All-Star Academy - General Discussion

[grisgris]

No. Totale was referring to one of this week's judges, Hailey Duff. She's Hilary Duff's sister. I think they are both actresses and one of them is/was Lizzie McGuire. Hailey hosts a cooking show on The Cooking Channel. It's confusing because the aforementioned Duff Goldman also judged an episode a few weeks ado.

[hkit]

No. Totale was referring to one of this week's judges, Hailey Duff. She's Hilary Duff's sister. I think they are both actresses and one of them is/was Lizzie McGuire. Hailey hosts a cooking show on The Cooking Channel. It's confusing because the aforementioned Duff Goldman also judged an episode a few weeks ado.

I never realized there were 2 Duff girls. I thought they were one in the same.

[MajorWoody]

This whole episode was a crock of shit.

How in the world does the Trivago dude not only get to come back tanned,,rested, and ready, but get to bypass 2 of the 3 rounds?

Why don't they just say at the start of the series that Alex is our FN Star, and as such, she is going to be repped in the finale even if she had a Mickey D's fry cook on her team?

Whether or not you like Anna, what she was dealt was total bs.

Hard to believe anything on this network anymore. I kind of thought her winning the Next Iron Chef was a bit suspicious, but that was nothing compared to this. This is even worse than Anne Burrel and her worst cooks show for preordained winners no matter what they do.

I have zero respect for Alex after this.

Edited March 30, 2016 by MajorWoody

[Snarklepuss]

Hard to believe anything on this network anymore. I kind of thought her winning the Next Iron Chef was a bit suspicious, but that was nothing compared to this. This is even worse than Anne Burrel and her worst cooks show for preordained winners no matter what they do.

I have zero respect for Alex after this.

 

Thank you.  When Alex won Iron Chef it looked to me like she was being favored and not eliminated when she should have been.  It made me dislike her intensely but most people on a now defunct chat board seemed to love her and I felt like I had to keep my mouth shut.  It seemed to me like whenever she was part of a competition she was favored.  Then over the years I softened to her somewhat, but it was still in the back of my mind that she was FN's "golden child".  Then she did lose something somewhere along the line (was it this show last year?).  I don't remember.  So after all that time I thought perhaps it had become a little more equitable - Then this happened and I'm back to suspecting that my earlier impression was true.

[Crucial]

While I am glad one of the two annoying cooks this season is gone I can't help to think it was done on purpose.  But not to give Alex the win (although I think she is the Golden Child of the network).  I think it was done to take away Natasha's biggest competition.  I'm so tired of the sob stories being told and how they deserve it above all others.  That's all Natasha has done the last few times is be on the verge of tears and how hard she had it right while she is presenting it to the judges. I hate it when Chopped does it. I'm betting Natasha wins and her rude, obnoxious, fraud of a mentor gets a win too.  I should be happy with her winning because she is the better cook (I think).  But I'm tired of sob stories being played with tears in the eyes in front of judges and she was just obnoxious in the beginning.  Plus I think Robert a million times worse.

[hkit]

 I hate it when Chopped does it. 

 

I've stopped watching Chopped for that very reason. And this show isn't even half as entertaining. If a sob story wins, even if they are the best cook, I have no problem never watching another season.

[Crucial]

Ugh again she's nothing but a cry baby.  I am so tired of seeing Natasha cry.  Sob story won - she cried to the judges many times over her dishes.  And Robert is nothing short of a jackass.  Unwritten rule is Natasha doesn't talk to him while he is cooking?  Seriously? This just ruined a fun show for me badly.  She should have been eliminated in the first round.  Food Network please stop putting Robert Irvine on shows, he ruins them all.

[backformore]

Ugh again she's nothing but a cry baby. I am so tired of seeing Natasha cry. Sob story won - she cried to the judges many times over her dishes. And Robert is nothing short of a jackass. Unwritten rule is Natasha doesn't talk to him while he is cooking? Seriously? This just ruined a fun show for me badly. She should have been eliminated in the first round. Food Network please stop putting Robert Irvine on shows, he ruins them all.

I could not agree more. It's a TV SHOW. Any cooking show expects the competitors to talk while cooking. Robert Irvine is such an ass, the only reason for me to keep watching was the hope that I would see him defeated, because he turns into a side loser and a whiner.

