Nathan Orsi

12/7/2011
Cooking Show Analysis

I chose to analyze a Thanksgiving episode of

Chopped, which aired in 2010. Chopped is a
competitive cooking show on the Food Network.
There were two male and two female contestants.
Due to the differences in how they approached
cooking on the show, I analyzed the show based on
gender. Dishes were judged by their creativity, taste,
and presentation. Competitors were also asked to adhere to a Thanksgiving theme
during the competition. One chef was eliminated at the end of each round, after the
dishes were analyzed. There were three rounds and the winner took home a tenthousand-dollar prize. The show was hosted by Ted Allen who is a well-established
authority on food (Ted Allen Bio).
The ingredients for each round were a combination of everyday ingredients and
ones that were not familiar. Each contestant had a mystery basket of food and had to
work from the same ingredients. Use of pheasant, port wine cheese, and enoki
mushrooms highlighted the gourmet nature of the show. Based on the dishes created
and the terminology used in the show, the target audience would be food connoisseurs,
as the average viewer would not be familiar with terminology such as deglazing,
gastrique, or gratin.
The audience would be well traveled and familiar with a broad range of foods.
Gender cannot be assigned to the audience, but one would assume that they have the
means to consume exotic fare. Assumptions that the audience is aware of fine dining
are made. Viewers who frequent upscale restaurants could easily engage with the
show. Watching Chopped would require viewers to be somewhat familiar with the
ingredients to understand the meals. Dishes are presented as experiences to be
savored rather than merely ingested.
Contestants were addressed as chefs conveying formality. Serious music set a
competitive tone, and timed rounds gave a sense of urgency to the show. A professional
aspect was indicated with the theme of creating restaurant quality meals. Dishes were
compared to what would be served in a restaurant. Attire worn by the three judges and

the host was formal. It was clear the show was emulating a restaurant style
atmosphere, especially since the judges were chefs and restaurateurs. Makeup and
earrings were worn by the women, but the accessories did not sexualize the
atmosphere. Identical brown uniforms were worn by all contestants. There was a critical
assessment of the dishes, weighing the good with the bad. Contestants were respectful
after being critiqued. No favoritism was shown by judges based on gender or
experience.
Filming took place on a set, which had large stainless steel appliances and was
set up like the kitchen in a restaurant. Brown, orange, and tan were the main colors
incorporated to the layout. Decorations were lackluster, the wreath and the pine boughs
were not very Thanksgiving like. Contestants had to communicate with one another,
emulating a restaurant style setting. Entering through a hallway, the competitors were
introduced like prize fighters.
Editing of the show was choppy and this accentuated the nature of the
competition by creating a sense of urgency. Much of the footage was made up of very
short pans and close-up shots of preparation. Sequences of cooking, interspersed with
interviews was also a key component. Audio clips of the contestants thoughts provided
an intimate view of the competition. This allowed the viewer to experience the emotional
trials of the contestants while watching the drama unfold. Between rounds, the
contenders sat and talked which gave the impression they were taking a break in the
kitchen of a restaurant. They had no animosity towards one another.
Robyn and Chef Izzie, the two female chefs, were very focused on creating
flavorful meals. They explained that the way they approached cooking was influenced by
their families. In Robyns case, she wanted to make her father and grandfather proud of
her. She did talk about winning the competition, but that was not her main focus.
Validating her career as a chef was more important (Hollows, 40). Izzie said that one of
the reasons she became interested in cooking was because of her mothers lack of
interest in creating meals. She mentioned how her cooking paralleled her mothers
piano playing. Izzie was able to infuse her moms musical creativity and into her own
creations. Robyn and Izzie mirror Julia Child and her love for cooking (Hollows, 42). This
joyous approach to making food is important and evident because both women smile in
the show. Throughout the episode the men barely crack smiles, lending to
their competitive spirit.

For the men, sports references were prominent, along with the idea of winning
(Druckman, 29). There was no talk of interest derived from family members. Cooking
was the way Milton provided for his family and it set a good example for his children.
The ten-thousand-dollar prize was a big motivator. His cooking would help them get a
bigger house. Being a mixed martial arts fighter, his desire to compete and win was a
common theme. Chef Harold was also focused on winning, even though he was kicked
out after the first round. His family did not factor into the equation when talking about
cooking. Harold focused on how refined and amazing he was as a chef, mentioning how
his cerebral approach to cookery would earn him a win. Parallels were made between
managing a kitchen and managing the Yankees. The approach of a coach in the kitchen
as opposed to that of a teacher was also another way in which he equated cooking and
sports. Harold came in with a cocky attitude, overthought his dish, and underestimated
his competitors. The lack of family influence in both of their cooking is typical of how
male chefs are portrayed on The Food Network (Swenson, 45).
Towards the end of the preparation of the final dish, Milton needed almonds to
complete his dessert. Robyn happily shared her toasted almonds with Milton. One of the
judges noted this as a mistake, but Robyn was adamant that sharing in the kitchen is
what you do, as Anita Lo mentioned (Druckman, 30). This was a perfect example of how
Robyn approached cooking. To her, cooking was a joyful endeavor associated with
positive memories. Milton was convinced that he needed those almonds to make his
dessert better.
The approaches of men and women on the show are indicative of how The Food
Network portrays cooking styles (Swenson, 44-45). Sharing and enjoyment were clearly
important for the women, and it showed in their tasty, heartfelt dishes. Competitive
desire was fueled by leader and provider roles adopted by the men, highlighted by their
elaborate concoctions. Every chef is different, and as this episode demonstrated,
gender plays a part. The Food Network may have juxtaposed gender on purpose, but it
made for entertaining, informative television. It would be interesting to see if the patterns
observed in this episode are thematic for Chopped, or if this was an isolated case.

Works Cited
Druckman, Charlotte. Why are there no Great Women Chefs? Gastronomica: The

Journal of Food and Culture. Winter. 2010. pages (24-31). Print.

Hollows, Joanne. The Feminist and the Cook: Julia Child, Betty Friedan and Domestic
Femininity. Gender and Consumption: Domestic Cultures and the
Commercialisation of Everyday Life. Ed. Casey, Emma and Lydia Martens.
Ashgate, 2007. pages 33-45. Print.
Swenson, Rebecca. Domestic Divo? Televised Treatments of Masculinity, Femininity
and Food. Critical Studies in Media Communication Vol. 26, No. 1, March 2009,
pages 36-51. Print.
Ted Allen Bio. www.foodnetwork.com/ted-allen/bio/index.html . The Food Network, n.d.
Web. 7 November 2011.

Source: https://www.academia.edu/5640789/Chopped_Television_Show_Analysis