Beat Bobby Flay - General Discussion

[Wings]

Every Judge knows which plate is Bobby's. They all have heat from Fresno chilies. He leaves a little slice of it visable.  It is time for me to take a break from Sunny and chilies.  I go off and on  with this show, many others, too. 

[meowmommy]

And yet another TC alum.

Just once, I want them to bring a dish Bobby's either never heard of, or has no idea what goes into it.  I find it hard to believe, although I have no doubt Bobby is an excellent chef, that he is able to defeat so many chefs on their own specialty.  On Throwdown, he had to spend time in the kitchen with Stephanie and Miriam in order to perfect the dish.  Here, he supposedly has no idea what dish will be chosen, has no time to prepare, and wins probably 85% of the time.  And somehow they always have the exact ingredients ready, along with judges who most often are experts in the exact dish being replicated.

On 5/26/2018 at 8:26 PM, Wings said:

Every Judge knows which plate is Bobby's. They all have heat from Fresno chilies.

Too true.  

[Bastet]

16 minutes ago, meowmommy said:

And somehow they always have the exact ingredients ready, along with judges who most often are experts in the exact dish being replicated.

They usually have one judge who specializes in the cuisine being created, so I've often wondered if one of the other ones is an expert in the cuisine they'd be cooking had the other challenger won the first round.  Obviously production, at least, knows what "signature dish" each contender will choose if they win, so that all the necessary ingredients are sure to be there, so they probably select judges to cover either option, too. 

Bobby must get a "[Dish with which he is unfamiliar] is traditionally made with x, y, and z and served [this way]" briefing (like when Amanda Freitag strategized to practice, practice, practice on something Bobby would have never made in his life, fesenjan). 

Edited June 3, 2018 by Bastet

[Jaded]

I read something online not long ago that said even though Bobby acts like he doesn't know how to make dishes most of the time he does. That if he actually said he knew how to cook every dish that people wouldn't want to watch. I found something else online during that same search that paid people to be in the audience. I'll see if I can find both again.

[Jaded]

Here's the production company's site with tape dates and payment amounts for the paid part of the audience. I guess there are non paid tickets too.

 

[Totale]

On 6/2/2018 at 7:57 PM, meowmommy said:

And somehow they always have the exact ingredients ready, along with judges who most often are experts in the exact dish being replicated.

 

On 6/2/2018 at 8:13 PM, Bastet said:

They usually have one judge who specializes in the cuisine being created, so I've often wondered if one of the other ones is an expert in the cuisine they'd be cooking had the other challenger won the first round.  Obviously production, at least, knows what "signature dish" each contender will choose if they win, so that all the necessary ingredients are sure to be there, so they probably select judges to cover either option, too. 

 

The cynical view (mine) is that the first round is just for entertainment and production knows all along which first-half chef will advance.  But even if that is not the case, there's nothing to say the first and second rounds are filmed strictly in real time.  They can take an hour or two off and get everything both chefs need for round 2 from the Chelsea Market downstairs, let Bobby Google a bit and/or call friends for help, and call in a specialist judge from their list.

[chessiegal]

I don’t think it would be that hard to have the ingredients for both chefs on hand.

[Bastet]

I don't understand the thought process behind challenging Bobby Flay with cacio e pepe when your version is a "variation on."  A dish that lives or dies based on execution of a few ingredients in a simple preparation is a good idea if the contestant knows she/he can knock the original out of the park even while sleeping, taking the chance Bobby will attempt to do too much and muddle the result or, that even if he goes classic, his lack of repetition with the dish will push the challenger ahead.  To challenge Bobby to a dish he undoubtedly has the technical skills to nail and then turn around and make something that has a shit ton of changes is just not wise. 

It was followed by a re-run of Fabio beating Bobby in a spaghetti and meatballs challenge, because Fabio knew Bobby would either go overboard in making it different or make a great version of the classic, but one that was slightly less great than his, made daily, and thus hung his hat on delivering a perfect execution of the classic variation. 

Also, bleh with the shenanigans that no one understood what Bobby was doing by cooking a batch of pasta so early.  With so few ingredients, OF COURSE he's making a test batch. 

