 | Preparing dinner for five for one |
Joining next fall's Food Network lineup will be a retooled version of peppy chef Rachael Ray's "$40 a Day." Network heads thought $200 may be a more believable allowance this season.
Food Network production manager Jim Lavigne explained that, during the off season, Ray took her $40 a day mantra to the extreme.
"She's a cow," Lavigne said, adding that $40 a day goes a long way when you're eating Whoppers. "I guess she didn't understand that spending $40 a day at pricey neighborhood bistros or quaint little bakeries isn't the same as eating $40 worth of Jack's frozen pizza in one sitting. I mean, during a sale, she would put away 20 a day, and still think she was taking it easy because, minus tax and tip, she was still only spending $40."
Lavigne cited Ray's significant weight gain as the main reason behind raising her budget. Ballooning from a doughy 160 to a debilitating 430 would, no doubt, hinder anyone's ability to stroll through village markets searching for rich confections and harassing locals for penny pinching dining tips.
"Yeah, the show won't be nearly as helpful to budgeting vacationers, but no one's going to believe $40 fills that tank."
Lavigne speculated that Ray's core demographic would shift as well. Once popular among middle aged professional woman, seniors and 18- to 35-year-old males looking for "a little more cushion for the pushin," the Food Network marketing department is hoping to corner the coveted teen market with a show, they hope, will rely heavily on shock value.
"She can do it, but it's disturbing to watch," said marketing director Brian Dearing. "I was present for the taping of her first two episodes and she plowed through and this is just for breakfast mind you three orders of biscuits and gravy, two side orders of gravy, a short stack, a pound and a half of bacon, an entire pecan pie, a 12 egg omelette and $80. She could barely stand up under her own power."
Ray's publicist, Jennifer Lee, refused to comment on her client's physical state, but did say she hopes that fans of her $40 allowance are not alienated by the new gluttonous format. When asked about the cancellation of her popular cooking program, "30-Minute Meals," Lee deferred the question to Food Network vice president of operations Keith Newman.
"Rachael can't turn around in 30 minutes," Newman said, laughing. "I honestly don't know if we could even wedge her behind that counter." Newman admitted that Food Network executives were originally not pleased with Ray when word reached the top that she routinely consumed family-size buckets of dark meat "like they were a six piece McNuggets," but said top brass now feel Ray's serial gorging may be the key to appealing a younger demographic.
 | Promo shot for Rachael Ray's |
Ratings experts agree. Nielson Ratings analyst Gene Harvey said programs that trigger the gag reflex are hotter than ever among youth markets.
"Take a look at Jackass," Harvey said, "Those fellows did some disturbing things, and young males ate it up. Fear Factor is a consistent ratings draw in prime time, and last week contestants were forced to eat feces sandwiches. If the advanced copy of the season premier is any indicator, '$200 a Day' will trump them all. That woman was draining a Long John Silvers grease trap with a length of garden hose. And that didn't even cut into her $200 because it was free."
Of course the Food Network considered terminating Ray's contract early into the filming of next season, but the new format tested so high with focus groups, Lavigne said, that they decided to take advantage of the chef's massive weight gain and seemingly insatiable appetite for anything non-toxic.
"Dude, this show's gonna be hilarious! The one where she's in Houston oh man," stammered high school senior Josh Lyle after participating in a Food Network screening of "$200 a Day."
"My God, have you ever seen a human eat an entire brisket? There went her $200, but that hippo shoplifted a gallon of mayonnaise from a Super Wal-Mart and attacked it in the parking lot. This is going to be classic!"
Other participants, especially devotees of her original "$40 a Day," were not so welcoming of the changes to the series. Older viewers tended to label the show "crude" or "sickening."
Said a 65-year-old former fan, "Rachael used to be cute and bubbly, this is like watching that scene from 'Seven.'"
One 50-year-old mother of three walked out during the screening.
"It's obvious this poor girl needs help. What kind of monsters would film someone anyone eating a walleye carcass out of a dumpster because she ate $200 worth of black forrest ham?"
Gourmets be warned, Lavigne said. Ray's new show, he assured, will highlight quantity over quality.
"I mean, at a fancy place, she could easily blow $200 in a heartbeat. But, now, you're more likely to find Rachael over at the Chinese buffet. We found out that 'all you can eat' really means 'all we have in stock' when it comes to Rachael and crab rangoon."
 |
