Worst Cooks In America - General Discussion

[jcbrown]

On 4/26/2021 at 4:10 AM, Cozytea said:

First, I love Michael Symon,  I think he's really great on this show. Not because i just love the guy, but because he has such an easy way about him and I can see him at least trying to teach them(contestants) something. 

 

On 4/27/2021 at 11:52 AM, seacliffsal said:

I really liked how Michael Simon instructed various participants.  Practical and effective.

...

I didn't like Lulu at all on her season and really wanted her eliminated.  Part of this is my attitude towards her as every time she mentions her PhD I feel it demeans my own due to how she presents herself.  Also, as an (ahem) older woman I dislike her portrayal as an older woman.  I know, it's just me...

Not just you. I can't stand Lulu. I did not appreciate her making herself a caricature and I do not enjoy it here.

Having Michael Symon on here just emphasizes what a good teacher he is and what a crappy teacher Anne is. I'm just glad to have him back on my screen. Now, if only FN could find a vehicle to bring him together with Clinton and Carla...

 

[Grizzly]

I like Domaine's outfit tonight. It's very pretty. Not sure it's what I'd want to cook in. She's even wearing heels.

Michael could teach me to cook. He is so calm. He's even good with Lulu.

Still getting Cameron flashbacks whenever Sadie opens her mouth.

I'd watch the after show if they had chefs commenting. That could be entertaining to hear what they really thought. I have no interest in the contestants.

[Gramto6]

Yeah me too, I switched over to Golden Girls waiting for Frasier reruns to come on...

[seacliffsal]

I realized that I'm watching this out of habit as I don't really care for any of the contestants (yes, I know it's an unpopular opinion as Domaine seems beloved on this site).  I can hardly stand to watch Lulu.  Yet, I watch...(it seems like a lot of the "reality" shows I'm watching this season have unlikable contestants on them [more so than they usually have]). I wonder if the contestant pools are more limited due to covid and its protocols. 

[Gramto6]

I watch because I like Michael Symon. His laugh is infectious and he truly seems to want to help the cooks. Don't really care a fig about any of the contestants...

[mlp]

Lulu is ridiculous and I don't like Domaine but I don't actively dislike any of the rest of them.  The only one I actually like is Jonathan so I was glad he won immunity.  

Love Michael Symon.  His presence seems to have calmed Anne down a bit too for which I am grateful.  

[Yeah No]

On 5/9/2021 at 7:48 PM, seacliffsal said:

I realized that I'm watching this out of habit as I don't really care for any of the contestants (yes, I know it's an unpopular opinion as Domaine seems beloved on this site).  I can hardly stand to watch Lulu.  Yet, I watch...(it seems like a lot of the "reality" shows I'm watching this season have unlikable contestants on them [more so than they usually have]). I wonder if the contestant pools are more limited due to covid and its protocols. 

I haven't gotten the impression that Domaine is "beloved".  I can take or leave her to be honest.  I've already opined on my dislike of Lulu and how she gives a bad impression of older women.  She could look so much better if she didn't wear those clownish 80s caricature costumes.

I was thinking that myself, that they might have had a more limited field of people to choose from because of the pandemic because some people wouldn't feel comfortable traveling or being around other people to that degree.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Well. That... ended. 

[Grizzly]

A bit of a surprise but I sense it could've gone either way. I would love to eat Domaine's dessert. That looked so good! Too funny when Sadie and Anne were talking about Rachel Ray. That was a neat trick and an unguarded moment for Anne.

[mlp]

I thought Domaine was the designated winner so I was surprised even though I thought Sadie's meal did look better.  I think Domaine with her stupid tiara wants to be a reality TV star.  She sure acted like she was playing a part all along.  Sadie needs to calm down but she has an education and a serious job so I wish her well.

I hope FN can talk Michael Symon into doing this show again.  He was great.

Cliff Crooks has come a long way since he was on Top Chef.  I was prepared to dislike him for old time's sake but I quite enjoyed him.

Edited May 31, 2021 by mlp
correct something

[LexieLily]

16 minutes ago, mlp said:

I thought Domaine was the designated winner so I was surprised even though I thought Sadie's meal did look better.  I think Domaine with her stupid tiara wants to be a reality TV star.  She sure acted like she was playing a part all along.  Sadie needs to calm down but she has an education and a serious job so I wish her well.

