S10.E09: Rachael Ray Show

[SusannahTaylor3]

From the beginning Sarah was an irritant--big time.  I cannot imagine WHY/HOW she was on camera so often.  Who IS she to criticize other contestants...and even to give "helpful suggestions" on their presentations.  She's either sleeping with a producer (or more than one)...or they have great and quirky senses of humor and want us to be entertained.  Still...sometimes even a good joke goes on a little too long.  Her hair, her juu-lery, her wardrobe.  OY!   This is the first time I've posted here; she drove me to do it!

I get it. She's blonde, attractive, bubbly, open with her feelings and thoughts (candid), amusing (to them). None of the others are as openly candid as she is. If she thinks someone's performance was bad she will say so. The others kind of dance around it.

[cooksdelight]

 

This is the first time I've posted here; she drove me to do it!

 

Welcome to the circus, Former Nun. :)

 

As many kids/teens that are interested in cooking (see Chopped), having a Lenny-hosted show geared to that audience, with their parents, might be a gold mine. Of course, now that I've thought of it, they won't pay me for the idea.

[GaT]

Wait, what?  Scotty isn't Scottish?  My universe has crumbled!

Whoops, I probably should have put that in spoiler tags :-)

[Former Nun]

We actually don't know the "real" personalities of these various candidates.  We know only what the producers cherry-pick for us...although there was So Much Sarah  I'd be willing to put some money on a bet for Most Annoying.

[mlp]

 

I think the "real" Lenny is a lot different than what he is putting up on TV, and his background certainly makes it look that way.

 

I read that about his background weeks ago and never did think he was a "real" cowboy in the sense that someone like Kent Rollins seems to be.  However, he really does work on a ranch, duded up as it may be, and his persona is part of his real job, not something he came up with for FNS like "Butcher Babe."  So I'm OK with it.  I mean, Roy Rogers wasn't a "real" cowboy either.

 

I rather doubt that Loreal is a real butcher for that matter.  Based upon her time on the show plus the interview in her local paper, I'm inclined to think that she works in the meat department in a grocery store and maybe breaks down chickens and cuts things up as instructed and sorts ground beef into one and three pound packets.  Nothing she ever said or did convinced me that she knew much more about meat than the average home cook. 

 

I still haven't figured out what Sarah is supposed to be an authority about.  Texas?  Is not a cuisine.

[smiley13]

I think hair product may work in a butcher shop, but that does not make her a butcher.  She seemed to have no knowledge about different cuts of meat.

 

I am quite glad that she has ridden her motorcycle off into the sunset.

 

Surely Sarah will be the next to go.  I just can't see them having her shoot a pilot.

[SusannahTaylor3]

I think hair product may work in a butcher shop, but that does not make her a butcher. She seemed to have no knowledge about different cuts of meat.

I am quite glad that she has ridden her motorcycle off into the sunset.

Surely Sarah will be the next to go. I just can't see them having her shoot a pilot.

I think L'Oreal's performance in the live feed and not being able to explain effectively why she chose that cut of meat was the start to her demise last night. The judges gave her a chance to show what she knew about meat and she couldn't deliver. Yeah, definitely not a meat authority. Every time they gave her a chance she blew it. I think she knew she was done after her performance on RR. Her face said it all. She wasn't surprised to be in the bottom 3. I think she was smart enough to know that she was done. The couple wasn't blown away with the food and it didn't meet the objective of an easy meal with few steps to make it. Sarah's feedback wasn't terrible and neither was Nicole's. The judges have been yammering for weeks that she wasn't showing them the Butcher Babe. Edited July 28, 2014 by SusannahTaylor3

[Accidental Martyr]

Wait, what?  Scotty isn't Scottish?  My universe has crumbled!

He was Canadian and served in WWII. He lost a finger when he was wounded on D-Day after landing at Juno Beach.

[Rambler]

The funniest part of Sarah's demo was the shots of the two kids looking like they were slowly being bored to death. Sometimes I get the feeling that the editors really don't like Sarah at all.

[cooksdelight]

Loreal started out being her grandmother's daughter, that cake that she made and the heartfelt story she told seemed more "real" to me than anything that came after. The mentors started asking her to play up the butcher part of her story and she was doomed from then on. I guess the moral of the story is to not go on this show claiming to be one thing if you're not, because it might come back to bite you in the ass.

 

It would be like me claiming to be an authority on vegan cooking. I like meat too much to pull that one off. :)

[SusannahTaylor3]

Loreal started out being her grandmother's daughter, that cake that she made and the heartfelt story she told seemed more "real" to me than anything that came after. The mentors started asking her to play up the butcher part of her story and she was doomed from then on. I guess the moral of the story is to not go on this show claiming to be one thing if you're not, because it might come back to bite you in the ass.

