Alternative judges

[welshman]

From reading this and other forums, there is a feeling Raymond Blanc has lost all credibility due to choosing inept idiots as the winners. If the BBC were to make The Restaurant again and did not use Raymond, which celebrity chef would you like to see as a judge.

[Minnie]

Did anyone see The Chopping Block? It was a US show, similar to The Restaurant. They started with eight couples, again it was one each of chef and front-of-house. Where it differed from The Restaurant was that they were split into two teams and each team had a restaurant, initially with four chefs and four front-of-house. The teams had to work together to complete the different challenges each week, and each week was judged by a real restaurant critic who dined in both restaurants and then delivered his or her verdict. Each week one couple from the losing restaurant was sent home.

The celebrity chef they used for The Chopping Block was Marco Pierre White and he was fabulous. I loved the show, and I really liked the format of having them working in teams rather than each couple having a separate restaurant. For one thing it showed who did and didn't have the leadership qualities and the skills to run a successful restaurant.

[Tinklefairydust]

Love the idea.. apart from Marco.. I used to like him, cannot stand him now. 

[Minnie]

He was great in the Chopping block, really

[Tinklefairydust]

I think Marco is suffering from the same syndrome that so many go down.. over inflated ego... the programmes that they present stop being about the programme and all about them.

I have to say that I still out of all of them like Jamie Oliver.

[Minnie]

But that's what I'm trying to say, The Chopping Block wasn't all about Marco at all.

[janoula]

Nooott Jamie Oliver, he is too self important nowadays. Used to like him a lot before he got into Sainsburys and dumped all  his local suppliers !  Now he seems so bigheaded.

Who would I like to see in charge, well I loved Hells Kitchen etc., but I think Gordon has had enough air time.  I love Hugh Fernley Whittinstall, but not sure if he would work here.  In fact the more I think of it the more I cannot think of anyone, and certainly never again Raymond Blanc. So I think the show has had its day and should retire. If RB had made a better decision I am sure another series would have been welcomed, but not now. He has lost all credibility and I hope finger buffet and cocktails concept goes down the pan, like it should have done right from the start of this latest series.

I used to think Sarah was a good judge of character, and seemed to know all the way through about the blaggers, but then changed her mind at the last moment. I wonder why, money talks !!!  Bye bye Sarah, won't be bothering with anything you do either.

[Minnie]

Michel Roux Junior. Pleeeeeease!

[jedidjahjulia]

I used to think Sarah was a good judge of character, and seemed to know all the way through about the blaggers, but then changed her mind at the last moment. I wonder why, money talks !!!  Bye bye Sarah, won't be bothering with anything you do either.

I was always a fan of Sarah as well until now, but then again in her case it could have been the hormones speaking? 

[Minnie]

^ She was heavily pregnant during the first series too and her hormones seemed perfectly OK then

[jedidjahjulia]

  You're right, totally forgot about that!
Well, then it seems there is no way out for Sarah either...

[Minnie]

She has disappointed me as much as Raymond has

[russellhed]

Heston Blumenthal might be interesting. I've not been that huge a fan of his TV programmes so far but atleast his primary focus is on cooking. 

[janoula]

Heston is a bit off the wall, but then again so is this latest venture with dumb and dumber the cocktail blaggers !  Yes, come on Heston.

[Minnie]

I'm not keen on Heston

[russellhed]

Me neither, but then I'm struggling to think of a celebrity chef that I do like these days. Fanny Craddock would've seen through JJ and James quicker than it'd take her to prepare a prawn cocktail.

[clive]

new judges should be chris then fergus henderson or brian turner and piers morgan. :