Worst Cooks In America - General Discussion

[seacliffsal]

Too many content creators, actors, comedians, models, etc.  I guess it's all about trying to get any kind of screen time.  I was impressed that they immediately had them do a tougher cook/challenge.  And, I actually like a few of the contestants which isn't always the case.  I also like that Jeff is kind of low key and just rolls with it.

I feel for Jeff and Anne having to try some of those initial dishes.

[ruffy666]

when exactly did this show turn into a bunch of wannabe writers/comedians/actors just trying to get screentime?  i know it's been heading in that direction for a while but i couldn't even finish the first episode because of so many "CONTENT CREATORS" who seem to be trying to workshop their crappy material on a cooking show.  this is high cringe and i think i might finally be out!

[Lurk]

Too many stupid innuendos about food. Yeah, we all know peach and eggplant emojis. But that's for text messages, not in the kitchen. It just seems like all the people on this show try to be louder and funnier and more overly dramatic than the others.  Gone are the days when they really try go get the worst cooks that might really want to learn to cook.

[Salacious Kitty]

1 hour ago, Lurk said:

Too many stupid innuendos about food. Yeah, we all know peach and eggplant emojis. But that's for text messages, not in the kitchen. It just seems like all the people on this show try to be louder and funnier and more overly dramatic than the others.  Gone are the days when they really try go get the worst cooks that might really want to learn to cook.

It's more what production thinks will make a more entertaining show. I bet some bad cooks do audition, but without a hook of some kind are rejected. They seem to think the comedians and content creators are camera ready. 

[jcbrown]

I did not hate this bunch as much as I have hated earlier groups of contestants. It's a low bar, but it's something.

[Lurk]

1 hour ago, Salacious Kitty said:

It's more what production thinks will make a more entertaining show. I bet some bad cooks do audition, but without a hook of some kind are rejected. They seem to think the comedians and content creators are camera ready. 

I'm not feeling it this season. I feel like the more outlandish personalities they pick, the more it seems like they're faking just how bad of cooks they are.

[eta: I enjoyed watching them progress in their cooking skills and learn more than the drama and theatrics.]

Edited August 12, 2023 by Lurk

[Fostersmom]

On 8/12/2023 at 4:23 PM, jcbrown said:

I did not hate this bunch as much as I have hated earlier groups of contestants. It's a low bar, but it's something.

But the real test will be if we find out one of them is a murderer again. 

[chessiegal]

I decided to turn this on tonight and didn't last 5 minutes. Nothing but gimmicks. What happened to teaching them to cook?

[Salacious Kitty]

2 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I decided to turn this on tonight and didn't last 5 minutes. Nothing but gimmicks. What happened to teaching them to cook?

That is secondary. Most of them are ringers anyway. 

[LexieLily]

39 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

That is secondary. Most of them are ringers anyway. 

Amy the professional organizer on Anne's team irritates me because it's on the tip of my tongue who she is but I can't place her. I swear she's been on a few different episodes of shows I watch. 

[Gramto6]

So the question of what happens to the odd person now that one on each team is gone still remains. Will one team on each side have 3 people next week? Or will the single just stay single? How will that work with the goofy challenges?

Edited August 14, 2023 by Gramto6
added on to post

[seacliffsal]

Too many content creators, actors, comedians, models, etc.  I guess it's all about trying to get any kind of screen time.  I was impressed that they immediately had them do a tougher cook/challenge.  And, I actually like a few of the contestants which isn't always the case.  I also like that Jeff is kind of low key and just rolls with it.

I feel for Jeff and Anne having to try some of those initial dishes.

On the second episode I finally realized why they have so many content creators/influencers/entertainment adjacent contestants-because they are so desperate for fame that they are willing to humiliate themselves on t.v. just to be noticed.  The gameshow challenges are just ridiculous.  But, they all want to be noticed, so they willingly participate.  The advantages really aren't so they are only doing the challenges to get some screen time.  

