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Around The World In 80 Plates: Exclusive Interview with Jenna Johansen

Posted on 06/21/2012 by Gina in Around the World in 80 Plates and Cast Interviews

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Jenna Johansen from Around The World In 80 Plates

 

by Gina Scarpa and Kylene Hamulak

 

As one of the stronger personalities on Around the World in 80 Plates, Jenna Johansen definitely added a lot to the dynamic of the remaining chefs on the show. Most respected her cooking even when they were less fond of her personality and, with so few chefs left in the competition, both worked against her. We caught up with Jenna today to find out more about what drew her to 80 Plates, her proudest moment, and her reaction to finding out how her fellow competitors felt about her.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What were the biggest factors that drew you to Around The World In 80 Plates? Any reservations about doing a reality show?
A. Jenna: It was the travel and the cooking. Those are my two big passions. I'm actually not that competitive of a person. I was a little bit nervous but I got so caught up in the excitement of the fact that it was travel and food, I kind of forgot about the reality show premise until I actually got there.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You seem to have had a pretty broad knowledge of cultures, particularly in Europe. Which course or takeover were you most proud of and why?
A. Jenna: Ooh, that's difficult! I'm proud of how I did the whole time. Let me think about that for a second! I'll say when we were in France because I worked front of the house and communicated with people. I kind of speak French. I also did the chocolate cake. I made a dish, I ran the front of the house, and that was a really difficult one.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You did an excellent job at the front of the house for several challenges where other chefs struggled with the language. How much (if any) of an advantage do you credit to your knowledge of language while working in foreign countries?
A. Jenna: I think knowing other languages definitely helped me, especially in Italy, and being familiar with the culture. I think that it's not the only thing that it's important but it definitely helped. There are other ways to communicate as long as your are respectful.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: As you stated in the beginning of the episode, when it's this deep in the competition, eliminations are personal and not based solely on cooking. IDid you have any sense of how your personality was coming off to the other chefs during your time with them, or were you surprised to hear the reactions as you watched the show?
A. Jenna: I think the situation encouraged people to look at negative characteristics or find and search for that in their competitors whereas if we were working as team and someone else was doing the voting, I think some things they thought were negative they would've actually enjoyed. I am really passionate about other cultures, I'm a leader, I love to talk - that wouldn't have been so annoying. I think we start to look for reasons to vote people off. Nobody said any of that stuff to my face.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Throughout the show, your strategy has been to put the best dish out that you possibly can, and that included Thailand, where your salad was the favorite. Would you have changed anything about your approach if you could?
A. Jenna: I stand by how I ran in the competition for sure. I wish I was a little bit better of a strategist. I was just there blindly every week trying so hard to get to the next country. If I was planning better, I would've tried to form alliances rather than friendships. I would've been a little wiser about that but that's not my nature.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: If you could've picked any city to be on your 80 Plates itinerary, which one would it be?
A. Jenna: I was really hoping that we would go to Australia, New Zealand, or Greece.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What are you up to now and what's in your future?
A. Jenna: I have a blog with my fiance called The Last Thing We Ate. I'm a new blogger and that's something we've been working on. I'm just taking a little sabbatical. I'm doing a lot of things I've never had time to do. I have some good things in the works! I need to get my heiny back in the kitchen!

 

 

Around The World In 80 Plates airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Bravo.

 

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

 

 


  


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