Guy's Grocery Games - General Discussion

[mlp]

41 minutes ago, aquarian1 said:

I don't know, but it'll be interesting seeing what new/different.

Me too.  I'd really like to know why FN invested money in renovating the original set just recently and then decided to move.  Flavortown always looked plenty big to me, especially when the winner was racing from place to place in two minutes.

I liked they way the last show was done with flashbacks off and on and I was happy that Aaron May won.  His was the only meal that looked really high end to me.  I especially liked Guy taking Carl's picture with him as he left.

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, mlp said:

Me too.  I'd really like to know why FN invested money in renovating the original set just recently and then decided to move.  Flavortown always looked plenty big to me, especially when the winner was racing from place to place in two minutes.

I know Flavortown was built inside a warehouse and I once read that it was very close to where Guy lives which is supposedly inconvenient for everyone else to get to.  So I'm wondering if the move had something to do with needing to vacate the warehouse for some reason, like the lease was up and there were reasons not to renew it, or because the network wanted to relocate it to a more convenient area.  I'm still speculating on this.

[Yeah No]

So what did everybody think of "Flavortown 2.0"?  I thought it was kind of underwhelming and not really that different from the first one.  I did notice a few differences, though.  It is a little bigger, and the ceiling is even higher.  Plus the store shelves look like real supermarket shelves now, which they didn't really before.  Also the cooking stations look bigger.  And I like the concrete floor, too instead of that vinyl or laminate fake wood.  I am even more convinced that they moved because either they had to vacate the first location or because they wanted to put it in a more convenient location for the cast and crew to get to.

[FormerMod-a1]

I only really noticed the larger workstations, I think.  There was like a counter top oven on each too (I'm sure it's not an oven, maybe a salamandar type thing, I didn't get a good look).  So I thought maybe they have more equipment at their stations and don't have to run and share the microwave or other things like that.   Agree, the "grocery store" itself didn't look that different. 

[HyeChaps]

I’m wondering if they are going to stay with the two rounds with points format or the three cooking rounds with eliminations. 

[mlp]

The new store didn't look much different to me either.  I couldn't figure out the location of the judges' counter.  The shots at the beginning of the show showed bins of produce behind the judges which made no sense to me.  Then, at the end of the hour, long shots showed space behind the judges leading to the exit door.  I would have left the judges in the first space, removed the produce bins and put Carl's picture and the framed belt on the wall behind them.

There's an interesting slide show on the FN site that tells exactly where they get their foods and also tells how they donate unused food and recycle stuff.  It's nice to see that they deal with local businesses.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/guys-grocery-games/photos/go-inside-the-new-flavortown-market-guys-grocery-games

 

[Maverick]

 The judges table is always in front of the produce section during the shopping and cooking.  They move the table in front of the "bakery" and floral section (what has become the meat counter and deli in the revamped store) for the judging.   The judges also change seating positions when the table moves.

 The store didn't look that different to me either, so the speculation that they had to move for some reason makes sense.   I don't know why they bothered to remodel the old store for one block of episodes.   There's not that much different.  Just a little bigger and some color/cosmetic changes.   They just added the deli and hot bar.  There's not much more you can add unless you want to add a Walmart general merchandise section and a combined cooking and home makeover show.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think part of the new set is because they can put the judges with more space between them, and the cooking stations too.   The cooking stations look bigger than the old flavortown, but that might just be my perception. 

Edited October 23, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Yeah No]

8 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

I’m wondering if they are going to stay with the two rounds with points format or the three cooking rounds with eliminations. 

They've been doing the two rounds now for a while, at least a year or more.  The only thing new is the points format with sometimes sending the first person home after the first round and sometimes letting them all stay to the second round and the highest score overall wins.

7 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I think part of the new set is because they can put the judges with more space between them, and the cooking stations too.   

They had the larger judge's table since Covid in the old supermarket too.

[mlp]

5 hours ago, Maverick said:

The judges table is always in front of the produce section during the shopping and cooking.  They move the table in front of the "bakery" and floral section (what has become the meat counter and deli in the revamped store) for the judging.   The judges also change seating positions when the table moves.

