Rose says:

Okay, I admit. I loved it. Sigh. And there I was, ready to spew forth my biting sarcastic comments; and then type up my dark and twisted message on the complete demise of the Food Network as we know it. Sigh. Not today. I loved it. I thought the premise was entertaining and original (did I really just say that about the Food Network?). Brian was clever, endearing, hilarious and oh, so very, very gay (not that there’s anything wrong with it.) I really did enjoy all 30 minutes. So sue me. But hell, it’s so much better than Big Daddy, Sunny, Melissa and/or Sandy, right?

orchidgal says:

I watched this show out of curiosity and ended up liking it to my great surprise. Brian seems to be having fun and the food looked interesting, which is a lot more than I can say for many shows on FN any more.

Martin says:

Being gay is good thing (IMHO) and I love that Food Network has allowed Brian to express himself with little censorship. They, or he, do not have to overtly dwell on his sexuality, as it is quite obvious, and it is fun to see how they are cleverly outing him in a positive and fun way.

I give this show an A+ for being original and fun, although Brian is far from an authority on cuisine or cooking. I also question the tie-in with South Park, but apparently Brian is proud of this association, or else he would have never allowed it to be so prominently featured. He has certainly taken the bit, which is supposed to be insulting in a back-handed way, and made it his own personal anthem for positive change.

Also I agree this show is FAR FAR BETTER than Guy Fieri, Melissa, Aunt Sandy, Sonny, etc… but time will tell – lets see how this show evolves.

DesignerJeans says:

@Wisconsin_Walker

Did you notice how she made it a point that all that chicken was only $5…. uh ok, maybe on sale (which she delved into earlier in the show) and in bulk (another thing she mentioned I believe)

I mean, can they add any more asterisks to the title of her show?

Ten Dollar Meals* with Melissa D’Arabian

*when you buy on sale
*and in bulk
*and your family has the same meat all week?
*and during a full moon
*and did I mention I had this meal in Paris?

houstonray says:

I really REALLY enjoyed it. And I thought all the food items were actually very interesting. I could do without the Alton Brownish animated graphics, but all in all, as much as I hate to admit it, the Food Network did right with this one.

I will say that i need to see something more than easy to make appetizers, but I’ll definitely be watching each week.

Kenneth says:

I liked it, and I look forward to seeing more.

Abe says:

Honestly anything following Melissa on t.v. is good (w/ the exception of Big Daddy)

But he was fun and engaging and wayyy more comfortable on t.v than Melissa and her creepy smiles/eyes and obvious nervous arm motions. That’s a real train wreck. However I have to agree, you’ll either love or hate him.

oh_come_on says:

I laughed all the way through with Brian. He seemed waayyy comfortable with food and I wanted to be at his party.

Any doubt about his sexuality? LOL Just watch the mini clips of running errands…in…wait for it….a red sequin Elvis-style jumpsuit skating costume — I almost wet my pants!

Go Brian!

Dan says:

He made me want to buy a Slap-Chop. He’s just that good. If he had quoted the infomercial or did a Vince impression I’d have fallen off the couch laughing. You’d never see Tyler Florence or Bobby Flay pull the sticks out of their asses long enough to relax enough to use something as corny as a Slap-Chop.

Kitty says:

Is that–an actual screencap from the episode? Dx

sam-i-am-not says:

I am literally shocked to see so many people on FNH liked this show. It is made up of everything you have all purported to hate, complete with a showy hosts who isn’t even a chef. This is the Food Network!!! If the show was on Bravo or E! it would be funny (10 years ago when it was relevant) but now? It’s just tired.

Brian’s schtick is older than his 20 year old Olympic gold medals.

Kathy says:

I was all set to come on this site yesterday after watching the show to post that this was a train wreck, but now I’m not so sure. Some of what made me cringe, doesn’t make me cringe quite so much the day after. I’ll have to watch it again before I can decide if this is still bad.

PJ says:

Am I the only one who hated it?? Some of it was cute, but I felt like I was gonna have a seizure with all the back and forths…and I thought he was a little too enamored with his own jokes.

