Ciao House - General Discussion

[lgandkihei]

Yes, this show is awful.  I sort of didn't realize how important it is to like a contestant (thereby at least semi-rooting for them) until I'm confronted with a group of such totally unlikable people!  The two women are the least offensive to me, but I'm not really thrilled with them, either.

Preston is beyond annoying.  I don't think I've ever once seen him with anything even close to a smile, even in non-stressful times, and he projects such a huge ego and holier-than-thou attitude that I want nothing more than to see him crash and burn.  Maybe he's a great guy, and he's simply being edited to look like a tool, but it's certainly working! 

Cory is every bit as smug, but at least he can conjure up a pleasant face every now and then.  It should be interesting to see him and Preston fight it out next week.

Poor Matt was clueless from the git-go.  If he felt so emasculated by the ladies on his team, maybe he should have stepped up and tried to give orders rather than wuss out and then just bitch about it.  Plus, how can you reach this level of chef-dom and be so clueless about an open fire grill?

Omar was the smart one for breaking out the back muscle spasms, thereby neatly removing himself from the reindeer games!  He seemed rather low-key and normal, so I'm not sure if he was up to being in the middle of the Preston and Cory ego-match to come!

Alex still continues to play the grumpy bad cop role, but it's like she forgets her assigned role halfway through, so she's not consistent.  She tears a dish to shreds and then says, "it was really great.  Good job!"  

Gabe is nice to look at, and he can break out an Italian phrase without making me want to scream, which is always my reaction when Giada does it.

The best thing about the show is that it shouldn't take much longer, and I'm not expecting that it'll return for another season.

[MerBearHou]

Gabe might be a decent antidote to Alex's grumpiness, but it bugs me when he talks back to those offering critiques and says something to the effect of "wow, you're overly harsh".  No, they're not; they're doing what the show asked them to do and point out their opinions on the competitors' food (which I don't like but it's the show).  He only said it to the guys, that I can recall, never to the women.  

Saba did the exact same thing as others have been criticized for -- she took over in the kitchen when Matt was so passive and not-leading.  I get it -- she's strong and a natural leader-type and didn't want her team to lose so she was shown as speaking up firmly and often.  I just don't like the double-standard that others are criticized for taking over for weak leaders, and not a peep about Saba doing so.  

Agreed, Preston never smiles.  I don't mind him, but his seriousness all the time is not my cup of tea IRL.

This show is a mess from the hosts to the cast to the concept.  I'll see it through, I think, but it's Non Bene.

[seacliffsal]

The poor contestants are being jerked in different directions for every challenge.  I feel like they really wanted Matt gone last episode and so made him captain again just to get the chance to eliminate him.  "We couldn't tell if you were a good leader or the rest of your team saved you and won the challenge..."  So what Alex?  Why does it matter?  He was captain and his team won.  But, nooooooo you want him to be captain again, while there are still contestants there who have never been captain.  And Alex, can just stop with her "he chose dinner again so that he can gain an advantage by hearing our critiques..."  Well, yes.  One captain gets the advantage of first pick and the other gets the advantage of choosing which meal (and they are all choosing dinner...).  If you wanted Matt to have the lunch service, then you should have given him first pick.  Had he taken the lunch service Alex would probably criticize him for not being smart and choosing dinner instead of lunch so he could learn from their critiques.  She was never going to be happy with Matt (and I have no idea why).  Now, I'm not a Matt fan, but it just seems like she had it out for him.

And, the captain for next week?  Preston again and Cory.  Why not Sarah "pasta heiress" and the other woman whose name I forget? There doesn't seem to be any consistency in anything the hosts/judges are doing.  In my opinion, nobody should be a captain a second time before everyone else has at least been it once. 

I usually always finish a season/show that I start, but even though this is filmed in Tuscany, I just "can't" with Alex as judge and executioner in this show and so may not make it through the whole season.  Oh, and to add-what happened with some of the contestants who didn't want to choose someone to send home?  Was it only that one person (last week) that they didn't want to send home?  Where was any kind of support for Matt?  

