The Great Food Truck Race - General Discussion

[mlp]

When Tyler chastised the team with the fire for grease build-up, I thought they had spilled oil or grease and failed to clean it up before proceeding but, after seeing all the problems with other trucks, I have to think the trucks weren't in the best condition.  When Tyler said at the beginning that the trucks were new, he must have meant in the sense that they weren't returning businesses as opposed to meaning the vehicles themselves were new.  I find it hard to believe that the editors would have allowed a blatant lie to stand when subsequent episodes would reveal assorted problems with "new" equipment.  

This season would be more fun to watch in July or August when it's hot outdoors.  Watching the contestants cope with below freezing temps and gusting winds while it's cold and windy outside my window just makes me feel colder.  

I hope Tasty Balls is eliminated next.  I hate the name of their truck and I don't like them physically encroaching on other trucks' business.  All the trucks are competing and trying to lure customers but actually going into a competitor's space is too pushy for me.

 

[seacliffsal]

Like another poster, this season stresses me a bit as I can only imagine the danger of all of the ice on the sidewalks and roads.  I'm sorry to see Metro Chili go home as their food looked good, but another issue I have with this season is how the small towns and weather affect potential sales.  They thought they were being smart trying to find different locations but it just wasn't a good idea for this season.

It happened in another season, but I don't like that the TOTS truck can just buy frozen tots which is the main ingredient in their dishes and in their name.  It doesn't feel like they are really making anything.  The fact that some teams can get buy using pre-made products while others start their dishes from scratch, along with the fact that there are real issues with some of the trucks, just doesn't seem like a level playing field.

Oh, and if I wanted to have to start a fire, I would try out for Survivor instead of a food truck show.  I am impressed that the teams haven't given up and just gone home instead of trying to win under these conditions.

[Starry-Eyed]

23 hours ago, xaxat said:

I think the producers may have underestimated Alaska and this season is more difficult than they expected. In comparison to the winter season they filmed in New England, it's colder, the trucks break down more, the roads and sidewalks are icier and the days are a lot shorter.

For example, in the s'mores challenge, I'm pretty sure the didn't consider the possibility that eggs left outside would freeze that quickly.

I about LOST it when I saw that frozen egg. How is trying to make people cook over open fires in these conditions in anyway part of what Food Truck Road Trip is supposed to be about?

4 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Like another poster, this season stresses me a bit as I can only imagine the danger of all of the ice on the sidewalks and roads.  I'm sorry to see Metro Chili go home as their food looked good, but another issue I have with this season is how the small towns and weather affect potential sales.  They thought they were being smart trying to find different locations but it just wasn't a good idea for this season.

It happened in another season, but I don't like that the TOTS truck can just buy frozen tots which is the main ingredient in their dishes and in their name.  It doesn't feel like they are really making anything.  The fact that some teams can get buy using pre-made products while others start their dishes from scratch, along with the fact that there are real issues with some of the trucks, just doesn't seem like a level playing field.

Yeah, that irritates me. Obviously, it worked for them, but if they weren't on a television show and people want to chance to be "famous" for a few seconds would anyone really pay $15 dollars for frozen grocery store tots, no matter how fancied up?

[SevenCostanza]

7 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

but I don't like that the TOTS truck can just buy frozen tots

Me either it seems like cheating.  They should be making them from scratch for the prices their charging.  If they're too time consuming then maybe they should rethink their menu. 

[meep.meep]

On 3/16/2021 at 10:15 AM, lh25 said:

I think it was both.  The condition of these truck is shameful.

In addition to the grease left in the first episode and the Quencenaria's pilot light issues, the ordering window door on the BFD truck doesn't work and the Tasty Balls truck has windows blowing open.  These are not new unused trucks by any stretch of the imagination.

If you're not ready to serve your food to the people waiting in freezing temps, take them a complimentary hot beverage while they wait!  Cider, tea, coffee, whatever you have.

[LittleIggy]

11 hours ago, meep.meep said:

In addition to the grease left in the first episode and the Quencenaria's pilot light issues, the ordering window door on the BFD truck doesn't work and the Tasty Balls truck has windows blowing open.  These are not new unused trucks by any stretch of the imagination.

