Season 3: Get Your Spoons!

[Kromm]

Returns December 4 2014, with the same judging panel as Season 2 (Ludo, Nigella, Marcus, and Anthony).

[JTMacc99]

I will tune in, because that's what I do, but I'll probably lose interest again.

 

Here's to hoping they figure out how to make the contestants interesting this year.  I already think the judges are interesting, which I suppose is why I watch this at all, but the format has yet to make me care about which person wins.

[backgroundnoise]

I see the name of this episode (Dec 4) is Auditions & Childhood.  I'm okay with the Auditions part, but childhood?  Yuck.  Sounds like sob story time. 

 

I'm betting that Lauren from Chopped shows up.  Any takers?

Edited December 3, 2014 by backgroundnoise

[cooksdelight]

If Lauren appears with her smirky smile, I may have to sic my dog onto the TV.

I do hope Nigella does a better job of picking her team this year. And lets them do their own thing. She has proven to prefer the home cooks or private chefs, then makes them cook her own ideas.

[GaT]

I do hope Nigella does a better job of picking her team this year. And lets them do their own thing. She has proven to prefer the home cooks or private chefs, then makes them cook her own ideas.

And that is why not only does she lose, but she gets knocked out way before anybody else. I just don't see her changing her micromanaging ways this year.

[MarkHB]

Premiere description:

The home cooks and professional chefs compete in a childhood-inspired challenge; a competitor is sent home; guest judge Stephanie Izard.

[Kromm]

I've no problem with Stephanie Izard.  They could do MUCH worse pulling from the Top Chef alums.

As for the "childhood" theme, Stephanie herself seems to be alluding to it, because she Facebooked: "goat team hijacked my baby pics to celebrate judging #TheTaste #childhood airing this Thursday on ABC"

 

[leighdear]

I enjoy the show for the most part, but I simply cannot stand Ludo.  I have to mute my TV every time he's blathering on & on & on about whatever.  I do love Anthony & Marcus.  Nigella is kinda meh to me. 

[MarkHB]

Wow, Nigella turned cold real fast! "Are you winking at Ludo while I'm talking?"

ETA: note to self, don't post based on the last line before a break.

[leighdear]

Renee from The Bachelor!  Very cool, she was one of the most genuine & likable contestants.  Every Bachelor fan was happy she wasn't chosen by Juan Pablo!  *LOL*

 

Her meatballs sounded delish. 

 

If I was Nigella, I would have been pissed for real about that chick winking at Ludo.  He's disgusting to me.

[ae2]

Wait... is the kitchen directly behind the judges? Where they can easily see who is cooking and what they're cooking?

[katycat74]

Amused to see Chef Joe from Big Brother as a contestant.

 

Poor Nigella...seemingly none of the cooks who have any choice in mentors choose her.

[Wouldofshouldof]

Where have we seen Joe before (I missed the beginning, so sorry if it was mentioned).  I think he's been on chopped or cutthroat kitchen or something.  Sorry to see Renee go - I like her.

Ah, Katycat - that's where!

[katycat74]

Actually I think Joe was on Chopped as well.  He seems to be making the rounds lately, lol

[Chrissytd]

Joe was also on the Thanksgiving episode of Cutthroat Kitchen a couple of weeks ago. Renee (tonight's eliminated chef) was a contestant on The Bachelor.

Edited December 5, 2014 by Chrissytd

[Writing Wrongs]

Nigella shouldn't even bother participating. Her teams always suck.

 

Ludo is such an ass. I wouldn't want to be on his team.

[MarkHB]

I really liked Renee on The Bachelor.  I"m glad she's found happiness at home, at least.

 

And thanks for following up on where we had seen Joe before!  We were trying to place him....

[mjc570]

I don't understand Nigella at all.  The mac and cheese was a great choice, but why did she have to pick the fried ball version?  The others must have been really bad.

