Eating Your Feed

BuzzFeed Originals' "Eating Your Feed" is a strikingly unique culinary show that took the internet by storm throughout 2018 and 2019. The show combines the fun antics of BuzzFeed’s Try Guys with the fascinating world of food. In each episode, the witty and nerve-wracking challenge is presented - amateur cooks attempt to recreate viral recipes from various social media platforms, drawing an interesting mix of humor, tension, triumph, and at times, culinary chaos.

Structure-wise, the show tends to be a constant flurry of engagement, lively-back-and-forth banter, unexpected cooking mishaps and victories. Each episode starts with a recipe video that has already made its rounds on the Internet. It could be anything from mouthwatering rainbow crepe cakes, homemade Twinkies to a towering 100-layer lasagna. The selected cook of the day is challenged to watch that viral food video and then recreate the dish without having any accompanying textual recipe.

The episodes offer plenty of space for the cooks to demonstrate their tenacity and creativity, as well as their culinary ineptitude. The participants range from average home cook to complete beginners, and quite humorously, it’s never quite clear if they have the slightest idea on how to achieve the end goal. They are left to decipher the dishes step-by-step, often utilizing trial and error along the way.

The show is about more than just the food, it’s also about the personalities being thrown into the mix. Hosts Andrew Ilnyckyj and Niki Ang are lovable figures who not only lead the culinary attempts but also invite viewers into their experience. They make mistakes, just like any inexperienced cook, but their courage in face of complex recipes is truly commendable. Watching them stumble, triumph, and stumble again, often in a span of few minutes, is a large part of the show's entertainment.

The charm of "Eating Your Feed" lies in its sheer rawness and authenticity. This is not a show about clever cutting or editing to downplay embarrassing errors or catastrophes. The hosts grapple with hilarious perplexities, such as puzzling ingredients, ambiguous cooking techniques, and stress-inducing timers. What's more, the show does not restrict itself to straightforward, simple dishes; the participants are faced with incredibly complicated fare that could rattle even seasoned professionals.

Incredibly, in the middle of all the culinary confusion, viewers tend to learn something new and unusual about cooking every episode. Through the trials and errors of the hosts, viewers understand food preparation techniques, ingredient functionalities, and even kitchen tool usage. "Eating Your Feed" literally translates the 'trial and error' edict of cooking into entertaining and enlightening content.

Aside from the hilarity, the results are quite often shockingly impressive. Viewers can watch as ordinary people, with no particular culinary prowess, manage to pull off creations as sumptuous as they are aesthetic - proving that, with some patience and perseverance, anyone can create food magic.

"Eating Your Feed" serves up the true realities of cooking without downplaying the delightfully messy process. The heartwarming vibe of the show lies in the acceptance of failures as much as successes. It acknowledges the frustration of burnt pastries and uncooperative dough, while highlighting the unwavering truth of cooking - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But in the end, trying is what truly matters, and having fun while doing so is what makes it worthwhile.

With its humorous hosts, intriguing culinary challenges, and infectious charm, "Eating Your Feed" serves up a toothsome appetizer of food, fun, and fellowship. Unapologetic in its messy ride through the world of cooking, the show not only offers hearty laughs but leaves viewers with an appetite to maybe jump into their own kitchens and try something audacious. It presents a recipe for an entertaining show that's equal parts cooking lesson, adventurous experiment, and healthy competition, all while cheering in the spirit of "cooking for everyone, regardless of skill level".