Food Network Obsessed
Jonathan Bennett Wants More ‘90s Music
Episode Summary
In honor of his new show Battle of the Decades, Jonathan Bennett reflects back on the decades that raised him. Jonathan reveals that some of his earliest food memories revolve around Campbell’s soup and Applebee’s lemonade.
Episode Notes
In honor of his new show Battle of the Decades, Jonathan Bennett reflects back on the decades that raised him. Jonathan reveals that some of his earliest food memories revolve around Campbell’s soup and Applebee’s lemonade. The actor shares what it’s like for him to witness the revival of fashion staples that he grew up with from the 80s. He shares some of the comedy movies that inspired him as a child to want to perform and ignited his passion to make people laugh. Jonathan recalls asking his father to build him a stage as opposed to a treehouse, where he would go on to perform for his family for a small entrance fee. He dishes on his high school theater career, remembering fondly how it served as a safe space for him to be himself. The 2000s icon claims that his parents always knew he’d be an actor, so they weren’t surprised when he left his liberal arts college to pursue a career in New York City. He remembers landing his first role in TV and his many Food Network hosting gigs that led him to his newest one, Battle of the Decades. He details some of his favorite aspects of his show and how the 3-round competition differs from other cooking competition shows. The host gushes on how he loves witnessing the old school and new school chefs learn from each other and how he’s hopeful the show will spark similar conversations between family members tuning in from home.
Find episode transcripts here: https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/jonathan-bennett-wants-more-90s-music
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Follow Jonathan Bennett on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jonathandbennett?lang=en
Learn More About Battle of the Decades: https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/battle-of-the-decades
Episode Transcription
Jaymee Sire:
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, Jaymee Sire, and today we have a two thousands icon and fan favorite host on the podcast to take a little journey through the decades and talk about a brand new nostalgic competition show. He's an actor, producer, host of Halloween Wars, and now Battle of the Decades. It's Jonathan Bennett. Jonathan, welcome to the podcast. We both have our ice coffees. We are ready to go. You're already bringing the energy and I can't wait.
Jonathan Bennett:
This is the sound of ice coffee, if you can hear it. . I don't know if you can hear it, but that's the sound of ice coffee.
Jaymee Sire:
My ice is kind of starting to melt, but I don't know if you could hear that .
Jonathan Bennett:
I love it.
Jaymee Sire:
I love it too. And as a fellow eighties baby and an in an honor of Battle of the Decades, we thought it would be fun to kind of get to know you 10 years at a time. So we're gonna.
Jonathan Bennett:
Oh God.
Jaymee Sire:
We're gonna take it all the way back.
Jonathan Bennett:
How honey, how much, how, how much time do you have? I mean, it's only an hour long show. I know, I know. There's so much to unpack
Jaymee Sire:
There. I know. We might have to do a part two, but you were born in 1981 in Rossford, Ohio. How well, oh my God. Do you remember the eighties?
Jonathan Bennett:
First of all, rude. Rude, that you start the show with just blasting my age. You're like, by the way, born in 81. Listen, I was, oh man. I was
Jaymee Sire:
I was born in 80, so if that makes me feel any better.
Jonathan Bennett:
Better. Oh, okay. Fine then. Okay, then you get a pass. Then you get a pass.
Jaymee Sire:
Okay. , how well do you remember the eighties?
Jonathan Bennett:
Well, not I, I remember them somewhat like, I, I, I think the first thing I remember from like the eighties is like Ninja Turtles, . Like, that's like my first, my first like recollection of the eighties. And I remember like my brother, like my stepbrother was a lot older than me. And so when I was like five, he was like a senior in high school. So him and his friends would come down with just the worst haircuts, , like getting ready to like, go out on the town to the clubs and they'd come and like one of 'em had a perm. Oh.
Jaymee Sire:
What about a mullet? He got a perm. A mullet. Perm.
Jonathan Bennett:
Yes. My brother had a mullet and his friend Derek had a perm. Okay. And I would, I remember like looking at the hair being like, that's strange. Like I even knew then, like that's how gay I was. Like, I was like five years old and I was like, that's not good. Like we, that's not a good look. You should not get, you do not need a permanent Okay. To put in your hair.
Jaymee Sire:
. I also had a perm at one point in the eighties, so Oh my God. Yeah. I'm glad I recovered from that. What about like early food memories from the eighties? What comes to mind? Food. Yeah.
Jonathan Bennett:
Well, I mean, I grew up in Rossford, Ohio, right? Like I'm the reason Applebee's and Chili’s was invented . Like my people are like, like if you want to go to a chain restaurant where they're gonna microwave the food in the back, like that's what I grew up eating. And it's like ironic that I host Food Network shows with all these amazing chefs that are like culinary geniuses. 'cause I'm like, I grew up eating, you know, at Applebee's. Yeah. Like, that's like what my childhood was . And so, you know, you go to that, like Denny's, like I grew up, like, we were just like Midwest as it comes, like, like Campbell soup out of a can, chicken noodle soup. I ate that probably like four times a week. Just like the thin noodle. Like that's just what I grew up on. You know, like when, when they started making all these like chicken noodle soups with actual vegetables in them, I was like, why would they put all that in the soup? That's weird. . Like, like, I had no idea that soup could be elevated.
Jaymee Sire:
Oh. And look at you now.
Jonathan Bennett:
I mean, here we are. I remember, I remember chicken soup and I remember I ate a lot of, what, what else did I eat? I ate, well, I ate a lot of, I was like a Popsicle freak. So like, like anything, anything that you would give a kid to, you know how there's like the moms that shop at Whole Foods . And then there's the moms that don't uhhuh. Like my mom was one that doesn't, so like, if it had like a red dye, a blue dye, some sort of synthetic like product in it, and it was barely edible, but they called it food. I would eat it. Like, that's what I grew up eating. Like the, the snacks I had were like, we, we weren't like, now, now it's evolved so much. People are like, have a healthy lunch, give them an apple. And I was like, no, I want the thing that explodes goo in my mouth, . You know, like, that's like what I grew up eating.
