S07.E04: Family Face-Off: A Dessert in the Desert

[xaxat]

I can just feel the excitement here!

So two of the teams just threw stuff into a blender for the challenge and the third just dumped their ingredient on top of a dish. How original.

If I was forced to choose, I would probably eat at Lei Away in large part because they made food I'm not already cooking at home. So I really don't care who wins.

I found myself constantly looking at the clock not believing how much time was still left in the episode.

Almost done.

[spiderpig]

Attention New Food Network Management:

Your obvious budget cuts have drained your shows of their entertainment value - especially this one.  Six trucks.  Oxnard to Palm Springs.  No variety in culinary themes.  Tyler Florence appears half asleep, when he appears at all.  Are you paying him by the word?

Who decided to take a fun challenge and make it a walking ad for the Sicilian crew and their boring food.  The obvious effort to link what's-his-name to one of your sister channels is ridiculous.  Meatballs?  I've been making them since I was 8 years old.  Grilled cheese since I was 4 (although they're nowhere near as annoying as the Sicilian crew).

Sorry to see Leidies go.  At least they were selling something I'd pay for.

 

.

[mlp]

I liked the Lei women when this show started but, by the end of the last episode, mother's true nature had surfaced (rather nasty) and I was glad to see them go and take their overdone makeup and flowers in their hair with them.  I don't care for Vinny and company so I'm pulling for the cheese twins and friend.  The twins were very competent cooks on Chopped so I know they're better than what they've done in their truck and all three of them seem like nice guys.

Palm Springs seemed like a poor choice of locations because of the heat.  108 degrees is my idea of hell.  I was surprised that anyone at all was outdoors and making the contestants run around in costumes seemed downright cruel.  Of course, my idea of too hot is anything over about 72F so maybe it wasn't as bad as it seemed to me.

[BensBritches]

Yeah, I couldn't get behind the Lei Ladies when one of them said it was too hot to eat chocolate and folks would only want fruit! What the what? This is a concept that has never crossed my mind and I live in Southern California (103 degrees yesterday!!). Is this some prevailing chef ideology? That no one wants a chocolate dessert in hot climates? I don't think I have ever heard someone say, "It's too hot for chocolate ice cream, let's get watermelon." 

The selfie contest seemed a bit rigged in Vinny's favor, since he is a D-List celebrity... I can assure you I wouldn't want to eat a big bowl of pasta in marinara sauce with meatballs in 108 degree weather, but clearly many Palm Springers felt it worth it for the chance to meet Vinny. And what was with their dessert? It was like two ingredients mixed sloppily in a bowl with some nuts sprinkled on top, yet the customers kept saying how much it tasted like cheese cake.  I doubt that... 

By default, I am rooting for the Cheese Twins and Friend. They seem funny and get along well and aren't obnoxious or entitled like Vinny. So, Go Cheese Twins!

Edited September 19, 2016 by BensBritches
grammar counts!

[DeLurker]

Well the cheese twins have gotten less annoying as the competition got smaller.  I'm guessing they are just less annoying than the remainders, and are way less annoying than Vinny and his mom.  That being said, I suspect the fix is in for Vinny and we'll be seeing his crew on FN in the future.

The last thing I can imagine enjoying on a hot day in CA is a serving of spaghetti and meatballs.  Prepared in a truck.  I might as well order food poisoning to go.

[Totale]

I can't believe I didn't spot this season as a long Vinny and Family audition until @HansMoleman742 pointed it out last week.  Now it's hard to unsee.  I look forward to the rigatoni challenge next week.

[snarktini]

5 hours ago, BensBritches said:

Yeah, I couldn't get behind the Lei Ladies when one of them said it was too hot to eat chocolate and folks would only want fruit! What the what? This is a concept that has never crossed my mind and I live in Southern California (103 degrees yesterday!!). Is this some prevailing chef ideology? That no one wants a chocolate dessert in hot climates? I don't think I have ever heard someone say, "It's too hot for chocolate ice cream, let's get watermelon." 

