S08.E01: Battle for the South: The Big 'Not So Easy'

[Whimsy]

Seven teams arrive in the streets of the French Quarter in New Orleans, where they meet host Tyler Florence. Their first challenge is to create their own version of a beignet and sell it in the French Quarter. 

[Maverick]

I guess the graphic artist was one of the budget cuts. These have to be the bland, boring trucks I've ever seen. 

[whinewithwine]

Well, Tyler did bother to shave.

[Aerobicidal]

Braised in the South sounds like a euphemism for some sort of genital condition; I’m not sure whether it’s more likely to be elective or pathological.

Everything is pink, saucy, thick, and creamy. . . . I'm now imagining Sandra Lee as a phone sex operator and I may never recover.

$25K after taxes is enough for a food truck and a school in the Dominican Republic? Maybe if the school happens inside the food truck. Someone on Chopped season 75 is going to have an amazing sob story about growing up, working, and going to school all in the same truck.

“Who doesn’t like breakfast nachos?” The same soulless, heartless, godless people who also dislike tater tot cheesecake, chicken salad ice cream, and bubblegum-scented chicken liver paté.

“I want to win this for my daughters.” But are you here to make friends? “I quit my job for this.” But has anyone close to you died in the last seventeen hours? “It’s make or break.” But do you count your spring chickens before they go to hell in a hands down the best season of this show ever?

I’m glad that someone used the term “Lord honey.” It’s been too long since I’ve heard that on Food Network on a Sunday. 

Overall, this was really hard to sit through. I’m looking for a late summer snark show to replace Food Network Star but I think that's going to be Project Runway instead.

[Whimsy]

It was really interesting watching this episode since we were contacted to be on the show, but the filming schedule conflicted with my daughter starting school at the Culinary Institute of America. I wonder how it would've been different had we been on since we are from Massachusetts. I don't think they would've had us and Wicked Good Seafood on. Plus, part of my husbands cuisine (since he and my daughter are the chefs. I was told I was only allowed to deal with the customers not the food lol) is BBQ. It just makes watching such a different experience thinking we may have been competing with the other teams.

The Breakfast Club annoys me. A lot. I hate that they are pushing their "millenialness" but their truck concept is from my generation. Breakfast Nachos sounded disgusting.

I am wondering where Braised in the South got their classical training. My daughter told me "classically trained" doesn't necessarily mean they attended culinary school, which was what I thought they meant. 

If I never hear "Lord honey" or any other of those exaggerated sayings again I'll be happy. 

[xaxat]

Not great, but an improvement over last year.

I was pleasantly surprised by the skills of the teams. . . except for Team "on a stick". And we had a recognizable venue. A big improvement over last season's succession of suburban SoCal. 

After Jason on FNS, I can't take any more "slap your mama" type sayings.

ETA, I'm craving beignets right now.

[mlp]

This episode felt like the original food truck race is back after the lousy California only season but, as someone above said, the truck decorations are totally uninspired.  The only team I disliked right off the bat was the Dominican one.  I don't care to watch their fighting and crying so I hope they don't last long.  

The man in the Frenchie truck is seriously good-looking.  (Haven't learned names yet)  I hope he's around awhile.  I feel a bit guilty saying that because he's younger than my kids but he's really cute.  :)

I got a kick out of the breakfast kid but I have a feeling he's going become tiresome in short order.

Quote

 Someone on Chopped season 75 is going to have an amazing sob story about growing up, working, and going to school all in the same truck.

That's hilarious.  I can picture Ted being gracious and sympathetic already.

[Chyromaniac]

1 hour ago, Whimsy said:

Breakfast Nachos sounded disgusting.

Breakfast Nachos as a concept are fine - where I'm at, they seem to be a pretty standard "weekend bar brunch" item.  However they lost me at the whole fried egg on top - that will not Nacho.

[Gbb]

2 hours ago, Aerobicidal said:

$25K after taxes is enough for a food truck and a school in the Dominican Republic? Maybe if the school happens inside the food truck. Someone on Chopped season 75 is going to have an amazing sob story about growing up, working, and going to school all in the same truck.

Lord, honey, that was funny. 