Jaymee Sire:
You're like, I want those little crackers with the processed cheese and the little like, oh
Jonathan Bennett:
Oh my god, those dipping sticks. Oh, fantastic. The cheese and the, oh, and it's not even cheese, it's just plastic.
Jaymee Sire:
No, it's just, it's like a cheese product.
Jonathan Bennett:
We were eating plastic. Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Jaymee Sire:
, by the way, I was a bartender at Applebee's, so I, um.
Jonathan Bennett:
Did you have to wear bling or flare, whatever it's called?
Jaymee Sire:
You know, we didn't have to do flare. We just had these really ill-fitting polo shirts and our, our name on like a button. And then we were required to wear some form of khaki like pants or shorts and then white, white tennis shoes, you know, like high fashion. Very much so.
Jonathan Bennett:
But those lemonades, those lemonades you would drink, you know what I'm talking about? Like the Applebee's lemonades, like strawberry lemonade and it's just all sugar. All sugar. I mean, I had like 10 of those a week. .
Jaymee Sire:
Let's talk about eighties fashion trends. Are there any that you would like to see come back?
Jonathan Bennett:
Well, here's the thing. Jamie , we're so old. Yeah. That, I don't know if you notice this.
Jaymee Sire:
They're back .
Jonathan Bennett:
They're back because I, I am at the age now where I walk outside and I see the kids walking by and I go, I can't tell if they're wearing that ironically or if they're actually wearing it because it's fashion. Like, is are they being funny or is that's what's in like, like nowadays do we, like there are, everything is so baggy. Like in the eighties we grew up like everything was baggy. Mm-hmm. . I had like the MC Hammer pants. Oh, definitely. I had skids pants, remember skids. And it had like,
Jaymee Sire:
No, I don't skids.
Jonathan Bennett:
They were kind of like MC Hammer pants. Okay. But like, the thing I would do is I would French roll my jeans.
Jaymee Sire:
Oh, of course. ,
Jonathan Bennett:
You would have to, you know, fold it over and then roll it up 'cause it was tight. And then you'd yell at your mom, you're like, tighter. You have to roll 'em tighter. Like, it's not tight enough. . Like I, it's gonna slip. And I'm like screaming at my mom to like roll my pants tighter. And I, I grew up rolling my jeans and wearing those like really baggy like kind of rugby shirts with the white collars.
Jaymee Sire:
Oh yes. I had one of those.
Jonathan Bennett:
Yes. That's what I remember like wearing like, like late eighties. That was like in style.
Jaymee Sire:
Oh, the rugby.
Jonathan Bennett:
And I would shirt. I was a French roller though. That was like my thing. .
Jaymee Sire:
That was, uh, your signature.
Jonathan Bennett:
And now kids are doing it. Yeah. The kids are doing it. And these, these little jerks are walking around going, oh, look how cool this is. I'm like, I was doing that be before just like, over in the corner smoking a cigarette. Like . I was doing that before you were even born kid . Like, get outta here. . But it's true, actually. True.
Jaymee Sire:
It is actually true. What about movies and TV shows? Like what, what inspired your, your love for performing and acting?
Jonathan Bennett:
Okay. Okay, so growing up in the eighties, I was a movie freak. Really? I loved all of the like, planes, trains, and automobiles. Mm-hmm. , the, you know, the Christmas vacations mm-hmm. vacation, uh, funny farm, great outdoors, anything with like John Candy. Steve Martin. I was gonna
Jaymee Sire:
Say, are you just like listed off John Candy's, like
Jonathan Bennett:
Chevy Chase? Like, that's what I grew up doing. And it was like, it was such a moment in time when like, you know, as again, I sit here and say, ah, the movies aren't even good these days. But like, it was a moment in time when movies were just different and they just, they felt different. They had a different like energy to them. And so I grew up watching all those, those, those comedies. And that's what made me want to do comedy and acting in the first place. Like, I loved the idea of, you know, getting to do what they did on camera, making people laugh. Like, I remember watching plane strings and automobiles and like, my whole family watching it together and everyone's just cracking up. And I was like, oh, I wanna be the one that makes people laugh. And so like, that really inspired me to like, wanna be an actor is like tho the movies from the eighties, that's what I grew up on. And that, that's like where I always go. That's why I think, like, I just had a movie on, on Hallmark channel for Christmas that came out mm-hmm. and, you know, Uncle Buck was one of my favorite movies growing up. And I said, you know what? If we did Uncle Buck, but he was gay, and like, that's like where the, like the stem of the idea was, was born from. So basically I just tried to find all my favorite 80 eighties movies and remake them to modern day times.
Jaymee Sire:
. I love that.
Jonathan Bennett:
Because if it ain't broke, don't fix it. You know?
Jaymee Sire:
Right. I mean, and as we've already covered, you know, all of the things from the eighties and nineties are already coming back anyways, so why not, uh, make it the movies as well. Speaking of the nineties, oh boy. Let's talk about that decade. What iconic toys or video games do you remember from those years?