[mlp]

3 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

This show is a mess from the hosts to the cast to the concept. 

I've been taping this but haven't watched yet because of all the negative comments.  At this point, I'm just going to trust everyone's judgment and delete it all without putting myself through the obviously annoying episodes.  Thanks to all of you who have saved me time and aggravation.

[MerBearHou]

2 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

And, the captain for next week?  Preston again and Cory.  Why not Sarah "pasta heiress" and the other woman whose name I forget? There doesn't seem to be any consistency in anything the hosts/judges are doing.  In my opinion, nobody should be a captain a second time before everyone else has at least been it once. 

Agreed.  Like they did to Matt, choosing these two captains to go against each other next week is so obviously a "gotcha" set-up.  Alex is setting one up for failure and I feel sure she's now gunning for Preston.  Not cool to witness this heavy thumb on the decision scale by Alex.

[Leeds]

Some of these chefs seem like they've had no training or have ever bothered to read a cook book or learn about technique.  For example, Trenica, who had apparently never heard of umami, wafts the flaming pan, made a stupid decision with making lasagne, and completely fell apart as a team leader.  And how about it seemingly never having to occurred to half of them that if they were going to Italy for a timed cooking competition they might want to practice some basics, like a couple of pastas (from scratch).

I don't mind grumpy Alex -- these contestants certainly deserve her.  For example, the arrogant team leader who didn't take her advice to do a pasta test.  Even if it turned out okay (can't remember), it's pretty much received wisdom that chefs/cooks should be tasting as they go along.

[buttersister]

7 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Not cool to witness this heavy thumb on the decision scale by Alex.

I've figured out a way to avoid it. 😂

[aghst]

Chefs got in troUble for trying something too different from simple, Italian cuisine?

They wouldn’t get criticized for being unimaginative, basic?

Yeah it seems like how this contest goes is at the whims of the judges, particularly Alex.

Still don’t see see the value of the grand prize which the contestants repeat like some mantra.  Some of these chefs have regular jobs.  Can they even take time off, especially on top of the time they already took to do this show?

Maybe the filming only Lasted a week, because they’re winnowing down the numbers fast, saw two contestants leave this episode, one due to illness.

[lgandkihei]

I just thought of something else that I find mighty strange- - as the contestants are eating their competitors' meal, why are they all sitting on the one side of the table?  That just seems weird to me.

I agree that you'd think that everyone would have brushed up on all-things-Italian, cooking-wise, before blithely entering the villa.  They obviously knew they were heading to Italy, so it would be safe to assume, regardless of what they may have been told about the set-up, that Italian foods and techniques might factor in heavily.  

I also agree that the whole mentorship grand prize strikes me as pretty lame, and i wonder about the mechanics of it all.  While they're training with these "master chefs", are all of their living expenses covered?  How much personal "me time" do they really expect to spend with the mentor?  I guess I'm just mercenary, but I'd much rather have a cash prize!

[seacliffsal]

1 hour ago, lgandkihei said:

I also agree that the whole mentorship grand prize strikes me as pretty lame, and i wonder about the mechanics of it all.  While they're training with these "master chefs", are all of their living expenses covered?  How much personal "me time" do they really expect to spend with the mentor?  I guess I'm just mercenary, but I'd much rather have a cash prize!

I agree with the true value of these "mentorships."  I also wonder if the contestants knew what the prize would be before signing up for this.  I think the competition wasn't really thought out/planned very well and there is a lot of "winging" it.  Maybe someone was like 'wouldn't be cool to have a competition in Tuscany' and didn't worry about the rest of it.

[Maverick]

1 hour ago, lgandkihei said:

I just thought of something else that I find mighty strange- - as the contestants are eating their competitors' meal, why are they all sitting on the one side of the table?  That just seems weird to me.

 Filming purposes.  The camera needs to be on the other side of the table.

