The show definitely jumped the shark for me. I was turned off in season 9 when Heather Terhune and Sarah Grueneberg were bullying Beverly Kim. It wasn’t fun to watch and the cooking was secondary to the behind the scenes drama. Season 10 got better when Kristen Kish (sigh) won, but I haven’t been arsed to watch since.
There has been more drama in recent episodes, but the focus has stayed more on the food. On the other hand, I’m less than impressed with the lack of knowledge and appreciation for Southern food that most of the chefs brought into the competition. Some of the judges, but especially Tom and Padma, also seem to know just enough about Southern food and its regional variations to be dangerous (i.e., they don’t know how much they don’t know) and their condescending “expertise” is starting to piss me off.
Despite that, they have brought in some real expertise in guests and have generally paid respect to the local culture and cuisine. I particularly appreciated the Edna Lewis episode (but for some of Tom’s pretentious bloviating). On the whole, I’d say it is turning out to be one of the best seasons in recent memory.
Serious question, is Padma really supposed to know about food? I know that she wrote a cook book, but I never found her comments to be insightful. I used to watch with a friend and she and I would joke that every time the judges were dining together, she’d get a deer in the headlights look and just go “Tom?”
First of all there was drama last night between the guy who lost and John Tesar they had a couple pretty good arguments.
This year only Padma (and the guest judge) are doing the quick fires, and her comments have been solid. You would have to assume that if nothing else just doing this show would be quite an education in modern cuisine.
Over the last few seasons at a minimum, she has definitely become much more critical and assertive with her opinions. She has been in a judging role (and not just that of a host) long enough that her opinions about the quality of the food deserve respect.
I have noticed, though, that she can get stuck on a questionable narrative (at least based on what is shown on the show) where her unshakable confidence in a harsh judgment isn’t appropriate from someone with no experience working in a restaurant kitchen. In that, she seems to have been influenced by Tom, who also sometimes gets stuck on a narrative that doesn’t seem well supported by what has been shown, but his opinion is based on vastly more experience. The problem isn’t that she has an opinion, it is that she doesn’t seem open to the possibility that it isn’t right and can be insulting in the way she presents it.
I’ve noticed Padma getting “stuck” on a narrative too, and I think her rigidity is tied closely with her lack of knowledge. She’s overcompensating to cover-up her shortcomings and she needs to double down on her opinions because she’s limited in what she can articulate. I’d much rather see Gail Simmons as the regular host. She is significantly more versed about food but she is also far softer with her criticism (in a good way). Unfortunately, the model is more valued than a smart and engaging personality with a deep understanding of cooking.
I’d definitely like to see more of Gail. I appreciate that the intensity with which she expresses her opinions seems to run proportionally to her expertise and that she seems to be much more thoughtful than Tom or Padma (by which I mean to refer not just to manners, but also depth and nuance of thought).
Padma is looking particularly delicious this season. The plastic surgery she had a few seasons back has definitely settled/softened, so she looks more like her natural beauty.
Haven’t had much issue with who has been sent home thus far. Agree that I’d like to see Sheldon win. Whether his back will cooperate is the burning issue for him.
I’d love Shirley to win … and I really would like to go to her restaurant - but I’m also a Sheldon fan. Both bring that extra spirit to their food that makes it sing.