Supermarket Stakeout - General Discussion

[mojoween]

It looks like that are going to have different judges each show?

It’s not cool that the judges and Alex give advice during the competition, but I guess this is what FN does now.

Won was very funny and I am definitely going to make crescent rolls with chocolate in them now.  Only thing is I didn’t catch if he cooked them for the time on the package.

[joanne3482]

I was surprised the show is back. I wondered if it was filmed pre-COVID and just in the can or if this was done recently. I was surprised there seemed to be no COVID protocols in place. I do kind of wish I was at one of those grocery stores one day. That would be so fun! I was glad Won won. I liked him. 

[mojoween]

15 minutes ago, joanne3482 said:

I was surprised the show is back. I wondered if it was filmed pre-COVID and just in the can or if this was done recently. I was surprised there seemed to be no COVID protocols in place. I do kind of wish I was at one of those grocery stores one day. That would be so fun! I was glad Won won. I liked him. 

I saw a stray mask here or there and with the customers buying pumpkins and caramel and apples I was assuming it was filmed last September-ish.  It looks sooooo hot but to my northeast sensibilities I feel like Phoenix is always hot, heh.

[MyMaui]

I really like this show.  I did a binge watch over that last few days.  I like Alex in a hosting role like this.  I like the set up of it all. I like the judges they have too, especially when they have fun with it all. I'm glad it's back.

[eclectcmoi]

Really glad this show is back. It’s happy and light and more relaxed than most cooking competition shows. Alex is not so IGAC and is just Alex, which is a huge bonus. I like too that the chefs aren’t Food Network stars and are just regular people. Looking forward to more episodes. 

[Gramto6]

Yes, I really like this show too. So relaxed and just plain fun!

[Yeah No]

On 5/19/2022 at 2:02 PM, joanne3482 said:

I was surprised the show is back. I wondered if it was filmed pre-COVID and just in the can or if this was done recently. I was surprised there seemed to be no COVID protocols in place. I do kind of wish I was at one of those grocery stores one day. That would be so fun! I was glad Won won. I liked him. 

No this season must be recent.  Even last season there were some masks evident.  I remember wondering if they had to wear them in the supermarkets at the time.  Mask mandates even in the strict Northeast were done away with a while ago now so it's not surprising that they weren't mandatory last Fall in Arizona.

Plus, Alex appears to have put on some weight since last season.  I also read that she broke up with her fiancé.

It does seem like a long time since last season, though.  I was worried the show was never coming back, but I'm glad it has.

On 5/18/2022 at 6:01 PM, mojoween said:

It’s not cool that the judges and Alex give advice during the competition, but I guess this is what FN does now.

Yeah, I agree, especially when they only show them giving advice to one contestant but not the others.

[Grizzly]

Anyone else wishing they had eliminated Yapo in the first round?

[MyMaui]

19 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Anyone else wishing they had eliminated Yapo in the first round?

Yes!  The ramen was gross.  Plus, just me, he was too annoying/overbearing.  

I honestly would love to see an All-Star round.  LOL yes.  I'd love to see how they'd and the shoppers would react to them. 

[Yeah No]

7 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Anyone else wishing they had eliminated Yapo in the first round?

Yes, me too, not just because he was annoying but because of his food.  I was thinking that if this were a blind tasting he would have definitely gone home.  It has long been my contention that women are at a disadvantage just for being women on these cooking competitions.  "Tournament of Champions" is proving that with its blind tastings.  The women crush it.  

[Feline Goddess]

On episode two I noticed that two shoppers had the exact same white cake with red icing that said: Happy Birthday Katie

It first showed up in an old man’s cart in round one (breakfast buffet) and then in a younger woman’s cart in round two (turf & turf). 

[Yeah No]

9 hours ago, Feline Goddess said:

On episode two I noticed that two shoppers had the exact same white cake with red icing that said: Happy Birthday Katie

It first showed up in an old man’s cart in round one (breakfast buffet) and then in a younger woman’s cart in round two (turf & turf). 

Great catch!  I went back to see it for myself and you're right.  The young woman was overacting a bit too, it made me think she was a plant.

I was side eyeing the stuff in that cart, too.  It was tailored perfectly to give the person on the receiving end an advantage.  And how many whole chickens do we see coming out of supermarkets, too?

