TV Reviews: Chrisley Knows Best, Beat Bobby Flay, Win Lose Or Draw

By Nathan Young on March 29, 2014

On this TV Reviews post, I am talking about three recent shows to join the cable landscape. Some shows I enjoy, and some I don’t enjoy, let’s get going!

Chrisley Knows Best

I don’t know why USA Network keeps trying to put on reality shows that belong on another network like Bravo. Chrisley Knows Best features Todd Chrisley and his family as they go on their daily lives and lives in a 30,000 square foot home in Roswell, Georgia. The home is in a gated community that is also home to other famous people in the Atlanta Metro. Now here is the weird part, Todd can’t trust his kids! For example, all of his teenager’s cars have GPS trackers on them. He can’t trust his son to go anywhere alone, even if it’s at a sanctioned event hosted by the family. And I think Todd is way too controlling, yes he does have a huge southern accent as well.

USA is wanting to sell this show as a real-life version of the popular show Modern Family. I don’t think this family is like the family you see on the ABC show. I mean, reporters have found numerous documents detailing a bankruptcy from Todd Chrisley. In 2012, he filed a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy with around $50 million in debt! Todd has also some sexual harassment suits, but I will let you read that from the People Magazine article. My worry, if the family has been bankrupt, why is the entire family living this lavish lifestyle? Should the family be teaching the kids about how to manage money? And not driving around in new cars and talking on advanced smartphones?

This is what I would like to see with this family. Let’s have the kids get a taste with what people with no money has to go through. Have them experience life being homeless, or with hardly any money and living in a rundown house. I am afraid the kids are going to also make some bad money decisions in life just like Todd has. The parents are very bossy, although I enjoyed some of the stunts like throwing a computer into the pool and using a parking boot for a car, the family is something I wished was never featured on TV. Come on USA, were there any other families you could have chosen from?

Yes, the family looks like they were ready for cable TV, but they do not belong on USA Network, they belong on Bravo, just like all of the other trashy reality shows! There had to be another family out there, especially a geeky/nerdy family, that could belong on TV. More and more TV and web shows are focusing on families with lots and lots of money, how about showcasing people who are trying to survive on limited money? That would be a great reality show! Learn more about Chrisley Knows Best at: http://www.usanetwork.com/chrisleyknowsbest

Beat Bobby Flay

On this new Food Network show called Beat Bobby Flay, two contestants enters a battle arena with a small audience, who I hope is fed some great food and are not there to just applaud. In the first round, the two chefs must cook with an ingredient Bobby Flay chooses. After the cooking time, the two judges or chefs that have picked these contestants to beat Bobby Flay taste the contestants food, and after judging, one is advanced to battle against Bobby Flay.

In the second round, the remaining contestant gets to choose the dish/ingredient to cook with. The two judges for the first round are only there to see what the chefs are cooking, because three different judges are brought in after the cooking time to judge the dishes from the contestant and Bobby Flay in a blind taste test. After judging, either the contestant or Bobby Flay wins, and the other person is left in disappointment. About the audience, I found from another website that the audience is paid to be there. Hey, being at a taped show and clapping for $50, mostly anyone would be there!

So what did I think about this show? I actually thought this was a good addition to the Food Network lineup. The show works for the network because it’s a quick 30 minute show and features a lot of action and backtalk. There are a lot of chefs out there who wishes they had the chance to cook against a well-known chef on Food Network like Bobby Flay. This show gives these chefs a chance to prove that they can cook and cook well! I don’t know if the audience needs to be at this show, like I said, I hope they get fed some yummy stuff from that kitchen in an old warehouse. For now, I like watching the show! Learn more about Beat Bobby Flay at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/beat-bobby-flay

Disney’s Win Lose Or Draw

Does anyone remember the classic Win Lose Or Draw game show that aired in the 1980’s? The game show featured two contestants and four celebrities and it was a TV version of the classic game Pictionary. Here is a classic episode hosted by Bert Convy.

Now, Disney Channel has come out with their latest game show called Win Lose Or Draw. The new show is hosted by Justin Willman who hosted Cupcake Wars on Food Network. The show is pretty simple, two teams of two are paired with a celebrity from another Disney show. There are three rounds, round one features drawing and the contestants guessing the right drawings. One question I have, is how the contestants drawing see what the clue is they have to draw? I guess there is something near those black screens so only they can see the clue.

The second round is the most fun. The contestants have to draw, but with distractions like a spinning screen, supersized stylist, drawing on a floor that is vibrating, and more! The third round features drawing a word that is blank in a sentence/statement, after the third round, the team with the most points wins, and goes onto the bonus round. In the bonus round, the team has to draw with a magic wand, and the person drawing can not see what they are drawing. After the round, the contestants get to choose from gifts based on how much they got right, and that’s it! I liked how the game has upgraded to technology we have today like touchscreens instead of paper.

This show is a bit different because you get a clue to what the person is drawing. And after a set amount of time, if the clue has not been revealed, the team has to move on, just in case they get stuck. I thought Disney Channel needed to get some more variety in their shows, and this game show is a good show for the kids. But I really want Disney Channel and DisneyXD to concentrate on their cartoons more. Most of their schedule is filled with live action comedies now, and I do not come to watch those. I want some more cartoons! As for the game show, kids will enjoy it! Learn more about Disney’s Win Lose Or Draw at: http://disneychannel.disney.com/win-lose-or-draw

I will get my Pictionary fix by watching The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon!