S09.04 Bordertown Boom 2018.08.16

[Whimsy]

The trucks roll into the Old West town of Yuma, Ariz., and head to the historic Yuma Territorial Prison, which used to house prisoners from all over the Wild West. Tyler Florence gives the teams a relay challenge involving artichokes and bacon, and then they must add an original dish starring those ingredients to their menu and start selling. The residents of Yuma show up in full force, with lines 20 people deep waiting to try the trucks' specialties. After a day of massive sales, one team is eliminated, and the final three trucks head to the next destination.

[spiderpig]

OK, I'll start.

I thought Yuma was a perfect location for this show.  While not exactly Antarctica, it's off the beaten track for food shows, and the community seemed to want to turn out and have fun.

(Here comes my inner meanie...) Did anyone wish the New England guys had dropped that door a little harder?

Edited August 17, 2018 by spiderpig

[biakbiak]

I am so confused about the rules for acquiring food. Moo shu and Chop shop on the first day seemed to believe they couldn’t send someone for supplies and Moo Shu shut down the entire operation and moved. At least on the second day everyone was on the same page about that they could send one team member and still sell if they had ingredients.

[GaT]

I was pissed that New England Grill got immunity (and then won anyway), because when one of them called their dish shrimp quesa-dill-aaas, I wanted them gone.

[cameron]

7 hours ago, spiderpig said:

OK, I'll start.

I thought Yuma was a perfect location for this show.  While not exactly Antarctica, it's off the beaten track for food shows, and the community seemed to want to turn out and have fun.

(Here comes my inner meanie...) Did anyone wish the New England guys had dropped that door a little harder?

That's too funny.  Actually thought the same thing myself.

[suebee12]

7 hours ago, spiderpig said:

(Here comes my inner meanie...) Did anyone wish the New England guys had dropped that door a little harder?

I admit I kinda' had the same thought and had to giggle when I remembered how people on this thread hated her and how happy they would be if she was gone! You know that if having someone hit on the head with a door was the high point of this episode, it shows how far this show has fallen. The best part of the show now is the beginning challenge...from there it is downhill. All we see is cooking and whining at each other....I will finish this season off but not sure I will return. I don't like anyone enough to pull for them which to me is the biggest part of watching.......wish they could go back to how it was.

[Writing Wrongs]

My inner meanie: I was hoping the door would knock the annoying accent out of her.

Except for Just Wing It, it seems like they all do the same thing, tacos and quesadillas. 

[BryroseA]

I’m super sad Chop Shop went. They seemed like the one truck with a chef who might actually WANT to run a food truck and their food looked GOOD. They were hurt by not cheaping out on portions or defaulting to easy-prep dishes like wings. 

Edited August 18, 2018 by BryroseA

[Madding crowd]

Are we supposed to believe that art festival had no planned food vendors until the food trucks happened to appear and the mayor said” having food might be a good idea”. It was so obviously set up way ahead of time by the show.

I likened Chop Shop because they didn’t act so “on” all the time. 

[LittleIggy]

I hope Just Wing It doesn’t win. I can’t stand them. And wings? Ugh.

[Simon47]

1 minute ago, LittleIggy said:

I hope Just Wing It doesn’t win. I can’t stand them. And wings? Ugh.

And that’s what people are raving about on WCIA. I hope that doesn’t happen next season.

Looks like Yuma has a bunch of people wanting to buy food from these trucks. I liked Just Wing It’s location because you want to make sure you park your food truck near a massive event or a place where people are.

Ir was a bit weird having to start the episode at a prison camp.

12 hours ago, spiderpig said:

(Here comes my inner meanie...) Did anyone wish the New England guys had dropped that door a little harder?

Here comes my inner meanie: I wish the door knocked out her yeller personality.

[mlp]

I actually had kind of a change of heart about the New England woman after seeing more of her personality.  I decided that I don't dislike her, just her voice and yelling.  

I liked both Steven and Sharon on WC (don't remember the other guy) so I'm hoping they win.  They both seem like smart guys who think things through before stampeding off in all directions.  And they're personable IMO.  I dislike the Moo Shu girls.  They haven't made anything that qualifies as Moo Shu as far as I can remember and I can easily picture two of them being mean girls at the drop of a hat.

