NBC Cancelling The Chopping Block?
Looks like NBC may already be pulling the plug on The Chopping Block. The show was getting beat in the ratings by Univision! That's bad. I taped the first 3 episodes and sort of made it through the first but didn't watch the rest. I liked MPW but somehow the show just didn't spark my interest. What went wrong? Does anybody care?
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16 Comments:
The contestants suck, the editing was some of the worst I've ever seen (though the titling was cool), and Americans just don't know who White is.
I'm sure the public didn't understand the wobbly knee'd reaction of the contestants to him, or why he pontificates cross-legged with his bare ankles exposed. I LOVE MPW (almost to the point of worship), I just think Americans don't get it and the network didn't lay the groundwork or use the media circus to promote who he is, why he deserves so much respect, and how all of his trademarks (i.e. vans and no socks with a suit) are part of what make him a great character. Additionally, the show spent little time on any food.
godeats at 8:25AM on 03/27/09
The show really did kinda suck. I watched it, because I found White creepily interesting, but it was awfully dull. They're filling the spot with yet more Law and Order. CI, I believe.
chisai at 8:41AM on 03/27/09
We may have reached the copycat reality show saturation point.
But I am keeping my fingers crossed that MILF Island makes it onto the NBC mid-season replacement schedule.
Remander at 8:45AM on 03/27/09
These days, networks really disgust me. If a show doesn't blow everyone out of the water after 2 episodes, studio execs nuke it faster than a Lean Cuisine.
One of my favorite new offerings, Life On Mars, got nuked but at least the producers were given time to come up with some type of neatly wrapped up ending.
M*A*S*H took about 3 years to really catch on and it became such an important show that the set is on permanent exhibition at the Smithsonian. Have we not learned ANYTHING??
I regret I have never seen an ep of The Chopping Block. Is there a consensus here at SE? Thumbs up? Down?
@Remander - Don't give up your nightly prayers that MILF Island won't come to TV. You'd be surprised how desperate studio execs can get . (And I happen to LOOOVE L&O:CI. Vincent D'Onofrio is incredible.)
therealchiffonade at 9:16AM on 03/27/09
It truly is a terrible, boring show. I love love love MPW and I think there is an audience out there that would just eat him up (that VOICE!) but this wasnt the correct venue for his talents at all.
CATERPILLARGIRL at 10:25AM on 03/27/09
I just get tired of all the rip off shows. There's no originality and the mimics are never as good as the originals. (Witness: Iron Chef.) We watch the BBC original titled Last Restaurant Standing. We watched the first episode of The Chopping Block. Pfft.
lambowner at 10:40AM on 03/27/09
Yea, I'm surprised by this even though it did seem like a lame attempt to copy Chopped. But it seems very early to cancel!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 11:00AM on 03/27/09
The contestants were not very interesting, but I appreciated that MPW seemed genuinely interested in communicating what it took to have a successful restaurant. This was not a showcase for a megalomaniac screaming at a bunch of fools like Ramsay in Hell's Kitchen. I liked the concept of partners and front/back of the house, but most of the chefs that were cast didn't seem that great, and even worse, their front of the house partners seemed like total tagalongs. Not one of those people displayed any knowledge of managing a restaurant.
Hopefully we'll get MPW in a better gig, with a network that really knows how to showcase him.
renzata at 11:08AM on 03/27/09
I admit that I never actually watched it, basically because it was on ata a bad time slot where I live and I was never really home for it.
As for Chopping Block, I have watched it, but it's not that great. None of the chefs appear to be that good, and the ingredients make me cringe...why would you *want* any of them together? Even if you had to have them. Maybe separately they might work, but ugh...
Traveller at 11:46AM on 03/27/09
This is no surprise at all. I watched it, because after all, the only things I find worth watching on TV are baseball, Family Guy and Seinfeld re-runs, and almost anything involving food. The Chopping Block was awful. Its unfortunate, because MPW deserved to get a show and some recognition in the states, but I'm afraid everything about The Chopping Block seemed doomed for the chopping block.
mediocrepop at 12:55PM on 03/27/09
I was a bit confuddled by the way contestants were cut from the show on the episodes I saw. Since the premise was that they were on their own (of course the film crew was there...) it appeared that White didn't see the behind-the-scenes action or the reasoning behind those actions, he just listened to everyone's opinions and based his decision on that. Might as well have let the contestants do the voting.
dbcurrie at 1:37PM on 03/27/09
I was very unimpressed by this show. After all the fawning and admiration for MPW from Bourdain and the like, NBC did very little to make us respect him as well.
The contestants looked like they came right from Central Casting, covering all the ethnic and age groups they could think of.
The food took a back seat to the squabbling and bickering, which was unwatchable.
I don't think anybody will be sad to see this show go. Hopefully MPW doesn't lose too much street cred because of this.
DanielJ at 7:21PM on 03/27/09
The show is TERRIBLE! I wash my hands of it. The food is not in focus and the punchlines are awful. The worst thing about it to me is the contestants. I don't wnat any of them to win because I don't want to give any of them my hard earned money for something they made. Maybe it's the editing but they seem like genuinely awful, selfish people. I wish everyone competed like Carla from Top Chef. She rocks the house.
meascanbe at 9:16PM on 03/27/09
i found it pretty mundane, which is unfortunate because i think the potential was there for something great. plus, i don't have cable, so the idea of having an awesome food show on network television excited me. c'est la vie....
gastronomeg at 2:03PM on 03/28/09
Don't know if anyone cares, but they appear to be airing the unaired eps on this show on hulu.com. I guess on a weekly basis, as the only new one up thus far is Ep 4.
chisai at 12:18PM on 04/06/09
I thought the show sucked. MPW is not that well-known in the US, save for some serious foodies. I just couldn't get into the show.
BITTER at 10:01PM on 04/08/09