Supermarket Stakeout - General Discussion

[mojoween]

I liked Caylon a lot, but I loved Tony.  His salmon should have beaten Jodi’s thick bread.

I did NOT like that assy customer at the beginning who wanted the guys to fight over his groceries.  Like, you had an offer, no one else said anything, take your money and fuck off.  I know it wasn’t Rene’s fault, but I wasn’t sad for him to go first just because of that.

That poor cashier at the end, I hope the producers explained to her what the heck was going on.

One thing I will say - if you give me a waffle with a jalapeño on it, I am calling security.

[MerBearHou]

4 hours ago, mojoween said:

One thing I will say - if you give me a waffle with a jalapeño on it, I am calling security.

HAHAHAHA — this is so great!!!

Edited September 15, 2022 by MerBearHou

[Grizzly]

Is it asking too much to not have that one lady as a judge? I cannot stand nose rings like hers.

[Yeah No]

My on screen program guide is telling me a new season is premiering on Tuesday, April 25th at 9:00 p.m.  I'm happy it's back.  I don't know why I like this show but I do.

[Gramto6]

5 hours ago, Yeah No said:

My on screen program guide is telling me a new season is premiering on Tuesday, April 25th at 9:00 p.m.  I'm happy it's back.  I don't know why I like this show but I do.

I saw an ad for it I think on FN. I watch it too...

Anything not Guy is welcome!

Edited April 17, 2023 by Gramto6

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

I saw an ad for it I think on FN. I watch it too...

Anything not Guy is welcome!

i agree.  Alex is OK but lately FN is turning from the Guy channel into the Alex channel.  Almost every new show I see advertised features her now.  It's getting too much already.

[Gramto6]

3 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

i agree.  Alex is OK but lately FN is turning from the Guy channel into the Alex channel.  Almost every new show I see advertised features her now.  It's getting too much already.

This is true, but at least Alex is not as obnoxious as Guy and doesn't go the "nick name" route. Kind of makes me wonder if Guy is slowly backing out to make room for Hunter to start to take over some of Guy's shows??

[Salacious Kitty]

50 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

i agree.  Alex is OK but lately FN is turning from the Guy channel into the Alex channel.  Almost every new show I see advertised features her now.  It's getting too much already.

FN needs to space out Alex's shows throughout the year. Now, it's the Season of Alex. A little goes a long way with her. 

[Gramto6]

49 minutes ago, Nori Dufan said:

I hope not.  Hunter has zero personality compared to his father.

A week from tomorrow?  I look forward to seeing Alex back on this show!

Totally agree with that! But it sure feels like Hunter is showing up more and more, sadly...

[Yeah No]

12 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

Totally agree with that! But it sure feels like Hunter is showing up more and more, sadly...

Huh @Gramto6 I don't see that post you're quoting there.  Interesting....

Guy keeps trying to make Hunter happen but I hope it doesn't go any further than that.  Hopefully the TV execs are only humoring him and won't let him get very far with it.

[Gramto6]

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

Huh @Gramto6 I don't see that post you're quoting there.  Interesting....

Guy keeps trying to make Hunter happen but I hope it doesn't go any further than that.  Hopefully the TV execs are only humoring him and won't let him get very far with it.

I have no idea where the post I quoted went @Yeah No , maybe it was deleted for some reason? It was there when I quoted it... hope I didn't just break some rule mentioning it...

I too hope Hunter doesn't "happen" other than an occasional appearance on one of Guy's shows.

Edited April 18, 2023 by Gramto6
added on to post

[Ellee]

Ok … any chance Hunter just needs a chance to be Hunter and not Guy’s son?  
 

Aside from being young, the kid has a load to carry.  

[Gramto6]

24 minutes ago, Ellee said:

Ok … any chance Hunter just needs a chance to be Hunter and not Guy’s son?  
 

Aside from being young, the kid has a load to carry.  

Absolutely! To me, that is the problem, Hunter needs to get out and do some things on his own, get his own experiences to fall back on.  Make his own name, not related to Dad's shows. Then, if TV is his goal, he has his own history to get a position.

