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Around the World In 80 Plates (Bravo) (1 Viewer)

Walter C

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Wow, I did not expect to watch anything worthwhile on this network, until I read about this show, and the travel junkie in me, was immediately intrigued. There have been attempts to duplicate The Amazing Race, but come out not as good, and in some cases, I ended up hating it. Treasure Hunters, anyone?

3 episodes have aired so far, but I have only seen the 1st one so far. Basically, I see this show as a cross between TAR and Hell's Kitchen (minus the excessive yelling). I've heard comparisons with Top Chef, but I don't know since I never watched that show.

The title of this show being based on that of the Jules Verne novel, I find it interesting that this show would begin in London, where the main character of the novel was from, and the starting point of his race around the world to win a bet. Also, the starting point in this show, Borough Market, was featured in an episode of Bizarre Foods, which I watched after seeing this one.

The first part was like The Amazing Race, where the chefs randomly divided into 2 teams, then received their clue. Then like TAR, race around London on a pub crawl, learning about the local dishes at each place, and at the same time, have to eat and drink at each place quickly, for the prize of the "essential ingredient".

Second part is like Hell's Kitchen, with the teams taking over a restaurant, serving those local dishes to the locals, critics, and restaurant owners, all of which are the judges. In the end, there is a winner and loser, with the losing team having to pick someone that should leave.

You would think getting the essential ingredient would be a huge advantage, but it can only go so far, as the Red Team would learn. I guess Nookie is not as dumb as I thought he was, the way he ended up saving himself.

After seeing this episode, it was enough for me to come back for seconds.
 

Walter C

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"Forget Paris"
Just watched the 2nd episode. I like how the episode title represents where the chefs had to go next, as they were going to France. But not Paris, as that tends to be the first thing most people think of, when they think of France. Either that, or some expression that I am not aware of.
The episode opened with the chef who has immunity, Chaz, picking his own team, becoming the Black Team this time. Going to Lyon, the race starts as soon as all the chefs get off the train, and pick up a clue at the station. Then have to drive at 3 different locations to complete the tasks.

I have to amend my last post, as it is the exceptional ingredient, not the essential ingredient. And oh boy, this proved to be a huge advantage for the Black Team, who ended up winning the challenge in the end. The Black Team also had Gary, who spoke fluent French, and seemed very friendly with the customers.

Some of the chefs really stood out, one way or another. I am glad to see Avery speaking up this time, wanting to make sure who got proper credit for the correction with the chicken portions, as oppose to Chaz trying to hog credit for the 2nd time. That ended being the difference of who got immunity in the next city.

Chaz seems like the type who talks a big game, but does not quite live up to it, yet tries to hog all the credit. And too bad, as he is from the Philly area.

Nookie ended up coming up big in the 3rd task with the arrangement of wines with their ingredients. I thought this guy was incompetent, with the way he performed before that.

No surprise who went home, as it got tiring to hear how Sai is an expert in Thai food, but not really familiar with any other cuisine. Did she not do her homework first? How did she expect to get far if she did not try to familiarize herself with the various cuisines around the world.

I have been entertained from what I've seen so far, and for now, it is a keeper.
 

Stan

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Sai definitely had to go. She's picked for an "international" cooking contest and the entire time all she goes on about is Thai food. Fine if you're in Thailand, but totally out of place when you need to make local cuisine. So far they've competed in London, Lyon and the third show was in Barcelona. Her Thai experience didn't help a bit. Not one of my favorites.
The elimination in the third show is worth the wait, by far the most annoying person on the show. There are still several other very annoying contestants, but somehow they've survived.
Based on the first few episodes, looks like it may come down to Nookie or Avery, unless people start playing more like Survivor and gang up together and blindside the stronger players.
I'm enjoying the way the teams are mixed up every episode, not fixed groups like you'd expect, so kind of hard to form alliances or plot against one particular person.
 

Walter C

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"Something Smells Fishy"

After watching this episode in Barcelona, I am definitely in for the rest of this season.

Stan said:
/t/320972/around-the-world-in-80-plates-bravo#post_3929945
The elimination in the third show is worth the wait, by far the most annoying person on the show. There are still several other very annoying contestants, but somehow they've survived.
Based on the first few episodes, looks like it may come down to Nookie or Avery, unless people start playing more like Survivor and gang up together and blindside the stronger players.
You can't eliminate them all, at least not all at once. But I agree with you about Keven and glad to see him gone, the whining drama queen, who thinks of himself as a know-it-all, but came up so small in the restaurant service. He seemed like he wanted to control everything in the kitchen, but neglected to interact with customers, which was probably the deciding factor of which team won.

