The first line-up hardly screams A-list. There’s lingerie model Caprice, hairdresser to the stars Nicky Clarke, model and TV presenter Nancy Sorrell (better known as the wife of Vic Reeves) and music “legend” Jimmy Osmond, who take it in turns to host their version of the perfect dinner party, whilst offering a sneak peek into their lives and homes for nosy people.
Come Dine With Me combines British Rudeness and Voyeurism
Come Dine With Me has always been an odd programme, one that combines a cooking show with good old fashioned British rudeness and fly on the wall voyeurism. Each person hosts a dinner party on each day of the week and at the end of the night are given a score by the rest of the group. The person with the highest score wins.
What is most depressing about the whole experience is that after all the blood,sweat and tears have been shed the winner receives a cash prize of £1000, which hardly seems worth the effort especially when you can make the same amount turning up on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? by answering five simple questions.
Joe Public over-cooking Roast Beef and rushes around in a Panic
The problem this time round is by crow barring in a bunch of dull famous people the show makers are almost admitting that the prospect of a new series of Come Dine With Me is not enough to draw in the viewers. After the opening episode it all returns to average Joe Publics over-cooking roast beef and rushing around in a panic when they forget how to make a sorbet.
The celebrity versions of any show like this never work as well as the “normal” ones because part of the fun is learning about the people and understanding who you should like or hate. But when you’re dealing with familiar faces you just think “oh her...I don’t like her”, then flat out refuse to give them a chance to impress you and take pleasure when they inevitably fail.
Over Opinionated Idiots and Ramsey-style Bullying
Moreover, Come Dine With Me started as a fairly innocent show but in recent years has attracted the sort of over opinionated idiot who think all chefs and cooks have to resort to Ramsey-style swearing and bullying, all in the name of pretention.
The people usually fall into three categories: the nice – who are too happy for their own good and think a score of eight is being harsh, the snobby – who turn their nose at everything, even a bowl full of caviar but sometimes turn out to be game for a laugh and the downright nasty – they hate everybody, think they are the best but usually come last because of their appalling attitude.
Despite the Nasty Characters, a Harmless and but dull Cooking Show
The best bit though is the drunken cab ride at the end of the night where the contestants try to convey their feelings about the meal by trying their best not to be sick and slur out an unintelligible line before holding up a vomit stained, upside-down scorecard before passing out. If only. That would actually be a little too animated for what is actually, despite the occasional nasty character, a harmless and occasionally dull cooking show.
Come Dine With Me will start with its celebrity edition on Channel 4 at 8pm on November 13.
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