The Kitchen - General Discussion

[Westiepeach]

It just looked like everybody hated everybody and everything today. No smiles, just a lot of grimaces. IMHO.

[Spunkygal]

Okay, I just watched a DVR'd episode of Carnival Eats and I'm calling it now.....one of the upcoming Thanksgiving episodes will have waffles made out of leftover dressing to wrap around your leftover turkey. But will it be Jeff or Sunny to tout this "new" idea?

[biakbiak]

After using an instant pot to hardboil eggs, I will never go back to making them any other way.

11 hours ago, UniqueHandle said:

So weird that they made no mention of Marcela leaving

When Daphne left The Chew they didn't announce her being gone on the first episode back but in this case it's probably because of the taping schedule.

[bichonblitz]

17 hours ago, Mnemosyne said:

Not much else to say about this one that hasn't been said above, but I did giggle at Sunny gesticulating wildly with a huge knife in her hand and Marcela gritting her teeth and taking it away from her.

That was hilarious! This sure was a Sunny centered episode. She was everywhere. Even with the guest chef. Why? 

[Kathcart]

Quote

Current Vegas odds:

3/1 On Fleek with Tregaye Fraser

5/1 PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LEARN TO LIKE MATTHEW GRUNWALD! PLEEEEEASE!

10/1 Justin Warner's Weekly Quest to one-up the Iron Chef

50/1 The Lenny McNab Redemption Tour

Don't forget MARR-TEEEEEEEEEE-TA!!!!!!

Watching a rerun today -- the one where Marcela's stupid cold-shoulder sundress keeps threatening to fall off (drinking game?) -- and here's a gem from Sunny during GZ's segment where he cooked the pasta/chicken/bacon thing with cheese sauce and broccoli:

"Look at all that flavor!"

Yeah, Sunny. I see that flavor. And I hear the texture!

[bad things are bad]

How about Aarti? She's defined by an ethnic viewpoint, like Marcela. She wouldn't bug me nearly as much as Tregaye. 

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, bad things are bad said:

How about Aarti? She's defined by an ethnic viewpoint, like Marcela. She wouldn't bug me nearly as much as Tregaye. 

NOOOOOO!!!!!! Not that fake poseur. Can't stand her.

[Westiepeach]

9 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

NOOOOOO!!!!!! Not that fake poseur. Can't stand her.

Agreed! Please leave it at 4 co-hosts. Bring guests in for longer segments. My fear is one of the NFNS "winners" to be a permanent co-host. Noooo. We have Jeff Mauro, and that is enough.

[Gam2]

I have lost interest in this show and think the hosts have too. They’ve run out of ideas for good recipes and have become short tempered with each other. There’s a lot to be said for knowing when to call it quits before your show becomes embarrassing. We’re reached that point as far as I’m concerned.

[bichonblitz]

On 10/9/2017 at 3:03 PM, Westiepeach said:

Agreed! Please leave it at 4 co-hosts

I wonder why they ever thought 5 was a good idea. Most segments, they always have one disappear off camera anyway. 

[chessiegal]

23 minutes ago, bichonblitz said:

I wonder why they ever thought 5 was a good idea. Most segments, they always have one disappear off camera anyway. 

Because they are imitating "The Chew".

[Mammalou]

My money is on GZ leaving next.. having to pretend that he cooks with Boar's head deli meat may be the last straw for him 

[Qoass]

Quote

Because they are imitating "The Chew".

Which is imitating "The View". Apparently five is the magic number that allows up to two hosts being absent at a time and improves odds that anyone watching will want to see the ones they like more than they hate to see the ones they hate.

[Maverick]

 Last week was episode 13 of season 14.  Each "season" is 13 episodes, so presumably Marcella's departure wasn't known when this block was filmed.

 If GZ can keep acting a fool on Cooks vs. Cons, can handle this show.

 My money is on Aarti.   GZ covers the fine dining/'real' chef slot, Jeff covers the Midwest demo and has his Italian background and Katie and Sunny handle the Southern/generic American cuisine.  They need someone for the 'ethnic' food slot.  

[Spunkygal]

I am sorry but that was SO funny when 

Spoiler

Sunny was scared by the creepy hand coming out of the pudding graveyard and fell backwards! It was surprising and I probably would have shrieked too but she stayed pissed for the remainder of the show. And then when birdman came up behind her in the last segment...hee! They sure know how to get to her. 

