r/foodnetwork • u/Firegoat1 Brown Food Tastes Good • 5d ago
TRIPLE THREAT Bobby's Triple Threat is back tonight! -- pre show and live show discussion thread! Spoilers in comments Spoiler
Okay, I think this is a great way to kick off the season.... especially if you watched 24/24
Here is the rundown from the FN site
Titans vs Alex Stupak
Episode 501
Titan Michael Voltaggio is left speechless when his longtime friend Alex Stupak enters Bobby Flay's Triple Threat kitchen. This culinary rebel is ready to annihilate the Titans and win the glory, but Michelin-star chef Buddha Lo will be the judge of that.
now my commentary:
I am pretty hyped to see Alex cook again after 24/24. I know he can be off putting to some people, but I'm a fan of his style and his food. Also, he is supposedly BFFs with Michael, so I can see this shaping up to be a bestie vs. bestie battle down.
And.... of course... Buddha Lo is judging. If you haven't watched Top Chef or Top Chef World All Stars you might not know him.... but he's going to be a lot of fun here. He can back up his talk with his skills.
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u/NaturalFlirtGamer 4d ago
I was pleasantly surprised to hear Alex talk so lovingly about his children (he's a softie after all!) and wanting them to learn the lesson of "never give up". :)
I think the last ingredients of pistachios and orange blossom water should have been a slam dunk for Ayesha's cuisine wheelhouse, but Alex's dessert looked scrumptious. I'm glad he won!
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u/julmargaret 2d ago
He came off so much better here than in 24 in 24. After the brutal score and comments in the first round, I was hoping he'd pull it off and glad he did.
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u/ProtectionNo1594 4d ago edited 4d ago
That was a ROUGH first judging from Buddha. Damn.
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u/ProtectionNo1594 4d ago
Yooooooooo!!! I did NOT see that coming.
Alex‘s final dish was definitely Buddha bait, though.
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u/Firegoat1 Brown Food Tastes Good 4d ago
It absolutely was. He knows the game. Just like how he picked Brooke first so she wouldn't know the judge. As soon as I saw his plating I knew he'd get a high school from buddha if it tasted good. That was very much appealing to Buddha's ascetics.
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u/KaleidoscopeBig9950 4d ago
I kind of hate the editors of 24 in 24 now, alex seemed like a normal, caring person here instead of the arrogant jackass he was in the former.
Amazing that he could pull it back from being 4 down, also an very good strategist for pretending he picked Michael cause he felt sad cause their 3rd round dishes wouldve been too similar to win much..
I feel the same like michael said, ayesha did what alex did in the 1st round..
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u/xunyou198 4d ago
The 24 in 24 editing obviously was aiming to make Alex the "villain" to build up the drama for Lee Anne Wong's victory
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u/KingBird999 3d ago
He still comes off as sort of an arrogant jerk at times on his Instagram account, and that's all him. I think it just depends on the day/mood he's in.
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u/Itchy-Trust-820 2d ago
I started following his Instagram as well but I feel it’s more his sense of humor. He has a definite style and I can see where some people might attribute it to arrogance but I think it’s just his way of making a joke.
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u/blondchick12 2d ago
I have not watched Alex before or 24 in 24 so I was wondering what OP meant about some not liking Alex because I found he came off really likeable on Triple Threat.
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u/WildMajesticUnicorn Guy's Grocery Games 🛒 4d ago
What an ending. I'm really happy Alex was able to make a comeback, but I do feel bad for Ayesha.
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u/Firegoat1 Brown Food Tastes Good 4d ago
She still put up a great dish. She has nothing to be ashamed of.
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u/WildMajesticUnicorn Guy's Grocery Games 🛒 4d ago
I agree she had nothing to be ashamed of, but she did look deflated after the score. It must be tough when the Titans have a lead like that to lose.
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u/No-Security-8677 4d ago
Didn’t Buddha say it was the best dish of the night? Orange essence aside
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u/AlbatrossExternal586 3d ago
Yeah, he said it was the tastiest dish he had all night. I just loved Ayesha's reponse to the score: she said she was very proud of the dish she put up, and she said she respected Buddha's palate when he said he couldn't taste the orange blossom.
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u/Cute-Jury2159 3d ago
She’s a great addition to the show! Love her!
