Rachael Vs. Guy: Kids Cookoff - General Discussion

[gingerormaryann]

Lauren says on her bio that she thinks Bieber and One Direction are "disgusting" and lists Oleander as her favorite band.  I'm buying her rock attitude because how many 12yo even know who Oleander are, much less list them as their favorite.

 

I'm not the biggest fan of Amber but I'll have to defend her here.  She certainly didn't blow Helen off.  When Helen sat down, she calmly talked her down from the ledge.  Now, I wouldn't have blamed her if she did blow her off because Helen has a meltdown in every episode and it's ones that she creates.  Of all the contestants, she also seems to be the one that the other contestants have the least amount of kinship with.  Her self doubt was tiring on episode one.  Episode three and it's like, maybe you're right, you shouldn't be there.

 

And Amber's YouTube series is no portent of professional delivery.  It's your basic homemade YouTube channel, helped no doubt by mom, but that's another story.  Her excellence in front of the Food Network camera was certainly aided by her numerous mainstream television appearances but I'd point out NFNS "winner" Aaron McCargo.  He didn't improve one bit for the one or two seasons he had the show, nicknamed "Bih Tatty's Houth".  One of the first shows on the network that needed subtitles when the host was speaking English.  Some have it, some don't.  Amber has it.  Helen and Big Daddy don't.

[NikSac]

Since Helen's camera challenge was the worst of the group, and she would never have won a star for that, I wondered if they gave her a star for cooking even though her dish might not have been the best.  It seems like they wanted every kid to have at least one star at this point.

 

Don't they supply the kids with oven mitts or pot holders?  Lauren lost her grip on the cooking sheet by trying to grab it with towels.  I think she would have been able to hold the pan better with oven mitts.  I hope the oven door didn't have any cleaning residue on it, since the meatballs may have picked up some of that when they dropped on it.

 

This oven mitt/pot holder thing was so stupid.  She said she had one but only one and the pan was too heavy, so she tried to use towels and slipped. I felt really bad for her. 

 

Overall though I've really liked the kids this season. Kids on cooking shows sometimes really get on my nerves, but these kids haven't so far. A little bit here and there, but none of the have made me want to scream and turn off the TV. They seem to be relatively good at making decent dishes, too.  I like Rachael as a coach this time - she seems particularly good at giving the kids advice without stifling their creativity.

 

I look forward to seeing where the show goes. I hope the kids stay relatively nice as the season goes on.

[tv echo]

It's pretty clear that they're spreading the stars around the kids and making sure no kid feels bad during the run of this show, so it's a rather loose "competition".  I like all of the kids, although - maybe I'm too cynical - I'm skeptical of Gibson's bullying victim back story.

[Fostersmom]

Okay, I'm totally calling party foul on Finn making those biscuits. I know whack a roll biscuits with I seem them. I just made some yesterday. There's no way whatever batter he dripped on the pan turned into layer biscuits. I did notice his speech was much more clear when he was using the southern accent and a piece of straw in his mouth. 

[gingerormaryann]

Amber and Helen were unbearable in this episode.  Helen's whining "I should have won" and "I wanted that dish" were the worst moments of the season.  But watch, next week, she has another meltdown when she cuts her finger and goes to Urgent Care.  And she'll win MVP for it. Guaranteed, especially since it really won't mean anything.

 

Amber's conceit speaking of her dishes and camera challenges suggest she isn't the winner.  America likes their winners humble and if you're a kid, that goes double.  Her camera challenge this week was again superb but her confessionals left a bitter taste.

 

Sort of surprised to see Sean take it again since he was hardly even in the episode.  Even in the cooking segments, he was the last featured and it seemed almost an afterthought. 

[cooksdelight]

I got really tired of all the "the best dish you've ever done" and "you're rocking it!" all night long. I want to hear someone say "This dish is probably not up to par with what you've been cooking so far" or "This dish is just awful" Can they all be restaurant quality delicious? I just want it to be a true competition with some clear winners and some kids that just don't always cook a winning dish.

