TV producers are getting lazy. Case in point: Iron Chef. You know what they recently had as a secret ingredient? Breakfast. Um, breakfast is a *meal*. A meal is different than an ingredient. There's no recipe that calls for "2 tbsp of flour, 3 eggs, and 4 cups of dinner."
Then, two weeks later, they revealed the worst secret ingredient ever: Farmer's market. Farmer's market!? What kind of challenge is it to have the secret ingredient be EVERY ingredient that's available at a market. An unlimited selection of fresh, organic ingredients delivered directly from a farm...I'm sure the chefs were mystified..."How am I supposed to make anything with this? I'm paralyzed by choice." It's an existential challenge.
Really, how hungover were the execs when they approved this one? "Ah, fuck it. Just let 'em cook whatever they want. Make the ingredient a supermarket, what the hell do I care?"
Maybe they'll start doing unchallenging challenges on other shows too: "Tonight on Survivor, the tribes will have to create fire using nothing but these gasoline-filled blowtorches we've provided!"