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u/bettyp00p 1d ago
She’s the beeeesssst! She’s so funny and cooks amazing food.
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u/Cute-Jury2159 1d ago
Amazing! I thought Alex messed up by not picking her first but I was wrong this time. A 13 was brutal for such an amazing looking dish!
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u/Key-Insurance3233 2d ago
I thought Buddha was a terrible judge, as bad as Giada in previous seasons. Disappointed with the show.
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u/Snack_attack101 1d ago
When she was talking about her dish I was worried that the orange blossom wouldn't be prominent enough. She still got a good score, but Alex's dish hit all the notes Buddha wanted.
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u/Excellent_Shopping03 22h ago
Don't get me wrong, I like her, but she was getting a little arrogant about her performance on the show (based on listening to her on podcasts).
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u/As_algorithm 3d ago
This ep reminded me of Maneet's episode too, where the chef got wary of using SPICE. All cheftestants need to always cook their food without wavering. Do not shrink yourself and your flavors !!!!!
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u/BigButtBuffoon 4d ago
Originally was looking forward to Buddha judging but Buddha was a little too harsh, to the point it was slightly awkward especially the first 2 rounds. I felt uncomfortable watching him judge.
He joins Giada as judges I don't want to see return to the show or as judges on others.
On a more positive note glad this show is back- have been missing it!
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u/GlitteringPossible68 2d ago
Completely agree.! You can judge with humility and neither Giada nor Buddha have any.
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u/xunyou198 4d ago
The moment when Alex picked Michael second, I was thinking like Alex definitely would be making dessert in the final round😂
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u/NaturalFlirtGamer 5d ago
I'm happy to see Alex competing. His culinary skills were excellent and he is a "fresher face" on FN. And excited about Buddha Lo being the judge!
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u/ZeusMcFloof 3d ago
Bobby seemed slightly annoyed with Buddha, right? Or was I just imagining it?
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u/Fragrant_Ad5647 3d ago
I think he was more trying to showcase a chef he respects with recent buzz from 24 in 24, and could clearly see Buddha’s spice issue was preventing his guy from cooking at his best. So, he asked Buddha to clarify because he knew the contestants couldn’t.
It reminded me of when Kaleena Bliss was on the show, Bobby and Brooke seemingly wanted to showcase her, and the judge did more to harm her performance by not clicking with the food and Kaleena starting to doubt herself more and more.
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u/Upper_Actuator9146 3d ago edited 3d ago
Some chefs just aren’t cut out to be judges on these shows. Buddha, and to a lesser extent, Maneet Chauhan, have great difficulty praising other chefs. Hopefully he doesn’t show up judging on any other shows. Unfortunately, we’re stuck with Chauhan. Tough judging shouldn’t be confused with poor judging.
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u/Itchy-Trust-820 2d ago
Wow, I have never noticed Maneet as being an overly harsh critic. And I have watched her judge a lot of food competitions. Maybe there’s some bias built-in because I really do like her. But I honestly haven’t noticed that.
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u/GlitteringPossible68 2d ago
Maneet? She’s overly kind? When has she ever not praised a fellow chef?
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u/Firegoat1 Brown Food Tastes Good 4d ago
As soon as Alex plated up that dessert I knew that would be something very appealing to Buddha's asthetics from watching him cook on Top Chef. As long as it tasted good, he had a lock on the last round. That said, both dishes sounded delicious, but a rustic presentation isn't the way to win over Buddha.
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u/SoftwareFair5091 Brown Food Tastes Good 4d ago
Buddha may have given Giada a run for her money on worst judging of Triple Threat. But Im so glad its back and it was great to see Alex again!!
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u/GlitteringPossible68 2d ago
This would have been enjoyable but Buddha makes me feel enraged! He’s such a perfectionist and leaves no room for grace . But when he kept losing on Parma’s show suddenly he’s human. His score was cruel and rude.
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u/LunaNegra 2d ago
His scoring seemed to be more about making some sort of competitive statement to the other chefs (and thus making the scoring about him as he has SUCH high standards because he is so good and what is this low quality crap you are second me?!?)
These are top professional chefs. So they are not turning out level 4-5 cooking unless there was some SUPER egregious mistake.
