Food Network in the Media

[Rick Kitchen]

Salon article about why Food Network has stopped creating new cooking shows.

 

http://www.salon.com/2014/07/08/food_networks_major_oversight_why_a_quest_for_ratings_comes_at_a_price/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

 

[cooksdelight]

Good article. Before FN was on, I watched Julia Child and Caprial's Cafe on PBS. Caprial's recipes were so easy to follow, I was hooked. Then along came Martha Stewart with more than just cooking. I learned how to decorate for parties and dress up my dinner table in ways I never imagined.

I find myself drifting away from FN more and more, and finding other cooking shows that do what they are supposed to do. Teach me new things, easy and delicious recipes, without all the schtick.

[jonaswan2]

Programing note: The top 5's episode on the Rachael Ray Show airs today. Check your local listings for showtimes. 

[ilovethedark]

If anyone listens to Alton Brown's podcast, there's an episode from August 23, 2013 with the two network judges from Next Food Network Star that is a bit fascinating. It's hard to stomach how self-congratulatory they are, but if you can get through it they do shed light on why they are moving away from cooking shows. Part of it is they want to redefine what is considered "food television". Like that show that was on for like a minute a few years ago about the private detectives trying to catch people stealing from restaurants and stores. Since people were stealing food stuff, that makes it food tv. I think this was recorded before that "Mystery Diners" show came out since there is no mention of that show. They do talk a bit about Emeril and how he made it cool for men to cook. (Seriously). 

 

When they talk about Next Food Network Star all they talk about it finding someone with "it". They do talk about the winners in general terms and have a bit to say about Guy. It does give a bit of insight on how they pick winners. Since this is from last years there are no spoilers for the current season.

Edited July 26, 2014 by ilovethedark

[cooksdelight]

Mystery Diners is still on, as is Restaurant Stakeout. I love them both because it really shows what idiots are serving food in restaurants.

[backformore]

Mystery Diners is still on, as is Restaurant Stakeout. I love them both because it really shows what idiots are serving food in restaurants.

Yeah, I watch those shows when I want to feel good about myself for saving $ by cooking at home instead of going out. watch enough of those shows, you might never eat out again.

[Intuition]

I don't see how the article explains why FN is not coming out with more cooking shows.  It mentions that it's happening but now why.  It's written by a black woman complaining that all the black stars that were once on the network have recently disappeared while no new ones have come out recently.  Note that FN has very recently been advertising a new show called "Eating America" which will be hosted by a black man, which she probably didn't see yet when she wrote the article.  I don't blame her for being unhappy about no black cooking shows, but people come and go all the time on FN and I don't think their absence is about race necessarily but ratings.  After all, all of my favorite hosts and shows seem to have disappeared too from FN in recent years.  So it's a general thing, not just about race.  I think TPTB at FN are probably back at the drawing board trying to find new black talent right about now.  Anyway, I'm sorry but I'm over making everything about race.  I don't think FN is being prejudiced.  After all, how many black cooking shows have there EVER been on PBS?  I think FN is really progressive in that regard when you look at other channels.

Edited July 26, 2014 by Intuition

[theatremouse]

It's been a while, but I read an article, maybe a year ago? Two? About one of the reasons for the shift away from "cooking shows" to "food shows" because the data on suggested that people who were watching were by and large not going out and cooking as a consequence of watching. They were buying food-related products: things endorsed by the celebrities on television, going to their restaurants, buying gadgets, having a more general awareness of food (ie "food trends" became something a much wider swatch of people actually knew about "Is Kale in?", "Why is everyone putting bacon in everything?" etc), but not actually doing more cooking at all. Running a business, that's a pearl right there. People watching shows of people cooking made them want to EAT not cook. So do more shows that make them hungry, make them want to buy more stuff, but the cooking/teaching didn't really matter since people weren't really going to go and do it anyway. Hence cooking shows have dwindled. The viewers did not. Hence, the shows don't need to involve cooking to be watched. They just need to be about food in some way. You still want to believe the person telling you what to eat knows how to cook, but don't need to see them do it.

