cooksdelight February 7, 2015 Share February 7, 2015 I think this show sort of sounds like The Taste Lite. 2 Link to comment
Maverick February 9, 2015 Share February 9, 2015 10 cooks? How's that going to work for 4 mentors? The wasn't the most impressive show last year (when it was called America's Best Cook) but it was a damn bit better than Kitchen Casino and Kitchen Inferno. And at least this show is giving away 50 grand instead of some stupid golden whisk or a years supply of Ding Dongs. I almost thought FN had quit giving out cash prizes. 2 Link to comment
cooksdelight February 26, 2015 Share February 26, 2015 Here's a sneak peek: http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/all-star-academy.html?soc=asaadbuysocialfb Link to comment
cooksdelight March 1, 2015 Share March 1, 2015 This show premieres at 9 pm tomorrow night. Link to comment
Snarklepuss March 1, 2015 Share March 1, 2015 I've seen the promos. Something about this show seems familiar from the Food Network but I forget from where. Link to comment
cooksdelight March 1, 2015 Share March 1, 2015 They had a similar show where they had teams of four each, and they tried to turn them into world-class cooks overnight. It was the usual whittling down. I'm not sure how four mentors and 10 cooks is going to work. Guess we'll find out! :) Link to comment
nottopbravo March 1, 2015 Share March 1, 2015 The wasn't the most impressive show last year (when it was called America's Best Cook) but it was a damn bit better than Kitchen Casino and Kitchen Inferno. It seemed anything was better than Kitchen Casino and Kitchen Inferno. Looks like the Food Network fails at anything with "kitchen" in the title (how ironic). Let's not forget Cutthroat Kitchen either. Link to comment
cooksdelight March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 Not bad, I kind of liked it. Especially when the mentors had to cook something in order to decide the picking order. That one woman who can't stop talking and waving her arms will be something to watch. At one point when Ted was being the ringmaster, he had his legs spread so far apart I was afraid he was going to split his pants. 3 Link to comment
mlp March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 I was afraid this was going to be just like America's Best Cook which was not so good from the name of the show to the winner. It's the same basic idea but more realistic and definitely more light-hearted and entertaining. I enjoyed it. I was sure that the older hippie guy who had a messy station wouldn't be picked but I thought the second reject would be the hyper woman who is already driving me nuts. I was very surprised that the Army veteran wasn't chosen but I imagine the chefs saw things during the cooking that we may have missed. Link to comment
zxy556575 March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 The thing with the artist-who-I'm-just-going-to-say-is-a-metalworker was not only his messiness but that he brushed off Michael (I think it was) when called on it -- "Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna get it." I wasn't impressed with anyone's food or plating or creativity. Which, okay, I shouldn't be so critical but maybe the show shouldn't keep referring to them as America's! best! home! cooks! Because I'm sure they're competent and all, but meh. And how could someone not know about basting while sauteing? That's the danged money shot on every cooking show. Despite that and her talking head focus on being a mom, I liked Mimi. I like Joseph as well, but where on earth do cooking shows keep finding all these tall, overweight, gay, black men who are over the top cheerful and happy? I'm trying to avoid saying jolly, but I'm thinking it. I agree the show is a slight improvement over the last iteration with the mentors and the stadium and Ted. Wonder if the mentors will be able to ring in this time to go down and help their team. 3 Link to comment
HappyDancex2 March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 Definitely better than the last version of this show....I do wish FN would raise up some new talent. When do Bobby and Michael find time to sleep? And new judges. Love Simon but there are plenty of food critics to yap about food. Of course I should be happy it wasn't Bill Rancic. No one else smirked when Bobby took the blonde first? 2 Link to comment
mlp March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 I should be happy it wasn't Bill Rancic. LOL! I've noticed FN is rerunning Kitchen Casino in off hours lately. I can't imagine that anyone is watching it. I think FN has been bringing in new people off and on, some better than others. Curtis Stone and Jet Tila have excellent credentials. Curtis has been on Top Chef on Bravo and The Chew on ABC and now he's on FN more often. I don't know how that works. FN must not require exclusive contracts. Come to think of it, Michael Symon is a regular on The Chew and I can think of other examples of chefs who don't appear on just one network. Link to comment
GaT March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 Vanessa better get eliminated quickly, because I can't stand her already. 2 Link to comment
