July 13, 2011 - 1:00 pm
My good friend and former co-worker Brent Smith has a great post at his food blog about the sorry state of affairs with the summer’s Food Network programming. He offers an alternative to fans of food TV: MasterChef. Interesting nugget I didn’t know: apparently Gordon Ramsay doesn’t play the same angry, swearing-like-a-sailor, mean chef that he’s known for on Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares. He doesn’t need to be on this show because the contestants are all actually good. Sounds like a good dose of positivity.
Make a point to keep up with Brent’s blog. He brings a sense of humor and un-pretentious attitude to food blogging. I especially likes when he reviews the new items at the various fast food restaurant chains.
I watched one episode, and it was awful. Gordon Ramsay is jumping around and mugging to try to add dynamism to the flat interactionds between critic and cook. The other judges are like Jack Sprat and his wife: one bald, lean, and snooty; the other rotund, sweaty, and approachable. The camera swings and swirls for no other reason than to try to make the boring more interesting. Finally, the contestants must approach the critics on a dias looking like Oliver Twist asking for some more. All in all, an unappetizing experience. Top Chef has a much better format. They should extend the franchise to amateur cooks rather than force us to look at an aging, creaky, bleach blond Ramsay.