S10.E10: Promos and Pilots

[SusannahTaylor3]

She may relax if she wins because she's not trying out anymore, but I think she needs more polishing before she is camera ready.

[ramble]

Luca: "I bring a big package of experience."

Ah-ha! Now we know why LBH & Medusa are so excited to keep Luca around.

ETA: Lenny: "It's literally like a creme brûlée." No stupid your steak is not, no matter how much sugar you use. Nitwit.

Edited August 4, 2014 by ramble

[SusannahTaylor3]

Luca: "I bring a big package of experience."

Ah-ha! Now we know why LBH & Medusa are so excited to keep Luca around.

LOL I think they'd like to "experience" it too.

[fliptopbox]

Meh. I'm out from here. All 3 finalists are boring, and I wouldn't watch a show featuring any of them. Then again, I don't really dig straight up cooking shows. If I want to cook something specific I look for a recipe online. I don't watch a 30min show.

[buttersister]

My thought is that Bob & Suze only go with the fan fave if it's Luca. Not saying that's not wishful thinking, but Nicole doesn't have it and the internet cowboy hurts their brand. They can get Luca a vocal coach and a hair stylist. His bagna cauda is often used as a dip for vegetables - that fish looked delish!

I'm curious if Irvine also offers resume advice?

[phoenix780]

So close to the end but I can't force myself to watch- what finally did Sarah in?  Besides the fact that they don't need her to narrate and REACT to everything anymore?

[SusannahTaylor3]

So close to the end but I can't force myself to watch- what finally did Sarah in?  Besides the fact that they don't need her to narrate and REACT to everything anymore?

Sarah didn't mention that she was a mom. They felt that would soften her. I think they all felt too that there was a disconnect between her and Texas. She never really was able to make that connection. Kind of lame really. Plus they don't need her to narrate anymore. She lasted until the end since the finale is next week.

[Rick Kitchen]

How did that fish dish that Luca made relate to the pasta dish he ate with the chef/owner?  I didn't understand the connection.

 

Lenny humping the grill was disgusting.

 

So the vote page says you can vote 10 times "today".  I guess that means you can vote 10 times tomorrow and 10 times Tuesday, as well?

Edited August 4, 2014 by Rick Kitchen

[Padma]

Guy had a way of putting them at ease. His style works for nervous , jittery finalists. Plus he was where they are now once.

On the bottom of the post you want to quote you will see three icons: thumbs up, a triangle with an exclamation mark and quote marks. Click the quote marks then a small box comes up. Click that box and the post you are replying to will be in a new typing window.

Wanted to thank you for the above instructions. I'm always "copy & pasting"--now, not any more. :) Got -something- from this show after all. 

 

Also wanted to agree about Guy. He's so grating (and has such slob manners when he eats), but he's actually won me over (lots of opportunity since they show him so many times a day). He does come across as earnest and also fun in a way that puts people at ease and not take it too seriously. I'm reminded every time I see Cutthroat Kitchen that Guy, in his way, actually does deserve to be one of their genuine "stars" now.

 

I commend Lenny for psyching FN out and creating a whole fake persona that really works for them (if they never go to Youtube). But, seeing a little of the "real" Lenny...I just can't. Nicole's boring, but seafood interests me. I don't get Luca's appeal, and Italian is so overrepresented on FN that they really need something else, but I think he has a good chance because it seemed like a show they'd actually do (like the Barefoot Contessa with cheaper set and a supposedly hot guy.)

[GaT]

So glad Sarah is finally gone, they had to wait until the very end to get rid of her didn't they?

 

So they finally got Nicole to change her POV, when Medusa asked her to change from global coastal food to US coastal food i thought, "there we go, they got her". Then during her pilot, she mentioned how she was all about food from the sea, something she had previously said she didn't want to be. I can't decide if this means she's going to win or not.

[RealityGal]

I don't get it.  All Paula Deen, someone with a long history on FN, who is supposedly beloved by millions has to do is say the "n" word 30 years ago and FN and the world turns their back on her, but this poser from nowhere with crazy eyes who stalks radio hosts gets a pass from both FN and the public even after uttering sleazy profanity including the "c" word.  If that isn't proof of a double standard between men and women, I don't know what is.  I suspected it when they sent Martha Stewart to jail, but now I'm sure of it.  I am thoroughly demoralized at tonight's outcome.  I gave FN the benefit of the doubt but they really ARE that stupid!

