Jet Tila Tells Us Why He Keeps Losing On Guy's Grocery Games - Exclusive
Jet Tila is a jack of all trades when it comes to Food Network shows. He has judged, hosted, mentored, and competed all over the network. So when Mashed got the chance to have an exclusive one-on-one chat with the chef, we were ready to ask him about pretty much all of the popular competition shows. Tila has won "Chopped All-Stars," competed on "Iron Chef America", helped chefs "Beat Bobby Flay," and more. He's also the official Culinary Ambassador of Thai Cuisine (view PR Newswire), a restaurant owner, and cookbook author.
There's not much this chef can't do ... except win on "Guy's Grocery Games" apparently. We asked Tila, who has both judged and competed on the show, which one he prefers. He didn't hesitate for a second before admitting, "I will judge all day long, because for me, 'Guy's Grocery Games' is like my kryptonite. I have the longest losing record." Tila went on to explain why he thinks he can't clinch a win on "Guy's Grocery Games" and why he's determined to get his redemption on the show.
Jet Tila says Guy Fieri knows how to make the competition challenging, but fun
Jet Tila said he is on a mission to defend his reputation on "Guy's Grocery Games" no matter what it takes. "I think I'm the most losingest chef on that show," he admitted to Mashed, adding, "if you took absolute episodes to L's or W's, I probably won two to three times and been on the show 20 times." That can't be easy to swallow for an award-winning — and not to mention Guinness world record-holding — chef (via Bon Appétit).
So why does the show keep getting the best of Tila? According to the chef, "The game is really difficult because Guy is really good at coming up with games that just makes it really difficult." Tila also acknowledged that his professional skills might also be tripping him up. "Being a classically trained guy, I fall on certain techniques," he explained. And "Guy's Grocery Games" is all about throwing those techniques out the window and thinking like a regular home cook. For example, "when you take away fresh herbs and you have to go to the freezer, it's really difficult," he said.
However, it's worth noting that Tila is a very good sport about the whole thing. He said the challenge is "what makes it a really fun game. It makes the audience go, 'All right. I'm seeing someone have to deal with what I have to do.' A home cook, right? So I love that game because it levels the playing field and it makes home cooks go, 'See? It's not that easy coming into my world.'"
You can catch Jet Tila on his YouTube channel and on Food Network. And keep an eye out for his newest cookbook, on sale in January 2022.