S13.E01: Auditions

[cooksdelight]

8 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I'm surprised they sent Blake home

I wasn't. They didn't like his food, it was bland and tasteless. Like him. LOL

Rusty cooks for the Zac Brown Band. I wouldn't call him a chef just yet.

8 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Didn't they say at the presentations that they were semi-finalists

That's what they always call them, until they get down to the final three. Then, they become finalists. 

[Wings]

The glut of southern cooks may be FNs desire to fill the Paula Dean slot.  If so, Jason has this in the bag.  

[smiley13]

46 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

I wasn't. They didn't like his food, it was bland and tasteless. Like him. LOL

Rusty cooks for the Zac Brown Band. I wouldn't call him a chef just yet.

That's what they always call them, until they get down to the final three. Then, they become finalists. 

Here is Rusty's bio from the FN site.  As a Culinary Arts Institute graduate, I would say he is a Chef.  He is also Executive Chef at his own restaurant.

Rusty's love of food started as a child, soaking up Cajun flavors in Louisiana. A Culinary Arts Institute of Louisiana graduate and a Georgia resident, Rusty’s cooking is rooted in Southern flavor. As the Executive Chef for three-time Grammy Award-winning Zac Brown Band and executive chef and partner of a restaurant in Smyrna, Georgia, Rusty truly does it all. Although he is known for his big-hearted personality and making those around him laugh, Rusty will show just how serious he is to be the next Food Network Star.

Edited June 5, 2017 by smiley13

[cooksdelight]

Thanks, Smiley, I looked him up. :)

http://www.farmstarliving.com/blogsdetails.php?Id=3982

[Totale]

5 hours ago, bluepiano said:

I remembered Monti from Master Chef as being kind of annoying and entitled, and working the struggling single mom angle to death. What has she been doing since that she earns a prime spot as a judge on this show?

I believe that before and after her MC stint Monti has been working in radio broadcasting, sometimes on air, sometimes behind the scenes (I've heard her name in the credits on some NPR show).  Her qualification as a FN judge is undoubtedly that she is not hideous and will work cheap.

[theatremouse]

12 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

After Matthew hit that poor girl with a tray full of food, I hope he burns out quickly.

The crashing into her isn't what turned me against him (not that I ever really liked him, he's been annoying to me in both stints, but the moment I turned to wanting to him to lose ASAP) was when he called her "baby" in the same incident, after presumably having only met her a few hours ago. Then he called the woman from Detroit the same thing later. And it didn't come out like he was doing it just to be exclamatory and generic. At least how they edited it, it sounded like he's a guy who thinks it's normal and cool to default to calling adult women "baby" for no apparent reason. Not a good look.

I think the judges do some of these contestants a little bit of a disservice because a few of them in  a few of the tasks seemed to think what the judges wanted was "do for me what you'd do if you got the gig", whereas what they really wanted was just "talk to me about this thing". I mean, Toya did not seem to have her shit together, but in her first segment, it was clearly a case of not understanding what was asked. And even in the second segment, several of them seemed to not tell the right story, not just due to running out of time and not handling it well. They seemed to literally not understand what they were being asked to do. Which was odd. It's one thing to be bad at it. It's another for so many of them to seem confused about the assignment.

I too was disappointed they called this a semi-final and then only got rid of one person from the final winnowing down. That's not a semi-final. That's a "we brought back Matthew but only want the same number of contestants there were before we did that."

I also was annoyed at the whole "no excuses" thing from Bobby to the French-cooking 1st gen Jaimaican American guy. Maybe more was cut out, but that didn't read like "excuses" to me. Monte literally asked why he did polenta and not grits, so he answered. Sometimes with this show in particular, I feel the contestants are damned if they do and damned if they don't. If he's asked why the choice and he says "yeah someone else took all the grits" he's making excuses. If he doesn't tell the truth, A) he's lying and B) it looks like he doesn't know better, which also makes him look bad. I'd prefer a contestant who made a weird choice, but knows better and knows a different ingredient would've been better but didn't have it so they improvised with the next best thing, than one who is blindly defensive and just makes up reasons for why they chose something. I thought that moment was totally different than the nana who opened with "well I wanted to X but I couldn't". That was bad presentation. As was eliminated dude. But if a judge says "why'd you do a instead of b" (especially if they don't seem to be saying a was bad, just that b would've made more sense) answering "a was available and b was not" is fine.

