Iron Chef Gauntlet: Gladiators Ready!

[Skyfall]

On 4/18/2017 at 7:45 PM, Amarsir said:

It still did before. I'm not sure it still will after.  If I saw the Iron Chef name on something and then tuned in to watch Sarah Grueneberg eating a hamburger in Texas, I wouldn't be setting my DVR to record more of it.  FN threw the name all over ("Iron Chef Eats"???) without doing any of the stuff that built the brand in the first place.  I understand that firing up Kitchen Stadium must be vastly more expensive than other shows, but as a "test" this feels a bit like setting my car on fire to see if there's gas in the tank. 

Or maybe they needed a new IC for the reboot since some of the current ICs may not be interested or have deals with Scripps.

[mlp]

Quote

I also have missed Alton in this kind of role.  I wasn't a big fan of "Cutthroat Kitchen" and feel that IC is more suited for him.  I thought he was looking better than I had seen him look recently, too, which was nice.  He was looking gaunt and tired for a while.

I thought the same.  He had become too thin and that beard he had during CK made him look sinister - which may have been the point.

There's no doubt that Alton is a food authority but.................. He's not a chef and at least parts of his decisions are based upon taste which is subjective.  I'd be happier if there was at least one chef making the initial decision with him.  As it is, he's totally judge and jury which doesn't sit well with me even though I do respect his expertise.

[Stardancer Supreme]

I'm a sucker for cooking shows, so I'm in.

I am rooting for the cheftestants of color.  It will have to be for Shota, since Nyesha lost.  Sigh.

The "winner" of this contest has to go against and BEAT Morimoto, Symon, and Flay?  Don't think that's going to happen. 

[attica]

21 hours ago, Stardancer Supreme said:

The "winner" of this contest has to go against and BEAT Morimoto, Symon, and Flay?  Don't think that's going to happen. 

Well, maybe they'll be assigned sous chefs Guarnaschelli, Zakarian, Garces, and Forgione. (by the way, it's been awhile since I've seen Forgione. WHYYYYYY does he still sport that stupid Mohawk? They were already out when he won NIC!)

[dewelar]

While I recognize that this show is more in the vein of Next Iron Chef than Actual Iron Chef, at least NIC *felt* like an extension of the franchise, in that it still had that tongue-in-cheek self-important bombast. This show just feels small in comparison, and I think that might be a mistake.

Besides that, with the exception of Michael Symon (and maybe Zakarian), the people who graduated to Iron Chef never really felt like Iron Chefs in the way that Morimoto, Batali, Flay, or even Cat Cora did. Garces was a great chef, but the big personality was missing. Forgione seemed to have neither. As for Alex Guarnaschelli...well, there's a reason Mrs. Dewelar and I took to calling her "Paper Chef" after her victory, and we always half-joked that her win was what sank the show. I think Elizabeth Falkner would have been a good Iron Chef, and I especially would have loved to see Jehangir Mehta in Kitchen Stadium, but no such luck. I didn't see enough of any of the current contestants to say whether any of them would fit into that role, but it's early yet.

[Hockeymom]

Finally got to watch and - meh.

The set was bland and lifeless. As others have said, I didn't care for Alton being the sole judge and host.

I totally respect Alton and his encyclopedic knowledge of food. I'm just sick of him. All of them, really. How many shows can Bobby Flay do? Zackarian? Food Network needs some new blood. The big names don't need to step aside. They just need to make more room at the table.

Not sure if I'll continue to watch, which is a shame if this show is some kind of barometer to measure interest in the return of Iron Chef. I would love to see the return of IC! 

[MajorWoody]

I was greatly underwhelmed with this episode. I don't know if things are going to get much better. As others have posted, the set was bland and dark, there was no real excitement like what was always present in ICA, and the chefs are nowhere near the caliber of what we expected.

Apparently Izzard is the Chosen One this time around, like Alex in her 2nd try. I was surprised to see the praise for a tartare, especially after seeing how good some of the other dishes looked, and how much more complex they appaeared.

