S10.E03: Cutthroat Food Star

[leighdear]

Kenny could have saved it if he hadn't put it in that stupid cup.  A thin pancake with the fruit rolled inside, topped with the cream and the Chicharrones would have been great. And appetizing looking.  

 

I've got a local diner that does these, but they top it with their homemade granola.  Really delicious.  

[RealityGal]

Well, the stomped "wine" looked beyond disgusting to the max.

 

Aryan (Orian to me, the way I keep wanting to type it) just kept adding red pepper flakes. Ok I love them, but come on. There are other ways to give a dish flavor. "Flavor" doesn't translate for me to, "See how hot you can make it and still be able to swallow it." Yikes. For some reason, I'm just not buying her bit. .

 

What kills me about Orion (I know thats the wrong spelling, but it feels so right!) is that she said she "loaded up on spices" and somehow only managed to primarily use one?  Geepers, she had better up her game, Kenny was the last of the obvious cannon fodder.  Although I feel like she may get another week out of Ruben, because I'm not entirely sure they are into his "star power" or whatever.

Edited June 17, 2014 by RealityGal

[Bella]

Just randomly wanted to add that I think pancakes made with chopped-up chocolate-covered bacon bits could be awesome.  However, I could never be on FNS because my grandmother couldn't cook.

 

I've made such pancakes, and they are wonderful! 

 

My grandmothers both died young, but I could take a sob story onto the show instead: "I had to ::sniff:: learn how to cook from ::sniff:: my mom and aunts and even ::wail:: my father! because one grandma died before I was born ::sniff!:: and the other when I was five.::sniff::"

[potatoradio]

 

Not a boat in sight, we live/lived in the mountains of rural NC.

 

Oh, please, you would so have this in the bag! Exaggerate a rural southern accent, talk about how you and your grandmother spent Sunday mornings looking out at the mountains as she regaled you with stories about her childhood as a kid of mountaineers. Explain how your POV is clearly reflected in survival stew: pinecones blanched in rainwater served over grits with a hint of loganberry. (You are free to mix your stereotypes as i just did -- they don't judge you on accuracy, just on how hard you play to comfortable stereotypes).

 

Can't remember if it's this show or MasterChef, but one of them is trying to turn verbs like "cook" and "bake" into nouns again. "The cook on this hotdog is subpar." "I don't think you quite got the bake on this cookie." I want one contestant, upon hearing that, to say, "So, you didn't enjoy the eat?" Butcher meat, not verbs.

 

 

[ramble]

He should have gone home last week and then I could have kept listening to/looking at Luka. I don't care if he lives on the second floor and I think I've seen him before

That made me snort. It's a good thing I wasn't eating breakfast barf in a cup or some of it might have come out of my nose. There would've been macerated berries everywhere.

Butcher meat, not verbs.

The laugh in that sentence is intense.

My grandma taught me how to butcher a chicken. Ok she tried to show me & I ran away every time. She'd wring its neck & throw it under a large wash bucket until it stopped flopping around. I bet I could massage that story into something that sells. Maybe my POV could be hick & I could throw in the poverty aspect on the side. My grandparents raised hogs & chickens so they'd have meat to eat. They were nose to tail before it was hip. I'll have to tone that down though. Depression doesn't sell. They didn't eat the whole animal because they had to, they did it because they were stewards of the farm ecosystem. Circle of life. Kumbaya. I can hear my grandma laughing about that idea. She did make awesome chicken & dumplings. The dumplings were hand rolled & delicious. The chicken? Well it was definitely fresh.

ETA: To make myself stand out I think I'll wear my lucky chicken foot necklace & from now on my name shall be pronounced Rim-bru-lei (rhymes with crème brûlée). I'm hick & chic y'all. That'll be my show: The Chic Hick

Edited June 17, 2014 by ramble

[RealityGal]

That made me snort. It's a good thing I wasn't eating breakfast barf in a cup or some of it might have come out of my nose. There would've been macerated berries everywhere.The laugh in that sentence is intense.

My grandma taught me how to butcher a chicken. Ok she tried to show me & I ran away every time. She'd wring its neck & throw it under a large wash bucket until it stopped flopping around. I bet I could massage that story into something that sells. Maybe my POV could be hick & I could throw in the poverty aspect on the side. My grandparents raised hogs & chickens so they'd have meat to eat. They were nose to tail before it was hip. I'll have to tone that down though. Depression doesn't sell. They didn't eat the whole animal because they had to, they did it because they were stewards of the farm ecosystem. Circle of life. Kumbaya. I can hear my grandma laughing about that idea. She did make awesome chicken & dumplings. The dumplings were hand rolled & delicious. The chicken? Well it was definitely fresh.

 

Are you kidding, thats exactly what they are looking for.  Earthiness....real people....grandmothers....keeping it real.  I mean truly there is nothing more farm to table, or whatever it is than when it comes from the backyard.  And your grandma made chicken and dumplings!  Did she serve them at Sunday dinner?  She would only be better if she came over here on a boat!   

 

All you have to do is get a couple of tattoos and hit up the local "pin up girl dress" store in your neighborhood.  Also get a scarf for your hair, which you will have to dye jet black.  Or you could go mullet hick, but I feel like Food Network may not be ready for all that.  Although if you're a guy, maybe you can go mullet hick....

[cooksdelight]

 

Exaggerate a rural southern accent

 

 

No exaggeration needed on my accent, trust me. :)

 

I make some mean chicken and dumplings!

[ramble]

All you have to do is get a couple of tattoos and hit up the local "pin up girl dress" store in your neighborhood. Also get a scarf for your hair, which you will have to dye jet black. Or you could go mullet hick, but I feel like Food Network may not be ready for all that. Although if you're a guy, maybe you can go mullet hick....

Ha! I already have a couple of tattoos & my oldest loves wearing 40s inspired clothing so I can raid her closet. I can't pull off black hair but I can fake a mullet. My hair is long so I'll just use chicken fat to slick it back on the sides & it'll be an updated mullet. I'm a girl but I think with my POV I can rock the mullet. I'll show people how they can use the entire animal in varied ways. Chicken fat can be used in cooking or hair products. Win/win!

Oh a realistic note one of the best moisturizers I've ever used is made from beef tallow. I bet my grandma would've done that if they could've afforded to raise cattle.

ETA: @cooksdelight I love chicken & dumplings! I feel like mine have never been as good as my grandmas. She could taste any dough raw & know what minuscule adjustments to make. She never used a recipe in her life. Also, since our family has gone gluten free due to a child's sensitivity the dumplings just aren't the same.

Edited June 17, 2014 by ramble

[aenea]

ALL WE HEARD ABOUT last night was people's POV.  Tila mentioned it on every freaking "meal" he ate.  We're several episodes into the show now.  Can we just see these people's skills (and have Aryen make anything remotely edible) and quit hearing this nonsense about POVs?

 

 

Especially given the hosts that they have.  I'm not sure what Bobby's pov is now that he's not the boy wonder chef- maybe it's just to be on more shows than Guy Fieri.  And Alton's POV seems to be pretty up in the air- he used to be the slightly quirky food expert/scientist, but his Cutthroat Kitchen persona is more than a bit reminiscent of people I'm going to pay attention to if they're hanging around my kids' playground.  I've become a fan of the Alton Browncast, and he's so thoughtful and passionate about food issues (among other things), and about what food TV should be doing, and that just doesn't seem to fit in with the creepy camp Vincent Price character he's got going now.  

 

It just seems odd that the judges are so insistent on a POV when theirs also don't seem clear. 

[leighdear]

I can understand not going overboard on the POV, but as a potential viewer, I want some sense of what I'll be watching.  For the traditional stand-and-stir show that takes place in a "kitchen", I want some type of recognizable theme.  

 

Jeff Mauro? Sandwiches, of course. Rhee Drummond? Hearty food for adults and kids.  Giada? There's going to be something Italian.  Bobby? Grilled and/or spicey whatevers. Ina Garten? Upscale classics.  Rachel Ray? Fast, economical and family friendly.  Sunny Anderson? Comfort food.  Marcus Samuelson? Soul with a European flair.