Just what I needed, more reasons to be cynical about TV cooking competitions......😏

[mojoween]

I hope they went by the entire competition because Darian crushed it.  His second dish outdid Jason’s by a mile.  Also he was adorable.

I hear why you guys are saying about Lindsay, but WHAT was she thinking?  It’s like she got a bad cart and her mind just short-circuited.  Nothing on that plate was breakfast.

Yapo.  Ya-no.

Edited May 26, 2022 by mojoween

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, mojoween said:

Yapo.  Ya-no.

Yapo, what a yobbo.

[MerBearHou]

This show is fun.  Agree with the others - Alex is so relaxed and likable here.  I always, always enjoy Stephanie Boswell.  I love her humor (John Henson’s too — my two FN favorites for humor).  And Jason is a hoot and knowledgeable at the same time.

Edited June 1, 2022 by MerBearHou

[Grizzly]

Stephanie and Jason are having a great time tonight. I don't mind Jason's folkisms. Am rooting for Sophia since she said she's a chef because she doesn't like talking to people. There was not enough time to go back in the store and get it on the plate. Especially hard ice cream. Alex is helping both contenders so evens out. 

[Koalagirl]

I would have disqualified Sophia (who ultimately won) for getting physical and pushing the other contestant out of the way. 

[mojoween]

I don’t really get the point of “What Would Alex Make?” but she’s so charming and funny I enjoyed it anyway.  Interesting the prize used to be ten grand, and now it’s a year’s worth of groceries (which right now probably equals ten grand).

I definitely felt that a little of Jason’s folksisms went a loooooong way, heh.  And then add Newton from the show that was on after and it was just too too much for this cranky New Yorker.

Strawberries and tomato soup.  Huh.

[GiandujaPie]

i like this show too and would love to have them at my local grocery store! They'd probably want to buy our bags on our weekly grocery run because we have a lot of bags and my husband is a big and fit guy and I could see the chefs making the assumption that he'd be eating healthy with lean meats and lots of vegetables LOL. unortunately he's a vegetarian and I don't cook much meat so they wouldn't get any of that but they would get lots of fruits and vegetables as the other assumption of him eating healthy would be correct. i can just imagine them pawing through our bags looking for meat and only finding some veggie burgers and eggs. 

I've seen episodes where the contestants and the shoppers are wearing masks. The contestants wear their masks when they are waiting at the store's doors and customers are wearing the masks as they are exiting. 

[Grizzly]

I love when Alex wears her hair like it is tonight. The soft waves compliment her face. And Christian has lost a little weight.

I understand KJ not wanting to waste anything but chicken in a breakfast panini. Toni was too picky in the second round. German is kind of cute. Chloe has this in the bag, I think.

[Yeah No]

Is anyone watching "What would Alex Make"?  My DVR is recording them but I'm deleting them.  Although I noticed that her ex is on this season of that like he was last season.  I guess this was filmed before they broke up.

[Maverick]

 Yeah I saw the end of one and had to see if it was an older episode but my guide says it was first aired today.   So I'm assuming these have been sitting in the can for a while.  It was definitely awkward because it seems like there was more interaction/banter between them this season.  

[mojoween]

Who buys underwear at the grocery store?  Also, on an unrelated note, if you’ve already bled fifteen minutes, why can’t you just use the damned frozen salmon?

Like, this isn’t a five-star Michelin-rated parking lot.

Finally someone did what I’ve always wanted to see - when a customer was asked how much they spent, they went way over to try to fleece the contestants.

I looked at the episode guide for next week, and it says the 10 p.m. show is season 4 episode 11 and WWAM at 11 p.m. is season 4 episode 6 which is weird.  I watch them both, I don’t get the point of WWAM but it’s cute enough.  Sorry to hear she and Mike broke up!  They are cute together.  Her daughter and assistant also make appearances.

[libgirl2]

10 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Who buys underwear at the grocery store?  Also, on an unrelated note, if you’ve already bled fifteen minutes, why can’t you just use the damned frozen salmon?

Like, this isn’t a five-star Michelin-rated parking lot.

Finally someone did what I’ve always wanted to see - when a customer was asked how much they spent, they went way over to try to fleece the contestants.

