S05.E09: Viva, Loss Vegas

[dosodog]

1 hour ago, TeeMo said:

I so agree! I also feel like their interest in the crew and their own interior drama is much more playful and genuine than we sometimes see from guests. They teased Alex and Bugsy a bit but it was super light hearted and not at all creepy and gross like it sometimes is. They seemed to look at the crew as interesting people with their own lives and not just robots there to cater to their whims which is so nice to see on this show where so many of the guests are self absorbed nightmares. 

I would like to see Alex and Bugsy become a thing.  

But I am enjoying the awkward flirting between the two. It's sort of refreshing from what we usually see on Below Deck hook ups.  It's kind of innocent and doesn't feel like a booty call.  

Dear Bravo producers.  Please make Alex a repeat crew member. I enjoy watching a "normal" guy.  Yes.  Rob is hot.  But so is Alex!  In a John Goodman way.

[The Ringo Kidd]

Actually Colin and Alex are going in business together.

They are opening a bar in Long Island called “The Friend Zone.”

[RoxiP]

14 hours ago, njbchlover said:

I'm right there with you, on that super-yacht serving that kind of food!!  (As long as Sandy is NOT the captain!!)

If only I could win the lottery I would make that happen!

[LaLaLaLa]

23 hours ago, The Ringo Kidd said:

What is Malia going to do when her chef boyfriend is criticized?

What is she going to do when Bugsy goes to the Captain to rat him out?

Well, she was sleeping with Adam...and I'm pretty sure he was criticized during that season. 

[The Ringo Kidd]

4 minutes ago, LaLaLaLa said:

Well, she was sleeping with Adam...and I'm pretty sure he was criticized during that season. 

Actually she dumped Adam for the bosun. That’s why Adam was so pissed off that season.

I think having her boyfriend be the chef will be a debacle.

[LaLaLaLa]

35 minutes ago, The Ringo Kidd said:

Actually she dumped Adam for the bosun. That’s why Adam was so pissed off that season.

I think having her boyfriend be the chef will be a debacle.

Agreed...which is why this is so "convenient" for Bravo.

[heavysnaxx]

On 7/27/2020 at 7:16 PM, PaperTree said:

What exactly is the menu for a “Vegas Night”

I feel like Hannah completely whiffed on explaining the luxury element to Kiko, and I was baffled by how much both were struggling with a basic high-low concept: luxury executions of fun food. The kind of Vegas that references decadence, glamor, APPETITE. It's not about 6-foot subs for a poker night or drunk-nachos.

Sure, yes, Vegas food is also poker night eats and bargain buffets. But this group OBVIOUSLY is about luxury Vegas. Room service for the high-roller suite. Comfort food? Fine! But upscale the hell out of it.

[blixie]

Quote

It would take someone with 6 arms to manage all the different desires individually

They have had guests with multiple special diets, but someone mentioned how in previous seasons the chefs always meet with the guests but I recall them meeting pretty infrequently and it being casual and brief, not these big planning sit downs. Like Adam wasn't fired when he intentionally served a guest onions just out of spite. Kevin's cooking was way way below Kiko's but I guess he wasn't under Micromanaging Troll Lady. Kiko's issue is if he couldn't cook "his" food  he was at loose ends so when Hannah gave him the terrible advice on top of Sandy making him wildly insecure he didn't trust himself to elevate because his instincts were getting him yelled at. At least he's free of Sandy and few people watching thinks she's in the right. 

[TexasGal]

As much as Adam’s serving everything family style was irritating after a while, it is a good way to address the multiple special requests without having to come up with some random replacement entree.  But, Sandy got on Kiko for serving the meat with gravy on it so I’m sure she wouldn’t be happy if Kiko served family style.

[The Ringo Kidd]

I actually prefer family style because I think you get more food than the tiny portions these chefs sent  out.

[Mr. Miner]

When they showed Kiko dumping that fryer basket of chicken onto that white platter, I was like, Oh Shit! No Kiko!

