Ted Allen, the original food and wine expert from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, 53, has hosted cooking competition series Chopped (airing weeknights at 6.30pm on 7food network) for almost a decade. Here, he talks to WHO about his current TV gig, the show that started it all for him and the new generation of Queer Eye.
Advertisement
Chopped has run for more than 40 seasons. How do you account for its longevity? It’s exciting to watch people try to cook some mystery basket of ingredients and make instantaneous decisions. If you think about chefs, we are talking about people who are basically control freaks, who are extremely picky about what ingredients they want to cook with and we take away all that control.
If you were a contestant, what ingredient would you be praying doesn’t come up? Anything that is already prepared. Like a cherry pie or macaroni and cheese that’s already been baked, because what are you going to do with that?
What are you enduring memories of your time on the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy?
I remember a lot of very funny things being said that could never air on television! Those guys are very funny. And when you go through an experience like that, it kind of makes you brothers for life. We were doing a makeover show where we were taking a sloppy guy and making his apartment nice, getting him good clothes and I would teach him a lesson that had something to do with cooking a whole soup and a bottle of wine or craft beer or whatever. It appeared sort of superficial on the surface, but what was profound about it is that when you are down on your luck and you have five experts doing all of this work to make your life better, it is a profound and kind of alluring experience.
I think the newQueer Eyeis doing a great job of that. You may or may not know that the food guy on that show, Antoni Porowski, was my assistant for three years – he’s the best looking one. A splendid cook and a really down-to-earth, centred, soulful cool guy. So to see him get that job and go through this becoming famous instantly thing that we went through, it’s kind of exciting.
You’ve been vocal in your support of Antoni, who has faced a bit of criticism. Do you think he’s had it a bit rough? The first season or two of the new Queer Eye, I don’t think they had the support staff. I don’t think they had enough people telling them how to prepare their set-ups. I’ve only watched it a couple of times so I’m not intimately familiar, but I think some things got a bit repetitive. But give the guy a chance and let’s see what he does in the new season. Believe me, whoever complained or criticised … I think he heard it. The guy is a much better cook than I am. He’s going to be fine. He’s a great guy – I couldn’t be happier for him and the other four. Actually Jonathan Van Ness was also over at my house for dinner. He’s a really cool guy – a lot calmer in person!
Carson Kressley joked that the new Queer Eye was like seeing your ex with a new partner. What was your reaction?
I think it’s a tribute to the original version. It’s an interesting process to see it done with a different group of guys, but I’m happy and proud for them, and I think they are doing a fine job. I don’t want to make makeover shows again. I’m happy hosting these game shaker shows.
