Ciao House - General Discussion

[Pandora]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

My recollection is that the HHI episode featured more shots of the villa than the entire season of Ciao House.

I don't recall them ever showing the bedrooms, which were rather nice IIRC on the HHI episode.

Instead they showed landscape shots of Tuscany and city shots of Florence.  The villa was near Florence but I think they even showed shots of Val d'Orcia, which is about an hour south.

I wonder if they were cooking every day or they had some time of their own.  They might want to shoot as often as possible so that they don't pay the camera and production crew over a longer stretch of days.  But maybe before or after the shooting schedule they had some time.

Or maybe once they got eliminated, those other chefs were chilling in other parts of the villa or going sightseeing or just hanging out by the pool so that is why they didn't show those different parts of the villa.

I think they showed the bedrooms once, when the baby-purée guy had his back problem and had to leave. But yeah, otherwise, not one shot that I can recall. What a waste of money and resources.
 

I’m thinking they probably did the landscape and Florence shots pre- or post production, when they had more time but didn’t have access to the expensive villa. Which after the House Hunters lead-in, seemed like a natural star of the show.

Honestly looking back at the whole show I can’t figure out what was actually on screen for an hour per show. We saw almost no background of the cheftestants, little of their interaction outside of the game, and little of the villa interior. I guess that leaves the actual cooking along with Alex and said cheftestants tasting food and snarking.
 

It may sound weird but they focused too much on the cooking imo. Especially since the dishes were usually substandard. I’d would’ve liked to see more interactions outside the kitchen, maybe I would have cared about the cheftestants. And more nonnas and local food producers! Those people were awesome!
 

I agree with everybody else, this show could have been great but they really missed the mark. What a shame. It was great to hate-watch, though.

[seacliffsal]

I was one of the viewers who watched this show specifically because of the HHI episode and so was disappointed they didn't show more of the villa.  I think that even in the HHI episode they said the kitchen was really lacking for a competitive kitchen but that they would make appropriate changes to the kitchen to accommodate the contestants-and it didn't seem like they did.  Just a mess of a show.

[40Love]

7 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

  Just a mess of a show.

Perfect description! I hated the whole Survivor/Big Brother vibe of the show. Everything was so arbitrary: "Oh, we're going to do something a little different..." Their shenanigans sometimes unfairly tilted the scale in favor of one team or the other . Ugh! 

The whole capo (sp?) idea was stupid to me. Just let them make their own dishes. 

It's a cooking show... but sure let's allow the weaker chefs to move forward with a little scheming and strategy., rather than skill 

Personally, I didn't care for either of Preston or Cory, but  they shouldn't have been kicked off like they were. 

Natalie's win came out of the blue. But, I'm happy Saba didn't win. She came off as really unlikable. 

 

[candall]

I liked Saba very much.  She was a competent professional.  I thought she was every bit as talented as the Alpha Boys, but she was immediately reduced to sous chef status along with all the other women.

The judging was so manufactured and arbitrary.  They could easily have channeled Saba into the "Superior" stream the same way they did Cory and Preston, with all that capo bullshit.  They just chose not to.

[Passing Strange]

This show had great promise and ended up being a big disappointment. It was criminal not to showcase the natural beauty of the region, the bounty of fresh ingredients, the local experts, and the historic villa. Then there was the ridiculous format that forced people to cook in teams, giving one team the advantage of extra planning time plus the ability to taste and critique their competitors' food. I read an interview in which Natalia said the contestants had been told no one would be eliminated until the end. They only found out the final format when they got to Tuscany. And we never got any details about the prize, like where the winner would travel and what would happen while she was there. Posters here were right, production was making this up as they went along. What a waste of a terrific concept.

7 hours ago, candall said:

The judging was so manufactured and arbitrary.  They could easily have channeled Saba into the "Superior" stream the same way they did Cory and Preston, with all that capo bullshit.  They just chose not to.

I agree about the favoritism toward the Alpha Boys. There have been times when I thought the decision of cooking contest judges didn't jibe with their critiques, but I've never suspected judges of flat out lying. That changed with this show. I think there were times when Alex and Gabe really wanted to do a Gordon Ramsey style spit. Instead they had to pick through an awful dish to find something, anything, good to say just so a favorite would advance. 

