Alex Vs. America - General Discussion

[Door County Cherry]

Quote

Hosted by acclaimed chef Eric Adjepong, 15 brave and talented chefs attempt to take down Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, one of the most feared and accomplished competition cooks in America.

[Bastet]

I hope for season two they do the "Chef's Cut" bonus episodes like they did for season one -- Alex and Eric watch the episode and talk about it.  I'm not sure if those ever aired on FN, but they're available on the FN app (yet, oddly, not on Discovery+).

[mlp]

4 hours ago, Bastet said:

I hope for season two they do the "Chef's Cut" bonus episodes like they did for season one -- Alex and Eric watch the episode and talk about it.  I'm not sure if those ever aired on FN,

They did air on FN.  I saw them but I can't recall when they aired.  I like this show but I'd like it better if Alex would stop posturing.  We know she's good.  She doesn't need to keep emphasizing how tough she is.

[rlc]

Just watched the first two episodes of this show. It’s okay. Don’t understand how you have coffee as an ingredient in a brunch challenge and don’t make a red eye gravy.

[eyelash]

I don't like that Alex gets a private showing of the other finished dishes with Eric.  I know it takes place before the blind judging, but for some reason it really bugs me.

[Grizzly]

45 minutes ago, eyelash said:

I don't like that Alex gets a private showing of the other finished dishes with Eric.  I know it takes place before the blind judging, but for some reason it really bugs me.

But she is always complimentary  of the other dishes.

[eyelash]

16 hours ago, Grizzly said:

But she is always complimentary  of the other dishes.

I agree.  She is very competitive but very fair in her assessments.

[Bastet]

Contestants have wandered over to look at her dish, too.  It doesn't affect anything.

I was annoyed when I saw two episodes listed again last night, as they'd burn through them in a hurry that way, to see it was just one new regular episode and then a "Chef's Cut" episode.  Much better!

[schnauzergirl]

I was in and out of the room last night so may have missed when it happened, but noticed sometimes Alex had a wrapping/bandage on a finger (right hand, I think) and other times she didn't.  Am I hallucinating about this?  BTW, it seemed to me Emme was the superior guest Chef.

[mlp]

2 hours ago, schnauzergirl said:

noticed sometimes Alex had a wrapping/bandage on a finger (right hand, I think) and other times she didn't.  Am I hallucinating about this? 

I noticed that too.  It made me think that the filming sequences aren't exactly what we are supposed to believe they are.

[MerBearHou]

I thoroughly enjoy this show.  Eric is terrific as “emcee” and he’s great with Alex’s personality.  

[Maverick]

 They probably edited out anything about her hurting herself.  Last week she had a bad cut and she snapped at the cameraman to not film her bleeding.  I'm surprised they left that in since she did not come off in a good light with that. 

[Bastet]

The tie was interesting - I'd loved to have seen the scrambling when the judges told producers they absolutely could not decide.

[mlp]

I was surprised by the tie but it did seem like the most fair decision.  

I wasn't sorry to see Tracy (?) go out first.  She has seemed a bit smug to me every time I've seen her.  

Eric is a good host.  I've liked him since Top Chef and I'm enjoying him a lot on Chef's Cut.

Edited August 15, 2022 by mlp
correct something

[AZChristian]

I like Alex on other shows I've seen her on . . . but not so much this one.

When the chefs go outside while the judges do their thing, the competitors are always huddled together in the same area . . . but Alex is sitting on the steps of her private trailer.  It looks kind of "classist" . . . and I'd never thought of Alex that way before.

JMO.

[Grizzly]

It's her show. She's there for the duration while the contestants come and go. The judges seem to get a trailer. I'm sure the contestants have access to a bathroom trailer. Keeping them separate is probably meant to heighten the me against them vibe.

[Bastet]

Wow, Alex and the guy who came in second in the first round and first in the final round made absolutely delicious-sounding and -looking dishes in both rounds.  I like French food, but I don't go crazy for it (Mexican, Thai, and Italian are probably my top three cuisines, with French slotted somewhere in the second half of my top ten), yet I wanted to grab a fork and reach through my TV.

