S13.E04: Glamping

[Whimsy]

The remaining finalists are divided into teams and sent into the wilderness. When they arrive at a campsite, they must use whatever camping food is in the back of their cars to create a "glamping" meal. Each team will present their dishes to Giada De Laurentiis, along with guests Melissa d'Arabian and Andrew Zimmern, who will decide which finalist successfully elevated camping food to glamping dishes and gave the best tips for working with wilderness fare.

[LexieLily]

I just watched the episode and I don't know what the actual challenge was. What is glamping? Who brings cornmeal and greek yogurt camping?

Amy was doing fine until Matthew jumped in and starting cooking her dish for her and talking over her. Giada and Melissa wanted her to make a scene during their presentation?

[Amarsir]

Did Trace simply not realize that canned soup is concentrate?  We all saw how badly Rusty did, on top of poor performances in prior weeks. The soup was enough to send Trace home anyway. That's pretty bad.

[Maverick]

Ugh.  Melissa D.  I thought Food Network was done with her.  She's past her expiration date to fall down the FNS rabbit hole with Amy, Aaron and Lenny.

 'Sometimes you have to fight for time'?  The hell?  You're going to get on her for that shit and not say a word to the obnoxious brat talking over top of her?  He didn't pull that crap with Corey.   I'm more convinced than ever that little easel is blowing someone at FN.

 Jason was way toned down this week.  If I wore a tin foil hat, I'd say he's the winner and they realized his OTT schtick wasn't being received well and changed his edit.

[smiley13]

Some of the items that they had available as camping foods were odd.  And again with the team concept?

I hated to see Trace go.  I would have preferred to have sent home Addie, Amy or Caodan.

[lanter]

Quote

Amy was doing fine until Matthew jumped in and starting cooking her dish for her and talking over her. Giada and Melissa wanted her to make a scene during their presentation?

That made me so angry. Amy had to either let Matthew take over her presentation, or say something and risk being labeled a "bitch." She was screwed either way, and ended up getting lectured on not being assertive enough. Giada, Melissa, and Matthew can piss off.

[suebee12]

I watched carefully tonight and not once did we see any food touch Miss Toothy's mouth so how the heck could see critique it? And she is one person who can wear horizontal stripes...she at least didn't look like a stick but who wears a dress camping!

Yes, Matthew pushed in when he shouldn't have but if at the very beginning of his doing so, I think she could have gotten back on track if she had politely thanked him and kept on going......

Oh, glamorous camping is glamping!

[leighdear]

I'm really hoping I don't have to abandon this show, because I will be forced to do that if they allow Matthew to win this season.  

He sucks.  His food sucks.  He sucks twice.  

I didn't quit it after Cowboy Lenny, though it was very close.  

At this point, if the winner is anybody other than Jason on Cory, I will have to bail forever.  That would make me sad, but it would have to happen.  

[suebee12]

27 minutes ago, leighdear said:

He sucks.  His food sucks.  He sucks twice.  

I am pulling for Cory or Jason also, but the one thing I will give Matthew is that his food looks and sounds as though it tastes wonderful. All in all, I think he a very good cook.

Edited June 26, 2017 by suebee12
I can't type!

[smiley13]

I did love seeing Melissa though!  And I did not miss Bobby one bit.

I looked for it as well, and did not see Gee-Ah-Da taste a single thing.  Having her as a judge is absurd if she is not going to sample the dishes.

Cory did a great job handling the beef jerky curve ball that was thrown at him.  

[cooksdelight]

Rusty, Addie, Matthew are the chosen children. Addie worked for Martha, she can stay in spite of canned potatoes. Rusty with his har-har-har personality makes dry cornbread and stays. Matthew butts in and takes over Amy's presentation. I wish she'd tripped him as he was moving around. Or a well placed heel on top of his foot.

Giada didn't take a single bite. She has no idea how anything tasted, someone else at the table is giving her tips.

WHY didn't they talk to the family much? They were the purpose of the challenge, I thought.

This show is starting to suck wind, badly.

[Amarsir]

18 minutes ago, Maverick said:

 'Sometimes you have to fight for time'?  The hell?  You're going to get on her for that shit and not say a word to the obnoxious brat talking over top of her?  

