Alton FINALLY Sold Out!
Well folks, it was just a matter of time. Many of the Food Network hosts have countless endorsement deals. Our beloved Alton Brown hung in there and stuck to Good Eats, his Feasting series and not much else.
Well, I just saw Alton's commercial for Welch's Grape Juice. Though it was in the same vein as his show in the way that it was informative, I have to admit I was a bit ... well, devastated.
Has anyone else seen it and if so, what do you think?
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48 Comments:
I was mortified and not happy to see that new bowl haircut thing he has going on.
I love the wildman jack look...it suits him. Or, should I say, suited him.
ChelleyD01 at 8:09PM on 11/11/08
I haven't seen the ad, but I'm slightly dissapointed about his becoming a corporate spokesman. Nonetheless, I can't claim that I would refuse a similar offer were I in his position. If nothing else, it serves as a lesson not to place anyone on too high a pedestal.
Nicholas H at 8:58PM on 11/11/08
Nope not yet. I thought he did some other ads before.
pjracz10 at 9:16PM on 11/11/08
He's been an endorser/spokesperson for the Shun knife series for a while now. I'm surprised by the product chosen. Haven't seen the Welch's ads yet.
renoles at 9:55PM on 11/11/08
http://www.welchs.com/altonbrown
See it for yourself.
JerzeeTomato at 11:00PM on 11/11/08
And being the spokesman for general electric and shun knives wasn't already? If it's not impairing the quality of his work, who cares. Man has every right to make some money.
milkmandan at 11:10PM on 11/11/08
So, it is okay for Football Jocks BUT not Chef "jockies"?! We are being sooo judgemental - give the guy a break and allow him to develop his full financial potential for his family - like the rest of us!
cooknchemist at 11:29PM on 11/11/08
Welch's grape juice isn't a horrible product, so please, climb down off the soap box.
Mares at 11:45PM on 11/11/08
Well, it is a bit disappointing that he has become a corporate spokesperson, as Nicholas H mentioned above... still, I also have to agree with Mares; there are far worse things than Welch's grape juice that he could have been endorsing. (::cough:: insert name of chain restaurant here ::cough::)
I certainly wouldn't go so far as to call it "devastating".
Steen at 2:34AM on 11/12/08
So, question.
What if he just really, really likes welch's grape juice?
like let's say I became a massive celebrity doing , and then went on to become a spokesperson for Bolthouse Farms(if you've never had their juices, by the way, you're totally missing out)...is this still selling out?
And I gotta say, if stumping for grape juice is his gravest sin, he's still doing pretty OK, given FN's predilection toward the "OMG slap a name on it and sell it!!" school of brand naming (see for example, rachel ray, mario batali, emeril, bobby flay, etc etc brand whatevers)
rasellers0 at 3:40AM on 11/12/08
Thanks for the link - the haircut is not Alton - looks much older.
renoles at 6:30AM on 11/12/08
I say let him sell products. However, he does need a haircut.
katarina_santiago at 8:07AM on 11/12/08
uh...Alton sold out when he went on the Food Network.
inuyaki at 8:48AM on 11/12/08
Another disappointment in a long line of Food Network disappointments! When I heard the familiar voice on the television, I looked up in disbelief! I just shook my head and changed the channel. I guess what "they" say is true. Everyone has their price.
izatryt at 9:15AM on 11/12/08
I don't see why it's that big of a deal, he was a spokesman before as other people said. I respect all of the products he has chosen, so I'm fine with it. It's not like he's trying to sell me a crappy used car.
Laurel E at 9:19AM on 11/12/08
To me this is not selling out. Welchs has a nice product. And like other have said, I wouldn't turn it down either - must be some nice cash. I still have a tone of respect for Alton.
Lilartist at 9:20AM on 11/12/08
Why is it selling out? He has been endorsing GE and Shun for years. I have more respect for him endorsing Welchs then I do for Tyler Florence for endorsing Applebees, at least Welchs is drinkable.