cooksdelight March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 I was very surprised that the Army veteran wasn't chosen but I imagine the chefs saw things during the cooking that we may have missed. Wasn't he the one who wrapped big thick pieces of bacon around big thick pieces of steak? They were saying that wasn't going to work when they were watching him. Forgive me if it's someone else, it takes me a show or two to learn all the names and personalities. 1 Link to comment
Totale March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 (edited) I was glad they dropped the North-South-East-West concept, especially as it meant they didn't have to bring in Tyler Bristleface. I was disappointed that Ms Competition was picked, and will be voting her off the island weekly. I was surprised Dogtags wasn't picked, maybe he'll be on a Very Special Chopped soon. ETA: I'm really, really, really tired of bacon. Edited March 2, 2015 by Totale 4 Link to comment
Bella March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 ETA: I'm really, really, really tired of bacon. Yeah, it's become like kale and butternut squash. Sure, it tastes good. So do other things. Next! 3 Link to comment
GaT March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 Wasn't he the one who wrapped big thick pieces of bacon around big thick pieces of steak? They were saying that wasn't going to work when they were watching him. Forgive me if it's someone else, it takes me a show or two to learn all the names and personalities. No, that guy was the first person chosen. Alex picked him because he realized that the bacon wrapping thing wouldn't work, so he changed his mind & did something else. I was glad they dropped the North-South-East-West concept, especially as it meant they didn't have to bring in Tyler Bristleface. I was disappointed that Ms Competition was picked, and will be voting her off the island weekly. I was surprised Dogtags wasn't picked, maybe he'll be on a Very Special Chopped soon. ETA: I'm really, really, really tired of bacon. I forgot all about the North-South-East-West thing, you're right, I'm glad they dropped it. I will never get tired of bacon :-) 1 Link to comment
cooksdelight March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 Ah, OK, thanks for clarifying. I think the two guys sort of looked alike or else I went to get a snack when he changed his mind. Link to comment
MajorWoody March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 No one else smirked when Bobby took the blonde first? My wife and I both called that one too. In fact when the black guy said "what do I have to do for Bobby to pick me", I said to the TV "grow a rack and act ditzy". It works everytime! I see this show is sticking to the tried and true stereotypes, and also making use of the sob stories. When it came to the final picks, it was blatantly obvious the hyper female was going to get picked, and the dull army guy was going to be left behind. Hopefully the show gets better, but I'm not too impressed after the 1st episode. 2 Link to comment
Bastet March 3, 2015 Share March 3, 2015 Despite that and her talking head focus on being a mom, I liked Mimi. I only saw bits and pieces of this show while going around the dial, so was she the one whose occupation was listed as "Working Mom" in the name and occupation chyron they'd put up periodically to let us learn who these people are? I saw that twice for someone, and the second time yelled at the TV, "Fine, but working at what?" -- it was so odd not to have her occupation there when everyone else I saw did have theirs listed. As soon as someone launched into a sob story upon being asked what they'd do with the money if they won, I groaned and went back to channel surfing. That has all but ruined Chopped for me, so I'm not eager to take on another show that delves into that crap rather than just having people cook. But, to be fair, I'll try to catch a full airing and see whether the show seems overly gimmicky and/or casts for people playing a reality TV character rather than for people wanting to test and improve their cooking skills. Being modern-day FN, I'm afraid I know what the answer will be ... Link to comment
NikSac March 3, 2015 Share March 3, 2015 No one else smirked when Bobby took the blonde first? Oh I did! Fortunately no one else was home when I was watching it so I even got to say aloud to the TV "shocking!" when he picked her. I had no doubt. I am trying to hold out hope for this show, but we'll see. I liked watching the mentor chefs compete against each other so that was a good twist. I was disappointed that a couple of contestants seemed to be characters and fake, but it's way better than that "Worst Cooks" show where almost all of them were fake. I thought the clips of the contestants talking about the difficult ingredients were kind of hilarious - really?? Unlike, say, Chopped, those were all ingredients I might voluntarily put together even in normal circumstances. 1 Link to comment