 

Now of course, I didn't actually get to read the study. It was just an article citing it. I don't know if it was something internal to the network, ie their own research, which could be incredibly biased because even though they say they want to do the analysis, too often companies only want the analysis if it confirms what they want, rather than to actual make data-driven decisions...but that's a separate issue. Anyway, it might have actually been a third-party study, I can't recall. If so, and presuming their methods were decent, then when FN found that out, they basically figured out the money machine.

 

All of which makes this show make a ton of sense to me.

Edited July 26, 2014 by theatremouse

[cooksdelight]

A local friend of mine proudly posted a photo of her new Guy Fieri frying pans. Maybe that is what this network is all about now, selling "name".

[cooksdelight]

Sarah's Facebook page has the least number of likes of anyone on TV that I've ever seen. And she has NO idea how to reply to comments. Sometimes it looks like she's talking to herself.

https://www.facebook.com/SarahPenrodChef?ref=br_tf

[jennifer6973]

@cooksdelight

 

That link isn't clickable for some reason.

[Evanscody]

Went over to Sara's Fb, and holy cow! Her replies to comments are so wonky. How do you even do that?? Lol at she's talking to herself. Spot on.

[cooksdelight]

Crap! LOL, I did that from my iPad, try copying/pasting the link in your browser.

[cooksdelight]

She does that head tilt thing, just like my dog when he's confused or doesn't understand something.

[jennifer6973]

thank you, that worked.

[mlp]

 

Went over to Sara's Fb, and holy cow!

 

Sarah absolutely defines vapid.  Also, she has no business calling herself "Chef."  I now dislike her even more than I did before I looked at her page.

[jcbrown]

 

Sarah absolutely defines vapid.

And the irony is that while this is absolutely true, I bet that she herself could not actually define "vapid." Which I find delightful.

[backformore]

Wow - that Lenny brisket video - linked in the episode thread, but we're supposed to discuss it here - is WEIRD.  That's LENNY?   holy crap!    can someone who knows how, PLEEEASE send that video to alton Brown before Lenny wins this thing?   There's no way Food Network wants that A-hole representing them!  No siree, lil' lady!  

[cooksdelight]

I've seen it posted to Food Network's Facebook page, so word is apparently spreading like wildfire.

[JTMacc99]

Good job Facebook. Good job.

[cooksdelight]

This is from Sarah's website. Did she mention Eva Longoria, because I can't remember.

"Sarah graduated from Scottsdale Culinary Institute in 2009. After spending some time cooking at the 4 star restaurants on the Riverwalk, she opened her own personal chef company. Within months she was auditioning for Tony Parker and Eva Longoria and became their private chef."

[qtpye]

Wow - that Lenny brisket video - linked in the episode thread, but we're supposed to discuss it here - is WEIRD.  That's LENNY?   holy crap!    can someone who knows how, PLEEEASE send that video to alton Brown before Lenny wins this thing?   There's no way Food Network wants that A-hole representing them!  No siree, lil' lady!

 

 

That video was so disturbing.  It was like he and the camera man had a dom/sub S&M thing going on.  I expected Lenny to start  screaming "you will like my brisket and then lick sweet corn from my body!"  Why in the world would you post that on you tube?

[Aquarius]

I've been thinking about that Lenny video more than I want to.

 

The first time I watched, I wasn't expecting that kind of profanity, and in my shock I really didn't listen well.  I thought he was calling the brisket all of those things.  Then of course misery loves company and I had to show it to my husband, and this time I listened a little more carefully.  Right before he uses "the word", he says something that sounds like "Hot Tub, you're a --", and the stuff about a mother and father, then all that crap at the end about being the BBQ master.  So is "Hot Tub" the cameraman . . . or was this weird video actually meant as some form of response to this unknown "Hot Tub" claiming to the the master of all BBQ?  Or am I overthinking it??  One thing I do know is that I need a heavy dose of brain bleach, I really do.  I'm not even sure I can watch the show on Sunday, I am that disturbed.

[GaT]

I keep reading people's posts about this video, & I've decided not to watch it. It really sounds horrible.

[Bella]

I keep reading people's posts about this video, & I've decided not to watch it. It really sounds horrible.

 

Same here.

[smiley13]

I have no need to watch it either.

[cooksdelight]

Well, someone had to take one for the team. I watched it. I don't think I want to eat creamed corn ever again.