[Colleenna]

Dear POWERS THAT BE at FN: please stop shoving Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee, and Giada down our throats. Michael Symon and Anne Burrell are fun. 

[Enigma X]

9 minutes ago, Colleenna said:

Dear POWERS THAT BE at FN: please stop shoving Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee, and Giada down our throats. Michael Symon and Anne Burrell are fun. 

Michael Symon and Anne Burrell are just as annoying as Sunny, Katie, and Giada to me (if not more--well, equal to Sunny. No one can be more annoying than her).

[chessiegal]

Awww - Michael Symon is a sweet teddy bear. Love him.

[Colleenna]

17 hours ago, Enigma X said:

Michael Symon and Anne Burrell are just as annoying as Sunny, Katie, and Giada to me (if not more--well, equal to Sunny. No one can be more annoying than her).

That's why cars come in more than one color. Potayto, potahto.... There's probably someone on here who actually LIKES Sunny and/or Katie and/or Giada.

[Enigma X]

1 hour ago, Colleenna said:

That's why cars come in more than one color. Potayto, potahto.... There's probably someone on here who actually LIKES Sunny and/or Katie and/or Giada.

Probably!

[Bastet]

Among the recurring first-round judges, Katie Lee doesn't bother me, and I really enjoy Anne Burrell, Michael Symon, and Alex Guarnaschelli.  But Giada De Laurentiis bugs the ever-loving shit out of me, as does Sunny Anderson.  At least with the latter, it's easily explained -- just get a minute or two of her personality.  But with De Laurentiis, I can't pinpoint why she annoys me to the degree she does.  I hate her smile, but she can't help the fact she looks like she has twice as many teeth as the rest of us.  And it's a bit of a laugh to get culinary feedback from someone who eats approximately three bites of food per day.  But she irritates me far beyond any of that.  There's just something about her.

Edited July 10, 2018 by Bastet

[HyeChaps]

Why do they have actors and comedians judging in the first round?  Even Katie Lee and Sunny have better skills. 

[Brookside]

Anne, please don't attempt an English accent just because there's an English contestant.  It's highly irritating, and most Americans (including you) are extremely bad at it.

Also, Cheerio means Goodbye.  It's not just a random word to be thrown out at will.

[bad things are bad]

Quote

At least with the latter, it's easily explained -- just get a minute or two of her personality

But it's sad. Sunny used to be a fairly low-key normal human on FN. Someone must think it's a good idea for her to be a caricature. 

Quote

 

Anne, please don't attempt an English accent just because there's an English contestant.  It's highly irritating, and most Americans (including you) are extremely bad at it.

 

Spot on :)

[meowmommy]

So they have Stephanie Izard and Alex G as judges, and Bobby says Alex was the only female IC until Stephanie.  I guess they've erased Cat Cora from the collective memory.

And then the first competitor says, "Last time I lost by one vote...Bobby won by the skin of his fish."  There are only three votes.  You either lose 3-0 or 2-1.

[meowmommy]

So Nate Appleman is back competing.  Seems like a step down for him, given that he won Chopped Celebrity (or whatever they called that version of the tournament) and was close to the end of TNIC.  

And Donatella!  I didn't recognize her without her cleavage.  Wonder why she hasn't been on the latest iteration of ICA.

[mlp]

I didn't recognize Donatella either.  I kept staring at her trying to figure out why she looked so different.  I think a lot of it was the hair style.

I know that Nate is considered to be a very good chef but I've never cared for him.  I'm glad Bobby beat him.  

[Totale]

I think the Italian woman kicked Nate's ass in the opening round, planning and executing her dish just as she intended while he failed and floundered and finally just threw shit on a plate.  It just reinforced my cynical belief that the first half is just for fun and the second round battle is already set before the first bell rings.

[spiderpig]

I thought the ep with Bobby vs. Christian Petroni was a boatload of fun.  If Christian had shown this playful side on (was it FNS?) he'd have his own show.

As a bonus, we got to see my beloved Jet Tila.  Does that guy ever get grumpy?

[mlp]

I usually agree with you, spiderpig, but not this time.  I thought Christian's attitude bordered on obnoxious.  No mention was made of FNS so I imagine BBF was filmed first.  I'd seen Christian as a judge on BBF and Chopped before FNS and didn't mind him at all but I didn't care for his loud comments last night.

