Special Contestants: All Stars and Firefighters and Lunch Ladies, Oh My!

[spiderpig]

On April 11, 2017 at 9:54 PM, mlp said:

I wasn't familiar with any of them but I liked them all.  They all seemed sincere about their charities.  Sometimes celebrities talk about them as if they just picked something for the show but this group sounded legit.

May I get a temporary dispensation to vouch for Illeana's charity, The Hole in the Wall Gang Foundation?  My MIL worked as an RN for 25 years in Mass General's pediatric oncology department, where the personnel would volunteer their time to staff the camp.  It's free of charge to families, and as my MIL said, it is as much for the parents (knowing their kids are in a healthy, secure environment while they have much-needed self time to deal) as it is for the kids, who are able to get out and have fun.

My two cents.  Now back to the snark.

I've always liked Illeana anyway.  Wish she'd left the 3rd marshmallow out of the ramekin though.

I'd never heard of the other 3 contestants, but they were all amiable and competed in the spirit of good-natured fun.

[Jaded]

Alan Thicke is on tonight's Star Power: Screen Sensations! episode. ?

[Bastet]

I lost track of time and tuned in when the first round was already underway; without the introductions, I don't know who anyone other than Alan Thicke and Rick Fox are (and I only know the latter from basketball; I didn't know he's an actor, too).  It was sad to see Thicke go out first, but his dish sounded like a bad idea from jump.

The truffle oil woman annoyed me even before she started pouring gallons of that crap in her food.  After that, and that ugly puree, I was going to throw something at the TV if she somehow wasn't eliminated.  She seemed to have a good sense of humor about it, though.   

While I disagree with it, the "salt your pasta water so it tastes like the ocean" mantra is so ingrained that if I was making pasta in a cooking competition, I'd do it then; it was pretty silly for the winner not to.  It didn't matter because she was up against Rick's popcorn just thrown on the plate and the Truffle Queen, of course, but it was a criticism very easy to avoid hearing.

[mlp]

That was one of the most entertaining Chopped episodes in awhile even though it was sad to know Alan Thicke is gone.  I didn't know the other three but they were all good-natured and I liked them.  I spent most of the hour trying to decide if Rick Fox is black, white or maybe both.  Whatever he is, he's gorgeous.  I was happy he lasted to the end just so I could look at him.  :)

[spiderpig]

On 4/6/2017 at 7:49 AM, wings707 said:

I have always liked Dorothy.   She said that whenever she gets together with her daughter, they bake cookies.   On come on.  You do not, maybe occasionally.  

Dorothy's been off my radar for decades, but I was moved by how emotional she was about charity, Dogs for Vets/Heroes.  

Rick Fox is one gorgeous hunk alright.  He used to be married to Vanessa Williams, so I imagine their daughter hit the genetic jackpot.

I was so surprised by Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, whom I remember as the cold-blooded assassin in Prison Break.  She came across as so fresh and lively in contrast to that role, and she sure could cook.  She reminds me of a prettier, more animated Megan Fox.

[GaT]

It was a little strange to see Alan Thicke since he died back in December. I'm surprised they didn't add something at the end about it.

[Jaded]

1 hour ago, spiderpig said:

Dorothy's been off my radar for decades, but I was moved by how emotional she was about charity, Dogs for Vets/Heroes.  

Rick Fox is one gorgeous hunk alright.  He used to be married to Vanessa Williams, so I imagine their daughter hit the genetic jackpot.

I was so surprised by Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, whom I remember as the cold-blooded assassin in Prison Break.  She came across as so fresh and lively in contrast to that role, and she sure could cook.  She reminds me of a prettier, more animated Megan Fox.

Seeing that Rick Fox knows how to cook like that and seems to enjoy it made him even more handsome to me.

I first saw Jodi Lyn O'Keefe in the 90's when she was on Another World where she played Maggie Cory for a really brief time. Then she was cast as Don Johnson's daughter on Nash Bridges from about 96 to 2001 where they apparently had an intimate relationship off screen and were reportedly engaged for a brief time. She's 38 now btw.

