S12.E04: Room Service Revenge

[Wings]

13 minutes ago, Albino said:

I really miss Bob and Susie at the judging.  A few weeks ago I binge-watched season 7 (when Mauro won) and man...what a difference.  The challenges were to test their skills, not just for entertainment value.  A lot of them were on location - at cooking expos or barbecues, and the caliber of judges was just so much better, to say nothing about the production quality.  

And what's with Giada being too emotional to deliver the elimination?  

I miss them, too, hugely.  Suzie could be there at the end, she was not fired. I am hoping.  I will miss Bob, I loved that guy, I really did.  I don't remember past seasons with specifics but they were better in the essence of my mind. 

[nonnybaby]

It was hilarious when Montague/Monterey initially saw Jesse Tyler Ferguson and said something like, "My mother would be so excited!"

First, I'm sure that Jesse is more used to people saying, "I love you and you're so funny!" But when Monterey said that, Jesse had a frozen smile of horror on his face like "You bitch. How dare you imply that Modern Family is a show geared primarily toward older folk!" 

Second, it was just weird that Monterey invoked her mother like that. It's not like Jesse's old enough to be her father. I do get a sense that she is trying to play an "ingenue" role that, in my opinion, she is too old to be playing.    

[DeLurker]

1 hour ago, HappyDancex2 said:

albino- I forgot about that Giada being too emotional to ax Yaku...what was the point of that????  To make him feel better about it?  LBH cares so much she can't utter the words so she makes Bobby do it?? Unnecessary drama whoring.

Her breathing was constricted by the too tight dress so she literally couldn't give the buhbye spiel.

And now I want to see David Spader & Helen Hunt saying buhbye to every eliminated contestant on every show ever.

[bluepiano]

On ‎6‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 9:48 PM, Snarklepuss said:

I like Joy but does she have to mention her 5 kids in every sentence?

Yes, because the 5 kids are her "brand." And she's smart enough to know that she can ride it to at least a place in the finals if not the win.

She seems a capable enough cook (at least within her wheel house), but I don't watch any of FN's other "red state" shows and wouldn't watch hers. She feels to me like a combination of Demaris and Melissa d'Arabian, two past winners who were not my favorites either.

I can understand them not putting Martita on Star Salvation. Because that would've made it her fourth shot. Enough is enough.

Edited June 14, 2016 by bluepiano

[TDT]

9 hours ago, mlp said:

I wondered about that when both Bobby and Giada said it was raw.  Raw lobster is sort of translucent and the lobster I saw on their plates looked solid white.  I thought maybe the part covered by the shell was undercooked.  Then I read Yaku's exit interview and he said the lobster was definitely not raw.  I'm not sure what I think now.

Makes me glad Yaku isnt competing on Hell's Kitchen,because Gordon Ramsay wouldve most definitely ripped him a new one concerning this..

[hkit]

8 hours ago, bluepiano said:

Yes, because the 5 kids are her "brand." And she's smart enough to know that she can ride it to at least a place in the finals if not the win.

She seems a capable enough cook (at least within her wheel house), but I don't watch any of FN's other "red state" shows and wouldn't watch hers. She feels to me like a combination of Demaris and Melissa d'Arabian, two past winners who were not my favorites either.

I can understand them not putting Martita on Star Salvation. Because that would've made it her fourth shot. Enough is enough.

I say this in pretty much every single Food Network competition thread, but apparently I don't learn my lesson. But here it goes anyway: I have no idea who Food Network wants to attract as an audience these days, but it sure as shit isn't me. 

I love that you refer to them as a "red state" show - very adequate description. It reminds me a lot of CBS in the early 70s - they performed what is famously known as the "rural purge". Their schedule became dominated by shows like Green Acres, Hee Haw, Petticoat Junction, Beverly Hillbillies, etc. It got to the point where the network had chased off all other demographics, and had to clean house. It really seems like Food Network is headed down this same path. 

[lh25]

Quote

Damiano came off to me as a real ass

I'm so over him.  He's decided he is going to cook whatever Italian food he wants, challenge be damned.  Camping, why fresh gnocchi of course.  I have a hard time believing his father made it on camping trips.  Sheet pan dinner, tiramisu.  Which is yummy, but hardly a dinner.  And the complaining about the twists!