Lura March 3, 2015 Share March 3, 2015 (edited) I was just settling down to a late lunch when Ms. Hysterical let out a scream, and I jumped a foot. I thought someone had cut their finger off. The sooner she is off the show, the more I'll enjoy it. I loved the fact that they were down to picking the last four or so, and every mentor claimed that he/she was thinking of this contestant from the start! Then why didn't you choose them? Someone upthread mentioned Bill Rancic. The day that the FN hires Bill again (or his wife, Giuliana), I bail. That would certainly be all the indication I would need to know that the FN was on its last leg. My feeling is that this show will make it. There is enough culinary star power, plus there's a little bit of Iron Chef in it (my favorite show ever) in that the judges are mostly Iron Chefs, and they don't know their ingredients until just before they cook. If they can keep the jokesters out of the contestant pool and show us some real cooking, I think they'll have a hit on their hands. IMHO,at this point, after "Worst Cooks" and "Cutthroat Kitchen," plus a few failures, we viewers deserve to be engrossed in something good. Edited March 3, 2015 by Lura 2 Link to comment
zxy556575 March 3, 2015 Share March 3, 2015 I did love how shocked the judges were that they had to -- of all things -- cook. Not that any of them can't turn out an impeccable dish in 30 minutes, but Curtis has mainly given himself over to TV these days. And like others have said, I don't see how Flay or Simon can possibly have time to be in any of their several restaurants on even an infrequent basis. Simon probably cooks more on The Chew these days than he does in a professional kitchen. But thank goodness neither he nor Bobby won the cook-off so they didn't have to fret about it putting a crimp in their friendship. Good grief. Of course Curtis wanted the two contestants that nobody else did. He's an odd duck. His strategery to pretend to slightly dislike someone's dish so the other chefs wouldn't take that person was also duck-like. My favorite scene was the contestants piling into the leftover plates from the chef's cook-off. We could all see that Alex's Brussels spouts were burned, so not sure how Majumdar was able to overlook that to give her the win. 1 Link to comment
cooksdelight March 3, 2015 Share March 3, 2015 We could all see that Alex's Brussels spouts were burned, so not sure how Majumdar was able to overlook that to give her the win. Maybe he is of the "Ladies go first" train of thought. I thought they looked a little crispy as well. 1 Link to comment
MajorWoody March 3, 2015 Share March 3, 2015 (edited) Regarding the chefs looks of surprise when told they had to do a cook-off, Alex made the Leo gape mouth face, and the other chefs also made goofy faces indicating surprise. But seriously, does anyone really think these celebrity chefs did not know in advance what they were going to be doing? Sometimes it would be nice if FN didn't try to treat the audience like we are as dumb as the idiots they cast on these shows As to Alex's burned sprouts, her subpar cooking didn't stop her from winning Next Iron Chef, so why should it interfere in this cookoff? Most likely they pulled names out of a hat behind the scenes and that determined who was going to pick first, no matter what was done in the cookoff. Edited March 3, 2015 by MajorWoody 4 Link to comment
NikSac March 3, 2015 Share March 3, 2015 We could all see that Alex's Brussels spouts were burned, so not sure how Majumdar was able to overlook that to give her the win. My husband actually likes them cooked this way, and I have a recipe in a book that suggests cooking them until they're charred and "almost burned," so I do think some people like them that way. Although Simon didn't seem to be a fan of having them quite that cooked, so who knows, maybe the whole thing was set up from the beginning. I also think they're setting up Curtis as the underdog/new(ish) guy, so I think it was pretty much predetermined that he would go last choosing his chefs no matter what. I might have trusted the judging of the chefs' dishes slightly more if it had been a blind tasting. Link to comment
Bastet March 3, 2015 Share March 3, 2015 The judge said the Brussels sprouts were just a little too charred, and I think they're a veggie that holds up well to it -- one of my favorite parts of roasted Brussels sprouts are the quite thoroughly charred loose leaves. 5 Link to comment
Surrealist March 4, 2015 Share March 4, 2015 Yeah, it's become like kale and butternut squash. Sure, it tastes good. So do other things. Next! Thank you. When certain foods become trendy, I start to avoid them. I thought this episode was fine. I thought I had never seen this series before until someone brought up the North/South/East/West teams and then I remembered the show. ;-) So far I haven't decided who I like the most. The contestants seem fine. Joseph comes across as one of the friendlier reality competition show contestants and whenever a person seems genuine nice (and talented), I'll root for him or her. Bobby and blondes. Shocking, I tell you. 1 Link to comment
