Post 2: The Restaurant Series 3, episode 1 review

Wikipedia hasn't yet provided me with the names of all the contenders, so the descriptions are going to be fairly loose and limber.

Raymond made his introductions, welcoming the nine couples saying they'd done very well to get that far, from the thousands of applications. Surely this was not the nine couples in the country who want to run a restaurant and are most likely to succeed. It's just a guess, but I reckon people who really really want to run restaurants who have the necessary cooking and business skills are either already doing so, or wouldn't need Raymond's help.

First drop out of the series were the couple attempting to make a fruit salad with coconut mouuse. Clearly a coconut is a big solid thing, and takes a bit of opening. But even a child would know to hold a knife by the handle and not the blade. I was really scared for them. Funnier - because it wasn't quite so scary - was attempting to use a massive professional chef's knife as a tin opener. Not really any surprise that these were the first to leave.

And in a surprise, there were a second pair of dropouts. I can almost feel an episode coming on where Raymond just can't decide and gives everyone another chance coming on.... But as for the second drop-outs, maybe it was harsh editing - but the guy didn't know what he would call his restaurant. He can't really have not thought about this - Raymond asks this every year. He was either clueless or nervous. In either case, it might be an idea for him not to expose himself to such stressful restaurant naming situations again.

For the others, many can think themselves lucky the bar was set so low. Even at this very early stage, it's difficult to see quite a number of the couples lasting much longer:

• The picnic food boys might wink Raymond into sacking them
• The Packet-of-salmon couple seem really nice; but I'm not sure I'd go round their house for raw food
• There's 'badger' from the army who doesn't quite know what he's going to do yet but thinks he'll be fine in an Army town; Army lads being well known bon-viveurs.

I'm yet to spot the this year's model of Chris and Caroline; I do so hope a couple emerge in their daft-as-a-brush-but-loveable mould.

Sarah Willingham declared herself satisfied with the quality of the field. I'd be far more worried about that statement if it were my money going in any of their restaurants. She is though probably right to be satisifed with the entertainment quality of the contestants: roll on episode two.