Ciao House - General Discussion

[aghst]

Premiers April 16, 2023, Sunday.

 

Food competition taking place in Tuscany.

 

https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/ciao-house

 

Chef Gabe does a savvy piece of new show promotion by appearing on House Hunters International, which sees him choosing the villa they will use to house 10 chefs competing as well as cook the meals which will be judged.

 

 

[Grizzly]

Chef Gabe is hot 🔥! Wonder when that episode of HHI will be on. Also wonder if this was first meant for Giada, but they had to pivot when she left FN. Alex freely admits she's not an expert on Italian cooking.

[chessiegal]

2 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Wonder when that episode of HHI will be on.

It was on last night. I'm sure they'll be doing reruns.

[JunkFoodTV]

I wish it wasn't Alex.

[Rickster]

On 4/13/2023 at 5:54 PM, JunkFoodTV said:

I wish it wasn't Alex.

I don’t watch a lot of FN anymore and have never seen her in a judging role, but I found her extremely annoying.

I thought the first elimination extremely bizarre. The guy who can’t finish his dish and serves pureed beans and some kale isn’t even in the bottom two? I was shocked they sent home the guy who overcooked his lamb a bit. Might have put me off watching the rest of the series.

[MerBearHou]

4 hours ago, Rickster said:

I don’t watch a lot of FN anymore and have never seen her in a judging role, but I found her extremely annoying.

I thought the first elimination extremely bizarre. The guy who can’t finish his dish and serves pureed beans and some kale isn’t even in the bottom two? I was shocked they sent home the guy who overcooked his lamb a bit. Might have put me off watching the rest of the series.

Completely concur.  The first elimination made no sense to me over either the woman who barely put together a crudo in 45 minutes (and cried which I loathe in these shows) and the man who left off the protein and the dish was described as baby food.  How did they eliminate the guy who made a tasty risotto?  I too may not stay with the series. 

Edited April 17, 2023 by MerBearHou

[Soapy Goddess]

3 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Completely concur.  The first elimination made no sense to me over either the woman who barely put together a crudo in 45 minutes (and cried which I loathe in these shows) and the man who left off the protein and the dish was described as baby food.  How did they eliminate the guy who made a tasty risotto?  I too may not stay with the series. 

Totally agree. And then these producers wonder why we believe all these "reality" shows are fixed. 

Such a waste, as I had high hopes for this show...especially since I'm sick of Top Chef and no longer watch it.

[chessiegal]

I've seen Alex judge before, but I generally don't watch competition shows. Alex was just plain mean to everyone. It was unpleasant. FN put some $$ into this production between renting the venue and taking all these people to Tuscany. You'd think they could make the show more enjoyable to watch.

[Irlandesa]

I'm a little disappointed because the way it was advertised, "family-style" in Tuscany made it seem like it might be more gentle like the Julia Child Challenge or School of Chocolate where there's competition but there's also more support and constructive criticism. 

Alex's energy, who I normally don't mind on other shows like The Kitchen or Chopped, felt off.  I guess the sterner energy she brings as a judge to Chopped is more amplified here because there were so many more contestants.  But it's not just Alex's energy.  It's the fact that they chose to use talking heads of other competitors talking ish about their fellow competitors' dishes. 

I also think the worst dish didn't make the bottom 2.  I was surprised that the crudo dish made the bottom. I get that there wasn't much cooking but usually items that don't get any critique "no edits needed" get a pass in the first round. 

 

[Maverick]

 This was boring.   It's an attempt (an fail) by FN to Survivor: Tuscany.  They have to live and work together but they're also going to vote each other out, so they're trying to setup the same dynamic as Survivor.   I (and apparently the contestants) am unclear of what they're supposed to be doing.  Are they supposed to be turning out the best authentic Italian dishes they can or are they supposed to be offering their own take on classic dishes, to the point where it's almost fusion with out cuisines? 

