The Great Food Truck Race - General Discussion

[tinkerbell]

Mac and cheese with toppings, for 20 bucks? 

And a huge part of the process for all the trucks is deciding on a strategy, listing ingredients,  and shopping for what they need. That was left out. They apparently had all the fresh fruit, dairy, etc to create new dishes.

[Maverick]

 I forgot about Tyler just strolling up and helping the drag queens.  Yeah, huge red flag.   Everyone except the Senoritas were struggling to find a spot so why did they get a special visit from Tyler?

[Leeds]

The Cuban woman's hair is driving me to distraction.

That's all I've got.

[GiandujaPie]

I'm thinking each team must have been given a list of suggested areas of LA to go, and where they also could not go because there seemed to be some parts of LA they very deliberately did not go. I would have tried to go to Santa Monica or somewhere in West LA but then I saw they are going to Venice Beach next week so maybe they were told they couldn't go to any of the beach towns because it's not technically LA. But I don't understand why no one seemed to be at Westwood or any of the West LA neighborhoods. They all seemed to be in either downtown, Hollywood or the Valley. Traffic going back and forth between those places would have been a nightmare. Senoriteas did have an advantage with being based in LA as they know the nuances of the different neighborhoods in LA so that does seem unfair. 

[Colorado David]

5 minutes ago, Leeds said:

The Cuban woman's hair is driving me to distraction.

That's all I've got.

Agreed. yeah TIE THAT HAIR BACK or put it up in a rag.

lol Amawele's: "why are we whispering?". exactly.

I felt bad for the Saute Kingz, nothing was going their way.

I wonder if Tyler visited all the trucks, but maybe the show only showed his visit to Mac n Cheese? Otherwise yeah definite foul if he only assisted them.

Man those ESO pasta dishes looked KILLER. I'd so hit them up. Fresh pasta is worth the higher $$ in my appetite opinion.

Do all the trucks have ice cream makers, or is this another one of those 'we brought our own equipment' situations???

[mlp]

I'm not loving this season.  There are too many annoying contestants.  There are always a few but there's usually a better balance.  SalsaQueen needs a smackdown and I don't like the Cuban gal with all the hair much better.  She should have been made to pull that mop back while around food.  Dave the drag queen seems nice enough but he's so loud and OTT that I get very sick of him very fast.  OTOH The team that left last night was so unremarkable that I barely knew they were there and won't miss them.

I don't believe for a minute that almost every potential customer chose to stand in long lines for the Lime Truck and almost no one even investigated the options.  That scenario had to be manipulated.  

Once again, people were running around among the crowds with food on open dishes.  In the heat.  Blecccch.

[Colorado David]

I think the Lime Truck has a good reputation and works the social media really well. The prods knew they would win, they wanted to see if any of the other trucks could provide any sort of competition. Judging by Tyler's reaction, they did not.

[Chellichik]

8 hours ago, Leeds said:

The Cuban woman's hair is driving me to distraction.

That's all I've got.

Is that her real hair?  I thought it looks very wig-like.

[emmawoodhouse]

Just now, Chellichik said:

Is that her real hair?  I thought it looks very wig-like.

Regardless of what it is, she had it very nominally pulled back when working on prep in the truck. That mop needs to be tied back. 

[seacliffsal]

Like others, I hope Tyler helped the other trucks with their bad locations but I doubt it as we saw numerous trucks with very few customers (and the two day totals were really low-second place was $1200).  If there is favoritism towards the drag truck I just don't get it especially as their food just doesn't look good at all to me.  Also, I notice that Sugar always says "I" whereas the interviewees from the other trucks say "we" so it's quite noticeable that she sees the truck being all about her rather than them (the team).  I was quite surprised that the Cuban truck knew that being in an alliance and that helping Sugar would not benefit themselves at all-made me laugh as so many people in these competitive shows seem to think that all of the other competitors are there to help them rather than trying to win for themselves (contestants on Survivor continually seem to be surprised that everyone else isn't there to help them win).  I liked the family and am sorry that they are gone.

