Dinner Impossible
OK, so I have to admit that I was so upset when they switched the host on Dinner Impossible from Robert Irvine to Michael Symon 2 seasons ago. I do understand that Robert embellished his resume a little, but seriously... he's got a great personality and can get the job done. Anyway, now I'm a little confused. I saw a new Dinner Impossible this week and Robert Irvine is BACK! Doesn't this make the Food Network look a little silly? I stopped watching once Michael Symon was the new host... and I was cheering for him on the Next Iron Chef, but he just didn't have the personality or the skill for a job this large. What are your thoughts? If the Food Network hadn't made such a HUGE issue of his dismissable, etc I don't think it would annoy me as much.
Robert Irvine... I'm glad you're back!! I also look forward to the next time your lose a challenge and end up having to take your shirt off again... lmao
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14 Comments:
According to his wikipedia page, he'll be doing 6 new episodes. I didn't know about the resume padding (I only knew of him from the show). I didn't care much for Symon (which stinks because the episode of the Philly block party was my block and I had no interest in being a part of it). I would have been interested in going if Irvine had been in charge. They have such different personalities.
gingercookiewithlime at 1:07PM on 04/19/09
I found it interesting as well that they brought him back after the big brouhaha over the resume/credentials issue. I had never heard of him before the show anyway but he did a great job as host and made it entertaining. Honestly, I think that when they fired him and brought Symon in they lost viewers so they probably waited a bit till it blew over and then brought him back, for what else? Ratings. Because that's all networks care about anyway.
arm1970 at 2:12PM on 04/19/09
I'm an Irvine fan, glad he's back.
dmcavanagh at 3:52PM on 04/19/09
I prefer Robert Irvine, Michael Symon I don't mind but his nervous laugh really annoys me. I'm glad to see Robert back. The show felt like it was made for him.
ag3208 at 4:38PM on 04/19/09
Doesn't this make the Food Network look a little silly?
Is this a trick question?? After the first few years of its existence, TVFN has NEVER worried about looking silly. They air Sandra Lee as a serious offering (without laugh track).
The act of rehiring Robert Irvine does indeed prove that TVFN's favorite dish is crow.
therealchiffonade at 4:58PM on 04/19/09
I was wondering that myself, I saw an add for the new season with Robert on it. I am glad if he is, he fits the show, the clowning around, the temper, he makes the show. Don't get me wrong, I like Michael on Iron chef and programs he used to do in the past, I love his laugh and he does it a lot, but on Dinner's Impossible....no.
pjracz10 at 7:05PM on 04/19/09
Robert Irvine didn't just embelish his resume a little--he lied about some pretty big things. His charter membership in the "meltdown of the moment club" gets really old, and therefore I don't watch his shows. The antics are just unprofessional. As a chef, Michael Symon is credible and successful. Given my choice of which to work for, it would definitely be Chef Symon.
beth1 at 9:36PM on 04/19/09
Welcome back Robert Irvine! Hadn't heard anything about any resume embellishing until now . . . seemed he proved his mettle on the show, as far as I'm concerned.
gourmetgal at 10:21PM on 04/19/09
I will be glad to see Irvine back as Symon, no offense to his cooking skills, just didn't have the personality to do the show.
FrostyGhost at 1:33PM on 04/20/09
I have to agree with the majority on here. I'm a big Mike Symon fan - just not as host of Dinner Impossible.
Irvine can be on the annoying side, but it works! I love his big, cheesy ego and his diva-tastic attitude. And he genuinely seems to have fun. I'm glad his back.
AmazonGoddess at 2:23PM on 04/20/09
I see that I'm in the minority here, but I liked Symon better. My quibble with watching Irvine is that he yells so much at his team. Reminds me of my ex-mil who would yell at her husband or (adult) kids, then turn around and grin at me as if to say it's okay that she's yelling, she doesn't mean any harm.
I really don't think adults need to be yelled at in the workplace. If it's noisy and you're shouting over the noise, that's one thing, but yelling at them for making mistakes is another. Whether or not it's common in restaurant kitchens, I don't particularly care. I'm just not a fan of treating people that way.
Oddly, I find the yelling less disturbing on shows like Hell's Kitchen. That's not a team working together, it's a contest, and they're all working to win for themselves, they're only working together enough so they don't get the axe themselves. And dealing with the yelling is part of the contest.
But in Irvine's case, he's yelling at the people who he works with. They're in a sort of a contest, but they should be working with each other, not against each other. Seems to me that in general, yelling doesn't improve anyone's mood or performance.
dbcurrie at 7:19PM on 04/20/09
As I recall, Food Network never claimed to "fire" Irvine - it was a very carefully phrased message about being "removed" for the rest of the season. It was clearly planned to have him come back after the drama died down.
cyberroo at 8:00PM on 04/20/09
I was curious about the change with Dinner Impossible - bringing back Robert Irvine. So I googled Michael Symon and found an interview with Chef Symon from the Cleveland paper regarding his no longer being with the show.
In that article, Chef Symon says that he knew that he would never be permanent, and that FN was "working things out" with Chef Irvine. He said that he enjoyed doing the show, but that it was Robert's all along.
In the interview, Chef Symon really took the high road. He was really complimentary regarding the way he has been treated by FN, as well as how FN was willing to work with Chef Irvine.
PS - I enjoyed the Michael Symon episodes. He's like a big kid who can also cook!
lindy123 at 12:57AM on 04/21/09
I much prefer Irvine over Symon. As the show has gone on, Irvine seems less wound-up and more relaxed.
Saint Zero at 7:33PM on 04/24/09