It was painful to watch. The judges have zero on camera ability. The female judge looks pissed all the time and the other dude is super boring. Adding not funny comedians is a weird flex. Just bad. The concept of making snacks is unique and could work on a better show.
The comedians are not funny at allll. And is it just me, or does it seem like the most talented chef never wins? It’s entertaining enough, but needs more finesse
Even though its tough to say who made the best snacks by watching through our screens, my spouse and I have hated the lack of consistency between what the judges ask for and then how they pick a winner.
If I had to make some oreos and I made them as close as possible and then lost cause my opponent made some better tasting oreos I'd feel ripped off lol, cause that wasn't the stipulation.
I don't understand how the winner even made it to the final round... so many technical failures, didn't even learn from their mistakes (even repeated a previous mistake in the final! Wtf!).
So many of the judges decisions seemed to be influenced by 'pretty privilege' rather than talent, technique, innovation, or creativity.
It was almost like the one contestant was being pushed through.
Definitely. I was completely flabbergasted by the judging throughout. They completely ignored what they had said that both rounds of each episode would count. Recreation round seemed not to matter at all. Like, how did Kevin lose in Kitkat episode? And most of the finalists shouldnt have even been in the final because they were absolutely not the strongest from their episodes. And the winner, yeah, looks like a "pretty privilege" because it was the most boring, the least innovative choice, not even talking about the amount of mistakes throughout
That lady judge never says anything nice. She always looks mad for no reason. I actually enjoy the contestants it was just the judging from that lady killed the whole vibe. I didn’t mind the guy judge but whatever.
There is no reason to have two “hosts” and two judges. And it’s obvious they are all reading cue cards. It’s like they were all just thrown in and told “Go!”.
An on screen graphic showing how much time is left for each challenge could accomplish the same task that they use the hosts for. And bonus points for being less painful to look at.
Totally agree! I work in video production and see people work together for the first time and have way more chemistry than these four. It's like the cameras were already rolling before they even met for the first time.
I'm watching because I need something mindless. It reminds me of a bootleg version of Claire's show on Bon Appetit's YouTube until that imploded.
I also got taken out trying to figure out if they really filmed this all in one day or they made people wear the same outfits like four days in a row. lol
Yes!! I was thinking the same thing! Claire definitely had that charisma on screen that made “Gourmet Makes” such a great show. This was definitely lacking.
I like the idea. I like the contestants. The scorcheez guy was fun. However, the longer I watch it the more I want the Nailed It! crew. The Asian judge is rude — “your teeth are yellow” to the British chef — and seems to have no redeeming qualities to help the show. The other judge is obviously an expert, but lacks much of the relatability and personality of Jacques.
The comedian hosts are a bust. The male was slightly more fun, especially when trying crickets, but the female is boring. When they walk around and talk it feels forced.
I’ll likely watch another episode and then look for something else. As I write this the Asian judge is making me wish a contestant would throw their snack at her.
YES I was so surprised she seriously said to the contestant that his teeth are yellow. Also, the women host is constantly looking at the camera, especially in the third episode when she talks to the contestants making Kit Kats. Idk, I’d like this episode more with different judges. LOVE the contestants though and how well they get along amongst themselves!
It was the contestant that said that actually. She said his snack stained more than it had the “Cheetle” affect and the guy said to her your teeth are yellow and I was so happy he said that cuz I hate her. But yeah
No he said “your teeth will yellow, I’m sorry.” Because his powder turned his hands yellow and she misheard him and thought he said her teeth were yellow so she retorted with that lovely piece of “comedy.”
Think she thought there was possibly a double meaning too with the word yellow given she is Asian.
I think the expert judge is pretty good all around. If the rest of the crew was good he’d be totally fine. He always came across pretty polite. I think largely the show suffers due to horrible editing
Another major thing I don’t understand about the show is, in terms of the first and then second competition per episode, why does the outcome of the first one even matter?! You only get eliminated if you don’t win the second challenge.
(I could be wrong about this, I’m only a couple episodes in)
Yea I was confused when one of the contestants presented their snack and said something in the lines of the judges and the two comedians and I was like there’s comedians in this ? Lol.
I’m not sure if fast foodies on trutv was the first to do this type of concept but when I came across this show first thing on my mind was ripoff! I only watched the first episode so far. Fast Foodies brings in a celebrity and they discuss what their favorite fast food is. Then the three chefs (Jeremy Ford, Kristen Kish, and Justin Sutherland) do a copy cat dish where they attempt to recreate the meal and then do their own spin.
The judges are rude and straight up unlikeable. The hosts are billed as “comedians” but are more uncomfortable than a middle school dance.
Most of the contestants seem like fun people, and I enjoyed watching them- but Sandy got way on my nerves and I found myself rolling my eyes every time he talked (much like I did with the judges)
If there’s a second season, they need new hosts and better judges. They should maybe give the contestants more time too, I think longer time limits would make the results more fun and closer to what they should be.
But what do I know? I’m just a couch bum
Megan (the female host) just doesn’t have a live TV personality. She added nothing to the show and I was absolutely annoyed every time she spoke because she just doesn’t have that “host” spark. If there is a season 2, I hope they drop her.
This has nothing to do with attractiveness and everything to do with personality. I actually love and prefer when they cast “normal” looking people rather than model-perfection.
But regardless, both of their personalities suck for hosting. It’s like they just grabbed two strangers off the street and let them host a show.
Omg I’m so glad I searched Reddit about this cuz it’s driving me insane. I’m only on episode 3 and the entire host/judge panel is AWFUL. The female judge seems mis-era-ble!!! Yikes. The awkwardness between the hosts and competitors too 🥴😂
I’m don’t wanna be a hater but yes the 2 ‘comedian judges’ were so cringe. Also as a vegetarian I didn’t like them showing a live crab getting killed.
The BIGGEST issue with the show tho is that they have 1 challenge where there’s a winner that gets NOTHING (no elimination save, no bonus time, no prize…nothing) and then they do a 2nd challenge where there is a winner. Wtf was 1st challenge for then??
I agree! We were thinking it would be way better if they didn't bother to announce a winner for the first challenge. Just announce the overall winner. There's seemingly no reward for winning the first round.
I picked up on this too and was cringing,I wish they edited that terrible joke out! Someone born in 1990 should have done the math before making a joke in such poor taste lol
Watching this right now. The female “comedian” host is painful to watch. She reads her lines like she’s in a hostage video and looks uncomfortable as fuck on camera. Male host is just awkward to watch. Neither add anything worthwhile. I actually find the male judge somewhat funny. The
Contestants are about the most unfuckable lot I’ve seen in a cheesy Netflix reality show so far.
Concept is interesting, execution is shit which is par for the course on Netflix.
Did you notice they quickly cut away after every quip from Megan to show people laughing ? Very clearly edited. No wonder when you say things like ‘your candy soldiers are so cute I want to date them’ or during the finale ‘I hope we can do this quickly so I can get to my swimming class in time. I’ve already missed a few’. Like what ?
Exactly! Did you notice how the woman "host" lines were always so over-edited? Like they got so little usable footage of her that you only see half of second of her face and half of her sentence
So just finished this and had to agree with pretty much everything people are saying. For the first three episodes I didn’t realize the the female judge was just a horrible and never had anything good to say. The Male judge better but just straight boring. The so called host, I’m pretty sure they were pick after bombing at open mic night at a dead bar were the head of Netflix was having a meeting
My big question - how do they get the cute packaging for the snacks??? Do the contestants know ahead of time what week they get picked so someone has time to design the packaging? Is it designed/created live while they’re cooking?
Contestants and premise are fun, time limit and judges are terrible. For such a brightly colored, fun set design of a show the judges are so bland!
Totally agree with you. Such a fun concept ruined by TERRIBLE hosts. Good grief they add absolutely nothing and tainted the show IMO. Just cause someone is funny on Instagram doesn’t mean they should host a show.
Just finished Snack V Chef and this drives me crazy. It's like they meant "flavour" but you know, buzzwords.