My biggest gripe was the final scoring. While us home viewers can not judge taste, we can judge plating and originality. Even though Donatella choked or gagged on Sarahs first dish, and then recovered, I'll concede the taste to her based on the two judges. But going to the plating, Nyesha blew away Sarah on that and on the originality factor. It wasn't even close, except on the scorecards. To say Nyesha was only  1 point ahead on plates, with those Iron Chef looking plates, compared to the drab stuff Sarah put forth, and then to say Nyesha was 1 point behind on originality was ludicrous. 

I have a sinking feeling Izzard has already been decreed the one to go against the real chefs, and the rest of these challenges are for show.

[Blonde Gator]

On 4/17/2017 at 1:05 PM, Gbb said:

I think that in the upcoming weeks contestants may take a different strategy than Stephanie did last night. When she first chose Nyesha, I agreed with her and thought I'd have made the same choice (since they were the bottom 2). Once they both started cooking, however, I realized that bottom 2 or no they were both really talented chefs and either one of them could win. With that reminder in mind going forward, I'll be surprised if the chefs don't start putting their biggest competition up for elimination each time instead.

Either way, making the competitor pick is a double edged sword.  It's kind of like LCK on Top Chef.  The losers go there, and get to really hone their "think and cook on the fly" skills.  As Colicchio is always saying, "edit"!!!!  So every time the winner picks who competes with the "low" chef, they're giving a competitor one more lesson.  If it were up to me, I think I'd pick the chef who was the most similar to myself in style.  If the "low" chef can eliminate my nearest competitor, rather than the BEST, it ups my chances to be a stand out.  I know nothing of the three men on the show (I'm a TC fan), but they all seem very competent, and man-bun seems to have some serious cooking chops.  I still can't stand Sarah Gruenenberg......she's a big bully, I'm disgusted that she's been given slots on the new Top Chef Favorite meals show.  I don't want to see her nasty face on TV.  As an earlier poster said, anyone can make good pasta, it's not hard, it just takes a bit of practice.

Having said that, it's really NICE to have a decent cooking competition to pick apart.  Chopped just doesn't do it for me.  I do wish they'd bring back the REAL Iron Chef series.  Alton & Brasch were fantastic in describing what was going on, it was a learning experience for the viewer, and an inspiration.

[Blonde Gator]

On 4/18/2017 at 11:09 AM, attica said:

I love the IC format for concentrating the drama in the hour. I prefer it to Chopped, which never pulls me in if I happen across it. And the intensity of the cooking is a good palate cleanser from the out-of-kitchen drama in the top-chef series-length competition. I do not need to watch shopping at Whole Foods, is my point. Plus, I love AB and his dorktasticness.

Having said that, I think the non-cheftestant staff could be sized up some. AB needs foils, like Kevin on the floor, or a guy doing flips in front of the food podium, and more than two judges. The first half, with just Alton, feels a little 'put the lotion in the basket' claustrophobic.  The grey-heavy set adds to the dungeon feeling. Maybe that aspect will grow on me. Or maybe Frau Blucher will show up.

I'm not used to contact-lens Zakarian. He freaks me out with his plain, undecorated face.

Rooting for Stephanie at present. But Shota is awfully easy on the eyes...

I think that maybe this is the same set they used for Next Iron Chef....so many stations for 6 people.

If you LOVE Alton Brown like I do....check out this YouTube video, it's not all cooking, but he is so brilliant on so many levels.  Also, Alton Brown is currently on tour (he was here on Thursday, but I didn't find out in time to get tickets.  I believe you can find his tour on AltonBrown.com, or perhaps check his FB page.  I am still kicking myself for not finding it in time to get tickets.

[susannot]

That was a really ridiculous outcome.  I don't believe it.

[Stardancer Supreme]

Oh, I was about to do a lot of cussing.  Shota's dishes were not as banana laden, but they sure were pretty.

[Wings]

I am surprised Sawyer didn't win but I have to remember they find fault with every dish to create suspense.  They really came down hard on 2 of Shota's dishes not being integrated and I thought that was the kiss of death. His score was much higher, not even close.  The chocolate cake did Sawyer in, clearly and his presentation wasn't good, now that I think about it. 

I am rooting for Izzard, I adore her.  I like the 2 other men who I don't know, too.  Not fond of Sarah and it isn't because I remember her it is because she is the reason Nyesha left.  Petty, I know, I know.  

