show to be judges in these competitions. Would be a lot more fun to watch.

[galaxychaser]

I wish I had cable so I could watch new ones. I just watch whatever Hulu has. 

[galaxychaser]

Is Amanda still there?

Aaron and Marcus quit? 
 

Martha and Moneet annoy me. 
 

 

[Maverick]

 So Tiffani is an actual judge now.   Yeah, um.  Yeah.   Ok

 While I don't like Chef Save a Ho that Tiffani beat, I did get a good laugh out of him and the other chef basically being "Bitch, please" when she did her cock of the walkthrough.   I don't understand why they want to present the judges as such arrogant assholes in this.   I know Scott is a conceited ass but he was extreme even for him in his episode.   Top Chef Tiffani may have been able to pull off that hubris she tried to display in this episode but current Tiffani just came off as a joke.   

 And what a shocker, the judge won.   Does anyone really expect a judge to lose?   We've seen this trick before when different Food Network stars took on Bobby in Beat Bobby Flay and every one of the miraculously won.

[mlp]

I am very close to being done with Chopped which is a shame because I've been watching it for years.  It does sound like Tiffani is now a regular judge.  I can't stand her so I won't be watching if she's on the panel.  I used to think Chopped was on the level and that the judges were fair.  I don't any more because so many decisions seem contrived - like tonight.  Scott's shedding tears over a dish was pathetic and, again, Maneet was clearly rooting for the judge instead of being impartial.  Bah.

[libgirl2]

They should blind taste the final dish. Like seriously what judge is going to lose? I thought maybe she would last might and she didn't.  This whole thing is stupid. 

[ZoqFotPik]

I really thought Tiffani was going to be the sacrificial lamb and lose.

[xaxat]

I really don't like the pro wrestling style direction this show is taking. "I can beat anyone. . . I've been a chef for decades so no one can beat me etc." Confidence is one thing, but now we are into smack talk. Not a fan.

I read the judges comments to the losing chef of "Oh this was so close", "You gave us one of the best challenger dishes ever." as being "Hey, you won, but we have to give it to Tiffani for. . .  reasons."

[Colleenna]

10 hours ago, mlp said:

I am very close to being done with Chopped which is a shame because I've been watching it for years.  It does sound like Tiffani is now a regular judge.  I can't stand her so I won't be watching if she's on the panel.  I used to think Chopped was on the level and that the judges were fair.  I don't any more because so many decisions seem contrived - like tonight.  Scott's shedding tears over a dish was pathetic and, again, Maneet was clearly rooting for the judge instead of being impartial.  Bah.

While I really don't like Tiffani, ("I'm not  your bitch, bitch!") I find her preferable to Martha.  But then, just about anyone would be,  including Rachel Ray and the fake pioneer. 

[nitrofishblue]

All I can say is that this series of Beat the Judge has been cringe-worthy. They act like the judges are something short of a god and can do no harm. In competitions like this, the judging should be blind. The judges don't know who cooked what. Darn, right now I can't recall the recent series that had blind judging. Amazing how many times the "star chef" came up short on the votes.

I have enjoyed Chopped over the years. I got to learn a lot about different foods I have never encountered. I learned some tricks about cooking an everyday food item.

My respect for the show started to drop when they brought in Martha. She is a pretensive tweet. Then dear Geoffrey has to follow her example and look like an idiot by using chopsticks for everything. His "better than you" attitude makes me want to puke. Some of the current judges have been there for a long time. They need to clean the slate and bring in a bunch of judges who don't have their head up their ass.

Tiffani still has some of her Top Chef attitude. If she lost that she might be passable.

[Rammchick]

So Amanda Freitag is the latest anointed one to win their Beat the Judge competition.  Who would have guessed?

Edited April 29, 2020 by Rammchick

[mlp]

49 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

So Amanda Freitag is the latest anointed one to win their Beat the Judge competition.  Who would have guessed?