[needschocolate]

Damiano's accent seems to be rather inconsistent.  Sometimes I have no trouble understanding him, other times, I have no clue what he is saying.  I get that a person's accent can get stronger when they are stressed out or excited, but his seems to become more stereotypical.  At times he sounds like someone doing a horrible Italian accent in a 1950's sitcom - "When-uh we-uh were-uh growing up-puh in-uh Tuscanny-uh, we-uh ate-uh spagetti every-uh night-uh."

 

On 6/13/2016 at 4:00 AM, Snarklepuss said:

What bugged me the most was Erin not knowing that miso is made of fermented soybeans.  OK, she's a "baker" but she should still know that if she's that much of a foodie.

She knew it in her talking head that was shown before her presentation.  Of course, that doesn't mean she actually knew it before her presentation.

 

On 6/13/2016 at 6:01 AM, candall said:

Why in the world would they switch out Jesse Tyler Ferguson for some internet woman?  JTF was funny, likable and added quite a bit more to the show than any of the other "food adjacent celebs" they've crammed in.

We actually rewound because we thought we missed the segment with the Honeymoon Suite Team getting a phone call.  The whole thing was filmed/shown weird - show two teams getting phone calls and then those two teams get judges, then show the third team getting a phone call (from someone else) and then show them getting judged.  They should have showed JTF call Team A, then Team A is judged, then Internet "sensation" call Team B, and then Team B's judging, then JTF call Team C, then The Team C judging.  

There is no reason to show the phone calls and judging in the order they happened, especially given how they don't show everything in sequence normally - talking heads shown in the middle of segments when they were filmed hours, sometimes days, later, and the references to "next week" or "last week" when the shows are really filmed a day or two apart.  

 

On 6/13/2016 at 7:18 AM, joanne3482 said:

It's the way the cool kids were saying "on point" they'd say "on fleek." According to my 13 year old now that us oldtimers say it, it's over. 

Years ago, I was talking to teacher at a junior high school and a student walked by wearing baggy pants really low. The teacher told the student to pull up his pants or risk being sent to the office for a change of clothes (it was against the school's dress code). I told the teacher that, if they really wanted the boys to stop wearing the sagging pants, all they had to do was have the male teachers wear their pants really low for a few days.  

Edited June 14, 2016 by needschocolate

[candall]

17 hours ago, mlp said:

I wondered about that when both Bobby and Giada said it was raw.  Raw lobster is sort of translucent and the lobster I saw on their plates looked solid white.  I thought maybe the part covered by the shell was undercooked.  Then I read Yaku's exit interview and he said the lobster was definitely not raw.  I'm not sure what I think now.

I prefer everything cooked just past the borderline between raw and tender/rare, so I'm pretty good at spotting the difference and I was shocked when they called the lobster "raw."  Lobster takes barely any time to cook, the consistency looked right when they cut it, and as you say, the color change is obvious.  There's no way Yaku served pale greyish jelly translucent lobster.  

Let's demand a recount.

[gryphon]

Just started watching this season....Ok, so LBH has her italian boy toy this season?  Check.  

I kind of like Erin.  Tregay annoys me a ton.  Bummed that Yaku went home...I really wanted to try his food.  

As an above poster mentioned...LBH doesn't seem to eat or have much food on her fork ever.  

Lacklustre season, to be sure.  Rob reminds me of Pah Gah a little.... oh and Ana...tie your hair back before cooking and/or presenting!  Ugh. 

Edited June 14, 2016 by gryphon
And another thing....

[DeLurker]

Are the snarky talking heads new?  I don't remember seeing as many on prior seasons (but I might have just blanked on it).

I don't think it is doing any of them favors  - they come off meaner than good natured or witty,

[bluepiano]

1 hour ago, DeLurker said:

Are the snarky talking heads new?  I don't remember seeing as many on prior seasons (but I might have just blanked on it).