[TDT]

Not feeling Alton as the new "Chairman"..hopefully they'll bring Mark Dacascos(sp) for the finale,dramatic gestures and all lol

[Skyfall]

So how DO you cook cardboard to make it edible?

[spiderpig]

Interested to hear what others on this board would do with the secret ingredient ...dramatic pause... bananas! (including plaintains)!  I'd be scratching my head (not over the workstation) trying to come up with something IC-worthy.

[Wings]

1 hour ago, spiderpig said:

Interested to hear what others on this board would do with the secret ingredient ...dramatic pause... bananas! (including plaintains)!  I'd be scratching my head (not over the workstation) trying to come up with something IC-worthy.

I immediately thought of a dish I had in Boston years ago.   It was fish served with a banana and potato mix, that seemed to be put through a ricer,  that was around the edge of the entire plate and had a crispy edge and top.  The plate was hot and had just come out from under the broiler or oven.   The sweet banana with the nicely browned fish was delicious!   

6 hours ago, TDT said:

Not feeling Alton as the new "Chairman"..hopefully they'll bring Mark Dacascos(sp) for the finale,dramatic gestures and all lol

He grew to annoy me over time so I am fine with Alton.  

Edited April 24, 2017 by wings707

[spiderpig]

4 minutes ago, wings707 said:

I immediately thought of a dish I had in Boston years ago.   It was fish served with a banana and potato mix, that seemed to be put through a ricer,  that was around the edge of the entire plate and had a crispy edge and top.  The plate was hot and had just come out from under the broiler or oven.   The sweet banana with the nicely browned fish was delicious!   

That sounds fascinating.  Talk about thinking outside of the box.

[Wings]

26 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

That sounds fascinating.  Talk about thinking outside of the box.

I wish I would have paid closer attention to how it was made.  I have thought about that dish many times.  

They had to create 3 dishes.  A dessert is always tricky but they are done on IC often.  IC has a team and much more time so to ask the bottom 2 to make 3 dishes in 45 mins (?) you are going to get at least one that does not measure up to the show's reputation.  

Relevant to nothing, I abhor Anne Burrell.  

I think for another dish I would make a Thai shrimp curry (green) with pieces of fried plantain in it.  Since plantain has to be the star maybe just a vegetable curry with plantains and small friend shrimp for texture as a finish on top.  

I like something sweet with meat and often use chutney on a grilled steak.  YUM.   So you could do something with pork, too.  The trap is with banana being the main ingredient because a protein is usually the star automatically.   Chicherrones could be the crisp factor on a banana desert.  A rip on Bananas Foster but it would have to be way outside of the box on that one.

ETA.  I love plantains and they are not sold here.  In FL I made them often.  sigh

Edited April 24, 2017 by wings707

[attica]

The judge's edit confounded me. Which I suppose is a good way to build surprise in the result. I was not expecting Sawyer's scores to be so low compared to Shota's. They did not like his plating AT ALL, but only one little comment about it made it to air.

I was as charmed as AB was to see Gulotta blush so.

Line of the night: "Did you taste the hay?" Dunno why, that just cracked me up. Would I know if hay is the flavor I discerned on that plate? I don't know: I've never had occasion to eat hay. And why is there hay in the KS pantry? Is that an ingredient the chefs request ahead of time (we know that they did in ICA, after all)?

Garces looked well, but it looked to me that he's had some work done.  Burrell looked like the world's last Flock of Seagulls fan. (I love her and her Billy Idol hair, don't get me wrong.)

[Wings]

2 minutes ago, attica said:

I was as charmed as AB was to see Gulotta blush so.

It was Alton who commented on him blushing. 

Sarah made a mistake not asking a front runner to compete.  If she had been smart she would have picked Izzard.  It has been clear to me that Sawyer would not survive so why choose him?  I like him but his style is not refined enough to win this.  Or one of the other 2.  Anyone but Sawyer.  

[rab01]

7 minutes ago, attica said:

Line of the night: "Did you taste the hay?" Dunno why, that just cracked me up. Would I know if hay is the flavor I discerned on that plate? I don't know: I've never had occasion to eat hay. And why is there hay in the KS pantry? Is that an ingredient the chefs request ahead of time (we know that they did in ICA, after all)?

 

If it was the chef I'm thinking about, I think Alton was joking about his setting fire to aromatics under the plate.