It would be like me claiming to be an authority on vegan cooking. I like meat too much to pull that one off. :)

At least she would have had more of a chance staying with who she was before becoming butcher babe. She should have held true to who she was. Edited July 29, 2014 by SusannahTaylor3

[smiley13]

Not to mention that Butcher Babe was a lie, she's neither a butcher, nor a babe, lol.

[SusannahTaylor3]

Not to mention that Butcher Babe was a lie, she's neither a butcher, nor a babe, lol.

Not to mention its a stupid nickname.

[heebiejeebie]

 

I can see Lenny doing a cooking show that also incorporates kids somehow.

 

"Show Mommy where the creepy fake eye-bugging head-tossing nostril -flaring line dancing sequined host touched you using this potato ricer Billy"

[Bella]

Loreal started out being her grandmother's daughter, that cake that she made and the heartfelt story she told seemed more "real" to me than anything that came after. The mentors started asking her to play up the butcher part of her story and she was doomed from then on. I guess the moral of the story is to not go on this show claiming to be one thing if you're not, because it might come back to bite you in the ass.

 

It would be like me claiming to be an authority on vegan cooking. I like meat too much to pull that one off. :)

 

I thought she'd been a pastry chef at some point. (Am I alone in missing Sweet Genius?) In any case, she didn't come across as an authority on anything.

[cooksdelight]

I think you're right, Bella, as that cake she made looked delicious. None of her meat dishes did anything but moo a sorry death.

[Accidental Martyr]

Lenny's actually not THAT bad, judging from all his YouTubes as the "Black Mamba", which is his "alter ego" and the one we are seeing on FNS, but still it's fakey and schticky, the kind of thing you expect at a tacky resort.  He says he works at this 15 room hunting lodge, where he provides "dinnertainment".  Yikes.  Here's the page on him from the resort:

 

http://autographcollectionhotels.tumblr.com/post/78111708620/kessler-canyon-colorado-autograph-collection-chef

That's where he came up with the name "Black Mamba Salsa" or whatever he made for the green screen challenge on the Great Wall of China.

[WickedTuna]

heebiejeebie..I am still laughing about creepy Uncle Lenny.  That is the funniest thing ever.  

 

For me the thing about Sarah telling Nicole her sauce was good is that I don't think she said it to be polite.  I think it was because she knew if she was honest it would give Nicole a chance to fix it.  I know it's a competition but I think its a shitty thing to do.

 

It was good seeing Rachael Ray.  I love to hate watch her.  There isn't enough space to list all the things that annoy me about her.

[SecretHaze]

I think she decided that a female butcher, with an alliterative title, would be unique enough to float the shallow-draft dinghies of FN's TPTB. 

 

Exactly - it's not so much that she is so knowledgeable or passionate about meat, but just happens to be a butcher for a job (and maybe it's just something she fell into because she needed a job, not because it's her goal in life to be a butcher).  But there's enough "novelty" value in a female butcher, combined with her whole "retro rockabilly" type of image, that the FN loved it and it took off as her concept.  I truly don't think she knows much of anything about the technical aspects of different cuts of meats or why you would use one over another, and she really showed it in this last episode. It was awkward to watch. I'm glad she's gone. "I can't wait to ride my motorcycle!"  Ok, you walking cliche. 

 

Nicole: Maybe she would've been more successful if she'd showed the family how to make some fish tacos instead of that shrimp thing.  She could've used a nice mild, white flaky fish, and had a variety of toppings that kids could choose from and assemble themselves.  That would've still been "coastal" and not as foreign/spicy as serving shrimp with tons of sriracha.  Still, I like Nicole and she's my pick to win now. 

 

As for Luca and the cauliflower dish -- I know several of you said it sounds disgusting, but honestly, cauliflower is so versatile and it's not nearly as strong or pungent as people think.  It's very mild.  Cauliflower only tends to smell bad when it's overcooked, and that smell doesn't extend to the taste of it in any case. If you steam it just until tender, then you can mash it up and put all sorts of things in it and it takes on the flavor of what you add to it.  I've never heard of using it as risotto, but a lot of people use it as a mashed potato substitute.  Mash it up, add butter and cream, and people will barely know the difference. It's also good roasted in the oven.  I love it!  

[dahling]

I haven't watched 30 Minute Meals in years and I don't watch talk shows, but WTH has happened to Rachel Ray's voice? She sounds like she's smoked 5 packs a day for the last 116 years. How does she host a "talk" show when she can barely squeeze out a noise? 

 

Loved the extra segment that I almost fast-forwarded through where Sarah was acting like the old, experienced sensei in the waiting room, telling everyone else exactly what to do and how to act. Cut to Lenny, "Why does she think I want to sound like HER?"

