The Shows of 2016: New Year, New Chefs, Same Sob Stories

[ShellSeeker]

 

A place to discuss all things Chopped 2016!

 

[Totale]

I can try to start the year off on a happy note by saying the one they premiered on Tuesday wasn't horrible.  I guess there was supposed to be some sort of NY/Houston rivalry but as a hook they let that go quickly, if like me you skip over the intros you could miss it.  The contestants were actually restaurant professionals and none of them were outright assholes.  Maybe it was an unused show from two or three years ago.

[cattykit]

It was refreshingly gimmick-free.  The one cheftestant tried to pull in a sob story about the mother with diabetes but that didn't get him past the first round. 

[grisgris]

I really wanted the Houston chef with the mullet to win. I thought he was a breath of fresh air. He didn't take himself too seriously and was just in it to have some fun. He seemed genuinely surprised to have made it to the dessert round. When that last basket was heavily weighted towards the Italian touch, I knew he was doomed.

[backformore]

Most recent episode is all about "healthy" cooking.   Yeah, and Chopped jumped on the "gluten is bad for you"  bandwagon, including gluten-free ingredients as healthy.

[jcbrown]

Yeah, I ate some cheese crackers while I watched it and told all the contestants to bite me. Step away from the fad, FN.

[Major Bigtime]

The cauliflower pizza crust is supposed to be the new craze. A friend of mine made one and said it was very time consuming so I hope there are some ready-made ones out there.

[NaughtyKitty]

MaRscapone

MaRscapone

 

Eek!  

[NikSac]

Finally watching the "Brunch" show. Yet another one full of pre-made basket ingredients. I was thankful to see plain ol' chicken and uncooked duck eggs in the 'entree' round, and some eggs in the 'dessert' round. But wasn't everything else pretty much pre-cooked? 

 

Ah yes, the MaRscapone is back, along with the vin-uh-grrr-ette. If they're going to stick with the story thing I liked the ones this time a little better than the usual sob stories. Travel, engagement rings, paying off loans - I'd still prefer they focus on the cooking, but those didn't bother me too much.

 

Alex seemed sort of panicked this episode. There's always the "oh no are they going to make it?!?" but she seemed extra stressed this time.

[GaT]

Finally watching the "Brunch" show. Yet another one full of pre-made basket ingredients. I was thankful to see plain ol' chicken and uncooked duck eggs in the 'entree' round, and some eggs in the 'dessert' round. But wasn't everything else pretty much pre-cooked? 

 

Yep, basically it was a "leftovers" episode disguised as a "brunch" episode.

[cattykit]

So it's not enough that they've cut the judges' deliberation between rounds.  Now at the final judges' table Ted says, "You've already talked about dessert, so let's talk about the other two courses," except of course we didn't see their deliberation about the dessert, just their comments while eating.

 

Fuck this show so very much.  All the gimmicks in the world don't work when you screw around with the basic premise and eliminate the things we want to see.

[iggysaurus]

Pretty soon they're going to skip the cooking segments entirely and find a way to make the whole show about sob stories, rivalries, and "big personalities." 

[grisgris]

I was mesmerized by whatever the guy who won was wearing on his earlobes.

 

If I were the judges, I would have dinged the contestants every time they said "mars-ca-pone." That is like nails on a chalkboard to me. Where was Geoffrey Zakarian when we needed him the other nights -- really!

Edited January 25, 2016 by grisgris

[NikSac]

Grisgris I think you might be on to something for improving this show, or at least making it more interesting.  Some sort of points system. +1 for properly cooked proteins, -1 for mispronouncing mascarpone or vinaigrette.  -2 for breaking pasta in half, or brutalizing a fish during filleting. +2 for a good sob story, or making something the judge might want to eat another bite of, etc.  -3 for blood in the food, and I was going to say -3 for missed ingredient, but they seem to not care about that much anymore. They could even keep a running scoreboard going during the cooking.

 

I realize it's still pretty random but at least we'd have some idea where the scoring is coming from.

[bad things are bad]

-100 if they make either bread pudding or French toast in the dessert round. 

[xaxat]

Does anyone know what the ratings are? I think we, as a group, might be losing interest (I know I am) and was wondering if that might be true for the larger audience.

 

(But, if it is, why are they running more episodes and variations of the show?)

Edited January 25, 2016 by xaxat

[cattykit]

 

(But, if it is, why are they running more episodes and variations of the show?)

