Cable Execs: Stop Overcooking the Drama
- Flickr: .reid
- Chefs are getting too big for our TV sets.
And now, an open letter to those who create programming for food-related television.
To whom it may concern: I haven’t voiced a complaint since Land O’Lakes switched its butter wrapping from gold to silver foil — the same color as its margarine wrapping — thus leading to much confusion for me as a middle school chef. That was an unforgivable mistake, as I kindly explained to the call-center employee who took my call and humored me. She told me that the company appreciated my feedback and would seriously consider my suggestion. I urge you to do the same.
I’m afraid that you, the creators of food programming, are headed toward a similar mistake. While your hope is that America’s expanding waistline will lead to oversized ratings for shows reflecting what we see in the mirror, you’re neglecting the core tenet of what has made food reality TV successful in the first place: the food.
I mean, Suzilla: The Mouth That Roars and Fat Chef? These two food shows have debuted in the past month. The first, on Discovery’s Planet Green, promises an exciting journey alongside a competitive eater. Suzanne French is a new breed of big-eats contestants in that she’s a petite blonde and a woman. The second show is a Food Network program that sounds like a punch line but is a rip-off of NBC’s The Biggest Loser (one of that network’s few hits). Each week of the six-episode Fat Chef season features two chefs working alongside a trainer (one is — surprise! — former Biggest Loser trainer Brett Hoebel) in a struggle against being overweight in the very kitchens that made them obese.