I agree on Finn's biscuits. Too perfectly round. Anyone with a biscuit in their dish looked like Pillsbury.

Helen got on my nerves tonight, worse than usual.

[spanana]

Most of these kids seem like fairly regular kids to me so I don't mind them.  However, I don't see how Sean can win this thing despite being in the lead yet far.  He's gotten next to no screentime for two weeks running, despite getting the MVP tonight and cooking what seems to be some pretty top notch food (comparably).  I guess maybe the editors and storyboard people just don't see a story there?  His cooking seems to be pretty consistent.  He's been polished on camera from the first week.  He doesn't really have the underdog angle going that several of the other kids are working.

[zillabreeze]

i am so bad but I Hate Finn with a thousand suns. He is a stupid little poseur that has probably been a pageant kid.

[ramble]

I think the phrase familiarity breeds contempt showed up full force in my world tonight. I'm beginning to dislike many of these kids. I always feel a bit bad when I think mean thoughts about kids.

I did notice his [Finn's] speech was much more clear when he was using the southern accent and a piece of straw in his mouth.

I noticed that as well. Makes me wonder...

[zillabreeze]

I don't really want to be ugly about the kids. It's more about the parents. Why would you put the kids out for public scrutiny? What childhood issues are you trying to work through? I don't really dislike Finn so much as I wonder about his weird ass Dad.

[NikSac]

I must be crazy... the kids still aren't even bugging me that much.  Now and again yes, but mostly no.  The kids are competitive but they really do seem to care about each other doing well. They seem to encourage each other, help each other find ingredients "tortiLLas" etc.  Helen is starting to get on my nerves, but only a bit.

 

I really, really like the format of this show where the kids get to continue learning and growing over time, instead of just "wham, you're eliminated!" early on.  I'd love to see this on the "adult" shows too actually.

 

I can't think of her name but the kid who got the Duck A'l'orange (sp?) totally cracked me up when she tried to fake the "it's delicious" while also trying not to choke or spit it out. Wasn't she the same one who made the impressive Brie pancake but almost gagged on it? I love how she can't quite control the emotions that come out in her face - makes her seem more real to me.

 

Cooksdelight I'm with you on the over the top praise. I like them being encouraging to the kids, but come on... some of the stuff's got to be not so great. 

 

Fostersmom and Cooksdelight, yeah completely agree about Finn's biscuits - those were "whack-a-biscuits" if I've ever seen one. I happen to really like those so I'm not even being critical of using them (by the way they are excellent cut into pieces and thrown into chicken and dumpling soup), I'm just annoyed with the show choosing to make it look like they were made from scratch.

Edited September 8, 2014 by NikSac

[cooksdelight]

Especially when the kid says they've never made biscuits before. Come on!

[ari333]

Amber: "The food I cook is light and fresh; kind of the opposite of southern food." Is southern food not fresh? Some dishes may be "heavier," but it just sounded bitchy.

 

I just can't with that Finn kid anymore. And when crazy dad rolled his eyes at the judges saying that the ambrosia cake thing was good, I kind of felt bad for the kid. But really, how is that a challenge to use a readymade cake? Bah.

And if those glops he had on the baking sheet became round, flakey, layered biscuits, I'm Mary, Queen of Scots.

 

Guy called Gib, "GABE-a-nator" IIRC. That Gibson kid reminds me of some other tv person too.  I wonder if they'd have gone apeshit if Gib used instant potatoes when his mashed potatoes had too much cream?

 

So Madison has been cooking since she was 2. I wonder why someone didn't call child services.

Edited September 8, 2014 by ari333

[cooksdelight]

Amber is the classic example of someone who thinks all southern food is fried in grease or butter. And I totally agree with you on Finn's cake. Not one word about "you really should have baked your own cake, or somehow used those cupcakes you made using a mix." But hey, give the kid a star anyway because he wore a cowboy hat and stuck a match in his mouth like a stereotypical good ol' southern boy.

