S13.E05: Sunny's Kitchen Hacks

[Wings]

wrong forum! 

Edited July 3, 2017 by wings707

[Totale]

Poor Rusty being the designated Great Value fluffer.  His tip should have been "Quit your job and go on EBT so you don't have to feed your kids this horrid Chinese-sourced shit".  I didn't think FN could afford the stunning Masterchef-worthy Walmart products, so that's how they get around it.

Bald Paula Deen is 50 shades of annoying.  Addie must be Giada's price to pay for getting to boot all the younger, prettier women off the island.  The two non-blondes were a hoot to watch.  And speaking of which, who was the one they threw in for the first judging?  How come she didn't have to go through this gauntlet?  I've never heard f her, but she's reportedly a Youtube Star so would have been a perfect choice to tell Matthew that he'll never be one with that smarmy act and punchable face.

[Lura]

I didn't care for this episode at all.  The task seemed like something straight out of Top Chef.  Bobby was in a bad mood.  The contestants looked like they weren't having fun either.  Many of either the dishes or the presentations were disappointments.  Matthew was worse than ever -- and, yes, I allowed him to make me angry.  All in all, I had the feeling that the challenge was too hard and demanded more of this group than it could deliver.  Bobby actually seemed to defend Matthew, which surprised me.  Matthew had just gone through a session with Bobby and Giada, yet he was more impossible than ever.  Did the judges not tell Matthew that he's a pain???!  I think they did not, which also amazes me.

Martha Stewart, Jr., STILL hasn't learned at least to pretend she's having fun!  SHEESH!!!  I guess it's time I stopped feeling sorry for her.  Actually, why should she pretend when Bobby can't?

Even "my" Cory was off the beam tonight.  I thought he was trying to be more like Matthew.  Cory actually let Rusty outdo him.  I was happy for Rusty, though, because he's had a bad time lately.  I hope that Cory can keep his head and do better next week.  He desperately needs a big win.

I hope that everybody has a Happy Fourth!  If anybody has a nice drink with vodka in it, please stop at my door!  I think I need it!  :) 

[Drogo]

Matthew is my Khaleesi's favorite. The clip where he's filming his team running through the store from above had her in stitches. 

[Sew Sumi]

Perhaps Khaleesi pictured herself riding Drogon. ?

[rab01]

5 hours ago, Totale said:

And speaking of which, who was the one they threw in for the first judging?  How come she didn't have to go through this gauntlet?  I've never heard of her, but she's reportedly a Youtube Star so would have been a perfect choice to tell Matthew that he'll never be one with that smarmy act and punchable face.

The extra judge in the first panel was Hannah Hart.  She's a comedian whose most famous running youtube show is "My Drunk Kitchen" where she does exactly that - get very drunk and cook a meal (no knives though because she is actually drunk). The first time I saw it, I was just puzzled but the humor kind of snuck up on me.  She's smart, nice, and funny but, as far as I know, not a good cook.

[Totale]

16 minutes ago, rab01 said:

She's smart, nice, and funny but, as far as I know, not a good cook.

I;ll take your word for the smart, nice and funny - the good cook as we all know is no longer a requirement to be a valued part of the FN "family".

[Wings]

22 hours ago, Drogo said:

Matthew is my Khaleesi's favorite. The clip where he's filming his team running through the store from above had her in stitches. 

Why does she like him?.  I am curious because she is known to me as having good judge of character.   Lol. 

Am I correct in remembering this show to have been much better in the past?  Serious question. 

Edited July 4, 2017 by wings707

[Drogo]

She thinks he's silly, fun.. like a kid who really wants to show you something he just figured out he could do.  And he gets really excited about the food, like Guy Fieri (another FN person she loves.)

[spiderpig]

25 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Am I correct in remembering this show to have been much better in the past?  Serious question. 

They had a 3rd judge to balance out the other 2.  Bring back Alton!  (though he may not want to be involved with this any longer.)

I don't mind Bobby.  He can actually cook and has an "aw shucks" kind of TV personality.   But Giada seems more focused on squeezing her teensy frame into size -0 dresses and not eating anything on cam.  As FN judges are fond of saying, "This dish needs more acid".

