‘Crazy Delicious’ Is Crazy Interesting To Watch
Article by Lizzie West, Images from Youtube.com trailer
Released on June 24, 2020, you may have already binge watched the new food series on Netflix, Crazy Delicious. With only six episodes, it goes quickly, but each episode is packed with flavor and imagination. Some of the combinations, like chocolate and mackerel, don’t sound appealing at all. But, it’s up to the “food gods” to taste and describe how all the creations compare.
The premise of the show is simple. Three home chefs begin to compete in three rounds of food creation. They have an entirely edible forest to forage from in order to inspire their most daring food experiments. I’ll describe the rounds – but NO spoilers, I promise.
Round one consists of all three chefs attempting to transform one ingredient assigned by the “food gods”. The goal of this round is to create something unexpected, that really showcases that ingredient to it’s highest potential while also being delicious. And usually, great risk results in great reward. Speaking of rewards, the chefs are competing for one of them to receive an extra 10 minutes in round two to prepare their dishes, but all the chef’s continue to compete in the next round.
Round two is more anxiety-inducing. At the end of this round, one competitor will be cut from the competition. In this round, the chefs will compete to reinvent a dish that is well-known, like pizza or hamburgers. The goal is to do something surprising for the judges (food gods), but that they also will enjoy. A good example of this is when a chef successfully creates a dish that looks sweet upon first glance, but tastes savory instead. Making something that looks like one thing but tastes like something completely different is a solid plan and a common theme throughout the series. The chef that creates the least successful dish (it either was not creative or didn’t taste as good) will not go on to round three.
In round three, there are no advantages. Both remaining chefs are given four hours to create a feast with a theme that changes in each episode. It could be a barbecue, a picnic, or even an afternoon tea. The theme isn’t the important part. It is how the chefs interpret the theme and what they are able to create in the given time frame for the judges that will catapult them above the other competitor. The more grand the plan, the better – but it must be delicious! The winner of this round wins that episode and receives the highly-coveted Golden Apple.
At first, I was disappointed by what seemed to be a dinky prize without much value. But upon further thought, I appreciate the idea behind something simple and also NOT competing for a sum of money. I think it’s impressive that these home chefs compete only to receive recognition for their talents and the chance to impress some high level food geniuses. In the professional food world, being awarded a title is a high honor and it isn’t always accompanied by some big cash bonus. So it really does make sense in terms of rewarding the competitors in a similar vein to their professional counterparts.
Is the premise of the show cheesy (pun alert)? Undoubtedly – It is totally over-the-top. Also, as with many shows of this genre, the host is sets the bar for the intended atmosphere and as expected, drops some pretty cringe worthy one-liners. But, in that regard, comedian Jayde Adams is perfect for the role. Her dryness really lends itself to the script, and her light sarcasm brings a smile to your face and somehow also communicates friendliness. I personally love seeing her randomly eat bits of the forest throughout the series. With her neon personality, she truly embodies the crazy in Crazy Delicious.
The Judges, also known as the “food gods”, are a precisely well-balanced trio. They have the necessary celebrity role filled by Carla Hall, who has successfully transitioned from a traditional actress to a real food connoisseur. The chef that anchors the trio is Heston Blumenthal, who is not only a highly qualified judge of food but an excellent asset to the competitors during their preparation. Niklas Ekstedt rounds out the judging panel by providing a truly adventurous palette, that crazy chef vibe, and acting as the “cool uncle” of the bunch for our home chefs. He really encourages them to go for their zaniest plans for the competition.
We see a huge variety of home chefs enter the forest. They are competitive, but as in many British food shows, the competitors are kind and encouraging to each other and seem truly happy for each other throughout the season. It really makes food shows more palatable (yes, I just did that) when it is a real celebration of the food and talent and doesn’t focus on the pettiness of competition. At the end of the day, this is a silly and over-the-top show that is also a lot of fun to watch with a little bit of excitement and a lot of crazy food. It’s appropriate for the whole family, and even more fun for parents to watch the kids squirm at some of the more unusual combinations of food that are prepared. Your family may even be inspired to try your own crazy delicious meals! Bon Appetit!
Check out the trailer HERE.