[Fostersmom]

I forgot about Finn's cupcake messes. First, why was he scooping batter with his fingers? And second, he found "instant" cupcake mix. You mean a boxed mix? And then he managed to destroy those too. It was pretty obvious he was always going to use the poundcake and they just had him looking like a wreck to give hims something to do. I did notice that he was using a dish towel and an oven hit to take the destroyed cupcakes out. Why didn't they give these kids two oven mitts? 

[cooksdelight]

That's why his perfect looking biscuits were a joke to me. Pillsbury should sue, just on the mere fact they never showed their product to the viewers in an honest way.

[ari333]

 And I totally agree with you on Finn's cake. Not one word about "you really should have baked your own cake, or somehow used those cupcakes you made using a mix." But hey, give the kid a star anyway because he wore a cowboy hat and stuck a match in his mouth like a stereotypical good ol' southern boy.

 

THIS! I mean, I get it that they are supposed to be judged on the food and the camera presentation/food description, but it seemed like he was judged on the accent, the hat, and the stupid straw in his mouth. I was put off by the whole thing. Why didn't they have him barefooted with a couple teeth blacked out too? And throw in some aint's and caint's.  I wonder if the whole accent bit was suggested primarily so he could launch into that schtick, regardless of whether the others could pull it off too --which, btw, I didn't really appreciate. When he continued with the accent in the TH, it was gagworthy.

 

I felt a little bad for adorkable Lauren having to do her presentation after Princess Amber. I like Lauren, Luis, and Sean, even if he's a little polished. I agree with Luis. If HE had done the stupid accent maybe he would have won. BAH.

 

Gib is kind of cute the way he comforts the girls and walks them in and out of the door. Maybe I'm a gullible douche and he's a little play-ah, but I'm buying it.

Edited September 8, 2014 by ari333

[tv echo]

Most of these kids seem like fairly regular kids to me so I don't mind them.  However, I don't see how Sean can win this thing despite being in the lead yet far.  He's gotten next to no screentime for two weeks running, despite getting the MVP tonight and cooking what seems to be some pretty top notch food (comparably).  I guess maybe the editors and storyboard people just don't see a story there?  His cooking seems to be pretty consistent.  He's been polished on camera from the first week.  He doesn't really have the underdog angle going that several of the other kids are working.

I think Sean is adorable.  If he's not getting screentime because of lack of dramatic back story, then that's a shame.  Giving the most screentime to the ones with the worst sob stories, or to the most extreme or dramatic personalities, or to the ones who say the most outrageous things, is just encouraging kids to grow up to be like those reality TV adult "stars" who purposely engage in overly dramatic behavior or ugly behavior in order to increase their screentime and hopefully achieve stardom.

 

Let's face it, though.  This isn't a real competition.  The kids are always praised no matter how good or bad their dishes are, and the stars are awarded all around.  The judges won't let Sean get too far ahead, so we'll next see other kids being awarded more stars so that several kids are neck-in-neck at the finish.

[DeLurker]

 

I must be crazy... the kids still aren't even bugging me that much.  Now and again yes, but mostly no.

I'll have what NikSac is having to drink.

 

 

Amber is the classic example of someone who thinks all southern food is fried in grease or butter.

Well the better Southern dishes are, but I digress.  She's a kid so I'm not going to get worked up over it.  Besides, if I compare it to the other dumbass stuff I hear spouted by people old enough to know better, it ranks really low on the scale to me.

[howmanywords]

Cooksdelight I'm with you on the over the top praise. I like them being encouraging to the kids, but come on... some of the stuff's got to be not so great. 

 

I'm really curious to see how Robert Irvine is next week with them.  I don't think he'll be mean like he can be with adults but at the very least I can see him being way more brutally honest than R & G.

[ari333]

I don't need the kids cut off at the knees, but have they even given soft criticisms like, "this isn't your best one?" or "this is not my favorite?" 

