The most disgusting show on FN for me is Bobby Flay's Throwdown. Let's make these home cooks/small restaurateurs think that the FN is doing a feature about them, when in fact it's all about The Flay and His Awesomeness.

It cracks me up whenever he shows his face expecting an "OMG It's Bobby Flay!" reaction and the other contestant has no idea who he is.

Anyway, losing Batali is a big loss for FN. Other than Alton Brown, there isn't really anything worth watching at FN. I've always been a fan of the PBS shows (Bayless, Bittman, Ming Tsai), and Batali is a welcome addition.

I'd have to say my least favorite show is Unwrapped.

I mean, really. I slept much better NOT knowing how Bush's Baked Beans are made.

The most disgusting show on FN for me is Bobby Flay's Throwdown. Let's make these home cooks/small restaurateurs think that the FN is doing a feature about them, when in fact it's all about The Flay and His Awesomeness.

Heh, that is so true. And it wouldnt' bother me as much if the experts he visits EVER won, but they never do! It's one thing to have the Iron Chefs win the majority of the time- they know what they're getting into! Who wants to have Bobby Flay come to their restaurant, when he can't even PRONOUNCE muffaletta, and STILL lose to his version? Gross.

gmonkey wrote:I'd have to say my least favorite show is Unwrapped.

I mean, really. I slept much better NOT knowing how Bush's Baked Beans are made.

I, on the other hand, sleep better knowing that Marc Summers is still pulling down a regular paycheck.

Although I'm sure he's still got some of that lucrative Double Dare cash pouring in.

sweetsalty wrote:

The most disgusting show on FN for me is Bobby Flay's Throwdown. Let's make these home cooks/small restaurateurs think that the FN is doing a feature about them, when in fact it's all about The Flay and His Awesomeness.

Heh, that is so true. And it wouldnt' bother me as much if the experts he visits EVER won, but they never do! It's one thing to have the Iron Chefs win the majority of the time- they know what they're getting into! Who wants to have Bobby Flay come to their restaurant, when he can't even PRONOUNCE muffaletta, and STILL lose to his version? Gross.

Actually, Bobby Flay loses far more than he wins. In the first two seasons, he went 8 for 28.
Throwdown! With Bobby Flay (@ wikipedia)

I do think he's a massive tool, though.

Perhaps the best explanation of the Food Network's target audience comes from the criticism often provided to candidates on the Next Food Network Sap (uhhh. . . I means Star). The powers that be are always telling the candidates to make it simpler, minimize the number of ingredients, make the ingredients ones that can be found at any average supermarket, and use simple techniques and words. Rachel Ray seems to be the standard: say "yummy" 20 times each half-hour and they'll put you on several times a day.

Personalities like Alton Brown, Sarah Moulton, Mario Batali, etc . . . they're largely the thing of the past on Food TV it seems. In my opinion, the best cooking shows can be found on WTTW -- I particularly love Rick Bayless' show, Mexico: One Plate At A Time.

Someone above posted that they didn't learn much from Mario's own show... but I what I learned most from it is how to love the food -- he honestly and sincerely has a passion for the food... and that's probably why he wins frequently at Iron Chef. It shows. It certainly showed at the one meal I had at Babbo (and himself wasn't in residence).

I'm not too excited about the PBS shows, though, either. Rick Bayless and Chris Kimball need voice coaches -- it's hard to listen to them for a half-hour, and Rick needs an adjective other than unctuous. I really like Ming Tsai, another person with passion (and a voice coach), but his current show starts by making a restaurant-evening's worth of 'master sauce' and then does a bunch of dishes with it. I'm never going to make enough dishes from that master to justify the whole batch -- he needs a mini-portion on the show to make a single dish.

And frankly, a reasonable portion of travel shows makes for a balanced diet (RaeRay aside). Mark Summers would be tolerable if he could drop the BARGAINS BARGAINS BARGAINS voice. Have Fork Will Travel has the same flaw.

gleam wrote:Actually, Bobby Flay loses far more than he wins. In the first two seasons, he went 8 for 28.
Throwdown! With Bobby Flay (@ wikipedia)

I do think he's a massive tool, though.

