Good Eats

infobox television
show_name = Good Eats


caption = Good Eats Logo
format = Cooking show
runtime = 21 – 23 minutes
creator = Alton Brown
starring = Alton Brown
country = USA
network = Food Network
first_aired = July 7, 1999
last_aired = Present
num_episodes = 195
list_episodes = List of Good Eats episodes
picture_format = 480i
1080i (season 9-present)|

"Good Eats" is a television cooking show created and hosted by Alton Brown that airs in North America on Food Network. Likened to television science educators Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye, Brown explores the science and technique behind the cooking, the history of different foods, and the advantages of different kinds of cooking equipment. The show tends to focus on familiar dishes that can easily be made at home, and also features segments on choosing the right appliances, and getting the most out of inexpensive, multi-purpose tools. Each episode of "Good Eats" has a distinct theme, which is typically an ingredient or a certain cooking technique, but may also be a more general theme such as Thanksgiving, or "man food".

Format

The show has a distinctive visual style involving Dutch angles and shots from cameras placed inside and on various items in the kitchen, including the ovens, refrigerator, and microwave oven. In some episodes, Brown and other actors play various characters to tell the story of the food. For example, in the episode "The Big Chili," Brown played a cowboy trying to rustle up the ideal pot of chili. In the episode "Give Peas a Chance" (a parody of "The Exorcist"), Brown plays a Father Merrin-like character who tries to convince a "possessed" child to eat (and like) peas. In other episodes Brown is simply himself, but interacts with fictional characters such as his eggplant- and tomato-wielding neighbor Mr. McGregor, or a city councilman who refuses to eat fudge. He also uses various makeshift teaching aids to demonstrate scientific concepts.

Episodes of "Good Eats" typically begin with an introductory monologue that almost always either ends with or leads into the phrase "good eats." The show often closes with the phrase as well. For the first several seasons, Brown himself would say the words "good eats." More recently, however, Brown avoids saying "good eats" at the end of the intro, stopping just short and letting the theme music fill in the phrase.

Episodes are primarily set in the (fictional) kitchen of Brown's house, although his actual home kitchen was used in "Give Peas a Chance". [cite web|url=http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/FAQ/FAQ100s.htm#142|title=Good Eats FAQ #142] In seasons 1–4, the episodes were shot in the actual home kitchen of Brown's mother-in-law in the Atlanta, Georgia area. In season 5, taping moved to the new home of the show's Line Producer (Dana Popoff) and Director of Photography (Marion Laney), in which they built a much larger and more versatile kitchen for taping. A 7 ft (2.1 m) section of the island was built for the show and placed on wheels, so it can be moved (or removed) for various shots, and a convert|12|sqft|m2|abbr=on (1.1 sq. m) grid of pipe was hung from the ceiling, for easier placement of cameras and microphones. Starting with season 7, the show moved yet again, this time to an exact replica of the previous kitchen and surrounding areas of the home, built on a sound stage. In the "Behind the Eats" special, Brown said that complaints by Popoff's neighbors prompted the move. The stove top and the sink are the only functioning pieces in this kitchen. Many of the other appliances have even had part of their backs removed, so shots of Brown can be taken from inside cabinets, ovens, and refrigerators. This change was generally not known until after season 7 started airing when the house used in season 5–6 was put on eBay for sale. It was then revealed that they had moved. It is generally thought that in the "Q" episode on barbecue that was taped in Brown's Airstream trailer, when Brown says that they are "building the set for Good Eats: The Motion Picture" this is in reality a reference to the new house set. The set was not officially unveiled on the show as a set until the Avocado Experiment show.

Incidental music during the show is typically a variation of the show's theme, which in turn was inspired by music from the film "Get Shorty". [http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/FAQ/FAQ100s.htm#130] There are dozens of variations of the theme played throughout, crossing all genres of music, including the keypad tones in "Mission: Poachable" and nearly every incidence where a countdown of ten seconds is used. New music is composed for each episode by Patrick Belden of Belden Music and Sound. Brown met Belden while working on other projects before Brown's culinary training. [cite web|url=http://beldenmusic.com/Good%20Eats.html|title=Good Eats Music|last=Belden|first=Patrick |accessdate=2008-06-29]

Each episode also features text pieces containing trivia related to the food or cooking technique featured in the episode. These are always shown just before ad breaks, and are often shown between major transitions in location or cooking action. The information presented is usually notes about the history of the food or technique, helpful cooking hints, or technical or scientific information which would be too detailed or dry to include as part of the show's live content.

During the show's first seasons, at the end of each episode Brown would give a summary of the important points covered during the episode; these points would be shown on the screen as he talked. Brown also traveled to food manufacturing facilities frequently in the first few seasons to talk with experts about the foods being featured.

Beginning in season 9, episodes have been filmed in high definition, and these episodes also appear on Food Network HD.Fact|date=May 2008

Cast and crew

A staple feature of "Good Eats" is the presence of several recurring characters who play important roles on the show, from Brown's relatives and neighbors to various . In season 9, the episode "Behind the Eats" offered a backstage look at the show's production and revealed the origin of several characters. In the episode, Brown stated that all of the show's staff members have to appear on camera at some point.