Desperation?  Because it's jumped the shark?  All these gimmicks have such a Cousin Oliver feel to me, and they're about as successful.

[Christina]

I haven't watched in a while, but I think I would come back if they started giving the chefs real food again. An odd pairing, sure, but the stupid 4 items that don't go together and can't make anything resembling a dish, and then complaining about it got tiring.

 

They no longer discuss the dishes because they are all crap. Stop giving bread in dessert and expecting something other than bread pudding, Maybe, drop dessert and give them longer to make two meals. Let's see what they could make with an hour for two dinners, instead of 30 mins with proteins that need that long to cook properly.

 

I think I just have burn out for this show.

[GaT]

Chef Kathy’s vocal fry drove me crazy, I wish she hadn't won, & what kind of idiot do you have to be to put a inedible chicken claw in the dish to honor your mother?

[cooksdelight]

She was picked to win before they even started. She got away with not changing or elevating (I hate that word in conjunction with food) anything that others get dinged for.

[40Love]

She was picked to win before they even started. She got away with not changing or elevating (I hate that word in conjunction with food) anything that others get dinged for.

 

Yeah I had a hunch she would win as soon as the intro was done. I also predicted the nervous guy would be the first out. Poor guy... too bad he couldn't pull it together. I was surprised the two Asian cooks didn't go head-to-head in the dessert round. But, that knucklehead put that damn inedible nail on the plate as a homage to his mom. Dude?! Really?! I think your mom would have liked the $6 grand (after taxes) you would have brought home better! Heh! 

 

But, I digress... she was a shoe-in... just like the Italian restaurant owner on the Italian-themed challenges or the Pub Food restaurant owner on the Pub Food challenge... and all the contestants who just happen to work in one of the judges' restaurants. Lol! But, that's okay I still love the show. I'm just fast-forwarding a lot more these days. 

[xaxat]

Outside of the lions, I was really bored.

[backformore]

Does anyone know what the ratings are? I think we, as a group, might be losing interest (I know I am) and was wondering if that might be true for the larger audience.

 

(But, if it is, why are they running more episodes and variations of the show?)

It really has become boring.   

I think that a lot of contestants are over-prepared, coming in with a game plan, one that will work with a variety of ingredients.   Like they have a cake recipe they're prepared to use in the dessert round, that can incorporate any number of ingredients.   

I have liked when they change it up and the three rounds are breakfast lunch and dinner.   Maybe they could have more variations like that, different "themes", so contestants never know what to expect, and can't come in prepared for appetizer, main course, dessert, because they might not have that challenge.  The Chinese food one was a good variation, they could do "every course has to be a pasta", or "use apples in each course", that sort of thing. 

[Gbb]

Eddie Jackson from FNS is going to be on tonight. First time in awhile I'll make a point to watch live.

[xaxat]

Given their commitment to tailgating, I assume the contestants are pretty serious fans of their local teams, so I wonder what their reaction was when they saw they would be wearing the black and gold of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Especially the Raiders fan.

 

He's probably getting a lot of crap from his friends today.

[grisgris]

I wondered about that color choice for the jerseys, too.

 

Good to see Eddie Jackson. I was afraid he was going to get his gratuitous six-and-out FNS shows, then he'd be history. I didn't think that he had much constructive criticism to add, but it was good to see him and nice to see a different judge for a change.

 

I was happy to see the female contestant (finally!) win, especially with such a macho-driven theme as tailgating. I was afraid that when she spilled that smoked paprika all over her dish that she was curtains, but the other guys made some equally bad mistakes.

 

I didn't mind seeing Raiders guy chopped first. (There's not much love lost between the Raiders and Chiefs.) I knew that when he just served the burger dressed up, that he'd go quickly.

 

I thought the overall judging on this episode was kind of inconsistent. Sometimes the contestants got called out for not really transforming the basket ingredients enough, then other times, they slid by.

[mlp]

 

I thought the overall judging on this episode was kind of inconsistent. Sometimes the contestants got called out for not really transforming the basket ingredients enough, then other times, they slid by.

 

I thought so too.  However, it all worked out the way I wanted it to.  I knew the first guy out would get chopped when he made a burger and I was relieved to see him go because that awful black beard (which looked dyed) around his mouth creeped me out.  I liked Tim but, as the show went on, he began to come across as a bit macho and arrogant so I was glad the woman won.  I liked her despite the ghastly bright red lipstick.  I imagine the judges took into consideration that the overload of paprika was accidental, not a cooking judgment error.

