S12.E03: Show Promos

[smiley13]

I see no comparison between Guy, who was outstanding and an immediate front runner during his season, and unappealing, sloppy New Yawker Rob.   Guy's presentations and food were consistently strong, Rob has so far been neither as far as I have seen.

[Wicked Biscuit]

On 6/6/2016 at 9:36 AM, Crucial said:

Not upset Martita went home but I was hoping Ana was the one going.  Did she, at one point, say if you want things done in a timed manner she's not their person?   Or something to that effect.  If that's the case that should have sent her home.  Plus she just seems like a miserable person to work with. 

I believe Ana said that she wasn't the right person if they needed beautiful plating in a short time frame, or something like that. 

As muddled as their presentation was, I rather enjoyed Ana and Martita's discussion of their abuelas and their favorite liquors. It reminded me of my grandmother, who never met an alcohol she wouldn't use in a recipe. 

[MajorWoody]

On June 6, 2016 at 7:44 PM, Skyfall said:

By the end of CBK he had actually fixed that.

In the last episode he left 30 seconds on the clock. 

 

He was a disaster in front of a live crowd, and his cooking was entry level Italian.

[MajorWoody]

I figured MarTEEEETa and Tregayne would be the bottom two. But I mistakenly thought the show would not send their reclaimed hero packing, so it was quite a surprise to see the phony get sent packing. What was really nice to see was how her English improved in just a few minutes. She went from the Fiery Latina stereotype to speaking perfect, unaccented English in her exit interview. What an amazing transformation!  /s

[Snarklepuss]

I don't think Monterey will win this.  I think she is appealing to look at but there isn't much substance there.  Like Rob said, she is manic and all over the place.  Not a winner vibe to me.  I think the idea of Joy as winner is more likely if it's not Rob.  I think that since Damaris isn't going to be their Paula Deen replacement they need to find someone who can be, and I think Joy fits that mold.  She's like a Southern Pioneer Woman.

I agree with Uncle Benzene about the irony of Martita finally learning to dance to Giada's tune by imitating her, only to be told she's "too polished and rehearsed".  Has Giada looked in a mirror lately?  There is absolutely NOTHING spontaneous that has ever come out of her mouth.  Everything she does, every hair on her head is calculated.  I can imagine how set-up Martita must feel.  I don't think she was deluding herself, Maybe Giada told her to be all those things to sabotage her.  Martita thinks the others had a bulls eye on her - I think it could have been Giada.  Or even the producers if not Giada.  Clearly, Comeback Kitchen was nothing but a ratings cow.  I don't think it would have mattered who won, they would never have made it on regular FNS.

And so what if Martita made a similar dish before?  It would be hard not to make some duplicates somewhere along the line with Mexican food.  They never complained about that with her before, that sounded like an excuse.  It's also like going to most American Chinese restaurants - I once asked, "What's in beef chop suey?"  The answer:  Beef with mixed vegetables in a brown sauce.  What's in beef with garlic sauce?  Answer:  Beef with mixed vegetables in a brown sauce.  What's in "Happy Family?"  Beef, chicken and shrimp with mixed vegetables in a brown sauce.  You see where this is going....

[RCharter]

6 hours ago, MajorWoody said:

I figured MarTEEEETa and Tregayne would be the bottom two. But I mistakenly thought the show would not send their reclaimed hero packing, so it was quite a surprise to see the phony get sent packing. What was really nice to see was how her English improved in just a few minutes. She went from the Fiery Latina stereotype to speaking perfect, unaccented English in her exit interview. What an amazing transformation!  /s

I wonder if she was also able to magically cook different types of food as well?

[MajorWoody]

So some other random observations......

 

Rob seems very comfortable in front of audiences and cameras. While I think the Lunch Lady shtick is annoying there is no denying he is going to be a frontrunner. His slovenly appearance is a big turn off though. It amazes me that guys think it is OK to go out in public with that unshaven look, all it does is make you look like a stumblebum. 

 

Damiano is not only nearly impossible to understand when speaking, but also is apparently a legend in his own mind. He needs to lose the arrogance he is showing if he expects to be considered as a finalist.

Jinard is another one who seems at ease in front of a camera, although sometimes he crosses the line into buffoonery. That being said, I have no idea what his specialty is. I do think he is a candidate for the final four.

