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March 29, 2024, 07:41:51 AM

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Gordon Ramsay’s The Apprentice

Started by Malcy, March 31, 2022, 09:17:41 PM

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Blue Jam

Quote from: Des Wigwam on May 06, 2022, 06:01:36 PMI will stand by the fact that they're horrible

This is absolutely fair enough.

Elderly Sumo Prophecy

I don't get the idea behind tipping oysters directly down your throat. What's the point of a food that doesn't even touch your mouth? I know the Spanish actually cook them in some sort of tomato based stew, which sounds infinitely more appealing.

Malcy

I was convinced Valentina would go. She's really doing my nut in.

Still convinced I've seen Steph somewhere before. She's so familiar.

I really enjoy this show. Glad it's already getting a second series.

Des Wigwam

Quote from: Malcy on May 06, 2022, 06:14:12 PMI was convinced Valentina would go. She's really doing my nut in.

Still convinced I've seen Steph somewhere before. She's so familiar.

I really enjoy this show. Glad it's already getting a second series.

Loved how they were nodding madly taking on board advice after the task like "just need to pick up the pace" and "don't go picking out on the reef" for their oyster harvesting careers.

Spoiler alert
The two who went are the two who always say "yea this is my area, this is where I can shine" and then fuck it up beyond belief. Every time.
[close]

Thought Matthew showed his true worth in the post-disaster interview: consultancy. He is a through and through big company, upper-middle management consultant.

The ex-navy one was unsurprisingly organised and able to carry out tasks in an ordered manner. Have warmed to her although I imagine she would be one of those inflexible friends who drive you mad from time to time*. With you on how familiar she looks @Malcy .

Liked how the Scouse chef called them all entitled shit bags straight out of the gate.

Spoiler alert
Agree 100% about Valentina. Her resolve not to go is bullshit - she should have gone in the first episode for not pointlessly jumping off a cliff. My guess is vegan food is worth investing in. Which of course it is - especially with an internationally renowned chef and TV personality's name attached. This is a decent 7 week ad for the final business but I don't know if she's too unlikeable to be the face of it.
[close]

Also pleased about the second series. I said up top I think that I despise all bar one or two series of The Apprentice but I do like this - I think it's because it's a mixture of batshit and relevant in its tasks. They've also cast the contestants really well. Hopefully they don't go straight to Channel 5 Big Brother in one leap.

* (all the time)

Des Wigwam

Do they just have stooges in for the The Savoy breakfast? I thought the four top all of whom wanted eggs in a different way and to a different texture were just production team plants. The rest might have been dragged in and told they could walk out or just play it like they would in a normal restaurant - so it was all free but if someone wanted to be compd they'd get it and it would be added to the credit/debit total.

thr0b

Did they ever say they were paying customers? They wouldn't strictly be allowed to deceive these days.

It was a decent episode, and frankly the kitchen coped well, given there were knot three staff; I'm sure that place usually has at least two or three times as many working for breakfast, and the same on the floor.

Camp guy got the worst of it - very mixed messages; telling he's great and personable, then telling the same group they're too tense and to liven up, and then told he's too bouncy and to stop taking tk the customers for so long.

He was clearly not going to win, but this week he was set up to fail.

I really like this show. It's less bombastic and silly than The Apprentice, and we've got proper businessman/chef Gordon, than American Chef Ramsay.

I look forward to the inevitable American version as well. Which will be the same, but ludicrous.

Malcy

Quote from: thr0b on May 06, 2022, 06:40:41 PMI look forward to the inevitable American version as well. Which will be the same, but ludicrous.

Ah shit that will happen won't it.

thr0b

Yep. If you want interesting, fun British Gordon, you have to accept you'll also be getting Fox-produced, over-dramatised American Chef Ramsay.

Des Wigwam

Quote from: thr0b on May 06, 2022, 06:40:41 PMDid they ever say they were paying customers? They wouldn't strictly be allowed to deceive these days.

It was a decent episode, and frankly the kitchen coped well, given there were knot three staff; I'm sure that place usually has at least two or three times as many working for breakfast, and the same on the floor.

Camp guy got the worst of it - very mixed messages; telling he's great and personable, then telling the same group they're too tense and to liven up, and then told he's too bouncy and to stop taking tk the customers for so long.

He was clearly not going to win, but this week he was set up to fail.

I really like this show. It's less bombastic and silly than The Apprentice, and we've got proper businessman/chef Gordon, than American Chef Ramsay.

I look forward to the inevitable American version as well. Which will be the same, but ludicrous.

Good point - in the challenge in the first week (?) they did explicitly say they were paying customers for that forest feast thing. £50 a head or something. Easier to work a refund scam round two tables of 8 than a whole service though and stay within the guidelines.

