Cooking with Paris Review – Half-baked and smeared in glitter

Episode Guide

Breakfast in the Clouds
Taco Night
Vegan Burgers and Fries
Italian Night
Get Over It Holiday Feast
Family Steak Night

Cooking with Paris is exactly what you think it is. And much like smearing marmite on toast, there’s going to be two distinct groups that take to this. The first will lap it up and enjoy every second of it. The other will turn their nose up and throw this metaphorical piece of toast straight in the trash.

So as a 32 year old divorced male, I completely get that I’m not the target market for this. To be honest though, I’m not quite sure who this show is trying to attract.

Those who enjoy cooking will be put off by the lack of actual cooking. Those who want to learn more about these celebs will find the cooking getting in the way of that. And then there’s those who just want to see everything go completely wrong and find themselves disappointed when it doesn’t. Because of this, Cooking with Paris never really gets into a consistent groove.

One of the biggest problems here comes from the camera work. Now, I understand it sounds quite pretentious mentioning camera work in a show like this but honestly, it’s awful. Extreme close-ups, quick cuts, shaky cam and a constant desire to just show the faces of Paris and her guests completely disregards the cooking. Given most of the show is – presumably at least – about cooking, this completely undermines the premise.

Each 25 minute episode starts in much the same way though, with Paris out shopping in a comedic sketch that’s actually not that bad. Paris then heads home, deciding to cook a range of different dishes from French toast covered in frosted flakes to vegan burgers made from scratch. After cooking and washing up, the attention then shifts to sitting and eating said food.

Perhaps the most telling part of this – and an ironic and amusing metaphor for the show itself – is the need to throw glitter on half-baked food. If that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about this show, I don’t know what will.

The thing is, Cooking with Paris will draw attention from a sizable crowd. Reality TV is pretty cheap and easy to make, and a sure-fire bet to bring in big numbers. Sure, it may not be compelling TV and at times it’s just outright awful to watch. But in an age of numbers and finances, Netflix know exactly what they’re doing.

Does Paris Hilton really not know what a whisk is? Of course not. But it’s one of those acts that resonates with a lot of people who like to see her acting this way. To be fair, there are some entertaining parts of this show, and a couple of airhead comments that work quite well. Then again, other times it feels completely fake and contrived. Cooking with Paris is a low-bar attempt at cooking and a pretty disinteresting show about celeb culture. But hey, look on the bright side. At least James Corden wasn’t one of the guests!

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