Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Why Bobby Flay Doesn't Win 'Throwdown! with Bobby Flay'

When Bobby Flay decides to take on a titan in a given region on a certain style of food, be it barbecue, jumbalaya or ice cream, he tends not to perform up to the standards that one would credit him with as an Iron Chef and Food Network Superstar. In Season 1, his win percentage was 20%, going 3-1-11. Season 2 yielded a 30% win percentage, going 4-9 but he leveled off his wins after that, going somewhere between 20% and 40% in the rest of the seasons.
Many people ask, "Why does he not win?" Well, you must ask yourself, who is judging? Does the hometown favorite have a distinct flavor that judges would pick up on and skew the results?
No. The kicker is the fact that Bobby Flay is a FLAVOR ARTIST. He pushes the tastes and doesn't settle for basic, run of the mill dish. This puts him in somewhat uncharted, slightly more gourmet, territory. Which isn't exactly the pleasing flavor profiles for the huddled masses trying to get on television and score some free food from one of the greatest chefs around.
Another reason Bobby Flay has trouble is the support he gets in the lab while researching his recipes for the battles. Bobby's assistants or sous chefs or whoever the two girls are, tend to be vicious. They offer up limited criticism, most of the time it's completely unconstructive.
All I have to say is HANG IN THERE BOBBY!

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