Ever since The Real World New York (the first season) appeared on the scene, reality television has been a guilty pleasure of mine. At different stages of my life I’ve been addicted to Big Brother, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor and Bachelorette (okay, I’m still addicted to this one lol), My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance, and Temptation Island, just to name a few. Unfortunately, it appeared that the more cat fights that could’ve resulted, and the more drama that was present, made it that much more of a draw.
For the most part I’ve kinda gotten out of that stage–okay, okay, except for The Bachelor/Bachelorette, but as one of my good friends says, ‘Mama needs her cotton candy’–BUT there is one form of reality television that has addicted my entire family: Food Network.
Now I’m not really talking about the individual shows that teach you how to cook a meal in thirty minutes or how to make a great bite or whatever. I’m talking the high drama, ticking time clock, crazy-surprise-ingredient basket type shows. Stuff like The Next Iron Chef Super Chefs, Chopped, Restaurant Impossible, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and Worse Cooks in America. How can you not be addicted to a show that makes a chef create an amazing entree in thirty minutes out of candy bars, sardines, Brussels sprouts, and quail eggs? Okay, I think I made up that particular basket, but you get the point. And watching polished, famous chefs duke it out on national television and break a sweat? Nice!
And occasionally, I even learn a thing or two.
So there you go, my family’s guilty pleasure. Watching people cook crazy food in a crazy amount of time, while we probably pig out on junk food.
Q4U: Do YOU watch Food Network? What is your favorite show? And if not, what is your guilty pleasure this week?