[Lura]

I can think of a reeeeeal nasty email to send to Bobby's website.  For someone who loves women as much as he does, he sides with Matthew over Blondie?  And you know that Skinny Minnie is going to go along with whatever he says.  Say, you don't suppose that Bobby picks out her wardrobe, do you?  She's all about the girls, and he is, too.  Maybe it's as simple as Bobby having a crush on Chef "Matt," as he called himself tonight.  It's such an obvious situation when everyone is up in arms over Matthew's behavior, while Bobby and LBH stand back and avoid comment.  I wonder if the poster could be right who, up thread, surmised that Matthew is a plant for the FN.  Maybe -- just maybe -- the FN realized ahead of time that this was going  to be a sleeper season and gave Matthew a call to come in and liven things up.  I wouldn't put it past them.

[Maverick]

Matthew, you are not #CaptainSaveAHo so why don't you #StepTheFuckBack

[spiderpig]

1 minute ago, Lura said:

 I wonder if the poster could be right who, up thread, surmised that Matthew is a plant for the FN.  Maybe -- just maybe -- the FN realized ahead of time that this was going  to be a sleeper season and gave Matthew a call to come in and liven things up.  I wouldn't put it past them.

You're absolutely right.  Contestants come and go, but who are the guys we actually remember?  The ones we want to see demolished in real time.

Matthew is past his sell-by date.  I'm sure there are hundreds of cringeworthy wannabes waiting out there, so get with it, FN.  We need variety.

[Wings]

5 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

They had a 3rd judge to balance out the other 2.  Bring back Alton!  (though he may not want to be involved with this any longer.)

I don't mind Bobby.  He can actually cook and has an "aw shucks" kind of TV personality.   But Giada seems more focused on squeezing her teensy frame into size -0 dresses and not eating anything on cam.  As FN judges are fond of saying, "This dish needs more acid".

Alton, that is it!  Of course.  He was the glue.  Bobby is not a strong anchor.  He can cook, but this show needs a guide.   Giada is just background noise and offers nothing.  I don't even see them flirting and bantering any more.  Not that I want that back but maybe it added something I had not realized.  

[spiderpig]

Didn't someone connected with the show say that they could teach someone how to cook, but not how to present on camera?

I have to disagree.  This episode showed rough edges on cam that could easily be edited or re-shot.  Under pressure, a few of our front-runners faultered.  I would simply say "Cut!" (brief consultation) "Take two".  Specifically thinking of Cory, David and Amy.  Addie is a bit too brittle for my taste.  Jason's down-home persona could be modified.  Matthew would make me cancel my cable subscription.  

[Wings]

22 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

Didn't someone connected with the show say that they could teach someone how to cook, but not how to present on camera?

I have to disagree.  This episode showed rough edges on cam that could easily be edited or re-shot.  Under pressure, a few of our front-runners faultered.  I would simply say "Cut!" (brief consultation) "Take two".  Specifically thinking of Cory, David and Amy.  Addie is a bit too brittle for my taste.  Jason's down-home persona could be modified.  Matthew would make me cancel my cable subscription.  

Brittle is perfect for Addie, high five on that.  Couldn't quite place a descriptor for her. 

Bob Tushman said that.

The notion of food on instagram seems nuts to me.   It feels like old folks trying to get hip and do what those crazy kids do, now ah days.  Who the fuck looks on Instagram for food tips? 

[spiderpig]

2 minutes ago, wings707 said:

The notion of food on instagram seems nuts to me.   It feels like old folks trying to get hip and do what those crazy kids do, now ah days.  Who the fuck looks on Instagram for food tips? 

And as with all social media, everything becomes So Yesterday so quickly.

I watch FN for entertainment.  If I want a recipe, Google is my friend.

[Wings]

On 7/3/2017 at 9:53 PM, spiderpig said:

And as with all social media, everything becomes So Yesterday so quickly.

I watch FN for entertainment.  If I want a recipe, Google is my friend.

I google epicurious.com.  Excellentl recipe  site. 