 Really confused as to why Alex is here.  It's been emphasized many times on multiple FN shows that despite her heritage, she's all about French cooking, not Italian.   This does seem like it was conceived for Giada but if that's true I don't know why Alex was the backup.   I know FN doesn't have many Italian chefs but Anne Burrell has a better background for it than Alex. 

 

 

[chessiegal]

Alex is probably here because she was available.

[Bastet]

This was terrible, and I won't watch again despite the presence of Alex and the beautiful Tuscan scenery.  These chefs aren't of the caliber I'd like to watch compete*, and the premise is basically The Real World meets Food Network.  I'm a hard pass on that.  I didn't even like Alex in this one, and I typically enjoy her.  (And, yeah, she's Italian [Italian-American], and a chef, but she's not an Italian chef, she's a French chef, so while she knows the food as a diner, that's not her expertise as a chef, so she's a bit of an odd choice for something so thoroughly wrapped up in Tuscan identity.)

As noted (here and by others in the episode), the worst dish didn't even get nominated for elimination. 

*I lovedThe Julia Child Challenge, which was about home cooks - and the prize was also additional culinary education - but I either want that (and its Julia-esque vibe, not this snippy mess) or really good professional chefs -- not exclusively Iron Chef/Top Chef/Tournament of Champions level of competition, although ToC and TC are my favorites, but better than this. 

[catrice2]

It is the food network for sure. I knew before they cooked whom would be in the bottom.

[rlc]

Truly underwhelmed by the quality of cooking on this show. Confused by the elimination, but also felt it was very unfair to give the second group of ‘chefs’ the advantage of seeing exactly what the first group cooked, and how they were judged. Guy who made bean purée, blanched kale and couldn’t properly cook the langoustine should have gone home.

[Salacious Kitty]

2 minutes ago, rlc said:

Truly underwhelmed by the quality of cooking on this show. Confused by the elimination, but also felt it was very unfair to give the second group of ‘chefs’ the advantage of seeing exactly what the first group cooked, and how they were judged. Guy who made bean purée, blanched kale and couldn’t properly cook the langoustine should have gone home.

Agree that the second group should have been nowhere near the judging of the first group. Since they will be cooking in teams for a while (I guess until they're down to the five that can comfortably cook in that kitchen at once), they should be judged separately. 

I think the home cooks on the Julia Child show were better than this group, mostly private chefs from what I saw. Nowhere near the caliber of even the lower seeds on TOC or the first few PYKAG on Top Chef.

[buttersister]

Hot mess. Where did they get these contestants?

I'm 100% with Giada being first choice, Alex was available and what? Rocco DiSpirito was busy (I am so kidding).

Alex seemed to bring a major NY attitude with her. I ❤️ NY, but it doesn't travel well and made me like her less than I already do (separating her personality from her cooking). Also, her new stylist is working hard--and lightyears different from how she looked in the early days.

Edited April 18, 2023 by buttersister

[Passing Strange]

I just happened to catch Gabe's episode of HHI, which is why I was interested in this show. He rejected one place because the kitchen was lacking, but so was the one in the place he chose. They made significant changes to that kitchen, so you'd think they could have done so for the other one. If you're going to make up a reason for rejection don't turn around and contradict it. I should have known then to lower my expectations.

Remember when Top Chef had a home cook, a culinary school student, and multiple caterers as contestants? This kind of reminded me of those days. But just like TC evolved, so have viewers. If we wanted basic food we could watch reruns of Aaron McCargo's show. Maybe they wanted contestants very likely to be thrilled with the vague yet life-changing prize.

I don't know if this show was meant for Giada, who isn't a chef, but I'm happy not to see her. I'd be happy not to see Alex, too. I agree with those who noticed an element of meanness in some critiques. More than once I wanted to shout that the reason for someone's choice was that they only had 45 minutes. And she was unhappy with commercial pasta but didn't mind jarred tomatoes.

Not having enough scallops for two chefs in the first round was ridiculous.