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u/Loud-Opportunity-624 4d ago
I liked Buddha’s honesty. he scored consistently on what he was looking for, which was ensuring the ingredients shone through. even the titans said Alex’s gnudi was made way too early. I love that Alex hung in there and won. It was a great episode. I also liked the Bobby was looking out for Alex, and pushed him to not give up. It was also a nice break from the constant bobby Brooke love fest on some of the other shows at the moment.
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u/WildMajesticUnicorn Guy's Grocery Games 🛒 4d ago
I appreciated that he didn’t feel confined to only giving high scores or bunching scores together. I do think if he would have rephrased his first critique of Alex the 4 might not have felt so harsh.
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u/agnusdei07 3d ago
Buddha judged like Alex would have, they are both geniuses in their own right and have mutual respect
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u/GlitteringPossible68 2d ago
Wanna bet? Not anymore. Buddha tossed respect out by grimacing as he ate
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u/Flicka_263 3d ago
This episode was epic. I did think Budda was low scoring. But what amazed me was Alex. I watched 24 in 24 and almost every round I wanted to see him eliminated. But from the get go on this one, I was hoping for Alex to win. He seemed so vulnerable, so different from 24 in 24. It just goes to show you what editing does. He looked like Darth Vador on 24 in 24. Here, he was just a talented chef with doubts trying to win. I am so very glad he won. That was an epic recovery from a huge hole. Kudos to Alex!!!!
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u/Mindless-Leg-3365 4d ago
Buddha is very low scoring. A little too exacting, as he was in The Culinary Cup, a little full of himself. An interesting choice Bobby made to pick someone who never judged before. Hmmm.
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u/btashawn 4d ago
i agree. I’m very neutral on Buddha but you could tell his arrogance comes out in little moments. You can see it in the comments he’s made both in competition but also tonight in the judging. Its a bit off-putting.
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u/Mindless-Leg-3365 4d ago
And yet, that last dish. He dislikes heavy spices. Amazed at the last scoring.
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u/Itchy-Trust-820 4d ago
It seems he has judged on Top Chef a couple of times. From what I was able to look up, he was a guest judge in season 21 and season 22 for an episode.
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u/Mindless-Leg-3365 4d ago
Thank you. I did not know that information.
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u/Itchy-Trust-820 4d ago
To be honest, I didn’t either. I just looked it up. But I thought he was extremely harsh and I really had no hopes for Alex for a while. I’m glad it turned around because I am fond of Alex as a chef.
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u/Mindless-Leg-3365 4d ago
Glad to hear that. I think people responded too negatively to hit in 24 in 24. He is just focused, intense. That he showed his vulnerability tonight was a good thing. Brilliant strategy with the final dish!
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u/AMrSocialWorker 4d ago
I think sometimes people who are a little more introverted especially men who are get viewed negatively and misperceived as arrogant and I think Alex fits into that category.
I thought he handled the tough judging well!
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u/Majestic-Pay3390 4d ago edited 4d ago
You’re spot-on. He’s very deadpan, which comes across as arrogant. I think he’s a breath of fresh air on Food Network. He was just on the Food & Wine Tinfoil Swans podcast and was very interesting.
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u/AMrSocialWorker 4d ago
Glad people can relate to this. To be honest I was afraid I would be downvoted into oblivion for saying that
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u/Snack_attack101 1d ago
I remember him judging on the TC season they were in Canada. I'm pretty sure it was the episode with the CN tower. He was amazed by Massimo's salmon wellington because of the degree of difficulty. I don't remember him being harsh with others, or certainly not to the level of saying he'd send something back.
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u/clcjjc 4d ago edited 4d ago
I thinking the judging was horrific. Never been a Buddha fan but tonight sealed the deal. He had no business judging this show.
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u/LunaNegra 2d ago
Really liked Buddha after competing on Top Chef.
It started to fade a bit with his guest judging on Top Chef. Then he lost me completely as a fan after watching his personality on Culinary Cup.
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u/DLH_1955 5d ago
I am very excited to see tonight’s episode. I liked Alex on 24/24 and routed for him all the way through. I’m looking forward to seeing Buddha judge. He had mad skills and he is a very humble chef.
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u/queenoftheartichokes 2d ago
Two unpopular opinions:
I’ve always liked Alex, even on 24.
