Master Chef

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/30/13 at 2:16pm

I'm really enjoying this show, so I thought I'd start a thread.

for those who are watching - do you think that feud between Krissi and Natasha is staged? I do. I think the show is trying to compete with trashy reality shows. I also thought that guy who was let go last night was acting like a maniac and cooking strange food was scripted.

I wish they wouldn't try to be trashy though. I guess they think they need to for ratings.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 5/30/13 at 2:21pm

That guy they let go last night was right on the edge of Crazyville. His eyes were telling me to go kill people.


And Natasha comes across as a total bitch. Didn't she tell someone to 'shut your mouth' last night as she was up in the second level, watching everyone cook?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/30/13 at 2:36pm

I don't think it's scripted as much as the producers are asking specific questions with regards to the other contestants based on their behaviors. Natasha has been talking smack about several people (many times within earshot as they are cooking), so they latch onto that and run with it.

I thought Sasha was the one who went home and not Howard? At any rate, I think Howard was just stupid. And the evolution of reality TV has cultivated a new breed of people who purposely act like idiots knowing they will get more camera time. The producers know this and exploit it, but I doubt they have to put much effort into it at all.

I'm hoping Natasha's ego will get a swift kick in the ass. Considering the amount of promos the winner ends up doing (I saw the season 2 winner doing a live promo for wine in Chicago), I don't see them choosing a stuck-up bitch for the winner. I doubt she'd get many people interested in the products.

Updated On: 5/30/13 at 02:36 PM

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/30/13 at 2:39pm

Sasha went home and Howard stayed but I'm talking about a different guy who seemed nuts and they let him go, right, Diva? Didn't the nut keep talking about how he was going to continue cooking anyway? something like that.

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/30/13 at 2:42pm

And Matt, Krissi came right out and said "I hate Natasha" she also said she hated another one of the cooks.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/30/13 at 2:44pm

Oh, you mean the final elimination before the competition? The guy who made the weird splattered dish? He was just ridiculous and delusional. Talking about returning home to shoot squirrels and cook roadkill. He can go back and be personal chef for Honey Bear Boo Boo Poodle Mama or whatever. I'm surprised they even tasted his dish.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/30/13 at 2:49pm

And Matt, Krissi came right out and said "I hate Natasha" she also said she hated another one of the cooks.

I would too if I heard some of the stuff Natasha was saying about Krissi (which appeared to have happened). A lot of people dislike Natasha (probably because she can't keep her trap shut or her attitude in check) and I remember a lot of people said they hated Howard as well. But we don't know if we're watching everything in chronological order and there are hundreds of hours of stuff we don't see.

I like Krissi and the nerdy girl. They are my favorites so far.

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/30/13 at 3:13pm

I mentioned Krissy saying that because in that case, it wasn't editing, lol!

I'm not wild about Krissy but I like the nerdy girl.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/30/13 at 3:19pm

The only thing I absolutely detest about this show is Joe's ridiculous drama queen antics. Gordon does some of it as well, but with Joe it is CONSTANT. He cannot open his mouth without being relentlessly over the top. I try to time my bathroom breaks to whenever he starts to speak.

[John Adams]

Posted: 5/30/13 at 3:42pm

Does anyone have the opportunity to watch international versions of the show?

My favorite (consistently) is the Australian version. Almost identical set, same types of competitions, but completely opposite sense of "sportsmanship".

I enjoy seeing the dishes, learning about the foods, and cooking methods in the US version, but I've never seen the need for taking such a joyous topic as food/cooking to such a cut-throat level. I never find it necessary for Joe to violently throw food, or for Ramsey to belittle a contestant for shedding tears when they are heart-broken with personal disappointment.

I watch because I love what I can learn from the contestants - and some of their food is soooo creative! BUT... I do a lot of FFWDing to skip over the immature, bullying and unnecessary behaviors of the judges and some contestants.

Cooking is an ART - not a friggin' boxing match. No need to draw blood. Updated On: 5/30/13 at 03:42 PM

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/30/13 at 3:42pm

I agree totally! To use a street phrase that I love, "He thinks who he is."

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/30/13 at 4:04pm

Does anyone have the opportunity to watch international versions of the show?

I've been watching the New Zealand version! The finale is this week, I believe. They have an extra episode each week that is a Master Class with one of the judges demonstrating a signature dish to the contestants. I haven't watched UK or Australia yet, but I probably will.

Cooking is an ART - not a friggin' boxing match. No need to draw blood.

