Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart aren’t two names I’d instantly link. Snoop, whose birth name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr., is a famous rapper who has been in the music industry for decades. Martha Stewart is a well-known cook, television personality, and businesswoman. So, where is the connection?
On Nov. 7, VH1 gave the duo their own show, Snoop & Martha’s Potluck Dinner Party. In this show, Snoop and Stewart will cook meals while also having special guest appearances, all while making jokes in the kitchen. In a nutshell, this show is, according to comedian and actor Seth Rogan, a guest in the first episode, “the weirdest group of people ever on a stage together.”
After opening the premiere episode with Snoop saying, “I’m not high right now, but whoever gave us this show must have been,” I knew this would be something interesting.
The first episode was entitled “Putting the Pot in the Potluck.” It started out with Snoop and Martha stepping out on stage, introducing themselves, and announcing that they were about to have a fried chicken cooking contest. Of course, this would not happen without first having a drink, the “Laid Back,” which is exactly how I’d summarize this show. From the conversational language to the food prepared and celebrity guests, the episode was relaxing to watch. It was not a strain to have to figure out what was happening.
The first guest that the “king of kush” and “queen of cuisine” brought out was Rogan. The second guest was Wiz Khalifa, a rapper who is, like Snoop, closely assimilated with marijuana, and unsurprisingly brought with him a green gift bag labeled “secret ingredient.” The third and final guest of the night was Ice Cube, or O’Shea Jackson, rapper, songwriter, and actor who appeared later in the night.
Though it was not the most educational program I’ve ever tuned in to, there were things that I liked about it. The main aspect that I enjoyed was that it challenged and mocked stereotypes.
For example, when Khalifa asked Stewart how Snoop has influenced her life, she said that his “lingo” is catching on with her; Snoop then corrected her and said that ‘lingo’ was not the right word choice, but “vernacular” was. This was funny because it challenged the way we’d typically see these two people. Stewart is stereotyped as a proper housewife and Snoop is stereotyped, as Stewart said, as a person from “the hood.” Yet, Snoop was the one who used a proper vocabulary term, while Stewart used slang.
This was also shown after Rogan made a comment about everyone on the stage wearing a necklace. Khalifa put one of his many gold chains around his neck, and Martha said that this was funny because he usually looks like a nerd. Then, Rogan said, “Martha Stewart just called me nerdy. I’m wearing a chain for God sakes,” which Snoop then replied, “He hip-hop, Martha.” This was not a challenge of stereotypes, but merely poked fun at them.
Snoop & Martha’s Potluck Dinner Party introduced a new way to look at cooking shows, which I particularly enjoyed. It showed that not all cooking shows have to be simple and boring, and that anyone can participate. You don’t need to be a professional chef or a female to have your own cooking show; Snoop Dogg is one of the last people I’d expect to have one, and that’s partially why I enjoyed it so much. It was an unexpected twist on what cooking shows can be. It also wasn’t only about cooking, it was also about guests, jokes, and playing games while in the kitchen.
It reminded me of the failed Kardashian show that lasted a mere four months, Kocktails with Khloe. This show was one in which Khloe Kardashian would invite guests over to gossip and play games while a man made them cocktails, but this show seemed like more of a stretch. It seemed, to me, to be trying too hard to be fun and cool; Snoop and Stewart seemed to just get up there and whatever happened, happened. However, it was easy to tell that the show is scripted, because Stewart is terrible at reading the prompter and seeming sincere. However, it seemed to be more relaxed and “laid back” than Kocktails with Khloe, and did not try too hard to be something that it wasn’t.
“I thought it was hilarious,” said education and senior student, Lauren Palladino. “It wasn’t something I’d tell the whole world to watch seriously, but for some light entertainment, I’d definitely watch it again.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” said education and senior student, Jessica Porter. “I just think that this duo is a funny pair, which is the biggest reason that I watched it. If it were two ordinary people, or two people that I typically wouldn’t necessarily associate together, then it wouldn’t be as amusing.”
In the end, the fried chicken competition ended in a tie. However, Snoop argued that he wanted the prize of the competition, which was a heavyweight belt with pictures of fried chicken on it, and Stewart complied to the request.
Snoop & Martha’s Potluck Dinner Party is on VH1 on Monday’s at 10 p.m.
image taken from www.sheknows.com
