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S10.E07: Vegas Pool Party


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Next challenge should be they all switch caricatures.

Luca becomes butcher babe (dang and wut wut included)

Butcher babe becomes Emma

Princess tiara becomes Luca

Emma has to do Lenny.

And Lenny becomes

Next challenge should be they all switch caricatures.

Luca becomes butcher babe (dang and wut wut included)

Butcher babe becomes Emma

Princess tiara becomes Luca

Emma has to do Lenny.

And Lenny becomes

Ack sorry! How do I edit? Lenny had to wear one of Giadas actual dresses --his cleavage would work

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(edited)

I really want to hate Cowboy guy but he is clearly the best cook left so I am hoping he is just playing the game and laughing at it all behind the scenes.

 

I don't like Lenny as a contestant, but I have to admit that he is playing the reality show game superbly. Not only does he have the cooking and presentation skills, he gives good talking heads that the producers like and has determined that there is no such thing as being too over the top for the judges.

Edited by xaxat
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I can't believe I just watched this a second time.  My excuse?  It's somewhere around 110 degrees outside, and I wanted to at least pretend I was in a swimming pool in Vegas.

 

I still find that I really want to dislike Lenny but I just don't. I think he's completely cheesy and I can't imagine watching a whole show of him, but he cracks me up.  I think I could deal with him on a 'talk show' style format like The Kitchen. 

 

Loreal seems just as cheesy but she drives me nuts. Seeing her on any show would cause me to change the channel immediately.

 

I'd like to see Emma win but it's not looking likely at this point. Curious to see what happens though.

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I’ve never had Serrano Ham so is it easy to tell the difference between Serrano and Prosciutto? When Nicole was cooking, it sounded like she wasn’t certain if it was Serrano or Prosciutto, but on the other hand Alton seemed to have no trouble from a few feet away. I guess she must have thought it better to tell the judges she told a fib rather than telling them she didn’t know the difference.

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(edited)

I'd wager that Alton and Giada were tipped off by the producers about Nicole's meat swap.  

 

They should declare a tie and have Loreal and Lenny co-win and put them on a show about stuff you can make when you're wasted.  Both of them are caricatures/cartoons, Lenny at least will do anything, and Loreal's accent seems a little boozy to me for some reason- why not play that up?  Plus there are a million shows about Southern cooking.  Theirs could speak to a new demographic.

Edited by phoenix780
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Plus there are a million shows about Southern cooking.

Lenny's POV is not Southern cooking, it is Western.  

 

Hair Product's does not seem Southern either to me, no matter how much she is ramping up her fake accent.

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Well I just watched the DVR of the show and that's 25 or so minutes I will never get back. So many others have voiced my feelings that's there's no reason to regurgitate my thoughts except to say this show a waste of time to watch.

 

Lenny will win but no one would ever watch anything he's on. Emma and Nicole are nice but ultimately don't have the chops to make it work. The rest are just filler to make up an hour long show.

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(edited)

I don't know which episode I was watching.  There was a pool so I guess its this one.

 

A message to the judges:

 

Acronyms that are internet slang should not be spoken.  They certainly should not be spoken by adults.  Coming from adults judging other adults is worse.  They are also abbreviations.  When you speak an acronym that has the same syllables and takes the same time to speak as the words, you come across as doubly stupid.

 

That's my P {pause} O {pause} V {pause}.

Edited by ParadoxLost
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If Lenny wins, I suspect he'll be the host of some over the top non-cooking show on the Food Network. No way is he going to get a cooking show. It's one thing to be a character (Guy) it's another to be a caricature (which is just an embarrassment to the network). I know arguments could be made about Guy, too but annoying as he is, he has a little credibility to go with his showmanship. 

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Check out Alton Brown's Twitter. He's pretty open about why Sarah is still there (and it is the producers and their love of her talking heads.)

So no, Food Network doesn't think people will probably watch her on her own show, but they firmly believe that she adds something to this one.

That explains it!  Deep down I kind of figured this out since they use her THs a lot. 

 

P.S. The producers are idiots..and have been for quite a few seasons now.  I.E., Guy Fieri..(ugh)

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(edited)

I have sort of figured out that Lenny combing his beard is like when the villain twirls his mustache. He's just started doing this in this episode, hasn't he?

