History YMMV / GoodEats

* [[ReplacementScrappy Replacement Scrappy Series]]: ''Series/CutthroatKitchen'' and even ''Series/IronChef America'' to a lesser extent. Some people think Alton's hosting duties killed ''Good Eats''. It doesn't help that a few people are turned off by the sheer mean-spiritedness of ''Cutthroat Kitchen'' either.

**

--> '''Mr. Todd:''' What kind of pie is that, Mrs. Lovett?
--> '''Mrs. Lovett:''' Shepherd's pie, Mr. Todd.
--> '''Mr. Todd:''' I wasn't aware we had any [[ImAHumanitarian shepherd]].

* JerkAss: Occasionally Alton himself, though intentionally invoked for comedic effect.

--> '''Mr. Todd:''' I wasn't aware we had any [[IAmAHumanitarian shepherd]].

* GrowingTheBeard: The show started hitting a groove after the problematic first season, but didn't really run at its full potential until Alton took over production (and built the now-familiar Good Eats Kitchen) in 2001. This was partially due to space constraints; the white kitchen was a small kitchen in a small house, which made shooting trick shots and gags difficult.

* JustForFun/XMeetsY:
** The very premise of the show: mixing a CookingShow with a ScienceShow.
** In the 10th-Anniversary special, Alton explained his original idea for the show as Julia Child meets ''Mr. Wizard'' meets ''Creator/MontyPython''.

** 2002's [[ShowWithinAShow "Scrap Iron Chef"]], a hybrid parody of ''Series/IronChef'' and ''Series/ScrapyardWars'', has Alton facing off against "Chef Prairie" in a cooking competition. During the episode, both Alton and his competitor do diabolical deeds upon one another, such as stealing equipment and sabotaging the other's ingredients. Eleven years later, a cooking competition titled ''Series/CutthroatKitchen'' debuts with Alton as emcee. And, much like "Scrap Iron Chef", ''Cutthroat Kitchen'' actively encourages its contestants to sabotage each other during the course of each episode.

** In some episodes, after making a large batch of a dessert (such as chocolate mousse) Alton would half-joke that he would probably just sit down and eat the whole thing. Then come episodes like "Herbal Preservation" in Season 7 and "Live and Let Diet" in Season 13..

* HilariousInHindsight: 2002's [[ShowWithinAShow "Scrap Iron Chef"]], a hybrid parody of ''Series/IronChef'' and ''Series/ScrapyardWars'', has Alton facing off against "Chef Prairie" in a cooking competition. During the episode, both Alton and his competitor do diabolical deeds upon one another, such as stealing equipment and sabotaging the other's ingredients. Eleven years later, a cooking competition titled ''Series/CutthroatKitchen'' debuts with Alton as emcee. And, much like "Scrap Iron Chef", ''Cutthroat Kitchen'' actively encourages its contestants to sabotage each other during the course of each episode.

* TheWoobie: Okra. You heard me.[[note]]The anthropomorphic okra is actually the mascot for Delta State University in Mississippi. [[IAmNotMakingThisUp Really.]][[/note]]

* {{Squick}}: The Season 12 episode "Oh My, Meat Pie" was a parody of ''SweeneyTodd''. Yes, folks, a '''''Sweeney Todd'''''-inspired episode, '''''on a cooking show.'''''

--> '''Mr Todd''': What kind of pie is that, Mrs. Lovett?
--> '''Mrs Lovett''': Shepherd's pie, Mr. Todd.
--> '''Mr Todd''': I wasn't aware we had any [[IAmAHumanitarian shepherd]].

* TheWoobie: Okra. You heard me.

* StopHelpingMe: '''Don't say it!''' [[spoiler: Did someone call for a culinary anthropologist?]]

** In the 2001 episode "Scrap Iron Chef", Alton competes with a sweet old lady in an Iron Chef spoof. Four years later Alton became the host of IronChefAmerica.

* [[ReplacementScrappy Replacement Scrappy Series]]: ''Series/CutthroatKitchen'' and even ''Series/IronChefAmerica'' to a lesser extent. Some people think Alton's hosting duties killed ''Good Eats''. It doesn't help that a few people are turned off by the sheer mean-spiritedness of ''Cutthroat Kitchen'' either.

* UnfortunateImplications: The peanut episode featured a visit from the ghost of George Washington Carver. In keeping with Dickensian tradition, he was wearing chains (made of peanuts, no less). This is a black man in the American South. Chains might not have been the wisest costuming choice.

* UnfortunateImplications: The peanut episode featured a visit from the ghost of George Washington Carver. In keeping with Dickensian tradition, he was wearing chains (made of peanuts, no less). It might not have been the wisest costuming choice.

** HarsherInHindsight: In the Amber Waves episode, he praises the manager of the homebrew shop he visits. A year or two later, Marietta Homebrew Supply closed down because the manager in question was embezzling thousands from the family that owned the shop.

* [[ReplacementScrappy Replacement Scrappy Series]]: ''CutthroatKitchen'' and even ''IronChefAmerica'' to a lesser extent. Some people think Alton's hosting duties killed ''Good Eats''. It doesn't help that a few people are turned off by the sheer mean-spiritedness of ''Cutthroat Kitchen'' either.

** Doesn't make it less awesome though. Indeed, in an odd way, it makes it even more awesome.

* UnfortunateImplications: In "Roll Call" Alton not-so-subtly implies that the women's liberation movement is responsible for the downfall of American home-made family cuisine.
** He usually opens up his "American Classics" episodes with a very {{Eagleland}}-ish rant.
*** Though at other times, he rants about how America has messed up dishes from other countries, such as in the Bloody Mary/Margarita episode.
** Neither of the above should be all that shocking considering Alton Brown is known to be very conservative.

* [[TheScrappy Scrappy Replacement Series]]: ''CutthroatKitchen'' and even ''IronChefAmerica'' to a lesser extent. Some people think Alton's hosting duties killed ''Good Eats''. It doesn't help that a few people are turned off by the sheer mean-spiritedness of ''Cutthroat Kitchen'' either.

* ScrappyReplacementSeries: ''CutthroatKitchen'' and even ''IronChefAmerica'' to a lesser extent. Some people think Alton's hosting duties killed ''Good Eats''. It doesn't help that a few people are turned off by the sheer mean-spiritedness of ''Cutthroat Kitchen'' either.

* TheJerkAss: Occasionally Alton himself, though intentionally invoked for comedic effect.