 

Actually, I've heard that a lot! It seems to have more to do with the dairy and the fat usually paired with it than the chocolate itself -- I hear ice cream described as too heavy in the heat, not "refreshing" -- so it surprised me when they put half-and-half in with their fruit. A simple fruit ice or slushie would have been even better IMO. Personally, I'd rather have that than ice cream in hot weather. (I grew up in Tucson, where Eegee's rules.) 

But chocolate melts like a mo-fo so there's that, too. Frozen chocolate is your only choice in heat like that.

[jcbrown]

9 hours ago, xaxat said:

I found myself constantly looking at the clock not believing how much time was still left in the episode.

Almost done.

Me, too! I swear the episodes of this show are at least twice as long as every other hour-long show. It used to be harmless fun but they've made is soooooooooo boring. I think part of it is the emphasis on stupid challenges and abandonment of the pretense that the food is at all important.

[Lola16]

I popped on last night to post and saw there was no episode thread created yet.  And decided this show isn't worth the extra 45 seconds it would take to create it.

Creme cheese and cool whip with nuts on top?  Blech.

The milk shake didn't look a whole lot better.

And the selfie challenge.  C'mon.  The fix is in.

[Jersey Guy 87]

When I realized this was the final three and not one of the trucks seemed worthy of winning it really drove home how weak this season is.  At best all of these trucks are the type to go out at 4 or 5.

[Major Bigtime]

On September 20, 2016 at 9:18 AM, Jersey Guy 87 said:

When I realized this was the final three and not one of the trucks seemed worthy of winning it really drove home how weak this season is.  At best all of these trucks are the type to go out at 4 or 5.

Ditto. Only a handful of trucks started and they've not left Calif. What happened to 10 trucks and travelling across the country? I doubt this show will be back after this lackluster season.

[spiderpig]

25 minutes ago, Major Bigtime said:

Ditto. Only a handful of trucks started and they've not left Calif. What happened to 10 trucks and travelling across the country? I doubt this show will be back after this lackluster season.

This makes me sad because I really enjoyed the original concept.  It made me actively search out food trucks for fun and something different.

Edited September 21, 2016 by spiderpig

[xaxat]

In previous seasons the producers did a pretty good job of making the locations part of the story. Sedona from last (?) season, the lighthouse in Maine for the finale one season, Chicago mayor Rahm Emmanuel as a judge. . . 

Now it feels like it's just a bunch of Southern California strip malls.

[MajorWoody]

This episode did not seem legit to me.

Based on the sales numbers, the trucks would have to have served some 350-400 dishes each. Every time they showed a long shot of the trucks, there were no crowds at all. The few random sales they did show seemed to be the same few people in multiple shots. Also, who is drinking at a bar and wants an oreo cookie milkshake? That didn't ring true at all. Even if they were out there 10 hours, that is some 30 people an hour all day. There is no way they had those kinds of numbers.

It is pretty obvious FN is pushing the cheese guys along witht e Jersey Shore crew. I have no idea why, as neither group seems interesting at all. 

The cheesy dudes still come across as weird in some way to me, I just can't describe it. Not to mention that they are still making horrible looking grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, using low end packaged boiled ham. If I forked over $10 and saw that pile of crap on the plate, I would demand a refund.

The Guido truck is still giving a small bowl of spaghetti and a meatball, which as others have mentioned, is just what people are seeking out on a 108 degree day!!! Their pizza looks worse than those $1 frozen low end pies in the supermarket. They actually look like a tortilla with a little sauce, and even less cheese. How they convince people to pay ten bucks for that garbage amazes me. And the bowl of cool whip and nuts? Really? 

 

The ladies were annoying, but their food was probably the only one that made sense in the heat. 

 

The Auction Challenge was a joke. I didn't realize at the start that all three had to be purchased. So in other words, since Cheese Dudes and Guidos paid $25 for their bids, and Ladies paid $45, there was only a $20 deficit to overcome. Big deal, three desserts?  What was the point? Why didn't Guidos bid up the chocolate like they did with the fruit? That whole thing was a waste of time.

I have no idea who will win, but based on the spin so far, it is probably going to be the Guido Crew, who will soon have their own show. Maybe with the other Jersey Shore crew that keeps popping up on FN.

