Former professional athlete and television host Jesse Palmer reminisces with Jaymee about their days together on ESPN and what his work schedule looks like nowadays.
Former professional athlete and television host Jesse Palmer reminisces with Jaymee about their days together on ESPN and what his work schedule looks like nowadays. He talks about why The Bachelor is still a pop culture phenomenon and what is most surprising about the process of filming the reality show. Jesse talks about his obsession with football from an early age and what it felt like to hear his name called in the NFL draft. Jesse talks about the culture shock moving from a small town in Ontario to the raucous college town of Gainesville and what skills he developed as an athlete that have supported him during his media career. He shares the diverse cultural foods he was exposed to during his childhood and what makes the perfect poutine. Jesse enthusiastically talks about why he loves hosting food shows and the many hats he wears on set before revealing what he finally gets to do this season. He shares stories about the judges and the incredible creativity and camaraderie on set that makes filming so enjoyable.
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Find episode transcripts here: https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/jesse-palmer-on-sneaking-bites-on-holiday-baking-championship
Jaymee Sire (00:02):
Hello, hello and welcome to Food Network Obsessed. This is the podcast where we dish on all things food with your favorite chefs, food influencers, and food network stars. I'm your host, Jamie Sere, and today we have a well known television personality on the podcast to talk about what it's really like to be the Bachelor and reveal some behind the scenes secrets of your favorite festive show. He is a former professional athlete, television personality and the host of Holiday Baking Championship. It's Jesse Palmer. Jesse, welcome to the podcast. So good to see you again. My former ESPN colleague. How are things?
Jesse Palmer (00:47):
I'm doing great. It's great seeing you too. And this is like a full circle moment, I feel like because you and
I were like the two people, I feel like that we're always talking about food
Jaymee Sire (01:00):
100%. And people always ask me what I miss about espn. My answer is always the same. It is the people. And I have to say, you were always one of the nicest analysts to work with, so I'm so happy for you and all of your successes right now. It's so amazing to watch. Thanks.
Jesse Palmer (01:16):
I've been super lucky. I don't know, I don't think you miss, don't miss the cafeteria at ESPN as much.
Jaymee Sire (01:35):
Oh, thank you so much. Yeah, I mean, you've been a busy guy. We appreciate you taking the time. What
does your travel schedule look like this time of year?
Jesse Palmer (01:45):
It's busy because we're in the middle of filming Bachelor and we're now, we're we, we've left Los Angeles, so we're kind of in different countries and we're shooting. And then on weekends I have to go back to Bristol to cover college football, so it's sometimes hard to find that direct flight into Bradley Bradley, her
Jaymee Sire (02:06): Aka. There are only five
Jesse Palmer (02:08):
Jaymee Sire (02:28):
JESSE TRACKS AGAIN Project - 111722, 10 (Completed 11/17/22) Page 1 of 20 Transcript by Rev.com
Well, again, so much fun to watch you and are certainly the host with the most. We've got ESPN, as we mentioned, the Bachelor and of course Holiday Baking Championship, which we will talk about in a little bit. But I'm curious, now that you are the new Bachelor host, is it easier being the Bachelor or hosting the Bachelor?
Jesse Palmer (02:45):
Definitely hosting there. You don't have to deal with any of the drama anymore.
Jaymee Sire (03:04):
Yeah. You were the first professional athlete to be on The Bachelor, as you mentioned in 2004. This was
the earlier days of the franchise. How can you sum up that experience?
Jesse Palmer (03:15):
Oh, well, it was wild and I certainly was naive. I didn't fully understand or comprehend what I was getting myself into, that's for sure. But I think I've always been the kind of personality. I don't take myself too seriously, one and two, I don't say no a lot, which I think isn't always good. But for this, I'm really happy. I did say yes, it was an incredible experience for me and unbeknownst to me at the time, it was gonna open up a lot of doors and a lot of opportunities later on in my career. Things that I never would've imagined or could have even comprehended at the time because I was playing in the NFL and I had my dream job and it was such a unique and wild experience. And I think where the show and how much it's grown today versus where it was back when I did it almost 20 years ago, which is scary to say,
Jaymee Sire (04:06):
It is pretty wild. I mean, why do you think that this show, the Bachelor has had such stain power? I mean it's still such a spectacle, still a pop culture phenomenon after all these years. What is it about this show that people still love to watch?