 

As mentioned, it turned me off too when  a couple of the kids said to the judges, "this is the best ____ you've ever had." Well, let them be the judges, literally, of that. Now excuse me while I chase people off my lawn and shake my fist in the air.

[dmmetler]

On Finn's speech/accent, Finn's speech is a lot like mine (after 14 YEARS of speech therapy), and often you do have an easier time getting those sounds in a foreign language, when playing a character role, or while singing. The reason is that usually those sort of long-standing articulation disorders are motor control disorders and when you learn to speak a different language or sing, you're using slightly different parts of the brain in different ways, which is enough to sort of reset the system, and you're actively listening to yourself to provide feedback. When you are speaking normally, it takes concentration to not fall into the pattern that is normal for you-and you cannot hear the difference when you slip. So, the first time you do a Southern Accent, or even the first 100 times, it sounds good. But if you were ever in a situation when you're playing that role all day, every day, you'll eventually lose those sounds within that accent, too.

 

I almost wonder if Rachel suggested the accent thing for Finn's benefit. Because, honestly, that's probably his best bet to come off well. 

[backformore]

Guy called Gib, "GABE-a-nator" IIRC. That Gibson kid reminds me of some other tv person too.  I wonder if they'd have gone apeshit if Gib used instant potatoes when his mashed potatoes had too much cream?

 

the site won't let me post the image - but look up Peter Billngsley from "A Christmas Story" -  he played Ralphie, the main character.  Dead ringers.  

 

I didn't like Guy using all those "cute"  nicknames for everyone on his team.  I think the first week, it was only for Gibson, then this week, it was for everyone.  I wonder if he got feedback that it made it seem like Gib was "the favorite".   

 

 

[gryphon]

Yeeesh.  I am so glad my mute button is not worn out from all the Finn this week.   I know he can't help it but it's just the tone grates on my eardrums.  Enough already.  

 

Amber? Too perfect.  

 

Really didn't feel one way or the other about  anyone this week.  

[NikSac]

I don't need the kids cut off at the knees, but have they even given soft criticisms like, "this isn't your best one?" or "this is not my favorite?"

 

Same here. I'm actually kind of worried about the whole Robert Irvine visit, although he seems to have a soft spot for kids so maybe it'll be okay.

[gingerormaryann]

I went back and listened to Finn and his impediment didn't sound any different to me. The straw in his mouth might have helped him because that is a device speech therapists use for their patients.  You saw him lapse from hillbilly Southern to African American female, which was sort of hilarious but if G wasn't offended, I wasn't either.

 

Sean looks to be the star of the next episode so we'll see where he stands in this show.  He's gotten the favorable edit in that we've never heard him say anything remotely negative about anyone else.  Instead, it's "so and so was great so I'm going to have to work harder next week."  Since the confessionals were taped after the show concluded (you can see the cut on Helen's finger, the lowering of Luis' voice and the trace of acne on Amber's forehead), it does sound like he's delivering the "Good winner" sound bites.

 

Since Sean's focus would hip-hop Asian, his poise on camera might tempt a regular Saturday morning show on Food Network. 

 

Lauren needs her own show.  Every show had at least one quoteable and last episode was the best:  "I usually cook healthy but sometimes I cook unhealthy, like when I feed my dad."  I love this girl.

[KitKat]

I don't need the kids cut off at the knees, but have they even given soft criticisms like, "this isn't your best one?" or "this is not my favorite?" 

 

As mentioned, it turned me off too when  a couple of the kids said to the judges, "this is the best ____ you've ever had." Well, let them be the judges, literally, of that. Now excuse me while I chase people off my lawn and shake my fist in the air.

[Lnmop]

I tried watching this last episode and could only make it to the point where the kids were presenting their dishes before I had to turn it off or risk going into a diabetic coma. All of the "best you've ever had" and fist bumping just made me say "no more". I. Am. Done.

