"Come Dine With Me" makes me cringe ...

[Zurie]

I am not sure in which countries this reality series are shown -- I've seen the UK, Australian and South African series, but not all of them in a row.

My goodness!!! Not only do the set-up and the people seem the same in all countries, but I am flabbergasted by the strange choice of hosts, and how they go about their meal!

I'd like to ask the guys who choose the guests a few questions!

*Do you deliberately choose opposite personalities, who are bound to clash?

*Why do you seem to choose people who cannot really cook? (How many times have I heard a cooking host mumble: "I've never made this before ... I hope it works ...")

*Why don't the hosts make some of the dishes beforehand and warm it up? For example, make a stew or bake lamb shanks, or whatever!! Why must everything be made at the last moment, leading to the guests waiting up to 2 - 3 hours for their main dish????

*Why are the guests not more laid back? There are always, but always, 2 who don't hit it off.

I think all that must be gimmicks.

And I wish the hosts would plan their menus better.

[Chocolatl]

I don't think we get that. But I do imagine that part of the rules involves making all the dishes fresh, not warming something over.

[Zurie]

It's very interesting from a psychological point of view!! How people react in certain circumstances.

Yes, I suppose they more or less have to make the stuff in front of the cameras, but many of the wiser ones do at least some stuff ahead of time.

Again: if I had to do a dish for dinner guests from scratch, I'd choose recipes which are tasty but quick!

On this program you see the most amazingly stupid things in the kitchens -- like one U K woman using one of those old rotary hand beaters, trying to whip egg whites for a meringue, in a small (2 cup size) measuring cup! Needless to say, it didn't work!

[ala-kat]

It was on here (I'm in Alabama) for a very short time, and I found it funny, in a very odd sort of way. People would just snoop all over the hosts house while the host was cooking Some could cook, some barely knew what the word meant. And all highly opinionated.

[Chef #570804 Halifax Liz]

Saw this programme for the first time last year in Spain. For the first few weeks it was entertaining and also frustrating. I got so annoyed when a hostess tackled a complicated recipe - or a recipe that was her grandmothers and never saw made. It seemed that they put themselves under so much stress plus their guests. I still continue to watch it here from time to time and probably will continue..........interesting topic.

[Zurie]

I still watch this silly show! It takes my mind off the usual heavy stuff, bad news and so on!

I do switch off when it's a repeat -- they do that every now and then, which is really annoying.

Don't know why I watch it, as it is simple-minded, but the personalities sometimes fascinate me! In some programs the food looks and sounds atrocious ... and some hosts are still so laid-back (or slow) that the poor guests wait for ages to get food.

Another aspect about people which I've never realised is how awfully picky they are!! They get their host's menu in advance, and almost without fail, one after the other says things like:

"Oh I hate mushrooms!" (Well, gee, just force it down tonight, willya, sweetheart?)

"I don't eat fish." (Okay, ditto to you -- it's only good manners).

And so it goes. One stupid woman said she "cannot, just simply CAN NOT eat chicken on the bone." (Well, stupid, then debone your chicken pieces at the table ... No, she didn't. She declared to the table of strangers that "eating chicken on the bone makes me physically ill." )

[I'mPat]

The show was short lived here in Australia I watched a part of one of one of the earlist ones and was not interested. There was a write up on it though that said they involved psychologists in choosing the contestants and they were encouraged to drink alchahol and to spend a fair bit of their budget on it - so think the producers were looking for contreversial tv viewing more than they were thinking about good cooking. From most accounts it seems to have been short lived where ever it has appeared which may say or at least tell them that their formula does not really work.


Pat

[ala-kat]

Funny you should mention the person who did not like bone-in meat. I had a friend like that, no bones for her. She ordered without whenever/wherever. But, one year she hosted Thanksgiving dinner. I don't remember if we had ham or turkey (or both) but either would have had a bone (just from the number of guests she had to size of meat to be cooked). Meat was taken off the bone and served on the table. She had no problem carving it, but just didn't want it on her plate with bones.

There are very few foods I will NOT eat, but I would never make a big deal of it. Not sure though how I would handle that in this type of odd situation Maybe just throw back a bunch of alcohol and choke it down

[Chocolatl]

ala-kat wrote:
Funny you should mention the person who did not like bone-in meat. I had a friend like that, no bones for her. She ordered without whenever/wherever. But, one year she hosted Thanksgiving dinner. I don't remember if we had ham or turkey (or both) but either would have had a bone (just from the number of guests she had to size of meat to be cooked). Meat was taken off the bone and served on the table. She had no problem carving it, but just didn't want it on her plate with bones.

