Beat Bobby Flay - General Discussion

[roughing it]

On 5/19/2017 at 2:13 AM, Christina said:

 

never mind...

Edited June 6, 2017 by roughing it

[Lura]

Wow!  The action has really picked up here since I last dropped by!  It's nice to see so many familiar names of friends from other forums. 

I just finished reading the People piece.  I didn't know he had a new girl the minute he dropped Stephanie.  I did see this girl on BBF on a rerun the other night.  He greeted her with a kiss, and my husband remarked that it looked like Bobby had a new romantic interest.

I still like watching the chefs cook on here, but the noise level is something else, especially when Sunny is a judge.  I've found that if I only watch one of his shows at a time from his recorded stack, I'm OK.  More than one, and I start climbing the walls!  :)

[Totale]

https://ssl.gstatic.com/dictionary/static/sounds/oxford/mascarpone--_us_4.mp3

 

God damn it

[Bastet]

Did my ears deceive me (increasingly possible; those assholes seem determined to chase after my eyes in the deterioration race), or did the chef eliminated in the first round keep saying "melody" instead of "medley."

I was yelling at her through the TV to yank those radishes and carrots off the plate.  I think the leeks could have worked, but the rest was too much.

I love seafood pizzas, so I pretty much drooled throughout round two.

[Lura]

Hey there, Bastet!   You heard right.  We just watched this show last night.  The first time the Canadian chef said "melody" I thought I'd heard wrong.  Then, a little later, she said it again... "Mine is a melody of various vegetables." Hard to believe she's a legitimate chef.

On this show or another recent one, a young Hollywood actor joined Katie Lee as co-commentator or whatever you call the two star guests.  I forget his name, but it was something like Jason Biggs or something like that, I think.  IMHO, he was so good, alternating between serious and really funny, that I wished he were permanently in that chair.  He had so much on the ball, and the audience loved him.  Bobby seemed to, also.  Did anyone see that episode and know his name?

[Bastet]

I didn't see that one, but Jason Biggs is the actor from American Pie.  I checked his IMDb page and, yes, he appeared on an episode early this year.

[spiderpig]

The latest show was just packed full of adorableness.  I wanted to wrap Jonathan Waxman in my arms and cuddle him to death.  Bobby's daughter Sophie is breathtakingly pretty and appears smart to boot.  And we had Alton for some nummy spice.

[mlp]

I was going to say something to the same effect, spiderpig.   I just love Jonathan Waxman.  Sophie looks a lot like her father and she was able to tease Bobby without being snippy - unlike, say, Katie Lee (ugh).  This was one of my favorite episodes.

[Wings]

9 hours ago, spiderpig said:

The latest show was just packed full of adorableness.  I wanted to wrap Jonathan Waxman in my arms and cuddle him to death.  Bobby's daughter Sophie is breathtakingly pretty and appears smart to boot.  And we had Alton for some nummy spice.

I agree.  I adore Waxman.  I wanted to fall face first into his pasta dish.  The judges said his pasta was better but, of course, Bobby wins because he puts some chilies in there and the judges all know that is their tell to vote for him.   I still enjoy the show but the rigging is so obvious!  

Edited October 14, 2017 by wings707

[Lura]

I am still enjoying this show in repeats.  Even though I've seen an episode before, it's usually so old that I don't remember all the details.  Lately, the emergence of Katie Lee as a judge has been putting me to sleep, but other than that, I really enjoy the show.

[GaT]

I'm watching the episode where the dish that Bobby & the chef are cooking is pumpkin ravioli. Sunny Anderson & Bobby's daughter Sophie are the judges. You know how the judges go over to the chefs & talk to them & taste their food? Well Sophie did it, but she didn't bother to use a spoon to taste, she used her fingers. Then she liked licked them clean & went over to Bobby & stuck her fingers in his food. YEEECH.

Edited November 19, 2017 by GaT

[Wings]

Sunny needs to take it down a notch or two.  I really don't like her.  Not fond of Kathy Lee either.  I wonder why no one has told her to take elocution lessons.   

I missed Sophie using her fingers to taste.  It doesn't bother me but I am sure she got feedback and won't do it again! I am impressed with her confidence and comfort in front of the camera.  

We don't see Bobby lose enough.  He is good but that good?  I don't buy it.  I would like to see him go against Stephanie Izzard.  She has branched into Asian food and on the cutting edge, making dishes that are not common with her spin on it.  

