S11.E09: Live TV

[needschocolate]

People compare Jay to the Oxy-Clean guy and I see what they mean.  There is definitely an info-mercial quality to Jay.  You know how on info-mercials they are always adding items - "You get a set of knives for only $14.99, but wait! If you order in the next 15 minutes, we will give you a second set of knives for free.  That is 2 sets of knives for $14.99.  But that is not all! Just say 'pop-o-matic' when you order and we will include these lovely coasters...."  Well, Jay's 5 minutes segment fit right in - "I made these coconut tarts.  But wait! If you taste the tarts now, I will include a summery cocktail...."

 

Really Giada?!  You faked out Arnold like that?!  That was just stupid to me.

 

I thought the elimination was cruel to Alex. Sure, Giada fooled Arnold into thinking he was leaving, but then she surprised him with happy news, but she also fooled Alex into thinking Arnold was leaving and then surprised him with terrible news.

 

Alex made ramen to not have to admit to using Jeff's POV right? I have to think that wouldn't have happened with a different guest.

 

I am pretty sure Alex didn't want to make sandwiches in front of the sandwich guy, but ramen was a ridiculous choice.  I figured that when he heard it was a five minute segment, he would make something with 432 ingredients because he would have time to list them all. 

 

I'm still not a fan of Eddie. It feels like he wants his own show as a way to meet women.

 

I get the feeling Eddie has no trouble meeting women without having his own television show. 

 

  And also, his chocolate didn't look good at all as he was putting it in the tarts; unless that was coconuts I was seeing, but it looked really gritty..

 

I thought the chocolate looked pretty gritty too - which is the opposite of what ganache is supposed to be.

 

I think he may have overheated the chocolate and it seized.  No only did it have lumps, but it looked really hard on the finished tarts and had no shine to it.  Ganache should be smooth, soft (not runny), and a little shiny.

Edited August 4, 2015 by needschocolate

[Lamb18]

Jay also has the Big Brother Diary Room voice.

[Clanstarling]

hehe just had to laugh at this. I love hummus and also cauliflower - sometimes even together - but can they please drop kale and Green yogurt from every store and menu now?  (also, sriracha).  Katie Lee makes me laugh every time she talks about kale as her favorite food - come on, that's a food you tolerate, maybe even choose to eat because it's healthy, but a "favorite"?  I guess it's a good thing we all have our own tastes or the world would be boring, wouldn't it?

 

On the episode, I won't particularly miss Alex. I felt bad for Jay, it seemed like he didn't really know what to do for "after school snack" but a couple of classics were a decent idea.  He could've done a little more with them. Also about the "store bought" biscuit/roll that's actually one of the few things I buy at the store instead of make from scratch because I know it'll save a ton of time and I'm not the greatest baker. I make a chicken and dumplings that's from scratch except for the "dumplings" (cut up store bought biscuit dough) and I've had a lot of compliments on it.

I love cauliflower, and like hummus. But after years of resisting kale, I tried it and really liked it. No one was more surprised than I was. But, unfortunately, as it turned out, it didn't like me. As is the case, for some reason, for most of the super foods.

 

I use canned biscuits on occasion. I tend to go with Bisquick for stuff like dumplings (and I use it for shepherd's pie - because who can take the time to make mashed potatoes). I'm not at all ashamed to use prepared pie crusts (which are so much better, and so much tidier than mine ever were). Plus, I really hate rolling things out in flour, and getting flour dust everywhere. It offends my OCD nature.

 

But I do expect more from someone who's supposed to a chef and competing for a food show and who is in the final four. Pigs and blanket are yummy, but there's no real cooking involved. I was pretty shocked that he didn't get reamed for it.

Edited August 4, 2015 by clanstarling

[Jodithgrace]

I could never understand chefs on some shows getting dinged for using frozen puff pastry, because puff pastry is extremely time consuming and labor intensive, and just doesn't fit into the format of most timed cooking shows. But IMO, there is no excuse for using store bought biscuit dough. Biscuits take 5 minutes to make! 

 

I had liked Alex, and though he was cute in a Peanuts character kind of way, but he did not know how to talk on camera, and so he had to go. Family reunion could have been a slam dunk for him.."We all love Aunt Betty's eggplant parm, but in the summer it's too hot, so we make it into a sandwich," or whatever. I had a least 20 ideas, none of which were hot soup.

 

Oh well, I guess next week they are congratulating themselves on final three, when, surprise! in comes the spoiler from Star Salvation to much shock and dismay. Never seen THAT before..can't wait. 

 

[DeLurker]

I had liked Alex, and though he was cute in a Peanuts character kind of way, .

Alex = Peppermint Patty

[HappyDancex2]

It was not so long ago that kale was ridiculously cheap at the local grocery store...less than 30 cents a pound or practically free because it was mostly sold as a garnish. How times and prices have changed.

I think that Alex probably elaborated on the genesis of his ramen choice but it was edited out to us. Not that it was a wise choice but he's been circling the drain for weeks anyway.