I actually expected that she was going to be the losing judge, sacrificed to "prove" to the viewers that the outcomes aren't predetermined.  I liked Tristen and was happy when he made it to the final round but, when I saw him try to cook the double thick pork chops in a short time, I figured he'd lose.  One of the slices on Scott's plate looked OK but the other was obviously way too pink.  Amanda's "slightly" under-cooked pork looked perfectly acceptable to me.  She deserved to win.

[RealityCheck]

On 4/14/2020 at 6:16 PM, RealityCheck said:

BEAT THE JUDGE series

Quote

E01 (04/07/2020) : Alex Guarnaschelli
E02 (04/14/2020) : Scott Conan
E03 (04/21/2020) : Tiffani Faison
E04 (04/28/2020) : Amanda Freitag

E05 (05/05/2020) : Marc Murphy
E06 (05/12/2020) : Maneet Chauhan

[xaxat]

17 hours ago, mlp said:

She deserved to win.

Yeah, when I saw the cuts he was trying to cook, I really got worried for him.

It was hilarious watching Amanda trying to talk tough during her intro. Even she knew it was ridiculous.

[galaxychaser]

Amanda seems so sweet. 

[Fukui San]

Amanda gleefully declaring herself "one of the pantry people" during the first time Chopped Judges competed on the show will always be endearing to me.

[mlp]

6 hours ago, Fukui San said:

Amanda gleefully declaring herself "one of the pantry people" during the first time Chopped Judges competed on the show will always be endearing to me.

That was a favorite bit of mine too.  I love Amanda.  I loved Chopped After Hours.  I wish they'd do it again.

Marc is one of my favorites and I didn't care for the woman he competed against so I was happy to see him win.  The part of the judges' competition I've liked least is having them come out and "surprise" the chefs while they're cooking during the second round.  That is totally pointless and highly annoying.  

[libgirl2]

40 minutes ago, mlp said:

That was a favorite bit of mine too.  I love Amanda.  I loved Chopped After Hours.  I wish they'd do it again.

Marc is one of my favorites and I didn't care for the woman he competed against so I was happy to see him win.  The part of the judges' competition I've liked least is having them come out and "surprise" the chefs while they're cooking during the second round.  That is totally pointless and highly annoying.  

Neither did I. And as he always seems to lose or get knocked out first in these competitions, I was kind of happy to see him win. 

I like Amanda alot. She strikes me as a really sweet person. I remember when she competed on the Next Iron Chef. 

[RockShrimp]

I’m sorry having Tiffany judge Dave is bullshit. When she was all “he wasn’t very nice to me” you weren’t either! I know it’s been 13 yrs but don’t cast that it’s weird. 

[mlp]

I didn't see the first Top Chef, excuse me - "cooking show," so I don't know what went on between Dave and Tiffani but I can't stand her so I'm sure she wasn't an innocent party to whatever.  I'm probably going to start skipping episodes when I see her on the panel.

When the chefs were introduced, I figured the cute immigrant girl would end up against pretty Maneet, also an immigrant, but, as it turned out, she deserved to be there.  Maneet earned her win so I have no quarrel with the decision.  

[LexieLily]

Who is this Tiffani as a judge and why is she so rude and mean-spirited?

[Maverick]

 So we're back to calling Top Chef a "cooking competition".   OK.   

 Poor Tiffani.   Dave was so mean to her in TC Season 1.   Boo-hoo.   Boo, effing, hoo Tiffani.  She certainly was not an innocent.   She was an arrogant, condescending terror.   In the one of the final challenges, Dave was fed up with her and snapped back "I'm not your bitch, Bitch" which became a Thing (this was before memes).   She's tried to rehab her reputation ever since.   When she came back for Cooking Competition All Stars, there was this whole storyline about how awful she was and how much she had grown.   

 The times she's judged on Chopped, she tries to come off at this warm person.  She's usually the one making a positive comment or acts so touched when a contestant inevitably shares a sob story.  Of course she always sounds 100% rehearsed and fake when she does so.   But tonight, OG Tiffani was back.   She was in full on bitch mode.  Girl, you are not Alex G so stp acting high and mighty.  She was particularly vicious with Dave, so she claim she's over it all she wants but she obviously still has a death grip on that grudge.   Dave was clearly taken aback she was one of the judges and he took her tongue lashing way better than I would have.   After that stunt (which was clearly intentional and for the DRAMA), I would tell FN to shove it the next time they call if I were Dave.