Edited July 5, 2017 by wings707

[spiderpig]

1 minute ago, wings707 said:

I google epicurious.com.  Best recipe site. 

You win, wings. :-)

[Gregg247]

I wonder when the challenge will be for the contestants to cook those two giant caterpillars that are living where Bobby's eyebrows used to be.  Those suckers are HUGE (and very brown).

[BabyVegas]

I hate Matthew. I didn't watch whatever season he was on so I didn't come into this season with any pre-formed opinions, but now I want him off of my TV as quickly as possible. He's such a smug snake. He absolutely knew exactly what he was doing. In his talking head he said "I'm only trying to help" with that big shit-eating grin on his face. I'd be willing to bet that he was trying to throw Addie off or, at least, he was trying to show how energetic he was in direct comparison. Seriously, I cannot express how much I want him to leave. And his extremely irritating continued presence is causing me to hate the judges because they absolutely will not call him on it. They didn't say a thing about him calling Addie "babe" nor did they say a thing about him getting up in Addie's demonstration. If they were to give him a show, I would actively not watch it because his obnoxious and borderline sexist (if not actually outright sexist) behavior is just that irritating.

With the exception of Jason, I don't like most of the male chefs. They all seem awfully confident for their truly mediocre skills. The only one who probably isn't mediocre is Corey, but he better learn how to turn that superiority factor way down. Sure, crescent rolls aren't exactly an ingredient you'd find in a Michelin-starred kitchen, but it was the hand he had been dealt. He should have shut up and worked with it without putting on a big production about it. On another note, Rusty is an insta-mute for me because I know I'm going to have to hear about fifteen thousand instances of him trying to make "how ya dern" into the next "bam." Every time I look at him I just see Guy Fieri with a Southern accent. Not a compliment.

Perhaps I have some sympathy for Addie because I am also a more reserved personality type and sometimes that comes across as cold to people who are looking for someone super excitable. That being said, I also would never go on Food Network for exactly that reason. A refined and upper-crust entertaining style is fine. Hell, Addie's former employer made bunches of money doing just that. But it's not Food Network's energy and so even though I like her and I would watch her, she just isn't the right fit.

[Wings]

9 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

You win, wings. :-)

I know. ;^)  

[cooksdelight]

Food.com is my go-to site for recipes that actually work and don't take all day. :)

Matthew deleted a comment I made on his page!! Shame on him!!! I told him he should listen to the critiques (that shot of him when his mouth turned down). Instead, he's thanking all his fans for their wonderfulness.

Don't tell Matthew he's wrong. He's not. Never. LOL

[spiderpig]

4 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

Don't tell Matthew he's wrong. He's not. Never. LOL

Humility doesn't seem to be part of his biological makeup.  I wonder if he's ever had a significant other.  One, at least, with an ounce of self-esteem.

[Gbb]

1 hour ago, cooksdelight said:

Matthew deleted a comment I made on his page!! Shame on him!!! I told him he should listen to the critiques (that shot of him when his mouth turned down). Instead, he's thanking all his fans for their wonderfulness.

What a twit.  (I went and read the thread to see the comments he's allowing to stay up. It made me gag). 

[Johnny Dollar]

During the first few seasons of this show, quite a few of the contestants would be YouTube "stars". Now, not only are these same people made judges, they are actually given their own show. It kind of makes the whole reason for this show's existence unnecessary. 

[bluepiano]

The order of elimination this season continues to be completely predictable. Each week we know the person whose time has come. This week it was Cao. Next to go has to be Amy. She was so frenzied and frazzled and seemingly in over her head. Well, at least she had some entertainment value, compared to Cao, who has been sleep walking through the entre season. (Early on the judges were talking about her being "charming" but I never saw that). And Amy's inappropriate comments (like the one about calling child protective services) have added a little spice to an otherwise boring season.

That's actually why (I know I'm in a small minority here) I hope Matthew stays around. At least getting annoyed at him is keeping me awake during this snooze of a season. (Addie is another one who puts me to sleep).

Maybe that's the reason for Giada's judge's table outfit. She was trying to wake people up.