I’ll give it another shot…but not really expecting much…

Sandra says:

I saw the show while getting a pedicure and kept on thinking, why the Hell does Brian Boitano have a cooking show? I hated the way he leaned way into the camera to take a bite of the food he made. Eh! I couldn’t really hear the words but there were subtitles on the screen so what I read was enough for me. FN has really gone downhill. I guess the real chefs of the world are more interested in cooking in their own restaurants or at least I hope that’s the case.

Raymond says:

I just wish Food Network would stop dreading up these people or having competitions to find the next food network personality and just hire some honest to goodness chefs so it can be about the food again. Whatever happened to Gale Gand, David Ruggerio and even the Two Fat Ladies were at least cooks. I am sick of these over the top “personalities” who know nothing about food or cooking. Take a hike Rachael.

Katie says:

@Kitty – Yes. That was an actual screenshot. It was on right at the start of the program. Which is why I changed the channel too quickly to see him actually cook anything.

@Sam-I-Am-Not – I’m with you 100%. This is (WAS) FN. Not whatever the hell kind of channel this program needs.

Andrew says:

OT: I’ve now seen two episodes of Parisian Mommy Melissa d’Arabian’s show (the pilot and yesterday’s), and it is still “Thirty Dollar Lunches,” not $10 dinners. The comments about how awkward she is remain spot on; notice how often she had to go to meaningless filler words like “perfect”, “delicious”, and the time-honored Aunt Sandy fave “flavor” instead of actually describing the dishes she was making in any sort of substantive way.

The less said about her preposterous potato cooking technique, the better. If you don’t care about frying potatoes in oil, fry them in oil and make them crispy and lovely. If you want to steam them and/or roast them in the oven, do that. But for the love of god, why would you a) fry potatoes in oil for two minutes; b) deglaze the pan with water, thus eliminating the lovely crispiness that is the reason we fry in the first place; before c) throwing the whole thing in the oven with another 4T of butter?? Those little cubes are going to be the worst of all possible worlds, saturated with oil and then coated in more fat, and still not as tasty (or as healthy!) as a simple french fry.

Plus, did you notice how Mommy of the Year recommends cooking the chicken at 350 and the potatoes at 375? Sure, every Parisian debutante raised by a Mexican nanny has a double oven, but I kind of doubt that anyone in Mommy Melissa’s target demographic has a $100,000 kitchen but just $10 to spend on dinner for four.

I wept over those poor chicken breasts. The skin might be a little bit sticky when the sugar from that sickly-sweet honey-orange sauce carmelizes in the oven, but it isn’t going to be what anyone considers “crisp.” And really, chicken-a-l’orange? When was the last time Melissa went to Paris? 1974?

The salad was idiotic, unless you’re serving it to vegans accustomed to a raw diet. Both red cabbage and fennel are *very* crunchy and mostly unappetizing raw; the proper way to turn those into slaw is to slice the veggies very thin (Mommy of the Year surely has a mandoline stuffed away next to her double oven, no?) and let them quick pickle in the vinegar, and *then* add the mayo and seasonings. What she’s made isn’t a slaw; it’s more like what you’d get if you just threw everything from a half-eaten veggie tray into a bowl and mixed it together.

Finally, the accounting continues to be insane. Three chicken breasts are not dinner for four people, and three chicken breasts do not cost $5 even on sale. Honey is $9 a jar. Two potatoes are not a dollar. Fennel bulbs are typically $2-$3, and red cabbage can run you as much as $7 per head. And so on.

I understand that not everything FN airs is targeted at people who, you know, actually enjoy cooking. For example: I don’t watch or even particularly like Rachel Ray, but I can at least understand the harried-housewife-30-minute-meal show as a concept. But this abomination fails on every level. It doesn’t teach you time-saving shortcuts — both the protein and starch required at least *three* separate cooking techniques. It isn’t going to be particularly tasty; you’re getting sugary one-noted orange sauce, buttered semi-fried, semi-baked potatoes, and mostly-raw vegetables. It certainly isn’t healthy. And (despite the name) it isn’t really all that cheap!

I guess my question is: why would anyone watch Melissa d’Arabian when you could watch Rachel Ray instead?

Sharron says:

For those of us who are long time ‘Tano fans, we all know of his love for cooking and the fact that he’d said he wanted to open a restaurant after he retired from skating way back in 1988..before he ever won olympic gold!