I don't think it is doing any of them favors  - they come off meaner than good natured or witty,

There have always been at least a couple of snarky contestants. This year it seems a little more generalized, though no one is approaching the level of viciousness of She Who Must Not Be Named.

I'm not a lobster eater, but I take you guys word for it that the lobster wasn't raw. Which proves again that since we don't taste the food, the judges can send anyone home they want, and then figure out a reason. I think Yaku just didn't bring the entertainment value they wanted.

[Wings]

17 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

albino- I forgot about that Giada being too emotional to ax Yaku...what was the point of that????  To make him feel better about it?  LBH cares so much she can't utter the words so she makes Bobby do it?? Unnecessary drama whoring.

Padma did that when Sam was being eliminated, she asked Tom to do it because she adored him and could not bring herself to say pack your knives and go.  That was believable; he was a solid, skilled lovable man.  Giada just copied her, I would bet my life on it.  Why would she care so much for him?  He did not show much personality and I saw zero attachment from her.  

[Snarklepuss]

17 hours ago, Albino said:

I really miss Bob and Susie at the judging.  A few weeks ago I binge-watched season 7 (when Mauro won) and man...what a difference.  The challenges were to test their skills, not just for entertainment value.  A lot of them were on location - at cooking expos or barbecues, and the caliber of judges was just so much better, to say nothing about the production quality.  

I didn't re-watch a former season but I was just thinking the same thing.  Not pushing them to adopt a "culinary POV" or quizzing them to see if they will be taken as "food authorities", plus having more and more stars on the show who are questionable in their culinary talent or relevance shows how far down this show and this network are sinking.  And we thought it was bad before!  By the time it's all over we'll be wishing for someone as professional and worth his culinary salt as Guy Fietti.  I always had a feeling that Bob and Susie (and probably Brooke Johnson too), despite the affectionate ribbing we gave them online, were at least trying to keep things classy.  Now this channel is going down the road of becoming just like any other tawdry reality network.  It's really insulting to the fans, because they keep dumbing themselves down and we keep posting on social media and elsewhere that we want better.  I mean, even Bravo keeps it classy with "Top Chef".  Thank goodness they haven't dumbed THAT down to stay "popular".

[Snarklepuss]

16 hours ago, nonnybaby said:

It was hilarious when Montague/Monterey initially saw Jesse Tyler Ferguson and said something like, "My mother would be so excited!"

First, I'm sure that Jesse is more used to people saying, "I love you and you're so funny!" But when Monterey said that, Jesse had a frozen smile of horror on his face like "You bitch. How dare you imply that Modern Family is a show geared primarily toward older folk!" 

Second, it was just weird that Monterey invoked her mother like that. It's not like Jesse's old enough to be her father. I do get a sense that she is trying to play an "ingenue" role that, in my opinion, she is too old to be playing.    

Monterey gives herself away with a comment like that as being immature and having absolutely no social finesse.  She's like a child that wanders into the middle of a movie and wants to know.....

[candall]

Monterey, heeee.  "I know someone who admires what you do!"

[BW Manilowe]

On June 13, 2016 at 11:52 AM, Gregg247 said:

This is the second week in a row where I think the wrong person was eliminated.  Martita and Yaku are both good cooks who had one mistake and BOOM - they're gone.  Up until last night, the judges loved everything Yaku prepared for them.  Last night was also the first time they'd mentioned him not saying much about himself.  I thought he'd be one of the finalists.

Ana and Tregaye have cooked well, but have also had problems in front of the camera (plus, Ana is notorious for time management problems).  The model (Montegue?) has had problems with both her cooking and her presentations.  Any of these 3 should have gone before Martita and Yaku,

It probably doesn't matter.  I think TFN has given up on the idea of finding a "real" star for them like Guy Fieri, and now they're content to just pump this show out as a straight-on competitive reality show, with no strings attached.  I saw an ad that has last year's winner serving as a co-host of some kid's BBQ competition show.  Probably not the "stardom" he'd been expecting.