In retrospect, I think they showed us enough of the judging to know that Sawyer lost.  For each of his plates, a judge had a kiss of death comment - I like the idea of a ceviche here, I think this was an artichoke dish, I had issues with your cake. 

I'm not sure who is going to win this but I think the ones who won't win are the ones who brag about how many techniques they show in each round.  That's the kind of comment for chefs on Chopped.  Iron Chefs are always talking about highlighting different aspects of the secret ingredient or the balance of flavors on their plate, not whether a particular cooking method is difficult.  

[susannot]

45 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Relevant to nothing, I abhor Anne Burrell.  

 

Same here.  Someone commented that they liked Alton, but they're just sick of him.  I'm triply sick of Anne Burrell and her ridiculous hair.  Can't the FN get some new blood?  Every time I turn on the FN I see her, Guy, or Alex.

 

As many others have commented, this show is certainly not the FN's search for some fresh new faces.

Edited April 24, 2017 by susannot
punctuation

[Rammchick]

I used to like Anne Burrell quite a bit, but not so much after seeing her on competition shows.  She's a poor winner as well as a poor loser.  And I was getting this Oompa Loompa  vibe from her last night, with her hair and fake-attentive/startled expression, not to mention her orange face.

I think bananas would be a very hard ingredient to use without falling into the "Bananas Foster" trap -- anything traditional isn't IC worthy.

Edited April 24, 2017 by Rammchick

[Irlandesa]

I think bananas would be difficult (especially so for me because I hate them) but I think the addition of plantains opened up all kinds of possibilities.  Don't ask me to name them as I'm not a chef but I feel like I see plantains used a lot on these shows.

So Nakajima doesn't cook with pork or bananas.  I respect that he has his cuisine but c'mon.  I don't think an Iron Chef who grew up in the US should be so flummoxed by such common ingredients.

[joanne3482]

I once had fried bananas in a delicious creamy white sauce (maybe coconut) in a Vietnamese restaurant. I'm not a chef so I have no idea what went into it, but were I a chef I'd be able to remember and probably replicate it so I'd go with that as a dessert. Because I'm not a chef, and not that creative about food, I'd probably do something with tostones for the plantains, maybe treat the tostones like a toast and use it as a base? I don't know. I thought Sawyer was much more creative in that he used a lot of different parts of the plantain and not just 3 dishes with bananas. I really was surprised he lost. 

I like Stephanie Izzard a lot so I'd be okay with her winning the whole deal. 

[Maya]

16 minutes ago, joanne3482 said:

I thought Sawyer was much more creative in that he used a lot of different parts of the plantain and not just 3 dishes with bananas. I really was surprised he lost. 

This. It looked like Nakajima just sliced up three bananas, then distributed them equally with different types of seafood for his three dishes. There seemed to be very little thinking outside the box.

Sawyer's dishes must have really tasted bad. I don't see Nakajima surviving the next round he's in. 

[Wings]

1 hour ago, Rammchick said:

I used to like Anne Burrell quite a bit, but not so much after seeing her on competition shows.  She's a poor winner as well as a poor loser.  And I was getting this Oompa Loompa  vibe from her last night, with her hair and fake-attentive/startled expression.

I think bananas would be a very hard ingredient to use without falling into the "Bananas Foster" trap -- anything traditional isn't IC worthy.

AB has a reputation of being a total bitch to work with and that is not hard to envision!  She was rude and angry on Chopped and though apologized to the judges after her display, it never should have happened.  On the second course she took over the space of the eliminated contestant and that is not allowed.  When told she had to get things off of it, by the producer (it was an advantage), she snapped and hissed not to talk to her while she was cooking (something to that effect).  She was viscous.  

Edited April 24, 2017 by wings707

[mlp]

I like Nakajima but he isn't going to become an Iron Chef if he sticks to the one cuisine he's comfortable with every time.  I was sort of surprised to see Sawyer go so soon although I didn't think he'd win.  It occurred to me when he was running around without his glasses and had his hair tied back that he's actually rather nice looking.  He'd look much, much better if he'd get a decent haircut and contacts or less awful frames.  As it is, he looks like someone I'd keep children away from.

So far I like Stephanie or Jason Dady for the win.

