Worst Cooks In America - General Discussion

[biakbiak]

I did not like Alton flicking the perfectly good strawberries off the plate. It was a waste of food. Mike was right it wasn’t an inedible garnish you could have dipped it in the chocolate.

[Totale]

On 2/14/2020 at 11:17 PM, chessiegal said:

Here's an interesting tidbit that Alton didn't want to do this show, and only did it to get FN to do more episodes of Good Eats.

Alton didn't want to do Worst Cooks

 

No big surprise.  Aside from Anne who found her level, who would want to do it?

I call tall girl and fitness girl for the final.

[Maya]

Alton doesn’t explain anything to his team and then wonders why they can’t cook.
I think he’s going to take inept Leo to the end just as an FU to the show. 

[Yeah No]

I think it's pretty sad when they have to bribe someone to mentor the show.  The former hosts have all probably gotten sick of doing it by now.  And then half of the fans are not loving Alton's attitude, so the ratings are probably going down because of it.  The show became a joke several seasons ago already.  It's fake and just for comedy now, and yet Alton should be a real teacher and authentic?  I don't get that.

[mlp]

I saw "Nobody goes home" coming a mile away as I imagine most everyone else did also.  I think they must have put Leo up to all his bumbling around.  If he's really a chemist, there's no way he is so imprecise and loses control of ingredients.

I'm sure the contestants get instructions and demos for the recipes before filming but, even so, the way Alton speeds through without explaining anything is annoying.  Anne comes across as a much better teacher - without all the derision.

[HyeChaps]

IMO, Anne was an excellent teacher on Secrets of a Restaurant Chef.

[Maverick]

 Anne was a good teacher on this early on, when it was actually about learning.  She was always tough but fair.    She's always been considered a natural teacher.  Her sportsmanship on the other hand...

[Brookside]

On 2/18/2020 at 5:10 PM, Maverick said:

 Anne was a good teacher on this early on, when it was actually about learning.  She was always tough but fair.    She's always been considered a natural teacher. 

Yet she thinks "haricots verts" means "baby green beans".  No, it means "green beans".

[Mellowyellow]

Was this show ever normal? I'm only watching it for Alton and it's really wacky! The people are so strange. Did they ever just have normal people who couldn't cook?

I really like Giada but I want to see her on this show especially if they cast super weird people. I think Giada would totally freak out but also try to teach them meticulously and it would be hilarious.

[CoderLady]

On 2/18/2020 at 12:33 PM, mlp said:

I saw "Nobody goes home" coming a mile away as I imagine most everyone else did also.  I think they must have put Leo up to all his bumbling around.  If he's really a chemist, there's no way he is so imprecise and loses control of ingredients.

Agree. I think they're saving Leo for his high entertainment value for as long as they can, but he overdid it this week. He screwed up so badly, made so many easily avoidable mistakes, and so completely trashed his bake that he should have been out of there. The fix, as they say, is in.

I'll watch this week to see if they're done with him, but I can't take much more of this.

[RoxiP]

Ugh...another week of Leo.  He's going to be in the finale, that's for sure.  Mike might have not been the best this week but he has consistently been better than Leo.  

[Rammchick]

OK, I'm calling shenanigans on a show that seems to be nothing BUT shenanigans.  The six remaining contestants did super well on the quiz, and were shown to answer every question before it even finished coming out of Anne's or Alton's mouth.  Some of the questions were not that easy, particularly for someone like Bridgette who supposedly has no seafood experience.  But then, they go to cook and act like the big doofuses they always are.  No.  I'm not buying it.

[RoxiP]

I'm over Leo, who is obviously the chosen one.  He really has no interest in cooking but instead mugging for the camera.

[Maya]

I’m usually the first person to say reality tv is fake, but in this case I think Alton might really be this big of an asshole. Throwing plastic containers in a fit a rage is not a good look for him. 
 

[mlp]

40 minutes ago, Maya said:

I’m usually the first person to say reality tv is fake, but in this case I think Alton might really be this big of an asshole. Throwing plastic containers in a fit a rage is not a good look for him. 

That was pathetic.  I can just imagine what Alton would have to say if a working chef did that kind of thing in a real restaurant kitchen.  I was not amused.

[Rahul]

On 2/24/2020 at 4:04 PM, RoxiP said:

I'm over Leo, who is obviously the chosen one.  He really has no interest in cooking but instead mugging for the camera.

That's exactly why I love Leslie. You can tell she really enjoys learning how to cook and appears to want to be there much more than her other cast mates. I'm hoping she wins it all.