[eclectcmoi]

Love this show and looking very forward to new episodes.  

[mojoween]

So all of the judges are going to offer tips now?  Ok then.

That’s a fun new twist that they can go buy one item at any time, rather than just in the last round.

When the judges were praising Mike’s crepes Kadra’s face fell, but she got some good feedback too.  I honestly thought it could go either way.

The Italian judges pronunciation of crepe triggered the immature 12 year old who lives inside of me.

[Grizzly]

Chef Gabe seems to be all over FN (not that I'm complaining 🥰). If he shows up on Chopped, I'm going to think he and Alex are an item.

I thought the winner should have been eliminated in the first round. It didn't seem like he started cooking till there was 10 minutes left. Buying 1 item in any round is a good rule change.

[MerBearHou]

Alex is so much more fun and playful on this show vs Ciao House.  The difference is kind of amazing. 

[Grizzly]

This show does not take itself seriously. Very refreshing.

[Maverick]

 Oh Alex.  Horizontal stripes. No.  Just no. 

[mojoween]

It’s so funny when regular shoppers wander in.  Alex is so nice interacting with them.

The “go back and buy one item” was back in the last round.  Wonder if these episodes are aired out of order.

The shoppers would be very disappointed with me, because I would have margarine for them.  No butter.

[Grizzly]

43 minutes ago, mojoween said:

The shoppers would be very disappointed with me, because I would have margarine for them.  No butter.

They'd hate me worse; no meat or veggies.

[Yeah No]

Of course because it's a steakhouse challenge no one gets any meat much less steak.  🙄  What are the odds that that plant based meat was swapped out from real meat by the producer?  I  had to chuckle when that judge said that in the NY area there'd already be tons of roasts coming out, LOL. 

I had to disagree with the judges, though.  Ravioli would definitely be found on the appetizer menu of a real steakhouse.  They seemed to love the idea of veggie dishes but none of those presented screamed steakhouse to me either.  Now, creamed spinach or sauteed green beans would.  Have these judges ever been to an actual steakhouse?

And I beg to disagree with Darnell that bread pudding doesn't scream "diner dessert".  What diners is he going to?  That's about as diner-ey as it GETS!!

 

[Grizzly]

It kind of stinks that the shoppers are clued in about the show and are asking ridiculous prices for their groceries.

[eclectcmoi]

On 5/10/2023 at 2:56 PM, Grizzly said:

It kind of stinks that the shoppers are clued in about the show and are asking ridiculous prices for their groceries.

I so agree and was thinking the same through the last episode.  They're gouging the chefs. I'm surprised with how expensive groceries have gotten that they still only get $500 for three rounds.  I'm also surprised how some chefs blow all their money in the third round (those that aren't already counting pennies) and don't save $10 for the run back in the store.  

[jcbrown]

On 5/10/2023 at 2:56 PM, Grizzly said:

It kind of stinks that the shoppers are clued in about the show and are asking ridiculous prices for their groceries.

Totally agree. I binged on three or four episodes today and had serious schadenfreude when the one contestant was trying to bankrupt the other one by bidding up the groceries. She practically cackled that she wanted to make sure the (nice) contestant had less money for the last round. Then she got sent home. Ha!

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, jcbrown said:

Totally agree. I binged on three or four episodes today and had serious schadenfreude when the one contestant was trying to bankrupt the other one by bidding up the groceries. She practically cackled that she wanted to make sure the (nice) contestant had less money for the last round. Then she got sent home. Ha!

This is something new this season.  I think the producers are trying to make the show "more exciting" or whatever they think it's going to do.  Too bad it's lame-o and mean spirited.  But that's what the producers probably think the audience wants to see.  And sadly, they might be right.

[Gramto6]

Does it seem to anyone else that more random people are allowed to wander into the site during filming? As I recall on the previous season that only happened maybe once or twice. Now it seems every show some person comes into camera range and they film the person. Seems an odd distraction.

