The Scores Are In... Boitano (and his cooking) Are In the Lead Again

Well I had a post all ready to go last Friday before I vanished for the weekend, but then in my rush to get out of town I promptly neglected to publish it! Sorry about that.

And now it will have to wait a few more days, because by now everyone from Entertainment Weekly (they gave it a “B+”; pretty good, as they can be a tough crowd) on down has published a review of What Would Brian Boitano Make?... and since I taped it exclusively for this purpose while I was gone, I guess I might as well too.

Except that mine will be in SP (short program) style, with eight required elements that I’m making up as I go along… okay, maybe just four:

1) Hosting skills—5.8. I’m not kidding when I say that Boitano is a natural… cute, fun, informative, and goofy; he clearly doesn’t take himself too seriously when it comes to this show, and that’s a very good thing. He’s a hoot!

2) Cooking skills—5.7. In interviews, Boitano nipped the “he’s not a trained chef” issue in the bud by explaining himself as a self-taught cook like so much of the Food Network’s audience. But he handles himself like a pro in the kitchen, and his hors-d’oeuvres (all original creations, I’ve read) look quite yummy. I want one of those polenta sausage thingies RIGHT NOW.

3) Production values—5.7. This part doesn’t have much to do with Brian per se, but it’s the overall tone/framing of the show… which was rather cheesy but still clever, with plenty of little asides to keep the show rolling. Maybe a little TOO busy with the asides in this pilot episode; here’s hoping they dial it down a little. I don’t think Boitano needs the help…

4) Overall tone—5.7. Hey, I’m just “leaving some room” so the show can get even better!

In lieu of a Clip of the Day, I’m giving you a link of the day … to the rather sunny review offered by my beloved Television Without Pity website. Note that (at least as I post this) all the accompanying comments were very positive too! The only thing people seem to be complaining about is the awkward, mid-day Sunday time slot where they seem to put all the newbies (he is surrounded by recent Next Food Network Star winners).