S12.E09: Food Holiday Fray

[LizBug]

Tregaye's husband was looking at her like he didn't know who she was.  I think it's because, in real life, she isn't so loud and hyper; and he didn't know this "new and improved" version.  

Damiano's brother had that deer-in-the-headlights look.  Didn't the powers that be tell the family members that they were expected to participate?

Ana's daughter ... adorable.  And they interacted well together.

Bernard's wife (grrrrr ... spell check insists on the B, but we all know it's a J) was supportive but he didn't seem to know what to do to get her more involved.  

How long does this series last?  I'm ready for the finale.

[PRgal]

6 minutes ago, DallasGypsy said:

Tregaye's husband was looking at her like he didn't know who she was.  I think it's because, in real life, she isn't so loud and hyper; and he didn't know this "new and improved" version.  

Damiano's brother had that deer-in-the-headlights look.  Didn't the powers that be tell the family members that they were expected to participate?

Ana's daughter ... adorable.  And they interacted well together.

Bernard's wife (grrrrr ... spell check insists on the B, but we all know it's a J) was supportive but he didn't seem to know what to do to get her more involved.  

How long does this series last?  I'm ready for the finale.

I don't think Tregaye's husband even LIKED this so-called "new and improved" model.  His face showed either fear or "WTF is THAT??!!!!!"  Maybe both.  He just wanted to get out of there. 

Edited July 18, 2016 by PRgal

[Christina]

10 hours ago, txvoodoo said:

Geeahhda's dress tonight....good god woman, you're gonna lose food down that cleavage.

She'd actually have to put some on her fork first.

[candall]

Tregaye's segment with her husband was the show highlight for me.  She immediately told him to stand back, which he did, and then the judges gave her all kinds of helpful advice about dealing with a co-host who's "shy."

LMAO

[Wings]

48 minutes ago, candall said:

Tregaye's segment with her husband was the show highlight for me.  She immediately told him to stand back, which he did, and then the judges gave her all kinds of helpful advice about dealing with a co-host who's "shy."

LMAO

That may ding her in the end.  No matter what kind of position the winner gets plus judging gigs on minor shows like GGG, she cannot overdo her act to the exclusion of others on the set.  Her husband's reaction to her clearly said he did not know this woman! 

Quote

I don't think Tregaye's husband even LIKED this so-called "new and improved" model.  His face showed either fear or "WTF is THAT??!!!!!"  Maybe both.  He just wanted to get out of there. 

Edited July 18, 2016 by wings707

[catrice2]

I do think Tregaye can cook and seems to have good recipes. My main issue with her is that she does not seem authentic.  She just seems to be putting on a persona that she takes WAY over the top. A little goes a long way.  Apparently I missed the episode where she was told to tone it down, because if this is toned down....I cannot imagine her before.  To be fair to her, however, I don't think most people on the Food Network are their true selves...with the exception of a few. I just think some are better at pretending than others...and she needs to master that.  I understand that their normal dynamic may be for her to rule the roost in the kitchen, but the challenge was to incorporate the person, so her interaction with her husband was strange to me.

Ana seems to be able to cook and I don't know if I would watch her show because seems distant an a little condescending.  To be fair to all of them however, it must be difficult to live they way they do and compete with the pressure, not to mention the "edit" that the producers decide to give certain contestants for drama or ratings.

Jenard puts me to sleep with the tone and pace of his voice, but I think he can cook and would watch an episode if he was making something I was interested in.  Domiano?? I would not be unhappy if he won, but I wouldn't watch his show...only because I don't know that his recipes would be of interest, but again maybe the odd show here and there. 

On a side note, I just saw an article where Ana was accused of being racist for the comments she made about Tregaye's possible show.  I fast forwarded through that part, so I did not see it. When I said demographic, I honestly meant young girls sitting around gossiping and looking at their clothes, or people who would want her talking about things other than food. I was not focusing on race, so I think Ana should be the same benefit of the doubt.  

I never watched the Neely show, so I can't comment on them.  

[catrice2]

So, was Ana on the Real Housewives franchise? 

[NYCFree]

1 minute ago, catrice2 said:

So, was Ana on the Real Housewives franchise? 

Yes, on the Miami version.  There hasn't been a new season in quite a while.

[Joe Blow]

Tregaye's husband definitely looked confused, like, "Who is this wacky cartoon character they've paired me up with?"  I would say that her routine reminds me of an SNL skit that came up with a catch phrase that was funny at first, but eventually ran it completely in the ground...but Tregaye doesn't even come up with this stuff herself.  She's more like the people who see the skit on TV and then walk around in real life constantly spouting the phrase themselves (kind of like that Credit Karma commercial where the dad keeps following his son around yelling "Bazang!")