[Snarklepuss]

21 hours ago, Gbb said:

I'm not saying I don't understand their frustration when Matthew jumps in to "save" them (or that I wouldn't freeze like a deer in the headlights if he did it to me). I'm just saying you will never come out of it looking good if you shut down/freeze out the interruption. You'll look awkward at best and sullen at worst. Roll with it and let HIM be the one who comes off looking awkward. I'm picturing Matthew doing that to Jason in a presentation. I could be wrong, but I can't imagine Jason missing a beat. 

THIS.  ITA and it's not about defending Matthew either.  I just think it's pretty obvious by now that he was hired by TPTB  to "test" them to see how they would react under those circumstances.  The rule is "never let 'em see you sweat".  You just have to roll with it. 

Reminds me of when I was in grad. school doing a group presentation.  We had one obnoxious person in the group that kept butting into each of our individual presentations with comments.  Now I was far from the expert on presenting, but even I knew not to shut down or freeze when in that situation.  I was reduced to saying things like "Yes, that's a very good point", or "Exactly like I was just going to say", or "Yes, and the main point I wanted to make is....", and then just plowing through, not giving them any opening to keep going.  I even remember addressing them so it would look like we intended it to be a "back and forth" kind of thing.  No one was the wiser until they did it with the next person, who reacted just like Addie did.  I remember the professor later telling me I handled myself very well "under the circumstances".  In addition to not letting on how pissed off you are when someone tries to steal your thunder, you also have to react to it with grace.  There's an element of spontaneity when presenting that not everyone can summon up.  Some people are so "rehearsed" in their minds they can't think on their feet like that.  So when someone throws them a curve ball like that, it completely throws them off their game.

Edited July 4, 2017 by Snarklepuss

[grisgris]

My thoughts on Matthew echo everybody else's. He's arrogant, smug, annoying and rude and interestingly enough, his food consistently underwhelms the judges. He pointedly left out an ingredient from his selection of leftover ingredients and the judges said nothing. (Same with Jason's overcooked succotash.) On "Chopped," Matthew would have been sent home more likely than not.  I am not defending Matthew rudely interrupting his co-presenters but I think he picked up that from a prior season. It was the one where Eddie Jackson won. The contestants were doing a similar ensemble presentation and whomever the guest judge was made it very clear that a "good host" jumps in to engage the guests and other hosts, especially when one seems to be floundering. That and Matthew's just a selfish ass who is trying to put himself front and center under the guise of "being helpful."

My guess is that Bobby sees a younger version of himself in Matthew with the SW cooking POV. When Matthews presented his taquitos, Bobby nodded approvingly and muttered something like, "good southwestern flavors." Maybe Bobby is living vicariously through Matthew of what Bobby's time on FNS would have been like if had had to go through the ranks back then. I remember on the episode where Giada abruptly axed Matthew that Bobby gave a weak defensive argument that Matthew was "just young and immature." However, he seems to be a better cook than Addie, Amy and maybe Rusty, so I don't see him going anywhere soon.

Cao was a great choice to send home. What a hot mess her demo was. Did I hear correctly of her saying that she's done improv before? Where? At the city morgue?

I don't like Addie and wouldn't watch her. "Brittle" is an apt descriptor.  One cold blonde in Martha Stewart is enough. I don't care how posh Addie's recipes and entertaining tips are.

Jason seems to be the best raw material that has come FNS's way in quite some time. However, I agree that his savory dishes have fallen short. He's be great as a random "Southern cooking" guest on a show like "The Kitchen" or a judge on a baking competition. However, I think watching a solid half hour of him on a regular basis would get old quickly.

I've noted Giada's dresses but what stands out for me more is how terrible she looks. This has to be the thinnest she's been ever and she looks so haggard. Maybe trying to do FN and running a restaurant is too much for her because she truly seems detached and is phoning it in. Girlfriend isn't aging well at all.

[leighdear]

10 hours ago, spiderpig said:

You're absolutely right.  Contestants come and go, but who are the guys we actually remember?  The ones we want to see demolished in real time.

Matthew is past his sell-by date.  I'm sure there are hundreds of cringeworthy wannabes waiting out there, so get with it, FN.  We need variety.