There are very few foods I will NOT eat, but I would never make a big deal of it. Not sure though how I would handle that in this type of odd situation Maybe just throw back a bunch of alcohol and choke it down

Just use your fork to mince it up real small and push it around your plate so that it LOOKS as if you ate some! That's what picky kids around the world do!

[Zurie]

I'mPat wrote:
The show was short lived here in Australia I watched a part of one of one of the earlist ones and was not interested. There was a write up on it though that said they involved psychologists in choosing the contestants and they were encouraged to drink alchahol and to spend a fair bit of their budget on it - so think the producers were looking for contreversial tv viewing more than they were thinking about good cooking. From most accounts it seems to have been short lived where ever it has appeared which may say or at least tell them that their formula does not really work.


Pat

I think you must be right about the psycologists involved in choosing the guests!! They DO seem to choose people who are bound to clash.

The show (mostly from the UK) is quite popular here -- as I said, it's the contestants who can be fascinating, not the food! I am always amazed at how self-confidant they all are. And oh yes -- the idea certainly is to get the guests drunk!!!!

[mickeydownunder]

http://www.bbcsouthafrica.com/comedinesa/blog?article=come-dine-with-me-south-africa-production

OH My goodness! I have seen the UK one, the Australian one (didn't hold my interest either)

Last night, I watched the South African one for the first time

The UK one holds my interest until they start fighting, are legless etc

ALL shows have VERY creative editing!

I WISH I could find it, but Steve from the Photos forum had sent me a link about one of the contestants in the UK who blogged about her experience. She explained the good, the bad and WHY she would never do it again

I TRY to stay focused on the food which sometimes is difficult in between the bitching and back stabbing!

Last night re the South African one..was a Zulu wife...an international fashion lady, a magazine editor and an organic extremist...

While I too was intrigued with the combination of personalities, in the end the best person's food did win, so I was happy for that!

What I didn't like (and is not limited to the South African version) is one or two of the contestants TRYING to make themself LOOK or feel superior to the others and WHY can't people just be appreciative in what is served

Last night's episode...ok the Zulu women who claimed to "obtained" her husband's culture when they married...she TRIED to explain about the 4 weddings they went through, but people weren't interested.
She also (interesting) was VERY racist towards one of the other contestants who was black...very demeaning and very condescending...

She had little to no life experience and her behaviours were almost like talking to a child at times. HOWEVER, when some of the professional ladies tried to ask and answer questions about the media, the media's role etc, it was EMBARRASING to see HOW the host was left out as she did not know ANYTHING about the media other than her husband worked in it but she was banned from saying anything further...

She did ALL packaged foods!!!!

You HAD to hear me last night watching all 4 episodes at one time lol

But as Zurie pointed out, it keeps me coming back because it is always a welcomed distraction lol lol

and yes Zurie, I am CRINGING with you too!

[I'mPat]

Hi Mickey great to see you but I think my DH would have me certified if I started watching that as is when a serious cooking show such as Masterchef or My Kitchen Rules comes on it is a big case of he goes into the lounge and watches something else.


Pat

[mickeydownunder]

I'mPat wrote:
Hi Mickey great to see you but I think my DH would have me certified if I started watching that as is when a serious cooking show such as Masterchef or My Kitchen Rules comes on it is a big case of he goes into the lounge and watches something else.


Pat

lol lol

Can't WAIT til MKR starts and also Masterchef Professional!

WHOO HOO!

[Zurie]

I would never watch "Come Dine with Me" if ANY Masterchef was on at the same time!!

The worst is, I think there IS a Masterchef series on -- but even with the monthly program booklet I cannot find it!! I think I'm just thick. Or lazy.

The problem is that there are so many channels, it's confusing. Also, I hate it when they put programs such as Masterchef on at a late hour.

(Then again, we never know what the stupid stoneheads at DSTV are doing. Their programming can be terribly stupid).

[mickeydownunder]

Zurie wrote:
I would never watch "Come Dine with Me" if ANY Masterchef was on at the same time!!

The worst is, I think there IS a Masterchef series on -- but even with the monthly program booklet I cannot find it!! I think I'm just thick. Or lazy.

The problem is that there are so many channels, it's confusing. Also, I hate it when they put programs such as Masterchef on at a late hour.

(Then again, we never know what the stupid stoneheads at DSTV are doing. Their programming can be terribly stupid).

We just tape everything so we can watch things when there is nothing on

What was the last Masterchef series you saw? Or who won it? Easier to figure out

There is a NEW professionals series coming on with Matt Preston (whom I have eluded to meet to date but is on the list) and OMG Marco Pierre White...the man TOTALLY FASCINATES me...excites and delights and has a voice like Hannibal Lector lol lol

http://www.masterchef.com.au/home.htm