[Jsage]

16 hours ago, heavysnaxx said:

I feel like Hannah completely whiffed on explaining the luxury element to Kiko, and I was baffled by how much both were struggling with a basic high-low concept: luxury executions of fun food. The kind of Vegas that references decadence, glamor, APPETITE. It's not about 6-foot subs for a poker night or drunk-nachos.

Sure, yes, Vegas food is also poker night eats and bargain buffets. But this group OBVIOUSLY is about luxury Vegas. Room service for the high-roller suite. Comfort food? Fine! But upscale the hell out of it.

I definitely agree that Hannah and Kiko both just got it way wrong. I think when the guests put those comfort foods on their preferences sheets, they thought those items would be served as snacks or maybe lunch. And even then they should have been upscale versions.

Dinners always need to reflect that the guests are paying for a luxury experience. That's when you bring out the steaks, lobsters, interesting palate cleansers and intricate desserts!

[nokat]

On Thursday, July 30, 2020 at 11:59 AM, Jsage said:

I definitely agree that Hannah and Kiko both just got it way wrong.

I remember going to the casinos to get an inexpensive big breakfast. There was lots of cheap drunk people food, like the shrimp cocktail. It's why I was curious about having a Vegas night.

There are also the high rollers who get pampered, though.
 

[spunky]

Sandy is the absolute worst!! She kept leading the guests to complain about something.  These guests are there to have fun and are going with the flow.  If they're not actively complaining, there isn't an issue.  They jokingly stated that the food was like a child's birthday party,  and continued to eat and complement the food.  

Those nachos weren't the best but were not as disastrous as Mila's. Instead of supporting Kiko like Hannah requested Bugsy continued to throw him under the bus. It's obvious that Malia has been angling from day one for her boyfriend to be the chef. She's a good Bosun, however she needs to stay in her lane and out of interior's business.  

Kiko did what I would've done. Since everything is an issue and you want to embarrass him in front of other staff members, he's going to leave. He's there to cook not to be Sandy's pet. Hell even Joao stated that the only way to keep Sandy happy is to constantly stroke her ego.

[The Ringo Kidd]

I saw a preview where Sandy threatens Kiko and tells him to leave his emotions in his bunk and go out and cook even though she is firing him. 

He should have just packed up his knives and walked out the door.

 

Edited August 1, 2020 by The Ringo Kidd

[nokat]

1 hour ago, spunky said:

Those nachos weren't the best but were not as disastrous as Mila's

I wouldn't expect a chef from Brazil to know what nachos are. I'm not sure how you could elevate them. I've had mall courtyard nachos that looked better than that though.

 

I made the mistake of googling nacho recipes. 
 

[The Ringo Kidd]

Kiko is an excellent chef when he stays in his lane.

Sandy, Bugsy and Malia are undermining him to clear the way for Malia’s boyfriend.

Backstabbers. 

[Kiss my mutt]

Sandy fancies herself the Deanna Troi of the ship as well as a captain and she might as well take over the galley completely the way she’s micromanaging. She just needs skintight jumpsuit with a communicator on the front instead of a walkie talkie. Sorry, had to geek out for a second there. 

[The Ringo Kidd]

2 minutes ago, Kiss my mutt said:

Sandy fancies herself the Deanna Troi of the ship as well as a captain and she might as well take over the galley completely the way she’s micromanaging. She just needs skintight jumpsuit with a communicator on the front instead of a walkie talkie. Sorry, had to geek out for a second there. 

I can’t think of two people who are more different than Sandy and Deanna Troi.

Sandy is Worf.

[Kiss my mutt]

23 minutes ago, The Ringo Kidd said:

I can’t think of two people who are more different than Sandy and Deanna Troi.

Sandy is Worf.

I just mean because she tries to connect with people with her little talks like she’s so good at reading people. I don’t think she is but she fancies herself as some empath. 

[The Ringo Kidd]

I just think she is a stage one Cling-on.

