Ted Allen Agrees With This Hilarious Chopped Judges Meme
"Chopped" is arguably one of Food Network's most-watched shows. With intense challenges and difficult ingredients included in mystery baskets, what's not to love? Well, okay, the actual contestants on "Chopped" might not be as thrilled about the twists and turns as viewers are, but that's understandable.
If it wasn't already stressful enough being on a competitive cooking show that airs on national TV, chefs also have to deal with surprises that range anywhere from incorporating bologna salad into a dish to safely detoxifying eels for the judges' sake.
Anyone who has watched "Chopped" (or any other Food Network show, for that matter) knows the judges see a lot of strange ingredients and try a lot of unique flavor combinations. You know, like that warm blue cheese and watermelon salad (via Business Insider). Regardless of the ingredients, though, judges typically have a few super common complaints which, of course, are perfect fodder for internet memes that even the show's host Ted Allen gets a kick out of.
Salt and pepper are at the heart of the meme
According to Food Network, the top cooking mistake on "Chopped" (and most food competition shows) is under-seasoning your dish. Cooking show fans have undoubtedly heard judges comment on lack of seasoning too many times to count. Maybe that's why it was so funny when fan Matthew Baza posted a three-second "Saturday Night Live" clip to Twitter that hinted at this frequent commentary.
The post is captioned, "When the 'Chopped' judges say the food is under seasoned," and the video clip shows SNL host Patrick Stewart introducing hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa. The comparison is definitely a snarky commentary on "Chopped" contestants — but all in good fun, of course.
Baza tagged Ted Allen, long-time host of the "Chopped," presumably because Allen has previously defended judges' seasoning complaints, so we're hardly surprised that Allen re-Tweeted the post. Moral of the story: If you don't want people to complain about your food being under-seasoned, make sure you zest it up. Otherwise, expect to laugh it off.