Jonathan Bennett:
Okay. Nineties toys. I was a Sega player. I played Sega. I love Sonic the Hedgehog. That was my jam. So I grew up playing Sonic the Hedgehog. I was, do you remember I, in the nineties is when we got like all the super soakers, right? Like the Super Soaker craze? Oh yeah, definitely. Super Soakers was like, it was like, I had like, like the Norad, the missile defense in the bunker in wherever it is, doesn't have as much arsenal as I did with super soakers. Like, I had more sizes of super soakers than anyone. Like I'm, I honestly had about 30 or 40 super soakers. Wow. And I had them, I had them in the garage, like hung up, like actual weapons, like, like, like on like little pegs. Oh, wow. So you'd walk in the garage and it was just all super soakers . And my, I'd have all my friends come over and we would play war with super soakers, but like, it got to a point where it was just ridiculous because they, the super soakers, they had like the little hand hand pistol one that was like really small and orange, and then like the regular one, then the bigger one. And they just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger to the point where it was like the Super Soaker mega blasts 5,000, 10 million, 600 ton. Super duper blasting. I mean, it was just like so ridiculous. I was like, just get a garden hose. It's a garden hose . That's what it is. It's a, it's like the sprayer on it. It's a, it is, it is a fire hose. Like that's all that is. That's like, don't try to call it a, a squirt gun anymore. It's a, it's a fire hose . And so like, I remember just having those and playing out in the yard. But in the nineties, here's something funny that happened. Everyone wanted a tree house. I mean, tree houses aren't a nineties thing. They're just a kid thing. Sure. But everyone wanted a tree house. But that was in the nineties was when I told my dad I didn't want a tree house. I would like him to build me a stage in the basement with a proscenium arch and a red curtain. Very OnRamp then opened and closed. And he was like, okay, I guess we're building the stage . So they built me a stage in the basement and I had a red curtain that would open and close with little, with a little like pulley. And then I had a, you know, those like lights you used to like fix your car? Those like metal ones that clamp under the hood. The ones that was my spotlight. And I hung it from the top of it. And I got a microphone with a little like speaker. And I would go and I would sing Bette Midler . This is not even a joke. I wish this was a joke. The Bette Midler Beaches soundtrack. Yep. In my basement to my parents. And I would put on the shows for them, and then I would host fake shows. So I guess that's like where I started hosting Yeah. Is in my basement. But you know what? Food Network pays a lot better than my parents did , because I would only charge them a dollar. Oh, you were charging them to, to come and see my show. Oh, I would charge them. Absolutely. Okay. I was an entrepreneur, honey entrepreneur . But like, food Network pays me better than a dollar. So, you know, it's, uh, I guess I've moved up in the world. Uh,
Jaymee Sire:
I, I guess So we're definitely gonna talk a little bit more about Food Network in a second, but I am very much enjoying this little jaunt through my own childhood as well. What's like a painfully nineties story that you have from that time? Like anything come to mind? Painfully?
Jonathan Bennett:
Nineties. Nineties. Painfully nineties. Oh, that we can skip it. Wow. I mean, what's a painfully nineties stories? I was a, I was a gay kid in Ohio in the nineties. Every story's painful, I guess. And they're all painful. Like just the whole era just the whole decade was not fun. But I think it was, I I, I remember going to my first Jewel, my first concert. This is how nineties It was. My first concert was at the Toledo Zoo . And it was Juul. Okay. I saw Jewel at the Toledo Zoo in 19, like 98, I think 99. Okay. Somewhere around there when, when I was in high school. And so to be there at the zoo at, at the zoo watching Jewel perform and like never invented to a concert before. I remember going and just seeing like all these people and we're all singing along. And it went on for like more than 30 minutes. And I don't know if you know noticed by now, but I have a very short attention span, . And I remember just being so like, just ready to leave. Not because it wasn't a good show. It was just like I was 15 years old and was hyper, hyper full of all the Applebee's, , sugar Lemonades Sure. And all the, all the, the synthetic candy my parents would feed me. And so like, the attention span to sit and watch someone just sing for more than 30 minutes, I was like, we gotta go do something. Let's go look at the Tigers. Like what, where, what are we gonna do? ? So I remember getting into like a fight with my friends because I wanted to go and leave and like do other things. And they were like, we're in the middle of the concert. She's getting ready to sing her big number. And I was like, okay. So like, like my first music kind of memory of the nineties is that of, you know, seeing Jewel in concert at the Toledo Zoo. . Not that I don't love Jewel Jewel's amazing. I was, she's was too hype for as a kid. Yeah. And she's not like, it's not like we're watching Pink. Right. Yeah. It's not like she's like doing back flips
Jaymee Sire:
And, and there's, she's got like ballads and
Jonathan Bennett:
Explosions. Yeah. She's like, she's like, I got my guitar. I'm gonna sit on my chair. I'm gonna sing my song. And I'm like, yeah. So I think I went and played with The Monkeys. I'm not sure. ,
Jaymee Sire:
What was your favorite, like theater production you were involved with in high school?
Jonathan Bennett:
Oh my God. Let's talk about it. Okay. I can talk this all day. First of all, best theater production ever was. Well, there was a lot of them, but I think how to Succeed in Business without really Trying my senior year was like my big, like, I'm gonna make it in Hollywood moment. Like, I had, like, that's what we ended my, my theater, high school theater career with . But I got to do Little Shop of Horrors before that. Oh, fun. Which was so much fun. And we got to do Joseph in the Amazing Technicolor Dream coat, which was amazing. Like, I was in every single show every year, no matter, like from eighth grade to senior year, we did four shows a year. I was in every single one of 'em. And I think my parents probably by the time it was all done, bought the theater with the, like, donations. The drama boosters they did. But like, you know, the theater was a safe, just such a growing up in Ohio, like being a little gay kid that is like in Ohio in the nineties, it was a different time. So like the theater was like my place to go. Mm-hmm. and like, like be around other people where you feel safe and like celebrated and like, it was just this magical moment, just like this, this little theater in the middle of Rossford Ohio was just like, it was my magic place. And so I, if it was, if Sunday through Saturday you would find me there, or whether it be working on something for like the set or painting something or just a any ex any chance to get into the theater, to do anything and like kind of escape life was like, mm. That's where, that's where it's at.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah. Was it community theater or, or did your high school do it?
