Star Salvation & Episode Previews Talk

[spiderpig]

Just now, smiley13 said:

Thanks for the update.  Of those two, I would rather see Yaku return than ditzy Monterey the model.

I'd rather both of them than the bunch of whacks on the main show.

[Wings]

Monterey is precious; I like her a lot.  I see more potential in her than any other. 

[jcbrown]

I like Monterey, too. I find her telegenic when she can get it together.

[Skyfall]

Monterey has the most potential and this show should be more about potential than anything else.

[Pallida]

I'm not sure if I like these cooks better or if the non-gimmicky format makes them appear better. 

[spiderpig]

12 minutes ago, Skyfall said:

Monterey has the most potential and this show should be more about potential than anything else.

Like they used to say on MasterChef back when it was watchable.  They'd see potential in a cook and think they were were worth mentoring.  Now the contestants are just entertainment fodder (and not successful at that).

[cooksdelight]

I don't like the second chance concept, at all, for any reason. Just my opinion.

[jcbrown]

The Salvation show is sooooo much better than the actual show and I was thinking about why. Here are some ideas. 1. They have all the contestants wear chefs' coats rather than the "look at me I have personality!" things they wear on the main show. It levels the playing field some, I think. 2. They focus on the actual food. As if this were a network with that in its name. 3. The critiques are more actionable and meaningful. We don't need to hear Giada speak Italian to Damiano as she praises the fact that he is her current fantasy boy. It is much more interesting to me to hear Alex and Eddie talk about camera presence and  body language. This show is what I wish the "real" show were. Early in the FN Star run, Rachael Ray came on and talked a fair amount about how to present yourself on camera and succeed in the career for which they are ostensibly auditioning. That one episode made me respect what she does way more than any watching of her show had done. Act like professionals, people! I think dumbing this down into just another reality show is not doing it any favors.

Edited June 28, 2016 by jcbrown

[Totale]

16 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

I don't like the second chance concept, at all, for any reason. Just my opinion.

Remind me because I forgot, I remember Luca "won" and got to re-enter (was that last year?), but NFS hasn't had a contestant come back and win like Top Chef (from whom they stole the Second Chance concept) yet, have they?  Because if they haven't, it's time and Monterey is probably it.

[rab01]

Monterey actually completed a dish without something terrible happening to a component of it, which made her performance miles better than in the main show. I like her and agree that she has potential but she's not a food authority. I think she can definitely have a career in television but, if it's going to be in food, it should be Kelsey's route -- build up a few more years of experience first.  That said, I'd bet she'd already be fine in the role of host of one of various cooking/baking competition shows.

[Maverick]

On 6/27/2016 at 9:43 PM, Totale said:

Remind me because I forgot, I remember Luca "won" and got to re-enter (was that last year?), but NFS hasn't had a contestant come back and win like Top Chef (from whom they stole the Second Chance concept) yet, have they?  Because if they haven't, it's time and Monterey is probably it.

 Top Chef (and every other reality show) stole it from Survivor.  The granddaddy of all reality shows did it first with Redemption Island.

[Snarklepuss]

No reaction to the latest Star Salvation?  I almost thought the challenge was deliberately difficult for Joy and easy on Monterey.  If I thought such things were deliberate, that is.  I guess this is not the year for Southern anything.  Unless Joy's food is really all that bad.

I do think Monterey has potential like Kelsey Nixon did, maybe they can give her a show on the Cooking Channel.  She certainly seems to know how to cook and is pleasant enough to watch when she isn't showing her immaturity.

[akr]

6 minutes ago, Snarklepuss said:

Unless Joy's food is really all that bad.

I think it is - did not meet minimally acceptable levels, too many times.  So far as I can tell, the ones who can cook are Ana, Tregaye, Monterey, and Yaku, and Damiano & sometimes Erin IF in their wheelhouse; I only remember Jenard's shtick, not how good he is or isn't. I've liked that Star Salvation has been weeding out those who can't cook or adjust to unexpected circumstances.  

Bobby's one of the only watchable food network personalities, to me.  (Most of them I find too over the top or phony, or boring both in personality AND cooking style.) Obviously, MMV, but I think there is a place for a calmer, less demonstrative sort, and I detect some passion from him, although he may be getting bored. If he wants Ana around, it may be because she actually has some intelligence & cooking chops & therefore seems coachable into someone he wouldn't mind working with (& I do think Joy was nearly as responsible for their mess of a presentation as Ana was).  She's shown occasional glimmers of what could be so I could see giving her another chance in a weak field, whereas Joy had the personality but clearly, clearly, isn't a good enough cook and certainly not a food authority on anything but what she already does and that the network already has more than covered.  But I think it's pretty clear whoever wins this thing is going nowhere, unless, possibly, it's Monterey via Star Salvation.   

[xaxat]

Joy's "I don't know nothin' about anything not made in the South!" shtick was laid on so heavily it would not surprise me at all if she was actually a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu and all of it was an act.

