S14.08: Who Gets a Pilot?

[Whimsy]

The final three finalists become four again when a previously eliminated competitor re-enters the competition thanks to a win on FoodNetwork.com's Star Salvation. With the help of eliminated finalists to serve as sous chefs, the final four must cook for their lives to determine which three will get a chance to shoot their own pilot. Former Food Network Star winners Tregaye Fraser and Jason Smith help determine which three finalists will move on to shoot pilots directed by Food Network's Sunny Anderson, Duff Goldman and Robert Irvine.

[cooksdelight]

I don’t like any of these people, nor would I watch them on TV.

Is that wrong?

At least Tregaye didn’t say something was on fleek. Did she? 

See how closely I was paying attention?

Jess is my last choice to get a second chance. Give me someone I can watch without worrying their jaw is going to come loose.

[rustyspigot]

Well. I kind of wanted to see the fit Amy undoubtedly threw when she was eliminated.

The Food Novelist was as annoying as I remember.

Tregaye won? I've blocked that from my mind.

[ivygirl]

I’m so glad Christian woke up in time to film this episode. I just wish they would have let him change out of his pajamas first.

[parrotlover]

Quote

39 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

I don’t like any of these people, nor would I watch them on TV.

Is that wrong?

At least Tregaye didn’t say something was on fleek. Did she? 

See how closely I was paying attention?

Jess is my last choice to get a second chance. Give me someone I can watch without worrying their jaw is going to come loose.

 

Definitely not wrong. I feel the same way, don’t like and wouldn’t watch any of them. But we all know the only shows the  winner of this will be seen on is as a judge on Guy’s Grocery Games, Chopped, or Beat Bobby Flay. Since I don’t watch FN much anymore I haven’t even see Tregaye on those shows. Do they even give them their own show for a few weeks anymore? I feel like the last one who did was Eddie or was it Demaris? 

And not a fan of Amy...but her pause was not as bad as Christian chewing for several minutes, her food was praised, his meatballs were dry, but he was selected? Don’t get that. I know they have given her many chances but I think she would have been a better choice than him. And at least she looks nice on camera. He looks like a slob.

They really need to put this show out of its misery.

Edited July 30, 2018 by parrotlover

[smiley13]

If we could still vote, mine would be for Manny.  Jess runs me the wrong way.  And I am not sure why Gee-Ah-Da grins maniacally when Christian says How Ya Doin.

[toodywoody]

Jess is smug and her smile is fake to me. I don't like her at all. 

Christian just isn't appealing to me either. 

Give it to Manny, he is the only one I can stand and he doesn't seem to be putting on a front 

[parrotfeathers]

I absolutely did not like Tregaye during her run for FNS.  I did not want her to win and did not understand how she won.  But, tonight she was very well poised and actually spoke intelligently and I really was impressed (thinking maybe I saw someone else 2 years ago).  She was well coifed--maybe put on a couple of pounds--but looked really nice and held her own with the others.

I think I could watch Manny if he went up a shirt size.  

[suebee12]

If one were to look up "unmade bed" in a dictionary, Christian would certainly be pictured! I don't care how good a cook he is, his sloppy clothes make me feel dirty. Why in the world didn't his wife buy him some new clothes? In fact, wasn't he wearing the same red and black shirt when he was on The Kitchen with some really ugly jacket over it? I was really surprised when he made it through with his tasting problems and his dowdy clothes!

One other thought, I laughed when I saw Duff and Manny together...they looked like black and white twins! They might actually be fun on a show together. Jess doesn't do much for me, but I felt for her when I saw her director....Ugh, Robert Irvine! And on top of that, The Food Network is trying to shove him down our throats again since he will be on the Worst Cook in America...another show I will skip!

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, smiley13 said:

If we could still vote, mine would be for Manny.  Jess runs me the wrong way.  And I am not sure why Gee-Ah-Da grins maniacally when Christian says How Ya Doin.

When he says that, it reminds me of the guy from Louisiana on FNS whose catch phrase was “How ya durrin.” I think he was the road chef for a band.

[LexieLily]

1 hour ago, toodywoody said:

Jess is smug and her smile is fake to me. I don't like her at all. 

I hoped she would be the one eliminated just to see that look wiped off her face. But, to play devil's advocate for a minute, I don't understand the problem this show has with people that sound "rehearsed". I think they had this issue with Cory last year and to me Jess didn't sound any more rehearsed than most people. If you don't rehearse you end up with pauses like Amy or dead air for five minutes while you chew your food or crack eggs.