[Passing Strange]

On 5/8/2023 at 10:32 AM, lgandkihei said:

Preston is beyond annoying.  I don't think I've ever once seen him with anything even close to a smile

Heh, I looked at his website and wasn't sure I had the right person because the guy in the picture was smiling.

On 5/8/2023 at 1:18 PM, seacliffsal said:

And, the captain for next week?  Preston again and Cory.  Why not Sarah "pasta heiress" and the other woman whose name I forget?

The only people eligible to be captains are those on the winning team, so neither Sarah nor Saba qualified. It could have been Natalia, though, and either Preston or Cory.

I really want them to stop calling the captains "capos." It's not the same thing. There was a reason Don Corleone didn't have capitanos.

14 hours ago, Leeds said:

Some of these chefs seem like they've had no training or have ever bothered to read a cook book or learn about technique.

Very true and kind of odd, since Cory went to the CIA, Matt and Saba have been on Chopped, and Natalia was on Beat Bobby Flay. Yet here they bumble around screwing up dishes of mixed vegetables. It amuses me that they call each other "chef."

43 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

I agree with the true value of these "mentorships."  I also wonder if the contestants knew what the prize would be before signing up for this.

I agree, too, because all we know about the prize is that it's "an immersive culinary education across Italy, training with renowned Italian master chefs." So, really, anything production wants it to be and can scrounge up. In an interview, Jess said, "...we all went in not really knowing what the prize was going to be." I'm thinking we still don't know.

[Leeds]

31 minutes ago, Passing Strange said:

 

I agree, too, because all we know about the prize is that it's "an immersive culinary education across Italy, training with renowned Italian master chefs." So, really, anything production wants it to be and can scrounge up. In an interview, Jess said, "...we all went in not really knowing what the prize was going to be." I'm thinking we still don't know.

I'm pretty convinced it's going to be a few 20-hour days washing dishes at a couple of different restaurants.  The renowned master chefs will "train" them by pointing out the dirty dishes, the sinks, and the drying machines.

[buttersister]

I'm laughing imagining that any of those TV whores think they'll be spending quality time with Massimo Bottura.

Oh, maybe I'm being too harsh? Free trip to Italy and lodging in a Tuscan villa--that's a prize (as long as they didn't have to pay any part of getting there).

[aghst]

I wonder if being on the show or other FN shows helps these chefs in their careers, like if they work at restaurants or helps them get certain jobs.

How do corporations or rich people hire private chefs?  Not on the basis of seeing someone on TV?  Maybe TV exposure makes people aware of them but they probably have to audition, to cook for these employers on at least a trial basis.

So for the show, they amp up the pressure but I guess working in some famous restaurants also brings a lot of pressures, if The Bear, which is coming back for season 2 in early June, is an indication.

There, the main guy faced pressures working at a restaurant in NY and then came home to take over the family business, a relatively modest sandwich place in Chicago, yet it was a pressure cooker there too.

I don't suppose American television would show the kitchen at a trattoria in Italy, a family business, where you'd think it would be a lot more chill?

You get glimpses of it on travel food shows like Searching for Italy, they have the mothers or even grandmothers whipping up something, as if they cook every day at their age for restaurant patrons.

Not to say these places don't get hectic but if they looked in some small towns which aren't popular tourist hotspots, maybe the pace at some neighborhood place is too boring for TV.

 

[Grizzly]

I agree that the premise of this show is confusing. If the prize is being taught Tuscany cooking, why is such a premium being put on leadership? 2 people have been voted out for being poor leaders. But that has nothing to do with how well they cook or learn. If the prize was to run a Tuscan restaurant, then I could understand their focus on the "capo". They put together the show and then needed a criteria for picking a winner.

On the HHI episode, Gabe was looking for a villa with a lot of bedrooms. But it looked like the guys were all in one room when Omar had his back pain. 

[Meowwww]

I’m watching this because I saw the house selection on House Hunters International and I watch a bunch of cooking shows.  
I am not able to differentiate between the chefs like I am on Top Chef or Next Level Chef etc….producers need to do more with character development.  