I just love Jet Tila.  I often watch the FB Live bits he does from his home with his very cute wife.  I can't think why FN hasn't given them some kind of show.  They're great together.  They do have very young kids so maybe she doesn't want to make that kind of commitment which would take her away from home a lot.

[meowmommy]

I just watched the one with the Chopped Grand Champion, and it just shows how little I actually pay attention when I watch Chopped these days that I have no idea who the guy is.  Unlike Madison Cowan.

There has to be some sort of compensation for competing, or winning, on this show.  I don't think it would hurt to tell us what it is.  Unless FN really is that cheap (and I wouldn't put it past them) and have convinced potential cheftestants that the glory of competing against BF is sufficient reward.

[Enigma X]

I found Christian annoying as well. And I don't know why I don't care for Jet Tila (that could be user error on my part).

[meowmommy]

He doesn't dress any better, that's for sure.  Just happy that TC Leah didn't advance.  I can't watch her without hearing those kissy sounds with Hosea.  Yecch.  

[Wings]

I am watching a bunch of reruns.  If I were a judge I would want to finish the plate I voted to win.  I wonder if they do.  

[1SimonMom]

New to this site.  Question as I feel Bobby Flay is one of the most egotistical people alive and therefore I can't even watch this show but I am curious does he ever lose.  In order to make the show fair why don't they have the judges hidden and then they wouldn;t know who actually made it.  Oh I know why then Bobby who has the biggest ego which means he must have the smallest you know what may not be all that.

[chessiegal]

25 minutes ago, 1SimonMom said:

New to this site.  Question as I feel Bobby Flay is one of the most egotistical people alive and therefore I can't even watch this show but I am curious does he ever lose.  In order to make the show fair why don't they have the judges hidden and then they wouldn;t know who actually made it.  Oh I know why then Bobby who has the biggest ego which means he must have the smallest you know what may not be all that.

Yes, he loses. And they bring in 3 judges at the end who have not watched the cooking to do a blind taste test.

Disclaimer: I adore Bobby Flay, even more so since I found out he is a cat lover, and has a beautiful Maine C*** cat named Nacho that has his own Instagram page.

[Enigma X]

@chessiegal, Bobby is my favorite food network personality. 

[1SimonMom]

Now I know why I don't like Flay he is a cat lover as I am a rescue dog lover but hey thanks so much responding and have a great day

[Bastet]

Yes, because choosing to give a loving home to a different species of companion animal in the midst of a homeless pet overpopulation crisis is clearly cause for scorn.

The judging is already as blind as you suggest it should be.  Since you don't watch, here's a recap:  There are two judges in the first round, who are there watching the action (along with Bobby), commenting, tasting, and ultimately deciding which of two contenders (tasked with making a dish focused on an ingredient of Bobby's choice) will be the one to challenge Bobby to a cook-off based on a dish of that winning contender's choosing (their "specialty" dish, but sometimes it's a true specialty and sometimes it's a strategy - something that's one of Bobby's known weak spots, so something they believe they can make a better version of than he will).  In the final round, between Bobby and that challenger, those two first-round judges (who usually know Bobby, so there's some good banter as they try to psych him out; at least one time his daughter has appeared, and she had a good time ribbing him) are observing and, if they wish, tasting as the dishes come along.  But when it comes time to vote on the finished product, that's done by a panel of three different judges, who did not see anything that came before and are just presented with Dish A and B.

Now, because Bobby's dish is usually pretty easily spotted by the ingredients he uses, it's only "blind" judging.  And that, plus home-kitchen advantage, gives him an edge, which is why I think he wins more here than he did on Throwdown -- with that show, there was no home kitchen, and the judges were local to the cuisine being presented, so they were more prone to pick the traditional version of the dish they were used to than Bobby's take on it, no matter how well executed the respective offerings.  With this show, there's generally one judge who specializes in the cuisine at hand, and two who don't (they know their shit when it comes to food, but aren't specific to that type of cuisine).  So you're more likely here to have Bobby win with a dish that maybe isn't the better representation of what one traditionally expects when sitting down to that particular meal but is a well-executed, flavorful variation.