It does look like they're trying for Food Competition meets Big Brother. The problem is that this is a cooking competition. I want the winner to be the person who cooked the best food, not the one who picked the best team or made the best alliance.

[chessiegal]

8 minutes ago, Passing Strange said:

I don't know if this show was meant for Giada, who isn't a chef,

Giada graduated from culinary school, worked as a private chef, and had a catering business. If memory serves, Giada and FN parted ways?

[Passing Strange]

When Giada battled Rachel Ray on Iron Chef it was said specifically that they weren't chefs, so I've never thought of her as one. Others do and it has been 16 years since that IC episode. People magazine says Giada left FN for Amazon Studios earlier this year. 

[chessiegal]

The term "chef" gets thrown around loosely. I consider someone with formal culinary training to at least have some credible food knowledge. 

[Passing Strange]

6 hours ago, chessiegal said:

The term "chef" gets thrown around loosely. I consider someone with formal culinary training to at least have some credible food knowledge. 

I agree, and I'd say it's definitely a YMMV thing. I'm older and my idea of a chef is older, too. To me, a chef has not only knowledge, but experience running a professional kitchen. I also believe food knowledge includes knowing not only when to use a particular ingredient, but why you use it. The source of the information, whether culinary school or working up from dishwasher, isn't as important to me as the actual knowledge.

[MerBearHou]

I gave in and decided to give this show a 2nd try.  Online, the feedback was SO bad and quite loud about the first show, Alex’s demeanor while judging, and the head-scratcher of the first elimination.  I don’t think there will be any negativity about who was eliminated tonight — like “get off my screen ASAP please”.  This 2nd show was more watchable, but there is still heightened drama in the way it’s set up.  

[Rickster]

Yeah, episode 2 was an improvement over the first. I would have liked a little more clarity on why the second team was worse than the first, other than the lasagne, since they seemed to like the second group’s pasta more. I don’t know why someone would try to make lasagne in less than an hour.

Interesting to see how the leader of the first team, who runs a restaurant kitchen, took control and doled out tasks vs how the second team organized themselves.

[Stardancer Supreme]

On 4/17/2023 at 12:13 AM, MerBearHou said:

Completely concur.  The first elimination made no sense to me over either the woman who barely put together a crudo in 45 minutes (and cried which I loathe in these shows) and the man who left off the protein and the dish was described as baby food.  How did they eliminate the guy who made a tasty risotto?  I too may not stay with the series. 

 

 

 

I'm so glad that I wasn't the only one thrown by the elimination in episode 1.  Alex and Gabe made such a big thing out of the gal who didn't cook anything that I was sure she was the one going home! Hopefully the Black chefs won't all be eliminated next...

Edited April 25, 2023 by Stardancer Supreme

[buttersister]

Eater interview with Natalia had some scoop about the show. LOL!

“We joke that we were brought to the show under false pretenses because at first they told us that it’s going to be kind of a point system and nobody’s going to get it eliminated and nobody’s going to go home, but there’s someone that’s going to be leaving the villa every single day until there’s a final winner,” Rosario says. “We didn’t know who the judges were. We absolutely knew nothing, not even where we were filming. It was all a big surprise.”

[Grizzly]

Corey and Preston seem to be the biggest ass hats this season. I hated how dismissive Corey was to Jess. She wouldn't be there if she couldn't cook. I admire her for not making a stink and just finding ways to help her teammates. Glad that other guy called her the glue at judging. The second team was a disaster. It's amazing they served up the same amount of food with 1 less person cooking. But the woman had no leadership skills. They had the whole hour while the other team cooked to figure out a game plan. Instead they wasted the first 15 minutes of cooking time deciding who would do what. She was the right person to send home.

[chessiegal]

I turned the second episode on this morning. How in the world do some of people work as chefs? One woman didn't know how to use a KitchenAid stand mixer. She couldn't get her dough hook in, then was complaining the bowl was moving around. She didn't have the bowl locked into the base! Then another has her skillet catch on fire. Her solution - fan it with a kitchen towel. Yeah, giving a fire more oxygen is a good idea - not! You put a lid on it. Geez.