I liked the idea of roasting the butternut squash and other veggies for the soup. I guess I never realized how easy butternut soup is. 

[Irlandesa]

No Marcela mention. 

I hate these theme episodes.  While some of the things they do look cool, so much of what they do doesn't feel edible to me.  That bundt cake?  Okay, it's  technically edible but I don't know that three huge layers of mostly unfrosted dry cake is appealing.  I was thinking that pudding sheet cake was going to be one of those things they put weird candies on just to make it look visually appealing but not really appetizing until they got Sunny. 

But at least there were more hot dogs.

Quote

I liked the idea of roasting the butternut squash and other veggies for the soup. I guess I never realized how easy butternut soup is. 

I love my immersion blender.  There are a lot of pureed soups that are super simple to make with one of those.  If I know in advance I'm going to want cream of tomato soup, I try to make it myself even though the store's home-made version is pretty good.  I will never have it out of a can again.

Edited October 14, 2017 by Irlandesa

[Spunkygal]

Forgot to add that I wouldn't mind putting my ex-boss' head in the jar. Worst boss I ever had in my long and successful business career. And he wouldn't have to make a face...he is scary enough on his own. 

ETA:  Just to clarify, I am being facetious.

Edited October 14, 2017 by Spunkygal

[finnzup]

omg, how angry was Sunny with the hand jumping out of the cake and her falling on her butt?!?!  Loved it!

[bichonblitz]

3 hours ago, finnzup said:

omg, how angry was Sunny with the hand jumping out of the cake and her falling on her butt?!?!  Loved it!

Even funnier, they didn't edit any of that out! She was pissssseddddd! On her behalf, though, that looked like a nasty fall. 

[Mondrianyone]

Yeah, I was really surprised they didn't edit out the fall.  Also, she has a history of being easy prey for stunts like that, so the fact that they keep pulling stuff on her suggests somebody enjoys her reaction more than they care about her upset.

I wonder if the reason Marcela claimed to be leaving was the real reason she left.  The fact that not a single word's been said about it--and how insulting is that, when you've been on a show as long as she's been on this one?--leads me to suspect that something else was going on.

[MerBearHou]

I thought it was a fun, real, unscripted moment like would happen in a family (happens in our family and office -- tricks played, exact same reactions as Sunny).  I loved it -- not that I wanted Sunny to fall or be scared or mad -- it just showed them in an unscripted, relatable moment.

Katie Lee looked stunning today.  

I do not miss Marcela and am so glad she's gone.  Call me naive, but I wonder if TPTB actually listens to PTV etc and got wind of how much Marcela was disliked by the viewers.  I realize that everyone has criticisms of some sort for each of the hosts at some time or another, but Marcela much more than most.  

Edited October 15, 2017 by MerBearHou

[Mammalou]

4 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

 

I wonder if the reason Marcela claimed to be leaving was the real reason she left.  The fact that not a single word's been said about it--and how insulting is that, when you've been on a show as long as she's been on this one?--leads me to suspect that something else was going on.

Maybe Marcela wanted more money in order to justify cross country monthly now that she has small kids.. maybe contract negotiations got nasty.. that's the only scenario I could see where the network wouldn't give her a send off.. it's like she was never there.. I guess if it ended on good terms they could have allowed her to say hey I live on west coast and have babies I don't want to leave 

[bichonblitz]

5 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

I wonder if the reason Marcela claimed to be leaving was the real reason she left.

I must have missed that, what reason did she give? 

 

4 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Katie Lee looked stunning today.  

I thought so, too. Don't know what was different except she parted her hair on the side and she looks much better that way. She has such shiny, healthy, beautiful hair.  

[Spunkygal]

That warm pumpkin color looked good on Katie. It complemented her coloring very well.

[Mondrianyone]

13 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

I must have missed that, what reason did she give?

She posted on Instagram that she felt it was time for her to concentrate on her West Coast life and "share with you the stories and recipes that I truly [bolding mine] share with my family and friends."  It sounds like one of those things politicians say when they quit because of a scandal, that they want to spend more time with family.  But it's so oddly worded--implies that while on The Kitchen she was somehow not sharing her true stories and recipes.  Maybe some subtle shade about the more disgusting things they had her make.  Dunno.  It feels like there's a story behind the story, especially with no acknowledgment that she's gone.

I made that gnocchi/pesto salad of Katie's from a couple of weeks ago.  It was very good.

