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I don't think I dreamt this, but I saw Sunny host some sort of What Do You Like food show with that Christopher guy and two other FN "stars." They were obviously filmed separately, each had a screen quadrant and a unique colorful (and distracting) background. I clicked out of it after about five minutes.

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21 hours ago, Maverick said:

 I just saw a commercial for a new show called Easter Basket Challenge....hosted by Sunny.   So she's ok hosting a competition show with probably at least a dozen contestants but won't come inside on The Kitchen set.   

I just came to post about this! It's on now.... when the hell was it taped? I missed the first 20 minutes, I have no idea how many contestants there are, but it looks to have 6-10, plus Sunny and 2 judges. Not a single mask or social distancing in sight. Unless this crap was taped a year and a half ago or they were in a bubble for 2 months, it's making her grilling outside, in the snow, look even more ridiculous. 

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Looks like Sunny was hosting a live Zoom chat during the episode. Wonder if anyone asked about the lack of masks or if this was filmed pre-pandemic? That's the only thing that makes sense. I didn't watch this, but in the promo shot I saw of the cast, Sunny looked different than she does in/not in The Kitchen.

Short wig, really nice make up, clearly very hands-on styled by someone. 

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Today's Alexisms: 

As she's carving her roasted chicken: "The chicken really wants to be cut up and eaten by you"

While Jeff is carefully laying his fish fillets in to the saute' pan: "It's like putting your kids to bed"

What goes on in that woman's head? 

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Sunny did an Instagram live this morning and was walking around in her snowy, snowy area drinking a morning coffee of some sort with rum in it.  Long hair was wild and she was just natural with no makeup.  One of the viewers asked if she was cold -- snow was piled high and she had on a parka and wool cap -- and she said not a bit and showed her toes in the beach sandals she was wearing!

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(edited)

While Sunny was preparing her bearnaise, you could see her breath. Very strange woman. I wanted to eat that roast chicken and the Dover sole meunier (sp?). Good tips from both Alex & Jeff. "Jammy" hardboiled eggs are a major turn off for me.  I prefer salad nicoise w/o eggs. I wish they'd return to the cooking from home. That format better suited these folks, especially Jeff (along with Sunny who's still outside the studio).

Edited by annzeepark914
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I was only half paying attention--did Sunny eventually add tarragon to her béarnaise?   Or was the thyme a substitution not an addition?   Because if it didn't have tarragon then it's not béarnaise.  

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2 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

Today's Alexisms: 

As she's carving her roasted chicken: "The chicken really wants to be cut up and eaten by you"

While Jeff is carefully laying his fish fillets in to the saute' pan: "It's like putting your kids to bed"

What goes on in that woman's head? 

She is so strange, but she's really growing on me.  When she first showed up, I was annoyed because she never shut up in her position over in the commenting gallery, and maybe I'm just worn down, but she doesn't bug me as much.  She really does know her stuff, and throws in helpful things like asking on of the guys (can't remember which) if it was all-purpose flour he was using.  Since they don't give actual recipes on the show, it doesn't really matter in the moment, but it shows she's attentive and checking out the details.

I liked today's show.  It's the closest it's come to pre-pandemic shows, in terms of the banter, which is really the only reason I watch.  That's what separates it from the millions of videos of people preparing food.  Like Zakarian's pop quiz on naming the mother sauces, which Alex passed but claimed made her nervous.  Or when Jeff asked Zakarian what a "panade" was; that doesn't happen in solo videos.

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59 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I liked today's show.  It's the closest it's come to pre-pandemic shows, in terms of the banter, which is really the only reason I watch.  That's what separates it from the millions of videos of people preparing food.  Like Zakarian's pop quiz on naming the mother sauces, which Alex passed but claimed made her nervous.  Or when Jeff asked Zakarian what a "panade" was; that doesn't happen in solo videos.

Well, this explains why some folks love the studio show vs the pandemic-era cooking at home format.