[mlp]

I was hoping that the PTB would get rid of Nigella and bring in practically anyone else so I was disappointed to see her again.  Then I saw the credits and remembered that she's one of the producers.  I guess I'm stuck with her.  It was pretty obvious that none of the cooks actively chose her.  They must have watched the show last season.  I am nastily happy that most of the people I didn't like during their intros ended up on her team. 

 

I actually like Ludo.  I'm counting on him to take that sports writer who thinks she's so hot down a peg.

[MarkHB]

I don't know if we'll need a separate thread for cheftestants (conTasteants?), but here's a story on Jen Royle, the aforementioned sports reporter.

[Maverick]

Joe was on Big Brother and Cutthroat Kitchen. Tone Southern chef who didn't cook anything was Chopped. The guy with the beard all 4 chefs wanted was on some other reality cooking show i can't place. One of the othernguys was on Guy's Grocery Games and won. I think i recognized one or two other contestants. The recycling is strong this season.

[NikSac]

Man... I really wanted to like this show again but based on tonight's episode, no thank you. I don't really want to see any of them again. I hope it improves before I delete it to even record.

[GaT]

So Nigella is staying true to form & is already on the downward spiral. Interesting that this year they didn't show all the contestants being picked, they went from nobody having a complete team to everybody but Nigella having a complete team. Of course she was the last one to get 4 people, she's everybody's last choice.

 

I hate Ludo, please don't let him win three years in a row.

[MarkHB]

Brian Malarkey actually won the first season.

[cooksdelight]

Yes, Brian and Khristianne, a wonderful chef with a loyal following of clients/customers.

[candall]

This is my favorite cooking show--I just love the concept of blind judging the damn food.  Cutthroat is ridiculous, Food Star barely bothers with the food anymore, even Chopped is frequently Backstory Central.  On Top Chef, either skill or storyline will get you pretty far.

 

It was interesting when the judges met the candidates and exhibited some regret about their decisions--sorry, firefighter, but thank you for your service--or tried to conceal their dismay when the chosen candidate looked like trouble.  Winky woman:  yikes!

 

Poor Nigella, securing that last place spot right off the bat.  At least she didn't pick her whole team this year based on "Hmm, this kind of sucks, I suspect a home cook, my people!  I say YES!"

[backgroundnoise]

I thought the pacing of showing us the auditions was odd--lots of time spent on several people then zipping through a bunch.

 

No certifiable asshats in the group as yet, IMO.  They seem like a pretty talented bunch, so we'll see.

 

They could have cut out the judge's trying to sell themselves as to why they should be picked after the second time.  They just kept saying variations on the same stuff.  I bet everyone going into the audition already had a favorite they'd like to work with and were unlikely to change their mind.

 

Nigella did seem to be less micromanagey than last year.  Although she started off saying, "Make my mac-and-cheese", she really did let them develop their own versions (unlike the fish and chips).  I thought the fried ball looked delicious.  It probably was, but it seemed like very strong showings from all four.

[Totale]

I don't know if we'll need a separate thread for cheftestants (conTasteants?), but here's a story on Jen Royle, the aforementioned sports reporter.

From the article:

"For her dish, Jen made Chicken Pot Pie “Cupcakes” — tiny individual chicken pot pies that could be eaten in one bite. I roasted an entire chicken, used fresh carrots, thyme, rosemary. I did it legit but it was scary, scary, scary.”

 

It was long and my eyes blurred on occasion, but I thought she made the broken clam chowder without pancetta, and bitched herself out for forgetting it.

 

I'm not sure I heard right, but I thought "their own food show" was touted as one of the prizes, which one would assume must be produced by the same team.  If so, then voila it's not "all about the Taste" anymore.  Not that they cast any real trolls, but would they have anyway?

 

If they're going to do a two-hour audition show with sourpusses like Ludo and Bourdain I want to see more deflated egos, spitting up of food, tears and rejected contestant heartache.  I don't give a shit about your life at the firehouse or ballpark.