So there's a lot of good food to be seen from everyone, which keeps me tuned in even when I don't particularly care for someone's personality.  (I'm indifferent to Bobby - he's got noticeably good and noticeably bad qualities, so in the grand scheme of what's going on in life he evens out to a neutral - but a couple of the recurring first-round judges bug the shit out of me; I try to tune them out.)

[mlp]

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a couple of the recurring first-round judges bug the shit out of me; I try to tune them out.)

I usually watch every episode however....................................... I don't like Katie Lee and her flirty ways and I can't stand Sunny Anderson and her loud mouth.  If either of them is on with someone I can tolerate, I watch and try to tune them out.  If they are on together, I turn it off.

[jcbrown]

On 11/11/2018 at 3:46 PM, mlp said:

I usually watch every episode however....................................... I don't like Katie Lee and her flirty ways and I can't stand Sunny Anderson and her loud mouth.  If either of them is on with someone I can tolerate, I watch and try to tune them out.  If they are on together, I turn it off.

I feel the same way about Katie Lee and Sunny because of their squawking and bellowing, respectively.

[GaT]

On 11/23/2018 at 5:31 PM, jcbrown said:

I feel the same way about Katie Lee and Sunny because of their squawking and bellowing, respectively.

I hate the way Sunny is always trying to make herself look trendy with things like blue lipstick or pink stripes in her hair.

[mlp]

I did not understand tonight's new episode at all.  In the first round, one chef made a rather elaborate dish given the time allowed and used cocoa nibs in several components.  The other chef didn't get finished and presented nothing but a cocktail in a glass that had had its rim dipped in cocoa nibs like a margarita.  Alton Brown and Valerie Bertinelli judged and said they couldn't taste the cocoa in the completed dish and gave the win to the cocktail claiming that the cocoa on the rim was the "star of the dish."  In the second round, the chef and Bobby made flourless chocolate cakes.  The competitor's cake looked great and Bobby's was a mess but he still won because, said the judges, it was more chocolate-y.  The whole episode looked blatantly contrived.  

[Ashforth]

On 2/15/2019 at 12:51 AM, mlp said:

I did not understand tonight's new episode at all.  In the first round, one chef made a rather elaborate dish given the time allowed and used cocoa nibs in several components.  The other chef didn't get finished and presented nothing but a cocktail in a glass that had had its rim dipped in cocoa nibs like a margarita.  Alton Brown and Valerie Bertinelli judged and said they couldn't taste the cocoa in the completed dish and gave the win to the cocktail claiming that the cocoa on the rim was the "star of the dish."  In the second round, the chef and Bobby made flourless chocolate cakes.  The competitor's cake looked great and Bobby's was a mess but he still won because, said the judges, it was more chocolate-y.  The whole episode looked blatantly contrived.  

That decision seems to support the theory that the first round is a charade with a pre-picked winner. It was ridiculous that the winner was chosen for grinding up some cocoa nibs and sticking them to the rim of a glass. As opposed to, you know, cooking something. 

[Bastet]

On 2/14/2019 at 10:51 PM, mlp said:

I did not understand tonight's new episode at all.  In the first round, one chef made a rather elaborate dish given the time allowed and used cocoa nibs in several components.  The other chef didn't get finished and presented nothing but a cocktail in a glass that had had its rim dipped in cocoa nibs like a margarita.  Alton Brown and Valerie Bertinelli judged and said they couldn't taste the cocoa in the completed dish and gave the win to the cocktail claiming that the cocoa on the rim was the "star of the dish." 

I just watched that round, and am flabbergasted.  I have no trouble believing the losing contestant had so many flavors going on that cocoa nibs were not the star of the dish (lamb, coriander, and carrot probably all came through more than cocoa)  But holy crap.  The winning contestant left out the nuts and his candied lemons.  So he had a cocktail - which I don't believe had any cocoa in it - with some ground cocoa nibs rimming the glass.  He surely did have the most "cocoa forward" offering, and might have had a really nice cocktail and nuts offering had he finished it.  But giving him the win after he showed such abysmal time-management skills blows my mind. 

