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Let's talk about this week’s show – Hawaii!
An amazing and magical place. The lunch with Alan Wong in Waipio valley was a really fantastic experience for everyone – production and crew included. While the chefs got to fly in and out by helicopter the rest of us had to driving in down the steepest public road in the whole of the US, across two rivers and past wild horses.
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It was worth it! Some might question why we did all that for a ‘food’ show but I really wanted the chefs to have an experience of ‘Hawaii’ that would be unforgettable and inspirational. Honestly it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.
Doing so much shooting outside was extremely nerve-wracking because of the unpredictability of the weather. While we were shooting the finale, every other island in Hawaii was experiencing...]]>
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Considering the nature of this week's episode, I'm going to try and anticipate some questions viewers might have...
1. We allowed the chefs to have a camera because one of them had asked for one because it was their last night and they wanted to mess around and have some fun. I think we all expected them to film themselves doing impressions of Tom and Padma and some of the producers (that's what usually happens and it makes for fun extra content for the Bravo website).
2. The chefs know that there is someone on the production team sleeping in a room nearby and that they can go to them at any time if they have a problem. Marcel could have done this but did not. We do not have producers sleeping actually in their rooms -- it has never been necessary to police grown adults and industry professionals like that.
3. The next...]]>
I want Debi Mazar to be my new BF.
This is the kind of dinner party I've always wanted to go to -- sometimes I get to live my fantasies vicariously through the show. I've always wanted to meet Debi, too. You just kinda know she's going to be cool -- and she sure is. So, for that matter, are her super-groovy friends.
From a production point of view this was a pretty simple one -- at last! Once we had the idea of the seven deadly sins and had convinced Debi (over a couple of glasses of chilled prosecco and some cherries -- she really is a fantastic hostess) to come on board, it was pretty plain sailing.
During the dinner the production team was mostly based outside the house. It was another steamingly hot day in LA so everyone desperately wanted to go swimming but of course we couldn’t 'cause...]]>
The holidays are always a tricky time.
Honestly -- I’m not sure why Mia did it. She just seemed to get caught up in a wave of some kind of emotion that is hard to quite define. I think perhaps a combination of exhaustion, frustration and resentment towards Cliff pushed her over the edge. In the end I think she didn’t want it enough. She seemed to feel that she had achieved enough by getting that far and now she was tired and pissed-off and wanted to go home. I know I’ve said this before, but this competition is extremely stressful and requires a lot of stamina to stay the distance.... You have to want it really badly. I also suspect that Mia felt that she was not likely to win the competition and so would rather quit than eventually be fired -- she is clearly a very proud person. I think she made...]]>
1. Find the beach
We need one that allows naked flames, film crews, cars being driven on the actual beach, has fairly reliable surf and a regular crew of local surfers ... and of course looks beautiful. Turns out that there is only one that meets all these criteria -- the lovely Leo Carillo beach in Northern Malibu. It is gorgeous but rather far away and, more worryingly, a little bit on the narrow side.
2. Check the tide-tables
We find out that, on the day we want to shoot, high tide is at 10:00 am. This means at 10:00 am our chef and firepits would be underwater. Fantastic. This means we'll have to complete shooting by 10:00 in the morning. We start working out our schedule for the day. We need to get the...]]>
It seems like each season we have one episode that is a total train wreck from the chef's point of view --
last season it was the wedding, I honestly never thought this season it would be Thanksgiving dinner.
Cutting the odds down for the chefs by half certainly put the heat on -- unfortunately it seemed to push Elia
over the edge, while not having any noticeable effect at all on Carlos. I guess this whole thing really goes to show that no one ever knows how things will play out -- least of all us! The myth of the all-knowing manipulative reality producer really is just a myth. You cast people you believe in and create challenges you think are interesting and
legitimate, anyone who tells you we know how this whole thing will play out either doesn't work in this business or is lying.
I remember early in...]]>
It's always very stressful once the chefs have started their cooking -- just as much as they run around and panic as the time ticks down, so do we. If there's one cardinal rule about producing a show like this, it is that we must be ready when the food is. Therefore if the rules give the chefs one hour until they send out their first course we have one hour until we must be ready to shoot that. We must have shot Tom doing his round in the kitchen, his report afterwards, shot the guests arriving, got them seated, made sure everyone's make up is done, they all been to the bathroom, their mics are fixed and checked, the cameras are all in position with fresh tapes and batteries, and other stuff besides.
We have a producer in the kitchen with the chefs giving the rest of the crew and production team...]]>
Ah, the stages of production sorrow ....
It’s painful for me personally to watch this episode because ultimately I am the person responsible for ensuring that the competition rules are followed. In a competition where there is this much at stake, it’s a role that you have to take extremely seriously. It’s part of the deal we are making ... they take unpaid time-out from work and risk public humiliation and we give them a competition that is fair for a series of incredible prizes.
So this show was definitely a low-point for me as the producer. When accusations of cheating suddenly surfaced out of the blue this is my thought process:
Denial
Holy crap, did Sam just accuse everyone of cheating? He can’t do that, not now, it’s far too late to prove anything. He’s only saying that now 'cause he’s on the chopping block. He’s grasping...]]>
Firstly – My name is Shauna. (Not Ann or Margaret, even though I am English.)
Secondly – Padma. While a majority of our viewers clearly think she’s the vicar’s knickers (as we say in my country), some of you seem to take exception to her, mostly, as far as I can tell, because she is beautiful, sexy and wears nice clothes -- which according to some, is at odds with taking part in a show that is serious about food. Huh?
OK …
1. Padma is a model as well as a food expert, therefore she dresses beautifully, looks stunning AND is serious about food, get over it.
2. This is not PBS or North Korean state TV -- if we can have talent combined with glamour, we jolly well will. Let’s enjoy having our cake AND eating it.
3. The combination of...]]>
