Marcel's Quantum Kitchen

Review

Common Sense Media says

Manufactured drama and bleeps abound in this cooking series.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this cooking-oriented reality series emphasizes conflict as much as content and has a lot of bleeped swear words. The featured catering company's goal is to prepare creative dishes using cutting-edge techniques, so there are some great lessons here on applied science, but only for pre-teens and older.

  • Positive messages2
    The cooking techniques consistently involve creative application of science and chemicals. The results encourage interest in new ways to apply science knowledge. But there is also an emphasis on interpersonal drama.
  • Positive role models1
    The lead chef is an intensely creative person who demonstrates the value of applied science knowledge. At the same time, his behavior is petulant and frequently brings him into conflict with others.
  • Violence0
    Not applicable.
  • Sex0
    Not applicable.
  • Language3
    The cooking crew frequently peppers their language with strong swear words like "f--k" and "s--t" that are bleeped.
  • Consumerism0
    Not applicable.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking2
    Social drinking. One of the catering company's employees specializes in creative cocktails.
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What's the story?

Former Top Chef contestant Marcel Vigneron has become known for his particular brand of "molecular gastronomy," where unusual preparation methods are used to create everything from Jell-O that looks like fruit to edible maps. This series spotlights Marcel as the head of his own catering company providing creative and unexpected food and drink for high-end parties. Marcel has to train and supervise a support team that isn't always on the same page, and always wow his clients with strange and amazing concepts.

Is it any good?

 

As Top Chef fans know, Marcel Vigneron has become one of those classic reality TV characters that you either love, hate, or just love to hate. Marcel seems to emphasize the "love to hate" aspects of his personality on MARCEL'S QUANTUM KITCHEN, a show where the crazy cooking techniques and creative party ideas would seem fun and refreshing...if only the guy who knows how to execute them wasn't around.

Whether through editing, intentional behavior, or just natural personality, Marcel comes off as just as obnoxious on his own show as he ever was on Top Chef. The producers seem to stack the deck for some engineered conflict; for example, a woman hired as front-of-house staff also has to prove her ability to create baked apple butter that can be folded into parchment, even though there's no logical reason for a professional catering manager to master such an obscure task. Yet she tries, and it annoys Marcel, and it will probably also annoy the audience, because the reasoning behind that and so many other aspects of the series seems to be solely to manipulate viewers.

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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about how the show spotlights food without covering health-related issues. Do the dishes on the show look like healthy food? What about them seemed unhealthy?

  • Do you think it's worth the time and energy to prepare food using these outrageous techniques, or is the simple way still the best?

  • What's going on with the media's obsession with food and cooking? Do you think this is a positive trend?

This review was written by Matt Springer

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This review was written by Matt Springer
TV rating:NR
Network:Syfy
Cast:Marcel Vigneron
Genre:Reality TV
This review was written by Matt Springer
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

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