[Pandora]

On 5/9/2023 at 7:50 PM, Grizzly said:

I agree that the premise of this show is confusing. If the prize is being taught Tuscany cooking, why is such a premium being put on leadership? 2 people have been voted out for being poor leaders. But that has nothing to do with how well they cook or learn. If the prize was to run a Tuscan restaurant, then I could understand their focus on the "capo". They put together the show and then needed a criteria for picking a winner.

They cast a lot of private chefs too, not people who are actively working in a kitchen with other people. Although they probably took what they could get, people who have a regular job aren’t likely available to hang out in Tuscany for extended periods of time. 

[Grizzly]

Not going to miss Corey. Do you blame him for insisting on the farrow or blame the women for not talking him out of what they knew was a bad idea? He was the capo so I guess you have to let him go down with the ship. He votes for Sarah and then expects her to vote for whom? I wonder who the judges would have sent home.

[Jodithgrace]

What really annoyed me was that the title of the episode, “A Bridge too Farro,” gave away the ending. As soon as Corey insisted on making farro, I knew his team would lose. Why would they do that? Just another example of how poorly planned this show is. 
 

How unfair was it to have a team of two compete against a team of three with the same time and same five appetizers? No wonder the two person team threw some cheese on toast and dolloped on some jam. Plus, by sending only the Capos to the cheese place, each capo had to introduce the 5 cheeses to the rest of the team before they could even think up dishes. 
 

This show just feels like they’re making it up on the fly. 
 

 

[Cheezwiz]

Not sure why I keep watching this show - I think mainly for the lovely scenery & shots of the villa.

The concept of the show is completely off - we want to see the best cooks win, not Survivor Florence. If there were contestants I could root for, I wouldn't be hate watching, but they all fall into two camps: either passive and afraid to take charge, or overconfident controlling asshats. None of them seem very competent in the kitchen.

I agree with other posters above that the show creators probably just made shit up on the fly and and didn't have a clear concept of what they were doing.

Gabe is a pleasant co-host and makes the judging sessions a little more bearable. I didn't realize Alex's background was in French cooking rather than Italian. I have mostly seen her on other competitive shows such as Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay, and haven't minded her on those, as her feedback has been balanced and constructive. On this show, she's just awful - not merely mean, but a bitch on wheels.  I feel like she's not critiquing the food, but rather taking enjoyment out of making the contestants feel small. It's very unpleasant to watch.

I think there are only two more eps to go, so I guess I'll finish it out, but I think this is a one and done series. Not great.

[KayVeeTeeVee]

7 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Not going to miss Corey. Do you blame him for insisting on the farrow or blame the women for not talking him out of what they knew was a bad idea? He was the capo so I guess you have to let him go down with the ship. He votes for Sarah and then expects her to vote for whom? I wonder who the judges would have sent home.

Bye, bye, Cory.  Please don't ever apply for another of the Food Network show.  Your overconfidence (arrogance) was not pleasant to watch.  And yes, you deserved to go home.  I'm pretty certain that Alex and Gabe said early on that the bites should be able to be eaten with one hand, not a fork.

[Ellee]

I know what everyone is saying regarding Cory but I liked him. Instead of arrogance or overconfidence I feel like it was more determination.  I have more of a problem with one of the women — don’t know her name. 
 

[Pandora]

As others have pointed out, Alex has been rather salty. But I had to laugh when she drifted into the kitchen and said “you only have two minutes and I’m here to stress you out about it!” Then walked out. I guess if you’re going to be the villain, be transparent.

 

There was no reason to only take the capos to taste the cheese, except to add to the general asshattery of the show. And I agree with everyone that they’re just making it up as they go. 

[aghst]

It feels rushed.

and the time to choose and execute the dishes seem like an artificial constraint.   It’s not broadcasting in real time so why just an hour or 45 minutes?

do they have such short time constraints on other cooking competition shows?

