The Shows of 2015: More Indecipherable Seasonings

[mlp]

I was very glad to see daddy's little princess and lobster torturer chopped first.  I didn't care much for the guy chopped second either.  He was not a good sport.  I wanted Stan to win.  I liked him and his comments about his family and his cause.  I thought Angie was too arrogant for someone with limited credentials.  I didn't really dislike her but I liked Stan better.  Also, I think "dessert was too sweet" is a suspect criticism.

[iscoffy]

Did I hallucinate Scott saying to Stan that he wanted to kiss him, kick him to the ground and make love to him?  And Alex telling him to get it together?  I fully admit to only halfway paying attention to this show, and maybe even less with this uninspired grill masters version, but...

[GaT]

That was a surprise, I did not expect Angie to win. Makes you wonder when in a grill competition the winner is the only one who isn't an experienced grilling competitor.

[cooksdelight]

I think it was Scott who said that because Angie is used to working in the fast-paced environment of a restaurant kitchen, she had the advantage of being able to put a cohesive plate together quickly. The grillers are used to slooooooow cooking their meals. I thought the whole series was a laugh, but in the end, the laugh was on Ted & Co. when someone who's never been in a competition, not known as a grill master, comes in and kicks butt and takes names.

[Totale]

I was barely avoiding noddng off when I thought I saw an ad for Teen Tournament next. Great, I don't watch KidTV so I guess I'm out for a while.  Do they do this for interminable weeks like they just did with this grilling disaster?

[cooksdelight]

Yes, 5 weeks of teens.

[nitrofishblue]

Yes, 5 weeks of teens.

OH Cr**, just what I didn't want. Guess I will wait five weeks before watching again. I never liked previous "teen" based shows.

[Totale]

Yes, 5 weeks of teens.

 

See you in September!

[cooksdelight]

It doesn't start until the 25th, so you have a little while to find something else to watch.

[Matryoshka]

Did I hallucinate Scott saying to Stan that he wanted to kiss him, kick him to the ground and make love to him?  And Alex telling him to get it together?  I fully admit to only halfway paying attention to this show, and maybe even less with this uninspired grill masters version, but...

Nope, you totally heard right.

[Bella]

OH Cr**, just what I didn't want. Guess I will wait five weeks before watching again. I never liked previous "teen" based shows.

 

I'm starting to dislike this show's little tournaments. And I'm not a big fan of the Chopped teen tournaments.

[cooksdelight]

**This is a public service announcment to alert you that the lovely Emmanuel our French hunk is presently on Camp Cutthroat... RIGHT NOW!**

Back to your regularly scheduled discussion....

[SpottedCoachDog]

**This is a public service announcment to alert you that the lovely Emmanuel our French hunk is presently on Camp Cutthroat... RIGHT NOW!**

Back to your regularly scheduled discussion....

Blindfolded. Merci!

Edited August 13, 2015 by SpottedCoachDog

[backformore]

No crying on Chopped!   Please- stop the crying!   It's food, yummy food, weird food, under-seasoned food, whatever.  FOOD!  Nothing to cry about. 

[Bella]

Only the judges get to cry.

 

"You didn't know what to do so you pureed the ingredient to the consistency of baby food?? No!" cue crying. Etc.

[Annetteboardman]

Just watched the "Rock Stars" episode (8/18).  The only thing I really enjoyed was the guy from "Twisted Sister" saying he tasted lots of food but couldn't eat much because he needed to fit into really tight pants.  That was funny and revealing.  The other revealing moment was the one woman saying she was trying to win for a charity that dealt with alienation of non-custodial parents in divorces. And she said that she hadn't seen her kids for three years, implying it was because of the ex.  That was kinda icky, and TMI for a generally fun show.  And the food looked blah -- I wish they had shown some creativity in the first course, for example, instead of every single one seeing tortillas and making tacos. 

My general response to this episode is "can't wait for the upcoming kids tournament" and that is never a good sign.

 

[Gbb]

Did Aaron Sanchez actually say that if Lita Ford served up her panties on a plate it would be okay with him??

I'd like to see that judging session...

[HappyDancex2]

The comments seemed a bit forced but it still was nice to have different people others than "heroes" so to speak. Watching Lita put a spoonful of jam and a splash of champagne in a gargantuan pot of boiling water was HEE LARIIOUSSSSSSS.

I told the DH that tomorrow I'm going to take sliced tomatoes and slather it with jam. Enjoy!

[cooksdelight]

I didn't see anything on any plate that I wanted to taste.

[HappyDancex2]

For real! All that food looked really horrible. And I had to chuckle over Alex's awkward shirt and wonky makeup.