[jcbrown]

I had this on as background noise this morning. Jeff was making a pizza with ricotta, mozzarella, and butternut squash pieces arranged to look like a Jack o'lantern. As he spread the toppings, he kept advising us to keep a "parameter" around the outside. He said it more than once. I don't think that word means what you think it means, Jeff. 

[TVFan17]

It's probably my inner, closeted, conspiracy theorist coming out, but I definitely think there is more to the story of why Marcela is gone, just as I think there is a whole lot more to the story of why Daphne Oz is gone from The Chew.    (By the way, it would be funny if Daphne ended up on The Kitchen, especially since she is building more of a relationship with Food Network over time.   However, I don't think she'd have much to offer to fill the Marcela role on The Kitchen -- but she could be a fill-in host when someone else is out for a few episodes.)  

In the case of Daphne and The Chew, I actually get the strong feeling that she did not want to permanently leave.  I feel like she would have wanted to stay on in some capacity -- like maybe one full week per month, or one appearance each week, or something along those lines.   I don't know if Daphne maybe asked for too much time off and ABC just decided it wasn't worth it to renew her contract, OR if they were already planning to transition her off of the show without a lot of fanfare, and her ultimate departure was in the works all along.  We may never know the full story, but I just get the feeling that she did not want to leave The Chew forever.  I think Daphne loves Clinton and Carla enough that she would have stayed on in some way to continue working with them.    She would have been a good choice for a fill-in guest host in a week when one of the other hosts is out for multiple episodes, but if she left on not-so-good terms with ABC, that won't be happening.

 

Back to The Kitchen... in that case, I get the feeling that Marcela might have been less interested in staying on (than Daphne would have been in staying with The Chew).    She might have felt stifled, like she couldn't fully show off her authentic Mexican recipes, but I really do wonder if the primary reason behind Marcela's departure is due to negative viewer response. 

Although.... Marcela just recently alluded to some "thyroid and autoimmune issues" on Instagram, so I wonder if maybe she decided to leave The Kitchen because the stress of traveling back and forth was taking its toll on her health and causing her to not feel well?   

In all actuality, it could be a combination of all of the above possibilities -- Marcela not being able to make the food she wanted to make; health issues; stress of traveling back and forth; AND negative viewer feedback.  I think that Marcela is still involved with Food Network, though -- unlike Daphne and ABC -- so she could feasibly come back to The Kitchen for a guest appearance here and there.

 

About GZ -- while I believe that GZ has refined culinary tastes and is a bit more hoity-toity than the others on The Kitchen, he is actually much looser and less stuffy than they make him out to be.   He might not be eating Kraft Mac & Cheese every night of the week, but I think he is more approachable and down to earth than he is portrayed.   I heard GZ hosting a radio show on Sirius a couple of months back, and he was throwing out quite a few curse words and talking very casually with all of his fellow chefs and people in the food world.    It was GZ uncensored.   I suspect that the Food Network execs want GZ to play the role of the stuffy, snobby Iron Chef, but all of his co-hosts likely know what he is like off camera.    

[chessiegal]

I liked Marcela's "Mexican Made Easy" show. She made some yummy food. Bring that back, Scripps/Discover.

[LazyToaster]

Honestly, I don't know how Marcella managed the West Coast/East Coast thing with children at home.  It would be really hard and if she's having health issues too - maybe that's all there is to it.  But, there is always a back story.

Maybe she got sick and tired of Jeff being goofy and Sunny being loud?

[biakbiak]

7 hours ago, LazyToaster said:

don't know how Marcella managed the West Coast/East Coast thing with children at home.  It

They tape multiple shows a day and it's a weekly show so it requires only a few days on the EC every month or so.

[Mammalou]

Marcela posted on her blog that it was her own decision not to say goodbye on camera...

she said she left bc of reasons that were basically ' nunya business' as sunny would say lol.. maybe $ related who knows 

and that it was too hard to travel and leave her kids 

she said food on show is not food she eats or makes for her family..  sounds like a little dig at the show 

Doesn't like processed food and what she makes isn't like a 30 min meal 

[Spunkygal]

@Mammalou, have you been to the taping yet? Anything that you can share with us? ?

[chessiegal]

The food Marcella made on her show "Mexican Made Easy" always looked good. Nothing like some of the stuff y'all comment on this show.

[Spunkygal]

I hope none of them actually make 95% of the dishes they have on the show. About 5% is okay.

