Wickedly Perfect anyone?

I am!

It's kinda weird, not sure what Ithink of it yet. The format is too... busy. Too much crammed in, don't get a good enough sense of any of it. I want more decorating details, more food details, more personality details, but they can't fit that all in.

Joan Lunden is a kind of a weird host.

The celebrity judges have a certain "there are other places I'd rather be" vibe to them. It's like they have to keep reminding themselves, right, TV/ exposure, getting paid, uh-huh.

I'm watching, though.

What do you think was up with the flour? Purposeful lie or she just forgot?

oooh Blondie Pastry Chef lied, lied, lied because she didn't want Freaky Sewing Lady messing around in the kitchen. Actually, if the lobster was as dry as they claimed no amount of rhue (sp?) was going to make it any better.

I think the judges are at best a bunch of snots, but I also think that is why they were picked. Snarky comments are good for ratings.

I doubt you will get many decorating or cooking tips. It would be like watching Survivor in order to become a better Boy Scout. It's the soap opera that keeps our attention. Of course, they may be planning to publish "The Wickedly Perfect Guide to House Keeping" for all I know.

Oh, I'm not looking for tips, per se. Just, I want to see what they're doing. Like, whatsername the judge suck-up was making a zillion napkins and placemats -- how did they turn out? I had hardly any sense of the design of the Artisans' table -- did they have flowers? They must've, what were they? Real this time? Etc.

I see it as being more like watching Survivor and only seeing the winners declared and not the actual challenges as they're in process. I mean we see bits and pieces but certainly not enough to judge for ourselves.

I agree about the snots/ snarky part.

I see what you mean about them just glancing over the work of the contestants. The Artisans did have flowers in the entrance area where the champagne was. It was all the flora we saw at the market last week that they rejected the first time: sunflowers, leafy ferns etc. Nothing special that I could tell from the quick camera shot.

The one I think of as Freaky Sewing Lady did the napkins etc. and a little gift pillow and they didn't really show any it - too bad. I hope her talent is better than her social graces. I agree it would be nice to see the finished products so you can get an idea of their talents. I also wanted to know more details about the party gifts. Some looked like they were in brown paper bags like you get for Chinese take-out.

I did like the table arrangement by Nasty Uber Florist - if someone doesn't stab him in the back with his flower shears I think he has a good chance at winning. Mychael the Female Chef also seems to have real talent, but is good at getting people pissed at her - a big "No No" on these type of shows.

We obviously have too much time on our hands today - personally, I'm iced in like a wooly mammoth.

Ooh, I've been there (iced in) all too recently, hope to avoid a repeat. Sympathy.

Yeah, agreed about the uberflorist, but the whole hillbilly thing is weird. The deviled eggs et all. Bleh. (I mean, I like deviled eggs fine, but didn't fit.)

Mychael too, but that's also what I mean about too much going on to have a good sense of things -- she's taking credit for everything and meanwhile other people are saying "she's taking too much credit" but you don't have a chance to SEE what's going on, who actually does what. She apparently took care of the sirloin (which looked rare-ish to me -- the lamb was just yucky though), but I don't know what else she did.

Freaky sewing lady (yeah, I was thinking something similar) strikes me as having servicable skills but no taste -- seems to run heavily to cream and burgundy and florals. Pedestrian. But again, need to know more.

Presumably all of that will become clearer as the contestant pool narrows.

The truck in the first episode was weird, too. Just kinda out of nowhere.

I think this is the kind of thing they could tinker with and make it work, but it's not really there yet. Maybe by isolating the elements. Like, let Iron Chef do the food part and do it right, take out that part and have it be a design-off. Vern Yip vs. that one bearded balding swishy guy from another network whose name I forget. Allez design!

I started watching it because of a review in the NYT, there were some great observations about how Martha Stewart hovers over the whole thing though they never say her name, and you want her to come charging in the door in her prison outfit like a vengeful spirit and show 'em how it's done. :-D

I forgot about that hillybilly speech, it was weird. He also refused to admit the deviled eggs were a dumb idea and defended the decision to the end, it was such a George Bush moment. I never had quail eggs so I can't say if that would have been a better choice, but I personally do avoid devilled eggs at parties because they are not worth the calories.

Yes, they are trying to channel Martha from prison. She is like the Ghost Of Christmas Past with doesn't get to come on stage. Do you think she gets to watch it on the community room TV at "Camp Cupcake"? I admit I always liked her and her mission. I always read her magazine when I'm on line at Shop-Rite.

So I quess we are the only two watching this, maybe we have now inspired others to check it out.

Roberta mentioned she's watching it too.

I think the quail eggs thing was just about size -- easier/ daintier to eat. You gotta take a big bite of chicken egg and hope you don't get yolky filling all over everything.

George Bush moment, heh. Yep.

I too can't get a sense of who's doing what and what's really going on. Mychael cooks. Flower guy talks too much and makes some decent looking stuff. Sewing lady? I had no idea she was a sewing person.

Not enough about the people. It's a muddle.

Soz, I agree. Joan Lunden is a mighty strange choice for host. The judges. Don't like Bobby Flay. Arrogant twit. Don't like the lady. She's a professional guest? What's she doing there. The bald man seems about right.

I think the individual challenges should be more of a focus. Who's done what would be a nice start. Or is the surprise element supposed to grip us.

Not sure if I'm gonna stick with the one.