I admit I'm not a huge fan of his shows, but as a cook, he can definitely hold his own (despite his Throwdown! record). Television persona notwithstanding, I actually had the good fortune to interview Bobby for a story and he was pretty gracious and cool one-on-one, actually.

BR wrote:Perhaps the best explanation of the Food Network's target audience comes from the criticism often provided to candidates on the Next Food Network Sap (uhhh. . . I means Star). The powers that be are always telling the candidates to make it simpler, minimize the number of ingredients, make the ingredients ones that can be found at any average supermarket, and use simple techniques and words. Rachel Ray seems to be the standard: say "yummy" 20 times each half-hour and they'll put you on several times a day.

I find the advice the powers that be dole out on TNFS to be woefully inconsistent. They kept blasting certain contestants for using words like "sear" and "fold", and then they would cut down other contestants for "not sounding like a food expert" when they failed to use technical terms or show any advanced food knowledge.

BR wrote:Personalities like Alton Brown, Sarah Moulton, Mario Batali, etc . . . they're largely the thing of the past on Food TV it seems.

If the Food Network ever cuts Alton, I'm done with them as a network. I do fear for Good Eats because they have him doing his "road show" now and we all know how much FN likes to make chefs travel about and eat other chef's food. He and Sarah Moulton are/were my favorites. I miss Cooking Live! I learned so much in terms of technique from that show.

I had the opportunity to watch a test market preproduction video of a proposed Food Network show this evening. A cooking competition where the loser's dish is fed to the Millionaire's dog. The trained chefs were really pretty good BUT ... one of the judges was Rocco DiSpirito. And the low point of the show is when he shoves his finger into each dish (while it is cooking) to taste the food, an absolute no-no.

jlawrence01 wrote:And the low point of the show is when he shoves his finger into each dish (while it is cooking) to taste the food, an absolute no-no.

but.... what about this?

or...

George Orwell wrote:He picks it up in his fingers and slaps it down,
runs his thumb round the dish and licks it to taste the gravy, runs it
round and licks again, then steps back and contemplates the piece of meat
like an artist judging a picture, then presses it lovingly into place with
his fat, pink fingers, every one of which he has licked a hundred times
that morning. When he is satisfied, he takes a cloth and wipes his
fingerprints from the dish, and hands it to the waiter. And the waiter, of
course, dips HIS fingers into the gravy--his nasty, greasy fingers which
he is for ever running through his brilliantined hair. Whenever one pays
more than, say, ten francs for a dish of meat in Paris, one may be certain
that it has been fingered in this manner. In very cheap restaurants it is
different; there, the same trouble is not taken over the food, and it is
just forked out of the pan and flung on to a plate, without handling.
Roughly speaking, the more one pays for food, the more sweat and spittle
one is obliged to eat with it.

sweetsalty wrote:
Heh, that is so true. And it wouldnt' bother me as much if the experts he visits EVER won, but they never do!

Hmmm...Interesting. I've never actually seen an episode where he did win. I just assumed he always loses. I was a little surprised to learn that he did win 8, according to the referenced Wikipedia article.

I do like quite a few shows on the FN. I respect Bobby Flay, Emeril, Mario, Paula and others. I don't care for RR though.

Shows that I like in no particular order are Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives, Dinner Impossible, Secret Life Of, Unwrapped and shows that provide information. I don't like every one of them but occasionally they have interesting parts.

This summer, I think the target audience of FN were people in the cake business.

It was insane for a while, that you had a 90% chance of flipping on a Cake Challenge (like the last 5 years worth, all in a row, every weekend), Wedding Cakes, Disney Cakes, Ace of Cakes, or even the regulars doing special Cake episodes.

It lost us as viewers, thats for sure.