 

I don't think it was just the "n" word, but the rest of her statements and the context and then her denial of saying it, and then trying to dress up black waiters in the most humiliating way.  All things considered, I think Lenny has crazy eyes, and I also think he had sexual relations with that corn he was stirring, and I don't approve of the "c" word, but I don't find it as offensive as Paula Deen.

 

I can't wait to see this episode just to see Sarah get eliminated!

Edited August 4, 2014 by RealityGal

[bobbyjoe]

I despise Sarah, but did the judges really have to pull that "you're a mommy; why didn't you mention your kids" utterly sexist crap when planning to eliminate her? 

 

Yeah, A) I've never seen them ask that of the men and B) how many Food Network stars make their kids a key part of their on-screen image, anyway?  Bobby and Alton both have daughters-- do they go around constantly evoking them?  Nope, they sure don't.

 

Sarah's completely obnoxious, but one thing I won't fault her for is if she doesn't choose to make her kids or her mommy-hood part of her branding, that's her damn business.  And it's the absolute sexist pit of the judge's stupid "overpersonalize everything" approach for them to whine if she doesn't.

 

Edited to add:  I just read an interview with Alton Brown where he was talking about having once quit Twitter because somebody put up a picture of his daughter and he was trying to protect her and his family's privacy from the public eye.  But, what, if Sarah doesn't make her kids part of her Food Network image at every turn she's failing?  Hypocrites.

Edited August 4, 2014 by bobbyjoe

[orangekit]

Why can't I warm up to Nicole ? There is something about her I just don't like. She's just not natural. I thought her demo was the worst out of the three. She actually had to have a hit of beer to loosen up. I think it's between Luca or Lenny and based on how Susie and Giada feel about Luca I'm thinking that he might win this. The only thing I'm confused about is why they would want a second Italian cook on the network.

I think Nivole gulping down beer and making the statement about knowing about drinking was weird. She didn't just drink with her friends, she looked like she was drinking to relax.

I also think Nicole is uptight and not so nice. She made some bitchy statement about Lenny a couple of weeks ago.

I think when they said Sarah did not seem authentic they basically were saying she was a fake.

I actually like Lenny, but FN has enough country cooks, and if I hear y'all once more time ill puke, glad butcher babe is gone for the same reason.

Of the three, who I think are not that great, I think Luca at least does something that's not country or just seafood.

[RealityGal]

Of the three, who I think are not that great, I think Luca at least does something that's not country or just seafood.

 

and I find Luca to be easy on my eyes :)

 

And you can just tell he has a million grandma stories

[HyeChaps]

What was the point of putting a Jersey twist (whatever that is) on a New Orleans dish?  Coastal Cuisine, my ass.  Call the program How to Cook Fish and be done with it.

[cooksdelight]

Nicole really was all over the place, wasn't she? And not in a good way. I don't think she really knew what she was doing throughout most of her pilot, and the one thing that I take away from it is that she likes to drink beer.

She is what happens when you are not true to who you are and the style of cooking you want to present. Maybe "coastal cuisine" isn't a great idea, but she also let Bob and Suze get inside her head and scramble her brain.

[Johnny Dollar]

A few posters have mentioned Lenny's true persona (other than rodeo clown). I haven't seen anything on this. Can someone clue me in on the ghosts in his internet closet?

[Day2Day]

Kind of late in the game to change her POV, BUT maybe Nicole should have considered....  "Cooking with Spirits".... and sampling as you go!

[cooksdelight]

Can someone clue me in on the ghosts in his internet closet?

Non-episode topics such as this can be found in the Food Network in the Media thread, or the Final Four thread where the personalities of the participants are discussed. :)

[Whimsy]

I didn't understand ANY of the pilots.  Maybe I wasn't paying full attention, but it seems that Nicole's is to take coastal foods from other cities around the country (and really, how many shows is that?  1 season's worth?) and make them Jersey Shore?  Why didn't she just do the New Orleans food as is?  Or, maybe take New Orleans food and show how people in middle America can make a dish using either frozen seafood (yuck- but that's what a lot of people only have available), from the seafood counter in their grocery store or even show how to make it non-seafood? 