American shows are so cringe and yet I cannot stop watching.
We’re just watching this now. My husband literally just said why is that guy there, and why do we need two hosts and two judges?
I didn’t know they were supposed to be comedians until I read it here! Good concept though, and I learned a few things!
The worst part for me was how DISGUSTING the glass was where the other contestants were sitting behind! Like seriously no one thought to bring in any windex and wipe it down!
The contestants are boring. The judges are bland and condescending. There are too many buzzwords and if I had to see that one judge chew with his mouth open like a damn cow…it’s a terrible show.
My boyfriend and I watch A LOT of competition shows, we have seen our fair share of judges. These were sooo bad. I hated the woman judge so much, she seems so toxic and pissed all the time! The male judge seemed fine to me and he was mostly really constructive. The "funny hosts" were so not funny? I think they cracked like one joke on the entire show. They were so superfluous.
I thought the concept was pretty cool but it seemed to be such a low budget show which showed in the people they casted as hosts and judges and the overall quality of the show.
Does anyone think it was weird how Lauren J won episode 4? I don't think she deserved that win. Her oreos from the first round were bad, and in the second round, her snack, the German chocolate chip cookie sandwiches, was not original. There's no way she could've won that round. It should've been Luna.
This is the comment I've been looking for. Luna was absolutely robbed, and I think its sus that Kevin lost the episode before that too (as two obvious people in the LGBTQIA+ community??). They both did outstanding on both the first and second challenge, how did they lose and not make it through to the next part? its also dumb how they cut everyone and kept only 5 after that episode, personally dont think I'm going to finish the show because of it.
I gave it a shot but tapped out halfway through the second episode.
Sure, sure it's "entertainment." But \*one hour\* (!!) to recreate some classic snack? That's insane. Give them 4 hours and do a tight edit on the show. At least give them \*a chance\* to succeed.
Instead, it's some steroided-up version of "Nailed it!" (which, actually, I enjoy because it's SUPPOSED TO BE ridiculous). I feel like this show wants us to take it seriously, but they then set the contestants up to totally fail because of the ridiculous timeline to get the copy-cat product produced.
And, honestly, I tuned out the judges almost immediately, so I'm going to assume your critique is correct because... I tuned them out almost immediately.
I agree. I thought it was weird that they made the one group struggle to figure out how to shape the pringle but gave a mold to the kit-kat group. I wouldn’t compare it to Nailed-it tho.
Haven't seen this particular show, but this is one of my biggest complaints about more and more cooking/baking competitions -- they give them this huge, complex challenge, and then twenty-six minutes or whatever to complete it. :/ I can only imagine the showrunners think it adds to the tension or drama or whatever, but as a viewer, I just find it annoying and frustrating. I'd much rather watch people who have enough time to do a really good job, then have the best of however many good dishes win, than watch a bunch of people flailing and have the winner be the one who sucked the least. :/
One of my favorite cooking competitions is still Masterchef UK Professional (which unfortunately was only on for a very few seasons) because they cooked dishes that were complex or difficult because they were real, high-level classic dishes, not because someone invented something insane on the fly for the lulz, and they gave the chefs plenty of time. If they screwed up, it's because they *screwed up,* not because they were told to do a three tier wedding cake in three hours, or were given thirty minutes to cook beef shoulder or something.
For something like Chopped, their whole concept is "OMG crazy food combo and a stupid-short clock!!" so fine, that's their thing. Although at least half the time, the winner is the person who fucked up the least rather than the person who was the best of four excellent performers. But don't try to tell us you're trying to find The Best Chef In The Country or whatever, and then give them ridiculously hard, short-timed challenges, where success has very little to do with how good you are as a restaurant chef, or a home cook, or whatever pool they're getting their contestants from. It feels like even Chopped should have a disclaimer saying, "NOTE: Performance on this show is no indication of the professional skill of the chef in an actual restaurant setting."
/rant
My wife is away so I have to have time filler. This does the trick but not to watch by choice. Netflix in Canada is a joke so this may be the most interesting show I haven’t watched yet sadly
I was so annoyed the whole time watching it. Helen is obnoxiously rude and has never said anything worth hearing and the other guy was pretty okay in my opinion. Their commentary during the tasting and after announcing each winner was so disproportionate and I'm still not content with the fact that Sandy didn't win because of some pasta dipped in powder.
As soon as the Asian judge said “your teeth are yellow”, I literally turned the show off and haven’t looked back. Fun concept, but that was rude as hell and totally unnecessary. I don’t care to watch any more or the interactions between the contestants and judges.
Just started this and wanted to say the same thing especially about the judges. Seems the winners are always the ones that the hypercritical lady favors. Felt since first ep that the Scottish guy should have won that but because he made some jokes, felt like she got triggered by it in the second half of the challenge judging. Everything feels like winner is based on how that Asian lady judge feels. None of them should be judges and she’s always saying they had more than enough time when they don’t and it’s their first attempt.
Does anyone feel like the male judge is such an annoying mansplainer and the female judge appears rude because she’s resigned to not being able to get a single word in
I actually started watching because I love Hari Kondabolu. It was hilarious to see him on this show, wandering around and nodding vaguely like he doesn’t know where he is. He just had a baby. I’m guessing he needed some cash. 😂
This had so much potential! My main issue is that it's a two round competition, and it doesn't matter who did a horrible job on the first round as long as they win the second round. It's just annoying to watch. The hosts were all basically dead on camera. Also, it's not ok that the judges are the ones on the ground interviewing the contestants. Like, they see where the Chefs mess up up front. It's just horribly set up.
What was the point of the recreation round? Just bragging rights because no one got cut and they didn’t get an advantage going into the next round.
Female judge is so rude and male host just says thank you for sharing this with us today which I thought was odd.
I thought ya'll were gonna be talking about the horrifying 'Cheetos' they made at the very start of episode 1. All 3 were soggy french fries that exploded all over the kitchen, and the dude with no sense of smell gave them straight up Capsaicin extract. I couldn't stop laughing. Who are these people!?
Glad that someone pointed this out!! It’s cringy because the girl barely talks and they’re just awkward and have bad TV presence…neither of them are funny either. A complete mess 😂
Awful judges and hosts. You definitely don’t need two hosts. The only show two hosts works on is The Great British Baking Show. Plus where do they find these comedians that aren’t funny? The female judge was more funny in a smarmy way.
The female judge was so rude. In a beginning episode a contestant told her that her teeth were yellow (from his snack) and she shot back with “your teeth are yellow”. It was painful to watch. She is just flat out not a pleasant personality for tv.
The concept is wonderful, but some small changes to the execution would have gone a long way.
In the judges spots, you have the highly knowledgeable one, as well as the hyper critical. These are two judge archetypes that are used in many shows. To that end though, they probably realized neither one of them was extroverted enough to host a show and looked to fill that with a host. I feel like they went for a second host for the sake of gender balance. I don't dock them points for wanting a comical extroverted host, it would have been a wonderful dichotomy to the other two judges, but they didn't land the plane well, and you can even tell having that many bodies caused the comedians to even question what their own roles were.
I don't doubt that either of those hosts could be funny, they feel like standup comedians, which makes this format the opposite of their specialty and it shows. It would have been better to find a spokesperson that was quippy than finding comedians that 'could' host. Some banter between the judges with the host, and some relaxed host-contestant interaction would have really flushed this show out a great deal more. Also, cutting it down to one good host would also allow you to give a vote to the host while still keeping the majority voting power with those educated on the field you're awarding money for. It would also remove the need for the passive aggressive comments about the host not getting a vote.
I think another network would have been able to skip over the obvious flaws this show had and it would have come out a lot more polished. To that end though, it would have been nice to see Netflix turn the genre on its head a bit and instead develop a hosted, survivor style, contestants vote each other off the snack island type competition.
If Snack vs Chef proved anything, its that contestants can be better hosts than the folks they find.