[mlp]

I watched part of the video after I saw the mention on one of the FNS blogs and before everyone started talking about it.  I turned it off in disgust shortly after the vulgar language started so I didn't see anything about corn and I think I'm glad of it.  I just went to the FN FB page and was surprised that I didn't see many comments about the video.  Either I didn't find the right thread or the video hasn't spread like wildfire as I thought it would. 

 

What I did see was that 3/4 of the comments seemed to be negative responses to Sarah including many complaining that FN isn't listening to viewers because they haven't got rid of her yet.  I see this kind of thing every year - people not comprehending that the episodes were made months ago and FN can't change them now.  Why is that so hard to understand?  It baffles me.  The only thing they can control now is the finale.

[SecretHaze]

I thought he was calling the brisket all of those things.  Then of course misery loves company and I had to show it to my husband, and this time I listened a little more carefully.  Right before he uses "the word", he says something that sounds like "Hot Tub, you're a --", and the stuff about a mother and father, then all that crap at the end about being the BBQ master.  So is "Hot Tub" the cameraman . . .

 

 

I am really confused about this too. Who is "Hot Tub"? Seems to be an inside joke of some sort, but I really don't want to watch enough of Lenny's other videos to find out.

 

I did watch another one that was something about a garlic pork shoulder, and it was not as blatantly vulgar, but it was still icky because he started sticking cloves of garlic into the raw meat and saying "Oh you like that, don't you, let me just stick that in, mmmm" as he shoved the cloves in. It was really gross and disturbing. In the little bits of his older videos that I watched, he seems to have this pervy/sexual vibe toward the food going on.  I guess he thought it was funny?  Whatever he was going for, it was miles away from the "Aw shucks ma'am" thing he's trying to sell on FNS now. 

[yourpointis]

13 Secrets Reality TV Show Producers Won't Tell You/Reader's Digest (taken from a post on Sarah's FB page)

 

http://www.rd.com/slideshows/13-secrets-reality-tv-show-producers-wont-tell-you/#slideshow=slide1

 

Just basing on what I read, more than likely the producers knew about Lenny's video before the viewing public but will probably feign surprise.

 

(Sources: Pascual Romero, a former reality-TV producer; Rob Cesternino, a two-time Survivor contestant who runs robhasawebsite.com; Chantal Devane, an interior designer in the Minneapolis area who worked on a reality TV episode; a reality-show assistant director; and a reality show producer)

 

[Madding crowd]

How can I find the Lenny video-I tried YouTube but nothing came up?

[cooksdelight]

 

How can I find the Lenny video-I tried YouTube but nothing came up?

 

 

Look up "cutting of the brisket" on YouTube, and you'll see the name "Chef Lenny" as the one who posted it. 

[Nidratime]

How can I find the Lenny video-I tried YouTube but nothing came up?

 

I wouldn't mind knowing that myself. I see this video being spoken about on a few threads but have no idea where it is.

[Totale]

You'll all wish you hadn't, you know.  Brain bleach is expensive.

[marmalade]

I wouldn't mind knowing that myself. I see this video being spoken about on a few threads but have no idea where it is.

Here us the link for Lenny:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rYUy3VeZNNc

[Brooklynista]

Yeah after watching it again, I don't get the uproar. He said the "C" word. Oh my! Where are my pearls so I can clutch them.

Spend time with me and any of my girlfriends at a bar and we'll drop way worse on you. Cursing has never been illegal and I just can't hate on him for that. Without a doubt he's weird and he's creepy and I don't dig him because he has crazy eyes, But cussing on a homemade video would never get my feathers ruffled.

He's not abusing puppies or raping babies or flashing old ladies. He uses bad language. That's all it is to me anyway.

ETA: That brisket looked Hella good.

Edited August 4, 2014 by Brooklynista

[Nidratime]

It's more obnoxious than anything. (Thank you for the link, by the way.)

[cooksdelight]

I've never seen anyone make love to creamed corn, but he came close. :)

 

I mixed up some of the steak rub he featured on the pilot last night. It's good, from a fingertip taste. I can see how this will make a steak taste delicious.

 

It's one part ground coffee, one part seasoning salt (I used Lawry's) and one part sugar. Looking forward to my next grilling adventure.