25 minutes ago, GaT said:

It was a little strange to see Alan Thicke since he died back in December. I'm surprised they didn't add something at the end about it.

I was surprised they didn't add something too considering they've done it for previous chefs who've been on the show and died later on.

[spiderpig]

I had DVRd this and I saw a brief card at the end stating "Alan Thicke 1947-2016". Blink and you'd miss it.

I never saw his series, but I thought he was charming on this.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, GaT said:

It was a little strange to see Alan Thicke since he died back in December. I'm surprised they didn't add something at the end about it.

They did, one of those "in memoriam" screens on a black background, giving his year of birth and year of death.

[GaT]

9 minutes ago, Bastet said:

They did, one of those "in memoriam" screens on a black background, giving his year of birth and year of death.

There wasn't anything on the version I watched, I guess the station decided not to show it.

[Wings]

The truffle oil enthusiast had no idea she was sealing her fate.  I wonder why they even stock that in the pantry; judges look down their noses at it and automatically hate any dish with it.  

Edited April 23, 2017 by wings707

[Psychobunny]

While I didn't know any of the contestants except Thicke, I would have been happy if either of the last two had won. My version also had the in Memoriam for Thicke. Truffle oil lady has apparently never seen the show before. Also, I tried salting my pasta water and I couldn't even eat the pasta because it was too salty.

[GaT]

16 hours ago, wings707 said:

The truffle oil enthusiast had no idea she was sealing her fate.  I wonder why they even stock that in the pantry; judges look down their noses at it and automatically hate any dish with it.  

I think that's why they stock it, it's some kind of test. If you use it, it proves you're not a good chef.

[Jaded]

Truffle oil lady was the only person on that episode I didn't know. I see from looking at IMDB and her Wiki that she's been in episodes of shows I watch though. 

[Wings]

55 minutes ago, Psychobunny said:

While I didn't know any of the contestants except Thicke, I would have been happy if either of the last two had won. My version also had the in Memoriam for Thicke. Truffle oil lady has apparently never seen the show before. Also, I tried salting my pasta water and I couldn't even eat the pasta because it was too salty.

I always salt my pasta water, you just too much in.  :^)

[Drogo]

I loved the running tablespoon count on truffle oil usage. 

[spiderpig]

2 hours ago, Drogo said:

I loved the running tablespoon count on truffle oil usage. 

Do they stock this in the pantry as bait to see who'll fall for it and get the judges all riled up?  I wondered when Alicia (?) said she hadn't tasted her dish, and then thought the truffle oil they supplied was stronger than what she used at home.

I've been curious about truffle oil.  Reportedly it contains no truffle, but a flavoring compound to mimic the truffle taste and a little goes a mighty long way. /resume counter/

D'Artagnan sells it though.

[Wings]

8 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

Do they stock this in the pantry as bait to see who'll fall for it and get the judges all riled up?  I wondered when Alicia (?) said she hadn't tasted her dish, and then thought the truffle oil they supplied was stronger than what she used at home.

I've been curious about truffle oil.  Reportedly it contains no truffle, but a flavoring compound to mimic the truffle taste and a little goes a mighty long way. /resume counter/

D'Artagnan sells it though.

I have tasted it.  Must be well over 10 years ago, now.  Mark, a friend, made a delicious meal.  On top of some delicate fresh pasta he had small thin slices of fried egg plant and some other vegetables plus mushrooms.  He drizzled a little truffle oil over the top just before serving.  It was delicious.  I knew it was considered "bad" by chefs, he did not.  I was very curious and I loved it. 

2 hours ago, Drogo said:

I loved the running tablespoon count on truffle oil usage. 

Yes and a shot of the level left in the bottle when she finished.  That might have been staged but still funny.  

Edited April 23, 2017 by wings707

[spiderpig]

Kind of a lackluster finale to the Stars Tournament.

Anybody else remember brown sugar/cinnamon Pop-Tarts without frosting?  They were my favorite back in the day.

[Rammchick]

And would it have broken the bank if FN had given all the other contestants a little something for their charities?