 

Luca's show is to go to restaurants, taste their Italian dishes and then make something completely unrelated to it?  Plus, with the amount of stories he throws in about his mother and grandmother I just find him disingenuous and don't believe half of his stories. 

 

Lenny's show is to go to restaurant's and cowboy it up?  I would get more behind Lenny's show if he were cooking at home or, better yet, in his chuck wagon.  I would probably take some of those ideas for camping, since we do camp a lot.  But, I don't like Lenny so I would actually never watch the show.

[candall]

"How To Cook Fish."   That's perfect!

 

Yeah, Sara got shafted at the end.  Texas does have enough quirky cuisine to anchor a season--Top Chef did it--but Sara's kids aren't one of the tourist attractions.

 

If she'd thrown in the mommy angle, she'd have been eliminated for losing focus.  Suze:  "I don't get the connection between Texas cuisine and preparing food for children.  You're out."

[seacliffsal]

I was dumbfounded by Nicole's decision to use clams in her New Orleans dish.  Fresh clams in the shell are difficult to find in some areas.  Also, some of us who may love fish do not necessarily love clams (grew up eating clams as my dad would go clamming when it was the season).  Why not just use shrimp (fresh/frozen) which are easier to find and probably more appealing to most people.  I had other issues with Nicole's pilot, including all the steps involved in making her seasoning mix.  Lenny's had 3 ingredients, hers had so many....why not just recommend a prepared mix, with the option of making one's own.  Her tip could have been to read the ingredients label to see how much salt was in the product.  So, I'm not a fan of Nicole's and do not she her as being that confident with fish.

 

I did like Lenny's pilot, and have not looked up the youtubes that have been cited by various posters.  I do think a chuckwagon theme would be better than 'cowboying it up'.  When he's out of his element or does not know what to say or how to react, he really gets flustered quite easily.

 

And for Luca, I'm kind of just neutral on him.  I don't think he's exceptionally handsome, and I would really have to focus on any show of his to be able to understand him.  

 

The best thing about the episode was that Sarah went home.

[JTMacc99]

First thought after it was over was, with Sarah gone I don't really think it matters who wins. I got my entertainment out of this show for the year, and now regardless of who wins, Food Network will do with these people what they will.

 

I think that they can find some spots for the two good looking ones. Nicole is still in her 20s, and I think there is a lot of room to grow. Luca does have some natural charm when he's speaking with confidence, and I think he also has room to grow. If I remember correctly, which I do, Nicole trumped Luca on food cooked during the actual episodes, but Luca's grandma stories made him seem more genuine. I do know one thing, I would probably give the Nicole dish a shot (with shrimp) but it seems unlikely that I would eat the whole fish with pungent sauce. Not my thing, and it seemed like a lot of work.

Edited August 4, 2014 by JTMacc99

[tv echo]

I don't really care for any of the three finalists.  Nicole is kinda boring and she came across as trying too hard in her pilot.  Luca is okay but I find him difficult to understand, although his food looked good in his pilot.  They both seem like nice people, though.  I find Lenny completely repugnant and offensive - he's always come across as fake to me.

[leighdear]

So who's betting that Sarah's already got her application in for "Masterchef" next season?  *LOL*

 

I think Lenny's going to take it.  I haven't seen any of the videos or read any of the articles, and I know millions of viewers haven't either.  Honestly, I don't really care.  He's going to be on my TV for 22 minutes, not in my house or around my family.  I just need him to not bore me and cook up some decent recipes. 

 

Luca bores me, as does that other person who is still dead to me. 

[Totale]

I forget if it was in a flash cut or during his raw takes, but somewhere in there Lenny took a taste off of a wooden spoon and stuck it back in the pan.   I heard Luca say his show was going to be based on "my mother's bad recipes". Nicole looked stupid drinking out of the bottle, mugging and spilling shit all over.  This is the best they could do? 

[Lamb18]

While I'm glad Sarah is gone, I think her original theme of Date Night could have been a fun promo.  The phone would ring and some guy would say: "I'm cooking a meal for my girlfriend and I really want to impress her but I've never cooked this before!  What's the easiest good-tasting dish?"  Or someone could write in about a dish they tried and failed miserably and Dear Sarah could tell them what they did wrong.  I think they would need a much better chef than Sarah, though, to host the show.  Actually Damaris might be good at something like that if they wanted to switch her from southern.