I was offended on Amy's behalf when Giada told her during the first judging that Amy needed to do some inner work on herself otherwise she would always stay here (hand motion) and not get to Jason and Tregaye's level. What level is that? At least Jason has been a judge on an actual competition show that spanned multiple weeks. Tregaye won for being on fleek and obnoxious, was a judge on GGG once, and pretty much disappeared after her win.

[biakbiak]

9 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

I hoped she would be the one eliminated just to see that look wiped off her face.

If you want to see it you could just watch the episode where she was eliminated. 

I am in the minority but I like Jess and think she will appear on the network even if she doesn’t win the lame ass prize.

[Aerobicidal]

“You have not only survived, but you have thrived.” If these performances are what Giada considers thriving, I wonder how she would describe Lenny’s career after winning this show. Illustrious? Transcendent? Cromulent?

Luckily, I don’t need to try to come up with more modifiers since the Food Novelist™ is back to serve fifty shades of filet.

Christian’s hand gestures are sort of like a more emphatic and frantic version of the sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela’s funeral. It reminds me of youtube “stars” who overreact to everything to the point of self-parody. I want Corky St. Clair to be a guest judge and say, “Just talk like a normal person!”

“There are no eggs in my balls!” Paging Dr. Freud. . . .

When both Lord Honey and Lady Fleek seem subdued and reasonable compared to the current contestants, you know there’s a universal crisis looming. And this is true despite the fact that, if Sonic the Hedgehog had a level modeled after the Liberace museum in Las Vegas, Jason is wearing exactly what the boss of that level would be wearing. Or maybe it’s more like what an extra in a family-friendly exurban dinner theater production of Showgirls would wear. It’s fleeky, regardless.

Giada and Jess’ facial expressions during Amy’s video are amazing. It’s like they’re both auditioning to be mouth models for a retro Twizzlers campaign. Or maybe this is my stronger reference point.

The Cinemax overtones of this season continue with Christian trying to swallow too much in one mouthful. If any of the regular or guest judges told him he should have prepared for the season by training himself to no longer have a gag reflex, it would pretty much redeem every boring, intelligence-insulting, manipulative thing that’s happened this season.

“You’re not going to be a star on the Food Network if you don’t taste . . . the food.” That comment from Bobby would have made Giada and Sandra Lee choke if they had eaten a bite big enough to choke on in the last 29 years.

Slightly more concise thoughts on the pilots: Jess' presentation is as natural as Jocelyn Wildenstein's appearance. Robert Irvine is a grizzled heap of roid rage that the WWE would reject for his inability to be interesting. Christian would be a trustworthy TV chef the same day William Hung exemplifies masterful vocals and aspirational styling. Manny is . . . comparatively tolerable.

[Jaded]

2 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

I was offended on Amy's behalf when Giada told her during the first judging that Amy needed to do some inner work on herself otherwise she would always stay here (hand motion) and not get to Jason and Tregaye's level. What level is that? 

Giada could stand to go up a few levels herself entertainment wise. I never really watched her earlier cooking shows so I don't know if she was more entertaining then. I think she acts like a self absorbed witch who puts on a fake smile towards the contestants who she thinks are below her. I did try to watch her "Giada Entertains" show a couple times and couldn't make it through either episode to the end. During one for an "Film Festival Party" she wanted people she invited to make two minute cell phone movies on any topic they wanted that would all be viewed later on at said party. I wonder if she treats contestants like she did Amy tonight often and it usually gets edited out? At least Amy put more effort and passion into her fits then Giada does at hosting this show. The times I've tried watching FNS I've quit after a few episodes again due to her.

I agree with @parrotlover about putting this show out of it's misery. I wish I had seen earlier seasons near the start because it sounds like it may have been a more interesting show then the past few seasons I've seen a few episodes from.
 

2 hours ago, smiley13 said:

If we could still vote, mine would be for Manny.  Jess runs me the wrong way.  And I am not sure why Gee-Ah-Da grins maniacally when Christian says How Ya Doin.

 

41 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

When he says that, it reminds me of the guy from Louisiana on FNS whose catch phrase was “How ya durrin.” I think he was the road chef for a band.

Those catch phrases both sound like bad imitations of Joey's from Friends.