If you're not ready to serve your food to the people waiting in freezing temps, take them a complimentary hot beverage while they wait!  Cider, tea, coffee, whatever you have.

One of the teams did that, didn’t they? 

[Leeds]

Cauliflower grits is an oxymoron.  Not to mention that it looked disgusting.  I love cauliflower, but boiled and then fried?  Even thinking about the texture makes me gag.

Salmon cakes with quality fresh fish are amazing when prepared properly.  As in, not the way they were here.

[cameron]

Find it interesting that Tyler's chef is calling out the team from New Mexico on their dish.  Think they would know the difference between a taco and a tostada.

[Emkat]

If i have to hear that one contestant say 'postales' one more time...oh wait. I don't. 

[mlp]

It annoys me that the tater tot truck keeps advancing when they are clearly using frozen tots.  Also, it seemed odd to me that they just happened to have a large supply of noodles on hand when they were tasked with a special dish.  I can't even imagine a dish that uses both tater tots and noodles so I don't get why they would have had them.  There was something else in that noodle dish I had the same thought about but I can't remember what it was now.

I like the BFD crew.  I'm glad they made it through.

 

 

[xaxat]

So Tyler, your "brand new food trucks" lie is really catching up to you. This is ridiculous. BFD didn't know if they would even have a truck on day one. And didn't Meatball Mamas have generator problems in an earlier episode?

Tyler's chef did not play around with those people.

Their sales totals are impressive. I think everyone had over 4k in sales. Over 16k all together. Homer only has about 5,000 people.

27 minutes ago, mlp said:

I like the BFD crew.  I'm glad they made it through.

Same. I like their concept. When I was a kid, breakfast for dinner was a treat. It meant you were breaking the food rules! 

[Chyromaniac]

11 hours ago, cameron said:

Find it interesting that Tyler's chef is calling out the team from New Mexico on their dish.  Think they would know the difference between a taco and a tostada.

They were cooking the tortillas on the flat top rather than deep frying- I wonder if the technique didn’t hold up as well as they expected. Like-  they thought it would remain a firm tostada, but it lost crispiness due to the weather, temperature, etc...

Otherwise, tostada or taco be damned- theirs was probably the only item I would’ve actually been interested in.  I honestly wasn’t thrilled with what most of them did with those excellent looking fish- one group turning theirs into pot luck “tuna” casserole seemed particularly egregious...

3 hours ago, xaxat said:

So Tyler, your "brand new food trucks" lie is really catching up to you. This is ridiculous.

Does anyone still have that first show on DVR (or possibly on Disco+) to get an exact quote?  Like, is it possible that he was just suggesting that the truck concepts were new, rather than the actual vehicles?  Because at this point I can’t imagine that the show wouldn’t get how all these mechanical problems would come across.  Why would the editors include a clip of him saying something that seems laughably false?  I get that the threshold for truth on reality shows is practically nonexistent - but this feels like such a silly point to make an unforced error on.

Beyond that, I don’t think it was necessarily a bad call for the lower earning trucks to try and team up- psychologically, people can be more inclined to visit a food venue if there are other options available (compared to ones by themselves).  It’s one reason why we have food courts, truck gatherings, and so forth - I believe this is known as the watering hole effect.  Unfortunately their supply and timing issues did them in.  I hope the remaining trucks can make things interesting somehow- this season has been a slog even without one team dominating.

Edited March 23, 2021 by Chyromaniac

[xaxat]

48 minutes ago, Chyromaniac said:

Does anyone still have that first show on DVR (or possibly on Disco+) to get an exact quote?

I wanted to make sure I had it right, so I double checked before I posted. He welcomes them to Alaska, says it will be hard, and then gives them the first challenge. Create a delicious breakfast. 

Then he says, "So teams, your brand new food trucks are parked right down at the bottom of this snowy hill." He even gestures with both hands to emphasize the phrase "Brand new food truck."

I may be mistaken, but I think there were seasons when he made the distinction. Not calling them new trucks, but something like newly outfitted trucks. (i.e. new paint job reflecting their theme.)

Edited March 23, 2021 by xaxat

[kirklandia]

23 minutes ago, xaxat said:

He even gestures with both hands to emphasize the phrase "Brand new food truck."

Like this?