Was there even the equivalent of a whole carrot on Monterey's plate?

[Wings]

Fruits, vegetables and nuts are grown in the south due to the long growing season.  It does not make them southern foods!   Pecans are used in every fucking state, Joy.  You are not any more special than any other part of this country.  God, I am glad she is gone.  

YAY Monterey!  I want to taste those carrots.  I knew when she was making them they would be good.  Working in a kitchen that serves precious, trendy food is going to win this for her if she can pull it together on camera.  

[buttercupia]

the steel cut oats in the saute pan cracked me up.  how the hell did she ever think those were going to be cooked?

[qtpye]

On 7/5/2016 at 1:07 PM, xaxat said:

Joy's "I don't know nothin' about anything not made in the South!" shtick was laid on so heavily it would not surprise me at all if she was actually a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu and all of it was an act.

Was there even the equivalent of a whole carrot on Monterey's plate?

Sort of like the way the "Cowboy Cook" who won one season of Food Network Star, only never to be named again, was actually a chef who trained in Germany and had knowledge of many classical cooking techniques.

[Rick Kitchen]

The Southern shtick is probably what the producers told her to stick with.

[Skyfall]

I wonder how many weeks we have left of this and if it'll get shown on TV like last year.

[Psychobunny]

Well if the previews are accurate, we know who's coming back this week.

[Aquarius]

On 7/6/2016 at 1:45 PM, qtpye said:

Sort of like the way the "Cowboy Cook" who won one season of Food Network Star, only never to be named again, was actually a chef who trained in Germany and had knowledge of many classical cooking techniques.

I don't think the training in Germany or knowledge of classical cooking techniques is what caused him to never be named again.

On 7/5/2016 at 1:42 PM, wings707 said:

You southerners are not any more special than any other part of this country.  God, I am glad she is gone.

Yes, we even have children and family recipes and all the rest of it.  Good riddance.

[Wings]

17 minutes ago, Aquarius said:

I don't think the training in Germany or knowledge of classical cooking techniques is what caused him to never be named again.

Yes, we even have children and family recipes and all the rest of it.  Good riddance.

And we can deep fat fry anything and make other dishes that are really bad for you, too! 

[qtpye]

2 hours ago, Aquarius said:

I don't think the training in Germany or knowledge of classical cooking techniques is what caused him to never be named again.

I meant it did not go along with his "gosh golly" I'm a simple chuck wagon chef persona.  What got him canned was much worse.

[Skyfall]

13 hours ago, Psychobunny said:

Well if the previews are accurate, we know who's coming back this week.

Just looked on website and it says 6 week and they are only on episode 4.

[Skyfall]

July 24th schedule confirms it.

[MerBearHou]

It finally dawned on me -- so much of why I don't like this show is that I don't actually LIKE the two judges/mentors.  I just simply don't like who Bobby and Giada are.  I miss Alton tremendously and am always glad when there is a 3rd judge to somewhat dilute the Bobby/Giada effect.  On the converse, I like Alex G. , Eddie J. & Valerie B. so their involvement in FNS/Star Salvation is welcome and enjoyable to me.

Why do I keep watching??

Edited July 11, 2016 by MerBearHou

[J-Man]

They might as well rename Star Salvation "Cooking With Monterey and Yaku."

So is there one more episode or two? Is next week's FNS loser the last one who goes up against M&Y and then they just pick one of them to go back to the mothership?

I still would take either Monterey or Yaku over the final four over at FNS.

[Christina]

1 hour ago, J-Man said:

I still would take either Monterey or Yaku over the final four over at F

I was about to type the same thing. They really shine on Star Salvation.

[cooksdelight]

That's because they don't have to do "live" presentations. That's where those two faltered.

[spiderpig]

On 7/4/2016 at 10:07 PM, Snarklepuss said:

No reaction to the latest Star Salvation?  I almost thought the challenge was deliberately difficult for Joy and easy on Monterey.  If I thought such things were deliberate, that is.  I guess this is not the year for Southern anything.  Unless Joy's food is really all that bad.

I do think Monterey has potential like Kelsey Nixon did, maybe they can give her a show on the Cooking Channel.  She certainly seems to know how to cook and is pleasant enough to watch when she isn't showing her immaturity.

I'm a little late to the party here because I've spent the last couple of hours trying to figure out what a com-uh-quat was.  Don't let the door hit you, Erin.

[smiley13]

Ugh, Monterey is still there??

[Wings]

I like Monterey and glad she is still there.   It looks like she will be back to battle Tregue and Ana. 

Erin loses again!  Her forced "bubbly" (her word constantly) personality is scary.   It is painted on and not authentic.  It reads like a clown entertaining kids at a birthday party.  

[spiderpig]

6 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Erin loses again!  Her forced "bubbly" (her word constantly) personality is scary.   It is painted on and not authentic.  It reads like a clown entertaining kids at a birthday party.  