Chaz is the other one that continues to annoy me, as once again, he tries to hog credit for something he did not do. And Liz better get it together, otherwise she may be the next one on the chopping block, with the way she broke down like that when messing up the desserts.

So far, the only ones I do like are Avery, Nookie, Gary, and Nicole. Still not sure about Jenna, Nick or John.
 

Walter C

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"In and Out of Africa"

With the chefs in Marrakech, it was interesting to see them divided into 3 teams, instead of the usual 2. Not something I would have expected.

The Red Team, the team of women, with the odds stacked against them. Not only losing out on the exceptional ingredient, but also with the way women in general, are viewed in Morocco. Somehow, they pulled it out in the end.
With a team that has Nookie and Avery, you would think this team would come out on top, with Nookie's understanding of Moroccan food. But it was John who was probably the main reason why the Black team did not win this around.

No surprise that the White Team lost, as I still think of Chaz of all talk and no game. Basically no different from Keven.

What was surprisingly, was 2 things. First being how each team stuck together to vote for the same person on the other team, making it an unexpected tie. With shows like this, I would have thought they make it some way to prevent ties. The second thing, is how the tie was broken. Just sucks for Liz who won MVC, having to cast the deciding vote.

No one left that I really hate, now that Chaz is gone!
 

Stan

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There is still one I'd like to see leave. Forget her name, but she's the blond one who does "front of the House" a lot. She knew French, some Spanish, etc. and comes across as really bossy and know it all. After Chaz and Keven, if she leaves, it will settle down to be a much more pleasant competition to watch. (Not sure of her name, their web site doesn't seem to have a cast listing except for the troublemakers of the last one or two episodes)
Haven't seen the Morocco episode yet, DVRing it today, but it comes as no shock to hear who leaves, glad it finally happened. Some of the guys have major ego problems.
Doesn't appear to have much of a following, but I'm guessing it has already been filmed, so may as well show the episodes to fill some broadcast time during the summer, a few of us like it.
 

Walter C

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Originally Posted by Stan /t/320972/around-the-world-in-80-plates-bravo#post_3933673
There is still one I'd like to see leave. Forget her name, but she's the blond one who does "front of the House" a lot. She knew French, some Spanish, etc. and comes across as really bossy and know it all. After Chaz and Keven, if she leaves, it will settle down to be a much more pleasant competition to watch. (Not sure of her name, their web site doesn't seem to have a cast listing except for the troublemakers of the last one or two episodes)
Haven't seen the Morocco episode yet, DVRing it today, but it comes as no shock to hear who leaves, glad it finally happened. Some of the guys have major ego problems.
Doesn't appear to have much of a following, but I'm guessing it has already been filmed, so may as well show the episodes to fill some broadcast time during the summer, a few of us like it.

Her name is Jenna, but so far, she hasn't bothered me nearly as much so far, probably due to the fact that I was more annoyed with Keven and Chaz. That could always change along the way.
These days, I don't even bother with looking at the web site, as I have the preference of learning the names through the show itself. Probably because I feel like it's "cheating". But I still tend to get the 2 remaining white guys confused, since they fly under the radar.

Bravo should air the rest of the season, which is one of the things I like about cable. Unlike the major networks, which yanks a show off with no chance to air the rest of the episodes. Still, it would be nice if more people watched, giving it more of a chance of renewal.
 

Stan

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Jenna is the woman I was speaking about. She got lucky as there were many times when she was easily at the top of the list for elimination, just barely edged out by someone who did worse.
Haven't looked at the web site at all, are they thinking of dropping the series before it even finishes? That would be sad, and truly test my loyalty towards other Bravo shows. There can only be 5-6 more shows left, you'd think they could find airtime for them somewhere.
But now that we're down to mostly likeable players, maybe the just want the controversial troublemakers and will drop it now that that we're left with nice players, not villains.
 

Walter C

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Originally Posted by Stan /t/320972/around-the-world-in-80-plates-bravo#post_3934380
Haven't looked at the web site at all, are they thinking of dropping the series before it even finishes? That would be sad, and truly test my loyalty towards other Bravo shows. There can only be 5-6 more shows left, you'd think they could find airtime for them somewhere.

No, I was saying that Bravo will be airing the rest of the episodes. The point about not airing the rest of the season, was a knock against the major networks, and something that I don't like about them.

I think Jenna will be next one gone. Unless one of the guys messes up big time, as I am still not sure about Nick or John.
 

Stan

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Agree with your point about the major networks. Just noticed one of them is dumping episodes of "The Firm" to fill up space, even though they cancelled it months ago.
Looking forward to the rest of this series, it's a nice twist and blend of other ideas. Please, oh please let Jenna go, very few people I've ever come across that are as annoying as she is.
 