 

No, not every show by these folks is going to be exactly to a specific framework, but I wouldn't expext to watch Ina Garten whip up a kids birthday party menu with packaged convenience foods, ala' Sandra Lee.....*LOL*

[Alapaki]

All that POV talk has been there from the beginning, when Tusch and Suze were the judges each week.  They'd hammer contestants about not understanding what their "POV" was.  Then once a contestant pigeon-holed themselves, the judges would say "you're really too one-dimensional".  Following by a bit of variety from the contestants, which was inevitably met with "we don't know who you ARE anymore!".  It was a delightful mind-fuck they'd pull on those poor folks.

 

I think the POV talk dropped out a little over the last couple of seasons when they changed the format to teams, and then brought in Alton/Bobby/Giada.  But it seems to be creeping back in this season.

 

Giada? There's going to be something Italian.

 

 

And cleavage.  There's going to be cleavage.

[Bella]

 

All that POV talk has been there from the beginning, when Tusch and Suze were the judges each week.  They'd hammer contestants about not understanding what their "POV" was.  Then once a contestant pigeon-holed themselves, the judges would say "you're really too one-dimensional".  Following by a bit of variety from the contestants, which was inevitably met with "we don't know who you ARE anymore!".  It was a delightful mind-fuck they'd pull on those poor folks.

 

Exactly! "Define yourself! You're not distinct enough! OMG, you're so distinct no one will be able to relate to you! OMG, you used to be this beautiful flower, now you're a generic grass lawn! You're inconsistent, one week you're this distinct thing, the next you're an amorphous blob. Who are you? Define yourself!" Insane.

[cooksdelight]

I'm beginning to think, based on things I've been told, that this is a mean, sadistic and pressure-cooker process. No thanks, for me!

[NikSac]

I agree Cooksdelight. It's actually kind of funny, my DVR is very reliable but misses this show every single time. I end up watching it online or reruns but I think it might be a sign!

 

Is your friend still on the 'salvation' show?  I've been rooting for her.

[schnauzergirl]

Finally caught the Cutthroat show -- total train wreck with Kenny leaving the only redeeming element.  I didn't miss Giada.

[cooksdelight]

It's in the Salvation thread, I don't want to spoil it here.

[RedheadZombie]

Lenny irritates me in the worst way. I'm impressed by how well he dealt with the sabotage without whining and acting like a victim. He maintained his good humor. If he backs off the cowboy act, I may consider rooting for him.

[Alapaki]

I think I'm naturally inclined to be extremely annoyed at Lenny's schtick.  But, for some reason, I just can't help liking the guy.  Which isn't to say I'd watch a show of his.  But I couldn't say that about any of these folks.

[gryphon]

I'm glad Chuck Wagon didn't go home...yeah, he's schticky but for some reason he's not bugging me.....yet.   I stopped watching CTK because I just didn't think it was about the food anymore, just the sabotage.  Oh, wait, that was the point.  Never mind.  Hopefully we get back to a "regular" FNS episode next week.  

 

NPR girl seems to have cooking chops but shezzzzzzzzzzzz...

 

Didn't miss LBH at all.  

[orchidgal]

 

Just randomly wanted to add that I think pancakes made with chopped-up chocolate-covered bacon bits could be awesome.  However, I could never be on FNS because my grandmother couldn't cook.

No problem: just make up a story about your grandmother and cooking or about how your grandmother once served you a car tire and expected you to eat it and in desperation, you crawled into the kitchen and scrounged together a gourmet dinner with leftovers from the refrigerator and saved your entire family from starvation.  The idiots at FN will eat it up figuratively.

[Aquarius]

I have never eaten off a chuck wagon so this may not be fair.

But are they known as culinary delights?

All I remember is that little one running all over the floor, enticing all the dogs to eat Alpo.

[phoenix780]

Alton said the winners got whatever money they had left after bidding. So no, they did not get the $2,500 regardless.

 

Thank you for clarifying!  At the end I misheard how much the woman won for winning her heat. 

[Bella]

I have never eaten off a chuck wagon so this may not be fair.

But are they known as culinary delights?

 

Chuckwagon food is kind of like whatever you eat after you have gone on a 10-mile hike or arrive at a camping spot or something like that. It's awesome and wonderful and fantastically delicious because of where you are and what you've done. It might also be great at home, but probably not.