[Yeah No]

On 2/24/2020 at 1:28 PM, Rammchick said:

OK, I'm calling shenanigans on a show that seems to be nothing BUT shenanigans.  The six remaining contestants did super well on the quiz, and were shown to answer every question before it even finished coming out of Anne's or Alton's mouth.  Some of the questions were not that easy, particularly for someone like Bridgette who supposedly has no seafood experience.  But then, they go to cook and act like the big doofuses they always are.  No.  I'm not buying it.

I know, they solved the word puzzles so fast it was obviously fake.  Mr. Yeah No and I froze the frame and even after a few minutes couldn't solve any except the first one.  I felt like Leonard on "Big Bang Theory" when Sheldon and Amy engaged in their weird problem solving game that involved making incredible leaps of logic and drawing conclusions that no one but them would ever make.  Leonard stood there looking dumbfounded and then they acted like the solutions were obvious and blamed HIM for not being smart enough to come to the same conclusions.  I'm not buying it here either.  We know the show is fake, but this is proof of just how fake it is.

[seacliffsal]

This season just doesn't seem as fun to me.  Last year when they had Bobby Flay, they changed the graphics and narration during the title sequences each week and had more snarky commentary during the episodes based on contestants' and mentors' words and actions.  I really think that Alton has sucked some of the fun out of the season.  

[Westiepeach]

20 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

This season just doesn't seem as fun to me.  Last year when they had Bobby Flay, they changed the graphics and narration during the title sequences each week and had more snarky commentary during the episodes based on contestants' and mentors' words and actions.  I really think that Alton has sucked some of the fun out of the season.  

Not surprising. Alton has made it perfectly clear he did not want to do this, and it sure shows.

[jcbrown]

On 2/25/2020 at 5:33 PM, Rahul said:

That's exactly why I love Leslie. You can tell she really enjoys learning how to cook and appears to want to be there much more than her other cast mates. I'm hoping she wins it all.

I have watched every episode and it speaks to my level of engagement with the show that I read this and I'm still thinking, "wait, which one is Leslie?"

[RoxiP]

13 hours ago, jcbrown said:

I have watched every episode and it speaks to my level of engagement with the show that I read this and I'm still thinking, "wait, which one is Leslie?"

I always think of her as the hairdresser with the fabulous hair.  Then there's cat ears girl (Shannon), volleyball mom (Bridgett), Leo (who needs no introduction), the scary looking skinny woman and Mike.  Of course Mike and Bridgett are gone so I shouldn't have bothered learning their names.

[Rahul]

36 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

I always think of her as the hairdresser with the fabulous hair.  Then there's cat ears girl (Shannon), volleyball mom (Bridgett), Leo (who needs no introduction), the scary looking skinny woman and Mike.  Of course Mike and Bridgett are gone so I shouldn't have bothered learning their names.

Ho'd up--aren't volleyball mom and scary looking skinny woman one and the same??

[Mr. Sparkle]

4 minutes ago, Rahul said:

Ho'd up--aren't volleyball mom and scary looking skinny woman one and the same??

I believe RoxiP is referring to the short fitness instructor, Kelly. I definitely had to look up her name. 

[RoxiP]

1 hour ago, Superclam said:

I believe RoxiP is referring to the short fitness instructor, Kelly. I definitely had to look up her name. 

Yes, Kelly!  She is scary looking to me - she always looks angry and she's just so skinny!  She is the one Alton suspects is a ringer...LOL!  Bridgett usually looked a little lost.

[DC Gal in VA]

Watching it now. I've been trying to pull for the woman from DC on the Red team because well, check my screen name. However, I am about way over her dumb blonde routine. She just salted her potato dish beyond all reason. As for the Blue team, they cannot kick Leo off fast enough for me; his frantic, chatterbox bullshit gives me agita. I really like the last woman on the Blue team--she seemed to try and improve each week.

Edited March 2, 2020 by DC Gal in VA
Typo.

[DC Gal in VA]

On 2/25/2020 at 3:42 PM, mlp said:

That was pathetic.  I can just imagine what Alton would have to say if a working chef did that kind of thing in a real restaurant kitchen.  I was not amused.

I am a total Alton Brown fangirl and I am ITA with you about that nonsense. Ditto for the flicking the strawberries off the plate of a previous member of his team, totally tacky and unnecessary.

BTW, just saw a commercial/infomercial for the new Food Network competition show for an executive chef position in Las Vegas and it looks like a shit show on steroids.

[DC Gal in VA]

On 2/24/2020 at 4:04 PM, RoxiP said:

I'm over Leo, who is obviously the chosen one.  He really has no interest in cooking but instead mugging for the camera.

Well dammit @RoxiP YOU WERE RIGHT! Hard to believe that Leo could be the finalist in a cooking competition anywhere in the known universe. Of course it's all a set up for Alton to strut his Mr. Pissy Pants persona for the finale; definitely pulling for Chef Anne's finalist.