Walter C

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After watching this episode, makes me want to take a return trip to Tuscany, as it is truly an unbelievable place to see. Even if it's very touristy. Being a bit of a nerd, I was able to recognize some of the places in Florence, and knew where they were, as it is not a difficult city to navigate in.

The challenges came down to an ingredient that is often mistaken for cheese. I get that Jenna can speak some fluent Italian, but does have to be so freaking dramatic about it? It was driving me nuts! She is annoying, and it was too bad that she did not end up going home.

Liz looks like she is on the verge of breaking down into tears, with that look on her face. She is so lucky that she got MVC in the last city, because I believe she would have been the one to go home. And I don't blame the others being resentful about that, because Liz looked like she was completely lost there.

Funny how Nookie and Nick worry about Nicole being the weak link, but she ends up being the one saving the Black Team. If she knew what the other guys said about her, she would be like "in your face" after winning MVC. Nookie seems like someone who has potential, but doesn't seem to try too hard. With Nookie not doing a good job there, and the wasted opportunity with the exceptional ingredient, I thought this team would have truly blown it. But hey, they did win a lot of cash for winning the challenges.

Too bad that Gary was the one picked, because I thought he was more of the likeable ones. And I did feel for John when he spilled the main dish, as it would be the type of blunder that I would make as well.

Next week, they actually stay in Italy.
 

Stan

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Looking forward to these episodes. Have the Morocco episode on DVR and haven't seen the next, due to overlaps with other programs I'm a bit behind.
Don't worry about spoilers, I actually enjoy knowing what's happening with a show like this. Unbelieveable Jenna is still there, just luck, as she should have been one of the first eliminated weeks ago.
 

Stan

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We seem to be the two man fan club of this show.
I do enjoy the cooking contest shows and did DVR Masterchef, but will never watch Hell's Kitchen again. Not sure there is a politically correct term for the "type" of contestants chosen, but I can't stand them and refuse to watch. I would never eat at a restaurant one of them might be running, regardless of whether it's a Ramsay franchise..
80 Days I find enjoyable, although it's certainly a stretch to call it around the world, The Amazing Race for cooking shows doesn't apply. Unless they've got some pretty good destinations coming up, other than Morocco this is a very European centered show.
Chaz needed to go and even though they toned down Jenna for the Morocco episode, she was right back to her bitchy, know it all self in Tuscany.
I like John, hopefully he wins, but he barely scraped by this past episode. Nookie was one of my favorites, but his evil side came out and I wasn't impressed, he'll stab anybody in the back to win. Won't rely so much on his cooking skills as he does his sabotage or kill the enemy at all costs.
 

Walter C

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Stan said:
I like John, hopefully he wins, but he barely scraped by this past episode. Nookie was one of my favorites, but his evil side came out and I wasn't impressed, he'll stab anybody in the back to win. Won't rely so much on his cooking skills as he does his sabotage or kill the enemy at all costs skills.
Yeah, it does seem like we are the only 2 watching this show, but no biggie. Just glad I'm not the only one watching.
I used to like watching Hell's Kitchen, but stopped watching midway through the 4th season, when I just lost interest. By then, everything was so cliched and dull. I didn't even care who won.

With Nookie, I can't see him deliberately sabotaging, because that would mean his team would be on the chopping block. Sometimes, I do wonder if he is all talk and no game, or someone who is really talented, that would allow it to go to waste.
 

Walter C

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Another challenge in Italy, as the chefs go to Bologna, a place that I have passed through, but never got to visit. It does look like a charming city, but unfortunately for it, Italy has a bunch of those, that are more well-known and worth the time.

This time, the teams remained the same, and with fewer chefs in the competition, I wondered how the Red Team, with John, Jenna, and Liz would fare. And Jenna continues to annoy, not only giving Liz a hard time, but also John as well. Jenna does seem like she takes her time when getting around. They were very lucky due to Nicole's half-heartedness.

And teams better watch out when they have a chef that has immunity, because it seems like those chefs don't put much effort in their work. I won't go as far as say it was deliberate sabotage, but one has to wonder how much heart Nicole had, as it was her dish that ended up sinking the Black Team. I'm sure that the others would have unanimously to eliminate her, if not for the immunity. And the first time that Avery really messed up. But a little credit to Nookie to not vote for Avery, as he is not as dirty as I thought, though I'm sure if given the chance next time, he will be gunning for Nicole.

Nick seemed like a nice guy, and just unfortunate that he was eliminated, with the way the competition is set up. But hey, he did win some money in Florence.

I can't imagine how heavy those wheels of cheese are, but as someone not in good shape, I would have a very hard time carrying that thing around.

