"Wickedly Perfect": Mildly Foodish Reality show

[Jaymes]

So....has anybody seen this? Any good?

[Gifted Gourmet]

So....has anybody seen this?  Any good?  

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By 'this' I assume you mean article on the new show ....

‘Wickedly Perfect’ looks for domestic diva

Contestants compete to be new Martha Stewart-type figures

The 12 makeshift Marthas will live together in a New England estate, where they will try to prove they are role models for housewives everywhere.

They will be critiqued by celebrity chef and Food Network host Bobby Flay, stylist David Evangelista and “Sex and the City” author Candace Bushnell in a variety of challenges in entertaining, decorating, cooking, baking, sewing and crafts.

Bobby Flay? Wow! role models for housewives Stepford Wives anyone??

[Jaymes]

I think last week was the first episode, but I didn't see it. Just the ads this week with someone bragging about how her lobster tail never fails to impress.

I did find it interesting that there were these rumors several months back about Mark Burnett, the reality show guru, chatting up Martha's "people" regarding a show after she gets out.

And next thing you know, CBS has "Wickedly Perfect." Sounds to me like "Wickedly Stealing Your Idea and Doing It First While Martha's In Jail."

[Jeffy Boy]

I saw the first episode. Not as lame as that Gilligan's Island reality show, but still pretty sad. Joan Lunden (host) must have gambling debts to work off or something. And who dreamed up the team name "crafty beavers". Geez.... At least the right person got the axe. That Tom guy was a nut case.

Can't wait for the next episode.

[Jaymes]

Did it focus much on the cooking aspect? What role does Bobby Flay play?

[jhlurie]

Did it focus much on the cooking aspect?  What role does Bobby Flay play?

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Chief Asshat?

I saw a few minutes of it. Mostly while boredly channel surfing. There did seem to be quite a bit of foodiness to the show, but Flay's role seemed to mostly be to come in at the end and under heavy editing bumble around a bit tasting stuff. Also, there was this hairdresser/style guy named David Evangelista who went on a lot about things being "sublime" and other over the top cliches.

On the first show, there was some business about them picking apples and having to use every single apple regardless of type or quality for either some food or some craft project. I got a bit bored and missed a lot of it, but some of the food looked decent.

Hey, look... it's better than "Joey", okay? Putting a nail through my forehead is probably better than that show.

CBS has a website for it, where no doubt you can catch up on what exactly occured.

[Jaymes]

Did it focus much on the cooking aspect?  What role does Bobby Flay play?

Chief Asshat?

[jhlurie]

Okay, I've been bad. Let's continue on a more serious vein. As serious as we can be with a reality show, I mean. In the future, I will only waste time disparaging Bobby Flay if it's in line with actual commentary. He's too easy a target, and thus there's little dignity in it anymore.

The preview for this week's episode reveals that it's about planning a dinner party in a compressed time-frame. So it seems it might actually be interesting viewing for eG members. The worst part might be having to listen to host Joan Lunden's droning voice. Darn, what did I just say about cheap shots?

[sladeums]

Yeah..

What the fuck is this?

Quite the goofy bit of shit.

oh, wait...Bobby Flay has got it goin' on.

Bobby Flay

don't get me started.

Bobby Flay

did anyone notice Bobby Flay is involved?

oh, and let's not forget the fact that this is fuckin' goofy.

Shit.

Crafty Beavers

Bobby Flay

I think I said 'what the fuck is this'.

This is a way-the-hell elongated haiku and possibly my most servicable post yet.

But what the hell was that?

[Jaymes]

So okay, I watched this tonight and laughed out loud about four times. Given the fact that my current life contains few such opportunities, I think I'll watch it again.

[viva]

I watched it for the first time tonight too. I appear to have a Thursday night vacancy regarding television, so this is filling the void.

Anyway, watching bitchy cooks and designers was fun. I loved the smirk look on the Asian cook's face (I think her name is Michael?) when the judge called the other lady's chocolate cheesecake balls "doughy".

And what happened with the lobsters? Just crappy product? More ammo to use against Fat Guy in the "eating out-of-season" thread? <ducks and runs>

[Jaymes]

Well, you can't beat dialogue like this:

(when trying to come up with a French menu): "And I can do my lobster tails. They're really awesome. You pull the tail out and you serve it ON TOP OF THE SHELL!!"

"Oh, I was thinking leg of lamb with mint jelly."

"I know, we can do both!"

For French appetizers, they decided upon tomatoes stuffed with shrimp salad, which brought this observation: "That's not French. It's the English who are always stirring shrimp into some kind of mayonnaise thing."

And when told that their entertainment was going to be mimes: "Mimes? Who likes mimes? Nobody likes mimes. I hate mimes."

And then later, during the critique, "You've got to control your mimes." (Now I ask you, how often have you heard that after one of your dinner parties?)

And the other team, who had been told that their preselected dinner party entertainment would be a synchronized swimming group, were expecting a bunch of cute, perky little scantily-clad hotties that they were going to enlist as servers, but instead a bunch of 200 lb grandmas showed up, complete with strappy black highheels that they even wore into the pool.

That was funny. And those gals looked like they were having a grand time. Where do I sign up?

Edited January 14, 2005 by Jaymes (log)

[viva]

And let's not forget the Bobby smackdown... "so, you served Italian wild rice at a French dinner"...response..."Yes, well, I didn't want to feel confined"

Loved the synchronized swimmers and their heels. And I think they got apple martinis before getting in the pool, so even more fun!

[Jaymes]

And let's not forget the Bobby smackdown... "so, you served Italian wild rice at a French dinner"...response..."Yes, well, I didn't want to feel confined."

Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that. It was a real "uh, well, uh" sort of moment.

[madziast]

Did it focus much on the cooking aspect?  What role does Bobby Flay play?

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Chief Asshat?

I saw a few minutes of it. Mostly while boredly channel surfing. There did seem to be quite a bit of foodiness to the show, but Flay's role seemed to mostly be to come in at the end and under heavy editing bumble around a bit tasting stuff. Also, there was this hairdresser/style guy named David Evangelista who went on a lot about things being "sublime" and other over the top cliches.

On the first show, there was some business about them picking apples and having to use every single apple regardless of type or quality for either some food or some craft project. I got a bit bored and missed a lot of it, but some of the food looked decent.

Hey, look... it's better than "Joey", okay? Putting a nail through my forehead is probably better than that show.

CBS has a website for it, where no doubt you can catch up on what exactly occured.

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well, jhlurie, you couldn't be more right... bobby flay's role seems to be wearing more makeup than anyone else presently on air

candace b seems a total dimwit and proverbial blond - has yet to say anything of any value or wear an outfit that makes sense

bold HAIRSTYLIST to spout opinions on style??? why??? steve cojocaru wasn't available?? http://us.imdb.com/Special/Emmy/2003/Photo...rivals1-41.html

i'm sorry, are these people to dictate what style is?

joan lunden should get whacked with a bushel of apples - she's a plastic ("wooden" would be a compliment here) TV person, just like the "style critics" the show employs

bobbby flay has the most credibility and least pretense so far but with all the makeup, christ, how much credibility can he hold on to??? i think i'd rather see mario in this role, at least it would be entertaining

highly miscalculated show - contestant- and critic-wise BUT, i have to say, the challenges are very challenging, esp. b/c of the time frame

how bad can Joey be????

[SKinCA]

I don't know if anyone cares about this show and it might be a bit off-topic, foodwise, but I'd like to suggest a way to bring it back.

Why don't we suggest our own menus for last night's challenge?

I'll go first. Be gentle, good people!

As I was watching, I couldn't believe the food choices, especially the so-called "artisan" team. Firstly the surf and turf idea - not French, no? Given the timeframe they had, they had ample time. Why not go the unexpected way and do a simple French instead of frou-frou French-ish?

A assortment of simple canapes to start with - pate, a tapenade, tuna and olive spread? Perhaps a date stuffed with foie gras? Keep it simple. Keep your prep to a minium and depend on good ingredients.

Coq Au Vin for the main course, served with delicious crunchy bread. Perhaps Pommes Anna on the side?

Salad after, accompanied by a selection of Cheeses.

Want to wow them a bit? - make souffles for dessert (though Flay shouldn't be wowed by that I bet the other two might)

That would be what I would have done. It might not have been perfect, but I would have been confident of the flavors, much prep and assembly could have been done ahead, allowing most of the team to spend time with the judges. And for the money the would have saved on those crappy lobsters they could have bought a bucket to properly chill the champagne! Or decorated a table as fabulous as Crafty Beavers did.

OT - When I cater for people, I can't afford to have 12 lobsters be bad just before I need to cook them. I would have asked for them to crack one open for me to check it out. Or gotten them live and cooked them myself. Or just ditched that entire idea or....well, nevermind.

As to that American meal outside? The lady chef kept the menu kind of all American until the very end when the "gummy" truffles were trotted out. Given that they apparently were in the midst of apple season, why not all-american apple pie and ice cream? Or an apple cobbler?

What's the deal with the truffle thing? How did that get to be the epitome of excellence in desserts? A good truffle is nice, but give me a slice of great pie anyday.

Anyway. Thought this might be fun. It not, I promise to return to lurker mode and darken your forums no more...

[mrsadm]

(sigh.......) whatever happened to the women's movement?

[therese]

Hysterically funny in a trainwreck kind of way.

I've only seen the most recent episode, the dinner party one, and probably won't end up watching any of the others unless they're also primarily about food.

Like all reality shows the point's to get people with strong personalities to both cooperate and compete. An outgrowth of all those team-building corporate exercises, most likely. Of course, the people should be young and attractive (because we're on TV), and that's where I think the idea of having them host a dinner party was pretty inspired, because I got the very definite impression that very few of them had ever done so. Decorated and possibly cooked for a dinner party, but not actually hosted one.

What host is his right mind would respond to a late-arriving guest's request for hors d'oeuvres with a blank look and "They're all gone." Oh, sure, maybe the item you'd first served is all gone, but you will most certainly be answering that query with a smile and a "Sure, I'll be right back. Sam, could you get Bobby a drink?", hustling back into the room with something of the appropriate size and tastiness on a plate, hoping that Bobby's by now thrown back a martini and won't notice too much about whatever the little tasty blob actually is.

The problem with both of the dinner parties was that neither had a designated host (or alpha dog) and neither group really understood that ones guests should be made to feel very special. No matter how much work went into the party you should never complain about it, or how tired you are, or anything else. Compliments accepted graciously, complaints accepted with a smile and apology and offer of an immediate remedy of some sort. Certainly not an excuse: when David Evangelista complained that his champagne was warm the response should have been "Oh, goodness, let me take care of that for you", speaker running to kitchen with offending glass in search of colder champagne or a colder glass or something. Even if the problem's not corrected, the effort's been made, instead of an excuse whined: "But I left them in the freezer for a whole hour." Prompting that Sex in the City woman to point out that you can chill bottles quickly in very icy water (and who the hell doesn't know this?).

Anyway, I do have a favorite character based on this one episode: the Asian chef on the Crafty Beavers team. Not only did she managed to get a decent dinner together, but she did know the importance of making extra food for latecomers and big eaters, and also objected to her team's complaining to their guests about how tired they all were. True, her satified smirk at the news that the guests were unimpressed by dessert (that she'd not prepared) was caught by the television cameras, but she did not voice this opinion in front of the guests.

[Jaymes]

Funny how things kinda worm into your brain. I'm not a big fan of these shows, but couldn't help but be intrigued by this one. And now, I too, have been thinking over where they went wrong and what I would have done.

I agree that having a bunch of stuff that you don't know if it's going to be any good until the last minute is a huge mistake when you've got the dynamics of a team to deal with, and the pressure of competition. SKinCA, love your ideas about menus. Exactly what I was thinking....prep ahead, simple but good, stick to the theme, make stuff ahead that you can taste and know if it's good or not, like Coq au Vin.

And funny, but I also was thinking, "American dinner out by the pool? Why not apple pie and homemade ice cream."

It seems that the tendency was to get too fancy on the menu. Especially, I'd think, in the early episodes, you'd be better off to do something simpler and in advance that you know you can count on, so you can relax and entertain your guests.

You know, there's an old joke. It's about two guys camping, and they're lying in their bedrolls one morning, and they hear rustling off in the bushes, and look over there and see a bear. One guy hurries quickly to put on his trainers. The other guy says, "Are you crazy, you think you can outrun a bear?" And the first guy says, "I don't have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you."

That's what those folks in the competition should remember. They don't have to throw the very best, most spectacular, most dazzling dinner party Bobby Flay & Company have ever been to. They just have to beat the other team.

[Mabelline]

What I found truly pitiful is what they made with the budgets they had. Granted it had to go for decor, those wicked little giftythings, and the food, but the "French dinner" designated cook-Michelle?-seemed to have bought stuff So-o-o-o unwisely. "Gee, I've never spent that much for groceries," when that tab came to 1000+ $ got me nervous. The warm champagne? 24 hours or so isn't long enough to get it cold? Well, hell, grab the mime and whup his ass.

[Jaymes]

Well, hell, grab the mime and whup his ass.

Works for me.

[Mabelline]

I would like to insert a ringer team of eGulleters in there. Can you imagine what they could've done with 2500 bucks? And 36 hours? They could rule the world!!

[jhlurie]

(sigh.......) whatever happened to the women's movement?

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Several of the participants on the show were men. One of them is even married.

[Jaymes]

(sigh.......) whatever happened to the women's movement?

Several of the participants on the show were men. One of them is even married.

Yes, and I remember when the auditions were announced. I think there was even some discussion of it on eGullet. The producers asked something like, "Can you be America's next style guru?" Everyone, male and female, was encouraged to apply. They didn't ask for "only little women that know their place."

And the prize isn't that you get to marry the prince and live in the big castle. It includes a television contract and book deal. Anyone with the right amount of skill, style and moxie should be well on his or her way to establishing a company and making a couple million. After all, no one would accuse America's current style guru, temporarily on hiatus, of being a compliant, subservient Stepford Wife.

I am certain that each of the dynamic, aggressive women on the show sees it as an excellent opportunity to advance their professional careers. And not as a terrific way to demonstrate what a great little wife they'd make.

Edited January 15, 2005 by Jaymes (log)

[Mabelline]

Yep, if anything, our missing-in-action style guru much more reminds me of the Stepford Wives missus who came up with the idea!!