[Fostersmom]

On 7/28/2020 at 8:53 AM, dleighg said:

shouldn't alex and bugsy have at least googled a bit about the town they were going to? Crappy tour guides who say "I know nothing about this catheral."

Notice we didn't have Captain Famewhore asking 12 times how the tour was.

On 7/28/2020 at 9:11 AM, Madhattter said:

Count me among those who think this is such obvious producer manipulation. How convenient that Malia's yacht chef boyfriend is visiting and will arrive at exactly the time this charter ends. By Kiko, hello boyfriend chef.  I would hope the boyfriend would have more sense than to join that mess. Sandy is just so over-the-top with the micromanaging. And the constant hovering, be it around Malia's meeting with the deck team or around the guests when they are eating. She is essentially inviting them to criticize the food!  

I hope Kiko is more willing to throw Sandy under the bus than the past chefs have been. I'm pretty sure he had enough of the Bravo experience and is a one and done crew member so he doesn't have to protect his chances of being cast again. 

On 7/28/2020 at 2:33 PM, dosodog said:

Those nachos looked like the first nachos I tried:  Doritos, covered with slices of American cheese.  Microwaved.

It was the 80s.  I was 16.  It was a new delicacy. We had no idea what we were doing.

Neither did Kiko.  I'm betting nachos aren't in his cookbook:

https://www.thesurferscookbook.com

Just like Mila, I'm left wondering how you mess up nachos. 

I have a feeling nachos aren't exactly a thing in other countries outside of parts of Mexico and the US. 

On 7/29/2020 at 12:40 AM, Jack Sampson said:

The waves were a little high and the crew wanted to bring them back in.  He slows down and starts a turn, but they were leaning too far and fell.  It was a gentle fall and they were both wearing life jackets but Malia had to make a dramatic save.

I'm so glad Malia had the time to think about tearing her MICROPHONE off before jumping in. Seriously, that was her first thought? I mean, what's that mic going to cost Bravo if it had been ruined? if a crew member or charter guest had gone overboard, would she have yelled out mic off first before yelling man overboard too? If so, her priorities are seriously screwed up.

[nokat]

4 hours ago, Fostersmom said:

Captain Famewhore asking 12 times how the tour was

That always helps. The Malia microphone was so producer driven.

I would have liked to be a guest at the tasting menu. At breakfast though, you can't let people think you're a fry cook. Give then fruit, eggs, bacon, toast. and probably more alcohol. 
 

[spunky]

9 hours ago, nokat said:

I wouldn't expect a chef from Brazil to know what nachos are. I'm not sure how you could elevate them. I've had mall courtyard nachos that looked better than that though.

 

I made the mistake of googling nacho recipes. 
 

I saw a recipe for Brazilian style loaded nachos floating around the internet. His nachos just weren’t good. At least he didn’t feed them canned crabs and slimy shrimps.

[nokat]

34 minutes ago, spunky said:

I saw a recipe for Brazilian style loaded nachos floating around the internet. His nachos just weren’t good. At least he didn’t feed them canned crabs and slimy shrimps.

Do I have to choose amongst three awful things? The nachos are sounding better.

 

Edited August 2, 2020 by nokat
Nachos

[Kiki777]

I’m loving all the Star Trek references.

Uh oh!  Sandy wears a red shirt....!

[dosodog]

23 hours ago, The Ringo Kidd said:

I saw a preview where Sandy threatens Kiko and tells him to leave his emotions in his bunk and go out and cook even though she is firing him. 

He should have just packed up his knives and walked out the door.

 

God bless Kiko, but he's not Jesus. Unless we just haven't seen his water walking skills.....

He's basically captive.  Unless she or probably production, are willing to put him on a tender or call a boat.

23 hours ago, nokat said:

I wouldn't expect a chef from Brazil to know what nachos are. I'm not sure how you could elevate them. I've had mall courtyard nachos that looked better than that though.

 

I made the mistake of googling nacho recipes. 
 

I have come to the conclusion that Bravo Super Yachts should put "must be able to make actual nachos" on the job requirement sheet.  