 

I learned this as a child away at camp, when someone else's mom sent some store-bought cookies. They were the best cookies ever! When I got home, I begged Mom to buy me some. She did, and they were boring. Chuckwagon is the same way, IMHO - context. (Btw, this place has the best food on the planet, bar none, because of what you have to do to get there. Out of context, it's probably okay-to-good.)

 

Lenny will need some good recipes to stay in the competition, because while the POV is different, most of us don't come to dinner famished from a hard day of outdoor work.

[cooksdelight]

To me personally, food trucks are the modern day equivalent of chuck wagons. There are still chuck wagons that cater to outdoor events or rodeos. But food trucks are the same thing... portable, quick food and it's usually nothing gourmet but still tastes good.

[TaraS1]

I hated Lenny's wide-eyed "Awww shucks, little doggie!" schtick when he was on Guy's Grocery Games, and I hate it here too.  Geez, even if it isn't a schtick and that's how he really is, it's still cloying as fuck.  Ditto for butcher girl. 

[RealityGal]

I hated Lenny's wide-eyed "Awww shucks, little doggie!" schtick when he was on Guy's Grocery Games, and I hate it here too.  Geez, even if it isn't a schtick and that's how he really is, it's still cloying as fuck.  Ditto for butcher girl. 

Aww, come on buckaroo!

Ha! I already have a couple of tattoos & my oldest loves wearing 40s inspired clothing so I can raid her closet. I can't pull off black hair but I can fake a mullet. My hair is long so I'll just use chicken fat to slick it back on the sides & it'll be an updated mullet. I'm a girl but I think with my POV I can rock the mullet. I'll show people how they can use the entire animal in varied ways. Chicken fat can be used in cooking or hair products. Win/win!

Oh a realistic note one of the best moisturizers I've ever used is made from beef tallow. I bet my grandma would've done that if they could've afforded to raise cattle.

ETA: @cooksdelight I love chicken & dumplings! I feel like mine have never been as good as my grandmas. She could taste any dough raw & know what minuscule adjustments to make. She never used a recipe in her life. Also, since our family has gone gluten free due to a child's sensitivity the dumplings just aren't the same.

 

Let me tell you....I actually think that would be kind of cool, all jokes aside.  First off, the mullet is awesome, especially if you pair it with the pinup style, thats all sorts of time and place stereotypes, and I know how the show loves that.  they can pigeonhole your look in so many places...a little something for the retro rad kiddies, a little something for the 'ol pickup crowd.  Second, I really like the idea of using things that would normally be thrown away.  I recently made a few pineapple upside down cakes for work.  I had all this left over brown sugar that I wasn't going to use because I don't really bake all that often, and then I found out I could make a facial scrub with it.  Now I'm interested in how I can use watermelon rinds, I just really like the idea of using stuff that would normally be thrown away.  I'm interested in this chicken fat thing!  And, you're grandmother told you about it!  I feel like you could really make a run of the thing!  Heck, if Kenny with his pancake in a cup, and no grandmother stories was a contender you could win the whole damn thing!

[joanne3482]

The only thing about Lenny that bugged me, and I confess I get irrationally bugged about some things, was him calling his corn tortillas sopapillas. I grew up in Arizona and currently live in Texas and there's no way that you can live in one of these two states for any length of time and not know what a sopapilla is as compared to a corn tortilla. Or at the very least know that a sopapilla and a corn tortilla are not the same thing. I did find it odd that Bobby spit out the corn tortilla. I guess maybe he didn't cook it all the way through because he couldn't get it thin enough. Corn tortillas are just masa, water, a little salt and sometimes a little lime. Maybe he got raw masa in there. 

[xaxat]

The only thing about Lenny that bugged me, and I confess I get irrationally bugged about some things, was him calling his corn tortillas sopapillas. I grew up in Arizona and currently live in Texas and there's no way that you can live in one of these two states for any length of time and not know what a sopapilla is as compared to a corn tortilla. Or at the very least know that a sopapilla and a corn tortilla are not the same thing. I did find it odd that Bobby spit out the corn tortilla. I guess maybe he didn't cook it all the way through because he couldn't get it thin enough. Corn tortillas are just masa, water, a little salt and sometimes a little lime. Maybe he got raw masa in there. 