Sadly, I think we will be seeing much more of the Cheese Dudes on FN too, my guess is GGG is their next stop. 

[spiderpig]

38 minutes ago, MajorWoody said:

Sadly, I think we will be seeing much more of the Cheese Dudes on FN too, my guess is GGG is their next stop. 

They're twins!!!  They're a novelty!!!

Who is running this FN circus anyway?  The network shakeup is so obvious, and I want to see who is behind the curtain.

[backformore]

The Grilled Cheese brothers were on Chicago TV today, (or it might have been yesterday) doing a demo on how to make ---- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches!   Because, something about appearing some place in Chicago later, I don't know, I was bored.  It was a stupid demo.  Really, you can use any kind of cheese you want?  and whatever bread you prefer?   I was waiting for them to suggest that to make the best sandwich, you actually put the cheese in the middle!

One thing made me laugh.  Asked how they got interested in grilled cheese, one brother said that as kids, when they were rushed on a school morning, and mom didn't have time to make them a regular  breakfast, she would make a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast.  That confused the heck out of me,  because  Most moms who don't have time to cook breakfast, give kids cereal, toaster waffles, instant oatmeal.  Not grilled cheese. Grilled cheese takes just as long to make as eggs, bacon, even pancakes.  Anyway,  I guess their mom taught them the technique of putting the cheese between two slices of bread, then cooking.  They seemed very proud of themselves for mastering this task.

Edited September 24, 2016 by backformore

[spiderpig]

1 hour ago, backformore said:

The Grilled Cheese brothers were on Chicago TV today, (or it might have been yesterday) doing a demo on how to make ---- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches!   Because, something about appearing some place in Chicago later, I don't know, I was bored.  It was a stupid demo.  Really, you can use any kind of cheese you want?  and whatever bread you prefer?   I was waiting for them to suggest that to make the best sandwich, you actually put the cheese in the middle!

One thing made me laugh.  Asked how they got interested in grilled cheese, one brother said that as kids, when they were rushed on a school morning, and mom didn't have time to make them a regular  breakfast, she would make a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast.  That confused the heck out of me,  because  Most moms who don't have time to cook breakfast, give kids cereal, toaster waffles, instant oatmeal.  Not grilled cheese. Grilled cheese takes just as long to make as eggs, bacon, even pancakes.  Anyway,  I guess their mom taught them the technique of putting the cheese between two slices of bread, then cooking.  They seemed very proud of themselves for mastering this task.

My laugh for the day, backformore.  They sound positively idiotic.  I guess PBJs would be too much of a challenge for them.  Or mom.

A good grilled cheese is wonderful comfort food, and you can be as creative as you want with it.  The boys aren't.

[Christina]

3 hours ago, backformore said:

 I was waiting for them to suggest that to make the best sandwich, you actually put the cheese in the middle!

They probably don't realize it, and that is why their sandwiches look so non-appetizing.

Whoever it was that called this show as being a lead-in for the Jersey Shore family's own show should hang up a shingle that says, "Psychic." It's just soooo obvious now. 

[NewDigs]

On September 23, 2016 at 9:04 AM, MajorWoody said:

he few random sales they did show seemed to be the same few people in multiple shots. Also, who is drinking at a bar and wants an oreo cookie milkshake? That didn't ring true at all.

I had a hard time believing that the bar/restaurant owners would be any too happy to have food-truckers approach and sell to their clientele! It's not like we saw the names of the places or anything. They could have at least then considered it a "cool" promo. Otherwise it's just foodtruckers taking in money that should have ended up in the bar's till. imho

I didn't do the math and agree those numbers seemed off. I wondered if it was their entire race totals 'cuz those were some very large numbers.

I was glad they all had to price their desserts at a uniform $6. It rubbed me the wrong way when Vinny was getting more because he was adding in a Vinny-picture.

What a shame. I was almost always most drawn to the Leidies' food. No more so than this episode. Wish they had paid better attention to how Aloha did it. Though I think I complained about that too. 