[cooksdelight]

Chicken pot pies in a muffin tin have been done for a long time. Thanks to Pillsbry, I've been making them for years. :)

[ae2]

The pacing was all screwy. It was as if the producers started out all gung ho, giving us sob stories right off the bat and full tastings. They gave us the requisite clowns failing the auditions. Then they got bored or realized they had less time and rushed through the rest of them.

 

I was really hoping the guy who didn't actually cook anything would make it through, just to put into doubt all their culinary experience and judging abilities. Which is why it would never have been allowed to air if he did.

 

One thing that bugs me a bit about their set (beyond the fact that it looks like the kitchen is right in view of the judges) is the placement of the "reveal your decision" buttons. The Yes/No are hidden under the desk, makes sense. But when the contestant is in front of them and the decision is revealed they have to again reach awkwardly under the desk to hit the reveal button. To the audience it looks like they're hitting the yes/no button again, which is probably why they have to say every 30 seconds "we locked in our votes before we saw the contestant." Why not just put that button on top of the judging station?

 

I also love this show for the simulacrum of blind tasting it gives us. 

Edited December 5, 2014 by ae2

[NikSac]

Does anyone happen to know how the filming/scheduling works for this show?  I always wonder if there's some advantage for the contestants to present their bites fairly early, because even though each taste is a fairly small bite, those judges have got to be stuffed by the time they get to, say, the 25th bite if it's all taped in one day. I was also wondering what happened to the contestants who were supposed to go after the last person picked, too... once all the teams are full, are any remaining contenders pretty much out of luck?

[zxy556575]

I was really hoping the guy who didn't actually cook anything would make it through, just to put into doubt all their culinary experience and judging abilities.

 

I mean ... sigh. The producers must do extensive interviews and probably have the contestants cook for them during preliminary casting. So why let this guy through? Solely so the judges can get in some zingers at his expense. He's an adult who freely chose to participate and all, but if he's really a culinary instructor, this is his livelihood and reputation at stake. For the producers to deliberately schedule a parade of patsies is pretty low. Since the two co-executive producers are Bourdain and Lawson, it makes me think less of them. (Although I already find Bourdain's smug self-satisfaction to be fairly repugnant.)

[Wings]

I love this show and adore Tony.  I have loved him for years.  Since he is not a chef he falls short on the mentoring as we saw again last night.  His suggestion to do tomato/Sunday sauce was not good and he would have lost a team member had Nigela chosen another bite.  Fried ball of mac and cheese, no, just no.  Last season Tony failed when he told his team to do a pasta bite in a vegetarian spoon challenge.  Really poor choice. 

 

Nigela should be replaced.  I would like to see Amanda Freitag there, for one. 

 

Sure Ludo is an arrogant ass but I like him there in the mix.  Makes things interesting, he entertains me.  

 

The last ones to present are definitely at a huge disadvantage and I assume they choose those with less desirable offerings last intentionally.  They would never leave a skilled chef for last.  Tony has 2 of my favorites, I hope they speak up if he chooses a lame food to make for the first challenge again. 

[Canada]

I'm pissed that Renee had to go home when it was Jersey Girl who made the crappy bite.  But obviously Nigella couldn't send her professional home.  Poor Renee was cannon fodder.  Now I dislike Nigella even more and I can't wait to see her certain annihilation in the competition.  I wonder if she'll set a record this year for how quickly she loses all her team members.

[Zahdii]

Poor Nigella.  She figured out how to market herself and sell cookbooks, but she obviously craves legitimacy on a grander scale.  Trouble is, she can't hack it, and she can't admit it.  I wonder if her team members are offered hazard pay to deal with her.  And even if it wasn't shown, I wonder if anyone opted out of the competition rather than join her team.

[Wings]

Nigella is probably doing harm to her reputation and cookbook sales being on this show.  

 

She made the correct decision in letting Renee go.  She is the least experienced and it made sense to me even though I would have liked to have seen more of her.  Nigella's fault her team lost.  What a lousy choice.  This was about the taste of childhood.  Only recently have we been seeing food fried that usually isn't, including candy bars, butter and pizza.  Childhood, no matter what your age, is comfort food. 