They did start off by chastising Matt, although I could have gone for a "shut the hell up". She might have been flat anyway, or maybe it was 100% his fault. But mostly I think the judges didn't care. The third team was way worse and there's a definite air of "this is going to take forever if we're only getting rid of one idiot per week."

[mlp]

I was surprised they sent Trace home.  His soup did look bad but I thought he did a much better job with his presentation than Cao, Rusty and Addie none of whom had a great dish either.  Cao seems to have a bad attitude about everything.  I didn't think she'd last as long as she has.

Matthew really over stepped his bounds.  Poor Amy had no way to get out of that fix without making herself look bad.  The judges were very unfair to her IMO.  Melissa was awful.  As usual.

At this point, the only ones I really like are Jason, Corey and David and David lost some points with me when I saw him plunging both hands into raw meat with all those giant rings on.  

[J-Man]

For those of you who REALLY want to see more of Blake (who?), Nana Nancy, Toya, Suzanne, and Trace, "Star Salvation" (hosted by Alex Guarnaschelli and Jeff Mauro) is back! It's on the Food Network website. 

[cooksdelight]

Anybody find it odd that during the menu planning stage, not one person said "Oh, I will make a dessert!" They had cranberries, trail mix, plenty of stuff to make something sweet.

Then, lo and behold, here they come at the last minute with a s'more to add into the mix.

Do not tell me those folks weren't told by production to hold off on a dessert, we've got one coming.

[StaceyNotStacie]

I wonder if it was decided that they needed to get rid of a guy since the last three that went home were women. 

I missed the episode with the double elimination, but the last two weeks the correct person has gone home. 

I haven't disliked Matthew as much as others have, but I wish they would have said more to him about talking over his teammate. He was just obnoxious today. 

[dewelar]

29 minutes ago, Stacey1014 said:

I wonder if it was decided that they needed to get rid of a guy since the last three that went home were women. 

But Rusty was right there! And much worse than Trace! And we'd never have had to hear "dern" again! (Which, granted, I don't think we did this week, but it's still lurking...)

 

Yes, Matthew was quite the asshat, but Amy also needed to find a way to push back. Instead, she allowed herself to be steamrolled, and at least some of that is on her. It didn't get her eliminated, which gives her the chance to show that she can learn from this. If not, she'll be leaving soon, and that would be fine.

 

I'm finally officially over Cao now as well. I started out thinking she had some potential, but it seems I was wrong. She's just boring, which I would have never predicted. Overall, I still don't have anyone I can really get behind, but I guess Cory's my pick by virtue of being least-worst.

[Wings]

Production knows Giada struggles with anorexia (my assumption) and have decided not to show her fork licking; it is drawing negative attention. 

I enjoy this show because food competitions head my list of favorite reality TV.   Yeah, it is deeply flawed but I roll with it.  

Travis does not have alopecia so I assume his hair is very thin and he doesn't like himself with a shaved head.  I wonder if he realized how obvious and bad his wig is as he watched the shows.  

Addie is too prim and Amy just cannot do this. Cao dodged another bullet.  Amy next out, my guess.

Cory and Jason, final 2.  

[HappyDancex2]

Trace " To this soup that is so thick you could spread it on toast, I'm going to thin it out by using CREAM and then I'm going to take the thimble from the monopoly game and use that to measure vinegar to also add that to my cement like soup....."

Anyone else scream ADD WATER at the TV screen?  Just me?

I get this is a food personality contest but I can't take people like this seriously as even light food authorities.  Cao spends a lot of time guessing and saying "i'm just hoping for the best."   Just stop.

[StaceyNotStacie]

Is Cory the one who was the award winning chef?  He seems like the most competent of the contestants. I could see Matthew trying to get more airtime to stand out opposite of him. It just backfired a bit and made him look bad. 

[HappyDancex2]

Cao IS boring...she looks like she would be full of personality but she doesn't seem to have a good handle on what the Food Network actually does.  At this point you really need to come with some preplanned ideas especially if you have an ethnic point of view.  Not only is she boring but her food is boring too.  Adding lime is no more vietnamese than mexican.  Else her food edit is wicked bad.  I don't even believe hash browns directly on the grill can work either.  Those prepackaged ones need serious surface area.

Giada makes me uncomfortable.   Her wardrobe sucks, her food authority status sucks....she's just out of whack. 