 I hate all the ridiculous posturing in these Beat the Judges episodes, both from the judges and the contestants.  I thought it was bad on Tournament of Champions, but this is way worse.  Some of these make them look like borderline cases of textbook megalomania.  

[nitrofishblue]

I am sorry to say that this "Beat the Judges" series has been the most barf inducing series EVER. All that happy back slapping on how great the judges are got to me. It seems that the Food Network wants to make the judges into some sort of cooking gods. To bad the tasting wasn't a blind taste where the judges did not know who fixed what. I have seen other shows with blind tasting and the big name chef did not win every time. If not blind taste, they need to get three judges who have no show or interest in Food Network.

[ArtFossil]

The Chopped judges have to eat so much bad food, I'm just fine with a "beat-the-judge" competition where the judges win. The competing chefs get so much exposure from being asked back to Chopped I don't feel sorry for them at all. And I love to see the judges cook!

I learn something, and am entertained by, everyone who cooks on Chopped. That's all I ask.

Edited May 14, 2020 by ArtFossil

[cooksdelight]

I saw what was happening to this show a while back with the gimmicks and ridiculous competitions so I tuned out.

[xaxat]

Right now, I enjoy Guy's Grocery Games more than Chopped. Guy's show is consistently good natured (which I can really use these days). And the "market" makes me feel nostalgic for early 2020s when my supermarket's shelves were filled with fresh produce and meats.

[pdlinda]

On 4/22/2020 at 8:32 AM, xaxat said:

I really don't like the pro wrestling style direction this show is taking. "I can beat anyone. . .

I agree.  The latest competitions with the appointed judge chef against 3 others with every judge winning except Alex is close to causing me to edit my viewing after many glorious years!

The OVER PRODUCTION as mentioned is annoying and ridiculous and the chefs "dipping in" while the others are cooking is distracting and very contrived.

I can understand how the production meetings after all these years dwell on "new concepts" and "new ideas" but this latest one was a PURE LOSER in my eyes.

[Rammchick]

20 hours ago, pdlinda said:

I agree.  The latest competitions with the appointed judge chef against 3 others with every judge winning except Alex is close to causing me to edit my viewing after many glorious years!

Yep, Alex won too.  They all did.  I wouldn't have minded this series if they'd only just injected some fairness into it by making them judge it blind.  At least then it would've had some suspense to it.  Otherwise, it was just a bunch of happy crappy, "Aren't we amazing?!" BS.  I'm not doubting they're all good chefs -- I've never eaten any of their food, but I'm sure they are, based on what we've seen -- but the format the FN introduced in their Championship show should've been used here too.

Edited May 20, 2020 by Rammchick

[pdlinda]

2 hours ago, Rammchick said:

Alex won too

Thanks so much for the correction!  I must have confused the show with the championship show hosted by Guy Fieri where I distinctly recall Alex slinking off into the hell of oblivion after losing to an up and coming chef.

[TexasTiffany]

1 hour ago, pdlinda said:

I distinctly recall Alex slinking off into the hell of oblivion after losing to an up and coming chef.

Here's the chef who beat Alex. He is Darnell Ferguson.

Food Network needs to give Darnell more spots either cooking or judging. Rather than continually trying to give the current judges a credibility makeover with these fake judging contests. 

[mlp]

6 hours ago, TexasTiffany said:

Food Network needs to give Darnell more spots either cooking or judging.

I agree although I have no idea if Darnell is interested in that kind of commitment.  He's very personable and he was quite popular when he was on GGG and the Thanksgiving show.

[libgirl2]

16 hours ago, TexasTiffany said:

Here's the chef who beat Alex. He is Darnell Ferguson.

Food Network needs to give Darnell more spots either cooking or judging. Rather than continually trying to give the current judges a credibility makeover with these fake judging contests. 

I would love to see him on more FN shows. When I saw him on GGG, I thought that guy has "it", he has talent, more than the people we normally see.