[SusannahTaylor3]

I haven't watched 30 Minute Meals in years and I don't watch talk shows, but WTH has happened to Rachel Ray's voice? She sounds like she's smoked 5 packs a day for the last 116 years. How does she host a "talk" show when she can barely squeeze out a noise?

Loved the extra segment that I almost fast-forwarded through where Sarah was acting like the old, experienced sensei in the waiting room, telling everyone else exactly what to do and how to act. Cut to Lenny, "Why does she think I want to sound like HER?"

Yeah her voice did sound bad. Definitely strained vocal cords. Also sounds like a smoker voice too but I think it's mostly strained vocal cords from talking loudly. (Darn that autocorrect. It thinks I know what I mean better than I do.) Edited July 29, 2014 by SusannahTaylor3

[RealityGal]

 

I always find these kind of segments kind of dumb. All of these families would fair much better at finding a cookbook with many recipes that fit their 'problem". No family is going to survive on one particular dish. It would even make more sense to me to describe several ways to make something rather that one particular thing to solve all of their family dinner problems. 

 

Or get online!  Everytime I want to cook something, I just put the words "quick and easy" in front of the item I want to make and bam! I get 10 recipes, most of which are rated.

From the beginning Sarah was an irritant--big time.  I cannot imagine WHY/HOW she was on camera so often.  Who IS she to criticize other contestants...and even to give "helpful suggestions" on their presentations? She's either sleeping with a producer (or more than one)...or they have great and quirky senses of humor and want us to be entertained.  Still...sometimes even a good joke goes on a little too long.  Her hair, her juu-lery, her wardrobe.  OY!   This is the first time I've posted here; she drove me to do it!

 

I get most irritated with her constant bitchface if anyone else is given praise or if she is critiqued.  Like "how dare anyone else do well" She also looks like she is on uppers half the time.

From the article:

Scrupulizing? Is that even a word?! LOL

 

I think whoever said that Loreal latched on to the Butcher Babe thing without really having the knowledge is right. She should have had no problem talking about that meat. I wonder if she hates herself for the number of times she squealed "I'm the butcher babe!" on this show.

 

I'm don't even know what she meant?  Scrutinizing?  I agree with others who say that Loreal seems to have a basic knowledge of butchery, which she has sold to friends, family and the general public as a deep, in-depth knowledge.  But I wouldn't even hate her for it, there is enough on the internet for her to have come up with fresh tips every week.

 

I just think that Luca's food sounded nasty... cauliflower with meat sauce on top. I threw up a little in my mouth when he announced what he was making.

 

I've actually been dying to try cauliflower in that way.  I know that people have said its good mashed as a substitute for mashed potatoes, and Luca's treatment of it sounded interesting, because it didn't quite sound like raw cauliflower, especially if it was going to taste like risotto.  anyways, i would have been interested to try it, and you can bet a million dollars my parents would have had me under threat to at least try a bite of it.  I get that kids don't like everything, but at the age of the older one I knew how to stuff down a bite of something to be polite.

[SusannahTaylor3]

"I've actually been dying to try cauliflower in that way. I know that people have said its good mashed as a substitute for mashed potatoes, and Luca's treatment of it sounded interesting, because it didn't quite sound like raw cauliflower, especially if it was going to taste like risotto. anyways, i would have been interested to try it, and you can bet a million dollars my parents would have had me under threat to at least try a bite of it. I get that kids don't like everything, but at the age of the older one I knew how to stuff down a bite of something to be polite."

I wonder if the kids were told to act that way about Luca's food. I like cauliflower but meat sauce on top of it just doesn't seem appealing to me. I wasn't making a judgemental comment I was telling how I felt.

[NikSac]

Finally got caught up on this episode. Wow I was surprised but happy to see Loreal gone!

 

Nicole: I found myself really liking her this week in terms of her presentation.  On the recipe, what the heck was she thinking with that dish?  It's not just kids.. I'm an adult and I can't handle more than a dash of Sriracha. I think it needed to be something way more bland and probably not so 'fishy' for the kids to like it.  I do see her improving a lot though. I was surprised she wasn't top 2. I would watch a show with her, at least for awhile to see how it went.

 

Luca: I agreed with the judges (or was it just Giada?) that the kids might've liked it if they didn't know it was a veggie. I thought he did a good job presenting. I've used cauliflower as a substitute for both potatoes and rice in a variety of dishes and it's always been pretty good.

 

Lenny: I was surprised he didn't make a joke out of his split 'britches' and cover his backside with his hat while filming. I'm glad he didn't because it would've been so over the top silly, but I do think that would've been pretty funny. His food seemed good.