Jesse Palmer (04:22):
Well, it's obviously the show centers around fantasy, I think in a lot of ways. And it's a love story and obviously there's all these exotic locations and destinations. I think people love that. I think at the end of the day though, I think that the real magic, I think is the cast. I just think it's the people on the show trying to find love going on the journey. And I think people at home either relate to them or they cheer for them and they get to see them now, not just on the show, but maybe they come back in paradise. And there's just the people at home I think can just lock in to the cast who come from all different places and backgrounds, but they're all searching for the same thing. I think at the end of the day, I think that's probably the most relatable thing to people at home.
Jaymee Sire (05:06):
What do you think would surprise people at home just about the process of filming a show like that?
Jesse Palmer (05:13):
Probably the size of the production. Actually. That was probably the biggest shock to me. I don't remember our production being as big when I did it. Of course, I was only of privy to seeing so much of it. Now, as the host, I get to see everything,
Jaymee Sire (05:26): All of it.
Jesse Palmer (05:27):
This show travels like 400 people all around the world. Wow. It's like a movie. It's incredible. The manpower that goes into making a show like this and all the men and women that have to put their lives on hold literally, and to do it as often as they do, it's it, it's a force. The show takes months and months to film. There's thousands of hours of film that needs to get edited down into two hour versions each and every weekend. And all the men and women that I think that put the work into a show this, it's really amazing. It really is a family environment, but I never knew it was as big as it was
Jaymee Sire (06:09):
Jesse Palmer (06:33):
Yeah, because I didn't get my mom's look, so it had to be done. It had to be football. It really was. I fell in love with football at a very young age. I used to sneak into my parents' closet and that's where my dad had all his football pictures,
Jaymee Sire (07:01):
Kid, they're shoved in a closet.
Jesse Palmer (07:03):
It was like, you have to get through all the Canadian sweaters and the terrible winter coats and kind of fight your way through there. And then there'd be his Calgary stamp, Peters team photo. There'd be like an action shot in black and white at my dad that's like this big neck roll, old school face mask and all bloody and bandaged up chasing somebody. And I used to just stare at those pictures and I remember I found his jerseys and I would put his jerseys on. They'd be way too big and I'd be dragging them to sleeves all over the floor. But that I think is the genesis of what made me really wanna play football. And that was kinda strange growing up in Canada where of course hockey is the biggest thing. And all my friends were playing hockey and they were out skating all the time. And I hated hockey, but I just loved football because of my dad. And I think that's where it all began. I might have been, I don't know, five, six years old. Back during that time,
Jaymee Sire (07:56):
Did you play hockey at all? I mean, is it kind of required in Canada or did you just say, no, I'm sticking with football. That's my focus.
Jesse Palmer (08:05):
I feel bad saying this because they'll probably now revoke my passport.
Jaymee Sire (08:39):
I'm sure nobody's who's
Jesse Palmer (08:41): Gonna air Canada,
Jaymee Sire (08:41):
Right? Yeah, exactly. So that said, was going to college in the States then? Kind of always the plan?
Jesse Palmer (08:49):
Yeah, I mean, I figured it out. It wasn't until about high school, I sort of figured out if I wanted to play pros, I was in all likelihood gonna have to try to get a scholarship and go to the States. I remember in the ninth grade, my dad sent me, he drove me to Jim Kelly's football camp in upstate New York at St. Bonaventure University,
(09:40):
And I remember that was an aha moment where I thought, man, if I want to do this, I need to get to the gym. I need to start taking this a lot more seriously because I am way behind the curb. That was sort of the moment where I knew, all right, it's time to go to work. And so I did. I remember going back and I got really lucky, obviously I ended up gonna the University of Florida, which was incredible. It took a lot of work and I'm glad I had that kind of shocking moment cause I needed a wake up call then
Jaymee Sire (10:09):
Jesse Palmer (10:23):
That was amazing. It was emotional. I was with my family and it just, it's the only thing I ever wanted to do since I was seven years old. I had 14 posters of quarterbacks in my bedroom growing up on the ceiling. I had a massive collage poster of Joe Montana. Oh wow. I stared at it. I lived it, I breathed it. I ate football every single moment in my life. And I had a lot of people growing up telling me that it was impossible and I was wasting my time. So when I got my name called, it was really was the realization of a dream. And it was celebratory, not just because of me and the journey, but because of the people, all the people that helped me reach it. It was an opportunity for us all to come together. And my dad was my coach from a kid up until I got to Florida. So I, we shared a lot of tears that day, but there were tears of joy. It was just
Jaymee Sire (11:24):
When you're in that moment, is it something that you are able to really grasp at the time? Or was it just the excitement of everything kind of taking over?