It's the only time it has been shown on the show. Keep in mind, this show is very heavily edited. I'm pretty sure the shot of him combing his beard right after the judges told him he was at the head of the pack was a shot from earlier, probably from when the contestants were getting ready for the judging. You only see what the creators of the show want you to see.

Edited by Accidental Martyr
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I mentioned Alton Brown's Twitter earlier. He answered a question about how Sarah could still be there by stating that he's not the only judge. And then he clarified that by pointing out that the producers love her. Not like her. Love her.

 

So I agree with your point, but I think you might have the wrong culprits when singling out Alton and Giada.

I can see why the producers like her... She's blonde and attractive and bubbly and she lets it all hang out in her talking heads. She's the most animated of all the girls besides L'Oreal. Emma and Nicole are so reserved so the other two stand out. I think that's why L'Oreal is staying on even though she has been inconsistent.

That is also why Luca is back. He's got the Italian thing going for him with the accent and the muscles. Plus the women at the pool party were going ape over him. Not to mention Giada and Susie. I just don't see the appeal and I have a hard time understanding him when he speaks. Also, maybe I'm wrong but wasn't there a big gap during his presentation where he couldn't put his words together and there was a pause before he spoke again? The reason he wasn't sent home again was because his food was good and he had every girl there drooling.

I also agree with the poster that said he got some extra coaching since his elimination. Bet that was the producers idea to do that. I can understand his appeal to Giada besides his looks..... He came to the US from Italy so she has a sort of kinship with him in that way. I'm sure she would want him to succeed because of that. I also think Luca remains to cook another week because Geoffrey Zakarian prepared him to come back and it's saving his face maybe.

I'm not sure that I would watch Lenny every time if he wins, but I think he's the most camera ready of them all.

So Miss Butcher never mentioned being a butcher tonight.  She was too busy squawking about being a party girl and hollering at people.

And she got dinged for it during the judging part. If that's her POV then she needs to use it every challenge. Her presentation was stupid and she even ran out of time because she was going on and on about her love of partying.

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(edited)

I agree with the comments upthread that the guests at the "pool party" were selected deliberately. I think they do this on almost all cooking competition shows where "the public" supposedly rates the contestants.  The guests for things like Top Chef's Restaurant Wars? Definitely hand-picked. Even the late night talk shows do a lot of fiddling when it comes to the audience -- anyone can go, but they don't just put the first people in line in the front row. They pick the people that are the best looking and put them front and center so if the camera pans out to the audience, viewers will see attractive people. It's all strategic. 

 

I hate Sarah as much as the rest of you, but I think they're editing her deliberately to make her the bitchy one that viewers will love to hate.  In the final judging, they showed a shot of Sarah laughing after the judges told Chris that his beef was awful.  Then just a few minutes later, when they told Sarah that the crowd liked her, they showed that exact same reaction shot of Sarah! I don't normally notice editing tricks like that but it really stuck out to me.  If anyone wants to rewatch it, let me know if you see the same thing.  Anyway, it made me think they want her to look even worse than she probably is, as far as laughing at other contestants and such. 

 

And my final comment is, I think it's weird how it's so encouraged/emphasized for everyone to think Luca is hot and to play up the idea that probably the main reason he got tokens is because of his looks -- just because he is a guy, it's somehow cute and acceptable to objectify him? I don't mean that I'm offended by it, I just think it's a weird double standard.  They couldn't get away with constantly saying that, say, Sarah or Nicole are there because of their looks.   Also I did agree with Sarah on the one point about how Lenny saying he'd jump in the pool if he got the most tokens is just as cheap as if she promised to take her top off.  Another double standard. 

Edited by SecretHaze
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What bugs about Emma is that her POV was farm-to-table.

 

 

Before reading this, for the life of me I couldn't have told you what Emma's POV was.  I really thought it was "I've been a bunch of places with some people who are related to me, and I want to tell you how this Pop-Tart reminds me of that."

