The comedy streaming service Dropout is breaking floor in a extremely aggressive style of tv: the cooking competitors present. Its new collection, Gastronauts, brings Dropout’s comedic expertise and penchant for zany antics to the well-worn style with one thing only a little much less cutthroat than you’ll see on different cooking exhibits.
Hosted by comic, author, and actor Jordan Myrick, every episode of Gastronauts options three cooks competing in a collection of cooking-based challenges. The twist? The judges are comedians, and the comedians are setting the challenges. Prompts this season embody making the heaviest meal (by weight), making a liveable setting for dinosaur rooster nuggets, and making an edible motion determine you’ll be able to play with whereas consuming. However the judges are additionally being judged — unbeknownst to them, the cooks decide which decide gave the most effective problem, leveling the enjoying area a bit.
Polygon spoke with Myrick about their historical past with cooking, having enjoyable with meals, and course-correcting the vitality of cooks who got here in anticipating a really completely different vibe.
This interview has been flippantly edited for size and readability.
Polygon: Congratulations on the present lastly popping out!
Jordan Myrick: Thanks a lot. It feels prefer it’s been 100 thousand years for the reason that trailer launched, so I’m glad it’s lastly right here. I don’t should reply to my dad and mom asking me time and again when it’s popping out as a result of they refuse to jot down it down on their calendar.
When folks like your dad and mom ask you what the present is, how do you describe it to them?
I at all times begin out simply by saying it’s a comedy cooking present, after which I gauge their curiosity from there. If they appear like they need to know extra, I’ll be like: “Oh, when you’ve ever seen Chopped or High Chef, it’s just like that within the sense that you’ve skilled cooks who’ve cooking challenges, however the twist with Gastronauts is that we give them loopy cooking challenges that have been all crafted by comedians, however the meals nonetheless has to style good.” In order that’s my longer spiel.
I’d love to listen to extra about your relationship with meals and cooking and cooking competitors exhibits. What’s your background there?
Picture: Dropout
I’ve at all times beloved meals and cooking ever since I used to be a baby. My mother and I’ve at all times cooked rather a lot collectively. My grandma and I wrote a cookbook after I was little that my dad printed and laminated and we nonetheless have. So it’s at all times one thing that I’ve been very, very fascinated with. And I grew up on the Meals Community, like Unwrapped and Rachael Ray. All of these exhibits have been what I used to be coming house from college day by day and watching. So I’ve at all times beloved it. I went to NYU for faculty for appearing. I did their BFA appearing program at Tisch, and since I’m a classically educated actor, which means I’ve labored in eating places for 100 years in just about each place you’ll be able to. I’ve achieved bartending, serving, internet hosting, I’ve achieved supply, I’ve labored meals festivals, all sorts of issues. And apart from the shoppers, I actually loved it as a result of I similar to working with meals.
That being stated, I’ve at all times wished to be a comic. I’ve achieved comedy for a very long time. I began doing long-form improv in highschool and bought actually into it. My crew began doing festivals. I took lessons on the Upright Residents Brigade all all through school. After which my first job out of faculty was I bought on the Upright Residents Brigade Touring Firm, which weirdly sufficient is the place I met two of my greatest buddies, who’re additionally Dropout hosts, Rekha Shankar and Lily Du. We labored that job collectively, in addition to Luke Subject, who additionally used to work at Dropout and now nonetheless does some Dropout stuff. So it appears like a really loopy and serendipitous coincidence.
It appears like internet hosting a present like this might be a dream come true within the nexus of your varied pursuits, however I’ve to think about it is perhaps intimidating to host a present like this. Did you discover that in any respect?
I used to be nervous going into it. I additionally artistic produced the present, so I had a number of hands-on, behind-the-scenes stuff, which I believe made me really feel extra comfy. However I used to be nervous going into it simply being like, Yeah, you’re internet hosting. The carry is so heavy. I’ve hosted a number of dwell exhibits and I do discover myself to be good at that, and I get pleasure from it.
So I used to be feeling optimistic, however nonetheless, you by no means understand how one thing like that’s going to prove till you do it. However I felt so fortunate as a result of I’d by no means been on a set the place everybody was on the prime of their sport and in addition concurrently so good. Our director, Morgan [Evans], was so fantastic to work with. I had an earpiece in my ear for all of it the place Morgan can be telling me issues or feeding me issues or be like, “Transfer on to the following factor” or no matter. And there have been so many moments when Morgan would begin to discuss and as he was speaking, I used to be saying one thing after which he’d be like, “By no means thoughts, you already did what I used to be nearly to let you know to do.” And I imply everybody from the PAs to the digital camera crew to the sound folks to the medic on set, everybody was simply so good and straightforward to work with, and that actually put me relaxed.
