Season 10 Anticipation

[Bella]

...and I'll change the title once the season starts.

 

June 1, ladies and gents. Mark it on your calendars.

 

Here's the promo material from Food Network, which includes contestant info: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/star-talk/2014/04/24/food-network-star-season-10/

 

 

[Kromm]

WHAT THE HELL IS ALTON WEARING IN THAT PHOTO?  Huh?

 

 

Barf!

BTW:  What a boring looking group...

 

[Maverick]

Chick with a Schtick?  Check.   (Loreal.  No, not the cosmetics)

 

Healthy Cook who wants to preach to us about how tasty health food is?  Check. (Donna)

 

Food Blogger?  Check,  (Emma)

 

"Hot" Guy for Suzie to drool over?  Check.  (Luca)

 

Personal Chef for the "real" chefs to snark on?  Check.  (Nicole)

 

Home Cook for the the "real chefs" to hate on?  Check.  (Aryen)

 

Guy Who Lost a Bunch of Weight--and probably doesn't want to talk about it?  Check.  (Reuben)

 

Chef Who Learned to Cook from His Mon/Grandmom/Aunt/Great-Great-Great Grandma's Ghost?  Check.  (Kenny)

 

Classically Trained Chef who think he's better than the room?  Check.  (Christopher...guessing on the arrogant part, but his clothes in both pictures scream "Doucebag!")

 

 

Hmmm....I've never seen a lineup like this before.  Brava casting team.  I hope you were in a nice tropical locale when you phoned this in.  Or I know...you couldn't get to work because of the polar vortex and you had to go with the rejects from previous seasons.  Or maybe you dog ate your call sheets.

 

I do give them credit for only recycling one (maybe two--I think Chris was on Cutthroat Kitchen) contestant from previous shows.  Until I realized that contestant was Lenny.  Then you lost all that credit, and actually end up in a severely debit position.  Seriously?  What an annoying moron.  The only good part of his Guy's Grocery Games episode was watching him lose in the final round.  He had better be booted damn quick here.

 

Apparently Donna is not just a healthy cook, she's also a holistic life coach.  Ugh, the preachy will be turned up to 1,000 with her.  Why do the "healthy" POV cooks still sign up for this show?  It's clear the judges will never pick a winner with that goal.  Even if they do like the food (and generally the chef in that role gets lukewarm reviews, they're always more ga-ga over the "I lost a bunch of weight!" contestant) it's clear they don't think that type of show will sell to the audience so they will never pick anyone from that role.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Maverick

[kscoaster]

Just saw the commercial tonight.  I don't think any of the contestants actually spoke yet they all seem to be insufferable.  This is the only show I hate-watch, and I think this season will be delivering in spades.  Can't wait!

[6 MeowMeowBeenz]

Cowboy boots just scream "Ah'm gonna cook me up some greeyuts" or something. Maybe she'll hook up with cowboy hat. 

[Lamb18]

Hey Maverick, I'm going to do a match-up from  your descriptions and the photo without looking at any of the linked articles.  We'll see how right or wrong I am:

Loreal (schtick) - front row, black dress with leg tattoo

Donna Healthy Cook  - in back with long blonde hair

Emma Food Blogger - brown hair in back behind green dress.  But Ms. Green Dress could be food blogger w/a gimmick, like a young Pioneer Woman.

Luca Hot Guy - guy on left end in khaki shirt.  At first I was looking for Luca from MasterChef.

Reuben Lost Weight - guy in red plaid shirt, bearded in back row

Kenny inspired by Grandma - guy on right end wearing a vest

Classically trained Christopher - guy in blue jacket and jeans in front row

Mr. Cowboy Hat looks like a contestant from last season's The Biggest Loser but his name wasn't Reuben.  (There was a Reuben on that season but he was American Idol Reuben.) I didn't a feel for ms. Home Chef Aryen although the lady in the beige top, front row, could be her.  Another resemblance to a reality show person: brown-haired lady in back looks a little like Andi, the next Bachelorette.

I like the look of Mr. blue shirt w/glasses in the front row.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Lamb18

[Majorpain31]

Another season already? Does Damaris still have her show?

[chessiegal]

Damaris is in her second season. She posted on her FB page today that she got to meet this year's contestants and posted a picture of her meeting them.

[gryphon]

Wow, so many people! I'm still confusing the women (as I will for the first few weeks) but I think I've got the men down. Reuben rubs me the wrong way for some reason. But I did chuckle at Mr. Cowboy Hat exclaiming when talking about the deep fryer with Kenny, "I fry EVERYTHING."  So stereotypical yet it cracked me up. 

Glad Donna is gone--her voice grated. 

Even though they're only recycling a few from other shows, I'm not sure it's a positive when there's a "new" cast of a "new" season that makes me think, "Hey, I've seen all of these people before somewhere."  

[Kathcart]

I've seen the promo a couple of times and it includes the chilling words "this year with even MORE emotion!" (or something like that) accompanied by footage of one of the contestants crying.

 

Oh, geez. Gack. That means that Medusa and The Frog are going to be goosing the contestants into more frequent, more humiliating sob-sessions about their dead relatives. Really, why don't they have them pose for promo pictures clutching photos of the dead relatives whose backs they're going to try to ride to stardom.

 

Yuck.

 

(And also YAY!)