 

On the one hand, I don't think the format of this show lends itself to a "farm-to-table" POV.  But on the other hand, I'm not sure "farm-to-table" is a POV.  I can see it as a theme for a restaurant.  But unless you have access to a farm or a co-op, I'd wager that the majority of the audience is "grocery-store-to-table."

 

Having Giada right up in your face screaming at you to make her hungry must be terrifying.  I think what bothered me most was the botox.  Her eyebrows didn't move a millimeter.

 

 

I was wondering why she looked so demented when she was trying to convey that the contestants were doing well.  Now I realize it's because most of face just couldn't move.  Boy, I wish someone pulled some gifs of those.

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(edited)

I agree with the comments upthread that the guests at the "pool party" were selected deliberately. I think they do this on almost all cooking competition shows where "the public" supposedly rates the contestants. The guests for things like Top Chef's Restaurant Wars? Definitely hand-picked. Even the late night talk shows do a lot of fiddling when it comes to the audience -- anyone can go, but they don't just put the first people in line in the front row. They pick the people that are the best looking and put them front and center so if the camera pans out to the audience, viewers will see attractive people. It's all strategic.

I hate Sarah as much as the rest of you, but I think they're editing her deliberately to make her the bitchy one that viewers will love to hate. In the final judging, they showed a shot of Sarah laughing after the judges told Chris that his beef was awful. Then just a few minutes later, when they told Sarah that the crowd liked her, they showed that exact same reaction shot of Sarah! I don't normally notice editing tricks like that but it really stuck out to me. If anyone wants to rewatch it, let me know if you see the same thing. Anyway, it made me think they want her to look even worse than she probably is, as far as laughing at other contestants and such.

And my final comment is, I think it's weird how it's so encouraged/emphasized for everyone to think Luca is hot and to play up the idea that probably the main reason he got tokens is because of his looks -- just because he is a guy, it's somehow cute and acceptable to objectify him? I don't mean that I'm offended by it, I just think it's a weird double standard. They couldn't get away with constantly saying that, say, Sarah or Nicole are there because of their looks. Also I did agree with Sarah on the one point about how Lenny saying he'd jump in the pool if he got the most tokens is just as cheap as if she promised to take her top off. Another double standard.

Watch Cutthroat Kitchen. Those chefs look gleeful when the other chefs get taken down. That's one reason I hate that show. Love Alton but hate that show although he plays the evil host very well.

I noticed that about Sarah last night and it's true. I see what you're saying because I saw it too. She's the only one that does that. The others at least keep it to themselves.

Before reading this, for the life of me I couldn't have told you what Emma's POV was. I really thought it was "I've been a bunch of places with some people who are related to me, and I want to tell you how this Pop-Tart reminds me of that."

On the one hand, I don't think the format of this show lends itself to a "farm-to-table" POV. But on the other hand, I'm not sure "farm-to-table" is a POV. I can see it as a theme for a restaurant. But unless you have access to a farm or a co-op, I'd wager that the majority of the audience is "grocery-store-to-table."

I was wondering why she looked so demented when she was trying to convey that the contestants were doing well. Now I realize it's because most of face just couldn't move. Boy, I wish someone pulled some gifs of those.

Food network already has the farm to table concept covered with a show called Farm House Rules. I can't see them doing another such show so either she needs to change her POV or she needs to refine it in some way. Emma seems sweet but she bores me. I think I would watch her show if I couldn't sleep. Honestly, I can't see myself watching any of them but I would be more inclined to watch Lenny over the others. Edited by SusannahTaylor3
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What bugs about Emma is that her POV was farm-to-table.  Unless she is raising squid, I don't think her dish applies.

 

Hah!  That made me actually LOL.  I think Emma is the most attractive of the whole bunch but her POV isn't a bit clear and her frequent references to her travels have begun to make her sound smug and superior. 

 

 

agree with Sarah on the one point about how Lenny saying he'd jump in the pool if he got the most tokens is just as cheap as if she promised to take her top off.

 

I don't agree with Sarah at all.  Lenny's stunt was just something silly and comical.  He didn't take off anything but his hat and his boots.  There wasn't any sexual innuendo whatsoever.  A female taking off her top would be an entirely different thing.  Actually, Sarah might have looked better if she'd taken off that oufit she had on for final judging.  She looked like a frumpy Great Pumpkin.

