Apron Boys Special - Boys?!?

Air Date: 05/24/2006

Contestants: Hazama Kanpei (間寛平), Ishidazuka Hidehiko (石塚英彦), Yama-chan (山ちゃん), Peter (ピーター), Razor Ramon - Hard Gay (ﾚｲｻﾞｰﾗﾓﾝＨＧ), Maeda Ken (前田健)

Guest Judges: Akiyoshi Kumiko (秋吉久美子), Cunning Takeyama Takanori (カンニング竹山隆範), Megumi

Theme Ingredient/Recipes:
Shrimp / Seafood Frid Soba and Shrimp Shumai

Recap: This was going to be an interesting episode just from the guest list. Now I'm no expert on the gay scene in Japan, but I do know that the contestants this time around are all 'Apron Boys', some of whom are gay, some of whom are acting gay, and some of whom may be just cross-dressers. But the theme based on the contestants should be obvious. Peter had been crowned a Special Epu in an earlier episode, so it should be an interesting to see if he can keep that standing. There was an amusing bit during the intro, where Megumi wanted to see Hard Gay's eyes (because he always wears shades... I think he's her type).

Cooking time was brief as always, with the focus mainly on Peter's cooking style. There was an impressive trick that Ken did in order to create a fried soba bowl using two strainers. Then it was Tasting Time, and for Ken-chan a special surprise judge. Apparently he has a crush on Cunning Takeyama and has been vocal about it at appearances elsewhere. So they brought him out as a guest judge.

First up was Ishidazuka, who hadn't had much luck on a previous edition of Apron Boys. His shumai looked a bit strange and pretty much fell apart when touched. However, they tasted very good even though he used hamburger with the shrimp. As for the fried soba. It really wasn't that fried, and the shrimp and other ingredients were basically just boiled in water. The bucket runs began... Yama-chan was up next, and his shumai was okay. But his fried-soba included sour cream as one of the ingredients, so it looked pretty disgusting. It appeared to maybe be okay at first, but as the judging continued everyone concluded that it was pretty bad.

Hard Gay was up next, and did an interesting trick with his shumai. He left the tails in the shrimp so they stuck out of the top of the shumai. Everyone liked it. He did well with his fried soba too, although there were some doubts at first. Hazama was next to be judged, his shumai wasn't even aired it was good enough. However his fried soba was really bad, and like many others he mistook baking powder for something else. The bucket runs began again.

When it was time for Ken to be judged, they did a short segment featuring an apartment and kitchen tour, followed by the required 'Fridge Check'. Ken is a pretty skilled cook, doing well with both dishes. Of course the cameras had to focus on the reactions from Cunning Takeyama. Peter also maintained his style, getting rave reviews from everyone on both of his dishes.

Judgement Time forced Megumi to take a stroll outside and I think she wishes she had taken a coat with her. Yama-chan and Hazama both ended up outside, though neither achieved the Worst Epu ranking. Peter retained the Special Epu ranking, while Ken is just outside as the highest ranked Top Epu. (Note: Remember that as of a few weeks back, Apron Boys are being ranked separately from the Apron Girls. They used to be mixed)

Ranking ( out of 23 ):
Peter: 1 (Special Epu ranking)
Maeda Ken: 3
Razor Ramon - Hard Gay: 7
Ishidazuka Hidehiko: 10
Yama-chan: 19
Hazama Kanpei: 20

Rivals and Redemption

Air Date: 05/17/2006

Contestants: Natsuki Youko (夏樹陽子), Matsubara Nobue (松原のぶえ), Daita Hikaru (だいたひかる), Ooshima Miyuki (大島美幸), Aoki Sayaka (青木さやか), Horikoshi Nori (堀越のり)

Guest Judges: Nakajou Kiyoshi (中条きよし), Katou Cha (加藤茶), Katsumata Kunikazu (勝俣州和)

Theme Ingredient/Recipes:
Cabbage / Cabbage Rolls and Potafu (cabbage stew)

Recap: This was a great episode because you had two different things happening during the show. The first was a grudge match between Aoki and Natsuki, who have butted heads earlier. The second was whether or not Matsubara could finally redeem herself after some very poor performances earlier. Throw Nori-chan into the mix (Ying-Ling must have had another engagement) and you are in for a fun evening.