[jcbrown]

Yeah, last night's episode was back to many of the insufferable things about this show. Way too much time wasted on whatever that bullshit was with riding the wooden gondolas around (I resolutely refused to pay attention to that segment). The second segment finished and I thought, "oh, no, there's more?" I think James on Anne's (I think?) team is pretty good and I also like the woman who inadvertently included plastic in her sausage. Neither of them is as over the top as some of the others. So glad the incredibly disorganized professional organizer was sent packing. And I still think Jeff is as good in this role as he is in anything and better than he is when he takes on more of the PRESENTER role (caps intentional). He gets pretty hard to watch then, for me.

[mlp]

This show is ridiculous but I knew that going in so I can't really complain - unlike, for example, Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars which is ridiculous but not meant to be.  The contestants must get a lot of coaching behind the scenes because there's no way a total novice could produce complicated dishes in 45 minutes just from a quick demo and some notes.

I don't really know what a "content creator" is or what they do but I can't imagine most of these goofs could produce anything I'd want to watch.  

I like Jeff in his mentor role.  He's a lot funnier when he's subtle than when he's loud and manic like he is on The Kitchen.  I was glad he told that one woman not to wear boots in the kitchen.  Anne used to be very firm about safe footwear but she's let high heels slide in recent seasons.  

I don't like the pairs concept but it seems like it's just for the nonsense in the first part so I guess I can live with it.

 

[HyeChaps]

They should all be wearing gloves when touching the food.

[Lurk]

On 8/15/2023 at 2:28 PM, mlp said:

This show is ridiculous but I knew that going in so I can't really complain - unlike, for example, Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars which is ridiculous but not meant to be.  The contestants must get a lot of coaching behind the scenes because there's no way a total novice could produce complicated dishes in 45 minutes just from a quick demo and some notes.

I don't really know what a "content creator" is or what they do but I can't imagine most of these goofs could produce anything I'd want to watch.  

I like Jeff in his mentor role.  He's a lot funnier when he's subtle than when he's loud and manic like he is on The Kitchen.  I was glad he told that one woman not to wear boots in the kitchen.  Anne used to be very firm about safe footwear but she's let high heels slide in recent seasons.  

I don't like the pairs concept but it seems like it's just for the nonsense in the first part so I guess I can live with it.

 

A content creator is like an influencer. They use social media like Tiktok, youtube, instagram, facebook, twitch to try make posts and videos to be funny, creative, innovative, loud, obnoxious, ridiculous, etc. to get more followers, subscribers, likes, comments, interaction, adulation, validation, free stuff from advertisers, money from advertiser to give them advertising focused to their followers, etc.

 

Sometimes there are content creators that do things like make how-to videos or other educational type posts that don't seem to be caught up in the $$ aspect of it all. That are actually factual and useful information.

[Mr. Sparkle]

On 8/15/2023 at 3:28 PM, mlp said:

This show is ridiculous but I knew that going in so I can't really complain - unlike, for example, Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars which is ridiculous but not meant to be. 

That's how I've always felt about this show. It's not to be taken seriously. I'll watch Chopped if I want a real cooking competition. That said, I like the actually cook and demonstrations on this show over the goofy games. 

It got really tedious when they were doing 3 seasons a year, back to back. I like the 2 season year with a few months in between much better. 

I think the show always had people who were trying to make a career or get a name for themselves. With the rise of "influencer" culture, it's gotten much worse. 

[jcbrown]

I wish the show would ditch the idiotic physical stunts in the first part and have the early challenges be more than tangentially food-related.

[Gramto6]

1 hour ago, jcbrown said:

I wish the show would ditch the idiotic physical stunts in the first part and have the early challenges be more than tangentially food-related.

Me too!! I'm not watching (barely watching it at all nowadays) for comedy stunts, I was watching to see the cooks learning cooking techniques. If the challenges were more food/cooking related as @jcbrown said, it would be much more interesting to watch!

Edited August 22, 2023 by Gramto6
added on to post

[Salacious Kitty]

But without the stunts, how are we supposed to know how hilarious they are? 🙄

[Gramto6]

Just now, Salacious Kitty said:

But without the stunts, how are we supposed to know how hilarious they are? 🙄

I guess I missed the point, 😕  I thought this was a cooking show. Most of the really good cooks on FN are not what I would call hilarious. 🤣

[Salacious Kitty]

Sadly, this ceased being a cooking show years ago. There are, of course, ringers involved to make the final cook look legit. 

[seacliffsal]

I would really like to know the backstory on Michael leaving the competition.  I think it's really because he wasn't willing to totally humiliate himself (he seemed a bit more laid back and not as frantic).  But, I guess 'sick' works as an easy out.

I have no idea why they felt the need to mock and demean all of the lobsters while painfully killing them.  I think the only reason so many shows have contestants kill/cook lobsters is for the squeamish reaction to it and I think they should just do away with all of the lobster challenges.

[Mr. Sparkle]

3 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

I would really like to know the backstory on Michael leaving the competition.  I think it's really because he wasn't willing to totally humiliate himself (he seemed a bit more laid back and not as frantic).  But, I guess 'sick' works as an easy out.

I was thinking Covid, but I'm just speculating. I have to assume he was familiar with the show before he applied and auditioned. 

[Gramto6]

3 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I would really like to know the backstory on Michael leaving the competition.  I think it's really because he wasn't willing to totally humiliate himself (he seemed a bit more laid back and not as frantic).  But, I guess 'sick' works as an easy out.

 

My first thought was that maybe he got a little too "touchy feely" with his female partner and she complained to production. Just a feeling I got when I heard he was gone, thinking of him all pressed up against her in the challenge the week before. I very well could be wrong but who knows??

[CalicoKitty]

I wish Anne would do a true instruction show again.  She is a very good teacher and  has good skills.  I hate all the stupid "games" and gimmicks in this show.  This season does seem a little "calmer" than seasons past, but is no longer a "must watch" show for me.

[LexieLily]

On 8/22/2023 at 1:04 PM, seacliffsal said:

I would really like to know the backstory on Michael leaving the competition.  I think it's really because he wasn't willing to totally humiliate himself (he seemed a bit more laid back and not as frantic).  But, I guess 'sick' works as an easy out.

Charles was auto-eliminated this week, also for health ('health') reasons.

[Mr. Sparkle]

6 hours ago, LexieLily said:

Charles was auto-eliminated this week, also for health ('health') reasons.

Very strange. I don't recall losing two contestants this way before. I'm still thinking Covid, but 🤷‍♂️

[Catgyrl68]

On 8/25/2023 at 11:57 PM, CalicoKitty said:

I wish Anne would do a true instruction show again.  She is a very good teacher and  has good skills.  I hate all the stupid "games" and gimmicks in this show.  This season does seem a little "calmer" than seasons past, but is no longer a "must watch" show for me.

I will say that Anne's tutorials are the only reason I watch this show. I now know how to properly hold a knife (and immediately correct myself when I do it wrong), mis-en-place, blanche and shock, all that great stuff!

[Mr. Sparkle]

Watching a clip of Etherio cutting up some vegetables, it seems obvious that he has experience with a knife, maybe even doing prep work in a kitchen. Unless the lessons are just that great, which I doubt. 

[Gramto6]

5 hours ago, Superclam said:

Very strange. I don't recall losing two contestants this way before. I'm still thinking Covid, but 🤷‍♂️

Well, now given it is 2 contestants auto eliminated, maybe it is Covid.I don't wish it on anyone but it is better than my first thought about Michael being a little too touchy feely. But who really knows and I doubt we ever will know the true story.

If it was Covid why not just say so??? No harm, no foul lots of people were getting it at the time this was filmed (2021?).

[mlp]

3 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

Well, now given it is 2 contestants auto eliminated, maybe it is Covid

I'm sure I don't know but, judging from the bits they did about Charles' time on the show, I am assuming he left on good terms.  Perhaps Michael did have Covid and Charles was exposed.  I was sorry to see that he was gone as he was my favorite (Charles, not Michael).

I don't mind any of the men who are left but the only woman I like is Jessica despite the green streaks in her hair.  I'm inclined to think she and Zac will be final two but I can't remember if they're on different teams or not.