[mlp]

Quote

If one were to look up "unmade bed" in a dictionary, Christian would certainly be pictured! I don't care how good a cook he is, his sloppy clothes make me feel dirty. Why in the world didn't his wife buy him some new clothes? In fact, wasn't he wearing the same red and black shirt when he was on The Kitchen with some really ugly jacket over it? I was really surprised when he made it through with his tasting problems and his dowdy clothes!

One other thought, I laughed when I saw Duff and Manny together...they looked like black and white twins! They might actually be fun on a show together. Jess doesn't do much for me, but I felt for her when I saw her director....Ugh, Robert Irvine! And on top of that, The Food Network is trying to shove him down our throats again since he will be on the Worst Cook in America..

I was going to say every bit of that.  Suebee saved me a lot of typing.  I can't even imagine why someone with aspirations to be on TV would dress like that to make a pilot.  He must look in a mirror at some point.  I also don't understand why one of the so-called mentors hasn't clued him in.

While watching one of Amy's THs in the first part of the show, the thought crossed my mind that she was taping it after being eliminated and was holding herself together.  Just something about her expression.  Even so, I was kind of surprised when she got sent home instead of Christian even though I think it was the right decision.  There's something off-putting about her attitude.

Robert Irvine (ugh!) and Sunny Anderson (ugh!) must have been told to dial it down for the occasions.  They were both tolerable and I can't stand either of them.  I was tickled that Manny, my favorite, got Duff whom I love.  I hope that bodes well for him winning.

[Yeah No]

I knew that Christian throwing his meatballs into the fryer would dry them out.  So what was the purpose of scrapping the first batch to put egg in them if he was just going to dry them out anyway?  As much as I like him he does have his issues.  And I called him an unmade bed last week.  Still is.  WTF was he thinking taking that ginormous bite?  Seriously!  I wouldn't be unhappy if he won but if not I wouldn't cry over it.  And somehow I doubt he will anyway.

Manny has actually won my "most improved" award this season.  I would be equally happy if he won and I think he has a chance.  Of course I still worry that Jess might win and I don't like her.  I don't think she overcame her "rehearsed" quality enough despite Irvine's coaching.  I think "rehearsed" is a euphemism for "fake and impersonal", or at least a way to say something negative without really saying it.

Somewhere along the line Amy turned sour and engaged in the self-fulfilling prophecy of her own demise.  Early on in her first season I thought she was funny, but that sour edge took over toward the end of this season and it was not at all attractive.

20 minutes ago, mlp said:

Robert Irvine (ugh!) and Sunny Anderson (ugh!) must have been told to dial it down for the occasions.  They were both tolerable and I can't stand either of them.  I was tickled that Manny, my favorite, got Duff whom I love.  I hope that bodes well for him winning.

I thought Duff and Manny could be "brothers from another mother".  Something about their body types and energy.  And it was fun.

Robert and Sunny were completely tolerable for a change and so was Tregaye.  But my theory is that all of them are tolerable unless they're being encouraged to dial up the energy too much.  But still, there's a difference between being tolerable and likable.

[HappyDancex2]

Jess has had a hair disaster moment in every episode where that damn piece gets stuck in some odd position.  Spray it the hell down, clip in a hair accessory or get your haircut from a licensed stylist.  Don’t these people get consults to be on TV????

[HappyDancex2]

I’m convinced this whole Christian not tasting his food thing is a schtick.  Have you noticed that his faults really aren’t egregious faults?  So he forgets to taste his food....and now he chews for too long.  Serious eye roll.  FN likes their winner edited without faults. 

Christian will do fine on FN.  He has a disheveled Chris Santos vibe about him so he can just fill in on Chopped, GGG etc. 

[spiderpig]

Giada previewed this year's Halloween costume.  She's going as a bar code.

It's been a long time since they selected a winner of Eddie Jackson's caliber.  Of this bunch, I'm rooting for Manny.

I'm tired of looking at that huge button on Jess's top/dress during her talking heads.

That is all.

[ivygirl]

15 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

 

I'm tired of looking at that huge button on Jess's top/dress during her talking heads.

I thought I was the only one...

Anyway. I guess I’m rooting for Manny.

To answer a question from above: yes, this show used to be more interesting and had a better mix of professionals and home chefs. And say what you will about Guy Fitti (and yeah, there’s a LOT), he’s probably its prototypical success story. The winners of the first season (Hearty Boys) would probably never make it past the auditions because they’re so normal.

