Chopped 2017: That Dish Was Just Offal

[ShellSeeker]

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For all discussion of 2017 episodes.

[HunterHunted]

Speaking of awful, I watched the healthy food episode featuring Adam Kenworthy, boyfriend of Real Housewife of New York, Carole Radziwill. It was terrible. The only chefs with personality were the two female chefs who were eliminated first and second. None of the chefs made anything remotely interesting. They basically made dishes that were barely better than a home cook. I don't know that I've ever watched an episode and been so bored.

[sabretooth]

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 I watched the healthy food episode featuring Adam Kenworthy, boyfriend of Real Housewife of New York, Carole Radziwill.

OMG, I watch RHoNY and I didn't realize this was Carole's Adam until I came here. He's just that memorable. 

[nutella fitzgerald]

I get that he's pretty(ish), but good LORD I never thought someone could be boring while discussing a plane crash.

[Bastet]

I'm two minutes into the whiskey and wings episode, my first of 2017, and I see the sob stories haven't changed -- how, exactly, would winning a cooking competition cure one's mother of homophobia?  I love whiskey and chicken wings, so I'm in, but come on.

[mlp]

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how, exactly, would winning a cooking competition cure one's mother of homophobia?  I love whiskey and chicken wings, so I'm in, but come on.

I kept wondering the same thing.  Winning Chopped would prove she's the same person she always was?  That made no sense at all.  I'm glad Ted was supportive but I'm also glad she lost.

I thought it was interesting that they talked about Dale Talde losing on Chopped but no one mentioned his appearances on Top Chef.  FN always acts as though that show doesn't exist.

[snarkylady]

10 hours ago, Bastet said:

how, exactly, would winning a cooking competition cure one's mother of homophobia?

This was repeated how many times during the broadcast?  Editing has something to do with it but it seemed that was her answer to every question.   She appeared anguished and I understand that, being rejected by a parent is horrible, but winning Chopped changing her mother's disapproval and showing that she's the same person she always was makes no sense.  And while I'm at it, similar thoughts on the chefs who say "winning will make my mother proud of me".  So if you lose your mom won't be proud? 

[LazyToaster]

I have a disabled adult child.  If I were a contestant on Chopped (no chance - ha, just work with me) - well, you can bet that the producers would find out about him and proceed to milk it for all it's worth and keep asking me questions - replaying my answers, especially if I get emotional.  The would then either paint me as a hero for being a good mother - or paint me as long-suffering and needy.  Think of the nice close-up to my face while Ted or one of the judges tell me that's great and I'm such a special snowflake.  UGH!  

I guess my point is that I wonder how many times the sob stories we all hate so much are just dragged out of them and then exploited.  

[nitrofishblue]

I found it interesting that for this episode they had four fryers set-up. Guess the producers realized that giving them wings and only one fryer wouldn't be good. The chefs would be getting into fistfights for fryer access.

[xaxat]

I thought the weirdest thing about the wings episode was Ted's "It gets better." speech. I don't want to downplay the difficulty of the chef's relationship with her mother, but she managed to find a marriage partner, which is pretty good regardless of your sexual orientation. I also thought it was unfortunate that she said that her mother didn't approve of her "lifestyle" when lifestyle and sexual orientation are separate things. 

Jeffery complimented a chef for making a crumble? Really? That's barely a step about bread pudding!

[meowmommy]

15 hours ago, mlp said:

I thought it was interesting that they talked about Dale Talde losing on Chopped but no one mentioned his appearances on Top Chef.  FN always acts as though that show doesn't exist.

Chefs like Angry! Dale, Carla Hall, Antonia Lofaso, and of course, Richard Blais, have found fame and fortune in the Food Network world, yet probably none of them would be there but for the exposure they got on Top Chef.  You are so right that FN cringes from the mere mention of TC.

Edited January 11, 2017 by meowmommy

[sabretooth]

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Jeffery complimented a chef for making a crumble? Really? That's barely a step about bread pudding!

I was practically yelling at the TV for Dale's Protege to crumble up the angel wings (also known as chrusciki to us Polish folk) and put them into the crumble topping. Less chance of burning that way and you wouldn't need to add as much sugar to the crumble topping. Also, angel wings can contain whiskey in the batter, so that was a really nice tie in to the episode's theme. And now I really want some chrusciki. 