Jonathan Bennett:
Oh no. This good old fashioned Rossford High school theater. Okay.
Jaymee Sire:
Mm-hmm. . Yeah. Uh, 'cause I was the drama geek as well. And I, we did a little bit of both. What did you do? Oh, I mean, not as what are
Jonathan Bennett:
Your favorite shows?
Jaymee Sire:
Oh, that's a good question. I mean, I remember being, I mean, we did more . I feel like some of our stuff was a little like more boring, but like, we did The Crucible and Wa wa Yeah. And like, Sound of Music. And
Jonathan Bennett:
We did Sound of Music too.
Jaymee Sire:
Jonathan Bennett:
Who did you play in Sound of Music?
Jaymee Sire:
I was, I was younger, so I was just like a, like a backstage hand, like, you know Okay. Kind of like in the chorus type thing. But, uh, I don't have a great singing voice, so .
Jonathan Bennett:
Neither do I.
Jaymee Sire:
Jonathan Bennett:
And I can't dance. But, you know, it's fine.
Jaymee Sire:
You just sold it. You sold it. Yeah. That's, I mean, that's,
Jonathan Bennett:
I believe in believe in your product.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah. I do remember for community theater, I did Brighton Beach Memoirs, and that was, that was a lot of fun.
Jonathan Bennett:
Okay. That's.
Jaymee Sire:
I was like the little sister again.
Jonathan Bennett:
Yeah. Again, still down the like wah wah roll.
Jaymee Sire:
I know. There, it's like, I'm trying to think of, I, I feel like we did some more.
Jonathan Bennett:
Where was this?
Jaymee Sire:
This is in Great Falls, Montana, so I'm sure very similar Wow. To Rossfield, Ohio.
Jonathan Bennett:
Yes.
Jaymee Sire:
Yes. . But it was a good time for sure. And during that, I mean like, when did you actually make the leap to I'm going to pursue acting?
Jonathan Bennett:
Well, as my parents say, there wasn't ever a day that we didn't think Jonathan was gonna be an actor. , like, from the moment I was born, they were like, yep, he's gonna be an actor. Like, I was charging them to see shows when I was five. Like, like it's just, it's, there's never been a moment when I wasn't set on being an actor and an entertainer and a host. Like, from the moment I could understand what kind of life was, I was like, oh, that's what I'm gonna do. You know, like watching those show, those movies in the nineties and like seeing all that like, oh, I want to go make people laugh. That's my job. Mm-hmm. . And so there, I, it was, I I graduated high school in, oh, I graduated high school in 1999. Did you graduate in 1999?
Jaymee Sire:
I graduated in 98. How did, how is that? Oh, you're younger.
Jonathan Bennett:
Younger. You're younger. I was young. June. Yeah. Yeah. And of course our class song was, we're gonna party like, it's 1999. Oh sure. . And when that came on at prom, you couldn't tell us nothing. . That was our moment. We were like, they have waited 10 years for this moment, for this song. Like, this is our life. And so it was definitely like being graduating in 1999 was a, was a moment in time. But when I graduated, I went to college for a year in Columbus to an acting to a, like a liberal arts college. And I did it for like a year. And they were like, okay, what we want you to do is lay on the ground and pretend you're a tree. And then you're gonna, you're gonna feel the roots ground you through the floor, and then we want you to drink this fake tea. Like, pretend you're having tea. And they're doing all these acting exercises. And I'm just like sitting there looking around at everyone, like, y'all are nuts, . Like, this is, you think this is gonna help you become an actor? These people are just stealing your money. And I was like, I'm getting outta here. And so I called my parents and I'm like, I already know how to do everything They're telling me to do . I need, I'm like, I was such a brat. I'm like, mom, dad, I already know I'm going to New York and I'm gonna be famous. And they're like, okay. And I was like, you're wasting your money. I already understand how to act. I don't need to learn. Just let me go to New York and like, try. And they're like, all right, great. So I moved, my mom moved me from Ohio to New York City. Drove me through the middle of the night because there was no traffic and she wanted to drive through the Night . So we drove through the night and her and her friend dropped me off at a house where I, that I, that we rented like, uh, a room in. And I started auditioning and then a few months later got a soap opera called All My Children and got to do that. And then that kind of started my career. And it was funny because there was the, all the, all the like, professors at the college, like the, you know, the drama people that were all just, they all thought their, you know, they were too cool for school. Right. Uhhuh . They all thought they were so cool. And I was like, they.
Jaymee Sire:
They were probably doing The Crucible, you know, .
Jonathan Bennett:
Oh yeah, yeah. I was, yeah, exactly. I was telling 'em, I'm gonna leave. I'm like, I'm gonna leave. I don't wanna do this. Like, I'm gonna go to New York. And they're like, you're never, you're, it's a horrible mistake. But like, looking back, they just wanted your money because like, course you were like paying a lot of money to go to the school. And I was like, no, I think I'm gonna go do it. And there was one teacher named Stella Kane, who was the dance teacher who cast me my freshman year of college in West Side Story as a chorus. Got like, I play like Little John or whatever his name is mm-hmm. cast me in West Side Story my freshman year of college. And it's, you're like, I was an acting major, not a musical theater major. And like musical theater majors and acting majors freshman year were really not allowed to be in the, the musicals, like when you're a freshman, like a couple people could get cast, but not really.