Alan
aholsber at 9:21AM on 11/12/08
If I saw/heard him urge us to go and have a lovely meal at Olive Garden (or even endorse some kind of ready-made stock or broth), I would conclude right there that he sold out. Juice commercials? I see no reason for disappointment, frankly. If I saw the commercial, my first thought would probably be, "hmm, I reckon it's a good product", not "oh no, he sold out!". I have a great deal of respect for Alton and do not see how being in a juice commercial goes against anything I respect him for -- it simply doesn't.
brooke29 at 9:47AM on 11/12/08
Okay, I have to admit that if they asked me to, I would jump for joy if KitchenAid wanted me to endorse their mixers. I love mine, and I would happily tell others about it (wait, I already to for free). If he genuinely likes the product, why not? He isn't endorsing the National Sugar Board, telling us all that we need to stuff ourselves with cookies all day, he is endorsing a nice juice. Heck, I like the stuff. There is nothing wrong with that. And if you go to the website, he does give a nice presentation on the science behind a lot of it, which to me means that he is at least explaining part of the reason (although the pay probably also helps) that he chose to endorse them. Again, nothing wrong with that. More power to him.
Traveller at 10:48AM on 11/12/08
Hoo, boy. That haircut reminds me of Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Couldn't care less about the juice, but bad style gives me hives.
Kerosena at 10:58AM on 11/12/08
I say "Way to go Alton". You still have my undieing love. Just mess up that hair a bit huh?
@Traveller -- I agree on that KitchenAid deal. I would be all over it. Also if Viking would like to me to be their spokewoman I can be reached at ...
bodaciousgirl at 11:13AM on 11/12/08
@bodaciousgirl: Exactly....and I think that I could easily represent that National Popcorn Board (if there is one), since I practically eat my weight in the stuff every month. No joke. :)
Traveller at 11:16AM on 11/12/08
I will admit, the first time I saw the commercial (uhh .. yesterday?) I was a little disappointed. But I think the points brought up here are good -- Welch's is not exactly evil incarnate; he could be doing a lot worse. But absolutely, the haircut needs to go. =)
kfarrel3 at 12:10PM on 11/12/08
@milkmandan amen. He is endorsing a harmless lil grape juice ad. I would think that product could be agreeable to anyone. As a kid I drank it all the time. Still do but now let it ferment lol.
pjracz10 at 1:07PM on 11/12/08
I quite like Welch's Grape Juice, but I highly dislike his new haircut. It reminds me of No Country for Old Men.
marzipanda at 1:09PM on 11/12/08
isn't being a food tv host a sell out in itself?
VerasTastyFreeze at 1:37PM on 11/12/08
As clearly mentioned, I think it really depends on the intention. Making money doesn't equate to selling out. It's only selling out if the money prompts you to do or promote something you are against.
If your motivation to be a "food tv host" is because you want to make money, then that'd probably be selling out. If it's because you didn't think there were any programs that were doing a good job of being accessible and teaching cooking, then it's not really selling out even if you make money doing it. It's not exactly Paris Hilton or Lindsey Lohan being paid to make an appearance at some bar or club.
wunami at 2:49PM on 11/12/08
I just saw the pic of him with the hair, it used to be lighter and kind of tussled around.
pjracz10 at 3:35PM on 11/12/08
@wunami or Jim Morrison doing his anti drug adds while stoned out of his mind lol
pjracz10 at 3:38PM on 11/12/08
i'm more appalled by the fact that he says con-cord grapes than anything. welch's grape juice is headquartered in concord MA (birthplace of the concord grape) -- and it's pronounced CONQUERED. my hometown! come on, you'd think SOMEONE should have told him! or the execs at welch's marketing agency i guess haha.
megannesta at 3:59PM on 11/12/08
Come on, it's Alton! We love him. We're blogging and criticizing what Alton Brown does with his time and name? Save it for Sandra Lee...
carolrsf at 4:11PM on 11/12/08
Haven't seen this commercial but if it's in Alton's informative educational style, I don't see how it is selling out per se. I still love him.
