Pressure Cooker (2023– ) User Reviews

Final ep pissed me off. Unfair standards & method for judging

[ccrisss · 6/10 · 8 January 2023]

I would've rated this a bit higher if not for the final episode. The whole voting was ridiculous.

It should not have been judged by the contestants. They should've saved the food critics in the end to give an unbiased result.

The deserved winner was so clear. But no, they went and judged with emotions. Hated the outcome so much that I hope they don't have another season with this format.

I liked Robbie but Mike clearly should've won. This show lacks integrity, and although i didn't mind the voting off of contestants in earlier rounds, in the final it shouldn't have happened the way it did.

It seemed to me like they cooked for nothing in the end. They weren't really judged based on their output.

Mike was the clear and deserving winner.

Shame.

Good show, bad ending

[ajfalco19 · 7/10 · 19 January 2023]

I thought this show was fun to watch. With that being said, the finale was a disappointment. The judges decided who was winning before they even ate the food. Mike's technical skill and presentation with food blew Robbie's dishes out of the water. Everyone said that nearly every dish Mike made was spectacular but when they choose the winner, it's all about being more than what you cook, it's who you are as person blah blah blah. Completely unfair especially when 100k is on the line. There would've been a different winner if they had unbiased judges and they didn't build some sort of relationship with both cooks beforehand. Robbie was clearly the more likable guy and that's what it came down to. The show should be about how well you cook.

The finale ruined it for me

[dunives · 6/10 · 9 January 2023]

So much work, talent, control, planing, punctuality, integrity and innovation - for nothing. The winner is a likable guy, and that's it. Next time they don't have to cook at all, they can just sit around and tell eachother how badly they need the money, because obviously that's all that it takes to win. Occasional crying is also a plus, if you are a man.

I liked most of the candidates, but few of them were just so much better cooks then the rest, still, it didn't matter, in the end it all comes down to who they like more as a person. I just don't understand the concept, and it's a shame, it had potential.

Survivor in the Kitchen

[flower-12585 · 6/10 · 24 January 2023]

I like cooking shows, I like the show Survivor. Do I like to see them both mixed together? Not really.

It was clear that the producers were trying really hard to create drama. It seemed to work at the beginning but at some point people were judging to be fair and then all these odd twists came along. It felt like they were trying to steer the competition in certain ways with all these sudden changes Sometimes people got voted off right away, other times they had a chance to redeem themselves. There was no rhyme or reason.

Ending also seemed odd. I liked the episodes with the blind tasting with the food critics and the family members. If there is another season I would like to see a a voting process that makes sense and no artificial created drama.

CHEF MIKE IS THE CLEAR WINNER

[jennytbanks · 8/10 · 12 January 2023]

So this show is entertaining but it is also irksome. Like other reviewers mentioned, the judging is unfair! Such biased judging. Why on earth would Netflix allow a group of chefs living under the same roof to judge each other's food and vote each other off? Leave that for the food critics and blind testing from ppl with no affiliation with each other. It really was not a fair competition. Chef Jeanna was very upsetting and deceitful!! Change the judging criteria and perhaps I might give this show another chance. Chef Mikes food definitely looked superior in the last episode. Overall the show is entertaining but nobody wants to watch ppl being cheated.

If 'Jersey Shore' were a cooking show, this would be it.

[rileyxbell · 6/10 · 11 January 2023]

This show is somewhere between a drama and a cooking show. The lack of of a show host and external judges felt more like cost cutting than creative plot writing. The production quality is high, but the sets and locations could have been more imaginative. This new take on a culinary competition was somewhat refreshing from an entertainment perspective and I enjoyed watching them cook delicious food.. But I felt the whole premise of the competition left too much room for foul play which led to talented chefs leaving early in the competition. This show seems more focused on backstabbing and personal alliances than determining the best chef but in the end it turned out to be pretty enjoyable. I think if they get a bigger budget in future seasons improve on a few things it could be a great show.

Jeana is everything wrong with the human race

[EODGhost · 3/10 · 13 January 2023]

I honestly loved the cooking and it gave me several dishes I want to try out myself.

The rest was utter trash. Jeana is quite possibly the worst human on the planet, She introduces her self like she's super friendly, team player, and that whole intro was completely fake.

She lies, pits other cooks against each other, and is an all around #itch.

The finale as terrible. The winner, was definitely not the "winner", it was entirely based on who was friends with who.

Trash TV at its finest. FU Netflix, you suck again. More and more of your shows are like this senseless garbage. If there is a season 2, fire the writers and start from scratch.

What you MUST have in mind.

[legieri · 8/10 · 9 January 2023]

In the end it's not about the best technique, the best cooker, it's about people, human relationships.

That's why they are judged by their pairs and not by food critics.