Like, they tried not to let freshmen like be in the shows yet. And she cast me and a couple other people, but the fact that I was an acting major, not even a musical theater major made like all the department go crazy. And they were like, how did Jonathan get in that? And she just looked at him and goes, he wanted it more than you did. Oh. And I was like, yes, that's right, . And I was like, that's right. Slay. I, I can't dance, but I am gonna look really fierce up here. And so, so when I went to leave, she was the only person that said to me, she goes, Jonathan, get outta here. , go to New York and just call me when you're famous. And I was like, got it. And so when I got All My Children, my first show, and they did the press release and like had it in like soap Opera Digest or something, . I got the Soap Opera Digest. I put it in an envelope and I mailed it to Stella and signed it. And I was like, I'm famous. And I just wrote that on the cover and I sent it to her and it was like this great moment of like, I did it and you were the only one that told me to love that. And no one else told me not to. So yeah, if, have you, I'm a big believer you wanna make it, have someone tell you that you're not can't, it's not
Jaymee Sire:
Gonna happen.
Jonathan Bennett:
Oh, that is, that is my like weakness. Someone tells me I can't do something and like my brain just starts going crazy and I'm like, oh, I'm gonna do it.
Jaymee Sire:
Best motivator for those keeping score at home. We are now into the two thousands, the early two thousands. Oh wow. I was stalking your socials and I, I came across this video of you surprising the local high school production of Mean Girls Oh my God. During their dress rehearsal, which, I mean, my favorite part was just watching their reactions and how starstruck they were. What, what was that like for you personally though?
Jonathan Bennett:
You know, that's, that's where it's at, right? Mm-hmm. , it's like those kids that are sitting in the theater that have been working their butts off and they're so excited. 'cause I remember, here's a random thing. When we were in high school, we would have people come and visit from like Broadway and they'd come and I remember like to talk to our theater department, and I remember just like soaking up every word they said, like just soaking it all up. And we had a ran a random person come and talk to us, and I'm gonna say what she did incorrectly, but you'll get the idea. She was like a visual effects supervisor on Titanic. Okay. Like, she did something like when C g I was just invented, right. Like we, it was like the newest thing. And she came and kind of talked to us about how they did the water and how they made things. And it was really interesting because to hear her talk about all that, and it just like lit a fire for me to want to go act, you know? Mm-hmm. , like, it just like, was like, oh, I see someone in Hollywood doing Hollywood things. I want to go do Hollywood things. Like, it was like that moment where it clicked, it was like, oh, it's obtainable. Someone's doing it. I met someone that does it. Okay. I can do that too.
Jaymee Sire:
So like, I mean, I guess to, to know that you are now that person for that group of kids, like how cool is that? Right.
Jonathan Bennett:
It's the, it's the coolest thing to like get to go back and do inspire them, you know? And I, I went backstage and during the intermission and I gave him notes and I was like, here's the thing. Like, I was like, you know, you need to be doing this because it's really funny. You need to be trusting yourself. Don't, like that voice is in there. Why aren't you letting it out? Like you're, you're on stage and it's in there and we can hear it, but you're afraid to let it go. And I was like, let it go. And so like, not like Oh wow. Critiques, just like encouragement notes of like Yeah. What they should be doing. So it was a, it was a really special time.
Jaymee Sire:
That's so cool that you stayed and like watched and gave them some feedback. Sure. Oh, absolutely. I'm sure that's like a core memory for all those kids. Yep. You know, for forever and ever and ever. Speaking of core memories, iPod was released in the two thousands as well. Do you remember what was on yours?
Jonathan Bennett:
Oh my God. I had, yeah, I had an original iPod. We had to buy songs for like a dollar. Right? Like, it was a thing. You had to like, you had to like import the CD into your iPod. Like, these kids these days don't understand. I mean, this is ties all into Battle of the Decades, right? , like, these kids don't understand how good they have it. If you want a song, you just listen to the song. If you, when, when you don't know the frustration of camping out in front of a Walmart before the NSYNC, no strings attack, attached release album drops because you know that Walmart is open 24 hours and that at midnight is when the song comes out. And they will wheel that CD out of the back room in the cases and put it on the shelves. And you're lined up.
Jaymee Sire:
Like the single
Jonathan Bennett:
, like the, you are lined up with your best friends at like 11 o'clock to go in and hear that, bye bye bye. Or whatever it is for the first time. , like, you don't understand the pressure. It wa how much pressure and how much work it took to be a fanatic. Like, you like pop culture. The, the kids these days don't, they'll never, they'll never understand how hard it was. So for me, like I was all, I mean, we grew up in the best time of music, right? The late nineties, earliest two thousands. Like, come on, you had Britney, you had nsync, you had Backstreet, you had Pink, you had Christina, you had Jennifer Lopez, like, you had all these, like, that's when, oh my gosh, I just feel like we're the old biddies on the podcast thing. Like that's when music used to be good . Like that was when music was great. Like, question. Jaymee, do you have this happen to you? Okay. Do you hear a song and it will come on some sort of radio and you're for Spotify? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you're like, is this a song or is this like a commercial? Like what is this? Like you can't tell what it is because there's no like beat to it.
Jaymee Sire:
Oh, you'd like current stuff, current stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jonathan Bennett:
Yes. The current stuff comes on and I'm like, I don't understand is this music? And they're like, yeah. I was like, this is what everyone's listening to. They're like, yeah. I'm like, I don't get it.
Jaymee Sire:
Yeah. And there's like two, like two lines that just keep getting repeated over and over again. Yes.
Jonathan Bennett:
Over and over with. Like, but not in like any syncopation. No. It just kind of like, they say 'em and then there's just like a, some type of like, mood underneath it. Yeah. I don't understand. I don't understand the kids and I'm gonna say it. I I'm not gonna say it. Yeah, I'm gonna, no, I'm not gonna say it . I'm just saying.