 

Just think of the reaction Lenny would have received had this happened on an episode of Chopped with Aaron as a judge!

[essexjan]

I barely watched this episode - I kept it minimised on my laptop while I did other things and just dipped in from time to time. I hate Cutthroat Kitchen, I think it's one of the stupidest shows on TV, so I knew I'd also hate this episode. Kenny had barely registered with me, he was so dull, so I won't miss him.

[Rhondinella]

do we go to a "final 3" on this show?  If so, my call is whichever of Emma and Nicole has the job, the other one, and cutesmug Chris

 

 

Oh, there's no way, barring a complete meltdown, that Lenny's not in the final 3.  Actually I have him pegged as the winner.  Yes, I know he bugs some, but not me.  I kinda like him.  I think his POV is interesting and one FN doesn't already have (unlike the 500 people who do Italian, or Mexican, or French . . . .) and I think he might be able to pull a different audience.  I think his food has looked and sounded delicious and isn't like anything I've seen or heard of before.  As for the other 2 in the F3, I'm guessing Reuben, who brings something a little different to the Latin American food schtick with his Cuban heritage, and probably Christopher, but only if he gets a personality stat.  Possible spoilers: Nicole (if she figures out the seafood thing) and maybe Loreal.  They both have decent POV's, but they'll only have a shot if their food is good enough.  Emma is probably a better cook but not energetic enough.

 

On TWoP I wrote that I wanted people to start making shit up.

 

 

Well, I'd think they'd have to eventually.  I mean, can you really have a personal story about every single dish you make?  Or even half of them?

 

"Well Giada, I was left on the steps of a convent when I was a wee babe, so I don't have any family culinary influences. But when I was twelve I ran away from the nuns and hit the rails. This dish is inspired by a one eyed hobo who taught me how to dumpster dive and cook baked beans in a can."

 

 

I swear, if one of these contestants talked about how their "Grandma" used to tell them about how she'd make sauerkraut while she informed for Nazis on the folks hiding in the attic next door, they'd gush over how she made her "story" sooooo relate-able.

 

 

I think we need a thread wherein everyone makes up their own POV or food background story.  

[orchidgal]

 

I have never eaten off a chuck wagon so this may not be fair.

But are they known as culinary delights?

All I remember is that little one running all over the floor, enticing all the dogs to eat Alpo.

I can't figure out which is worse: the idea of the Food Network Stars chasing the mini chuck wagon around the FN kitchen in an odd-ball competition, or the fact that some of us actually remember the commercials with the mini chuck wagon and that little detail really dates us.  Let's just hope FN doesn't get any crazy ideas from this. *whistles innocently.*

[coloradoqt]

Personally I think there must be more "cooks" signing up for these cooking shows.I'm convinced when you sign up for one show, you are contractually obligated  to appear on  another show.If I dislike a contestant on chopped, I'm gonna dislike that contestant on cut-throat kitchen. I think the rule should be; you're only allowed on a cooking show more than once, if you can prove, everyone who has ever applied  to be on a show has turned down the opportunity.

 

I'm convinced if Lenny was ordered to remove that stupid cowboy hat, before he went into the kitchen he would fold like a tent. A big tent, but a tent.

[Lnmop]

Especially given the hosts that they have. I'm not sure what Bobby's pov is now that he's not the boy wonder chef- maybe it's just to be on more shows than Guy Fieri.

That one's easy. Grill it, add plenty of poblano chiles, add some grilled corn and cilantro, and there you have it!

[NikSac]

Does eating off of a "gut truck" or "roach coach" count as a chuckwagon?

[RealityGal]

I think we need a thread wherein everyone makes up their own POV or food background story.  

 

Mine is going to be "everything in a cup!"  instead of "everything pah!"  I'll aspire to teach the viewers how to put every meal in a cup.  And I'll change the cups, sometimes it'll be breakfast in a champagne glass, sometimes lunch in a beer mug, sometimes dinner in a martini shaker.  Now I have to dream up a backstory, but I feel like it would involve cup o'noodles.