Edited March 2, 2020 by DC Gal in VA
Typo.

[Fostersmom]

1 hour ago, DC Gal in VA said:

BTW, just saw a commercial/infomercial for the new Food Network competition show for an executive chef position in Las Vegas and it looks like a shit show on steroids.

Yeah it did. I saw the preview commercial or whatever they wan to call it about the waffle, you've got to love a team fighting amongst themselves at judging. 

[DC Gal in VA]

Both chef Anne and Alton took turns having hissy fits about the finalists not paying close enough attention to their demos and verbal instructions.

Question for you all: what kind of shit-for-brains culinary instructor would have their students trying to take notes AND somehow memorize each step of their one and only demonstration of a dish? I'm a pretty decent cook who knows her way around a kitchen and I would find that confusing and frustrating. Do the victims students receive a printout of the recipe with all of the ingredients and steps? Yeah, yeah I know it's yet another dumb ass American "reality" competition show, but dayum!

I think that the concept for Worst Cooks could be both entertaining and educational without all of the idiotic shenanigans, you know, like the British manage to do on their culinary competition shows.

Hey Anne and Alton, the 1950's cooking instructors called and they want their teaching methods back!😁

[Mr. Sparkle]

10 hours ago, DC Gal in VA said:

BTW, just saw a commercial/infomercial for the new Food Network competition show for an executive chef position in Las Vegas and it looks like a shit show on steroids.

Should be titled "Throw Your Teammates Under the Bus." 

But does this mean we're not getting a new season of WCIA 3 weeks after this one ends? 

[Mr. Sparkle]

10 hours ago, DC Gal in VA said:

Well dammit @RoxiP YOU WERE RIGHT! Hard to believe that Leo could be the finalist in a cooking competition anywhere in the known universe. Of course it's all a set up for Alton to strut his Mr. Pissy Pants persona for the finale; definitely pulling for Chef Anne's finalist.

Honestly, a lot of the seasons have an older person who is eliminated in the few 1-3 weeks. I really thought Leo would be that person. I would not have picked him to go this far in any scenario. 

I'm always one to point out that this show is a joke for entertainment purposes only, but it seems to me like this season had some of the least talented contestants yet. No one stood out as a ringer. 

[RoxiP]

I wish I hadn't been right.  Leo just makes me want to turn off my television.  He isn't attractive (I used to think he was a little cute but his personality has totally turned me off), he isn't endearing, and he really can't seem to cook.  So of course he makes the finales!

I thought Anne's choice was harder, although I have thought for several weeks Shannon was going to be her finalist.

Honestly I think the whole point of this season was to have Anne win - it seems like she has lost to her opponent the last couple of seasons.

[Mondrianyone]

1 hour ago, Superclam said:

I'm always one to point out that this show is a joke for entertainment purposes only, but it seems to me like this season had some of the least talented contestants yet. No one stood out as a ringer.

The bar could not be lower, and yet they somehow managed to slither under it this season.  In the past I've always gotten the sense that at least one contestant learned something.  But not even close with this crew.  I don't know whether it was these particular people or the attitude that Alton brought to the party (I'm leaning toward the latter), but I feel as if every single person this time around, including the chefs--or maybe even especially the chefs--could've stayed home and achieved the same result.

[Guest]

I don't know, I thought Anne's top 3 (Shannon, Leslie and Bridget) all turned out fairly well. Certainly no one is going to come out of this show as a full-on chef, but I thought those three, at least, showed definite improvement. Anne does a lot of scolding and yelling while they're cooking, but her critiques as she's actually eating what they made seemed to show that they were turning out some pretty decent meals.

[RoxiP]

I agree, I think Anne's group was consistently better than Alton's.  Alton just seems to be punking his way through the show.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Shannon vs. Leslie would have been a more convincing final. I said two weeks ago that they should have gotten rid of both Mike and Leo the week they sent no one home. 

[Rammchick]

13 hours ago, DC Gal in VA said:

Question for you all: what kind of shit-for-brains culinary instructor would have their students trying to take notes AND somehow memorize each step of their one and only demonstration of a dish? I'm a pretty decent cook who knows her way around a kitchen and I would find that confusing and frustrating. Do the victims students receive a printout of the recipe with all of the ingredients and steps? Yeah, yeah I know it's yet another dumb ass American "reality" competition show, but dayum!

I suspect that this, like many other cooking competition shows, has more to it that we don't see.  Otherwise, it would be basically impossible for people who can't cook -- supposedly -- to follow along that fast and reproduce anything even approaching what the chefs make.

[DC Gal in VA]

1 hour ago, Rammchick said:

I suspect that this, like many other cooking competition shows, has more to it that we don't see.  Otherwise, it would be basically impossible for people who can't cook -- supposedly -- to follow along that fast and reproduce anything even approaching what the chefs make.