[Rammchick]

My chortle was the "German liquor", which they named Kräuterlikör (notice the appropriate rock and roll umlauts, which makes that word sound like "kroiter", which is proper). Of course, the stuff is really Jägermeister ;) I want one of those chef coats!

Edited August 19, 2015 by Rammchick

[xaxat]

I felt bad for the judges when they had to eat that plate of jam. Even though he had the kid gloves on, Chris looked like he was in shock after eating that.

[cooksdelight]

I want one of those chef coats also. That was the only highlight for me.

[ramble]

Did I hallucinate Scott saying to Stan that he wanted to kiss him, kick him to the ground and make love to him?

That served my Scott crushing heart well & woke up a boring series of shows.

The rockers episode was so-so for me. I enjoyed the final two cooks, but was completely underwhelmed by the first two. The food didn't look outstanding but I thought Kelly & Dwezel seemed to have knowledge at least. Runaway talking about parental alienation & not seeing her kids for years felt inappropriate for this show.

[backformore]

      The Rock episode was strange. The judges were treating these "rockers'  with a combination of idol worship and condescension. 

 

 For the appetizer round, we want you awesome gods of rock and roll  to take the chicken meat off the bones, mix jam and champagne into a sauce, put both those elements on these tortillas .  HORRAY!  You followed the directions!  You guys ROCK!    Zesting that lemon JUST like a grown-up chef would do!  talented in music AND in the kitchen!

 

And that comment Aaron made about underwear?  I can't even respond.  I think he meant that he would eat anything she cooked, but it ended up sounding like he wanted her panties.  On a plate.   

[Hero]

Did Aaron say that grating lemon is a chef move? Uh, okay.

Whenever they have celebrities on the show, the judges always act so weird and let them off the hook for everything.

[Totale]

I guess there are no more real chefs in the world.  Or line cooks.  Or caterers.  Or even lunch ladies.

[Fostersmom]

The other revealing moment was the one woman saying she was trying to win for a charity that dealt with alienation of non-custodial parents in divorces. And she said that she hadn't seen her kids for three years, implying it was because of the ex.  That was kinda icky, and TMI for a generally fun show.  

 

Not to mention, I highly doubt that did anything but further alienate her from her kids. I'd think this would further piss off the ex and just embarrass her kids that she put it all out there on TV. 

[rab01]

Not to mention, I highly doubt that did anything but further alienate her from her kids. I'd think this would further piss off the ex and just embarrass her kids that she put it all out there on TV. 

I know the family of someone who went on chopped and boy were they pissed at her chosen version of a sob story.

[Crucial]

      The Rock episode was strange. The judges were treating these "rockers'  with a combination of idol worship and condescension. 

 

 For the appetizer round, we want you awesome gods of rock and roll  to take the chicken meat off the bones, mix jam and champagne into a sauce, put both those elements on these tortillas .  HORRAY!  You followed the directions!  You guys ROCK!    Zesting that lemon JUST like a grown-up chef would do!  talented in music AND in the kitchen!

 

And that comment Aaron made about underwear?  I can't even respond.  I think he meant that he would eat anything she cooked, but it ended up sounding like he wanted her panties.  On a plate.   

 

I thought so too.  I was thinking that if they were not rockers they'd be shown all the flaws with out the "You Rock" part. 

 

And I don't care for any of that talk of parent alienation when only one parent is there to talk.  It's her charity but still, it's her view of her not seeing her kids for the last 3 years.  Here's where I am confuse.  Lita is older than me and I am 50 so aren't her kids adults now who can contact her?  I didn't understand her saying she didn't see them the last 3 years. There cannot be a custody that they can't see her now? Good for her charity if it helps those who are truly being wronged.

 

Anyway the rocker I thought was the best won and not the sob story.

[LiveenLetLive]

I was curious about Lita Ford and her "children" as well--she is 56, married their father in 1994 so at the very least the sons are teenagers now. From Wiki--

 

 

In a February 2011 radio interview, Ford acknowledged that she and Gillette were divorcing.[21] The family were in negotiations for a reality TV show, tentatively titled "The Gillettes: An Extreme American Family" on TLC. The couple's impending divorce ended any plans for the television show. In a March 2011, interview on the Classic Rock Revisited website, Ford claimed that she had taken a business trip to Los Angeles to discuss the reality show with TLC executives, and returned home to find her husband and sons not speaking to her. She also claimed that her sons physically attacked her, encouraged by Gillette, after which she decided to divorce him.[22] In 2013, Ford referred to her ex-husband as a "control freak" and commented that Gillette had turned the children against her because she had taken a trip to speak to TLC executives about the impending reality television show deal. She stated that because she had taken control of the show, Gillette turned the couple's children against her, threatening that Ford was going to do harm to the children.[23] Due to this, Ford has become an advocate for the awareness of Parental alienation.

