Beat Bobby Flay - General Discussion

[Bastet]

14 minutes ago, mlp said:

I kind of doubt it because what they presented didn't really meet the criteria for lumberjack breakfast which has numerous components like Bobby's did.

They had eggs, French toast, and sausage.  I think the lumberjack breakfast was described by Katie as some sort of eggs, some sort of meat, and some sort of carb/starch, and that's what comes up when I look at examples/articles (now that I'm less lazy than I was last night), although several have multiple meats.  Bobby's was lumberjack on steroids, but so is that Denny's example, so I guess his more in line with what one would traditionally get.  (Which I can't imagine eating as anything other than a drunken clubber stopping off for food before heading home, so the above personal example makes sense!)

Thanks for the info on Heidi Gardner; I looked her up and I've never seen any of her credits, so I'm not sure why she looked familiar to me (kind of like a blonde Kristen Schaal, but the voice was way off).

[Brookside]

I'm watching a bunch of repeats and I'm really peeved by Bobby's win in the vegetable lasagna episode.  The challenger made this very "cheffy" dish with artichokes.  The judges loved it but said it wasn't lasagna.  They liked Bobby's as more homey (it actually looked really unappealing to me).  The problem I had was that Bobby basically ran out of time and threw the little casseroles onto the counter.  One of the judge's dishes had actually broken, which to me should have automatically given the win to the challenger.  Flay should have been mortified.

[Enigma X]

So, in the last month I have access to the Food Channel and have been streaming this show. I have always loved and will love Bobby Flay, but I hate when Ann Burrell and Michael Simon are judges. There are other annoying ones such as Sunny, Scott and Giada, but Ann and Michael are the most annoying. And they are on a lot.

[chessiegal]

Bobby and Michael Symon are good friends. I suspect that's why Michael is on a lot. I like both Bobby and Michael.

[FormerMod-a1]

I find Ann more annoying that Michael.  Actually, Michael doesn't bother me at all, but maybe that's because I know they are friends.  Sunny also grates on me.  

[Enigma X]

I know Michael and Bobby are best friends, but he still annoys me.

[chessiegal]

I follow both Bobby and Michael on Twitter. Michael is a salt of the earth kind of guy. Bobby has a twitter account for his Maine coon Nacho lol.

[Ashforth]

8 hours ago, Enigma X said:

So, in the last month I have access to the Food Channel and have been streaming this show. I have always loved and will love Bobby Flay, but I hate when Ann Burrell and Michael Simon are judges. There are other annoying ones such as Sunny, Scott and Giada, but Ann and Michael are the most annoying. And they are on a lot.

I liked Ann Burrell when she first appeared as a sous chef on Iron Chef America, and I liked her first show way back when (Secrets of a Restaurant Chef) but she has become a caricature of herself and an obnoxious presence on FN, in my opinion. There are plenty of other annoying first round judges on this show but I think it often stems from the set-up ("We're here to take you out, Bobby!"). Sunny is irritating under any circumstances.

I'll sit at the 'I Like Bobby' table with you! It may be a table for two or three, LOL.

Edited October 10, 2020 by Ashforth
correct the name of her first FN show

[mlp]

23 minutes ago, Ashforth said:

Sunny is irritating under any circumstances.

I'll sit at the 'I Like Bobby' table with you! It may be a table for two or three, LOL.

I like Bobby, at least on TV.  I used to like Sunny years ago when she acted like a normal person but I can't stand her screeching and "look at me" antics now.  I don't like Katie Lee either.  If one of them is on, I'll watch if I like the other judge but, when they're on together, I turn it off.  I have no problem with Michael Symon.  He's a good guy.

[Bastet]

None of the recurring judges bother me enough to keep me from enjoying an episode.  (I had to fortify myself with a few extra drinks for the one with that "pioneer" woman, though.)  Sunny's personality is too much for me, but she does make me laugh sometimes.  I think Geoffrey Zakarian and Scott Conant are jerks in life (pay your workers, assholes!) and on Chopped, but they're pretty harmless here.  Giada ... I've never even been able to pinpoint why she bugs me so damn much, but she just does.  I mean, that smile doesn't help matters, but it's not her fault she looks like she has 27 extra teeth.  I can't identify it, but something about her rubs me the wrong way. 