[Chyromaniac]

1 hour ago, xaxat said:

I wanted to make sure I had it right, so I double checked before I posted. He welcomes them to Alaska, says it will be hard, and then gives them the first challenge. Create a delicious breakfast. 

Then he says, "So teams, your brand new food trucks are parked right down at the bottom of this snowy hill." He even gestures with both hands to emphasize the phrase "Brand new food truck."

Thanks- I was honestly starting to think I had gaslit myself.  I was wondering if there would be some way to construe what he said as, “well, they’re new to you,” - which, I can’t believe even the shadiest of used car dealers would say in 2021, it’s such transparent BS.  At least that would be something though.  But no - the show really is that dumb.

[SevenCostanza]

18 hours ago, mlp said:

It annoys me that the tater tot truck keeps advancing when they are clearly using frozen tots.  Also, it seemed odd to me that they just happened to have a large supply of noodles on hand when they were tasked with a special dish.  I can't even imagine a dish that uses both tater tots and noodles so I don't get why they would have had them.  There was something else in that noodle dish I had the same thought about but I can't remember what it was now.

I like the BFD crew.  I'm glad they made it through.

 

 

The tater tot people selling frozen tots is bull, and you're right, it was odd that they all of a sudden made a pasta dish.  You'd think they would have incorporated the salmon with their signature ingredient, but they don't seem to be that creative. 

I noticed BFD makes their own waffles from scratch, they're not selling frozen waffles.  Maybe that's why they keep winning. 

[seacliffsal]

I have been fishing in Alaska, but thought that the fishing challenge was a horrible idea (primarily because fish don't worry about our timelines...).  It also seemed unfair that the one group actually caught MORE fish than anyone else but had to throw them back in as they were too young.  A three-hour penalty is effectively what they were handed.  However, they still won the competition in Homer and the team that caught the fish fish was eliminated due to poor planning (having to close three time and then prep their dishes three times [which would be a real time killer]).  

It was interesting to see that the trucks that "strategized together" were all in the bottom three.  The guy from BFD was right when he stated that those three teams were competing against each other, not against BFD.  Strategic alliances work on Survivor (and this most recent season of The Amazing Race) but not on all competitive reality shows.

[Madding crowd]

I haven’t liked the last couple of seasons as much but Mr. Madding Crowd likes it so I still watch. Alaska doesn’t seem like a good place to have a food truck challenge and the breaking down trucks just seem unfair.

I liked it when they had more teams and more types of ethnic food. These trucks are focused on balls or breakfast or chili which kind of limits creativity.

[Chyromaniac]

7 hours ago, SevenCostanza said:

The tater tot people selling frozen tots is bull, and you're right, it was odd that they all of a sudden made a pasta dish.  You'd think they would have incorporated the salmon with their signature ingredient, but they don't seem to be that creative. 

Unless it says otherwise on the menu, it's a fair bet that any tots you get out at a restaurant (or truck, ballpark, etc...) are going to be a frozen food service product (same with fries for that matter).  And, loathe as I am to defend anyone on this season, it does seem like the tots are basically just the medium for the stuff they do cook fresh, like the etouffee and philly steak.  Also, I'm no expert - but I can't imagine the costs in both time and resources (especially under these conditions) are able to justify whatever difference there is in quality.  As for the sudden use of pasta - they did say that they had blown through what they assumed was a 2 day supply of tots by the end of the first night.  Perhaps they grabbed the pasta as a fallback plan.  Or, maybe they also had to do an emergency shopping run, but it just didn't get shown because that was a much bigger part of Querencia's story for the episode.

[Pallida]

5 hours ago, Chyromaniac said:

Unless it says otherwise on the menu, it's a fair bet that any tots you get out at a restaurant (or truck, ballpark, etc...) are going to be a frozen food service product (same with fries for that matter).  And, loathe as I am to defend anyone on this season, it does seem like the tots are basically just the medium for the stuff they do cook fresh, like the etouffee and philly steak.  Also, I'm no expert - but I can't imagine the costs in both time and resources (especially under these conditions) are able to justify whatever difference there is in quality.  As for the sudden use of pasta - they did say that they had blown through what they assumed was a 2 day supply of tots by the end of the first night.  Perhaps they grabbed the pasta as a fallback plan.  Or, maybe they also had to do an emergency shopping run, but it just didn't get shown because that was a much bigger part of Querencia's story for the episode.