Ana, who might be a very good cook, constantly comes across as a miserable person who would rather be elsewhere, and seems to be nothing more than a producers insertion for the drama role. I doubt she will make it much further.

Joy seems very relaxed and is a pleasure to watch on her challenges. I think she is a bery strong candidate for the finals.

Yaku seems to be flatlining, both in cooking and personality. It seems like he fries everything, and is rather dull when speaking. Plus that beard grosses me out in a chef. I think his days are numbered too.

Tregayne reminds me of the woman who does the voiceovers on the sports show Around The Horn. She has that loud, energetic voice, but other than that, I don't see anything that translates into a FN Star. 

Erin seems quite competent, but only when it involves baking. I never saw her on other shows so I am not familiar with her history, but she seems pleasant enough on this show, although maybe not FN Star caliber (whatever that might be).

As others have already said, Monterey is certainly easy on the eyes, but nothing about her screams food authority. I worry she will have a full fledged meltdown if she gets the ax. 

And finally, MarTEEETa's departure proved two things. One, that I was collossaly wrong in thinking TPTB would keep her due to the investment in Comeback Kitchen. Two , her phony rehearsed shtick, while originally supported by the other phony, rehearsed person, Giada, came back to haunt her. Her parting words showed a nasty side that I vaguely recalled from her initial season and that she exhibited with her arrogance during the team challenge.

In what is unusual for me, I have actually been bery happy with the elimination choices each week so far. 

[cooksdelight]

Remember during Jeff Mauro's season, there was a blond woman who cried all the time. That's who Monterey reminds me of, and that woman didn't get very far either. She couldn't handle pressure.

[qtpye]

On 6/6/2016 at 9:14 PM, RCharter said:

I think when she first jumped out from behind him, it was cute.  I think it got cringeworthy real quick when she started talking about milking cows and going way, way over the top.  She needs to take a hint and stop describing her food as whimsical, because that makes me think she is serving up unicorn kisses.  As bad as Ana is, as half done as her food is, as much as she is a disaster in front of the camera.....when she is describing her food, it sounds tasty to me.  Layers of flavors sounds delicious...whimsical sounds like fairy farts.

I have never seen anyone so excited about milking a cow.  Why the heck would you milk a cow on the way to the state fair?  I have driven past miles of farmland and have never jumped out of my car to go do that.

Monteray is cute, but it feels like a food expert should be able to do something as basic as a cookie.

[sugarbaker design]

Quote

Why the heck would you milk a cow on the way to the state fair? 

Because she's whimsical!

[cattykit]

5 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

Remember during Jeff Mauro's season, there was a blond woman who cried all the time. That's who Monterey reminds me of, and that woman didn't get very far either. She couldn't handle pressure.

Wasn't that Alicia, but in fairness, She Who Must Not Be Named went out of her way to push her buttons?

[akr]

7 hours ago, qtpye said:

Monteray is cute, but it feels like a food expert should be able to do something as basic as a cookie.

Well, they're not allowed recipes, it sounded like. If they tasted good, she should have used them as a crumble, though. But she was definitely not the worst of the worst this week; I was pleasantly surprised that they agreed with me that Martita had the worst overall performance (bad food, bad presentation). She seemed the obvious one to go, to me, if they weren't invested in having her stick around.

Edited June 9, 2016 by akr
copyediting, nothing significant

[grisgris]

I was shocked to see Martita go. I guess that doesn't bode well for Tyler and Valerie's mentoring skills, but in reality, they really didn't do much for Martita. Pickin's were slim and she rose to the top. I honestly could not see Dom surviving any of the challenges of this season's FNS, especially the one last week with the mashup/throwdown challenge. It would have been deer-in-the-headlights or getting angry and frustrated and not being able to verbally contain it.

ITA with whomever said that Martita's sudden exit probably had a lot to do with Giada being pissed off that she came back and not Dom (although she still sucked this week.)

Regarding the remaining contestants, how about "none of the above?" I could possibly see Ana having a guest slot on "The Kitchen" or something to demonstrate Cuban cooking, but not a full-blown show. Didn't FN try a Latin-inspired show with Ingrid Hoffmann several years ago? Ingrid seems to be more personable than Ana, and that still didn't sustain her show.