[Snarklepuss]

 

I am really confused about this too. Who is "Hot Tub"? Seems to be an inside joke of some sort, but I really don't want to watch enough of Lenny's other videos to find out.

 

"Hot Tub" is the screen name of a member of the Ron and Fez radio show chat board.  Lenny is also (or was until recently) a frequent resident member of that board under the screen name "Chuckwagon".  I figure he and "Hot Tub" got into a discussion over who could make the best brisket, and Lenny posted that video on YouTube to take him on about it.  I also have heard the YouTube recording of the Ron and Fez show in which Fez is obviously upset about being stalked by this guy Chuckwagon (who is Lenny) - I found out about this on another thread on Food Network Star on this site.

[SusannahTaylor3]

Yeah after watching it again, I don't get the uproar. He said the "C" word. Oh my! Where are my pearls so I can clutch them.

Spend time with me and any of my girlfriends at a bar and we'll drop way worse on you. Cursing has never been illegal and I just can't hate on him for that. Without a doubt he's weird and he's creepy and I don't dig him because he has crazy eyes, But cussing on a homemade video would never get my feathers ruffled.

He's not abusing puppies or raping babies or flashing old ladies. He uses bad language. That's all it is to me anyway.

ETA: That brisket looked Hella good.

Did anyone ever stop to think that the crazy eyes might be part of a medical condition? I believe it is a thyroid condition  (maybe hyperthyroidism). He may not be able to help the way they look. It could also be due to Graves disease and any other number of things.  

[marmalade]

I think the"c" word is repulsive, and any guy who would put a YouTube upload about cooking, and need to use that word is a jerk. Also, the fact he was too stupid to remove it when he was going on national tv shows horrible judgement, just like his need to talk about farting to a restaurant owner during a pilot.

He's a make Paula- fake overdone persona, vulgar, and stupid!

In comparison Nichole and Luca have professional looking YouTube and web blogs.

[SusannahTaylor3]

I don't like the c word either. I was just trying to make people aware that there could be a medical reason behind the eyes looking like they do.

[xaxat]

SusannahTaylor3, check out the Final Four thread for an alternate hypothesis.

[smiley13]

 

Yeah after watching it again, I don't get the uproar. He said the "C" word. Oh my! Where are my pearls so I can clutch them.

I find that word to be about the most offensive one out there, much worse than some others that get people fired up.

 

I chose not to watch Lenny's video after reading about the sort of language it contained.

Edited August 4, 2014 by smiley13

[SusannahTaylor3]

SusannahTaylor3, check out the Final Four thread for an alternate hypothesis.

I did and I must be dense because I don't see what you're talking about.

[xaxat]

Here's an example of a Hulk Hogan wrestling promo. Note the speech patterns and the crazy eyes (for dramatic effect). Compare it to the end of Lenny's video.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxLVi7f2Wac#t=56

Edited August 5, 2014 by xaxat

[MajorWoody]

I am totally amazed at the anger over the fact that Lenny used a foul word in his younger days, in what appears to be a feeble attempt at some juvenile frat boy humor.

Does anyone who is so shocked over that heinous crime think that the other contestsants have never said anything obscene in their life?

Does anyone who is offended over Lenny's use of a vulgar word have such a pristine past that they have never uttered something that someone else might not like?

This is a show about naming a celebrity chef, not an election for the moral compass for the country for Christ sake.

Once again, as that noted philospher Sgt Hulka once said: "Lighten up, Francis.".

Edited August 5, 2014 by MajorWoody

[theatremouse]

I think there's a difference between "used foul language ever in one's life" and "knowingly posted a video of oneself doing so with the intention that the general public would see it". There's also a difference between saying something once or twice in passing and leaving a video up when one is trying to be cast on a nationally televised program. At worst, he's offensive. At best, he's an idiot at personal branding/PR.

[smiley13]

When looking at the demographic for FN, I am surprised that it never entered Lenny's mind to remove the video in question from such a busy public site.

[Shibori]

The video was posted by a youtube user named "Chef Lenny" with a Lenny themed youtube channel that includes 55 other videos of Lenny singing or cooking that span videos posted back in 2008 through the current Rhinestone Cowboy incarnation, including videos from past employment, his singer persona the "Black Mamba" and a song called "Sexy, Sexy, Christmas." If it's not him posting, he has a very committed stalker.