Ever since Bravo Television’s reality show, Top Chef reached critical acclaim, similar shows have risen from other networks, and each one has maintained the basic model of a cooking competition intact to ensure authenticity.
However NBC’s new reality cooking show, The Chopping Block makes no attempt to uphold this integrity; the show utilizes numerous elements from other shows that are unnecessary and wrong for a cooking competition, leaving the viewer unfulfilled and left with another horrendous show on television. If looking for a cooking show, you are better off watching reruns of Top Chef or Iron Chef than watching The Chopping Block.
The Chopping Block is like Top Chef’s “restaurant wars” actualized in New York City; two teams, black and red must open a functional restaurant within the allotted time to serve New Yorkers. During this period the contestants must create a full course menu with appetizers, entrées and desserts.
The two teams are not made up of individual chefs vying together like “restaurant wars” but actually four separate teams, each consisting of two individuals with a preexisting relationship competing for the $250,000 grand prize.
This style works for The Amazing Race but does not work in a cooking competition. Many of the partners end up not cooking and one individual; Denise Nguyen does not even know how to cook. Regardless of any ingenuity or moral support this type of casting creates, a person who cannot cook should never be cast in a cooking competition.
The elimination process for the show is laughable as the “head judge;” Marco Pierre White tries to determine a loser with out having tasted any of the food. The elimination is reminiscent of the boardroom in The Apprentice as chefs bicker to find a scapegoat. The judge does inquire about each person’s responsibility or even assign corrective feedback, he simply watches the debate until he picks someone to eliminate which is ironic because he had said, “when you are playing with people’s dreams you have to be fair, I have a moral obligations to do the right thing.”
The show is overly pretentious as the show is focused on Marco Pierre White’s all encompassing reputation and his personal comments rather than the contestants or food. People enjoy cooking competitions because they want to see the individuals strive for success while they learn about fine cuisine. The Chopping Blocks explores neither aspect, it barely introduces the contestants and only briefly is the food ever the focus of the show.
When watching Top Chef or Iron Chef, one is able to see the contestants conceptualize and create wondrous dishes out of simple ingredients; almost alluding at the possibility that the audience members could do the same. The creators of The Chopping Block have failed to realize this, even with five seasons of Top Chef and the Food Network as market research; perhaps they should spent less money on computer generated images like the ones on Fringe used to convey locations and more on market research and focus groups.
At the end of the show Marco is unable to eliminate anyone because the team of Asian cousins, Khoa Nguyen and Denise Nguyen decide to quit. Khoa is fairly talented as a chef but is unable to endure the intense disputes. The contestant that was supposed to be eliminated said, “it was one of the most selfless things ever.” The act of quitting any competition is not selfless; it is cowardice and should never be done. Khoa’s actions were entirely uncalled for and reaffirmed the Asian stereotype.
If the most enticing incident throughout a cooking show is a large fire grill falling and a glass door oven shattering; then the show is not worth your time.
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