# Accent on Outback Steakhouse commercials genuine? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 13, 2012, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926 "2012-12-13T16:11:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/1 "2012-12-13T16:11:42Z")
> **[Outback Steakhouse](https://www.youtube.com/user/outbacksteakhouse1)** > > We take great pride in serving the freshest, highest-quality food possible. Every day we start out fresh, making every one of our soups, salad dressings and sauces from scratch. At Outback, it's all about quality — and all about the food. Doesn’t sound like the Australian accent I’m familiar with, but Australia’s a big country… ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/2 "2012-12-13T16:25:39Z")
Here [http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/16/business/media/q-and-a-with-stuart-elliott.html?\_r=0](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/16/business/media/q-and-a-with-stuart-elliott.html?_r=0) > [@](#): > > . To my ear, the voice-over announcer on the Outback Steakhouse TV spots sounds like a faux Australian. Is he the genuine article, or just an American actor with a deplorable Aussie accent? > > A. The commercials for Outback, dear reader, are created by Deutsch New York, and here is a response to your query from an executive vice president at the agency, Vonda LePage. > > “We’re not sure how Sydney, New South Wales-born actor William Snow, Outback Steakhouse’s voice-over, would feel about being pegged as a ‘faux Australian,’ ” Ms. LePage writes in an e-mail. “He has been the voice-over since before Deutsch began working with Outback in 2009.” > > Mr. Snow’s profile on [imdb.com](http://imdb.com) describes him as having been for many years “one of Australia’s top male commercial actors,” Ms. LePage notes, and he has also appeared in several TV series, among them “The Lost World” and “Tales of the South Seas.” > > Ms. LePage offers another example of the verisimilitude of the Outback campaign. “All of the live action for Deutsch New York’s Outback commercials are shot in Australia,” she says. > > Deutsch New York is part of the Deutsch division of Lowe & Partners, which is owned by the Interpublic Group of Companies ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/3 "2012-12-13T17:06:21Z")
Sounds like (heh!) he suffers from being \*too \*genuine, just like my uncle might be pegged as a fake if he was doing voice-overs for some sort of “Deep South” product. Very much real, having talked like that all his life, but to the unaware, he sounds like a caricature. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/4 "2012-12-13T17:20:00Z")
He may be either subconsciously or encouraged to exaggerate the accent for American/foreign audiences to enhance and accentuate the Australian-ness of the theme. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/5 "2012-12-13T18:06:40Z")
I’ve always thought it was fake, so annoyingly fake that it’s one of three ads that I always mute. (The others are Montel Williams and QuiBids.) It does sound exaggerated. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/6 "2012-12-13T19:24:13Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > He may be either subconsciously or encouraged to exaggerate the accent for American/foreign audiences to enhance and accentuate the Australian-ness of the theme. True, I’ve heard stories of Hollywood casting directors turning down Australian actors for Australian parts because their accents they weren’t " believable". Same deal with Britons playing Britons and Southerners playing Southerners. ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/7 "2012-12-13T21:21:55Z")
Just watched the ad, expecting to hear another painful travesty of an attempt at an Australian accent, but no, that’s completely legit. That’s what people here actually sound like. I mean, it’s a stronger accent than mine, but I’m a big poof. I don’t think it’s even that exaggerated - if it is, it’s seems more like it’s just over enthusiastically enunciating everything in that huge TV ad way, than faking any part of the accent. It certainly sounds just like the kind of big, over-the-top voice-over you’d hear on a TV ad here that was trying to sell you on how wonderful and exciting something was. It’s way more legit than the actual menu at an Outback Steakhouse. I’d never heard of a Bloomin’ Onion till I went there. ---
**Author:** ![TheBoltEater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheBoltEater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoltEater)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/8 "2012-12-13T22:34:32Z")
No, the fake Australian accent in an Outback commercial would be any of the ones done by [Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v47jHmstJcw) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/9 "2012-12-13T22:39:37Z")
> [@Monkey\_Chews](#): > > Just watched the ad, expecting to hear another painful travesty of an attempt at an Australian accent, but no, that’s completely legit. That’s what people here actually sound like. I mean, it’s a stronger accent than mine, but I’m a big poof. What about the Fosters Lager ads? ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/10 "2012-12-13T22:44:27Z")
I concur - genuine accent, exaggerated delivery, like you’d often hear in a radio advert. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/11 "2012-12-14T00:19:06Z")