Jaymee Sire:
Say it, say it, say it, say it.
Jonathan Bennett:
I'm just saying I'm at an age where I don't understand the concerts that are happening. ,
Jaymee Sire:
You know what that means. So I'm gonna say, you know what that means we're old. What?
Jonathan Bennett:
We're old.
Jaymee Sire:
We're old. We're we're old. We're old.
Jonathan Bennett:
Like, I see all the people going to like all the big concerts right now and I love all the artists and I think they're great, but I'm like, oh, that looks exhausting. I have to go to bed. . Like, I, they're they, they start the concert at nine.
Jaymee Sire:
No, I'm out.
Jonathan Bennett:
They, they get there at nine. That's an I'm asleep by 9:30.
Jaymee Sire:
The door open at nine.
Jonathan Bennett:
Yeah, the door's open.
Jaymee Sire:
Wait.
Jonathan Bennett:
You’re gonna listen to someone sing past midnight? Are you crazy? I'm out. Absolutely not. That is ludicrous. Uhuh Uhuh. Like, the concerts are great and the performers are fantastic, but I mean, I'm, there's not enough coffee in the world to keep me up that late. I'll watch it. I'll watch it when they post it on Instagram.
Jaymee Sire:
No, I wanna be home, be before Wheel Fortune starts. That's just my, my thing.
Jonathan Bennett:
Five, five o'clock is a great dinner time.
Jaymee Sire:
I mean, well technically Wheel Fortune is on at seven 30 here. So I mean, I have plenty of time to go eat dinner and come home and still be, be home on time for it. I'm just really making myself sound super old now.
Jonathan Bennett:
I love it.
Jaymee Sire:
We've broken down the decades with Jonathan and when we come back he gives us the scoop on his new show Battle of the Decades. So Stick around. Let's talk about Battle of the Decades, because decades, you've been in the Food Network family for a while now and you're hosting this brand new show. On a scale of one to 10, how nostalgic are we gonna get watching this show?
Jonathan Bennett:
I can say this. Mm-hmm. , I've hosted, I hosted a lot of shows on Food Network. You know, we got, we started with Cake Wars. Mm-hmm. , cupcake Wars, cupcake Wars Kids, Halloween Wars, Christmas Awards, cupcake Wars Challenge, cupcake Wars, celebrity Holiday Wars, and a couple others. But this one is, is so special and something unlike anything I've seen on the Food Network before. It's absolutely just this time capsule of nostalgia. just going back in time where you're like, you're remembering and seeing all the things you grew up eating and hearing and your parents grew up. Like there's just something so special about this, this show. It's got this, this, this feel to it that it gives you like the warm fuzzies when you're watching it because you're hearing all the jingles, like, you know, the show opens with My Bologna has a first name . Like, it, it opens with that and you just, like, as soon as you hear all these like jingles and commercials and songs from all the different decades, like it brings you right back mm-hmm. to that moment in time. And so there's so much nostalgia that to be had on the show that, that people are gonna absolutely freak out and, and fall in love with. And what, what I think is the best part is not just the nostalgia, but watching the new school chefs like have to go and use the old school items in the gadgets from the back in the day. Like that's where the comedy comes in. I don't think I've ever laughed as hard on a Food Network show set as I did on the episode when we, we give them a George Foreman grill to use . Remember those?
Jaymee Sire:
Yep.
Jonathan Bennett:
And the new school chef asked the old school chef, how do I turn it on ? And she meant it like she had no clue, has never turned one on before in her life. And so it's, it's those moments that make the show so special. It's, it's watching, you know, a little bit more old school chefs that have been around longer and are and a bit older with these, you know, young kids that are trying to, to watch them come together and work together, but like, see how so many things change over the years with cooking, but then there's so many things that say the same as well. So to see that those differences and those similarities is where the hilarity and the feel good of the show come in. You know?
Jaymee Sire:
I love that. How is it like different in terms of just like the cooking competition aspect from other shows that you've hosted on the network, other shows we've seen on the network? What, what makes this one so, you know, special?
Jonathan Bennett:
I'll, let me walk you through it. Okay. Here's how it works. We take an old school chef. Okay. You know, someone that's a little bit older and a new school chef and we team them up as a team. Okay. And they compete against two other teams of old school, new school chefs. So in the first round we give them, we pick a year, like the year is 1984 mm-hmm. and or or whatever the year is. And we give them ingredients and gadgets from that year that were really popular. So we got things like fruit roll-ups, , Hidden Valley Ranch, Dunkaroos. Oh yes, we've got the George Foreman Grill, go-Gurt. Like all these things that are just nostalgic Spam, like things you grew up with. And we make them take some of those ingredients from that year that were really popular and come up with a new, using other ingredients as well, come up with a new way to make an American classic. So, so, you know, they're, they're using Wheaties as like a breading and they're taking fruit rollups and they're boiling them down and they're adding mint and other things to 'em to make a really beautiful sauce and they're putting it together. And so to watch these chefs all work together to take these ingredients that half the, the young, the new school chefs don't even know about or have never seen or really understand and the old school chefs teaching 'em like what these ingredients are and you know, just to hear the stories of how they affected their life, like hamburger helper, like so many things that you grew up with, to watch them come together and put those ingredients together in the first round is hilarious. But then they also have to use a gadget from that decade. Mm-hmm. So maybe it's an easy bake oven, maybe it's a magic bullet. Maybe it's a George Foreman grill. Maybe it's the Snoopy ice, you know, the snow cone machine that you have to like grind the ice, but they have to put Parmesan cheese in it Okay. And use it to grate the cheese. So there's so many fun ways where we incorporate cooking and gadgets from, you know, the past. So for the second round, what they do that's so fun is we take something that's a viral food sensation that's all over the internet, like accordion potatoes or the Japanese souffle pancakes. Mm. And we make the, the teams work together to then put their twist on something that's a viral sensation that's current. So the first round we're going back in time and the second round we're going, you know,
Jaymee Sire:
Present day
Jonathan Bennett:
Ahead, present day and ahead in time and trying to find out what the next viral food sensation is. Ah, and then for the third round we take the, the winning team, that's the final team standing and we put them head to head. So it's old school versus
Jaymee Sire:
New school.