Arnold seems frenetic under the time constraints. I'd rather see his professionally paced pilot though up against eventual winner Eddie's than whatever boring Cajun thing Jay is going to do. Arnold at least wants to share some style and branch out.

Katie Lee....begone you nasally robot!!

[jcbrown]

 

 

I had liked Alex, and though he was cute in a Peanuts character kind of way

 

 

Alex = Peppermint Patty

I see him more as Marcie.

[Lura]

Alex struck me as being a really nice person who could be fun, but he seemed to brag a bit about his travels, as if they placed him above his fellow contestants.  I was sorry for him, but not sorry to see him go.

[Snarklepuss]

I see him more as Marcie.

 

I think the hair is definitely Peppermint Patty, though.

 

Edited August 5, 2015 by Snarklepuss

[PamelaMaeSnap]

Eddie... I cannot love you any more than I already do. I'd watch you make a BLT.

 

 

CooksDelight ... will you please accept this delicious burger with onion rings and spicy ketchup and let me sit next to you in the first-class compartment of the Eddie Train?

[innocuouspuff]

Jay's trip up on the after-school snack reminded me of an ep of Top Chef Canada where the chefs decided a "family style" challenge meant dumbing things down as much as possible. As if "family" eaters would be unable to cope with what a chef normally does. There weren't actually any kids there, so any finger or assembly food that didn't include overly adult ingredients - liver pate or whatever - should have been fine.

Eddie! there is way more to Caribbean cooking than jerk seasoning. That's my official pet peeve with him.

I guess they're all bros who can laugh about it at this point, but did Eddie basically give Alex the reunion prompt because Alex has no family? I spent the whole episode braced for the explanation of why he has no family, and the more it didn't come the more I worried that it's something too terrible to even talk about.

I was sympathetic, but clinging to the one time he went to a reunion in a completely different cultural context was obviously not the way to go. He should have just been straight up about it, involved the other guys for stories of what American reunions are actually like, and made a shareable summer dish.

Of course I'm picturing myself in that challenge all, hey guys! Hope you're having a great summer! Let me me tell you about my family that I don't talk to! Then Giada giving me feedback like, innocuouspuff, no one wants to hear about your narcissistic asshole relatives. It's too depressing.

Edited August 5, 2015 by innocuouspuff

[novhappy]

I'm late to the discussion but I wouldnlikevto add that there were WAY TOO MANY talking heads of jay during the first challenge. Wow! In the challenge he would shout at a competitor "I don't know anything about after school snacks" cut to a talking head wherein he shouts at the camera "I don't know anything about after school snacks". They cut to a talking head of him every five seconds. It was super annoying to me, followed by his stupid pigs and ants generated no drama or interest. It didn't matter.

[akr]

Well, it's not like they had any footage of him actually cooking that they could use!

[NewDigs]

I agree with so many upthread:

Jay seems scripted/over-rehearsed. And we called it, Bugs on a log. And we did not use those golden "bugs".

Poor little Alex. That soup sounded/looked delicious. Most of his food did. A little too wavy-gravy.

Eddie. If he did that healthy/smart eating thing I would watch. I would like him to dial it down a notch.

Katie Lee is, imho, worse!!!

She is not quite so wooden but her inflections seem really forced. And she seems to have added the vocal fry to her repertoire. At least she isn't uptalking???

Edited August 6, 2015 by NewDigs

[innocuouspuff]

The repeated clips of Jay saying he didn't know anything about kids got so weird, lol. Like presumably he *was* a kid at one point? They're not aliens, dude.

[JTMacc99]

The repeated clips of Jay saying he didn't know anything about kids got so weird, lol. Like presumably he *was* a kid at one point? They're not aliens, dude.

That's just the editors putting together the show for us.  The plot was: Give Jay something he doesn't normally do to see if it will trip him up. Prompt Jay during the talking heads to say stuff (remember, the talking heads are done after the fact when he's already failed) about why the challenge tripped him up. Find any other instances of where it was apparent the challenge tripped him up and make sure those also make the show.  Boom! We have a story to tell.

 

They kind of need to edit the show this way right now because none of the final contestants generate any drama on their own. I fully expect a Penny type again next year.

 

They did exactly the same thing in the second half of the episode with Alex making bacon soup for the summer family reunion. Alex gets a challenge that trips him up.  Find every single instance of somebody talking about how Alex's choice wasn't a good one. Prompt Alex in the talking heads to explain himself repeatedly. And, there's our drama.

 

I do my best to figure out which things I see are true representations of the people on this show and which are just editors making a mountain out of a mole hill.

Edited August 6, 2015 by JTMacc99

[ari333]

Just me? Why were the ants/raisins the light colred ones? [/nit]

[novhappy]

I presume Jay used golden raisins as his ants because he doesn't have any ants as pets. He knows nothing about ants.

