Cooking Competition Shows
Following up on Sandy’s summer TV theme, this summer I’ve watched several different cooking competition shows, and have enjoyed them in varying amounts.
Top Chef Masters.This is an interesting variation on Bravo’s regular Top Chef. Instead of aspiring chefs, this features famous chefs squaring off against each other. Now we’re talking James Beard winners, owners of wildly famous restaurants. What makes it even more fun, is a number of these chefs have appeared as guest judges in the regular Top Chef. It’s fun to see them struggle with some of the challenges from the regular show. For now, I’m pulling for Rick Bayless and Anita Lo.
Chopped. I try to tune out the host, Ted Allen, who is just way too robotic for me. When I’m able to do that, I find this show intriguing. Four chefs begin each week, and are given a mystery box containing an odd set of ingredients. They have a short amount of time to make an appetizer. One is eliminated, and the remaining three get another mystery box to make an entrée. Again, one is eliminated, and the remaining two get a third mystery box to make a dessert. To say the boxes contain odd combinations is an understatement. I find myself wondering what I could make with the various combinations, such as an appetizer including beef shoulder, canned pumpkin and fish sauce.
The Next Food Network Star. There seems to be a bit more emphasis on the quality of cooking this season than in the past, but they’re still looking for a personality. Since many past winners seem to disappear from the Food Network, I just can’t get real excited. It doesn’t help that no one has stood out for me this season. We’re now down to Melissa (the cooking mom) and Jeffrey (the zen chef). They’re okay, but I’ll be surprised if either goes far. I’ll have to admit that I’m happy Debbie was eliminated. While she had a very natural manner on TV, I wasn’t overwhelmed with her food, and found her personality – at least as portrayed through the edit – to be a bit off-putting.
Food Network Challenge. I can’t figure this series out. I’ve watched a couple of the cake challenges, and don’t get it. It seems that it doesn’t matter what the cakes taste like (in fact they seem composed of inedible products), as long as they look good. One of the judges – Kerry Vincent — seems to hate everything that’s done. Then, of course, there’s Stevie Famulari a competitor on a couple shows who seems to hate Kerry, makes cakes that will upset Kerry and have no chance of winning. In fact, her cakes are complete disasters (such as the bridge cake that collapsed and the flaming birthday cake)
Anyone else watching one of these shows?
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I was first tuned into Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on a trip to Portland for my birthday. I
love greasy spoons so we made our way over to the Byways Cafe (yummy yummy). From then I was
hooked, we’ve been on a couple trips so far like Utah and Chicago which was awesome! Plan on
hitting up a few more soon.
Dieffe, I so wish they’d get another host for Chopped! But when I ignore him, I love thinking about what I’d make with the mix of ingredients (although every once in awhile I have no idea what an ingredient is).
I so have to agree with your comment on Ted Allen. What is he doing on TV? I like watching Chopped. It reminds me of myself as a student in Italy. Coming home and cooking dinner I often combined the most unrealistic ingredients out of an understocked pantry and refrigerator, usually with great results. An ability that later impressed my husband when we were dating.
Diners Drive-Ins and Dives is my show! Some of the best food I’ve ever eaten was at greasy spoon restaurants. When I was in college, there was this wonderful catfish place on the river and to this day I have never eaten better hushpuppies than the ones they served. Guy would have loved that place.
Katie, it’s funny, because I used to watch a lot of cooking (cooking) shows, but now only rarely watch them….guess I don’t like any of the shows that are on any more (and there really aren’t many plain old cooking shows anymore on the Food Network. But these cooking competition shows have really hooked me in this summer.
Oops, I meant cooking competition shows.
Oops, I meant cooking competition shows, as opposed to regular cooking shows.
I’ve never been able to get into cooking contest shows, but whenever I’m at my mom’s (she has cable), I love to go through her DVR’d cooking shows. My favorites are “Jamie at Home” and “Tyler’s Ultimate.” She and I can drink wine and relax for hours moaning over the food featured, and fantasizing about being able to cook like that ourselves.
LOL, Sandy. There are an incredible amount of the cooking shows, and I’ve managed to get hooked on a lot of them this season. I still can’t believe I’ve watched about three of the cake competitions. I’ve never even been tempted to decorate a cake.I like cakes for their taste, not for how they look.
You know, LG, it’s a shame that I haven’t acquired a taste (ha, ha) for these cooking shows because there does seem to be an awful lot of chilling out potential here. My favorite reality TV shows (with the exception of Ghost Hunters) seem to be the contest ones.