[aghst]

On 4/25/2023 at 3:41 PM, buttersister said:

Eater interview with Natalia had some scoop about the show. LOL!

“We joke that we were brought to the show under false pretenses because at first they told us that it’s going to be kind of a point system and nobody’s going to get it eliminated and nobody’s going to go home, but there’s someone that’s going to be leaving the villa every single day until there’s a final winner,” Rosario says. “We didn’t know who the judges were. We absolutely knew nothing, not even where we were filming. It was all a big surprise.”

Interesting, if they did lie to the cast about the format and the eliminations in each episode.

This is the first cooking competition I've ever watched.  I thought it was absurd that they had an hour to cook up 3 dishes.  Maybe these chefs, at restaurants or as private chefs, have big time pressures but the hour is an artificial constraint, designed to make some contestants boil over and lose it.

Obviously they wanted things to go wrong so one of them would be blamed and voted off.  Very much like The Challenge and I assume shows like Survivor and Big Brother.

I will say though that the chefs being under pressure makes the show seem to move quickly or at least gives it a sense or motion, progress.

Of course the judging goes to the personal tastes of the judges and there's no transparency or any semblance of actual criteria for evaluating the end product.

Was it the brodo with all the seafood in there?  Because in Italy, you get a simple broth, nothing loaded up with stuff that actually competes against the tortellini.

I don't even get the lure of the grand prize, some title and the ability to train with some Italian chefs.  Does that actually lead to them getting better jobs, more income?  Does going to the Cordon Bleu in France lead to more jobs?  I would guess chefs are hired based on their CV and maybe some tasting of their dishes or some trial period.

I would think having actual cash would be more useful but maybe they get to stay in Italy for a few weeks or months, all expenses paid or something.

[chessiegal]

54 minutes ago, aghst said:

Does going to the Cordon Bleu in France lead to more jobs?

From what I've seen of this hapless bunch, they could all benefit from some formal training, and training from Cordon Bleu would be good on a CV.

[Rickster]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I turned the second episode on this morning. How in the world do some of people work as chefs? One woman didn't know how to use a KitchenAid stand mixer. She couldn't get her dough hook in, then was complaining the bowl was moving around. She didn't have the bowl locked into the base! Then another has her skillet catch on fire. Her solution - fan it with a kitchen towel. Yeah, giving a fire more oxygen is a good idea - not! You put a lid on it. Geez.

Yes, the problem with the Kitchenaid was a mystery. I only wondered if there really was something wrong with it, or if Euro models lock differently? I only say that because I think both teams had an issue with it. Otherwise, there’s no excuse.

[chessiegal]

48 minutes ago, Rickster said:

Yes, the problem with the Kitchenaid was a mystery. I only wondered if there really was something wrong with it, or if Euro models lock differently? I only say that because I think both teams had an issue with it. Otherwise, there’s no excuse.

I can't see any reason whatsoever for KitchenAid to have a different bowl locking setup. Motor yes, so it works on 220V. But changing the design doesn't seem to make economic sense.

[rlc]

Why am I still watching this? I simply do not like this show, but it doesn’t merit hate-watching.

Sort of annoyed that Jess was sent home- the way that the duck was sliced was as big an issue as the cook. Saba insisted that she slice the duck like that. Maybe it’s because I cannot stand Saba, but she was in charge, did very little, and did not impress me at all. 
 

I’d never heard of Pate a Joo before. Preston is super annoying. Omar has a huge chip on his shoulders, and though he is not the worst COOK there, he should have gone home week one.

Sigh.

[Jodithgrace]

I can’t say that I’ve made duck breast all that often, if ever, but I’ve watched it being cooked on umpteen cooking shows over the years, and I have never seen it cooked or cut like that. Ever. What was Saba thinking to order it cut into three hunks like that? And Jess just seemed like such a sack sack to me, with her limp hair and expression. I was surprised that she was so confident about the duck, only to mess it up. At any rate she voted herself off the island.