Exactly!  How often do we drag Penny Davidi up from the depths of the Food Network gutter?

Addie has such a good resume, I'd love to see her loosen up and rock some challenges.  She & Jason are the 2 I'm rooting for this season.  I like Cory, but I don't think he's a media personality.  

Edited July 4, 2017 by leighdear

[Drogo]

Debating whether I should tell Khaleesi that most everyone dislikes her favorite contestant.

Her least favorites are Amy and Rusty.

[cooksdelight]

1 hour ago, Johnny Dollar said:

During the first few seasons of this show, quite a few of the contestants would be YouTube "stars". Now, not only are these same people made judges, they are actually given their own show. It kind of makes the whole reason for this show's existence unnecessary. 

Johnny, make me hollar!! :) You are so right. The earlier seasons were about finding someone who could cook well, relate to a wide audience, and be entertaining. The past 3 or 4 seasons have not been about that at all. When Alton left, he took the show with him.

[Snarklepuss]

17 minutes ago, Drogo said:

Debating whether I should tell Khaleesi that most everyone dislikes her favorite contestant.

Her least favorites are Amy and Rusty.

The thing about Matthew is that when he's not acting "in character" as the stereotyped "obnoxious know-it-all millennial" he's probably a very nice guy.  The glimpses of his "real" personality that we have seen seem to bear that out.  So perhaps she's seeing through the BS to that.  I don't want to hate Matthew either - I'm pissed off more that the show has hired him to play that character and not allowed him to be his genuine self.  Of course, he had to agree to play that obnoxious role so he's not without blame there, but I think he could be very appealing and it's a shame he's gone down that route.

[Gbb]

7 minutes ago, Snarklepuss said:

The thing about Matthew is that when he's not acting "in character" as the stereotyped "obnoxious know-it-all millennial" he's probably a very nice guy.  The glimpses of his "real" personality that we have seen seem to bear that out.  So perhaps she's seeing through the BS to that.  I don't want to hate Matthew either - I'm pissed off more that the show has hired him to play that character and not allowed him to be his genuine self.  Of course, he had to agree to play that obnoxious role so he's not without blame there, but I think he could be very appealing and it's a shame he's gone down that route.

I think we're seeing Matthew's real personality, just the worst side of it. (His erasing a "critique" as mild as "I think you should listen to the judges" bears that out to me). He's shown (in Comeback Kitchen, imo) that he can behave like a decent guy and not a smirking know-it-all. When he's given direct feedback that he's being an ass, he knows how to rein it in. The problem is, he's getting feedback saying "Be 150% of yourself" from Bobby without any provisos like "By that I mean, be energetic and fun and knowledgeable about food, *not* a camera-hogging ass who thinks no one knows as much as you do."

At the end of the day, spiderpig is right though. Who do we spend our time talking about? Matthew. He's annoying as hell but this season would be a snooze without him.

Edited July 4, 2017 by Gbb

[Snarklepuss]

48 minutes ago, Gbb said:

I think we're seeing Matthew's real personality, just the worst side of it. (His erasing a "critique" as mild as "I think you should listen to the judges" bears that out to me). He's shown (in Comeback Kitchen, imo) that he can behave like a decent guy and not a smirking know-it-all. When he's given direct feedback that he's being an ass, he knows how to rein it in. The problem is, he's getting feedback saying "Be 150% of yourself" from Bobby without any provisos like "By that I mean, be energetic and fun and knowledgeable about food, *not* a camera-hogging ass who thinks no one knows as much as you do."

I think the real Matthew knows better than to act like that big a camera hogging asshole that consistently over how many seasons now?  It's just too hard for me to believe that he's being "for real" as an obnoxious ass by now.  Not if he can act so "normal" and conscientious when he's not in his "role".  I don't think someone that obnoxious can turn it off so well if that were their real personality.  Bobby asking him to act "150% himself" is code word for "turn on the fake obnoxious ass act for drama".  Of course when people act they are summoning up something real inside themselves or they wouldn't be believable in the role, but that's still not the "real" them.  YMMV.