 

I thought Nicole made it clear that she was deliberately misrepresenting prosciutto.  She lost my respect and I was very surprised when Alton let her get by with it.

 

I can't imagine that Loreal will last much longer.  She is just awful on numerous counts and she's homely to boot.  I suspect that producers want their female "stars" to be at least somewhat attractive. 

 

Over on the FN site, the blog posts for this episode are largely anti-Sarah comments.  I wonder if the PTB thought she would be a fan favorite.  I'll bet Sarah monitors the voting and it's killing her that she has just 2%.  Speaking of which................................ I wish FN would remove eliminated contestants from the voting line up and redistribute the votes proportionally.  I could do that with a pencil and/or a calculator.  Surely they could do it with a computer.  Reuben is still in the lead which is the same situation we had when Martita was way ahead two seasons ago and stayed ahead long after she was gone.  It irks me.

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I'll bet Sarah monitors the voting and it's killing her that she has just 2%.

The entire season of FNS except for the finale is produced months in advance.

 

Sure.  But the voting isn't.

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If she's one of the final 3 she's known for months and is just waiting to shoot the finale. If she's already been eliminated what's the point of monitoring the voting?

 

OK  I see what you meant now.  Sarah is a narcissist and the voting is, to a great extent, a popularity contest.  Even if she knows she's one of the finalists, seeing that 98% of the viewers like everybody else better has to be hard to take.

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agree with Sarah on the one point about how Lenny saying he'd jump in the pool if he got the most tokens is just as cheap as if she promised to take her top off.

Please tell me she didn't actually say this.  Does she realize that she isn't that attractive?  Does she realize with the exception of L'oreal she is the least attractive female there?  Does she realize there probably aren't that may people dying to see her with her top off?  Is that what the world of pageants does to people, does it make you delusional?

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(edited)

Her mistake was forgetting about the judges. Assuming that the fools in the pool would be more interested in a fat guy doing a belly flop than whether or not the cured ham wrapped around her scallop came from Spain or from Italy was absolutely right. Assuming that the two people who are attempting to be authority figures on this show would say, "I get it. This is a farce and those 20-something morons would rather listen to somebody talk about all the booze she drinks back in Louisiana than to you explain how you used a substitute in your dish" was a big mistake.<snip>

 

I'd care from a credibility standpoint but I've never tried Serrano Ham, so I think it would annoy me a lot more as a "foodie" to end up with prosciutto and be thinking "huh... I've had this before, what's the difference between the prosciutto and the ham?"

Edited by NikSac
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(edited)

Is Loreal's accent actually getting thicker? 

 

I need Emma to record books on cd so I can listen to them when I have insomnia. No really. She soothes me in a sleepy way. Loreal, OTOH, makes me want to defenestrate myself. It's not just that her accent sounds fake, it's the whole package that I don't like.

 

I couldn't believe that Sarah wore a freakin' tiara. Way to lose the pageant-girl theme.

Edited by ari333
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Sarah has come across as totally delusional.  I don't care if she has been in pageants, she is no where near as attractive as Emma and Nicole.  I guess her mean girl persona kept her on the show past her time, so you could say her strategy worked.  

 

The way she treated Chris was the worst yet.

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I never thought I'd say this, but I'd almost rather have to watch Penny Davidi (sp?) cook than watch Sarah flounder around. At least Penny had dishes that looked halfway good and she didn't pretend to be something she's not. She's a bitch and she owned it.

I bet if we looked back at some old Girls Gone Wild videos, we'd see Sarah in a tiara taking her top off for the crowds. LOL

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(edited)
I thought Nicole made it clear that she was deliberately misrepresenting prosciutto.  She lost my respect and I was very surprised when Alton let her get by with it.

 

I just don't get what she was trying to accomplish with the whole thing.  If someone knows enough about food to want something with Serrano ham because they know it's a delicacy and want to try it, they're likely going to be pissed when they see/taste it and realize it's just run of the mill prosciutto.  But if they don't know enough to know what Serrano ham is, they likely won't be impressed and want to try it any more than prosciutto, which more people have likely heard of.  Seems like a lose/lose to me.