I did not enjoy Southern Cook #368 with the Ten-Years-Ago-Justin-Beiber hair.

[DollEyes]

Because it can never, ever be said too much, for so many reasons: STFU, Matthew. 

Edited June 5, 2017 by DollEyes

[joanne3482]

7 hours ago, bluepiano said:

What is it with all the southern chefs this year? Three people from Lousiana? Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia? In past seasons they seemed to go for some kind of balanced geographical distribution. Not a single contestant from New York, California, The Pacific Northwest? With all the southern chefs there was a sameness about many of the dishes. It could get old really fast, and I say that as someone who likes southern food. But I feel like it's been done to death across all the different TV food shows.

It's way too many. I couldn't believe how many there were who were considering themselves 'southern' cooks. Ugh.  And it isn't like the Food Network doesn't already have many many 'southern' cooking shows on already. There are other food styles.  

7 hours ago, bluepiano said:

The woman from Detroit doing Middle Eastern food could stick around for awhile just to provide some culinary variety. But did she not know about all the unpleasant associations with the "momma" title from Penny Davidi?

I have a natural aversion to anyone who calls themselves "mama" so when she said she was Mama Suzanne (was her name Suzanne?) I was already over her.

I liked Jason when he was on the baking challenge, but I am not loving him as much with this show. I don't know why... 

I confess, I like Robert Irvine. I'm not sure why I do... I just do so I was fine with him here. 

[Broken Ox]

1 hour ago, theatremouse said:

I also was annoyed at the whole "no excuses" thing from Bobby to the French-cooking 1st gen Jaimaican American guy. Maybe more was cut out, but that didn't read like "excuses" to me. Monte literally asked why he did polenta and not grits, so he answered. Sometimes with this show in particular, I feel the contestants are damned if they do and damned if they don't. If he's asked why the choice and he says "yeah someone else took all the grits" he's making excuses. If he doesn't tell the truth, A) he's lying and B) it looks like he doesn't know better, which also makes him look bad. I'd prefer a contestant who made a weird choice, but knows better and knows a different ingredient would've been better but didn't have it so they improvised with the next best thing, than one who is blindly defensive and just makes up reasons for why they chose something. I thought that moment was totally different than the nana who opened with "well I wanted to X but I couldn't". That was bad presentation. As was eliminated dude. But if a judge says "why'd you do a instead of b" (especially if they don't seem to be saying a was bad, just that b would've made more sense) answering "a was available and b was not" is fine.

THANK YOU! I was yelling at the TV -- answering the question is NOT making an excuse. 

[saltycheese]

Some random thoughts:

1. Giada and Bobby are totally mailing it in. They hate this, and they've lost almost all of their authenticity. They don't even seem like they are listening to anyone. 

2. Speaking from my own point of view (working New England mom; Ina/Martha obsessed), out of all of the contestants I would only watch shows with Addie (a young Martha) or Amy (home-cook busy mom) because that is what I aspire to be and/or can relate to. Of course I love Jason's personality but that won't translate into my actually watching his show. That said, I may watch a one hour holiday special of his -- like say the premise would be that he has to organize the church pot-luck after the Christmas pageant. I would love watching him interact with everyone, handling chaos, etc. 

3. The way Giada takes those tiny little fake bites is so insulting that they should just keep the camera away from her during the tastings. Again, she HATES this. 

[Wings]

3 hours ago, Totale said:

I believe that before and after her MC stint Monti has been working in radio broadcasting, sometimes on air, sometimes behind the scenes (I've heard her name in the credits on some NPR show).  Her qualification as a FN judge is undoubtedly that she is not hideous and will work cheap.

I liked her as a judge last night.  She made relevant and accurate comments. 

1 hour ago, joanne3482 said:

1. It's way too many. I couldn't believe how many there were who were considering themselves 'southern' cooks. Ugh.  And it isn't like the Food Network doesn't already have many many 'southern' cooking shows on already. There are other food styles.  