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2 hours ago, Maverick said:

I was only half paying attention--did Sunny eventually add tarragon to her béarnaise?   Or was the thyme a substitution not an addition?   Because if it didn't have tarragon then it's not béarnaise.  

I don't know what she added, but I do know the steak she covered in it looked like shoe leather... and I don't even eat steak. I also noticed that parts of her segments were in day light and others were either in dawn or dusk. 

I still don't get why the 3 inside aren't allowed to try each other's cooking. If you can get a meal to go at the very most in NY, which isn't even the case now, but who knows when these were taped, they should be able to eat in each other's presence. There's no reason one of them couldn't plate 3 portions, put them on a counter and the other 2 each go grab a plate. Hell... NY has allowed outdoor dining for a long time now, so they could at least feed Sunny! LOL!

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On 3/1/2021 at 10:37 PM, Fostersmom said:

I just came to post about this! It's on now.... when the hell was it taped? I missed the first 20 minutes, I have no idea how many contestants there are, but it looks to have 6-10, plus Sunny and 2 judges. Not a single mask or social distancing in sight. Unless this crap was taped a year and a half ago or they were in a bubble for 2 months, it's making her grilling outside, in the snow, look even more ridiculous. 

According to this article, the "Easter Basket Challenge" was filmed during the pandemic in NYC.  The more I know about this woman the more I don't get her.  Maybe they promised her an airtight bubble for the cast and crew while filming that series but won't on "The Kitchen"?  Otherwise it makes no sense, like a lot of stuff about her.

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1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

According to this article, the "Easter Basket Challenge" was filmed during the pandemic in NYC.  The more I know about this woman the more I don't get her.  Maybe they promised her an airtight bubble for the cast and crew while filming that series but won't on "The Kitchen"?  Otherwise it makes no sense, like a lot of stuff about her.

Okay, this just seems like she's trying to prove a point or stick it to FN or someone on the show at this point. Maybe GZ, Alex, and Jeff wouldn't/couldn't agree to be in a bubble to film a whole bunch of these in a row and the Easter contestants would? She's going to find herself on the used to always be on FN, but now doesn't exist to them list if she's not careful. 

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4 hours ago, Fostersmom said:

Okay, this just seems like she's trying to prove a point or stick it to FN or someone on the show at this point. Maybe GZ, Alex, and Jeff wouldn't/couldn't agree to be in a bubble to film a whole bunch of these in a row and the Easter contestants would? She's going to find herself on the used to always be on FN, but now doesn't exist to them list if she's not careful. 

Yeah, I still don't get it.  I would also think that if she's that afraid of exposure she wouldn't trust any "bubble" no matter how air-tight they promised it to her.  They say everyone has their price, though, so maybe she thought it was worth the risk to do the Easter show for the extra $$$.  Plus it probably was filmed in a relatively small window of time compared to "The Kitchen" which is filming on an ongoing basis, so the bubble wouldn't have had to last that long.  It would probably be a lot more to ask of "The Kitchen" cast and crew to isolate themselves on a pretty much continuous basis.

Interestingly, her voluntary isolation probably helped her get that gig on the Easter show because they were going to film in a bubble and she wouldn't have to change anything about the way she did things because she was already doing it!

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15 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

She is so strange, but she's really growing on me.  When she first showed up, I was annoyed because she never shut up in her position over in the commenting gallery, and maybe I'm just worn down, but she doesn't bug me as much.  She really does know her stuff, and throws in helpful things like asking on of the guys (can't remember which) if it was all-purpose flour he was using.  Since they don't give actual recipes on the show, it doesn't really matter in the moment, but it shows she's attentive and checking out the details.

I liked today's show.  It's the closest it's come to pre-pandemic shows, in terms of the banter, which is really the only reason I watch.  That's what separates it from the millions of videos of people preparing food.  Like Zakarian's pop quiz on naming the mother sauces, which Alex passed but claimed made her nervous.  Or when Jeff asked Zakarian what a "panade" was; that doesn't happen in solo videos.