Jesse Palmer (11:33):
It was the excitement of everything, and I couldn't grasp it. It, it's amazing. One of the best things that ever happened to me in my life was getting drafted by the New York Giants because I was going to a city that would change my life. The NFL draft is unique in the sense that you have no control over who drafts you, really
(12:10):
And sometimes I wonder what would've happened in my life had I had gone to Kansas City instead. I love Kansas City and I love barbecue
Jaymee Sire (12:43):
What was it like to move to New York City and live here at such a young age when you're also kind of up and coming in the NFL as well?
Jesse Palmer (12:53):
I was petrified of the city. I actually did step foot in it for a year.
Jesse Palmer (13:16):
Five. And I ended up in Times Square. And Jamie, you could not draw a better traffic jam
Jaymee Sire (14:05):
I, I'm sure your coaches were appreciative that you hadn't discovered the New York City nightlife. Absolutely. In that first year. I always think it's so interesting to talk to that have made that transition into media because one of the things I hear from executives and producers and that kind of thing is that you guys are so coachable because you're so used to taking that direction and applying it to your next play, or in this case you next TV appearance or TV show. So do you have skills and qualities that you developed over the course of your football career that you think help you out today during your TV pursuits?
Jesse Palmer (14:49):
I think I was lucky, obviously I played at a big program at the University of Florida where there was a lot of media exposure. So I spent a lot of time in front of the camera there. Obviously with the New York Giants, no bigger media market in the country there for sports. So that was also very, very helpful. And it's funny, I think working at espn, um, and live TV and live events, I think for us
Jaymee Sire (15:34):
Yeah, absolutely. I say that all the time too. I think doing live tv, especially live sports TV kind of prepares you for any other TV that you would ever do because you don't get to do it over
Jesse Palmer (15:52):
So it's so true. You just gotta power through. That's what we kinda learned. It's like it's playing football too. It's like sure, play the next play mentality. If you throw an interception, can't do anything about it. You just gotta play the next play and move on. And if so, when you're doing live tv, I remember watching you on sports and what you guys were doing to me is just incredible
Jaymee Sire (16:32):
People think it's easy. It's true. Yeah, that's true.
Jesse Palmer (16:34):
Cause you make it look easy. You do. But people like me that we come on the set and they're like, oh my God, it's really, people have aneurysms if they just came off the street and tried to do that job. It's so difficult.
Jaymee Sire (16:49):
Especially people are just flabbergasted when I explain, oh yeah, there's people, he's multiple people talking in your ear. You might have a producer and a director or while you're talking, and that just blows people's minds.
Jesse Palmer (17:03):
Yeah, yeah. And you're interviewing Dak Prescott and trying to, you have to pay attention to what he's saying so you can ask the follow up question or go off script if something comes really, it's like being on a uni cycle. You guys are just juggling all the time on a uni cycle essentially. That's the analogy, I think, to what you guys do.
Jaymee Sire (17:19):
I love that. I mean, all that said, do you think that the transition to a broadcast career after you retired
from football, was that kind of just the natural next step for you?
Jesse Palmer (17:29):
For me, yeah. I mean obviously I loved football and that was really my wheelhouse. So I got super lucky when I got my opportunity at ESPN cover college football. That was really a dream come true. I didn't study for it in school. You were mentioning I got two degrees, not in that,
Jaymee Sire (17:46):
It's not in broadcast. No,
Jesse Palmer (17:47):
I was marketing with a minor in education and I got a certificate of international relations with a degree
in political science. So I was like gonna be an ambassador for Canada somewhere.
