This will be our last House of Food recap. Not because the season is done but because we refuse to watch the show after this week's episode, when a male cast member threw a glass blender at a female cast member and then a glass at another one during a massive fight scene that was pretty intense to watch.

Afterwards, a female cast member approached him and said she didn't feel safe in the house. There was no empathy or concern in his response, just excuses and crocodile tears. He then packed his bag and left. Everyone seemed thankful for the quick exit but in previews he returns the next week to apologize and take back his spot on the show. ]
If that individual were asked to leave the show for good it might be another story, but he's asked back the next week, an action that minimizes the destructive behavior and tells the audience watching that it's okay to tolerate a violent individual and to live in a potentially harmful situation, just as long as the person apologizes after! (Also note that we'd feel the same way if he threw glass or started a fist fight with a male cast member, because violence is violence.) 

This is unfortunate, because there are three fantastic L.A. chefs and a group of cast members who really seem like they're there to learn and who have been showing up every week. It could be a good show, but it's not. What was supposed to be a food television show for teens and young adults turned into some outrageous bizarro version of The Real Housewives directed by Michael Bay. 

See also: House of Food, Episode 3: The Heat Is On + Salmon Eyeballs

The current state of food television seems to fall into two general categories. You have your earnest shows derived from old school food TV shows that taught people how to cook. These include Giada At Home, Barefoot Contessa or 30 Minute Meals. On the other hand you have your sly shows where the cast members are adults who understand they're on a reality television show, including Top Chef, Kitchen Nightmares and Eat Drink Love. These are more entertainment, but the cast members are in on the joke – they know they're not performing brain surgery, can see the silliness in it (it's just food!) and thus tend to play up their roles for humor's sake. Often the whole thing ends up with a hug from Gordon Ramsey. 

House of Food seemed to branch off into something else entirely. This isn't House of Therapy, it's a food show, so let's get back to that and leave the violence to cop dramas. And if you're looking for a light-hearted reality show where the only potential for smashed glass is because someone dropped a window pane, DVR some Treehouse Masters. 

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