candall March 8, 2015 Share March 8, 2015 (edited) This thread tickles me. Everyone just slipped this show on like a favorite comfy pair of old slippers: We all know all the judges and what to expect. Plus, Ted! Where's Simon Majumdar? Oh, here he comes. The contestant types are standard issue--Sobstory, Firefighter, Fulltime Working (almost) Single Mom, Tooloud, Italian Mimaw, Bobby's Blonde. Quirky old guy--"Soulpatch"--commits suicide by overfilling the soupbowls. Collective eyeroll about the transparent "surprise cookoff," but <shrug> what're ya gonna do, it's Food Network. *********************** I'm backing Mimi. Give me that tempura avocado, now. Edited March 8, 2015 by candall Link to comment
Maverick March 8, 2015 Share March 8, 2015 I did love how shocked the judges were that they had to -- of all things -- cook. Not that any of them can't turn out an impeccable dish in 30 minutes, but Curtis has mainly given himself over to TV these days. And like others have said, I don't see how Flay or Simon can possibly have time to be in any of their several restaurants on even an infrequent basis. Simon probably cooks more on The Chew these days than he does in a professional kitchen. But thank goodness neither he nor Bobby won the cook-off so they didn't have to fret about it putting a crimp in their friendship. Good grief. We could all see that Alex's Brussels spouts were burned, so not sure how Majumdar was able to overlook that to give her the win. I don't have a problem believing Bobby could handle a competition like this this. I have no basis for it, but I do believe he cooks a lot at home for his family and friends like he talks about a lot on his brunch show, grilling show, etc. And even if he didn't, he's got plenty of experience in FN competition shows like ICA, Throwdown, Beat Bobby Flay and probably a bunch other I'm forgetting. As for the winner, I knew it was Alex before they started cooking. Not because I think there's some conspiracy to promote her but by process of elimination. When Symon said he and Bobby have never faced off cooking (which, really? I thought every IC contractually had to compete against every other IC) I knew there was no way they're let one win over the other. There was also no way they'd let new kid Curtis win over the FN high guard. August is a total douchebag. One thing last season proved is that it does no one any favors having someone on a team that doesn't want to listen to the mentors. August clearly thinks he's smarter than the room and is going to be a problem. Alex needs to hope for a twist where she can trade him off. 1 Link to comment
chessiegal March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 NNNNOOOOO!!!!!! Not Bill the Fireman!!!! Now my eye candy is gone. :_(( Link to comment
Lillybee March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 GZ shouldn't be judging anything with Alex in it since they are known to be very good friends. 1 Link to comment
Bella March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 And the cinnamon wasn't even Bill's idea. (FTR, I often use cinnamon in savory foods. But it's my doing.) I think the mentors' involvement is a little excessive anyway. 2 Link to comment
sandyskyblue March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 I did not like the fact that Alex was in control of what team got what food duo to reinvent....I get that she won the cooking round last week and that earned her the right to pick her first team member, but why is she in control again this week?? Link to comment
DeLurker March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 This show is reinforcing for me that I am a terrible cook for chronically under-salting my food. I like Curtis Stone - he has a very different demeanor than the other mentors. 4 Link to comment
HyeChaps March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 Just like the celebrity chef competition, I foresee the teams losing evenly all around---no mentor will have none while another has two. Link to comment
Bella March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 Last night I decided that I hate this show. I'm not sure why - it's not very good, but I watch a fair amount of not-very-good TV and enjoy it. I think just about everyone on it pissed me off, though. Except Ted. I love Ted. I don't love Ted enough to watch this show every week, however. 1 Link to comment
GHScorpiosRule March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 You know, I was hoping the guest judge would have been Marcus Samuelsson. Those that know me from Chopped Thread, know I can't stand that douchenozzle Geoffrey. And I really like Curtis Stone. Not gonna lie: 'tis the Aussie Accent. I'm a sucker for accents. I was hoping Blondie would have been eliminated. What's her name, again? Annie? Don't like her or Vanessa and I pretty shallow, but find her mole that sits rightthere on her lip, so very, very distracting. I liked Bill the Fireman a lot. I think I'm just watching to see what food these people make that tempt my palate, which hasn't been "normal" since last November. Link to comment