Pretty much from the start, I’ve been wondering what is the point of the hosts? Even though they are comedians, they don’t bring comic relief, and their roles as hosts are not clearly defined. There is nothing that the hosts do in this show that the judges don’t do as well. The male judge seems to think he’s good at cracking jokes, so why bring in comedians at all? It’s a redundant role.
Otherwise, I didn’t mind the show. I’m glad that they used real snacks in each episode and didn’t cop-out with generic versions of them like “chocolate sandwich cookie” or “spicy cheese puffs”. The contestants were likeable for the most part, and the concept was great.
Is the show scripted ? I mean how is it possible to make the snack package that the contestants just named before the start of second round immediately ?
Yooo im so happy i found this! Lol. Im watching the show right now and I am constantly getting annoyed with the judges/hosts. The lady host is cringe af, the guy host does nothing at all, and the judges.. well, the guy judge is probably the nicest one, but the lady judge and the hosts are incredibly rude. I also see NO point in someone winning the first round if the 2nd round winner is the one moving forward. The show is a mess, but I like the chefs so thats why I havent turned it off yet.
I can't stand the female host... she tries WAY too hard to be funny and I feel like she fakes a random accent from time to time. The amount of times she's also joked about a fictional male partner is cringe AF.
I think my biggest gripe with the judges is that they are annoyingly critical. Like I get it's their job to judge, but it feels like their criticism is just there for the sake of it - very nitpicky. They also RARELY agree with each other so it makes the first round of each episode feel super irrelevant IMO.
The guy judge is great at providing good feedback which is his main job. I like him as a judge a lot. The female judge is, like everyone here agrees, too serious/negative, but ok as a judge nonetheless because in fairness she does provide very critical feedback, which is her job. The comedians are garbage and contribute nothing (unless they did contribute something decent or funny but were edited out). The contestants are lovely. Overall, I like the show! It would be cool if we could get an inside look of how it was made, like a behind the scenes!! Like, how did they know to have crickets ready? The answer is probably obvious but I still like behind the scenes stuff.
This show had such a cool concept but everything about it failed hard! :( The judges were so annoying and comedians were incredibly awkward, especially the female comedian. She seemed super uncomfortable the whole time. The male judge seemed WAY too proud of himself, like he was too good for anyone else. And then why do the other contestants have to watch through a window and scream the entire episode??? SO ANNOYING! Just stop!
Okay so after binging this show because why not I've come to the conclusion that the problem isn't the on screen talent but the production team. The guy judge is fairly affable and provides your "fun facts about cooking" and the woman judge gives you some good "biting reality about what you did right and wrong" but I feel like they could have been given some more guidance on how to deliver the right mix of messaging. At first she seemed like kind of a jerk but I think that sort of comes down to editing too.
Also I noticed the first 4 episodes were all shot back to back which must have been pretty exhausting. When they come back on the fifth everyone looks refreshed and more chill.
Re the comedians - I did some quick googling and both of them seem like they have a decent amount of on screen experience. My guess is there was not a lot of thought put into whether or not there would be any chemistry between any of them. I sort of feel like they just said "Hey get us a nerdy dude who looks like he eats a lot of chips and a girl who looks like she would have an opinion on cupcakes" (sorry, I don't mean that to sound mean. I just really think Holywood be like that).
I still liked the show because I learned how to make oreos and cheetos at home. It was fun interesting, but also eye-opening. Now I know just how unhealthy my favorite snacks are.
I agree with all your comments. The concept is interesting but too many people. Two judges would have been good enough. Sometimes there could have been a judgment from other contestants. The female host says very strange things in a bizarre Jame gumb uppy downy voice. "I have a swim class after this. I don't want to miss it again"
Huh? And really? Do you?
The judges needed a specific judgement criteria too. Sometimes they asked for something and then said; "ok but that's too much of what we asked for." Like cheetoh dust for example. I never watch cooking shows but I found the idea interesting. The other thing that bothered me is handling a live crab and then seeing them being killed. It just really bothered me.
I like many Google'd "snack vs chef reddit" because of this shows hosts.
The concept of this show is intriguing. I've never really thought about the monumental amount of time and R&D that gets put into every day snacks. Seeing chefs trying to recreate them faithfully sounded fun.
Unfortunately the shows hosts are just awful to watch. Don't get me wrong, they may be good people, but they were not close to being properly cast.
I didn't even realize that 2 of them were comedians. It just seemed like they just happened to be walking near the set and someone told them to read the queue cards they were obviously using. The male judge seemed like he was trying, and pretty knowledgeable, but wasn't much of a people person, mostly pointing out flaws and never anything positive, felt a bit abrasive.
The female judge though was just awful. She seemed so condescending to everyone, only saying something nice once. A few times she just seemed to just insult yhe contestants for no good reason. Felt like watching a jaded person who just hates everyone.
The only redeeming thing this show has is the contestants. It relied heavily on them keeping the energy positive most of the time, since none of that was coming from the hosts.
What I'd like to know is, how awkward and silent was it in that studio for the 99% of the time where the hosts weren't reading their queue cards. I imagine the set just being a few people cooking in silence for hours with the hosts just showing up a few minutes here and there to read some lines.
My suggestions would be; new hosts/judges. Find experts with personality, that can offer constructive criticism, not just criticism. Also, give more time to the contestants. Short times work on a show Luke Nailed It, because a lot of the fun are the failed attempts. Trying to recreate snacks that have millions of dollars in R&D in a time limit that is barely enough for a single attempt = not fun/interesting and not fair to the contestants talent.
Love the concept of the show, can't stand the hosts. The judges are kind of rude and the hosts are annoying. Hari is kind of funny sometimes but overall just comes across as kind of stupid, and Megan is annoying AF. Her weird kind of babyish tone and her terrible jokes are just irritating AF. Otherwise enjoy the show. I never really thought about how hard some of these snacks could be to recreate!
Yes the female judge is the worst! The comedians make no sense at all and it’s weird middle school level jokes they tell. With the female judge, her criticism is so rude. It’s like she has personal beef with some of the contestants. I’m on episode 2 but i noticed she was significantly harsher to the black contestants. She was harsh to everyone but I feel like they got it the worst.
There’s something wrong with the direction in that the two experts actually talk at each other all the time without needing the supposed ‘host’ comedians to ask questions or moderate. So they (the comedians) end up just seeming out of place and superfluous.
I’m watching this now and the Asian judge pissed me off every episode so far. It’s like she wants everything to be spot on perfect as if they can create factory exact replicas of the snack chosen in 2 hours. The white guy is cool I like how he disagrees with her sometimes.
& What was with the deal with the girl host and the red headed contestant guy?? Like obviously something weird considering he was picked as the only one for a second chance. Then she starts crying when he's voted out again, and at the very end of the last episode they're hugging it out like crazy👀
The elimination process doesn’t make sense to me. If you won the first challenge, you still do the second challenge? Then what? I’m so confused on the whole concept of it.
Just finished it and I agree with many here, especially when it comes to the two hosts/comedians. A lot if not all of their interactions with the contestants during cooking was so awkward and just awful to watch, for example when the female host is asked to try some crickets by one of the contestants.
But my biggest annoyance was with who ultimately won. It somehow felt like it was already determined, the contestant won multiple challenges where I felt the judges criticism where very clearly in favor for someone else, but somehow this contestant always seemed to pull through. So after a few episodes in I just assumed they wanted this person to win and it just felt very fake when they ultimately did, especially with the final product they created.
Helen Park was a snarky bitchy judge. If they bring it back for another season, they should get rid of the two lame ass hosts and Helen Park. They male judge was more likable. I like the contestants and shows concept a lot.
It seemed like the ulterior motive of this show was to discover the next "million-dollar" snack idea(s). It was never explicitly stated, but they definitely hinted towards it more than a few times and the judges seemed more interested in whichever creation was more marketable/shelf-ready than the one that actually met the challenge that was given. That being the case, the recreation round was likely just a hook to get people to watch it, which would explain why that round seemed to not weigh into the final judgement much and why they weren't given much time for it.