I guess they think viewers want to see them get stressed out?  The one woman was thirsty for the one male capo.  Maybe the stress is an aphrodisiac, especially if they win.

surprised they don’t show the contestants socializing and hooking up.

 

[buttersister]

3 hours ago, Pandora said:

But I had to laugh when she drifted into the kitchen and said “you only have two minutes and I’m here to stress you out about it!

Next week, does she twirl her mustache? 

[Salacious Kitty]

1 minute ago, buttersister said:

Next week, does she twirl her mustache? 

Even better, from the promo it looks lime she will announce a double elimination. Take THAT! 

[Ms Lark]

5 hours ago, aghst said:

do they have such short time constraints on other cooking competition shows?

Yes. And it's something that is consistently complained about across the board. The "Seasonal" Baking Competitions are the worst, with little twists thrown in at the last minute to muck things up even more.

While I'm enjoying the Tuscan scenery and all, this competition is the worst! I especially hate the lunch/dinner choice with the waiting team getting to watch everything going on and critiquing the food of the currently cooking team. Not really sporting!

[Cheezwiz]

19 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

I especially hate the lunch/dinner choice with the waiting team getting to watch everything going on and critiquing the food of the currently cooking team. Not really sporting!

The opposing teams being able to critique one another is so unbelievably dumb to me. As if they're going to be impartial - everyone nitpicks and criticizes the opposing team's dishes as much as they can - there is absolutely no point to it.

Was really glad to see Cory go. He was among the asshattiest of the asshats. Pride goeth before a fall and all that.

 

[Passing Strange]

I thought I would be happier to see Cory go than I was. Many times contestants will twirl their mustaches and vow to vote out their toughest competitors. When it comes right down to it, though, they usually don't. Not Saba and Sarah. Boom, off with his head! At least Saba owned it. I wanted to smack crying Sarah. I hate when shows make the contestants do the judges' job.

The show promised education from local artisans. They show up, but Alex and Gabe do most of the talking. I want to hear from the real experts. We get enough of grouchy Alex and her sidekick already.

This show would have been much better if they'd leaned into the premise and skipped the gimmicks. Have talented contestants, reasonable judges, real demonstrations from locals, and dump the format of teams, lunch or dinner, and, especially, the cooks judging each other. I mean, I'd probably still find something to bitch about, but at least the show would make sense.

Edited May 21, 2023 by Passing Strange

[seacliffsal]

Corey doesn't seem to be well liked by posters, but I thought he was okay.  I also thought he was one of the better chefs.  As I feared, having the contestants vote off each other they are eliminating some of the better chefs in order to compete against the weaker ones.  Saba (?) even admitted it.  So, Sarah gets through, but a chef who was told to be 'capo,' who had to choose cheeses without knowing the challenge, and who was one of the stronger chefs, gets eliminated.  

Alex seemed especially mean this episode.  I wonder if the producers told her to be highly critical.  If so, they missed one of the whole points of being in Tuscany-the relaxing environment in which the food and wine enrich one's life and experiences.

[Jodithgrace]

Ugh…once again Sarah, the pasta expert, fails at pasta. At least she is finally gone, though she took arguably the best chef with her. 
 

Why, given all the cuts of wild boar that need time to cook and tenderize, did they give the chefs ONE hour…to make 4 dishes? Of course they all ground it, and cooked the tenderloin. There was no time to do anything else! It’s not like these people have anything else to do! Do Alex and Gabe have hot dates later? So annoying!

Saba seems like the obvious winner, here. She dominated her partner, despite all her BS about great leadership. She asked what’s her name if she should add harissa to the kofta, and was told to add pepperoncini instead, which makes no sense, so she added harissa. Lol. 
 

How is kofta any less Tuscan than chicken fried steak? It’s at least Mediterranean! Chicken fried steak isn’t even from the same continent! 
 

That was a good tip about the  green beans, however, blanching them before roasting to keep them hydrated. So this show hasn’t been entirely useless. 
 

Only one more week. Saba for the win! 