[Rick Kitchen]

I've seen the promo a couple of times and it includes the chilling words "this year with even MORE emotion!" (or something like that) accompanied by footage of one of the contestants crying.

 

Oh, geez. Gack. That means that Medusa and The Frog are going to be goosing the contestants into more frequent, more humiliating sob-sessions about their dead relatives. Really, why don't they have them pose for promo pictures clutching photos of the dead relatives whose backs they're going to try to ride to stardom.

 

Yuck.

 

(And also YAY!)

They said "You asked for more inspiration" and I just came to post about that.  No no no no no, I want to see more cooking, not more sobbing.

[Ouija]

Is it possible that Giada actually has more teeth this season?

 

Happy to see they've done away with the 'team' concept.  

[catnapped]

That means that Medusa and The Frog are going to be goosing the contestants into more frequent, more humiliating sob-sessions about their dead relatives. Really, why don't they have them pose for promo pictures clutching photos of the dead relatives whose backs they're going to try to ride to stardom.

 

Like that time when someone's grandmama was making her apple pie and died before she could get it in the oven (and...sniff...had to get it baked in...sob...her memory)

[Kromm]

Is it possible that Giada actually has more teeth this season?

She's like a shark, and has multiple rows.

[Lnmop]

So what's the over/under on when Alton starts his countdown of "then there were X"?

[JTMacc99]

So what's the over/under on when Alton starts his countdown of "then there were X"?

I'll take 6. By that point, we actually got to meet the people and may have just thrown out somebody who probably could have stuck around an extra week instead of some loser everybody knows is just waiting to be eliminated but somehow had a good week and escaped to live another day.

 

The way I see it, when you get down to six, at least a couple of the people have a pretty good grasp that they are doing well and can count the dead weight around them. There will be at least one who thinks he or she has a chance (Pie Guy, I'm looking in your direction) but is completely delusional. And there will be one or two as I mentioned who are just lucky somebody better than them had a worse week at least a couple times. This is the perfect time for Alton to drop the "and then there were six" line, because it will be right around when the good ones and the delusional ones start to think they have a chance.

[Totale]

Here's the basic problem - the producers, contestants and PTB are treating this like there is such a thing as a Food Network Star.  Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn were stars.  FN has presenters reading scripts and stirring up foods from the test kitchen, and they're interchangeable.

[chessiegal]

Ina Garten may be the exception, but she is not using recipes from FN test kitchens. The recipes she has on her show are hers or she has brought a guest in to do a particular dish. She uses the show to promote her cookbooks, which she publishes, not FN.

[Totale]

Ina is an exception, and there are a couple of others, Ree and the smug neo-hippie chick whose name I can't remember, who bring their shows in as a package and sell them to FN.  You don't see them as guest judges on this show, though.  I suspect they don't think of themselves as "FN stars",

[Maverick]

Actually, Ina has been a guest judge on this show a couple of times.  

[chessiegal]

Yes, Ina has been on, but I think it was on her terms, not FN. They certainly don't "own" her like they do these folks, who have signed a contract that is unbelievable (I read it a few years back, it went just shy of you have to give them your first born.) She has also done their "Thanksgiving Live" show. She has said her TV show is a small part of her business, of which she is president. My point was she is not doing recipes that someone else has developed.

Edited June 25, 2014 by chessiegal

[leighdear]

Ina can do no wrong in my book.  And I totally agree that she participates in FN "events" at her own whim and within her own comfort zone.  I love her recipes, I love her demeanor and wit, and I love her calm voice.  Her Jeffrey is a sweetie too, and obviously adores her.  I'll stop my fangirling now...*LOL*

 

I really like Ree too, and her dedication to her life outside the Food Network sphere.  She's awesome, but totally NOT caught up in her own press.  

[Maverick]

 I like Ina too (she does the Hamptons thing without being too pretentious unlike Zakarian) but I was just responding to the comment she hasn't/wouldn't be a guest on this trainwreck.  I actually like seeing her on something like this because it's a contrast that makes some of the fools look even worse.  I was sorry to hear Thanksgiving Live will just be Bobby Flay this year.  Watching Ina have to deal with Girls Gone Wild Giada was some funny shit.

[JTMacc99]

So what's the over/under on when Alton starts his countdown of "then there were X"?

Well, I made the call above that it was going to be at the final six, but Bobby started it last night with "and then there were seven".

 

I'm not sure if I was right and Bobby just jumped the gun because Alton had the week off, but I think I'm going to roll with that explanation.

[Totale]

When it finally comes to the, ahem, "audience vote" section of this contest I'll be thinking of a passage in Ben Elton's novel "Chart Throb".  It's based on a UK singing talent/reality program which is clearly not "UK Idol" or "X Factor", and its Svengali who is of course not Simon Cowell.   I'm paraphrasing this, and the emphasis is mine - Svengali is asked about the post-show careers of his stars :

 

"Do you know what it takes at this point to have a #1 record?  Nobody buys records, a single will be at the top of the charts with 50,000 sales.  50,000 sales doesn't even warrant buying advertising.  I will make more money from one night of telephone voting than from the entire recording career of any of these losers."

 

Is one night of Food Network voting enough to pay the production costs on six weeks of minimal cheap-ass Sunday morning stand and stir shows, I wonder?

Edited July 15, 2014 by Totale