It is?  I never noticed that the judges' table moved during the show.  I'm not saying it didn't, just that I never noticed.  I have always noticed that the judges change seats.  For some reason I can't even explain, that has always bugged me.  I just figured they all got up and milled around or something during filming breaks.  I'll have to watch a couple reruns and pay more attention.

[Yeah No]

29 minutes ago, mlp said:

It is?  I never noticed that the judges' table moved during the show.  I'm not saying it didn't, just that I never noticed.  I have always noticed that the judges change seats.  For some reason I can't even explain, that has always bugged me.  I just figured they all got up and milled around or something during filming breaks.  I'll have to watch a couple reruns and pay more attention.

While the chefs are cooking the judges are sitting all the way on the left wall closer to the cooking stations where they can see them cook, which was and I think still is in front of the produce section.  The judging is done all the way toward the right hand wall near the exit doors.  For most of the show they were sort-of in front of that fake bakery with the fake cakes in it.  I think they had changed that very recently before the move and I don't remember what they're in front of now.  Maybe a deli, I'll have to look closer.

[eclectcmoi]

The new set is really not that different. I did notice the wider aisles though especially along the back wall where the dairy and meat sections are located.  There was a lot of space before the inner aisles start, which maybe helps with filming?  I never noticed the judges table moving either so thanks for that tidbit @Yeah No.  I did see they what looks like computer screens or monitors now on the judges desk and I assume this is to watch cooking. 

I have always wondered how they keep the chefs from hearing what the judges say when Guy asks, is anyone safe, etc. It looks like they all go off to the other end of the store to their stations, but surely they can hear what's said.  They must move them off set and we just don't see that? 

[schnauzergirl]

On last night's show two contestants left items off their plates.  That rarely happens on GGG and I don't remember ever seeing two in one show.  I understand the judges' scoring, but think the "loser" made the better second dish.

[Maverick]

I'm getting close to being done with this show.  I don't like the new two rounds / scoring format, hate the lame take the check instead of the final shop and most importantly I'm sick of having Hunter shoved down our throats.  

[Morgana]

I kept waiting for one of the judges to criticize the chef who used pre-made refrigerated biscuits instead of making them from scratch.  But no, she wound up winning the whole thing. 

[Maverick]

 Now Hunter's a judge on this show.  At this point it's just embarrassing how hard Guy is trying to make him happen.   It's obvious part of his much reported $80M deal with Discovery included the ability to insert his dullard son on any and every show he wants in any capacity he wants.  

[Darian]

Between Hunter being a judge and the Salvation Army being featured and praised, I'm done with this show, which I was only half-watching anyway. Deleted partway through. 

[Jaded]

Reading posts about this show now kind of makes me glad I got worn out on it not long before all hell broke loose around the world health wise. I remember deciding I was going to try and watch one of the at home shows at one point then I saw Guy's son as a co-host and noped right on out.

[FormerMod-a1]

Call me crazy, but Hunter doesn't bother me one bit.  I also still enjoy the show, although I do wish they'd go back to 3 rounds per show.  I doubt they will though, pre-covid they were already  mostly doing 2 rounds, and I'm sure they still have some heavy restrictions/requirements to filming (and who knows how long ago these were filmed - 6 mos? 2 mos? 8 mos? etc) so that could playing into fewer rounds and who they have on as judges - takes less time and crew (Hunter and Guy probably living together makes for smaller exposure??)

[mlp]

I don't mind Hunter as much as I used to but it really annoys me to see him seated at the judges' table.  He has no business criticizing working chefs when he hasn't accomplished anything in their field yet himself.  And he shouldn't be given the same position as Jet and Antonia and all the other regulars who have earned their way to chef status.  I understand a father giving his son a leg up to success but allowing him to judge is going too far.  Guy must realize how it looks himself as he found it necessary to make a little speech justifying the situation.