Dammit

Edited April 4, 2016 by backformore

[backformore]

When Natasha was plating the duck -   Robert Irvine, said -  Quickly!    Then, two seconds later, he screams Take your time!  Don't YOU DARE RUSH IT!

 

WTF?

 

Then he tells her "you started to panic.  the worst thing you can do is panic." 

You know what, Irvine?  if someone is panicking,  the worst thing YOU can do is to tell them they're wrong to do so.   If you truly want to b a MENTOR, tell the person what to do, not what to avoid doing.   like - tell her to shake it off, take a deep breath, have a cool drink.  

[Crucial]

When Natasha was plating the duck -   Robert Irvine, said -  Quickly!    Then, two seconds later, he screams Take your time!  Don't YOU DARE RUSH IT!

 

WTF?

 

Then he tells her "you started to panic.  the worst thing you can do is panic." 

You know what, Irvine?  if someone is panicking,  the worst thing YOU can do is to tell them they're wrong to do so.   If you truly want to b a MENTOR, tell the person what to do, not what to avoid doing.   like - tell her to shake it off, take a deep breath, have a cool drink.  

 

I totally agree.  The ego maniac really shouldn't be one.  What are his qualifications?  Lying on his resume.  I find it funny when anyone calls him a chef.  Nothing I've seen him make makes me believe he has any chops of being a mentor. 

[GaT]

I'm surprised, Alex didn't win.

[penbrat]

Predictable outcome.  I figured the sob story had it.   The only thing I liked about the finale (and this whole season) was Andrew.  I loved how he choked up when Zoe said he was a father figure to her and I loved how he teased Zoe when she stole a piece of his bacon while he as cooking.   (GASP - he actually let her talk to him while he was cooking - take note Robert and Alex- Andrew was a real mentor this season)  He was not a conceited jerk like RI (and I know in some of his talking heads he said some stuff but he kept his cool and composure while in front of the others) and Alex, who I sometimes like, was channeling Anne Burrell this season with her ego driven attitude  I will not be back for another season if RI is back.

[schnauzergirl]

I'm guessing this is a minority opinion, but I don't think Natasha's "sob story" -- which included some devastating events -- got her the win.  She did talk about it a lot, but Lee (whom I liked) also repeated how he's a single dad, etc.  Over the series, Natasha produced some terrific dishes.  It took me a while to separate her from Robert Irvine as mentor, but I realized it wasn't fair to want her to lose because of my dislike of RI.  I admire people who work their tail off to overcome setbacks and won't give up.  Natasha was clear from the first week about why she wanted to win.

 

There is one thing about Natasha that confuses me:  She talked about having three kids, but a couple of times it was said she wanted the money for her son.  Did I miss something about him?

[Ellee]

I think it was for him to go to school. A slight disconnect here as I would think he'd be able to go for very little or free if the story is true.

I think the producers decide who has what story and that is why the contestants repeat the same things over and over. When they don't, the audience always catch it.

[hkit]

I think the right person won - she did seem to be the best and most consistent. However, the emotionally manipulative sob stories (I blame the producers, not Natasha) are too much. Whenever I finish watching a season of anything on The Food Network, I find myself wondering who their target audience is. Because I don't think it's someone like me. 

[NYGirl]

I just couldn't get over the way she bullied Germaine those first couple of weeks so I couldn't root for her.  I knew this was going to be the outcome and I doubted Lee would win because he was already eliminated.

 

It is what it is..even if I'm disappointed.

[grisgris]

I was so confused about Natasha's back story through out the series. I also thought she was a single mom of one boy. Then I heard her mention as husband on another episode, spoken in a way that indicated that they were still together as a family. Last night it was a divorced mom with more than one child. WHICH IS IT???

 

I think the outcome was some kind of FN redemption arc for Robert. He's lost on every single show he's competed on (unless I am missing something.)  I think that they threw Alex a couple of advantage wins here and there to lead us to think she was in for the win, when really she wasn't.