Monterey and Tregaye are too flaky and Bob (?) reminds me too much of Guy Fieri and that other big burly unkempt contestant from a few seasons back. Can't think of his name, Tom? With a touch of that Vic Vega dude thrown in. Just no.

Damiano's arrogance towards Erin? ... well, look which one of them won a "Holiday Baking Championship" title! Make some grappa with those sour grapes and ciao!

[cooksdelight]

Quote

Well, they're not allowed recipes, it sounded like

They shouldn't need recipes. As seasoned cooks/chefs, they should be able to come up with whatever the challenge calls for. If you walk into a competition like this and don't have a full repertoire under your belt, you'll die a quick death.  

[bluepiano]

On ‎6‎/‎8‎/‎2016 at 9:59 AM, qtpye said:

I have never seen anyone so excited about milking a cow.  Why the heck would you milk a cow on the way to the state fair?  I have driven past miles of farmland and have never jumped out of my car to go do that.

Not to mention that a farmer might put some buckshot in your rear, as milking someone else's cow is essentially stealing.

18 hours ago, grisgris said:

Monterey and Tregaye are too flaky and Bob (?) reminds me too much of Guy Fieri and that other big burly unkempt contestant from a few seasons back. Can't think of his name, Tom? With a touch of that Vic Vega dude thrown in. Just no.!

I believe Tom's last name was Pizzica, and the FN brass liked him enough to give him a (short lived) travel food show. He, Vic Vegas, Big Jay, Pie Style Rodney, the dreaded Lenny who actually did win, and other big sloppy dudes I've probably forgotten have all been contestants in FN's never ending search for the next Guy Fieri.

Rob is kind of grating, and apparently the lunch lady thing is somewhat bogus, but in a very weak crop he's certain to go far. He's comfortable in front of the camera, unlike several others, who either get manic (Tregaye, Jennard), flustered (Monterrey), or stiff (Yaku). Just on the basis of being able to get through a presentation without stepping on their own feet, I predict Rob, Joy, and Erin as final three.

Edited June 9, 2016 by bluepiano

[zxy556575]

I liked both Erin and Damiano on their seasons of Holiday Baking but this show ruins everything. I'm starting to believe it's like the race for President in that anyone who'd want the job is automatically suspect. 

The show has a lower success rate than The Bachelor/ette franchise, for pity's sake.

[Amarsir]

12 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

They shouldn't need recipes. As seasoned cooks/chefs, they should be able to come up with whatever the challenge calls for. If you walk into a competition like this and don't have a full repertoire under your belt, you'll die a quick death.  

Speaking logically I agree with you. But I've seen enough Top Chef contestants who would rather lose a limb than bake a dessert. All of whom have far better cooking credentials than anyone on this show. So it's mentally conditioned me to think it unreasonably difficult.

[Alapaki]

I'm not sure who TCO is this season, but from the way it looked like Bobby had a mini-stroke when Ana talked back to him, but he didn't let her have it, I'm assuming they were instructed to keep her around this week.

Frankly, with the Monteray confessional at the top of the episode, I thought for sure it would be her.

It's sad that I really find that looking for clues in the editing for this show is more interesting than anything actually on the show.

[Surrealist]

I still can't get over how Monterey didn't crumble the busted cookies over her ice cream. Why throw potato chips on it? I agree with what some of the rest of you have said; I'm waiting for her to have some sort of meltdown.

Edited June 10, 2016 by Surrealist

[Maverick]

Isn't that what she's been doing through the whole competition,  just having one long, slow breakdown.  

[Surrealist]

On 6/8/2016 at 0:52 PM, sugarbaker design said:

Because she's whimsical!

Tregaye is outgoing and maybe a little hyper at times, but I'd never refer to her as being whimsical.

In fact, I don't think any of this season's contestants pass for whimsical.

[Amarsir]

On June 10, 2016 at 3:44 PM, Surrealist said:

I still can't get over how Monterey didn't crumble the busted cookies over her ice cream. Why throw potato chips on it? I agree with what some of the rest of you have said; I'm waiting for her to have some sort of meltdown.

Didn't we see her taste the crumble and say it didn't taste good? I thought we did, and really that's the only answer I can think of for what I agree would be the obvious solution of a cruble top.

[TDT]

Kind of felt bad for Yakou(sp) at the end of tonights episode :(