Jonathan Bennett:
Oh, love that. In a battle royale where they have to take an American classic and put their own twist on it. And what you find more often than not that's so interesting is you would think that the new school chef would do something new and creative and the old school chef would stick to the classic way of, of making that dish. But really a lot of times the old school chef is trying to be a forward thinker and the new school chef is going, you know what, this is a timeless classic for a reason. Let's just do it, but do it really well. Huh. And so it's really fun to see how they battle it out and at the end, either the old school chef or the new school chef is gonna win and we'll see and we see who wins that episode.
Jaymee Sire:
That sounds like an absolute blast and I cannot wait to watch it. And you also have some great guests on the season as well.
Jonathan Bennett:
Oh my gosh. That's.
Jaymee Sire:
I mean, talk about some of the stars studded people that are gonna be on there.
Jonathan Bennett:
This is a huge star studded cast. I mean, what's so fun is we get to go back in the decades, right? So when we, when we do this, we go back in time and get to, I I almost say bring people out of the time machine . So we have people like Wayne Knight from Seinfeld and Greg Louganis and Vardalos from my Big Fat Greek wedding. We got Jenny Garth from 90210 yes. . We got singer Taylor Dane, who is one of my, you know, all time favorites. So every episode, not only are you seeing food from the past and like having that nostalgic, but you're also seeing one of the stars that were popular during that decade. So you're seeing, you know, someone that really makes you feel like you're in 1984 or 1993 or 2004. Like it really takes you back even hearing the voice. Like you hear Wayne Knight say, you know, I said to him, hello Newman . And he goes, hello Jonathan . Like, just hearing that voice, it takes you right back to that moment. Or just hearing Nia Vardalos talk about My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Like we all remember where we were when we saw My Big Fat Greek wedding. Mm-hmm. . It just takes you back to that moment in time that the, the episode takes place. And so it's just a really special show. I haven't seen anything this creative or exciting in a long time on, on television, and I cannot wait for people to see it.
Jaymee Sire:
I I cannot wait to watch it. And I am so excited for everybody to see it because it sounds like just an, it sounds like what we just did just like a, a lovely Yeah. Trip down memory lane through the decades. So it,
Jonathan Bennett:
Well, with all the craziness going on, you know, I think with all the craziness going on in the world and there, you know, the mo the world, I don't know, I'm not, now I'm not a scientist, but I would say that the world is spinning faster than it used to spin. Like . There's just no way that it's not. And so with everything going on in social media and computers and texts and duh and uh, just all the craziness in the world, the, the nostalgia of this show is a welcome surprise to, to the living rooms when they watch this show because it takes you back to a time when time and time and place when things were simpler mm-hmm. like a time when like it was just easier. Just life didn't move as fast and it was just a simpler time. So it really takes you back and kind of lets you like exhale a little bit mm-hmm.
when you're watching it. And what I'm excited for are for the conversations that this is gonna spark in the living rooms across America. Mm-hmm. , because I can't wait for a mom and or dad or whoever to be watching it with their kids. And you know, a product come up or one of the gadgets come out and the kids not know what that is and like to watch the parents explain it and like what it was and why they used it is gonna be such a great way for people to connect while they watch the show. Mm-hmm. for families to connect while they're watching it. But then we flip it on its head and we have a viral food sensation that's all over TikTok and I can't wait for the conversation when a mom turns to a kid and goes, what's an accordion potato? Explain . And the kid goes, oh my gosh mom, how do you not know what an accordion potato is? They're all over TikTok. And so you have the, you know, the new generation teaching the older generation in their homes about viral trends on TikTok and what that is because that's part of their life. Mm-hmm. That's what they're, that is their life. So it's gonna spark so many wonderful conversations between family members and the way they get to talk to each other and kind of, kind of, you're gonna, you're gonna go down memory lane with the parents and the parents are gonna get a lesson and being hip from the kids.
Jaymee Sire:
. I love it. It's gonna be fun for the whole family. For sure. I've had such a blast talking to you. I wish we had more time, but we'll have to do a part two at some point. But I'm gonna finish.
Jonathan Bennett:
Yes, absolutely.
Jaymee Sire:
I'm gonna finish things out with a little rapid fire and then we have one final question that we ask everybody here in the show.
Jonathan Bennett:
Let's go. I'm ready.
Jaymee Sire:
Alright. In honor of the movie of the summer that has also spanned decades. What kind of Barbie or Ken are you?
Jonathan Bennett:
Gay Barbie ? No, gay. Ken Gay. Ken Gay. Ken. Ken is gay.
Jaymee Sire:
Your Ken is gay. Yes. You can only listen to music from one decade, which would it be?
Jonathan Bennett:
Nineties.
Jaymee Sire:
Okay. Fork, Marry, kill hamburger helper. Dunkaroos. Go-Gurt.
Jonathan Bennett:
You're so stupid. . That is the most brilliant fork. Mary. Kill. I hate you so much. . And I love it. Oh my God. Fork Mary kill. That is so dumb and brilliant and I'm so mad I didn't think of it. . Okay. Fork Mary. Kill, gimme it again.
Jaymee Sire:
Hamburger helper. Dunkaroos. Go-Gurt.