 

I think that in the end the Robert was sincerely happy for Natasha, whether she won or lost and at least downplayed that the end result was a direct reflection on his mentoring skills. Notice I said mentoring skills. Not how great RI is overall. That said, Robert was very fortunate that Natasha selected him as her mentor. A lesser-skilled cook under his tutelage would not have fared so well.

 

Regarding the dishes, I think that busy mess that Natasha and Robert had going on was worse than Lee having slightly less-crispy beet chips or whatever his transgression was.

 

I really didn't care who won. Of all of the mentors, I was most impressed with Andrew. I was fed up with Alex when she told Lee that if he lost, he'd have "one really pissed off mentor." I just didn't think that Andrew would have been allowed to win during his "freshmen year" on FN.

[Rosieroo]

 

I realized it wasn't fair to want her to lose because of my dislike of RI.

I don't care if it was unfair, I wanted her to lose because of my dislike of RI.

 

Boo. 

 

 

Can you imagine the puffed out chest and swelled head?

He could do with a bit of a swelled head...his little turtle head bugs the shit outta me. Yes, I'm bitter. 

Edited April 4, 2016 by Rosieroo

[needschocolate]

Aargh!  I can see why they couldn't let Alex's guy win, think of the backlash after he had already been eliminated once before.  But I didn't want RI to win, so I am bummed. My theory is that Natasha won because she was always the best cook, not because RI taught her anything useful.  

 

I thought Robert and Natasha should have been penalized because when she was plating (the last dish, I think) Robert leaned over the railing and helped her plate.  If he was helping her, he should have had to punch in on that clock and com down into the cooking area.  

[Snarklepuss]

I thought Natasha deserved to win, in spite of RI being annoying and her particular sob story (which they all had to be honest).  I'm glad that in spite of appearances they weren't handing Alex the win.  I think they gave her every advantage to win but in the end the food prevailed, thankfully.  I'm just so impressed with Andrew.  I always liked him but now even more.  He usually doesn't go on competition shows and I've never actually seen him cook before, but it was very nice to see.  I hope he does more similar shows in the future.

[buttercupia]

Natasha's final dish looked a hot mess. Like new orleans roadkill. This whole season of this show was bs.

[Totale]

I'm not one to pretend we don't know from the beginning that the story arc is written, but I don't see how Stone was able to keep a straight face when reading the script awarding the second round win to Natsasha's duck with burnt black charred skin and a layer of cold unrendered fat underneath over Zoe's "slightly dry" veal.

[DeLurker]

I thought Robert and Natasha should have been penalized because when she was plating (the last dish, I think) Robert leaned over the railing and helped her plate.  If he was helping her, he should have had to punch in on that clock and com down into the cooking area.  

I thought that was what I saw but was not sure on all the rules, so did not know if that was ok.  It completely felt like overstepping boundaries in a competition. 

 

Did they only show one of the mentors coming down to help their cooks (the buzzer thing).  I thought I only saw one.

[backformore]

I'm not one to pretend we don't know from the beginning that the story arc is written, but I don't see how Stone was able to keep a straight face when reading the script awarding the second round win to Natsasha's duck with burnt black charred skin and a layer of cold unrendered fat underneath over Zoe's "slightly dry" veal.

Yeah - maybe it was a done deal that Robert would win, because he does have that new show starting soon.   It's a revamp of Restaurant Impossible -   called "Ambush"  where he comes UNINVITED to re-do a restaurant.   I guess friends of the owners nominate places for a re-do?   SOunds like a good way to lose friends, to me.  

Anyway, it does sound like a possibility -  that the winner is pre-determined.  Give Robert the credit for turning Natasha's life around for her kid or kids, as a way to make him look like a nicer person than he really is, so we'll tune in for his new show.   (not happening)   

 

There is something about his smug face,  an expression he has, that conveys that he knows he's wonderful, that annoys me the way few people on TV do.

[BW Manilowe]

Yeah - maybe it was a done deal that Robert would win, because he does have that new show starting soon. It's a revamp of Restaurant Impossible - called "Ambush" where he comes UNINVITED to re-do a restaurant. I guess friends of the owners nominate places for a re-do? SOunds like a good way to lose friends, to me.