 

[MerBearHou]

I tuned out permanently after the first 5 minutes when the teams were sort of chosen — of course, Preston would get stuck with the vocal fry, not-pasta-queen.  I will not return for the finale.  The worst concept Food Network has ever had.  It will be a hollow victory for whoever “wins”.

[buttersister]

I hate Alex.

Also, Food Network, for taking the bones of what could be a watchable show and wasting the hell out of Tuscany, a villa, Italian food and my time (well, not much of that, it's not like I'm sitting and watching this hot mess irt).

Sure, Saba can win. Whatever. 

[KayVeeTeeVee]

6 hours ago, buttersister said:

I hate Alex.

Also, Food Network, for taking the bones of what could be a watchable show and wasting the hell out of Tuscany, a villa, Italian food and my time (well, not much of that, it's not like I'm sitting and watching this hot mess irt).

Sure, Saba can win. Whatever. 

After the show, I was channel surfing and landed, for a moment, in the middle of a Beat Bobby Flay show.  The first two contestants had just presented their dishes to the hosts, who chose the man on the left to go against Flay.  The loser of the preheat looked SO familiar, but I couldn't place her.  I pressed the Info button on my clicker and guess who it was?  Natalia!  She didn't even make it past the first round to challenge Flay.

[lgandkihei]

When Preston got the ax, I applauded so loud I woke up my dogs.  They turned sleepy eyes towards me, I apologized for disturbing them and explained that dickhead Preston was gone, and they just put their heads back down and dozed off again.  They're right- - - this show is a snoozefest.  I don't think I've ever come across a group of people I cared less about, because even if I didn't actively loathe them (Cory and Preston), I was simply indifferent and/or bored (pretty much everyone else.)

The arrogance of Preston!  I'm no big fan of Sarah, but how dare he decree that she's not worthy of being called "chef."  What makes him the be all/end all of cheffery? He's been putting her down since day one, so the fact that he got paired with her and basically lost because of her lousy pasta was just too lovely to watch!  Karma, anyone?

Now, I suppose Saba will win, but I'd prefer Natalia, if only because she doesn't come off as smug and smarmy.  Actually, I'd be just as happy if a meteor suddenly swooped down and wiped out the whole villa beforehand.  Oh, all right, so Gabe could be spared!  

Unless it goes through a massive overhaul, I fell pretty confident that this show will never rear its ugly little head again!

[Gramto6]

7 minutes ago, lgandkihei said:

The arrogance of Preston!  I'm no big fan of Sarah, but how dare he decree that she's not worthy of being called "chef."  What makes him the be all/end all of cheffery? He's been putting her down since day one, so the fact that he got paired with her and basically lost because of her lousy pasta was just too lovely to watch!  Karma, anyone?

Unless it goes through a massive overhaul, I fell pretty confident that this show will never rear its ugly little head again!

I can guarantee that no matter who the winner is, I won't waste my time watching another season of this mess!

Edited May 22, 2023 by Gramto6

[Pandora]

3 hours ago, lgandkihei said:

 I don't think I've ever come across a group of people I cared less about, because even if I didn't actively loathe them (Cory and Preston), I was simply indifferent and/or bored (pretty much everyone else.)

(snip)

 Actually, I'd be just as happy if a meteor suddenly swooped down and wiped out the whole villa beforehand.  Oh, all right, so Gabe could be spared!  

We’ve hardly seen cheftestants interacting beyond the challenges, and only brief (usually snarky) talking heads. 

After the double elimination everyone was hugging and I thought I heard something about visiting in Texas. So some people have obviously bonded, we’ve seen nothing of that, or anything else that would make us care about this group. Total edit fail. 
 

Everything about this series feels rushed, unplanned, and half-assed, I’m not surprised the editing is like that too. 