I love how the CA chef's statement he's going to donate his winnings to World Central Kitchen cut through Alex's disappointment at coming in second.

I can't imagine the pressure Alex felt to win this episode, so I'm glad Eric shared with her the high praise the judges had for her winning dish in the first round.

[jcbrown]

I liked the French episode a lot and was excited that the restaurant of the guy who won is less than ten miles from my house and I've walked by it dozens of times. Adding it to the list!

I was struck by Ludo's expression when he tasted the over-garlicky snails and hollandaise made with coconut milk and lavender, which sounds empirically terrible. He held it together but you could see he hated it.

[Bastet]

7 minutes ago, jcbrown said:

I was struck by Ludo's expression when he tasted the over-garlicky snails and hollandaise made with coconut milk and lavender, which sounds empirically terrible. He held it together but you could see he hated it.

That was hilarious.  That's the first time I've seen judges really hate something, rather than note flaws in an overall good dish.

[mlp]

3 hours ago, jcbrown said:

I was struck by Ludo's expression when he tasted the over-garlicky snails and hollandaise made with coconut milk and lavender, which sounds empirically terrible. He held it together but you could see he hated it.

It was obvious wasn't it?  That combination sounds just gross.  I can't imagine what the chef was thinking.  I was half expecting Ludo to go into a The Taste-like manic rant.

[Bastet]

14 minutes ago, Lucas Rowan said:

I knew that Leen was going to be tossed when they said that her cake wasn't "molten" enough, and didn't have enough peanuts.  Too bad, because aside from those things, it did look good.

She had the best dish visually, but once the judges started describing their reactions to it, I knew it was actually the worst (by which I mean least good - everyone did a great job, hers was just the worst of the great).

I love the game play in how Alex steered them to peanuts in that round, and that she, having exclusive pick in the second round having won the first, sought their input -- she does that a lot, and I like the balance between collaboration and competition.

I'm very impressed by Alex winning both rounds of a dessert competition, and look forward to the "Chef's Cut" version where she and Eric discuss how things went down.

This episode seemed to indicate there's only one ice cream machine, like on Chopped.  If so, that's some bullshit.  It's not an issue here with any regularity like it is on that show, but it's still ridiculous. 

[MerBearHou]

This is becoming "must watch" for me on FN.  I just love it.  Eric is so congenial and Zen with Alex's personality and the competition is so good.  With only a couple of exceptions, the competitors have been really strong vs Alex.  Plus this show has given us a more vulnerable side of Alex which is nice to see.  

I even enjoy the Alex v America show where Alex and Eric comment on the behind the scenes.  

[Pattycake2]

I thought that this dessert  episode was bizarre. First off the tuille cups with the ice cream? I made those cups in junior high from the Betty Crocker cookbook. The plate was a mess.And then in the final round, the cake was ill frosted. It looked totally amateurish. I don’t get it.

[eclectcmoi]

I agree with your entire post @Pattycake2.  I was shocked Alex won the first round with ice cream.  I think Lasheeda was robbed, just on presentation alone.  For the second round, Alex's cake looked like something a five-year old would frost.  I guess it must've tasted really good.  

On another note, I saw more scenes with Alex's bandaged finger.  She must've cut it super bad several episodes back for it not to be healed yet.  

[netlyon2]

On 8/29/2022 at 12:05 PM, MerBearHou said:

This is becoming "must watch" for me on FN.  I just love it.  Eric is so congenial and Zen with Alex's personality and the competition is so good.  With only a couple of exceptions, the competitors have been really strong vs Alex.  Plus this show has given us a more vulnerable side of Alex which is nice to see.  

I even enjoy the Alex v America show where Alex and Eric comment on the behind the scenes.  

I was already a fan of Alex, but I absolutely adore the rapport she and Eric have. The Chef's Cut episodes are must-see for me, and I usually ignore those review eps for almost every other show.

4 hours ago, eclectcmoi said:

On another note, I saw more scenes with Alex's bandaged finger.  She must've cut it super bad several episodes back for it not to be healed yet.  

I also noticed that the bandage is still there. I think she said that she basically cut off the tip of her finger; hopefully at this point the bandage is just for protection and she's no longer in pain.

