Food Network Star 2012

Cafe Society
#1

What, nobody is watching the new season?

I wasn’t sure about the new format until this week. I’m still not sure. On the one hand, teams make for a different dynamic. You can have an off week and still be safe if the rest of your team excels. On the other hand, why should the weak be protected? They need to be culled mercilessly. On the gripping hand, I don’t think Bobby, Alton or The Mouth will willingly do this again. It’s too much of a strain to have their egos on the line defending losers.

The first two eliminated never should have been in the running to begin with. The Hawaiian, the Asian, the Young Kid and the Mexican Chick are impressing me so far. The rest are just kind of…there.

As an added bonus, this week gave us a little side-boob from Giada. It was one of the more edible dishes presented this week. :smiley:

#2

Very interesting dynamic, that’s for sure. Bobby was just on Worst Cooks, so he’s done the competitive mentoring thing before. I’m loving the Hawaiian guy.

#3

Agree with the OP’s picks for promising candidates. I’m also not sure about the team dynamic - you do need to cull out the crappy people, but every now and then, people get fucked over by teammates (oops, I guess I didn’t buy eggs!) through no fault of their own.

#4

I hate the way Giada overpronounces Italian words and I love how Alton got a dig in at her for it. (Rrrrrricota) She did not seem amused.

#5

I can’t watch her because of this. It’s like that Jimmy Smits SNL sketch.

#6

I had been laughing at her “look down my V-neck” shots on her own show (I’ve heard her referred to as “Giada Delauren-tits”), but the promos for this (showing her in a high-necked dress) don’t seem to show her as being quite as “gifted” as usual. No Wonderbra? Really, I’d watch if not for the over-pronunciation (some fidelity to it is good, more is not better) and the gratuitous cleavage.

I think I’m rooting for Hawaiian Guy so far, but had quickly-dashed hopes for Healthy Girl. They really need someone who can sell that concept.

#7

I think the Mexican girl is too much like Giada, the Hawaiian guy is too much like the girl who won last year, and the chubby Chinese guy is just too mild mannered since they seem to be looking for very strong personalities (although I suspect he may be the best cook in the bunch.)

I would also eliminate the rock star guy because of his dead eyes and lack of expression. The brunette girl who piped up with “I’m a natural born leader.” will last a while as the one everybody hates but will fall before the finals.

I see the final two being the two androgynous contenders, the blond butch and the lipstick guy with the funny hair. They both have distinctive styles and both appear to have cooking skills. So far I put the blond in the lead since she seems to be very comfortable on camera but I think flattop might be a ringer.

#8

Can’t believe I forgot BlondeSpikyHaired Gal, or Retro-50s Gal (that’s the problem with these huge ensemble groups at the start) - loved both their personalities, but will their styles appeal to enough of an audience?

#9

I had hopes for Retro-Girl, but she disappointed this week. I think her show would be worth watching if she updated and heathified 50s-era cew-sine. Blonde Butch sounded good Week One, but this week showed her ass badly. If you are going to compete at this level, you have to be able to adapt. I have a feeling that next week is going to crush a number of the hopefuls.

#10

Argh, I forgot that I watch this DVR’d and there’s a new episode out. :smack: Sad to hear those two aren’t up to snuff. (And no, I don’t care about spoilers on this show.)

#11

I live in the suburbs of NYC. I loved this week’s episode. They really did a good job of showcasing some of New York’s great food places. Kossar’s bialys are delicious. Unfortunately some of the contestants were so damned whiny. Blondie complaining about having to do chicken and waffles was just ridiculous as was that guy who seemed upset about being assigned pickles. Have these people have no imagination whatsoever? How you hope to be a cooking star and have such a narrow palate?

#12

Exactly. The wife and I were throwing out recipe suggestions like crazy for almost every contestant. Pickle-Man should have nailed that ingredient. Ditto chicken and waffles. They seemed to have missed the idea of “inspiration” from the dishes, not slavishly trying to copy them.

#13

Rock-and-roll Dude is exhibting remarkable awkwardness. Blame the editing if you must, but his pointlessly rambling Pesci-De Niro anecdote followed by his description of his dish as “decomposed” made me even more squirmy than the threat of a vomit-splattered bus from Retro Girl, who at least appears to have big potential.

#14

In all fairness, how often does a FoodTV star have to contend with motion sickness while doing their show. I think your idea of updated 50’s-70’s favorites would be great. Roast Beef and potatoes, meatloaf, tri-tip, spaghetti, etc.

#15

It’s the new ‘Jiggle TV’. Glad to see the concept didn’t die with Aaron Spelling.

#16

Rock-and-roll Dude is really getting on my nerves. I wonder if the producers told him to “rock it up” or something, but it seems like every sentence that comes out of his mouth is something about how he’s In The Biz, or how can he rock a dish up. Yeah, we get it. You’re Rock-and-roll Dude.

And quirky 50s chick is cute and I can watch her on this show, but I think that’s because she’s in limited doses. I don’t know if I could watch her solo for a whole 30 minutes.

#17

I was looking for a thread on this show. I think they have opted for a competitive show, sans drama and stupid challenges - this is more like Top Chef. I’m enjoying the show thus far.

Rock Star guy is annoying, as is his ridiculous hairline. Dude, you’re going bald. Embrace it. Shave it all off, even. No reason for you walking around looking like a tool.

The blond who got the boot this week totally deserved it, mainly because she had this annoying smirk/grimace that seemed to passively convey “fuck you” to any of the judges when they tried to give her advice. I also hated her “I don’t like chicken on the bone, or waffles” speech. Shut up, woman. You’re a chef, right?

I like chunky Asian dude, retro 50’s chick, lipstick guy, Yvan (I remembered one name!) and Black dude with dreads. Nobody really grates or stands out at this point, but I get a feeling the Latina (Martita?) is gonna dance on my nerves real soon.

#18

The problem with him is that he’s in no way suited to a half hour long cooking show. (“Today, I’m going to show you how to make coq au vin from scratch. Start by going to your local poultry farmer and picking out 3 or 4 eggs and an incubator… in a few weeks the eggs will hatch and a short few years later, you’ll have a rooster ready to make this dish with. During this time, you can begin growing the grapes for the wine you’ll use…” ) His recipes are cool, but a bit on the complex side for Food Network. This is the channel where you can see Sandra Lee.

Rock “dude” is just obnoxious. 50’s girl isn’t quite there yet, but she might be by the end of the contest.

#19

Those baskets were evil!

But the wife and I came up with almost exactly the same recipe that Captain Dreadlocks did. Great minds and all that.

#20

Alton “Shut up and cook” Brown surprised me a little. Also, when he had to defend whats-her-name (sorry, I’m bad at names) from elimination his heart didn’t seem in it and I’m surprised that she didn’t get cut.