[mlp]

I said at the beginning that I liked all of the boys and none of the girls and that's still true.  At this point, I'd be happy with any of the boys getting first place.  Amber is pretty but she's rehearsed and robotic.  I find Lauren and Madison unpleasant to watch and Helen's hair turns me off. 

 

I don't believe that these kids are thinking up all their dishes themselves or executing them without help we don't see.  I do think that they've been told by the producers to describe their dishes as "my" whatever to make it sound like they cook the dish all the time.

 

I wish Guy and Rachael would stop being effusive about every single thing the kids make, do or say.  It's totally unrealistic and it's making me nuts.

[gingerormaryann]

There was actually a little bit of criticism from the judges at the beginning, (I remember comments like "needs more salt", "too spicy for me" and Alex made several comments about their dishes) but that has seemed to disappear in the later shows.  Not that it matters because it's not a cooking show, it's a personality show, just like all Food Network competitions. 

[Lura]

I sometimes get the feeling that the judges are skating on thin ice, scared half to death of causing a tearful meltdown with the parents in the next room.  I also feel that the judges want the kids to act like they're having the time of their lives, so they feed them every compliment in the books.  If these cooking protégés are so well versed in culinary terms, they're old enough to take a little more criticism.  All in all, though, I like this show.  I do wonder how well-rounded these kids are if cooking is their passion in life at such a tender age.

Edited September 10, 2014 by Lura

[ari333]

If Guy is going to "___-a-nator" up the kids' names, he should at least get the name right. Gib is not Gabe. Sheesh. Good Lord, there are only 8 of them. Even I can keep them straight and I'm not on the show. And some names don't lend themselves to "a-nator" so in my head I'm envisioning Rob Schneider doing "makin' copies" on SNL doing various endings on all the names.

 

I'm old.   

[Kromm]

Am I an evil bad person for not finding Finn even a tiny bit cute?  Every line he says seems to be being fed to him, speech impediment/baby talk, or not.  

[jcbrown]

 

I sometimes get the feeling that the judges are skating on thin ice, scared half to death of causing a tearful meltdown with the parents in the next room.

I misread this the first time that they were trying to avoid a tearful meltdown by the parents in the next room and I thought, yeah, that probably would happen. 

 

And I am going to hell, too, because Finn's exaggerated cutesy persona and speech impediment both get on my last nerve. Lauren is growing on me--she seems more relaxed than she was earlier in the season and less like she is playing a character. I am having the opposite response to Helen. It is hard for me to watch her pressuring herself so much. As for Amber, she seems like an eating disorder in the making, with her obsession with lightening food up. I agree, it's good to be conscious of eating well, but she--or at least, the character she is playing--just seems to be taking it to too much of an extreme. Sean FTW for me, still.

[nancyJ]

"Hate, hate hate the way that Finn kid talks. He is trying to sound like a baby and be adorable. Yech. He forgot a couple of times and dropped the baby act. That speech affect is like nails on a chalkboard. Can't stomach Cawowine on the ehawmony commercials for the same reason."

OH MY GAWD. I sought out this forum, found it and registered JUST so I could have a place to vent about that kid's SPEECH IMPEDIMENT. It is not cute, it is a DISABILITY. And I really hope he is seeing a speech therapist for it -- my fear is he's not. I knew a woman who spoke with that "baby talk" accent because that's how people spoke back to here for so long it stuck. The problem was -- it stuck into adulthood. Imagine that young man in high school or looking for a job being unable to shake that way of speaking.

My sense is this kids parents are trying to ride that speech impediment all the way to the bank. If he can turn it on and off then it's just cloying, inauthentic and annoying. and if he can't? HE NEEDS A SPEECH THERAPIST, not his own cooking show.

Edited September 15, 2014 by cooksdelight
Fixed quote tags

[zillabreeze]

Ugh! I can't believe how the judges were all fawning over that little phony poseur Finn! How in the hell they can't see through that put on baby bullshit is beyond me.

Now that he has been rewarded for talking like a toddler, he is really going to crank it up and become more insufferable!