^^This - and we got to see her "bubbly" temper when she was shown the door.  Buh-bye! (times 2)

[Wings]

Bob was fired but Suzi was not, as far as I know.  So will we still see 2 network execs at the final judging or are Bobby and Giada going to take it to the end?  I would much prefer execs stepping in, B and G are biased. 

[Court]

13 hours ago, Christina said:

I was about to type the same thing. They really shine on Star Salvation.

I want Yaku back. 

[akr]

^^  Agree with you guys about Yaku & Monterey - and I think they're both handling filmed presentations & interactions with the mentors while cooking very well - good camera presence while cooking & while talking about their food - and are fine and likely to get better on the live presentation aspect.  I think the two of them, and Ana, are potentially actually usable regardless of who wins. Stick them on the cooking channel for a bit and/or have them do some backstage work plus occasional popups elsewhere.  I like calm & competent.  It makes whatever they're doing look doable, and they also add a little pop here and there of something interesting that I might actually add to my own recipes for for similar dishes. 

Edited July 11, 2016 by akr
typo

[Pallida]

To add to @akr 's point, I find the bigger personalities (and especially tangential stories *while* cooking) to be distracting to actually paying attention to how something is being prepared.  Emeril Lagasse's BAM! may have been a bit of a silly schtick, but it didn't detract from what he was doing.

[Christina]

Star Salvation actually has them doing something they may be asked to do in a real situation, as opposed to the stupidity that is happening on the main show. It's much more watchable and the contestants seem more relaxed and enjoyable to watch. The judging seems fair and not pre-determined, although it probably is to some extent, and I like the judges better. Frankly, I think it is a better show and would watch Yaku or Monterey, and I didn't think I would want to watch anything with Monterey when she was on the main show.

[Snarklepuss]

I'm liking Yaku and Monterey far more on this than on the regular show but I still wonder if I'd like either of them as the winner.  I just can't picture any of them here or on the regular show as the winner at this point.  Thinking back to last season I could have pictured a few of them as the winner.  What a disappointing season.

[Skyfall]

 Monterey has the most potential and would also fit on a travel show about trendy foods across the world.

[cooksdelight]

Problem is, they won't send her around the world. She'll be in a set kitchen, talking about food around the world. Eddie Jackson got a travel show, sort of, in the limited area where they did BBQ competitions. The reason Justin Warner didn't get a show beyond the one travel show he did, is because it's too costly and they aren't going to let a newbie hop on a jet each week.

[akr]

They could plop her in any city with a sizable number of ethnic restaurants.  Hit Chinatown, hit the local Korean or SE Asian market, middle Eastern, Russian, whatever. I could pull it off in my medium-sized town of Santa Rosa, CA.  

I looked it up and she lives in Nashville - and a quick google search for highly rated ethnic restaurants in Nashville includes Ethiopian, Thai, Salvadoran (5-star pupuseria), Turkish, Vietnamese, Kurdish (kabobs), Korean, Thai/Laotian, and that's just getting started. It's in the south, which might help with those put off by her point of view as too cosmopolitan. You could do a couple of days of having her visit local places with a film crew, and then have her stay a couple of weeks at their studio filming her whipping up in "her own kitchen" a dish inspired by one she loved from the featured restaurant, to show you how easy it is, and some little tips on where to find unusual ingredients or substitute for them if you can't.  Fish sauce. Thai basil. etc.  You could leave such a show wanting to try to cook something, or just to order a different variety of takeout that night . . . 

[Pallida]

Now now akr, Santa Rosa isn't that small and you'd have the broader Bay Area. I'm home sick :)

[TDT]

On 7/9/2016 at 10:39 PM, qtpye said:

I meant it did not go along with his "gosh golly" I'm a simple chuck wagon chef persona.  What got him canned was much worse.

wasnt he making some comments about Giada and Ree(Pioneer Woman) Drummond..?

[xaxat]

I really want a BLT right now. (And I haven't eaten bacon in years.)

Eddie criticized Montery for telling a depressing story? He must not watch Chopped.

[spiderpig]

That was the fattest BLT I've ever seen in my life.  What was in it - or is the question, how much of everything was in it?  It looked delicious.

[biakbiak]

I can't bother to watch did they eliminate someone or are all three still eligible to reenter?

[Pallida]

The gobs of mayo dripping out off that BLT made me gag. Nasty stuff ruined an otherwise tasty looking BLT. 

[akr]

4 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I can't bother to watch did they eliminate someone or are all three still eligible to reenter?

They're revealing who won on the main show, next week.

[toolazy]

On 7/9/2016 at 10:39 PM, qtpye said:

I meant it did not go along with his "gosh golly" I'm a simple chuck wagon chef persona.  What got him canned was much worse.

What got him canned? I'm having trouble even remembering who he is.

Nevermind - I googled it.  Imagine my surprise that he turned out to be an asshole.

Edited July 22, 2016 by toolazy