Cutthroat Kitchen - General Discussion

[Rhondinella]

Discuss.  Generally.

[Lillybee]

I think that this program shows how much the Food Network has fallen.

[Bella]

I agree. When a network - cable or otherwise - keeps doing variations of the same show and/or using the same people, it strikes me that TPTB fear something. Maybe it's innovation, and they hide behind the "keep doing what works" bromide. But I don't think this is the way to go in general.

[SusannahTaylor2]

I have actually sopped watching this show. I can't decide which contestant I dislike the most so I usually dislike them all and Alton too. I can't figure out how this show is in it's 3rd season. Someone's watching it.

[lambertman]

I enjoy it more when I dislike all four contestants. Usually, when I like one, they get ganged up on and I feel sad. When I hate 'em all, I can just enjoy the carnage.

Plus, I can tell Alton's having a ball with the show.

[ElleryAnne]

I'd like the show better if so many of the sabotages weren't ridiculous.  The sabotages should require some creativity to get around, but they shouldn't make it impossible for them to produce the required dish.  I think it could be interesting to see what a contestant does when they have to improvise because they're not allowed to use utensils, but I don't want to watch them rebuild a station from scratch or use a cement mixer to make a cake.  Same with food substitutions - the substitution shouldn't be so far out there that it's not even possible to make the required dish.  It would also help if the substitutions didn't sound borderline unsafe to eat, like a couple of them have done.

I prefer it when the contestants are enjoying it as the game it is, and I feel like it's gotten better in that respect over time.  Most of them lately don't even seem to care if they have any money left at the end.  

[MrsEVH]

I'd like the show better if so many of the sabotages weren't ridiculous.  The sabotages should require some creativity to get around, but they shouldn't make it impossible for them to produce the required dish.  I think it could be interesting to see what a contestant does when they have to improvise because they're not allowed to use utensils, but I don't want to watch them rebuild a station from scratch or use a cement mixer to make a cake.  Same with food substitutions - the substitution shouldn't be so far out there that it's not even possible to make the required dish.  It would also help if the substitutions didn't sound borderline unsafe to eat, like a couple of them have done.

I prefer it when the contestants are enjoying it as the game it is, and I feel like it's gotten better in that respect over time.  Most of them lately don't even seem to care if they have any money left at the end.  

I agree. Making a contestant cook on an upside down frying pan was stupid IMO.

Edited April 25, 2014 by MrsEVH

[Lura]

IMHO, this show is the worst of television -- not just FN, but the worst show ever.  I have a lot of respect for Alton, but I can't believe he'd take on such a lame show.  I recognize most of the contestants from other cooking shows.  Most of them seem like weird losers to me.

 

The people who should be on the highest pay scale at the FN are the guest judges.  How would you like to go in there and eat the food those buffoons made?  (Lurch!)

[Bella]

I just have one question, since I only started watching this show in order to be a mod here: Have they recycled Danuschka onto it yet? Because she seems to be on every competition this network has. She's hard to miss - she's a tall, willowy blonde with a fake Russian accent (she's from Canada) and a great disdain for everyone and every task. (I think she's hilarious.)

[Kromm]

I just have one question, since I only started watching this show in order to be a mod here: Have they recycled Danuschka onto it yet? Because she seems to be on every competition this network has. She's hard to miss - she's a tall, willowy blonde with a fake Russian accent (she's from Canada) and a great disdain for everyone and every task. (I think she's hilarious.)

I don't know, but I know they DID recycle Penny Davidi (just as bad).

[Gosling]

You're going to hate me, but I'm going to be taking up this show after finding out terrible, terrible things about Hell's Kitchen. I want my slapstick food comedy and this one at least looks honest about the contestants getting screwed over.

[Bella]

I'm dying to know what you learned about Hell's Kitchen, Gosling, and I'm going to check that forum to see if you shared.

 

This show is definitely slapstick. If Comedy Central and the Food Network made shows together, this would be one of them, along with Sweet Genius, which I miss terribly. 

[Gosling]

Mainly that the sous chefs actively sabotage the kitchen to ensure things get messed up so Ramsay has something to yell at. Ji from Season 5 spilled the beans in an alumni sitdown. And any cook that calls them out on it fast finds themselves without a jacket.

[fliptopbox]

I'm actually really enjoying Cutthroat Kitchen tonight, it happens to be an all judges competition (for charity of course). So far they're making it seem really lighthearted and fun. Seeing Geoffrey Zakarian stuck with canned meat and a mini-kitchen is pretty damn amusing.