[mlp]

I like this show but I wish they'd stop using both Sunny and Katie Lee as they both try to make the show all about themselves.  If they're on together, I can't even watch.  Katie's flirting and Sunny's "teasing" are both obnoxious.

I have also been impressed with Sophie both times she's been on but she does need to be told not to stick her fingers in stuff.  That kind of thing may go on in restaurant kitchens out of sight of diners but I don't want to know about it.

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, wings707 said:

We don't see Bobby lose enough.  He is good but that good?  I don't buy it. 

Home kitchen advantage and judges who know him (and obviously know which dish is his, just based on the ingredients), I think.  We saw him lose a lot more on Throwdown, when he was on somebody else's turf, and the judges were local to that area and thus looking for the traditional version, not the Bobby Flay version.

I didn't notice the daughter tasting with her fingers rather than a spoon (not surprising; I don't care about that kind of stuff, so it tends to go right past me), but I liked her - she teases her dad without being a brat about it (some judges could learn from her).  We need an episode where it's her and Michael Symon judging the first round.

[chessiegal]

I saw 2 reruns back to back tonight where Amanda Frietag (who never seems to win anything) and Damaris Phillips beat Bobby. Fun times!

[meowmommy]

On 11/17/2017 at 3:11 PM, Bastet said:

Home kitchen advantage and judges who know him (and obviously know which dish is his, just based on the ingredients), I think.  We saw him lose a lot more on Throwdown, when he was on somebody else's turf, and the judges were local to that area and thus looking for the traditional version, not the Bobby Flay version.

And somehow Throwdown was a lot more fun than BBF.  There's just something missing from BBF, although I still watch.  BBF has trash talking but it's just not fun.  The prep sessions with Miriam and Stephanie were fun, too, and really went toward humanizing Bobby.  On BBF, he's held up as the expert and the attempts at joking around fall flat, at least for me.  FN must like the format, though, as they've morphed Throwdown into BBF into the new variation on ICA.  It's a shame that Throwdown became so well known that the local chefs couldn't be punk'd any more.

Also, I find it hard to believe that sometimes the challengers pull out dishes that Bobby has supposedly never made, yet he ekes out the win almost every time.

On 11/17/2017 at 9:49 AM, wings707 said:

Not fond of Kathy Lee either.  I wonder why no one has told her to take elocution lessons.   

I know, right?  I hear that Katie Lee is judging and I'm ready for the nails on the chalkboard.  She's not such a big superstar that the people around her should be afraid to call her on her vocal fry.

[Christina]

Like Katie Lee, Bobby's girlfriend, Helena, will be a judge that will result in my not watching that episode. I didn't care for her on her first appearance, but in tonight's episode, she was obnoxious to the extreme. She walked out in a very short dress and proceeded to kick her leg up in a way that it looked like she was showing Bobby her panties. Then, she babbled non-stop to Scott Conan and ended up whining for a snack. Just obnoxious. All attention on her at all times. 

Sunny Anderson is hit and miss for me, with me muting her sometimes but not necessarily avoiding the episode altogether, unlike Katie Lee and now Helena. 

[meowmommy]

16 hours ago, Christina said:

Like Katie Lee, Bobby's girlfriend, Helena, will be a judge that will result in my not watching that episode. I didn't care for her on her first appearance, but in tonight's episode, she was obnoxious to the extreme.

Agree.  Seems like if you want credibility, get on your own merits and not on with whom you're currently sleeping.  Her performance was cringe-worthy and I FFd to the final judging.

[Crucial]

Wow Bobby's girlfriend, Helena was she annoying.  Kudos to him for dealing with that.  Still it was a waste of a judge to have her on there. She offered nothing except a pantie shot to Bobby and the embarrassing talk with Scott.  Can't get guests?

[spiderpig]

21 hours ago, Crucial said:

Wow Bobby's girlfriend, Helena was she annoying.  Kudos to him for dealing with that.  Still it was a waste of a judge to have her on there. She offered nothing except a pantie shot to Bobby and the embarrassing talk with Scott.  Can't get guests?

What's with all the shrill female voices on TV lately?  They make my ears hurt, and I'm an ardent feminist.  Putting Helena and Katie Lee on a panel together would shatter eardrums around the world.

