The Way Food is Judged on ‘Beat Bobby Flay’ Makes No Sense
For many chefs, a James Beard award is the pinnacle of their culinary career. For others, however, beating Bobby Flay in his cooking show is the ultimate satisfaction. Bobby Flay has been on Food Network for many years headlining his own cooking competition shows.
From the Throwdown with Bobby Flay to his famous show Beat Bobby Flay, the chef seems to be unstoppable. Although the show enjoys an immense viewership on the network, many fans can’t help but think that it is staged.
This post gives you the scoop on why some of the show’s fans can’t make heads and tails of how food on the show Beat Bobby Flay is judged.
The premise of the ‘Beat Bobby Flay’ show
Beat Bobby Flay is a cooking competition show on the Food Network that follows a few chefs on their journey towards making a name for themselves in the culinary industry. Flay chooses the ingredients which the contestants use at the beginning of the test. Guest judges determine the winner, who goes head-to-head with Flay.
The twist is that this time round Flay doesn’t have a say in which dish or ingredients are to be used. The winner, in this case, is responsible for choosing the ingredients and dish to be made. The guest judges determine the winner through a blind taste test.
The cooking show has been on the air for 25 years, and throughout its tenure, Flay has enjoyed a 66% win streak in a total of 311 competitions.
Fans are skeptical about Flay’s claims on the winners’ chosen dishes
Flay is a notable chef with amazing cooking skills. He was first introduced to fans in the show Iron Chef Japan. With his impressive resume, it is safe to say that he has a vast experience when it comes to making many incredible dishes.
When contestants come on the show Beat Bobby Flay they expect to outwit the celebrity chef in his own game. Sometimes competitors manage to pull a win on the chef and go home with the satisfaction of having beaten a talented chef as Flay.
So why do fans feel cheated when Flay is surprised about any dish any contestant picks? Well, as aforementioned, Flay has a vast experience under his belt, which is why fans usually have a hard time believing that he doesn’t know how to cook some of the dishes the winning chef announces.
According to TV Overmind, Flay’s cooking experience means that he might have encountered at least half of the dishes the winning contestants announce making his surprise a dishonest one. It can be reasoned that he may be at least rusty on some of the meals, but being clueless seems disingenuous.
Why fans think the blind taste test makes no sense
The ultimate battle on the show comes toward the end when Flay and the winning chef go head-to-head as each one tries to outdo the other with their dishes. However, as many Food Network fans on Reddit are trying to put it, the blind taste test makes absolutely no sense.
The guest judge panel comprises of Flay’s close acquaintances, thus giving him an edge over the competitors. The next point to note is that Flay is known for his signature ingredients consisting of pomegranate and Calabrian chili, which make his dishes unique and any judge can easily point his dish out from the others.
Additionally, many fans think Flay uses head nods and glances to signal his dishes. Finally, the show’s producers have to know which dish the contestants would cook to shop for the ingredients and since the show is under his name Flay has an edge.
Regardless of the show’s criticisms about its blind taste test and authenticity in general, many people seem pleased with it. Beat Bobby Flay airs Wednesdays on Food Network.
