This hilarious sketch captures the most awkward part of 'Chopped'
Comedy nerds around the world had reason to rejoice last Friday: W/ Bob and David premiered on Netflix. The show reunites the stars—Bob Odenkirk and David Cross—supporting cast, and writing staff of Mr. Show With Bob and David, the cult-favorite sketch comedy series that aired on HBO in the late ’90s. For the most part, the reboot (if you can call it that) is as delightful as the original.
As a fan of reality cooking competitions, one sketch in particular stood out to me. On Shark Kitchen (seen in the third episode), several chefs must prepare unusual ingredients before a panel of judges: a premise that not only borrows from Chopped, but gets at a weird, unspoken tension at the heart of the long-running Food Network show.
If you’ve seen Chopped, and of course you have, you’ll remember that host Ted Allen invariably asks each contestant what brought them to the show. Their reasons vary wildly. Some talk of opening their own restaurant or taking a vacation with the $10,000 prize. On the other end of the spectrum, many chefs cite overcoming illnesses, addictions, and other personal hardships—and, in doing so, make that guy who just said he wants to go on a cruise look like a real jerk. I once saw an episode where a contestant describing his battle with cancer was cut off by another competitor eager to announce that she, too, has cancer. Shit gets real on the Food Network.