Jaymee (17:55): Oh, okay.
Jesse Palmer (17:56):
That's kinda what I was thinking. I speak French and I was like, I could live in London or Paris or Rome. It TV sort of found me after doing the Bachelor and after I played football. I got really, really lucky with that. So really when I landed at espn, I really felt like I was home. That really felt natural for me.
Jaymee Sire (18:17):
Was there anything about doing that job that you had to learn the hard way? Do you remember any first SPLs or mistakes or anything like that?
Jesse Palmer (18:28):
No, I kind of just went into it and just tried to be myself. I've always been someone that doesn't go overboard when it comes to asking everybody else for their advice. Just cause I think sometimes it has to be organic to you and you really have to own it and find your own path. And you mentioned you gotta make your own mistakes along the way, which by the way, obviously I've made millions of
Jaymee Sire (18:59):
Did you ever watch in football, did you ever watch yourself back? Or did you, because I, I struggle with that because you know, obviously wanna get better or you wanna see what you could improve on. But I also hate watching myself
Jesse Palmer (19:15):
I hate watching myself
Jaymee (19:45): Very average.
Jesse Palmer (19:46):
Yeah. It's never as good as you think it is, which I'm sure I am on TV as well. I hate watching myself.
Jaymee Sire (19:52):
No, I give that piece of advice to anybody that coming up that asked me, it's like, you're never as good as you remember and you're never as bad. It's never, if it feels super terrible and cringy at the time, you watch it back and you're like, all right, it was bad but not that bad. But the same thing with you thinking like, oh, I really nailed that intro. And then you watch it back and you're like, it was right.
Jaymee (20:15): It was just kinda
Jesse Palmer (20:16):
Ok. Like I sound like I'm reading.
Jaymee Sire (20:19): You're just like, didn't
Jesse Palmer (20:21):
Conversational at all. I'm terrible.
Jaymee (20:25): That's
Jesse Palmer (20:25):
The problem. That's exactly the problem.
Jaymee Sire (20:29):
No, I'm curious where food kind of came in for you and your love and your passion for that. I mean, was that something that you guys cooked a lot growing up or you just found it as you were traveling more and more for football? Football and work?
Jesse Palmer (20:45):
Mom was an amazing cook. Growing up in Canada, I had friends that came from all over the world. One of the best things about Canada is so diverse, it's so multicultural. So I was eating Indian food at my best friend's house, and then I was going to my Somalian friend's house and eating that cuisine, and then my Russian's friend's house every week. I was trying all different types of food. So my pallet was pretty expanded as a young kid. And my mom was an amazing cook who liked to cook foods from different places. And then New York City, when I got drafted there and I finally got over my fear of the city, I finally got in and started eating out at all these incredible restaurants. And then travel, it was 2003 was the first time I remember Carrie Collins was our quarterback and his locker was right beside mine.
(21:31):
And we're in the locker room. They looked at me and he said, dude, you know, need to do this off season. You should just get on a plane and go to Europe for a month by yourself, by myself. He said, just go by yourself man, and just take trains and planes and just go see it, man. Cause it's amazing. So I did, in 2003, I went for 31 days by myself and I toured, did a giant circle all throughout Europe. It was nuts. I learned how to snowboard. I got kicked off a train for not having the right documentation in the Czech Republic. It was while it was insane. But again, I was eating my way through and I ate some crazy stuff that I was ordering things. I had no idea what they were. And I was so happy and it totally sparked the bug in me to now I travel all the time. And that's a very long winded answer for your question about I got good food. But that's kinda how it happened. And it was from a very young age through New York City and then to traveling and now I can't get enough of it.
Jaymee Sire (22:26):
Yeah, no, I love, no, I love hearing that. I feel like I was kind of the same way. I studied abroad in college and definitely got hit bit by the travel and food bug. I mean, do you remember any specific dishes you had during that month long trip that you still think about to this day? Yeah,
Jesse Palmer (22:44):
I ate the intestine of a cow and I wasn't know I was doing that, but I ate it.
Jaymee Sire (22:50): And you like it?