I'm voting for Rusty to get the boot next week.  He seems nice but he's not progressing very fast and doesn't think on his feet very well.  Also I can't stand another week of "calm cool and collective."  They could edit it out but the editors hate us.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, smiley13 said:

Some of the items that they had available as camping foods were odd.

I know.  So many of the ingredients they had are not things you would bring camping.  Take the Rusty's corn bread.  I don't know anyone who would make corn bread while camping.  That's something you bring along. 

15 minutes ago, dewelar said:

Yes, Matthew was quite the asshat, but Amy also needed to find a way to push back. Instead, she allowed herself to be steamrolled, and at least some of that is on her. It didn't get her eliminated, which gives her the chance to show that she can learn from this. If not, she'll be leaving soon, and that would be fine.

She was in a no win situation since I think they wanted her to go.  They did criticize him quite a bit but since she was the designated bootee, they had to think of something. If she had tried to push back, even nicely, they probably would have dinged her for making things awkward.  That said, she did make things awkward when she came around to squeeze in between Cory and Matthew and ended up being behind them.  Not quite sure what she was trying to do there.

10 minutes ago, Stacey1014 said:

Is Cory the one who was the award winning chef?

Yes. I think he'd make for a good judge but I'm torn how I feel about his food on a food show.  He seems to be doing pretty fancy/artsy dishes. 

Trace had a much better presentation so part of me wishes Rusty would have gotten the boot. Then again, that soup...ugh.  And a whole raw pepper as a bowl?

Edited June 26, 2017 by Irlandesa

[HappyDancex2]

1 hour ago, J-Man said:

For those of you who REALLY want to see more of Blake (who?), Nana Nancy, Toya, Suzanne, and Trace, "Star Salvation" (hosted by Alex Guarnaschelli and Jeff Mauro) is back! It's on the Food Network website. 

oh god really??

[orangekit]

Matthew wasn't bugging me too much this season , until tonight! WTF? Talk about blaming the victim ! What was Amy supposed to do? If she got pushy or confronted him , she  would have been a "bitch" in everyone's eyes . Typical sexist crap ! A man can interrupt , be rude and take a woman's time, and she either is accused of not being assertive enough, or she's a bitch  if she does get tough.  Really awful that two so called strong women blamed another woman for a man being a jerk !

As hard as I try to like Jason, his annoying voice and stupid sayings are grating !  Also, he annoyed me even more when he stupidly put peanuts in that dessert and almost sent his teammate into anaphylactic shock ! What a moron ! There is no excuse for that . Sorry, but that is a big deal and you just don't do that !  It's obvious they were told about 

I think Trace was really bad tonight . I won't miss southern Bieber .  If I wasn't looking at the screen it was hard to tell his annoying nasally voice from Jason's .  Only think missing was the annoying sayings .  

Speaking of southern cooks, I think we have enough southern twangs and dishes on FN . As I type this , I am watching nasal , twangy Damaris , another southern cook on beat Bobby Flay .

Rusty is not only southern, but he's another Guy Fieri type. I felt sorry for him tonight , but please, no more  frat boys either !

At this point I am liking Cory, even though he is arrogant. He can cook, doesn't have some  "homey" back woods persona like Jason, and he's not too bad as far as his on camera persona. 

I also  think that Amy is good too, and she can cook,. She also didn't have some annoying schtick.

David is likable , and can cook . 

Cao has a bad attitude, and she is just boring.

Addie is ok on camera , but she consistently didn't cook too well. 

 

It it will be interesting to see who wins, not that it matters too much , the last few winners don't do too much .

Edited June 26, 2017 by orangekit

[dewelar]

19 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

She was in a no win situation since I think they wanted her to go.

On further thought...

 

There are options besides "be a bitch" and "shut up and take it". The fact that she could not come up with any means that she had already defeated herself. She needed to assert herself, then defend herself at the vagina table. She did neither, making her look weak -- which, if they wanted to eliminate her, would have justified them for doing so. If she had done that and they eliminated her anyway, she would at least have gone out looking better than anyone else on this stupid show.

 

Again, Matthew was obviously the worse person in this scenario, but if you're looking for a job in television, you need to know how to deal with people like him. If you can't, then they will -- and I would argue should -- find someone who can.

Edited June 26, 2017 by dewelar
Add a bit to my reasoning

[Irlandesa]

7 minutes ago, orangekit said:

Also, he annoyed me even more when he stupidly put peanuts in that dessert and almost sent his teammate into anaphylactic shock ! What a moron ! There is no excuse for that . Sorry, but that is a big deal and you just don't do that !

I think it depends on when they were told about the allergy.  Either way, I think it's the responsibility of the person with the allergy to double check.*

*But this felt very producer driven.  He guessed there were peanuts in there because he heard a crunch.  Panic.  He spits it out.  He won't be able to talk.  Oh, a little bit of water--all good.  Then later he says he doesn't think he bit into one so it's all good.  How does he hear a crunch if he didn't bite into it?

11 minutes ago, dewelar said:

There are options besides "be a bitch" and "shut up and take it". The fact that she could not come up with any means that she had already defeated herself. She needed to assert herself, then defend herself at the vagina table. She did neither, making her look weak -- which, if they wanted to eliminate her, would have justified them for doing so.

That middle ground, especially for women, is pretty narrow since even many of those middle ground options are perceived as "bitchy."  I mean, she could have thanked Matthew and continued but I don't think Matthew would have been able to take the hint.

[backformore]

10 minutes ago, orangekit said:

Matthew wasn't bugging me too much this season , until tonight! WTF? Talk about blaming the victim ! What was Amy supposed to do? If she got pushy or confronted him , she  would have been a "bitch" in everyone's eyes . Typical sexist crap ! A man can interrupt , be rude and take a woman's time, and she either is accused of not being assertive enough, or she's a bitch  if she does get tough.  Really awful that two so called strong women blamed another woman for a man being a jerk !

YES!  I was saying that Matthew changed, he was less of the narcissistic jerk he had been when we saw him before.  I take it all back.  Matthew the jerk has returned.  

That segment reminded me of the research that has been done about how men interrupt women more often than men interrupt men or women interrupt men.  Matthew   took center stage  deciding who was going to talk when.  what could Amy have done?  The only way to get back the spotlight, would have been to confront him, talk over him, which would have been seen as HER being rude.   I think her best option would  have been to jokingly say something along the lines of "Whoa, Wait till I tell about this delicious sauce I put on top!"  But I don't know if that would have worked.  Matthew physically got in her space while she was dong her demo, reached over, then interrupted her, and THEN said it was time to talk about the chicken. 

I would have "accidentally"  stabbed his hand with a fork.

[dewelar]

2 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

That middle ground, especially for women, is pretty narrow since even many of those middle ground options are perceived as "bitchy."

*nods* Fair. However, especially in a situation like this, it would be better to aim for that middle ground and potentially miss than not to try at all, no?

[Irlandesa]

1 minute ago, dewelar said:

*nods* Fair. However, especially in a situation like this, it would be better to aim for that middle ground and potentially miss than not to try at all, no?

I will concede that.  It would have been nice to see her try a "thanks Matthew" once.  He would have ignored her but at least she would have tried.

[HappyDancex2]

Seeing the beginning again Amy really got the ditzy indecisive edit.  Either she's been like this the entire time or they are emphasizing it this week.   Trace seemed like a stunned duck as well...he's babbling about mimosas and making deviled eggs in a muddy campground.....like Wuh?

I had high hopes for Matthew being a less asshattish version of his former self.  It's really starting to come back out now so my hopes are dashed.  His perception was that she was going off the rails...I mean comparatively Rusty REALLY went off the rails (diff team obvs).  Her edit didn't seem that bad but again, I'm wondering how much we've been seeing the last few weeks.    On a rewatch she does seem to spend time with a puzzled look on her face.

I did enjoy watching Cory shoot Matthew down when he frenzied "WE GOTTA GET THAT CHICKEN ON THE PLATE" and Cory was like chill dude.   That's the difference when you have confidence in your own skill.  I'll bet had Matthew done that to Amy she would have listened to him.

Cao " my favorite meal is actually breakfast so you take these hash browns...." blah blah blah add celery, mayo and lime and add that on top of the hash browns!    Babble stop. 

[LittleIggy]

I'm glad Trace is gone. Every time I looked at him, I thought of David Spade with a weird southern accent. 

