One of the things I absolutely love about the series is how the experts almost never totally shit on the cheaper products and instead often talk about where they are best used rather than the more...
One of the things I absolutely love about the series is how the experts almost never totally shit on the cheaper products and instead often talk about where they are best used rather than the more expensive ones. Although in this case the expert didn't seem too impressed with the cheaper stuff. :P It's also incredibly impressive how good they all have been at determining which product is actually the more expensive.
Yeah the meat, bread and knife ones were a bit easy on the experts IMO... but I think a lot of that might also be simply due to the serious quality difference between mass produced and...
Yeah the meat, bread and knife ones were a bit easy on the experts IMO... but I think a lot of that might also be simply due to the serious quality difference between mass produced and expensive/high-end products in those markets. Whereas in some of the others, like hot sauce, ice cream, cheese, chocolate and coffee there is a lot less obvious differences even between super high-end and mass-market stuff. Some products are just easier/cheaper to mass produce at reasonably quality so they are much more comparable to the high-end stuff.
However I don't really view the show as about the challenge so much as just using the challenge as an excuse for experts to talk about the differences between low and high end products, so I'm happy either way! :P
I keep seeing these videos suggested and posted in various places but have never watched them because the titles and preview images have always looked a bit clickbaity. I figured that I'd give...
I keep seeing these videos suggested and posted in various places but have never watched them because the titles and preview images have always looked a bit clickbaity. I figured that I'd give this one a shot because of OP's comment and the particular topic, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. Really interesting analysis and some good information, even if I'm not fully convinced that the expert went into it blind. Will definitely watch more of the series!
Why do you think that, if you don't mind my asking? IMO, unless they are absolutely fantastic actors, it's pretty clear in more than a few cases the experts were genuinely surprised by the...
even if I'm not fully convinced that the expert went into it blind.
Why do you think that, if you don't mind my asking? IMO, unless they are absolutely fantastic actors, it's pretty clear in more than a few cases the experts were genuinely surprised by the products that came out and especially some of the astronomical price differences on the reveal.
I suppose it's just general skepticism of any entertainment that's been heavily "produced", if that makes any sense. I've heard enough behind-the-scenes information about any kind of "reality" TV...
I suppose it's just general skepticism of any entertainment that's been heavily "produced", if that makes any sense. I've heard enough behind-the-scenes information about any kind of "reality" TV (especially stuff like cooking competitions) that heavily imply that, while they're not entirely faked, the end video result often doesn't really resemble what truly happened (things like changing the order something happened, or crossing shots of different people's cooking, or mistakes/fixes/etc. that are scripted or left out, etc.). Note that this doesn't necessarily diminish the entertainment or educational value of it.
I guess it's not that I particularly think the expert went in with complete knowledge (and keep in mind, I did just say that I wasn't fully convinced they went into it blind, not that I was convinced they had prior knowledge), but the whole thing seems too clean. There's a lot of instant knowledge spoken very fluently, which makes me think that there's either a bit of time that the expert has to compose their thoughts that didn't make it into the final recording, or that some bits of what they say are scripted or at least bullet pointed. Especially in times when they say "there are # reasons for x" and then list the reasons. Typically if you can pre-state the number of things you're going to say, you've already thought through what they all are.
Now, that may not necessarily mean that the expert is told which is which, but from the very beginning they seem to know which one to focus on the good qualities and which to primarily talk about the bad ones. I feel like they've already started comparing and contrasting the two before they even pick up the second one. Perhaps they had some time to examine the samples before recording to figure it out, perhaps they're told which is good beforehand, or perhaps they really are just that knowledgeable.
Maybe part of it is that one is high-quality and one is decidedly low-quality, and knowing that fact in advance makes it easier -- maybe it would be harder if the low-quality one were medium-quality instead, and because of how easy it is to spot a low-quality one, they know that if it doesn't scream low-quality, it must be the high-quality one. I suppose that would mean they aren't going into it fully blind, but that they still aren't told which one is good and which is bad.
Keep in mind, I haven't watched any other episodes of the series yet, so this is just based on the spice one.
That's absolutely fair. Reality TV usually is insanely scripted but I still very much doubt these YouTube videos are. I mean... that's pretty expected for experts is it not? If you read up on them...
I suppose it's just general skepticism of any entertainment that's been heavily "produced"
That's absolutely fair. Reality TV usually is insanely scripted but I still very much doubt these YouTube videos are.
There's a lot of instant knowledge spoken very fluently
I mean... that's pretty expected for experts is it not? If you read up on them (some of whom I was even aware of before the videos, like Noah from Heatonist who has been on Hot Ones a fair amount) they genuinely are experts in their fields with often decades of experience, so they do have a insanely deep knowledge of the products. However I also don't doubt there is some "move magic" at play, and that they had to do some additional takes when the experts misspoke or got tongue tied. They likely also filmed a pretty long time for each product comparison and only showed the best bits with all the pauses cut out, so that is leading you to perceive that they never once hesitated or misspoke.
perhaps they're told which is good beforehand...