50 minutes ago, catrice2 said:

On a side note, I just saw an article where Ana was accused of being racist for the comments she made about Tregaye's possible show.  I fast forwarded through that part, so I did not see it. When I said demographic, I honestly meant young girls sitting around gossiping and looking at their clothes, or people who would want her talking about things other than food. I was not focusing on race, so I think Ana should be the same benefit of the doubt.  

I saw that ridiculous article, too (http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1126248/food-network-star-season-12-episode-9-recap).  Ana wasn't saying "a certain audience" meaning black people, she said it meaning people who like watching obnoxious cut-rate caricatures desperate to be TV "personalities".

[candall]

21 minutes ago, catrice2 said:

I do think Tregaye can cook and seems to have good recipes. My main issue with her is that she does not seem authentic.

Woof, authenticity is a rare and precious gem.  I've been to many tapings and it's fascinating to see those friendly smiles drop straight away at commercial time.  (Letterman was the worst--he was so disdainful, it felt like the whole studio audience bursting into flames would have been a bonus event for him.)

I'm starting to think I would enjoy a cooking show hosted by Ana.  She's been the only one up there that didn't flip an "on" switch and give us a big fake-y television persona.  That's been the source of the judges' discontent with her, but maybe it would be refreshing to take instruction from someone who just delivered the goods and didn't knock herself out trying to win us over with manufactured style and charm.

 

[Gave it some more thought--I don't recall any specific television alter ego for Yaku and it's possible Erin really has a chirpy little "smidgeons!" personality, which, eek.]

[Christina]

From that article: 

Quote

This isn't the first time Ana's behaved like a jerk to her fellow contestants, but — I might or might not be remembering this wrong — this is the first time we've seen her make racist comments. Ana wasn't being cute or risqué or sassy, and it's not cute when other people say things like that, ever. It is, however, the responsibility of the show, and the network, to decide how to deal with them and to hold the person who said them accountable for their statements.

Emphasis added. Maybe that is why it wasn't addressed; because she isn't a racist and there was no racist tone to it. I wouldn't watch Tregaye's show, either, and I'm a woman of color. She would need to tone it way down, because I find her fleeking, bopping, etc comments annoying and childish, and that is the way I took Ana's comment.

My dad told me as a child that you need to take things the way they are intended or you will always be offended by something. If she had said it about Damiano, would the author being arguing it was an anti-male or anti-immigrant statement? The only reason to call it racism, in my opinion, was because she was referring to someone who happened to be African American. 

Edited July 18, 2016 by Christina
Fixing quote box.

[orangekit]

I liked Treygaye, but I think the compliments have gone to her head now and she is annoying.  If she says "fleek" anymore I will have to mute her.  It's great to be energetic, but her constant use of teenage slang is a bit much, plus now she is coming off fake which is too bad, she was good  until Bobby told her it was her's to lose.

I do not think Ana said anything racist, I think she just meant that Treygaye's audience had to like that kind of trendy and hyper personality.  

Who were those two idiotic guest  judges? They were useless.

I think Damiano is a very good cook. I also wondered if it would be ok to say his accent was too heavy if he had a latino accent instead of an Italian accent.

[bad things are bad]

I'm of the opinion that if Tregaye wins, her persona will crank down to normal.

Frankly I'm offended by what I see is her shuckin' and jivin', she's practically Stephin Fetchit as a caricature of what white folks think is "black" behavior. Next thing you know she'll be yelling for more mother-f'in iced tea 

Damiano...ha. I was at a seminar a few weeks ago with some colleagues from around Europe and one of the Italian guys had that accent. So I accept it as not exaggerated but I don't see any way possible to have a show with him actually, you know, talking. 

Love Chef...yes, it's Neelys meet Isaac Hayes. No no no. I just don't see it happening. 

My money's on Tregaye, toned down, getting a short run of some show that has nothing to do with her POV (like Eddie)

[Christina]

I completely forgot to post the comment I originally came here to post, because I got wrapped up in reading everyone else's posts and may be a bit scatterbrained.

When Damiano was speaking to the man he was going to have next to him while he cooked at the party, he told him that his brother was there yesterday and was painfully shy. I knew that they were not doing everything the same day, and it didn't make sense to try and squeeze in the four "live" Facebook challenges and the four parties on the same day, but was surprised that made it through editing. They like to make it seem like everything is immediate. The chefs would have been assigned their holidays and had the night to decide what to make. They probably filmed all four parties the same day, though, and that is why the decorations were so sucky and cheap. Quick and easy to change out.