[Gramto6]

The only way this show could have been at all fair would have been if only the judges tasted the food at presentation and it was a "blind" tasting. Then after judging they could all have a communal meal with all chefs tasting all the food together. Though that may have been a problem as we don't know the real time-line between cooks/tastes and judgements. But couldn't they have re done any food that didn't hold over?

IDK, something better/fairer could have been done judgement wise...

[seacliffsal]

10 hours ago, candall said:

I liked Saba very much.  She was a competent professional.  I thought she was every bit as talented as the Alpha Boys, but she was immediately reduced to sous chef status along with all the other women.

The judging was so manufactured and arbitrary.  They could easily have channeled Saba into the "Superior" stream the same way they did Cory and Preston, with all that capo bullshit.  They just chose not to.

This so much-the judges kept putting the men in as the 'capos' more often than the women thus putting them in charge of the teams and relegating the others to sous chefs/line cooks.  They did put some of the women in as 'capos' but tapped the men twice (didn't Matt have to do back to back?) with some of them not being a 'capo' at all.  It also put the 'capos' in the spotlight more for elimination the way it was structured.  

[Pine]

Goodness, another watcher due to House Hunters International. 

First time ever watching Food Network, CiaoCiao may be a first and last for me.  What a mess.

[lavenderblue]

First time posting in this thread but I hate-watched the whole season as it happened. It felt obvious with the redemption cookoff that they wanted Preston and Corey for that finale; after that round, it was even more weirdly clear that they really wanted it to be Corey for some reason. I couldn't stand Preston, but based on the critiques his dish seemed to be the only one they really couldn't fault, and it entirely showcased the zucchini. To overlook Corey's flaw (focusing too much on pasta), they could have equally done the same with the cherry tomato garnish or the missing fried eggplant.

So Corey winning out in the head to head, after more arbitrary critiques -- Preston after all could only cook cabbage in the limited time he was given, and Corey's dish once again didn't really focus on his ingredient that well -- made me fear they had plans for his ultimate triumph. The final outcome was confusing from that perspective, unless they're trying to groom him to be a personality which.....good luck with that.

I would also like to note that chef expert superior Corey pronounced bain-marie as "BAYNE-marie."

Anyway, this show was a disaster. Either woman winning would've been okay but my investment was purely "who has annoyed me less than others this season."

 

[buttersister]

Happy First Sunday with no Ciao House for the rest of time!😹

[Westiepeach]

I just read they are filming season 2.

[Salacious Kitty]

7 minutes ago, Westiepeach said:

I just read they are filming season 2.

You're kidding. Don't the FN execs look at more than how many people DVRed this? No way this should have been greenlighted for another season. 

[Gramto6]

7 minutes ago, Westiepeach said:

I just read they are filming season 2.

Oh no!  Please spare us!  I won't be watching if it is anything like the first season!

[MerBearHou]

19 minutes ago, Westiepeach said:

I just read they are filming season 2.

That sure sounds like competitor-to-the-max Alex G refusing to admit that this show and its concept were a sh*tshow.  She has so much sway with the network that they capitulated to a season two.  Only thing I can figure…

Edited June 11, 2023 by MerBearHou

[aghst]

Well season 1 may have taken place over a couple of weeks, depending on how often they shot.

So maybe they planned to shoot at least a couple of seasons over however long they leased that villa.

[buttersister]

It's Food Network. Went off the rails some time ago.

[Soapy Goddess]

Hopefully, now that season one is over...and maybe they know how much it sucked, they've seen the error of their ways and make some much needed changes.  Alex, if you want to be a judge, then judge!  Don't ask the cheftestants to judge themselves. That never works well towards your ultimate goal/plan.

[Gramto6]

Yeah, the whole "Big Brother" style theme of the show has really got to go! Either the judges judge and eliminate a contestant weekly like the baking shows, or the "cheftestants" all stay and learn and accrue points then the highest at the end are the finalists.

Something different has to be done!

[seacliffsal]

And get a kitchen that works for the number of contestants in the show!

[eclectcmoi]

Yep... for better or for worse, it's been renewed.