[seacliffsal]

Well, Saba has been strategizing this whole time to get out the stronger chefs (because the teams, not the judges, determined who would be eliminated).  The fact that Sarah lasted this long not only shows the effects of the horrible decision to let the teams determine who goes home, but pretty much guaranteed that whichever "capo" ended up with her on their team would be the loser and the losing team.  She knew her dough wasn't right but went ahead with it anyway.

This could have been such a good show, but lack of planning really showed.  I'm sure that Saba will start showing up on more Food Network shows.  And, although I never really minded her before, I don't like Alex as a result of her stint on this show, so will try to avoid any show in which she is the main 'star.'  I'll probably still see her on the shows in which she comes to judge.

[Gramto6]

I somehow get a feeling that Alex was somehow forced into doing this show. She so obviously really hated being there. I watch her on Supermarket Stakeout, Alex vs America, and The Kitchen (though I don't always watch The Kitchen because I dislike Sonny). She seems very personable and nice on those shows and in her judging on other shows. She just for some reason didn't like Ciao-House. Maybe because it was so disorganized and just plain poorly done.

[Jodithgrace]

Okay…once again, the episode description gives away major spoilers for the next (last?) episode. I won’t tell you anything, in case you care. The suspense is somehow failing to kill me. 

[tinderbox]

Saba thinks she’s got this competition in the bag.  I do, too.  Ugh!  She bothers me.  That said, I’m hoping there some sort of twist in the next (final?) episode to change things up and we get an unexpected winner.  I can dream, right? 😉

Edited May 23, 2023 by tinderbox

[aghst]

I'd be curious to taste some of these dishes, especially the ones they criticized.

They sound good but they come up with what sounds like well-expressed criticisms.

This show is just as much about criticizing as it is about cooking.

But would the food be good and the ones picking them apart are doing it for the purposes of the show (the judges) or for the game (the contestants on the other team)?

It might be like people who come up with florid language to describe wine, sounds good on the surface but it's just over-verbalized patter to mediate how people perceive wines, just as priests mediate how people perceive god.

When the chefs are talking to each other about which dishes they want to do and why they want to do it, all that language has to be scripted, isn't off the cuff.

I suspect they in fact have more time to at least plan the meal and come up with reasons for their choices.  Then at least they let them iterate through sentences and come up with the lines for the talking heads.

Also the judges reactions, they make them look spontaneous but I suspect they script these takes on the dishes as well and do as many takes as they deem necessary to make it seem like these nuggets of culinary wisdom just flow out of their mouths.

[Grizzly]

My favorite part was when one contestant was being highly critical at judging and Alex turns to the camera and mouths "Wow".

[Ellee]

14 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

Okay…once again, the episode description gives away major spoilers for the next (last?) episode. I won’t tell you anything, in case you care. The suspense is somehow failing to kill me. 

Ummm … I don’t really care either but I like spoilers. Can you post the info with a spoiler tag?

[seacliffsal]

1 hour ago, Grizzly said:

My favorite part was when one contestant was being highly critical at judging and Alex turns to the camera and mouths "Wow".

And yet the judges and the show format encourages the contestants criticize each other.  Don't act all innocent about their comments Alex when you helped create the environment in which they are competing.

[Jodithgrace]

 

Spoiler

The two remaining chefs’ finale plans are foiled when some former contestants are invited back for one last chance at redemption. 

 

[Rye]

4 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

 

  Reveal spoiler

The two remaining chefs’ finale plans are foiled when some former contestants are invited back for one last chance at redemption. 

 

Spoiler

Soooo…. There was no point to any of this. Cool. Cool. 

 

[seacliffsal]

I wonder if Food Network wants another Italian show/star and so are banking that the "winner" of this show with the grand "prize" of touring Italy and meeting Italian chefs would be enough to 'qualify' the "winner" as an expert at Italian cuisine and thus host a show with that focus.

[Gramto6]

In the preview, they bring back a bunch of the chefs that have been eliminated to "assist" the two finalists.  So did they all get to stay there in Tuscany while the show went on? Not a bad perk. Of course the whole show could have been taped in probably 2 weeks or less. But still to get to hang there is pretty cool.