Cooking time started off with a discussion of Aoki's current position on the Ranking Board. Having crept into Top Epu territory, she now is after the trophy. Further down the Ranking Board, Youko also has her eyes on the trophy. They also focused on Nobue's breakdown in an earlier episode, while being judged on her dishes. She really wanted to prove that she could do it.

First up for judging was Daita Hikaru, and although it appeared that she struggled a bit with the cabbage rolls, they were actually okay. She really did well with the stew, everyone was impressed. There was some advice given, but overall both dishes were good. Next up was Aoki, and they intro'ed her segment with a little recap on the bickering between her and Natsuki back in April. Things got off to an interesting start, because Nakajou thought the taste wasn't quite right. It was only OK, which got an interesting look for Aoki. But then the other two judges disputed his claim, because they were really impressed with her cooking. Even her use of pasta to hold the rolls together while she was simmering them. When it came time for her stew, she even included a side of brown mustard to add some spice to the dish. Everyone enjoyed it as well, even Emi-chan (who Aoki has butted heads with before as well).

It was only fair to judge the other half of the grudge next, so it was Natsuki's turn. Rather than making several cabbage rolls, she made one giant one. Even though it was large, everyone liked it. When asked to make a comparison, it seemed that Natsuki might have the edge, which resulted in some snide remarks flying in both directions. Natsuki shouldn't have been too quick to think she had the edge, as the use of milk in her stew pretty much ruined her chances of beating Aoki. It was so bad it actually caused Katou to spew the soup all over the table. Natsuki needed a cool cloth to calm down, pretty well ruling out revenge for today.

Judging then turned to Matsubara, who was trying hard to return her nameplate to the studio grounds (it currently is out on the sidewalk). She did a good job with the cabbage, but what really counted was Katsumata's opinion. He was very impressed, not only with the rolls but her stew as well. So much so, that he jumped up and hugged her, not once but twice. In fact, it was so good, Aoki might not be the best cook of the evening.

It was good that they all had some good cooking, because Nori-chan was next up. Starting off with a mutant cabbage roll, which was wrapped in tripe and raw, it caused a run to the bucket. It was followed by a stew that was just as bad. She put both powdered cheese and butter in it. Ooshima had the same problem as Nori-chan, with her cabbage roll being raw inside. More bucket time. She took a page from Natsuki's cookbook and put both milk and heavy cream into her stew. However, it actually turned out better than Natsuki's.

When it came to judgement time, it turned out to be a good thing that Nori-chan was on the show. Because while running her nameplate out to the street, Katsumata was able to pick up Matsubara's and place it on the Ranking Board in the Top Epu section. Then came time to determine the ranking of Aoki and Natsuki. As expected Natsuki dropped off Ranking Board while Aoki moved further up towards the Special Epu ranking (earning herself the night's trophy in the process).

One note before I close out this episode. Next week is a very special Apron Boys special... featuring Hard Gay!

Ranking ( out of 113 ):
Aoki Sayaka: 16
Matsubara Nobue: 25
Ooshima Miyuki: 69
Natsuki Youko: 84
Daita Hikaru: 92
Horikoshi Nori: 110

Apron Boys Special - Ninja Cooking

Air Date: 05/10/2006

Contestants: Hashimoto Tooru (橋下徹), Satou Hiromichi (佐藤弘道), Koumoto Jun'ichi (河本準一), Umezawa Tomio (梅沢富美男), Kyoumoto Masaki (京本政樹), Tsuchida Teruyuki (土田晃之)

Guest Judges: Ken Naoko (研ナオコ), Aoki Sayaka (青木さやか)