[Maya]

The whole Lime Truck thing was very staged. Plus I could have happily lived the rest of my life without ever hearing “Taste le truck!” again.

Edited June 14, 2022 by Maya

[LittleIggy]

16 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Have never liked the Lime Truck, didn't need to see them.

Amen! I could have gone my entire life without seeing Lime Disease Truck again. That was one of the most stupid, pointless challenges ever on this show which is saying a lot. 
Salsa Bitch needs to go. How were Señoreatas cheating? 

[emmawoodhouse]

37 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Amen! I could have gone my entire life without seeing Lime Disease Truck again. That was one of the most stupid, pointless challenges ever on this show which is saying a lot. 
Salsa Bitch needs to go. How were Señoreatas cheating? 

Salsa Queen needs to realize that there was going to be at least one truck from LA. It's lime that every season (save Alaska). It's not Senoreatas fault that this challenge fell into their lap. SalsaQueen would have totally taken advantage if there was a food truck competition in Utah. She just needs to shut her yap. 

I can't wait for the meltdown next week! 😂

[Ellee]

I’m debating on continuing with this show. 
 

Do we know what Salsa’s meltdown is? If it’s just more of the dramatic bs I think I’m out. (Lol… I hate when posters say this and here I am saying this. )

[Maya]

2 hours ago, Ellee said:

Do we know what Salsa’s meltdown is? If it’s just more of the dramatic bs I think I’m out. (Lol… I hate when posters say this and here I am saying this. )

Well she actually started crying when Lime Truck had a line, so the “meltdown” was probably something equally as devastating. 

[lh25]

16 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

SalsaQueen would have totally taken advantage if there was a food truck competition in Utah. She just needs to shut her yap. 

Exactly what I was saying talking back to my TV!  She would have totally taken advantage if she could have.

I am tired of the orange jumpsuits, look like something you'd have to wear in prison.

[meep.meep]

Maybe they should wear black helmets and sell honey candy that you have to eat really fast.

It's like they've cast all the "we're not here to make friends" types and nobody else.   Obviously Lime Truck told a bunch of people to come and not patronize any trucks other than them.  Their five minutes of fame are long gone.

[Maverick]

On 6/13/2022 at 9:56 PM, seacliffsal said:

If there is favoritism towards the drag truck I just don't get it especially as their food just doesn't look good at all to me. 

 This appears to be the Year of the Drag Queen on Food Network.  The last season of Worst Cooks had two drag queens (it was a pairs/couples season) and it was clear the endgame was to have the two of them face off in the finals.   What I don't get is why if they are so enamored with that team why do they keep pointing out their food ends up in the trash.  All of their shows are heavily "crafted" with creative editing or outright deception so they could have easily made it seem like they were serving the best mac n cheese ever.   

[Chyromaniac]

Maybe it’s because I’ve been there, but I don’t necessarily take it as favoritism that Cheese had to be told to move to Hollywood and Highland.  It’s arguably the biggest tourist area in Hollywood- that’s where the Chinese Theater is, the place where they do the Oscars, all the street cosplayers taking selfies with tourists, the dining and entertainment options…. Yes, Cheese was on Hollywood Blvd next to the Walk of Fame, but the good part is at H&H.  Where they were at would be like being “on Broadway”- but four blocks from the nearest theater.  Like- c’mon, it’s just over there…

Otherwise, I’m rooting for Southern Pride - the food looks good, they seem to be able to knock it out pretty efficiently, and they’ve picked decent locations.  If they keep it up, I think they have a good shot.  ESO seems to easily have the best food- but I don’t think it’s best suited for these circumstances.  I bet they’re probably great at private chef/catering events (and let’s be honest, that’s what most of these teams are anyway).  I’m basically done with SQ vs. Senoreatas- it’s gone beyond fun TV rivalry to just uncomfortable for me.  One of them has got to go, asap- although I’m afraid the barely visible Food Flight is probably next on the block.  And, I’ll co-sign on not wanting to see Lime ever again- I actually ff’ed through all of their segments.  Taste le F$&k Off.

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

I don't like Sugar and the way she almost drags the customers to her truck, plus she reminds me of what Honey-Boo-Boo will look like in a few years. I also agree with Senoreata's cook with the hair not tied up. Salsa Queen just annoys me. I think ESO will do better if they pre make the pasta do (not sure as I don't make fresh pasta if you can) but their food looks amazing, I thought Food Flight would be booted next because I almost forget they are even in the competition

[Colorado David]

Food Flight was mostly invisible - you gotta have personality it seems to win at this race. Seoul Sausage being an exception - they won, but if I remember correctly they weren't that big on showing personality. Pleasant but nothing stand out.

Dave from Mac n cheese is just obnoxiously outgoing at times. Contrast her to the leader of Mystikka Masala from last season - now she was outgoing but definitely not obnoxious about it.

Edited June 15, 2022 by Colorado David
spelling

[mlp]

1 hour ago, Colorado David said:

Food Flight was mostly invisible - you gotta have personality it seems to win at this race. Seoul Sausage being an exception - they won, but if I remember correctly they weren't that big on showing personality. Pleasant but nothing stand out.

Dave from Mac n cheese is just obnoxiously outgoing at times.

I'd include the Israeli team from a few seasons ago.  They just plugged along doing a good job without being obnoxious or even particularly outgoing.  

Totally agree about Dave.  I don't hate him because he's good-natured but I wouldn't want to spend time around him.

[seacliffsal]

1 hour ago, mlp said:

I'd include the Israeli team from a few seasons ago.  They just plugged along doing a good job without being obnoxious or even particularly outgoing.  

Totally agree about Dave.  I don't hate him because he's good-natured but I wouldn't want to spend time around him.

I like the low-key teams (generally) as I want amazing food to rule the day rather than gimmicks.  I disagree that Dave/Sugar is good-natured as there was some temper as soon as things weren't going as she wanted.  

[Skyfall]

On 6/6/2022 at 9:25 AM, marionette said:

Just watched the first show.  When the contestants arrived they were told what their competition was and the amount of time for the challenge.  They all then ran to see their foodtrucks for the first time.  Where did they get the food to do the competition?  They seemed to decide quite quickly what to prepare and miraculously the food was already in the foodtruck.  Instead of going shopping for the next challenge, they just should have used the well-stocked pantry in their foodtruck.  No wonder there are no comments on this show.  It is pretty sad.  It seems that the simpler the concept, the better the teams do.  The Waffle guys could spew out tons of waffles in the time that others produced something most people would want to eat.  This season with the mac and cheese that they can't even make well is another case of simple getting lots of sales.  Would anyone go back for more?  Not likely.  This show is rewarding the trucks that are selling poor quality food for very high prices.  It would even the playing field a bit if the contestants were given a little time to acquaint themselves with their truck before they had to do a competition..  Also it is a real disadvantage when contestants have a truck that is constantly breaking down.  How is that fair?

In early seasons true cooks got selected and won. The current meta now is big personalities and simple concepts.

[Pepper the Cat]

Didn’t Tyler used to go to each truck and taste their specials? He doesn’t seem to be doing that now. I would love to see him try the food more.

[seacliffsal]

3 minutes ago, Pepper the Cat said:

Didn’t Tyler used to go to each truck and taste their specials? He doesn’t seem to be doing that now. I would love to see him try the food more.

I think that in some cases it's to protect him...

Seriously, I agree with you.  I had previously written that I wish the taste/quality of the food could somehow be a factor in who stays/leaves.  Although I think Eso's food looks amazing, I just don't think they will last long in the competition due to the complexity and quality of their food.  I also think the mac and cheese looks unappetizing (IMO)-this could be tainted by the fact that I'm not a big mac and cheese fan (even though it was totally my go-to when I was in college and couldn't afford much more [but it was always Kraft...back then it was 4 for $1...]).

[Colorado David]

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

Seriously, I agree with you.  I had previously written that I wish the taste/quality of the food could somehow be a factor in who stays/leaves.  Although I think Eso's food looks amazing, I just don't think they will last long in the competition due to the complexity and quality of their food.  