2. I have a natural aversion to anyone who calls themselves "mama" so when she said she was Mama Suzanne (was her name Suzanne?) I was already over her.

3, I liked Jason when he was on the baking challenge, but I am not loving him as much with this show. I don't know why... 

4. I confess, I like Robert Irvine. I'm not sure why I do... I just do so I was fine with him here. 

I numbered your points for clarity in my response. 

1.  I am thinking their southern stir and cook shows have the highest ratings so they want more.  

2.  YES, even when you are older and really a mama! 

3.  I still love him on this.  I am drawn to the imp in him and how relaxed he is in front of the camera.  He was on the Baking show too and that was his first encounter.  

4.  So he has 2 fans, I see.   Go sit beside @leighdear.  

35 minutes ago, saltycheese said:

3. The way Giada takes those tiny little fake bites is so insulting that they should just keep the camera away from her during the tastings. Again, she HATES this. 

She has taken a page out of Lorraine's (Baking comp judge) book.  I don't remember he doing this previously. 

Edited June 5, 2017 by wings707

[Wings]

@theatremouse.  All excellent points.  I had not noticed Bobby throwing a couple of them off with his questions until you mentioned it.  I did take note that they gave them little or no direction as to what they were looking for in their talks.  Bobby is busy and did not gather his wits before this filmed.  

[StaceyNotStacie]

I finally got to watch this today. There wasn't anyone I absolutely loved and nobody really stood out as a front runner. I don't remember a lot of their names; I probably won't know who is who until half of them are gone. It seemed very southern heavy. The Kentucky guy was okay, but I fear that with them wanting more energy and his outfits that he might end up too much of a caricature with an overemphasized accent and such. The Middle Eastern lady gave off a "Real Housewives" vibe. I didn't mind the military spouse, but I don't want to hear that her husband is a fighter pilot every week, and that goes the same for the Martha Stewart lady. The lady who had the run-in with Matthew was okay, but her hair drove me nuts. I wish it would have been pulled back a bit when working with food. 

[akr]

I liked the fighter pilot's wife, too - and she seemed to cook really well.  I'm sure they'll bash us over the heads with her husband's profession (and when was the last time someone fought an air battle rather than dropped bombs, anyway? although it's good to have people who can do it just in case), but she seemed to just treat it as a fact about who she is rather than as This is Who I Am, which is fine.  She seemed smart, practical, and to have very good taste and, while not a professional, a good level of expertise acquired through the ordinary means rather than culinary school or line cooking (and most of the audience only intends to cook at home, too, so in theory at least, that's good enough).  

I don't much care for Jason - the shtick seems laid on as heavy as any other they've had.  He wasn't bad on the baking show, but I'm tired of him already on this one, although I did like the watermelon shirt, and he's certainly comfortable on camera (after having just done a full season of another FN competition show).   

Seems like southerners feature heavily in many TV competition shows, not just cooking - whether because these shows get higher ratings in the South, or what, I'm not sure.  As for FN and Southerners, I strongly suspect that they've found that shows featuring Southerners get ratings from genuine Southerners and from those around the country who romanticize the South or some idea of country living, whether competition shows or stand and stir.  They know that this is a big chunk of their faithful demographic. That, and Guy Fieri wannabes, dessert contestants, BBQ and giant or overindulgent food.  If I actually want to watch video of how to cook something, I'd much prefer, say, Melissa Clark at the NY Times, although I usually don't bother with her, generally excellent, videos, but instead just read the article and recipe.  I've bookmarked her video on cutting up a chicken, which I could do reasonably well before, but much better now!

I hope the guy from New Orleans with the serious professional cred can get more comfortable presenting, just because I prefer competition shows be about people doing stuff they do well and competing on that basis.  That's not this show, though. 

I don't see how Joy (Comeback Kitchen) ever had a chance given that they already had plenty of people competing for the same niche.  

Edited June 5, 2017 by akr
deleted stupid thought!