The other chef's dish was more involved and came out well, but didn't properly showcase the featured ingredient.  In the round against Bobby Flay, making a single ingredient the star of a dish isn't part of the challenge.  So the chef who can properly season and cook multiple components and plate on time is someone I'm going to have more faith in nailing his own signature dish than the dude who can only manage to pour a cocktail in twenty minutes because he couldn't even get roasted nuts and candied lemons dished up.

[Bastet]

On 2/14/2019 at 10:51 PM, mlp said:

In the second round, the chef and Bobby made flourless chocolate cakes.  The competitor's cake looked great and Bobby's was a mess but he still won because, said the judges, it was more chocolate-y.  The whole episode looked blatantly contrived.  

Oh my gods, and now I've seen the cakes.  Bobby's is something you wouldn't serve to a bunch of five-year-olds at an Easy-Bake Oven party, let alone at a restaurant.  If the challenger had major flavor issues, I could see giving it to Bobby even despite the sloppy presentation and lack of textural variety because the flavors were good.  And they all did have complaints about the challenger's flavors, but it just didn't seem to add up to worse than Bobby's.  Alas, I guess that's what comes from only being able to see, not taste, the food.

But I still think the round one decision is bullshit.

[HappyDancex2]

The first round winner has to be set.  How else do they have cuisine specific judges available?   I think the cheftestants just show up to get a good edit and free commercial for their endeavors.

[mlp]

I've wondered the same thing for a long time.  It's not like they can just call busy chefs who then drop everything and run over.  In heavy traffic.  I imagine they know what dish each first round contestant is going to choose if they win but, unless both chefs cook the same style of food, they'd need to have two sets of judges standing by - which is highly improbable.  I can understand having the ingredients each chef will need available if they win but not the judges.

[Bastet]

3 minutes ago, mlp said:

I imagine they know what dish each first round contestant is going to choose if they win but, unless both chefs cook the same style of food, they'd need to have two sets of judges standing by - which is highly improbable.  I can understand having the ingredients each chef will need available if they win but not the judges.

There usually aren't three experts in the cuisine of the signature dish, though, or even two; it's generally just one who specializes in the same food and/or talks about how they grew up eating the traditional version and the other two who are familiar with eating it just as part of their life as a foodie, but may or may not have ever cooked it.  So perhaps one of the other two judges is an expert in the cuisine the other first round chef would have chosen had she/he won. 

I doubt they want to pause production long enough for someone to go shopping after the signature dish is revealed, so the two first-round challengers probably have to let producers know well in advance what they'll be cooking if they win, so all the appropriate ingredients can be on hand.  So, if production has that knowledge, they can also decide who to schedule together and put together a judging panel accordingly. 

[mlp]

You're probably right, Bastet.  I've noticed the same things but sometimes they have three judges who all do Mexican or something.  Maybe in those cases both competing chefs planned to make the same type of food.  

I read somewhere once, don't recall where, that filming an episode of BBF takes all day.  I'm pretty sure they film at FN headquarters which is right upstairs from the Chelsea Market so I assume they can send someone down for anything they need if necessary.

[Bastet]

A half-hour show will definitely take a day to film, yes. 

Proximity to a market that has just about anything would make it easier to shop in real time, but there still remains the possibility of something not being available, plus there are ingredients that need to be prepared in advance (e.g. a recent rerun with salted cod).  And there would be several factors in addition to assembling an appropriate second-round judging panel that would go into determining which contenders producers want together in an episode.  So while I don't - completely bizarre nature of the cocoa nibs episode notwithstanding - think the first round judging is a foregone conclusion, I think producers have elicited enough information from those in the contestant pool to put together an episode quite deliberately in terms of who's competing in the first round, who's judging that first round, and who's judging the second round (and not for any nefarious "the fix is in" purposes, just in terms of creating good television in terms of both balance and contrast).

[HappyDancex2]

I'll try to remember the episodes as I rewatch them.   I think it was the indian chef episodes in general where it seemed obvious there were 2 indian judges on the panel and the other cheftestant who lost the first round was non-indian.   While plausible that the other person's sig dish could have been something indian I still say there have been enough episodes where it's caught my eye that the panel was very specific to the cuisine.

