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Post by okonomiyagi on Apr 17, 2017 23:20:23 GMT -5
Now that the first episode has come and gone, what did everyone think of the new format?
Pros:
[/font][li] Alton as Chairman was a smart move, and he's a different flavor of Chairman than any other we've had so far. And I like him. Liked that they came up with a silly reason for Chairman Mark to step down, even if it didn't really amount to much.[/li][li] The format of the first episode is slightly reminiscent of the earliest Japanese episodes, with the preliminary battles.[/li][li] It's clear they've picked some extremely talented challengers.[/li]
[/ul] Cons:
- The whole show feels like a giant clone of Top Chef--a shame to see our beloved pioneer culinary competition stoop so low, to feel like just another one of them. Iron Chef stood above everyone else because it had spectacle, it had drama, and it knew when not to take itself too seriously. This...doesn't.
- The titular "Gauntlet" was totally lost on me. What part of this show is a gauntlet and not some other generic competition show, I don't quite yet know...because it wasn't really communicated very well, if at all.
- The show feels too much "all business" like most culinary competitions these days.
- That whole "Legend of Iron Chef" thing they had in the hour preceding the Gauntlet totally disrespected the history of the show. (Plus if you're going to talk about the greatest wins in the history of the show, and you give the #1 slot all of about 20 seconds...c'mon.)
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Post by herringchoker on Apr 18, 2017 12:30:34 GMT -5
Didn't watch, don't intend to. To me, most remakes/updates can't/don't live up to the original, so I just don't bother setting myself up for disappointment.
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Post by Man Alive! on Apr 21, 2017 17:14:01 GMT -5
I also approve of Alton as the new Chairman. That was a smart move. I do enjoy that they're still carrying on the in-show continuity and treating Kaga and Mark as relatives - it maintains the link between ICA and the original series, even after ICJ hasn't been on the air in years.
I agree that the "Gauntlet" rules were never communicated clearly. From what I understand, the contestant who beats all of the other competitors must then beat three Iron Chefs in order to actually become one. The odds against that happening are high, to say the least.
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Post by tetsujin070561 on Apr 22, 2017 13:29:09 GMT -5
Finally got around to viewing this last night. The concept of this series is, frankly, terrible, or at the very least, microwaved-over fare. The first half of the show is literally a hybrid of Chopped and The Next Iron Chef, and the decision to employ a single judge, Alton Brown, is a huge mistake, IMHO. Don't much care for the cheesiness of the first "battle" winner choosing the opponent of that battle's losing chef. I also was disappointed in a 30-minute limit, as even 60 minutes isn't much time to prepare a proper gourmet dish.
The best part of this show is the second battle, which might have been somewhat interesting if not for the hyperactive camera work and rushed "analysis" by AB. No culinary techniques are displayed in full as a result, and even AB isn't allowed an opportunity to explicate and educate during live cooking, his strongest points as a host/analyst. It also suffers a bit from the "canned" nature that permeated the original ICA series, where all dishes prepared were obviously practiced again and again well before filming. In the original Japanese series, while there were a very few battles in which the chefs were given three or four possible themes to prepare for, almost all the battles featured five possible suggested theme ingredients, leading to a possible 25 dishes to prepare for. In ICA, only TWO suggested themes were provided.
I find it hard to evaluate any of the chefs who did not participate in the second battle, as we saw literally none of the cooking on an individual basis. Perhaps that will be less of an issue ongoing as participants are eliminated, week-by-week. None of the dishes prepared in the first battle were impressive in a creative sense, and I'd have to say the same of those created in the second battle.
Not much to learn about anything from viewing this program, unfortunately. It's not geared toward educating anyone about haute cuisine, and I find that quite disappointing. Maybe I've been spoiled by recently viewing seven consecutive seasons of The Great British Bake Off, which brilliantly balances education and entertainment throughout each episode...
Geoffrey Zakarian is a very fine chef, no doubt, but will someone please pull the stick out of his arse? With any luck, we won't be further burdened with any more judging appearances from him...I'd happily settle for old friend Jeffrey Steingarten and Donatella Arpaia on a weekly basis.
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Post by tetsujin070561 on May 12, 2017 1:56:20 GMT -5
I've continued to view this program and my opinions haven't changed one whit. The second battle sometimes has items of interest, but overall, this program doesn't feel much at all like Iron Chef to me. Maybe others have different reviews to make?
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Post by Man Alive! on May 14, 2017 3:49:21 GMT -5
The series is filling the Iron Chef void in my life that the last few years have brought about. It's entertaining and more or less in the spirit of ICA. That being said, actual battles in Kitchen Stadium are far more enjoyable and I hope that's what all of this ultimately leads to.
Perhaps more significantly, though, is that watching Gauntlet has inspired me to revisit ICJ after a long time away. My appreciation for the original show only grows as the years go by.
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Post by okonomiyagi on May 23, 2017 15:13:38 GMT -5
The final seems to go against the entire spirit of the whole series. Three battles against each of the Iron Chefs, yes, but c'mon, the final decision was based on aggregate score? I thought the whole point of the "Gauntlet" was that you had to win every time.
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Post by Man Alive! on May 27, 2017 0:46:19 GMT -5
I agree, the rules of the Gauntlet were a bit misleading. All things considered, the format of the show in general was a bit flawed. Entertaining, but flawed. That being said, we still ended up with a very talented chef as the newest Iron Chef. Congratulations, Iron Chef Izard!
Now let's see if the appointing of a new Iron Chef prompts the production of new ICA episodes. If not, this entire exercise may have been for nothing.
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Post by tetsujin070561 on May 29, 2017 18:31:01 GMT -5
Viewed the Final last evening, and it was really disappointing. Chef Izard was graded on a severe curve, as she made fundamental mistakes all the way through. I was stunned to see a pro chef pouring a scalding hot crème anglaise directly into the ol' Carpigiani machine. As an avid homemade ice cream maker, that was stunning, as it was a waste of time (had to run it through a second time) and the final product looked mushy, like the texture of whipped cream left out too long. Also, in the tilefish affair, those noodles may have tasted good, but the dish looked as though some large clotted worms blundered into the soup bowl and drowned...
The structure of the competition was bizarro, to say the least, and one dish per chef seemed a bit sparse to me, especially with 45 minutes to work with. No offense to Chef Izard, but how many times can you successfully transform Asian street/stall food into haute cuisine? Based on what we saw during these six episodes, she is not at the same level as ICA's Symon, Cora and Garces. Then again, does it even matter, given that there is NO "Iron Chef" program in existence?
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Post by ironnut77 on Jun 5, 2017 20:25:46 GMT -5
I see the new Iron Chef America program has sparked some discussion here - so it has THAT going for it, if nothing else.
For myself, I briefly saw a preview of the show, but have otherwise stayed far away. I have long since grown bored of Iron Chef America, and had absolutely zero desire to tune into this latest incarnation. It just isn't the same. I could touch on the aspects of American arrogance and showcasing (yes, I am an American)...but I won't go too far south...
I echo Man Alive's statement above. My appreciation for the original Iron Chef program only grows each year.
To Tetsujin, Keith, and anyone else keeping that show alive via distribution of episodes - thank you...and may the hair on your feet never fall out!
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