Eddie Jackson, the previous winner you referenced, has (had?) another show, BBQ Blitz, which was his "prize" for winning FNS last season. He travels (traveled?) to various cities hosting BBQ cookoffs. Hopefully the kids barbecue championship--which he co-hosts with model Camila Alves, the wife of Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey--is just a show to fill the time until he films more of the other show (or until they find the right format for him). They do seem to like him though (which I also do); I'm also seeing him judge, & whatever, on other FN shows. If they didn't like Eddie, I don't think they'd give him all these different gigs.

[BW Manilowe]

On June 13, 2016 at 0:48 AM, Snarklepuss said:

I don't get why one team didn't have the same judge as the others.  What, did Jessy Tyler Ferguson have to catch a flight or something?

I can see we're already into one of those seasons where the eliminations just don't seem to follow from what we see on the episode.  Jernard bombed as much if not more.  Even Joy and some others could have been on the chopping block.  I can't say that it wasn't time for Yaku to go, though.  He was never one of my favorites.  Tregaye just has to go.  She had a good week this week but in general, ugh.  Yaku seemed to be her best bud, but with him gone maybe she'll self destruct.

I had a feeling they were keeping "Star Salvation" under wraps until a few weeks in - They did that last season too.

I like Joy but does she have to mention her 5 kids in every sentence?

I am seriously disappointed in the cast this season.  Other than Joy and maybe Rob for comic relief, none of them is worth rooting for.  Last season's cast was so much better.

I guess we're not going to see Medusa this season, unless they're saving her for later.  Will miss her and of course Bob, who left.

I think they gave the 2nd team somebody else to cook for so team 1 couldn't go tell them they were really cooking for actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson pretending to be a fussy customer, instead of a REAL fussy customer.

[BW Manilowe]

On June 13, 2016 at 2:30 AM, GaT said:

I don't even understand the purpose of the curveball challenge. If these people are supposed to be auditioning for a TV show, why are working in a hotel kitchen? The whole thing was stupid.

This curveball challenge was just a different way, from previous seasons, to see how they'd react if something went wrong in the middle of an ep. They maybe changed it to working in a hotel Kitchen because doing the same challenge in the same setting too often (& let's face it, they pretty much do the same challenges every season) might be expected by any contestants who've watched the show a lot before being on it.

[BW Manilowe]

20 hours ago, Aquarius said:

I had NO IDEA who Jesse Tyler Ferguson is.  None.  I would have been the perfect contestant in this challenge, I guess.  I would have treated him like the annyoing little twit he was.

I wished they had all gotten as drunk as the YouTube woman seemed to want to get.  Drunk dialing!  That would improve this shitfest.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson plays half of the gay couple on Modern Family. He's been Emmy-nominated for the role, but I'm not sure if he's ever won (I don't watch the show but know a lot about it because of all the publicity it gets). He's also currently starring on Broadway in the multiple character, 1-man show that was mentioned upthread.

[DeLurker]

34 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

Eddie Jackson, the previous winner you referenced, has (had?) another show, BBQ Blitz, which was his "prize" for winning FNS last season. He travels (traveled?) to various cities hosting BBQ cookoffs. Hopefully the kids barbecue championship--which he co-hosts with model Camila Alves, the wife of Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey--is just a show to fill the time until he films more of the other show (or until they find the right format for him). They do seem to like him though (which I also do); I'm also seeing him judge, & whatever, on other FN shows. If they didn't like Eddie, I don't think they'd give him all these different gigs.

He's also a former pro football player, incredibly fit, telegenic, and likable. If FN can't figure out how to work with that, they are epically inept 

[smiley13]

As someone who has watched every season of this. the evolution of the show has been bad.  When it started out, it seemed like the show was actually about seeing if people could cook and present.  Now there are silly challenges that I am sure Gee-Ah-Da would fail if she was told to do them.

[jcbrown]

The YouTube star was Hannah Hart, who hosts the (to my mind) very funny show "My Drunk Kitchen." I think she was a rather odd choice for a judge but I like her so I was happy to see her get more exposure. I did think that all the teams should have had the same guest judge, though.

[smiley13]

The words YouTube and star in the same sentence always make me laugh....

[Skyfall]

Also I noticed they cooked food for the first challenge but it never got tasted? What is up with that?