[spiderpig]

10 minutes ago, ivygirl said:

I thought I was the only one...

Anyway. I guess I’m rooting for Manny.

 

You are not alone.

Your BFF,

spiderpig

[suebee12]

2 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I thought Duff and Manny could be "brothers from another mother".  Something about their body types and energy.  And it was fun.

Best description yet! Their segment has been the best thing to come from The Next Food Network Star this year...heck, in a couple of years!

[TDT]

7 hours ago, parrotlover said:

But we all know the only shows the  winner of this will be seen on is as a judge on Guy’s Grocery Games, Chopped, or Beat Bobby Flay.

..or a panelist on The Best Thing I Ever Ate(which is now on Cooking Channel)

7 hours ago, suebee12 said:

Ugh, Robert Irvine! And on top of that, The Food Network is trying to shove him down our throats again since he will be on the Worst Cook in America...another show I will skip!

Guess Tyler Florence is sitting this season out..and i dont blame him lol

5 hours ago, Aerobicidal said:

When both Lord Honey and Lady Fleek

Sounds like they could be NPC characters for the next Grand Theft Auto game..(Rockstar should call them up XD )

[bluepiano]

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Somewhere along the line Amy turned sour and engaged in the self-fulfilling prophecy of her own demise.  Early on in her first season I thought she was funny, but that sour edge took over toward the end of this season and it was not at all attractive.

For me Amy has always been sour, but this episode did something I never thought could happen. It made me feel sorry for her. She was the exact same Amy they've been pushing on us through two seasons and that comeback show, and now suddenly needs to do inner work on herself? What does that even mean? Is Giada now some kind of self-help guru? The same thing could certainly be said about Giada herself. But I guess when you're born into a wealthy, illustrious family and people have been kissing your backside your whole life, you can believe you're fine just the way you are.

If Amy wasn't going to win, why did they even bring her back?

10 hours ago, LexieLily said:

At least Jason has been a judge on an actual competition show that spanned multiple weeks. Tregaye won for being on fleek and obnoxious, was a judge on GGG once, and pretty much disappeared after her win.

If Tregaye is now the model for what contestants on FNS are supposed to aspire to, I can't think of any more damning indictment of this show.

12 hours ago, toodywoody said:

Jess is smug and her smile is fake to me. I don't like her at all. Christian just isn't appealing to me either. Give it to Manny, he is the only one I can stand and he doesn't seem to be putting on a front 

 Jess is a poster child for millennial self-entitlement, and her voice is nails on a chalkboard to me. I once wrote her that Amy was mean-spirited, and I feel the same about Jess, after a couple of her talking heads this week mocking other competitors. She's full of herself for sure.

I can't imagine her winning, because she doesn't have the personality to do the GGG/guest judge duties. I can see either Christian or Manny in that role. Manny is the only one this season who's shown some growth (mainly learning to slow down) but I think his culinary chops and food knowledge are pretty limited. Not that it really matters anymore on FN.

So Adam Gertler didn't compete on Star Salvation. Was that his choice? Did he finally have enough of this stupid show?

Palak remains my favorite contestant this year. Smart, well-spoken, a talented chef, and a genuinely nice person. She was too good for this show.

Edited July 30, 2018 by bluepiano

[AAEBoiler]

7 minutes ago, bluepiano said:

Palak remains my favorite contestant this year. Smart, well-spoken, a great chef, and seemingly a genuinely nice person. She was too good for this show.

I agree 100%.

While I understand the dislike of Jess, I think that she's the only one of the final four who actually has the ability to grow into having a show. Other than that, this season has been a train wreck.

[bluepiano]

22 minutes ago, AAEBoiler said:

While I understand the dislike of Jess, I think that she's the only one of the final four who actually has the ability to grow into having a show. Other than that, this season has been a train wreck.

But when was the last time the winner of FNS actually got their own show? Maybe Eddie about four seasons ago, and they gave him a barbecue show that had nothing to do with his "pilot." It kind of makes the whole "shooting a pilot" thing pointless, Like most of the other challenges on this show.