[smiley13]

Just me? Why were the ants/raisins the light colred ones? [/nit]

I guess he used whatever raisins were available to him.  

[NewDigs]

I think he did use some raisins but decided to take it up a notch (?) and use sultanas. Unfortunately the sultanas, to me, looked more like maggots on a log.

He could have at least tried something like these but doubt they would have wowed the judges either.

[cooksdelight]

I think he did use some raisins but decided to take it up a notch (?) and use sultanas. Unfortunately the sultanas, to me, looked more like maggots on a log.He could have at least tried something like these but doubt they would have wowed the judges either.

A man who will use canned biscuits will not think of any of this. That's why I don't think he'd have a good show unless someone else did it all for him, behind the scenes.

[NewDigs]

I agree! I was astonished.

Here was a guy who went on and on and on (and on) about not knowing about kids and then opts for the most childish snacks available. Not raggin' on the piggies, just sayin'.

I figured he was screwed when I heard the bugs (maggots) on a log idea. And he doubled down with piggies in a blanket.

He couldn't even pretend these were things kids could make on their own. Once ya' turn the oven on...

PS I was amused and surprised that FoodNetwork actually displayed all of those whatevers on a log!

[NikSac]

Just me? Why were the ants/raisins the light colored ones? [/nit]

 

lol it's not just you and I'm kind of glad someone else mentioned it. I assume he just couldn't get normal dark colored raisins but I thought it ruined whatever minor point he had about it being what he might have grown up with.

 

To be fair to Jay I was trying to think of my own after-school snacks with my Mom, who was a stay at home Mom and made us snacks every day plus cooked for us every night, but our after school snacks were pretty simple food. Veggies and dip, cup of yogurt, apple, small bowl of cereal, that kind of thing. I've even been thinking about it for way longer than Jay had and I'm having a hard time thinking of anything super exciting or "elevated." It's a kid snack, not some big fancy labor intensive thing. Switching to "ants" that don't look like ants doesn't make any sense to me. If you're going for cute at least make it cute. But I didn't think it was that bad. Alex's hot ramen soup for a hot outdoor family reunion made way less sense to me.

[cooksdelight]

I once made deviled eggs and decorated them with olive "eyes", carrot strip "hair, etc. The kids devoured them. And you can do that in a half hour. I'm talking to you Jay.

Remember the season they were cooking for actual kids, in a school setting? One guy made Brussels sprouts on a stick in a way that the kids loved them.

Having adults judge kids food was dumb in the first place, now that I think about it.

[Pallida]

The smell of your deviled eggs would make nauseous even if they sound cute!

 

If Jay had made an array of dipping sauces for the pigs in a blanket, I actually wouldn't have minded him using canned dough.  (Especially if he said you can do this with kids!  Or make them whippersnappers do it themselves...)  

[Lura]

Duplicate.  Sorry.

Edited August 7, 2015 by Lura

[Lura]

I think Alex is cute, sweet and actually pretty intelligent, but he sure seems slow at reasoning.  He has repeated ingredients in his talks ad nauseum, and now, when everything is on the line, he makes a hot Indonesian soup for a family reunion in the summer!!!  Go back to Square One, Alex, and think!   What's your POV?  How about a summer sandwich?  Or how about a chilled soup with melons, berries, and a hint of mint?  You don't have to be an expert in family reunions to imagine the food that's eaten in the summer!

[iggysaurus]

Eddie. If he did that healthy/smart eating thing I would watch.

 

Me too, but I don't think the Food Network will ever have a show that's about healthy eating. Not anymore, anyway. They used to have that one called Cooking Thin, and maybe some others, but now it seems like the only new shows that can be on FN are ones that revolve around the following key ideas:  EXTREME!, bacon, DECADENT!, fried, fiery hot, grilled, CRAZY!!, cheesy, GLUTTONOUS, slathered in butter, OVERSIZED portions! And preferably involving a guy driving around.  

 

It annoys me, because although I like fried and cheesy food as much as anyone else, I also like variety.  I like vegetarian food, even if I'm not a full time vegetarian. I like tips about eating healthy, alongside celebrations of indulgence. You'd think for a channel that theoretically encompasses food in all its forms, there would be room for both ends of the spectrum -- but every time there's a contestant on Food Network Star whose POV is healthy eating or vegetarian food, they're booted early.  The only reason Eddie has stuck around is because obviously he is charismatic, but also because he has changed his POV to vaguely "Caribbean food" rather than anything to do with healthy eating. And even before, it wasn't really about healthy eating, it was about "cheat day" -- so the emphasis would've been on what you eat when you're NOT being healthy.  Because, woohoo, cheating and eating bad food, it's the American way, amirite?? 

Edited August 7, 2015 by iggysaurus

[cooksdelight]

Eddie could drive his food truck around! :)

[PamelaMaeSnap]

Eddie could just stand there and smile for a half hour and I'd watch that before I'd watch anyone else on this show do anything. Not that I'm shallow or anything.