 

[backformore]

and part of the "other side"  is here:   http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/wtf/lita_fords_son_accuses_her_of_child_abuse.html

From Lita's son's perspective.

My Dad always taught me, 'if you don't have anything nice to say don't say it.' Well unfortunately my mother has left me no choice with her latest crazy allegations against my father (including kidnapping) and recent attempts to start a nation-wide amber alert type search for my brother and me.

"We have not been kidnapped. We live with our dad and have every right to. Thankfully we never have to see our mother again and we have the legal paperwork to prove it. By the way, I'm 18 and can live wherever I want, with whoever I want, and I choose to live with my dad. How ridiculous would it be for my mother to put out an amber alert on me even though I'm a legal adult.

"Obviously our mother has a lot of problems. Five years ago a court appointed doctor told my brother and me that our mother was mentally ill. This came as no surprise to either of us.

"Unfortunately my mother has never accepted any responsibility for her actions and continues to blame anyone and everyone all while publicly playing the victim.

"Our mother is a child abuser. She was violent, threatening, and tried to make my brother and me hate our dad. Her attempts at parental alienation were constant and never ending. When we didn't agree with her she would become livid and out of control. We told child services, the sheriffs department, and many court appointed professionals that our mother was crazy, violent, and we were afraid she would someday kill us in a fit of rage.

"We were with our dad when he was served divorce papers. We made him promise to do everything he could so we never had to see our mother again. He kept his promise and for that we are forever grateful.

 

[cooksdelight]

Did the producers of Chopped not do a little background checking on these people? They are famous...there are stories online and in print about them....???

[xaxat]

Did the producers of Chopped not do a little background checking on these people? They are famous...there are stories online and in print about them....???

 

This is the network that gave us Jag and Lenny. So I think the answer might be no.

 

And even if they did, I'm not sure they care. They showed a chef getting fired during her "This is who I am." intro clip, got a chef to talk about replacing his sister's teeth and goaded a chef into talking about her estrangement from her family because she was gay when it really looked like she didn't want to discuss it.

 

(unReal has made me such a cynic when it comes to "reality" TV. Thanks for the recommendation.)

[Fostersmom]

Holy shit, she's really nuts, isn't she. I clicked on the link, not only is there more from her son, including her calling her kids gay slurs, there's a screen shot of her Facebook group. An Amber Alert? That reads like a woman who has lost touch with reality. This is really just pathetic. How many ways can she find to publicly embarrass her kids? 

 

FN should really be ashamed of themselves. It was bad enough when they wouldn't bother to fully vet the adult contestants, but now they've let kids to be dragged in to their mess. Yes, the son speaking out is 18, but the other one is still a minor, and even at 18, you are basically still a kid. 

[Psychobunny]

Glad to see I'm not the only one uncomfortable about the parental alienation thing.

This was so clearly a runaway (or not!-sorry) win by the Foreigner guy who seemed like the only one who knew anything about cooking.  He seemed to have about the same skill level as I do ( ie, sear the meat then put into the oven, reduce the juices for sauce).

That said, the first round was pathetic.  I'm no chef but it only took me a few seconds to come up with what I would have done other than make a taco (salad with shredded chicken meat and fried tortilla strips for crunch with a raspberry (jam) and champagne vinaigrette, probably add some walnuts and some fruit or cheese).

[MajorWoody]

I enjoyed this episode for one reason: Dweezil Zappa.

I have tix to see him with his band, Zappa Plays Zappa in a few weeks. The last tIme I saw him down here, he hung out after the show to talk to fans, and was very down to earth, and thanked those of us that stayed. I had the pleasure of seeing his dad several times in the 70's, and have enjoyed the music. For growing up in what most of us would consider weird circumstances, Dweezil is very grounded and a decent person. He also seemed to be a decent cook, and never pushed a sob story on us. He also has a bit part in The Running Man ( with Arnold Schwarzenegger), which I just saw the other night. Funny how he keeps popping up on my screen right before I see him in concert.

As to Ford, she is a train wreck, and her version of events regarding her kids is at odds with the facts in her case. I also thought she was in her late 60's based on her looks, and was surprised to find out she is only 56.

The dude who won, in my opinion, is not a real rock star. If I heard correctly, he has been with Foreigner as the vocalist only since 2005, and apparently has no connection to their glory days.