 Ciao House Renewed for Season 2

[Gramto6]

20 minutes ago, eclectcmoi said:

Yep... for better or for worse, it's been renewed.

 Ciao House Renewed for Season 2

Well, it sounds like the same format etc..  I won't be watching that is for sure!

Edited June 13, 2023 by Gramto6

[MerBearHou]

Ciao House appears a couple of times on the “worst” options for voting in the PrimeTimer Awards.  It got my vote every time.

[seacliffsal]

If they're keeping the same format, then I hope that all of the contestants are of similar ability levels so there won't be the focused elimination of who is perceived to be stronger cooks.  The Pasta Heiress stayed way too long so that they could vote out tougher competition.

[Cheezwiz]

I am stunned this got renewed. They seriously need to re-vamp the whole concept of the show. As others above have mentioned, either make it like the baking shows, where one contestant is eliminated weekly, or School of Chocolate where everyone stays, but there are finalists at the end. They should NOT be doing the Big Brother thing.They also need a more talented pool of contestants that the audience can care about and root for.

 I really don't want to see Alex back on this series either. I haven't minded her on other cooking shows, but she was an absolute bitch on wheels during this one. Total turn-off.

See y'all in Season 2 for a group hate-watch, I guess! If nothing else I enjoyed the funny commentary from everyone on here.

 

[Gramto6]

Sadly, I have a feeling that Season 2 is already in the can. Probably filmed back to back with Season 1. I can't believe FN would hold on to that estate for more than several months at most. So most likely the same format was followed...ugh!

Not sure I can force myself to actually. watch, but I will be reading the snark here for sure!

[chessiegal]

It wouldn't surprise me if they filmed 2 seasons in a month. How many episodes were there?

[lgandkihei]

Add me to the list of those who think that season two was done back to back with season one.  Logistically, since they rented the villa and had to set up all the assorted technical equipment and such, it makes sense.  Otherwise, I really don't think they'd go through it all over again for what had to be piss-poor ratings.

We can only just hope that the batch of contestants they rounded up for take two weren't nearly as annoying as the first ones. 

And yes, I'm pathetic, but I suppose I'll watch.  Bitching all the while, mind you....😏

[buttersister]

+1 to the double season filming (trying to recall how long Gabe rented the villa for on HHI). So the bad news is they had no viewer feedback and HGTV execs have no taste. I expect the same Alex. Gabe thinking he's hit it big. Random cooks hired for drama. Will not be watching, barely watched any of season 1--anything I did see was awful and made me feel like I was wasting my time. And that's saying something because I watch a lot of TV. But not as much as I did before I discovered YT videos. 😃

[chessiegal]

10 hours ago, buttersister said:

(trying to recall how long Gabe rented the villa for on HHI).

I don't think they said specifically, just that their budget was $50-100K per month. So, once they rented it, they had it for a minimum of 1 month.

[kirklandia]

I just saw a preview. Really did not believe it would come back. Ugh.

[Gramto6]

Yeah, I had high hopes we'd never see another season of this show! Not going to be a regular watcher. I will check in on the first episode and if it is the same as before that will be it for me!! I'll read here what those that do watch have to say.

[Salacious Kitty]

Hopefully they've made some MAJOR changes to the format. 

[Gramto6]

13 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Hopefully they've made some MAJOR changes to the format. 

That would have been my hope, but, if in fact the seasons were filmed back to back due to costs, I don't see much chance of that. My hope would be that they waited a bit at least, to see how the show was received before going with the same format again.

[aghst]

Variety article above says production will begin later this year.

That could mean post production or pre production for all we know.

Or that they've shot the footage or will shoot the footage.

Sounds like the earliest this new season will appear is later this year but maybe more likely next year.

It could also be that they only decided to renew recently or they planned on having a second season for a long time but for whatever reason decided to announce now.

[Salacious Kitty]

It's coming back May 16. 

[chessiegal]

2 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

It's coming back May 16. 

That means the Season is in the can. They probably shot it when they finished Season 1. If they are using the same house, that should tell us. IIRC, they rented the house for a monthly rate.

[Salacious Kitty]

Just now, chessiegal said:

That means the Season is in the can. They probably shot it when they finished Season 1. If they are using the same house, that should tell us. IIRC, they rented the house for a monthly rate.