 

But she saved Tony's ass!  Good move Nigella.  :>)

[Rapunzel]

I've watched all of the seasons of this show, and every year I find myself kind of on the fence about it. I like it better than some of the other newer cooking competition shows that have started to air (especially that dreadful Food Fighters or whatever that mess of show that Adam Richman was hosting was called) and I like the idea of the blind tasting, but something about the way that they judge the main challenge each episode (we didn't see one of those this week because of the auditions) has always bugged me a bit. What bothers me about it is that all the cooks are standing with their teams right behind the judges when they are tasting and discussing the food made for the challenge. The judges have their backs to them, but I still find it hard to believe that the judges can’t hear them talking with their other teammates when their dish comes out and how nervous they are or being surprised by this or that comment or whatever. Why aren't they watching on a monitor back stage or something? The judges are backstage while the cooking is going on for the main challenge,  so why not keep the contestants back there for the judging? Also, as the competition goes on there is no way they can’t identify who cooked many of the dishes that they taste, which means that the Mentors may be inclined to vote for their own team members to keep them around the longest to have the best shot at winning.

 

I'm totally shocked that Nigella's team lost (/sarcasm). Did anyone that had a choice of teams to be on actually pick her? I don't remember seeing one choose her over one of the other Mentors. Anyone want to start placing bets on how fast she goes out this year? She went out quicker last season than she did in season 1 so maybe she'll set a new record this season.

 

She again somehow ended up with an all female team (I think the only time she had a male on her team was last season who I think was a cake designer for a living?), which, we all know there are a lot of great female chefs and female home cooks out there, but Nigella hasn't seemed to learn from past seasons and really tends to lean towards the same types of dishes and somehow, even though the tasting is blind, she ends up with largely the same team year after year. At least this season she started with 2 pros and 2 home cooks.

 

I think Nigella has had a couple of fairly strong female home cooks on her team in seasons past unfortunately her "mentoring style" really isn't conducive to letting them shine and be successful. Her micromanaging and her shoehorning them into not just a specific dish but a specific dish done her way and her way only really limits them. Part of cooking is supposed to be about creativity and self-expression – Nigella has not allowed her teams to do that the past two seasons and it has really hurt her and anyone who ends up on her team. She seemed a bit more flexible with this mac and cheese dish, so maybe she's learned a bit that her mentoring style was one of the big reasons she had trouble being successful and helping her team to be successful.

 

I would have loved to have seen someone other than Nigella as a mentor this year. I agree that Amanda Frietag would be a good choice but I'd also love to see Elizabeth Faulkner or maybe even Maneet Chauhan or any number of other great female chefs over Nigella. I’m getting to the point where I'd even rather have an all male panel than to keep her around.

 

Nigella proclaimed herself this episode as an “Extreme Home Cook,” (extremely delusional, perhaps) and then later said that she “cooks professionally" in her own home. What exactly does that mean? I do actually own a couple of her cookbooks and the recipes that I’ve tried have been good (I never follow them to the letter and allow myself more freedom with them than she allows anyone on her team) but she’s shown that her pallet is really awful on this show. She frequently confuses ingredients - ones that are not easy to confuse and that the other Mentors don't seem to have difficulty with - and she is just horrible at picking a team which is based on what dishes she selects (granted, as I mentioned earlier, no one seemed to want to work with her when they had a choice to work with another Mentor, so this made it more difficult for her but she was the last one to complete her team and she could have held out for a really spectacular dish as no one could have stolen that person from her). As has been mentioned, both seasons she’s been the first one out – and she was out long before any of the other Mentors were. I've started to lose some of my respect for her and her food/cooking knowledge. She's also shown a bit of off-putting behavior on the show. Last season she was lounging on the chaise backstage while the contestants were cooking and proclaimed that she was like a “Roman Goddess” while sipping champagne - it was a bit much.

 

The other mentors don't bug me quite as much, though Ludo can be an asshat at times. I was getting real tired of him telling every contestant that had a choice to be on his team or one of the others that he would definitely make them win the competition if they picked his team.

