Much like the much-missed Arashi VIP Room, which also used to feature exclusively female guests, complete with a hug for the Arashi member they want as their boyfriend, the idea of only women guests and having them-gasp- have to KISS the guys DOES seem a bit erm..chauvinistic?, espeacially in these times, but back then it really seemed like such a sweet show. And my GOSH, did it introduce me to a whole BEVY of BEAUTIFUL women, and with the carefree set-up of the show, you got to see them relaxed and chatty with host Nakai, always coming away from the show like you've seen the guest's "real" personality!
The formula of the show went liek this: a special guest is introduced and asked what her favorite food/ingredient is. Once they've related that bit of information, Nakai (who acts as host for the show) calls down to his two teams for an order based around it. While the two teams go into a flurry of prepping and cooking, Nakai interviews the guest about her history and also her upcoming events. In a little while, he escorts the guest down to the kitchen where she can see her meal being prepared, and chat with the boys at the same time, Then they go back up to the table until the food is ready and then she takes turns eating from team one's dishes and then team two's. When she is done, the boys wolf down the rest of the meal and when everyone is rested, she gives her judgement of which team she liked most.
Then comes the highlight of the show, and that's the fun and often hilarious kissing segment as she rewards her chefs!
Naturally, giving a kiss to a member of SMAP as well as receiving a kiss from some beautiful or well-established actress can be nerve-wracking for all involved, so you're almost guaranteed some kind of entertaining scene developing! And keeping with this train of thinking, the producers of the show thought it'd be great to edit together all of the past teams wins starting from Bistro #27 on down. Sometimes the rewards are quick and precise, but sometimes, things get SOO OMOSHIROII!!
Some Highlights I found Hilarious:
Takako Matsu. Goro wanted to win this one SO MUCH, that when he, he ripped up paper into confetti and threw it about!
Hitomi Takahashi looked particularly luscious here, and I completely understood when, after getting a nice big smack on the cheek, Kimura leaned over to Nakai’s shoulder and sobbed with overwhelming pleasure, LOL!
Reiko Takashima was a favorite of Kimutaku’s and he wanted the camera to get his kiss from her just right. Sadly, when the kiss finally came, Nakai, jokester that he is, stuck his head right in the way, AHAHAHA!!!
Child actresss Yumi Adachi, who was extremely popular back in those days, came on, but as she was but a waif at the time, the announcer correctly labeled her win as a “No-Count”
When Mieko Harada gives Goro his kiss, he says exactly what I would have said: "Ureshiiii!"
The Rie Miyazawa episode is a favorite of mine, and I’ll have to get that complete one up if I can. Rie is so pretty and elegant, that the boys feel funny about getting a kiss from her. Instead, Shingo says he’d be proud to have her kiss his wrist, to which she complies. Tsuyoshi, however, says he’ll do it “American Style”, which to him meant waving his arms around like a fool. Luckily Rie gets him to stand still long enough to give him one of those side to side kisses, though everyone makes fun of him afterwards!
Naomi Zaizen is a fave actress of mine, so I certainly don’t blame Kimura for jokingly trying to time it so when she kisses him she’ll accidentally kiss him on the lips! When his ploy fails, he hilariously gestures “Shimatta!”
With the advent of more and more “mainstream” guests and superstars, the boys have pretty much eliminated both the theme of female guests as well as the fun Kiss Reward system, and while it’s thrilling to see a Michael Jackson or Jude Law appearing on the show, MY heart harkens back to the days when it was just pure, sweet FUN!