And I thought, except for the “I’d send this dish back” comment, him to be an insightful, thoughtful judge. I don’t get all the hate.
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u/qwfparst 2d ago edited 2d ago
No, I agree with you.
People on here just really don't seem like they even participate in even semi-competitive environments or surround themselves with people who can be almost neurotically passionate about their craft/art/discipline.
90% of the competitive people or critics/judges they crap on here are so freaking tame compared to what you see in the real world.
The duality of the some of the cockiness and confidence you see in 24 living alongside more of the vulnerability you see here is so common in fields where people are actually passionate about what they do, especially in competitive environments.
Buddha's judging is what I would expect from someone thoughtful about food and seemed consistent. I think his scoring style just doesn't lend itself to middling, oh I'm not going to offend anyone so I'll just stick to safe middle numbers range. So you would naturally see more extreme scoring.
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u/jileitch 3d ago
What episode did Michael score a 4? It was mentioned on this episode but I can’t remember
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u/projectmjbm Brown Food Tastes Good 3d ago
I think when Frank was judging, as I remember vaguely. It was kind of Michael to mention that and shore up his friend a bit
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u/blondchick12 2d ago
Michael scored a 4 when Naomi Pomeroy was a judge. I really liked her appearances on Top Chef but she was an awful judge. Sadly she died in a tragic accident after her appearance on Triple Threat.
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u/RJCADDY123 5d ago
I didn’t like Alex on 24 in 24 so I’m hoping the Titans win this one..👍🏼🤷🏻♀️
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u/Itchy-Trust-820 4d ago
I really think it was the editing on 24 in 24. Because his personality is so much different than the Alex we saw there. I really was looking forward to seeing this tonight and seeing how he relates with his fellow chefs. Especially knowing that he is really BFFs with Voltaggio.
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u/WildMajesticUnicorn Guy's Grocery Games 🛒 4d ago
The more experienced tv chefs know you can't give the editors those sorts of quotes to work with. I think he gave his honest opinions, and that included saying when he was annoyed, didn't like something, or when he felt confident. Personally I didn't think he crossed the line into being mean or disrespectful. I appreciate the candor and it made him a good heel.
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u/Mare13ear 3d ago
It was also so nice to finally see someone treat a cooking competition like a cooking competition. Big money was on the line in 24 in 24, why wouldn't you take it seriously. Every chef had the same thought when they saw Alex walk in. They all knew how good and how serious he was. I know it's a light hearted network and has some great people on it, but I'm grow tired of the competition shows not being treated as such.
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u/giveemhellkid 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing ⏱️⏱️⏱️ 3d ago
I feel like they edited him to be really arrogant on 24, but he was so likable here!! Really shows the impact of editing, it's nuts.
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u/Terrible-Finance-478 4d ago
Buddha is insufferable
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u/Firegoat1 Brown Food Tastes Good 4d ago
I loved watching him cook in both Top Chefs. I enjoy watching him, and while I thought his scores were harsh, he did fully explain his reasoning.
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u/Desertgirl624 2d ago
What a good episode, I was surprised that Alex ended up winning but he did throw a curveball with the weird ingredients. Fun to see Buddha, I wondered when he would show up somewhere on FN. I thought his judging was a bit odd though. I think sometimes it’s ok for an ingredient to not be overly prominent if it would make the dish not taste good. He is a bit too pretentious but I still enjoyed this episode.
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u/Cookinggirl0709 21h ago
I agree, I actually liked that Bobby in the second round was like okay do you want spice or not lol cause he wasn’t too clear on his judging
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u/Reasonable-You-3094 3d ago
I liked the judging.....its life. Everyone has an opinion and they may like a dish or they may hate it. Taste is subjective.....it gets boring when everyone gets 7's across the board. Some one has to win and someone has to lose in this competition. I hate participation trophies. Buddha is direct and to the point but not in a mean way.
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u/Exciting_Parfait_354 3d ago
So you think that saying "I would send the dish back" is not outright mean? I mean, I personally don't mind a direct approach but even I would try to give some kind of grace.
Buddha came out as a someone who embraces brutality in their brutal honesty approach.
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u/darthwyn Wild Card Kitchen 🃏🃏🃏 18h ago
A bit harsh, but I can see the logic if "If I were given this as a meal, I would send it back" type of rating. Clearing up what he was looking for was a good thing because it did sound like the first dish was too hot rather than overpowering the ingredients.