[Rammchick]

On this week's episode (the Army/Navy/Coast Guard/Marines vets), Chris mentioned that there is a well known restaurant with a kitchen that was designed to resemble a submarine kitchen.  Does anyone know which restaurant it is?

[paramitch]

I felt very sorry for the female chef trying to earn her mother's acceptance by winning some reality show. I think it's actually pretty believable -- she's putting it out there (in a pretty risky, if compassionate way) in a blunt, public way, that her mother does not accept her sexual orientation or her current life (with her wife). It's one thing for her Mom to not accept her privately. But there is certainly the chance that her Mom saw this, saw the real pain this causes her daughter on a constant basis, and it's even possible that she even realized what a mistake she was making.

@xaxat, I loved Ted's "It gets better" response. I think he saw that the woman is in real pain, and as someone who has experienced the same thing in life, he was able to offer genuine support and sympathy. But then again, I adore Ted -- and have all the way since "Queer Eye," and I always like his attempts to be kind.

@meowmommy, I don't blame former "Top Chef" cheftestants for not mentioning the show in Food Network appearances. 

I have a feeling that lack of direct mention is a FN stipulation, whether it's an outright legal requirement, or a formal request that the cheftestants avoid it whenever possible.

Some of them are better as professional judges than others -- I've become a total fan of Antonia on "Cutthroat Kitchen," for instance, because she has turned out to be smart, at ease on camera, and absolutely hilarious. Carla Hall is another one who has a similar ease and humor. 

Edited January 20, 2017 by paramitch

[meowmommy]

4 hours ago, paramitch said:

@meowmommy, I don't blame former "Top Chef" cheftestants for not mentioning the show in Food Network appearances. 

I have a feeling that lack of direct mention is a FN stipulation, whether it's an outright legal requirement, or a formal request that the cheftestants avoid it whenever possible.

Some of them are better as professional judges than others -- I've become a total fan of Antonia on "Cutthroat Kitchen," for instance, because she has turned out to be smart, at ease on camera, and absolutely hilarious. Carla Hall is another one who has a similar ease and humor. 

Not for a second did I ever consider blaming the cheftestants.  It's all on FN.  They're petrified of TC, for some reason.  

[Rammchick]

Because probably of all the food competition shows, Top Chef appears to be the only one respected in their industry.  FN makes a big deal about the prestige of winning on their shows but among chefs, I don't think it does much for them beyond bragging rights.

Edited January 20, 2017 by Rammchick

[meowmommy]

I know this isn't about Chopped, but just watched the latest BBF ep with the Volt brothers as judges.  Bobby said that Michael beat Bryan "in a big cooking competition."  Really, FN, would it hurt that much to say Top Chef?

Back to Chopped, I really wondered about the CG veteran who said she went into the CG to find out why her father did it.  That's some strange backstory, but of course everyone on Chopped must have a backstory.  Can't be about cooking.  I was rooting for the veteran who really did have a dramatic backstory but who refused to play it for points, but he didn't win.

[meowmommy]

I don't belong to Mensa but I know the capital of Mongolia.  OTOH, I'm not such a good cook.   Listening to those folks trying to come up with sports metaphors was painful.

Sad that this show has drifted so far that it's not even worth snarking on any more.

Edited February 1, 2017 by meowmommy

[Rammchick]

I also know the capital of Mongolia.  He might be one of the most intelligent people in the country but he's hardly the most humble.  Perhaps we should reserve a seat on the bus for him.

[iggysaurus]

The Mensa guy was kind of annoying, but I don't blame him for not being able to answer "what's the capital of Mongolia" on the spot. Most people blank on that kind of thing even if they do know it, and more to the point, intelligence is not the same as "knowing lots of facts." Someone who knows the capital of Mongolia isn't necessarily of high intellect, and vice versa.  (But, I also know that Ted was just throwing out that "challenge" good naturedly, not trying to dis him.)

As with everything annoying on this show, I mostly blame the producers and the overall structure of the show they've established. Every contestant has to have a "thing" - usually a sob story, but in the absence of that, some sort of interesting personal fact that's supposed to distinguish them for the audience. And whatever that thing is (I'm in Mensa even though I'm a big burly guy who doesn't fit the stereotype/I'm gay and my mother doesn't accept it/I'm a first generation immigrant/I suffer from lack of confidence in myself/etc), it is required to be worked into their answer for all the major talking head moments - intro, the "why are you here" part during judging, and finally the sum-up when they give their reaction to being choppped. It's a formula and I don't think any contestant really has control over it, aside from their initial decision to reveal whatever personal info they reveal. 