Anyway, it does sound like a possibility - that the winner is pre-determined. Give Robert the credit for turning Natasha's life around for her kid or kids, as a way to make him look like a nicer person than he really is, so we'll tune in for his new show. (not happening)

There is something about his smug face, an expression he has, that conveys that he knows he's wonderful, that annoys me the way few people on TV do.

Robert's newest, "ambush", version of Restaurant Impossible already aired some eps before All-Star Academy even started. And I think it was running eps while the show was on, as well. They were definitely airing commercials for it when the show was on.

[Snarklepuss]

Yeah - maybe it was a done deal that Robert would win, because he does have that new show starting soon.   It's a revamp of Restaurant Impossible -   called "Ambush"  where he comes UNINVITED to re-do a restaurant.   I guess friends of the owners nominate places for a re-do?   SOunds like a good way to lose friends, to me. 

 

As BW Manilowe pointed out, Robert's show has already aired, so I doubt his appearance on this show had anything to do with that.  And his show is really not a new show at all, just a twist on his existing show.  So far the people doing the inviting are family members of the owners or employees, not friends.  And they are of course given the option to back out.  It looks to me like some of them were actually hoping someone would save them and/or put their family up to nominating them, which calls into question in my mind whether this so-called new twist is actually any different from the old show.  But I agree with you about how annoying Robert's attitude is and that it may have been a "done deal" for him to win, just like it is when anyone wins on this network.......

Edited April 6, 2016 by Snarklepuss

[MajorWoody]

The whole Lee return left a really bad taste in my mouth. I used to think highly of Alex over the years.

However, after her obvious pre ordained selection on Iron Chef, even though she was not the strongest candidate, and now the shenanigans the producers employed to keep her on this show, she is nothing but a big fraud to me. The whole scenario where the Trivago guy got to relax and avoid the first two competitions while Anna had to stress and tire out, was utter nonsense. Furthermore, common sense would tell you the guy went back home after his elimination, but there he was, ready to go without any concerns about family or obligations. Does anyone think he ever even left the studios when he got eliminated?

The one person I did gain respect for on this show was Andrew Zimmern, who really showed that he was the classiest and the best mentor of all the celeb chefs. He really got hosed, if this show was legitimate the finale would have had both of Andrews chefs.

What a pathetic ending to a pathetic season.

[mlp]

I agree that the departure of Lisa and the return of Lee was badly handled but I'd be more apt to think he was still around and available, not at home.  Many shows, not just those on FN, require eliminated contestants to stay until the last episode wraps so it isn't obvious to family, friends and eventually viewers who left when.  

 

The atmosphere of this show was unpleasant throughout due to, for me, the detestable Robert Irvine and the caustic personality and self-centered attitude of Alex.  The contrast with previous shows that featured upbeat people like Michael Symon was dramatic.  The only mentor who made the show worth watching was Andrew Zimmern who was great.

[paramitch]

I enjoyed the second season, although not quite as much as the first. I missed Ted, as well as Michael Symon, and disliked the new set, which is sort of flat, white and garish -- I liked the darker, moodier set last season.

 

The thing that made me saddest this season was poor Lisa's health situation. She obviously really wanted to take part, and I thought she was a warm and likable contestant who could often cook beautifully. I also enjoyed her sense of humor when she messed up, like her "falling-down cake," and other little moments. I was glad Lisa was on the show, and enjoyed watching her do something she was so passionate about, and I was touched by her story. I wish her well and hope that she was able to get better and maintain her strength, and that she (and her kidney) recovered.

 

For this reason, I don't mind the sob stories. Now, mind you, I do have a high tolerance for them -- I'm a longtime "Chopped" watcher! But they don't bother me, and honestly, they do so often genuinely humanize contestants, and I have sympathy for them. Life is really really hard. People overcome tough things all the time. So the only times I get irritated are when we have people like August, from Season 1, who was a terrible "mactor," and whose worst experience and main clumsy goal was to "pay off his loans." I felt nothing for that guy at all -- not because I don't empathize with student loan debt, but because it seemed like the only reason he could think of to want to win. He was utterly unconvincing. 

 

I guess I'm the odd one this season. I'm rooting for Natasha even if she is working the sympathy angle and in spite of Robert being her mentor.  I think she is very talented and that's all I care about this season.  I don't really like any of them so I'm focusing on the food, plus I agree with someone earlier who said she's toned down quite a bit since the beginning.