There was a Top Chef Desserts where they aired one of the chefs having a breakdown during the period where they explained the challenge. He was cut from the competition by the producer for not being mentally healthy enough to compete. They told them the challenge and all the rules in another room, and they had some time to decide what they wanted to do, before it was aired with them told "Go," and they run off like they made a split-second decision. 

[Gregg247]

I don't mind Tregaye, but I STILL don't know what fleek is, and I haven't been able to figure it out by listening to her use it in a sentence.  What is fleek?!?!?  Explain it, or get off of my TV!

When are the Star Salvation results going to enter into this competition.  They're down to 3 finalists.  It doesn't seem quite fair to bring someone else back in at this late date.  They should have cut this off after the first 4-5 eliminations.

The woman who replaced Bob Tushman (who I always liked on this show) is the "genius" responsible for Chopped Junior, Food Network Star for Kids, BBQ Kids, and probably several others.  I sense a pattern here...

[bluepiano]

1 hour ago, Christina said:

 Maybe that is why it wasn't addressed; because she isn't a racist and there was no racist tone to it. I wouldn't watch Tregaye's show, either, and I'm a woman of color. She would need to tone it way down, because I find her fleeking, bopping, etc comments annoying and childish, and that is the way I took Ana's comment.

My dad told me as a child that you need to take things the way they are intended or you will always be offended by something. If she had said it about Damiano, would the author being arguing it was an anti-male or anti-immigrant statement? The only reason to call it racism, in my opinion, was because she was referring to someone who happened to be African American. 

I think it's the exact opposite. I think that Jernard and Tregaye are both playing stereotyped characters for the amusement of the judges (who are white) and guest judges (who have all been white, as far as I can remember.) I've had a queasy feeling from this show all year, because it feels to me that Bobby and Giada are laughing "at" Jernard and Tregaye, not with them. The judges would've never tolerated such buffoonish and over-the-top behavior from a white contestant, so that where the racism is.

I cringe whenever Giada breaks into hysterical laughter every time Tregaye says "on fleek," and Bobby's face lights up every time Jernard "busts a move." In both cases it may've been funny the first time. But enough already. (I can almost imagine Bobby hiring Jernard to be his comic relief side kick on "Beat Bobby Flay," playing Rochester to his Jack Benny.)

I imagine that the FN audience is overwhelmingly white, so what does it say that, in the year 2016, the FN brass obviously thinks their audience would be entertained by the most stereotypical black personas - the smooth talking, dancing and jiving stud (he's got 9 kids, in case you forgot) and the sassy, finger waving, in your face black woman. Sort of the modern versions of the shuffling black servants and wise cracking mammies in old Hollywood movies.

(When Aaron McCargo Jr. won this show a feel years ago, I felt that he was genuine and sincere and not putting an act to sell himself. Significantly, it was the producers who gave him the name "Big Daddy" after he won, as if they had to make him more of a clichéd black man to appeal to their audience.)

And then you've got the third member of this year's final three playing the handsome, Italian stud character for all it's worth. It makes me think of the old Simpsons episode when Homer's bowling team plays against a team called "The Stereotypes," which had the sea captain, Luigi the Italian chef, the Mexican Bumble Bee Man etc.

Unless someone emerges from LCK to win, I guess the clear message is that dignified, serious adults (of any race) need not apply.

Edited July 18, 2016 by bluepiano

[akr]

What was it Bobby said about Jernard having a "shuffle"? (asking him to demonstrate, either for the guest judges or the "online audience" of, presumably, backstage staff). He should have winced at that at the latest by 1970.

[Aging Goth]

Quote

I don't mind Tregaye, but I STILL don't know what fleek is, and I haven't been able to figure it out by listening to her use it in a sentence.  What is fleek?!?!?  Explain it, or get off of my TV!

on fleek means on point ie doing it perfectly

Edited July 18, 2016 by Aging Goth

[cooksdelight]

7 hours ago, Aging Goth said:

My take on this episode...

I guess I am in the minority regarding Tregaye.  I know she is over the top right now but I also feel that will change once she has a show.  Right now, she is just trying to win and she is giving them what they asked for.  She makes great food and she can hold her own in most situations.  She also knows what to correct when she make a misstep.