 

Sarah: so irritating, especially when she was 'coaching' everyone else on how to do their spots. I'm ready to see her gone too, but was glad Loreal went first. That taco soup... looked good I guess but it's what we jokingly called "leftover soup" at the work deli/cafe because the taco soup every Thursday always looked like whatever hadn't sold from earlier in the week from the specials and salad bar. It was usually good and I'm all for using up leftovers, but seemed like an odd new/different recipe to share with the family or viewers.

 

I must admit I'm getting more curious about how the show's going to turn out now. I guess the producers/editors are doing a good job because I thought I'd be 'over it' by now and instead I'm totally sucked in.

 

Kids can be really picky though and these kids probably don't eat anything thats not chicken nuggets or mac and cheese.

 

This statement made me laugh. My younger (much younger) sister had a friend who reportedly "wouldn't" eat anything but chicken nuggets and french fries. It was a giant pain in the butt when this kid was invited to anyone's house for birthday parties, sleepovers, etc. because her parents made sure to inform the hosts that the kid MUST have nuggets and fries, and what brands to get for their kid.  We never had to deal with her but heard about her and my husband's reaction was "oh really? don't get her nuggets for a week - bet she'll eat something else."  Food allergies are one thing and those are serious, and I understand preferences, but just a picky eater who "refuses" to eat anything but a few selected processed crap food items? Ridiculous.

Edited July 29, 2014 by NikSac

[GaT]

I wonder if the kids were told to act that way about Luca's food. I like cauliflower but meat sauce on top of it just doesn't seem appealing to me. I wasn't making a judgemental comment I was telling how I felt.

Cauliflower topped with meat sauce doesn't sound good at all to me, but there is an Afghani dish called Kaddo Bourani that I really like, & that's pumpkin with yogurt topped with meat sauce. It's delicious even though it doesn't sound like it could possibly be LOL, so maybe the cauliflower with meat sauce is tastier than it sounds. 

[NikSac]

I've actually been dying to try cauliflower in that way.  I know that people have said its good mashed as a substitute for mashed potatoes, and Luca's treatment of it sounded interesting, because it didn't quite sound like raw cauliflower, especially if it was going to taste like risotto.

 

I've tried mashed cauliflower, "cauli-rice," and a variation of potato salad w/cauliflower instead. I've liked cauliflower in all of them. I also noticed I can use maybe 4 parts cauliflower to 1 part potato to make the originally potato based recipes taste more potato-y.  I'm curious to try in in a risotto - seems like it'd be hard to get the right texture, but I'm curious enough to try it after seeing this episode. Maybe with a touch of rice to get the right texture?  I'll have to check it out.

 

(ETA sorry, I know it's kind of OT, but I'm thinking of Luca's dish and how it might work or not work for kids... I think what sealed the kids not liking it was them seeing it and knowing what it was first)

Edited July 29, 2014 by NikSac

[Intuition]

 

One question- Lenny's dish was supposed to be budget-conscious, right?  For a large family?  Did they mention food cost at all?  I know they shopped from a pantry, but it seemed like that was sort of the point of his challenge so it should have been mentioned, imho.

 

I finally got around to re-watching the actual Rachael Ray Show segment with Lenny and found that he did indeed make mention of food prices.  He said something about finding chicken thighs for 99 cents a pound, using fresh Rosemary, and buying those 99 cent plants at the supermarket and then growing them at home.  Not a bad tip - I have an herb garden in my back yard.  I also noticed that there was absolutely no evidence of him ripping his pants on the RR show.  There was no "sound effect" nor reaction from him shown. I did notice that when he came around to the oven you could see a frayed bit on his inner thigh so it must have been that.  Ugh, just thinking about this dude's inner thigh being almost exposed on national TV is enough to make me lose my dinner...  Anyway, the RR show segments are much longer than what we saw on the episode of FNS and I do think the general impression of each contestant is a little different.  I definitely think they edited Nicole's to make her look her absolute worst.

 

 

I read that about his background weeks ago and never did think he was a "real" cowboy in the sense that someone like Kent Rollins seems to be.  However, he really does work on a ranch, duded up as it may be, and his persona is part of his real job, not something he came up with for FNS like "Butcher Babe."  So I'm OK with it.  I mean, Roy Rogers wasn't a "real" cowboy either.

 

Yeah, but everyone already knew that Roy Rogers was an actor, and he knew that they knew it - He didn't attempt to pass himself off as something he wasn't.  He also grew up on a farm in the midwest, which is a lot closer culturally to the cowboy lifestyle, and lead a very "country" life complete with square dances, etc, which was not exactly the comparatively modern New England background Lenny seems to come from.  I really detest FNS and the way the show attempts to pass off actors as "the real thing".  Cowboys who aren't cowboys but actors trying to pass themselves off as "real" cowboys.  Butchers who aren't butchers but artsy fartsy hipsters and reality star wannabes trying to pass themselves off as butchers. 