Matt was not a good capo. He deferred to the other chefs too much, even asking who he should pick for the team. And then he froze up while presenting his dish, which shows lack of confidence. Interesting that they gave him another chance. 
 

I’m a big cooking show fan, though not on this channel, and I am enjoying this. One of the reasons I no longer watch the Food Network is because it’s always the same 3 or 4 people. If it’s not Guy Fieri or Bobby Flay, it’s Alex G, who seems to be on every show that they are advertising. 
 

It’s pate a choux pastry for the cream puffs. 

[rlc]

6 minutes ago, Jodithgrace said:

It’s pate a choux pastry for the cream puffs. 

Yeah, I was mocking Preston’s bizarre pronunciation. 

[Gramto6]

30 minutes ago, rlc said:

Sort of annoyed that Jess was sent home- the way that the duck was sliced was as big an issue as the cook. Saba insisted that she slice the duck like that. Maybe it’s because I cannot stand Saba, but she was in charge, did very little, and did not impress me at all. 
 

I found it interesting that no one mentioned that Saba was the one that insisted on the way the duck was cut. No one said a peep. Yes it was probably a bit underdone, but cut properly, they might have gotten away with it.

Not sure why I am still watching this show...it is a big yawn so far....

[candall]

I don't know, people, I love this show.  I like the challenges and that the personalities of the various cheftestants can make a big difference in outcome.   The scenery, the food, the wine, beautiful Italy.  I think laid-back, smiley Chef Gabe is a good co-judge for Alex, who really has her mean on, for some reason.

 

Of course, it's a ridiculous advantage for the Dinner Team to be able to sit and leisurely ruminate about their menu, be served the Lunch Team food, hear the critique.  Whose bright idea was that?

 

Happy that Omar(?) making the best damn potatoes he could turn out secured his future "capo" position.

 

The thing I particularly liked in this third episode was the two women on the losing team refusing to name a choice for elimination.  "I hate this, I think it's wrong, I'm not doing it."  Naturally Alex blew a gasket, just as she had excoriated the woman who'd accepted responsibility for the duck and choked out through her tears that she was the logical evictee.  

     Anyway, I found it admirable to refuse to name the worst teammate.  And I think it's weird that the men's team perceived that decision as a failing.  "I wouldn't want to cook with someone like that."  Knives out, eh, boys?

[candall]

P.S.  I don't know why this isn't listed in the Competitive Reality section.  They're definitely competing, someone is being eliminated every week, there's a big prize.

 

(Traveling around Italy, having the chance to apprentice with various well-known chefs, is HUGE.)

[MerBearHou]

This show's vibe is so flawed:

The groups tasting and critiquing each other's food -- I don't mind the tasting, but I don't trust the critiquing when this is a competition.  It worked fine in the Julia Child competitive show, but this has a completely different feel.  Alex has grown on me over the years -- I like her OK, but while she is not a fave of mine, I do respect her chef talents tremendously.  So far, I'm not enjoying her on this show.  

Also I really, really, really do not like the advantage that the 2nd team has when it gets to witness the critiques of the 1st team's food.  Another flaw in the show's setup IMO.

Sorry, @candall -- I thought it was completely lame that the women's team wouldn't name their teammate.  I thought it was playing into the "we're too nice to name our teammate" who definitely deserved to go.  Them's the rules of the competitive game so abide by the rules.  Knives are out in a competition -- I don't blame the guys for saying they wouldn't want to cook with someone weak -- I wouldn't either and I'm a female.

Jess should have been gone with that crudo in Episode 1.  She was weak, weak, weak and her bonkers hair drove me nuts.  Her departing words (while I know she was trying to find a silver lining) were strange IMO -- something to the effect of I'll be a better chef in a month because of this experience.

