$40 A Day, I'd Rather Spend it on Drugs

I loathe Rachael Ray. With the exception of maybe Gilbert Godfried, I truly believe her to be the most annoying person on television. That said, I am guilty of something. Admittedly, $40 A Day generally tends to be the last thing I watch before I go to sleep. I don’t even understand it myself. Her voice, her comments, her facial expressions, everything about the show bothers me. I would compare it to the violence in the action movie that grosses you out, yet you can’t look away from it. Last night, as I watched her ‘take on’ Seattle, I once again internally criticized the show. I would say my biggest pet peeve throughout the thirty minutes, is the reaction to the food she’s eating. I have seen the majority of the episodes and not once have I heard Rachael say, “Eh, you know what, this isn’t the best brisket sandwich I’ve ever had,” or “Well this burrito tastes and smells like shit, but at least it only cost me $4.75 plus tax and tip.” Is it possible that with every first bite of food she takes, that annoying grunt/groan she makes is genuine? Highly unlikely.
I also think there are many aspects of $40 A Day that are impractical. If the show was completely honest to its audience, it would be called “$40 A Day; you can manage it if you have the appetite of a 90 pound model”. In one episode, Rachael orders a bowl of greens with dressing for lunch. Now we all know Rachael is no anorexic, but come on, a bowl of greens? Now, not only are you faking your orgasmic reaction to the food, but you are trying to convince an innocent viewer that they will be satisfied with this lunch of roughage.
Here’s another thing. I hate the way she tries to ‘mingle’ with the locals. Come on. I’m sure the person you find on the street to ask who serves the best eggs in Atlanta is just a random resident who doesn’t even notice the cameras behind her. Let’s face it, the restaurants she’s going to are planned in advance and these fake locals are crew members pretending to tell Rachael where she should spontaneously go eat.
My final annoyance could be the most important. Before the mid-show commercial break and at least two other times throughout $40, Rachael checks in on her spending via an animated check that pops up on the screen. After she announces what she has already spent, she continues to comment on going over her budget, breaking her budget and having enough money for dinner. Once again, I have yet to see her go over her budget. The show isn’t called $46 A Day and furthermore, how will we know if you spent more than $40? You could be lying about the price, guzzling wine at the commercial breaks or getting free sandwiches from restaurant owners.
Rachael is like that annoying girl in high school that somehow always showed up to the party uninvited and wouldn’t shut up when she got there. Rachael, if you’re reading this, I don’t really understand why you’re famous, I don’t understand who is buying your magazine but I guess I’d be a hypocrite if I said I don’t understand who is watching your shows. Yum-O.