 

Perhaps I am just showing my age - In this day and age when anyone seems to think they can be anyone they want to be whether they really are or not just because they can put on an accent and costume and throw up a few YouTube videos, I suppose expecting that they actually be anything remotely close to what they are passing themselves off as is a passé attitude.  If so, I still stand by it.  I'm not one of the younger generation who can go there with this stuff.  Like the young woman who wants to be a doll - She has even had plastic surgery to make her look more doll-like and has adoring fans on YouTube.   One can argue that she actually has made herself into a doll so she's not faking it.  Yah, right, whatever....NOT.  I don't do emperor's new clothes.  She's just a creepy young woman who hates herself too much to really just "be herself".  To me that stuff is just too out of touch with reality and narcissistic, sorry.

 

 

I can see Lenny doing a cooking show that also incorporates kids somehow.

 

"Show Mommy where the creepy fake eye-bugging head-tossing nostril -flaring line dancing sequined host touched you using this potato ricer Billy".

 

ROTFLMAO!!!!!  (Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off) -- That just about sums it up for me.  There is a creep factor for me with this guy too.  The needle is in the red zone on my creep meter with him.  If I had kids, I wouldn't leave them alone with him.

 

I wonder if the kids were told to act that way about Luca's food. I like cauliflower but meat sauce on top of it just doesn't seem appealing to me. I wasn't making a judgemental comment I was telling how I felt.

 

I've had a lot of risotto and certain vegetables that you puree and incorporate into it sort of disappear into it what with all else that's going on in it like the cheese, etc., and I'm figuring you don't even taste the cauliflower very much even if your taste is sensitive (like mine is).  If someone didn't tell you it was in there, you might never know.  That reminds me of my husband, who always said he HATED pumpkin and that if there were even a tiny bit of it in something he would know it right away and gag.  Well, I made a devil's food cake with canned pumpkin several times and he loved it, not knowing the pumpkin was in there.  I finally fessed up to him about it, fully expecting him to get mad at me, but he said if he didn't taste it, he was OK with it being in there.  I kind of think the cauliflower in the risotto would be similar.

Edited July 29, 2014 by Intuition

[RealityGal]

"I've actually been dying to try cauliflower in that way. I know that people have said its good mashed as a substitute for mashed potatoes, and Luca's treatment of it sounded interesting, because it didn't quite sound like raw cauliflower, especially if it was going to taste like risotto. anyways, i would have been interested to try it, and you can bet a million dollars my parents would have had me under threat to at least try a bite of it. I get that kids don't like everything, but at the age of the older one I knew how to stuff down a bite of something to be polite."

I wonder if the kids were told to act that way about Luca's food. I like cauliflower but meat sauce on top of it just doesn't seem appealing to me. I wasn't making a judgemental comment I was telling how I felt.

 

I'm actually with  you, but I despise cauliflower as a vegetable. I haven't had it in many many years (probably around the age when I was allowed to decide for myself what I wanted to eat).  But I had heard from a lot of people who were dieting that they would use it as a substitute for mashed potatoes and I was like "wow, that sounds really interesting and a great way to cut calories!"  And because I'm all about being able to eat as much food as possible for as few calories as possible I was dying to try it.  And the same now for Luca's cauliflower risotto.  I haven't been to any restaurants where I can try it, and I'm afraid if I do it I'll mess it up.

[mlp]

 

Perhaps I am just showing my age - In this day and age when anyone seems to think they can be anyone they want to be whether they really are or not just because they can put on an accent and costume and throw up a few YouTube videos, I suppose expecting that they actually be anything remotely close to what they are passing themselves off as is a passé attitude.

 

I'm probably older than you are as Lenny is younger than my kids; however, speaking of YouTube............................. I was reading Justin (the obnoxious) Warner's blog post about the episode and someone in a comment below the post mentioned a video Lenny had up that was very unsavory.  I watched it for a couple minutes then turned it off in disgust.  In it, he's slicing up some beef and, as he finishes slicing, he makes some very vulgar comments.  I could see that he was a lot younger when he made the video but still, he should have had more class than to make something like that public.  So I am now entirely off the Lenny train.  Go Luca.

[RealityGal]

 

I must admit I'm getting more curious about how the show's going to turn out now. I guess the producers/editors are doing a good job because I thought I'd be 'over it' by now and instead I'm totally sucked in.

 

 

This statement made me laugh. My younger (much younger) sister had a friend who reportedly "wouldn't" eat anything but chicken nuggets and french fries. It was a giant pain in the butt when this kid was invited to anyone's house for birthday parties, sleepovers, etc. because her parents made sure to inform the hosts that the kid MUST have nuggets and fries, and what brands to get for their kid.  We never had to deal with her but heard about her and my husband's reaction was "oh really? don't get her nuggets for a week - bet she'll eat something else."  Food allergies are one thing and those are serious, and I understand preferences, but just a picky eater who "refuses" to eat anything but a few selected processed crap food items? Ridiculous.