Keeping this in mind, it's really interest how does the show found a way to be almost fair in each evaluation. They were really creative in that sense.

>>>SPOILER ALERT <<< The best Chef clearly wasn't the winner, but even so, I think it was a congruent decision.

Actually I'm very happy that the shadiest Chef, didn't reach the finals, and even more that she was eliminated by unanimous vote!!! She's definitely the worse person in the show.

This is reality TV, NOT a cooking competition.

[missmishka · 7/10 · 12 January 2023]

I'm not a big fan of "reality TV" but dud watch the earliest seasons of The Real World and Survivor. The very beginning of this show, in the first episode, was very similar to The Real World and that should be your warning to opt out if you're there for a cooking competition. I wanted a cooking competition, but got hooked on the drama like reality TV wants.

Like Survivor, many cast mates are voted off by the others based on strategy and alliances rather than merit and the ultimate winner of $100,000 is chosen by the eliminated chefs. Each episode has a focus on confessionals and interpersonal drama in addition to the cooking challenge and judging. I'd love an after party show to see how Sergei's fiancée and Caroline's husband feel about the "work" spouse relationship that developed there or how Christan feels about Jeana in the end. It's that kind of show, which, again, signals that it is more reality TV sensationalism than cooking competition.

I hate that I got pulled into watching it all, but I did and I won't lie and say that I wasn't wrapped up in it and ultimately happy with the outcome. If I rate it solely as a cooking competition, I'd maybe give it a five for the unique way challenges came in and the unpredictable way each challenge was carried out then judged. There were some interesting dishes presented with a few of the beat by the clock dramas that one expects from a cooking competition where something made fails to make it on the final plate or the chef just didn't have time to properly execute their plan. The "blind judging" and elimination votes by housemates is why this doesn't rank higher for the cooking aspect, because in those instances the cooking didn't matter as much as who the judge thought made the dish and who the housemates wanting gone.

But those negatives for it as a cooking show are what up the rating as reality TV. Watching the interpersonal play in the first episode, you would never expect Mike's development through the eight episodes and I credit Lana with alot of that, so it felt right that hers was the deciding vote in the end. The Final Table, Nailed It and Is It Cake remain my personal favorites for Netflix baking/cooking competitions, but I don't feel like I wasted my time watching this. I hate myself for knowing that I would probably definitely watch more if this was renewed for more seasons.

Not about talent, but about sympathy votes

[mgitts1977 · 2/10 · 7 January 2023]

This show was not about innovation and cooking talent, it was literally a popularity contest. I was so disappointed with this because it started to get frustrating due to the way the eliminations were structured. If you're going to have a competition, at least let it be fair.

The chef that ended up being the runner-up was completely robbed. From the start they were strong, they did not form deceitful alliances, and they surely did not shed a bunch of tears to get sympathy votes. It really was a complete waste of time especially for those watching, and for those who were on the show to compete based on their talent as a chef!

You can't please everyone!

[brashbuzz · 8/10 · 10 January 2023]

This show is a nice new spin on the stock standard Reality Based Cooking Show formula. If you are sick and tired of the same old cooking shows they pump out by the hundreds each year under different names, all with basically the same rules, annoying hosts & irritating judges, then this is definitely worth a look. To all the people that are bellyaching about how this show is unfair, may I remind you that you have plenty of other mainstream Reality Cooking Shows to watch. Besides, the majority of decisions were based on pure integrity anyway so seriously get a GRIP! When peoples faves don't win they try to grasp at any straw they can! Cry me a river! It's so bloody refreshing to see things shaken up for a change!!!!!!

Enjoyed but unbiased in the end

[IcyRhea · 7/10 · 9 January 2023]

Overall I did enjoy the show and it was something different combing chefs and personal relationships/ interactions, etc. Which forces you to make alliances and "play the game" in order to win. But shouldn't food matter more? As personally I enjoy watching cooking shows and seeing cooks and chefs show us their best after years of hard working, mastering skills, talent and love. I admire people like that and and I feel like all the contestants deserve respect and admiration for following this path.

The end, though, it felt like the 'red weeding'. If the past contestants were brought in to judge the food and ultimately pick the winner, it should've been a blind test. People will always be biased.

Like the other review said, why not bring the food critics for the finale as this would've made the show fair and unbiased? Leaving the watcher wonder if the food was the winner or friendship.

This isn't about Food Unfortunately

[andrewrye-06535 · 3/10 · 10 January 2023]

From the start this was about drama. In the first few episodes all the cooking was completed within the first half of the episode, the rest was contrived drama. I learned to just jump to the next episode after the person being eliminated was announced. And then sometimes before, as I would just work out who wasn't there. So tired of sob stories and 20 something chefs who moan how hard life has been and the long hours they work. If they were in there 40s I might listen. The entitlement is high here!