 

Add me to the group that thinks that Lenny's continuing boasts about the ladies are a case of protesting too much.  Nothing about him reads straight.

 

For anyone who watches this show for the schaudenfreude value, I highly recommend the book "From Scratch: Inside the Food Network," by Allen Salkin.  It gives a really in-depth history of the channel and one of the major themes is how the network was very food and cooking focused in the early years when it was low budget, and unapologetically moved further and further away from anything resembling food authority to appeal to the masses as ratings and budgets grew.  There's a lot about this show and how it came about.  Pretty much verifies much of our speculation about the behind-the-scenes thinking.

Edited by Shibori
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I actually would be interested in seeing a local foods show (kind of a complement to Sandra Lee), so farm-to-table could be interesting.

 

Yeah I would watch that, but I don't think it would ever happen. One of the reasons ol' Sandy does so well is that she is an easy sell to all the companies that buy advertising time on the shows for their Frankenfoods. Unless Big Kale has gotten more money lately the biggest deciding factor of who wins this shitshow will be whomever can come up with the schtick that processed food companies will want to tie their carts to. 

 

I just realized I never even mentioned Nicole in my last posts, I think there's a reason why. She seems nice enough besides the ham duplicity. (Hampliticy?) Just entirely dull.

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I just realized I never even mentioned Nicole in my last posts, I think there's a reason why. She seems nice enough besides the ham duplicity. (Hampliticy?) Just entirely dull.

 

Cheetos don't taste like anything without the orange powder.  The processing required to prepare chicken breasts for frozen meals like TV dinners or Hot pockets renders it essentially flavorless, it is only the sauce provided that makes them palatable.  An inoffensive carrier which can be presented as any number of things depending on the flavored coating applied at the last moment due to its ability to mask any characteristics of its own is useful in efficient large scale production.  Cf Melissa D'Arabian.

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I just don't get what she was trying to accomplish with the whole thing.  If someone knows enough about food to want something with Serrano ham because they know it's a delicacy and want to try it, they're likely going to be pissed when they see/taste it and realize it's just run of the mill prosciutto.  But if they don't know enough to know what Serrano ham is, they likely won't be impressed and want to try it any more than prosciutto, which more people have likely heard of.  Seems like a lose/lose to me.

 

 

I think Nicole just panicked there and made a really stupid decision.  She was so locked into having Serrano ham (presumably because it fit her POV?) that she didn't bother to think things through.

 

For all of her faults, Lil' Pumpkin Head was right that Nicole would've actually come across great if she took that as an opportunity to say "traditionally you'd use Serrano ham, but if you can't find that, you can use prosciutto like I have here".

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Serrano ham fit into Nicole's "Coast of Spain" theme for her dish.  So, prosciutto from Italy wouldn't fit.  Maybe if she had just given up the "Coast of Spain" theme she wouldn't have needed to try to deceive anyone.

 

I used to live in Vegas and I seem to recall seeing a story about the filming.  I think it may have been either in the winter or early spring because I remember thinking "who would want to go to the pool NOW??"  I also noticed how windy it was.  Vegas when it's windy is miserable and NO ONE goes to the pool.  So yeah, actors or hired focus group.

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I don't know which episode I was watching.  There was a pool so I guess its this one.

 

A message to the judges:

 

Acronyms that are internet slang should not be spoken.  They certainly should not be spoken by adults.  Coming from adults judging other adults is worse.  They are also abbreviations.  When you speak an acronym that has the same syllables and takes the same time to speak as the words, you come across as doubly stupid.

 

That's my P {pause} O {pause} V {pause}.

This.  It drives me crazy when doctors say "Gee-Ess-DoubleU" for "Gun Shot Wound" when Gun Shot Wound has fewer syllables...

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This.  It drives me crazy when doctors say "Gee-Ess-DoubleU" for "Gun Shot Wound" when Gun Shot Wound has fewer syllables...

 

Or E-V-O-O!

 

So "Butcher Babe" just means she uses meat?  And what exactly is "Texas" as a point of view??  How would I go about "elevating" a dish?  How about "Western", does that mean style of dress or am I supposed to use items only available in the Western United States? What's Luca's point of view, I can't remember.  Farm to table I guess I get, no grocery stores, I just mosey on out to the farm and pick my own produce and slaughter my own pig or chickens, right?