[Mondrianyone]

Well, that was embarrassing for everyone concerned. Guy thinks he's doing his son a favor, but what he's really doing is ensuring that the kid goes through the rest of his life with a raging case of impostor syndrome, because he'll always know he doesn't deserve to be where he is. I can't believe that more impartial heads haven't prevailed at some point along this continuing (but very short) promotion and told Guy the kid needs to go slower and earn his place. But apparently money talks very loudly and drowns out any sense.

[Hero]

Guy's son speaks way too fast and it's hard to understand him sometimes. 

I really like Darnell. I also think he's super cute. 

[Jaded]

I might watch again if they made Darnell a judge.

[schnauzergirl]

Guy is doing Hunter a great disservice by putting him in situations like this.  I don't dislike Hunter; in fact, I feel sorry for him being pushed forward when he's not prepared and hasn't earned his spot.

[Tippi]

This has been my Wednesday night easy watching show.  Fun, interesting to watch what the challenges are/what the chefs come up with, and some judges that I really liked.  I have kind of lost touch with the show.  I find I look forward to watching the older episodes and not so much the recent ones.  I don't like the new format or change in the market.  Guy is really pushing Hunter with all his might--reminds me of how Paula Deen was always pushing Jamie and Bobby on to her shows.

[Maverick]

 WTF with Voltaggio's hair?  Did he look in the mirror, se his anorexic figure and fugly neck tats and think 'No one notices me.  What can I do to get attention?"   The sad thing is the blue looks slightly better than what he was sporting on some Thanksgiving show last week.   There his hair was a bright yellow; basically he looked like he had his head up Big Bird's ass.  

 And now Scott Conant's on as a judge.  Was that the last Chopped judge holdout to appear on this show?   I guess GZ hasn't either.   I figured they'd both be above this show.   

[Gramto6]

38 minutes ago, Maverick said:

 And now Scott Conant's on as a judge.  Was that the last Chopped judge holdout to appear on this show?   I guess GZ hasn't either.   I figured they'd both be above this show.   

Conant not so much expected to see him here at some point, GZ is already down in the dredge pond with The Kitchen....

[Yeah No]

Yeah, add me to the party here with the gripes about the new market and format and the continued shoving of Hunter down our throats.  I thought I liked the scoring change but now realize how that has issues too.  I'm wondering, though, if my theory that more women will win now will bear itself out.  And while I hate the check thing I hate the fact that the alternative is so hard to achieve.  It was better when it was based on a few quiz questions, not umpteen items on a laundry list that only someone as young and fast as Darnell can get anywhere through!

Something about the colors and layout of the new market is annoying, too.  I feel like the older set was more like the supermarket we all know.  And having 2 rounds instead of 3 annoys me more now than it even did in the previous market for some reason, although I was complaining about it then too.

[mlp]

7 hours ago, Yeah No said:

the continued shoving of Hunter down our throats. 

Guy has a new show coming up that's being billed as a serious competition to find a chef for one of Guy's restaurants - with prestigious judges.  One of the names on the list is Hunter.  Grrrrr.

[Yeah No]

12 minutes ago, mlp said:

Guy has a new show coming up that's being billed as a serious competition to find a chef for one of Guy's restaurants - with prestigious judges.  One of the names on the list is Hunter.  Grrrrr.

Uggghhh, blatant nepotism and now a conflict of interest to boot!  Unless they have a blind tasting the audience is going to think it's rigged if he does well.

[emmawoodhouse]

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Yeah, add me to the party here with the gripes about the new market and format and the continued shoving of Hunter down our throats.  I thought I liked the scoring change but now realize how that has issues too.  I'm wondering, though, if my theory that more women will win now will bear itself out.  And while I hate the check thing I hate the fact that the alternative is so hard to achieve.  It was better when it was based on a few quiz questions, not umpteen items on a laundry list that only someone as young and fast as Darnell can get anywhere through!

Something about the colors and layout of the new market is annoying, too.  I feel like the older set was more like the supermarket we all know.  And having 2 rounds instead of 3 annoys me more now than it even did in the previous market for some reason, although I was complaining about it then too.