It makes me so happy to hear that Alex may be gaining another fan. I’ve always fangirled her. She is so down to earth. For more insight into her personality you should listen to her being interviewed on the podcast “Food Network Obsessed” which is the official Food Network podcast.  She shares info on how she blew auditions and how she ended up in the middle judge seat on Chopped.  

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17 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

She is so strange, but she's really growing on me.  When she first showed up, I was annoyed because she never shut up in her position over in the commenting gallery, and maybe I'm just worn down, but she doesn't bug me as much.  She really does know her stuff, and throws in helpful things like asking on of the guys (can't remember which) if it was all-purpose flour he was using.  Since they don't give actual recipes on the show, it doesn't really matter in the moment, but it shows she's attentive and checking out the details.

I hear you, you sound like me - I was softening on her too and then someone up thread posted on their personal experience meeting the cast after a pre-pandemic taping and said she was the only person that didn't engage with the fans and seemed downright dismissive and rude.  You'd have to read it to get the full picture as I don't remember it verbatim.  It made me think my initial negative assessment of her was the one I should stick with.  I'm getting the feeling I was right that she is full of herself, only cares about impressing people that can benefit her and puts on a disingenuous facade of being down to earth and nice.

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1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

I hear you, you sound like me - I was softening on her too and then someone up thread posted on their personal experience meeting the cast after a pre-pandemic taping and said she was the only person that didn't engage with the fans and seemed downright dismissive and rude.  You'd have to read it to get the full picture as I don't remember it verbatim.  It made me think my initial negative assessment of her was the one I should stick with.  I'm getting the feeling I was right that she is full of herself, only cares about impressing people that can benefit her and puts on a disingenuous facade of being down to earth and nice.

Or, maybe Alex isn't as outgoing as she seems on the show and really is a true introvert. I don't care.  Alex is an excellent cooking instructor, which is what she's hired to be on the various TV shows she's appeared on. Who knows the % of viewers who are novice cooks and may be intimidated about roasting a chicken? Alex's instructions are clear, calm, and professional, complete with good tips. Best of all, she doesn't yell, growl, ham it up, or have vocal fry 😊

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57 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Or, maybe Alex isn't as outgoing as she seems on the show and really is a true introvert. I don't care.  Alex is an excellent cooking instructor, which is what she's hired to be on the various TV shows she's appeared on. Who knows the % of viewers who are novice cooks and may be intimidated about roasting a chicken? Alex's instructions are clear, calm, and professional, complete with good tips. Best of all, she doesn't yell, growl, ham it up, or have vocal fry 😊

Alex doesn't strike me as an introvert - I say that as an introvert that has studied personality type so you can take that FWIW.

I don't have to love her to like her food, though.  In some ways I think her attitude is very New York-y and I get that better than most people being a native of NYC myself.

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1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

Alex doesn't strike me as an introvert - I say that as an introvert that has studied personality type so you can take that FWIW.

I'm also an introvert and I can kind of see her as one.  What is it about her that makes you think she's not an introvert?

Edited by Irlandesa
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23 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I'm also an introvert and I can kind of see her as one.  What is it about her that makes you think she's not an introvert?