After that it was a popularity contest with contestants lying and voting off good chefs so that bad ones could stay. The amount of drama in this was ridiculous and made the actual food a secondary theme.

The straw was the final episode, someone makes a Sunday afternoon meal which I could make and wins over a fine dining chef whose work was obviously better. Let me ask you this, if you have a good experience in a restaurant do you call the chef out and ask for his sob story?, and to see if you liked him/her? No? Then why did that play a part in the decision making here?

Not having fair and honest reviews of the food presented works against the show. Obviously throwing a bunch of chefs into a house will amp up the dramatics and then having them judge each other is just stupid. The only purpose this could serve is to get the contestants to vote against each other and heighten the tension.

I have an idea, why doesn't someone do a show that is actually about the food! I would watch that!!

It's a 3 with the hope there is no second season, I won't be watching it.

If 'Revenge is a dish best served cold' was a cooking show

[jasynp · 6/10 · 15 January 2023]

Netflix really pushed this show on me and I honestly found it both trashy and enjoyable at the same time. They really used the word "forward" way too much during the show, so I will in this review. It was reality-forward and the food took a back burner to the drama. There was some talented chefs who cooked food I would love to try, but basically it was Survivor of cooking meets Big Brother. It's obvious the casting directors try to stir the drama, such as early episodes when someone comes into the confessional while the other person is trash talking them, and it was very distracting watching how they set things up. If you treat the penultimate episode of the finale, it's a much higher score.

Someone Finally Did What I Was Waiting For!

[loganps · 9/10 · 7 January 2023]

I almost didn't watch because I didn't think I could stomach another cooking competition show. But I gave it a shot and I thought the show is great. I like it for a lot of reasons, but one thing stood out. Authenticity.

I'm a former reality and game show producer and it's almost ruined television for me. It's hard for me to watch a competition reality show and not be distracted by the heavy handed manipulation many producers insert into each episode. But not this show.

This show is willing to include imperfect moments of production when unplanned and interesting moments occur. I never see that and it tells me they're dedicated on providing an authentic and entertaining show.

There's a good chance I'm paying too much attention to things that may not matter to most people, but hopefully this review is helpful to some. I'm happy I watched.

Good Chefs but Yawn.

[ericvolkmar · 6/10 · 15 January 2023]

Watching the talent level of the chefs is fun but the drama is predictable. The producers aren't very good at hiding the outcome of each episode. I like the competition and game play from most episodes along with the blind judging. The lies and deception are overly obvious and take away from the cooking aspect in some of the episodes. The competitors do their best to keep their minds focused and try not to be petty.

My biggest disappointment was that the best chefs were eliminated and we, as an audience, were left with a finally of second rate, back stabbing, competitors. Hopefully this is changed for season 2.

Trash Television

[AlmondJoyy · 2/10 · 8 January 2023]

Let me preface this review by saying I grew up watching Food Network, The Cooking Channel, Bravo, several channels that have shows that range from 30 minute shows sharing recipes to competition shows. I am a big fan of competition cooking shows so when I saw this show on Netflix that's what I thought it would be.

What I didn't know was that it was going to be like watching The Real World with some cooking thrown in. The majority of voting for elimination in this show was based off emotion and personal feelings towards the other chefs and nothing to do with their cooking. I appreciate the very few chefs who kept it in line with the actual cooking and didn't try and "play the game" so that they would keep moving up.

I understand this being a competition show and wanting to win, but wouldn't you want to win based off your cooking as well as being a decent human being? Instead there are people like Jeana and Sergei trying to get people on their side. While Sergei deserved to move up in the competition based on his food and the judges response to his food, Jeana certainly did not. Not to mention she was obnoxious and arrogant to boot. This show is more of a popularity contest than cooking.

I sure hope this show does not have another season. This may be entertaining for some who like drama and watching people betray and lie to each other, but I really just wanted another actual cooking show. I only gave this 2 stars instead of 1 because there is quite a bit of cooking happening and that is the only thing that held my attention. Also, the winner was voted from more emotion than the food, as well. I did very much like the winner and the kind of person they were, but technically speaking and based off the entirety of the competition and as a competitor, I do not believe he would have won had emotion been taken out and the judging done by unbiased critics who didn't know either of the competitors on a personal level.

Trash, garbage TV.

Survivor meets Chopped!

[JustinSookram · 8/10 · 13 January 2023]

This is not your ordinary cooking competition show. It's about a dozen talented chefs who live together in a "pressure cooker" communal living space and also compete against each other individually or on teams.

They then at times have to vote each other off just like they do in survivor. It has the addition of the social game aspect where they have to choose alliances to survive.

The chefs are Michelin star inspired they focus on creating elevated and sophisticated dishes. I think this show is for anyone that a foodie, people in the industry and ambitions cooks.

There is definitely a lot of drama which is what makes it more intense. It's a reality tv cooking competition show.