Perhaps you may think that my ‘Fantano-ness” circumvents my ability to judge this show, however, I am still going to comment.
I
LOL’ed several times during the broadcast. I never expected Brian to be so funny, so able to laugh at himself and so able to achieve the intimacy on camera while speaking that he has been able to do on ice. DVR is set for every episode!!

Silvio says:

I am shocked. I thought this was going to be a total waste of time, but alas, it was alright. Finally those FN knucklehead programming people put together a good show. And since it was the first one, I imagine it can only get better.

Before we start nominating that little turd Tuschman for an Emmy, hopefully he can redeem himself by ridding us of some of the other absolute garbage programs he has brought us.

Obviously the production company that produces Boitano’s show don’t drink the same Kool Aid as most of the others who give us such shit programs.

So there.Keep it real and don’t drink Bob T’s crap Kool Aid.
Got it?

DKM Marlink says:

” [...] What Would Brian Boitano Make didn’t really turn out to be a show about cooking as much as a show about Brian’s personal life and his relationships with his friends.”

Sounds to me like Food Network is trying to imitate Travel Channel’s “foodumentaries.” They must be kickin’ themselves, seeing how much more successful Bourdain is without them, and want to recreate the formula with their own TV personality!

Olivia says:

For me, this show is a winner. I loved his quirkiness, his ability to laugh at himself and his recipes looked easy and great tasting. I personally find this show the punch that FN needed amidst the many ho-hum and clone shows. Plus, any show that takes away some more time for Rachel Ray is a no-brainer in my book! I hope it continues. I am TiVo-ing this one!

Luz Stewels says:

Boitano is a retired figure skater making appetizers and being as gay as a picnic basket. Flying around that kitchen, so animated, goofy arms and hands fluttering about.
I hated it, I loved it, I cringed, I told him right at the TV screen that he was ridiculous, and laughed my goddam head off.

It was a lovely change from the brilliant chefs like Paris D’Arabian, Aunt Sandy, The porno Neely’s, Big Ghetto Daddy, Ask Awkward Aida, that Orange haired woman that “Cooks for Real”, 5 Obnoxious ingredients, 30 pots and pans for RR 30 minute meals…

Byrdie says:

How can you NOT like a guy that pulls out the slap chopper and a spare human chopper in the same show??!?

Jazzluvr says:

@ Oh Come On … I went to the FN site and watched all the clips .. you were right … the one with Brian shopping wearing the red sequin suit – with his ice skates on no less – was priceless!!! The looks he got from people! Also the clip of him making the “Bake-CONE” with the spikey haired guy is hilarious! He’s obviously having fun with all of this and wants us to have fun along with him. I for one will be watching next week.

BJCG says:

I only saw the slap chop incident, which was quite funny if you ask me.

Why would it even matter if he is gay? I mean, it’s quite obvious enough. If the Food Network can handle Ina Garten’s friends, why can’t they be open about Brian Boitano? If ABC Family can takle it, then why can’t Food Network?

The show is stupid, either way.

Jeremy P says:

I think this show is an elaborate prank on YOU, FNH. How can you make fun of something so ridiculous to begin with?

The best part was the little old spanish grandma he asked to hook him up :3

Princess Crazypants says:

“Why the change of heart now? B/c he’s a flamboyant celebrity with no culinary background?”

I think it’s because he’s not taking it seriously. And he’s new so he hasn’t been broken by the FN yet. I personally want a hybrid of great chef and endearing personality. I’m not into the FlayRay stuff where it’s so far gone the people have become products.

Cathy says:

Brian’s show is very entertaining and he provides some easy recipes that I would enjoying making, and he is fun to watch. Who cares if he is gay or not? Great show!

Bethany says:

That’s not about being gay?

cocotel says:

I have seen this show twice – it was all the time I was willing to waste. His show is horrid. I like shows where they make dishes I would actually cook myself. I’m sorry but throwing three scoops of coffee ice cream with some milk in a blender, then after whirring it around a bit, stirring in some busted-up dry donuts & some shaved chocolate does not turn my crank. Pan frying some “tube steak” & throwing it in a bun smeared with butter is crap. My 3 yr old nephew could come up with better dishes than this “guy”.