[xaxat]

For me, the only thing memorable about last night was the "Yes, yes, please go on. . ." look on Alex's face when the chef was talking about marijuana edibles.

[Maverick]

 I just saw a commercials for Chopped: Star Power.  I didn't recognize anyone participating.  Perhaps a new for this tournament is in order.

[xaxat]

On 2/28/2017 at 10:21 PM, Maverick said:

 I just saw a commercials for Chopped: Star Power.  I didn't recognize anyone participating.  Perhaps a new for this tournament is in order.

I didn't see the ad, so I looked up who their "stars" are. Apparently Alan Thicke is competing in one episode.

That's going to be depressing. 

[Hockeymom]

What would be really great, would be if it was a blind taste test. If they actually judged on merit, not on the back story. The judges usually have a favorite. Either it's a sob story (my grandfather died), an immigration story (we came here with nothing), a redemption story ( I made some bad choices) or a comeback story (I want to show I've still got it) or the contestant works for a friend. They also seem to reward chefs with important jobs, like they don't want them to loose face at work. Sometimes, I have heard them say, "Come on, are you going to let him / her take your win?" Like it was a forgone conclusion that it was his/hers to loose.

My husband and I make our picks after they each come out. I've gotten pretty good at picking the winner on introductions alone.

[Westiepeach]

1 hour ago, xaxat said:

I didn't see the ad, so I looked up who their "stars" are. Apparently Alan Thicke is competing in one episode.

That's going to be depressing. 

Very sad. I hope they don't turn it into a "Very Special Episode."

[meowmommy]

On 3/5/2017 at 1:56 PM, Hockeymom said:

What would be really great, would be if it was a blind taste test. If they actually judged on merit, not on the back story. The judges usually have a favorite. Either it's a sob story (my grandfather died), an immigration story (we came here with nothing), a redemption story ( I made some bad choices) or a comeback story (I want to show I've still got it) or the contestant works for a friend.

And if you can combine sob stories, you win the Daily Double.  This week we had "my grandmother died so I became an alcoholic but I've turned my life around."  So of course, he won.

Blind taste test would be ideal.  Food doesn't need a story.  The story doesn't make food taste better.

[AZChristian]

I agree to the blind taste test concept.  Maybe that's why I like the British and American Baking Shows.  We are spared the sob stories, and the judges don't know who baked what.

[xaxat]

6 hours ago, meowmommy said:

And if you can combine sob stories, you win the Daily Double.  This week we had "my grandmother died so I became an alcoholic but I've turned my life around."  So of course, he won.

It took me half the episode to realize that he had a black nose ring and not some really disgusting nose hair. 

[ZoqFotPik]

Wow! It's been awhile since there has been a truly epic fail like that.

[nitrofishblue]

Are they turning Chopped into another Cutthroat Kitchen show? Seems the producers don't stock enough things so that all the competitors have a fair chance. The lady chef wasn't able to plate her dish to the judges desires because another chef took all the large bowls. The judges loved her dish just not the plating. What in the world was she going to do when there aren't any more bowls. This is the one part of the show I hate. The chefs have to beat the others to the only piece of equipment available. I am sure that in the restaurant kitchens the sous chefs have to wrestle each other for access to equipment. I really didn't like the outcome of this episode. I know I didn't taste the food but all I can say is that her dishes were far more appealing than the winner's.

There should be no telling of sobby sobby stories; this is a cooking show not "oh boo hoo I had a horrible life" show.

[Hockeymom]

19 minutes ago, nitrofishblue said:

The lady chef wasn't able to plate her dish to the judges desires because another chef took all the large bowls.

Then they chopped her for not using the large bowls! How could she use something that wasn't there? It wasn't a bad choice on her part. There was no choice! When she pointed out that the other guy used them, they chastised her for making excuses. That's not an excuse. They should enough supplies for everyone. Not fair.

The judges always praise contestants for being resilient and not crumbling when plan A doesn't work. So if they grab plates in the beginning, because now we have a whole survival of the fittest thing going on, and then have to switch to Plan B, what if those plates don't work anymore? So now they're punished for bouncing back?

They just wanted her gone. More and more, I just think they just find reasons to justify the preconceived winner.

I want to watch them cook, not fight over dishes.

