Press: Who’s hotter? Who’s drunker? Who will find buried treasure? These podcasts ask the essential questions
Posted on The AV Club. Written by Marnie Shure, Benjamin Cannon, Becca James, Mike Vanderbilt, Jose Nateras, and Zach Brooke
Historical Hotties
Chefs
Each episode of Historical Hotties finds sister duo Whitney and Lindsey Nelsen debating the attractiveness of various figures throughout history. Previous episodes have pitted American novelists Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison against one another, as well as composers Igor Stravinsky, Franz Liszt, and George Gershwin. This week is a three-way, no-holds-barred steel-cage match featuring guest Sam Greszes. The sisters and Greszes debate who’s the hottest chef: Marie-Antoine Carême, Martino Da Como, or Julia Child. (The rules state that the chef could not be among the living, rendering Anthony Bourdain ineligible). The hosts judge the competitors on intellectual attractiveness, physical attractiveness, influence, and that intangible element, je ne sais quoi. The show features a lively debate over who was the original celebrity chef, Da Como or Carême, and the hosts briefly explore Child’s time working as a spy. Historical Hotties moves along at an impressive clip, and it’s a lot of fun listening to the hosts passionately argue for a very silly case. So who is the hottest chef? No spoilers here; you’ll have to listen to for yourself. [Mike Vanderbilt]