She seems way too adept at and comfortable handling social situations, not that introverts can't be to varying degrees, but it's also how she's just soooo quick with the smart quips, always having the "right" thing to say, seeming to love being in the spotlight even though she feigns reticence and modesty, and never missing an opportunity to say something and be "out front".  Usually introverts wouldn't hit all those buttons as well as she does.  Introverts usually don't care as much about that stuff and are content not to be the center of attention, especially around other very outgoing extroverts.  However, Alex doesn't fade away or take a back seat even next to the likes of big extroverts like the others on "The Kitchen".  If Alex was an introvert my bet is that she would be eclipsed a bit by the others the show.  She would fade into the background around them.  Or the audience would interpret her more quiet, less gregarious exterior for not being "nice".  She might even be more socially awkward if she were an introvert too.  She seems like someone that is way more focused on the external world than I would ever be but is just not as over the top and obnoxiously loud as people like Jeff or Sunny.  Next to them anyone would look like an introvert, even other extroverts!  Introverts are focused inward and you see less of them and their personalities on the surface while extroverts are all out there for the world to see.  So my vote is definitely extrovert for Alex.  I also think GZ is an extrovert.  I'm sure most show hosts on the FN are extroverts.  Being an extrovert that's adept at public presentation and cultivating a very dynamic, attractive TV persona is pretty much a prerequisite for being a host of anything on the Food Network.  "Food Network Star" pounded THAT into my head 10,000 times!

This may not be a popular opinion, but I think one of the ONLY introverts that ever hosted a show on FN was Melissa D'Arabian and people HATED her and saw her as stuck up and disingenuous when in reality she was just an introvert that didn't have very well developed social and "presentation" skills to overcome giving that impression.  She tried but it failed and even made her look worse.  Alex may be just as stuck up and disingenuous but she knows how to project herself as this "gee shucks" false-modest person that's everyone's pal and people seem to buy into that image.  In fact I could probably name any number of extroverted TV show hosts that fit that description, both male and female.  Introverts are by and large just not up to their level.

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(edited)

Being an introvert isn't necessarily being "shy" IMO.  It doesn't mean they lack ambition. There are a lot of performers who are shy.  When I think of extrovert, I think of people who get energy from being around people as opposed to people who get energy from being alone or being around one or two people at most. 

I'm an introvert. I deal with the public. I am fine giving a presentation. It's something I taught myself over the years. I can be clever with a quip (or at least in my own mind.) I feel comfortable around friends.  (I don't know about the others but GZ is clearly a long time friend of hers.) But networking or cocktail parties are my worst nightmare.  And if it's a busy day where I have to meet with a lot of people, I come home exhausted. 

I just see what she does on camera as a different skill or requiring different energy than what mingling with an audience would be like--especially if she needs to film multiple episodes in a row.  I'd need to know more about her off camera lifestyle before I could reach an opinion.

Edited by Irlandesa
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Because I'm "CoviDesperate" I'm watching an old episode of The Kitchen.  Sunny Anderson is wearing the ugliest, most unflattering possible blue lipstick.  Whatever possessed her?  Does she never look in the mirror?  (I was going to ask why someone wouldn't suggest a different colour, but then realized they probably needed to keep their job.)

 

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1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

Being an introvert isn't necessarily being "shy" IMO.  It doesn't mean they lack ambition. There are a lot of performers who are shy.  When I think of introvert, I think of people who get energy from being around people as opposed to people who get energy from being alone or being around one or two people at most. 

I'm an introvert. I deal with the public. I am fine giving a presentation. It's something I taught myself over the years. I can be clever with a quip (or at least in my own mind.) I feel comfortable around friends.  (I don't know about the others but GZ is clearly a long time friend of hers.) But networking or cocktail parties are my worst nightmare.  And if it's a busy day where I have to meet with a lot of people, I come home exhausted. 

I just see what she does on camera as a different skill or requiring different energy than what mingling with an audience would be like--especially if she needs to film multiple episodes in a row.  I'd need to know more about her off camera lifestyle before I could reach an opinion.

Yup!  I'm very shy but my profession was non-profit mgmt and it killed me to have to do presentations or make calls seeking financial support or just being at functions (dinners, special fundraising events, etc).  I would pretend to be an outgoing person.  One volunteer even tried to recruit me to do sales for a cosmetics company on the side (she didn't believe me when I said I couldn't do something like that, I was too shy). So who knows.  Maybe Alex isn't a mega introvert but shy enough outside of work to not want to schmooze with fans.