[Crucial]

18 hours ago, spiderpig said:

What's with all the shrill female voices on TV lately?  They make my ears hurt, and I'm an ardent feminist.  Putting Helena and Katie Lee on a panel together would shatter eardrums around the world.

Couldn't agree more!

[Bastet]

On a completely random note, spent this episode hoping for a close-up or extended shot of Tia Mowry's left hand, because she has rings going all the way up to the first knuckle, and I'm oddly curious whether she just has a really wide engagement ring and wedding band, or has extra rings.  Because ever time she waved that hand around, all the hardware was distracting, but I couldn't get a good look.

I hate when they make the lag between shooting and airing so obvious -- they're charged with making a winter holiday-themed dish, but they're doing so in spring/summer, which is typical, but having ramps as one of Bobby's ingredients reminds me of it.  But, yum, ramps.  I wouldn't eat either meal as a whole, but I'd love the ramp-based pesto and gremolata.

[mlp]

Quote

I hate when they make the lag between shooting and airing so obvious

I agree.  I've often wondered how this show is actually shot.  Ever since Bobby started wearing his glasses off and on, it's become obvious that the cooking isn't filmed at one go because they'll go back and forth to Bobby and he'll have the glasses on in one shot, off in the next, back on, off.   It seems that a 30 minute dish must take much longer than we are led to believe.  

I thought Tia and Alex were quite annoying on this episode and I didn't understand their choice of chefs to try to beat Bobby.  One guy had slightly undercooked Cornish hen and his dish was too salty.  The other guy's components were all good but didn't "go together."  So the chef who committed the cardinal sin of under-cooking fowl won.  The losing dish looked fine to me.  It wasn't like he put chocolate on scrambled eggs or something.  

[meowmommy]

On 12/13/2017 at 1:09 AM, mlp said:

I thought Tia and Alex were quite annoying on this episode

Maybe, but still 1000 x less annoying than Bobby's GF, whose name I've already forgotten. 

Possibly because they've now folded this format into the new ICA (and every new deviation from ICJ makes ICA even less enjoyable), but I'm totally over "you have to go through each other" before you get to cook for real.  And, like ICA, they never discuss any type of winnings.  Can we assume there's at least an appearance fee for the challengers?  Of course, being on tightwad FN, they may just have to cook for the glory of it all.

[Jaded]

Man last night's episode must have been in the can for quite awhile and they waited to unload it. They acted like Hannah's show was currently on the air or may have been coming up at whatever time this was filmed. I watched a few of her YT cooking videos titled "My Drunk Kitchen" to see what she was like when that promo was airing for her show non-stop. 

In those videos she would get herself drunk while cooking. I guess her drinking and getting Bobby to drink during this episode was a nod to what she does on her YouTube channel. In the promo for her already aired show I mentioned she had on the same plaid shirt that she wore for her appearance on Beat Bobby Flay. She does get a lot of views on her YT videos I'll give her that. 

Edited December 29, 2017 by Jaded

[Bastet]

Holy crap, this Damaris person is annoying as all hell.  I know she's appeared at least once before - in which she was even more annoying - and it seems she's part of other FN programming I don't watch, so she must have something going for her, but I'm missing it, and she's on my nerves tonight.

[Lura]

Demaris has surprised me.  On the "Bobby and Demaris Show" she is no pushover, and while she willingly allows Bobby to make the occasional suggestion, she's very much herself and sends out a signal that says "I know a few things, too."  I'm beginning to like her more and more and respect her food knowledge.  She and Bobby have very good chemistry, and I can see why he wanted a show with her.

On BBF, I can take Sunny only because she has a big heart, but Katie Lee has to go!  She's a show-off on "The Kitchen" as well as on this show.  She makes plays for Bobby, and he's only too willing to return the favor.  I think they hope to become the darlings of the Hamptons crowd.

Edited January 5, 2018 by Lura

[junemeatcleaver]

I was surprised to see Brian Malarkey on this as a contestant.  Wasn't he a judge on that show with Anthony Bourdain and Nigella Lawson?

[mlp]

I was surprised to see Brian too.  Yes, he was on The Taste and he's judged on other shows like GGG.  Other accomplished chefs have turned up as opponents on BBF from time to time and it always surprises me.  