I love Michael, Ann, and Alex.  I also liked when Bobby's daughter was a judge and wish they'd bring her back.

[JTMacc99]

At some point many years ago, I came to accept that the Food Network's formula is:

1. Find a person who has some charm and an interesting take on food.
2. If that person becomes popular, wildly over-expose them for the next couple of years.
3. Person becomes a caricature of him or herself at some point during a Halloween themed special
4. Rinse, lather, repeat.

So I internally forgive all of them for turning into annoying loudmouths. 

On 10/10/2020 at 4:05 PM, Bastet said:

I had to fortify myself with a few extra drinks for the one with that "pioneer" woman, though.

However, I never liked this one from the start. It's not her personality, or her personally. I don't like the food she makes. 

[Bastet]

6 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

However, I never liked this one from the start. It's not her personality, or her personally. I don't like the food she makes. 

Oh, her food is terrible.  But so is that hair, the demented clown smile, and her entire lifestyle.  She actually gives me a bit of the creeps.

[schnauzergirl]

22 hours ago, Bastet said:

Oh, her food is terrible.  But so is that hair, the demented clown smile, and her entire lifestyle.  She actually gives me a bit of the creeps.

All of the reasons cited, but also her voice drives me out of the room.

[Ashforth]

I just discovered LRW (Lifetime Real Women) Network today because I noticed a show called The Main Ingredient in the TV Guide listings. Well, it's a Bobby Flay show from 2007 that he made for Lifetime. So fun to see early Bobby! His hair is longer and curly. He moves and talks super fast - he seems in a huge hurry and is definitely not polished and at ease as compared to the way he is on, say, Brunch with Bobby. He stumbles over his words and in the one that's on right now, he keeps losing his ingredients. "Where's my Taleggio cheese? Where's my rosemary?" 

He probably seems a little frantic because he's making 3 or 4 dishes, more or less in real time, per 30 minute episode. On one of them, he made osso buco with gremolata; chicken cacciatore; vegetable stew; and polenta. The food looks good. The man can cook.

[Ashforth]

I'm watching an episode from last years with a chef named Carla who is from Italy. She has so much filler in her lips that they look like they may burst at any moment. She's also botoxed to the hilt. So gross.  I can't even contemplate her food. Well, yes I can. She's serving bacon that looks pretty much raw. Yum! 

[mlp]

4 hours ago, Ashforth said:

I'm watching an episode from last years with a chef named Carla who is from Italy.

That description sounds like Carla Pellegrino who was on, I think, Top Chef briefly years ago.  It sounds like her anyway.  I remember her because she was obnoxious.

[Bastet]

Carla Pellegrino from Rao's?  I know she beat Bobby on Throwdown, and I think she also appeared on this show.  She has indeed grossly overdone the "enhancements" to her face.

[Ashforth]

10 hours ago, mlp said:

That description sounds like Carla Pellegrino who was on, I think, Top Chef briefly years ago.  It sounds like her anyway.  I remember her because she was obnoxious.

 

9 hours ago, Bastet said:

Carla Pellegrino from Rao's?  I know she beat Bobby on Throwdown, and I think she also appeared on this show.  She has indeed grossly overdone the "enhancements" to her face.

That's her! Obnoxious? Check. Grossly overdone "enhancements"? Check.

She lost and I was glad. Ha! 

[Bastet]

The new - at least I think it's fairly new; my program guide has been unreliable in dating this show for a while now - episode where two people from the show (a culinary producer and a food stylist) battle each other - with Saltine crackers - for the chance to beat the boss was fun.  I loved Bobby's reaction to learning who the contestants were.

Given her credentials, I'm not surprised Katie won the first round, and I'm really happy she also won the whole thing - love the ways in which she and Bobby respected each other while competing, and the techniques they "stole" from each other.  (Same with how supportive the two staffers were after the first round result; they each wanted to win, but the loser also wanted the winner to kick Flay's ass.) 

We also got a couple of little tidbits from other behind-the-scenes folks, and I like the producer who handles Bobby's winning puns asking, "Do you think he comes up with those himself?"  I'm not sure how proud she should be of hers on the whole, but hearing the head-scratcher he came up with when he winged it was funny.

