Bobby Flay is a Big Fat Jerk
Two Food Network posts in a row, sue me. But yeah, Bobby Flay, he’s a big fat jerk. If you’ve ever seen his show Throwdown then you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t seen it, let me enlighten you.
Throwdown is a horrible show in which someone who has worked hard to develop a restaurant that specializes in something. The Food Network then approaches these people under the pretense that they’re going to to a special program on them and their food. Then, at the height of the program Bobby Flay shows up and says “yeah, you’re good but I’m way better and I’m about to prove it to you.” There is then a cook-off where a humble restauranteur’s fate is determined by two “judges.” Usually a newspaper restaurant editor and a food blogger. Dripping with high credentials.
Granted, sometimes the restauranteur wins and Bobby Flay’s smug smirk is validation, but then there’s the time that the “judges” choose Bobby’s dish. So the food that people put their souls into is deemed unworthy when the big bad city man comes in and shows off. When Bobby looses he usually says something along the lines of how great the competition was and how glad he is and blah, blah, blah.
The whole premiss of the show is horrid and, frankly Food Network should be ashamed. Bobby Flay may be an Iron Chef and he may be a successful restauranteur himself, but who is he to come in and say someone else’s food is inadequate? He’s a big fat jerk.
Yeah, that has always seemed pretty mean to me too.
I think you’re reading way too much into this.
a) It’s more about showcasing these people and their foods than it is about Bobby being able to beat them at their own game.
b) I don’t think these restauranteurs think Bobby’s a jerk, because he brings them credibility and (most importantly) BUSINESS!
He may bring them business and credibility, but the way he does it makes him come off as a complete jerk. They would still get the business and credibility had the fake Food Network shows they think they are going to be on been real.
I have to agree with Ethan. Bobby Flay is a good sport when he goes to throwdown with these people, and makes them laugh and have a good time. He ALSO does it in THEIR hometown and a lot of the times, the crowd is cheering for the restaurant owners and Bobby doesn’t get a warm welcome. But I’m guessing you didn’t see the eggplant parmesian episode. I think you saw the show one time, didn’t like it, and just had to make a page about it. Move on to some really stupid shows on the Food Network.
Thanks for coming by Olivia. I’ve not seen the eggplant parm episode, though I have seen a good many of them — I’m a sucker for the Food Network. I started this opinion a long time ago when I saw him go up against a generational clam chowder recipe. If I had a restaurant built upon a recipe passed down to me, I’d be pretty upset if Flay came to town to try and upstage it. I guess when it comes down to it, I’m always rooting for the opponent and wish the show wasn’t a competition but a showcase.
I agree, I think this show is mean and not very ethical. But I can imagine how the creaters would be making surprised faces if they hear this opinion, and saying they don’t mean to hurt anyone, it’s all about fun and all the good things…
You have to be pretty thick-headed to not see how an all-prepared with practically unlimited budget and a professional team guy goes into a small town family restaurant to show off…
Flay gives the impression that he may be queer; his speech, and his body language. After all, calling the ‘show’ a ‘throw down’, isn’t that more in line with guys like Holk Hogan and the ‘wraslin’ bunch? At least those ‘wraslers’ pretend their in a fight and look like thay could be. Flay looks more like the twerp that couldn’t make the high school team so he decided to join the band and blow picoloe.
I watch the show faithfully-just a few points-Bobby Flay spends almost the entire narrative discussing the generational recipes and acknowledging the well deserved reputation that the opponents dishes have earned. Another noteworthy point is that he almost NEVER wins the throwdown-check the stats on the website-I think the show was designed to show that the dishes are so delicious and well made that even a seasoned and respected chef like Bobby Flay cannot compete-I have actually gone to some of the establishments because they were showcased on the show
This page is a severe misunderstanding of the show. They’ve even stated (on Bobby Flay’s Chefography) that the whole point of this show is to showcase the cooks, not Bobby. He loses almost all of his throwdowns. But because bobby has this cocky reputation, they thought this type of show would be a fun play on that reputation. Most of bobby’s attempts are half-assed anyway. If you watch the show a few times, its obvious its all about showcasing the guest. Every now and then bobby takes a challenge very seriously, but sometimes (Cupcakes?) you know he’s out of his league.
I think if you ask the competitors how much $$ their businesses have made since Bobby Flay’s challenge, they wouldn’t mind throwing down with him on a weekly basis.
I’ve always thought Bobby Flay was a colossal jerk, all the way back to the first show I saw him on. It was called Grillin’ & Chillin’ and he co-hosted it with a guy named Jack McDavid (supposedly his friend). Shortly after that show was cancelled I read online that it was due to the fact that Bobby Flay no longer wished to share the spotlight with McDavid. Now whether or not this is the true reason for McDavid’s departure is really unknown to me, but I still have plenty more reason to think Flay is a major a-hole. Not only is he extremely smug and cocky in about every program I’ve ever seen him in, but he is also very disrespectful as well. This being never more evident than in the Iron Chef battles against Masaharu Morimoto. Here’s a clip of Flay’s wikipedia article on the subject: “Flay is an Iron Chef on the show Iron Chef America. In 1997, when the original Iron Chef show traveled to New York for a special battle, he challenged Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto to battle rock crab. After the hour battle ended, Flay stood on top of his cutting board and raised his arms in premature victory. Not realizing that cutting boards and knives are sacred in Japan, he offended Morimoto who criticized his professionalism, saying that Flay was “not a chef”. Flay went on to lose the battle. Flay challenged Morimoto to a rematch in Morimoto’s native Japan. In this battle, at the end of the hour, Flay threw his cutting board on the floor and stood on the counter yet again to raise the roof with the audience.” I mean how much of a tool can one guy possibly be? Bleh.
You may not be aware, but Bobby Flay cut his hand during the competition and was also standing in water during the entire taping of the show. His sous chefs wanted him to quit, but he wouldn’t. He jumped up on the counter because he had overcome some great challenges during the competition.
I saw that episode (of Boobie Flay in Japan) while I was visiting my wife’s family in Japan… He was a total disrespectful baby!… It doesn’t matter if he cut his hand, or cut off his arm… You don’t stand on the cutting table of anyone’s… Save that crap for the privacy of your own home… People like him add to the bad view/image of Americans… By the way, that tool (to borrow from Autumn) will be throwing down, with a friend of mine, on Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 at 10:00 PM ET/PT… I hope HE gets thrown down!!!…
I think it’s healthy competition and I agree with one of the posters above. That he’s not trying to show up their dishes. He is just trying to show that even a talented chef can fail at re-creating such good food. And if he wins I think it would inspire people to do better just like an athelete that gets beat in a game. They try that much harder to train so that they can be even better and win next time. It’s all one in the same but with cooking. He also learns from the competitors and teaches as well. So over all I think it’s a positive experience for both.
I found this post when I googled “Bobby Flay is a dick” – soooo many hits!
I can’t stand Bobby Flay – he’s the only “celebrity” that I actually loathe. Every show he’s ever had on his own is some variation of “I’m not gay”. As you say, however, his latest show is the worst. In my bored googling research, I found out that these cooks often have to create their signature dishes without the proper equipment or ingredients, and THEY STILL kick Bobby Flay’s ass.
What I don’t understand is how he’s managed to take over the entire Food Network. It really disappoints me that someone over there doesn’t see through him – does he have incriminating pictures or something?
Big egos are fine, but Booby Flare is a total jerk who thinks his shite doesn’t smell. I for one am sick and tired of seeing his dumb-ass on every-other show. He should spend more time in his restaurants and get his ugly mug off the screen.