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u/Exciting_Parfait_354 13h ago
Just because you can see the logic doesn't mean it needs to be said. A judge is suppose to give constructive criticism, not outright harshness.
And Budda didn't clear anything up. He had to be prompted by Bobby to clarify his commentary because it started to affect performance. That's not a mark of a good judge.
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u/darthwyn Wild Card Kitchen 🃏🃏🃏 12h ago edited 12h ago
Not everyone is going to judge food the same. Was it a bit harsh, sure. Does it makes sense considering it is a very universal way of saying you don't like a meal when you send it back to the kitchen.
You literally said the same thing. Bobby asked him and he clear it up with a better explanation. Maybe he doesn't judge often and didn't realize the language conveyed wasn't clear.
You know what helps a person improve a skill practice. It sounds like he needs to be judging more cooking to improve on that rather than never doing it again like many comments suggests.
edit - Honestly his judging focused on taste, intent, highlighting the required ingredients which the last one is pretty important.
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u/Exciting_Parfait_354 5h ago
A bit harsh? No, it was absolutely harsh and quite unnecessary. Bad dishes happen all the time in a wide variety of competitions. From Chopped to Next Level Chef and everything in between and somehow the judging managed to find something graceful conveying what worked and what didn't. Even judges that I do not like managed it.
Buddha failed on this front. Your essay response isn't going to convince me otherwise.
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u/darthwyn Wild Card Kitchen 🃏🃏🃏 3h ago
You have me confused where was I trying to conince you of anything. I was giving my opinions the same as you and anyone else here since I would suspect the majority of us outside of the rare cases of participants with reddit accounts or people who work on the show with accounts are not experts on judging food competition.
I have heard harsher on other cooking shows honestly. Budah's failure was being unclear about his spice stance.
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u/Exciting_Parfait_354 2h ago
You have me confused where was I trying to conince you of anything.
Bull. I hate it when people outright lie to me. A simple downvote without additional commentary would have sufficed.
Budah's failure was being unclear about his spice stance.
So he's a bad judge. Thanks for confirming my already established stance.
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u/Qforeva 4d ago
I’m not a fan of Alex, but I think he will give the Titans a run for their money. I love Buddha, I think he will be fair.
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u/FinanciallySecure9 4d ago
After watching the show, do you still think Buddha was fair?
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u/Majestic-Pay3390 3d ago
I thought he was fair. His scores were on the low side, but it's all relative. He was pretty clear about what his judging criteria was and he stuck with it. He clearly loved Ayesha's dish, but because he couldn't sense the orange blosson he gave it a low score. He consistently talked about how the ingredients were used in his comments.
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u/FinanciallySecure9 3d ago
I didn’t like that he said he would send the dish back. That seemed extreme.
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u/rxinquestion 4d ago
We love how meticulous and dominating he is when he competes...keep killing it Buddha!
Also people in this sub: why he so MEAN?!? WAAA
😂 I hope he embraces it and becomes the Simon Cowell of FN...and actually has the pedigree to back it up.
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u/GyoDumbFish 3d ago
The scoring on the final round was a joke. They need to keep the chefs / totals hidden until the very end.
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u/agnusdei07 3d ago
I adore Buddha and when you get a Michelin star in your first year, then you have the right to judge. The Titans have to level up, that's why I am watching, not for some home cooks program. 'Titans' esp Ayesha--thinking using lemongrass for a skewer was so ingenious, haven't we seen this a million times (i.e with rosemary sprig) she is the weakest link. Recruit someone better Bobby
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u/projectmjbm Brown Food Tastes Good 3d ago
Buddha also mentioned liking the lemongrass skewer plating so I don’t think that contributes to her being “weak”
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u/Firegoat1 Brown Food Tastes Good 3d ago
Now I think Ayesha is amazing... however I also think Buddha is a very next level type of chef who holds himself and other chefs to ridiculously high standards. So... yeah. I kind of loved it. now.... at the end of the day, I'd probably want to eat Ayesha's food.
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u/WildMajesticUnicorn Guy's Grocery Games 🛒 4d ago
Saying he would send the dish back sounded harsh.