Ana I must say I was glad to see go.  She was long overdue and she was way too inconsistant and also a bit arrogant.  Her food didn't always live up to her hype

I really loved Janard's presentations and especially how he interacted with his wife.  It was a softer side of him that I could relate to.  Sad that his food in the main challenge did not even come close to expectations.  I knew when he put worstershire sauce in his gumbo (a fierce no-no) it was going to backfire on him.  Glad he wasn't eliminated, tho.

Damiano was just a little too rushed and excited in the first challenge.  I still didn't quite understand what he was saying in the main challenge but he is so good to look at!!

No, I'm with ya.... I think with proper coaching, Tregaye could have a good show. I like how her food looks, I want to try it.

[Madding crowd]

I was happy to see Ana leave. She seemed to be condescending to the other contestants; that is why they make comments about her and not each other. Tregaye seems to be a good cook and if she tones down her hyperness a bit, she might have a good show. Jenard also appears to be a good cook but I'm still not over how he treated Erin when she was his cooking partner. Damiano confuses me. Sometimes I like him and think he is funny, other times he has this deer in the headlights look and doesn't seem to know what he is doing. I still think there might be a touch of not quite understanding parts of the language. Many people who come from other countries understand the language but have problems with slang, snarky words and statements, funny jokes or metaphors etc. This might be the case here.

 

When Ana made the comment about Tregaye's show, my first thought was that she was being racist. Doesn't make it true, but if it was my first thought, I could see others feeling the same way. I also felt she was making fun of the Irish culture and cuisine. Can't pin point why exactly, just the overall vibe. The other contestants all seemed like they were having fun and celebrating their holiday, Ana was tolerating hers. And yes, real Irish food can be bland (not always though). But on a cooking contest show, there is no reason to actually have bland food, especially if you claim you improved the Irish food by making it Cuban. I think all of the remaining three would be ok in their own show, don't really have a favorite and I always do by this point.

[Nutjob]

Quote

The judges would've never tolerated such buffoonish and over-the-top behavior from a white contestant, so that where the racism is.

They tolerated it from Lenny so long that he went all the way to the win. Cowboy redneck hick stereotype to the hilt, right there, and they let him run with it.

That's the thing about these judges, though--if you give them any hint of stereotype, they latch onto it and have you push it more. Look at all the ethnic stereotypes they push--Damiano and Luca are perfect examples of white contestants who fit a European, ethnic stereotype and were encouraged to keep pushing it. I don't think the judges are racist, I just think they can't see past their own preconceived notions of how someone of a certain ethnic background should present to an audience. So... more bigoted than racist. ;)

Edited July 18, 2016 by Nutjob

[PRgal]

4 minutes ago, Nutjob said:

They tolerated it from Lenny so long that he went all the way to the win. Cowboy redneck hick stereotype to the hilt, right there, and they let him run with it.

That's the thing about these judges, though--if you give them any hint of stereotype, they latch onto it and have you push it more. Look at all the ethnic stereotypes they push--Damiano and Luca are perfect examples of white contestants who fit a European, ethnic stereotype and were encouraged to keep pushing it. I don't think the judges are racist, I just think they can't see past their own preconceived notions of how someone of a certain ethnic background should present to an audience. So... more bigoted than racist. ;)

And not to mention Joy.  She's pretty stereotypical of an ignorant southern white woman.

[Lamb18]

1 hour ago, Christina said:

I completely forgot to post the comment I originally came here to post, because I got wrapped up in reading everyone else's posts and may be a bit scatterbrained.

When Damiano was speaking to the man he was going to have next to him while he cooked at the party, he told him that his brother was there yesterday and was painfully shy. I knew that they were not doing everything the same day, and it didn't make sense to try and squeeze in the four "live" Facebook challenges and the four parties on the same day, but was surprised that made it through editing. They like to make it seem like everything is immediate. The chefs would have been assigned their holidays and had the night to decide what to make. They probably filmed all four parties the same day, though, and that is why the decorations were so sucky and cheap. Quick and easy to change out.

There was a Top Chef Desserts where they aired one of the chefs having a breakdown during the period where they explained the challenge. He was cut from the competition by the producer for not being mentally healthy enough to compete. They told them the challenge and all the rules in another room, and they had some time to decide what they wanted to do, before it was aired with them told "Go," and they run off like they made a split-second decision. 

Who will ever forget "The red hots are for my mommy!"

[catrice2]

After reading some of the comments I have to say that is true about this show. In addition to Lenny and others mentioned,   I am not good with names, but it was Debbie?? the Asian, JAG, the Hispanic and a few others I can think of. It was not just about their point of view, but they were constantly being told they needed to be more  (insert culture) than they were, and when they wanted to break away and do different things that was never a good idea.  But then when you had Rue? that wanted to do South African food, it seemed like they wanted less of that.  Great comment about McCargo, I think that is true. 