[akr]

(Melissa Clark on how to cut up a chicken: https://www.nytimes.com/video/dining/100000002155362/cutting-up-a-whole-chicken.html ).  Much more useful than some random instagram on how to hack a salad bar!  I only look at instagram if somebody's tipped me off to something good, anyway.

[smiley13]

Speaking of the whole salad bar thing, why was plain cooked spaghetti on there?  There seemed to be a lot of items available for them that you would not find on a normal salad bar.

[gigiann]

18 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I was so happy to see Jason on this.  I was shocked by how much I grew to love him on the Holiday Baking Championship.  There's a fine line between a caricature and a character but he fell firmly in the "a character" camp after it was over. 

I can't believe Matthew was critiquing them on their presentations so smugly. 

Re Jason:  I am with you!!!  I loved Jason on Baking Championship!  His stuff always looked delicious and he is so adorable and is a great storyteller.  I hope he wins.

Re Matthew:  Bleeccchhhhhh accckkkkk, can't stand that guy.....arrogant as all hell

[Tyrone Biggums]

This show is a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Take the biggest batch of clowns from other FN competition shows, find the clown who gets the trained seals to clap the loudest, realize they're a clown who's not meant for TV, send them back to judging the next batch of clowns on the next batch of FN competition shows...only for it to repeat all over again.

I'm surprised the dolts at The Network aren't having a Celebrity Food Network Star.  They seem to think only celebrities can host cooking shows anymore.

[docmatt]

Maybe this is because there are so many at this stage and the show is just too crowded but not only do I not see anyone whose show I would watch, I don't see anyone whose show I would remember. 

I would maybe remember Matthew or Jason but not really positively. I would remember hair lady but the fact that I don't remember her name probably goes against that.

[Wings]

3 hours ago, akr said:

(Melissa Clark on how to cut up a chicken: https://www.nytimes.com/video/dining/100000002155362/cutting-up-a-whole-chicken.html ).  Much more useful than some random instagram on how to hack a salad bar!  I only look at instagram if somebody's tipped me off to something good, anyway.

Very helpful.  Using the fat lines as a guide is a crucial piece of information.  Thanks. 

3 hours ago, akr said:

hope the guy from New Orleans with the serious professional cred can get more comfortable presenting, just because I prefer competition shows be about people doing stuff they do well and competing on that basis.  That's not this show, though. 

I agree, he has a lot to offer.  

[Maverick]

3 hours ago, smiley13 said:

Speaking of the whole salad bar thing, why was plain cooked spaghetti on there?  There seemed to be a lot of items available for them that you would not find on a normal salad bar.

 I wondered that too when the baked potatoes starting showing.  What they actually had was a salad bar on one side and a "hot bar" on the other.  Some places have extended salad bars that include a baked potato bar, taco bar, pasta station, etc. 

[Blonde Gator]

22 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

"Healthy cooking" is a boring topic, sure, but does this network need another white folksy grandma named Nancy?  Too confusing.

An excellent point!

However, a cooking pal of mine sent me a link to "Farm House Rules" a couple of months ago, and I fell in love with this site!  So there's that about Big Nance!  I laughed so hard I cried over that thread (the one where she got on the open cockpit plane w/her boobs bashing her in the face....although I never actually saw it.  I knew right then and there this was a clever bunch of chef-y peeps!

[whinewithwine]

Giada said Rusty's presentation was "jolting", but could not get enough of "he who shall not be named" from seasons past?  Please.

[grisgris]

Did anybody notice the lingering shot of Giada and Bobby walking hand-in-hand to the judging table in the very beginning when the contestants were assembling in the theatre for introductions?

That was about the only thing of interest I took away from that episode other than Jason's wardrobe.

[Skyfall]

I'm rooting for Rusty, Matthew, and Cao early on. Watermelon shirt can carry on for as long as he wants though!

[Skyfall]

15 hours ago, Totale said:

I believe that before and after her MC stint Monti has been working in radio broadcasting, sometimes on air, sometimes behind the scenes (I've heard her name in the credits on some NPR show).  Her qualification as a FN judge is undoubtedly that she is not hideous and will work cheap.

She also was filming or already had filmed Help My Yelp at the time. Sadly it flopped and was aired before this so she seems out of place.

