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Archive through March 27, 2009

Reality TVClubHouse Discussions: Other Reality Shows ARCHIVES: Archives for 2009 - 3: The Chopping Block: Archive through March 27, 2009 users admin

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Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 4:40 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
Well, half hour into the first show and I am enjoying it. No yelling and screaming (so far?). I've never heard of the famous chef Marco Pierre White before?

Jami
Member

10-08-2003

Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 6:46 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jami a private message Print Post    
I think I like it. But it seemed to be dark? Dark as in, like filmed in the dark. Just seemed like the lighting was bad all the time.

Mamabatsy
Member

08-05-2005

Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 9:41 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mamabatsy a private message Print Post    
It's sort of the Amazing Race meets Hell's Kitchen. Instead of traveling around the world, they cook and serve. I enjoyed it, but didn't understand why the cousin team quit. Did I miss him giving a reason?

Jgalt
Member

02-17-2009

Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 11:30 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jgalt a private message Print Post    
Mamabatsy, I think the cousins said they couldn't cope with all the yelling and tension. They seemed like extremely nice people, and perhaps found the others too competitive, loud and abrasive.

Watching2
Member

07-07-2001

Thursday, March 12, 2009 - 1:44 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Watching2 a private message Print Post    
Yep, that was why they quit. At first with the intro, I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but then when they got to the setting up their restaurant, cooking and serving, I really enjoyed it!

Tntitanfan
Member

08-03-2001

Thursday, March 12, 2009 - 4:47 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tntitanfan a private message Print Post    
I am sorry I missed the beginning of this, but I will be sure to check it out next week as I am missing Top Chef!

Tntitanfan
Member

08-03-2001

Thursday, March 12, 2009 - 4:50 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tntitanfan a private message Print Post    
Marco Pierre White owns several excellent restaurants in London. Perhaps he is not as well known outside the UK as other chefs -

Daydreamer
Member

05-30-2008

Thursday, March 12, 2009 - 7:40 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Daydreamer a private message Print Post    
Marco Pierre White is a famous chef in Europe; he has (or had), a three-starred Michelin restaurant (extremely hard to get).

He also mentored both Mario Batali and Gordon Ramsey when they started out -- they both cooked in his kitchen.

This appears to be the Americanized version of a BBC show which is in its second season on BBC-America right now, called "Last Restaurant Standing" (whose host is a French chef, Raymonde Blanc -- go figure).

The difference between this show and LRS is that unlike this show, in which four teams each compete against each other by running two different restaurants, in LRS they gave each of the chef/front-of-house couples their own restaurant to run, some of which were in London and some of which were near it (i.e., a restaurant in Oxford, etc.)

I guess the price of restaurant real estate in New York City was too prohibitve for them to do that here.

Jodie75
Member

08-26-2004

Thursday, March 12, 2009 - 1:18 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jodie75 a private message Print Post    
It actually seems to be based more on the UK's "The Restaurant". with a different format. In TR, there were I think 10 couples who were each given a restaurant space of their own. They competed against each other and each episode one restaurant was closed.

Anyway, I have to say I prefer Marco a thousand times more than Ramsay. In Ramsay's own words, "I've HAD enOUGH!" of him.

oops, Daydreamer, I just read through your post. I'm guessing what you're talking about is the same thing as what I saw, with Raymond Blanc...but it's a new season and they changed the title (to Last Restaurant Standing).

Vacanick
Member

07-12-2004

Thursday, March 12, 2009 - 3:25 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vacanick a private message Print Post    
I liked it last night also. I'll keep watching.

Vacanick
Member

07-12-2004

Thursday, March 12, 2009 - 3:28 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vacanick a private message Print Post    
Even though I think he's kinda scary ...

a

Tntitanfan
Member

08-03-2001

Thursday, March 12, 2009 - 3:33 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tntitanfan a private message Print Post    
Vaca - who's in the pic?