Ok, I'm on record as liking Jason fine, even if he turned the "Lord honeys" up to 11 for FNS. But Southern Mama on a stick is already on my last nerve. Make. It. Stop. 

[TDT]

3 hours ago, Aerobicidal said:

$25K after taxes is enough for a food truck and a school in the Dominican Republic? Maybe if the school happens inside the food truck. Someone on Chopped season 75 is going to have an amazing sob story about growing up, working, and going to school all in the same truck.

“I want to win this for my daughters.” But are you here to make friends? “I quit my job for this.” But has anyone close to you died in the last seventeen hours? “It’s make or break.” But do you count your spring chickens before they go to hell in a hands down the best season of this show ever?

It was kind of odd to see the sob stories this season..did they do these on previous ones?

 

1 hour ago, Gbb said:

Ok, I'm on record as liking Jason fine, even if he turned the "Lord honeys" up to 11 for FNS. But Southern Mama on a stick is already on my last nerve. Make. It. Stop. 

What if it turns out that Jason is a distant cousin of hers lol

[GaT]

So, another season of people who have never owned a food truck before. Why? And why are they all trying to make New Orleans tasting food? People can get that anytime, make something they can’t get.

If I hear “I’m not ready to go home yet” again I’m going to cut a bitch

Can’t stand Papi Chulos or Mickey from The Breakfast Club, & why do their shirts say “Brunch Squad” if their name is “The Breakfast Club”?

It was obvious Wicked Good Seafood was going home from the first challenge.

Edited August 21, 2017 by GaT

[HappyDancex2]

I hope the Southern Frenchie truck gets eliminated next week.  I was really hoping for this episode!  If they are giving that girl with the horrible nasally vocal fry all of the talking heads, voice overs and tv time for their truck then this will be the shortest season ever for me.  Her voice literally made me cringe.  Stabby.

 

I agree with the other posters on the tired euphemisms being puked out of this show.  And Lord Honey it's only been a week since somebody's momma or granmomma got slapped with a biscuit.  Hiya durn?!

::ducks::

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, GaT said:

And why are they all trying to make New Orleans tasting food? People can get that anytime, make something they can’t get.

They were told they had to make beignets and a Hurricane inspired dish other than that they seemed to make their own dishes but severally of them happened to be from the South so there was overlap.

[cooksdelight]

Did somebody go home? I fell asleep halfway through. Or forced myself to sleep to block it out, I don't know which. I don't like the mean dad, nor the Stick mama. I can't even remember the names of the trucks except for "on a stick".

[biakbiak]

7 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

Did somebody go home?

The seafood dudes, I have no idea their name.

[cooksdelight]

The three guys who barely made $30? Good....

[Morgana]

I'm just relieved that the air horn didn't make a comeback.

[cameron]

Did anyone else recognize that they use overhead film footage of downtown Savannah's riverfront.  Can even pick out the Westin Hotel across the river .

[candall]

They almost lost me in the first five minutes when I thought it was going to be an entire show full of Jasons.  I started breaking out in a rash.

How weird to have a whole season of people with no food truck experience--witness the family freaking out in Costco about what kind of paper plates they should use and how many they'd need.  Pretty sure "I am the chef!" doesn't cover that sort of expertise, information they should've pinned down way before the cameras started rolling. 

Funny THs raving about Susan Spicer, from a bunch of people who don't seem to have heard of Susan Spicer.  Hee.

I just spent two weeks criss-crossing the southeast--including NOLA--and the fresh seafood was fantastic.  I wouldn't have been rushing to get a big bowl of Wicked Good's northern variations.  I don't know, Whimsy, maybe you dodged a bullet, or maybe your BBQ would have been a big hit.  I hope you get another chance!

[cherbitrary]

11 hours ago, GaT said:

Can’t stand Papi Chulos or Mickey from The Breakfast Club, & why do their shirts say “Brunch Squad” if their name is “The Breakfast Club”?

The shirt thing was distracting me from what was actually going on in the episode.  I was looking at every other team's shirts to see if theirs matched the truck name or what.  Kept wanting to come here and see if anyone else had noticed/had an answer, but I kind of didn't want to be spoiled on the outcome, either.

And does anyone know why the main Breakfast Club/Brunch Squad guy would look familiar to me?  Has he been on another show?

