Andy DehnartTwo competitions kicked off last night, a brand-new competition and a reboot of an old favorite. Here are my quick responses to both episodes:
Animal Planet’s competition Top Hooker started strong: it was a great first episode. While I’m sure fishing purists–including the ones on the show–were frustrated by the lack of actual fishing until the final challenge, the challenges the producers created were strong and interesting. It’s also well-cast, with a pretty diverse array of characters. I was distracted that the editors used music previously used by SyFy’s Face Off, and literally starting the episode with someone saying “I’m not here to make to make friends” almost lost me, but I’m in to see where this goes.
Meanwhile, Food Network Star debuted its new format, and alas, it made the show a lot less interesting than last season. The mentors worked with the contestants, but as a group, and also joined in judging decisions with Bob and Susie. There was a good amount of Bob and Susie, but without teams, there seemed to be a lack of investment in the pretty weak cast members. I did like the addition of the live focus group, whose laughter or blank stares were a good stand-in for viewers’ responses. It’s hard to imagine any of the cast members having their own show at this point. I hope it picks up, but I’m not hopeful.