I looked at the episode guide for next week, and it says the 10 p.m. show is season 4 episode 11 and WWAM at 11 p.m. is season 4 episode 6 which is weird.  I watch them both, I don’t get the point of WWAM but it’s cute enough.  Sorry to hear she and Mike broke up!  They are cute together.  Her daughter and assistant also make appearances.

Underwear? Maybe if it is one of those super stores? 

I know, I was like take the damned frozen salmon. The woman also had perch. You can't be that picky! It is still fish FFS! 

[mojoween]

The way Leon said “they didn’t like my cake” was one of the saddest things I have heard in a cooking show.

Did the judges know Ray was going to totally boink the end and that is why he got so much help?  Nina and Leon must have been so annoyed when they watched this back.

[Grizzly]

I couldn't stand Kalen Allen on Cakealike but he was toned down here and fit in with the show. Love the shoppers' reactions now to the contestants. They've all seen the show and want to participate. Leon lucked out with that family that spoke Spanish. Ray was a bit too scattered for my taste. Isn't the point of a lava cake to be underdone in the middle?

[mojoween]

When they showed the lava cake that was cut open, the middle part looked like a chunky mass of chocolate syrup.  It’s supposed to ooze out like, well, lava, but his was clumpy.  I think that’s what they meant by underdone, the cake part was fine, but his lava was not.

[goldenpuppy]

Was Ray rhe contestant that Alex assured twice and the just ran to assist him when shopping ?

It seems more and more thar FN contests are so unfair and they play favorites!

When Alex cut the tortilla and gave him and told him how to use them and then told uk about making a syrup I was shocked ! The rhe judge ran to tell him to hurry!

I would have been very pissed if I was eliminated after another context ass assisted by an iron chef because he was clueless !

[MyMaui]

Alex I can see helping some but she helped the same person twice tortillas and then the carmel?.  She should not be helping anyone at all.  She isnt helping everyone she is helping her favorites I see in this one. It's a habit of hers but she can't go to her favs and help them which it seems she is doing. Honestly I am glad he lost too.  It wasn't fair the advantage she gave him with her help.

Edited June 24, 2022 by MyMaui

[Yeah No]

I think the first two that went home got a raw deal.  Good for the woman who was vocal about it.  And even Alex asked how it was that Leon got two baskets before that other guy even got one.  I think they thought showing Alex helping Ray so much would make Leon's win look justified.  Too bad it only made the episode look even less fair than it already did.

[mojoween]

I really liked Kyle (and Pat was kind of a jerk) but I also liked Megan the whole time.

Christian ate a ravioli with a knife.  Perplexing.

What a coincidence!  Most of my meals also contain carbs and calories, Eddie.

I noticed that the brand names aren’t blacked out on anything (not even the Nike shirt!).  I wonder if FN has some sort of blanket release for products? (Except for Ikea, apparently)

I love Megan’s deflection about the chicken.  “So what’s your protein?”  “I have some great greens to use.” “And your protein?” “I’m from Michigan!” “Protein?” “Oh…it’s plant-based.  You’ll love it!”

[mojoween]

I’m with Christine - I couldn’t get a read on Trevor either.  He was an odd duck.  And his funnel cake looked like tentacles.

Again with the judges help!  Alex, it really was ok for George to go, whether he gave you pasta or nachos.

[Grizzly]

An odd but talented duck. Loved that Trevor made bread before going to get his groceries. The final round was so close, I couldn't tell which way it would go. Always enjoy the presence of Eddie Jackson. Not sure the woman judge added anything.

[mojoween]

Carlos touched his raw chicken (not a euphemism!) and then everything on his station.  It was unsettling.

As soon as Toni said she was adding brown sugar and then the cider you could tell it was going to come back to bite her.  And then honey!

[Yeah No]

On 7/19/2022 at 9:59 PM, Lucas Rowan said:

Tonight's episode had to have been a first.  I've never seen a shopper demand to keep whatever a contestant didn't use.  I speak, of course, of the black woman who followed Chef Laurie in the first round.

Speaking of whom, I don't really agree with the choice to eliminate her first.  It sounded like the judges were more put off by Matthew and Carlos's mistakes more.  Sometimes, this show is very deceptive.