Vacanick
Member

07-12-2004

Thursday, March 12, 2009 - 3:34 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vacanick a private message Print Post    
That's Chef Marco Pierre White.

Jodie75
Member

08-26-2004

Thursday, March 12, 2009 - 4:42 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jodie75 a private message Print Post    
I like his laid-back yet forthright approach. No undignified yelling and screaming.

Mamabatsy
Member

08-05-2005

Thursday, March 12, 2009 - 5:50 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mamabatsy a private message Print Post    
I thought he was on drugs. He just seemed disconnected somehow. I like the show, but there's something about him that doesn't click with me.

Rslover
Member

11-19-2002

Thursday, March 12, 2009 - 7:00 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Rslover a private message Print Post    
I like the show too. Nice change from the screaming, cursing and the smoking circle. I was surprised at the cousins who quit. As if working in a family owned Chinese restaurant doesn't have drama. Interesting that Marco will never cook. Next week the critic is Vogue's Jeffrey Steingarten.

Vacanick
Member

07-12-2004

Thursday, March 12, 2009 - 7:42 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Vacanick a private message Print Post    
lol @ Mambastsy ... drugs huh? I think he just has a very dry, very direct personality. I do agree that it is a nice change from the screaming and cursing.

Seabreeze
Member

09-05-2004

Friday, March 13, 2009 - 7:26 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seabreeze a private message Print Post    
I just wish that Marco and the other long hair person, red team head chef's ex who is a server, would put up their long hair while they are around the food.

Jodie75
Member

08-26-2004

Friday, March 13, 2009 - 10:54 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jodie75 a private message Print Post    
One thing that's always bothered me more than hair in both The Restaurant and Hell's Kitchen, (and now maybe this show), is the contestants smoking.

I just hate seeing smokers going out every half hour to smoke and then coming back in to get their hands in food. Even if they washed their hands, it still makes me queasy. I also can't help but wonder how their taste buds can properly work as a chef tasting their own food to make sure it's immaculate.

Jasper
Moderator

09-14-2000

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 - 1:13 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jasper a private message Print Post    
I only had one thought about this, tedious. I hated how it constantly flipped to the Chef and his little tidbits of wisdom. It seemed far more of the hour was spent focused on Marco versus the couples. It seems to be based on the British show The Restaurant. If you see it on BBC give that a go. (Jodie I totally hear you on the smoking thing)

Tntitanfan
Member

08-03-2001

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 - 1:30 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tntitanfan a private message Print Post    
I will be seeing this for the first time tonight, so look for me to be back to comment!

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 - 1:58 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
I just wish that Marco and the other long hair person, red team head chef's ex who is a server, would put up their long hair while they are around the food.

Good idea. When I was eating a salad at a local restaurant, found a hair on the plate at the bottom. TG I saw it before it got in my mouth.

sick

Tntitanfan
Member

08-03-2001

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 - 5:14 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tntitanfan a private message Print Post    
Well, I kind of liked this show - but let me tell you that it is HARD to find a cooking show I don't enjoy!

Jeffrey S. is well known to me from Iron Chef, and I really enjoy his comments there and on this show.

Reader234
Member

08-13-2000

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 - 6:20 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Reader234 a private message Print Post    
I too enjoyed Jeffrey and the show was better than most things on - but... ITA with Jasper - so much going back to his "tidbits"

Ladytex
Member

09-27-2001

Friday, March 27, 2009 - 9:06 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ladytex a private message Print Post    
That was quick: Chopping Block Canx

NBC has cut Chopping Block from its schedule after three episodes due to low ratings, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The cooking reality competition series, headlined by chef Marco Pierre White, opened to an anemic 3.8 million viewers on March 11, and the news just got worse from there. This week's episode plunged to a mere 2.6 million.

Block's vacated Wednesday 9 pm slot will be filled by Law & Order: Criminal Intent repeats starting next week.

Block's remaining episodes will be burned off at some point, a source told the trade.