[cherbitrary]

15 minutes ago, cherbitrary said:

And does anyone know why the main Breakfast Club/Brunch Squad guy would look familiar to me?  Has he been on another show?

Ahhh, the internet - answered my own question: Chopped & Kitchen Inferno.

Edited August 21, 2017 by cherbitrary
added link

[Rachel RSL]

I need Brunch Squad or Breakfast Club or whatever they're called to go away sooner rather than later and I fully admit that it's for purely superficial reasons. Mainly: his eyebrows. I'm sorry, they freak me out and I don't want to look at them all season. Also, I just seem to have an irrational dislike for him, he annoys me. 

I really wish they'd go back to teams with existing food trucks.  Sure, some of them had pre-existing fan bases which was a bit annoying but I feel like there was much less time spent on "What cups should we buy?" and "How do we turn on the oven?".

[GaT]

11 minutes ago, Rachel RSL said:

I need Brunch Squad or Breakfast Club or whatever they're called to go away sooner rather than later and I fully admit that it's for purely superficial reasons. Mainly: his eyebrows. I'm sorry, they freak me out and I don't want to look at them all season. Also, I just seem to have an irrational dislike for him, he annoys me. 

Exactly how I feel. When they're on screen I spend the entire time switching between staring at their confusing shirts & his eyebrows. I hope they're gone soon.

[MortysCleaningLady]

So, do know definitely that the Stick lady is not Jason's sister, mother, or aunt?  Because, Lord Honey, she sounds like she came from the same family or casting agency.

 

And I truly need The Breakfast Club to leave as soon as humanly possible.  Or the women could stay with a new male associate.   Lord Honey, I want to slap him.

[meep.meep]

2 hours ago, cherbitrary said:

Ahhh, the internet - answered my own question: Chopped & Kitchen Inferno.

I kept thinking he was Kent, of Kent and Vixen from the Amazing Race.  Probably it's the eyebrows.  Any chance he might shave them off?  Viewers' choice, of course.

[GaT]

24 minutes ago, MortysCleaningLady said:

So, do know definitely that the Stick lady is not Jason's sister, mother, or aunt?  Because, Lord Honey, she sounds like she came from the same family or casting agency.

I'm pretty sure it's casting agency.

[candall]

Okay, I will assume responsibility for supporting the Breakfast Brunch Club Squad.  Dude With Eyebrows seems least likely to drawl about buttering his butt and insisting he's a biscuit. 

[Marvin]

3 hours ago, cherbitrary said:

Ahhh, the internet - answered my own question: Chopped & Kitchen Inferno.

That is why he is so annoying - he is a media whore ! To be honest he doesn't come over as though he can cook. Yes he is knowledgeable, but that doesn't make you a good chef.  He also chose breakfasts - a super easy uncomplicated thing to cook ! I really don't know how he won Chopped or got onto the other show. He does however have an agent and wants to become a home brand  !  His parents also run a culinary school - so he certainly isn't an ordinary teenager.

 

I really don't know how they won this challenge as i can't see anyone wanting to buy an egg on a nacho !

[bluepiano]

23 hours ago, Aerobicidal said:

I’m glad that someone used the term “Lord honey.” It’s been too long since I’ve heard that on Food Network on a Sunday. 

Yes, I was worried that with FNS over I would not be getting my fix of southern fried folksiness. She actually went "full monty," with "it'll make you want to slap your grandma upside her head," which even Jason on FNS didn't say. (not that I heard).

Food Network must really be working off demographic data that shows their audience is overwhelmingly southern. Or else composed of Yankees who can't get enough of southern accents and anything remotely Cajun.

Because of that I predict that Stick 'Em Up will be around for a while for the entertainment value. Not only do we have the "lord honeys," but we also had one of the sons cringing at his mother making sexual double entendres. Interesting, because I googled their name to make sure I had it right, and it brought up their Facebook page for their "faith based cakes." No doubt they will be playing the Jesus card at some point.

This show swings back and forth between seasons with actual food truck operators and seasons with chefs/wannebes looking to get their first food truck. Personally, I much prefer to see a competition between real food trucks. With the wannabes a lot of it comes down to their inexperience with cooking and selling out of a food truck, and to me that's way less interesting.