[Wings]

2 hours ago, susannot said:

 

3 hours ago, wings707 said:

Relevant to nothing, I abhor Anne Burrell.  

 

Same here.  Someone commented that they liked Alton, but they're just sick of him.  I'm triply sick of Anne Burrell and her ridiculous hair.  Can't the FN get some new blood?  Every time I turn on the FN I see her, Guy, or Alex.

 

I wish Alton would show more of himself without acting his 'persona.'  His FB talk was so good. He is a very warm and personable man when he stops the act. 

I also abhor Guy.  I watch GGG only because I love food competitions.  NEVER DDD.  

I am okay with Alex. 

[Blonde Gator]

As for the bananas/plantains....lots of possibilities with the plantains.  Mofongo (garlic mashed plantains) or any variety of tostones, which are twice fried unripened plantains (either flat or they can be shaped and stuffed) and are delicious.  Also the leaves are a fantastic delivery vehicles for things like tamales, also a pork (!) dish called cochinita pibil, where the banana leaves are a key component in the overall flavor of the dish.  Fried sweet plantains, although pedestrian, could be jazzed up with something like ginger or other flavors to make yummy dessert.  They're supposed to be Iron Chef wannabes, I didn't see much imagination there, even though bananas are kind of a mundane ingredient, and obviously more of a supporting actor than the star.  Having said all that, plantains are $.10 each in SoFla, so I cook with them occasionally, mostly in Cuban recipes, but I want to learn more.  The unripe plantains are a great starch substitute.

[GaT]

I'm hoping this show gets a lot more interesting when we get to the part with the actual Iron Chefs.

22 hours ago, TDT said:

Not feeling Alton as the new "Chairman"..hopefully they'll bring Mark Dacascos(sp) for the finale,dramatic gestures and all lol

Yep, I'm not an Alton fan to begin with, and he doesn't seem like a "chairman" he seems like the host he's always been. They tried to combine the two positions, & it's not working.

[Snarklepuss]

I definitely would have gone Caribbean with plantains in this challenge.  So many possibilities there.

As for the production not being so huge and like Iron Chef, I don't expect it to be, after all, this is not Iron Chef, it's a selection show for Iron Chef.  Alton is not in the role of "chairman" at all and I don't think that's what the show is intending him to be anyway.  That said, I agree with those who think there should be a chef tasting along with him as his opinions do seem a little peculiar in some cases.  He seems to be a pretty harsh critic, especially judging from the facial reactions of some of the chefs!

I'm looking at this show as a sort of hybrid of Top Chef with Iron Chef in a way.  Having two TC alums on this show is probably no accident as they are probably attempting to appeal to some of the TC fan base.  I agree that Stephanie is the "chosen one" but I like her so I don't really mind so much, although I hate it that they make it so obvious!

As much as I always was an Iron Chef fan, I never really took to the American version as much as the original and although I watched enough of it I never had it on my DVR schedule.  I felt it was a kind of crude imitation at best.  Mark Dacasos (sp?) didn't have the tongue-in-cheek humor, swaggar and authoritative presence of the original Chairman Kaga by a MILE and I don't miss him in this at all.  The way they put him forth as the original chairman's "nephew" was to me embarrassing and insulted my intelligence because he's just some random American actor, not related to him at all.  And he was so stiff and un-charming I couldn't even suspend disbelief to "go there" with the premise.  They could have picked someone with more personality that was more believable in the role, IMO.  I realize my opinion is probably unpopular here, but it is what it is.

Oh, and Anne Burrell - I never loved her but it appears she has been working on her image somewhat to overcome some of the negative rumors - She has lost a lot of weight, is dressing better and has actually adopted a sunshine-y, positive personality now.  She is a semi-regular on "The Rachael Ray Show" and when I've caught her on that it's almost like watching a completely different person.  Mr. Snarkle theorizes that this is no accident and that she was probably told to make some specific changes to her image by FN management.  I don't doubt that this could be true.

Edited April 25, 2017 by Snarklepuss

[mlp]

I'm sure I'm being cynical but....................... I sort of think that the reason Alton is judge and jury is because one person can skew results a lot more easily than two, especially if the second judge is a chef with no FN responsibilities.  In the last episode, he eliminated a couple dishes that appeared good because they weren't "pork forward" enough and went with one that had dabs of pork mixture in store-bought won ton wrappers.  That seemed a little peculiar to me.