[Bastet]

I liked Alex's "In Texas?!" reaction to hearing Courtney's vegan restaurant is so popular he's opening four locations.

I hate tofu and tempeh, so was glad they went with jackfruit as the first round's meat substitute, but they all used something else I hate - two used beans, one used bananas, and one used potatoes - so I wouldn't have eaten any of those dishes.  But if not for the beans I'd have been all over Julia's nachos; those looked great.  Alex's dish was visually appealing, too, there was just something about the presentation of the nachos that completely worked for me.

I liked Eric's disappointment with everyone but Alex's unimaginative use of the taro chips.  Cyrus especially phoned that in, so it's no surprise he got the boot.

I wanted all the food in the second round (other than the potato puree on the bottom of Courtney's dish)!  I have never met a mushroom I didn't like.  I love all the ingredients Julia used, so her dish probably would have been my favorite, but I'd have ranked it last because mushroom was not at all the star.  Courtney's was the most creative, but if the mushrooms didn't evoke crab the way the other one evoked steak, it fell a little short.  Alex's made me yearn for something green to be included, but it sounded like a fantastic celebration of mushroom, so I'm not surprised it won (although she was).  I also seriously crave onion rings now; thankfully, I'll be making some tomorrow to go with burgers.

[ChattyCathyLA]

It seemed to me that Courtney should have won with his meat free dishes.  The judges even complained that Alex’s mushroom dish was too rich and heavy and didn’t really address the “steak” of the steakhouse challenge!  I mean, a mushroom with crumbs on top and ONION RINGS?  That seems more like the other option they were offered … more like soda shop food!  I was ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED when she won!  It sure seems rigged to me!  I had no desire to taste Alex’s dish as it seemed rather commonplace but Courtney’s surf & turf looked interesting and the only fault the judges found was that the surf aspect was a tad overcooked!  How did ONION RINGS win the whole thing?
 

But, then she lost the French food episode where that was her specialty, so who knows?  Perhaps that was rigged the other way, to shock viewers and add a little “twist”?  

[Bastet]

On 9/4/2022 at 10:32 PM, ChattyCathyLA said:

Courtney’s surf & turf looked interesting and the only fault the judges found was that the surf aspect was a tad overcooked!

They also criticized the "crab" for not actually evoking the surf part of a surf & turf the way the other mushroom did with the turf.

On 9/4/2022 at 10:32 PM, ChattyCathyLA said:

The judges even complained that Alex’s mushroom dish was too rich and heavy

They said they were reaching for things to criticize about the dish as it was so good, but it could have used something to break that up (which was my issue with it, too).

On 9/4/2022 at 10:32 PM, ChattyCathyLA said:

and didn’t really address the “steak” of the steakhouse challenge!

Huh, I missed that part.  Seems an odd critique, given how often portobellos are used as "steak" substitutes (just like Courtney did).

Alex said if she won that round it was going to be strictly on flavor, as she certainly didn't have the most creative dish, and it seems that's what happened.  She made mushroom the star and made it taste great.

[rlc]

On 9/4/2022 at 10:44 PM, Bastet said:

I liked Eric's disappointment with everyone but Alex's unimaginative use of the taro chips.  Cyrus especially phoned that in, so it's no surprise he got the boot.

I didn't like when Eric specifically addressed/reminded Courtney about using the taro chips during the challenge. 

[candall]

Alex, first round:  "Anyone using dairy?  No?  Okay, I want us all to have an even playing field--vegan it is!"

Alex, second round:  "I lost. Screw vegan."

.

Of course your fake steak dish is going to be more "beautifully rich" if you toast your breadcrumbs in butter and bind your mushroom filling with a luxurious cream sauce.  I bet Surf & Turf guy would have won if he'd used those lion's mane mushrooms for a yummy lump crabcake held together with breadcrumbs plus a nice eggy mayo and sauteed in butter.

.

Each of those three chef competitors was prominent for vegan food--why emphasize that the competition won't be strictly vegan if not to hand an edge to the French chef (and owner of famous NYC restaurant, Butter)?