Along the same lines there have been a few times the judging panel looked completely generic and I wondered if they were even an expert enough to judge the food LOL

Hey when Amanda or Marcus won and made Bobby make some little known dish, weren't the judges expert in those cuisines?   I can't recall.   It's the only type of food where I had never heard of their signature dishes.

I do like Alex's approach to beating Bobby....make an uber traditional French dish that can't be reinterpreted without burning the alter of the foundation of chefdom cooking LOL.

[meowmommy]

22 hours ago, Bastet said:

I doubt they want to pause production long enough for someone to go shopping after the signature dish is revealed, so the two first-round challengers probably have to let producers know well in advance what they'll be cooking if they win, so all the appropriate ingredients can be on hand. 

I've never once noticed an instance where a cheftestant (or Bobby) complains that they're missing something they need to put in their dish.  Either it's the most incredibly well-stocked kitchen on earth, or they give the producers their ingredient list. 

It's also possible that Bobby gets tipped in advance as to the signature dish, too.  I don't know his win percentage but it's pretty high.  I just find it hard to believe, as great a chef as he may be, that he's able to replicate and improve on so many chefs' signature dishes on a moment's notice, often claiming he's never made the dish before but then doing well enough to win.  Remember on Throwdown where he practiced for hours with Miriam and Stephanie?

At least, thank dog, unlike Chopped, they never have to fight over equipment.

11 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

While plausible that the other person's sig dish could have been something indian I still say there have been enough episodes where it's caught my eye that the panel was very specific to the cuisine.

I've made the same observation.  If I didn't think FN was about the most cheap-ass network out there, I'd think they paid two sets of judges to stand by.  

[Bastet]

10 minutes ago, meowmommy said:

It's also possible that Bobby gets tipped in advance as to the signature dish, too.  I don't know his win percentage but it's pretty high.  I just find it hard to believe, as great a chef as he may be, that he's able to replicate and improve on so many chefs' signature dishes on a moment's notice, often claiming he's never made the dish before but then doing well enough to win.  Remember on Throwdown where he practiced for hours with Miriam and Stephanie?

I don't think he knows, just the production team - again, I don't think it's rigged, I just think it's television. 

I think he wins more on this show than he did on Throwdown because 1) he has "home kitchen" advantage, and, especially, 2) the judges are largely not regional. 

On Throwdown, it was set up as a local cooking demonstration to which Bobby was a surprise element, and the judges were mostly locals heavily inclined towards a traditional take on the dish.  On this show, an incredibly flavorful variation has a much greater chance, and Flay excels at flavor. 

On Throwdown, he put his spin on things, sure, but practiced in order to nail the traditional version with a little twist, because that's what the judges would be looking for -- the best version of the traditional.  Here, his version is usually easily recognizable by his ingredients, because he's not really trying to hone in on the traditional, he's trying to take the fundamental ingredients and flavor profile and turn that into something more-generalized (and, often, more-sophisticated) judges than those on Throwdown will like best regardless of any deviations from tradition.

I do think he's given a "fesenjan = chicken, walnut, and pomegranate stew" type overview if he's largely unfamiliar with a dish (not to say he was with that dish, just an example), and has to take it from there, just not tipped off in advance.

[mlp]

Quote

Either it's the most incredibly well-stocked kitchen on earth, or they give the producers their ingredient list. 

That's a very small pantry and whatever the chefs need is always in it so I've assumed that both competitors have given production a list of what they'll need if they win.  Often we see them grab a whole tray of exactly what they want to use.  What are the odds that it's coincidence?  Staff must also supply enough of everything for Bobby and also stock his peppers and other things he likes to use.

[ninjakid]

11 hours ago, Bastet said:

I don't think he knows, just the production team - again, I don't think it's rigged, I just think it's television. 

I think he wins more on this show than he did on Throwdown because 1) he has "home kitchen" advantage, and, especially, 2) the judges are largely not regional. 

I think this was very apparent when the challenge was "Juicy Lucy's" and one judge complained that the competitor's offering had too much cheese.

[HappyDancex2]

I could use some crab cakes now!  I thought the competitor had the better dish.  The braised endive was weird but I don’t want a lot of Calabrian Chile’s in my crab cake.  

Also that dude was so bummed in his talking heads it was obvious he lost.   If they can’t hide it they should just use the voice overs.