[Wings]

7 hours ago, spiderpig said:

Kind of a lackluster finale to the Stars Tournament.

Anybody else remember brown sugar/cinnamon Pop-Tarts without frosting?  They were my favorite back in the day.

I was rooting for the man who won so it was good for me.  

I have never eaten a pop tart in my life!  

[mlp]

I was glad that Paige was eliminated first because she seemed pretty impressed with herself and I liked the remaining three.  I thought the judging was fair throughout and I would have been happy with either of the guys in the final round winning.  I knew nothing about them before Chopped so I had no preference based on previous history.  They both seemed like nice guys.  Overall, I think this was the best celebrity tournament yet.

[roseslg]

Guys, who won?  Couldn't stay up that late!

[JunebugWA]

2 hours ago, roseslg said:

Guys, who won?  Couldn't stay up that late!

Lazarus -- web star

[roseslg]

@junebugwa, Thanks!  I watched the first few minutes, then passed out.  Hopefully, I'll catch it on a rerun. 

[GaT]

I was rooting for Lazarus, so I'm glad he won.

On 4/26/2017 at 11:04 AM, mlp said:

I was glad that Paige was eliminated first because she seemed pretty impressed with herself and I liked the remaining three. 

I LMAO on her sob story, “my grandma who just passed, a few years ago”, they must have had to think of something to tell the judges that sounded sad.

[Wings]

oops wrong show!

Edited May 1, 2017 by wings707

[jcbrown]

I had never heard of Lazarus before his first heat on this show but he seemed nice, genuine, very competent, and he was easy on the eyes so I was rooting for him. So glad the MMA twerp was eliminated first and tarantula-eyelashes was eliminated second (I never remember their names...). But what is up with Geoffrey Zakarian's oompa-loompa coloring?

[Bastet]

I didn't come in until the decision of the first round, but I found the "FN Chefs and Their Moms" competition a bit patronizing.  And it was annoying not to have any female chefs working alongside their moms.

I like that Ted was competing; I think he said he'd never participated in that role other than in the "After Hours" thing.  "You jerks; explain, please" and "You can't chop us; we quit" when they were eliminated was fun.  (And, if he's the biological child of his mom, Dad must be tall; even accounting for gender differences and age-related shrinkage [not to be confused with the shrinkage Seinfeld made famous], that's quite a difference.)

Chris' mom saying, "You have a good appetite" when Marc said he finished his polenta, and the other judges teasing him as if she'd told him he was a pig, was also entertaining.

[Wings]

I commented in the other thread but I will just stay with this one for all comments in the future.   We have 2 threads and we really only need one.  I loved Ted's mom, she was the highlight but other wise the shoe fell flat.  

Generally speaking when older women are on TV doing anything there is a condescending flavor.  I didn't see it here but I watched as I was falling asleep and when Ted and Donna were eliminated, I lost interest.  

[meowmommy]

I thought it was more fun than Chopped has been in a long, long time.  

[Darian]

I loved the moms episode! It even had most of my favorite judges.  

[spiderpig]

I love seeing judges compete anyway, so watching them with their moms was bliss.  I absolutely adored Ted's mom Donna.  She reminded me of David Letterman's mother Dorothy in her Indiana kitchen with her pies.

When will Jet Tila win something???  He's such a cutie, and I love his charity K9s for Warriors.

[Bastet]

More special contestants.  When will we get back to normal episodes?  At any rate, the newlyweds:

I cannot stand lovey-dovey people, so this was going to come down to whoever disgusted me least.  The first two pairs coming out with the woman being carried made me cross them off my list -- but I had to grudgingly admit Toni and Ralph, the “dating site for old people” couple, made me laugh in their intro, and put them back on.  I don’t think it’s a coincidence the couple who was older and had been married and divorced before was the least obnoxious about being newlyweds.  I was sad to see them go first, but when I saw those clams, I knew they were history.

Laura and Henry were okay, and I was impressed she calmly explained why they were not cooking the pork tenderloin whole rather than just saying, “You’re crazy, get out of my way.”  But then they wound up cooking the hell out of it, so that was that.