Sandy was not into Kiko googling (Sure if he's using it to learn how to boil an egg), but if he didnt know, he SHOULD Google it!

He's from Brazil and they have delicious barbacoa (may be spelling that wrong). 

Now throw some of that meat, rubbed with the spices, on top of the chips, with cheese, have a tablescape of a couple of different salsas, quac, sour cream, olives, tomatoes, green onions, sliced jalapenos, roasted corn, and whatever else.

I believe that could be considered next level nachos.  Just the flavor of Brazil barbecue would make it different then usual.

I make what we call Irish Nachos.  Slice Yukon golds, sprinkle with olive oil/salt/pepper.  Roast until golden brown, flipping half way (use Ina Gartens roast potato for temps and time). Remove and cover with cheese, bacon, green onions.  Put back in until cheese is melted.  Remove and serve with sour cream.

Sadly I love my dog and wouldn't leave him for that long so my career as a super yacht chef ends here.  

Edited August 2, 2020 by dosodog

[The Ringo Kidd]

I know Kiko can’t walk in water but since Sandy is always tied up at the dock I don’t think that matters.

[snarts]

4 hours ago, dosodog said:

God bless Kiko, but he's not Jesus. Unless we just haven't seen his water walking skills.....

He's basically captive.  Unless she or probably production, are willing to put him on a tender or call a boat.

Actually, they had returned to the dock for Vegas Night ( after the jet ski incident) because of high seas.  I remember watching Sandy berate Kiko in the galley in front of everyone and thinking, if I were him, I'd walk off right now.  The editors must've had the same thought because they flashed to a view. of the marina.

4 hours ago, The Ringo Kidd said:

I know Kiko can’t walk in water but since Sandy is always tied up at the dock I don’t think that matters.

Haha, so true, and she was!  Gives her even more time to lurk about chasing the camera.

[nokat]

6 hours ago, dosodog said:

I make what we call Irish Nachos.  Slice Yukon golds, sprinkle with olive oil/salt/pepper.  Roast until golden brown, flipping half way (use Ina Gartens roast potato for temps and time). Remove and cover with cheese, bacon, green onions.  Put back in until cheese is melted.  Remove and serve with sour cream.

That sounds so good.
 

[Fostersmom]

2 hours ago, snarts said:

Haha, so true, and she was!  Gives her even more time to lurk about chasing the camera.

I noticed a lot of random shots of her just doing exactly that this last episode. I'm thinking production is just as annoyed with her as we are. Other than when she's pulling in or out of the dock, it's looking like she does whole lot of nothing. No wonder she had so much time to help Kiko in the kitchen. Snerk. 

 

[spunky]

22 hours ago, nokat said:

Do I have to choose amongst three awful things? The nachos are sounding better.

 

The nachos are definitely safer.

[heavysnaxx]

On 7/30/2020 at 11:59 AM, Jsage said:

Dinners always need to reflect that the guests are paying for a luxury experience. That's when you bring out the steaks, lobsters, interesting palate cleansers and intricate desserts!

So Kiko does steaks at their first lunch (the GravyGate ones) and, when Hannah then asks him what he has in mind for that night's anniversary dinner, he says, "Ok, the main course, rib-eye steak." Hannah counters with chicken but neither says, "Oops, that would be 2 steak meals ON THE SAME DAY." Seriously, there are Texans on the Atkins diet on vacation in Argentina who don't want that much beef. What are they thinking?!

[Lassus]

I haven't been commenting for awhile, but I admit that I am rather surprised at the venom for Malia in this thread.  She's seemed to be the most competent and least trouble of anyone.  I know that she gets along well with Captain Terrible, but does that somehow take away from her job performance?  Complaining that she dove in the water to attend to an emergency seems almost a tell that one has to search to give her shade.

[RoxiP]

I actually think Malia gets off relatively unscathed.  I think the main problem with her is that most people feel she is a plant to get rid of Hannah and Kiko because of the coincidence of Bugsy being available on short notice and her boyfriend chef coincidentally arriving at the same time as Kiko is about to get canned.  Most of the comments I have seen here have been positive about how she does her job.