Sounds dinkum to me, bit more like my dad than me but I am a city boy and he was a country bloke… ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/12 "2012-12-14T00:35:48Z")
I’d always assumed it was fake since I’ve never before heard an Australian whose accent irritated me. The way he says “jeesy stayk” makes me want to punch a koala (not really, but it makes me want to beat him over his head with a didgeridoo). ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/13 "2012-12-14T03:20:17Z")
> [@Monkey\_Chews](#): > > I don’t think it’s even that exaggerated - if it is, it’s seems more like it’s just over enthusiastically enunciating everything in that huge TV ad way, than faking any part of the accent. It certainly sounds just like the kind of big, over-the-top voice-over you’d hear on a TV ad here that was trying to sell you on how wonderful and exciting something was. That’s about my thought on it too. It’s funny the longer the ad went the more I was starting to think It’s a damn good attempt, just a tiniest bit off. But I suppose it’s just the over the top ad effect. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/14 "2012-12-14T03:55:29Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I’d always assumed it was fake since I’ve never before heard an Australian whose accent irritated me. The way he says “jeesy stayk” makes me want to punch a koala (not really, but it makes me want to beat him over his head with a didgeridoo). Feel free to punch a koala, stinking little animals they are but leave the didge alone man! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Gnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_gnomer/32/3466_2.png) [@Miss\_Gnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Gnomer)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/15 "2012-12-14T11:44:38Z")
Slightly over enthusiastic advertising tone … but the accent isn’t fake to my Australian ears. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/16 "2012-12-14T12:30:21Z")
Given that the food at Outback Steakhouses isn’t really like Australian food, it’s surprising that they even bothered to make the accents correct on the commercials. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/17 "2012-12-17T05:40:59Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Given that the food at Outback Steakhouses isn’t really like Australian food, it’s surprising that they even bothered to make the accents correct on the commercials. Well here’s a question, what would you classify as Australian food? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/18 "2012-12-17T07:59:40Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Well here’s a question, what would you classify as Australian food? Sucking coffee through a timtam? My Perth-born buddy grills a mean steak, and his favorite meal tends to be grilled steak, baked potato, a salad and an american style ice tea. He has confessed to grilling prawns as well but he really doesn’t like them. Fosters is roo piss. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/19 "2012-12-17T08:18:47Z")
I’m Australian and I don’t even know what Australian food is. Anyway, the accent is genuine, but slightly exaggerated. As others have said, you’d hear the same accent on something like a theme park ad. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926/20 "2012-12-17T10:26:41Z")
Australian cuisine: > **[Australian cuisine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_cuisine)** > > Australian cuisine is the food and cooking practices of Australia and its inhabitants. Australia has absorbed culinary contributions and adaptations from various cultures around the world, including British, European, Asian and Middle Eastern. > Indigenous Australians have occupied Australia for some 65,000 years, during which they developed a unique hunter-gatherer diet, known as bush tucker, drawn from regional Australian plants and animals. Australia became a collection of British colonies f... Outback Steakhouse menu: [http://www.outback.com/menu/menudescriptions.aspx](http://www.outback.com/menu/menudescriptions.aspx) Occasionally they overlap, but there’s no item on the Outback menu that doesn’t appear in other American steakhouses. There was no consultation with Australians on the food they served. The creators of Outback just decided to have a typical American steakhouse with Australian names for many things. They weren’t even consistent about using Australian names. For instance, they use the American term “shrimp” instead of the Australian term “prawn.” An example of how non-Australian the food is is that the blooming onion is an American dish that’s unknown in Australia: > **[Blooming onion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blooming_onion)** > > A blooming onion, also called onion bloom, onion blossom, onion flower, bloomin' onion, Australian onion or onion mum, is a dish consisting of one large onion, cut to resemble a flower (after it has expanded while soaking in ice water), battered, and deep-fried, often served with dipping sauce. It is served as an appetizer at some restaurants. > References to an "onion mum" consisting of an onion cut into the shape of a flower date as far back as 1947, though this dish did not fry or cook the onio... [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accent-on-outback-steakhouse-commercials-genuine/643926.md?page=2)