Jesse Palmer (22:51):
I mean, didn't love it, but it's sort this memory that I always have. I, I've got a pretty good pain threshold for football. I took a lot of big hits in my life,
Jaymee Sire (23:26): Looking for leftovers.
Jesse Palmer (23:27):
He was me doing, and let me help you. That was what was happening there. Yeah, I ate fermented
sharp. I was eating a lot of stuff that was pretty hardcore, but it was. But again, I'm kind, I puffing.
Jaymee Sire (23:42): Okay.
Jesse Palmer (23:42):
It's a lot of people don't know. It's a very cute bird, obviously. Very dark red meat.
Jaymee Sire (23:48):
Yes. All right. Yeah. Wow. So you really went for it,
Jesse Palmer (23:52):
I did. I refined my, I've refined my experiences later in life now, but yes, at the time I told you in the beginning, I don't say no. Yeah, very often you're like I, I'm like, sure, yeah, I'll try it. And sometimes you regret it, but at least I don't have FOMO now. I know.
Jaymee Sire (24:10):
Yeah. I mean, what a great piece of advice from Carrie Collins to just go to Europe and you did. Yeah. So
Jesse Palmer (24:19):
If you thought I was gonna come home, but I did flight
Jaymee Sire (24:25):
Coming up next, Jesse talks about his favorite dishes from growing up in Canada and gives us the behind the scenes scoop on holiday baking championship. What about Canadian foods? Are there signature foods from Canada that kind of feel just very comforting to you that you like to have around the holidays or anything like that?
Jesse Palmer (24:51):
I know most people that go up there get it, but it's not always the best. You have to be careful how you do it. Puts in's, really the, to me is the first thing. And it's when I think of puts in, I think of cold winters in growing up in Ottawa or Montreal
right squeaky cheese curds and the gravy and it's just super comforting. There's a lot of really bad putz in out there too though,
Jaymee Sire (25:35):
Another one. Oh yes, I have, well, I haven't had them. And actually I have a really good friend, my boyfriend and I took actually a little road trip through Canada this summer and she was like, you have to have the Nymo bars and that we didn't. And she was so disappointed at us and I felt so bad. It's like, what are
Jesse Palmer (25:54):
They? It's such thing, it's chocolate ganache on top and then it's covered in, there's some coconut, coconut flakes in it on top of a brownie. But you keep it cold, you freeze it or you leave it in the fridge and then you just cut little squares of it. It's super decadent and super rich. And my mom used to make them growing up, so I, I used to house those things. I'd go and get one 30 minutes later, kind of find my way. She'd have to hide them from my brothers and I because they were incredible. And sometimes on the baking, on holiday, baking championships, someone will, that knows about 'em will do something very similar to nine bar. And I'm at the judges' table now, getting to taste everything and I get so excited.
Jaymee Sire (26:48):
Is that an all year thing or is it more prevalent around the holidays?
Jesse Palmer (26:52):
No, no, no. It's good. You can get them in and you can find them. Most bakeries will have 'em. Grocery stores, mom and pop, small business bakeries. There's people sell lemonade on the corner. People sell normal bars sometimes.
Jaymee Sire (27:09):
Oh really?
Jesse Palmer (27:11):
Pick one up under school. Yeah, it's good. A lot of, I'm telling you, it's super really decadent and sweet.
Lot
Jaymee Sire (27:21): Of sugar.
Jesse Palmer (27:21):
It's a sugar bomb. But man it is so good because the textures are all different too. So you get the gooeyness and the squishiness of some of what's in the middle with the coconut and the chocolate. But then that cold hard ganache at the top is that first layer that you sort crunch into. Usually it's soft on top, hard on the bottom. And by the way, people with nivo bars too, people have theories on how you should eat. You could flip them upside down. So the soft parts on top. Oh, it depends on like how do you, your texture when you bite. Yeah, I actually kinda like how it's harder on the top and then it gets softer as you go. Okay. You know what I mean? Yeah. It's like a weird thing. It's like a texture thing, but
Jaymee Sire (28:01):
It happens. All right, well next time I go up there I will definitely seek it out. But you mentioned holiday baking championship and I definitely wanna talk to you about that. And I love that you host this show and have for a while because it is a very, there's sporty competitive parallel I think. I'm sure this one smells a little bit better than your football days. What is it like being on the floor in the middle of the action during some of these challenges?