 

8 hours ago, Jaded said:

I agree with @parrotlover about putting this show out of it's misery. I wish I had seen earlier seasons near the start because it sounds like it may have been a more interesting show then the past few seasons I've seen a few episodes from

In the early seasons they used to drive me nuts by hammering away on "culinary POV" and trying to make everyone fit into some kind of narrowly defined box (often based on their ethnicity.) But there's no doubt that the contestants were of a higher caliber, both in terms of being polished on camera and having actual professional culinary credentials. Instead of all the "food bloggers" and "caterers" we get now. (Translation. I'm a good home cook and really want to be on TV)

Once "the network" (Bob and Suzy) were no longer involved the standards really dropped, and the whole show seemed to become about keeping Bobby and Giada entertained. (Hence the likes of poppin', fleekin' Tregaye as a winner).

Edited July 30, 2018 by bluepiano

[Gregg247]

When Jess (with her super-bright red lipstick) started smiling at Giada, who started smiling back, I thought that "Shark Week" had made a return trip to TFN.  That's a lot of teeth in one room!

Everything about Jess seems fake (sorry, "overly rehearsed") to me.  She was approaching the restaurant where she was going to shoot the pilot, and you could tell when the director called "Action" because her walk suddenly went from normal to "exaggerated sexy" in a split second.  I immediately thought, "Wow, this woman can't even walk down the street naturally". 

At one point in the show, someone (sorry, I can't remember who) told her to be more natural and less rehearsed.  In her TH, she said that they told her to describe her food in a more sensual way.  "NO!  Please don't do that!" signed, The Audience  LOL

I like Christian the best.  I think his "problem" with eating on camera is a fake issue that they're pushing in order to make it look like he's overcome some serious calamity in his personality, thanks to the judges' fantastic mentoring.  Plus, it serves as a "dramatic way" to go to a commercial.  "Oh no, will he ever finish chewing that meatball?"  "How many bites will he need to take before describing his food with his mouth full?"

Manny's fine, I guess.  I'm not sure how a "firehouse chef" qualifies for his own series, though.  I wasn't sure until last night if Manny was an actual fireman (he is!) or just a guy who hangs around the station, cooking chili and burgers for the guys.

I also noticed that Adam wasn't in the show last night.  Did he participate in "Star Salvation"?  I think he's done with TFN.  I'll bet he was pushing for a new show, and the network disappointed him by turning it down and then countering with an offer to (maybe) get back on the competition show he didn't win a decade ago.  It was a comedown for him at this point (who wants to go back to a job they left 10 years earlier in their career?), and I think his losing so early made him rethink his long-term job prospects with TFN.

[HyeChaps]

I remember that Tregaye won, but I don’t remember that she was a good cook.   Does anyone else remember?

[Commando Cody]

I have no recollection of Tregaye winning. 

[Totale]

I knew it was Jess because the tube was on in the background on Saturday and the FN brain trust ran a commercial with her, Manny, Christian and nobody else in it.  Rather than calling herself a "food novelist" she should have just used the title of her book.

Was there any good reason for Christian and Palek to make up 10 pounds of "meatball mix" to serve a meatball to 4 people?  Oh yeah, to have the fake crisis with the horror of leaving eggs out.  I forgot.  They didn't even taste the decoy set of meatballs, they had a panade in them for moisture and were probably better.

I liked Duff sitting quietly with Manny to grok the burger.

[springbarb]

I also don't remember Tregaye winning, but I did like her a lot more tonight than I remember liking her during her season.

I was yelling at Christian to, at the very least, button up one more button on his shirt. I really don't need to see that much chest hair on a food show. And I wasn't surprised that he went on to pilot, even though his presentation and food were worse than Amy's. He was clearly the favored contestant.

Manny does seem like the best of the options left; this episode was the first time I actually enjoyed his presentation, probably because he was a bit more subdued (harnessed his energy?) and not so over the top. Duff is the best.

[bluepiano]

1 hour ago, Gregg247 said:

Manny's fine, I guess.  I'm not sure how a "firehouse chef" qualifies for his own series, though.  I wasn't sure until last night if Manny was an actual fireman (he is!) or just a guy who hangs around the station, cooking chili and burgers for the guys.

I've wondered that myself. I'm guessing he's not an actual fireman, otherwise the show would be playing up that angle. There's never been any mention that winning FNS would mean giving up his fire fighting career. (Certainly a more socially beneficial occupation than playing second banana on Guy's Grocery Games).

