Around the World in 80 Plates

The first episode was great. Yes, I was sold on them sucking back yards of beer - but it does evoke Top Chef with shades of The Amazing Race/Survivor. It will be interesting as to how it feels in week 2, but overall I was impressed.

I am sucked right in at this point. It really is TAR plus Top Chef. What I like most is the changing dynamics being the teams are fluid. Also, the judges have their say but in the end it is social Darwinism. This is a great show and I've been able to get a few more people locally into it. I have no doubt there will be a season two. p.s. No favorite yet. I am still getting a feel (watching right now.)

Bacchus;305761 wrote:
I am sucked right in at this point. It really is TAR plus Top Chef. What I like most is the changing dynamics being the teams are fluid. Also, the judges have their say but in the end it is social Darwinism.

The show is reeling me in as well. Very well done. I know exactly who I don't want to win. Like Jenna, Chaz, or Kevin. The others, I think it's up in the air. I like them all quite the same.

fabulous788;305765 wrote:
I know exactly who I don't want to win. Like Jenna, Chaz, or Kevin.

The villain list is straight forward for me as well and we are in sync (I would not be surprised if that was everyone's list.) Next week should be interesting with them going to North Africa. Winging it with European cuisine which they are mostly familiar with is one thing. Once they start hitting the culinary road less traveled, it is going to up the ante.

I missed all but the first one I saw on rerun. When does it come on? It was funny how the ********* chef was able to get the better chef tossed in episode 1.

FishHooks;305840 wrote:
I missed all but the first one I saw on rerun. When does it come on? It was funny how the ********* chef was able to get the better chef tossed in episode 1.

It comes on in the Top Chef slot on Wednesday night at 9/8c. The strategy is the best part! Backstabbing chefs = television gold.

Another great episode. To make the winning Chef unleash the guillotine = awesome.

Completely forgot this was on tonight. Good thing I set everything to tape as a whole. Will have to watch tomorrow :)

Bacchus;306564 wrote:
Another great episode. To make the winning Chef unleash the guillotine = awesome.

I had no idea what you were talking about when I read this the first time, but I understand it completely now and I agree 100%. Any other show would have probably had a revote. I was super happy about the outcome because I couldn't stand that guy.

fabulous788;306756 wrote:
I had no idea what you were talking about when I read this the first time, but I understand it completely now and I agree 100%. Any other show would have probably had a revote. I was super happy about the outcome because I couldn't stand that guy.

I was also glad to see him go (as well as Kevan the episode before). They may be great chefs but their personalities are terrible.

I am starting to think this show might be my Top Chef replacement. Top Chef has become worn over the years and I find it becoming continually less satisfying. First and foremost I like the system used on ATW80P to ascertain the winning team. It's straight forward. You make local dishes to serve to locals and they vote. That's it. With Top Chef, it always seems to be arbitrary, like the decisions are being made with ratings in mind over reality. With the local voting system, the people speak and the celebrity chefs are narrators and presenters, not judges. (Curtis does a great job asking who did what dish and then breaking the news, good or bad.) The fact that they are continually moving to new locations also plays to its advantage, much like what TAR has going for it vs. Survivor. Even the voting process seems a bit more above board than what you would see on other reality shows. With ATW80P, while alliances and general backstabbing are in play - there is also a sense through the first few episodes that at least some of the chefs are actually voting for the worst performer (although half of them are not.) And unlike other reality shows, you have no idea who is going to be on your team in the next week so it there is a constantly changing strategy. Sure, most of the chefs have grating personalities. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that chefs in general have grating personalities coupled in with the need for Bravo to generate drama. Just about all the contest reality shows these days seem to have gone down this dark casting path.

Bacchus;306769 wrote:
Sure, most of the chefs have grating personalities. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that chefs in general have grating personalities coupled in with the need for Bravo to generate drama. Just about all the contest reality shows these days seem to have gone down this dark casting path.

They either have grating personalities or no personalities. Nicole and Liz (I think those are their names?) are just there. Meanwhile, the guy and girl who can speak every European language known to man as well as the big guy who has previously been to every single location thus far are center stage thus far.

molds13;306770 wrote:
They either have grating personalities or no personalities. Nicole and Liz (I think those are their names?) are just there. Meanwhile, the guy and girl who can speak every European language known to man as well as the big guy who has previously been to every single location thus far are center stage thus far.

She's next on my list of who I want gone. None of the other chefs bother me.

I tried watching this, but after 30 minutes couldn't decide if the cast or host were more annoying, so I opted for a scripted rerun instead. Sad, sad, sad...

Tonight, I'd have been fine with collusion and backdoor alliances to achieve a goal. It was not to be...

Bacchus;307462 wrote:
Tonight, I'd have been fine with collusion and backdoor alliances to achieve a goal. It was not to be...

I watched it osmotically as I did other things. Just couldn't get into it but I am glad at who went home.

Bacchus;307462 wrote:
Tonight, I'd have been fine with collusion and backdoor alliances to achieve a goal. It was not to be...

If Gary would have been smart, after Liz voted Jenna, he would have voted her as well Ugh. I'm not happy about the elimination at all. Still a good episode because I was for sure thinking the Red team would have pulled out the win, but nope! I enjoyed the episode, but honestly I think the wrong person went home.

I also think the wrong person went home. I think John was a moron for voting for Gary, although maybe he figured that Nicole would have broken a tie by voting for him over Jenna. Nice to see karma appear to come back around next episode, though.

Gary annoyed me but not as much as that guy who went home who would not shut up ever--forgot his name already LOL.

This is the second time that has happened. These people are Not very bright. Vote with the person ahead of you, influence others, and minimize enemies.

Bacchus;306769 wrote:
I am starting to think this show might be my Top Chef replacement. Top Chef has become worn over the years and I find it becoming continually less satisfying.

I don't really watch the show but I watch Bravo and wanted to comment on this. This seems to be a recurring pattern with them. They take something and run with it until its annoying. The Real Housewives show are a great example. OC was such a success so there is also Atlanta, NYC, Beverly Hills, New Jersey, Miami is returning and there are also rumors of DC coming back. I also heard they are trying to get Real Housewives of Vancouver to air on Bravo. Not to mention all the spinoff shows with the housewives (Kandi, Kim, Lisa, Bethanny, Jo, and soon to be Teresa Guidice most likely). I watch them because I have been for so long (like the Real World) but find it to be exhausting. I guess with the Real World, or Bad Girls club its different because its different people every season. And to an extent, the challenge was well. I just don't understand why there so many housewives shows and so many seasons. There are three airing on Bravo right now (Jersey, NYC, and OC) not to mention Kim Zolciaks wedding show on Thursday. Orange County is in its seventh season, they should just drop that one. I enjoy them but I just don't understand it. I used to watch Top Chef here and there but it seemed like every two months there was a different show. Wasn't there a dessert one? This one actually looks interesting but I watch so many other shows, I can't find time to keep up with this one too.

tjhallow;307699 wrote:
This seems to be a recurring pattern with them.

Bravo is a serial offender when it comes to taking a good show and overexposing it through spinoffs until it dies. I am patiently waiting for Top Chef Cat Cuisine, lol. I noticed that they had Million Dollar Listing New York running this winter (spun off from Million Dollar Listing which is now Million Dollar Listing LA.) Thousand Dollar Listing Mississippi is the next logical step... Sadly, Bravo is not the only offender. What is even worse is when other networks run with their own spinoff of a show popular on another network. Do we really need another show about Pawn Shops? And enough with all the shows that are some sort of war, luggage, storage, shipping or other. Are the cable networks out of original ideas? I think the answer is yes.

Bacchus;307748 wrote:
Bravo is a serial offender when it comes to taking a good show and overexposing it through spinoffs until it dies. I am patiently waiting for Top Chef Cat Cuisine, lol. I noticed that they had Million Dollar Listing New York running this winter (spun off from Million Dollar Listing which is now Million Dollar Listing LA.) Thousand Dollar Listing Mississippi is the next logical step... Sadly, Bravo is not the only offender. What is even worse is when other networks run with their own spinoff of a show popular on another network. Do we really need another show about Pawn Shops? And enough with all the shows that are some sort of war, luggage, storage, shipping or other. Are the cable networks out of original ideas? I think the answer is yes.

Sadly, I don't see Top Chef going anywhere. I mean Real Housewives started in 2006. Wasn't that the franchise that blew up Bravo? I don't even remember Bravo's existence before then. Sad, I think there are more reality shows than actual television shows. Crazy.

tjhallow;307807 wrote:
Sadly, I don't see Top Chef going anywhere. I mean Real Housewives started in 2006. Wasn't that the franchise that blew up Bravo? I don't even remember Bravo's existence before then. Sad, I think there are more reality shows than actual television shows. Crazy.

It is mostly because of a writers' union strike years ago that sent the networks scrambling for programs that required no scripts. They apparently liked their return on investment and saw the light. I think Top Chef started a little before the House Hags, by a few months. I think it was a certain incident at a certain White House that really blew up the growing franchise and the network, which was, at that point, still filling its daytime with West Wing re-runs.

FishHooks;307809 wrote:
It is mostly because of a writers' union strike years ago that sent the networks scrambling for programs that required no scripts. They apparently liked their return on investment and saw the light. I think Top Chef started a little before the House Hags, by a few months. I think it was a certain incident at a certain White House that really blew up the growing franchise and the network, which was, at that point, still filling its daytime with West Wing re-runs.

Are you you talking about that incident from Real Housewives of DC? Because the shows were popular before that. RHDC was really boring, it didn't even get a second season.

tjhallow;307812 wrote:
Are you you talking about that incident from Real Housewives of DC? Because the shows were popular before that. RHDC was really boring, it didn't even get a second season.

They were growing but that incident really did a ton of good for Bravo for months before that season aired.

Finally.

Bacchus;308825 wrote:
Finally.

Very well deserved as well. And now there are really only 3 people to root for in my opinion. Nookie, John, or Avery. Nicole and Liz just get on my nerves and probably should have been gone by now due to mistakes, but they each had immunity when making them.

fabulous788;308832 wrote:
Very well deserved as well. And now there are really only 3 people to root for in my opinion. Nookie, John, or Avery. Nicole and Liz just get on my nerves and probably should have been gone by now due to mistakes, but they each had immunity when making them.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH--SPOILER!!!!!! You show ruiner you ! Just kidding. I like the show well enough but can never remember it is on or even exists which is an indication I don't like it enough to care. I guess I like the concept better than I like anybody on the cast. None of the chefs are TV worthy to me I guess.

FishHooks;308838 wrote:
AHHHHHHHHHHHH--SPOILER!!!!!! You show ruiner you ! Just kidding. I like the show well enough but can never remember it is on or even exists which is an indication I don't like it enough to care. I guess I like the concept better than I like anybody on the cast. None of the chefs are TV worthy to me I guess.

I think the day after the show airs, it can no longer be blamed on me for a spoiler ;) But you are quite right. As much as I like the show, the chefs just aren't that great for TV.