Agreed on frozen tots being the norm. And I can't remember what show I was watching, but I've heard that the process to make good tots from scratch is pretty tedious and not worth it. I don't have a problem with them doing that, especially since they aren't just plopping some cheese on them or something basic. 

[Madding crowd]

But most restaurants aren’t featuring their fries or tots as their signature dish. Since the entire truck is based on tots, I would expect fresh. If the main draw was burgers or something it would be different. 

[Chyromaniac]

I just see the tots as  a vehicle for the actual dishes that they are cooking.  They're making, for example, a philly steak - only instead of serving it in a roll (that they wouldn't have made) they're putting it over tots (that they heat from frozen).  For me, that's a barely a difference.  I also don't think that putting tots in the name of the truck means that they, specifically, are their signature dish.  For comparison, there's a Chinese place in my town called the Rice Bowl - obviously that's not the most important thing they do.  With the tots, it's just a connective element that ties their menu together.  And I feel like the customers know what they're getting as well - when the guy with the etouffee bowl says it's 'not something you can get in Homer' I doubt he's talking about the potato puffs.

[Starry-Eyed]

On 3/23/2021 at 1:12 PM, seacliffsal said:

I have been fishing in Alaska, but thought that the fishing challenge was a horrible idea (primarily because fish don't worry about our timelines...).  It also seemed unfair that the one group actually caught MORE fish than anyone else but had to throw them back in as they were too young.  A three-hour penalty is effectively what they were handed.  However, they still won the competition in Homer and the team that caught the fish fish was eliminated due to poor planning (having to close three time and then prep their dishes three times [which would be a real time killer]). 

Yeah, I don't see why BFD should have to keep fishing after throwing back the baby halibut. Was it simply so Tyler could pretend like the fish he was giving them was the fish they had caught (even though different team caught different fish and they all got salmon)?

[Fostersmom]

On 3/22/2021 at 8:41 PM, Chyromaniac said:

Does anyone still have that first show on DVR (or possibly on Disco+) to get an exact quote?  Like, is it possible that he was just suggesting that the truck concepts were new, rather than the actual vehicles?  Because at this point I can’t imagine that the show wouldn’t get how all these mechanical problems would come across.  Why would the editors include a clip of him saying something that seems laughably false?  I get that the threshold for truth on reality shows is practically nonexistent - but this feels like such a silly point to make an unforced error on.

I don't want to quote myself here, and am honestly too lazy to find my post, but after the very first episode, I went back and rewatched the beginning to see him stress the BRAND NEW TRUCK part after the one team's oven basically went up in flames due to the grease fire and then saw there was obvious crud in the open oven door. There was no way a brand new truck would have built up that much grease in their oven that soon. 

On 3/23/2021 at 7:21 PM, Chyromaniac said:

Unless it says otherwise on the menu, it's a fair bet that any tots you get out at a restaurant (or truck, ballpark, etc...) are going to be a frozen food service product (same with fries for that matter).  And, loathe as I am to defend anyone on this season, it does seem like the tots are basically just the medium for the stuff they do cook fresh, like the etouffee and philly steak.  Also, I'm no expert - but I can't imagine the costs in both time and resources (especially under these conditions) are able to justify whatever difference there is in quality.  As for the sudden use of pasta - they did say that they had blown through what they assumed was a 2 day supply of tots by the end of the first night.  Perhaps they grabbed the pasta as a fallback plan.  Or, maybe they also had to do an emergency shopping run, but it just didn't get shown because that was a much bigger part of Querencia's story for the episode.

To me them not making tots is the same as any number of the grilled cheese trucks not making their bread or cheese. It's the preparation and presentation. 

[cameron]

Just watched last night's show and there is no way that those trucks are anywhere new.  The crud buildup on the cooktops tells a whole different story.  No way could anything near new have that type of buildup and also found it interesting that there are different versions of trucks used in this show.  They all look different.  Hard to call that fair.  Who knows what team got the advantage when those trucks were given out.