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I don't think anyone has really thought out their POV.

Lenny's is all about outdoor cooking, Western style of BBQ. So far, he's not strayed from that depending on the stupid challenges they put them in.

Loreal started out talking about her grandmother, but then started blabbing in nonsensical teenspeak and suddenly became Butcher Babe. I don't care if she knows how to butcher meat. I won't watch a show about her butchering meat.

Nicole's is coastal cuisine, but to me, that doesn't necessarily have to be all seafood. She just totally lost me this week with the lie about the meat. I wouldn't trust her or any of her recipes.

Emma has totally strayed from hers, in my opinion. Crabcakes are not farm to table, unless you live by the sea. Telling me about her travels isn't about gardening, growing your own vegetables, having chickens to lay eggs, etc.

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I don't agree with Sarah at all.  Lenny's stunt was just something silly and comical.  He didn't take off anything but his hat and his boots.  There wasn't any sexual innuendo whatsoever.  A female taking off her top would be an entirely different thing.

 

Well, either way it's a stunt, I think that was her point. I don't like Sarah at all, but I see what she meant.  I don't see why the males are allowed to play up sexuality/good looks (in Luca's case) or stunts that involve ripping open a shirt (Lenny) when the same behavior would be highly frowned upon from females. Remember how much Damaris got dinged for "shimmying" in her season? 

 

I noticed that about Sarah last night and it's true. I see what you're saying because I saw it too. She's the only one that does that. The others at least keep it to themselves.

 

I was actually pointing out that Sarah's "reaction shot" where she looked gleeful about Chris's criticism appeared to be spliced in by the editors because it was the exact same shot they used for her looking pleased about something else. It might not have been her reaction to Chris at all. They're using the same footage twice so they're obviously trying to play up the idea of Sarah being bitchy at Chris.  I'm sure they do this all the time but I just happened to notice it there. 

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Well, either way it's a stunt, I think that was her point. I don't like Sarah at all, but I see what she meant.  I don't see why the males are allowed to play up sexuality/good looks (in Luca's case) or stunts that involve ripping open a shirt (Lenny) when the same behavior would be highly frowned upon from females. Remember how much Damaris got dinged for "shimmying" in her season? 

 

 

 

 

I think there's a difference between being a good looking person & shaking your boobs at people, and there was nothing sexy about Lenny ripping open his shirt, & I don't think he meant it to be, he promised a belly flop so he showed them his (not sexy) belly when he did it.

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I actually would be interested in seeing a local foods show (kind of a complement to Sandra Lee), so farm-to-table could be interesting.

But the catch is, local to whom?  I live on the Florida Gulf Coast, so a "farm-to-table" type show that has relevance to my geographical area is going to be more "boat-to-table" with the local seafood instead of beef, pork, or poultry.  Then add in local greens, avocados, large amounts of citrus fruits, sweet corn, okra, etc.  

 

People can certainly find those items in other parts of the US, but I think that kind of defeats the purpose of the concept of local, fresh and seasonal.   

 

For me, she would have to change locations for each show to spotlight that particular area for the episode.  And I actually think it would be an awesome show, but i can't imagine FN spending all that time & money on a newbie cook with no track record.    

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Well, either way it's a stunt, I think that was her point. I don't like Sarah at all, but I see what she meant.  I don't see why the males are allowed to play up sexuality/good looks (in Luca's case) or stunts that involve ripping open a shirt (Lenny) when the same behavior would be highly frowned upon from females. Remember how much Damaris got dinged for "shimmying" in her season?

I don't really see Luca as playing up his looks at all... he just comes out in an oxford shirt and twill pants and does his thing. Lenny? He obviously knows he's not physically attractive, so he plays that up like a comedian, a la Chris Farley. I don't see it as much different than Loreal with her Suicide Girls wardrobe and kitchy slang-speak. I didn't find Sarah's comparison to be accurate at all.