Jesse Palmer (28:26):
It's pretty chaotic. The kitchen is an pretty incredible setup. There's a lot of chaos happening. I mean, we're giving our competitors crazy challenges that Duff Goldman is admitted. If he had to do, he wouldn't be able to get done in time. I mean, we're essentially asking him to do some impossible things. And it's amazing what these people can come up with, how creative they are, how they can execute, how they can do it under pressure. I mean, we say it's hot in the kitchen, it really is. There's people just sprinting, they're running into each other. You're trying not to, to have your cake fall over. You're trying to have all these different things come out. And it's just remarkable. And it's so fun. I think for me to be, I just like being around passionate people. They love what they're doing. And what's great about Holiday Bacon Championship, first off, it's around the holidays, which is the best time of the year. So everyone's in a great mood, but they're doing what they love to do and for me to get to interact with them and I really sort see myself as a cheerleader, that's probably my biggest role there. I just want everybody to feel good and to make things that they love and to enjoy the experience. Cuz it is super stressful. I know some of that comes across when people are watching, but to actually be there and to see it and to hear it and smell it, it's pretty wild. What, what's going on in there
Jaymee Sire (29:45):
In terms of your hosting duties for the show? What about it is unique to this arena versus some of the
other things that we've talked about? Yeah,
Jesse Palmer (29:54):
I think you wear a lot of different hats on that show too, because you're obviously, you're the host, you're telling them the rules and you're setting up the challenges for them. You're checking in with them and interviewing them and learning about them. And I think you're storytelling a little bit too, because they all have their own backgrounds and their love of baking and you're trying to help translate and get that story across the viewers at home too. And like I was saying, you're sometimes being a therapist, things aren't going great. You have to really help them out. Or if they had pre-bake, the preheat challenge didn't go as well that they got some constructive criticism. Sometimes they get down themselves and you have to lift them back up to get them going in the main heat challenge. And like I said, cheerleading. And you're really, really trying to make them, them believe in themselves and try to support them because it means a lot to them. And there's a lot on the line. So I think as the host of that show, you end up wearing a lot of different hats
Jaymee Sire (30:51):
And it's so festive that the set, you're working with Carla Hall, Duff Goldman, Nancy Fuller. What is it like
being just on set in a kitchen with all of those personalities?
Jesse Palmer (31:03):
It's amazing cuz they all have huge personalities, but they're, they all genuinely like each other too, which
Jaymee Sire (31:43): I'm so dumb.
Jesse Palmer (31:43):
And so she'll surprise us with those sometimes. And Nancy's got so many funny stories. She's always cracking us up. So it really, it doesn't feel like work when we're out there together. We're just, more often than not, the producer has to get in our ear and tell us to stop joking and just be serious and judge the food and actually talk to the bakers because it's just such a great natural camaraderie I think out on set.
Jaymee Sire (32:08):
Yeah, no, it seems like that. I think that really comes across as well. And I think it's nice that there's a lot of holidays involved in this show. You've got Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanza, what have you learned about different cultural celebrations and foods and traditions throughout the course of hosting this show?
Jesse Palmer (32:26):
A lot of that Kwanza, Hanukkah, you just mentioned a couple of them there these last couple seasons. It has been really eye opening. It's been really cool to learn about these traditions and the history behind them and the foods that they eat. And also I think we're educating our bakers as well. And I think we're educating people at home too on all of that. So I think we're, there's always learning moments. It's really cool when we'll have a baker and they'll make something that the judges maybe have never tried before. And it's awesome to see people like Carla and Duff and Nancy who have tried so many different things throughout their lives,
Jaymee Sire (33:12):
And you do get to taste stuff now. You get to be part of the judging process. Jamie,
Jesse Palmer (33:18):
After years
Jaymee Sire (34:03):
You, I'm gonna save you some.
Jesse Palmer (34:05):
And she would take a little bite with her spoon or fork and she would actually spoon feed me
Jaymee Sire (34:28): That's amazing. Oh yeah.
