Review: Ultimate Recipe Showdown

[Food Network Fan]

It is a little lacking in excitement.

[budman]

Its moving pretty fast, in fact too fast and the contestants don't seem to get a chance to talk about their entry.

We really don't see them making it except for perhaps 60 seconds touching, stirring, and rubbing, then them ringing their little bells and getting to review the judges commentary.

And oh yeah, the obligatory TGI Friday's pump.

At the end of the competition, its very sterile without the judges and contestants meeting face on.

The end result is a series of very shallow 10min segments. Somewhat usual for Marc Summers shows, and it doesn't lend itself to the reality-competition cooking show formula.

Seems like they are trying to do way too much in too little time, compared to Top Chef or FNNFS or something like that.

Overall, I'm not excited and pretty blah. Not sure I'll be reserving my TV viewing time to catch each episode as broadcast. Maybe for the DVR, maybe just forget about it.

[Food Network Fan]

So they will be having Yucca root on the menu at Friday's? Is that the same yucca that's an ugly flower and if you leave one sliver in the ground when you try to dig it up it comes back. I had 3 years of suffering trying to get rid of one of those things the previous owner planted.

[budman]

This reviewer didn't care for the production either, although was a bit kinder in the writeup.

Review: Ultimate Recipe Showdown--AllYourTV.com

I think we're all hitting on the same points though.

[Food Network Fan]

I think anytime they have a show where they put people who have never been on TV into a spotlighted segment where they will be nervous and awkward it's not going to be as exciting as people who know how to play to a camera.

[isilzha]

How did FoodNetwork Addict know that it stinked before it aired?

[Food Network Fan]

She said she got a preview tape.

[BerryBaby]

Missed it. I was hooked on HGTV yesterday and people buying their first house.
Sometimes that happens. I get all involved and can't wait to see what they end up with.

I'll catch it next time they show it.

[MayQueen]

I missed it too as I was in Regency England with Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters. Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy is hard to pass up.

[budman]

Originally Posted by Food Network Fan

I think anytime they have a show where they put people who have never been on TV into a spotlighted segment where they will be nervous and awkward it's not going to be as exciting as people who know how to play to a camera.

I'd agree. About 10 times a year, I do public speaking, extemporaneously describing a sporting event over a PA to a few thousand people, and it took a few events to become remotely comfortable with myself, and handling the whole experience of it. It finally became easy after about 10-12 times. It is NOT easy, right Radio-Doug?

But thats not what's wrong with the show IMHO. Its the over-production. It doesn't need a crowded hollywood studio of butts in grandstand seats. It doesn't need computer-controlled LED lighting. It doesn't need zooming in/out camera shots. This blistering falsetto pace works against it, not for it.

Like the reviewer in the allyourtv.com site wrote, that after beginning with the premise idea of an Iron Chef format for "just folks".......

Originally Posted by AllYourTV.com

Instead of making the show distinctive, the alterations just make the whole thing seem clumsy. There are entirely too many extra steps in the competition and all that extra stuff just squeezes out the cooking part of the show.

Ten minutes into the show, its predictability was quickly evident and from then on, it became a bit of a bore.

On the plus side however, I'd say the producers pick of the various recipes was pretty good. I wanted to know a little more about them, especially the pineapple chicken. I felt sorry for the guy with the beer can chicken though--he didn't have a chance when the lady judge/carver knocked down the whole plating.

I did have to laugh at the last 30 seconds of the show, with the outakes of the Summers/Fieri crackup takes. I'm really wanting to know just what it was that made these two guys turn into crying and laughing fits!

Again, on the ten-scale, this show starts with a 4, with maybe a potential of a 7.5-8.0