"What is this crap?"

American television.

What, you expected something better?

It's crap, yes... like 99.99 percent of what's on t.v. (The Walking Dead excluded, of course.)

Having worked in a commercial kitchen, FN is NOT reality. We work together to provide the best customer experience we can ... if someone 'invents' or adapts to ingredient supplies, the executive chef approves or not and we go on. The only show that used to be on FN (now on Cooking Channel) that was worth watching was Good Eats (a purely technique instruction/entertainment show).

Have you ever seen the movie "Matilda", after the Roald Dahl book? The parents are tv addicts, especially to a "game" show called "The Million-Dollar Sticky". The contestant is shut into a transparent cube the size of a phone booth, and honey starts to fall down on him, followed by paper money. He gets to keep whatever sticks to him.
Just wait for the same thing, except that it's run by Gordon Ramsey, has the entire contents of a beehive dumped on the contestant, and he gets to keep whatever sticks to him. "OMG, wh-e-e-e-r-r-r-s-s-s-z-z-z the QUEEN!?!"
OR, what Animal said.

This crap is called "reality shows". They garner audiences, and are cheap to produce. There still are some programs devoted to actual cooking, but you're right about the encroachment of worthy cupcakes. I thought TV, with a few exceptions, was crap when there were three channels. Now, with over 150 channels, it's just as bad, but you have a greater choice of crap.

It's part of the conspiracy to get us to eat more carbohydrates and die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (snarc)

I watch Triple D and, when Directv puts it on, Good Eats.

An additional comment about the 'socialist' side of these programs and it may not have been intentional ... was the "Stay Hungry" tagline of the Cooking Channel. Was it a watch and wish you could eat like the elitists, or was it continue learning and growing your skills? Subtle.

Reality TV "BITES!"

People here watch tv?

Is competition only the right of overpaid athletes? Game shows, continuing their vapid existence since the '50s, still have an audience. Obviously the formula works, for a certain audience, and profit is the driver.

It's easy to begin to adopt the elitist mindset we all abhor, denigrating others' tastes as not worthy of existence. That seems out of line with the individual freedom we all espouse here.

On an episode of Chopped about 6 months ago, they had a contestant gushing about Obamacare and how somehow winning would let him get great coverage or something. I was in shock about how blatant the propaganda got.

Or maybe it IS like Patton said ... "America loves a winner and won't tolerate a loser." But like communist-core education, FN 'competition' is about as contrived as it gets ... all in the name of getting 'the best'. As I told my son many years ago when he asked about my "favorite" movie/actor/song/band ... I don't have ANY one favorite as it is too limiting.

If you don't like the show...why are you still watching it?

Please, no more stupid, irrelevant topics like this one at GG.

It's becoming more and more like Japanese television; I suspect the initial success of The Iron Chef competition show (in translation - remember 'way back then?) showed the network how to go from "struggling" to "giving the public what it wants."
In many ways the inverse of the Atlas strategy, just to keep the thread relevant.

everyone need a trophy. I KNOW there are many many many chefs that would put these glory seekers in the back of the line.