Jesse Palmer (34:29):
That's amazing. It's the best part. Tastings the best part.
Jaymee Sire (34:33):
I, you actually did have to ask and petition for this.
Jesse Palmer (34:36):
Oh, totally. I was like, why did, well first off, cuz I'm like, dude, I'm standing for four hours in these dress shoes. I'm dying. I can't even get a chair. But it's not fair. I know. And I'm not judging anything and I'm not, that is their job. But I just want to taste, otherwise I was gonna start, I was gonna be poking Nancy and being like
Jaymee Sire (34:57):
Jesse Palmer (34:59):
I would've found a way to do it anyway, to get a taste in because it's like, again, the food is so incredibly delicious. Whether these people work at a professional, whether they're professional bakers and they have their own bakeries or teachers working at a culinary institute or at home. They're just at home. Bakers
Jaymee Sire (35:38):
Jesse Palmer (35:39):
Telling you the judges, and I don't, I hope I'm not getting anybody in trouble. We have judges and a host who sometimes will take the desserts home to our hotel rooms.
Jaymee Sire (36:09):
Jesse Palmer (36:13):
No, exactly. No. And we'll say the whole crew. We'll give them their chance. Everybody, you have got to
try this. And if there's no takers going once, going twice sold. It's coming back to my hotel room.
Jaymee Sire (36:28):
Jesse Palmer (36:28): An entire cake. That's
Jaymee Sire (36:32): Amazing.
Jesse Palmer (36:32):
It's amazing. I'm telling you. The stuff is amazing. It's incredible.
Jaymee Sire (36:35):
What is the hotel attendance sink when you're walking in with a big cake
Jesse Palmer (36:41):
Jaymee Sire (37:17):
I love hearing, I love hearing all the behind the scenes. So fun mean. Is there anything else that goes on
in that show behind the scenes that people would be surprised about?
Jesse Palmer (37:26):
I mean, it's a comedy fest in the makeup room is its own show. I mean Jackie is…Yeah, she's amazing. She does her makeup and she's incredible. And it's like, it's a comedy fest back there between people bringing family. It's really just a family gather. It feels like that. I mean it's awesome and we're always bringing food for each other. We were in Knoxville and I went and got a bunch of Gus's fried chicken for me. Gus's Fried Chicken is one of the best fried chick. It's some of the best fried chicken in America. And so I'll go buy a bunch of fried chicken and bring it for everybody to eat. And then Duff Duff, he made this chicken noodle soup. It was like a mat ball soup. But he brought, thats of it. He knocked on my door and he was like, here dude, just, he had this tub of chicken noodle soup. So good. I roast the F out of that bird. And so it's just like, it's gonna be so rich geat. It was so good. And we we're doing that all the time for each other. It's really, really great.
Jaymee Sire (38:33):
I love that. Yeah. So cool. Well we are so looking forward to the brand new season as we do every year and it's been so great catching up with you. I wish we could keep going on forever, but I know you are busy and we are gonna finish off with some rapid fire questions and then we have one final question for you.
Jesse Palmer (38:50): Okay.
Jaymee Sire (38:51):
Alright. Rapid fire round. Favorite tailgating foods
Jesse Palmer (38:55): Chicken wings.
Jaymee Sire (38:56):
Yep.
Jesse Palmer (39:03):
Oh man. All right. I'm gonna get loud now. I'm gonna get in trouble. But I would say Nancy.
Jaymee Sire (39:09): Okay. I mean she's
Jesse Palmer (39:11):
Like my partner in Cry. She had my backpack in the day when she was giving me, she taste food.
Jaymee Sire (39:16):
Deserve That's very fair. That's a very deserving rose to give. Yeah. She's giving, getting you all the treats before you were allowed to have them.
Jesse Palmer (39:28): Amazing. Cause I don't have
Jaymee Sire (39:30):
Jesse Palmer (39:32): That's secrets. Yeah, it's a
Jaymee Sire (39:34):
Secret. I know.
Jesse Palmer (39:39): 2.3.
Jaymee Sire (39:40): Really
Jesse Palmer (39:42):
I'm gonna get amazing order and taster of food though.
Jaymee Sire (39:45):
Okay. Okay. Well on that note, favorite date night meal for you and your wife? Emily?