#####

.

Tp be fair, in the second round, Chef Julia did say she was making "a light butter caper sauce"--which is very surprising for the owner of "the best vegan restaurant in New York."   

I spoke to her through my tv screen and told her, "Alex just dumped a pint of heavy whipping cream into a skillet.  Forget about 'light'!"

[jcbrown]

Help! Despite how tired I am of the endlessly airing commercial, I watched the brunch episode. And my DVR cut off just at the announcement of the winner. Can someone please tell me who won? Dr. Google has not been helpful. 

[Grizzly]

I remember liking chef Chris when he was on Chopped. When the challenge was to make something that tasted like fish and chips but not look like it, I didn't think they'd be cooking fish and potatoes. Guess I'm not understanding modernist cooking. Maybe Alex is in the boat with me. She did pretty well for being so out of her element. Hope they do the chef cut episodes of this season soon.

[MerBearHou]

This Modernist episode was a good one — so interesting to me.  I never, ever choose Modernist when it’s on a menu, but tonight made me want to give it a try.  I liked the chefs a great deal and was impressed with all, but especially the winner.  

I liked Marcel as a judge and Byron was knowledgeable, though a messy eater and needed to pull his hair back!  

Edited September 12, 2022 by MerBearHou

[Bastet]

Ugh, Marcel.

There was such interesting food in this episode; it reminded me a little bit of the remix round of Fast Foodies. Taylor's first-round dish was very impressive, and I figured she was going to win.  Then I saw her second round dish and knew there was no doubt.

Alex totally thought this was going to be the one episode where she wasn't going to be there for the final round.

[MerBearHou]

I just watched the Alex v Cheese episode which was enjoyable too (really, they all are, I think).  The guy from North Carolina said a great couple of lines “never in my career did I think I would be microplaning cheese puffs on the Food Network.  Ya gotta do what ya gotta do to take down Alex”.  I read Tracey’s bio and she has the coolest job for Jackson wineries.  

[Mellowyellow]

I've just discovered this show!!! 

Love love love love love it!!!!

Eric is a wonderful host. Knowledgeable and lively enough without being annoying!!!!! He is fantastic!

Love Alex too. I find Alex hilarious. I think she's a lovely but kinda snippy person. She cracks me up! I love her expressions and comments when she looks at some of the choices on offer.

Really enjoy the format. Hope they continue to make this.

I've just finished the brunch episode and it was lovely seeing Adrian as a judge. She's a good judge! I like her positive energy even when she's critiquing the food.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Mellowyellow said:

I find Alex hilarious. I think she's a lovely but kinda snippy person. She cracks me up! I love her expressions

Same -- her face entertains me as much as her food makes me drool.

[Bastet]

On 8/28/2022 at 10:22 PM, Bastet said:

I'm very impressed by Alex winning both rounds of a dessert competition, and look forward to the "Chef's Cut" version where she and Eric discuss how things went down.

And now that just aired and I indeed enjoyed it.  It's always fun to see Alex watching how the contestants created what she only saw as an end product, and in this one I loved her wondering what planet Lasheeda is from that she can do what she does.

Edited March 28, 2023 by Bastet

[mlp]

I was very impressed with Lasheeda and was surprised when she didn't win.  Obviously, I couldn't taste anything but I trust Sherry Yard so I guess Alex's must have been best.  I wasn't familiar with the other judge.

[Grizzly]

2 hours ago, mlp said:

I was very impressed with Lasheeda and was surprised when she didn't win.  Obviously, I couldn't taste anything but I trust Sherry Yard so I guess Alex's must have been best.  I wasn't familiar with the other judge.

If I ordered dessert at a restaurant and was served 3 cream puffs and some dollops of sauce, I'd want my money back. 😉 I hate coconut so was much more intrigued by all the dishes in the first round.

[Bastet]

On 9/4/2022 at 7:44 PM, Bastet said:

I liked Alex's "In Texas?!" reaction to hearing Courtney's vegan restaurant is so popular he's opening four locations.

This just cracked me up again in the Chef's Cut version.

