January 10, 2011: The Top 10 Food T.V. Personalities That Kind of Get on My Nerves!

Yesterday, I gave you my list of the Top 10 Food T.V. Personalities I Enjoy Watching.

Today, it's the Top 10 Food T.V. Personalities That Kind of Get on My Nerves.  In no particular order…

Scott Conant (chef, restaurateur, guest judge on Top Chef America and Chopped, host of 24 Hour Restaurant Battle).

He's like someone's annoying boyfriend who shows up at your dinner party.  Technically, you've invited him into your home but, secretly, you can't wait for him to leave.  To my eye, he seems humorless and self-important.  Of course, that could just be his onscreen persona. If that's the case, then he's done a masterful job of pulling it off.

Robert Irvine (chef, host of Dinner Impossible, Restaurant: Impossible, co-host of Worst Cooks in America).

His hokey onscreen persona feels as phoney as his resume.  I know most of these shows are scripted but his series in particular suffers from all-too obvious set-ups and cheesy pay-offs.  At times, it feels like I'm a watching vaudeville comedian do a cornball cooking sketch.  Andrew Knowlton (restaurnt editor at Bon Appetit, occasional judge on Iron Chef America).

He comes across as opinionated and arrogant but, unlike fellow judge Steingarten, lacks the humor to balance out those more unlikable traits.  Unfortunately, he also loses marks with me through no fault of his own.  He reminds me of someone I worked with.

Joe Bastianich (restaurateur, judge on MasterChef).

In MasterChef, it often felt like he was trying to out-Ramsay Gordon Ramsay.  The crystalizing moment for me came halfway through the competition when, less than impressed with a contestant's creation, he elected not to sample it and, instead, tossed it into the bin.  If Ramsay had done it, most would have thought "Damn, he's tough!".  When Bastianich did it, I thought "Damn, what a jerk!".

Matt Dunigan (host of Road Grill).

Clunky former football player Matt Dunigan presides over the kitchen with all the charm of, well, a clunky ex-football player.  The quick cuts to the crowd reactions are presumably intended to build excitement but, instead, just come across as incredibly cheesy.  Real painful to watch him try to pull off an Emeril Lagasse shtick.

Masaharu Morimoto (chef, Iron Chef on both Iron Chef and Iron Chef America)

Oh, how times have changed.  Back when he battled brash Bobby Flay for the first time, I was firmly in Morimoto's corner.  Now, I just find him arrogant.

Lynn Crawford (chef, Restaurant Makeover regular, host of Pitchin' In).

The premise of her show, Pitchin' In, has fish-out-of-water Crawford roughing it in various challenging venues in her attempts to secure the freshest local ingredients.  Unfortunately, I don't really buy Crawford as the challenged city gal, and the promo of her sidekicking passing sheep does her no favors.

David Rocco (actor, producer, host of David Rocco's Dolce Vita).

I've tried to watch this guy's show but every time I tune in, there's something going on wholly unrelated to food or cooking, whether he's hanging laundry, slowmo caressing his wife, or having a ponderous conversation about his brother's dating status.

Brian Boitano (host of What Would Brian Boitano Do?)

I guess it's supposed to be funny/silly.  I just find it silly/awkward.

Ricardo Larivee (host of Ricardo and Friends)

Larivee always looks like he just stepped off the set of a 70′s dance show.  The show is called Ricardo and Friends and, while he's certainly Ricardo, the "friends" that inevitably show up to feast on his cooking at show's end are actually actors.  I'm afraid he loses points for that.

Almost making the list…

Laura Calder(author, host of French Food at Home).

She always strikes me as profoundly unhappy to be doing the show.  Every time I tune in, it's like someone has just stirred her from a deep slumber and rushed her onto the set.

Simon Majumdar (food writer, broadcaster, occasional judge on The Next Iron Chef).

To be honest, he only lands here on the strength of a quote from the last season of The Next Iron Chef.  He told one solidly built chef that he "looks like a linebacker but cooks like a ballerina".  The quote was replayed ad nauseum.  Look, I get what he was going for but, really, how many ballerinas do you know can cook?  Hell, the few ballerinas I know barely eat.

Michael Smith (chef, author, host of such shows as The Inn Chef and Chef at Home).

Damn, I feel guilty putting him on the list.  Smith is quintessentially Canadian – extremely laid back and soft-spoken – and maybe that's what makes him hard to tune in.  He's the Perry Como of the kitchen.

Tomorrow: The Top 10 Food T.V. Personalities I Want To Love But Don't/Want To Hate But Can't!

No developments to report on the Stargate front, but I'm hopeful we'll receive some news this week.

In the meantime, why not head over to Steve Eramo's SciFiandTVTalk for a couple of SGU-related interviews.

One, with awesome Costume Designer Val Halverson: http://scifiandtvtalk.typepad.com/scifiandtvtalk/2011/01/stargate-universes-val-halverson-universal-apparel.html

Another with lovable writer-producer Remi Aubuchon: http://scifiandtvtalk.typepad.com/scifiandtvtalk/2010/12/stargate-universe-writers-room-remi-aubuchon.html

Also, long-time Stargate Visual Effects Supervisor Mark Savela has been posting pics of SGU concept work over on his twitter, here: http://twitter.com/marksavela

Speaking of Mark Savela and the SGU Visual Effects team – congratulations to them on their VES (Visual Effects Society) nomination!

BCS Championship tonight.  Shoulda been the two best teams in the nation, Oregon and TCU battling it out, but the Tide didn't show up for the fourth quarter of their game vs. Auburn so the Tigers get the ticket instead.

I'm sure Chris Judge will agree when I say -

GO DUCKS!!!