Although I don't think Ana was racist toward Tregaye, I do feel like she was dismissive about Irish food. She didn't really embrace that part of the challenge. I would actually love to know more about Cuban food. 

Tia Mowry, whom I usually like, annoyed me on the show for a reason I can't put my finger on.  The thing is, no matter how much they say they want something different, they always seem to go with pretty much the same thing in the contestants.  I rarely watch anything on the FN anymore. I just saw episodes of Cut Throat Kitchen at the nail shop for the first time a few weeks ago, and I keep deleting my episodes of Chopped. 

[Snarklepuss]

I don't think it's necessarily the judges that are encouraging the contestants to play into demeaning racist stereotypes - I think it's TPTB behind the scenes because this is something that has been going on on this show forever.  It's not Giada or Bobby or Susie or Tuschman, it's whatever boardroom suits that control the content of the shows that the judges are fronting for.  And TPTB has their viewing audience all pie-charted into "demographics" so when they attempt to pander to any of them it does come off as stereotyped, because frankly, any kind of profiling does end up stereotyping to some degree.  In this case, to a pretty ugly degree, IMHO.

I didn't take Ana's comment as racist by any means.  I took it as age-ist but not even in an offensive way.  I think she was referring to a young, trendy, Millennial audience, not a black one.  If she had said that about Damiano I wouldn't have gotten upset as an Italian American.  It may be true that the "certain audience" Damiano might appeal to are Italian Americans or young women who find him attractive.  But even if so, so what?  Is that a judgment or a statement of potential fact?  I think it would be the latter.  I think her point about Tregaye was really that the audience who would like her would be a smaller one.  I think Ana thought she had broader appeal and would attract Latin Americans plus anyone else interested in Latin American food, which she might think is a bigger audience.

I too might like Tregaye and Jernard a lot more if they weren't so obviously playing into TPTB's racist stereotypes.  I think Food Network insults its contestants and it's audience by making them make fools out of themselves this way.  Ana may not have been the most likable person but at least she was herself.  If that's what Bobby liked about her, then I am all for that, even though I didn't really like her all that much.

At this point Damiano is about the least awful contestant left, if only because he is probably the most genuine even though he plays it to the max and to an American audience he seems like the stereotypical Italian chef with the accent and charm.  Plus he's funny even if he is a little rough around the edges.  But I'm not even on team Damiano either.

Edited July 18, 2016 by Snarklepuss

[Skyfall]

17 hours ago, parrotfeathers said:

Well she reminds me of Paula Dean after she went off the deep end with her exaggerated southern accent and ridiculous mannerisms that weren't present when she first started.  What's different is Tregaye is already off the deep end and has no place to go in the future.

I was warming up to Ana also.  I would watch Damiano over any of them.

Give Damiano a food version of The Soup that allows him to snark and cut through the bullshit of all these reality cooking shows. THAT'S a show I would watch.

[Nutjob]

Quote

At this point Damiano is about the least awful contestant left, if only because he is probably the most genuine even though he plays it to the max and to an American audience he seems like the stereotypical Italian chef with the accent and charm.  Plus he's funny even if he is a little rough around the edges.  But I'm not even on team Damiano either.

At this point, Damiano is just a younger, more pastry-focused version of Gabriele Corcos, which... if that's what they want, just give a show to the original and be done with it.

Edited July 18, 2016 by Nutjob

[Skyfall]

11 hours ago, TDT said:

I guess this is why there wont be anymore "Rachael Ray Kids Cook-Off" series of shows..this must be its official replacement

I actually think Rachael Ray has severed ties with Food Network and I don't think it was mutual. First the first part, she's not producing new episodes for any of her old shows or for any new shows, no TRRS apperance for finalists this year to my knowledge, and she doesn't seem to make any appearances on any of the shows now. The second part is easy, the relationship seemed to get rocky after Guy cheated on their show and then as a make good they gave her AWCIA Z-List edition. She either requested/forced off or let her contract run out and indicated she had no interest in reupping.

RR and Damarius and maybe Jeff/Eddie on the junior version would've been great.

[smiley13]

2 hours ago, Aging Goth said:

on fleek means on point ie doing it perfectly

On point bugs me more than on fleek.  If something looks nice, like someone's outfit or make-up, just say so don't make up some silly phrase.