[Grizzly]

Really wish they'd do an Alaskan version in the summer. With the extra daylight, they'd have plenty of time to sell. Even after doing the stupid challenges.

[mlp]

21 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Really wish they'd do an Alaskan version in the summer.

Yes.  I'd much rather see more comfortable participants against beautiful scenery than half-frozen people being made even more miserable by wind.  Making the competitors do things like start fires and pan for gold was ridiculous in those conditions and had nothing to do with running food trucks in the first place.  

I wonder what the accommodations for cast and crew were like.  I wouldn't think those small fishing villages have big hotels.  

 

[MerBearHou]

Plus I worry every single time these people RUN anywhere.  We've already seen some bad wipeouts that could absolutely be life-threatening.

[Chyromaniac]

4 hours ago, mlp said:

I wonder what the accommodations for cast and crew were like.  I wouldn't think those small fishing villages have big hotels. 

I would assume Seward would be decent, since it’s a cruise port (I’m fairly certain I’ve seen the bay where they had the elimination on travel websites).  But yeah, I imagine accommodations would be slim in Homer or Palmer - in my state, towns that size might have one chain motel (maybe two) out by the Interstate, if that.  And it looks like the place they’re going next week is going to be a whole other story...

[Maya]

Would it kill these people to wear a hair net or if nothing else, a ponytail?? There have to be so many long hairs in all of that food... 

[MajorWoody]

This season is the low point of the series. 
 

The trucks are not only used, but severely used. Between mechanical issues, crud and grease buildup, and stuck and broken windows, there must be a used car salesman at “Honest Johns Food Truck Lot” laughing hysterically, while counting his cash,  at the scam he pulled on the producers of this show. Wonder if he threw in the faulty generators as part of the deal.

The parking locations often seem desolate, and I am amazed at the cash totals they claim the trucks have generated. 
 

Does anyone know if the contestants pay their way to and from Alaska? This must cost more than the potential winning would be worth. 

Edited April 1, 2021 by MajorWoody

[NYGirl]

I'm thinking they've used the same trucks since season 1..just washing and painting them in between series.  It's a strange season with no dominant all male teams.

I am amazed at the amount of people that have been coming out to the trucks.

[cameron]

41 minutes ago, NYGirl said:

I'm thinking they've used the same trucks since season 1..just washing and painting them in between series.  It's a strange season with no dominant all male teams.

I am amazed at the amount of people that have been coming out to the trucks.

It's their chance to be on tv is my guess.

[meowmommy]

14 hours ago, cameron said:

It's their chance to be on tv is my guess.

Or they get paid by the producers to stand on line.

Oh, wait, this is the notoriously cheap Food Network.  Never mind.

[LittleIggy]

I still can’t get over the prices they charge! No way would I pay that much for a small amount of food served in a paper container.

Guess I’m in the minority because I like seeing the winter Alaskan scenery. 

Edited April 2, 2021 by LittleIggy

[emmawoodhouse]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

I still can’t get over the prices they charge! No way would I pay that much for a small amount of food served in a paper container.

Guess I’m in the minority because I like seeing the winter Alaskan scenery. 

It's very pretty, but making these people work in those conditions is not right.

[LittleIggy]

9 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

It's very pretty, but making these people work in those conditions is not right.

Hey, they signed up for it. The thing I don’t like is that the teams were given those shitty food trucks. Those trucks should have been given to the teams spotless and in working order.

[emmawoodhouse]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

Hey, they signed up for it. The thing I don’t like is that the teams were given those shitty food trucks. Those trucks should have been given to the teams spotless and in working order.

I wonder whether the contestants know where and when they're going when they apply to be on the show? 

[seacliffsal]

I don't think the business owners in some of these towns would welcome the trucks during the summer as that is the high tourist season and they may depend on those sales to see them through the rest of the year.  On that note, the producers probably got some really good deals on accommodations, incentives, etc., for showing off the beauty of Alaska during the winter.  

I guess I don't understand why the teams seem so hesitant to buy more when they are initially shopping as that has been detrimental for the teams that have to make multiple trips to the grocery store.  I also don't understand why some teams seem to pick isolated locations to sell-are they thinking that people who live out there will comprise enough business to help them win?  