Edited March 9, 2017 by Hockeymom

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, ZoqFotPik said:

Wow! It's been awhile since there has been a truly epic fail like that.

I watch this show quite sporadically, so I don't know -- has that ever happened before, where someone did not get a single bite of food on any of the plates?  I felt embarrassed for him - although he handled himself well in front of the judges - but he never once went into hurry-up mode.  He clearly realized at several points along the way before it was just too late that he was working too slowly, yet never sped up.

4 hours ago, Hockeymom said:

Then they chopped her for not using the large bowls! How could she use something that wasn't there? It wasn't a bad choice on her part. There was no choice! When she pointed out that the other guy used them, they chastised her for making excuses.

That pissed me off so much!  "That's an excuse, isn't it?"  No, asshole, that's an explanation. 

4 hours ago, nitrofishblue said:

I really didn't like the outcome of this episode. I know I didn't taste the food but all I can say is that her dishes were far more appealing than the winner's.

Same here; I thought she'd put forth the best dishes overall, and was surprised - and quite annoyed - when they crowned the other guy the winner (especially because they mentioned those damn bowls as one of the reasons).

[ZoqFotPik]

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I  watch this show quite sporadically, so I don't know -- has that ever happened before, where someone did not get a single bite of food on any of the plates?  I felt embarrassed for him - although he handled himself well in front of the judges - but he never once went into hurry-up mode.  

It's only happened once before and that was way back on the 8th episode. There have been a few who have been close, one guy only got some edamame beans on 3 plates and some under cooked shrimp on the 4th. There was also a woman who ran out time so she made only one plate. Nearly advanced because it was so well done. She came back for a redemption episode and burned her legs when slipped carrying boiling water.

They guy was a co owner right? It's probably been years since he worked the line.

[meowmommy]

3 hours ago, ZoqFotPik said:

She came back for a redemption episode and burned her legs when slipped carrying boiling water.

 

That was the famous Lance-Yoanne redemption episode.  Back when Chopped was must-see TV.

They've always created ridiculous constraints like only having one ice cream machine and only having one fryer.  There have been cases where some implement was hidden, either intentionally or unintentionally, by a cheftestant because they only provided one of said implement.  It's complete bullshit in what is supposed to be a professional competition.  They might as well make them play musical chairs for their work stations.

[LexieLily]

23 hours ago, ZoqFotPik said:

Wow! It's been awhile since there has been a truly epic fail like that.

Now I have to know - what happened and when does the episode rerun?

[xaxat]

20 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Now I have to know - what happened and when does the episode rerun?

One of the sons of famed restaurateur Sirio Maccioni was a competitor. (He currently runs Le Cirque but I'm pretty sure he's not the executive chef there.) The theme was dumplings and he didn't even come close to plating his appetizer. As the clock was running out, he was still wrapping his uncooked dumplings and with seconds to go on the clock he was wandering around looking for plates. And I think he was missing an ingredient on top of all that. Ted did allow him to serve some of his filling, which the judges praised. 

What made it even weirder is that there was no urgency on his part. It was like he didn't even understand the concept of the show.

[LexieLily]

3 minutes ago, xaxat said:

One of the sons of famed restaurateur Sirio Maccioni was a competitor. (He currently runs Le Cirque but I'm pretty sure he's not the executive chef there.) The theme was dumplings and he didn't even come close to plating his appetizer. As the clock was running out, he was still wrapping his uncooked dumplings and with seconds to go on the clock he was wandering around looking for plates. And I think he was missing an ingredient on top of all that. Ted did allow him to serve some of his filling, which the judges praised. 

What made it even weirder is that there was no urgency on his part. It was like he didn't even understand the concept of the show.

Thank you! I'll have to look for it on reruns. Shouldn't be hard to find when Chopped is on 564,312 times a week.

[Hockeymom]

46 minutes ago, xaxat said:

One of the sons of famed restaurateur Sirio Maccioni was a competitor. (He currently runs Le Cirque but I'm pretty sure he's not the executive chef there.) The theme was dumplings and he didn't even come close to plating his appetizer. As the clock was running out, he was still wrapping his uncooked dumplings and with seconds to go on the clock he was wandering around looking for plates. And I think he was missing an ingredient on top of all that. Ted did allow him to serve some of his filling, which the judges praised. 

What made it even weirder is that there was no urgency on his part. It was like he didn't even understand the concept of the show.

In the intro they showed him behind the line at the restaurant. But the minute I saw his knife skills, I knew he was going down!