 

I hope this season is interesting and it isn't quite as obvious who the winner or final few will be. I also hope they have some really interesting and difficult challenges and some really good guest judges. I loved Stephanie Izard on Top Chef so I was glad to see her as guest judge on this episode and I'm glad that she seems to be doing well and that her restaurant is successful.

Edited December 7, 2014 by Rapunzel

[cooksdelight]

I'd love for Nigella to have someone who totally does their own thing, her suggestions be damned. And they go on to do well. It might wake her up to the fact that her track record as a mentor leaves a lot to be desired. I love her to death, but this isn't her forte, in my opinion.

[Totale]

Nigella isn't going to be replaced because a) she's a producer and b) although it apparently didn't go swimmingly they've done one season in the UK already, will probably try again, and need someone who can live there for at least a couple of months at a time without this being a total disruption.

[Snarklepuss]

I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out how the person with the worst bite didn't go home.  Or what's the purpose of having a blind taste testing in the first place?  I think the person who goes home should also be only based on the food, not on who is their favorite or who they think has more/less potential.  Despite the blind taste tests this show often neglects to send home the most deserving person, when who that is should be obvious.

[Kromm]

Nigella makes the same mistakes every season, doesn't she?

Nigella isn't going to be replaced because a) she's a producer and b) although it apparently didn't go swimmingly they've done one season in the UK already, will probably try again, and need someone who can live there for at least a couple of months at a time without this being a total disruption.

Also, the audience doesn't care if she loses like clockwork.  She's interesting to the audience (in part because of how she looks, in part because she's British, and in part even because of her tabloid presence over the past few years), and that matters more than her success level in the contest.

[Kromm]

She again somehow ended up with an all female team (I think the only time she had a male on her team was last season who I think was a cake designer for a living?), which, we all know there are a lot of great female chefs and female home cooks out there, but Nigella hasn't seemed to learn from past seasons and really tends to lean towards the same types of dishes and somehow, even though the tasting is blind, she ends up with largely the same team year after year. At least this season she started with 2 pros and 2 home cooks.

To be fair, it's not like she didn't TRY for men. A.) Because they don't know people's genders ahead of time and B.) because it's the men who were ducking choosing her and not the other way around. Actually, as we clearly saw she lost every single time there was a choice between her and anybody else, and while I honestly don't think the show cares that happens (or that she's going anywhere if the show continues), it kind of makes her like whichever interchangeable female coach The Voice drags in each season--the person who only gets contestants when nobody else wanted them.

[GaT]

Actually, as we clearly saw she lost every single time there was a choice between her and anybody else

I doubt it's going to get any better next season. Why would anyone pick her knowing that she always gets knocked out first?

[Wings]

I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out how the person with the worst bite didn't go home.  Or what's the purpose of having a blind taste testing in the first place?  I think the person who goes home should also be only based on the food, not on who is their favorite or who they think has more/less potential.  Despite the blind taste tests this show often neglects to send home the most deserving person, when who that is should be obvious.

 

Renee went home, she had the worst bite.  There wasn't time in the episode to do the second part of the competition because the auditions took up half the show.  Usually 2 go home each week.  

To be fair, it's not like she didn't TRY for men. A.) Because they don't know people's genders ahead of time and B.) because it's the men who were ducking choosing her and not the other way around. Actually, as we clearly saw she lost every single time there was a choice between her and anybody else, and while I honestly don't think the show cares that happens (or that she's going anywhere if the show continues), it kind of makes her like whichever interchangeable female coach The Voice drags in each season--the person who only gets contestants when nobody else wanted them.

 

 

I think there  are women chefs out there that could stand up to the boys easily.

[cooksdelight]

Someone clever needs to come up with a snarky nickname for Nigella, just for this show. Typhoid Mary type of thing, only food-related.

[Snarklepuss]

Renee went home, she had the worst bite.  There wasn't time in the episode to do the second part of the competition because the auditions took up half the show.  Usually 2 go home each week. 