Next time, they are finally get out of Europe, to Asia.
 

Walter C

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I've been behind on this show, not getting around to watching it until a few days after its original airing. Even more so, with the Australian version of TAR getting more of my attention, in full swing.
In any event, finally the competition has gone into Asia. Too bad (or not) for Sai that she did not make it this far, as it has gone into Thailand, where she claimed that she would have aced the challenges in this country.
Not fun to have to run around in Chaing Mai, which is in extreme heat all-year around, and from the looks of it, even hotter than the summers of the southern US. Especially when having to run into the fields, and get dirty when planting the rice.
Boy, this show is giving away so much money, that they either have very deep pockets, or could bankrupt the show into cancellation. Not only giving money for winning the competition, but also for Most Valuable Chef.
As the episode title would suggest, there would be a tie breaker being made by the MVC, the downside of earning that title. Jenna is finally sent home, as I started to have enough of her. I did feel her pain for being the only one left, to never win MVC, but still, she did not seem to cut it when it comes to running around from task to task, or that her heart is into it. As shown in the rice fields, when she stood around, while Avery was planting the rice one by one really fast. It certainly did not help that they were at a further disadvantage, with no heat to work with, for the price of finishing last. But still, time and time again, she has proven to be very difficult to work with.

No surprise who won, as the exceptional ingredient was a huge advantage for both Nookie and John, even though their dish was not considered the best. Plus the idea of serving a drink, as Nookie said, it was all about making the most money. And indeed it was, as they won by a huge margin.
Next city is Hong Kong. I doubt Nicole will be having the extra advantage there, as she does seem lost at times in the kitchen.
 

Walter C

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Well, I finally caught up on the show, all the way to the finale, as the competition went from CM to HK to BA, to a town in Uruguay, and finishing it off in LA. At first, I thought it would finish outside the US, making it different from TAR. And I have to say, I like how Nookie's plan to vote Liz off blows up in his face, when Liz was chosen MVC in BA.

Congrats to Avery, for winning this competition. It was no surprise who won, as I thought she was pretty consistent throughout the whole journey.

I am not a fan of the "playing the game" aspect of the show, which was pretty much the only reason why Nookie made it very far, and making it less about food and more about politics. While not on par with TAR, I still enjoyed watching this show.

With the hosts, Curtis always seems to bring something to the table, while Cat just seems to be there. Probably Cat just learning her role.
Here's hoping for Season 2.
 

Stan

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Been offline for over a month since my laptop croaked, had to get new WIFI installed, etc.
Did enjoy the finale, although I would have preferred John to have made it. He was a great chef with a nice personality, but Avery actually was pretty good. Nookie turned out to be a jerk, to bad he made it so far. I actually liked him after a few episodes, but then began to realize the kind of person he truly is. Liz on the other hand I thought was awful. Kind of like one of those Survivor contestants who slides under the radar until it's to late and people realize she could actually win. Luckily Avery pulled it off.
One thing that kind of pissed me off, especially since it was Bravo, but did you notice how everyone else had families, husbands, wives, etc. yet they subtly avoided mentioning Avery's partner or any hint that she is lesbian. Pretty tacky since Bravo is a very liberal network, but apparently the last episode had to be cleaned up for Disney type audiences.
Overall I enjoyed the show and am also hoping it returns for a second season. I think it will because it's very different from so many of the other cooking competition shows. On the other hand, it was probably pretty expensive to do with all the international travel, kitchen setup, etc. Hope it drew enough of an audience to come back.
Off topic, but how do you get TAR Australia? This is one of my favorite shows and I would love to see other versions of this show, not just the US version. I have DISH Network and the most foreign thing I get is BBC America.
 

Walter C

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Stan said:
/t/320972/around-the-world-in-80-plates-bravo#post_3951865
Off topic, but how do you get TAR Australia? This is one of my favorite shows and I would love to see other versions of this show, not just the US version. I have DISH Network and the most foreign thing I get is BBC America.
One place to look, is on YouTube. I don't know if the episodes are still on there, though.
 

Stan

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Walter C said:
The show did mention that Avery has 2 daughters, and they did make an appearance in the finale.
With the lesbian thing, the show had no problem with Nicole, who is one herself, and mentioned a few times about her ex-wife.
One place to look, is on YouTube. I don't know if the episodes are still on there, though.
They did mention things throughout the season, not complaining about that. They did show Avery's daughters and her partner in the final episode, just seems odd that nothing was said about the relationship. Everyone else had husbands and wives, but others were shown with no explanation where Bravo is usually pretty open about things like this.
Maybe just editing for time, I'm certainly not going to start some letter writing campaign, but odd for Bravo to have shown a pretty obvious family relationship the way they did.
 

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