On "Chopped" they have had episodes with fireman chefs who are clearly firemen who do a shift cooking and got good at it.

Edited July 30, 2018 by bluepiano

[ivygirl]

1 hour ago, Gregg247 said:

Everything about Jess seems fake (sorry, "overly rehearsed") to me.  She was approaching the restaurant where she was going to shoot the pilot, and you could tell when the director called "Action" because her walk suddenly went from normal to "exaggerated sexy" in a split second.  I immediately thought, "Wow, this woman can't even walk down the street naturally". 

At one point in the show, someone (sorry, I can't remember who) told her to be more natural and less rehearsed.  In her TH, she said that they told her to describe her food in a more sensual way.  "NO!  Please don't do that!" signed, The Audience  LOL

At one point, she flirtatiously giggled at something the chef said. I wanted to barf. I don’t want or need that on Food Network. Incidentally it also makes you lose authority—like you’re not there to be a food show host, you’re there to flirt.  Save the tee-hee for off camera.

[Amarsir]

13 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

At least Tregaye didn’t say something was on fleek. Did she? 

Nor did Jason spout any fake southernisms that I recall. (Although he has no shortage in BBA.) In fact this whole season has had a lot less pushing for cartoony stereotypes than the past. Only Christian is over the top and he does that himself. Perhaps they listened to the audience on that.

Also, it's worth praising that the "final four" dish didn't have any crazy twists or sprinting to get the card that says "strawberry" so you aren't left with "durian". Just "cook what you're good at". (And then leave out a crucial ingredient and move on anyway.)

2 hours ago, bluepiano said:

For me Amy has always been sour, but this episode did something I never thought could happen. It made me feel sorry for her. She was the exact same Amy they've been pushing on us through two seasons and that comeback show, and now suddenly needs to do inner work on herself? What does that even mean? Is Giada now some kind of self-help guru? The same thing could certainly be said about Giada herself. But I guess when you're born into a wealthy, illustrious family and people have been kissing your backside your whole life, you can believe you're fine just the way you are.

If Amy wasn't going to win, why did they even bring her back?

I think everyone knew Amy wasn't going to win except Amy. The real shame is that it was so obvious that challenge didn't matter. Christian screwed up the presentation and the food, but they like him better so there you go.

If we want to be super cynical, "Comeback Kitchen" gives them 4-5 more hours of television without having to come up with any additional prizes.

40 minutes ago, HyeChaps said:

I remember that Tregaye won, but I don’t remember that she was a good cook.   Does anyone else remember?

I remember she made a bread pudding that Bobby & Giada thought was the most amazing thing anyone has ever cooked.

[Amarsir]

48 minutes ago, Totale said:

I knew it was Jess because the tube was on in the background on Saturday and the FN brain trust ran a commercial with her, Manny, Christian and nobody else in it.  Rather than calling herself a "food novelist" she should have just used the title of her book.

If you did that on purpose I am very impressed.

For those who don't know: 

[bluepiano]

21 minutes ago, Amarsir said:

I think everyone knew Amy wasn't going to win except Amy. The real shame is that it was so obvious that challenge didn't matter. Christian screwed up the presentation and the food, but they like him better so there you go.

That's what has me confused. Amy screwed up a lot of challenges this season but always skated by. Then, she clearly does better than Christian and gets eliminated. It feels like something happened to make TPTB sour on Amy. Could the reason be the social media post that got discussed on this forum? Did they decide after Lenny they couldn't afford another social media loose cannon?

Edited July 30, 2018 by bluepiano

[penbrat]

Glad Amy is gone.  Her attitude when things did not go her way was a bit much.  Crap happens, deal with it if you want to be on tv.   Rooting for Manny but not really very enthusiastically.  He is the best of the rest IMO but that really is not saying much.

Edited July 30, 2018 by penbrat

[suebee12]

52 minutes ago, bluepiano said:

. I'm guessing he's not an actual fireman, otherwise the show would be playing up that angle.

Yes, he is a fireman...works at Station #1 which I am guessing is in downtown Orlando. Usually a firehouse has a designated cook. My girlfriend's husband was a firehouse cook during his shift...they work 24 on and 48 off usually.

[Whimsy]

2 hours ago, bluepiano said:

I've wondered that myself. I'm guessing he's not an actual fireman, otherwise the show would be playing up that angle. There's never been any mention that winning FNS would mean giving up his fire fighting career. (Certainly a more socially beneficial occupation than playing second banana on Guy's Grocery Games).