I also like Bobby's scandalized "that ain't right" reaction to it being shared when he's showing up to work after too hard a night he asks for a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich (one of my dad's favorites).

I'd have enjoyed either chowder, I'm sure, but Katie's most appealed to me just on the color of the sauce (I'm New England vs. Manhattan) and the discussion of ingredients and flavor profiles solidified it.

[meowmommy]

Just catching up on some of the episodes I hadn't seen. 

I was really annoyed by the beef mantu showdown.  Bobby had no idea what the dish entailed, and cribbed off the challenger's shopping list to figure out what went into it.  He won the challenge because the judges had no idea what the dish was supposed to taste like but they liked his flavors. 

So I guess from now on, if the challenge is to make a hamburger, you can make a chocolate cake instead, and if it tastes good, you win.

[roughing it]

I think there's something in Bobby's contract that says he has to win like 90% of the time.

"Judges, this is a blind taste test, but *wink wink* this is the dish you must choose..."

[schnauzergirl]

38 minutes ago, roughing it said:

I think there's something in Bobby's contract that says he has to win like 90% of the time.

"Judges, this is a blind taste test, but *wink wink* this is the dish you must choose..."

I know editing often makes things look different from what they were, but if the judges watched faces while they were eating and critiquing they'd have a pretty clear idea of which chef prepared which dish.  Frowns, shakes of head, grins are common.  If you're a judge eating Bobby's dish and say more salt would have upped the flavor and Bobby frowns, you can be pretty confident it's his presentation.

[emmawoodhouse]

Or if the judges know Flay at all, they'll know his food by the addition of chilies in every.single.dish.

[buttersister]

LOL, if any viewers also watch “Top Chef” you recognize Dawn—in more ways than one. She can’t manage her time on that show or this one. But there, her good flavors landed her in the final three. Here she was bounced, as Jet and Clinton didn’t trust her for one second to beat Bobby.

[GiandujaPie]

I don't like this show as it just seems very clique-y to me. The smack-talking that Bobby's celebrity friends engage in just always makes me cringe.

[buttersister]

Variety has published the news that Food Network has ended contract renewal negotiations with Bobby Flay. Bye, Bobby. Looks like you got beat.

[mlp]

It sounds like Bobby wanted more money than FN was willing to pay so he's stepping down.  I don't blame him actually, money or no money.  He already has more than plenty and he's going to be 60 y/o in a few years.  He must work hard to tape as many shows as he does and manage his restaurants.  I don't blame him for simplifying his life at this point.

[Bastet]

FN has made a shit ton of money because of him for nearly 30 years, and he's made buckets from his umpteen shows and gained international celebrity; if now that AT&T owns all the Discovery networks there's no mutually agreeable deal to be made, FN has plenty of other shows and Bobby has plenty of other income sources.  Everyone will be fine. 

[buttersister]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

Everyone will be fine. 

Especially me, who won't be bombarded with him anymore--whenever that contract is up.

[iwantcookies]

https://people.com/food/bobby-flay-100-million-contract-negotiations-with-food-network/

I’m tired of Bobby and will not miss him.

Guy Fieri makes $80 million for the duration of his contract ! Wowza that’s a lot.

[Bastet]

There will be new episodes of this show; Flay and FN agreed to a three-year extension of his contract.

(There will also be another show with him and his daughter; I liked their first one, so I'll give the new one a look.)

[El maestro]

I like this show, is short, you can see chefs preparing interesting foods… but I can’t stand most of the hosts. Some of the “celebrities” barely know anything about food, so I guess they go there for some kind of self promotion.

Some people like Sunny Anderson makes the show totally unwatchable. I can’t stand her antics, screaming and yelling.

[chessiegal]

10 minutes ago, El maestro said:

Some of the “celebrities” barely know anything about food, so I guess they go there for some kind of self promotion.

I haven't seen any celebrities that need promotion. Most of them are FOBs - Friends of Bobby. Even if they aren't, it's a quick buck.

[mlp]

34 minutes ago, El maestro said:

Some people like Sunny Anderson makes the show totally unwatchable. I can’t stand her antics, screaming and yelling.

That is so true - for me anyway.  I change the channel to anything else or just mute the TV and turn my back to it as soon as I see her walk out.  I won't watch Katie Lee either unless the co-host is someone I like.  I can't stand her flirty ways and her voice.