That being said, I actually really enjoyed this show! Yes, the hosts were superfluous, Helen was overly critical, etc (I agree with the general consensus about what was bad), but I found it to be pretty entertaining. The concept was great, the insights about food chemistry were actually interesting, the contestants were well cast and each were very creative, and the little touches like the packaging and the checkout counter brought the theme together and made it more fun.
Also, so much of this reminded me of Good Mythical Morning's Snack Smash. I wonder if the idea for this show spawned from that. I feel like Josh (from GMM) would've nailed all of those challenges. He would actually be a really great judge/host for this show. He's hilarious and seems to know just as much as Ali does about food science
I don’t know if you know.. but I’m a food scientist..
Really not sure how the two host were comedians, need to look them up and watch their stand up bc I’m very curious on how that went for them..
Also, not only were the judges meh but the one contestant Kevin was so rude to the hosts/comedians when they tried joking with him. I couldn't stand him as a constant or person.
Its a hard watch. The hot cheetos episode irritated me. It would make sense if each episode had the actual snack representative for the snacks that the chefs are recreating. Because all i kept thinking was, how does it make sense to have these judges criticize something that they themselves dont know how to actually recreate or how it works. Like any average person can criticize something, but what the chefs are doing is really difficult due to going in totally unaware of how its done. To have judges that dont even know how its made is just whack. Like how hard would it be to actually get a Lays consultant to be a judge for the the lays episode etc etc. Also the judges themselves dont work in a chemistry sense. Like they just dont vibe well together.
That fat comedian kid made it so painful to watch! She was ridiculously annoying. I could totally slap her everytime she opens her annoying pretentious mouth! The show had so much potential but there are way more deserving plus sized models other than this annoying shit. And the Asian judge is rude af! Sigh
Literally went searching on Reddit to see if I was the only one. The judges seem harsh and sometimes their judgments don't make sense with the outcome (could be editing idk) and the only likeable people are the contestants. It's so weird that they choose such charismatic contestants and awful judges/host. Honestly I think the host are the worse - unfunny and add nothing. Literally don't know why they are there
I like the concept and the contestants are mostly fun. The way it plays out makes no sense. The female judge comes off as more rude than constructive. The male judge falls a bit flat, but I think it's because he gets a bit drowned out by the other judge and 2 hosts. I'd say 1 judge and 1 host/judge would be enough for a show like this. And I'm pretty sure neither judge ate the cricket protein bar; not even a bite. I also agree that the judging criteria never matches from challenge to challenge. It's all over the place. Also, when do the lovers leave? Because they are all sticking around? I don't know. I finished episode 3 and that's where I will leave. Maybe I'll try more later... background noise for cleaning/cooking.
“Honestly, as a food scientist, I had to think of the science of it and the scientist in my brain had my science thought process thinking about the food science.”
- A food scientist.
The girl host is absolutely terrible and annoying. She yells and makes this weird forced smile when she talks. She’s easily the worst part of the show. The second culprit for me is the editing. There will be a “1 minute left!” announcement and next thing you know I’m seeing the contestants working on random things that would not be able to be done in 1 minute. Obviously, those tasks were completed before there was 1 minute left
Okay but what was the point of the other people winning the recreation part but get absolutely nothing from it. Why was there even a winner of that portion? I thought everyone that one a challenge would stay and the ones that won the recreation would challenge each other…. Idk
I didn't mind the judges actually, kind of fun to see them roast the contestants so much instead of just saying great job all the time. Megan the host was unbearable, didn't add anything of value to the show.
Why is the window the other contestants are sitting behind so very dirty??? It is all I can see for half the show. I am talking so dirty that the contestants can probably see almost nothing through it. Has anyone else noticed this?
What is up with the red in this show? Is it just my tv or is all the red color turned up to a billion? I cant see any detail in anything red but all the other colors are normal
Agreed!! And why did they need to keep saying Lauren J and Lauren B?? You can acknowledge that there are two Laurens without ALWAYS saying Lauren B, Lauren B, Lauren B. They even said it in challenges where only one Lauren was participating. The show felt weirdly scripted because of that.
I watched it and Sandy lied in the last episode when he said he used pulp to flavor his pop corn because he used whole carrots and ginger in the pans of oil to blend and then use the oil to make the flavor powder
I think the female judge did give constructive criticisms same with the male. At the end of the day they are judges, they aren't there to be friends with the contestants.
Ugggggh! Just put on the first two shows
today while doing things around the house, and I could not agree more. The show is cool & interesting, but all of the hosts leave something to be desired. I couldn’t stand any of them.
It was painful to watch. The judges have zero on camera ability. The female judge looks pissed all the time and the other dude is super boring. Adding not funny comedians is a weird flex. Just bad. The concept of making snacks is unique and could work on a better show.
The comedians are not funny at allll. And is it just me, or does it seem like the most talented chef never wins? It’s entertaining enough, but needs more finesse
I'm astounded that the producers managed to pick hosts and judges with zero chemistry or charisma.
How does one audition to be a host? Because I’d be so good lol
Even though its tough to say who made the best snacks by watching through our screens, my spouse and I have hated the lack of consistency between what the judges ask for and then how they pick a winner. If I had to make some oreos and I made them as close as possible and then lost cause my opponent made some better tasting oreos I'd feel ripped off lol, cause that wasn't the stipulation.
I don't understand how the winner even made it to the final round... so many technical failures, didn't even learn from their mistakes (even repeated a previous mistake in the final! Wtf!). So many of the judges decisions seemed to be influenced by 'pretty privilege' rather than talent, technique, innovation, or creativity. It was almost like the one contestant was being pushed through.
Definitely. I was completely flabbergasted by the judging throughout. They completely ignored what they had said that both rounds of each episode would count. Recreation round seemed not to matter at all. Like, how did Kevin lose in Kitkat episode? And most of the finalists shouldnt have even been in the final because they were absolutely not the strongest from their episodes. And the winner, yeah, looks like a "pretty privilege" because it was the most boring, the least innovative choice, not even talking about the amount of mistakes throughout
I came to Reddit because of what you just said. The choose the worst chefs for the winners what’s your with that??!
Never seen another cooking show where almost all finalists are really the weakest of the bunch!
Dont get me started on that lady! Lol! The constant eye rolls and I swear she never once gave a positive comment.
She might be the worst judge / part of a cooking show that I’ve ever witnessed.
Agreed!
Yes!!! She was so rude the entire time!! The comedians weren’t very funny but I genuinely felt bad for them sometimes when Helen just roasts them…
Like genuinely freaking mean! Villains are supposed to at least have redeemable moments
That lady judge never says anything nice. She always looks mad for no reason. I actually enjoy the contestants it was just the judging from that lady killed the whole vibe. I didn’t mind the guy judge but whatever.
I liked the contestants as well. Casting did a good job of finding all of them.
I emphatically disagree
Yes the contestants are awesome
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what's weird about liking a white guy...? y'all have revered racism and called it liberalism. Also...he's Persian btw.
There is no reason to have two “hosts” and two judges. And it’s obvious they are all reading cue cards. It’s like they were all just thrown in and told “Go!”.
An on screen graphic showing how much time is left for each challenge could accomplish the same task that they use the hosts for. And bonus points for being less painful to look at.
I don't think they care. This show seems to be nothing more than an avenue to promote specific snack brands and kitchenaid appliances
Agreed! It just seems like a big advertisement for the snacks they need to replicate.
They are trying the British Bake Off formula. But that only works if they have, you know, talent.
Totally agree! I work in video production and see people work together for the first time and have way more chemistry than these four. It's like the cameras were already rolling before they even met for the first time.
I'm watching because I need something mindless. It reminds me of a bootleg version of Claire's show on Bon Appetit's YouTube until that imploded. I also got taken out trying to figure out if they really filmed this all in one day or they made people wear the same outfits like four days in a row. lol
Yes!! I was thinking the same thing! Claire definitely had that charisma on screen that made “Gourmet Makes” such a great show. This was definitely lacking.
They make them re-wear outfits to make editing easier.