Can someone define what they actually mean by Gameplay? How they shop? Use the ingredients (isn't to that taste)? I just see that as a way to manipulate a result. 

And I'm on the anti-Hunter train. His Instagram is all about him hobnobbing with Daddy's famous friends. He definitely feels privileged. But he certainly could cook at one of Guy's joints. It's not fine dining. Donkey sauce, anyone? 🙄

[FormerMod-a1]

Game play is how well your food fits the challenge - so if it's supposed to be a "Fried Feast" - it needs to be a feast, for example, and not just a couple of wings, and much of it needs to be frieds not just one component.  Or if they have to incorporate a specific ingredient, how well did they embrace that?  did they just hide or throw a sprinkling on the dish?  These kinds of things. 

[mlp]

4 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Uggghhh, blatant nepotism and now a conflict of interest to boot!  Unless they have a blind tasting the audience is going to think it's rigged if he does well.

I agree with the nepotism part but Hunter is going to be one of the "prestigious" judges, not a contestant.  Once again, the kid who hasn't accomplished anything in his own right is going to judge people who have.

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, mlp said:

I agree with the nepotism part but Hunter is going to be one of the "prestigious" judges, not a contestant.  Once again, the kid who hasn't accomplished anything in his own right is going to judge people who have.

Ugh, that's even worse.  I couldn't wrap my mind around the idea that he'd be on the judging panel for that show.  It would even be a stretch to accept him on GGG's judging panel much less a panel of "prestigious" judges.  😕

Edited November 29, 2021 by Yeah No

[Maverick]

 He IS a judge on GGG now.   He's only judged once, but given how Guy is quite literally shoehorning him into every one of his shows, I'm sure he's part of the regular rotation.   He's been on of the "guest chefs" on Guy's Ranch a couple of times and now a judge on this new show, so clearly we're supposed to believe he's on par with the likes of the Chopped judges or TOC (another show Hunter was gifted with a paycheck from) competitor.

Ever since GGG took off, to me it seems there's a Friends of Guy network.   I get wanting to be around and help out people you like but it's clearly gone to Guy's head to the point where he thing he wields enough star power with the audience to make us believe his son is the second coming of Food Network.  And I'm sure the FoGs are completely stroking Guy and Hunter's egos to make sure they stay in the inner circle, because they know that their best (if not only) chance to remain relevant on the network.  

[LexieLily]

17 hours ago, Yeah No said:

And while I hate the check thing I hate the fact that the alternative is so hard to achieve.  It was better when it was based on a few quiz questions, not umpteen items on a laundry list that only someone as young and fast as Darnell can get anywhere through!

The ten items that were usually one item per aisle in the store? That's what they did when GGG first started to win the 20K, didn't they? But just giving the winner the option to take a check seems so anticlimactic. It was fine (needed, even) for the GGG home games last year, but not for in-Flavortown play.

[schnauzergirl]

15 hours ago, mlp said:

Guy has a new show coming up that's being billed as a serious competition to find a chef for one of Guy's restaurants - with prestigious judges.  One of the names on the list is Hunter.  Grrrrr.

I missed this.  When will it be on?  

[mlp]

10 hours ago, schnauzergirl said:

When will it be on?  

Some time in January.  I don't remember the exact date but I'm sure there will be advance publicity.

Found it on FB:

Edited November 29, 2021 by mlp
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[Maverick]

 That's basically Vegas Chef Prizefight and other 'find a head chef' shows that used to be Anne Burrell's arena.   Watch out, he'll be coming after Worst Cooks and Great Food Truck Race next.   I'm sure his goal is to run every show on Food Network.   After all, he has another kid who'll need shows to host soon. 

[LexieLily]

The fact that Jules, Ryder and Hunter got an all-star chef partner (tonight's episode, Fieri Family Holiday Showdown) undermines the idea that Hunter is good enough to be alongside Antonia, Jet, etc. as a judge. Just sayin', FN.