I hope FN can talk Michael Symon into doing this show again.  He was great.

Cliff Crooks has come a long way since he was on Top Chef.  I was prepare to dislike him for old time's sake but I quite enjoyed him.

I figured Anne's competitive ego wouldn't allow her to lose three seasons in a row, tbh.

[ConcernedCitizen]

1 hour ago, mlp said:

I thought Domaine was the designated winner so I was surprised even though I thought Sadie's meal did look better.  I think Domaine with her stupid tiara wants to be a reality TV star.  She sure acted like she was playing a part all along. 

You do know that the girl has 7 college degrees and is currently at the forefront of the vaccination efforts for LA County Department of Public Health, right? But sure, do call her “stupid.”

Everything, and I mean everything, from the editing to the publicity to the critiques to the dishes to the fan reactions, pointed to Domaine taking the win. What a twist! I smell a stunt, Food Network. 

[cameron]

Personally, don't think that Sadie should have advanced to the final two.  She used uncooked premade patties from the store.

Edited May 31, 2021 by cameron

[Mr. Sparkle]

I like Sadie, personality-wise, but I thought it was going to be Stephanie vs. Domaine. I like Domaine and the charity work she does, but it seemed so pre-ordained that she was going to win that I was fine with her losing. Even she seemed kind of surprised that she lost. 

[mlp]

12 hours ago, ConcernedCitizen said:

You do know that the girl has 7 college degrees and is currently at the forefront of the vaccination efforts for LA County Department of Public Health, right? But sure, do call her “stupid.”

If you'll go back and read my post more carefully, you'll see that I called her tiara stupid, not her.

[Chyromaniac]

15 hours ago, mlp said:

I think Domaine with her stupid tiara wants to be a reality TV star.

Forgive me if I've said this here previously, but... isn't that who goes on reality shows?  People who want to be "reality stars?"  I mean, it's not like they're dragging people off the street to be on these things.  They all made the conscious decision to participate, because - for whatever reason, and to whatever degree - some part of them wanted to.

Also - as of today Survivor is old enough to drink.  Hopefully anyone who decides to go on a reality show in 2021 knows what they are getting into.  As long as they're okay with giving a media company permission to use their name and likeness to create a "character" in their storyline, then I'm not going to fault them for it.

9 hours ago, cameron said:

Personally, don't think that Sadie should have advanced to the final two.  She used uncooked premade patties from the store.

For me it's that she decided on a burger in the first place.  The premade patties are just ground beef - I used to use them myself until I realized that it was, at my store prices, twice as expensive per pound as basic 80/20.  If anything, it just saved her having to form the patties by hand - so, a couple of minutes?  For me at home it's not worth it - but if that helped her finish on time, maybe it was.  Otherwise, I do think that if someone was trying to wow a chef with a burger, maybe make all the toppings instead of using bottled bbq sauce?  She had that aioli to go with her side - put some of that on there with the bacon, and then maybe a quick slaw or pickle.

Still, both Sadie and Domaine did great in the finale - everything looked great, and it really did seem like the judges were mostly splitting hairs.

[Yeah No]

22 hours ago, mlp said:

I thought Domaine was the designated winner so I was surprised even though I thought Sadie's meal did look better.  I think Domaine with her stupid tiara wants to be a reality TV star.  She sure acted like she was playing a part all along.  Sadie needs to calm down but she has an education and a serious job so I wish her well.

I have been feeling all along that there is more to Domaine than meets the eye and given what I've read about her here, I wasn't wrong.  I can go there with the tiara knowing that.  It's all in fun.  I actually think she's a better cook than Sadie all told.  Sadie kept second guessing herself and needed a LOT more hand-holding than Domaine.  It's a wonder that Sadie made it into the finale.  Anne seemed annoyed with her over her lack of experience cutting an onion.  I really thought she was going to choose Stephanie over her.  I also thought Domaine would be the winner based on her performance and menu.  No wonder people think this contest is fixed!

Once again the judges were picking apart things that weren't the contestants' fault but their mentors for making them do it that way.  Like complaining about the fact that the bok choy was too big and not easy to eat.  I will never thing that's fair.

Yes to wanting another season with Michael Symon.  And Cliff Crooks seems to have come a long way since his "Top Chef" days.  I was watching him on his new FN show "Chef Boot Camp" and like him well enough, but the show itself is a little disappointing.

