‘Celebrity Beef’ Recap: ‘Good Cop vs. Bad Cop’

Written by Shae Rufe

Pictured: Joel McHale -- (Photo by: Trae Patton/E! Entertainment)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of ‘Celebrity Beef’.​

When it comes to cooking shows, the ones based on competition are always the most fun to watch. Yet, there always seems to be new and great ideas on how to make them more fun. E! Entertainment released a great new cooking competition that takes the genre to a whole new level. Two celebrity contestants face off making the same dish, for the chance to win $10,000 for the charity of their choosing. This fantastic show is hosted by comedian Joel McHale. As he says, the celebrities are real, but the beef is fake. Of course, the celebrities they have are not celebrity chefs, making for a much more entertaining ride. Each show features a different food that both celebrities will make, and hopefully it’s something not too difficult. Either way, the real winners are the charities, and that’s what matters more.

The very first episode has best friends facing off against each other. Rachael Harris and Cheryl Hines, both famous actors and comedians, and real-life besties, take to the competition, with a twist. Both ladies are playing for the same charity, so regardless of who wins and who loses, the charity in question will get the $10,000. That’s something that’s not been done before. Each celebrity has to make, frost, and decorate, cupcakes, in one hour. The rules of the game are simple, they change whenever Host Joel feels like it, and really that adds to the charm of the show. Cheryl goes out of her way to sabotage Rachel as often as she can, like stealing her cupcake liners, and hiding them. While Rachel plays pretty fair, for the most part. Cheryl chooses to do a sprinkle explosion cupcake and Rachel does the ever classic, and classy, red velvet.

As the time flies by and the beef heats up, Joel throws a curveball. Aside from being the Host, he’s also on the floor with them the entire time, and he’s the judge. He tries to add things to their counters, tries to talk them into using the oddest ingredients, and even goes as far as to rat Cheryl out for stealing Rachel’s cupcake liners. As both women get their cupcakes in the oven, Joel decides to take up some time by throwing them a side game. He has them fill and frost as many donuts as possible, in the span of two minutes. It’s a fun challenge that gets competitive quickly, and Rachel emerges victorious. This means Cheryl has to spend the rest of the time handcuffed to Joel.
 
Thankfully for her, it lasts as long as Joel is willing to be drug around before he breaks them free. With time running out and cupcakes needing to be frosted, Joel steps his game up a notch by counting down too soon on purpose. And when Cheryl isn’t quite finished, he drags the last few seconds out for her until she is. The ever-important judging isn’t just about the cupcakes, it’s also about the beef! Why are these two, supposed friends, fighting? They’re not really. Rachel is admittedly the much more assertive friend of the two while Cheryl is more on the people pleaser side. Sadly, her people pleasing, and her sprinkle filled cupcake aren’t enough, as Rachel takes the win with her assertive nature and red velvet cupcake.

So, what really sets this show apart? Aside from Joel’s dry humor, the entire half hour is filled with great jokes and good-natured teasing. There really isn’t genuine beef, no actual fighting, no passive aggressiveness, and above all, no egos or arrogance. Often these cooking competitions can hold a lot of that, add in a celebrity chef or professional head chef, and it can get worse. This show stands out as just being a fun, good natured, show. It’s not about who’s actually the better chef, but about friends playing for a charity donation. It helps spread awareness about the charities being played for, and showcases celebrities in a different, more relaxed, light. The humor and comedy are a welcome bonus and the show would likely fall flat without that particular atmosphere. It’s a seriously not serious show that, well, knows exactly what it is and what it has to offer. It’s one of the funniest shows out there, and honestly well worth the watch.

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