Edited May 19, 2023 by Gramto6

[Grizzly]

I'm trying to figure out if the guy in the commercials asking all the questions is Dave Foley.

[Grizzly]

If I'm a judge, no way does Jet's funnel cake in milk win a Seal the Deal dessert challenge! Using bananas as an egg substitute but it doesn't taste like bananas. And there's decadent chocolate and ice cream, sign me up!

[Yeah No]

I live in an area of the country where grocery prices are pretty high right now but even I thought some of the shoppers in this episode were exaggerating how much they spent and then holding out for even more.  The woman who sold Israel her groceries in the first round said she spent something like $160.  Based on what she bought I doubt it cost that much.  And I'm in the supermarket several times a week and know how much everything can cost.  Just based on the look of her and those bags I was thinking he should pass on her.  Gut instinct was kicking in big time and I knew his gamble wasn't going to pay off.

[eclectcmoi]

A chef-testant wants to buy a single lemon for $10 and the shopper says no and takes $20 for it?  That chaps my hide! 

[Gramto6]

1 hour ago, eclectcmoi said:

A chef-testant wants to buy a single lemon for $10 and the shopper says no and takes $20 for it?  That chaps my hide! 

Yeah, the shoppers are wise to the game and want as much $$ as they can get/the chef-testants will pay. I think that greed is going to kill the show pretty soon. What will FN do, give the chefs $1000 to start with?? Kind of doubt it.

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, Gramto6 said:

Yeah, the shoppers are wise to the game and want as much $$ as they can get/the chef-testants will pay. I think that greed is going to kill the show pretty soon. What will FN do, give the chefs $1000 to start with?? Kind of doubt it.

With the crazy rising grocery prices it's no wonder.  It also looks like they're often in wealthy areas where prices are probably even higher.  Maybe they should up the amount they start with to $650?  They probably won't.  They like the drama.

I'm not liking the impossible challenges.  It's making more of the chefs have to go back several times to get even one or two things that meet the requirements.  They think this is entertaining but I'm not loving it.

I still can't help but wonder how many of those carts are faked to be either really good or really bad.  Some of the weird things people buy....Who buys some of that stuff in a supermarket?  I know people do but there seems to be an awful lot of non-food stuff in those bags lately.

Also, I couldn't really get the rationale behind who the judges sent home in this episode.  Usually it makes more sense to me.  I cook a lot and I think some of what those chefs put forth looked positively awful if you ask me.  Dumping loads of dried spices on deli turkey breast and frying it?  Frying Entenmann's crumb cake and dumping everything you can imagine on it?  Just UGH.  And then she wins! 

[mojoween]

That one lady spending all that money on one 45 dollar bag of groceries is pretty much the dumbest thing that’s happened on this show.  And then that guy bought three times.  But THEN they both made it to the end!

Minnesota’s ponytail flying around her workstation was making me queasy.

It’s amusing to me anyways that the grocery store shoppers are catching on and are getting feisty with how much they’ll take.  Having to go into a grocery store to shop twice would make me gouge them as much as I could too.

Eddie could not have been more right.  What ice cream truck is selling you a cookie with a scoop on top?  If he had more time he should have made two cookies and made a sandwich.

[eclectcmoi]

I really enjoyed the most recent episode with Antonia, Jet, Maneet and Eddie.   What the professional chefs cooked 😉 up for their dishes was amazing.  

[Grizzly]

Aw, I was rooting for Eddie. But I understand he's not of the same caliber as the others. Gee Antonia, thanks for rolling out of bed and coming to the parking lot. Glad she went home second. Jet is quite the hustler. He made it through 2 rounds with like $80. He was so funny and seems genuinely nice. Wanted him to win. There's something about Maneet that I can't put my finger on.

[eclectcmoi]

I would have so loved to walk out of the supermarket and see those four chefs waiting to buy my groceries! I definitely would've bartered a selfie or two for what was in my cart. Jet was awesome at that and I'm glad shoppers knew who he was.  