Jonathan Bennett:
Hamburger helper. Dunkaroos. Go-Gurt. I wouldn't kill any of 'em. Like you're literally talking to my childhood . Like I would eat every single one of them. Like there's none of them I don't like.
Jaymee Sire:
Okay. All right. So you're just, but
Jonathan Bennett:
I would, I would marry a Dunkaroo.
Jaymee Sire:
Okay. You would marry a Dunkaroo.
Jonathan Bennett:
Because I, because I like chocolate.
Jaymee Sire:
Okay. In, uh, favorite dinner date with your husband James?
Jonathan Bennett:
Oh, absolutely. We go to a place called Billy Reed's here in Palm Springs. It is trapped in time, just like Battle of the Decades. . It is a, it is a restaurant that's been open since like the early seventies and they haven't changed a thing and it looks like a funeral home. . Like, you go to this place and, but it's not, it's just a restaurant, but it just, it looks like a funeral home from the south where it's just like everything's red velvet and tacky and gaudy. But that's the charm of it. That's why we love going there because it's just like you walk in and we're, we're the youngest people in the whole restaurant . And we're just, it's trapped in time in such a beautiful, like, just place to eat because you kind of escape everything. Just like what Battle of the Decades is gonna do for so many people. It's a time to unplug from like the hustle bustle and craziness that the world is today and just go back in time and just have a meal together and like not be stimulated by a million different things. and I, I think that's what Battle of Decades is gonna do.
Jaymee Sire:
It sounds like a dream. Alright, our final question. This is not rapid fire. You can take as long as you want on it. Okay. There are no rules. Okay. The question is, what would be on the menu for your perfect food day? Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert. Like I said, no rules. You can travel time, travel calories don't count. Like whatever you want.
Jonathan Bennett:
Favorite breakfast? I would have a whole pan of cinnamon rolls from a restaurant called Rick's in Palm Springs. It's the best cinnamon roll I've ever had in my life. I love pancakes, I love cinnamon rolls, I love everything. Breakfast food that's like baked, not baked , you know what I mean? Like sweet. Yeah. Yeah. So I would have cinnamon rolls from Rick's for lunch. I would have, oh my God, this is so I don't, don't come after me America . I would have Oof. I love the coconut shrimp at Tommy Bahamas.
Jaymee Sire:
Okay.
Jonathan Bennett:
I love a good coconut. Again, I'm from Ohio. Like Yeah. You're not gonna get me to be like, I would go like when I watch like some of the other shows where they're like, we're going to Italy and you're gonna find the bruschette and I'm like, no idea. I you gimme a Applebee's, I'm fine . Um, I would do, I I love like a coconut shrimp moment from a Tommy Bahama. Yeah. Or I would do like a giant poke bowl. Okay. Like I love a good poke bowl for lunch and then for dinner. Oh my gosh. You guys are gonna come after me and I'm so not here for it, but I don't care. I would do, which they don't have anymore. I would do the Thai chicken peanut pasta from Cheesecake Factory .
Jaymee Sire:
I love it. I love it. You're just sticking to your roots of all of the national chain restaurants .
Jonathan Bennett:
Yeah, because I go to so many fancy places and they're like, oh, you wanna try this? I'm like, yeah, it's good. But I mean, not as good as Applebees. Not a coconut shrimp know. Like it's not a coconut shrimp from Tommy Bahama. Like, I get it, you're good. But it's like, I think but again, it's like nostalgia taste, right? Yeah, that's true. I prefer, 'cause if you grow up eating a certain way, your palate just wants that. And so like when I grow up eating Stovetop stuffing . Yeah. It's like that's, I love love's we eat for Thanksgiving and it's delicious and then you go to like someone else's house and you have the mom that's like, oh, I make my own stuffing. Like, okay Barb, like you have like some woman named Barb and she's like, we make our own stuffing here. And I'm like, great. Well it's still not as good as Stove top , but like you taste it and you're like, it's fine, it's good. But like Stove Top has all that chemical in it that makes me sodium taste the flavor. Yeah. Like yeah. Don't, don't get, get outta here with your attitude, Barb . Take your stuffing and go watch Battle of the Decades, Barb.
Jaymee Sire:
Exactly. Wait, what are you having for dessert before we let you go?
Jonathan Bennett:
Oh, Schmackary’s cookies in New York
Jaymee Sire:
City. Oh, okay. Yeah.
Jonathan Bennett:
Schmackary’s Cookies. New York City 54th and ninth. Best cookie on the planet. When I go there to host New Year's Eve Times Square I buy, I go and I get 12 of 'em and I eat all 12 within the first two days. . So I eat six massive cookies a day. Like I there. It's the best cookie on on Earth.
Jaymee Sire:
. I thought you were gonna say you eat all 12 of them at midnight or,
Jonathan Bennett:
Or Wait real quick. Okay. Lemon bars from Bird Bakery. Okay. Elizabeth Chambers. Right. Okay. Elizabeth Chambers, she's, she was on Food Network with us for something. She did one of our shows, but she has a bakery in Dallas, Texas called Bird Bakery and the Lemon Bar at Bird Bakery. When I even talk about it right now, my mouth starts to water .
Jaymee Sire:
You start to get that little like tingle in the back of your tongue.
Jonathan Bennett:
Yeah. It's the best thing you'll ever eat.
Jaymee Sire:
All right. Well I'll have to check that out next time I'm in Dallas. And in the meantime, everybody check out Battle of the Decades. It sounds like so much fun and I had such a blast talking with you. Thank you so much.
Jonathan Bennett:
Thank you so much.
Jaymee Sire:
You can watch new episodes of Battle of the Decades, Wednesdays at 10:00 PM Eastern on Food Network. Make sure to follow us wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss a thing. And if you enjoyed 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.