Picture: Dropout
I’ve to think about that internet hosting a cooking competitors present could be very completely different from different internet hosting gigs. Have been there any parts of it that stunned you?
I believe working with cooks — which I had achieved in a culinary means, however not in a comedy means earlier than — felt completely different. And a lot of the dwell exhibits that I’m internet hosting are comedy exhibits, the place they’re both different comedians or viewers members who’re there to see a comedy present. And among the cooks would are available in actual sizzling, they’d be like, “I’m the most effective and I’m able to win.” And I’d be like, Oh, OK, nice, cool. After which after the primary spherical, they’d be like, “I’m sorry I got here in so sizzling. That is rather more enjoyable and chill than I believed it might be.” So I believe that was sort of actually convincing the cooks that this can be a good factor. We’re not attempting to tug something on you that’s going to mess you up. We wish you to do a superb job. It’s extra enjoyable to see folks get pleasure from what they’re doing and make scrumptious meals than it’s to look at folks mess up. So I believe simply getting them to [feel] like: You’re secure right here. And I believe all of them ultimately bought that, however I believe some folks have been slightly skeptical at first.
One of many issues that actually jumped out to me from the primary episode is how completely different the vibe feels from most cooking competitors exhibits. As a artistic producer in addition to a number, how would you describe the vibe that you simply tried to foster on set?
I wished everybody to really feel so excited and blissful and cozy, as a result of I’m a giant believer in positivity in work. Intimidation, being impolite, or appearing such as you’re higher than different folks or something like that in a piece setting makes me very sort of reactive. I don’t reply nicely to it. I’m type like, OK, nicely, fuck you. So I used to be like, I simply need everybody to be good and have a superb time. And that wasn’t exhausting with Dropout, which was fantastic, however I additionally simply tried to steer by instance because the individual internet hosting the present, being like, Every little thing’s good, every part’s enjoyable, every part’s simple. My mother’s an ICU nurse, and we’re not doing that. We’re simply doing slightly comedy present. It’s enjoyable. All of us get to eat. And likewise I believe hyping up the cooks as nicely, and being like, “Even when you tousled one thing that’s sort of to be anticipated. You’re doing this for the primary time and it’s not a simple factor to do.” So being like, “Yeah, you tousled this one factor, however these different parts of what you probably did have been actually cool and we preferred that.” Attempting to hit all of it on digital camera and from behind the scenes from a extra optimistic perspective.
One other means the present accomplishes that is by having comedians because the judges. It eschews the standard cooking competitors format by not having highfalutin cooks. Was that within the premise from the start?
So long as I’ve been connected to the venture, sure. We’ve at all times wished to have comedians setting the challenges and judging, as a result of as soon as once more, we wish it to really feel enjoyable. It’s not enjoyable to look at Oscar Montoya be like, “That is dangerous and also you’re silly.” It’s a lot extra enjoyable to look at Oscar have enjoyable. That being stated, I did encourage the judges — as a result of I believe everybody’s so good that lots of people’s impulse was, “I didn’t love that, however I didn’t need to be impolite.” And I’m like, “Nice, you aren’t a impolite individual. So simply be trustworthy, like, ‘The style is slightly off for me, however the presentation is gorgeous.’ Get slightly praise sandwich or give a superb and a nasty. You could be 100% trustworthy about your view, however don’t beat folks up.” However that being stated, none of those judges have been going to beat anybody up anyway, so it was not exhausting.
Picture: Dropout
Picture: Dropout
Then there’s the key problem on the finish the place the cooks are secretly judging the judges. It’s such a enjoyable twist on the format.
I really feel like that was sort of a last-minute factor we threw in. It actually wasn’t a part of the plan from the start, however we have been like, “Hey, what else is also enjoyable? Why not?” It takes two seconds on the finish, and the judges ended up getting actually enthusiastic about it within the episode. In order that was enjoyable that this little small seedling of an concept that we had ended up being one thing that folks appear to actually get pleasure from.
What have been you on the lookout for when it comes to chef company?
I believe we have been actually centered on somebody who was nice at cooking, but additionally loved being on digital camera. There are such a lot of splendidly proficient individuals who prepare dinner for a dwelling who simply don’t need to be filmed, and that makes a lot sense. Most individuals don’t need to be filmed and shouldn’t need to be filmed. It’s a really weird factor to want as a profession. In order that being stated, I believe we did want individuals who actively need additional consideration, which some cooks actually do and a few cooks actually don’t. After which I believe additionally only a numerous background. We wished to see a number of several types of folks. We had non-public cooks, we had sous cooks, we had head cooks, we had individuals who had owned their very own eating places, we had influencers. We had all several types of folks from all completely different skilled backgrounds in addition to culinary backgrounds, in addition to private backgrounds. And that was one thing that was actually necessary.