Several members of Brown's real-life family have appeared on the show. His mother had a walk-on part; his daughter, Zoey, has appeared in several episodes; and his late [cite web|url=http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/ABFP/ABTimeline/MaMae.htm|title=http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/ABFP/ABTimeline/MaMae.htm] grandmother, "Ma" Mae Skelton, co-hosted the biscuit episode, "The Dough Also Rises". Even his Basset Hound and iguana have shown up in a couple of episodes. However, his wife DeAnna (who is also the show's executive producer) has never appeared in an episode, though she was mentioned in "Where There's Smoke, There's Fish".Specialists who hold real-life positions commonly appear as themselves to provide Brown with useful information on the topic at hand.

Recurring characters

Fictional

Real

Brown also plays other roles from time to time, which usually consist of him explaining something close to the camera while another Brown performs the information that is being presented behind him (similar to the technique used to present B.A. Brown). At the same time, he also acts out alone or with others on camera while providing a narrative quite often (to re-enact such topics as cavemen discovering cooking techniques). There are also scenes where Brown talks to a character played by himself, cutting away to the other after each one has said their line. This is mostly used when the "USDA agents" appear to give grades and regulations placed on meats and dairy products.

History

The pilot for "Good Eats" first aired on the Chicago, Illinois PBS affiliate WTTW in July 1998. The show was picked up in July 1999 by Food Network, which now owns exclusive rights to the show. As of July 9, 2007, two episodes air per weeknight, at 8:00 PM (with a 3:00 AM replay) and 11:00 PM (with a 2:00 AM replay) Eastern time, with a third episode airing Wednesday nights at 8:30 PM (and 3:30 AM). New episodes premiere on Monday nights. On Food Network Canada, the show generally airs on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. The times it gets in Canada appears to change from week to week, but it tends to get sometime before 2:30 a.m. and/or after 7 p.m. on the aforementioned days. [cite web|url=http://www.foodtv.ca/ontv/titledetails.aspx?titleid=51825|title=Good Eats - Shows - Food Network Canada]

Awards

"Good Eats" won the James Beard Foundation's "Best T.V. Food Journalism Award" in 2000, [cite news|url=http://www.jamesbeard.org/index.php?q=awards/show/Tzo4OiJzdGRDbGFzcyI6Mzp7czo4OiJjYXRlZ29yeSI7czoxNToiQnJvYWRjYXN0IE1lZGlhIjtzOjQ6InllYXIiO2Q6MjAwMDtzOjU6ImF3YXJkIjtzOjI1OiJCZXN0IFQuVi4gRm9vZCBKb3VybmFsaXNtIjt9|title=Broadcast Awards|date=2000|publisher=James Beard Foundation|accessdate=2008-06-29] and the series earned a Peabody Award in 2006. "Rarely has science been taught on TV in such an entertaining – and appetizing – manner as it is in Alton Brown's goofy, tirelessly inventive series." [http://www.peabody.uga.edu/news/pressrelease.asp?ID=142=List of 2006 Peabody Award Winners]

Episode guide

Trivia

*Rather than use cue cards or a teleprompter, Brown prerecords his monologue and then uses tiny earpieces to listen to it as he is on camera. cite web|url=http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/ABFP/ABArticles/2007-04_ATL_mag.htm|title=Parker, Virginia. "Atlanta" Magazine. Alton Brown Steaks His Claim. April 2007.]
*The clock seen in "Good Eats" is often set by the crew to a significant date such as a crew member's birthday, anniversary, etc.
*Whenever Brown mentions stuffing, someone holds up a sign that says "STUFFING IS EVIL." This is in reference to the Thanksgiving special, wherein Brown denigrated stuffing as increasing cooking time, being a harbinger of food poisoning, and not being good eats. However, he does make exceptions for when stuffing would be appropriate (particularly for stuffed pork), and he later recanted in season 8 and agreed that stuffing, when done properly, is good eats (dedicating a whole show to the subject).
*Most Food Network shows do not display name brand names of products used during cooking, and care is taken to create false labels for products in these shows. However, in early seasons of "Good Eats", Brown occasionally referenced brand name products on the show (e.g., a bottle of Karo corn syrup during the episode on cooking with sugar, mentioning Old Bay Seasoning by name). Currently, brand name product labels are altered, although the alterations generally consist of false names added to labels rather than entirely new labels (e.g., "Kerry" brand Worcestershire sauce). Sometimes, he will imply the name of a certain brand, displaying the product itself or making references to its labeling or connected pop culture. On occasional shots taken from inside the appliances or cupboards, Publix and Kroger brand products can be seen.
*In several of the newer episodes, Brown is wearing a t-shirt or hat from his other show, "Feasting on Asphalt". Additionally, in the episode "Pop Art", the marquee at the Majestic Movie theater advertises "Feasting on Asphalt IV."
*Although it is his most prominent production, Brown has stated that he makes no money from the broadcast of "Good Eats". He spends the entire budget allocated by Food Network on producing the show and receives no residuals. His personal income comes from DVD sales, book royalties, speaking engagements, and corporate consulting.

References

External links

* [http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ea Official site]
* [http://www.altonbrown.com/ Alton Brown official site]
*imdb title|title=Good Eats|id=0344651