The demo scenes are definitely heavily edited but all of the contestants seem to be referring to their notes while cooking and not a print out of the recipes. But of course giving them an actual easy to follow copy of the recipe would cut down on all the manufactured DRAMAH!

[DC Gal in VA]

3 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

The bar could not be lower, and yet they somehow managed to slither under it this season.  In the past I've always gotten the sense that at least one contestant learned something.  But not even close with this crew.  I don't know whether it was these particular people or the attitude that Alton brought to the party (I'm leaning toward the latter), but I feel as if every single person this time around, including the chefs--or maybe even especially the chefs--could've stayed home and achieved the same result.

Your comments brings to mind for me one thing, among many, that has never made any sense to me and that is since there's real money on the line--$25,000 right?--why would anyone who gets accepted to the show constantly act like a buffoon auditioning for their own wacky reality show?

I get it that that type of behavior is producer driven, which is perfectly fine for the throwaway segments like the ridiculous stunt of having the last two finalists for each team try to describe the ingredients and plating of a dish sight unseen to Anne and Bobby/Tyler/Alton for them to reproduce, I mean does anyone really expect these folks to be able to identify ricotta salata or fennel fronds? But when it comes to the elimination rounds it makes no sense unless they really are that clueless or just plain stupid.

[mlp]

I guess I'm in the minority but I like Leo.  I suspect that he was put up to his nonsense last week and the real Leo is a lot closer to the quiet fellow we saw this week.  Also, he has been in the top or close to it most weeks unlike whatshername the vegetarian ditz.  

I've figured Shannon for the finalist from Anne's team for some time.  The only thing that surprised me was Anne saying repeatedly how close the decision was.  I didn't think the blonde who didn't follow Anne's directions well had a chance.

[Guest]

23 minutes ago, mlp said:

I guess I'm in the minority but I like Leo.  I suspect that he was put up to his nonsense last week and the real Leo is a lot closer to the quiet fellow we saw this week.  Also, he has been in the top or close to it most weeks unlike whatshername the vegetarian ditz.

I don't mind Leo, either. I'm not sure how he's any more or less annoying than any of the rest of them (though I didn't really mind Kelly either).

25 minutes ago, mlp said:

I've figured Shannon for the finalist from Anne's team for some time.  The only thing that surprised me was Anne saying repeatedly how close the decision was.  I didn't think the blonde who didn't follow Anne's directions well had a chance.

Leslie usually seemed to end up with something decent, despite her problems, so in terms of skill they may have been pretty close. I think the not following directions was probably what ultimately tipped the scales in Shannon's favor, plus Shannon seemed to be much less of a spaz/more likely to stay calm in the finale.

[RoxiP]

I noticed last night that the judges were making educated guesses - the contestants described things and so if they had bothered being more exact in their descriptions of the foods, taste, smell, etc., it would have been easier for the judges to figure out the ingredients.  It would have been better if they had worked as a team and not against one another.  Of course that wouldn't make for good tv, right?

[SG429]

Leo sounds like Anthony Jeselnik.

[Rahul]

I really like Leslie so I was disappointed but not entirely surprised by her elimination this past episode. Anne has always had an issue with her not following directions to a T, so the writing was on the wall. Leo better not win this season or I don't think I'll be able to watch another season. I quit midway through the last cycle (there have been far too many seasons of this show in recent years), but I'm back for some unexplainable reason.

[jcbrown]

This may be fixed before Sunday but I just noticed that my TiVo guide does not show the finale as new so it was not planning to record it. FYI.

[Rahul]

1 minute ago, jcbrown said:

This may be fixed before Sunday but I just noticed that my TiVo guide does not show the finale as new so it was not planning to record it. FYI.

Good catch. TiVo has been terrible with guide data ever since they were acquired by Rovi several years ago and stopped using Gracenote for the listings info.

[Mr. Sparkle]

For once, I'm not angry about who won! I actually enjoyed this finale more than I usually do. 

[Guest]

Good finale. Generally a positive, entertaining show with what felt like genuine sentiments from both chefs and contestants. I think Alton's still too prickly for a show like this, but he was better here, one-on-one. And I appreciated the random Monica mention!

[tomorrowgirl]

Will someone tell me who won?  My dvr cut off just as the judges started tasting Leo's cookies.  So I didn't see who they chose as the winner.  Thanks.

[Mr. Sparkle]

22 minutes ago, tomorrowgirl said:

Will someone tell me who won?  My dvr cut off just as the judges started tasting Leo's cookies.  So I didn't see who they chose as the winner.  Thanks.

Shannon "Kitty Ears" won. She had the more adventurous menu, IMO.