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Nice rant. Pretty much the only shows I will not watch on Food Network are the cake shows. I couldn't care less about cakes, let alone reality show drama about cakes.

And referring to both Food Network and Travel Channel, I'm also getting tired and disgusted of watching fun-lovin' gluttons roam the country and eat piles of fat.

I'm with you foodie123f. Food Network seems to have spiraled into self-destruct mode. I don't mind shows about cakes, just so long as I can learn how to make good ones. They are running the "challenge" format into the ground. I also despise the wasted bandwidth that goes into Unwrapped and other such bilgewater. I'd rather have an hour long period of instruction on how to make something in my own kitchen than an hour of "Oh, look at my wonderful industrial engineering" which, is also an hour of "We make really good candy" or "We make really good cheeze crackers". What a load of stuff and nonsense. They may as well turn those time periods over to paid programming and be done with it.

Please let me add my name to this list of malcontents. I HATE these reality, and challenge shows. They are just ridiculous, I would rather watch paint dry. Just get on with the education of cookery for f'akes.

Yup. Done with the cake shows. Unless one of those cakes has my name on it not interested.

Yeah I try not to put any of those shows on the food show listings. What do you feel about the shows on PBS and public television? Are there any good food (and drink) shows online? Also, a tangent of sorts, any good food and/or drink radio shows/podcasts?

Funny. I was going to post a topic with this exact title. ENOUGH GODDAM CAKES!!! Enough with the pastry challenges too, no one cares about making a seven foot tall ugly-as-shit sculpture out of solid sugar that is not intended to be eaten by anyone and only serves as an effigy to some pastry chef's penis. The Food Network Challenge shows are so low budget and poorly produced, if you are so intent on bombarding us with them, at least offer more variety. Bring back the "Stand and Stir" shows PLEASE.

I like America's Test Kitchen and Lydia Bastianich's show on PBS.

I know I am in the minority, but I love Ace of Cakes and the Challenges! I am not a great cook, but enjoy watching how creative other people can be. Ace is fun because of the quirky staff that reminds me of my kids and their friends. The Challenges because I could never do what they do in a million years.

I do wish there were more how-tos on the FN. I have eaten at the Neely's restaurant in Memphis and can get better bbq in Florida. I won't watch their show. I enjoy Rachel Ray because she teaches me things I don't know. I also like Guy's travelogue of interesting eatery's. I have eaten at several of them when traveling and he is usually right on the money.

I love the cakes, but most of those are repeats, which sucks.

I don't get the Food Network, only PBS, but few things make me giddier with joy than a Chris Kimball versus Julia or Bridget smackdown over a cake!

I love Ace of Cakes but enough with the "Characters out of World of Warcraft Challenge" shows. I love watching Duff's crew. It's about the closest thing to reality TV I watch (or freely admit, anyway).

I am all burned out on Duff and friends. The cakes per se are overinflated in price and ego. OK OK you make cakes in shapes. Want a cookie?
I miss the old shows in foodtv with master bakers who did OMG real baking of cakes people want to make, desserts people can serve without a freaking camera crew.

So funny! Totally was just thinking that on Sunday - seems like every food network challenge is a cake one!!! I mean I love cakes, but watching so much cake and chocolate isn't that fun if you don't get to taste it :)

The cake shows and the "Build a Small City out of Sugar" challenges are a total turn off for me. I miss Molto Mario and am sad that the FN has dumbed down its programming to the point where any serious or interested cook (not chef) can't watch. However, I do find that I like the Neeley's. Not so much for their cooking but for the way they interact. They look like they really enjoy each other and what they are doing and that is nice to see. Could someone please show Rachel Ray and Sandra what's-her-name the door?

Could someone give that Australian judge with the short hair/padded headband combo a make over? Seriously. Could What Not to Wear pick her up and tell her she looks just as bad as the cakes she so passionately disapproves of in the lamo disney cake challenges? That would be great. Thanks.

@yayfood -- She was the "guest client" for the cake challenge that was on the other day!

They're doing so many of these crap shows that they've run out of people to act as clients...

Proud to say: Never watched more than 3 minutes of any of the cake shows.

I used to watch FN a lot, but seldom find anything worthwhile on there anymore. I do watch the Next FN "Star" just so I can rag on it and enjoy the laughs about it over at Food Network Humor. http://foodnetworkhumor.com/2009/06/next-food-network-star-episode-502-recap/

Food network stinks! BUT, they do own some good domain names!

but there is much better content here and on EatFish.com

these things arent cake shows, they are rather like FN actually all surface flash and gaudy, but when you try to find the "cake of the matter" there is nothing there.

I want to make cakes for a living and I'm still sick of all of these stupid competitions! FN has nothing educational anymore.

@ Traveller: good mention of Gale Gand. I wasn't the biggest fan of her personally but her show was just what is sorely missed on the current FN: a good show about pastry that's a mix of professional technique and home baking.

i feel like everything's been said already-ha ha.

just about the only show i enjoy anymore is good eats. they could make it an all alton network & i'd be down with that. at least with him i always come away more enlightened.

the only competition show i really care for is iron chef (well, when it's a new one).
mostly i just dig the last ten minutes of it when they're judging, altho even their judges can get on my nerves sometimes--(jeffery steingarten, i'm talking to you!)

i grew up on pbs' saturday morning cooking shows. those were the days...yan can cook...jacques pepin...julia child...plus, pittsburgh (wqed) specifically has excellent local cooking programming...their program director, chris fennimore, hosts 'qed cooks' on saturdays, which features favorite recipes from viewers in the greater Pittsburgh area. plus, he started a program called 'steel city chefs' which highlights a local restaurant chef who shows how to make their best dish. rick sebak also does great documentaries (for example, 'a hot dog program', 'to market to market to buy a fat pig', 'sandwiches that you will like')
ah, wqed....fn could learn so much from you!

Alleluia. I'm glad it's not just this FAMILY who used to all be addicted to Emeril Live, Molto Mario,and Iron Chef. I was actully finding it very sad the other day that Gale Gand is no longer on. Personality aside, as has been stated, she was a good teacher, and it's a shame didi can't sit and be instructed by her in the kitchen. She gravittes toward Paula Deen's sweet treats. BUUUTTTER BUUUTTTER BUUUTTER! She's expensive to duplicate! Sorry, can't stand Rachel Ray on FN and can't stand her on ABC. Reminds me of that loud drunk at the bar when you're trying to have an intimate conversation with your mate. Sandra who? UGH! Food Detectives has to be the most idiotic show I've ever seen, wipeout anyone?

There are also no good ethnic food shows, or even people of color on The Food Network. Now they have The Neelys as a token, but even then its like one giant stereotype of collard greens and bbq. I feel like I'm watching the same recipes as Paula Deen and Sandra whatshertablescapeface but omg with diversity!!

Bring on some Ming Tsai. I saw an old show of his the other day and he showed how to make freakin' Peking Duck at home.