Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray is a TV cooking-show host born August 25, 1968, best known for her show 30 Minute Meals on the Food Network, being one of the biggest draws for said network's male audience, and for her perky personality. She also hosts a Talk Show, which is syndicated by CBS.
It should be noted (and is constantly noted by actual professional chefs who overhear people getting this wrong) that she isn't a chef. She is, rather, a former sports-journalist who taught herself to cook; her cookbooks were ghost-written for her by actual chefs, and the recipes she uses on her show are likewise prepared for her by actual chefs. This should not be construed as taking anything away from Ms. Ray's charisma or her talent as a television host, or from her enthusiasm for and talent at cooking.
Shows she's hosted:
- 30 Minute Meals
- Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels
- $40 A Day
- Rachael Ray
- Rachael Ray's Week in a Day
- Big Eater: Well, duh!
- But I Play One on TV: She's not actually a chef. Doesn't stop anyone from calling her one though, to the irritation of actual chefs.
- Cat Smile: But that great big toothy grin of hers is the real thing.
- Unless you're one of the people that thinks it and her wide, slightly crazed eyes make it look more like a Slasher Smile.
- Catch Phrase: "Yummo!", "Delish", "EVOO" for extra virgin olive oil, and a few others.
- Fully-Automatic Clip Show: Her talk show staff made one about her discussing the costumes on Dancing With the Stars, usually calling them "tiny."
- Genki Girl: Very, very much so.
- Hidden Depths: Her fandom of indie rock music is as surprising as NBC news anchor Brian Williams'. She hosted her own stage at the 2008 South by Southwest festival featuring artists she personally selected, and did it again in 2009 and 2010.
- Hollywood Pudgy: Let's just say that in choosing to cook rather than act on TV, she's avoided this pitfall.
- Milestone Celebration: Rachael's 1000th talk show had lots of surprises, and a giant, flashing 1000 on the set.
- Motor Mouth: See the note about her hatedom above.
- Ms. Fanservice: Yeah, it's perfectly normal for TV chefs to shake their hips on their way to the fridge.
- Actually, nowadays it is increasingly normal for TV chefs, for better or worse. That being said, Food Network pioneered this.
- Refusal of the Call: She originally didn't think she was good enough to be on Food Network, saying "You're champagne, I'm beer." The executives assured her that they liked beer.
- Shopping Montage: Every episode of her Travelogue Shows has one. Every. Single. One.
- Travelogue Show: Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels and $40 A Day
- Vocal Evolution: Her voice has gotten a lot raspier and her accent has deepened as she's gotten older.