[Snarklepuss]

12 hours ago, joanne3482 said:

It's way too many. I couldn't believe how many there were who were considering themselves 'southern' cooks. Ugh.  And it isn't like the Food Network doesn't already have many many 'southern' cooking shows on already. There are other food styles. 

ITA and I actually like some southern cooking just don't want to be oversaturated with it.  I thought perhaps Damaris was supposed to help fill the space left open by Paula Deen and despite reports that she was quitting her show to focus on her marriage she hasn't really left the network .  Now she's a constant judge on FN competition shows, so why did she have to stop her cooking show?  I liked her show and her specific Kentucky focus.  Now they have a guy from Kentucky on FNS this season which seems redundant, or maybe he's supposed to replace Damaris....Can't figure out what they're aiming for here.

Besides, why do any of these stars have to have specific ethnic or regional food styles?  There is something to be said for general new American cuisine which is a fusion of different techniques and styles of food from many foreign cultures.  At this point, I'd be more interested in seeing that on the Network instead of  umpteen thousand shrimp and grits and barbecue recipes.

[Snarklepuss]

8 hours ago, akr said:

Seems like southerners feature heavily in many TV competition shows, not just cooking - whether because these shows get higher ratings in the South, or what, I'm not sure.  As for FN and Southerners, I strongly suspect that they've found that shows featuring Southerners get ratings from genuine Southerners and from those around the country who romanticize the South or some idea of country living, whether competition shows or stand and stir.  They know that this is a big chunk of their faithful demographic. That, and Guy Fieri wannabes, dessert contestants, BBQ and giant or overindulgent food.  If I actually want to watch video of how to cook something, I'd much prefer, say, Melissa Clark at the NY Times, although I usually don't bother with her, generally excellent, videos, but instead just read the article and recipe.  I've bookmarked her video on cutting up a chicken, which I could do reasonably well before, but much better now!

Yes, I've thought of all this myself.  I think FN realizes that a big chunk of its faithful viewing audience is southern and people from elsewhere who romanticize the south and I've pretty much said the same in previous threads on the subject.  The problem is FN can't seem to find a way to represent a broader range of cooking styles.  They go for whatever they think gets ratings over and over again until the rest of the viewing audience is sick and tired of it.  I've noticed a lot of people are tired of Italian cooking now since it's been overdone in the past - not as much anymore, although Italian food has kind of come from all sides and a lot of different chefs whose main focus is not Italian because it's become such an integral part of general American food now that everybody does it.  And that's regrettable because anything that's done to death is likely to start turning off viewers after a while.  And yet it seems the audience just can never get enough of shows about "ginormous food" and stuff like that, so go figure!

Edited June 6, 2017 by Snarklepuss

[Court]

I was very annoyed when they told big bicep guy he should have cooked grits because he was from Atlanta. I promise you, we cook other things here besides grits. 

[bluepiano]

8 hours ago, akr said:

I don't see how Joy (Comeback Kitchen) ever had a chance given that they already had plenty of people competing for the same niche.  

Good point. The last thing this show needed was another southern cook. Though she's from North Carolina and not Louisiana, which this season might count as diversity.

Whether it's because of audience demographics or because FN brass think those accents are just so cute, "southern" has been far more represented than any other culinary "POV" over the years. Not even close if you add in barbecue, which isn't strictly southern but related. I would say that Italian is a far distant second.

Not consulting Wikipedia and off the top of my head, Aarti is the only past winner I can remember who came from an Asian culinary background. I think that Asian cuisine has been hugely underrepresented, on both this show and FN as a while. This season there's the woman with a Vietnamese background but I'd be shocked if she won.

The woman doing the Middle Eastern food is Chaldean, which I know a bit about having lived in the suburbs of Detroit, which has America's largest Chaldean community. They are Christians with their own church, related to other Eastern Catholic churches. I think that Chaldean food would likely bring in influences from a number of different Middle Eastern countries in which Chaldeans lived.

Edited June 6, 2017 by bluepiano

[Snarklepuss]

On 6/4/2017 at 10:21 PM, Irlandesa said:

I'm surprised they sent Blake home.  "Healthy cooking" is a boring topic, sure, but does this network need another white folksy grandma named Nancy?  Too confusing.