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(edited)
2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Being an introvert isn't necessarily being "shy" IMO.  It doesn't mean they lack ambition. There are a lot of performers who are shy.  When I think of introvert, I think of people who get energy from being around people as opposed to people who get energy from being alone or being around one or two people at most. 

I'm an introvert. I deal with the public. I am fine giving a presentation. It's something I taught myself over the years. I can be clever with a quip (or at least in my own mind.) I feel comfortable around friends.  (I don't know about the others but GZ is clearly a long time friend of hers.) But networking or cocktail parties are my worst nightmare.  And if it's a busy day where I have to meet with a lot of people, I come home exhausted. 

I just see what she does on camera as a different skill or requiring different energy than what mingling with an audience would be like--especially if she needs to film multiple episodes in a row.  I'd need to know more about her off camera lifestyle before I could reach an opinion.

I didn't say introverts are shy.  I said that introverts don't seek the spotlight and put themselves in the public eye as much as extroverts do on the whole.  It's not because they're shy, it's because they just don't like doing that as much as extroverts do.  They prefer one on one situations or being in small groups of people they know and trust, which is most often NOT big groups of strangers. 

Of course we all extrovert.  Everyone introverts and extroverts.  It's about where your preference lies in general that makes you one or the other. 

Of course a lot of introverts deal with the public and are fine giving presentations, but it's not where they LIVE.  We can be downright "lives of the party" when we are around friends and feel comfortable, but fade into the background when around large groups of strangers. 

On stage, unless we are cloaked in a character, we often feel less comfortable getting up there in front of strangers and being clever and witty on the fly.  Again, not because we're necessarily shy or underconfident, but it's not what we relish. 

I think Alex really relishes the role of host and being in the spotlight, and she's great at being witty with strangers on the fly.  It's where she LIVES.  It's where she gets her deepest satisfaction, aside from cooking.  It doesn't look to me like she's had to develop something that didn't come naturally.  Feel free to disagree, but that's my opinion.

Edited by Yeah No
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(edited)
On 3/7/2021 at 2:35 PM, chessiegal said:

I follow Alex on Twitter. She's not much of a tweeter. but she's always gracious and nice in answering fans who ask her questions.

I've always liked Alex Guarnaschelli, but what I would like even more is if Twitter had never come into existence.

 

Edited by Leeds
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I had to hit the mute button at 11:02 and then asked myself why I was watching this show. It's such forced (& in some cases fake) attempts at being hip (& loud, of course). Alex & GZ look ridiculous woo-hooing...they're too mature & too talented, being Iron Chefs with so darn much experience & knowledge. Plus, the food doesn't appeal to me today so I think I'll take a pass. 

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I liked this ep.  Maybe because I'm a carb addict but everything looked delish--except for the beer cheese soup.  I don't like beer and bowl full of melted cheese is too heavy, even for me.

I did kind of laugh during Katie's segment.  It really felt like she pre-filmed her alfredo pie and GZ and Jeff were asked to add some voice over to it. 

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6 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I did kind of laugh during Katie's segment.  It really felt like she pre-filmed her alfredo pie and GZ and Jeff were asked to add some voice over to it. 

And yet their interactions with Katie still seemed 100% more natural than their interactions with Sunny who was supposedly just outside. 

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Katie's Alfredo pie really seemed like a revision of her spaghetti pie that she showed on Instagram(?). Basically same thing different flavors...

I liked this show a whole lot better when they were cooking from home. So much more natural...except for "outside Sunny" ...

Edited by Gramto6
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56 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

I liked this show a whole lot better when they were cooking from home. So much more natural...except for "outside Sunny" ...

Yup. When they were at home, they weren't acting like a bunch of court jesters, competing for attention. There was nice interaction with family. This morning it seemed too loud and too fake. 