Very good point here.  Is the intent on a food truck just money raking, or providing good food to compete against established restaurants? Are we trying to redefine the definition of a food truck, or just make buckage? I think some teams are one, some are the other. My 7-11 does killer at lunch time with construction and outside worker teams. They fill a much needed niche for those guys and the hard work they do (and god bless em for doing so.)  They aren't providing great food at all, yet they are raking in the $$ I am completely sure. It seems to me we need to discern what is Tyler looking for - higher cuisine or dollar intake??  

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

Also when the truck hit the Covid testing booth, were they not penalized for that? In past seasons it seems like they have to shell out money?

[Starry-Eyed]

11 minutes ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

Also when the truck hit the Covid testing booth, were they not penalized for that? In past seasons it seems like they have to shell out money?

Yeah, that was weird to me. It probably wasn't THAT much money  - it sounded like they just wanted the tent replaced, which was probably $200 or less - but it should have been mentioned and publicly taken out of the till. Maybe the testing people just decided not to pursue it, or they hadn't done so before elimination time

[dubbel zout]

When referring to Dave the drag queen, please use either Sugar or Sugar Vermont, and she/her pronouns, as that is how she's presenting on the show.

[LittleIggy]

10 hours ago, Colorado David said:

Contrast her to the leader of Mystikka Masala from last season - now she was outgoing but definitely not obnoxious about it.

And their food was delicious according to what we saw and heard.

[Stardancer Supreme]

I just want Evanice to pull her hair back from her face. Aren't the Senoreatas hot in those prison jumpsuits? I sweat buckets just looking at them. 

MCBWI is still putting out unseasoned Mac and Cheese.  That's why their food ends up in the trash; the toppings may be tasty, but once you eat that, there is unseasoned cheesy pasta underneath! I would be upset if my efforts went into the trash.

The main part of my dislike with these trucks is that they are poor at proper preparation!  You had 4 hours to prep whatever food you are selling.  You should make sure that the preparation time is adequate enough to get yourselves together and start selling food.  If a signature dish takes too long to prepare, you should be able to either alter it or whip up a dish that doesn't take an inordinate amount of time or numerous moving parts to complete! 

Also, if you are not offering a vegan/vegetarian option, you are leaving money on the table.  SPAF was sitting around going we don't offer a vegan option; you can't go into your truck and see if you can't pivot to offering a vegan dish?  

Seeing that Lime Truck was there and slinging tacos, I would have offered another dish that wasn't tacos... How hard could that have been?

Like I said before, ESO probably had the best food, but they don't belong with these trucks that are clearly beneath their level of cooking. 

The less said about Salsa Queen, the better. I'm still stuck on her changing her legal name to "Salsa Queen" and her histrionics every week is starting to get on my nerves.

Clearly Tyler is steering this show away from delicious street food to selling subpar food with gimmicks.

[chessiegal]

14 minutes ago, Stardancer Supreme said:

Clearly Tyler is steering this show away from delicious street food to selling subpar food with gimmicks.

Is Tyler a producer or show runner of this show? IMBd lists Directors but no producers. Tyler is listed as "host". I'm curious how much input he has in what happens.

[Stardancer Supreme]

Huh. since Tyler is the face of TGFTR, I assumed he was an executive producer. I guess I can't complain to him! LOL!

[bunnyface]

Catching up on the last few episodes.

I cannot imagine spending $20 on Mac and cheese.  Ever.  But to spend $20 and then throw it away?  Would infuriate me.

The African ladies and the pasta guys (no idea on names) look the best to me, so no way will they win.  The others can mostly all just go away.

[chessiegal]

I recorded the latest episode to look at the credits at the end. There were at least 4 different producers listed and other folks. Tyler's only credit was "Host". We can blame the producers, not Tyler, for any shenanigans.

[GeorgiaRai]

In the overly-shouty promo for this season, does Tyler say "ONLY ONE. CAN. BE. TOP BUN"?   

[Maverick]

 Yes, because he's spoofing Tom Cruise in Top Gun.  

[GeorgiaRai]

2 hours ago, Maverick said:

 Yes, because he's spoofing Tom Cruise in Top Gun.  