Edited June 19, 2014 by RealityGal

[cooksdelight]

They have casting calls in various cities. I know they had one in Atlanta for this series.

[potatoradio]

 

That one's easy. Grill it, add plenty of poblano chiles, add some grilled corn and cilantro, and there you have it!

 

BLUE corn, of course. No pedestrian yellow corn allowed.

 

Once everything including the garnish is grilled/charred, find someone, anyone, who will have a throwdown. Preferably, a super sweet and humble home cook or a revered chef, but I think he's burned through most of those, so maybe a homeless hungry kid or a gerbil with nothing else to do.

 

Actually, I liked BF when he was first on Grillin' and Chillin', then couldn't stand what a douche he turned into, and now he's almost tolerable.

 

But yeah, I agree that all three judges don't exactly have compelling or even likable POVs currently.

[Aquarius]

Preferably, a super sweet and humble home cook or a revered chef, but I think he's burned through most of those, so maybe a homeless hungry kid or a gerbil with nothing else to do.

 

It'll have to the the hungry homeless kid.  Gerbils are always busy.

[GaT]

 

Mine is going to be "everything in a cup!"  instead of "everything pah!"  I'll aspire to teach the viewers how to put every meal in a cup.  And I'll change the cups, sometimes it'll be breakfast in a champagne glass, sometimes lunch in a beer mug, sometimes dinner in a martini shaker.  Now I have to dream up a backstory, but I feel like it would involve cup o'noodles.

This is easy, you grew up poor, but your grandmother always made sure there was cup o'noodles for you to eat. She would serve it in different cups so it always seemed like a new & exciting meal to you. You learned how to cook from her, & every cup o'food you make is in her honor. 

[TudorQueen]

For the love of all things family, please stop assuming we all have the emotional IQ of a dumpling.

 

I plan on using this phrase as soon - and as often - as humanly possible.

 

I hate Cutthroat Kitchen so this wasn't an episode I was likely to cherish. While Lenny's bad showing did deserve a bottom three result, I can't say that I'm sorry - or surprised - that Kenny went home. Nice enough guy, but I swear he never cooked anything memorably good or said anything compelling. I did think it was interesting that he received no sabotage whatsoever and still put together a bad dish, entirely on his own.

 

I don't hate Giada - I actually love a couple of her recipes, they're go-to dinners for me - but I don't think she adds much to FNS. Bobby really is a fine chef (I've had the pleasure of eating at one of his restaurants and also use three of his cookbooks) and knows about pressure, while Alton really does know a ton and a half about food itself, but Giada... not so much for me. So I didn't miss her this week.

[Totale]

 

Oh, there's no way, barring a complete meltdown, that Lenny's not in the final 3.  Actually I have him pegged as the winner.  Yes, I know he bugs some, but not me.  I kinda like him.  I think his POV is interesting and one FN doesn't already have (unlike the 500 people who do Italian, or Mexican, or French . . . .) and I think he might be able to pull a different audience.  I think his food has looked and sounded delicious and isn't like anything I've seen or heard of before.  As for the other 2 in the F3, I'm guessing Reuben, who brings something a little different to the Latin American food schtick with his Cuban heritage, and probably Christopher, but only if he gets a personality stat.  Possible spoilers: Nicole (if she figures out the seafood thing) and maybe Loreal.  They both have decent POV's, but they'll only have a shot if their food is good enough.  Emma is probably a better cook but not energetic enough.

 

I think the best Lenny could come up with for FN is being the Pioneer Dude and even though the PW is the #1 with a bullet most popular "cooking" show they have, the real appeal for them is that she produces and pays for it all herself and just drops it off with them, they write one check and it's done.  Lenny can't do that, and their track record on developing "characters" is pretty poor - the only ones left eventually fall into the CC pit.  Emma being "not energetic enough" gives her something to grow and improve upon over the season to form a story arc, like how Damaris learned to stop shimmying and avoid drinking on camera.  Hipster beard is just cannon fodder to me and they're no energy behind Cuban, Nicole is probably too pretty, L'Oreal not pretty enough, Chris is a dick you'll love to hate, Orion can't actually cook, and i forget what others I've already dismissed :).