[NikSac]

I liked this episode overall and the results, but I couldn't help thinking the winner was too much of a character. She reminded me of some of the cheesy people they've had on shows like Worst Cooks. It was nice to see her win though. Her food definitely looked the best to me other than the paprika mishap. I think the Raiders guy might be a better fit for Cutthroat Kitchen since he was talking sabotages in the very first round.

[cooksdelight]

Good to see Eddie Jackson. I was afraid he was going to get his gratuitous six-and-out FNS shows, then he'd be history. I didn't think that he had much constructive criticism to add, but it was good to see him and nice to see a different judge for a change.

He's been on The Kitchen, and Bobby Flay's Christmas special. They have a gold mine in Eddie, he's not going anywhere. Thankfully, as he's sure easy on the eyes.

[BW Manilowe]

He's been on The Kitchen, and Bobby Flay's Christmas special. They have a gold mine in Eddie, he's not going anywhere. Thankfully, as he's sure easy on the eyes.

He also was on ABC's The Chew at some point after he won FNS.

[JessDVD]

I want a Chopped jersey. Is my takeaway from the tailgate episode

[The Bullpen]

I just don't find Eddie especially articulate, and his guest judging stint on Chopped really demonstrated that.  He's likable, but shouldn't be in the role of judge again anytime soon.  Stick to hosting or cooking, I guess.

[backformore]

Latest episode -   I don't usually find bald guys appealing.  I'm not crazy about tattoos.   So why did I find that bald,  tattooed guy with the red facial hair so intriguing?  Was it the piercing brown eyes?

I don't know.  But I want him to cook for me.   

[xaxat]

Was the entree round basket for tonight's episode the easiest one ever?

[NikSac]

Good question xaxat. I was wondering if that actually threw the chefs off. Maybe it seemed too easy?

[nitrofishblue]

I was surprised at how all four chefs did a lousy job in all the rounds. I didn't find the dishes appetizing in any manner. They ruined those beautiful steaks. How in the world could the last two make such crappy desserts? I have yet to see a chef make a successful panna cotta.

[DollEyes]

I liked the "Bacon Boys" episode. All four chefs were cute and can cook. The only thing that would have made the episode better for me would have been if they were shirtless too, but since bacon was involved, it was safer not to. Disappointing, but safer.

 

ETA one of the judges suggested a "Bacon Boys" calendar. Sounds like a great idea to me. The guys could be in various states of undress and it could feature bacon-themed pictures/ recipes:

 

January: The winner holding a piglet dressed as Baby New Year

February: Chocolate-covered bacon (Valentine's Day)

March: Easter Sunday breakfast casserole with bacon

April: Bacon ice cream (April Fool's Day)

May: military-themed bacon dish (Memorial Day)

June: Poses with their kids (Father's Day)

July: All-American bacon burger

August: Summer salad with bacon

September: Kid-friendly bacon dishes (First day of school)

October: Scary-themed bacon dish (Halloween)

November: Turkey/bacon club sandwich (Thanksgiving)

December: Holiday-themed bacon dishes

Edited February 16, 2016 by DollEyes

[cooksdelight]

If you live in Los Angeles and would like to be a paid extra on Thursday in a Food Network pilot, apply for tickets here:

http://onsetproductions.com/calendar/details.aspx?showID=415

[NikSac]

Just watched the Caribbean themed episode, and I was pleasantly surprised. They got chefs who were all familiar with that style of cooking, and the basket ingredients fit well with the theme. Seems like for awhile there they'd have, say, a burger theme and one chef who cooked at a burger place, a vegetarian, a seafood chef, and a "healthy meals" person (just random examples).  It was nice having all of them specialists in this style.

 

I also liked watching what they could create with baskets that went along with the theme and didn't have a bunch of 'out there' ingredients. I thought it was more fun to watch actually.

 

I couldn't believe the one guy put red bell peppers in his appetizer round, got dinged for it, and then insisted on putting them in the entree too because he felt like they fit that time. Um, nope, apparently not. I thought for sure he was going to get chopped, but I guess the other dish didn't really meet the Caribbean theme.  I was very happy for the guy who won. His food looked great every round.

