Italian Show Tests American Hospitality

| Thu, 12/16/2010 - 08:38
The Comfort of Strangers

One of Italy’s most popular TV shows is coming to the United States. The competitive reality show “Cortesie Per Gli Ospiti” (or “The Comfort of Strangers”) is moving to New York.

The show is based on the hospitality Italians are famous for. On each episode, two households compete to see who can host the best dinner party. A trio of judges grades the challengers on food, décor and evening entertainment.

The New York show will be similar to the original Italian version, with two of the original judges plus a new New York based one, evaluating the hospitality of Italians living in the United States. Alessandro Borghese, a chef, Roberto Ruspoli, an expert on etiquette and interior designer Marina Sagona, will find out if Italians living in America can throw a dinner party as well as their compatriots back in Italy.

The gorgeous table settings, mouth-watering menus and cheeky critiques by the experts, should make the New York spin-off an instant hit.

So will the contestants in America have the ability to impress the Italian judges with their conversation, culture and culinary expertise? And will the American-based ingredients and American-influenced recipes compare to the ones from the motherland? Check out some clips from the show below: