NBC's "Celebrity Cooking Showdown"

[Human Bean]

The Monday program was pre-empted here by local programming.

Tuesdays' version is on at the moment.

I could be snarky to the extreme, but it's not worth the effort.

Their audience isn't eG. Duh!

It isn't even FoodNet's. Best case, Iron Chef America gains some new viewers, especially when the foodnet 'celebs' appear on ICA.

I'm not sure what their expected audience is; I wonder if they had any idea.

The main winner is whoever gains the revenue from the text messages that they're asking for, assuming anyone actually sends one.

I can't even send text messages, so I'm safe.

But I feel kinda dirty after experiencing this televisual experience. Maybe an investment in stocks of cleaning products is in order.

[cathrynapple]

"she has found BOTH of her missing ingredients!!!!!"

what, don't you guys sitck your fingers in gelato and smush them around and then put your hair up and smush the gelato around some more? wtf.

the female chef that is an iron chef i DO like, but she didn't actually cook.

my favorite part was teh audience judging food by the contestants' appearances.

[ghost]

And if you are familiar with the names involved, (or more than any two of them), Get a ****ing Life!

SB (or mercifully put an end to the life you have)

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Fortunately, I was familiar with precisely two of these "celebs," so I guess my life just ducks under the wire.

This show was appallingly pointless (I had it on in the background whilst doing some real cooking of my own). I mean, what is the supposed attraction in seeing what a group of morons can absorb from "real" chefs? (Who are the two who aren't Puck anyway?) The whole thing reeks of being pitched to the network execs because "it'll be really really cheap," from Thicke on down.

What a sad waste of lobster & gelato.

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I have no idea who the other guy is... but the girl is Cat Cora. She's one of FN's Iron Chefs.

[Human Bean]

I'm not sure what their expected audience is; I wonder if they had any idea.

Following up on my own post; sigh.

DOH!!! How could I be so naive as to think of the audience??? It's the advertisers that matter; they decided that funding this trainwreck was worthwhile. I don't know what they were thinking; I'm not sure I even want to know.

Actually, I didn't pay any attention at all to the advertisers. I literally do not know who's ads were shown during the program. Er, no, that's not true, I have a vague memory of the word Kraft. But it's only very vague. Really.

Be that as it may, I won't have any opinion of the advertisers whatsoever, favorable or not, should I watch another show. If I cared, I might wish NOT to patronize the sponsors.

It's almost tempting to watch another show though, in the way that a road accident always slows down traffic, even though there is no inherent reason for it.

Sorry, advertisers; you'll let me know if I'm somehow in the minority and there's an audience for this dreck.

[tino27]

At least there was bloodshed to keep it interesting last night. Plus, what is up with the hats on the female judge? Is she in the witness protection program or is she just that ashamed of her face? I'd assume if she were a restaurant critic trying to protect her anonymity, a TV program (even one as bad as this one) would be the last place I'd show my mug.

I agree with Human Bean though ... there is just this morbid curiosity on my part to see how bad the show can be.

[BryanZ]

This is honestly the worst thing I have ever seen. I feel ill as I watch this on my computer. What little respect for Chefs Puck and Cora is completely gone.

[ronnie_suburban]

This one of those rare train wrecks that is SO horrible, it's basically unwatchable. So many great comments above, I'll just say that I agree with everything being said.

All I can add to the snarkfest is a comment about the impossibly manic audience. That completely prompted, faux-cheering which spanned from end to end of the competition was hysterical. It was so obviously fabricated that it drew attention to itself. Who cheers for 50 minutes straight while D-list celebs assemble pre-prepared food in front of tv cameras? Apparently those who are lucky enough to not have to taste any of it.

=R=

[ingridsf]

All I can add to the snarkfest is a comment about the impossibly manic audience.  That completely prompted, faux-cheering which spanned from end to end of the competition was hysterical.  =R=

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So much WORD to this. Not just figuratively painful; it gave me an insta-headache.

Also, what was up with Gael Greene's hat? Her look was very Carson Kressley for JT Leroy.

[fryguy]

Worst. Show. Ever.

I admit, I watched some of it, but only because I was hoping for injury.

I laughed my ass off when that chick burned her hand on a saute pan, then had the *nerve* to show a hand with nary a blister (or even a red mark!) on camera...

[FistFullaRoux]

I just went through the first and only 3 minutes that I am going to waste on it.

Kobe beef burgers. By Tom Arnold. This should be all you need to know about the show. Plan accordingly.

[cathrynapple]

i caught the last part. why are their desserts so boring? molten chocolate cake and fried cookies with ice cream? blegh.

[I_call_the_duck]

Mercifully, my satellite is out, so I won't be even tempted to continue watching this train wreck. Is this the third or fourth straight day it's on? Either people must be really stupid or NBC must be really desperate for this show to be still on.

[racheld]

So, so bad.  Watching it through the afghan bad.

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Haven't seen the show. Haven't even finished the thread. Just have to give a shout-out to this perfect visual...this will be the watchword for all unwatchable TV forever.

[Chris Cognac]

I have to admit I snuck a few peaks at it yesterday, but than changed to "world wildest police shootouts"! Man can Tom Arnold sweat!.....Its a train wreck at best and is so over produced it hurts....its just cheesy and sort of feels "slimey" at the same time....but alas, I did watch some of it....it does seam like a giant promo/product placement for country crock and G.E..

[Daniel]

I was flipping through the channels yesterday and caught the very beginning.. What made me stop was the energy in the audience.. Everyone was cheering and going absolutely mad.. I was wondering what was going on. When I saw what it was, I waited to see what everyone was cooking..

For me, I just care what people are making.. I dont need to see them make it.. Unless its an actual professional, who will be explaining certain techniques.. But to see Tom Arnold make hamburger Patties, no thanks..

[Nina C.]

Daniel - you hit the nail on the head. Why watch some b-rate (or d-rate) celebrity sweat for half an hour? Watch Iron Chef instead and at least maybe learn some new techniques. I'd like this show a lot more if it were the celebrities' own recipes. Perhaps then the pro-chefs could come and coach them, help improve the recipes or technique, but at least it would be an insight into the celebrity's (mostly vapid-seeming) minds. At least it would have something to do with the real art of cooking, rather than just watching trained monkeys.

[birder53]

These are celebrities? I watched the opening of the show on Monday. That was enough. Alan Thicke, Cindy Margolis - send them back where they came from. Talk about bad TV!

[bourdain]

I sat and watched an entire episode, absolutely riveted by its mesmerizing awfulness. A loud, toxic, ineptly conceived pastiche of half-baked concepts and contrived melodrama. One bad idea after another, layered like some surreal Hawaiian Lasagna recipe:

The never-watchable Alan Thicke. Two words that absolutely guarantee nothing good to come.

A bunch of D-List celebrity fucktards. Who ARE these people?

A confused looking Wolfgang Puck? You don't have enough money to have SOMEBODY on staff with brains enough to tell you not to do this?!

Screen Actor's Guild member and "celebrity chef" ,Cat Cora. Who I increasingly am coming to believe would cheerfully hump a fire hydrant in order to get on TV. Her performance brought to mind an earlier NBC masterwork--the vastly underrated Lancelot Link, Chimp Detective.

An addled Gael Greene--still under the mistaken impression that somebody somewhere still gives a fuck WHAT she thinks--and that we want to imagine her crushed under late-era Elvis' bloated abdomen. Ending a once glorious career in grotesque fashion.

Some douche bag with some kinda speech impediment. WHO is he?

A ritalin-jacked audience, no doubt dragooned off a mall and lubricated with Red Bull and Jolt Cola. (They were TOLD Clay Aiken might appear).

Horrifying. Can't wait to watch it again.

[bavila]

Agreed. I saw abuot 5 minutes last night when the "judges" were oohing and ahing over Tom Arnold's creamed corn.

Ew. Tom Arnold is about the last person I'd want in a kitchen. He just exudes food-borne-illness-waiting-to-happen.

[MSchmidt909]

This is honestly the worst thing I have ever seen.  I feel ill as I watch this on my computer.  What little respect for Chefs Puck and Cora is completely gone.

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Wolfgang sold out years ago, but should fire his PR for this.

Cora ??? i would have to have some respect for her in order to lose it

but i have lost all respect for Gorvind Armstrong, not his cooking, he has a great restaurant, but his judgement, I guess with the new restaurant deal, he's trying to raise his profile. Haven't these people learned the "Rocco" lesson

[Shannon_Elise]

Did anyone else notice the strings hanging off of Colin Cowie's fork as he speared a bite of "corn casserole"? Whilst Gael Greene was fawning over it, Cowie was lamenting the "tooth floss" bite he got. Didn't he "rise to fame" via Oprah or something like that?

I'm convinced that "Gael Greene" is played by a different NYC Drag Queen each week and it's some kind of secret competition, but then again, no self-respecting drag queen would let their makeup look like its cracking off into said corn casserole.

Why is Cat Cora becoming increasingly blonder with each new step down from her chef tower? Or am I imagining something? And what happened to the most obnoxious addition to this show, Sandra Lee? I won't say chef or cook Sandra Lee or even TV personality Sandra Lee (because, after all, you have to have a personality to be considered that ), but she could have had a "boob-off" with Cindy Margolis the other night. Although I doubt even drunken frat boys would have changed the channel at that prospect...then again...

Shannon

[dan.]

Big Kenny was on last night!? I'm kind of sorry I missed that.

[ronnie_suburban]

It's official, Celebrity Cooking Showdown has been 86'd.

From Hollywood Reporter, via Yahoo:

NBC has taken "Celebrity Cooking Showdown" off its primetime menu after three nights of abysmal ratings.

The reality series was originally scheduled to run five consecutive nights beginning April 17, but the network shelved "Showdown" on Thursday with two servings still to go.

NBC cancels "Celebrity Cooking Showdown"

=R=

[johnder]

Man I didn't see that coming!

That was the biggest train wreck I have ever seen. I wonder how p-diddy feels about it, given he co-exec produced it.

It is funny how nbc.com is spinning it, "Last 2 episodes availables EXCLUSIVELY online"

jpd

[angberke]

After a few minutes I was just hoping to see some blood spilled. You know just a common kitchen accident… like a nipple in a mandoline.

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OMG. That was so funny I just sprayed my computer screen with latte.

Angela