 

I liked Nicole the best because she was showing us how to do something (besides drinking beer).  However, the how-to cooking shows are during the day when I'm at work so I wouldn't be seeing them anyway.

[MortysCleaningLady]

I was dumbfounded by Nicole's decision to use clams in her New Orleans dish.  Fresh clams in the shell are difficult to find in some areas.  Also, some of us who may love fish do not necessarily love clams (grew up eating clams as my dad would go clamming when it was the season).  Why not just use shrimp (fresh/frozen) which are easier to find and probably more appealing to most people.  

 

I thought the same thing about Nicole's clams (although I adore clams) and then we hopped over to Luca.  Branzino?  And a whole fish at that?  Don't get me wrong, I thought Luca's dish looked amazing.  And I wanted his fish (and Lenny's coffee rubbed steak).  I'm adventurous enough in the kitchen to take on a whole fish, but I wonder how many of the Food Network viewers are?  Judging from the selection process, Kermit and Medusa seem to think we are idiots.

 

Finally, I have proudly boasted all season that I could understand Luca.  Then, last night, the two most beautiful chefs in New York sat down and talked about "burnt meat" pasta.  Then, I saw the screen cap during the pilot -- burnt wheat pasta does kinda sound better.

 

It doesn't matter who wins, in a year, they'll be guest judging Guy's Grocery Games, if we even remember their name.

[xaxat]

I loved the music they played when Nicole was reciting the list of 27 infredients she used in her Cajun spice! Nice job editors.

[cooksdelight]

 

Why didn't she just do the New Orleans food as is?

 

Because I seriously doubt she'd know what to cook. I've never been to New Orleans, and it appears that Nicole hasn't either, and even I know that cajun food is what people expect down there. I have some LSU alumni friends and I've been to a few crawfish boils. Yum!

 

 

"I'm cooking a meal for my girlfriend and I really want to impress her but I've never cooked this before!  What's the easiest good-tasting dish?"  Or someone could write in about a dish they tried and failed miserably and Dear Sarah could tell them what they did wrong.  I think they would need a much better chef than Sarah, though, to host the show.  Actually Damaris might be good at something like that if they wanted to switch her from southern.

 

That was the premise of Damaris' show the first season. One of the best episodes she did was with the husband of a woman with cancer, and he felt like it was his time to do for her, and he wanted to know how to cook her a special meal. Second season she wasn't always joined by someone to show them how to fix a meal, the network switched her over to more of a Southern dish expert to fill the gap left when they fired Paula, I guess.

[Uncle Benzene]

Lenny humping the grill was disgusting.

 

Lenny just seems low-class and boorish all around. Another example was the "beans make you fart" conversation, to which Irvine had to jump in and put a quick end. That kind of thing is pretty clearly Lenny's default mindset, and in retrospect, I'm actually a little impressed that he's been able to suppress it to the degree he has. For the most part, that is.

 

But the little glimpses behind the facade keep piling up. Humping the grill. Talking about bean farts while shooting a tee vee show pilot, for crying out loud, and is at least pretending to be interviewed by a guy who's considering hiring him to cook for an event. (What kind of person "goes there" under those circumstances???) The shirtless candy bar monster. The "Here, let me show you where I split my jeans." By the way, I'm pretty sure he was still wearing those very same ripped/patched jeans when they were being judged on their promos (when they eliminated Sarah.) When they were walking back up the stairs afterwards, I caught a glimpse of what might have been the "patch" but looked an awful lot more to me like they were either still ripped, or had re-ripped, and what I actually saw was his boxers. But regardless, why in the name of all that is holy would he still be wearing those particular jeans??? The o-face when he tasted the dish at the restaurant outing. Last week's "the way it lays on my tongue... it's so soft and creamy." And on and on like that. Dude is a straight up weirdo, and the more I see of him, the more he creeps me right the fuck out.

 

I kind of enjoyed Luca, because I guess I have a different reaction to his speech. Don't get me wrong, I can't understand him half the time either. But I find it amusing rather than distracting or annoying. When he was making that sauce, I found myself giggling through the whole thing. "Dees will make your sauce more smooder." Sorry if anybody finds it offensive that I'd laugh at that kind of thing, I know it's his accent and he can't help it, but I'm laughing with him. Not mocking him, just being amused by it. That dish though... I don't doubt that it was delicious. A shitload of garlic and anchovies? Over whole fish and roasted potatoes? Yes please. But it definitely was not pretty. Especially that gray sauce, when it was still in the saucepan. Gordon Ramsay would have had some big fun describing it.