No, but don't worry, she'll probably be one of the next to go unless she pulls a rabbit out of a hat like the Asian woman did.  This show always purposely has a few duds to send home in the first few episodes.  I think Blake had the X on his head the minute he uttered the word "healthy".  Kiss of death on this show.  At least this time they saved the poor soul from any more weeks of futile hope.

[J-Man]

Mrs. Fighter Pilot apparently lives in Hawaii, but I'm not sure if she's actually FROM there or it's just where her husband is stationed.That said, if it ever comes out on the show, you know that the judges will be forcing her to add pineapple to everything she makes. 

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, Court said:

I was very annoyed when they told big bicep guy he should have cooked grits because he was from Atlanta. I promise you, we cook other things here besides grits. 

To be fair I think their main point was to go with the dish because he had envisioned it with grits but someone else took them. Though it seemed like because he couldn't use grits went with a more Italian take on the polenta, though there are often made from different types of corn he could have prepared them like he does grits. Mario Batali often jokes that the main difference between grits and polenta is that restaurants can charge $20 more a dish than if they call them grits.

[spiderpig]

Well, this audition show certainly had a wide variety of - um - hair.

Toya's massive topiary, Trace's helmet head, Nancy's gray poodle look, Cao's funk, Jason's unhair...

We know they're under time constraints, but the way they were all running frantically around the kitchen made a major collision inevitable.  Alas, Matt didn't even get his fender dented.

I'm kind of liking home cook Amy at this point.  She apparently can cook and comes across just like one of us.  (Well, not that bad, but she's relatable.)

My personal nominations for second to go are ever-dependable Matt (won't happen) and Toya (didn't like her attitude in the second half of the show, plus that gigantic thing on her head makes me nervous around food).

[Snarklepuss]

6 hours ago, biakbiak said:

To be fair I think their main point was to go with the dish because he had envisioned it with grits but someone else took them. Though it seemed like because he couldn't use grits went with a more Italian take on the polenta, though there are often made from different types of corn he could have prepared them like he does grits. Mario Batali often jokes that the main difference between grits and polenta is that restaurants can charge $20 more a dish than if they call them grits.

I remember him saying $15 more but who's counting, LOL.  But he's right because grits are more commonly associated with down-home southern cooking found at truck stops, diners and other cheap eats fare, while polenta is usually typically found in higher-end northern Italian restaurants.  I can remember eating grits at southern truck stops and diners way back in the '60s and '70s.

That said, in my Sicilian family polenta was considered "peasant food", so my mother and grandmother didn't make it.  But that's a southern Italian view of it.  Polenta is more a northern Italian thing, and northern Italian restaurants are typically more expensive than "red sauce palaces".

I thought the main difference between grits and polenta is the variety of corn used to make one or the other, but I'm not sure about that.

Edited June 6, 2017 by Snarklepuss

[biakbiak]

46 minutes ago, Snarklepuss said:

remember him saying $15 more but who's counting, L

I think he ups it every time he makes the joke, I have heard him go as high as $25 next season on The Chew it will be  $30 or $40 but I don't think they would have criticised David if he executed the stone ground corn well they weren't paying! As always it was a stupid criticism because this show is full of them.

[Snarklepuss]

9 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

I think he ups it every time he makes the joke, I have heard him go as high as $25 next season on The Chew it will be  $30 or $40 but I don't think they would have criticised David if he executed the stone ground corn well they weren't paying! As always it was a stupid criticism because this show is full of them.

LOL!  I think the rising popularity of grits and southern cooking in general is actually helping to lower the price gap, though, not raise it, so Mario is probably a little behind the times there.

I can't take watching "The Chew" even though I enjoy the hosts separately if that makes any sense.  Too many loud extroverts in one place for my taste!

Re: David - I am told that the consistency of polenta/grits also depends a lot on the way they're cooked so I think he probably could have done more to compensate for any difference in grain texture.