[Maverick]

 I agree with Antonia not wanting GZ to win.  Besides just generally not liking him, I didn't care for the thought of a Johnny Come Lately winning.  Dude's judged one episode of Cutthroat Kitchen, and that was obviously so they could have a fourth to round out the Judge's episode.

[Viqutorious]

Zakarian cared more about his ego than his charity. Wuss.

[ElleryAnne]

Have they ever had a sabotage like those periscope glasses before?  I can't help but think that a sabotage that interferes with a person's vision when they have to work with knives and heat sources is ill-conceived.

[ModernWhimsy]

Geoffrey is such a pompous wanker asshole.

[mlp]

I've always liked Geoffrey Zakarian but not tonight.  He was willing to spend all the money his charity would get if he won to protect himself.  I've never liked Andrea but she came across very well so I did a flip on both of them.  I've always liked Jet Tila too and I liked him even more watching him just be himself.  He has a good sense of humor and makes me smile.  And I love, love, love Simon Majumdar.  He's one of my favorite judges and personalities.  I hated to see him cut first.  Overall - best CK yet.

[Taeolas]

Have they ever had a sabotage like those periscope glasses before?  I can't help but think that a sabotage that interferes with a person's vision when they have to work with knives and heat sources is ill-conceived.

 

They have used Drunk Goggles before IIRC, so it isn't completely unheard of.

 

It's interesting to see how they change things up on the fly too. When they realize how unbalanced the cash totals remaining are, they toss in a token sabotage for the final round and let it run out. I'm sure in the judges competition, had Zakarian had even a remove chance to sabotage Tila, there would have been a second sabotage offered. 

[RockShrimp]

I laughed so hard when Antonia just shouted out "three thousand!" for the last sabotage. Girl knows how the game works.

[Gosling]

Damn right she does. Antonia set a series-wide high score even without the keep-all-the-money thing. After binge-watching the series, I can say that $22,000 is a new record for most money successfully defended.

That's really the major factor that's going to determine if someone manages to pull off a flawless victory. That last sabotage at the end of the day when there's the huge cash disparity. The chef with all the money would have to resist the urge to even spend the $500 minimum to finish their opponent off, and that probably isn't going to happen for a long time.

[jcbrown]

I agree that this was the best episode yet. I think I enjoyed it more than many others because you could tell the contestants respected each other. Way more fun to watch this one than one of the episodes where they are all trash-talking each other.

Edited June 3, 2014 by jcbrown

[DownTheShore]

I agree.  You could see the respect there.  I really don't like the trash-talking that has been ramping up on the show; makes me think that I wouldn't want to eat in a restaurant run by such infantile people.

[nottopbravo]

Admission up front:  I don't watch this show anymore.

 

Question:  I haven't posted anything on this show since TWOP.  Has it gotten any better, or has it gotten even more stupid?  (Last post for this was on June 4th, so maybe I've answered my own question)

[Nessie]

I think it's a toss-up.  The contestants (most of them, anyway) seem to be enjoying it more, seeing the absurdity in it all.  Those are my favorites, those that get the joke and have fun with it.  But on the other hand, the sabotages have gotten far, far stupider.  And they love doing a sabotage in the first round that will affect 3 of the 4 chefs.

 

My son loves this show, so we watch together so I can have some "quality" time with him.  We each choose a chef, and if our chef gets eliminated, we get to choose another until it's over.  Whoever "wins" gets bragging rights.  It seems to make the show a little more tolerable for me.

[NikSac]

I think it's a toss-up.  The contestants (most of them, anyway) seem to be enjoying it more, seeing the absurdity in it all.  Those are my favorites, those that get the joke and have fun with it.  But on the other hand, the sabotages have gotten far, far stupider.  And they love doing a sabotage in the first round that will affect 3 of the 4 chefs.

 

My son loves this show, so we watch together so I can have some "quality" time with him.  We each choose a chef, and if our chef gets eliminated, we get to choose another until it's over.  Whoever "wins" gets bragging rights.  It seems to make the show a little more tolerable for me.

 

Sounds like fun!  Too bad it's on so late.. otherwise for dinner you could make the winner cook for the loser and the winner could pick a sabotage from the show.  You'd still both win and have fun with it, I bet.

[Nessie]

We DVR it and usually watch it during dinner.  He has this weird thing about liking to watch cooking-related shows while we're eating.  But your idea certainly has merit...even if he wins, he wouldn't pick any crazy food ingredients since he would have to eat the result.  And if I win...any idea where I can get a really tiny cast iron skillet?