[paramitch]

I think Lenny's going to take it.  I haven't seen any of the videos or read any of the articles, and I know millions of viewers haven't either.  Honestly, I don't really care.  He's going to be on my TV for 22 minutes, not in my house or around my family.  I just need him to not bore me and cook up some decent recipes. 

 

Normally, I don't care all that much about the minor scandals that come up around these kinds of contestants.

But with that said, after viewing that video posted in last week's thread, Lenny actually makes me feel real, physical sickness to watch on FNS. We aren't just watching someone's "larger than life" side. We're watching a guy who is faking pretty much everything about the persona we see for the sake of this job, and to a larger degree, this show. Based on that video, nothing we are seeing is the same person on this show.

 

I didn't care when it was revealed that Lenny wasn't actually a cowboy until he reinvented himself and became one. As others pointed out, while it was a bit of a sham, plenty of actors have done it in the more distant past of Hollywood.

 

I'm actually going to spoil myself next week on the outcome before I watch, so that I know I don't have to subject myself to viewing a Lenny win. I just can't handle the super-wide-eyed, aw-shucks ultra-respectful "yes ma'am" crap we saw in this episode like he's some kind of sweet innocent pudgy dreamer, when that video already showed us he's a pretty foul, nasty piece of work when he's home just being Lenny.

 

Meanwhile, I was happy that Sarah and her endless THs are finally gone -- her POV is terrible, and I say that as a former Texan. I did have to chuckle at Giada's acknowledgment of her palpable desperation. "Well, if you want someone who wants this, she really wants this." But the sad part is, I don't believe Sarah wants to share real food expertise. She just wants to be on TV.

 

I was also disappointed to see Irvine as the mentor here -- I actually think Alton does that better (and that Guy did it better in the past as well). Irvine just seemed like he was trying too hard to be "tough." His direction didn't make sense to me.

Edited August 5, 2014 by paramitch
Off-topic

[ari333]

Oh, Dear God, when Lenny said, "fluffy beans, nice coffee, and beautiful beans" I, too, burst out laughing. And his adopting a thicker southern accent when he gets flustered bugs me too. 

 

I would have never watched Sarah on a show, even as a hate watch.

[JTMacc99]

I loved the music they played when Nicole was reciting the list of 27 infredients she used in her Cajun spice! Nice job editors.

Long ago on FN somebody figured out that:

 

1. It is a really cool thing to show us how to make our own spice blends, but
2. It is really boring to watch somebody list off 10 things on TV.

 

And not being even remotely experienced with producing a TV show, they let her rifle off all of the ingredients and play the loser music while she did it.  And then when they put that into the actual show, they pulled the Good Eats move and showed the plate with a bunch of words and arrows pointing at what is on the plate. If you want to make it yourself, hit the internet.

 

Which by the way, is a PERFECT example of why this show is fun for the purposes of this show, but is a very bad indicator of what a person might be like outside of this show.  Everything on this show is produced and edited to make it an interesting reality show. Unless you have a full blown lunatic as a contestant, they have to pick and choose things to show us to make it seem like little successes are huge successes, and little missteps and mistakes are huge mistakes.

 

And those moments will be accompanied by the appropriate music of triumph or of failure, just in case we might have missed the point.

 

Do I really think that Luca couldn't put a sentence together because the chef at the restaurant was an attractive woman? No. But it was interesting to present it that way. Do I really think Nicole drank three bottles of beer during the filming of her show? No. But it was interesting to present it that way. Do I really think that Lenny threw shit all over the stove and danced around like an idiot? Well, yes, I believe that part.

[RedheadZombie]

I don't think Sarah was that bad on camera, but I'm glad she was eliminated.  From the first episode when she named her only competition beauty-wise, I was done with her.  I also found her quite unattractive at times.  She had a terrible habit of tucking her chin down and it was not flattering.  I have a problem with pageant personalities, so there's very little she could have done to win me over.

[Alapaki]

Sarah didn't mention that she was a mom. They felt that would soften her. I think they all felt too that there was a disconnect between her and Texas. She never really was able to make that connection. Kind of lame really. Plus they don't need her to narrate anymore. She lasted until the end since the finale is next week.