The Twisted Sister guy seemed like the best cook, but the jam was his downfall.

Edited August 25, 2015 by MajorWoody

[ZoqFotPik]

 

They showed a chef getting fired during her "This is who I am." intro clip

What episode was this? I generally fast forward past that part.

[nitrofishblue]

Are you all ready for the teen cooks tonight? To be honest I am not really thrilled about the show. I will DVR it and watch something else. Then I can decide if I want to watch it.

[xaxat]

What episode was this? I generally fast forward past that part.

 

 

It was a couple of years ago. They were filming a chef outside on a NY street corner (I assume it was in front of her restaurant.) She was talking about her career and was interrupted by a phone call during taping. The crew kept rolling and from her responses you could tell that someone at the restaurant was telling her that they had locked the doors and she should not return. She really seemed to be in shock at hearing the news.

 

I felt really bad for her. Not just for the firing part, but also because it was going to be so public.

[Rammchick]

New Chopped shows coming our way:  http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/CHOPPED-IMPOSSIBLE-and-CHOPPED-JUNIOR-Heading-to-Food-Network-20150915

[xaxat]

A show with Robert Irvine and one with kids? No thanks.

Edited September 17, 2015 by xaxat

[Totale]

No, I'm totally down for Chopped Jr. if it will take all the kiddies (and everyone who can't legally drink for that matter) permanently off the main franchise, so I can safely ignore it like I do Masterchef Jr. and the Ray/Guy with kids shows.

[nitrofishblue]

New Chopped shows coming our way:  http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/CHOPPED-IMPOSSIBLE-and-CHOPPED-JUNIOR-Heading-to-Food-Network-20150915

I sorta like the Robert Irvine show UNTIL the part where the winner has to try and beat him. Why oh why is FoodNetwork turning all their shows into some sort of Cutthroat kitchen. I avoid that show like the plague and am hating this new direction. I personally can't tolerate any show with Guy F. and that host of Cutthroat kitchen (sorry for some reason right now I can't recall his name).

 

They just need to spend a little dough and update the Chopped Kitchen. I find the background to be very dark and dreary. One thing I like about Chopped Canada is that it is bright and uplifting. All of the appliances appear to be very new and up-to-date. The stove tops are bigger than the ones on Chopped. I also think they could upgrade the prize. It has been $10,000 from the get go (how many years ago??) That value doesn't go as far today as it did in the beginning especially after the tax man cometh. I laugh my ass off when a contestant says he/she will take the entire family on a world cruise to experience all the different foods. Don't think that what is left of the prize money will get them out of New York.

 

I think making the contestants pay their way plus room is an insult to the contestants. They want to plead they are poor and really need they money but they just paid their way from wherever to New York. I am assuming that they had help in paying for the plane fare and hotel stay.

[cooksdelight]

I am assuming that they had help in paying for the plane fare and hotel stay.

 

No, FN is notoriously cheap, this show is no exception. Everyone pays their own expenses to get there to compete. And all they get is that gray jacket if they lose.

[nitrofishblue]

No, FN is notoriously cheap, this show is no exception. Everyone pays their own expenses to get there to compete. And all they get is that gray jacket if they lose.

Darn, I didn't word that right. I actually meant to say that they got help from family/friends to get the funds to travel to New York.

[Rammchick]

I'm with you guys. Personally, I can't stand Robert Irvine. A lying liar who lies. And kids? Not so much. The Fierrification of the Food Network is complete. Ugh.

[blackwing]

Are these "Chopped After Dark" shows new?  I saw two episodes that aired on Tuesday.  Rotating panels of three judges take on three baskets that proved problematic on past shows.  

 

It felt a little rushed having three baskets in 30 minutes, but I really enjoyed these shows.  They were really funny.  It gave the judges a chance to show that they aren't just these sourpuss people that always criticise and complain about everything.  I've never particularly cared for Alex Guarnaschelli (ever since her "move it" comment during her first attempt on Next Iron Chef), Scott Conant, or Aaarown Sanchez, or Chris Santos, or Marc Murphy, but they were all funny and good spirited.  Maneet as always was really cool, as was Amanda Freitag.

[mlp]

Chopped After Hours has existed for some time.  I'd guess a couple years now.  Until recently it was a web series on the FN site only.  They must have figured out that it's quite entertaining and decided to replace a few reruns of DD&D.  I just love it.  Ted and the chefs all have a good time with it so it's fun to watch.  Amanda in particular is a hoot.

[GaT]

So glad that one chef got eliminated 2nd, I would have preferred him being eliminated 1st, but I'll take 2nd. He was a pretentious asshole.