She must have been some friend, because I couldn't envision my parents putting up with any of that.  But wait until she becomes an adult, trust me, it becomes much less cute.  A woman I worked with would eat like 4 things, cheeseburgers, hamburgers, french fries and chicken nuggets.  I thought it was ridiculous.  If we went to a nice restaurant she would have to order from the kids menu.  Or she would have to have an in depth discussion with the wait staff about how they couldn't make it "fancy" (don't try putting carmalized onions on that burger! no fancy truffle oil on those fries!  don't even think of tempura frying those chicken nuggets!)

Edited July 29, 2014 by RealityGal

[phoenix780]

Something occurred to me about Sarah reading through this thread...without her, I don't think the show would be such an easy lead-in to Cutthroat Kitchen, even with Alton's presence on both.  Sometimes I leave the channel on, or turn to FN in moments of desperation, and the way she is (somewhat talented-yet-delusional jackass) is pretty similar to what they cultivate on that show.  Which wasn't that different from the contestants on the Kitchen Casino show they had that disappeared. 

 

Which is to say- maybe she is the kind of personality the network is looking for.  I can imagine her fitting in, on the right day.  It's interesting that Alton would bristle about her presence via Twitter- he makes his money from her type.

 

I don't like Lenny but I don't think he's creepy, and a kids show would probably be his sweet spot, imho.  Has FN ever gone that route?  It might be interesting.  

[RealityGal]

Something occurred to me about Sarah reading through this thread...without her, I don't think the show would be such an easy lead-in to Cutthroat Kitchen, even with Alton's presence on both.  Sometimes I leave the channel on, or turn to FN in moments of desperation, and the way she is (somewhat talented-yet-delusional jackass) is pretty similar to what they cultivate on that show.  Which wasn't that different from the contestants on the Kitchen Casino show they had that disappeared. 

 

Which is to say- maybe she is the kind of personality the network is looking for.  I can imagine her fitting in, on the right day.  It's interesting that Alton would bristle about her presence via Twitter- he makes his money from her type.

 

I don't like Lenny but I don't think he's creepy, and a kids show would probably be his sweet spot, imho.  Has FN ever gone that route?  It might be interesting.  

 

Every once in a while, in full schtick Lenny gets a pretty bad case of the crazy eyes IMO.

 

I wouldn't be able to handle watching Sarah in a commercial, let alone a TV show, but I'm not the FN target demographic.  For me, she only works for snark.

[NikSac]

She must have been some friend, because I couldn't envision my parents putting up with any of that.  But wait until she becomes an adult, trust me, it becomes much less cute. 

 

I think it was already becoming un-cute at age 12 or so, for these girls.  My little sis's friend was invited to fewer and fewer things by both her and their group of friends, and eventually told to eat before she came over. For things like sleepovers my Dad and Stepmom would send her home to eat and tell her she could come back afterwards - they never bought into the whole "give her these exact chicken nuggets and fries or she won't eat" thing.

 

Which actually brings up a good point about this show. For the super picky eaters, getting the kids to eat something other than their top 2-3 foods is a pretty big deal - probably bigger than they even realize when the kids are young and cute and it's 'funny' for them to turn their nose up at everything.  Now sriracha I can understand, that's kind of a huge flavor for a little kid!  But to refuse to eat any vegetables?  Really?  I realize it's not going to be fixed in one 3 minute segment on a talk show, but it probably really does need to be addressed before it becomes a lifelong thing.  I thought Luca's idea was a good one, but not likely to work when the kids were sitting right there hearing him talk about 'sneaking' vegetables into their meal.

[RealityGal]

I think it was already becoming un-cute at age 12 or so, for these girls.  My little sis's friend was invited to fewer and fewer things by both her and their group of friends, and eventually told to eat before she came over. For things like sleepovers my Dad and Stepmom would send her home to eat and tell her she could come back afterwards - they never bought into the whole "give her these exact chicken nuggets and fries or she won't eat" thing.

 

Which actually brings up a good point about this show. For the super picky eaters, getting the kids to eat something other than their top 2-3 foods is a pretty big deal - probably bigger than they even realize when the kids are young and cute and it's 'funny' for them to turn their nose up at everything.  Now sriracha I can understand, that's kind of a huge flavor for a little kid!  But to refuse to eat any vegetables?  Really?  I realize it's not going to be fixed in one 3 minute segment on a talk show, but it probably really does need to be addressed before it becomes a lifelong thing.  I thought Luca's idea was a good one, but not likely to work when the kids were sitting right there hearing him talk about 'sneaking' vegetables into their meal.