[Grizzly]

The chef they had on last night, Emily, was quite a pistol. She deserves a rematch. All the judges were expecting pastry and she gave them soup. None of them knew how the dish tradionally tasted and I think that hurt her. Of course Bobby's chicken and pomegranate tasted better. He really liked her so I think she'll be back.

[candall]

On 1/21/2022 at 9:06 PM, El maestro said:

[...]

Some people like Sunny Anderson makes the show totally unwatchable. I can’t stand her antics, screaming and yelling.

I stumbled on this thread by accident, looking on the "Other Shows" page for something else.

But I stopped in to sign the petition I thought must surely exist to shut down Sunny Anderson's constant SCREECHING.  I guess that's her schtick/trademark--volume set at 11-- but it's unbearable.  Delete!  Delete!

I'm also not crazy about Ann Burrell and Katie Lee making it their new mission to wander over and be obnoxious as a distraction for Bobby.

But, in general, I like the show a lot.  (I run the live play way, way back and FF through any segments that don't interest me.)  All those Bobby Flay flavors suit my palate perfectly.  Party on, Garth.

[chenoa333]

On 2/13/2022 at 5:24 PM, candall said:

I'm also not crazy about Ann Burrell and Katie Lee making it their new mission to wander over and be obnoxious as a distraction for Bobby.

You left out Giada.  I can't stand any of those 3 chefs. 

[AZChristian]

Just saw Anne Burrell on an episode of BBF yesterday.  Gal needs to step away from the botox.

[maggiemae]

I like the show, and don't mind the ribbing of Bobby. His friends are coming on with chefs to take him down.

But I have been noticing the one little tiny bite the judges take to make a decision.

One tiny little bite that could be a garbonza bean and yet they judge the dish?

How about 3 normal bites as well...or even using a knife when necessary to cut the protein?

[Gramto6]

Sorry, I have to laugh, Yesterday here in MT it rained and then turned to a thunderstorm with hail as big as garbanzo beans and larger. Worst hail storm I have ever seen!! Couldn't miss the comparison. :)

[MerBearHou]

Holy cow, we go from almost saying bye to Bobby on the Food Network completely (which was absolutely fine with me — I am so not a fan of his) to TONS of BF on the FN now.  Over and over Beat Bobby Flay, a show with his daughter, some new competition show that’s starting soon.  Wow, his agent negotiated a mega deal for him.  Too too too much BF for me.  Makes me turn away from FN when his marathons are on which is often.

Edited September 12, 2022 by MerBearHou

[chessiegal]

Awww, I love me some Bobby. Always have. His latest show with his daughter Sophie was only 3 episodes. Their love for each other really came through. So enjoyable.

[Salacious Kitty]

I'll take Bobby over Guy Fieri any day. Fieri gets way more exposure than Flay.

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, Salacious Kitty said:

I'll take Bobby over Guy Fieri any day. Fieri gets way more exposure than Flay.

Guy does get more exposure, but I’m firmly in the Guy camp over Bobby.  

I only commented because we went from Bobby literally almost gone from the network to tons of BBF shows now on the air.  

Out of curiosity, I watched one of the Bobby and Sophie shows.  Yes, they’re clearly very close.  Didn’t tune in for the others.  

In the olden days of FN, I enjoyed when Bobby had several chefs to his house to cook a meal.  Very relaxed and fun atmosphere.  

Edited September 12, 2022 by MerBearHou

[Bastet]

I didn't realize the new season of this show had started.  Yay!  Off to catch up ...

[Grizzly]

I'm looking forward to these holiday themed episodes.

[chenoa333]

I love BF. He's just who he is with no kooky hair styles or stupid attempts at comedic comments. And he knows how to cook.

[Backwards999]

Anybody watching the 3 round Holifay episodes with other celeb chef's? I thought for sure they would let the guest chef win most of the time but not so far.  I'm enjoying the episodes so far.

[Salacious Kitty]

They didn't even let Maneet win! I was shocked.

[Grizzly]

3 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

They didn't even let Maneet win! I was shocked.

And the judges didn't even like the dish Bobby prepared! It was the sides that won and the Greek guy did those. Felt bad for Christian. That was a lot of losing.