[Madding crowd]

I thought this was a really odd episode. The first challenge seemed to confuse some of the contestants; either they didn't know the ingredient or know what they were supposed to do (Damiano). I also didn't understand at all why two groups got Jesse Tyler Ferguson and the other got some unknown (to me) woman. It was clear the contestants didn't know who she was either. The episode also seemed very long and what was with Giada's weird thing about not saying the loser's name?

I find Giada very hard to look at. To me, her body seems deformed. She is a small woman, but she is so very skinny, she actually looks deformed to me, like a child with an enormous head. Her gigantic teeth creep me out too. 

[Snarklepuss]

6 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

I think they gave the 2nd team somebody else to cook for so team 1 couldn't go tell them they were really cooking for actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson pretending to be a fussy customer, instead of a REAL fussy customer.

OK, but it wasn't the 2nd team they gave somebody else to cook for, it was the 3rd.  And I didn't know who that woman was either.  YouTube star?  Whatever, I guess.  I don't watch "Modern Family" but even I know who Jesse Tyler Ferguson is.

2 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I find Giada very hard to look at. To me, her body seems deformed. She is a small woman, but she is so very skinny, she actually looks deformed to me, like a child with an enormous head. Her gigantic teeth creep me out too. 

Ah yes, this has been gone over on the boards for many years now, and why she got the affectionate title of "LBH" (little big head).  I actually think she looks less deformed as she gets older than she did years ago, but that red dress she wore in this episode made her look creepy.  I don't know why, something about the way it fit, perhaps.  I think she's probably responding to the fan opinion about her overly revealing outfits in the past few seasons by going the high-necked route every now and then (it was even worse of Facebook than HERE), but yikes, if this is the alternative, perhaps the outrageous cleavage isn't all that bad.

[Lura]

What has happened to the show I once knew and loved???  The current FNS is a mere shadow of, IMHO, its former and far more enjoyable self.  We used to have contestants who were mostly wide-eyed and scared half to death.  We used to get peeks of how these people interacted in their rooms, and now the big wigs don't even show where the competitors stay.  Then, we endured the Big Transformation, with teams, starring Lolita, Lover Boy and Alton, the great communicators and mentors.  That didn't work so well, so we have the present-day show with contestants who are models and reality show failures, most of whom have made it through FN's less successful shows, hand-picked "entertainers" (?).  The show transformed from delightful and real contestants into a bunch of buffoons and losers.  Worst of all (or maybe thankfully) we seldom if ever see the winners again. 

Again IMHO, Giada and Bobby should be canned, and fast.  Giada's teeth have blinded me for long enough.  This series of episodes must have been filmed during Bobby's divorce because Giada is doing everything (including extra cuddling) to force an occasional smile out of him.  Alton, who had the only brains in the bunch, has moved on to his own sideshow, an example of idiocy if ever there was one.  I can't believe I actually miss Susie and Bob, but at least they meant business.  This show and this network have morphed into an unrecognizable being compared to its beginning.  Will heads roll?  I doubt it.  It will only be passed onto another junior executive who convinces the network that he/she has all the solutions and can pump vitamins into a very sick 50 minutes, and by the looks of things, they've tried that enough times, and failed.  At this point, the FN and this show need a miracle worker. 

Edited June 15, 2016 by Lura

[rab01]

Hasn't this show always been going downhill?  I've been watching since Season 4 and I think that's what everyone says every season.  My perspective is maybe a little different than some because Aaron McCargo won that season and, to me, he seemed patently terrible at food presenting so a lot of other winners have been pretty good by comparison (except Lenny of course).  I do wish that network people were more visibly involved like they used to be but I wouldn't want a 100% of the time to be Medusa and Kermit because they really forced everyone who didn't look like middle america to have an "ethnic" point of view.

[bad things are bad]

Quote

The way the network is going to all the celeb cooking shows,

"Celeb" should really be in quotes when referring to FN cooking shows. Seriously, we're pretty far down into the alphabet, possibly H list?

Quote

Yes, because the 5 kids are her "brand."

very reminiscent of Melissa D'Arabian in her FNS season. 