 

I find it amusing that her own parents put up with it.

 

 My 4 year old nephew will pretty much try anything.  And I agree with you, its something that the parents should start to deal with before the kids hit a certain age, because I'm sure your sisters friend didn't want to have to go home, eat, and come back, or to not even get invited to stuff because you're too much of a pain to deal with.  Yeah, Luca was in a catch-22, although, like I said, if my parents were there, I don't care how much I hated the vegetables, I would have been forced to choke it down.  I actually used to gag when my mom made brussel sprouts, I still had to eat quite a few of them before I was considered "done" with dinner.  I don't entirely think its cute when kids decide they can't eat stuff.  I mean look at that family that only had meat and potatoes....those kids are gonna be the size of a house if thats all they are going to eat in life!  Not to mention they aren't going to get the nutrients they need from fruits and vegetables.  I wonder if more kids aren't getting things like scurvy or vitamin deficiencies because they are allowed to eat overprocessed foods and not healthy foods.

[smiley13]

I am not a fan of the whole passing cauliflower off as something else.  A friend of mine does it as mashed potatoes.  Well, that is not mashed potatoes, it's mashed cauliflower.  I would probably feel the same way about Luca's dish too.  And I don't see anything wrong with potatoes or rice, so why try to pass that smelly stuff off as it?  

[Intuition]

 

I'm probably older than you are as Lenny is younger than my kids; however, speaking of YouTube............................. I was reading Justin (the obnoxious) Warner's blog post about the episode and someone in a comment below the post mentioned a video Lenny had up that was very unsavory.  I watched it for a couple minutes then turned it off in disgust.  In it, he's slicing up some beef and, as he finishes slicing, he makes some very vulgar comments.  I could see that he was a lot younger when he made the video but still, he should have had more class than to make something like that public.  So I am now entirely off the Lenny train.  Go Luca.

 

Judging from the year it was uploaded (2009), that video of Lenny is only about 5 years old, so he wasn't THAT much younger.  It's not even just the vulgar language, but the double dose of "crazy" and "crazy eyes" that go along with it.  Thanks for posting that.  I always trust my intuition about people (hence the screen name), but it always helps to have some hard evidence to back it up.  My creep meter is now pegged.  Talk about needing eye bleach, I feel like I need my stomach pumped too!

 

(ETA: This video is NSFW, in other words, not safe to watch at work or in a public place)

 

For anyone who wants to see it:

 

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

 

Read more at:

 

http://blog.foodnetwork.com/star-talk/2014/07/28/episode-9-justins-rebel-recap-season-10/#idc-container?oc=linkback

Edited July 29, 2014 by cooksdelight
NSFW

[cooksdelight]

This may come back to haunt Lenny. There is no way to ever know for sure if the public vote is the final say in who gets a show, but if people see this before time to vote, it may be his undoing. That just doesn't sound or look like the same guy we're seeing now.

[Uncle Benzene]

For anyone who wants to see it:

 

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

 

What in the entire fuck?!?

[Intuition]

 

I am not a fan of the whole passing cauliflower off as something else.  A friend of mine does it as mashed potatoes.  Well, that is not mashed potatoes, it's mashed cauliflower.  I would probably feel the same way about Luca's dish too.  And I don't see anything wrong with potatoes or rice, so why try to pass that smelly stuff off as it?

 

I'm not a fan of it basically because it teaches your kids that it's OK to fool and mislead people.  I don't know what kind of psychological damage it does to find out that your parents duped you when you were a kid.  OK, hiding medicine is one thing, but food is another.  I think it builds more character to openly make your kids eat the food.  Kids have to learn early that what's good for them is not always the painless, easy route.  Plus they will be less avoidant of new potentially uncomfortable things of all kinds when they get older if they realize one day from this that vegetables really aren't all that bad.  My mother used to "bribe" me with other things (i.e., a trip downtown on the subway) to get me to eat food I "didn't like".  It worked, and I learned that sometimes in life you have to endure a little pain to get anywhere worthwhile.

Edited July 29, 2014 by Intuition

[Day2Day]

*scratching head* ...... Skip the cauliflower. Why didn't Luca use spaghetti squash????  Less stinky, and kids hear the word spaghetti and don't usually cringe, and go into automatic shut-down/"I won't-eat-it-you-can't-make-me" mode. Tons of tasty ways to prepare it.

[cooksdelight]

OK, hiding medicine is one thing,

Flashbacks to my mother trying to hide Castor Oil in milk. It floats to the top and it's right there. No hiding that crap.

[Day2Day]

  OMG !!!!!!!  That video of Lenny is very disturbing. Not just because it showcases a knucklehead, immature guy & his sleazy camera-guy-friend... this may prove to be damaging his chances of winning NFNS.  I definitely wonder if Tush, Suzie, and the other three amigos have seen it!  Does the term "background check" sound like a good idea... tho maybe waaaaaay too late at this point!  Lenny may discover this film will sink his chuckwagon faster than that enormous, billboard sized belt buckle.