On "Chopped" they have had episodes with fireman chefs who are clearly firemen who do a shift cooking and got good at it.

 

1 hour ago, suebee12 said:

Yes, he is a fireman...works at Station #1 which I am guessing is in downtown Orlando. Usually a firehouse has a designated cook. My girlfriend's husband was a firehouse cook during his shift...they work 24 on and 48 off usually.

As answered, yes, he is a real firefighter, but I'm concerned with his weight.  How can he effectively run up stairs, make his way through a smoke-filled, burning building, etc being that overweight?  There are guys on the department my husband works on that are definitely overweight too, but none are as big as Manny.  They also hired a nutritionist to work with the guys to help them with their nutrition and health.  I know all firefighters don't look like those calendars (much to my dismay.  There's only one guy on my husband's dept that could actually pose for one of those calendars- and it's not my husband lol), but they still should maintain a healthy weight not just for themselves but the people and property they need to save.  

[mlp]

Quote

Amy screwed up a lot of challenges this season but always skated by. Then, she clearly does better than Christian and gets eliminated. It feels like something happened to make TPTB sour on Amy. Could the reason be the social media post that got discussed on this forum? 

The show was filmed and long over before the social media comment so that can't be it.  I think they saw the scenes with her kicking the shelves and so on last week and put that behavior together with her attitude and facial expressions when things weren't going her way and realized they didn't want to deal with her personality.  I'd thought for a long time that she was the designated winner so I was relieved when they sent her home.  Christian has faults too but they can be corrected plus he's likable.

[biakbiak]

5 hours ago, Gregg247 said:

also noticed that Adam wasn't in the show last night.  Did he participate in "Star Salvation"?  I think he's done with TFN. 

He wasn’t in Star Salvation and the other contestants that have been brought back in previous seasons also didn’t participate on Star Salvation so it appears that you only get one second chance a season.

[TomCorps]

Who knew ambivalence could be so aggressive, but that's precisely what I feel for these three.  Who gets a pilot?  Who cares??  Okay, I really dislike Jess the Poseur (her lips always look like they're going to slide right off her face during her talking heads), so I guess that's antipathy which is more than ambivalence, but just the same.  I never thought I'd wish for the days of Penny Dreadful and Danushka the Douche-ka.

[meowmommy]

I've never understood the obsession with "take a bite at the end."  What are they going to say--oh, shit, this tastes like cow manure?   And most of the time they're talking with their mouths full...yuck.  I will have to watch my French Chef videos to see if Julia ever bothered to make a display about tasting her dish.  She just knew it was good, and so did we. 

Another complaint from me that when they're doing demos, the other participants shouldn't be allowed to watch before doing their own demo.

I don't care about Jess's appearance, cooking, choice of words, etc.  It's the damn vocal fry/uptalk that drives me bananas.  Oh, and that she's dressed like she's going clubbing for her pilot.  And that she shimmied in a way that would make Damaris proud.  Anyone notice that when she screamed, the "customers" didn't even blink?  Clearly they cleared out the real clientele and filled the room with extras.

Good to see Jason dressed down for the occasion. 

What rock did Christian have to look under to find the purple pineapple shirt?  Least he could have done was fucking iron it.  And the Farmer John flannel shirt with nothing underneath, so a lovely huge patch of chest hair.  Mm mm good.  "I don't know if I can show my face in the Bronx no more."  I guess grammar and syntax are optional now, too. 

15 hours ago, LexieLily said:

I was offended on Amy's behalf when Giada told her during the first judging that Amy needed to do some inner work on herself otherwise she would always stay here (hand motion) and not get to Jason and Tregaye's level. What level is that?

What are the odds that LBH would have gotten past the first round if she'd been forced to compete on this show?  

Not a Guy Fieri fan, but he always did a pretty good job "directing" the pilots.  Sunny looked good since she left the neon eyeshadow at home.

Alex needed to come with her air horn to bleep out all the cliche food words.

[Surrealist]

Neither Tregaye nor Jason (Lord Honey) bothered me on the show. They've tapered their personalities down quite a bit since their respective seasons. 

I'm not the biggest Amy fan, but I thought she did a better job than Christian overall. Yeah, there was that awkward pause, but she still pulled it together. 

At this point, I feel like this is Manny's to lose. 