 

[ww3467]

My DVR cut off before the end of the Judge-ment Day episode. Who won?

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, ww3467 said:

My DVR cut off before the end of the Judge-ment Day episode. Who won?

Maneet won.  I love Jet but I do think she deserved it.  What she pulled together in only a few minutes was amazing.

Jet lived up to my expectations of him.  He could probably sell ice to the indigenous people of the Arctic.  There's just something about him that  makes you want to give him your food for free in exchange for a selfie with him, LOL.

[mojoween]

That was very fun!  Even though Eddie was bounced first, boooo.

That one shopper made me laugh when Eddie offered $150 and she countered with $140.

Hope that one family got their three cookbooks from Jet!

[mojoween]

Shoppers having to go back so many times and blowing their money in the first round was annoying … but it was breakfast.  That was one of the easier ones they’ve done!

I don't really do late night snacking raids, but I think that if I did it would be to the snack cupboard, not the fridge.  That bag of Lay’s would be just fine, heh.

[mojoween]

Jesse made me super anxious, probably not helped by the editors showing her eleventy-seven lamentations for soy sauce.  So.  Course she won, heh.

[eclectcmoi]

At least the chef-testants weren't gouged by shoppers this time.  I liked the lady who said she was a fan of the show and got to be a part of it. 

[Yeah No]

I enjoyed this episode.  I thought it was cute the way Jessie and Tarik (sp?) were holding hands at the end.  Nice people.  

[jcbrown]

I enjoy most of the episodes, especially when they are not ramping up the gameplay and having the contestants try to stomp on each other or the shoppers try to gouge them. I actually look forward to this show.

[mojoween]

That was disappointing, I just adored Cris.  Unfortunate name, though.  I wonder if he was a former athlete with the way he ran.

”Did you know the chicken was undercooked?”  “When I looked at it was fine.”  Eeeeeeesh.

[Grizzly]

Can someone please tell me who won the ep where they did breakfast, lunch and dinner? On Demand cut out after 40 minutes. Because I wanted to see more of Antonia's sweater that looked like it had just done an oil change. Carlos was a decent judge, he had the right vibe for a parking lot.

[Yeah No]

31 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Can someone please tell me who won the ep where they did breakfast, lunch and dinner? On Demand cut out after 40 minutes. Because I wanted to see more of Antonia's sweater that looked like it had just done an oil change. Carlos was a decent judge, he had the right vibe for a parking lot.

Chef Judy won.  I liked her and I thought she really deserved it.  I loved how she put her hair up to look like Mickey Mouse ears, LOL.  I don't even think the thrift store would sell Antonia's sweater.  It looked like she used it to wipe off the oil dipstick, LOL.  I agree about chef Carlos.  I had seen him on competitions and didn't think he would be the best judge but he impressed me here.

[Mellowyellow]

I like this show! I only started watching it for Alex but I really like it now. I feel like the level of judging has gone up from the first season.

I looooooove Alex! She's deadpan and kind of snarky but under all that she's kind to the contestants and gives them solid advice so they don't fail. She's the complete opposite of Joe on MC who is just salivating for people to fail.

Edited August 1, 2023 by Mellowyellow

[lavenderblue]

Discovery Plus only uploaded season 5 about a week ago so I'm catching up now and had to post my active irritation with how absurdly unresourceful some of this season's contestants were.

In the breakfast/linner/snack episode, the first round had one guy who had freaking rolled oats and went back because he didn't even register them as a potential ingredient (while the camera kept panning to them, lol), and another woman who shopped three times and didn't even try to imagine an option with anything in her first two shops, after introducing herself by saying she eats anything but has to rein in her innovation for her clients. 

The next ep opened with a noodle challenge and not a single chef gave a moment's consideration to making them from scratch, leading to return shops despite having decent bags otherwise, like.....there have been eps before this with multiple contestants just shrugging and making their own pasta. I want to see people coming up with crazy solutions, not spending hundreds in one round! (To be fair, one guy had a creative noodle workaround.)

 

Edited October 31, 2023 by lavenderblue