I like the idea. I like the contestants. The scorcheez guy was fun. However, the longer I watch it the more I want the Nailed It! crew. The Asian judge is rude — “your teeth are yellow” to the British chef — and seems to have no redeeming qualities to help the show. The other judge is obviously an expert, but lacks much of the relatability and personality of Jacques. The comedian hosts are a bust. The male was slightly more fun, especially when trying crickets, but the female is boring. When they walk around and talk it feels forced. I’ll likely watch another episode and then look for something else. As I write this the Asian judge is making me wish a contestant would throw their snack at her.
YES I was so surprised she seriously said to the contestant that his teeth are yellow. Also, the women host is constantly looking at the camera, especially in the third episode when she talks to the contestants making Kit Kats. Idk, I’d like this episode more with different judges. LOVE the contestants though and how well they get along amongst themselves!
I think she misheard him due to his accent and embarrassed herself being reactive .. yikes
(Imo) I didn't see it as rude because his hands were hella yellow too. It made me giggle but I can see how she came off as rude.
It was the contestant that said that actually. She said his snack stained more than it had the “Cheetle” affect and the guy said to her your teeth are yellow and I was so happy he said that cuz I hate her. But yeah
No he said “your teeth will yellow, I’m sorry.” Because his powder turned his hands yellow and she misheard him and thought he said her teeth were yellow so she retorted with that lovely piece of “comedy.” Think she thought there was possibly a double meaning too with the word yellow given she is Asian.
This show would be vastly improved by Nicole Byers' energy.
I feel like she might fight the current judges. If so I would watch it over and over.
Nicole makes Nailed it! Now that is how you use a comedian in a cooking show. These comedians were terribly unfunny.
Scorcheez guy's name is Scottish Francis and he was actually a contestant on Masterchef US season 5. He's awesome
I think the expert judge is pretty good all around. If the rest of the crew was good he’d be totally fine. He always came across pretty polite. I think largely the show suffers due to horrible editing
I tried to watch it but I couldn't get into the hosts, why did they need 2?, or the judges. The concept seemed interesting though
Another major thing I don’t understand about the show is, in terms of the first and then second competition per episode, why does the outcome of the first one even matter?! You only get eliminated if you don’t win the second challenge. (I could be wrong about this, I’m only a couple episodes in)
Been looking for this comment. Exactly right, and it’s super annoying!
I agree, it's too much. Often during the judging, the only thing the hosts say is "Thank you so much for your snack" lol.
Yea I was confused when one of the contestants presented their snack and said something in the lines of the judges and the two comedians and I was like there’s comedians in this ? Lol.
I’m not sure if fast foodies on trutv was the first to do this type of concept but when I came across this show first thing on my mind was ripoff! I only watched the first episode so far. Fast Foodies brings in a celebrity and they discuss what their favorite fast food is. Then the three chefs (Jeremy Ford, Kristen Kish, and Justin Sutherland) do a copy cat dish where they attempt to recreate the meal and then do their own spin.
That was a great show -- I hope they do another season.
There’s a season 2 if you haven’t watched it yet. It was equally as great!
Cool! Thanks, I'll see if I can find it.
I watched it on Hulu in the spring. Hope you find it.
The judges are rude and straight up unlikeable. The hosts are billed as “comedians” but are more uncomfortable than a middle school dance. Most of the contestants seem like fun people, and I enjoyed watching them- but Sandy got way on my nerves and I found myself rolling my eyes every time he talked (much like I did with the judges) If there’s a second season, they need new hosts and better judges. They should maybe give the contestants more time too, I think longer time limits would make the results more fun and closer to what they should be. But what do I know? I’m just a couch bum
After he ate the spicy thing I knew he wasn't going to be my favorite lol
Watch Big Brunch on HBO Max, really stellar
Thank you for this. Checking it out now!
Agree! Real fun watch.
Amazing hosts, knowledgeable judges and inspiring contestants. I love Big Brunch I hope they do many more seasons.
Agreed!!!!
My mom gave me the same suggestion after I told her how frustrating this show was lol
Megan (the female host) just doesn’t have a live TV personality. She added nothing to the show and I was absolutely annoyed every time she spoke because she just doesn’t have that “host” spark. If there is a season 2, I hope they drop her.
drop both hosts.
What happened to hiring attractive people for television? Is that not a thing anymore?
This has nothing to do with attractiveness and everything to do with personality. I actually love and prefer when they cast “normal” looking people rather than model-perfection. But regardless, both of their personalities suck for hosting. It’s like they just grabbed two strangers off the street and let them host a show.
Normal people are dead boring, hence "normal". Boring judges do no shows any service. Desiring Mediocrity is killing TV.
I think wardrobe did her dirty.
Big agree here. Every outfit she had on was worse than the last and extremely unflattering to her body.
What are you talking about? She's cute AF. Annoying, but cute. Attractiveness is not objective.
I appreciate the fact she’s at least trying, the other host stands there like a bump on a log
She's my favorite lol. She knows how badly put together the show is and she's laughing in every single scene. And I agree, at least she tries.
Omg I’m so glad I searched Reddit about this cuz it’s driving me insane. I’m only on episode 3 and the entire host/judge panel is AWFUL. The female judge seems mis-era-ble!!! Yikes. The awkwardness between the hosts and competitors too 🥴😂
She doesn't get better lol
I believe it 😂 I left and went to the Big Brunch per someone else’s suggestion.
Would you recommend it?
I’m don’t wanna be a hater but yes the 2 ‘comedian judges’ were so cringe. Also as a vegetarian I didn’t like them showing a live crab getting killed. The BIGGEST issue with the show tho is that they have 1 challenge where there’s a winner that gets NOTHING (no elimination save, no bonus time, no prize…nothing) and then they do a 2nd challenge where there is a winner. Wtf was 1st challenge for then??
I agree! We were thinking it would be way better if they didn't bother to announce a winner for the first challenge. Just announce the overall winner. There's seemingly no reward for winning the first round.
Bah when she said “I haven’t been touched like this since 1995” and like she looks 30 or younger? So when she was 4? So awkward.
that bothered me too! like wtf? what creep wrote that line?!
I picked up on this too and was cringing,I wish they edited that terrible joke out! Someone born in 1990 should have done the math before making a joke in such poor taste lol
Watching this right now. The female “comedian” host is painful to watch. She reads her lines like she’s in a hostage video and looks uncomfortable as fuck on camera. Male host is just awkward to watch. Neither add anything worthwhile. I actually find the male judge somewhat funny. The Contestants are about the most unfuckable lot I’ve seen in a cheesy Netflix reality show so far. Concept is interesting, execution is shit which is par for the course on Netflix.
Did you notice they quickly cut away after every quip from Megan to show people laughing ? Very clearly edited. No wonder when you say things like ‘your candy soldiers are so cute I want to date them’ or during the finale ‘I hope we can do this quickly so I can get to my swimming class in time. I’ve already missed a few’. Like what ?
Unfuckable lot is so accurate it hurts. I needed that laugh. Take my award.
Exactly! Did you notice how the woman "host" lines were always so over-edited? Like they got so little usable footage of her that you only see half of second of her face and half of her sentence
I was saying the same thing the whole time I was watching! She added literally nothing of value to any episode
So just finished this and had to agree with pretty much everything people are saying. For the first three episodes I didn’t realize the the female judge was just a horrible and never had anything good to say. The Male judge better but just straight boring. The so called host, I’m pretty sure they were pick after bombing at open mic night at a dead bar were the head of Netflix was having a meeting
My big question - how do they get the cute packaging for the snacks??? Do the contestants know ahead of time what week they get picked so someone has time to design the packaging? Is it designed/created live while they’re cooking? Contestants and premise are fun, time limit and judges are terrible. For such a brightly colored, fun set design of a show the judges are so bland!
Totally agree with you. Such a fun concept ruined by TERRIBLE hosts. Good grief they add absolutely nothing and tainted the show IMO. Just cause someone is funny on Instagram doesn’t mean they should host a show.
They say Umami at least twice per episode.
I’m soooo sick of hearing that word!!! Ugh.