Edited August 22, 2017 by bluepiano

[Skyfall]

Knowing what I know this is going to be an interesting season. I will say Wicked was annoying me. The Stick truck mom is so awful to her partners for being "Faith Based"

[Totale]

9 hours ago, cherbitrary said:

Ahhh, the internet - answered my own question: Chopped & Kitchen Inferno.

Even if it hadn't been specifically him, you will have seen Loud Dancey Urning on some show as a modern casting stereotype, much like Sassy Black Woman, Big Mama Cornpone, Disfunctional Family Who Loves Each Other After All or Fat Sloppy Guy.

[LittleIggy]

On 8/21/2017 at 0:10 AM, Chyromaniac said:

Breakfast Nachos as a concept are fine - where I'm at, they seem to be a pretty standard "weekend bar brunch" item.  However they lost me at the whole fried egg on top - that will not Nacho.

A local bar/restaurant has them for brunch and they are delicious. They use scrambled eggs and house made kettle chips in the dish.

[bluepiano]

1 hour ago, Skyfall said:

Stick truck mom is so awful to her partners for being "Faith Based"

Especially as her partners are her sons.

[suebee12]

10 hours ago, GaT said:

When they're on screen I spend the entire time switching between staring at their confusing shirts & his eyebrows. I hope they're gone soon.

Sorry, I have to ask! What do you want to go soon, the team or his eyebrows?(insert grin)!

[GaT]

23 minutes ago, suebee12 said:

Sorry, I have to ask! What do you want to go soon, the team or his eyebrows?(insert grin)!

The team. That way the shirts AND his eyebrows are gone :-)

[TDT]

11 hours ago, MortysCleaningLady said:

So, do know definitely that the Stick lady is not Jason's sister, mother, or aunt?  Because, Lord Honey, she sounds like she came from the same family or casting agency.

 

Something tells me he'll turn up in a later episode which involves the teams doing a challenge that was thought up by"a certain Food Network Star winner"...

Edited August 22, 2017 by TDT

[Rachel RSL]

15 hours ago, Marvin said:

That is why he is so annoying - he is a media whore !

I'll just preface this comment by saying that I've accepted the fact that I'm officially old and you kids get off my lawn! But I find it amusing that Team Club Brunch Breakfast Squad talked about how they were going to break the Millennial stereotype about wanting things easily without working hard, meanwhile this is his 3rd reality show. I guess winning money on reality shows is considered "working hard" for the younger generation? Seriously, get off my lawn!

[bluepiano]

On ‎8‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 11:36 PM, GaT said:

It was obvious Wicked Good Seafood was going home from the first challenge.

Because they are not from the south?

 

5 hours ago, TDT said:

Something tells me he'll turn up in a later episode which involves the teams doing a challenge that was thought up by"a certain Food Network Star winner"...

Did they actually say that? If so, it will be Jason for sure. Maybe on an episode that features Honey Boo Boo as guest judge.

[Skyfall]

18 minutes ago, bluepiano said:

Because they are not from the south?

 

Did they actually say that? If so, it will be Jason for sure. Maybe on an episode that features Honey Boo Boo as guest judge.

I think we are safe (they're not hitting KY plus knowledge) but you never know. I will say they've never done that so I doubt they start now. Also a few of these teams aren't from the south (at least one from Philly and I would consider Texas more Midwest or Southwest as far as food is concerned).

[bluepiano]

Just now, Skyfall said:

Also a few of these teams aren't from the south (at least one from Philly and I would consider Texas more Midwest or Southwest as far as food is concerned).

True, but as they're calling this season "The Battle for the South" I assume that all the challenges are going to revolve around cooking southern food. Coming after the heavy southern emphasis of this season's Food Network Star it's already feeling repetitive to me, like it's Part Two of the same never ending show.

[xaxat]

I forgot to mention one of my favorite moments from the episode. The "WTF am I supposed to do with this?" look on Susan Spicer's face when handed Team On a Stick's creation.

[Totale]

The inside of the trucks looked nice, I guess they finally bought new.  I seem to remember them running the old trucks into the ground until they were breaking down all the time onscreen and then devising lesser competition shows to give them away on.