Edited June 6, 2017 by Snarklepuss

[Skyfall]

8 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

ITA and I actually like some southern cooking just don't want to be oversaturated with it.  I thought perhaps Damaris was supposed to help fill the space left open by Paula Deen and despite reports that she was quitting her show to focus on her marriage she hasn't really left the network .  Now she's a constant judge on FN competition shows, so why did she have to stop her cooking show?  I liked her show and her specific Kentucky focus.  Now they have a guy from Kentucky on FNS this season which seems redundant, or maybe he's supposed to replace Damaris....Can't figure out what they're aiming for here.

Besides, why do any of these stars have to have specific ethnic or regional food styles?  There is something to be said for general new American cuisine which is a fusion of different techniques and styles of food from many foreign cultures.  At this point, I'd be more interested in seeing that on the Network instead of  umpteen thousand shrimp and grits and barbecue recipes.

To be fair, she can film several judging apperwnce over a day or two. The S&S show takes a while not to mention having to come up with recipies.

[Blonde Gator]

11 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

Yes, I've thought of all this myself.  I think FN realizes that a big chunk of its faithful viewing audience is southern and people from elsewhere who romanticize the south and I've pretty much said the same in previous threads on the subject.  The problem is FN can't seem to find a way to represent a broader range of cooking styles.  They go for whatever they think gets ratings over and over again until the rest of the viewing audience is sick and tired of it.  I've noticed a lot of people are tired of Italian cooking now since it's been overdone in the past - not as much anymore, although Italian food has kind of come from all sides and a lot of different chefs whose main focus is not Italian because it's become such an integral part of general American food now that everybody does it.  And that's regrettable because anything that's done to death is likely to start turning off viewers after a while.  And yet it seems the audience just can never get enough of shows about "ginormous food" and stuff like that, so go figure!

At this point, I'd jump for joy if FN or CTV re-ran Too Hot Tamales or East Meets West, or Sarah Moulton's show.

But it seems that many of the hot new chefs (Top Chef) are doing Asian fusion cuisines, and I'd LOVE to learn more about how to incorporate some of the ubiquitous Asian ingredients like Kombu, miso paste, etc....featuring a chef who could take some of the "strange" (to me) Asian ingredients, and teach me how to incorporate these new flavors into some of the great American dishes.  An example (and not a good one, mind you, but an example).....I went to an Irish Pub and ordered Guiness Pie.  Well, it's basically pot roast, but served with mashed potatoes and a nice piece of savory pastry, plus has stout instead of wine in the gravy.  Easy, delicious, and super cinchy to change from regular old pot roast. 

[Wings]

1 hour ago, Blonde Gator said:

At this point, I'd jump for joy if FN or CTV re-ran Too Hot Tamales or East Meets West, or Sarah Moulton's show.

But it seems that many of the hot new chefs (Top Chef) are doing Asian fusion cuisines, and I'd LOVE to learn more about how to incorporate some of the ubiquitous Asian ingredients like Kombu, miso paste, etc....featuring a chef who could take some of the "strange" (to me) Asian ingredients, and teach me how to incorporate these new flavors into some of the great American dishes.  An example (and not a good one, mind you, but an example).....I went to an Irish Pub and ordered Guiness Pie.  Well, it's basically pot roast, but served with mashed potatoes and a nice piece of savory pastry, plus has stout instead of wine in the gravy.  Easy, delicious, and super cinchy to change from regular old pot roast. 

I agree on Asian fusion.  I want to know more about that.  Why FN is not recognizing this is beyond me.  

[xaxat]

Oh Vagina Table, I've missed you so much!

I like Amy, the home cook. I think she has a lot of charisma. We'll see if her cooking skills match. Everybody else? I'm kind of indifferent. 

I'm still shocked at how many people don't have a camera ready show concept pitch. I understand that contestants may not want to seem too rehearsed, but being able to articulate a culinary point of view (Sorry, couldn't avoid the cliche.) goes a long way on this show. I was also surprised that several women wore heels. It's fine if choose to do that in your own home, but a big no no in a commercial kitchen. Especially when someone is dropping peppercorns on the ground.

[cooksdelight]

I'm surprised at Corey, as many competitions as he's been in (won Chopped), he's really a mess.