[Kauai]

I will NEVER watch a show starring Matthew.  What a jerk!  I hope they get rid of him next.  I wish they would have come down on him harder.

[Blonde Gator]

32 minutes ago, backformore said:

YES!  I was saying that Matthew changed, he was less of the narcissistic jerk he had been when we saw him before.  I take it all back.  Matthew the jerk has returned.  

That segment reminded me of the research that has been done about how men interrupt women more often than men interrupt men or women interrupt men.  Matthew   took center stage  deciding who was going to talk when.  what could Amy have done?  The only way to get back the spotlight, would have been to confront him, talk over him, which would have been seen as HER being rude.   I think her best option would  have been to jokingly say something along the lines of "Whoa, Wait till I tell about this delicious sauce I put on top!"  But I don't know if that would have worked.  Matthew physically got in her space while she was dong her demo, reached over, then interrupted her, and THEN said it was time to talk about the chicken. 

I would have "accidentally"  stabbed his hand with a fork.

Perhaps she could have said something snarky, like "Matthew, would you please go find your little brother?"  Although she didn't mention she was a home-mom-chef type.  Or, "Mattew, be a dear, and go get me a glass of water, I'm parched!"

He was so jerky.  This isn't Top Chef where you get extra credit for being the team leader.  And she didn't need help, nor direction (particularly NOT on stage).  Total jackass move on his part.

[backformore]

2 more thoughts on the episode:

Rusty needs to leave, he's terrible

I hate the word, and the concept, of "Glamping."  

[Sew Sumi]

11 minutes ago, Kauai said:

I will NEVER watch a show starring Matthew.  What a jerk!  I hope they get rid of him next.  I wish they would have come down on him harder.

No worries. The winner is only getting a feature in the magazine and an appearance at (I think) FN's NY Food (and Wine?) Festival. No mention of shows, either on teevee or online. 

Edited June 26, 2017 by Sew Sumi

[Blonde Gator]

Just now, backformore said:

2 more thoughts on the episode:

Rusty needs to leave, he's terrible

I hate the word, and the concept, of "Glamping."  

"Glamping" is really more HOW you camp, rather than how you cook, truth be told.  To glamp with food, you'd not take canned goods, you'd have a really good cooler, with exotic foodstuffs.  Seriously, the Cub Scouts did a "cast iron pot" challenge about two months ago.....and their results would have beaten half of the FNS peeps in this episode.   A 4th grader won.

Canned potato salad, Martha?   Cao's hashbrown tater-tot salad was an okay idea.  But she could have glammed (sorry!) it up with chives or scallions and some really nice green pops of flavor, and maybe some bacon (surely they had bacon, who doesn't camp w/o bacon?) 

I really like Corey, and I thought his pickle brined chicken was a really unique and clever take, and I can imagine it tasted pretty fantastic with that garlic/vinegary undertone.  And his rising to D'Arabians bait about the jerky was fantastic, and who doesn't make gravy with fried chicken?

[spiderpig]

I so wanted to apply a meat tenderizer (with extreme prejudice) to Matthew's naughty bits.  What an obnoxious ass.

Between him and Melissa D, I was put right off of my glass of Three Buck Chuck.

Agreed that Cory and Jason seem the ones to beat.  Most of the rest I can take or leave, but Matthew really brings out my inner Norma Bates.

[TDT]

4 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

No worries. The winner is only getting a feature in the magazine and an appearance at (I think) FN's NY Food (and Wine?) Festival. No mention of shows, either on teevee or online. 

Then the inevitable judging spots on Chopped,Guy's Grocery Games,etc..

"Time for DIZZ-ert!!"-at least that was how my closed-captioning read that from Giada

..i missed the beginning what happened to Bobby?

[Catronia]

I missed Bobby this week -- it made for more Giada, and Melissa is never a good addition to anything. Zimmern seemed OK.

People take cornmeal camping all the time. Campfire cornbread in a cast-iron pan is common, and people who plan on fishing want it to coat their catch before frying it. That said, Rusty's hot water cornbread (with which I am not familiar) looked awful. I think he should have used it only on the bottom and piled the chicken and kale on top.

Poor Amy. Matthew really is just a dick. The best I can think of is for her to have said "thanks, I prefer this spot," when Matthew started moving things around, followed immediately by "now I'll tell you about the delicious sauce that goes with my potato cakes."