I keep picturing him backstage at Toddlers & Tiaras with his weird dad saying "sparkle, baby, sparkle". Yech.

Edited September 15, 2014 by zillabreeze

[cooksdelight]

I was surprised they all ate half-cooked pork.

[zillabreeze]

Cooks-I'm with you on the pork thing. Maybe I'm just old, but pink pork scares the hell out of me. It seems to be pretty widely accepted on the cooking competitions though.

[KitKat]

Undone pork is wrong....

[Fostersmom]

I'm beginning to feel really bad for Helen. the poor girl looks like she's one burnt cookie away from a nervous breakdown. She did the best she's ever done on the camera challenge, but of course the insufferable Amber won. Can't stand Amber. 

 

Gibson seems to have quite the crush on Helen and it's kind of cute. Too bad Helen doesn't seem to share it. 

 

If Sean doesn't win, or even if he does, I can see him getting his own show on Disney. He's a cute kid and multi talented. I know Disney likes their kids to sing, but it could be a great time for a dancer to get a show. Mix it up a bit. 

 

I was kind of appalled when Guy told Gibson that scallops were the better choice because scallops are "sexy". Uh, holy age inappropriate. 

[KitKat]

I like all the children....we all know the producers set us up.....it's sad these kids are put out there for our entertainment.....and I will watch till the end....

Did anyone notice how old Madision's hand looked?

 

[gingerormaryann]

"Helen could be out of this competition if she sliced her finger off."  Okay, I officially heart Gibson.

 

Amber has a disconnect between her camera challenges and kitchen challenges.  She can project poise, composure, sophistication even on camera, almost like a newsreader, but it doesn't jibe with her everyday presence.  It might be hard to do a show for her because of it.  She should consider lowering her eyebrows when she speaks because it gives her a haughty, know-it-all appearance. Sean has a heightened reality to his presentations but it's still recognizable as Sean.  He also has more energy and enthusiasm than any other contestant on camera and he's had the presence of mind to say the right things.  I think FoodNetwork would have the easiest time with a show for him but I'm skeptical since there were two references to him winning every week.  Then again, we were hit over the head how Team Rachael has never won MVP and that didn't come about.  Sean and Amber should have been on opposite teams since they are clearly the strongest competitors.

 

Lauren's quirkiness has grown on me immensely because of the range of her character.  I can't see her on FoodNetwork but definitely as the wisecracking daughter on a sitcom.  Helen's whining has been unbearable but it's been a treat to guess when she's going to have another meltdown.  She had, what, three this episode.

 

I think Sean may have leapt over Amber for the top spot and everyone else is pretty much out of it but the producers do seem to love Finn.  Definitely the most photogenic of the group and Sean, Amber and he all have definite philosophies which can be untilized for a show.  But as I said, they can't give it to two contestants in a row who have speech impediments.

[Crucial]

So does the winner get a show on Food Network?  I thought that's what I heard.  With how the seem to just fawn all over Finn I don't know how they would give him a show.  Listening to him speak is just awful.  His parents should be more focused on his speech instead of this show.  If I am bad for saying that I'm sorry.  And the previous episode with him taking ready made pound cake and putting topping on it gets him raves when everyone else cooked something....really?  Rachel mentioning that he had so many problems.  His first batch he forgot an ingredient and then he used a cake mix.  When that didn't work he used a ready made pound cake.  No mention?

[backformore]

Am I an evil bad person for not finding Finn even a tiny bit cute?  Every line he says seems to be being fed to him, speech impediment/baby talk, or not.

I agree completely . His enthusiasm seems fake, or maybe , coached. He's the kind of kid, if you knew him in real life, you get a first impression that he's adorably precocious . And after 5 minutes he's straight up annoying. I've raised two boys, I've coached sports and led scouts. Real kids do not act like that. Someone has been coaching him.

I continue to find Lauren adorable. She's such a genuine little nerd girl, I can't get enough of her weird awkwardness.