[NikSac]

We DVR it and usually watch it during dinner.  He has this weird thing about liking to watch cooking-related shows while we're eating.  But your idea certainly has merit...even if he wins, he wouldn't pick any crazy food ingredients since he would have to eat the result.  And if I win...any idea where I can get a really tiny cast iron skillet?

 

Would you believe I actually saw one in the grocery store the other day? It was hanging on an end cap and intended for cooking a single egg. I was laughing but at the same time thinking Alton's missing the boat on a great opportunity to merchandise Cutthroat Kitchen items.

[DownTheShore]

My niece and nephew love this show (ages 9 & 6).  The other day my niece was telling me what her strategy would be to make it through the rounds if she was on the show - LOL.

[candall]

No, it's not any better.  It's worse.  They've run out of dishes to cook and the associated handicaps are an embarrassing stretch.  On tonight's episode, the dishes were crab cakes, pineapple upside down cake and bento box.  Bento box?

 

Someone had to use a hammock for a prep table because pineapples are tropical.

 

The best part is at the beginning when the chefs are all quite competitive about which of them can sound the most arrogant in their intros; I enjoy seeing their forced smiles and gritted teeth while they offer up some mess to the judge and then get their fannies kicked out.  I am a bad person.

[shelley1234]

They had a tie for the winner in the last episode because IT WAS TOO CLOSE TO CALL?  Jeepers no.  You have one job.  Pick a winner.  Gah.  

[DownTheShore]

I really hate the trash talk at the beginning of the show.  To me, an arrogant chef is one that is never going to learn and evolve, and the nastier they are to each other, the less I root for any of them to win.

[ElleryAnne]

I don't mind a little trash-talking as long as it's good-natured.  But once in a while it gets to be a bit much - like one chef saying something about wanting to see another chef's eyelashes burn off.  I mean, wtf?  

 

They had a tie for the winner in the last episode because IT WAS TOO CLOSE TO CALL?  Jeepers no.  You have one job.  Pick a winner.  Gah.

 

 

And didn't Jet wolf down both of those desserts?  They must have tasted a lot better than they looked.  

[anonymiss]

It's hard to stay interested when the host himself looks bored to tears with the redundancy. Gone is the genuine glee he once had.

 

The tie seemed totally contrived to do a "first" on the show to keep it fresh.

[ElleryAnne]

It's hard to stay interested when the host himself looks bored to tears with the redundancy. Gone is the genuine glee he once had.

 

 

Alton has never looked as interested in this show as he used to look in Good Eats.  

 

But I think he did a better job last season pretending to enjoy the sabotages.  Now, the only time he looks interested is during his occasional head shots to the camera when he's discussing the viability of someone's attempt to handle the sabotage - like whether he thinks a chef shouldn't try to fix wet bread by toasting it.

[RealityCheck]

FN has been airing promotions for Cutthroat Kitchen Superstars so I thought I'd post some information. It premieres October 8 at 9PM EST. The prize is $75,000 for charity.

 

Heat 1 : Aarti Sequeira, Jeff Mauro, Michael Psilakis, Susan Feiger
Heat 2 : Brian Malarkey, Marcel Vigneron, Nadia G, Justin Warner
Heat 3 : Anne Burrell, Damaris Phillips, Eric Greenspan, Johnny Iuzzini
Heat 4 : Alex Guarnaschelli, Elizabeth Falkner, Fabio Viviani, Melissa d'Arabian

[Maverick]

 

Heat 1 : Aarti Sequeira, Jeff Mauro, Michael Psilakis, Susan Feiger

 This is the weirdest combination of chefs I've ever seen.

 

 

Heat 3 : Anne Burrell, Damaris Phillips, Eric Greenspan, Johnny Iuzzini

 Until I got to here.

[Wouldofshouldof]

I actually like watching this one now more than I do Chopped, because chopped is SOOOO formulaic.  At least the sabotages here aren't the same every time.  And I agreed about Alton's disdain for the show, until I watched the Halloween ep last night.  Seeing him dressed up in costume brought back shades of the old Alton.

[NikSac]

I actually like watching this one now more than I do Chopped, because chopped is SOOOO formulaic.  At least the sabotages here aren't the same every time.  And I agreed about Alton's disdain for the show, until I watched the Halloween ep last night.  Seeing him dressed up in costume brought back shades of the old Alton.

 

I agree!  He seemed to really enjoy the Halloween show. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who noticed that. It looked to me like he was having fun again and it reminded me of the show's earlier days.