Potato salad from canned potatoes, Addie? Make home fries! Cook them again, add some flavor and crispness.

Cao really seems to have lost her mojo.

[Fostersmom]

How convenient the 3 alpha males all were in different cars marking them for different teams ensuring each one got to run the show on each team and get the one real ingredient (chicken). I'd loved to have seen all 3 on one team and fight over who had to make a side out of canned potatoes or tomato soup. I would't watch a show with any of them, except maybe Cory. But, it doesn't matter since they won't actually get one. I'm pretty sure Miss Fleek or what ever her name was didn't. They must be saving her for the season finale on this one, they should have trotted her out by now. I think Eddie was the winner before her and I think I remember seeing an episode or 2 of something with him before they stuck him judging kids grill shit. Jason annoys me so much with his fake trite Southernism, I'd actually watch Matthew before I 'd watch him. The only one I'd actually watch was the woman Matthew beat in come back kitchen to make it back. Her,  I liked. 

[cooksdelight]

8 hours ago, Stacey1014 said:

Is Cory the one who was the award winning chef?  He seems like the most competent of the contestants. I could see Matthew trying to get more airtime to stand out opposite of him. It just backfired a bit and made him look bad. 

Yes, and has a very successful restaurant. Do any of the other competitors own a restaurant or two? He's the only watchable person thus far. Jason is really getting on my nerves now "honey" and I'm a born and bred southerner.

 

7 hours ago, orangekit said:

 

Matthew wasn't bugging me too much this season , until tonight! WTF? Talk about blaming the victim ! What was Amy supposed to do? If she got pushy or confronted him , she  would have been a "bitch" in everyone's eyes . Typical sexist crap ! A man can interrupt , be rude and take a woman's time, and she either is accused of not being assertive enough, or she's a bitch  if she does get tough.  Really awful that two so called strong women blamed another woman for a man being a jerk !

 

Maybe Amy should have cried. It worked for Melissa during her time on the show.

I use pickle juice to brine chicken ALL the time, it's delicious. When Corey said he was doing that, I literally applauded. 

Addie doesn't know as much about food as she would lead us to believe. The mango skin last week. And what to do with canned potatoes? You make German potato salad. Add dijon mustard with some flour, bacon grease, a little sugar and vinegar together and heat until it boils and thickens. Add the canned potatoes with some bacon crumbles, stir, and serve.

Rusty may cook for a popular band, but I'm betting he's got time to shop and they give him a list of their favorite foods. He's lost without someone holding his hand.

Edited June 26, 2017 by cooksdelight

[smiley13]

27 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

Yes, and has a very successful restaurant. Do any of the other competitors own a restaurant or two? 

Rusty owns a restaurant.

Poor Trace was completely out of his element.  I laughed when he mentioned mimosas.  Actually, not having any alcohol in the camping supplies was strange.  Alcohol is a camping staple, but I guess they ignored that since they had families doing the tasting (since one of the judges didn't).

Ask Trace to set up a brunch and I bet he would have been great!

[cooksdelight]

Reviews of Rusty's restaurant:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/atkins-park-tavern-smyrna-2

Reviews of Corey's restaurant:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/cotton-monroe

He also owns Heritage Catering. His list of awards is a long one.

[Maya]

I could not agree more with what is being said about the Matthew/Amy double standard. She's "not assertive enough" but no mention of how talking over someone and pushing them aside is completely unprofessional? Can you imagine if the tables had been turned and Amy had done that to Matthew??

[MortysCleaningLady]

I haven't been camping in over 30 years, but what I do remember is that you only packed foods you liked.   Who packs canned potatoes?  Heck, who purchases canned potatoes.   I live alone and just buy a 5 pound bag of whatever color potato is on sale.   Occasionally I have to toss one or two, but potatoes generally can keep.  

 

Creamy soup while camping?   This isn't apres ski...

 

Carbs are my best friends, but what was with all of the carb dishes?   Fried stuffing, latkes, potato salad, grilled hash browns, corn muffin...  It i no wonder the judges loved Jason' baked beans (which I typically find carb-y, too).

 

The only thing I saw that I wanted to eat -- that creamed spinach or kale made by Amy.  I'm a major carnivore, but I do love a good veggie side.   