[spiderpig]

Agree with those of you who are puzzled by the focus of the show.  But the participants are interesting enough to keep me watching while they figure out the point they're trying to make.

I'm sorry to see any of them sent home, since they're all fascinating in their own weird ways*.

*this doesn't apply to Gruenewald, though.  I find her even creepier with the continuous happy face.

[nitrofishblue]

I was super happy when I first heard that IC was coming back. However, that joy has faded some. I am not happy about this new format. It is nothing more than a modified Chopped. I am not sure about the final part where the last chef standing has to beat three IC's, never happen. I have never been a fan of Alton and this show hasn't helped. He comes across like a pompous a**. If the network wants to continue IC they better go back to the drawing board and do a make-over. 

[dewelar]

So I decided to give this show a second chance by essentially forgetting it has any connection to Iron Chef at all and accepting that it's Just Another Cooking Competition. And, in fact, that's pretty much what we got again this week -- it falls into many of the same traps as so many other similar shows. It shows us judging that, rather than clarifying why a particular person won, obscures or indeed invalidates it. It gives us wildly inconsistent applications of its own rules, knocking down someone for not doing something (being "pork-forward") while showing someone else blowing away their opponent despite the same issue (being "banana-forward"). It might as well be an upscale version of the various seasonal Baking Championships, which I find to be perfectly fine time fillers, and I guess that's what this will be for the remainder of its run (at least until the finale).

Also, I will admit to a couple of things. I have never watched the original Iron Chef from Japan, as I cannot read subtitles and dubs tend to put me off, so my comparison was meant only to apply to the American version, which I accept as being a pale imitation of the original as American versions of such things tend to be. Also, I too am finding myself tired of Alton Brown the personality. I enjoyed Good Eats a lot, but found Cutthroat Kitchen uninspiring, as the episodes veered into samey-sameyness after just a few. I will agree with others that this show just has him doing way too much, with part of the problem being that none of the competitors stand out for me (in a positive way, anyway - Chef Gruenenberg can get off my screen anytime) and the judges are just...there, so there's no real break from him. The finale had better be awesome if they want me to come back for any more of this mediocrity.

[rab01]

1 hour ago, dewelar said:

... It might as well be an upscale version of the various seasonal Baking Championships, which I find to be perfectly fine time fillers, and I guess that's what this will be for the remainder of its run (at least until the finale).

Also, I will admit to a couple of things. I have never watched the original Iron Chef from Japan, as I cannot read subtitles and dubs tend to put me off, so my comparison was meant only to apply to the American version, which I accept as being a pale imitation of the original as American versions of such things tend to be. Also, I too am finding myself tired of Alton Brown the personality. I enjoyed Good Eats a lot, but found Cutthroat Kitchen uninspiring, as the episodes veered into samey-sameyness after just a few. I will agree with others that this show just has him doing way too much, with part of the problem being that none of the competitors stand out for me (in a positive way, anyway - Chef Gruenenberg can get off my screen anytime) and the judges are just...there, so there's no real break from him. The finale had better be awesome if they want me to come back for any more of this mediocrity.

Possibly unpopular opinion here but Iron Chef America is not much more than a perfectly fine time filler for me so this slots right in. Equally unpopular opinion but I find Iron Chef Japan fascinating but much of the food looks unappetizing compared to Iron Chef America because of different national taste preferences. 

You're right about the problem with the show; they don't have the competitors interact with each other - instead they only interact with Alton and the other judges - so it's hard to get a feel for them as anything other than cooking automatons.

Off-topic, if you've tried but not really liked Cutthroat Kitchen, you might want to try an all-stars episode.  In general, those episodes are much more good natured, with better food and the chefs take delight in the weird conditions and sticking it to their friends.

[dleighg]

I was intrigued by Stephanie's "Silver Needle Noodles" (half because I have *both* wheat starch and tapioca starch from previous cooking adventures. A little googling and I found her own recipe in the top hits: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/silver-needle-noodles

[dewelar]

4 hours ago, rab01 said:

You're right about the problem with the show; they don't have the competitors interact with each other - instead they only interact with Alton and the other judges - so it's hard to get a feel for them as anything other than cooking automatons.