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

2 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I really thought she was going to choose Stephanie over her.  I also thought Domaine would be the winner based on her performance and menu.  No wonder people think this contest is fixed!

 

 

The fact that Sadie used a ready-to-cook burger patty and a bottled BBQ sauce, plus  undercooked potato sides, should’ve automatically disqualified her and have Stephanie be Anne’s representative. Should have been a Stephanie VS Domaine finale. Would’ve been more entertaining too.

The only way I can see it is that if the contest was indeed fixed, it was in favor of Anne Burrell. Had it been Stephanie VS Domaine, Domaine has a better track record having not placed bottom with two wins VS Stephanie with two wins AND two bottom placements. Couple that with Domaine’s menu and performance, it’s almost a no-brainer. Sadie on the other hand had three wins and no bottom placements, which leads me to my next theory.

There were a couple more of main dish challenges that Domaine could have won, but instead were given to Lulu and Eric (who as far as I remember, Domaine helped in that episode). It was almost like, production knew that they were going to have Anne and her rep win no matter what. They can’t have Anne lose back-to-back-to-back (Alex, Carla, Michael) or she’ll probably throw a major fit.

It’s a sad situation overall but it’s a TV show and everyone signed up for it, including the shenanigans that I’m sure they’re fully aware of.

[seacliffsal]

I actually skipped a couple of the more recent episodes as I just could not take how over the top some of the contestants acted (especially Lulu).  I watched the finale just to see who made it into the finale-was surprised that Sadie made it.  Did not find the finale particularly interesting (although I was surprised that Domaine didn't want Michael's input).  Was VERY surprised when Sadie won as I thought this season was Domaine's to lose.  I think this version of the show was especially annoying as the contestants knew they were there due to how annoying they were on their original seasons so they just ramped it up.  Could not stand that the opera singer sang during all of his interviews or how "wacky" Lulu was throughout the season (I was so glad that she did not make it to the finale!).  Domaine was a bit much for me with her continual references to being "queen."  

Hopefully the next season won't be as annoying.  Who am I kidding?

[Koalagirl]

On 5/31/2021 at 3:01 AM, ConcernedCitizen said:

You do know that the girl has 7 college degrees and is currently at the forefront of the vaccination efforts for LA County Department of Public Health, right? But sure, do call her “stupid.”

Everything, and I mean everything, from the editing to the publicity to the critiques to the dishes to the fan reactions, pointed to Domaine taking the win. What a twist! I smell a stunt, Food Network. 

Thanks so much for linking that interview.  I always liked Domaine and this goes to show how much editing on the show can skew someone’s perceptions of a contestant.  

[ConcernedCitizen]

9 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

Thanks so much for linking that interview.  I always liked Domaine and this goes to show how much editing on the show can skew someone’s perceptions of a contestant.  

I mean, the girl took what she learned from her original season and started cooking for the homeless (which I’m sure wouldn’t mind imperfectly cooked food as long as they have something to eat), and was going to donate part of her winnings to a homeless charity had she won the competition. She probably could have used the kitchen showcase to better her cooking and cook more for the homeless too. Meanwhile, Sadie’s going to use her winnings to pay not even her full student loans, and doesn’t know what to do with the kitchen supplies. Domaine winning would’ve made more sense, tbh.

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, ConcernedCitizen said:

I mean, the girl took what she learned from her original season and started cooking for the homeless (which I’m sure wouldn’t mind imperfectly cooked food as long as they have something to eat), and was going to donate part of her winnings to a homeless charity had she won the competition. She probably could have used the kitchen showcase to better her cooking and cook more for the homeless too. Meanwhile, Sadie’s going to use her winnings to pay not even her full student loans, and doesn’t know what to do with the kitchen supplies. Domaine winning would’ve made more sense, tbh.

My cynical response to that is "Why should anything make any sense anymore?"  Maybe they couldn't get the judges they really wanted this season.  Pandemic?  I recognized Cliff Crooks and have actually heard of the restaurant "Balaboosta" but I felt like the two female judges had somewhat offbeat tastes that weren't suited to judge this type of competition.  I personally think they should stick to judges that have judged food competitions before.  I would believe that the two female judges never have just by the way they acted.  Cliff Crooks seemed comfortable in the role and given his "Chef Bootcamp" show seems to know what he's doing in that regard.