[Amarsir]

9 hours ago, Aging Goth said:

I guess I am in the minority regarding Tregaye.  I know she is over the top right now but I also feel that will change once she has a show.  Right now, she is just trying to win and she is giving them what they asked for.  She makes great food and she can hold her own in most situations.  She also knows what to correct when she make a misstep.

I think you're right. She's doing shtick and is smart enough to play the way the judges seem to want. I suspect she could dial it back at any time if she wanted to, and based on her wit I might enjoy watching that.

[smiley13]

1 hour ago, PRgal said:

And not to mention Joy.  She's pretty stereotypical of an ignorant southern white woman.

I do not see that at all.

I do see Ana as an ignorant woman of Cuban descent though.  She acted like St Patrick's day was the worst holiday ever to get.

And Damiano appeared to be an ignorant Italian man when he claimed to know nothing about enchiladas, but then this week I guess he lied and said he loves Mexican food.  Which is it Damiano?

[catrice2]

1 minute ago, smiley13 said:

I do not see that at all.

I do see Ana as an ignorant woman of Cuban descent though.  She acted like St Patrick's day was the worst holiday ever to get.

And Damiano appeared to be an ignorant Italian man when he claimed to know nothing about enchiladas, but then this week I guess he lied and said he loves Mexican food.  Which is it Damiano?

I caught that too!   I don't know what episode, but he said something about that recently, then this week he said he had trained in mexican food with someone that worked with him or worked for him or something like that.  I fast forward so much I doubted what I heard, but you just confirmed that I am not crazy! 

[backformore]

5 hours ago, Joe Blow said:

Tregaye's husband definitely looked confused, like, "Who is this wacky cartoon character they've paired me up with?"  

Yes, exactly.   I remember thinking that wasn't really her husband, OR she was acting in a way that he had never seen before.

1 hour ago, Snarklepuss said:

I didn't take Ana's comment as racist by any means.  I took it as age-ist but not even in an offensive way.  I think she was referring to a young, trendy, Millennial audience, not a black one.

That's what I thought, too.  I'm in Ana's age bracket, and I was thinking that Tregaye's "fleeking and popping"  show would only appeal to people under age 30. 

[Rick Kitchen]

11 minutes ago, catrice2 said:

I don't know what episode, but he said something about that recently, then this week he said he had trained in mexican food with someone that worked with him or worked for him or something like that.

He said that he was taught how to cook Mexican by the mother of a guy who worked with him.

[Christina]

Damiano's confusion about the enchilada seemed to me to be based on the fact it was named a Hatch chile enchilada, and he didn't realize that Hatch was the type of chile, thought it was the type of enchilada, and was confused. In one of the earlier episodes he was tasked with something Mexican and said he cooks it a lot because it is one of his favorite foods.

This conversation reminded me of what I thought was funny in his talking head where he misspoke a word, and after being told that it wasn't a word, made a comment about people saying fleek and bopping so he could say his misspoke word. He has been just as dismissive of his teammates as the rest of them, but that came across as joking and funny to me. I also knew what he was trying to say when he said it, but don't remember the word now. 

I hope someone from Food Network reads this and other boards to see that the general consensus seems to be that we would enjoy the show more if they let people be themselves, not caricatures. This has felt like a long season of this show and I haven't enjoyed any of the episodes, although Star Salvation has been good. I think they all could improve if they toned it down, but it is clear that TPTB enjoy something entirely different than I do. 

1 hour ago, Skyfall said:

The second part is easy, the relationship seemed to get rocky after Guy cheated on their show and then as a make good they gave her AWCIA Z-List edition. She either requested/forced off or let her contract run out and indicated she had no interest in reupping.

Can you please pop over to the small talk thread and tell me about Guy cheating? I just tried to Google it, but keep coming up with articles about his former brother-in-law bad mouthing him during a custody dispute between the BIL and Guy's parents over custody of the BIL and Guy's deceased sister's son. The BIL kept custody, but allowed visitation with Guy's family, and it has absolutely nothing to do with Rachel Ray so I don't know why it is in my results. The rest are about Guy and everyone else fighting, and his comments during a roast for Anthony Bourdain, which is the purpose of a roast, and also have nothing to do with Rachel Ray. I didn't watch their show because I don't enjoy the kids cooking shows so I missed this drama.

[PRgal]

1 hour ago, smiley13 said:

I do not see that at all.

I do see Ana as an ignorant woman of Cuban descent though.  She acted like St Patrick's day was the worst holiday ever to get.

And Damiano appeared to be an ignorant Italian man when he claimed to know nothing about enchiladas, but then this week I guess he lied and said he loves Mexican food.  Which is it Damiano?