I do love the scenery, but I found myself getting bored during the panning for gold segment.  I wish they would get rid of some of these competitions.  I do like the "best tasting as judged by someone who knows food" competitions but not the fishing, panning for gold, etc.  Show me the cooking, shopping, and selling.  Oh, and the scenery...

[Chyromaniac]

You know, it occurs to me that I actually went to a food truck festival nearly 2 years ago where the weather was less than ideal- windy, wet, and in the low 50’s- and even that was kind of miserable.  We ended up having to hustle to a converted storefront to actually eat (this was at an outlet mall), because otherwise it was too dang cold outside to enjoy the experience.

I know that this is Alaska and the residents are probably just used to bad conditions- but I can’t imagine how anyone is willingly dining outside at near or below freezing temperatures.

[Starry-Eyed]

3 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I do love the scenery, but I found myself getting bored during the panning for gold segment.  I wish they would get rid of some of these competitions.  I do like the "best tasting as judged by someone who knows food" competitions but not the fishing, panning for gold, etc.  Show me the cooking, shopping, and selling.  Oh, and the scenery...

Yeah, I am totally fine with the "cook this local food" type competitions, but I get very annoyed with all the challenges that have nothing to do with cooking or running a food truck.

[lh25]

On 3/29/2021 at 5:41 PM, Chyromaniac said:

 And it looks like the place they’re going next week is going to be a whole other story...

They are going to Talkeetna if I remember correctly?  Maybe they are staying here?

https://www.nationalparkreservations.com/lodge/talkeetna-alaskan-lodge/

[GaT]

16 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

The thing I don’t like is that the teams were given those shitty food trucks. Those trucks should have been given to the teams spotless and in working order.

 

3 hours ago, Starry-Eyed said:

Yeah, I am totally fine with the "cook this local food" type competitions, but I get very annoyed with all the challenges that have nothing to do with cooking or running a food truck.

These have been problems since the beginning of the show. I'm pretty sure every season some team has had a problem with something on their truck not working, & the very first season threw me into a rage because the team that had been in the lead all season ended up losing because the final challenge included a foot race at the end & the all guy truck (who were taller & had longer leg) beat the all girl truck.

[Starry-Eyed]

2 hours ago, GaT said:

 

These have been problems since the beginning of the show. I'm pretty sure every season some team has had a problem with something on their truck not working, & the very first season threw me into a rage because the team that had been in the lead all season ended up losing because the final challenge included a foot race at the end & the all guy truck (who were taller & had longer leg) beat the all girl truck.

It's definitely true these are on-going issues, but they seem particularly bad this season. There's usually ONE or maybe two episodes about something going wrong with a truck (and sometimes it's the team's own fault because they hit something, etc.) and there are one or two non-food challenges. This season, pretty much every episode has either one or the other and some have both.

[seacliffsal]

I'm not a mechanic (nor do I play one on t.v.) but I think the colder weather could be having a negative impact on the trucks.  After all, aren't we told to make sure we winterize cars, boats, etc.?  And the weather in Alaska would be colder than what these trucks had previously experienced (even during the New England cold weather season).

[Gramto6]

2 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I'm not a mechanic (nor do I play one on t.v.) but I think the colder weather could be having a negative impact on the trucks.  After all, aren't we told to make sure we winterize cars, boats, etc.?  And the weather in Alaska would be colder than what these trucks had previously experienced (even during the New England cold weather season).

I would really think this is something production would have know in advance and taken care of!

[GaT]

They are making these people work in conditions so bad that it’s actually dangerous. I hope that poor woman doesn’t lose part of her ear.

I'm going to watch the finale, & then I'm done with this show. I don't want to watch any show that's just an excuse to torture the contestants.

[Kathy]

Ok, Wow, so Tyler barks at them about customer online reviews but mentions nothing about the fact that one of the contestants got frostbite on her ear during one of their stupid challenges???   I am done with this mess of a show.

[Emkat]

Why is the food so expensive? $14-18 for like a cup of food in a cardboard tray is crazy.

I'm upset about the frostbite 🥶 

[mlp]

Making people run around in the woods in dangerous temperatures also involved making the crew work in the same conditions.  There were probably two or three dozen people put at risk.  The producers should have their collective heads examined.  I usually enjoy this show but, this year, I just want it to be over.