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I just don't get what she was trying to accomplish with the whole thing.  If someone knows enough about food to want something with Serrano ham because they know it's a delicacy and want to try it, they're likely going to be pissed when they see/taste it and realize it's just run of the mill prosciutto.  But if they don't know enough to know what Serrano ham is, they likely won't be impressed and want to try it any more than prosciutto, which more people have likely heard of.  Seems like a lose/lose to me.

 

Add me to the group that thinks that Lenny's continuing boasts about the ladies are a case of protesting too much.  Nothing about him reads straight.

 

For anyone who watches this show for the schaudenfreude value, I highly recommend the book "From Scratch: Inside the Food Network," by Allen Salkin.  It gives a really in-depth history of the channel and one of the major themes is how the network was very food and cooking focused in the early years when it was low budget, and unapologetically moved further and further away from anything resembling food authority to appeal to the masses as ratings and budgets grew.  There's a lot about this show and how it came about.  Pretty much verifies much of our speculation about the behind-the-scenes thinking.

 

I heard that once upon a time Bravo actually ran operas......I guess at some point the almighty dollar takes over everywhere.

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(edited)

When Luca got up to describe his dish and the camera panned to the women at the pool party, I half-expected the show's editor to put one of those twinkling white stars by Luca's teeth to sell his "hotness."

 

He's not badlooking, but he's not gorgeous. I'm glad that he came back though.

Edited by Surrealist
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(edited)
think Emma is the most attractive of the whole bunch but her POV isn't a bit clear and her frequent references to her travels have begun to make her sound smug and superior.

Interesting. To me she hasn't come off as superior. In this episode especially, what really hit me was that I think she knows the formula. Even the way in which she kicked everyone else's asses in the buffet challenge? Nothing she said was particularly awesome or clever or witty or brilliant. She accurately described foods with specific words that applied to them, or anecdotes that were reasonably believable. Essentially, she delivered exactly what the judges (and producers, when they appear) on this show are constantly asking for. To a T. Nothing special. No it-factor. She just did precisely what they asked her to do. And it juuuuust started showing that maybe that's where these stories are coming from. But she's telling the anecdotes in a just believable enough way that I buy it as her genuinely following instructions per the formula, rather than bullshitting her way through it, if you know what I mean?

 

Especially when juxtaposed to some of the epic failures in that describe-what-you-just-ate challenge, it really showed. The others were stymied, either stuck on one adjective (creamy, ok it's creamy what else, don't just say creamy 7 times), or using nothing words (awesome, great, delicious...well yeah jackass, if it weren't delicious why would you tell me to eat it). It's almost like...you have three boxes full of 25 acceptable words to use in the challenge. One box is adjectives. One box is people. One box is places/activities. Every time Emma hits a "describe this" challenge she picks one word from each box for each dish, and moves on. As long as the word she chooses is possibly true, she's fine. (IE don't describe a pudding as crunchy, otherwise, you're good.)

Edited by theatremouse
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But then again, I think I like the old-school PBS-style food shows that are more about education than flash

Exactly.  Our local PBS station here runs several cooking shows of the stand-and-stir variety that REALLY showcase local foods.  For example, Red Snapper season ran from the end of May to yesterday.  Almost every week at least 1 show showcased a unique recipe for red snapper.  Grouper season is January to April, so when that time frame rolls around, the shows will have recipes for grouper, various ways.  The shows aren't easy to find, and the hosts are usually local chefs, but for legit and local, it's worth seeking them out. 

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(edited)

Or E-V-O-O!

 

So "Butcher Babe" just means she uses meat?  And what exactly is "Texas" as a point of view??  How would I go about "elevating" a dish?  How about "Western", does that mean style of dress or am I supposed to use items only available in the Western United States? What's Luca's point of view, I can't remember.  Farm to table I guess I get, no grocery stores, I just mosey on out to the farm and pick my own produce and slaughter my own pig or chickens, right?

 

Your whole post just made me laugh hysterically. The new "terms" I've heard used on FN just drive me nuts. I've figured out that "rustic" and "deconstructed" mean "I couldn't bother to plate it nicely," but I'm still confused on "elevated."  Farm to table I can just barely get... nose to tail no thank you. Maybe I'm not as much of a foodie as I thought I was.

Edited by NikSac
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