I just finished watching the episode with a chef from Costa Rica.  They paired one of my favorite people, Jet Tila, with one of my least favorite, Katie Lee.  AFAIC the only thing she has going for her is looks.  She's an awful flirt and I think her food knowledge is suspect.  She always sounds rehearsed and her voice is horrible.

I've noticed during the past two or three episodes that the judges are doing "funny" things to bother Bobby like the nonsense this episode with plaid shirts.  The producers must think that's amusing or adds interest or something.  It just makes me mad.  

[Bastet]

I loved Sheldon on his season of Top Chef; I was incredibly happy Brooke and Kristen were the top two, but he was a beloved number three.  So it was nice to see him again.  Unfortunately, I haven’t been back to Hawaii since he appeared, but when I next return, I am so checking out his Tin Roof restaurant.

I liked the two different version of adobo, and would have enjoyed both, but Bobby’s had too much rice (just as a personal preference; I only eat rice to soak up really saucy dishes, as otherwise it’s just unnecessary filler to me), so I was rooting for Sheldon's.

He poured tequila shots at the end of the round, too.  Sheldon for the win!

[mlp]

I was tickled to see Sheldon again.  He was a delight and I'm sorry he didn't win.  His dish looked a lot more authentic but, of course, I couldn't taste it.

[Bastet]

In tonight's brunch burger challenge, did the challenger overcook her burger?  I'm trying to figure out how he managed to beat her using those stupid buns, so she must have screwed something up.  Or maybe his sauce was better.  Unfortunately, I was a little distracted when the judges were giving their feedback.

I didn't find either of them particularly brunch-y; they were bacon burgers with egg.  At least she used the English muffins.  I'd have rather seen a burger made out of sausage, skip the bacon, and everything else on hers the same (only with an egg white, since I hate yolk).  But, at any time of day, other than the yolk, I'd have eaten either one of them - I love a good burger.

Scott acting like it was a novel thing to make an indentation in the top of the (raw) burger, so it doesn't wind up with a little dome when cooked, was odd; how could he possibly have never seen that technique before?

Now I'm watching the Juicy Lucy re-run, so I am seriously hungry for a burger!  That would be a bit much as a late-night snack, right?

[mlp]

I didn't like that brunch burger woman so I was glad that Bobby beat her.  English muffins are definitely more breakfast-y but I don't think I'd like that texture with a burger.  Her egg whites looked overcooked to me and she punctured the yolks with her skewers so they were already running onto the plates before being served.  Also, I noticed that she just slapped a bit of butter in the middle of the muffins and put them on the grill without spreading it at all so I'll bet that all but the middle of the muffins was dry.

[spiderpig]

12 minutes ago, mlp said:

I didn't like that brunch burger woman so I was glad that Bobby beat her.  English muffins are definitely more breakfast-y but I don't think I'd like that texture with a burger.  Her egg whites looked overcooked to me and she punctured the yolks with her skewers so they were already running onto the plates before being served.  Also, I noticed that she just slapped a bit of butter in the middle of the muffins and put them on the grill without spreading it at all so I'll bet that all but the middle of the muffins was dry.

I didn't like brunch burger woman either.  She seemed self-entitled, and her initial competitor (Nguyen?) seemed so dejected when he lost to her.

I'm sure the components of their burgers were delicious, but I'd end up in CCU if I attacked either plate at my age.

Edited March 23, 2018 by spiderpig
comment

[Bastet]

6 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

I'm sure the components of their burgers were delicious, but I'd end up in CCU if I attacked either plate at my age.

They were definitely not from the healthy section of the menu - white bread, beef burgers, bacon, and then Bobby put two slices of cheese on his.  (I don't remember how much she put on hers.) 

21 minutes ago, mlp said:

Also, I noticed that she just slapped a bit of butter in the middle of the muffins and put them on the grill without spreading it at all so I'll bet that all but the middle of the muffins was dry.

She did spread it (not from end to end, probably, but she dragged it across, and then as it melted on the grill it would spread out further, and I think well enough to cover the diameter of an English muffin.

[Jaded]

I'm watching the episode that aired this past Thursday. Daphne's hair looks awful.
 

[Fiero425]

22 hours ago, Jaded said:

I'm watching the episode that aired this past Thursday. Daphne's hair looks awful.
 