Totale March 9, 2015 Share March 9, 2015 And the cinnamon wasn't even Bill's idea. (FTR, I often use cinnamon in savory foods. But it's my doing.) I think the mentors' involvement is a little excessive anyway. Plus on his squash puree, Symon insisted "Put some ginger in it" and then got to the judging and said "There's too much ginger in it". 2 Link to comment
Snarklepuss March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 (edited) I think FN has been bringing in new people off and on, some better than others. Curtis Stone and Jet Tila have excellent credentials. Curtis has been on Top Chef on Bravo and The Chew on ABC and now he's on FN more often. I don't know how that works. FN must not require exclusive contracts. Come to think of it, Michael Symon is a regular on The Chew and I can think of other examples of chefs who don't appear on just one network. Yes, and we've all seen Marcel, originally from "Top Chef" make the rounds on FN too. I remember first seeing Curtis Stone on FN in "Take Home Chef" or whatever that awful show was called where he charmed a married woman in the supermarket and went home with her to cook dinner and make her husband jealous. That was several years before I saw him turn up on Bravo, IIRC. Yes, now I remember the first incarnation of this show with the teams representing different parts of the country. I'm also glad they dropped that concept and agree that this version is better. Although I'm not particularly wow-ed, it's not annoying me either....at least not yet. Edited March 10, 2015 by Snarklepuss Link to comment
tobysmom March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 I was afraid this was going to be just like America's Best Cook which was not so good from the name of the show to the winner. It's the same basic idea but more realistic and definitely more light-hearted and entertaining. I enjoyed it. that's the name of the show! thank you! I watched the first episode and said this looks really familiar but on the last episode with hitting the buzzer and saying "I'm going down" I went I know this is like another show; but I couldn't remember the name. Also forgot about the north/south/west/east aspect of the former show. Link to comment
Puffaroo March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 Definitely better than the last version of this show....I do wish FN would raise up some new talent. When do Bobby and Michael find time to sleep? Probably while douche-nozzle Guy Fieri is shooting his two hundred shows. BTW, I never watched America's Best Cook, so this show kinda felt like a low-rent The Taste to me. Vanessa better get eliminated quickly, because I can't stand her already. Don't count on it. She makes good TV. I see this show is sticking to the tried and true stereotypes, and also making use of the sob stories. When they start that crap, I hit fast-forward. This show is reinforcing for me that I am a terrible cook for chronically under-salting my food. Better under than over. Also, it's a different situation on these shows than it is at home, where you can just sprinkle more salt on the dish. Except Ted. I love Ted. I don't love Ted enough to watch this show every week, however. Ted's a detriment for me. There's something about his voice that works my last nerve. Link to comment
Mrs. P. March 10, 2015 Share March 10, 2015 I agree about Ted. I just don't like him as a host, either on this show or on Chopped. 1 Link to comment
Lura March 13, 2015 Share March 13, 2015 I agree about Ted. I just don't like him as a host, either on this show or on Chopped. Every so often, my husband will join me when I'm watching a FN show, but if Ted happens to appear in any capacity -- host or guest -- my DH quietly gets up from the sofa and finds something else to do. He just can't stand Ted. There was one exception. Do you remember about a year ago there was a FN ad for something or other, and Ted and three other guys were dressed as cowboys? I forget what show the four of them were pitching. Ted was dressed in a blue-and-white checked shirt with Western pants and maybe boots, and he was so out of character compared to the usual Ted that my husband roared with laughter every time that commercial ran! He swore he'd never seen anything so funny on the FN as Ted Allen playing a cowboy! I like this show, despite Ted! Link to comment
DeLurker March 13, 2015 Share March 13, 2015 I like Ted - often a lot more than the other FN personalities on a show. 11 Link to comment
Snarklepuss March 15, 2015 Share March 15, 2015 (edited) I like Ted too, always have, although on this show the overhead lights sometimes catch his facial features and make him look like someone else, not himself. It's been annoying me since the show began. Edited March 15, 2015 by Snarklepuss 1 Link to comment
cooksdelight March 15, 2015 Share March 15, 2015 Sort of like this? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TFeUrC2gR30 Link to comment
GaT March 15, 2015 Share March 15, 2015 It's his smile, it's.....odd http://davidejackson.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/tedallen21.jpg Link to comment
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