[caci]

I watch this show on and off.  Is it just me or is Alton putting in some "Good Eats" kind of science cooking tidbits into the show now.  He talked about the science of cooking using the sabatoge object.  It truly reminded me of  "Good Eats".  I'm not sure if that was always in it or not. 

 

Aarti won.  Blah!  She seems nice enough, but I remembered why I don't care for her much.  Her innocent little "who, me?" routine gets old fast.

[chessiegal]

There is nothing innocent about Aarti Faarti. Since her show has been cancelled, along with her stint on the Lose 5 Pounds with Good Housekeeping (always appearing as the character who needs to lose 5 pounds, well, duh), she seems willing to do anything to stay on our teevee. What a fake.

[NikSac]

I watch this show on and off.  Is it just me or is Alton putting in some "Good Eats" kind of science cooking tidbits into the show now.  He talked about the science of cooking using the sabatoge object.  It truly reminded me of  "Good Eats".  I'm not sure if that was always in it or not.

 

I've noticed it too.  I may just be noticing it more, but it seems like it's been in the more recent episodes.  Maybe he realized he wasn't enjoying the show much anymore and started bringing in other things?  (i.e. the costume thing, cooking tidbits, etc.)

Oh and yeah... Aarti can just go away!  I almost didn't watch this episode just because she was on it. I'm glad I ended up watching because it was a fun episode, but if she disappears from TV forever I'll be just fine with that.

[caci]

I've noticed it too.  I may just be noticing it more, but it seems like it's been in the more recent episodes.  Maybe he realized he wasn't enjoying the show much anymore and started bringing in other things?  (i.e. the costume thing, cooking tidbits, etc.)

Oh and yeah... Aarti can just go away!  I almost didn't watch this episode just because she was on it. I'm glad I ended up watching because it was a fun episode, but if she disappears from TV forever I'll be just fine with that.

I too noticed that Alton seemed to enjoy giving the science facts.  Good for him.  I also liked the celebrity episode.  There was some nice energy throughout.  Let's hope Aarti disappears early in the championship round  (I think they are having one).

[turbogirlnyc]

I watched this for the first time tonight and flipped the channel before the winner was announced. There's entirely too much going on and don't get me started on the lack of actual cooking. I'm an Alton Brown Good Eats fan but he annoyed the heck out of me on this show. I'd rather watch tired old Chopped than this.

[howmanywords]

Aarti annoys the hell out of me.  It really bugs me that not only does she keep popping up on these competition shows but she's winning ugh. Ditto for the hope she goes out early in the championship round.

[Rammchick]

I watched the very first Cutthroat Kitchen show and thought, "No, thanks."  But I thought the "superstars" (debatable) show might be fun to watch.  First episode had me screaming at the TV.  What morons!  And Aarti was the worst.  It's as though they didn't get that the more you bid on some lame crap, the less you win in the end for your charity.

 

Speaking of Aarti, I remember reading on a message board that someone thought her accent was pretentious.  At the time, I really liked her and wanted to see an Indian food cooking show on FN, so I couldn't agree.  But sad to say, I didn't last more than 4 or 5 episodes when her Aarti Paarti was on.  I think it was the Punjab Hotdogs or whatever the hell it was that did me in.  I want to see someone cook authentic Indian food, not some warmed over, Americanized take.  And all the giggling got to me, not to mention the constant mentions of her skanky husband.  Go away.    

Edited October 12, 2014 by Rammchick

[jcbrown]

I do give Aarti credit for playing for a postpartum depression charity and admitting that she has suffered from it. That said, I wanted Susan Feniger to win because she is clearly superior to all the others in this round. Oh well.

[SnideAsides]

I watched the very first Cutthroat Kitchen show and thought, "No, thanks."  But I thought the "superstars" (debatable) show might be fun to watch.  First episode had me screaming at the TV.  What morons!  And Aarti was the worst.  It's as though they didn't get that the more you bid on some lame crap, the less you win in the end for your charity.

On the other hand, if you save your money you're more likely to have to deal with the hilariously ridiculous sabotages and are therefore more likely to be eliminated, meaning you won't get any money at all.

[fliptopbox]

Can Justin Warner's pants get any tighter?? I did like his crack to Malarkey about his tan though, hehe. I don't know much about Nadia G, to be honest. My cable package doesn't include Cooking Channel. I'm pulling for Marcel in this round though. He's always the bridesmaid....he needs one win, dammit! Plus I think he's a lot less douchey than in his Top Chef days. His hair certainly got better!