The summary pretty much says it all. I had been avoiding the show as I was pretty sure I wouldn't like it. But one evening, when there wasn't much on, I chose to commit to watching one full episode. And I did.
I just wish I had listened to my inner alarm bells. Even though it was hosted by Alton Brown, who I admire a lot, the premise for the show was just mean and unsportsmanlike. What fun is there in stacking the deck so that ANY other opponents can't really perform. Forcing a cook to use a hockey skate instead of his knives (in the episode I watched) was not what I would call entertainment.
But there ARE moments where you might see a chef shine with their knowledge. In this episode, one chef was allowed to "steal" cheese from another chef. The "thief" thought he had mortally wounded his victim. But he was unaware that his victim was very smart and had wisely brought out enough ingredients from the pantry to make her OWN cheese. Clever.
In the end, I don't like this type of gaming. It's like watching a game of high school football players going against an NFL team (to me, at least). And that's why I say "Never again!"
I just wish I had listened to my inner alarm bells. Even though it was hosted by Alton Brown, who I admire a lot, the premise for the show was just mean and unsportsmanlike. What fun is there in stacking the deck so that ANY other opponents can't really perform. Forcing a cook to use a hockey skate instead of his knives (in the episode I watched) was not what I would call entertainment.
But there ARE moments where you might see a chef shine with their knowledge. In this episode, one chef was allowed to "steal" cheese from another chef. The "thief" thought he had mortally wounded his victim. But he was unaware that his victim was very smart and had wisely brought out enough ingredients from the pantry to make her OWN cheese. Clever.
In the end, I don't like this type of gaming. It's like watching a game of high school football players going against an NFL team (to me, at least). And that's why I say "Never again!"