I always enjoyed Malto Mario and like Mario on Iron Chef. It's terrible that he will be replaced by another FOOD NETWORK CHALLENGE! That show puts me in a black out rage.

The only show I really like on the channel anymore is Ace of Cakes, Feasting on Asphalt, and Good Eats.

brandon_w wrote:The only show I really like on the channel anymore is Ace of Cakes, Feasting on Asphalt, and Good Eats.

Exactly my list, too, although Ace of Cakes is more a sculpture/art show than a cooking show. But the people are so adorable, so sweet, that it's lots of fun to watch.

gleam wrote:

brandon_w wrote:The only show I really like on the channel anymore is Ace of Cakes, Feasting on Asphalt, and Good Eats.

Exactly my list, too, although Ace of Cakes is more a sculpture/art show than a cooking show. But the people are so adorable, so sweet, that it's lots of fun to watch.

Agreed, I don't watch Ace of Cakes to learn how to make a cake. I watch because Duff and his crew are funny people and remind me of people I hang out with. Also any show that has an episode where they make a cake for Clutch, and play Clutch's music throughout the show, is a good show.

gmonkey wrote:I'd have to say my least favorite show is Unwrapped.

I mean, really. I slept much better NOT knowing how Bush's Baked Beans are made.

I always thought that Unwrapped was the brainchild of some genius corporate food marketing executive. Take the most processed food, like Cheetos, get some corporate marketing executive to talk lovingly about the amount of time spent in getting just the right orange dye and how people love it, show it being processed with grandmotherly looking women tending the assembly line, and it actually seems homemade and healthy.

Bobby Flay loses far more than he wins.

I just saw the one where he wins the macaroni and cheese throw down.

nicinchic wrote:

Bobby Flay loses far more than he wins.

I just saw the one where he wins the macaroni and cheese throw down.

He does lose more than he wins but here's the rub (pardon the pun);

Even on the occasions where he does win, he actually is the loser because here he is with someone who has been duped into the show and now he beats them. He comes off like a bit of a jerk (unintentionally of course) in doing so.

JLenart wrote:

nicinchic wrote:

Bobby Flay loses far more than he wins.

I just saw the one where he wins the macaroni and cheese throw down.

He does lose more than he wins but here's the rub (pardon the pun);

Even on the occasions where he does win, he actually is the loser because here he is with someone who has been duped into the show and now he beats them. He comes off like a bit of a jerk (unintentionally of course) in doing so.

I've never seen the show, so maybe this is an obvious question - but how are the competitors "duped" into doing the show? That sounds rather sinister.

LionRock wrote:I've never seen the show, so maybe this is an obvious question - but how are the competitors "duped" into doing the show? That sounds rather sinister.

Every show has a narration by BF on the order of "He thinks he's being profiled for a Food Network special, but what he doesn't know is that I'm going to show up and challenge him to a throwdown."

Here's my take on how to explain the differences between Flay and Batali using 1980's music: Flay is the food equivalent of Jeff Lynne (of ELO originally): He makes complex, lush productions, that always have the same cheesy strings no matter whose album it is (Tom Petty, George Harrison, etc.).

Mario Batali is more of a Peter Gabriel: He's got exotic guest stars (Kate Bush, Yossou Ndour) and virtuoso performances, but in the end it's just simple songs highlighting the individuals. But this analogy would only work if Peter Gabriel formed a new band every year.

sweetsalty wrote:

The most disgusting show on FN for me is Bobby Flay's Throwdown. Let's make these home cooks/small restaurateurs think that the FN is doing a feature about them, when in fact it's all about The Flay and His Awesomeness.

Heh, that is so true. And it wouldnt' bother me as much if the experts he visits EVER won, but they never do! It's one thing to have the Iron Chefs win the majority of the time- they know what they're getting into! Who wants to have Bobby Flay come to their restaurant, when he can't even PRONOUNCE muffaletta, and STILL lose to his version? Gross.