Not sure that camp guy was set up to fail but he was edited to look terrible. He said that this was his thing and it's where his expertise lies. It's something he's said before and been equally bad. He seems more suited to the "hi guys, can I get you some menus" type of service rather than fine dining but insists that's his forte. As I said above he is 100% consultant material pushing blame around and pointing out what other people could be doing. There's no way I would have him driving a business I wanted to succeed.

Blue Jam

Pick as many decent quality oysters as you can in 30 minutes, but there's a penalty for picking crap ones?

This is like the Crystal Dome in The Crystal Maze but the gold and silver tickets are living creatures. Good thing they're technically non-sentient.

Blue Jam

The Savoy Grill can get your breakfast ready in seven minutes? Blimey, that's quicker than Wetherspoons.

Blue Jam

...and the head chef has a lovely Scouse accent.

bgmnts

Quote from: Blue Jam on May 06, 2022, 05:52:51 PMOysters are vegan.

That is a shit article with really stupid opinions and it even states as the conclusion that it's murky.

Des Wigwam

Just watching Gogglebox and the Savoy bit is on. The guests are gathering for breakfast (which I didn't think happened with a breakfast service anyway) and someone made the obeservation: "look how they're all dressed for breakfast at half eight in the morning". With that in mind it does all look very staged on a second watch.

I've only watched TV half a dozen times so not sure if this kind of editing is commonplace.

bgmnts

I thought that would be a sign of it not being real but then I reasoned that the sort of person who would eat at the Savoy would dress up for breakfast.

Would they let you into the Savoy with joggers on?

Blue Jam

Quote from: Des Wigwam on May 12, 2022, 05:55:46 PMJust watching Gogglebox and the Savoy bit is on. The guests are gathering for breakfast (which I didn't think happened with a breakfast service anyway) and someone made the obeservation: "look how they're all dressed for breakfast at half eight in the morning". With that in mind it does all look very staged on a second watch.

Half the point of going to posh restaurants, flying in first class, staying in posh hotels etc is going in looking like a complete scruffbag. It's the waiters' job to dress up, not yours.

Des Wigwam

Sorry - I've left out a crucial bit - the ladies in particular were dressed to the nines. The younger folk were dressed like production assistants and runners. The establishing shot of everyone turning up for the 8.30 sharp breakfast service just looks a bit like a load of people asked to turn up for free nosh at a posh place. Or being told their job on set today is to ask for different types of eggs on the same table.

Quote from: bgmnts on May 12, 2022, 06:05:02 PMWould they let you into the Savoy with joggers on?

I doubt there's a dress code for breakfast anyway but there's rich people scruffy and poor people scruffy. I can tell you first hand you can't get in the Rivoli bar at The Ritz if you look like me. I can also tell you that I can just about fit in their revolving door with a large eastern european bouncer if you both misjudge when to step.

Just to be clear I'm not under any illusions that Gordo risked an iota of his reputation on this. I just really enjoy talking about the programme.

bgmnts

I'm going to the Savoy then I assumed you'd have to dress up in those sorts of establishments. Can't even get into a club without shirt and shoes!

Des Wigwam

Are you going clubbing in the 90s?

The only place I've seen a strict dress code - jackets had to be kept on throughout service and when a man took his off he was politely pounced on - is the Michel Roux jr place that I've been trying to think of. Am determined not to google it.

colacentral

It's all been obviously set up. Do you think 20 cyclists just happened to turn up at that McDonalds drive through window rather than walk in through the front door, and all ordered slightly different things, at just the time Ramsay was turning up to check on them? Like the cunts with the eggs, it was staged to fuck everything up and make all the contestants look shit for comedy value and so that Ramsay has something to scream about.

I like Valentina, she's grown on me. So what if she can't jump off a cliff? Pointless, stupid challenge. Like any of that shite that opens each episode has anything remotely to do with running a business successfully. She's loud, and English is her second language so I'm sure she has trouble expressing herself, but she comes across as genuine. She seemed genuine when she even offered herself up to be sacked instead of that Manchester bloke who fucked everything up in the kitchen, and her reaction when he did get sacked was genuinely upset. The two blonde women, Amit and most of the rest, on the other hand, are stone cold psychopaths, clear as day.

Blue Jam

Quote from: colacentral on May 13, 2022, 10:19:15 AMIt's all been obviously set up. Do you think 20 cyclists just happened to turn up at that McDonalds drive through window rather than walk in through the front door, and all ordered slightly different things, at just the time Ramsay was turning up to check on them?

My favourite bit of that challenge was when Gordon Ramsay ordered a meal "and a soda".Couldn't even specify "cola".

Who in the UK calls a soft drink a "soda" anyway? Here "soda" is what you have with a dash of lime when you're in a pub and want a non-alcoholic drink.