Theme Ingredient/Recipes:
Beef and Seafood (Squid and Fish) / Hamburger and Seafood Fry

Recap: This week was an Apron Boys special, which means the ranking will seem a bit off because it looks that the men are now being ranked separately from the women. The recipes were pretty basic, nothing too complex. Which is why not having a lot of 'Cooking Time' may not have been such a big deal this time around. The majority of this episode featured the results of the 'Win a Tuna with Ishihara Corp' contest that ran along with the Ai Epu vs. Ishihara Special that aired in April. (Before the episode aired, you could enter a contest to win a very expensive tuna and have it carved up and served to you by members of Ishihara Studios). Throughout this episode they would show segments from when they delivered the tuna to the various winners.

Hashimoto Tooru was the first up and there was a nice moment when Joushima read a letter from Tooru's son. He did very good with the hamburger steak, but he knew that he was in trouble with the seafood fry. It looked really bad and was apparently very greasy. Next up was Tsuchida Teruyuki, and they didn't even judge his hamburger onscreen it was so good. However, he too had problems with his seafood fry, mainly due to the bones still being in the fish.

Umezawa Tomio (who I believe is a well-known kabuki actor) was next, and turned out to be a very skilled cook. He spent quite a bit of time preparing the hamburger steak, cooking it in a sauce and preparing a side of spinach with it. He also spent the time deboning his fish and preparing the seafood fry. Which resulted in nothing but compliments as well (many comments about how totally different it looked from the previous ones). Kyoumoto Masaki was not going to fare as well. I believe that he was the star of a ninja TV series, because they kept on flashing back to that. Much like the others, his best dish was the hamburger but that wasn't saying much. It looked like he was about to cry during the critique, but at least it was much better than his seafood fry. He did what so many of the contestants do, and mistook baking powder for flour. This resulted in many a run to the bucket, including himself when he tried his own creation. It was fun because they would show shots from his show whenever someone made the bucket run.

Satou Hiromichi (a host of a kids show), decked out his hamburger with cheese, bacon, and an original sauce. Everyone liked it very much. Once again, the seafood fry was his downfall, as it was poorly cooked and still had bones in it as well. The amusing thing that was occurring now, is that Masaki was constantly adding asides. So when a bucket run was needed, he actually cheered that he wasn't the only one. Last up was Koumoto Jun'ichi, and his hamburger was good enough to not be judged on TV. But once again baking powder came into play. So another Apron Boy taken down by the seafood fry.

The last segment before ranking finished out the tuna delivery. Probably the best bit was when a little league team discovered that Ying-Ling would be carving their tuna. Then is was Judgement time, and most of the men ended up in the middle ranks. However, there was one clear winner and loser. Masaki found himself out on the street, with Aoki encouraging a passerby to step on his nameplate. Meanwhile Tomio found himself alone in the Special Epu ranking.

Ranking ( out of 17 ):
Umezawa Tomio: 1 (Special Epu ranking)
Tsuchida Teruyuki: 6
Koumoto Junichi: 8
Hashimoto Tooru: 9
Satou Hiromichi: 14
Kyoumoto Masaki: 17 (Worst Epu ranking)

Site Updates

I know things have been a bit behind, real-life interferes from time to time. I'm still steadily collecting episodes and should be caught up with the most recent two by Monday at the latest. One of the issues I'm facing now is that there is a delay for the show to be made available to everyone. I only just finished getting the most recent episode.

There was a change with the April 19th episode, where they present the winner of that episode with a trophy. The losers (or those who don't make it on the Ranking Board) are forced to clean all the dirty dishes. I didn't catch this until I was checking the Japanese Wikipedia entry for the show (which has gone through a major re-edit), but was able to see for myself when watching that episode.

With traffic picking up a little, I'm going to focus on getting the Wikipedia translations finished by the end of next week. Then should be back into the routine of working on posting the older shows.

Thanks for your support.