Tuning in Sunday, I wasn't sure what to expect. Over the many seasons of TNFNS, I've watched in bit and pieces; mostly, when AB appears. I've never been much of a reality TV viewer, even one that may discover the next greatest Celebrity Chef just didn't appeal to me. I don't care for that style of program, so I basically watched TNFNS only to see what Alton would bring to the party.In most of the seasons, I've been amused by his antics with the potential next big star on FN. However, this season I wasn't quiet certain how to take Alton as he and the Iron Chefs began the Iron Chef America mini-challenge.
The opening seemed a bit over-dramatic. The air Alton took on has he introduced the contestants to the up coming challenge was nearing being a pompous ass. The whole "I smell fear" line was just too much even for Alton. As I watched, listened to him I wondered what the heck was he doing? And who was he trying to be?
As a long time fan of AB's, I know he is often ripe with sarcasm. Even more so when outside of his own show, Good Eats. Yet what I saw in that episode made me think of AB's own take on the reality TV genre. In a couple of interviews he spoke of his disdain for them:
In a 2007 interview with blogger/journalist Andrea Strong for Strong Buzz
SB: Do you watch reality food TV like Hell’s Kitchen or Top Chef?In a 2005 interview with Channel Guide Magazine, Alton was asked about television and the reality TV genre. He replied:
Alton: I don’t like them. I think Gordon Ramsey [sic] is wussy. I’d like ten minutes in the back of a dark taxi with him. (Laughs.) I think reality food shows are made with people who don’t know or have respect for food whatsoever.
Do you watch much television?AB's take in that second comment is spot on about reality TV; however, it is exactly what I saw him doing to the contestants. Granted, making it to the next to last round of the competition should mean something. Perhaps, maybe, you possess culinary skills and knowledge superior to that of the viewers?
I like television. I still believe that television is the most powerful form of communication on Earth -- I just hate what is being done with it. The fact that we have now made up for our utter lack of imagination by pummeling everyone with these reality shows, I find to be the most sickening turn in American culture, and quite possibly a strong sign that American culture is in rapid and irretrievabl decline.
It doesn't necessarily show the better part of human nature, does it?
We are now being encouraged to be as mean as we can be. And I
don't just mean "mean" as in nasty, I mean "mean" as in small.
Instead, we have one of the "final four" being stumped by AB's question on what is paprika. Yeah, I was jumping up and down shouting the answer. Therefore, I could see why Alton would express some disgust of someone not having solid knowledge especially with the fact said person could become a host of a cooking show to teach others yet she lacks basic culinary information herself.If I were in the midst of AB's bid to rattle me as a contestant, of course, I would have not only answered immediately what paprika was but added the varieties it comes in-sweet, semi-sweet and hot-plus there is a smoked paprika as well. Yeah, I say that in the comfort and safety of my corner of cyberspace, sans staring down the Alton Brown glare of death.
I could even understand that he was trying to rattle them under the intense pressure to make certain the "survivors" of this challenge had grace under pressure and knowledge to go toe-to-toe with him on culinary knowledge.
However, there seemed to be an underlying nastiness to the whole episode. Not knowing much about the season's contestants, I had no favorite, no one to dislike or anything. I just watched to see what they could do in Kitchen Stadium.
First, it seemed that Aria was singled out a bit not only by Alton but by the Iron Chefs as well. I've always in enjoyed Iron Chef Morimoto, but his comment that her food was "diner food" really seemed snobbish. If I were standing there (and after seeing this I know that my food would never rank high enough to please the Iron Chefs so another dream dashed) I would have turned to AB and asked what he thought about that comment given that Feasting On Asphalt celebrated the average folks food, that he's made comments about his food not being gourmet and that we, as a society, have been caught up (in the past few decades) on making food to impress rather than serving from a hospitality standpoint.
It was also puzzling to me why these contestants needed to be Iron Chef caliber when Alton, himself, as admitted he would not do well in the situation. Understandably for the contestants of the Next Iron Chef but these people are trying to be the host of a regular cooking show. From what I gathered of their culinary points of view none of them were gourmet cooks either. Why throw this challenge or cooking quickly on the fly at them when having the knowledge (which granted AB did test them on during the commentary portion of the challenge) would have been a far better thing for them to go head-to-head with AB on.
The whole episode just hit home why I don't like reality TV. Too much mean and nastiness for my tastes. Maybe I'm a sheltered mountain girl, but I like niceness over petty and snarky any day. Sure we all can get a little full of ourselves from time to time. I'm the first to admit being sarcastic to people who deserve it.But something just rubbed me the wrong way with this episode.
AB always says the guy you see on Good Eats is him. No fake persona. No acting. Well, I certainly hope the person I saw on TNFNS was a fake persona because that guy was verging on arrogance and pompousness. That doesn't suit my favorite cooking geek at all. Most certainly not the guy I've met and had many pleasurable conversations with about a host of topics. He is the epitome of genuineness, graciousness and humility. I like him better that way. Hopefully he won't be too pompous on the Next Iron Chef in the fall. ;)
9 comments:
I wonder too, if our beloved AB is drinking somne of the FN Kool-Aid. Maybe it has something to do with his contract negotiations. I do hope though, it's not something we see a lot of.
I have hope it isn't. Having met him twice, and been treated very graciously and warmly by the man himself, I hope he is still the Alton I saw on a recent ICA, who beamed like a five year old when Michael Symon ran over and gave him a pork rind, still warm from the fryer.
AB called MS "A Sweet and Handsome Man" for doing that, and that's how I still want to see our Alton.
I personally like it when he breaks out the Professor Snape persona. He's even wearing a Slytherin-esque tie. *shrugs* To each, his own.
He seems a bit rough on these people who are novices. Remember AB, you were an unpolished stone once. Now a bright star, but it takes time.
I thought he was harsh on the girls more.
@Hallie, not a Harry Potter fan, so I'm not exactly sure what Professor Snape is like. I'd gather I wouldn't like him much. ;) LOL
AB is contantly being referred to as the "food professor" and one of the smartest people on FN.
I too would get a pompous attitude too. You start to believe it.
I (consider myself) a well-read cook who works for an upscale grocery store. I often get questions about food and cooking....My co-workers often come to me saying "I know you'll know the answer to this..."
And yes, when customers ask me food questions and I show off my knowledge, I find myself getting this way too.
I believe AB is thinking: "Ok, you want a cooking show gig handed to you....you're gonna have to work for it. Show us what you got."
Yes, AB didn't compete to get his show, but he put in A LOT of work to get where he is today.
I don't know... I've been watching this Next FN Star and the contestants are so lame and have no idea what they're doing. AB has every right to jump down their throats. And a lot of the "flavor" of the personalities comes from the editing - I think they make it look nasty on purpose because somebody thinks we like it. I still love AB and enjoy watching him.
I think he was great, It was the final four and you should be up to the task no matter what it is at that point. You should also know what paprika is...
-Hector
@ all. I agree, the final four should be more capable, and know what's going on. HOWEVER, there is a very, Very, VERY fine line between snark, sarcasm, and downright meanspiritedness.
When he went after Aria, (and yes, she was pathetically uninformed) it was obvious to me, she was having a fangirl moment.
I would have liked to have seen AB maybe ease off a little.
I mean, I was the target of a severe grilling the last time I saw him, but after the the third question, he backed off, seeing that I wasn't one to be intimidated, and we both wound up laughing.
Aria cracked, and even though I wasn't pulling for her or anything, it was hard to watch.
I have a feeling he was told to be that mean, and that saddens me.
I think that this was one of the things that they had to do last season too. I don't really understand the whole Iron Chef thing when they're going to be having cooking shows like the people who have been around on Food Network for awhile. I think the whole thing with Alton was he was trying to make them think on their feet when there was a camera on them or when someone asked what something was. He did seem a little mean, but not as mean as Ramsey is, and I've seen the Ramsey shows.
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