Jaquandor asks: Do you have an opinion of Guy Fieri? I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to hate him, but…I don’t.
Oh, THAT guy? No, I don’t have any impression. I mean I know what he looks like, the fellow who seems as though he were in a boy band a quarter of a century ago and never changed his look.
But if I’ve seen him on one of those cooking shows, I don’t specifically recall. Collectively, I tend not to watch them because they tend to want to stress out their contestants – here are ten random ingredients; make something delicious in an hour – which I don’t enjoy watching. Seeing people stressing out stresses ME out.
OH, I just saw him feeding people on northern California who are dealing with the massive fires. He seems to be a decent fellow.
And that is my general feeling about most reality shows, whether it be those HGTV home improvement shows (the hosts find rot in the foundation AFTER the contestants’ home is purchased!) or dance competitions or other talent events. It’s just not my thing.
My wife watches some HGTV shows and Dancing with the Stars. I did managed to catch Darcy Lynne on America’s Got Talent, which my wife also views, and was suitably impressed.
Then again, I’m not watching many current comedies or dramas either. I’m so glad I went on JEOPARDY! when I did, back in 1998. Recently there was a category on current TV that I totally bombed on. I was at least familiar with House of Cards (I know Kevin Spacey from the movies) and Breaking Bad (Bryan Cranston was in Malcolm in the Middle, which I didn’t watch either, now that I think of it), but obviously not well enough. Yet I got a question the next day about Orange Is the New Black, which I’ve also never seen.
There are a bunch of shows in the new season that, even a decade ago, I might have tried out. I even bought the Fall Preview Issue of TV Guide. But after having a whole bunch of that Vietnam series recorded but unwatched – since rectified – I realized that even shows starring people I used to watch (Kyra Sedgwick in The Closer) isn’t enough for me to view a new series (Ten Days in the Valley).
Is it aging? I’ve lost interest in most tv too. The only thing I watch with any regularity is Dsignated Survivor and Madame Secretary- and the new trek
I no longer watch television myself. If there’s something that sounds interesting – “American Gods” or “The Orville,” for instance – I download them and watch them (later) on my computer. It’s largely the “vast wasteland” that Newton Minow referred to so many years ago.
Everything I’ve ever read about Guy Fieri suggests he is a good guy; there was also a story about how a restaurant he featured on his “touring” show burned down and he was one of the first to check to see if the owners were OK and offer help.
I kind of like his “touring” show (“Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives”) in small doses.
But yeah – I am also not a fan of the “competition” cooking shows; I prefer the old-school PBS style (like Julia Child or Lydia Bastianach) where the person just talks to the camera and works through cooking things.