[DougJones]

A bit late with this post (never made an account until recently ) but I think the runner up in Ariel Robinsons season should be given the prize money. I think his name was Zach?  He was far more likable anyway and didn’t really come across as reality show bait. Hopefully Robinson rots in hell though. 

[RealityCheck]

From this article, WORST COOKS IN AMERICA: HALLOWEEN REDEMPTION PART 2 airs Sunday September 26 at 10PM

Quote

Four recruits return to Boot Camp to be mentored by Anne Burrell and Michael Symon.

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

I like those one-offs, mostly because there's only one of them. 

[Grizzly]

These 4 weren't too bad. I didn't see Frank's season. Very happy that Darian won. Had to laugh at him stroking the stuffed dog during judging.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Oh, that's what was recording last night when I was going to bed! I'm going to watch it now. 

[mlp]

That wasn't too bad although I'm not sure why the show picked those four.  I only remembered Sponjetta because she'd been on AGT years ago and she has a ridiculous name.  I vaguely recall liking Darian.  I didn't remember the other two at all.  I love Michael Symon.  He's really good at this silly show but I was glad the men won.  Their meal just looked better to me.

The only thing that irritated me was the food blogger who was sitting between two actual chefs but did most of the talking.  Impressed with yourself much?

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

I vaguely remember Darien and the blonde girl, and of course I remember the name Sponjetta. 

I'm from a part of New York where people are like Frank, and even I think he's over doing the "fuhgeddaboutit!"

Overall, it was entertaining. I'm glad it's not being followed by 9 more episodes and then 2 more seasons. 

[Maverick]

 They usually have a pretty sorry lot judging the final meal in Worst Cooks, but the group in this episode was from under the ground under the bottom of the barrel.   I was sitting this 'who are these people'?   

[Yeah No]

When this first started I almost turned it off because of the hokey spooky stuff but it didn't turn out so bad, not for this show anyway!  I recognized all of them, unfortunately, LOL.

I cracked up at that fake movie poster for "The Grandmother, She'll make you a meal you can't refuse"!! 🤣  My Sicilian Grandmother was a great cook and an actual extra in the film "The Godfather II" and her face made it on screen, so it was particularly fitting!!

[SilverLake0315]

13 hours ago, mlp said:

The only thing that irritated me was the food blogger who was sitting between two actual chefs but did most of the talking.  Impressed with yourself much?

I felt the same way. Overcompensating.

[Catfi9ht]

On 9/27/2021 at 9:52 PM, Maverick said:

 They usually have a pretty sorry lot judging the final meal in Worst Cooks, but the group in this episode was from under the ground under the bottom of the barrel.   I was sitting this 'who are these people'?   

I've noticed for about the past year or so there are fewer chef judges and more blogger, tuber, and influencer judges on this show. Also, by the comments the judges make, you can tell they've never seen the show. Isn't it standard practice to research before you're asked to contribute to something?

I'm glad Darian won. He always seemed like such a sweet soul to me.

I don't mind these one and done episodes. It's a nice change of pace especially if they're bringing past contestants back.

[Rahul]

Did anyone catch that for this Redemption special, teams X and Y announced which team they were on instead of having a blind judging as Anne mentioned would happen?

[mlp]

3 hours ago, Rahul said:

Did anyone catch that for this Redemption special, teams X and Y announced which team they were on instead of having a blind judging as Anne mentioned would happen?

Yep.  I wondered about that myself.  Someone should have caught that inconsistency.

[Maverick]

 They knew who prepared the meal, but they didn't know who the mentor was for each team.  

[RealityCheck]

The new season of WORST COOKS IN AMERICA will premiere Wednesday, January 5th at 9pmET/PT with mentors Anne Burrell & chef Cliff Crooks.

[Mr. Sparkle]

2 hours ago, RealityCheck said:

The new season of WORST COOKS IN AMERICA will premiere Wednesday, January 5th at 9pmET/PT with mentors Anne Burrell & chef Cliff Crooks.

Three interesting things I noted from this article:

1. It's on Wednesday? 
2. It appears to be couples or friends/relatives competing. I don't know if it's teams or what. 
3. Cliff Crooks is a bit of a controversial choice. 

[Maverick]

 Controversy or not, I find Cliff rather dull.  They had him on some fix up your restaurant/chef type show and it was utterly boring and went in the FN burn it off pile.  