I was relieved when they eliminated the woman with the long blonde hair and impossible name.  She constantly had her hands in her hair and then right back in the food.  Blecch.

[Mr. Sparkle]

2 hours ago, mlp said:

I was relieved when they eliminated the woman with the long blonde hair and impossible name.  She constantly had her hands in her hair and then right back in the food.  Blecch.

Toneata. I wonder if she made up that spelling. Or even that name. I won't miss her or Kermit, but Terri had the most personality out of the rest of them, so it'll be a little duller without her. 

[jcbrown]

I like the comic on the red team--that white woman with the dark hair who has a name, you know? (I never know the names on this show...)

[LexieLily]

Lol, how convenient that the worst two dishes of a blind taste judging just so happened to be one red team dish and one blue team dish!

Edited September 4, 2023 by LexieLily

[seacliffsal]

They alternated letters so they knew which teams were which (i.e. A, C, E, G were one team and the other letters the other).  Looks like they are setting up an all female finale.  The male model should have been gone weeks ago as I think he is a really weak cook; Zach was a comparatively good cook so am sorry to see him go.

At least this was just 60 minutes-the 120 minute episodes are just too much for me to watch in one sitting.

[mlp]

5 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Zach was a comparatively good cook so am sorry to see him go.

Yes.  He was one of the better ones so they let him go and kept the woman whose chicken was so underdone that Anne spit it out.  No manipulation there I'm sure.  

[Grizzly]

Zach was my favorite. He seemed like a normal person. With everyone having issues with their dishes, it seems incredulous we are this close to the finale.

[HyeChaps]

Well, well, well! 

[LexieLily]

I don't know if it's just me, but somewhere during the last few seasons I've developed a much lower tolerance for Anne's rudeness to her rockin' red stars. Yeah, the cheftestants have gotten more obnoxious over the years and none of them know how to cook, but in the earlier years it felt more like a gentle mocking like the hosts were laughing with them. Now Anne and Insert Co-Host (but mostly Anne) are laughing at them and screaming at them for no reason. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

I'm just happy Anne didn't win! 

Overall, more of the same, but I liked this cast much more than last season's. 

[Gramto6]

3 hours ago, Superclam said:

I'm just happy Anne didn't win! 

Overall, more of the same, but I liked this cast much more than last season's. 

Was last night the finale? I missed it...oh well, no great loss. So Jeff's team won??  That does make me happy.

[HyeChaps]

Both of the competitors seemed like nice people who sincerely wanted to learn to cook. 

[jcbrown]

I was conflicted--I wanted Sami to win but I always want Anne to lose. They really buried this finale, though, no?

[SilverLake0315]

So glad Jessica (and Jeff!) won! Sami was too dramatic for me, or something. One thing burns and she's ready to run. Too much. Mostly, I just NEVER want Anne to win  lol 

I was really checked out of this season for some reason, though. Felt like it flew by.

[Gramto6]

On 9/11/2023 at 7:40 PM, jcbrown said:

I was conflicted--I wanted Sami to win but I always want Anne to lose. They really buried this finale, though, no?

That is part of the reason I missed it. My guide did not say Finale in the listing. I looked at another 2 hr show and thought "pass".  Oh well, I got all I needed here anyway. Cheers for Jeff and Jessica!

Edited September 14, 2023 by Gramto6

[HyeChaps]

And what was up with that stupid twist that made them change the entree at the last minute?

[seacliffsal]

10 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

And what was up with that stupid twist that made them change the entree at the last minute?

I didn't understand it either.  Randy is on TLC so it's not really a crossover.  I wonder if it's because both contestants were subpar and the only way to have decent looking entrees was to have the chefs help prepare them.

[Mr. Sparkle]

I think it was just an attempt to liven up this stale format. 

[LexieLily]

4 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I didn't understand it either.  Randy is on TLC so it's not really a crossover.  I wonder if it's because both contestants were subpar and the only way to have decent looking entrees was to have the chefs help prepare them.

Which both undercuts and completely defeats the point of the finale and the entire show!