True enough. I think this is what the peanut gallery was supposed to help with, but thus far it hasn't really contributed much of anything.

4 hours ago, rab01 said:

Off-topic, if you've tried but not really liked Cutthroat Kitchen, you might want to try an all-stars episode.

Actually, I have seen a couple of these, and you're right about them being more entertaining and fun, especially when Eric Greenspan is one of the contestants :D . I also did like the first Camp Cutthroat set because it was something different, but the second one was underwhelming. It's the repetitiveness that gets me.

[GaT]

16 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

As for the production not being so huge and like Iron Chef, I don't expect it to be, after all, this is not Iron Chef, it's a selection show for Iron Chef.  Alton is not in the role of "chairman" at all and I don't think that's what the show is intending him to be anyway. 

He actually said he was the new chairman on the first show, & he tweeted this:

[MajorWoody]

I thought this episode was slightly better than the first one.

It is still very low energy compared to Iron Chef, and it remains to be seen if the personality of any of these chefs will stand out. 

Burrell looked weird for some reason, almost like she was on some Happy Drug. Maybe it was the neck wrapping on her blouse, or her unnatural tan, and her bug eyes, but something seemed off. 

Sawyer got whooped, 33 to 25, that is embarassing. Actually that is more in line with what I expected last weeks score to be. 

Either way, they need to explain how the actual Iron Chef part is going to work. I don't see anyone, let alone this group of chefs, beating the three Iron Chefs in a row. 

[Kallee]

Hope the obnoxious, fatso, no talent Sarah leaves soon!

Edited April 27, 2017 by Kallee

[Snarklepuss]

On 4/25/2017 at 8:05 PM, GaT said:

He actually said he was the new chairman on the first show, & he tweeted this:

I stand corrected!  I don't see him as in that role in this despite taking on the title, and I doubt he'll be any different on any regular Iron Chef episode.  I think they really wanted to get rid of the chairman idea altogether but kept the title just to keep up a semblance of the former format.  Unfortunately, that's misleading and confusing to the audience.  They should have acknowledged that the chairman has moved on and now things will be different.  I don't really mind the idea of a change, though - the traditional format of the show is old and a copycat of a Japanese show so I can see where it may be time to move on from that, but this is not really working too well.  Don't mislead the audience into thinking it's keeping something from the former series when it's not.

[GaT]

4 minutes ago, Snarklepuss said:

I stand corrected!  I don't see him as in that role in this despite taking on the title, and I doubt he'll be any different on any regular Iron Chef episode.  I think they really wanted to get rid of the chairman idea altogether but kept the title just to keep up a semblance of the former format.  Unfortunately, that's misleading and confusing to the audience.  They should have acknowledged that the chairman has moved on and now things will be different.  I don't really mind the idea of a change, though - the traditional format of the show is old and a copycat of a Japanese show so I can see where it may be time to move on from that, but this is not really working too well.  Don't mislead the audience into thinking it's keeping something from the former series when it's not.

I agree. I don't feel Alton is any different on this version than he was on the other one, they don't have a chairman on this show, & I think they need one.

[meowmommy]

13 hours ago, Kallee said:

Hope the obnoxious, fatso, no talent Sarah leaves soon!

I can respect criticism of someone for their personality or their talent, but not so much the fat-shaming.

I think one of the reasons ICA faded away was there were too many ICs, and with the exception of Michael Symon (and even that choice was considered rigged by some), those chosen in TNIC were either colorless (Garces, Forgione) or were FN personalities they were trying to promote (Guarneschelli, Zakarian).  I mean, a Forgione battle was not must-see TV.  I know it's about cooking skills, but the viewer has to want to watch.  Then they started adding more gimmicks instead of sticking to the original formula, and that just hastened the jump-the-shark moment.

[Blonde Gator]

On 4/25/2017 at 3:12 AM, Snarklepuss said:

I definitely would have gone Caribbean with plantains in this challenge.  So many possibilities there.