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 4:33PM on 11/12/08
Well, it's not like he's trying to sell toxic waste. And if it gives him more money to keep making his tv shows --- though hopefully he'll choose things other than making crackers --- more power to him.
DaveFaris at 4:33PM on 11/12/08
ok now that i'm over my initial shock at his mispronunciation, i have to say i don't think this is selling out any more than him being on the food network in the first place. he's not going to be a martyr and i don't think it's against his food beliefs. it's grape juice. it's not selling processed boxed cake mix or something he would be opposed to on his show. i'm fine with it.
megannesta at 4:37PM on 11/12/08
Perhaps saying he "sold out" was a bit much and yes, it could be argued that once you're on the Food Network you're "selling out." My problem is this: Why does doing some major corporate endorsement deal seem like it's the natural progression of things once you have a decent following?
And for all of you that said Alton may have done it to make more money for his family, please. I'm sure Alton's doing just fine. It was just a little disappointing to me. It's like, after all this time there he is and it's Welch's grape juice. That doesn't lead me to believe that he'd been approached before and held out for the product he loves (grape juice?), but rather that a major corporation finally approached and named the right price.
Who's next to go, Ina Garten? I would be very sad.
PumpkinBear at 10:50PM on 11/12/08
Pro:
I liked seeing a familiar face endorsing a healthful, good quality product and doing it in scientific Alton style. If I am forced to watch a commercial (thank you, TiVo!), this one is bearable. It beats the crap out of Regis, who used to endorse Welch's if memory serves.
Con:
Hate the haircut.
buffy at 11:40PM on 11/12/08
CONQUERED? really?.......from the people that pronounce CAR, CAAH!?
Im ok with con-cord.:-)
concreteoatmeal at 1:27AM on 11/13/08
Especially since con-cord is the correct pronounciation.
grampart at 8:06AM on 11/13/08
No issue with doing an endorsement, but for this garbage? Grape juice has 50% more sugar than Coke. It's the worst of the fruit juices in that respect, which is saying something. Please people, juice is not "healthful."
Sandro at 11:48AM on 11/13/08
Maybe he likes grape juice. He's not a health guru, he's a cooking guy. There have been plenty of shows where he points out that he didn't say it was low-cal or good for you, he said it was going to taste good.
After that, it's up to you to decide if you want to eat it, how much of it you want to eat, and how often you're going to eat it.
I don't see how this is a big deal unless the commercial (which I haven't seen) is saying that you ought to drink gallons of the stuff a day as a cure for whatever ails you.
dbcurrie at 1:54PM on 11/13/08
Some guy -- I think his name is Andy Warhol -- once was quoted as saying, "creativity is capital."
Unless you think Warhol is the ultimate sell-out, making a living by using your talent at an art or craft is not selling out. It's the reasonable thing to do.
And I'd like to note that Alton has a background in both the culinary and dramatic arts . . . so acting in commercials isn't at all out of character for him.
Susquehanna at 2:05PM on 11/16/08
I don't like the haircut, but the man has to make a living. He doesn't receive money from the tv shows, just from his book royalties.
gingercookiewithlime at 7:06PM on 11/16/08
@myself: Joseph Beuys, not Andy Warhol, was "some guy" known for the slogan "creativity = capital." I really like this slogan.
Susquehanna at 8:44PM on 11/16/08
This isn't the first time he has done adverts for products. Also, there's that Kosher salt deal...
neonpinknowhere at 12:00AM on 11/25/08
@susquehanna: love the @myself
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 12:40AM on 11/25/08
@carolrsfMISSESTEXAS: That was kinda' ridiculous, I know. Just didn't think anybody else gave a rip about it.
Susquehanna at 8:28PM on 11/30/08
Get a life all you critics. And go enjoy a big cold glass of Welch's grape juice.
dmcavanagh at 7:31PM on 12/12/08
So he did a commercial. Big deal. Does he pimp himself out like Rachael Ray or Bobby Flay? Hell no!
Does he continue to create a unique, funny and informational cooking show out week after week? Yes, he does. What do I care if he did a grape juice commercial.
jimpryde at 12:25AM on 12/30/08