Her comments about international foods - especially international foods common in the US (e.g. pad Thai - even though the pad Thai we often see here looks NOTHING like pad Thai in Thailand) made me think of the "ignorant southern mom" stereotype. 

[RHJunkie]

The highlight of the episode was Damiano's response to the producer that was calling him out for using the term 'resemblations', haha. 

I suspect that Ana will be the one returning. Her food itself has been a hit with the judges. I'm not sure if her presentation skills are a gradual improvement or if it's due to circumstances. Ana hasn't really shown that she can do really well when presenting to a camera. Will she have a show where her daughter will be her sidekick just so that Ana can keep calm and comfortable? Or will she need people as props so that she can pretend she's having a conversation rather than engaging with a camera? I'm not convinced just yet that she actually turned a corner with her presentation skills but if she comes back, she'll have more opportunities to prove that this week wasn't a fluke. 

Tre really needs to dial it back. The more 'fun and vibrant' she tries to be, the less genuine she appears. 

[smiley13]

So Ana is a racist?  That was an interesting article.  From what I have seen of Ana, I don't think she has much use for anyone though, not just Tregaye.

[kj4ever]

I never thought I'd say this but man I wish Anna was still in the competition and The popping fleeking walking sterotype would have been shown the door. 

[SingleMaltBlonde]

19 hours ago, Albino said:

12 hours ago, smiley13 said:

Did you know she says she is Cuban?  However, has anyone ever found out if she was born there?  If she wasn't, then she is not Cuban, she is an American of Cuban descent.

Oddly like the Irish many Cubans consider themselves Cuban (or Irish) still since they didn't really leave of their own accord (Castro/Potato Famine).  My family fled the dominance of ABBA so I really can't relate.

 

12 hours ago, smiley13 said:

I had to laugh that Damiano claims to love - a - Mexican food when earlier he was horrified that he had to make enchiladas.

I think he wasn't familar with the New Mexican green chili specific version.

 

15 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

 I am so tired of seeing kids on food competition shows.

I really hate the kiddie versions...the kids are so fake and practiced.  I also wonder if they can really cook....sometimes the prep work doesn't match what ends up on the plate.

I think Tregaye could be great...throw a random kitchen and have her make dinner.  But she just looks silly with the fleek and poppin and whatnot...she's way too old to be "hip".

Frequently theories suggest that the winner will fill a demographic that FN doesn't have.  First off they currently don't have alot of pastry chefs. 

[LexieLily]

4 hours ago, Skyfall said:

I actually think Rachael Ray has severed ties with Food Network and I don't think it was mutual. First the first part, she's not producing new episodes for any of her old shows or for any new shows, no TRRS apperance for finalists this year to my knowledge, and she doesn't seem to make any appearances on any of the shows now. The second part is easy, the relationship seemed to get rocky after Guy cheated on their show and then as a make good they gave her AWCIA Z-List edition. She either requested/forced off or let her contract run out and indicated she had no interest in reupping.

RR and Damarius and maybe Jeff/Eddie on the junior version would've been great.

I have to know the gossip, what happened with Rachel Ray and Guy? Guy cheated on...the Kids Cook-Off show they co-hosted?

[grisgris]

I don't get who Tregaye is trying to play to or who FN thinks will watch her show. I've worked with plenty of Millennials and they don't seem very interested in cooking or even watching TV. (Also, I've never heard any of them say "on fleek" or "pop.") The guy for them was that pompous douche who was the "hashtag chef" at last year's tryout. They'd follow that for sure, but with a different presenter.

What they needed this year was a contestant who'd appeal to KIDS. It seems like TIIC believe that's their hot demographic with all of the kids-oriented programming. (Actually, I know more little kids who watch FN than Millennials.)

I wasn't surprised to see Ana go and thought that Giada took great pleasure in delivering the final blow. (What did we do to deserve both legs and boobs in last night's fashion choices? Ugh.)

I read upthread a reference to "Big Daddy," Aaron McCargo. I didn't like his show and race and gender had nothing to do with it. For starters, I couldn't understand a word he said. Anyway, one day Kelsey Nixon's show was on and either Aaron was a guest or she was preparing one of his recipes. She said that the "Big Daddy" nickname came from the other contestants, because of 1) his size and 2) he took on a "fatherly" role with the other contestants. Whether that is true or not, I don't know, but Kelsey doesn't seem like the type to sensationalize.