Edited: On the What's for Dinner forum, no one ever says they're making a recipe from this show. It's often something of Ina's, Alton's or another chef (if not the poster's own recipe).  But I don't think I've seen anyone say they're making something from The Kitchen!

Edited October 18, 2017 by Spunkygal

[TVFan17]

Here is the link to the whole blog that Marcela posted on her website (to which Mammalou referred above), just in case anyone hadn't looked it up yet -- https://www.chefmarcela.com/single-post/2017/10/18/The-End-of-a-Show-the-Beginning-of-a-new-Chapter-and-Adam-Rapoports-Tomato-Sauce

I think it's interesting to read what Marcela says in her own words.  She explains a lot, and she is very diplomatic, as we would expect.  And I think that 80% of the reasons for her leaving are easy to understand, as they mainly involve her not wanting to travel every month.  But... you can also tell there is a little more to the story (more than Marcela wants to -- or probably is allowed to -- share), and that is the part we will probably never know.

As I figured, though -- it does sound like it was mostly her choice to leave (whereas I still get the feeling that Daphne Oz did not want to completely leave The Chew), or, at the very least, she was at peace with leaving if she couldn't do what she wanted to do on The Kitchen.

Edited October 19, 2017 by TVFan17

[mamadani]

My husband and I watch this show a lot, I know some didn't like Marcela but we are definitely sad to see her go! I'm sure traveling back and forth even for a short time becomes hard when you have young kids, especially if your heart isn't 100% in what you are doing. My husband said he wishes she would take Jeff with her, he can't stand him lol.

I caught their Halloween episode and I just do not think that cauldron cake looked at all appetizing, not enough icing at all.

[Mammalou]

I went to the taping today actually! It was a lot of fun! Took 3 hrs as there are 20 min breaks between segments. Bobby flay and Fabio Vivianni from top chef were the guests. We got to taste some of the pasta Fabio made and got a copy of his cookbook. Very small audience..25-30 ppl tops.. ran into Jeff on way to bathroom lol.. super nice.. shook my hand.. very funny during show.. had a meet and greet, met cast, shook hands and took pic.. everyone was extremely friendly 

sunny is very friendly but as loud as you would imagine lol.. very big personality.. little snarky with Bobby flay off camera made comments about his dating life which was awkward

i think producers pick the recipes for the show.. the hosts had to have everything explained prior to making it.. some crafts which no one seemed thrilled with lol 

it was a holiday themed show also so they did some DIY gift ideas.. 

[Spunkygal]

Sounds like fun, @Mammalou! I've never been to a taping of any kind but I have heard that it can drag on and on. And that's cool that you got to see Bobby and Fabio! Thanks for the recap and I look forward to "your" show!

[MerBearHou]

59 minutes ago, Mammalou said:

I went to the taping today actually! It was a lot of fun! Took 3 hrs as there are 20 min breaks between segments. Bobby flay and Fabio Vivianni from top chef were the guests. We got to taste some of the pasta Fabio made and got a copy of his cookbook. Very small audience..25-30 ppl tops.. ran into Jeff on way to bathroom lol.. super nice.. shook my hand.. very funny during show.. had a meet and greet, met cast, shook hands and took pic.. everyone was extremely friendly 

sunny is very friendly but as loud as you would imagine lol.. very big personality.. little snarky with Bobby flay off camera made comments about his dating life which was awkward

i think producers pick the recipes for the show.. the hosts had to have everything explained prior to making it.. some crafts which no one seemed thrilled with lol 

it was a holiday themed show also so they did some DIY gift ideas.. 

How did you get to attend and how far in advance did you have to make plans?  I would LOVE to do this when in NY!  Thanks for the background intel.  Sounds so fun and you hit a homerun with Bobby and Fabio as guests.  They're such friends of the show hosts -- I'm sure the camaraderie was great.

Edited October 19, 2017 by MerBearHou

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 9/30/2017 at 10:16 AM, bichonblitz said:

For the love of god, NO. MORE. HOT DOGS. Food Network please just stop it. I have a feeling it's going to be at least a month of tailgating food. Oh, yay. As if that's not bad enough, Rhee Drummond and Trisha Yearwood are doing it, too.  

I thought the severed-finger hot dogs Katie made were a bit of a redemption for wieners.

 

 

On 9/30/2017 at 5:04 PM, Spunkygal said:

It may be my imagination but it seems that the hosts are wearing a bit thin on each other. Goodness knows, they are wearing thin on me. 