[bluepiano]

4 hours ago, bad things are bad said:

"Celeb" should really be in quotes when referring to FN cooking shows. Seriously, we're pretty far down into the alphabet, possibly H list?

very reminiscent of Melissa D'Arabian in her FNS season. 

Nice to see your comment. I am not attuned to current pop culture, so I don't know about 80% of these "celebrities." Then too, the definition of what a celebrity is seems to have changed to include minor sit com actors, people who have posted a thousand YouTube videos of themselves, and any number of former reality show contestants.

Glad you got the same Melissa D'Arabian vibe regarding Joy. I don't think it automatically endows you with food expertise because you feed your family. When I was a single Dad raising my son, I knew that all I had to do to make him happy was throw a piece of broiled meat or chicken on a plate with some Tater Tots and frozen peas. It's not like kids have the most discerning palates.

Edited June 15, 2016 by bluepiano

[leighdear]

Most of these shows deteriorate greatly past their 4th or 5th season.  By then, there's too much manipulation, too many recycled or unqualified combatants and too many previous contestants to refute the actual value of the "prizes" awarded.  Few shows have escaped this inevitable fate.  

I think Top Chef & The Amazing Race are 2 of the few that seem to be able to maintain their high standards and avoid being overly scripted and faked. 

[DeLurker]

14 hours ago, leighdear said:

Most of these shows deteriorate greatly past their 4th or 5th season.  By then, there's too much manipulation, too many recycled or unqualified combatants and too many previous contestants to refute the actual value of the "prizes" awarded.  Few shows have escaped this inevitable fate.  

I think Top Chef & The Amazing Race are 2 of the few that seem to be able to maintain their high standards and avoid being overly scripted and faked. 

They need to start labeling the shows with Best By dates.

[MajorWoody]

Wow, did you know Monterey has modeled and travelled the world?

Wow, did you know Joy has 5 kids?

If not, don't worry, they'll remind you every episode.

i grew up with old school Italian relatives, and I have a hard time deciphering what Damiano is saying on camera. Althoug it is usually a variation of the rules of this challenge are stupid, so I'll do what I want. His arrgance is wearing real thin. 

Yaku was no surprise being cut. Nice guy, but dull, and I agree those lobster tails were raw.

Ana seems to be the best cook, and the worst on camera. Having never seen real housewives, can anyone verify if she was this bad on camera on that show?

Slob Rob seems to be great on camera, but is channeling Bluto Blutarski from Animal House in his appearance. All he needs is a big glass of beer to swing around while talking.

LBH's smile is so annoying and fake. I can not imagine how she ever became a star.

Erin seems the least objectionable at this point.

No one on this season has Star written all over them.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

I was definitely surprised by the boot ... the only thing I can think is that the judges had already determined among themselves that Yaku was not going to be a finalist, I assume because he's just really laid back (though I love listening to him speak!) because IMHO, lobster-tailgate notwithstanding (raw or not?), he's been BY FAR the most consistently strong chef (at least from what we've seen and the judges' reaction) ... so maybe they figured they had to take advantage of even the slightest (arguable) slip-up to get rid of him on a week when no one else really screwed up royally.

IMHO I thought for sure Ana would be next eliminated.  She just irks me and I can't in a million years imagine watching any show she hosted, even if it was, like, the Grilled Cheese Show or something catered to my tastes.

I also think that maybe Joy is pushing the "I HAVE FAHVE KIDS" thing because the more obvious POV, Southern Cooking, is already taken by Damaris ... Joy is, in my opinion, probably the best suited to host a show of the remaining hamsters but needs a POV that isn't already being made by someone else.

Hoping that Yaku revs up the energy and personality during Star Salvation because I think his cooking looks yum.

[grisgris]

I guess I didn't understand the relevance of the room service challenge in regard to the actual duties of a FN show host. I've never seen anybody had to improvise a dish on the fly during a show. All of the ingredients are planned and prepped in advance. ???

More realistic challenges (based on recent history):

1. Judge some stupid competition show. (Best medical marijuana munchies prepared for the arthritis grandparents of sullen grounded teenagers.)

