Recently I have tried to watch Hell’s Kitchen with Marco Pierre White and a show called Come Dine with Me which features home cooks making their signature dish. Both British shows may be some years old.
Although both were interesting enough the voice overs (you actually see the idiot on Hell’s Kitchen) meant that I had to give up before I tore my ears off.
Do people really enjoy watching old farts make sarcastic comments about younger people who are willing to have a go at trying to do something out of the ordinary?
yes its irritating
Its because the producers don’t feel what they have made is sufficiently interesting so they have a mocking “ironic” sarcastic voice over in case we might actually form an opinion of our own.
I don’t watch Hell’s Kitchen, but I do know that Come Dine With Me is more about the personality conflicts between the people than about the cooking. That’s why there will always be at least one or two ‘zany’ people with opposing views on something. They do it deliberately, to ‘make good television.’
It’s not about watching the show and going Wow, those people sure know how to put on a great dinner party,’ it’s about watching the show to laugh at how these people are not very good at doing it and to ‘enjoy’ the conflicts. It strikes me as more Big Brother than Delia.
Come dine with me is not a cooking show, as Sandra_NZ indcates. Dave Lamb’s voiceover is brilliant IMO, has me in bulk (it’s that good that I even know the bloke’s name). His voice has become an integral part of how the show is structured and presented, so if you don’t care for it then the show as a whole won’t be your cup of tea.
Yes, that’s the whole point. It isn’t a cooking show, it’s reality TV. Mocking the contestants a la American Idol is part of the schtick.