It's cool to see Alex impressed anew by the creativity in the first round.  And I laughed at her, after saying she was genuinely happy for Courtney when he won the first round, "I'm not always".

I most wanted Julia's dish when this originally aired (but knew it couldn't win as it didn't showcase mushroom the way the others did), so I appreciated Alex saying every element she made screamed steakhouse and she did a ton of work.

Interesting that she feels like she does better in the second round when she hasn't won the first.  That makes a lot of sense, for both the reasons she stated -- winning the first makes her feel like the odds are against her knocking it out of the park twice in a row, and not winning the first makes her dig her heels in.

[Rammchick]

I have never watched this, but I noticed Shota Nakajima was shown in the coming attractions for the show -- does anyone know if he has been on in a previous season or is he on an episode this season?

[Bastet]

On 4/4/2023 at 12:24 PM, Rammchick said:

I have never watched this, but I noticed Shota Nakajima was shown in the coming attractions for the show -- does anyone know if he has been on in a previous season or is he on an episode this season?

It must be the upcoming season (which starts next Sunday), as he has not competed in any of the previous ones.

On 9/11/2022 at 7:06 PM, Grizzly said:

Guess I'm not understanding modernist cooking. Maybe Alex is in the boat with me. She did pretty well for being so out of her element. Hope they do the chef cut episodes of this season soon.

It's airing right now.

[Grizzly]

18 minutes ago, Bastet said:

 

It's airing right now.

Yes, thank you. I've been watching.

[Bastet]

Alex's laugh at watching her face as the first round of the modernist episode ended was hilarious!

And her cracking up again at a later shot of her face, saying, "I literally have no idea what's going on right there."

"You need two martians to judge this."  [Alex watches Marcel and the other judge walk in] "Fresh off the ship."  LOL again.

I said when the modernist episode first aired it had to be the first time Alex thought she wasn't going to be there to compete in the final round, so it was fun to see Eric ask her if she thought that and her say oh, yeah.

Alex and Eric made me laugh throughout this Chefs' Cut episode like no other, which was to be expected but was still a delight.  As was "How you gonna beat that?" about the dish that won, and Alex saying how happy she was for Taylor after how she'd killed it throughout.

It was all very much worth sitting through Marcel again.

[Rammchick]

7 hours ago, Bastet said:

It must be the upcoming season (which starts next Sunday), as he has not competed in any of the previous ones.

It's airing right now.

Thank you!

[MerBearHou]

Excited for the return tonight!  I really enjoy this show and sweet Eric is a great counterpart to saucy Alex.  They seem to have a very nice friendship and the on-screen relationship just works.

Edited April 16, 2023 by MerBearHou

[Grizzly]

That was interesting. I didn't realize Alex didn't have a James Beard. And she has an inferiority complex about it. Alex is always so complimentary about what the guest chefs prepare and did I hear these chefs insult her first dish? Wish Alex had taken the whole thing but if someone else had to win, glad it was Jonathan. He was the least stuck up.

[Bastet]

Ooh, we have the first time Alex comes in third in the final round.  In the modernist episode, she thought she might not even be there for the final round, but I think that's a lot easier for her to swallow since it's so far outside her wheelhouse.  This had to sting, but she was nice to say if she's going to lose, she wants it to be to chefs of this caliber.

There was no question who was going to be eliminated in the first round -- the deconstructed beef wellington was a fucking sandwich.  You can't serve that in a "white linen" challenge.

The chef who won in the final round was the clear winner, since they showed positive and negative feedback about the other two, but nothing but positive on his.

I like Eric consoling "Well, I don't have one either" about Alex being the only one without a James Beard award.  And I am always happy to see Stephanie and Kwame, whether cooking or judging.  That was a good episode; I enjoyed Alex wondering what was going on, as these were not the typical chefs competing, so she had no idea what the theme was.

[schnauzergirl]

So glad Jonathan won -- he was a star here in Cleveland for many years.  Nate, for all his talents, isn't a favorite.  Alex really seemed a bit overwhelmed to be facing three James Beard winners.  I know that's a huge deal, but she's more than paid her dues.  I do love the Alex/Eric dynamic,

Edited April 18, 2023 by schnauzergirl