2. Serve as the sous chef for and prepare a dish as a guest on the show of an established FN star and pretend to be BFFs. (As long as it is not "Giada at Home.")

3. Function in role of "new kid on the block" at a contrived holiday show with other FN veterans who all can't stand each other, but pretend to be besties. Then see #2. Then be the butt of not-so-good-natured ribbing as the pros size up the latest "competition." Feign enjoyment of a bad combination of ego-driven main courses and sides.

[cooksdelight]

Quote

I also think that maybe Joy is pushing the "I HAVE FAHVE KIDS" thing because the more obvious POV, Southern Cooking, is already taken by Damaris.

Damaris' show has been cancelled, they have an open slot now for a Southern Belle.

[ivygirl]

On June 14, 2016 at 3:11 PM, BW Manilowe said:

Eddie Jackson, the previous winner you referenced, has (had?) another show, BBQ Blitz, which was his "prize" for winning FNS last season. He travels (traveled?) to various cities hosting BBQ cookoffs. Hopefully the kids barbecue championship--which he co-hosts with model Camila Alves, the wife of Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey--is just a show to fill the time until he films more of the other show (or until they find the right format for him). They do seem to like him though (which I also do); I'm also seeing him judge, & whatever, on other FN shows. If they didn't like Eddie, I don't think they'd give him all these different gigs.

I don't think it's all that bad of a gig, anyway. Some of those BBQ kids have a lot of experience, following family on the competition circuit and such.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

13 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

Damaris' show has been cancelled, they have an open slot now for a Southern Belle.

Thanks, I did not know that! In that case, I think Joy has this thang wrapped up.

[Skyfall]

17 hours ago, PamelaMaeSnap said:

I was definitely surprised by the boot ... the only thing I can think is that the judges had already determined among themselves that Yaku was not going to be a finalist, I assume because he's just really laid back (though I love listening to him speak!) because IMHO, lobster-tailgate notwithstanding (raw or not?), he's been BY FAR the most consistently strong chef (at least from what we've seen and the judges' reaction) ... so maybe they figured they had to take advantage of even the slightest (arguable) slip-up to get rid of him on a week when no one else really screwed up royally.

IMHO I thought for sure Ana would be next eliminated.  She just irks me and I can't in a million years imagine watching any show she hosted, even if it was, like, the Grilled Cheese Show or something catered to my tastes.

I also think that maybe Joy is pushing the "I HAVE FAHVE KIDS" thing because the more obvious POV, Southern Cooking, is already taken by Damaris ... Joy is, in my opinion, probably the best suited to host a show of the remaining hamsters but needs a POV that isn't already being made by someone else.

Hoping that Yaku revs up the energy and personality during Star Salvation because I think his cooking looks yum.

Damaris ended her show.

[Aquarius]

27 minutes ago, Skyfall said:

Damaris ended her show.

Was this ever confirmed?  I know it was a rumor based on the ratings, but given the direction the FN seems to be going in, I don't know that assumption holds.

[Wings]

32 minutes ago, Skyfall said:

I also think that maybe Joy is pushing the "I HAVE FAHVE KIDS" thing because the more obvious POV,

No, that would be, Ahh have fahve kids. :^)

Edited June 17, 2016 by wings707

[Westiepeach]

7 minutes ago, Aquarius said:

Was this ever confirmed?  I know it was a rumor based on the ratings, but given the direction the FN seems to be going in, I don't know that assumption holds.

She announced it herself on her Facebook page.

[bluepiano]

On ‎6‎/‎16‎/‎2016 at 8:18 PM, grisgris said:

More realistic challenges (based on recent history):

1. Judge some stupid competition show. (Best medical marijuana munchies prepared for the arthritis grandparents of sullen grounded teenagers.)

2. Serve as the sous chef for and prepare a dish as a guest on the show of an established FN star and pretend to be BFFs. (As long as it is not "Giada at Home.")

3. Function in role of "new kid on the block" at a contrived holiday show with other FN veterans who all can't stand each other, but pretend to be besties. Then see #2. Then be the butt of not-so-good-natured ribbing as the pros size up the latest "competition." Feign enjoyment of a bad combination of ego-driven main courses and sides.