That whole drama where they all had to move their trucks had to be planned.  I can't believe that the event organizers just happened to assign them all to spaces that were going to cause traffic problems a few hours later.

[GaT]

1 hour ago, Madding crowd said:

Are we supposed to believe that art festival had no planned food vendors until the food trucks happened to appear and the mayor said” having food might be a good idea”. It was so obviously set up way ahead of time by the show.

 

2 minutes ago, mlp said:

That whole drama where they all had to move their trucks had to be planned.  I can't believe that the event organizers just happened to assign them all to spaces that were going to cause traffic problems a few hours later.

Absolutely planned, they told them where to park, & then told them they had to move, & it was all set up by the show beforehand.

[TDT]

2 hours ago, mlp said:

I actually had kind of a change of heart about the New England woman after seeing more of her personality.  I decided that I don't dislike her, just her voice and yelling.  

Fox should have her voice a character on Bob's Burgers..

[Brookside]

What I've learned from this show: do not go to see this so-called comedian if she's ever in town.

[Amarsir]

I hate to break the trend but I actually liked this episode. Lots of customers meant it's less about nagging people and more about efficiently serving dishes. It's also nice to see food purchases mattering as well. Those things are what I want from the show.

While I don't particularly want the Worst Cooks crew to win, I think they're likable enough (and working hard enough) that I was happy they didn't get eliminated. Not that I disliked Chop Shop but I didn't ever feel the same urgency from them. However, I would have liked to follow the New England team a little more closely. From what I caught of the storyline, the guy knocked his mother unconscious and then they sold 50% more than any other team. While it's amusing to connect those dots the story doesn't really play out for me.

[Enigma X]

28 minutes ago, Amarsir said:

I hate to break the trend but I actually liked this episode. Lots of customers meant it's less about nagging people and more about efficiently serving dishes. It's also nice to see food purchases mattering as well. Those things are what I want from the show.

While I don't particularly want the Worst Cooks crew to win, I think they're likable enough (and working hard enough) that I was happy they didn't get eliminated. Not that I disliked Chop Shop but I didn't ever feel the same urgency from them. However, I would have liked to follow the New England team a little more closely. From what I caught of the storyline, the guy knocked his mother unconscious and then they sold 50% more than any other team. While it's amusing to connect those dots the story doesn't really play out for me.

I don't think she is their mother.

 

I want the Chicken Wing guys to win! I love chicken wings. 

[Amarsir]

11 minutes ago, Enigma X said:

I don't think she is their mother.

Oh, perhaps not. Well then I really don't know why they brought her in.

[mlp]

Quote

Well then I really don't know why they brought her in.

I had the impression that the taller guy is her husband.  Could easily be wrong.

[biakbiak]

2 minutes ago, mlp said:

I had the impression that the taller guy is her husband.  Could easily be wrong.

Their bios just identify her as a comedian the other teams identified by their relationships to one another if they exist.

[bluepiano]

4 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Their bios just identify her as a comedian the other teams identified by their relationships to one another if they exist.

I'm guessing that her being a "comedian" means she's done some comedy open mikes. Because I can not for the life of me imagine anyone paying money at a club or concert to listen to that voice. I also have never heard her saying on this show that's remotely funny. And calling everyone "sweetie" is almost as grating as her voice.

Like others, I'm sorry that Chop Shop is gone. They were refreshingly laid back compared to the other trucks, and maybe the most passionate about making good food.

The show opens at Yuma Prison, Tyler calls it "notorious" without explaining why, and then suddenly they're gone and the prison never figures in the rest of the show. Weird. Since the first challenge was about artichokes, it would've made more sense to open on an artichoke farm.

[Simon47]

20 hours ago, mlp said:

I actually had kind of a change of heart about the New England woman after seeing more of her personality.  I decided that I don't dislike her, just her voice and yelling.  

I liked both Steven and Sharon on WC (don't remember the other guy) so I'm hoping they win.  They both seem like smart guys who think things through before stampeding off in all directions.  And they're personable IMO.  I dislike the Moo Shu girls.  They haven't made anything that qualifies as Moo Shu as far as I can remember and I can easily picture two of them being mean girls at the drop of a hat.