 

On 10/7/2017 at 1:43 PM, Westiepeach said:

It just looked like everybody hated everybody and everything today. No smiles, just a lot of grimaces. IMHO.

I thought the Halloween episode was a lot of fun, and guffawed a few times.  It's ironic because the cocktail didn't have alcohol this time, but the hosts seemed like they'd been drinking.  Sunny's guacamole pumpkin was hilariously gross, and her fall was one for the ages (since she didn't get hurt). 

I just seemed like they were enjoying themselves.  Sunny was so impressed that Katie let them use that awful photo of her in the head-in-a-jar part, and I have to agree.  She seems so prissy, but was game a few years ago for doing a slip-and-slide (or something like that) in her bathing suit on the show.

[Mammalou]

On 10/19/2017 at 5:09 PM, MerBearHou said:

How did you get to attend and how far in advance did you have to make plans?  I would LOVE to do this when in NY!  Thanks for the background intel.  Sounds so fun and you hit a homerun with Bobby and Fabio as guests.  They're such friends of the show hosts -- I'm sure the camaraderie was great.

I reached out in August and I was offered tapings in sept and oct

they taped two shows a day- one at 9, one at 2 pm on 2 consecutive days

i emailed tickets@bstventertainment.com

:)

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, Mammalou said:

I reached out in August and I was offered tapings in sept and oct

they taped two shows a day- one at 9, one at 2 pm on 2 consecutive days

i emailed tickets@bstventertainment.com

:)

Great -- thank you!!   I'm going to reach out and give it a go!  Sounds so fun.

[Spunkygal]

Katie Lee looked beautiful today. Her make-up was flawless.

[Mammalou]

19 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Great -- thank you!!   I'm going to reach out and give it a go!  Sounds so fun.

You're very welcome!! Keep me posted!! :)

[Irlandesa]

I liked a lot of the recipes today.  I'm not sure if I'd make them but they were real dinner type meals.

[LazyToaster]

I think that they should come right out and address the fact that Marcella has left the show.  It is ridiculous that they think they can ignore the fact and nobody will notice.  Both times she was out on maternity leave they made some mention of her on each show.  So - just say - "Hey!  Here's a big shout-out to our good friend Marcella who has decided to spend more time with her family!  Love ya girl!" etc., etc.  They don't have to tell us details - just admit it for heaven's sake!

[Mondrianyone]

Couldn't agree more.  It makes the whole crew, on-air and behind-the-scenes, look so terrible.  And gutless, when it comes to her fellow hosts.  Apparently some sort of word went down that no one was to mention the empty spot behind the counter, and they all just toed the line.  I hope Marcela didn't think of any of those people as real friends, because clearly they aren't.

[MerBearHou]

I'm going to disagree.  There are changes on any and all shows and we're pretty accustomed to that fact so I don't think the Marcella issue needs to be mentioned.  It was clearly a business decision on one or both sides.  Personally It doesn't matter to me that she's gone and don't see that it would be wise to possibly rub salt in a wound.  Hopefully she's a pro and doesn't blame the hosts for what they aren't scripted to say.  It's not up to them.  On these types of things, I'm admittedly kind of a cold fish -- it's business.

Edited October 21, 2017 by MerBearHou

[Mondrianyone]

We're also pretty accustomed to some kind of send-off when a featured player leaves a show, or at least an acknowledgment that she's gone.   Especially with a show like this one, where everybody's all backslappy and real or pretend friends in front of the camera.  I'd think the show producers wouldn't want to do anything that calls attention to the elephant in the room, and not saying anything does that much more than just a quick mention that she's left and good wishes to her in the future (sincere or otherwise).  When you don't do that, it leaves viewers wondering, "What the hell happened here?"  To me that seems like bad business in addition to bad karma, but it could be just me.  Maybe they should've brought in another short Mexican woman and called her Marcela, like the producers did with Darren on Bewitched.

As far as what's up to the hosts or not, I recently looked at Sunny's Twitter feed, and she's constantly congratulating herself on being brave and righteous and standing up for the correct values.  But not this time, apparently.

I guess it depends partly on whether you like a particular person or not.  I didn't have a problem with Marcela, so I find this doesn't reflect well on her bosses and co-workers.  JMO.  I'm going to drop this now. 

[tabloidlover]

Who was the actress guest today?  She's on a show I've never heard of and she was terrible!  So awkward and a brief camera shot of Geoffrey confirmed she had no business there.