 

How come I just KNEW they were going to allow Alex to bring someone back?   I have suspected for a long time that she is often favored in competitions.  It used to make me dislike her.  I really like Alex but thinking she is favored puts me off.  I was tired of Lee's "men's shelter" appearance so I was not happy to see him come back, plus I just don't see him as final-worthy.  If anyone was it was Anna, and I say that in spite of the fact that she annoyed me too.  Plus I just feel like there was something unfair about bringing someone back, especially so close to the finals.

 

I didn't mind Natasha either by the end. I did think she came across as pretty difficult early on, but I also thought part of that was simply her desperation to show Robert how tough she was, and that she was worth championing, etc. I also admit that I found Jermaine really frustrating -- I was psyched about his flavor profiles at first, but I found his talking heads tiresome, and thought he came across as awkward, stubborn and unskilled, so I kind of felt for her when he was fumbling around and sending the entire team to the bottom in the early eps as well.

 

Meanwhile, I don't agree that Alex got special treatment here at all -- on almost any other competitive reality show, the situation would have been handled the exact same way, so it made sense that when  Lee was the last one out, he would be brought back in when Lisa was too ill to compete.

 

How in the world does the Trivago dude not only get to come back tanned,,rested, and ready, but get to bypass 2 of the 3 rounds?

Why don't they just say at the start of the series that Alex is our FN Star, and as such, she is going to be repped in the finale even if she had a Mickey D's fry cook on her team?

Whether or not you like Anna, what she was dealt was total bs.

Hard to believe anything on this network anymore. I kind of thought her winning the Next Iron Chef was a bit suspicious, but that was nothing compared to this. This is even worse than Anne Burrel and her worst cooks show for preordained winners no matter what they do.

I have zero respect for Alex after this.

 

As others have pointed out, Lee was actually at a disadvantage for only cooking once, not an advantage. The others had multiple chances to move forward -- Lee got one, just as Lisa would have only had the one because she forfeited the earlier rounds for health reasons.

 

The production team's choice to bring back the previous contestant was a common one for reality TV -- they would also have needed a contestant to return when Lisa left because a specific number of challenges had been planned for filming, and losing a contestant early can wreak havoc on production planning, especially in the middle of an episode. 

 

I also suspect that Lee also didn't really get to come back after some kind of big break to rest and regroup -- in all probability, his elimination had likely just taken place a day or two before (not a "week"), and he was probably still accessible and housed by the show.

 

I'm surprised, Alex didn't win.

 

I know many firmly believe the fix is in for Alex, but this is the second season in a row where she most definitely hasn't won. I think she gets a bum rap sometimes on the competitive front -- she didn't win on "Cutthroat Kitchen," either (and was a very good sport about it there as well).

 

I think it was for him to go to school. A slight disconnect here as I would think he'd be able to go for very little or free if the story is true.

 

He wouldn't exactly go for free -- he'd have access to financial aid, grants, and scholarships, but he would also most likely still have massive student loan debt as well.

 

I'm not one to pretend we don't know from the beginning that the story arc is written, but I don't see how Stone was able to keep a straight face when reading the script awarding the second round win to Natsasha's duck with burnt black charred skin and a layer of cold unrendered fat underneath over Zoe's "slightly dry" veal.

 

I don't personally believe the show is scripted in that way or that outcomes and results are fixed. I found it believable that Natasha's duck still won -- the dish was beautiful, the duck meat itself evidently was delicious (aside from the cooking flaws to the outer layer), and it seemed like there were more little flaws all over Lee's dish, where Natasha's just had the one issue with the duck.

 

It's a guilty pleasure for me, but the show is fun. I enjoy watching the chefs doing what they're so good at (this season, especially Alex and Andrew), and the camaraderie and competitiveness among them is kind of charming. I never thought Andrew was actually mean-spirited, for instance, just overprotective and invested in his contestants. And while Robert Irvine talked a big game about being tough, he's actually pretty much a softhearted goof after the first few episodes, and just as rah-rah and supportive as any of the other mentors.

Edited April 22, 2016 by paramitch