1. When did you see more of Christine’s personality? 

2. I agree, I like the Worst Cooks team a lot and I hope they win.

3. Which two Moo Shu women do you picture being mean girls? What is Moo Shu, exactly?

12 hours ago, Amarsir said:

I hate to break the trend but I actually liked this episode. Lots of customers meant it's less about nagging people and more about efficiently serving dishes. It's also nice to see food purchases mattering as well. Those things are what I want from the show.

While I don't particularly want the Worst Cooks crew to win, I think they're likable enough (and working hard enough) that I was happy they didn't get eliminated. Not that I disliked Chop Shop but I didn't ever feel the same urgency from them. However, I would have liked to follow the New England team a little more closely. From what I caught of the storyline, the guy knocked his mother unconscious and then they sold 50% more than any other team. While it's amusing to connect those dots the story doesn't really play out for me.

What makes you think she is his mother?

[jcbrown]

I would be confused if I went to a truck that had moo shu in their name and they had nothing even close on their menu. I am surprised to find myself kind of rooting for the wings guys.

[Amarsir]

6 hours ago, Simon47 said:

What makes you think she is his mother?

I don't know. Apparently I was wrong. But I think it felt like he was being deferential to her in a way that would be consistent with a parent but not with a chef / non-cooking assistant. 

[mlp]

Quote

Which two Moo Shu women do you picture being mean girls? What is Moo Shu, exactly?

Moo shu is a stir fry wrapped in little pancake-y things sort of like soft tacos but not Mexican flavors.  

I can't tell you which two girls I mean right now because I don't have their names straight.  I'll have to wait until I see the show again.

[OoogleEyes]

19 hours ago, mlp said:

  

I can't tell you which two girls I mean right now because I don't have their names straight.  I'll have to wait until I see the show again.

The blonde 

[Stardancer Supreme]

Heroes on the Halfshell aside, the teams are making food I would want to eat. I'm hungry every time I watch a show!  But there is something missing from this season. Tyler is dialing it in and these teams are forgettable.  I'm not really rooting for anyone this season.

[seacliffsal]

I really liked Chop Shop.  I hope they get lots of positive support and are able to actually open a food truck.  

I personally don't really like chicken wings, so I would not try their food (I tend to not eat chicken skin and to stay away from fried food).  I would try some of the New England Grill offerings.  But, wow, the Texas Nachos looked amazing.

[MajorWoody]

In this episodes latest phony scenes, we have at least three obviously fake staged scenes.

 

1- The Mayor personally tells the trucks where to park, then some lady from the Art Show tells them all to leave, apparently not noticing them and their camera crews until everything is in full swing. And as luck would have it, on the day of a big Art Fest , there is miraculously parking available for 4 food trucks and their support cars right next to the Fest!!!!

 

2- The artichoke challenge, shows teams completing the challenge and leaving separately, but when shown on the highway, if you look in the distance, you can see all the trucks are in a convoy, so to speak. They also all manage to arrive at and shop at Sam’s Club at the same time. Realistically, they are not sending the four teams off to Sams and to shop by themselves, so the challenge was total BS. A better challenge would involve differing amounts of seed money for winning, at least that would be something they could actually do. BTW, why did they blur out the Sam’s Club logo, when they are obviously a sponsor?

 

3- Does anyone remember the Unknown Comic, from years ago? Wore a paper bag on his head? Well, New England Grill has his annoying cousin, the Unfunny Comic. Besides being a screeching banshee who has yet to utter a single funny line, her being bonked on the head, conveniently off camera, was another phony scripted act. Watch how unconcerned the two dudes are when the medics are “working” on her. Then , contrary to what real people do, she manages to somehow get medical clearance from her “injury”, and shows up unannounced, no phone call or anything? How did she get there? Again, blatantly scripted. I thought we might actually get a respite from hearing her call everyone “my love” or “sweetie” in that nails on chalkboard voice, channeling her idea of a Denny’s midnight shift waitress. Also, their fish and chips portions looked miniscule for the price. 

 

Hate to see Bubba and the Chop Shop crew leave, they were probably the least annoying and most dedicated cooks in the bunch. 

[Maya]

That Chop Shop guy had a great voice lol. He should be a narrator for something. 

[TVbitch]

Bummer for Chop Shop, they seemed legit. Pretty sure the Wing It boys are looking for stardom, not life on a food truck. 

I don't think there is a single viewer that didn't go "YES!" when the New England Grill guy said Christine wouldn't be there today.  