[Hotel Diva]

11 hours ago, BabyVegas said:

I hate Matthew. I didn't watch whatever season he was on so I didn't come into this season with any pre-formed opinions, but now I want him off of my TV as quickly as possible. He's such a smug snake. He absolutely knew exactly what he was doing. In his talking head he said "I'm only trying to help" with that big shit-eating grin on his face. I'd be willing to bet that he was trying to throw Addie off or, at least, he was trying to show how energetic he was in direct comparison. Seriously, I cannot express how much I want him to leave. And his extremely irritating continued presence is causing me to hate the judges because they absolutely will not call him on it. They didn't say a thing about him calling Addie "babe" nor did they say a thing about him getting up in Addie's demonstration. If they were to give him a show, I would actively not watch it because his obnoxious and borderline sexist (if not actually outright sexist) behavior is just that irritating.

 

 

1 hour ago, grisgris said:

My thoughts on Matthew echo everybody else's. He's arrogant, smug, annoying and rude and interestingly enough, his food consistently underwhelms the judges. He pointedly left out an ingredient from his selection of leftover ingredients and the judges said nothing. (Same with Jason's overcooked succotash.) On "Chopped," Matthew would have been sent home more likely than not.  I am not defending Matthew rudely interrupting his co-presenters but I think he picked up that from a prior season. It was the one where Eddie Jackson won. The contestants were doing a similar ensemble presentation and whomever the guest judge was made it very clear that a "good host" jumps in to engage the guests and other hosts, especially when one seems to be floundering. That and Matthew's just a selfish ass who is trying to put himself front and center under the guise of "being helpful."

My guess is that Bobby sees a younger version of himself in Matthew with the SW cooking POV. When Matthews presented his taquitos, Bobby nodded approvingly and muttered something like, "good southwestern flavors." Maybe Bobby is living vicariously through Matthew of what Bobby's time on FNS would have been like if had had to go through the ranks back then. I remember on the episode where Giada abruptly axed Matthew that Bobby gave a weak defensive argument that Matthew was "just young and immature." However, he seems to be a better cook than Addie, Amy and maybe Rusty, so I don't see him going anywhere soon.

Cao was a great choice to send home. What a hot mess her demo was. 

Come sit with me. Why does Matthew have to be this arrogant? I would never ever in my whole heck of a life watch that big fat obnoxious Matthew on a show. Ever. Interrupting poor Addie and then letting the judges make fun of her by letting her take the blame. Addie is not only being invaded by Matthew, but she is also being bullied. Matthew is a bully.

[spiderpig]

Maybe they should create a spin-off series, Food Network Fail.  It would be fun rooting for our least favorite contender.  They'd all win.  Or is it lose?

[Destiny74]

5 hours ago, Johnny Dollar said:

During the first few seasons of this show, quite a few of the contestants would be YouTube "stars". Now, not only are these same people made judges, they are actually given their own show. It kind of makes the whole reason for this show's existence unnecessary. 

Count me as someone who wondered this too.  If you can get a FN show by having an amusing You Tube page, why put yourself through this hell?

Oh, and Cory... do you fresh bake all the bread and pastry used in your restaurants? How about when you make a pot pie at home?  Have you never used frozen puff pastry or phyllo?  Especially the phyllo, what a pain in the ass to make.  So, Cory has never made spanokopita, baklava, pot pie, Napoleons, etc.?  I kinda find that hard to believe. Not to mention how snobby he sounded about the prepared dough.  

Edited July 4, 2017 by Destiny74

[Irlandesa]

13 hours ago, BabyVegas said:

Perhaps I have some sympathy for Addie because I am also a more reserved personality type and sometimes that comes across as cold to people who are looking for someone super excitable. That being said, I also would never go on Food Network for exactly that reason. A refined and upper-crust entertaining style is fine. Hell, Addie's former employer made bunches of money doing just that. But it's not Food Network's energy and so even though I like her and I would watch her, she just isn't the right fit.

I liked reserved too. I am reserved.  But I don't think Addie's problem is simply that she's reserved.  You can be poised and reserved and still own your set.  Martha is the boss of her set. Even when she's with comedians on late night shows who are mugging all about she has a posed calm.  Even before Matthew said a word, Addie looked intimidated by the camera.

