While I spend more time than I’d like to admit watching Dropout’s stable of excellent, improv-heavy comedy shows, last year’s Gastronauts is one of the few Dropout programs I haven’t yet checked out. After the new trailer for Gastronauts season 2 made my gut bust with laughter (and rumble with hunger), I think that’s going to change when it returns next month.
Hosted by Jordan Myrick, Gastronauts is a comedic cooking show where Dropout alumni judge dishes made by top-tier chefs. They aren’t fancy dishes you’d expect from a Top Chef challenge or everyday meals you make at home. Instead, Gastronauts chefs concoct whatever the show’s judges ask for, like a “meal of crumbs served in a man’s beard” at Emily Axford’s request or Katie Marovitch’s “the blandest meal you can imagine,” as revealed by the season two trailer.
I used to love cooking shows like Top Chef, but after a while the stress of the competitions became too much — especially when watching something like Hell’s Kitchen, where Gordon Ramsay isn’t exactly the most low-key host. Gastronauts ditches the overly serious nature of those shows for a more chill and humorous vibe, which I think I’ll find much more palatable (pun absolutely intended).
Season two of Gastronauts is set to premiere August 15 and will feature familiar Dropout mainstays like Demi Adejuyigbe, Ally Beardsley, and the Ghost of Yōtei themselves, Erika Ishii. According to a news release, the chef line-up will include “past contestants and winners of beloved culinary shows” like Cris Brown, Amanda Palomino, and Saransh Oberoi.