You've nailed Food Network. It's kind of like a fraternity/sorority, run by a bunch of seniors (the established "stars"), and the winner of this show is the freshman pledge, who has to pay their dues by doing the dirty work, like judging a candy cotton-making contest at a state fair in Louisiana in July where it's 110 degrees. A small number of these newbies get to stick around, but most wash out in a year or so to make room for the next batch.

Edited June 18, 2016 by bluepiano

[Surrealist]

I'll miss Yaku, and his beard made out of sequins.

[backformore]

On ‎6‎/‎14‎/‎2016 at 9:22 AM, needschocolate said:

Damiano's accent seems to be rather inconsistent.  Sometimes I have no trouble understanding him, other times, I have no clue what he is saying.  I get that a person's accent can get stronger when they are stressed out or excited, but his seems to become more stereotypical.  At times he sounds like someone doing a horrible Italian accent in a 1950's sitcom - "When-uh we-uh were-uh growing up-puh in-uh Tuscanny-uh, we-uh ate-uh spagetti every-uh night-uh."

I agree.  There are times when his accent is genuine, and then he takes it too far, bringing to mind  something along the lines of "Mama Mia that's a spicy Meat-ah Ball-ah !"  from the Alka-Seltzer commercial decades ago.

Just like Joy is over-doing the southern accent, she's heading toward Paula Deen's level of drawing out words, and mentioning "southern"  or "the south"  every sentence.  (But when Paula says it, it's SAA-OUTH).  

[Aethera]

Catching up on the show.  I, too, wondered if I'd missed a segment when they did 2 groups before bringing in Hannah Hart, and rewound to check. Very poor editing, show.  I wondered while watching whether they'd had a 3rd celebrity who cancelled on them last minute, and asked Jesse Tyler Ferguson to double-up, or whether they were originally supposed to have 4 teams of 2 when they did this, and had to shuffle around shooting and would up with 3 teams of 3 and 2 booked celebrities. I know who both celebs are, but I pick up a lot of pop culture modding here.

I also thought the lobster looked cooked. I wonder if they're setting Yaku up for the redemption arc on Star Salvation.

I like Joy, Erin, and Jenard most of the time, and I'm not bothered by Rob. He may look a bit sloppy, but he's miles less weird/crazy than Lenny was, and he's good with a crowd. Joy does have her schtick, but she isn't annoyingly over the top about it, and is pretty good on camera compared to others. She feels more natural than I thought she would. Everyone else can go. Ana is clearly a good cook, but she's terrible out loud. Monterey just doesn't have it together at all. Tregaye is all over the place and irritatingly fake. Damiano is clearly only there so that Giada can say "Grazie" constantly and smile at him. It looks like he can bake well, but he clearly has no interest in completing the challenges, and is crazy arrogant. If any other contestant was acting that way, they'd have called him out long ago.

[bad things are bad]

Quote

 

Wow, did you know Monterey has modeled and travelled the world?

Wow, did you know Joy has 5 kids?

 

And Debbie is KOREAN! Shocker. 

[Lura]

I was raised in New England and cooked my first of many lobsters at the age of eight, but it would be playing dirty pool, as well as being pretentious, to say that I could judge a televised piece of lobster on its doneness.  Also, the camera didn't show the lobster long enough for the best-schooled judge to decide whether it was fully cooked or not.  One would need a closer look and/or a taste.  I did notice that it looked translucent, which it shouldn't have if it were done.  Based only on that quickest of peeks, I'd have judged it undercooked, but it's a moot point now with Yaku (sadly) gone. 

I have a soft spot in my heart for Erin, who somehow manages to spread some joy, enthusiasm and a good attitude despite the loathsome challenges.  How could Erin ever make it to the finals, though, when Bobby's eyes light up at the mere sight of Ana's pout?  My idea of a dream come true:  A double elimination in which Ana and Damiano storm toward the exit, cursing in English, Italian, Cuban and Chinese.

Edited June 23, 2016 by Lura