Flay lost the muffaletta "throwdown" and has lost a good number of these "contests". If he really wants a "throwdown" I'd honestly pay money to see him throw down his gloves in front of, say, Bob Probert and find out what the phrase really means. Now THAT would be entertainment.

LionRock wrote:I've never seen the show, so maybe this is an obvious question - but how are the competitors "duped" into doing the show? That sounds rather sinister.

They are told that they are being featured on a Food Network show.

Although I have seen a dozen of the shows - most of them where Flay has been beaten - I have always found the premise and the intrusion to be rather rude. I.e., Flay shows up uninvited.

On the other hand, Flay is always the "road team" so he IS at a disadvantage.

I don't know how someone could say that they didn't learn anything from Molto Mario. It was that show that got me into cooking 3-4 years ago. Every show preached the virtues of fresh ingredients, simple preparation and a few easy techniques. Add in his humor and occassional celebrity guests (Michael Stipe, Maggie & Jake Gyllenhaal, Tony Bourdain, etc..) and it was by far the best 'stand and stir' show ever. Only Good Eats even comes close as far as actually learning that can occur.

In the TV listings today:
"Food Network Challenge Mac and Cheese 8:00 PM, 1 hr Wed 09/12/2007 FOOD 60 How-To/Other TVG, English, 2007 - Four chefs aim to reinterpret classic mac-and-cheese in two rounds of competition for $10,000. "

Kind of says it all, don't it?

Kman wrote:Flay lost the muffaletta "throwdown" and has lost a good number of these "contests". If he really wants a "throwdown" I'd honestly pay money to see him throw down his gloves in front of, say, Bob Probert and find out what the phrase really means. Now THAT would be entertainment.

Amazing to no one who doesn't buy the fact that muffaletta cannot be even remotely authentic when made with Bobby's "trinity": chipotles, honey and lime.

I had a friend in new York a few years back who claimed to have attended FCI with Flay. According to him, Flay was a marketing gimmick of a restaurant owner who needed a nice face for his, then, cutting edge southwestern place in Manhattan. According to my friend, he was every bit the tool in person that he appears to be on television. Further, it was his opinion that Flay could have benefited from watching the old FoodTV show "How to Boil Water" because even that was beyond his kitchen skills.

Flay was hilarious when he first started on Food Network in Grillin' & Chillin' and looked like an incompitent tool next to Jack McDavid - while McDavid was in demin overalls and a trucker hat. Classic.

I always enjoyed Molto Mario, even the daily reruns. He showed some interesting recipes with stories behind them, always drilled in good technique, and was just fun to watch. And he's just good on TV... even for an episode I'd seen a dozen times, it was still fun to watch him interact with his guests, ease around the kitchen at the start of the show, and be cookin' like a madman right at the end.

Semi-Homemade is obviously a hoax. Sandra Lee is just pushing it farther and farther every time, creating ever more bizarre dishes out of ever more repulsive ingredients. But she just plays it completely straight!

What about the episode where she said, "I just came from the mall and I got lots of great stuff," and then she asks here 'niece' what she bought, and the girl responds in a flat, affectless tone: "Hair extensions." Then Sandra explains that, "Lots of people go to the mall for the great food!" And at that point, she starts talking about Cinnabon and Orange Julius - whose products you can recreate at home! Now, if you haven't clued in by this time, you must be blind and tone deaf. Someday, she's going to reveal that this was just a hilarious comedy stunt and boy will all the foodies feel silly.

If you doubt me, I simply refer you to the vile concontion she dubbed her "Kwanzaa Cake." It was like something out of an episode of "In Living Color" (served, ideally, at the Snackin' Shack).

O.M.G.

Thanks for calling this out, Maria. It has to be a candidate for the worst recipe I've ever seen, and that includes everything in Gallery of Regrettable Foods.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_25303,00.html

After you've cut, buttered, and cinnamoned that crappy cake from Dominicks, just throw some popcorn or FRIGGIN' CORN NUTS onto it. Then invite over your friends of color. This is the kind of stuff that starts "Traffic."