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Beginning today, Gomez will be hosting an HBO Max cooking show titledSelena + Chef.
Over on Netflix, Efron is hostingDown to Earth With Zac Efron,a travel show about sustainability.
Fascinatingly, both admit up front that they are entirely unqualified to be hosting their respective series.
Over the course ofDown to Earthseight (!)
45-plus minute (!!)
(Darin does not lend the show any ethos.)
I also fear it as precedent.
We are at the top of a very slippery slope that will likely end in Demi Lovato hostingAmerican Pickers.
But powerless to stop it, we might as well enjoy it.
He swims in hot springs; he makes chocolate; he tastes different types of water; he skateboards.
The concept is so broad as to be nearly meaningless.
Randomness of concept:As weve established, both of these shows are whimsically random.
Meanwhile, Gomezs show is hypothetically very useful, but fails on the most basic of functional levels.
He sayswow a lotand seems visibly humbled by the things he does not know about power plants.
Alternatively, Gomez projects quiet fear.
She also sounds like she has a cold, which is a bit concerning considering the timing.
At one point, Gomez tells him, Its very hard to understand you, which made me nervous.
Length of episodes:Zacs episodes are roughly an hour long, which is absolutely unhinged.
Selenas are a nice 25 minutes.Winner: Gomez.
Gomezs outfits, on the other hand, are a bit hard to pin down.
She also cooks and eats ramen in a white T-shirt, which is very intense to watch.Winner:Efron.
When Lofaso asks, Do you have a dutch oven?
Gomez says, Whats that?
while standing in front of two dutch ovens.
This is not relatable.
In other words, I find him absolutely terrifying as an individual and a concept.
Do-gooder component:Both shows include some sort of charitable aspect.
Gomez asks each chef to talk about a nonprofit thats important to them, which she then donates to.
Gomezs show is scored entirely by her own music.
At least her thing makes sense from a personal branding perspective.Winner:Gomez.
I would watch this entire show if every episode starred Gomez and Lofaso.Winner:Gomez.
Worst episode:Efron goes to an Icelandic power plant.
Is this…cinema?
Gomez and Lefevbre clash culturally as he attempts to teach her to make a French omelette.Winner:Efron.
She was married but they vibed nonetheless.
(Lofaso calls them Coachella knives.)
and her grandma says, Yes, you do.Winner:Gomez.
It taught me to cut on the bias.
Its also much, much shorter, which is really important.