For the second round, Toni going from having what was probably the best dish of the first round to eliminated in this one was pure B.S.  Even though her dish was very sweet, even the judges agreed that both it and Carlos's dish came off as more of a breakfast for dinner dish than Matthew's purely-breakfast dish.

I didn't agree with the first two eliminations either.  Chef Eric told Laurie she should have gone back for another cart but then she would have had to compete with Carlos who also went back for another cart.  They only have so much time to cook.  Why isn't she give some credit for working with the hand she got dealt?  She got punished for not being pushy enough to edge out Matthew when he outbid her by only $10 for that fantastic cart.  This is how women are at a disadvantage sometimes unless they can out-push the men.  I've seen it on this show before but it's harder for them to do.

The judges thought Chef Matthew's dish was "too salty" but he ends up winning while Toni's dish being "too sweet" got her sent home.  Yeah, right. 😏

Plus I don't understand why they have to wait so long for people to come out of the store.  The parking lot is full, why aren't there more people coming out?  Very few shoppers come out in 10 minutes unless they edit out the ones that don't want to sell their groceries.  

[Yeah No]

22 hours ago, Lucas Rowan said:

It's rare to see a contestant combination of three women and one man on these Food Network shows (it's usually two men and women each or three men and one woman), but it does happen from time to time.  Like tonight.

I had a feeling that Dani was going to go first when she put mixed vegetables in her "coffee shop breakfast" dish.  Potatoes are the only vegetable that screams breakfast.  Not to mention that she was just inviting disaster to her when she declared how she easy the round would be due to her being from a country in which breakfast was the most important meal.

In the second round, it was clear that it was between LaKendra and Leslie.  It sounded like Scott and Antonia loved Nick's dish too much to boot him (all he had wrong was the superfluous shrimp).  But I was surprised that it was LaKendra since the only really bad thing that she had was the undercooked meatballs.  Lesley's competing flavors sounded worse.

I knew that Nick would win after that since he'd at least been somewhat more consistent than Leslie throughout the episode (even though it sounded like both of them missed the mark in the last round).  Plus, Leslie not grinding her meat like the judges said that she should've was a stupid, fatal mistake.  Actually, she whiffed all three rounds, pretty much.  Nick pretty much won by default, IMO.

ETA: Really, all four contestants were pretty much a mess this week.  Nick was just lucky enough to be the least messy of the four.

Given that I'm an older Italian American home cook whose first solid food was a meatball made by my Sicilian grandma, I'm going to say that even if they were cooked through those meatballs could not have been very good.  No garlic, no breadcrumbs, no tomatoes, whuh?  And anything that raw is always grounds for elimination on FN cooking competitions so I saw LaKendra's elimination coming.

Nick was a refreshing example of a young man that's a gentleman.  That's getting rarer all the time so I appreciated him.  And even though he handed the advantage to the female contestants by letting them go first and win on the cart bidding, he still won.  I think his was a solid and well-deserved win.

[Grizzly]

Scott loved Nick's food all competition. Knew he'd win.

[mojoween]

I mean, Alex even scoffed at the fruit cart, but as soon as I heard watermelon I would absolutely have made a chopped fruit salad!

[libgirl2]

13 hours ago, Lucas Rowan said:

This week:

Janel definitely seemed to have the best dish, given that her grilled dish only had the criticism of having too much salt.  Raul, Lou, and Lori all had obvious, elimination-worthy flaws.  Honestly, Lori was portrayed in such a wacky, kooky way, it was pretty obvious that she was going out first.  Giving anything raw typically gets you bounced with the quickness.

Laughed hard at Alex's very, very, VERY long list of comfort foods.  Even Scott and Maneet looked like they were in disbelief.  I also tittered at Alex taking Raul's cookies so gleefully.

In the second round, I was worried about Janel, especially when she had the idea of dessert nachos.  Lou also had me confused about why he'd make an ice cream mix with no egg in it.  And as soon as Maneet said that he used too much dryness, I had an inkling that he'd be toast, and he was.  I was actually a bit surprised that Raul wasn't ousted, though, for making his dish too bitter.

I laughed so hard at Alex and Maneet surprising Janel and Raul in coming out of the store at the start of the third round!  I have a feeling that they did that on purpose.

