Let me clear up something. You are a great guy and knowledgeable cook. Food TV is a network. Thus everything they do is done, MUCH LIKE OUR DAMN NEWS THESE DAYS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE SPECTRUM, is determined by what they call "focus groups."
Focus groups often do not like to see unknowns, so they use actors.
They use actors for a reason. Most viewers are not like us... they don't want to be informed they rather be entertained. In other words, most do not go on there with the GOAL of learning but merely watch as a diversion.
You are a brilliant cook. You are NOT an actor. We see brethren see this with irritation. We get pissy when we see and actor that doesn't know his chit about the food. But the public wants to see Padma, Paula, and before the "FOCUS GROUPS" which were mostly white people in the case of the Neeleys trained all the spontaneity out of the them, the Neelys as well. A college of mine works for FOOD TV as a Marketing analyst and thats the way it worked when that went down. The Neeleys were "trained" to provide their viewers with the vision of them the Focus Group wanted to see... this is why there are so many sterotypical problems with their show that irritate some of us (who do not belong in the focus group becuase we know too much). The Neeleys are NOT actually the way they portray themselves on screen.... only partly. The producers start saying to these people... "do that little dance" "tell your husband to shut his mouth more" "be submissive to Gina."
What you had was a disaster because essentially that were teaching cooks and restrantuers to "act." Which is why its just easier to put an actor up there.
If they saw my chit and liked it they would want to find a person "LIKE" me but was more pleasing to the "eye." Yet the vision was all mine and they as a network don't want to package me but imitate me.
For instance, you do know that 90 percent of the people on any reality show are actually actors... with a SAC union card and everything.
I once recorded all of Paula deens shows once when I first got DVR. Well I noticed she started out good (you can see the original air dats) then about the second season she gets more timid and her hair changes as they try to make her something she is NOT based on what their focus group says. He laugh was off, she tasted less at the table.... this happened to Gia de laurentis. One good thing that can happen at the hands of Focus Groups and producers is when someone decides to place Gia in a kitchen where the oven is placed in front of her knees behind the actual counter she works at.... thus showing her incredibly cute Ta Tas when she bends down to place something in the oven.
I used to "know" an actress by the name of Lynn Koplitz. She was on a show called "How to Boil Water" for a time and did well but was let go because her Focus group said that the MEN LOOOOVED her but the WIVES felt threatened. This is what through Padma off the air (too damn sexy) but made Gia a success. Gia was sexy enough to come under the radar to capture male viewers but be seen as a "friend" to many women.
The funny thing is... when you look at Bobby's first shows... ity sort of reminds you of Clint. Theres a knowledge there but with untapped Panache. he went through his unconfident stage as well. Now everything is well produced. Glossy.
The only real guy I ever saw that was a glossy as he was credible was maybe GUY. But case in point...... he wanted sexy ladies on his cooking show... Like me. I like the mixure of sex and food.... Hooters, ya know. but when your putting millions on the line, it gets under the control of the specualtors and what they wanted was a show single men liked, single women liked (cuz of his persona) and was a man's man... aAND that couples could tune into without either feeling threatened. Had guy gotten the sexy girls on his show... leaning against the bar.... the wife would tune out.... the hubbys could not watch because the wives would be mad, the single girls prob would tune out too. Maybe.
As some of you know, I have had an ongoing battle with the Food Network. I have created some videos for them that have been the most viewed and most rated on their site, yet ultimately they pick some actor to be on Grill It with Bobby Flay or other show.
Most recently they had a Washington State wine contest from which 20 of the 100 videos would be opened for public voting.
I created an original recipe from scratch, figured out how to cook it on the grill and filmed it all by hand. Am I just being pissy or am I being singled out?
http://www.ireport.com/docs... versus
http://tinyurl.com/kpww9k ?
Seriously? I keep thinking that I can go on with a brethren t-shirt, talk about what bbq really is, and make the network a little more interesting but its getting a little tiring. Why try?