Jesse Palmer (39:50):
Oh, Emily makes a B booing meal working and it's amazing. And she makes the uh, the ppe. It's not mashed potatoes, it's pve. It's like she uses the civ and it, she grates the Yukon vol. Potatoes. There is so much butter and cream
Jaymee Sire (40:23):
Oh wow. That sounds incredible. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Jesse Palmer (40:31): Speaking every language.
Jaymee Sire (40:33): Oh yeah.
Jesse Palmer (40:33):
Wouldn't that be awesome? That's a good one. Love travel. That's good one. Wouldn't that be great? I mean that's not a super, I mean you could do it, you would just have to be in school forever. But it's like if you could speak fluently every language,
Jaymee Sire (40:44):
That would be incredible. That would be make traveling so much more enjoyable.
Jesse Palmer (40:51):
Just be, it would be awesome. It would. There's nothing you couldn't do. I feel like if you could communicate
Jaymee Sire (40:57):
Better. I love that answer. I might have to steal that answer if anyone ever asked me that question.
Jesse Palmer (41:02):
What were you expecting? What's the one we asked?
Jaymee Sire (41:04):
I dunno. I mean, time travel. Yeah, exactly. But I love that. Speak every language. That's really cool. That'd be good. Yeah. I love that. Alright, how many times do you say the word shocking during a season of the Bachelor
Jesse Palmer (41:21): Man, it's 787
Jaymee Sire (41:23):
Jesse Palmer (41:27): Shocking. Dramatic.
Jaymee Sire (41:29):
Dramatic. The most dramatic I should have said. Dramatic.
Jesse Palmer (41:32):
Dramatic, shocking, and amazing. Those are the three. Are the three?
Jaymee Sire (41:34): Those are the go-to. Yeah.
Jesse Palmer (41:36):
Yeah, for sure.
Jaymee Sire (41:38):
All right. Your Desert Island holiday dessert.
Jesse Palmer (41:42): The IMO bar.
Jaymee Sire (41:43):
Okay. There you go. Yeah. Now we know the secret of the deliciousness. That is the NMO bar. Yes. Alright, so that leads into our last question. And that is what would be on the menu for your perfect food day. So we wanna hear the whole day breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert. Okay. There are no rules. You can time travel, regular travel, spend as much money as you want, really no rules. Calories don't count either. Yeah. We just wanna hear what your ideal breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert would be.
Jesse Palmer (42:14):
Oh my God. What a question. Okay. Soft scrambled eggs with shaved truffle for breakfast.
Jaymee Sire (42:20): Yu,
Jesse Palmer (42:21):
But French style soft scrambled. It's almost like soupy eggs. I actually like that. Not everybody does. One
of my biggest pet peeves is overcook scrambled eggs or just over.
Jaymee Sire (42:29):
That's my boyfriend likes it. So I have to take my eggs out of the pan for myself and then continue
cooking
Jesse Palmer (42:36):
It.
Jaymee Sire (42:40):
He doesn't like No, no, he doesn't like it. Overdone. Just like a little bit. Definitely doesn't like the soft scramble, but I do. I'm with you on that. I think if it's done correctly, it's really, really velvety and lovely. Yeah, great.
Jesse Palmer (42:52):
Great. Thinklike, right?
Jaymee Sire (42:54):
Jesse Palmer (42:55):
So that would be breakfast for lunch. It would be like a pasta and it would probably be something indulgent like a kao pepe or like a carbonara maybe. Mm-hmm.
Jaymee Sire (43:27):
Jesse Palmer (43:32): That's right. Exactly.
Jaymee Sire (43:34):
Well, that sounds like a lovely food day and so great catching up with you. And again, congrats on all of
your successes.
Jesse Palmer (43:42):
Awesome. Thanks so much for having me on. It's so great seeing you again.
Jaymee Sire (43:48):
You can watch more of Jesse on Holiday Baking Championship Mondays at eight seven Central on Food Network and streaming on Discovery. Plus, make sure to follow us wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss a thing. And if you enjoy today's episode, please rate and review. We love it when you do that. That's all for now. We'll catch you foodies next Friday.