[FlyingEgret]

I have been liking Malia this season and whether or not the rescue was staged, I thought she handled it right.  As better captains have taught us you need to let everyone else on the yacht know what's going on so they can help.  The lesser captain however is more concerned with tablescapes than the fact that her Bosun had to rescue a guest.  No staff meeting about what was done right and what wasn't.  Crap management.

[GreyBunny]

On 7/27/2020 at 7:16 PM, PaperTree said:

What exactly is the menu for a “Vegas Night”

I googled Las Vegas casinos and checked out their fine dining menus. Most of them feature thick, expensive steaks, seafood, sides of potatoes and vegetables, served with fine wines and spirits. Throw in a dramatic dessert and that’s a Vegas dinner. It wasn’t hard at all, Kiko and Hannah should have figured it out.

[lcarolynl]

On 7/27/2020 at 8:42 PM, mbaywife123 said:

Kikos lunch should have been the Vegas "dinner" with a few tweaks. Starter: Wedge iceberg salad with green goddess dressing. Middle: French onion soup (small ramiken)with melted cheese on top and toasted sourdough bread slice in the bottom of the bowl. Main: Bacon wrapped filets minions and an in shell 1/2 of lobster thermador. Desert: Baked Alaska. This would have been an OG Vegas meal!

Lunch should have been shrimp cocktails, and light "refreshing" pasta salad (s) to stave off the hunger for dinner and prime the guests stomachs for a heavier dinner fair.

Love these ideas! I did a Rat Pack dinner party once and we started with oysters Rockefeller, wedge salad (love that iceberg lettuce!), filet mignon with duchess potatoes and french cut green beans almandine, followed by cherries jubilee.

 

 

[DrSparkles]

On 7/29/2020 at 12:26 AM, njbchlover said:

So far, I think this is one of the classiest, most kind and gracious group of charter guests ever on any iteration of Below Deck.  I hope it doesn't change.

I was especially impressed when they were toasting (I think), and someone said "Here's to living our best life", and one of the women corrected that to "Living our blessed life".  I'm not religious or anything, but I just thought it was a very nice thing to say - like, they all worked hard to get where they are in life, and are feeling blessed that it happened.  To me, that is class.  

I missed the beginning, who are they/where are they from?

[Milan]

I am a fan of Kiko for his personality.

When it comes to cooking, i do not understand the problem.

As a cook, you have a preference sheet, you have between 6-10 people and ALL the time and groceries you can think of.

HOW....and I repeat HOW is it possible that you can not put a super star menu on the table in time? It is not like you are cooking in a a la carte restaurant where you whip out 150 dishes per evening. 

You need to prepare 6-10 dishes per course, a child would be able to do it in my opinion, let alone a trained chef.

While the guests are swimming around you can basically prepare everything you need and then just put everything together last minute. A steak or a piece of fish does not take an hour to prepare. 

If you need extra time to plate in between courses you can also prepare little dishes before (one bite on a spoon) that the stewardesses can take out to make it seem that the guests are not waiting for a extreme long time.  As long as something is happening, but this is also a fault from whoever hired the personnel to do the job. I do not see anybody able to wear 3 plates properly, and they are also serving the food from the wrong side of the guest most of the times. You cannot expect Michelin star food, and then expect a non professional person to serve it. 

Why not present a nice bottle of wine in between dishes? This also take a coupe of minutes, but keeps the guests busy.

A superyacht should have trained schooled waiters and not pretty people full of tattoos picked up from the street. That is the first thing I notice and would bother me if I was paying 100 000-200 000 Euros per week for staying on a superyacht. 

Serving a fancy dinner is a team effort between the cook and the stewardesses. I really like Hannah, but she should be fired a long time ago, the job is just to much for her.

And off course, kick the captain and ALL other non essential personnel OUT of the kitchen because they create chaos and also for sanitary reasons. That is exactly what a REAL chef would do in my personal opinion.