 This usually fills the Sunday night competitive reality show slot in the winter so I wonder what will take its place.   Wednesday is usually GGG night.  I wonder if will continue there or this is bumping it for a while, which would be fine by me since I've soured on GGG post-pandemic.   

[CoyoteBlue]

Well, I did not totally hate anyone so that's a decent start. 

The drag queens may end up being intolerable but I'm willing to give them time to calm down the crazier shit. 

Wouldn't mind if someone turned the hose on the married couple who were dry-humping each other half the time, though.

[Mondrianyone]

I felt really sorry for whoever had the station behind (apt word!) the bare-assed drag queen.

[mlp]

AFAIK Cliff is controversial because of his behavior on Top Chef years ago which he's probably regretted ever since.  If there's anything else, I don't know about it.  As it turned out, I quite liked him on this show.  He was low key in an amusing way which was a nice counterpoint to all the shrieking and nonsense going on around him.

The only one I took an instant dislike to is the blonde English teacher.  Any respect she gets in a high school classroom is going to take a big hit after her students see the way she was acting on the show.  

Are both of the drag queens female or is the one in yellow a male?  I kept changing my mind.  I thought drag queens were always male but the thin one looks female to me.  

[Mr. Sparkle]

I just didn't have the energy last night. I'll try on Friday! 

[Mondrianyone]

8 hours ago, mlp said:

Are both of the drag queens female or is the one in yellow a male?  I kept changing my mind.  I thought drag queens were always male but the thin one looks female to me.  

Pretty sure they were both male.

[SilverLake0315]

I should probably Google to see what the controversy is, but I really liked Cliff (and had no prior knowledge of his existence).

The "Rockin' Red Stars" thing works my last nerve.

[mlp]

5 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

Pretty sure they were both male.

You're probably right.  In fact, I hope you are because a female drag queen doesn't really make sense.  I was going mostly by hands and body type and, as I said, I just couldn't make up my mind.

[Passing Strange]

What Cliff did to Marcel during Season 2 of Top Chef has been called a prank gone wrong, a bad decision he made while drunk. To me it was an assault and very disturbing. It's been 14 years since the incident and Cliff apparently has made no more similar bad decisions. Good for him. I understand why some think he deserves another chance. Personally I'd rather see this gig go to a chef who decided not to be violent.

15 hours ago, mlp said:

Are both of the drag queens female or is the one in yellow a male?  I kept changing my mind.  I thought drag queens were always male but the thin one looks female to me.  

Neither, I think. Marti Cummings is non-binary and uses them/they pronouns. Their drag daughter, Peachez Imam Cummings, uses she/they pronouns. It's not just gay men who do drag. The drag community includes pretty much everyone, straight men, CIS women, trans people and so on.

4 hours ago, SilverLake0315 said:

The "Rockin' Red Stars" thing works my last nerve.

Thank you. Mine, too.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Well, the more things change... 

I don't know where they're going with the pairs thing, but it looks like they'll just do regular teams. 

I liked the drag queens and the Dominican couple. The married couple and the long-lost cousins can go home now, as can the woman from Florida who has an uncomfortable crush on Cliff. I don't have much opinion yet on the rest. 

I actually liked Cliff, it seemed like he really cares about the success of the contestants. 

[Yeah No]

Cliff had his own FN show last year entitled "Restaurant Boot Camp".  I read that it was renewed for this year but there's no news on when it will air.  The Top Chef incident was a long time ago and I've read conflicting accounts of what happened so given how he's shown himself to have turned around since then I'm OK with Cliff.

What's striking me about this season so far is that even in the first episode a lot of the food was actually somewhat edible and even recognizable.  Some of them were doing actual dishes with interesting ingredients, not a mishmash of stuff they invented out of thin air like in other seasons.  Plus their mistakes seemed more minor and had more to do with seasoning and doneness than anything else.  Let's not forget the season where the guy thought "grilled cheese" meant putting the cheese directly on the grill all by itself, LOL.

[johnmiller]

Cliff is great! I loved "Chef Boot Camp" because it actually involved discussions about the technical parts of cooking and making choices. He also made great comments, like "It's already dead, you don't have to kill it" when someone was overcooking their protein.

I never heard about his bad behavior on Top Chef since I don't watch that show. I will have to look into that. But, his own show is really good. I'm not sure how much he is going to get to do when it comes to mentoring people on "Worst Cooks" based on the first episode. That's his strength. We will see on Episode 2.