 

 

I despise Sarah, but did the judges really have to pull that "you're a mommy; why didn't you mention your kids" utterly sexist crap when planning to eliminate her?

Yeah, A) I've never seen them ask that of the men

 

 

I think it's beyond question at this point that elimination decisions have NOTHING to do with either performance in a specific challenge, overall competence/skill or specificity of "POV".  

 

I don't think Sarah was any better or worse last night than she's been all season.  But I suppose that's an argument for the contestants who were eliminated before her to make.

 

I think the "you didn't mention your kids" was pure pretext.  If she had mentioned that she was a Mom, they would've complained "what does that have to do with Texas?".  

 

It was just her time to go.

 

I do agree, however, that it seems to be that "personalizing" contestants always means talking about family when it comes to women, but means talking about accomplishments or credentials when it comes to men (mentioning your grandmother is a requirement for everyone!).  And I think that's bullshit.  IIRC, even though Amy (who won the Jag season) was classically trained in France, they still insisted that she talk about making that food for her family.

[cooksdelight]

@Alapaki, you bring up a good point. Kelsey was slammed by Giada or whoever any time she mentioned that she went to culinary school. It was as if they wanted her to portray herself as a home cook, not as someone who actually knew how to cook. She's proved them all wrong.

It didn't matter what Sarah said or did at this point, I think she was only kept around for fodder and ratings. People tuned in to see what stupid thing she'd say or do next. Right? I admit to doing that. She was so snark-worthy, it was worth putting up with her screeching and eye rolling.

[Aquarius]

The dude at West Bank Cafe must not get out much if thought coffee-rubbed steak was some brilliant cowboy innovation.  Longhorn's doesn't even use that gross seasoned salt -

 

http://www.longhornsteakhouse.com/recipe/coffee-rubbed-ribeye/prod440008

 

Bobby Flay was also rubbing coffee on steak back when he was still a boy meeting a grill.  His sounds much better than Lenny's too.

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/boy-meets-grill/5-series/steakhouse-dinner.html

 

I totally did not get the transition from that burnt wheat pasta to the fish with bagna cauda sauce.  Something about the area where Luca is from - ?  But seriously, that was so strange.  And the chef from Bocca di Bacco sort of looked like she was forcing it down when he said that such a mild fish, it was nice to pair with a pungent sauce.  I am no fan of fish, but I wouldn't think that was the case.

 

I've been rooting for Nicole all along but her pilot really was some sort of booze-soaked disaster.  Sigh.

 

I think it's going to be Lenny.  And that pisses me off because I hate his fake rootin-tootin cowboy ass. 

Edited August 4, 2014 by Aquarius

[JTMacc99]

The dude at West Bank Cafe must not get out much if thought coffee-rubbed steak was some brilliant cowboy innovation.  Longhorn's doesn't even use that gross seasoned salt -

 

http://www.longhornsteakhouse.com/recipe/coffee-rubbed-ribeye/prod440008

 

Bobby Flay was also rubbing coffee on steak back when he was still a boy meeting a grill.  His sounds much better than Lenny's too.

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/boy-meets-grill/5-series/steakhouse-dinner.html

 

But Lenny invented it when a can of coffee fell off of the shelf and onto the grill! How could that story not be true???

 

Sigh.

 

It's funny. When you are so full of shit that people have set their meters to the appropriate level, you can totally get away with making up stories like that. People not only don't question the stories, but they find them endearing.

 

Maybe Nicole should have proclaimed herself the mistress of cured meats and walked around in dresses with pictures of deli meats on them for a year before deciding that it didn't matter if she used prosciutto instead of Serrano ham.

Edited August 4, 2014 by JTMacc99

[Gregg247]

I was completely unable to follow what was happening on the episode last night because Sarah wasn't there to explain every little detail to me in her Talking Head interviews.  Sarah, we need you! LOL

 

Seriously, I'm so glad she's gone.  When I saw Suzie's stone-face when Sarah's presentation was done, I knew the producers had decided that they no longer needed her on the show.  Maybe they can give Sarah's POV to Lenny if he wins this show.  I would think Lenny grilling steaks and other "Texas" food in Bob Tushman's back yard would be cheaper than sending him around the country to "cowboy up" fine dining establishments.