Ahhhh... I didn't make the connection.  Maybe I won't find it quite so annoying now. 

[Chyromaniac]

1 hour ago, GeorgiaRai said:

Ahhhh... I didn't make the connection.  Maybe I won't find it quite so annoying now. 

Yeah- given that they’re in Southern California, it’s possible that they’ll do an episode in San Diego, where those movies were mostly set.  If they want to do a tie-in, the house from the first Top Gun is just north of SD in a town called Oceanside, and is currently a pie shop.

[potatoradio]

Are the Lime dudes seriously singsonging "Taste LE truck" and not "Taste THE truck?" Great, I needed a millionth thing about them to loathe. We just sang "punch my faaaaaaace" whenever we were subjected to their supremely toxic and punchable dudeness. 

"Have you ever mac and cheese from a drag queen?" Well, no, Sugar, but....checks bucketlist....nope, not an experience I've been missing in my life, sorry. Now a really good mac and cheese? THAT is something I really would like. Bland mac and cheese, even with lobster, hurts my soul. 

I'd be happy with an Amawele's or a pasta people or a Southern Pride win, so definitely won't happen. I was really curious about the spices needed for Amawele's dishes. Was the stuff at the grocery store too bland or was a specific spice needed? Interesting that they found their spices at an Indian store - hadn't made a connection between the two cuisines. 

[HighQueenEB]

4 hours ago, potatoradio said:

Are the Lime dudes seriously singsonging "Taste LE truck" and not "Taste THE truck?" Great, I needed a millionth thing about them to loathe. We just sang "punch my faaaaaaace" whenever we were subjected to their supremely toxic and punchable dudeness. 

Yes, douchebag Lime Truck dudes singsong "LE" not "THE" - and if I never hear it again on another FN show or this one, it will be too soon.  

4 hours ago, potatoradio said:

I'd be happy with an Amawele's or a pasta people or a Southern Pride win, so definitely won't happen. I was really curious about the spices needed for Amawele's dishes. Was the stuff at the grocery store too bland or was a specific spice needed? Interesting that they found their spices at an Indian store - hadn't made a connection between the two cuisines. 

South Africa has a pretty significant South Asian/Indian population, so it doesn't surprise me that their cuisine includes curries and Indian sub-continent spices and flavors.  

[LittleIggy]

I find the loud Southern Pride guy so obnoxious, he makes me dislike the entire team.

[Fostersmom]

On 6/10/2022 at 3:34 PM, lauralu said:

Lots of "personalities" this season. I also agree that food quality should be a factor in winning these competitions.  Luring people in with megaphones and gimmicks then overcharging them for food they throw in the garbage shouldn't be a winning strategy.  I do love the drag queens though. They seem like nice, fun people.  One thing I cannot take, like it literally makes my skin crawl is Ms. Senoritas hair not being tied back.  She's got a lot of hair and its beyond disgusting to me that its just hanging there while she's handling food.  Just my own little OCD moment. 🤮

Both Señorita and Salsa Bitch need to tie back their hair. And for some reason, the other woman working with Salsa Bitch's hair is bugging me too. But that's probably a guilt by association thing. 

On 6/16/2022 at 6:29 PM, bunnyface said:

The African ladies and the pasta guys (no idea on names) look the best to me, so no way will they win.  The others can mostly all just go away.

Pasta guy needs to learn to make a smaller batch of dough or use double yolk eggs or something. 60 eggs to get the yolks to make the pasta is just too time consuming on a food truck. I felt bad for the other guy on the truck when they had him just driving aimlessly, but he's lucky he didn't kill someone when he hit the Covid tent. 

[LexieLily]

Way too much time spent driving around Venice Beach looking for Salsa Queen after she jumped out of a moving car when told she had to swap trucks and work with Senoreatas; we barely saw the second day of the challenge. I wanted to know how Food Flight managed to make only $140. 

Really, I ended up feeling sorry for the non-Salsa-Queen team member that was pissed at her 'teammates' for forcing her to withdraw.

[emmawoodhouse]

And next week it looks like a member of Food Flight melts down. 

Won't miss SalsaQueen, even a little bit.