As for the production not being so huge and like Iron Chef, I don't expect it to be, after all, this is not Iron Chef, it's a selection show for Iron Chef.  Alton is not in the role of "chairman" at all and I don't think that's what the show is intending him to be anyway.  That said, I agree with those who think there should be a chef tasting along with him as his opinions do seem a little peculiar in some cases.  He seems to be a pretty harsh critic, especially judging from the facial reactions of some of the chefs!

I'm looking at this show as a sort of hybrid of Top Chef with Iron Chef in a way.  Having two TC alums on this show is probably no accident as they are probably attempting to appeal to some of the TC fan base.  I agree that Stephanie is the "chosen one" but I like her so I don't really mind so much, although I hate it that they make it so obvious!

As much as I always was an Iron Chef fan, I never really took to the American version as much as the original and although I watched enough of it I never had it on my DVR schedule.  I felt it was a kind of crude imitation at best.  Mark Dacasos (sp?) didn't have the tongue-in-cheek humor, swaggar and authoritative presence of the original Chairman Kaga by a MILE and I don't miss him in this at all.  The way they put him forth as the original chairman's "nephew" was to me embarrassing and insulted my intelligence because he's just some random American actor, not related to him at all.  And he was so stiff and un-charming I couldn't even suspend disbelief to "go there" with the premise.  They could have picked someone with more personality that was more believable in the role, IMO.  I realize my opinion is probably unpopular here, but it is what it is.

Oh, and Anne Burrell - I never loved her but it appears she has been working on her image somewhat to overcome some of the negative rumors - She has lost a lot of weight, is dressing better and has actually adopted a sunshine-y, positive personality now.  She is a semi-regular on "The Rachael Ray Show" and when I've caught her on that it's almost like watching a completely different person.  Mr. Snarkle theorizes that this is no accident and that she was probably told to make some specific changes to her image by FN management.  I don't doubt that this could be true.

Very good points, all.

A small correction, there were THREE TC chefs, Stephanie, Mean Girl Sarah Gruenenberg, and Nyesha (the first chef out). 

As for Anne Burrell, I've read she's had a few lawsuits filed against her from employees, so that may be part of the image change attempt.  I LOVE her cooking, and teaching methods (her recipes are fabulous), but she is totally wasted on FN as a judge, and that idiot "Worst Cooks" show.  Actually, other than ICA, I can barely watch FN these days, I am beyond disgusted by all of the stupid contest & "reality" shows.  I miss the old FN, where the time I spent watching was useful in learning new things.   All in all, FN is totally down the tubes for me, and if the real Iron Chef America doesn't reappear, I'm more or less OUT.

[meowmommy]

18 hours ago, Blonde Gator said:

 As for Anne Burrell, I've read she's had a few lawsuits filed against her from employees, so that may be part of the image change attempt.  I LOVE her cooking, and teaching methods (her recipes are fabulous), but she is totally wasted on FN as a judge, and that idiot "Worst Cooks" show.  

I was a huge fan of AB when she was Mario's sous, and when she did "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef."  Then she had her nasty showing on Chopped, her screeching behavior on that restaurant chef search show, her poor sportsmanship on TNIC, and finally her obnoxious, condescending manner on WCIA.  She can't stay off my screen often enough.

[attica]

On 4/24/2017 at 11:12 AM, wings707 said:

It was Alton who commented on him blushing.

Well, AB does stand for Alton Brown, doesn't it? TBH, when I used at abbreviation, I forgot that we also had Anne Burrell.  Oops.

[Wings]

50 minutes ago, attica said:

Well, AB does stand for Alton Brown, doesn't it? TBH, when I used at abbreviation, I forgot that we also had Anne Burrell.  Oops.

LOL!!  

[statslady]

Been saving this show on DVR, just watched the first 2 episodes.  I actually like the 'church basement' setting and the minimalist feel.  I think it puts the emphasis on the food and cooking where it should be IMO.  No gimmicks, no sob stories (looking a you Chopped), no spin, just watch a bunch of super talented chefs doing what they do best.  I do agree they spend too much screen time on the challenge where it's just the two.

I do kind of miss the oddball challenges and travels they had on the first Next IC.  I think my all time favorite was making them prepare an airline meal.  It showed all the constraints you have to work under to prepare food that can be served on an airplane  (kind of in the spirit of Alton's cooking cardboard comment).  I don't know if the airline ever actually used what they did there but I thought it was an interesting concept.