[cooksdelight]

I do know from an inside source that they have a different production company doing FNS this year. I have no idea if that has any bearing on what we're seeing or who will wind up winning, but keep that in the back of your mind while watching. :)

[Lillybee]

Lenny is the executive chef for an upscale hunting camp in the Rockies. I guess he does go out with the hunters with a real chuckwagon.

I bet he could come up with some really good venison, elk and other game dishes.

[cooksdelight]

Yeah, if wild game meat comes into play somewhere, we'll know he's in like Flint. LOL

[bobbyjoe]

This is also something that is plaguing Chopped as well. On TWoP I wrote that I wanted people to start making shit up.

 

"Well Giada, I was left on the steps of a convent when I was a wee babe, so I don't have any family culinary influences. But when I was twelve I ran away from the nuns and hit the rails. This dish is inspired by a one eyed hobo who taught me how to dumpster dive and cook baked beans in a can."

 

Ironically, the one Food Network show where I've seen pretty much exactly that scenario happen was Cutthroat Kitchen.  One of the contestants tells the judge some goopy story about how her honeymoon in Hawaii influenced the dish he was eating and then we cut to a talking head shot of her where she says basically "I don't know why I said all that-- I just made it up."  At least for that one single moment, I liked something from CTK more than any other FN show I've seen in the last five years!

[MaryHedwig]

I think we need a thread wherein everyone makes up their own POV or food background story.

"I whipped this up when some hungry zombies knocked at my door.  They said that it tasted better than brains."

[TudorQueen]

I actually have a 'family'-oriented POV with a slight 'twist', and can cook to that POV, and I'd actually love to do the show, but I don't know if I could get the time off from work, and anyway, I'm older than they'd like, and not at all good looking, so they wouldn't think I was TV-ready. 

 

Oh, and I'd crush on Bobby worse than Pageant Gal. 

 

Oh well.

[RealityGal]

I actually have a 'family'-oriented POV with a slight 'twist', and can cook to that POV, and I'd actually love to do the show, but I don't know if I could get the time off from work, and anyway, I'm older than they'd like, and not at all good looking, so they wouldn't think I was TV-ready. 

 

Oh, and I'd crush on Bobby worse than Pageant Gal. 

 

Oh well.

 

I think you should do it.  Seriously, if Kenny got on the show you really can have no idea of what they are looking for.  That guy tried to sell a McDonalds style parfait as a breakfast food on a cooking show.  But honestly, life is so short, if you can cook, and you have a good POV, do it.  The worst thats gonna happen if you do it is someone is going to say "no thanks" but if you never do it, you may always wonder.  Don't find reasons not to follow your dream if thats what you want to do!

 

Uh - Bobby Flay is not good looking, neither is Alton Brown, a lot of Giada is hair and makeup and teeth, Rachel Ray is not particularly knockout beautiful.  As for being older, I don't think thats an awful thing, I really don't as long as you're coherent and know your stuff.  I mean Lenny is no spring chicken, and he talks like he just escaped from a rodeo prison camp, and he is a frontrunner.

 

But if you decide to do it (and I hope you do!) please practice your POV in front of a mirror.  Don't be like the rest of these dimbulbs and be shocked when someone asks you to give a 30 second introduction/explanation of your POV.

[cooksdelight]

Rachel Ray is not particularly knockout beautiful.

And she has her boobs pushed up to her collarbones.

[ramble]

I learned this as a child away at camp, when someone else's mom sent some store-bought cookies. They were the best cookies ever! When I got home, I begged Mom to buy me some. She did, and they were boring. Chuckwagon is the same way, IMHO - context.

I think you may be right @Bella I was sent to a month long camp as a teen & my parents had no idea how rustic & rural it was. Every so often, maybe once a week, we got apple jelly with toast for "dessert." We all thought it was delicious. Apple jelly in single serve plastic square delicious? It was completely the context.

@TudorQueen I think you should try as well. Just by being hesitant on this forum you've probably given it more real thought than a lot of the rabble that tries out. Also being slightly older could be an advantage IMO & the fact that you can cook & have a real, as opposed to fabricated, POV are things that make you stand out from the average contestant who wants to be on any tv show for any reason.

Edited June 21, 2014 by ramble