I liked Jhonathan and Corry, because they, like the first couple eliminated, also interacted like normal people rather than lobotomized fools.  “Cuz I can’t get pregnant” pretty much sold me on them, and I was rooting for them big time by the final round, considering their competition.

Kam and Karen walked out normally, but that was pretty much the last moment they didn’t annoy me; they became unbearable within seconds and stayed that way.  “Good job, baby, keep it up.”  First, baby.  Second, her “good job” was carrying some ingredients back from the pantry.  In the next two minutes, I think we were subjected to two “I love you”s.  Then they constantly had to stand/sit there holding hands – in case one wanders off, I suppose.  Grow up. 

Ugh; so bummed to see them win.  She'd probably be okay on her own, but combined with him, no.

[mlp]

I could have written your whole comment, Bastet.  My favorites were the older couple.  They were both funny and good-natured and I knew I'd like them if I met them.  Like you, I knew they were toast when they overcooked the clams.  By the end, I was hoping Jonathan and Corey would pull it off.  I couldn't guess which the judges would find worse - a greasy fritter or uncooked pizza dough.  I couldn't quite imagine that pizza dough would make a tasty turnover even if it had been cooked.  Personally, I'd prefer the grease.

[GaT]

I liked Toni & Ralph best too, I was very disappointed that they were eliminated first.

[AAEBoiler]

On 5/17/2017 at 2:10 AM, mlp said:

By the end, I was hoping Jonathan and Corey would pull it off.  I couldn't guess which the judges would find worse - a greasy fritter or uncooked pizza dough.

Don't forget, the judges take into account all 3 courses for the final elimination. You could make the most amazing dessert in the world and still get chopped because you "lost" the Appetizer and Main Course rounds.

[spiderpig]

The food overall was meh, but the contestants didn't have the most challenging baskets.

I was pulling for Jhonathan and Corry - they were so sweet together, and I really dug the Checker Cab eyeglass frames.  I hope they get their baby.  They look like they'd be awesome parents.

[The Bullpen]

On 4/12/2017 at 9:31 AM, justjen said:

Also, I never realized that I loathe Jonathan Sadowski. I never knew I even had an opinion on him, but I guess I do and it is unbridled rage!

Funny how mileage varies.  I caught the replay of this tournament the other day and it only cemented my appreciation of Jonathan. I found him charmingly self-effacing.  Meanwhile, I thought Lazarus was a little cocky and smug.  But others on here loved him.  To each their own!

[Jaded]

Earlier today I caught Penny Davidi on the Chopped All Stars: Food Network Star Contestants episodes from 2012. I had never seen her before because I didn't really get into watching some of these FN shows until this past year. She's quite the delusional bitch going on about wanting to "build her brand" through FN. I loved it when she got eliminated because she didn't take the skin off the fish. She was all puffed up and self assured thinking she was going to win. 

[cooksdelight]

Penny has no brand that anyone wants to adopt. Unless they are a lonely steer in west Texas.

[HunterHunted]

18 hours ago, Jaded said:

Earlier today I caught Penny Davidi on the Chopped All Stars: Food Network Star Contestants episodes from 2012. I had never seen her before because I didn't really get into watching some of these FN shows until this past year. She's quite the delusional bitch going on about wanting to "build her brand" through FN. I loved it when she got eliminated because she didn't take the skin off the fish. She was all puffed up and self assured thinking she was going to win. 

Penny's problem is that she copied the Bethenny Frankel (Real Housewives of New York and Skinnygirl liquor, wine, and foods brand) playbook, but didn't bring anything new, interesting, of compelling to distinguish herself. Even when I'm unbelievably irritated with Bethenny Frankel, she still manages to say one or two things that make me chuckle. Penny's food is aggressively mediocre. She's off-putting and overly focused on her career ambitions. She's not charming, funny, or the least bit endearing. And most of her dumb "gimmick" to distinguish herself is that she cooks Mediterranean food. Wow.