[Christina]

On 6/5/2017 at 6:49 PM, Tyrone Biggums said:

I'm surprised the dolts at The Network aren't having a Celebrity Food Network Star.  They seem to think only celebrities can host cooking shows anymore.

You are hereby put on notice that when this airs, I plan to curse you each week for giving them the idea, since it's highly unlikely that I won't watch it, having reached my limit with almost every other show I hate watch. 

On 6/6/2017 at 3:16 AM, spiderpig said:

Well, this audition show certainly had a wide variety of - um - hair.

Toya's massive topiary, Trace's helmet head, Nancy's gray poodle look, Cao's funk, Jason's unhair...

No one's hair has bothered me so far, which is quite surprising to me. Last year, Yaku(?)'s beard bothered me, and I wanted him to put a hairnet around it or stop leaning over his plates. Toya looks like someone I would be concerned about, but it's just not bothering me...yet. I'm sure it will come in time.

[smiley13]

Looks like we are getting our annual round of disdain for people from the South.    Believe it or not, just because someone's address is Cajun Country, Alabama, Kentucky or Georgia, they can cook things other than fried chicken and grits.    And I doubt at this point that the network is trying to replace Paula.  

[novhappy]

On 6/5/2017 at 10:34 PM, grisgris said:

Did anybody notice the lingering shot of Giada and Bobby walking hand-in-hand to the judging table in the very beginning when the contestants were assembling in the theatre for introductions?

That was about the only thing of interest I took away from that episode other than Jason's wardrobe.

 Yes I did and I rewound and froze it. They were not holding hands!  I was a shot of Bobbys hand with a bit of Giadas dress in the frame. It was cut into their walk-away clearly and definitely to make it appear that they were holding hands!  Production staff are definitely screwing with Bobby and Giada. Which, in my opinion, included the shots of Giada taking the minuscule fake bites with a miserable face.  They don't need to include those. I bet the production staff hates the hell out of her

[Hotel Diva]

Okay, I have a really helpful task for you.

Since Food Network Star is based on a bias of 20 million culinary shows all around the world, next time you watch a show of FNS, think about the chaos that happens on every show, as so you speak. Like All-Star Academy, for instance. They would try out different hosts each week (e.g. they would have Duff Goldman as host this week, and then they would have Debi Mazar this week, or Katie Lee, or Jeff Mauro, or Sunny Anderson, or all those people), and then they would send cooks out to sample with different mentors. I kind of liked that show, but there was too much bias over how many mentors there would be, and one mentor leaving, and how many "cooks", and all that jazz, so I decided to quit on that show.

Now Food Network Star is kinda driving me crazy. Here are some random thoughts I just pulled out of my head:

- I know Jason. I actually remember him. His Southern accent, his sense of humor, his $55,000 prize, his Holiday Baking Championship title, all of that, and, of course, his kinky watermelon shirt. He does have the same attitude as he did at HBC, and, unlike many people, I still continue to like him.

- Okay, this may sound weird, but someone upthread said there are enough people named Nancy. There's the infamous Nancy Fuller, and then there's Nancy Manlove, another folksy nana of 8 who's got time trickling down her sleeves. I like her a lot, but she just needs to know that there is a time limit, and I mean time limit.

- Unlike other people, I like Toya, but I still agree that she needs to keep her hair back or tie it up in a bun, because it keeps food healthy.

- Lastly, Robert Irvine was as mean as he was in All-Star Academy and Chopped. I don't know about Monti Carlo.

[cooksdelight]

Please baby Jesus, don't anyone ask Monti about her son.

[LittleIggy]

If you can't find the grits, yell out "who has the grits?" People on the baking championship shows we're always calling out like that and getting what the needed.

[biakbiak]

44 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

If you can't find the grits, yell out "who has the grits?" People on the baking championship shows we're always calling out like that and getting what the needed.

There were limited amounts of the ingredients so all the grits were being used, it wasn't that he couldn't find them.

[smiley13]

That was really not enough time to properly cook grits anyway, unless they were instant.    That's what I hate about their silly time constraints.  Contestants keep trying to make things that they really can't do in the limited amount of time given,.