I agree that people need to be spontaneous and engage while on TV with other people.  The problem with Matthew is that he doesn't try to engage.  He talks and talks and talks over people.  He also got into Addie's space while she was trying to prepare her dish.  She almost tripped over him when she turned around. Those kind of shenanigans aren't typical unless you're on one of those aforementioned late night talk shows.

4 hours ago, grisgris said:

He pointedly left out an ingredient from his selection of leftover ingredients and the judges said nothing. (Same with Jason's overcooked succotash.)

I'm not sure what you mean.  They may not have said anything to Jason or Matthew during judging but both of these things were mentioned during their filmed critique.

19 hours ago, rab01 said:

The extra judge in the first panel was Hannah Hart.  She's a comedian whose most famous running youtube show is "My Drunk Kitchen" where she does exactly that - get very drunk and cook a meal (no knives though because she is actually drunk). The first time I saw it, I was just puzzled but the humor kind of snuck up on me.  She's smart, nice, and funny but, as far as I know, not a good cook.

And I believe she has been a judge on this show before too. 

[bluepiano]

4 hours ago, grisgris said:

Cao was a great choice to send home. What a hot mess her demo was. Did I hear correctly of her saying that she's done improv before? Where? At the city morgue?

I don't like Addie and wouldn't watch her. "Brittle" is an apt descriptor.  One cold blonde in Martha Stewart is enough. I don't care how posh Addie's recipes and entertaining tips are.

Jason seems to be the best raw material that has come FNS's way in quite some time. However, I agree that his savory dishes have fallen short. He's be great as a random "Southern cooking" guest on a show like "The Kitchen" or a judge on a baking competition. However, I think watching a solid half hour of him on a regular basis would get old quickly.

I just watched that part again, and Cao said that bombing her demo reminded her of when she froze doing stand-up comedy. Yeah, hard to fathom, but I image it was in front of an audience of hipsters who were similarly energy-challenged. I have worked with a few millennials who have that same flat affect. I had to learn not to take it personally when it felt like everything I said bored them to tears.

Amy was also a hot mess, especially when she finished her presentation by stuffing a wad of food into her mouth, much of which ended up on her chin. Giada (of the teeny tiny bites) must've been horrified. I imagine that Martha Jr. was too, by the breach of etiquette. A couple of people on this forum have said they have trouble telling Amy and Addie apart, but to me their polar opposites. Addie is Ms. Perfect, while Amy wears rumpled t-shirts and always seems a bit buzzed. I can see her being the "fun mom" who amuses the neighborhood kids while embarrassing her own.

I think Addie will make the finals because they will want one female, but I can't imagine her winning. FN does not seem to me to cater to the Martha Stewart crowd. And I believe you're right that Jason won't win either but will be active on the FN guest judge circuit.

[BabyVegas]

18 minutes ago, bluepiano said:

I think Addie will make the finals because they will want one female, but I can't imagine her winning. FN does not seem to me to cater to the Martha Stewart crowd. And I believe you're right that Jason won't win either but will be active on the FN guest judge circuit.

If we're wearing tin foil hats, I suspect Cory will win because he's got the credentials and he is appealing looks-wise. He'll probably get some YouTube show equivalent. Jason and Addie will round out the top three with Jason going onto all of FN's baking shows.

3 hours ago, spiderpig said:

Maybe they should create a spin-off series, Food Network Fail.  It would be fun rooting for our least favorite contender.  They'd all win.  Or is it lose?

Actually, if we get to vote them off, Food Network Star: Redemption Island could actually be a lot of fun. I would heartily watch a show where they read our reactions to people like Matthew. "Matthew, the audience thinks that you're too smug and that the only show you should be hosting is on public access cable at 3 am. Rusty, the audience has said that if they hear 'how ya dern' one more time, they will have a collective aneurysm. Matthew...you have received the most votes and will be going home this week."