[MajorWoody]

The more I think about it, the more I get the sinking feeling that FN is pushing the Wing dudes for some reason. Maybe they have some show lined up for them, sort of like what they did with the clown from Jersey Shore a few years ago. 

[Jersey Guy 87]

15 hours ago, MajorWoody said:

3- Does anyone remember the Unknown Comic, from years ago? Wore a paper bag on his head? Well, New England Grill has his annoying cousin, the Unfunny Comic. Besides being a screeching banshee who has yet to utter a single funny line, her being bonked on the head, conveniently off camera, was another phony scripted act. Watch how unconcerned the two dudes are when the medics are “working” on her. Then , contrary to what real people do, she manages to somehow get medical clearance from her “injury”, and shows up unannounced, no phone call or anything? How did she get there? Again, blatantly scripted. I thought we might actually get a respite from hearing her call everyone “my love” or “sweetie” in that nails on chalkboard voice, channeling her idea of a Denny’s midnight shift waitress. Also, their fish and chips portions looked miniscule for the price. 

I thought they said she had a concussion, if so it was irresponsible for her to be back out at the food truck the next day.  Concussions are serious, you need to basically sit in a dark room with minimal visual and mental stimulation while letting your brain heal from the injury it received.  Less than 24 hours is not enough time, no responsible medical person would clear someone from a concussion that quickly.

That said, a few years ago a kid on my son's basketball team took a hard fall and had someone land on his head.  I've had concussion recognition training (required to coach youth sports in NJ) and checked him out - my conclusion was he was definitely concussed.  An EMT team showed up and decided he didn't have a concussion, his parents initially went with the professional diagnosis.  The next day, when he was still dazed and somewhat nauseous they took him to the doctor who said concussion, no doubt.  So sometimes the medical guys get it wrong, but if she was really concussed I don't think Food Network would have let her anywhere near the truck the next day.

[Enigma X]

I am a such a skeptic but her getting hit in the head seems a bit staged to me, especially how her body went limp and the camera never panned to her face after she was hit. 

[TVbitch]

Can she have fake laryngitis next week?! 

[MerBearHou]

You know the Food Network would love for one of its own, the WingIt guys from WCIA, to actually win this thing.  

[prunieprune]

On 8/16/2018 at 11:12 PM, biakbiak said:

I am so confused about the rules for acquiring food. Moo shu and Chop shop on the first day seemed to believe they couldn’t send someone for supplies and Moo Shu shut down the entire operation and moved. At least on the second day everyone was on the same page about that they could send one team member and still sell if they had ingredients.

I'm right there with you.  I think that I've seen every season of this show and from what I remember they used to have to totally shut down the truck to go shopping as a group.  I'm assuming that was a requirement because it would be a really stupid business decision otherwise.  So I was also surprised that on the second day one team member was allowed to shop.  

Maybe this is related to the theory that the show made a deal with the art festival ahead of time?  If the show promised to provide 4 food trucks for the festival they might not have wanted all of them to shut down completely for an hour to re-stock....

[Destiny74]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Chop's Shop's sopapillas were nowhere near sopapillas.  I'm no expert on Mexican food but the sopapillas I've had were always fried, puffy, and light, like airy donuts.  I have no problem with their dish but I dislike when people mis-name things.  It aggrivates me.

That being said, I liked the truck and their food looked good. 

[Schnickelfritz]

New England Grill consists of 2 chefs (Kevin Des Chenes of Newport and Ed Gallagher of Long Island, New York) and stand-up comedian Christine Hurley of Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Decide for yourselves if she is funny...

[GaT]

52 minutes ago, Schnickelfritz said:

New England Grill consists of 2 chefs (Kevin Des Chenes of Newport and Ed Gallagher of Long Island, New York) and stand-up comedian Christine Hurley of Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Decide for yourselves if she is funny...

Maybe somebody should mention to her that the whole point of the mic is so that people can hear you without you screaming.

[MajorWoody]

On 8/26/2018 at 9:01 PM, Schnickelfritz said:

New England Grill consists of 2 chefs (Kevin Des Chenes of Newport and Ed Gallagher of Long Island, New York) and stand-up comedian Christine Hurley of Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Decide for yourselves if she is funny...

 

Since your question would require my turning on the volume and hearing that voice once more, I guess I will never know.