After which on the judges’ facet, clearly you’re pulling from Dropout’s pool of expertise, however have been there any particular issues that you simply wished out of the judges? Did you need to be certain they didn’t have an excessive amount of cooking data?
No, not notably. I believe we tried to get a superb smattering, and we had a number of completely different folks. Like Mike Trapp is in an episode, and he’s top-of-the-line house cooks I do know. Mike makes so many unbelievable completely different dishes, so we sort of tried to area it out with some people who find themselves consultants and a few individuals who know actually nothing; Lily couldn’t have much less culinary data. And when y’all see her episode, that shall be revealed to you. The issues that Lily eats each day are disgusting. A lot in order that typically I’ll carry her lunch so she doesn’t eat no matter bizarre factor I do know she would repair for herself. I believe having a mixture of those who had various ranges of ability and in addition various ranges of curiosity was necessary. Some persons are actually keen about this and have actually large ideas and sizzling takes. Some folks don’t know a plate of nachos from their very own butt, so that they have to actually be impressed in that second.
Picture: Dropout
Oscar, within the first episode, studying what spatchcocking is and that different folks know what it’s was simply so humorous.
I used to be so shocked. I used to be like, “Oscar, pay attention, clearly not all homosexual folks know stuff about meals, however as a homosexual individual, I wish to suppose that almost all homosexual folks know stuff about meals.” And I used to be actually shocked to seek out out that he didn’t know what spatchcocking was. He had by no means tasted flavored butter. Just a few issues that really feel, like, culturally really feel homosexual to me, and but Oscar didn’t know. In order that additionally felt like an necessary second for the queer group.
Do you’ve got any dream company or judges for potential future seasons?
So many. I really feel like when it comes to comedians — nicely, Maria Bamford’s my favourite comic. I believe she’s so humorous and so attention-grabbing and so good. Once I was in school, she did this factor the place she rented out a theater and you might pay 25 bucks and are available, and she or he would reply any of your questions in regards to the business, and she or he introduced her contract and let everybody learn it. It was so good and so useful. And likewise she’s the funniest, and I believe she would have actually enjoyable, humorous meals commentary. So she’s somebody I’d like to have on ultimately. And when it comes to cooking, I imply, I need to see the High Chef judges cooking on my present.
I believe that’s a really attainable objective.
Like perhaps we may make it occur.
For those who have been a decide on Gastronauts, what problem would you set?
I really like on cooking exhibits when abruptly they’re like, “All people swap dishes!” I believe that’s actually enjoyable as a result of I believe you actually get to see creativity at work, however you even have sort of a robust base, proper? If all people’s good at cooking, likelihood is they’ve no less than brunoised some greens for you or one thing. I believe that’s a enjoyable problem. And likewise cooks get actually upset about it as a result of they’re very protecting of what they’re doing. And so I believe that’s enjoyable with out being too upsetting.
Oh, and somebody has to make me a snack throughout the problem. I dunno how that may issue into judging, however I would really like that.
Picture: Dropout
Is there anybody that notably impressed you this season?
Nicely, everybody was so unbelievable. What I used to be most impressed by was the flexibility of so many of those cooks to flirt with me whereas cooking. I used to be shocked. They’re in the midst of making this unbelievable factor, however would actually cease and take time to be like, “You’re stunning.” Actually sort of lay it on thick. And I believe that’s an important technique. And I particularly consider chef Jessica Tiffany, who’s within the first episode, after which there’s additionally a chef named Arturo. And each of them I used to be like, Are we about to kiss as they’re in the midst of simply completely demolishing a cooking problem? And I believed that was actually spectacular.
Possibly Gastronauts season 2 can be a relationship present slightly than a cooking present.
Possibly there’s extra kissing in season 2 of Gastronauts. I don’t know. We’re not even there but, however we may see it.
Is there something out of your expertise with the present that you simply’ve taken into your individual cooking or your relationship with meals that’s modified how you concentrate on meals, both whilst you’re cooking or consuming or watching exhibits?
I believe to have extra enjoyable with it. I believe it’s very easy to get in a rut, however I noticed so many individuals accomplish that many enjoyable and inventive issues that I used to be like, Oh, I need to do this at house, but additionally simply be extra artistic at house on the whole. Additionally, simply leaning into the truth that bananas appear to be penises. I believe that’s an enormous takeaway that the followers could have from the present; it’s OK to simply accept that bananas are phallic, as a result of even skilled cooks couldn’t escape that in so most of the Gastronauts challenges.
The primary episode of Gastronauts is now streaming on Dropout. New episodes shall be launched each different Friday.