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, Totale said:

The inside of the trucks looked nice, I guess they finally bought new.  I seem to remember them running the old trucks into the ground until they were breaking down all the time onscreen and then devising lesser competition shows to give them away on.

In the early seasons the competition was between established food trucks and the contestants brought their own trucks which is why they broke down a lot because a lot of them were not meant to drive such distances. Back then the prize was just cash, later they switched to people who didn't have their own food trucks so they provide new trucks and the prize became the food truck.

[jcbrown]

Add me to the list of people who were confused about brunch squad vs breakfast club. That said, although Mikey would drive me crazy IRL, it seemed the fact that he is perpetually cranked up to 11 served his team well.

Twit on a stick can go home yesterday. Grating, shrill, awful.

[meep.meep]

On 8/20/2017 at 9:10 PM, Chyromaniac said:

Breakfast Nachos as a concept are fine - where I'm at, they seem to be a pretty standard "weekend bar brunch" item.  However they lost me at the whole fried egg on top - that will not Nacho.

Aren't Breakfast Nachos just chilaquilas?

Mind you, there's nothing wrong with just eating nachos for breakfast.  Occasionally.....

I have a confession.  I didn't watch this last season of TNFS, but I did watch some episodes of a baking show that Justin was on.  He actually won my heart when he confessed to the British judge that he'd always wanted a Brit to tell him "Well done you!"  and so she did.

[Amarsir]

On 8/21/2017 at 2:36 AM, GaT said:

why do their shirts say “Brunch Squad” if their name is “The Breakfast Club”?

I'm going to go out on a limb and speculate that the self-labeled "Millennial Team" did not independently decide to name themselves after a movie from 1985. They were planning to go with "Brunch Squad" until a producer told them that the new name would be better.

Of course I have no proof of this other than my deep skepticism that anything on reality shows is ever actually real.

[Chyromaniac]

17 hours ago, meep.meep said:

Aren't Breakfast Nachos just chilaquilas?

Not really - it's generally just nachos, but with breakfast stuff instead of taco stuff.  Also, I haven't had chilaquiles (I know the basic idea though) - but I'd expect it's something you'd actually want to eat with utensils.  "Breakfast nachos" should still basically be finger food, which is why I balked at the fried egg on top.  

 

23 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

I find it amusing that Team Club Brunch Breakfast Squad talked about how they were going to break the Millennial stereotype about wanting things easily without working hard, meanwhile this is his 3rd reality show. I guess winning money on reality shows is considered "working hard" for the younger generation?

Well, it's not digging ditches or anything - but from my understanding being on a reality show can mean long hours of taping, being away from home for days/weeks/even months, plus, having to actually do whatever job the show is about (these teams all basically pulled a weekend shift in a food truck), all while being "entertaining."  To me, that feels like work - it's certainly not something I feel I could do.  If someone can make any money at all doing these shows, more power to them.

Edited August 23, 2017 by Chyromaniac

[Jersey Guy 87]

19 hours ago, biakbiak said:

In the early seasons the competition was between established food trucks and the contestants brought their own trucks which is why they broke down a lot because a lot of them were not meant to drive such distances. Back then the prize was just cash, later they switched to people who didn't have their own food trucks so they provide new trucks and the prize became the food truck.

I was wondering about this - is the prize just $50,000 or does the winning team also get to keep their truck?  Because it seems like after taxes $50K wouldn't be enough to even buy a truck.

[Rachel RSL]

56 minutes ago, Chyromaniac said:

 being on a reality show can mean long hours of taping, being away from home for days/weeks/even months, plus, having to actually do whatever job the show is about (these teams all basically pulled a weekend shift in a food truck), all while being "entertaining."  

Not even close to what I would consider "hard work". Not even remotely close. YMMV.

 

17 minutes ago, Jersey Guy 87 said:

I was wondering about this - is the prize just $50,000 or does the winning team also get to keep their truck?  Because it seems like after taxes $50K wouldn't be enough to even buy a truck.

I was confused about that too. The way it was worded, it sounded like the winner only gets $50 000 because I remember thinking that the winner should get the money and the truck.

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, Rachel RSL said:

was confused about that too. The way it was worded, it sounded like the winner only gets $50 000 because I remember thinking that the winner should get the money and the truck.

I think they changed it to just prize money to cut costs.