[Taeolas]

Yeah, too much time on Drah-ma Queen, even if they self-eliminated because of it. 

The Truck swap is usually a great chance to shake things up, and we saw aspects of it from some of the trucks; but otherwise too much of the ep spent on people running around shouting for "Salsa! Salsa!"

The options for the Senoritas when they couldn't do the swap as well were probably fair enough, but they still had a full 3 team for the prep time, which is probably when you need the extra hands the most. Still, I suspect production realized SQ were self-eliminated early enough that they just gave a token "make fair" motion to keep things going. 

I do really wonder why/how Food Flight only made 140$. That's like 7, maybe 10 dishes for an entire day of selling (two days of selling? Don't the totals include for the ENTIRE time they are in a city?). Did they set up in a graveyard? A dirty back alley? on the edge of a Freeway? Oh right, food costs are usually subtracted from the totals too, so they must have expensive ingredients. I also wonder if they hit something off camera, and the cost of that came out as well. 

[Colorado David]

lol hemp challenge, too funny. I thought Denver was bad about pushing the weed (thanks John Denver), but apparently holds nothing to LA. 😏

OMG Mac and Cheese, please stop with the sloganny names for your dishes. Unless I'm going to a ballpark, it makes the food sound cheap and less appealing for me.

Tyler flat out ignoring Salsa Queen's "no I don't want to."  ABSOLUTE SHUT DOWN. Love it. I bet Tyler can be really snarky when he wants to be, he'd be fun at a party. Ditto Lofaso, she has one of the funniest laughs I've heard from pro chefs (and anyone who dated Heavy D I'm sure has an interesting personality.) 

Sigh....bailing from the car. Such an unprofessional attitude and childish, are you A 14 YEAR OLD????  Way to let down your team, Queen. Just poor. 

OMG poor Gio....what mayhem on Amawele's. I feel for him having to deal with those twins.

I hope Missy gets to come back on a different truck, that was class of her to come back and address the other teams.

[Chyromaniac]

Yikes.  I feel bad for Missy from SQ as well.  While I’m sure she knew what her teammates were like when they signed up for this, I don’t think anyone could have expected one of them to literally jump ship.  It’s a shame that she’s been screwed over, just because her team mascot is arguably the biggest flake in the history of this show.  Hopefully Missy can find better career opportunities than SQ when they all get back home.

Otherwise, I’m torn on whether or not the show itself bears any blame for this.  Just like Missy, they also should have known what SQ (the person) was like before casting her on this show.  And while I get that shows like this loooove drama, as I said after last week’s episode, the conflict with Senoreatas had already gone past “fun TV feud” into something that was genuinely uncomfortable to watch.  They should have known her emotional state from the casting process - so continuing to provoke her by pairing the two teams feels irresponsible.

Of course, SQ is the most responsible for her team’s elimination.  After all it is just a show- if you can’t handle made-up TV show problems, what happens when you have actual problems with your business?    Jim, I weep for whatever portion of your income/savings has been funneled into this vanity project…

[Taeolas]

Considering post-production knows what is coming, I wonder how much of the earlier eps were edited to lead to this. 

That said, maybe I didn't pay enough attention to the earlier episodes, but Senoreatas and Maybe Cheese Born With It  didn't seem to be doing that much other than the usual good-natured 'competition' feuds expected on these shows, while Salsa Queen seemed to be taking everything extra personally, especially from those two teams. All the teams seemed to take the team swap as just part of the competition and (as many noted) used it as a chance to see how other teams run their trucks (for better or for smoky worse).

I got the feel that Senoreatas were honestly disappointed they didn't actually swap, since they seem friendly enough (for a competition). 

I agree that Missy showed a lot of class by coming in at the end to address what happened. I hope she gets another chance (either with another food truck group or another food network show) to show her chops more. 

And upon further thought, Food Flight did not seem very surprised at how low their total was, and that they were basically on the chopping block. I'm pretty much 100% sure that they had an accident or some other major cost during the competition that ate up a lot of their take. And if we hadn't had SalsaQueen drama taking up all the air of the episode, we probably would have seen it.