I hate to say it, but it looked like there may have been some substance abuse in his past.

Edited March 10, 2017 by Hockeymom

[ZoqFotPik]

The episode is titled "Something Dumpling" and is scheduled to repeat Thursday March 16th at 9pm and Friday March 17th at 12am.

[Rammchick]

I didn't understand why Maccioni Jr. didn't at least plate the filling if he couldn't get the dumpling finished in time.  He would've been chopped anyway but at least he would've gotten something in front of the judges.  I think he gave up at that point.  Ironically, the other chefs were intimidated by him.

This week's episode featuring Latin American chefs had some interesting ingredients in the baskets.  Too bad the winner was such a foregone conclusion, even though she did a good job.  Call me a cynic, but between "We're expecting our first child" and "My parents got me out of terrible conditions in Venezuela and now I want to get them out", the latter will win every time.

[Hockeymom]

13 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

Call me a cynic, but between "We're expecting our first child" and "My parents got me out of terrible conditions in Venezuela and now I want to get them out", the latter will win every time.

I knew she had it the minute I heard those words. They are always suckers for a good immigration story.

Did anyone else notice the exchange between Geoffrey and Ted over the coffee? I think I got the joke, but maybe not.

[xaxat]

1 hour ago, Rammchick said:

Call me a cynic, but between "We're expecting our first child" and "My parents got me out of terrible conditions in Venezuela and now I want to get them out", the latter will win every time.

You want even more cynical? She managed to get enough money to open her own restaurant in New York City yet can't afford to bring her parents to the US?

The country's economy is a mess, but it's not like she's trying to sneak them out of North Korea.

That's one reason I hate the sob stories. They feel so manipulated for maximum drama! by the producers that I can't help but get cynical. Even though there probably is a compelling story behind many of them.

Edited March 15, 2017 by xaxat

[AZChristian]

I always shake my head at the chefs who want to win so they can take their kids on vacation.  So . . . how much did you spend to fly from wherever to New York for filming?  Maybe you could have put THAT towards the vacation fund.  The kids aren't involved in YOUR fun (in NY) while they're sitting at home watching you on TV.

[meowmommy]

And of course another episode where they don't have enough equipment; this time, the fryer.  

When everything is so completely predictable, the entire series needs either a complete reboot or just to go away.

[Hockeymom]

On 3/15/2017 at 1:22 PM, AZChristian said:

So . . . how much did you spend to fly from wherever to New York for filming?  Maybe you could have put THAT towards the vacation fund.  

I always assumed the show took care of that. I thought that was why they have chefs from the same region on together sometimes. You sometimes see two Philly chefs competing against two NY chefs. That kind of thing. They probably fly them in together.

I can tell you, restaurant chefs work backbreaking hours. They never see their kids. The divorce rate in the restaurant industry is staggering.

I think that's why the vacation theme is so prevalent.

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, Hockeymom said:

I always assumed the show took care of that.

An article I read by a former Chopped competitor said, "Chopped is not a cooking competition; it is a game show."  Game shows do not pay travel costs for contestants.  (I know this, as I was once on Jeopardy.)  They have plenty of people willing to get to the city where the taping happens.  Most Chopped contestants are also hoping for TV exposure to tout their restaurants, cookbooks, etc.

[Hockeymom]

I would Looooove to hear your Jeopardy stories! Did you win?

[AZChristian]

3 minutes ago, Hockeymom said:

I would Looooove to hear your Jeopardy stories! Did you win?

Sending you a PM.

[nutella fitzgerald]

On 3/10/2017 at 0:52 PM, Hockeymom said:

In the intro they showed him behind the line at the restaurant. But the minute I saw his knife skills, I knew he was going down!

When I saw him hacking away at the pork belly, I honestly thought that I must be wrong about my own knife skills if that's how a co-owner at Le Cirque does it. Guess not :/

[spiderpig]

On 3/10/2017 at 9:21 AM, LexieLily said:

Thank you! I'll have to look for it on reruns. Shouldn't be hard to find when Chopped is on 564,312 times a week.

(564,313 actually - but no harm no foul.) :-)

Really - I can't keep recent eps straight in my pointy little head.  One thing I wish they would get rid of (or reduce) is the dessert competition. I can only take so much bread pudding and (one machine) ice cream.  And FN is top-heavy with baking competitions anyway.

I thought it was a good sign when they introduced "Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner".