2026, Food, History, Mysteries, TV, Uncategorized

Let’s Cook?

36 Comments

I blame Survivor.

It came out in 2000 on CBS and for reasons that I don’t understand, although it’s been 26 years, there have been 51 seasons.  I never watched it; it just didn’t pique my interest.  There was some reality tv prior to that, but I think of Survivor as the true onset of what is still just a bleak landscape to me. 

Technically I had watched reality tv for years – all in the form of cooking shows.  After Survivor, slowly competitive cooking shows began to make an appearance. Not like any competition of the past in which a few folks cooked and there was one winner.  That was it.  No throwing someone off, week after week until just one is left standing.  I hate this.  Truly hate this.  If I see any of the following words in a cooking show title, I’m not watching – bake-off, cook-off, battle, class, contender, wars.  There are probably others but this is what I can think of off the top of my head.  I did make an exception awhile back; so many folks assured me that The Great British Bake Off was “different” that I watched a couple of episodes (the season with Nadiya Hussain).  It wasn’t different enough for me.  The whole “throwing one person off” is just too brutal for me. 

What this means is that I don’t watch much Food Network or Cooking Channel these days – almost everything seems to be some sort of competition.  Throwing someone off still seems to be all the rage.  What’s left?  Shows like Carnival Eats, Pioneer Woman, Girl Meets Farm and a small handful of “how is it made” types of shows like Food Factory and “where should I eat” shows like Cheap Eats. 

I was kind of hoping that there would be a swing away from these competitive shows after two+ decades, but it doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon.  I’d even watch Julia Child’s French Chef if I could find it!

Do you watch any cooking shows?  (It’s ok if you like The Great British Bake-Off – I know I’m in the minority).  Do you ever try out anything you see?

36 thoughts on “Let’s Cook?”

  1. For a few years, I enjoyed watching Iron Chef America.
    I even began production of a YouTube parody, Stone Age Chef.
    Scripts, a director, local actors, secret ingredients, celebrity judges, domain names, legal representation, cooking school location. Just not enough money to put it all together. Sad.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      1. The cave paintings were recipes.
        Judges changed each episode. 3’s.
        Secret ingredient changed each episode mammoth, spicy foods, mushrooms, eaten by ingredient.

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply

  2. My cooking viewing is all on YouTube these days. Lots of “how do you make this” to be found there. And you can still get Julia Child on PBS Passport!

    My personal favorite is Baking with Julia.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  3. There are a great many hosted cooking shows on PBS passport, including Julia Child.

    We watch The Great British Baking Show when each new season comes out and generally enjoy it. The baked goods they attempt are often, by American reckoning, unfamiliar, bizarre and over-handled. Even if we could execute any of those things perfectly, we never would. The final results have little or no appeal. But that’s not why we watch.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. I have never watched The Great British Baking Show. I watch whatever cooking shows I watch mostly for inspiration and learning, and since I’m not that interested in baking, I have never watched any baking shows. What is it about the TGBBS that you enjoy?

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. Unlike many of the competitive shows, there’s no big prize for winning. As far as I know, it’s just an engraved plate. Nobody is there hoping to bankroll a career. The contestants have fun, often help each other and commiserate with each other. It’s not cut throat and it’s not that serious.

        Liked by 6 people

        Reply

        2. Nadiya Hussain launched herself rather nicely with a couple of different tv shows and several books.

          Like

  4. I have never watched Survivor or any of those reality shows either. The idea of the supposed high drama of the contestants struggling with finding food and shelter and each other while a no-doubt well fed and comfortable production crew follows them around is too absurd. I can’t suspend my disbelief.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    1. I never watched it either, and the cynic in me says that most reality TV is probably way more staged than even I think. Can you imagine the lawsuits. It doesn’t matter how many waivers you sign, if you get injured or starved on a television show, you’re suing them for gzillions, not to mention the bad press..

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  6. Today we are having cable TV installed. We don’t really watch TV, but our Boommate does, and our grandson does, so it is time. I watched Julia Child on PBS much of my childhood and my teens. She was wonderful, and one of my first book purchases was her “Mastering The Art of French Cooking”

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

        1. i watch all this stuff when im with someone who enjoys it. bake off, kids bake off is priceless but sening one home is brutal, family watches survivor, i cant. chopped is interesting and music stuff is of interest but i dont follow it i happen upon it

          Liked by 5 people

    2. It was dark when I got up so was surprised when the sun rose and I couldn’t see out my bedroom windows. (I originally thought it was just a lot more smoke.)

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  8. Morning- –

    We have watched TGBBS, and yeah, they seem to have fun. Even the judges, to a point. The woman with the funky glasses has quite a background in cooking. I just can’t taste all those subtle things they talk about.

    Never watch survivor or any of the singing shows. Even the shows giving away money, it’s all so ‘dramatic’, I hate it; the build up, the lighting, the music, the dramatic pause…. fake fake fake. Trying to make something out of nothing.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  9. Probably the only one of which I’ve watched an entire episode is the TGBBS.. which was mildly interesting. I have never seen anything but clips of any of the reality shows, unless you count the dance competitions… probably saw two of those.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  10. I detest the reality tv shows too, and I have since they started. I enjoy the kind of reality shows that I can learn something from, like Nature and Nova, or Antiques Roadshow. I watched the British Baking Show once, a long time ago when it was new. It’s just not my thing.

    I do enjoy the newer show, Relish. It’s not really a show because it isn’t long enough, but in about 15 minutes, Yia Vang, the host and a chef himself, introduces the audience to a local chef, and they make something together. I think they are fun glimpses into the foods from various cultures. I am interested in cooking in a tagine because of watching one of these segments.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  11. The only reality show I’ve watched is Great British Bake-Off (the British version, not the American show). I watched when it was on PBS and haven’t watched it since it moved to Netflix quite a few years ago. I liked it because it appealed to my Anglophilia and the bakers were all very nice people who encouraged each other. My daughter gave me a signed cookbook by Paul Hollywood (one of the judges). So far, I’ve made his scones and lemon drizzle cake–both are very good.

    I’ve watched cooking shows on PBS for years. Now that they have the Passport service, there are many good cooking shows to watch, including Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. I have quite a few cookbooks associated with TV chefs and use them pretty regularly.

    Husband and Son both watch cooking videos on YouTube. They have a favorite called Chef John; we’ve tried a few of his recipes and they’re also very good. I just can’t stand to watch him, though. He narrates his videos in a highly annoying sing-song voice that drives me crazy.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Oh, that’s funny because I like Chef John as well, but the reason that I kind of like him as I like the lily and how his voice comes up at the end of the each sentence

      Like

      Reply

    3. I agree about the voice of Chef John. How and why did he cultivate a voice like that? It’s really annoying.

      Like

      Reply

    2. Or the Frugal Gourmet? I used to enjoy his shows, and then his career abruptly ended and he was off the air due to some sexual allegations. I no longer recall the details, but It was probably lame compared to what we’re exposed to these days.

      Like

      Reply

        1. Somehow it never occurred to me to look to Brits for culinary inspiration. That’s probably doing them an injustice, but here we are.

          Liked by 2 people

Leave a comment