Cook at all Costs

I love the show. It's just simple, easy to follow and fast. And things people are cooking are not difficult stuffs. The food is not fancy or it needs so much skill since they are not chefs. Also, auction makes things fun and ingredients are not so complex. But I wish people could see and hear what the judge say for their first food so that they know what the judge is looking for from each item. I don't know if they actually did through some kind of monitor. That wasn't clear in the show. I'm saying this because I have watched 4 episodes so far and no one is winning from the spend box since the judge is expecting higher from the spend box. Anyways, Neflix has made a lot of cooking shows so far. And I think this one is one of the best. I like the Netflix's Iron chef and American bbq showdown too. You should watch them if you didn't.

I wonder why Netflix continues streaming cooking shows ultimately showcasing the wholly American mish-mash in the kitchen.

Get people from other parts of the world in your shows to show what the real thing in Italian, French, Spanish, Chinese, Thai... cuisines is vs what your people think they know/learn without stepping out of the USA.

By the way.. the "legendary" Nancy Silverton has no whatsoever reputation in Italy and has never even lived or worked in Italy. Keep your trumpets low and invest in real chefs that can show what international cooking is about.

Not recommended for anyone that has been raised with real non-American food.

I love all types of cooking competition shows.. (Faves: GBBO, Sugar Rush, Nailed It, Chopped, Masterchef, etc etc) so I am also here for this series.

This show takes the "bidding mystery boxes" and just cemented it as its foundation. Simple yet fun. The contestants get to bid from $ to $$$ to ???. Then additional ingredients are sent out which they can live bid on and it can get funny coz a simple potato or tomato will reach for a lot.

The vibe sometimes feel extra competitive when they're in a bidding war so there's some good tension. The dishes aren't crazy since the ingredient sets they get have some sort of coherence (well except for the surprise box lol) but they do make it better especially with no pantry. It does make me salivate while watching.

The host is great. He feels natural with his banters. He doesn't feel over the top or scripted like in some shows. No need for added gimik.

If they get more season I wish they'd add another judge. Nothing against 1 judge but I feel having 2 or 3 make it better for judging. But as long as they keep the blind tasting I guess I'm all good either way.

Honestly baffled as to what the point of the first round even is. It doesn't matter in any way. Is is just to deplete their bank? The first round has no consequence or bearing on the final winner. Confusing.

Overall it's decent if you like to watch people cook, but it's basically just Chopped except they all get different baskets from each other and have to spend their prize money on surprise ingredients, which often breeds an uncomfortable energy among the contestants that the show would be better without.

The guest chefs and host are good, no complaints there.

But very odd choice of format.

This is the way a host should be! Other shows please take note. (Looking at you Snack vs Chef) This is a good show. If you like chopped you will like this. With the auction, and bidding wars it adds that extra entertainment element. The host is always authentic and not forced unlike the hosts of Snack vs Chef where the main complaint was about the hosts being terrible! I recommend!!! Give it a watch!

Geez I have to make this review longer...... so I'm just fishing for words at this point. But yea, fun show that doesn't require much commitment. A good watch while cleaning the house or chilling in bed or cuddling whatever.