[backformore]

1 hour ago, meowmommy said:

I've never understood the obsession with "take a bite at the end."  What are they going to say--oh, shit, this tastes like cow manure?   And most of the time they're talking with their mouths full...yuck.  I will have to watch my French Chef videos to see if Julia ever bothered to make a display about tasting her dish.  She just knew it was good, and so did we

I was just going to post the same thought.  WHY do they have to taste their food?   It doesn't add anything to the viewer  to have the person who made the food, take a bite and declare that yes, it is delicious.  It's fine if some cooks on a show want to do it, but it might not fit the personality of another cook.  I just don't think it's necessary.  If they're being honest, we'd see a show where the cook tastes the food, and says, "oh shit, I forgot the salt."  But no, they will always moan and pronounce it the best thing they ever put in their mouth, oh my god, I wish you could taste this!

  They did it on The Chew on ABC all the time, but it was different, because they were making food for each other, tasting and praising each other's food.  To me, that's different than pronouncing your OWN food delicious and amazing.   (Airhorn!) 

[cooksdelight]

19 hours ago, parrotlover said:

They really need to put this show out of its misery.

And us.

[seacliffsal]

I cannot think of anyone who hosts a t.v. show who looks as under-dressed and down right sloppy/unkempt as Christian did during his pilot.  I know that there are contestants every year who try to go for the "bro" win trying to emulate Guy Fieri, but Christian was just off-putting to me in his chosen attire for his pilot.  

Jess seems insincere to me.  So, by default, I hope Manny wins.  I would watch him (at least once) if he got a show.

[cooksdelight]

Christian smells bad, if TV had smell-o-vision.

Jess and her weird mouth movements scare me.

Manny needs to slooooooow down, and stop looking like a fish who can’t breathe.

[whinewithwine]

2 hours ago, meowmommy said:

I will have to watch my French Chef videos to see if Julia ever bothered to make a display about tasting her dish.  She just knew it was good, and so did we. 

Thanks for the idea.  I just watched Julia's "The Potato Show" on YouTube.  She was such a joy to watch and NEVER took one bite of any of the four dishes she made.  

12 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

Christian smells bad, if TV had smell-o-vision.

Precisely.

[akr]

I can't see Jess catching on with viewers (because she's trying too transparently to fill the role), and I'm not sure what Manny brings - regular guy who likes burgers and such? I don't mind him as a person and his cooking generally seemed adequate but unremarkable - that of a guy with a few really good go-to recipes but perhaps not a whole lot else - and I see no reason why I'd watch him on TV.  I find Christian a bit of an easier sell, but still ultimately forgettable; but I'm sure they can finetune the wardrobe a bit (yes, too much chest hair - but all of them would have benefited from some wardrobe tweaks, not just him), and have him not sit with his body a little more than two inches away from the plate, which I found really distracting.  I suspect the meatballs he meant to make would have been tasty, and he had an ease with Antonia Lofaso that nobody else seemed to match (although I don't like the advice to him to start talking so much - it ended up feeling like the amateur FN person was talking over the actual expert chef instead of interviewing her).

I still like Amy - I find her, as they say, "relateable," even when she's a little pissed or snarky - and her food almost always looks appealing.  The parting advice to do some "inner work" was the opposite of helpful.  

I don't know why Jess's eggplant and tofu terrine thing was supposed to be a "more approachable" use of basic Asian flavors.  Reproducing a takeout meal would be more approachable - this just looked weird and I had to think about why it would work.  Ok, eggplant with garlic sauce works, various spicy tofu things with lots of ginger and garlic work  . . . still not sure why they're layered together and how that wouldn't end up bland or texturally incompatible - and why are they on the same plate with gojuchang/miso/ginger/garlic etc chicken??  If the dish made sense, she certainly didn't explain to me why - and I have and use all of the things she put into the dish.

At least the bossy blonde from Mississippi didn't get the chance to screw up anybody's cooking effort. It would have been nice if they'd instead drawn knives or something that determined the order of who they got to pick as a sous chef, rather than drawing names, but in the end, with the exception of the valuable Palak, the assistant chefs really didn't add or subtract much to the equation (although I found myself constantly annoyed at Rebecca's attention-hogging plaints to the camera about how "we don't do this in the South" or some such nonsense.  About ginger and garlic!! First off, it's not your segment, for the second, speak for your damn self.