Actually, when it comes to working in a restaurant, especially high-end, it can most definitely be a boxing match. But this is a competition show and they are attempting to foster the competitiveness of the contestants, which I don't find so horrible. It's just when it has to be over the top all the time that it gets really grating. For every one of these cooking competitions, there are a hundred LOVE TO COOK/COOKING IS LOVE/FOOD IS LIFE/LOVE FOOD/LOVE YOUR FOOD AND YOURSELF/COOK WITH LOVE shows, so I think it more than balances out.

[John Adams]

Posted: 5/30/13 at 4:37pm

>> Actually, when it comes to working in a restaurant, especially high-end, it can most definitely be a boxing match.

Yup, but that's what Hell's Kitchen is for. It works there, because that's how that world really functions, at that level of the restaurant business.

I disagree with the US producers' choice to promote the notion that competition based on skill, talent and knowledge aren't enough to make interesting TV.

>> there are a hundred LOVE TO COOK/COOKING IS LOVE/FOOD IS LIFE/LOVE FOOD/LOVE YOUR FOOD AND YOURSELF/COOK WITH LOVE shows

Yes, but none include the element of competition. Updated On: 5/30/13 at 04:37 PM

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 5/30/13 at 5:29pm

"but I'm talking about a different guy who seemed nuts and they let him go, right, Diva?"

Yes. He was wearing a grape colored shirt with a black vest on. He likes to cook road kill and made 'Shaved Beaver Tail' for his first meal.

If that doesn't make a person throw up in their mouth a little, I don't know what would.

And I also think Joe is a total tool. He seems to be an ass to to be an ass.

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/30/13 at 5:42pm

HIs mother (Lydia Bastianich) is important, but nice.

[StockardFan]

Posted: 5/30/13 at 6:56pm

Crazy eyes is the one who during the audition talked about killing roadkill and his audition meal was beaver tail. He not only was weird, but the thought of eating beaver tail grosses me out.

[John Adams]

Posted: 5/31/13 at 8:46am

I'm sure the editors haven't played all their cards yet, but at this point who are y'all rooting for?

I was liking Krissi, but then she slid into "the dark side" and I wasn't as enamored with her. She's been accepted by the judges for how much flavor her food has, but I think they're eventually gonna start dissing her for relying too much on home-style, comfort food recipes.

I like Luca in a puppy-dog kind of way, but he's already showing signs of why he didn't make the show last year. I think he'll be gone soon.

The editors, so far, have presented Lynn Chyi as an "inscrutable Asian", which annoys me. I find it hard to believe that given the talent he's displayed, no one speaks to him, or he speaks to no one during the prepping and cooking. In this past episode, he seemed to quietly emerge as a frontrunner, without the camera time given the other frontrunners during the prepping. I hope that future episodes prove me wrong about the stereotyping. Right now, he's one of my favorites.

To me, Jordon looks to be the strongest candidate to win. I think generally, the men show more promise than the women, but that could be due to editing. With the exception of long-haired James, the men are looking more interested in staying focused on the cooking, whereas the women are more easily distracted by the cat fights. The judges are even taking the time to encourage that aspect by specifically asking about it in the interviews. (I'm not so pleased with that representation).
Updated On: 5/31/13 at 08:46 AM

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 5/31/13 at 8:55am

My ex had a business relationship with Lidia Bastianich and her family. They all work for her. I spent some time with her and daughter Tanya. Lidia is a doll. Joe is an ass. He was never pleasant. Ever!

Updated On: 5/31/13 at 08:55 AM

[John Adams]

Posted: 5/31/13 at 9:01am

>> Lydia is a doll. Joe is an ass.

Having been raised by an Italian mother, I don't understand how Joe got to be "Joe". Does Lydia not own a wooden spoon?

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 5/31/13 at 9:20am

Lidia is really tight with Tanya. Tanya is actually her business partner for the show and cookbooks, Joe mostly the restaurants and Eataly. I think Joe always has had to fight his way in.

Updated On: 5/31/13 at 09:20 AM

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/31/13 at 10:13am

Interesting,SOMMS. And I"m sure he's on the show so that he'd be talked about and hated!

[Jane2]

Posted: 6/5/13 at 8:42pm

The cheesecake idea doesn't make sense to me. For it to taste the way it should, a cheesecake should be left overnight and served the next day at the earliest. Also, the ones I've made have to bake for at least an hour.

[madbrian]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 7:54am

And any good cheesecake needs absolutely no topping.

[John Adams]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 8:21am

My current favorite to win is still Jordon. He really proved himself last night (although it was just a cupcake recipe - not so difficult to make without a mixer, especially under hot lights that would soften the butter pretty quickly), and I liked the competitive interactions by both he and Luca.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 8:40am

I thought it was lovely how the two men said goodbye at the end. Always a bright side to see men not afraid to show affection toward one another. (they were all quite choked up upon the departure.)