 

I like Nicole, but she doesn't seem to be having a good time on camera.  They keep having to remind her to act happy to be there.

 

Luca seems nice enough.  I wouldn't mind if he wins, but I'm not really interested in Italian cooking.  The lady that was in his pilot, though, was gorgeous!  Why wasn't SHE in this competition?!?!

[Alapaki]

I've been rooting for Nicole all along but her pilot really was some sort of booze-soaked disaster.  Sigh.

 

 

I like Nicole, but she doesn't seem to be having a good time on camera.  They keep having to remind her to act happy to be there.

 

 

I like Nicole.  I think she's actually seemed pretty natural and relaxed at time, usually when she's talking about someone else's food.

 

I wonder how much of the stilted presentation last night, and the death-grip on the long-neck beer was a function of the stress and anxiety this show creates around "conveying your POV".  

 

I believe that Nicole, whether prompted by TPTB or on her own, worried that "coastal cuisine" and "being from New Jersey" might be too narrow and might not provide sufficient fodder for a long-running series (I know, I know, like any of these folks have any reason to expect a "long running series").  She over-corrected though, and I think the stress of the insincerity of that showed last night.

 

Big Picture, I think forcing these contestants to declare a POV is almost unfair.  Historically, it seems like the people who prosper on food-television are those who've already established themselves as successful chefs in their own right, and it's that success which makes people want to watch them.  Obviously there are exceptions.  But Emeril didn't just decided he wanted to to a cajun cooking show.  He opened successful cajun restaurants.  Paula Dean didn't decide she wanted a deep-fried, artery-clogging show.  She opened a restaurant serving that kind of food.  Etc.  And, because of their success, they have some latitude and flexibility in how far they can stretch their concept or POV.

 

Someone who hasn't really established themselves in that way has nothing to attract viewers beyond having an interesting concept.  But how many different concepts are there, really?  In order to distinguish yourself, you practically need to pigeonhole yourself to the extent that you might have enough material for about 2 or 3 shows.  As someone mentioned upthread, Nicole's concept, when you get down to it, is cooking seafood.  

[cooksdelight]

Someone who hasn't really established themselves in that way has nothing to attract viewers beyond having an interesting concept.

With Sarah's background as an actual chef in restaurants (believe it or not) I am surprised she was all over the map with the Texas thing. Surely she's cooked authentic Texas food, not taco soup from a recipe on Food.com.

Nicole struck me as someone wanting to play up her father's history as a clammer, and it fell flat. Or she forgot. Or I did. :)

[Alapaki]

I think Sarah fell into the trap that lots of contestants do, which is running up against a challenge that doesn't easily translate into the niche POV they've started out with.  With Sarah, I can't recall the specifics, but back when she was doing "Date Night" there was a challenge that had her making a hamburger (or something similar that you wouldn't necessarily associate with a "romantic" dinner).  I can't recall whether she chose the dish or whether it was assigned to her.

 

But I think it was at that point, when she got hammered for "straying from her POV", that she decided to shift focus to "Texas".  Clearly that wasn't well thought out and probably wasn't planned ahead of time.

 

But then, her concept for her own product was baby food which, while I thought she had a decent hook, didn't clearly fit either "Date Night" or "Texas".  

 

I think Lenny's been clever (whether by design or not I don't know) by crafting such a "distinctive" persona.  I really can't see where he's worked his "chuck wagon" (which still just reminds me of the dog running into the kitchen cabinet after the wagon!) into many of the challenges.  But his "persona" is so distinctive, that they can't complaint that they "don't know who he is.".

 

It's sad that creating a caricature is a legitimate, successful strategy.

[SusannahTaylor3]

While I'm glad Sarah is gone, I think her original theme of Date Night could have been a fun promo.  The phone would ring and some guy would say: "I'm cooking a meal for my girlfriend and I really want to impress her but I've never cooked this before!  What's the easiest good-tasting dish?"  Or someone could write in about a dish they tried and failed miserably and Dear Sarah could tell them what they did wrong.  I think they would need a much better chef than Sarah, though, to host the show.  Actually Damaris might be good at something like that if they wanted to switch her from southern.

 

I liked Nicole the best because she was showing us how to do something (besides drinking beer).  However, the how-to cooking shows are during the day when I'm at work so I wouldn't be seeing them anyway.

