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| Image via ABC |
The first episode is a marathon of cheftestants (formerly called "kitchenistas") ranging from home cooks to professionals - the premise of the show is that good food is good food, regardless of a cook's level of training and expertise. The Taste certainly has some cringe-worthy moments, mostly related to the level of hokeyness in the overall production. Some of the contestants' cultural stereotypes are played up to a degree we've never seen on reality TV - there's the older Jewish woman from Jersey who makes fusion-y Kugel and remarks on how she's "verklempt," the sassy Brazilian homemaker who's both sexy and a whiz in the kitchen...You get the idea. But the casting of the judges is spot on - Bourdain is still pithy and allowed to swear (with bleeps), Ludo and Nigella are their usual selves and play up British/French rivalry, while Malarkey is well...Malarkey. The show also seems to be big on the one-liners. Here are some of our faves from last night:
"Tony is the Mick Jagger of food." - Nigella Lawson about Bourdain
"I quit my job to come here." - literally every contestant
"I make food for awesomeness, not just for tasting good." - Contestant Adam Kaz after serving a horrifying "mac and cheese stir fry."
"It was a roller coaster to nowhere for me." - Malarkey's one-line summary of Kaz's dish
"I'm the Kanye West of cooking." - Charlie Sheen's personal chef/contestant
"Jewish food is like The Pointer Sisters - you need a slow hand and a woman's touch." - The old Jewish lady who made the kugel.
Stay tuned for more coverage of The Taste in weeks to come.
This show has a lot going for it, but like you said it did not come across well last night. I like all of the judges besides Malarkey, so I will definitely give it another chance because I am excited to see their coaching styles. I was talking to a coworker at DISH who thinks that Bourdain has sold out by agreeing to be on this show, but like you said he seems to be his same old self with the colorful language and all. I missed the first part of the show because I was watching Pretty Little Liars, but fortunately I was able to catch up with a recording. I love how my DISH Hopper can record up to six shows at once during primetime, so I never have to choose between my shows. I am going to give it another chance, but with this show, Pretty Little Liars, and the New Girl my Tuesday nights are really starting to fill up.
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