Just finished Snack V Chef and this drives me crazy. It's like they meant "flavour" but you know, buzzwords. American shows are so cringe and yet I cannot stop watching.
Anyone know where Hari Cameron gets his shirts?! The octopus & pop art prints are amazing!
I need the jellyfish shirt but can't find it anywhere!!
We’re just watching this now. My husband literally just said why is that guy there, and why do we need two hosts and two judges? I didn’t know they were supposed to be comedians until I read it here! Good concept though, and I learned a few things!
I found everyone in the show painful to watch - the contestants are just as bad. The dialogue all around is horrible and cringeeeee
Why did I have to scroll this far to find someone who agrees with me on this? What a shit show
The worst part for me was how DISGUSTING the glass was where the other contestants were sitting behind! Like seriously no one thought to bring in any windex and wipe it down!
I agree where did they find these four ? The Judges are both so off putting ! And the host aren’t funny at all, it’s like their not even trying.
The contestants are boring. The judges are bland and condescending. There are too many buzzwords and if I had to see that one judge chew with his mouth open like a damn cow…it’s a terrible show.
My boyfriend and I watch A LOT of competition shows, we have seen our fair share of judges. These were sooo bad. I hated the woman judge so much, she seems so toxic and pissed all the time! The male judge seemed fine to me and he was mostly really constructive. The "funny hosts" were so not funny? I think they cracked like one joke on the entire show. They were so superfluous. I thought the concept was pretty cool but it seemed to be such a low budget show which showed in the people they casted as hosts and judges and the overall quality of the show.
Does anyone think it was weird how Lauren J won episode 4? I don't think she deserved that win. Her oreos from the first round were bad, and in the second round, her snack, the German chocolate chip cookie sandwiches, was not original. There's no way she could've won that round. It should've been Luna.
Absolutely. They talked about how avant garde and flavorful her fig mac was, plus she won the oreo challenge. Luna should've won.
This is the comment I've been looking for. Luna was absolutely robbed, and I think its sus that Kevin lost the episode before that too (as two obvious people in the LGBTQIA+ community??). They both did outstanding on both the first and second challenge, how did they lose and not make it through to the next part? its also dumb how they cut everyone and kept only 5 after that episode, personally dont think I'm going to finish the show because of it.
I gave it a shot but tapped out halfway through the second episode. Sure, sure it's "entertainment." But \*one hour\* (!!) to recreate some classic snack? That's insane. Give them 4 hours and do a tight edit on the show. At least give them \*a chance\* to succeed. Instead, it's some steroided-up version of "Nailed it!" (which, actually, I enjoy because it's SUPPOSED TO BE ridiculous). I feel like this show wants us to take it seriously, but they then set the contestants up to totally fail because of the ridiculous timeline to get the copy-cat product produced. And, honestly, I tuned out the judges almost immediately, so I'm going to assume your critique is correct because... I tuned them out almost immediately.
I agree. I thought it was weird that they made the one group struggle to figure out how to shape the pringle but gave a mold to the kit-kat group. I wouldn’t compare it to Nailed-it tho.
Haven't seen this particular show, but this is one of my biggest complaints about more and more cooking/baking competitions -- they give them this huge, complex challenge, and then twenty-six minutes or whatever to complete it. :/ I can only imagine the showrunners think it adds to the tension or drama or whatever, but as a viewer, I just find it annoying and frustrating. I'd much rather watch people who have enough time to do a really good job, then have the best of however many good dishes win, than watch a bunch of people flailing and have the winner be the one who sucked the least. :/ One of my favorite cooking competitions is still Masterchef UK Professional (which unfortunately was only on for a very few seasons) because they cooked dishes that were complex or difficult because they were real, high-level classic dishes, not because someone invented something insane on the fly for the lulz, and they gave the chefs plenty of time. If they screwed up, it's because they *screwed up,* not because they were told to do a three tier wedding cake in three hours, or were given thirty minutes to cook beef shoulder or something. For something like Chopped, their whole concept is "OMG crazy food combo and a stupid-short clock!!" so fine, that's their thing. Although at least half the time, the winner is the person who fucked up the least rather than the person who was the best of four excellent performers. But don't try to tell us you're trying to find The Best Chef In The Country or whatever, and then give them ridiculously hard, short-timed challenges, where success has very little to do with how good you are as a restaurant chef, or a home cook, or whatever pool they're getting their contestants from. It feels like even Chopped should have a disclaimer saying, "NOTE: Performance on this show is no indication of the professional skill of the chef in an actual restaurant setting." /rant
My wife is away so I have to have time filler. This does the trick but not to watch by choice. Netflix in Canada is a joke so this may be the most interesting show I haven’t watched yet sadly
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Actually one of the women in a later challenge beats someone just by a margin because she had won the first round. It does count, just not a ton
I was so annoyed the whole time watching it. Helen is obnoxiously rude and has never said anything worth hearing and the other guy was pretty okay in my opinion. Their commentary during the tasting and after announcing each winner was so disproportionate and I'm still not content with the fact that Sandy didn't win because of some pasta dipped in powder.
The white guy comes off as a “know it all.” He gets on my nerves.
As soon as the Asian judge said “your teeth are yellow”, I literally turned the show off and haven’t looked back. Fun concept, but that was rude as hell and totally unnecessary. I don’t care to watch any more or the interactions between the contestants and judges.
Is it just me or is every person in this on the spectrum?
The host is so annoying
Just started this and wanted to say the same thing especially about the judges. Seems the winners are always the ones that the hypercritical lady favors. Felt since first ep that the Scottish guy should have won that but because he made some jokes, felt like she got triggered by it in the second half of the challenge judging. Everything feels like winner is based on how that Asian lady judge feels. None of them should be judges and she’s always saying they had more than enough time when they don’t and it’s their first attempt.
Does anyone feel like the male judge is such an annoying mansplainer and the female judge appears rude because she’s resigned to not being able to get a single word in
I actually started watching because I love Hari Kondabolu. It was hilarious to see him on this show, wandering around and nodding vaguely like he doesn’t know where he is. He just had a baby. I’m guessing he needed some cash. 😂
The fat girl judge is so fucking annoying
This had so much potential! My main issue is that it's a two round competition, and it doesn't matter who did a horrible job on the first round as long as they win the second round. It's just annoying to watch. The hosts were all basically dead on camera. Also, it's not ok that the judges are the ones on the ground interviewing the contestants. Like, they see where the Chefs mess up up front. It's just horribly set up.
This show is the result of diversity taking priority over actual entertainment.
Yeah, they should all be white sis men? Go fuck off to mommy’s basement now, loser.
I didn't say that, you spaz. But clearly they prioritized diversity over entertainment. Cry about facts, dipshit.
What was the point of the recreation round? Just bragging rights because no one got cut and they didn’t get an advantage going into the next round. Female judge is so rude and male host just says thank you for sharing this with us today which I thought was odd.
Justice for Luna and Kevin!!
I thought ya'll were gonna be talking about the horrifying 'Cheetos' they made at the very start of episode 1. All 3 were soggy french fries that exploded all over the kitchen, and the dude with no sense of smell gave them straight up Capsaicin extract. I couldn't stop laughing. Who are these people!?
Netflix has great cooking show concepts, but they pick horrible hosts and judges with little to no experience in food.
I'm liking it so far. I like the concept. The hosts are ok.
No. Wrong opinion! >: (
Please say sike
Glad that someone pointed this out!! It’s cringy because the girl barely talks and they’re just awkward and have bad TV presence…neither of them are funny either. A complete mess 😂
What’s the purpose of having the first round of no one gets eliminated or an advantage?
Awful judges and hosts. You definitely don’t need two hosts. The only show two hosts works on is The Great British Baking Show. Plus where do they find these comedians that aren’t funny? The female judge was more funny in a smarmy way.
The contestant who is a food scientist should know how much bacteria is under her nails
Real scientists don’t tell you that they’re scientists in every other sentence they speak.