[Lamb18]

Grisgris I think you might be on to something for improving this show, or at least making it more interesting.  Some sort of points system. +1 for properly cooked proteins, -1 for mispronouncing mascarpone or vinaigrette.  -2 for breaking pasta in half, or brutalizing a fish during filleting. +2 for a good sob story, or making something the judge might want to eat another bite of, etc.  -3 for blood in the food, and I was going to say -3 for missed ingredient, but they seem to not care about that much anymore. They could even keep a running scoreboard going during the cooking.

 

I realize it's still pretty random but at least we'd have some idea where the scoring is coming from.

-3 for bones or a bloodline

-3 for a hair

-10 for the shrimp vein

-1000 for putting red onions on Scott Conant's plate!

[grisgris]

-7 points for blatantly ignoring a shout-out from the judges (e.g. red bell pepper dude)

-20 for using any shade of truffle oil

 

I'm pleased with the "Caribbean Challenge" winner, too. However, he had me going with his sob story about the mother who left the family to relocate to England to earn money to send back home. It was subtly misleading because it sounded like she just took off and never came back, contacted them, etc. It wasn't until the end when he finally said that he talked to his mother every weekend and that she faithfully sent home checks all the time.

[NikSac]

Does anyone happen to remember if earlier Chopped episodes were more like this Caribbean one? Where the basket ingredients required creativity but they weren't totally off the wall? I really enjoyed that aspect of it. It's been so long since I saw the early seasons I can't remember how they were.

[mlp]

The truck stop episode tonight features a cook from Dixie Trucker's World, the oldest truck stop in the U.S., which is about 20 miles from where I live.  The Dixie is just a big truck stop in a very small town but it's well-known in the Midwest.  I've been there quite a few times.  The restaurant is clean with friendly staff and OK food, nothing special although the fried chicken is really good.  

 

I'm providing the link to the story in the local paper but I think you might have to be a subscriber to get in.  Not sure.  I copied part of the article below.  The young woman said she was "sworn to secrecy" so there was no hint how she did.

 

http://www.pantagraph.com/blogs/flick/flick-eva-and-dixie-truck-stop-now-tv-stars/article_7e0297b6-db59-531e-9e48-d8d1d4020bab.html

 

 

Eva [the contestant] says it’s all friendly but very competitive, organized, "there are TV cameras everywhere!" and not for the high-blood-pressured.

“We’re not allowed into the kitchen until just before the shoot and not knowing any of the ingredients, your cooking is stressful,” she testifies.

And just getting there is a trick, too.

When word got out last summer that the network wanted to do a truck stop episode, with “diverse, vibrant, upbeat personalities" as competitors, Eva who is all of those, filled out an application. Just the app, she says, took hours.

Then she underwent extensive video interviews, via Skype — one, then another.

A month later came word that "Chopped" wanted Eva. “I was very very excited, but also extremely nervous. I want to nicely represent the business for my parents.”

[Totale]

She was sweet although I grew tired of hearing her scream before every commercial break.  I don't think the Big Guy cooked that much better than her, but I think the judges liked his ambition even if everything didn't work out.

 

I am happier to see real working cooks back on again more often.

[cooksdelight]

I've heard from former competitors that they don't get a walk-through of the kitchen and pantry, to see where things are. You're thrown into it cold. And yes, their application is loooooooong. Especially if you need time to craft your story about your dead cat......

[rcc]

I missed the truck stop episode. Does anyone remember what happened to the chef from Maine? I don't think he won otherwise he would have been in the local paper. But I'd like to know how long he lasted?

[grisgris]

He went out in the entree' round. He made a quesadilla and threw the cheese in at the very last minute. He got dinged because the cheese wasn't melted. He had the overall best sob story. However, I do sincerely hope that his brother gets his liver transplant before it's too late.

 

Mama's Boy and Daddy's Girl were in the finale. While I thought DG's  (sorry, I honestly forgot there names already) ideas were more innovative MB's had better time-management and cooking chops -- ever so slightly. I think he nailed it because of the judges collective foodgasm over his prosciutto "salt" in the second round.

[NikSac]

I missed the truck stop episode. Does anyone remember what happened to the chef from Maine? I don't think he won otherwise he would have been in the local paper. But I'd like to know how long he lasted?

 

Looks like there's a summary here: http://www.examiner.com/article/chopped-chefs-are-truck-stop-stars-on-food-network. Looks like he lost in the entree around due to serving a quesadilla with cheese that didn't melt. 

[rcc]

Thanks for the responses. Unmelted cheese! 

[Totale]

The Shows of 2017: Unmelted Cheese