[spiderpig]

3 minutes ago, BabyVegas said:

Actually, if we get to vote them off, Food Network Star: Redemption Island could actually be a lot of fun. I would heartily watch a show where they read our reactions to people like Matthew. "Matthew, the audience thinks that you're too smug and that the only show you should be hosting is on public access cable at 3 am. Rusty, the audience has said that if they hear 'how ya dern' one more time, they will have a collective aneurysm. Matthew...you have received the most votes and will be going home this week."

I'm in.  Think we can bring back Kermit and Medusa to produce?

[Totale]

3 minutes ago, BabyVegas said:

Matthew, the audience thinks that you're too smug and that the only show you should be hosting is on public access cable at 3 am.

Or he could be a guest on this one

 

[buttersister]

Haven't watched in ages (when they either stopped giving people shows or even pretending they were going to). Quite the train wreck/Bobby & Giada vanity project.

PRODUCER: Anybody got a good villain for this season?
INTERN: My cousin Matthew is a natural---nobody in the family can stand him.
BOBBY: I could pretend he's a mini-me.
GIADA: Shpagetttttttiiiii.

 

[Destiny74]

18 minutes ago, buttersister said:

Haven't watched in ages (when they either stopped giving people shows or even pretending they were going to). Quite the train wreck/Bobby & Giada vanity project.

PRODUCER: Anybody got a good villain for this season?
INTERN: My cousin Matthew is a natural---nobody in the family can stand him.
BOBBY: I could pretend he's a mini-me.
GIADA: Shpagetttttttiiiii.

 

Lol.  Perfect.

[seacliffsal]

I think that one of the reasons that they don't reign in Matthew, and now Corey, is that the show used to purposefully have things go wrong and then tell the contestants that on live t.v. you have to deal with what happens.  They may be using Matthew in that same capacity.  It seems like they are emphasizing shows that have a group of cohosts and want to see if the contestants roll with it or freeze up with it.  However, the problem is that the hosts have sent a message to the other contestants that Matthew is just fine interrupting the other contestants and thus we see Cory starting to do it as well.

When Cao said that she had done stand-up it struck me that she was all about the "star" part of the Food Network Star.  Perhaps yet another special snowflake who thinks she should be famous without talent or merit.  Even though the judges kept telling us she was an expert with Vietnamese dishes and flavors, she never showed us that.  

I also don't think Rusty is funny like the judges keep telling me...

[cooksdelight]

2 hours ago, BabyVegas said:

Actually, if we get to vote them off, Food Network Star: Redemption Island could actually be a lot of fun. I would heartily watch a show where they read our reactions to people like Matthew. "Matthew, the audience thinks that you're too smug and that the only show you should be hosting is on public access cable at 3 am. Rusty, the audience has said that if they hear 'how ya dern' one more time, they will have a collective aneurysm. Matthew...you have received the most votes and will be going home this week."

Someone needs to make this happen. Please????

[Hotel Diva]

13 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

 

I also don't think Rusty is funny like the judges keep telling me...

I agree. I hate how he keeps saying "How ya durin!" screaming through the microphone. If you want to have your time to talk, then shut up and let others speak! Don't just keep going like you did with Suzanne 2 weeks ago.

I have to agree with everyone else about Matthew. He is a big fat bully, and I mean it.

[spiderpig]

3 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I liked reserved too. I am reserved.  But I don't think Addie's problem is simply that she's reserved.  You can be poised and reserved and still own your set.  Martha is the boss of her set. Even when she's with comedians on late night shows who are mugging all about she has a posed calm.  Even before Matthew said a word, Addie looked intimidated by the camera.

A propos of nothing, I couldn't stand Martha before she wore that handmade poncho in prison.  Now I'm an ardent fan.  Lighten up, Addie!

[TDT]

23 hours ago, rab01 said:

The extra judge in the first panel was Hannah Hart.  She's a comedian whose most famous running youtube show is "My Drunk Kitchen" where she does exactly that - get very drunk and cook a meal (no knives though because she is actually drunk). The first time I saw it, I was just puzzled but the humor kind of snuck up on me.  She's smart, nice, and funny but, as far as I know, not a good cook.

 

Doesn't she have her own Food Network show coming soon?