I'd definitely watch a baking show, but those typically don't last very long on either network. Julia (somebody) a pastry chef had a show on The Cooking Channel and that didn't last except for reruns in the wee hours. Lorraine Pascale has had shows that were pretty good.  She's built up enough recognition now on FN that I'd rather see her host a baking show than Damiano. I get the impression that audiences of both networks don't like to bake themselves, given the large number of baking competition shows that dominate the airwaves. It's easier to sit back and watch somebody else do it.

I really don't care who wins, but I have a feeling it will be Tregaye. I hope she gets stuck with some POV that is totally opposite of how she acts. We'll see who's "on fleek."

[BW Manilowe]

I call some BS on Bobby (I think it was him, anyway) calling Ana's Irish food bland as a slam, then eliminating her for it.

For 1 thing he's of Irish descent, as I remember, which should point to some even basic knowledge of Irish cuisine.

For another thing, I distinctly remember FN doing a special years ago now, which aired as part of a St. Patrick's Day-themed weekend of programming, where Bobby went/was sent to Ireland to sample/talk about authentic Irish cuisine served in Irish pubs, etc. So, again, he should have had prior knowledge the Irish cuisine can be bland.

I Googled the special. It was Bobby's Ireland, which aired on FN in 2011. Here's the link to the FN site description for the special which can still be found via Google.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/food-network-specials/all-specials/bobbys-ireland.html

@orangekit: The guest judges were actress & Cooking Channel Host Tia Mowry & the guy (whose name I forget now) who's Co-Hosting the upcoming Kids' Food Network Star show with her.

@bluepiano: Not all of the guest judges have been white. The aforementioned Tia Mowry, 1 of last night's guest judges, is half-Caucasian, half-African-American. There may have been others I'm not remembering right now, as well (or may be others in the remaining ep).

[Snarklepuss]

1 hour ago, grisgris said:

I wasn't surprised to see Ana go and thought that Giada took great pleasure in delivering the final blow. (What did we do to deserve both legs and boobs in last night's fashion choices? Ugh.)

Between that, Giada's boob window and the vagina table of doom, I felt my estrogen spike.

[Rick Kitchen]

24 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

The guest judges were actress & Cooking Channel Host Tia Mowry & the guy (whose name I forget now) who's Co-Hosting the upcoming Kids' Food Network Star show with her.

Donal Skehan, who has a cooking and travel vlog on YouTube and hosts a variety of cooking shows on Irish and British TV.

[Snarklepuss]

1 hour ago, LexieLily said:

I have to know the gossip, what happened with Rachel Ray and Guy? Guy cheated on...the Kids Cook-Off show they co-hosted?

I have to know too - Skyfall, please post in the small talk thread if not here.  I can't find anything on this online.

[Skyfall]

It was mentioned in the WCIA subfroum during the celebrity edition that she cohosted. Not sure I'll be able to refind it now though and not sure if it was the kids or celebrity edition of their show.

EDIT: 

But apparently she was filming the second celebrity edition in June so my second hunch was wrong (or premature as we have no knowledge on their deals). 

Edited July 19, 2016 by Skyfall

[LittleIggy]

The female guest judge said Tregaye was "so real"! My first thought was "No, she is so phoney!"

Jennard should have gone because he messed up food that was in his own wheelhouse and in the genre he picked for himself.

[TDT]

8 hours ago, Skyfall said:

Give Damiano a food version of The Soup that allows him to snark and cut through the bullshit of all these reality cooking shows. THAT'S a show I would watch.

If Food Network does another season of Guilty Pleasures(or Cooking Channel doing a new series of Unique Eats/Sweets) he probably may be one of the panelists

[bluepiano]

9 hours ago, Nutjob said:

That's the thing about these judges, though--if you give them any hint of stereotype, they latch onto it and have you push it more. Look at all the ethnic stereotypes they push--Damiano and Luca are perfect examples of white contestants who fit a European, ethnic stereotype and were encouraged to keep pushing it. I don't think the judges are racist, I just think they can't see past their own preconceived notions of how someone of a certain ethnic background should present to an audience. So... more bigoted than racist. ;)

If it's not racism than it is a degree of ignorance that in itself is pretty bad. It's as if the judges (and FN as a whole) are disconnected from the real world, which is thankfully finally moving in the opposite direction, so that people no longer have to be pigeon holed by their race, sex, ethnic heritage etc.

Given the final three, I have to think Ana would've had a better chance of winning she occasionally lapsed into a Cuban accent, mamboed around the stage, and said "koochie koo" (a la Charo) as many times as Tregaye said "on fleek."

Edited July 19, 2016 by bluepiano