I definitely don't think that is the case at all, since as I said before unless they are incredible actors there appears to be some genuine surprise in a lot of the videos. But I definitely understand and appreciate your skepticism. And thanks for answering my question. :)
One of the things I absolutely love about the series is how the experts almost never totally shit on the cheaper products and instead often talk about where they are best used rather than the more expensive ones. Although in this case the expert didn't seem too impressed with the cheaper stuff. :P It's also incredibly impressive how good they all have been at determining which product is actually the more expensive.
p.s. If you enjoyed this, all the other Price Point episodes are available on their site:
https://video.epicurious.com/series/cheap-vs-expensive
And on YouTube, here is the full playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz3-p2q6vFYUpr-f2wOSQ5uCQlvWM9iGm
Yeah the meat, bread and knife ones were a bit easy on the experts IMO... but I think a lot of that might also be simply due to the serious quality difference between mass produced and expensive/high-end products in those markets. Whereas in some of the others, like hot sauce, ice cream, cheese, chocolate and coffee there is a lot less obvious differences even between super high-end and mass-market stuff. Some products are just easier/cheaper to mass produce at reasonably quality so they are much more comparable to the high-end stuff.
However I don't really view the show as about the challenge so much as just using the challenge as an excuse for experts to talk about the differences between low and high end products, so I'm happy either way! :P
I keep seeing these videos suggested and posted in various places but have never watched them because the titles and preview images have always looked a bit clickbaity. I figured that I'd give this one a shot because of OP's comment and the particular topic, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. Really interesting analysis and some good information, even if I'm not fully convinced that the expert went into it blind. Will definitely watch more of the series!
Why do you think that, if you don't mind my asking? IMO, unless they are absolutely fantastic actors, it's pretty clear in more than a few cases the experts were genuinely surprised by the products that came out and especially some of the astronomical price differences on the reveal.
I suppose it's just general skepticism of any entertainment that's been heavily "produced", if that makes any sense. I've heard enough behind-the-scenes information about any kind of "reality" TV (especially stuff like cooking competitions) that heavily imply that, while they're not entirely faked, the end video result often doesn't really resemble what truly happened (things like changing the order something happened, or crossing shots of different people's cooking, or mistakes/fixes/etc. that are scripted or left out, etc.). Note that this doesn't necessarily diminish the entertainment or educational value of it.
I guess it's not that I particularly think the expert went in with complete knowledge (and keep in mind, I did just say that I wasn't fully convinced they went into it blind, not that I was convinced they had prior knowledge), but the whole thing seems too clean. There's a lot of instant knowledge spoken very fluently, which makes me think that there's either a bit of time that the expert has to compose their thoughts that didn't make it into the final recording, or that some bits of what they say are scripted or at least bullet pointed. Especially in times when they say "there are # reasons for x" and then list the reasons. Typically if you can pre-state the number of things you're going to say, you've already thought through what they all are.
Now, that may not necessarily mean that the expert is told which is which, but from the very beginning they seem to know which one to focus on the good qualities and which to primarily talk about the bad ones. I feel like they've already started comparing and contrasting the two before they even pick up the second one. Perhaps they had some time to examine the samples before recording to figure it out, perhaps they're told which is good beforehand, or perhaps they really are just that knowledgeable.
Maybe part of it is that one is high-quality and one is decidedly low-quality, and knowing that fact in advance makes it easier -- maybe it would be harder if the low-quality one were medium-quality instead, and because of how easy it is to spot a low-quality one, they know that if it doesn't scream low-quality, it must be the high-quality one. I suppose that would mean they aren't going into it fully blind, but that they still aren't told which one is good and which is bad.
Keep in mind, I haven't watched any other episodes of the series yet, so this is just based on the spice one.
That's absolutely fair. Reality TV usually is insanely scripted but I still very much doubt these YouTube videos are.
I mean... that's pretty expected for experts is it not? If you read up on them (some of whom I was even aware of before the videos, like Noah from Heatonist who has been on Hot Ones a fair amount) they genuinely are experts in their fields with often decades of experience, so they do have a insanely deep knowledge of the products. However I also don't doubt there is some "move magic" at play, and that they had to do some additional takes when the experts misspoke or got tongue tied. They likely also filmed a pretty long time for each product comparison and only showed the best bits with all the pauses cut out, so that is leading you to perceive that they never once hesitated or misspoke.
I definitely don't think that is the case at all, since as I said before unless they are incredible actors there appears to be some genuine surprise in a lot of the videos. But I definitely understand and appreciate your skepticism. And thanks for answering my question. :)