I read somewhere that they're in a different region of Italy. So obviously, different house. 

[chessiegal]

From the FN website.

Quote

Alex and Gabe are leaving the rolling hills of Tuscany behind and traveling to the seaside region of Puglia for Season 2! This year 12 up-and-coming chefs will live in and compete in a stunning villa in Lecce for a chance to win an immersive culinary education across Italy.

Lots of info on Season 2 from the FN site.

[Salacious Kitty]

Great. It says the team will eliminate one of their own. That's what failed last season. 

[kirklandia]

Well, I'm sorry they didn't show the search for the new villa on House Hunters International. That was my favorite part of the original season.

Edited May 1 by kirklandia

[aghst]

Awesome news.

So maybe the hosts filmed this at least months after the first season.  Maybe even after the first season aired.

Puglia is also beautiful.  Lecce is called the Florence of the South.

But they really didn't do a great job of showing off Florence or Tuscany in season 1.

Puglia has a lot of coastline, depending on where they are, so maybe more with seafood.

Season 1 aired from mid April to early June last year.

I'm not that big on the game aspects, though I guess they're all vying for a prize,  a year to study cooking in Italy.

But the game aspect of it wasn't that thrilling.  Especially the way they judged seemed suspicious IIRC.

I wonder if the season 1 winner got much out of it.  I don't even recall the contestants right now.

[Cheezwiz]

I wonder if Alex is going to be as unhappy and cranky for the 2nd go round. I haven't minded her on other food shows, but she was really miserable on this one, and one of (many) things that really turned me off.

I also hate that they've kept the format of teams eliminating their own members - it just turns the show into a silly Big-Brother style popularity contest rather than a show about who has talent for preparing food.

I might give the first episode or two a look, but if it's as grating as the first one, I'll just come here and read everyone's brilliantly snarky commentary!

 

[Salacious Kitty]

Premiere is 5/19, not 5/16 as I originally stated. FN is promoting it pretty heavily.

[aghst]

18 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Premiere is 5/19, not 5/16 as I originally stated. FN is promoting it pretty heavily.

I don't watch FN other than CH was the first thing I ever watched there.

But this is on the home page of their website right now, at the top.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/next-baking-master-paris

Actually sounds interesting too.  I may give it a shot.  Not a big pastry or baked goods eater but I would imagine fancy baked foods make for good food porn.

Maybe it will have good scenery porn too.

 

Meanwhile they also have this on CH:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/ciao-house/photos/meet-the-chefs-ciao-house-season-2

 

 

[kirklandia]

I guess Food Network is trying to prepare us for the return of Ciao House.  I just  watched last week's episode of Chopped, the first of five in a "Battle Italiano" tournament.  Immediately spotted a familiar face on the judges panel – Gabriele Bertaccini.  Oh, and Alex Guarnaschelli.

[chessiegal]

At least Alex is smiling in the promos. Her negative attitude in the first season was off-putting. Hopefully they've let her drop the 'tude.

[Grizzly]

On 5/1/2024 at 4:20 PM, kirklandia said:

Well, I'm sorry they didn't show the search for the new villa on House Hunters International. That was my favorite part of the original season.

My guide is showing a House Hunters International ep looking for the new villa on Sunday, May 12 at 10 pm EDT. 

[aghst]

So Gabe was on HHI again, looking for the new villa for season 2.

Here's my post on it from the HHI thread.

 

[mlp]

I didn't watch the first season but I did follow all the comments - which didn't really encourage me to start watching.  :)  I can't decide if I want to give season 2 a chance or not.

[seacliffsal]

I watched the HHI episode in which Gabe 'found' the house.  He is quite charming and was so enthusiastic about the region, the house, and all of the people with whom he interacted.

However, if this season continues with Alex's dour demeanor and the contestants voting off the strongest chefs to eliminate their competition (why are the judges even there if they're not going to do the elimination [yes, I know they chose the winning/losing teams but it really ends up being meaningless when the teams do the actual eliminating]), this season will be as frustrating as the previous season.

This show should really be an enjoyable treat (they're in Italy!), but the formatting takes away a lot of the joy.  Why, FN, why???