 

With that open flame and grill, why didn't anyone grill some fruit?   You could have had a grilled nectarine with a chocolate drizzle and marshmallow fluff with a graham cracker dust.   That would have been a  different take on a smore and utilized something a bit more fresh.  I remember packing seasonal hand fruit back in the Reagan administration (when we camped outside of crazy expensive DC for a family vacation).  

 

Finally, I have the perfect show idea for when Matthew eventually wins.   He can have great chefs visit and cook their signature dishes, while he takes over and bumps them out of the camera view.   Sort of the opposite of Julia Child's "Cooking With Master Chefs" program.....

[snowydaze]

4 hours ago, Maya said:

I could not agree more with what is being said about the Matthew/Amy double standard. She's "not assertive enough" but no mention of how talking over someone and pushing them aside is completely unprofessional? Can you imagine if the tables had been turned and Amy had done that to Matthew??

Exactly!  Women are always held to some impossible standard between "weak", and "bitchy".  I think that FNS reflects exactly what happens to women who dare try to have the spotlight or attention, compared to men.   We see it all the time in other aspects of life.   A woman is can be insulted, interrupted, have a man in her physical space, and she has to some how keep her wits about her, come up with clever ways to get control, but not be too controlling or else she is seen as mean or bitch. If she doesn't respond,  and doesn't have an instant perfect reaction to asshat behavior, she is somehow incompetent.  FNS is a reflection of our society today, and I won't get into the examples in our everyday life, but they are around us all the time!

Edited June 26, 2017 by snowydaze

[snowydaze]

5 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

 

 

Maybe Amy should have cried. It worked for Melissa during her time on the show.

 

I was thinking exactly the same thing last night! I never cared for Melissa's cooking, but from what I see of her as a person on social media, she seems to admire strength in women. I was surprised that she didn't call out Matthew for being such an obnoxious, unprofessional jerk.   

I have a feeling Bobby might have been more annoyed with Matthew and called him out on his behavior.

I didn't like  Suzanne, but  she had Rusty screwing her over a couple of weeks ago, and once again, the judges blamed her for not somehow condensing her 'story" into her cut of segment.

Are they trying to appeal to rude, crude, pushy men, who feel they are entitled to push women around?  Is it too "politically correct" to have manners now? 

Edited June 26, 2017 by snowydaze

[Carolina Girl]

9 hours ago, Kauai said:

I will NEVER watch a show starring Matthew.  What a jerk!  I hope they get rid of him next.  I wish they would have come down on him harder.

I completely agree.  I WOULD have watched a show starring the woman he beat to get in the finals.  

Quote

I have a feeling Bobby might have been more annoyed with Matthew and called him out on his behavior.

It's a shame Alton isn't on the show anymore.  I can see him actually interrupting Matthew and saying he's already MADE his presentation.  

My moment of schadenfreude was that Matthews's dish didn't taste quite as good as described.  And yes, it would appear that the Matthew we all know and loathe from his previous incarnation has returned.  

[cooksdelight]

2 hours ago, Maya said:

I could not agree more with what is being said about the Matthew/Amy double standard. She's "not assertive enough" but no mention of how talking over someone and pushing them aside is completely unprofessional? Can you imagine if the tables had been turned and Amy had done that to Matthew??

They'd have raked her over the coals. Literally. I cannot believe two women on the panel didn't stand up for one of their own and let Matthew have it.

 

53 minutes ago, snowydaze said:

I was surprised that she didn't call otu Matthew for being such an obnoxious, unprofessional jerk.   

It's not in the script. I firmly believe they know going in from the beginning who they want to win. And each judge is told this when they come on the show. Being a Carolina girl myself, I agree with @Carolina Girl that if Alton were still around, things would be different. I wonder if he bailed once the fix was in for the pre-ordained winner?  Because I've really seen a difference in this show since he, Bob & Susie left.

Edited June 26, 2017 by cooksdelight

[spiderpig]

I've liked Andrew Zimmern since he was coaching contestants on another show.  Might have been All-Star Academy.

He was so kind and encouraging to his protege, who won.  He didn't make her deep-fry tarantulas, though.

I'm sure Trace is a really nice guy, but I couldn't get Gomer Pyle and Forrest Gump out of my head during his presentations.  His food was completely unimaginative, bless his heart, although he did have enthusiasm.