 

I thought the girl from New Jersey had the worst bite as chosen by Stephanie Izard.  Nigella chose to send Renee home for her own reasons.  Unless I fell asleep and remembered it wrong.

Someone clever needs to come up with a snarky nickname for Nigella, just for this show. Typhoid Mary type of thing, only food-related.

 

I am not clever, but how about Salmonella Sue?  Salmonigella?  LOL

 

Also, what a bogus challenge the childhood theme was.  Clearly none of Tony's people grew up with Italian Sunday gravy.  They had the deer in the headlights look while Tony waxed nostalgic.  At least he grew up in Jersey and probably had Italian American friends so he probably has a past with that meal.  Some of those people looked like the closest thing to that meal they've ever come was at an Olive Garden.  A million Italian grandmas rolled over in their graves on that one.  At least if they were going to be challenged to cook something from childhood, it should be THEIR childhood.

Edited December 8, 2014 by Snarklepuss

[Wings]

I thought the girl from New Jersey had the worst bite as chosen by Stephanie Izard.  Nigella chose to send Renee home for her own reasons.  Unless I fell asleep and remembered it wrong.

 

I am not clever, but how about Salmonella Sue?  Salmonigella?  LOL

 

Also, what a bogus challenge the childhood theme was.  Clearly none of Tony's people grew up with Italian Sunday gravy.  They had the deer in the headlights look while Tony waxed nostalgic.  At least he grew up in Jersey and probably had Italian American friends so he probably has a past with that meal.  Some of those people looked like the closest thing to that meal they've ever come was at an Olive Garden.  A million Italian grandmas rolled over in their graves on that one.  At least if they were going to be challenged to cook something from childhood, it should be THEIR childhood.

 

 

Yes, I had a lapse there.  Renee went but not for her bite. 

 

I had the same thought about Sunday gravy.  My mother never cooked Italian food and certainly not a memory of mine. He should have asked each one what their favorite dish was and then choose one.  They all have to make the same dish decided by the mentor.   Since the mentors have to cook what they want their team to make, it limits Tony. 

Edited December 8, 2014 by wings707

[ae2]

I mean ... sigh. The producers must do extensive interviews and probably have the contestants cook for them during preliminary casting. So why let this guy through? Solely so the judges can get in some zingers at his expense. He's an adult who freely chose to participate and all, but if he's really a culinary instructor, this is his livelihood and reputation at stake. For the producers to deliberately schedule a parade of patsies is pretty low. Since the two co-executive producers are Bourdain and Lawson, it makes me think less of them. (Although I already find Bourdain's smug self-satisfaction to be fairly repugnant.)

 

It seems that every reality show that plays auditions feels it necessary to include some that crash and burn majestically. With singing competitions, these are incredibly popular because, well, who doesn't like making themselves feel a little better by watching other people flounder? We know they prescreen the auditions, because there's no way the show judges watch every single performer from across the country try out for their show. But with cooking shows... it doesn't have the same effect and just feels like a waste of time.

[Wings]

I mean ... sigh. The producers must do extensive interviews and probably have the contestants cook for them during preliminary casting. So why let this guy through? Solely so the judges can get in some zingers at his expense. He's an adult who freely chose to participate and all, but if he's really a culinary instructor, this is his livelihood and reputation at stake. For the producers to deliberately schedule a parade of patsies is pretty low. Since the two co-executive producers are Bourdain and Lawson, it makes me think less of them. (Although I already find Bourdain's smug self-satisfaction to be fairly repugnant.)

 

 

I could not figure that out either.  I suppose they have to toss in some people for the entertainment factor but this was pretty lame.  

[Totale]

I doubt it's going to get any better next season. Why would anyone pick her knowing that she always gets knocked out first?

 

I might.  It's been a while, she might be into the rebound...

 

  At least if they were going to be challenged to cook something from childhood, it should be THEIR childhood.

 

This to the word.  If the point is supposed to be these are the best cooks, let them cook.