So impressed with how Omar said if he was going to be relegated to being the prep cook, he was going to do his best to absolutely shine and make the best damn potatoes.  That sure paid off and I was delighted for him.  

Saba was a pretty good leader in some ways, but her call on how to cut the duck was the wrong call. She was panicked for time because the duck did not have time to rest -- I have to believe she would slice the duck every other time but she sure wasn't thinking straight in that moment.

I'm surprised that the self-named pasta queen has been pretty weak with pasta.  She also doesn't say a word which may be her personality or may be her trying to fly under the radar in the face of competition, but it stands out to me and not in a good way.

I don't mind Corey and Preston so far.  When the capos aren't leading, they step up (like Matt this week and Trenica last week).  They just happen to have strong, confident voices -- I don't fault them for that.  So far, I have not seen assholery in either.  

Edited May 1, 2023 by MerBearHou

[lgandkihei]

Let me first say that I've never been on TV, so I actually have no idea what it must be like to have a camera shoved in your face, especially when you're in a competitive situation and trying to think on your feet, but I know I'd hate it. I also suspect from the various things I've read over the years about reality TV that the producers might jiggle, manipulate and/or edit things just a bit in order to make for "interesting" drama. However, so far this show has produced some of the more annoying characters yet, so whether they're being edited that way or they are really just that obnoxious is up for grabs.  

I never could figure out Jess and her strange affect.  Obviously, as soon as they showed her giving her 100% absolute confidence on cooking the duck, you knew it would be an epic fail, but she always seemed rather defeated and low-energy anyway.  I can't say that I'll miss her, but when she fell on her knife and voted herself out, Alex's comments did seem rather over-the-top mean.  

On the other hand, both Cory and Preston are so over-the-top arrogant and super confident that I'm just waiting and hoping to see them crash and burn.  I know that all these shows give us characters we're supposed to love to hate, and maybe they both are just being given the asshat tool edit, but these two are still beyond the pale.  Maybe you are an incredibly talented and inspired chef, but it would be so much nicer if you waited for someone else to say it, rather than mentioning it yourself!  Smug much?

I agree with all who think that this show might have originally be planned for Giada, because I think she'd be a better fit than Alex is.  Giada loves nothing more than interjecting and reeling off her fluent Italian whenever possible, and she'd be fully in her element here!  We also all know that, her personal heritage aside,  Alex is a classical French chef, plus she's already on three other FN shows, plus semi-regular appearances on "The Kitchen" and "Guy's Ranch Kitchen". She shows up on "Beat Bobby Flay" fairly often, too, so I guess that makes six other shows.  Damn!  Over-achiever?  Workaholic?  Greedy?  Whatever.....Anyway, I do like her, but on this show, she seems pretty cranky, and I'm not super happy seeing her that way.  I admit I never heard of Gabe B. before this, but he comes across as kind and friendly.

So far, the jury's still out on this one.  Ok...so who am I kidding?  I'm down for the count, regardless, but only because I'm OCD that way. 

Edited May 2, 2023 by lgandkihei

[MerBearHou]

It's weird -- I really, really don't like the concept of this show plus Alex's crankiness -- but I enjoyed the winery owners and hearing about the wine pairings and the scenery is just gorgeous so I guess that's why I stick with it.  I bet it's a one-and-done kind of show.  Agreed, Gabe is a great counterpart to Alex.

[seacliffsal]

I am really put off by Alex's demeanor and comments.  Maybe she really didn't want to do this show so is extremely grouchy.  I would prefer seeing Bobby Flay as he is more laid back and spent time in Italy perfectly his understanding and skills (I recall him speaking about this a few times on Beat Bobby Flay).  I am really enjoying Gabe.

I like the challenge of pairing the courses with wine (of course, I like pairing anything with wine but that's another issue...).  Most of the contestants seem pleasant to me, but there seems to be a huge disparity in skills amongst them.  And, I think we're learning that just because someone proclaims themselves the Pasta Heiress doesn't mean it's true.