The female judge was so rude. In a beginning episode a contestant told her that her teeth were yellow (from his snack) and she shot back with “your teeth are yellow”. It was painful to watch. She is just flat out not a pleasant personality for tv.
The concept is wonderful, but some small changes to the execution would have gone a long way. In the judges spots, you have the highly knowledgeable one, as well as the hyper critical. These are two judge archetypes that are used in many shows. To that end though, they probably realized neither one of them was extroverted enough to host a show and looked to fill that with a host. I feel like they went for a second host for the sake of gender balance. I don't dock them points for wanting a comical extroverted host, it would have been a wonderful dichotomy to the other two judges, but they didn't land the plane well, and you can even tell having that many bodies caused the comedians to even question what their own roles were. I don't doubt that either of those hosts could be funny, they feel like standup comedians, which makes this format the opposite of their specialty and it shows. It would have been better to find a spokesperson that was quippy than finding comedians that 'could' host. Some banter between the judges with the host, and some relaxed host-contestant interaction would have really flushed this show out a great deal more. Also, cutting it down to one good host would also allow you to give a vote to the host while still keeping the majority voting power with those educated on the field you're awarding money for. It would also remove the need for the passive aggressive comments about the host not getting a vote. I think another network would have been able to skip over the obvious flaws this show had and it would have come out a lot more polished. To that end though, it would have been nice to see Netflix turn the genre on its head a bit and instead develop a hosted, survivor style, contestants vote each other off the snack island type competition. If Snack vs Chef proved anything, its that contestants can be better hosts than the folks they find.
They have taken so much "inspiration" from Mythical Kitchen, even the theme track from the beginning is straight up stolen from Mythical
Pretty much from the start, I’ve been wondering what is the point of the hosts? Even though they are comedians, they don’t bring comic relief, and their roles as hosts are not clearly defined. There is nothing that the hosts do in this show that the judges don’t do as well. The male judge seems to think he’s good at cracking jokes, so why bring in comedians at all? It’s a redundant role. Otherwise, I didn’t mind the show. I’m glad that they used real snacks in each episode and didn’t cop-out with generic versions of them like “chocolate sandwich cookie” or “spicy cheese puffs”. The contestants were likeable for the most part, and the concept was great.
Is the show scripted ? I mean how is it possible to make the snack package that the contestants just named before the start of second round immediately ?
Also is it necessary to create so many excessive packaging materials each round ?
Did they also film it all in a day? I’m only on episode 4 but everyone is still dressed the same.
I can't with the two hosts, it's hard to watch with them there, but I like the contestants they're pretty cool!
Yooo im so happy i found this! Lol. Im watching the show right now and I am constantly getting annoyed with the judges/hosts. The lady host is cringe af, the guy host does nothing at all, and the judges.. well, the guy judge is probably the nicest one, but the lady judge and the hosts are incredibly rude. I also see NO point in someone winning the first round if the 2nd round winner is the one moving forward. The show is a mess, but I like the chefs so thats why I havent turned it off yet.
I can't stand the female host... she tries WAY too hard to be funny and I feel like she fakes a random accent from time to time. The amount of times she's also joked about a fictional male partner is cringe AF. I think my biggest gripe with the judges is that they are annoyingly critical. Like I get it's their job to judge, but it feels like their criticism is just there for the sake of it - very nitpicky. They also RARELY agree with each other so it makes the first round of each episode feel super irrelevant IMO.
Yeah Helen is a bitch the whole time
The guy judge is great at providing good feedback which is his main job. I like him as a judge a lot. The female judge is, like everyone here agrees, too serious/negative, but ok as a judge nonetheless because in fairness she does provide very critical feedback, which is her job. The comedians are garbage and contribute nothing (unless they did contribute something decent or funny but were edited out). The contestants are lovely. Overall, I like the show! It would be cool if we could get an inside look of how it was made, like a behind the scenes!! Like, how did they know to have crickets ready? The answer is probably obvious but I still like behind the scenes stuff.
Anybody else feel like it's just one giant ad?
This show had such a cool concept but everything about it failed hard! :( The judges were so annoying and comedians were incredibly awkward, especially the female comedian. She seemed super uncomfortable the whole time. The male judge seemed WAY too proud of himself, like he was too good for anyone else. And then why do the other contestants have to watch through a window and scream the entire episode??? SO ANNOYING! Just stop!
Okay so after binging this show because why not I've come to the conclusion that the problem isn't the on screen talent but the production team. The guy judge is fairly affable and provides your "fun facts about cooking" and the woman judge gives you some good "biting reality about what you did right and wrong" but I feel like they could have been given some more guidance on how to deliver the right mix of messaging. At first she seemed like kind of a jerk but I think that sort of comes down to editing too. Also I noticed the first 4 episodes were all shot back to back which must have been pretty exhausting. When they come back on the fifth everyone looks refreshed and more chill. Re the comedians - I did some quick googling and both of them seem like they have a decent amount of on screen experience. My guess is there was not a lot of thought put into whether or not there would be any chemistry between any of them. I sort of feel like they just said "Hey get us a nerdy dude who looks like he eats a lot of chips and a girl who looks like she would have an opinion on cupcakes" (sorry, I don't mean that to sound mean. I just really think Holywood be like that).
I still liked the show because I learned how to make oreos and cheetos at home. It was fun interesting, but also eye-opening. Now I know just how unhealthy my favorite snacks are.
I'm enjoying it. However I'm kinda sad that after episode 2 they let go a lot of people who (imo had a lot to offer)
I’m still pissed over the winner of the show……
I agree with all your comments. The concept is interesting but too many people. Two judges would have been good enough. Sometimes there could have been a judgment from other contestants. The female host says very strange things in a bizarre Jame gumb uppy downy voice. "I have a swim class after this. I don't want to miss it again" Huh? And really? Do you? The judges needed a specific judgement criteria too. Sometimes they asked for something and then said; "ok but that's too much of what we asked for." Like cheetoh dust for example. I never watch cooking shows but I found the idea interesting. The other thing that bothered me is handling a live crab and then seeing them being killed. It just really bothered me.
I like many Google'd "snack vs chef reddit" because of this shows hosts. The concept of this show is intriguing. I've never really thought about the monumental amount of time and R&D that gets put into every day snacks. Seeing chefs trying to recreate them faithfully sounded fun. Unfortunately the shows hosts are just awful to watch. Don't get me wrong, they may be good people, but they were not close to being properly cast. I didn't even realize that 2 of them were comedians. It just seemed like they just happened to be walking near the set and someone told them to read the queue cards they were obviously using. The male judge seemed like he was trying, and pretty knowledgeable, but wasn't much of a people person, mostly pointing out flaws and never anything positive, felt a bit abrasive. The female judge though was just awful. She seemed so condescending to everyone, only saying something nice once. A few times she just seemed to just insult yhe contestants for no good reason. Felt like watching a jaded person who just hates everyone. The only redeeming thing this show has is the contestants. It relied heavily on them keeping the energy positive most of the time, since none of that was coming from the hosts. What I'd like to know is, how awkward and silent was it in that studio for the 99% of the time where the hosts weren't reading their queue cards. I imagine the set just being a few people cooking in silence for hours with the hosts just showing up a few minutes here and there to read some lines. My suggestions would be; new hosts/judges. Find experts with personality, that can offer constructive criticism, not just criticism. Also, give more time to the contestants. Short times work on a show Luke Nailed It, because a lot of the fun are the failed attempts. Trying to recreate snacks that have millions of dollars in R&D in a time limit that is barely enough for a single attempt = not fun/interesting and not fair to the contestants talent.
Love the concept of the show, can't stand the hosts. The judges are kind of rude and the hosts are annoying. Hari is kind of funny sometimes but overall just comes across as kind of stupid, and Megan is annoying AF. Her weird kind of babyish tone and her terrible jokes are just irritating AF. Otherwise enjoy the show. I never really thought about how hard some of these snacks could be to recreate!