Sergei you sky dog

[vkhizhny12 · 7/10 · 14 January 2023]

Sergei has a kitchen crush and calls her cute and then his actual girlfriend shows up in an episode to check on him. This show isn't your typical show. It's more drama than it is cooking. In a way it's annoying because it's not what you want in a cooking show but with a glass of wine it becomes kind of funny. I really don't understand that they have to judge themselves and moderate who gets to stay or leave. There should be a real judge that decides. This kind of reminds me of a bootleg version of the show you were expecting to watch. I love the bald guy and the two bigger dudes the most. They seem the most genuine.

Spoiler Alert

[ashleyarroyo-55427 · 1/10 · 9 January 2023]

The ending destroyed the whole show. Like it worked out how they judged through out the show. Made it interesting but for the finally. SERIOUSLY. Why in the world would the contestants judge the end. Mike clearly won. Robbie was a nice guy sure, but the chef with the skills and clear winner was Mike. Not cool and not fair. They should have saved the critics for the end. Mike waisted his skills on people that clearly had their minds made up before even tasting the food.

Horrible.

I hope Mike gets lots of offers everywhere because he clearly deserves it. The show was a waste of time. Don't bother.

Better than my first impression

[bobbybristol-52303 · 8/10 · 10 January 2023]

I'm surprised to end up liking this one.

Very different format, no hosts, no loud egotistical judges, it's a pretty quiet show but wow it hooked me up! And this is coming from someone who loves cooking competition shows.

There is no standard way of picking the top and worst dishes every episode. But ultimately, the fellow contestants decided who should go home, so very much like Survivor. Audience will be questioning this format as expect a lot of strategy and not just the basing judgement on the taste of the food. But the different twists and turns are intriguing and their goal that a top chef (no pun intended) should not just about food but good leadership. I'm tuning again on next season if they continue this.

This show messed up in one area

[BruceWayne3 · 6/10 · 13 January 2023]

The producers should of took everyone's plate and release dishes in courses so everyone tastes everyone's dishes but no one can judge their own

To have people win a cooking contest over personality's or looks is very silly

That chick looked like a wampa and still stood on a couch so she's 13 feet tall, you didn't need the couch

This show is a mix of survival and cooking

To be honest that concept is unnecessary

Cooks do not have that cool of a personality for me to care who is liked more

The concept should change to nobody knows who cooks what dish until after they vote

Make the show about the food.

Final episode was trash. Unfair judging.

[ahsanmalik-49250 · 1/10 · 12 January 2023]

Unfair standards, not about food & cooking, the best chef on the show was robbed.

Someone used sympathy votes and tears to win whereas the actual person that should have won only stuck to cooking and showcasing his talent. Guess he made a mistake there.

The judging criteria in the final was poor and the votes were given to the winner because he built strong bonds with those that voted for him. He was given votes for 'growth in the house' but he still couldn't reach the level of culinary skill of his opponent.

This is a joke of a finish and puts a real stain on the show. The final task should have been judged a different way. Everyone know thats the winner was not the true winner. Even he would have preferred to come second because he is getting alot of bad press for this now.

Cooking show meets big brother

[chanelleruest · 7/10 · 30 January 2023]

This is not your traditional cooking show and that's exactly why I like it! If you are looking for chefs to be judged only on skill... This is NOT the show for you. However, If you like cooking shows and also shows like big brother, the circle, survivor.. you will like this. So many of these cooking shows on Netflix get hate because of the hosts. Great thing about this show right off the bat.. there is no host! The chef's judge each other which of course comes with some biased opinions. Not only do you have to be a good chef, but make sure your roommates like you! Only thing I did not like is the fine dining aspect. As I am someone that does not care about technique.. I just want food that taste good. I don't believe in paying $100 for some fish eggs. However, it was neat to learn some new things. It was fun to see the relationships form. I personally loved Robbie through out the show. If the show was all based off of skill... No he shouldn't have won. But he seemed like a good person who is willing to learn always and you just want to give him a hug so I rooted for Robbie to win. I hope this show grows. Maybe have a season with home cooks... Maybe a baker season... Maybe if it gets enough views a celebrity chef season! All in all I liked it, and I hope for many more seasons.

Addicting Show

[lyd21312 · 10/10 · 7 January 2023]

I couldn't stop watching Pressure Cooker on Netflix. I watched all 8 episodes in a row until the sun came up. LOL. I thought it was a very entertaining and clever concept for a cooking competition. It is similar to Big Brother but unlike other reviewers comments I thought the judging was mostly fair. The show was addicting for me and I was impressed by each Chef in the house and their amazing dishes. I actually cared and rooted for most of them to win because they were all so talented. Kudos to the entire cast and crew for a job well done on creating a fun and unique show. I really enjoyed it.