[Baltimore Betty]

25 minutes ago, Milan said:

I am a fan of Kiko for his personality.

When it comes to cooking, i do not understand the problem.

As a cook, you have a preference sheet, you have between 6-10 people and ALL the time and groceries you can think of.

HOW....and I repeat HOW is it possible that you can not put a super star menu on the table in time? It is not like you are cooking in a a la carte restaurant where you whip out 150 dishes per evening. 

You need to prepare 6-10 dishes per course, a child would be able to do it in my opinion, let alone a trained chef.

While the guests are swimming around you can basically prepare everything you need and then just put everything together last minute. A steak or a piece of fish does not take an hour to prepare. 

If you need extra time to plate in between courses you can also prepare little dishes before (one bite on a spoon) that the stewardesses can take out to make it seem that the guests are not waiting for a extreme long time.  As long as something is happening, but this is also a fault from whoever hired the personnel to do the job. I do not see anybody able to wear 3 plates properly, and they are also serving the food from the wrong side of the guest most of the times. You cannot expect Michelin star food, and then expect a non professional person to serve it. 

Why not present a nice bottle of wine in between dishes? This also take a coupe of minutes, but keeps the guests busy.

A superyacht should have trained schooled waiters and not pretty people full of tattoos picked up from the street. That is the first thing I notice and would bother me if I was paying 100 000-200 000 Euros per week for staying on a superyacht. 

Serving a fancy dinner is a team effort between the cook and the stewardesses. I really like Hannah, but she should be fired a long time ago, the job is just to much for her.

And off course, kick the captain and ALL other non essential personnel OUT of the kitchen because they create chaos and also for sanitary reasons. That is exactly what a REAL chef would do in my personal opinion.

I agree with a lot of what you said, there are a lot of moving parts with when you are a chef on a super yacht, the guests can change their minds about what time they want to eat, what they want to eat...that screws up the work flow for the chef...also, the guests can be dicks so there's that.  

Have we seen any chef prep for the dinners, especially for those ridiculous tasting dinners? 

I am surprised that a chef would not have and amuse bouche to keep the guests happy between courses as well as a stew interacting with the guests, pouring wine, etc...

And most importantly, keep Sandy away from the kitchen and guests.

[mbaywife123]

I just rewatched this episode as it was the full last one I wanted to watch. ( I did peek at the Hanna episode that followed)

Noticed that when Malia was having her first phone conversation with Tom about his "visit" (while sitting on the aft deck) she asked him if he was bringing ALL of his STUFF. Thank You production for that little Easter egg!

Gee.. what STUFF might that be, perhaps his knives and cooking STUFF?

And then when she was in the wheelhouse with Sandy talking innocently about her boyfriend coming to "visit" the really bad acting and facial shots between her, Sandy & Bugs really came out in full force.

[Milan]

On 9/15/2020 at 4:15 PM, Baltimore Betty said:

I agree with a lot of what you said, there are a lot of moving parts with when you are a chef on a super yacht, the guests can change their minds about what time they want to eat, what they want to eat...that screws up the work flow for the chef...also, the guests can be dicks so there's that.  

Have we seen any chef prep for the dinners, especially for those ridiculous tasting dinners? 

I am surprised that a chef would not have and amuse bouche to keep the guests happy between courses as well as a stew interacting with the guests, pouring wine, etc...

And most importantly, keep Sandy away from the kitchen and guests.

That IS the MOST important thing. KEEP SANDY OUT OF THE KITCHEN! She has no business in the kitchen and any chef would throw her out immediately. 

 

For me, it is just bad preparation on all sides, both the stews and the cook.

I am not a Micheline star cook, but throw me in there cooking for 6-8 people with all the groceries they have and I would put out a great meal day in, day out.

Another thing I noticed when Kiko was in the kitchen. The kitchen looked like a bomb exploded in there. Dirty items all over the place as if they are cooking for 200 people and not 8.