Although I think the "choose lunch or dinner" advantage is unfair, because the teams are continually mixed up/changed at least no one team will continually benefit from it.

I watched this because I did catch Gabe's episode on House Hunters International, so that cross-promotion worked.  However, I would be happier if we were seeing more scenery, etc.

Oh, and I really don't like having the teams vote off each week's loser.  I'm afraid it will become like The Weakest Link in which the players vote off the strongest competitor right before the finale.  Or, Survivor in which they vote off who they think would win at the Final Tribal Council.  So, I guess I don't like shows in which weaker players can get rid of stronger players.

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

Oh, and I really don't like having the teams vote off each week's loser.  I'm afraid it will become like The Weakest Link in which the players vote off the strongest competitor right before the finale.  Or, Survivor in which they vote off who they think would win at the Final Tribal Council.  So, I guess I don't like shows in which weaker players can get rid of stronger players.

1000% agree.  It is totally set up for weaker chefs to vote off stronger chefs because they know they can't beat them.  That's not what these cooking competitions should be about.  So far, they've indeed voted off weak chefs, but it's just a matter of time.  

[Grizzly]

We've seen the women hesitate to vote anyone off. And the guys will want to feed their egos by beating the best. The prize isn't a million dollars. 

[Salacious Kitty]

19 hours ago, candall said:

P.S.  I don't know why this isn't listed in the Competitive Reality section.  They're definitely competing, someone is being eliminated every week, there's a big prize.

 

(Traveling around Italy, having the chance to apprentice with various well-known chefs, is HUGE.)

I put a .of alert on your post, and the forum has been moved to its proper place. 

[buttersister]

Quote

Naturally Alex blew a gasket, just as she had excoriated the woman who'd accepted responsibility for the duck and choked out through her tears that she was the logical evictee.  

STFU, Alex. I stopped watching any show she's a part of, so it's hard to get into this one (cute Italian guy hosts a bunch of cooks at a villa in Italy). It's painfully obvious she wasn't the first choice.

[Lamb18]

I think Antonia would have been a great judge for this show. I would have liked to see her sitting with Gabe and make thoughtful comments about the food instead of mean ones.

[seacliffsal]

1 minute ago, Lamb18 said:

I think Antonia would have been a great judge for this show. I would have liked to see her sitting with Gabe and make thoughtful comments about the food instead of mean ones.

Yes!  This is brilliant-I didn't even think of her but now that you wrote it, it makes so much sense.  And, the whole tone of the show would be more "familia" and joyful.

[candall]

Good call!  I can see Antonia and sunny Gabe lounging on the villa terrace, sipping wine, waiting for the next course.

But if the first choice was Giada, we're not having this discussion because I never tuned in.  I get obsessed with catching Giada scraping a tiny speck of food off her fork with her front teeth before the camera cuts away.

[aghst]

So it’s a departURe To have the worst performer or tHe perceived worst one be eliminated.  At least among competitive reality shows that I’ve watched.

I get the sense that the host/judges were apprised of what the teams were discussing in the kitchen, the friction between chefs and they used that info. To crIticize the dishes.

Like they heard that guy say he was going to make the best out of only preparing mashed potatoes so they said the potatoes were the best part of tHe whole meal.

Or the women disagreeing about overcooking the duck or not slicing it enough so the judges went hard after the duck dish.

 

[Maverick]

 This show is awful.  Half the chefs don't present as capable of handling a Saturday night at Olive Garden.  The big guy with resting bitch face is a total ass.   Alex asks why they're using yogurt in Italy but I'm wondering why they're using French sauces like duxelle and bordelaise.   Alex is grumpier than Andy Griffith in the color seasons and having the contestants rip each other just isn't appealing.  The Italian judge is a decent bit of eye candy but otherwise this show offers nothing good.  Why are we getting this instead of another season of Barbecue Brawl?  Even with Anne being her hyper-competitive bossy self is better tahn this dreck.