[RealityGal]

Judging from the year it was uploaded (2009), that video of Lenny is only about 5 years old, so he wasn't THAT much younger.  It's not even just the vulgar language, but the double dose of "crazy" and "crazy eyes" that go along with it.  Thanks for posting that.  I always trust my intuition about people (hence the screen name), but it always helps to have some hard evidence to back it up.  My creep meter is now pegged.  Talk about needing eye bleach, I feel like I need my stomach pumped too!

 

For anyone who wants to see it:

 

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

 

Read more at:

 

http://blog.foodnetwork.com/star-talk/2014/07/28/episode-9-justins-rebel-recap-season-10/#idc-container?oc=linkback

 

Thats Lenny????

 

Why is he calling my parents names?  And is he about to have sex with the cameraman or with the food, because it was going all sorts of dirty with the corn and chilis....

[cooksdelight]

My friend from Survivor tells me they do background checks, after the first season when it came out that Kelly Wigglesworth had a warrant out for her. I don't know about this show, however I think it's something they should consider. Or just Google the people's names and look for them on YouTube before putting them on such a wholesome network like FN. *cough*

[JTMacc99]

My mother used to "bribe" me with other things (i.e., a trip downtown on the subway) to get me to eat food I "didn't like".

I tell my kids they're going to get glaucoma if they don't eat their carrots.

[RealityGal]

I am not a fan of the whole passing cauliflower off as something else.  A friend of mine does it as mashed potatoes.  Well, that is not mashed potatoes, it's mashed cauliflower.  I would probably feel the same way about Luca's dish too.  And I don't see anything wrong with potatoes or rice, so why try to pass that smelly stuff off as it?  

I think a diet devoid of any vegetables might be detrimental for a child.  You'll get vitamins in vegetables that you probably won't get in rice or potatoes.  A few other people have said that cauliflower mashed or riced doesn't smell or taste as awful as cauliflower as a vegetable (which I hate).  I think if you're the type of parent that considers getting your child to eat vegetables a fight (in my house, it wasn't, I simply had to eat them) but you want your kid to get the nutrients and benefits from vegetables then I don't think hiding them is so bad.  And I'm not even entirely sure you have to lie, as a kid I don't remember asking a ton of questions, I let my eyes pretty much tell me what I was eating.  And I'm guessing with a delicious meat sauce on top, your nose might not even tell you its cauliflower.

[Uncle Benzene]

I tell my kids they're going to get glaucoma if they don't eat their carrots.

 

"No problem. We'll just start smoking weed." Heh.

[cooksdelight]

I like the idea of spaghetti squash with meat sauce. Now that we've beaten the cauliflower to death. :)

[JTMacc99]

"No problem. We'll just start smoking weed." Heh.

Fortunately they aren't old enough to know what glaucoma is yet, so I've got a little while before I have to worry about that answer.

[RealityGal]

Flashbacks to my mother trying to hide Castor Oil in milk. It floats to the top and it's right there. No hiding that crap.

 

Castor Oil is a nasty business, my mom also had shark oil....I think I just stopped telling her about certain ailments.

 

*scratching head* ...... Skip the cauliflower. Why didn't Luca use spaghetti squash????  Less stinky, and kids hear the word spaghetti and don't usually cringe, and go into automatic shut-down/"I won't-eat-it-you-can't-make-me" mode. Tons of tasty ways to prepare it.

 

His grandma didn't have a recipe for that :)  

 

Although, I suspect that if the children had seen him break that open and start going at it with a fork they might have refused to eat it.  It was them seeing the vegetables that made them refuse....

 

I'm not a fan of it basically because it teaches your kids that it's OK to fool and mislead people.  I don't know what kind of psychological damage it does to find out that your parents duped you when you were a kid.  OK, hiding medicine is one thing, but food is another.  I think it builds more character to openly make your kids eat the food.  Kids have to learn early that what's good for them is not always the painless, easy route.  Plus they will be less avoidant of new potentially uncomfortable things of all kinds when they get older if they realize one day from this that vegetables really aren't all that bad.  My mother used to "bribe" me with other things (i.e., a trip downtown on the subway) to get me to eat food I "didn't like".  It worked, and I learned that sometimes in life you have to endure a little pain to get anywhere worthwhile.

I think parents that are actively struggling against a 10 year old kid aren't the sort to see the value in teaching their kid that lesson.  Not a knock on them, we're all different I suppose, but they didn't seem like they were going to make their children do anything.  My mother never hid the medicine :(  And she had all sorts of home remedies that tasted positively disgusting.