As for the third round, I think that Janel had the edge, given that she'd been way more consistent than Raul.  Indeed, I was right, given that Janel once again dazzled the judges, while Raul didn't meet the herb aspect of that round.  Actually, it seemed like he did a bit too much in all three dishes.  Janel, meanwhile, while she didn't have her best round in the last round, had the benefit having two near-perfect dishes in the rounds prior.

Fun episode.

It really was a fun episode! Loved Alex's list of comfort foods, loved the cookies.... the judges and her seemed to be having so much fun. 

Edited August 10, 2022 by libgirl2

[Grizzly]

3 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

It really was a fun episode! Loved Alex's list of comfort foods, loved the cookies.... the judges and her seemed to be having so much fun. 

Scott was funny buying that cooling fan. The women appreciated it. I think they enjoy letting their hair down away from stuffy Chopped.

[mojoween]

16 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Scott was funny buying that cooling fan. The women appreciated it. I think they enjoy letting their hair down away from stuffy Chopped.

I just ordered one of those from Target.  I can’t wait to get it!

Janel just screamed winner from the beginning.  I love how she was like “I don’t know what to do with all this” in the second round and then knocked it out.

[libgirl2]

7 hours ago, Lucas Rowan said:

On other note, is another supposed to be black or Hispanic?  People from the Dominican Republic look like blends of both.

Decent episode.

My family is Dominican on my mother's side. Dominicans vary in looks. There are those that descend from the Africans brought to the island and those from the Europeans that settled there. And then things blended.

My mother's family originated in France going back several generations. I would say at this point they are all mainly Hispanic but we do have a bit of mixed blood as well. 

DR also took in fleeing Jews during WWII. 

Edited August 17, 2022 by libgirl2

[Grizzly]

16 hours ago, Lucas Rowan said:

 Isamar had her own issues (mainly, not having enough candy), so I was actually surprised that she won.

I was surprised because all during the bake, the judges complained that Isamar didn't have a cohesive dessert, she just had a bunch of candy.

[mojoween]

I love the little notes they put on the side when they list the groceries they got.  Like Summer’s - “got bamboozled”.

Although, what the hell Alex!  Why not just cook for Summer too!  I was already rooting for Isa from the start, so the ending was a bonus.

If I were ever a shopper on this show, I don’t care how much they offered me, I wouldn’t sell.  Especially if I were already at my car. I HAAAAAATE grocery shopping and doing it twice in one day gives me anxiety to even think about.

I seasoned both my potatoes and my chicken today by shaking them in (separate) bags.  Guess I am old-fashioned.

Feels like Kalen and Aarti did not get the pork chops and applesauce reference, I am guessing because too young/not from the US.

[Grizzly]

I had to laugh, in round 2, when the male judge was saying how the pasta didn't have enough sauce, there was a man in the background nodding in agreement. How did he know. Loved David having the shoppers come to him while he was cooking. Agree with Alex, meringue is not crunchy enough for this game.

[mojoween]

I have a reality TV rule where if you refer to yourself as “your boy” I immediately hope you will be punted into the sun, so I was definitely not rooting for Yonkers from the jump.

I was actually rooting for Elon and his second dish was better than those other two, so I do not agree with the judges there.  They said his meal was pub and Anja’s wasn’t so pfffft.

I’m confused why the shoppers hem and haw about how much they spent or what’s in their cart.  You were JUST at the register, why don’t you know?

My mother forced me to eat cube steak when I was growing up and I hated it and called it puke steak.  My feelings about that horrible meat have not changed.

[Yeah No]

I was rooting for Natasha.  The fact that she made it to the end despite being bulldozed by the others and being too polite to be pushy says a lot.  And I think it was a toss up in the end between her and the guy.  If points were given for persevering against all odds and managing to pull something good off anyway, she surely would have won.

[Grizzly]

I loved Alex's green necklace. The first round everyone had delicious looking food. And everyone was so creative in the second. So funny Eric having to announce the eliminated people. It could've been the finale. I saw a commercial for Bobby having a new show in this timeslot starting Sept 27.

[Maverick]

 "Gravy is a little too hearty for breakfast".    Whatever, Yankee. 

[libgirl2]

6 hours ago, Maverick said:

 "Gravy is a little too hearty for breakfast".    Whatever, Yankee. 

I was thinking the same thing! And people do eat things like that for breakfast in some parts of the world. Maybe it would have helped if he topped it with an egg.