MV looks more and more like a homeless person every time I see him while his brother Bryan in the meantime is putting on a ton! They're still great guys though! ;-)

[GaT]

I'm watching the episode when they make peri-peri chicken. Sunny Anderson is on, & she's wearing blue lipstick. It is not a good look for her. Really, really not a good look.

[mlp]

Blue lipstick is not a good look for any human.  I think Sunny goes out of her way to look ridiculous.  She does everything she can to attract attention including bringing pictures of Bobby's cat.  I don't understand why the producers let her do these things.  If I like the other judge, I try to tune her out.  If she comes on with Katie Lee, another attention-seeker, I mute the episode.

[Barb1959]

On ‎4‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 7:29 PM, Jaded said:

I'm watching the episode that aired this past Thursday. Daphne's hair looks awful.
 

That's all I could think of thru that whole show....how awful her hair looked!  

[Jaded]

11 hours ago, Barb1959 said:

That's all I could think of thru that whole show....how awful her hair looked!  

At one point she bent over to sit down and the top of her head was shown. It looked just as bad/weird because it was a lot of flat darker hair. That style on her was a complete bust. Hopefully she never tries it again. I wonder if it was an attempt to cover dark roots? 

[GaT]

On 4/8/2018 at 1:36 PM, Barb1959 said:

That's all I could think of thru that whole show....how awful her hair looked!  

Is she trying for some kind of "cutesy pie" look? What's with the pinky in her mouth?

[GaT]

I'm watching the latest episode & Sunny Anderson is on again. No blue lipstick this time, but she has a red heart painted on her right eye right under the the inside of the eyebrow. Incredibly distracting, also stupid looking. Someone needs to tell her that her "fashion forward" makeup isn't working.

EDITED: I just realized that Fabio Viviani from Top Chef is one of the chefs competing tonight, very strange to see him there.

Edited April 27, 2018 by GaT

[spiderpig]

Yeah - interesting to see Fabio there. You knew he'd advance once they introduced him.

I started making spaghetti and meatballs for the family at about age nine, so the competition was kind of meh.

[Bastet]

That was boring.  I don't like spaghetti and meatballs, but that's not what made it uninteresting; it was them making such similar dishes that made it rather ho-hum. 

12 hours ago, GaT said:

I'm watching the latest episode & Sunny Anderson is on again. No blue lipstick this time, but she has a red heart painted on her right eye right under the the inside of the eyebrow. Incredibly distracting, also stupid looking. Someone needs to tell her that her "fashion forward" makeup isn't working.

I don't know if it was this episode or one of the re-runs, but she had "I love Bobby Flay" written on her eyelids - "I [heart]" on one and "Bobby Flay" on the other or something like that.

[mlp]

I was surprised to see Fabio.  I've always liked him and, from things I've read about him, I gather that he's one of the hardest working people in the restaurant business so I respect him for that.  I hadn't seen him since he was on Cutthroat Kitchen a few years ago and thought he looked a lot older although I'm sure I do too so I don't know why that surprised me.  He and Bobby both put ricotta on top of their spaghetti.  I've never heard of that but I'm not Italian so maybe it's a thing I don't know about.

I'm finding it harder and harder to tune out Sunny Anderson.  I don't understand why FN PTB don't get that her obnoxious, attention-seeking behaviors aren't amusing.

[meowmommy]

I don't like Fabio with the beard.  I think he's too high profile to have to compete on this show, but it seems quite a few TC alumni have come here.

[Wings]

On 4/28/2018 at 12:59 PM, meowmommy said:

I don't like Fabio with the beard.  I think he's too high profile to have to compete on this show, but it seems quite a few TC alumni have come here.

Jonathan Waxman came and took Bobby down.  Huge name, but that is rare, granted. 

Edited May 3, 2018 by Wings

[meowmommy]

43 minutes ago, Wings said:

Jonathan Waxman came and took Bobby down.  Huge name, but that is rare, granted. 

I think that was a special "celebrity" competition.  I'd say it was for charity, but they never specify whether chefs who beat BF win a prize or if everyone just gets a flat fee.

On 4/27/2018 at 12:08 PM, mlp said:

I'm finding it harder and harder to tune out Sunny Anderson.  I don't understand why FN PTB don't get that her obnoxious, attention-seeking behaviors aren't amusing.

She needs to tone it down a notch or twelve.

[Barb1959]

Sunny Anderson's loud voice is enough to break out the mute button....for sure!