[zillabreeze]

Hands down, Lauren is the most fun to watch. Madison seems way too serious for a child, like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Luis is gonna break a lot of hearts.

[Kromm]

So does the winner get a show on Food Network?  I thought that's what I heard.  With how the seem to just fawn all over Finn I don't know how they would give him a show.  Listening to him speak is just awful.  His parents should be more focused on his speech instead of this show.  If I am bad for saying that I'm sorry.  And the previous episode with him taking ready made pound cake and putting topping on it gets him raves when everyone else cooked something....really?  Rachel mentioning that he had so many problems.  His first batch he forgot an ingredient and then he used a cake mix.  When that didn't work he used a ready made pound cake.  No mention?

No, the winner gets an online show, not a regular TV show.  I think Food Network has done this before, where they had to give a prize that's not too much effort or expense for them (and it's certainly what they gave the Season 1 winner of this particular show).

I agree completely . His enthusiasm seems fake, or maybe , coached. He's the kind of kid, if you knew him in real life, you get a first impression that he's adorably precocious . And after 5 minutes he's straight up annoying. I've raised two boys, I've coached sports and led scouts. Real kids do not act like that. Someone has been coaching him.

It's not just the babytalk, although that's strategically over-the-top-ish at the right moments to help him out.  Especially in the Talking Heads, you can hear him form sentences and use words in a way that no actual 9 year old would.

 

He's not the only kid on this show being fed lines, of course--they all are to some degree.  Gibson shows some real visible signs of it, as did the Season 1 winner, Brandon, as well as another kid, Hunter, who was like Season 1's version of Gibson.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Kromm

[Crucial]

Ok thanks.  It's an online show and not actual tv show.  I guess I heard what I wanted to hear and thought tv show, lo;

[Kromm]

Ok thanks.  It's an online show and not actual tv show.  I guess I heard what I wanted to hear and thought tv show, lo;

The phrase they use is "a show on Food Network DOT com".

 

Of course their website is really badly done (and always has been) and the only stuff that's easy to find is whatever they're hawking currently.  If you dig a bit though you can see what they did for the kid who won Season 1.  He got three online episodes, approximately four minutes apiece.  You can guess they were likely done pretty much all at once (he is at least wearing different clothes in each episode), probably immediately after they finished filming Season 1, since they're all about him wandering around New York--even telling us in the intro that he's just some kid from Texas.

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/rachael-vs-guy-kids-cook-off/rachael-vs-guy-kids-cook-off-video-gallery.49ad36c0-2784-4adf-af6b-2dc4e63ef70f.0213155.html

Edited September 15, 2014 by Kromm

[howmanywords]

I'm not too overly concerned about who will actually end up winning this thing considering I think I saw last years winner a total of two millisecond times on FN and I didnt actively seek out watching his online show, but ughhh I cannot listen to Finn any longer.  Can you imagine if they were given a show on the network and you had to listen to that every week?  I feel awful for being so critical of his speech but tonight it reached the unbearable point.  That kids parents need to focus on getting him some speech therapy before focusing on him being a cook/TV star because I guarantee he'll have a very hard time in school if he continues to talk like that.  

[Kromm]

As much as I hate to come even close to recognizing ANYTHING Gordon Ramsay does on a reality show as "right" or "better", I seem to recall the prize on Masterchef Junior being less fly-by-night and more genuinely useful.  That show gave the winner a Culinary school scholarship, if I recall correctly.  In one sense perhaps wasted if the kid changes their life goals, but if they actually stick with the "passion" these shows always claim they have... it's infinitely better than a brief web show, and one or two guest appearances maybe on other Food Network shows, that people will forget about soon enough.

 

EDIT - Wow.  I was wrong.  I definitely remember something about a culinary scholarship, but maybe I was remembering it from the pre-show press I read on Masterchef Junior before it aired.  The ACTUAL prize seemed to wind up being a straight out $100,000.  Which may be more useful in some ways, but I actually think the scholarship would have been better.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Kromm