Antonia did most of the high-profile cooking (the pasta and the steak) in the her-and-Hunter team.

Edited December 16, 2021 by LexieLily

[Koalagirl]

I think Jules was the star out of the three boys.  I think Ryder isn’t that interested and in all fairness, he’s young. But Jules is handsome, personable and has a sincerity that would be well received if he wanted to continue in this genre.  

[mlp]

I thought I would hate this family episode when I heard it promoted but it was a lot less smarmy than I expected.  I can't believe Ryder is 15 already!  How long has this show been on the air?  It seems like he should be about 6.

I felt like the win was, shall we say.........pre-determined.  Personally, I don't believe that fried rice can possibly compare to perfectly cooked prime rib with lobster.  When Aaron was prepping his dish, we saw him using a more than liberal coating of salt on the meat.  It was practically white and I thought it would end up too salty.  At judging, Guy said his meat was "a little under seasoned" and Aaron's expression was one of disbelief.  I thought right then that the winner had been decided and Aaron wasn't going to be it.  However, I figured Guy would make sure Hunter won to boost his credibility so I was wrong about that.

[LexieLily]

1 hour ago, mlp said:

I thought I would hate this family episode when I heard it promoted but it was a lot less smarmy than I expected.  I can't believe Ryder is 15 already!  How long has this show been on the air?  It seems like he should be about 6.

Same! With how often GGG reruns during the week we constantly see the episodes where Ryder is 5 or 6. Lol.

[Hero]

Jules has a better personality than Hunter. Rider seems like he didn't want to be there. 

[dmeets]

Considering Volt came up with their dishes while Hunter and Jules seemed to be at least somewhat conceptualizing their own, I wasn’t the slightest surprised at the outcome. For all the talk of Aaron being the winningest chef in GGG, that’s mainly because he had a major head start. Pretty sure Volt has a clause in all his competition shows that he must win.

I’d forgotten that after the death of his sister, Guy took in Jules. It’s pretty much the only thing that keeps me from despising Guy.

Rider’s definitely just going through the motions. I sense he’s gonna give Dad a bit of pushback in a couple years. He deserves it.

Edited December 20, 2021 by dmeets

[LexieLily]

19 hours ago, dmeets said:

Rider’s definitely just going through the motions. I sense he’s gonna give Dad a bit of pushback in a couple years. He deserves it.

If we the audience can see that Guy is pushing Hunter (having him on GGG, DDD, etc) and having him in spots he hasn't earned, I'd imagine it's so much more in-your-face for Ryder.

[Grizzly]

I get the impression that Ryder is a picky eater so a career in food probably won't work.

[schnauzergirl]

Random point of interest: Sometimes the judges play for chairity and other times Guy says "the winner gets $10,000."  I noticed this in particular when Damaris said she and her husband would use her prize money to help them adopt and when Antonia said her winnings would go to her daughter's college fund.  I wonder who decides when winnings go to a charity and when to the winning judge.  

[Maverick]

 In the early days of these competition shows, anytime the FN hosts/alums played it was always for charity.   I imagine some thought it would be a little crass to have these "stars" playing for themselves.  Somewhere along the way, they started playing for themselves and the only time it's for charity is if it's a Very Special Episode (like the Fierri Holiday one) or if they're playing for some special event or cause.   I'm sure the primary reason for the change was that it allowed FN to cheap out and not have to pay the prize to charity plus an appearance fee to each of the participants.  I got particularly tired of this during the at home shows where it was all Friends of Guy all the time.  

[mlp]

1 hour ago, Maverick said:

I'm sure the primary reason for the change was that it allowed FN to cheap out and not have to pay the prize to charity plus an appearance fee to each of the participants.  I got particularly tired of this during the at home shows where it was all Friends of Guy all the time.  

Ordinarily, I would expect the chefs to play for charity and not themselves but I didn't mind at all during the home shows when I knew Covid was destroying their businesses and so many of them were struggling to stay afloat and also keep their employees on the payroll.  If things ever get back to normal, I hope they go back to charity.