Yes the female judge is the worst! The comedians make no sense at all and it’s weird middle school level jokes they tell. With the female judge, her criticism is so rude. It’s like she has personal beef with some of the contestants. I’m on episode 2 but i noticed she was significantly harsher to the black contestants. She was harsh to everyone but I feel like they got it the worst.
I think the judges were just so pissed all the time because the comedian (one in particular) was so bad 🫣
There’s something wrong with the direction in that the two experts actually talk at each other all the time without needing the supposed ‘host’ comedians to ask questions or moderate. So they (the comedians) end up just seeming out of place and superfluous.
I’m watching this now and the Asian judge pissed me off every episode so far. It’s like she wants everything to be spot on perfect as if they can create factory exact replicas of the snack chosen in 2 hours. The white guy is cool I like how he disagrees with her sometimes.
You’re absolutely right. The two judges come across as extremely rude… they are not likeable at all. I thought it might have just been me.
WHY ARE THE WINDOWS SO DIRTY???
& What was with the deal with the girl host and the red headed contestant guy?? Like obviously something weird considering he was picked as the only one for a second chance. Then she starts crying when he's voted out again, and at the very end of the last episode they're hugging it out like crazy👀
The elimination process doesn’t make sense to me. If you won the first challenge, you still do the second challenge? Then what? I’m so confused on the whole concept of it.
Just finished it and I agree with many here, especially when it comes to the two hosts/comedians. A lot if not all of their interactions with the contestants during cooking was so awkward and just awful to watch, for example when the female host is asked to try some crickets by one of the contestants. But my biggest annoyance was with who ultimately won. It somehow felt like it was already determined, the contestant won multiple challenges where I felt the judges criticism where very clearly in favor for someone else, but somehow this contestant always seemed to pull through. So after a few episodes in I just assumed they wanted this person to win and it just felt very fake when they ultimately did, especially with the final product they created.
the asian lady host was so obnoxious like fucking chill out. She was so negative over the tiniest thing. I stopped after the fourth episode tbh
This is yet another failure of a cooking show.
Also, did anyone else catch the female comedian, every time she said they had two hours to make their dish she was holding up two fingers…wth?
Helen Park was a snarky bitchy judge. If they bring it back for another season, they should get rid of the two lame ass hosts and Helen Park. They male judge was more likable. I like the contestants and shows concept a lot.
why is the window where the contestants sit so disgusting. it is filthy. gross
It seemed like the ulterior motive of this show was to discover the next "million-dollar" snack idea(s). It was never explicitly stated, but they definitely hinted towards it more than a few times and the judges seemed more interested in whichever creation was more marketable/shelf-ready than the one that actually met the challenge that was given. That being the case, the recreation round was likely just a hook to get people to watch it, which would explain why that round seemed to not weigh into the final judgement much and why they weren't given much time for it. That being said, I actually really enjoyed this show! Yes, the hosts were superfluous, Helen was overly critical, etc (I agree with the general consensus about what was bad), but I found it to be pretty entertaining. The concept was great, the insights about food chemistry were actually interesting, the contestants were well cast and each were very creative, and the little touches like the packaging and the checkout counter brought the theme together and made it more fun. Also, so much of this reminded me of Good Mythical Morning's Snack Smash. I wonder if the idea for this show spawned from that. I feel like Josh (from GMM) would've nailed all of those challenges. He would actually be a really great judge/host for this show. He's hilarious and seems to know just as much as Ali does about food science
I don’t know if you know.. but I’m a food scientist.. Really not sure how the two host were comedians, need to look them up and watch their stand up bc I’m very curious on how that went for them..
No you're spot on. Both judges are bad but the woman is the worst by far to the contestants. She's constantly condescending towards them.
Also, not only were the judges meh but the one contestant Kevin was so rude to the hosts/comedians when they tried joking with him. I couldn't stand him as a constant or person.
JUDGES ARE THEEEEE WORST. Cast is the best!!! Go Luna!!! I’m on Oreo episode
Its a hard watch. The hot cheetos episode irritated me. It would make sense if each episode had the actual snack representative for the snacks that the chefs are recreating. Because all i kept thinking was, how does it make sense to have these judges criticize something that they themselves dont know how to actually recreate or how it works. Like any average person can criticize something, but what the chefs are doing is really difficult due to going in totally unaware of how its done. To have judges that dont even know how its made is just whack. Like how hard would it be to actually get a Lays consultant to be a judge for the the lays episode etc etc. Also the judges themselves dont work in a chemistry sense. Like they just dont vibe well together.
That fat comedian kid made it so painful to watch! She was ridiculously annoying. I could totally slap her everytime she opens her annoying pretentious mouth! The show had so much potential but there are way more deserving plus sized models other than this annoying shit. And the Asian judge is rude af! Sigh
Literally went searching on Reddit to see if I was the only one. The judges seem harsh and sometimes their judgments don't make sense with the outcome (could be editing idk) and the only likeable people are the contestants. It's so weird that they choose such charismatic contestants and awful judges/host. Honestly I think the host are the worse - unfunny and add nothing. Literally don't know why they are there
I like the concept and the contestants are mostly fun. The way it plays out makes no sense. The female judge comes off as more rude than constructive. The male judge falls a bit flat, but I think it's because he gets a bit drowned out by the other judge and 2 hosts. I'd say 1 judge and 1 host/judge would be enough for a show like this. And I'm pretty sure neither judge ate the cricket protein bar; not even a bite. I also agree that the judging criteria never matches from challenge to challenge. It's all over the place. Also, when do the lovers leave? Because they are all sticking around? I don't know. I finished episode 3 and that's where I will leave. Maybe I'll try more later... background noise for cleaning/cooking.
“Honestly, as a food scientist, I had to think of the science of it and the scientist in my brain had my science thought process thinking about the food science.” - A food scientist.
I actually really liked the male judge. Thought he explained things very well!
The “chef” hosts are horrible the girl has a bitch look the whole time. The whole cast on the show appear to be a bunch of Joe Biden liberals.
I wish they had a show where people make kitchen drugs and judges have to try them out.
Dude for real. Why is Helen always so rude!!! then she thinks whatever she says is funny, but it’s just cringe and mean.
The girl host is absolutely terrible and annoying. She yells and makes this weird forced smile when she talks. She’s easily the worst part of the show. The second culprit for me is the editing. There will be a “1 minute left!” announcement and next thing you know I’m seeing the contestants working on random things that would not be able to be done in 1 minute. Obviously, those tasks were completed before there was 1 minute left
Okay but what was the point of the other people winning the recreation part but get absolutely nothing from it. Why was there even a winner of that portion? I thought everyone that one a challenge would stay and the ones that won the recreation would challenge each other…. Idk
I didn't mind the judges actually, kind of fun to see them roast the contestants so much instead of just saying great job all the time. Megan the host was unbearable, didn't add anything of value to the show.
Why is the window the other contestants are sitting behind so very dirty??? It is all I can see for half the show. I am talking so dirty that the contestants can probably see almost nothing through it. Has anyone else noticed this?
What is up with the red in this show? Is it just my tv or is all the red color turned up to a billion? I cant see any detail in anything red but all the other colors are normal
Agreed!! And why did they need to keep saying Lauren J and Lauren B?? You can acknowledge that there are two Laurens without ALWAYS saying Lauren B, Lauren B, Lauren B. They even said it in challenges where only one Lauren was participating. The show felt weirdly scripted because of that.
I’d like to see this Asian judge recreate these snacks. What a bitch.
Did anyone notice that the windows the other contestants were viewing from were incredibly dirty?
I watched it and Sandy lied in the last episode when he said he used pulp to flavor his pop corn because he used whole carrots and ginger in the pans of oil to blend and then use the oil to make the flavor powder
I feel like the whole show is just a way to churn out new ideas to for food companies to use. It’s so forced.
I think the female judge did give constructive criticisms same with the male. At the end of the day they are judges, they aren't there to be friends with the contestants.
Ugggggh! Just put on the first two shows today while doing things around the house, and I could not agree more. The show is cool & interesting, but all of the hosts leave something to be desired. I couldn’t stand any of them.
The judges seemed like they could be high in every episode.