Des Wigwam

#81
Of course - I was only joking when I said I had only watched TV half a dozen times.  I thought some of the setups were better than others - the diner for example. Obvs the owners didn't think "it will be brilliant to commit  Trip Advisor Harakiri for this with an ordinary service" - they thought "yea, fine we'll close for a morning if you want to pay us this inflated figure for a day's takings and we'll have the free ad too". I thought the Savoy one was just a bit too rubbish to be believable. The eggs table disproportionately annoyed me.

Know what you mean about Valentina - she's the best of a bad bunch. I couldn't work for her for more than a day though  because she seems to have bad people and management skills. I think she'd be fine in business as long as all her decisions were right but wouldn't be capable of taking advice. You're either dead right about her offering to take the bullet last week or she's very shrewd seeing that  the others would try and throw someone under the bus and Gordon would take a dim view at this point.

The cliff thing though - it was said up front, after Gordo had got his breath back from his pointless swim to shore, was that anyone who didn't do the jump was out. The rationale being that sometimes in business you need to jump off a cliff into some water with a full support team and a thorough health and safety assessment. You have to.

Should have realised then that he wanted to invest in vegan food (I have no idea who has won btw - it's just my educated guess).

Des Wigwam

Just chuckling to myself thinking of Gordon climbing out of his Range Rover into the drive-thru booth window. Imagine he thought he would look like Bo or Luke Duke but it was more like Marc Maron climbing into the wrestling ring in Glow.

Quote from: Blue Jam on May 13, 2022, 11:04:19 AMMy favourite bit of that challenge was when Gordon Ramsay ordered a meal "and a soda".Couldn't even specify "cola".

Ha - he'd obvs been allowed to mention Wagamama once and once only in the Deliveroo challenge too. His WaJapanese restaurant chain mention was similar to Alan Partridge and his christmas cracker joke ... "....a Vauxhall Labrador".

A lot of this is quite unintentional Partridge.

I really wish there was more of him having input into their ideas for the second challenge. Love him pointing out where it's terrible, why it's terrible, where it will could go wrong. More of that please and more bat shit entrances that looked great on paper.


Des Wigwam

Well,
Spoiler alert
I was proved wrong about him wanting the vegan market.
[close]
Absolute car crash of an episode. Love a sore loser - you don't see it that often in these things.

Malcy

So glad with with the outcome. That face!

thr0b

Yep. I suspect he really did want her for the final, but she was so convinced she was getting there, she sabotaged her teammate. So off she fucks.

Malcy

Of the three finalists

Spoiler alert
That's the one I would have definitely thought wouldn't win. I thought Leah had it, with Steph, then Victoria.
[close]

I was half expecting Vegantina to appear to help Victoria. That would have been amazing.

It found the spaces and branding etc being done by professionals a different take on the Apprentice style ex-contestant help but thought that in that case it could help sway a decision based on how good they could make the product look and the marketing of it rather than the individual merits.

Enjoyed

Spoiler alert
Past contestants turning up as it evokes that Apprentice finale "who the fuck is that". At least 2 I didn't recognise, and no Michelle!
[close]

Enjoyed it. Glad it's already getting a second series (you shit).

Des Wigwam

Got 9 minutes left of this. Am going to say yeah, invest in
Spoiler alert
the brownies. No brainer.
[close]

Now I'm waivering -
Spoiler alert
they are really expensive. Might be better to bang out the fizzy drink.
[close]

Back in 9 minutes.

Des Wigwam

#88
Yes @Malcy - didn't see that coming.

I don't think the two losers will have much trouble getting seed funding. Thought Gordo's summing up was a bit disingenuous -
Spoiler alert
I said at the start I'm not just looking for as product I'm looking for the person behind it - that's why I've spend most of this episode and the last one at least telling Victoria she has no leadership skills or eye for detail. Suspect his market research / advisors said - "yea that looks like the best return". 14p to make the things will sell for 90p easily - I did think Gordo got a little bit of a chubby when he heard that.
[close]

The outcome was fine. To be honest I've sort of little interest in the last episodes of these things.

Highlights were throwing in a helper whose sole purpose seemed to be to say "That's amazing" then to camera "I wouldn't do that" and also "You've hardly got any time left". Love to hate seeing the high end dining guy and to listen to his pompous pontificating. The brand lady also thought he was full of shit based on an edit, I suspect. Also enjoyed the energy of when the helper was introduced followed by a very clear vibe for them to fuck right off or at least not touch anything.

Hope S2 isn't a whole year away and stocked with pure arseholes.

Blue Jam

The Japanese fizzy drink being targeted at gamers, anime fans etc was borderline racist. If you really wanted to make an advert authentically Japanese you'd fill it with baseball and trains.

Pure crap wasn't it? Can't wait for series 2.