Meanwhile, the Vinnies could win this thing making not much more than a meatball. Egg challenge? Meatballs! Hot day? Meatballs! At least it's borderline more creative than the grilled cheeses we've seen the (odd) twins serve.

I don't even have a lesser-of-two-evils pick to win. Blech.

And Tyler deserves a raise. Hard to make this dreck interesting while appearing excited about the whole mess.

Edited September 24, 2016 by NewDigs

[LexieLily]

I saw on the TV Guide the premiere of a new show starting the hour after the Food Truck finale. Starring? Jersey Shore Vinny and his Ma.

[Westiepeach]

5 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

I saw on the TV Guide the premiere of a new show starting the hour after the Food Truck finale. Starring? Jersey Shore Vinny and his Ma.

Oh. My. God. I think somebody called it, no?

[needschocolate]

On 9/21/2016 at 10:26 AM, Major Bigtime said:

Ditto. Only a handful of trucks started and they've not left Calif. What happened to 10 trucks and travelling across the country? I doubt this show will be back after this lackluster season.

Wasn't it lovely of FN to air this crappy half-season so that we won't miss the show when it gets cancelled.

On 9/23/2016 at 10:01 PM, backformore said:

Asked how they got interested in grilled cheese, one brother said that as kids, when they were rushed on a school morning, and mom didn't have time to make them a regular  breakfast, she would make a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast.  That confused the heck out of me,  because  Most moms who don't have time to cook breakfast, give kids cereal, toaster waffles, instant oatmeal.  Not grilled cheese. Grilled cheese takes just as long to make as eggs, bacon, even pancakes.  Anyway,  I guess their mom taught them the technique of putting the cheese between two slices of bread, then cooking.  They seemed very proud of themselves for mastering this task.

I agree that a grilled cheese sandwich is not the quickest breakfast you could make, but my daughter's method doesn't take much longer than a toaster waffle - she toasts to pieces of bread in the toaster, then puts cheese in between and microwaves it until the cheese melts.  Not as good as a real grilled cheese sandwich, but it is an okay substitute.

21 hours ago, NewDigs said:

I had a hard time believing that the bar/restaurant owners would be any too happy to have food-truckers approach and sell to their clientele! It's not like we saw the names of the places or anything. They could have at least then considered it a "cool" promo. Otherwise it's just foodtruckers taking in money that should have ended up in the bar's till. imho

On the other hand, the bar owner may have thought that having a food truck that was part of a tv show might attract a lot of people to come out in 108 degree heat and then decide that they want to go into the air-conditioned bar.  

[xaxat]

On 9/24/2016 at 1:01 AM, backformore said:

One thing made me laugh.  Asked how they got interested in grilled cheese, one brother said that as kids, when they were rushed on a school morning, and mom didn't have time to make them a regular  breakfast, she would make a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast.  That confused the heck out of me,  because  Most moms who don't have time to cook breakfast, give kids cereal, toaster waffles, instant oatmeal.  Not grilled cheese. Grilled cheese takes just as long to make as eggs, bacon, even pancakes.  Anyway,  I guess their mom taught them the technique of putting the cheese between two slices of bread, then cooking.  They seemed very proud of themselves for mastering this task.

This sounds suspiciously like one of those Food Network Star "Oh crap! Bobby and Giada are expecting a family story and I don't have one. I need to make one up quick!" stories.

22 hours ago, NewDigs said:

I had a hard time believing that the bar/restaurant owners would be any too happy to have food-truckers approach and sell to their clientele! It's not like we saw the names of the places or anything.

The most "shocking" moment of the series was when the Leidies were told they couldn't set up at the air show. I just assumed that production had worked out all of the sites (along with permitting) ahead of time.

Edited September 25, 2016 by xaxat

[NewDigs]

12 minutes ago, xaxat said:

The most "shocking" moment of the series was when the Leidies were told they couldn't set up at the air show. I just assumed that production had worked out all of the sites (along with permitting) ahead of time.

Or when Tyler called to tell them they were done selling for the day and to close up shop. I was hoping that would mean elimination for the cheese-its. Their big Toucans (?) busy night spot idea was a no-go. 

But they're still here. 

Color me not surprised.