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On 3/13/2021 at 11:36 PM, annzeepark914 said:

Yup. When they were at home, they weren't acting like a bunch of court jesters, competing for attention. There was nice interaction with family. This morning it seemed too loud and too fake. 

Jeff was particularly over the top on this episode.  Definitely liked him better when they filmed him at his home.

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Someone mentioned above thread about being fake.  Alex's smile looks so phoney to me, maybe it's not, but it looks pasted on.  I trust her as a authority on cooking, she didn't get Iron Chef for doing semi-homemade style food, but as a personality, she's not someone I want to watch.  At this point I tune in to see GZ and Jeff.  And Jeff wears on my nerves at times.  Watching GZ is like watching those old episodes of Jacques Torres, the chocolatier. He makes complicated look easy.  

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12 hours ago, trudysmom said:

Someone mentioned above thread about being fake.  Alex's smile looks so phoney to me, maybe it's not, but it looks pasted on.  I trust her as a authority on cooking, she didn't get Iron Chef for doing semi-homemade style food, but as a personality, she's not someone I want to watch. 

When she commented that Zakarian flipped his hash browns while wearing a suit, I thought, "This is The Kitchen that I enjoy."

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Today I turned on the TV and the Kitchen was on. I think it was from 2019. Jeff, Sunny, GZ, Katie, and Anne somebody (the one with the wild hairdo). They had an assembly line set up as each one added something to a platter of nachos. It really looked good. But through a fake window behind them, something caught my eye--Sunny's "outdoor" fence, the one she stands in front of when it's snowing...and you can see her breath. 

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On 3/16/2021 at 1:02 AM, StatisticalOutlier said:

When she commented that Zakarian flipped his hash browns while wearing a suit, I thought, "This is The Kitchen that I enjoy."

A tiny bit off topic, but years (and years) ago I worked in a bakery in a supermarket. Our cake decorator was phenomenal.  Not only was she lightening fast but she would work an 8 hour shift and her apron looked as fresh as when she put it on that morning.  Mine looked like a kid makin mudpies within the hour.  I admired her so much and use to tease her about it, but she'd just say "I work with my hands, not my entire body."  That confidence that GZ has in his cooking, I think that is what this lady had. Her talents were wasted in a little supermarket bakery.   I love watching GZ cook, he's calm and soothing, doesn't need to yell, 'ya know what I'm sayin'?!' 

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16 minutes ago, bichonblitz said:

I don't know why but I started following Sunny on Insta. She is just as annoying and grating there as she is on TV. It's just her natural personality. 

Not surprised. Jeff, when he's got his volume turned *way up* is equally annoying.  But there are times, when he's relaxed & not OTT, that he's very funny. Glad I got to see him grilling on his back porch this past year, interacting with his adorable child and his sweet wife. 

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Today's show wasn't bad.  Of course I muted Sunny and since I won't eat lamb, I didn't watch Katie (although we learned she has a new cookbook coming out). But GZ's chicken paillard looked good. And Alex's chocolate cake was a thing of beauty. Interesting that Sunny now says, just before her segment starts, that she's keeping her distance, out there on a patio. I bet viewers are asking FN what the heck is going on with her. Also interesting that we never see KL's cute hubby any more, nor her dog. It's as though she too has a mystery camera person...even though we know who it is. 

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Wow!  The two iron chefs said cooking on waxed paper instead of parchment paper wouldn't be that bad.  I barely cook, and even I knew it was "really bad."  Is it possible they never use parchment paper at all and don't really know what it is??  I'm with Katie--I use it a lot.  

I do enjoy the "how bad is it?" segments.

 

 

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After all of this odd business with Sunny “cooking” outside in the freezing cold, I realized I wouldn’t miss her at all if they just dismissed her when they can all come back into the studio. She’s too loud, too over the top in her mannerisms and I haven’t made one thing she’s showcased in all of the years I’ve watched this show. Please show runners, we don’t need her anymore.

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