I thought that was Damaris' concept? I have watched a few of her shows and the premise is that she helps a boyfriend/husband cook a special meal for his girlfriend/wife etc.

 

You know I have no idea why they have the contestants choose a POV because FN has the right to change it at any time. Remember Melissa D'Arabian? I forgot what hers was originally but it got changed to $10 meals.

Edited August 4, 2014 by SusannahTaylor3

[6 MeowMeowBeenz]

When you are so full of shit that people have set their meters to the appropriate level, you can totally get away with making up stories like that.

 

"It's not a lie if you believe it" - George Costanza

[ari333]

Omg, quotable quotes for me this eppy were, as mentioned, Luca's, "package of experience." But I'll add to that, "I want to be the beeg weener." (big winner) 

 

And what I deemed a Freudian slip of some sort was Lenny's declaration of "I can't believe my promo, such a debauchery." I'm paraphrasing, but I think he meant debacle. :)

"FLUFFY BEANS!"

[Aethera]

Notes as I watched this week's episode:

 

Watching Sarah's promo and the reaction, I am suddenly very aware that she keeps forgetting her kids, and that her reaction when this is pointed out doesn't seem very motherly. She's more worried about talking about being a mom than actually being a mom, it seems. Does she really have children? Does she resent them?  Does she not really parent them? I can perfectly picture her helplessly parenting children on a sitcom, but cannot picture her actually parenting.

Thank god she's finally gone.

 

Lenny's promo was so bad compared to Sarah's, I'm really surprised they put him through. If they hire him, I think he HAS to have a studio audience. He's consistently bad in the non-live stuff.

 

I think Nicole has the weakest POV of the group. It sounds like it's just the best thing she could come up with, being from the Jersey Shore. She totally nailed it when she was worried about being 'weathergirly'. 

 

Robert Irvine has increasingly creepy biceps. Careful dude, you don't want to be Sly Stallone here.

 

Nicole, do not say Oh Em Gee. And man you are boring. When he told her to unboring, she just got weird.

 

Luca's pilot sum-up was really confusing, and it made me realize - I don't think they ever, ever asked him his point of view. "oh, it's Italian because he's Italian". Not fair. The POV part of this show has always been a problem though. What would Giada's POV be? Toothy Italian? Bobby's?  "Grilling is cool"? Alton is the only one of them who had a strong one with his show.  Getting back to Luca, his POV is "force an Italian dish onto an Italian restaurant's menu...and then a feast"? Notice we haven't heard that at all before now.

 

Lenny's final pilot: you can tell it's been edited to deal with his awkwardness.  I would maybe eat that steak, but the concept of Cowboying Up restaurants is terrible.
Nicole's final pilot: Better than she's been all season, actually, but I still don't care. She doesn't seem to know what she's talking about.  New Orleans = Clams? No.
Luca's final pilot: His POV even less well explained, and kinda sucks. Also that burnt wheat cavatelli looks like centipedes.  And he's not very intelligible.

 

My vote?  Maaaybe Nicole, but effectively, no one. I would love to know what the total number of votes is this year compared to last year.

[cooksdelight]

 

I am suddenly very aware that she keeps forgetting her kids, and that her reaction when this is pointed out doesn't seem very motherly.

 

 

Not a mention of being married or having kids on her website either. I think trotting out the kiddies is sometimes just a convenient thing for the moment, for some people who want to be on TV. 

[Snarklepuss]

 

Watching Sarah's promo and the reaction, I am suddenly very aware that she keeps forgetting her kids, and that her reaction when this is pointed out doesn't seem very motherly. She's more worried about talking about being a mom than actually being a mom, it seems. Does she really have children? Does she resent them?  Does she not really parent them? I can perfectly picture her helplessly parenting children on a sitcom, but cannot picture her actually parenting.

Thank god she's finally gone.

 

I didn't love her either but perhaps she wanted to be known for something other than being a mom.  They always seem to make certain female contestants feel like they have to talk about their kids, but never the guys.  Maybe she just didn't want to be pigeonholed into that role on TV.  I couldn't blame her for that, although I think they just kept her around to give the female audience someone to hate.  It worked!

[jackjill89]

I don't watch enough Food Network cooking shows to know, but does every host start by saying "Hi guys!" or is that just the contestants on FNS?