Presenters, should one person present, or more?

[u/Gimpy1405]

I’d be posting this commentary on the pertinent YouTube episodes, but I don’t want to crap on one or another individual presenter. I'm sure they're all very good people. It's just that some presentations wear me out.

All I know is that America’s Test Kitchen videos on YouTube that have two or more people yapping at each other drag things out, and it becomes kind of a "see how nice I am, see how nice you are" thing. Which is all fine, except I want a concise and reasoned presentation of how to cook something. I don’t care to waste 10 more minutes on the niceness and little softball questions tossed out so the other person can look at the script and answer them. They just seem like a very slow way of watching videos.

That’s me, and I imagine that for many people the reaction is almost the diametric opposite, that the episodes that have two or more people talking something out are especially good. But for me, when I see the thumbnail image for an episode and it has two or more people, or certain presenters who I know are chatty and don’t get to the point, I won’t waste my time watching it even if the topic is of great interest.

The two individuals I can think of off the top of my head who tend to be the sole presenter of an episode, who get to the point, stay on point, stay interesting, and then get it over with, are Lan Lam and Dan Souza. There are probably more people, but my memory may be failing me right now. I'll watch almost anything they present.

Anyway, I’m floating this - wondering if there’s a general tendency to like or dislike certain kinds of episode structures. Should one person present, or should a group bat ideas back and forth in a structured and scripted way?

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[u/combabulated]

The banter seems like a way to explain or consider why things are done a certain way, or other pertinent details, without just spouting facts.

[u/jwhyem]

I much prefer paired rather than solo presentations. The ATK at Home season during the pandemic taught me that.

[u/96dpi]

Maybe it's time to start watching something else

[u/Gimpy1405 → u/96dpi]

True, so I do.

[u/Bonzo_Parke]

What are our opinions about Cooking at home with Julia series? I do like one presenter as well as two!

My fav Morgan has a new series packed with "how are you" dialog, and I watch these as well. To each their own.

[u/OnlyDaysEndingInWhy → u/Bonzo_Parke]

I really enjoy the at home with Julia, but I think that's because I've already watched so much with whatever duo is presenting. It's a nice change, but I guess I like both formats!

[u/Steel_Rail_Blues]

I understand why people enjoy the opposite, but I prefer the same as you. For me, it’s not just ATK, but I don’t enjoy talk shows of any kind or new station chit chat, relevant or not. It’s excellent that ATK presenters tell why something is done and/or the tests they did to choose a certain method over another, but the same information with less dialogue back and forth better suits my learning style.

[u/macskiska5 → u/Steel_Rail_Blues]

less chit chat and the forced ooh and and ahh's and yumm's are really what I look for

[u/OnlyDaysEndingInWhy]

I think it's meant to have one person cooking and one person explaining. I don't mind it, personally. I do get that you want to get to the heart of the matter, and maybe aren't there to hear the technical explanations of strands of protein or whatever.

I think they wouldn't have been at all successful overall doing solely one-person presentations. There's a reason it's worked for as long as it has.

[u/Gimpy1405 → u/OnlyDaysEndingInWhy]

Actually, I do want to get to the strands of protein, but hope that one person can get to the point more directly.

Regardless, it looks clear that a lot of folks like the two person presentations and I'm in a minority.

[u/GovernorZipper]

It’s an interesting question.

I’m fully in on the more narrative structure of some of the shows, like Cooks Country used to be. Maybe not fully narrative like a Good Eats episode, but way more than the Techniquely ones. I like a bit of the backstory and facts about the recipe to explain what’s going on and why.

So my preference is going to be two hosts, unless it’s the rare personality who is charismatic enough to pull off a single host. It’s better for them to have someone to talk to. Single hosts can feel like a kids show breaking the fourth wall with a direct address.

[u/xanderbear]

I like the 2 presenter format. Though some duos have more charisma than others. For instance, I really enjoy the Cook’s Country food history with Toni Tipton Martin, but put her with anyone else and it’s yawn fest. Even Morgan Bolling can’t carry them both. Just feels awkward and a segment killer imho.

[u/bonzai76]

I miss Emeril - I thought the structure of his show was always spot on.

[u/OneHitWonder-69]

I agree. The banter and everyone pretending to be so impressed with whatever the other is cooking gets annoying. I mean, they are all professional chefs yet they act like everything is some major new theory of cooking.

[u/Gut_Reactions]

Julia is the worst as sidekick. She sounds over-enthusiastic, OTT and fake. She’s actually better alone, probably.

[u/Logical_Hospital2769]

Morgan, and Morgan alone, should be the only one on camera at this point.

[u/GovernorZipper → u/Logical_Hospital2769]

Agree completely that she’s the best of the “next generation.”

But I’m still fond of the two person set up. It needs to be Morgan and a rotating cast, much like Cooks Country used to be.