"Worth A Shot" Is Worth A Second Season

I've just finished watching the short yet wonderfully inventive show "Worth A Shot" starring (hosted?) the ever so pleasant Ricky Wang, and I'm here to tell you the three simple reasons that the world needs a second season of this.

The Ingenuity

The first episode premiered on February 25th of this year on the Watcher entertainment channel on Youtube (I wrote an article detailing my love for it here), and the premise is that Ricky Wang will be challenged by the guest to create a drink using the ingredient they choose. Now there were only three episodes in this inaugural season, but the chosen guests certainly ran the gamut of difficulty. The very first episode featured the strange ingredient of Hot Cheetos. Not being a huge Cheetos fan at all I was a little bleh about it. To my surprise, worked out really well as a spicy margarita!

Imagine my horror when the season finale guest chose a Big Mac.

Yet, somehow, a delicious Bloody Mary type drink was created from that overly processed sadness sandwich! Looking back at those episodes, the workarounds he did to create those drinks are clearly witchcraft (perhaps the work of possession by Spaghetti the Ghost), but as you're watching it and Wang explains it you're just nodding along like "oh of course. Quite right. Personally I'd have liked a little liquid smoke." Knowing damn well you (I, it's just me, I shouldn't be projecting my issues onto you) couldn't even make a good Moscow Mule.

Look, all I'm saying is that the level of creativity and flavor profiling genius is a joy to behold. It's like . . . mm . . . watching the Bob Ross of bartending? No mistakes, just happy little accidents here, because a true professional can always change up the game and turn a potential clash into success. Seriously, who the hell even thinks about making Hot Cheetos into ice cubes? Or making cereal into a milk punch?!

The Charm

Ricky Wang is the charming local bartender you imagine would have a little business in some dreamy, affordable, close-knit community where your favorite after-work hangout is warmly lit, like something out of a sitcom. But more than charm, Ricky has an incredible level of competence and innovative skill. I never thought I would ever knowingly choose a quote by Ryan Gosling . . . but his quote applies here: "To watch a master at work at anything is a privilege."

Maybe you could argue bias in the case of every guest on the show being friends of Ricky, but the thing is that he explains every step of what he's doing. And those steps, as far as an amateur like me can tell, make sense? Like, yes, of course you could create a tincture to control the amount of flavor in your drink instead of just throwing everything in one glass and letting Jesus take the sous vide. It's only logical, isn't it, that you strain your quickly mixed milk punch three times over to ensure a silky final product rather than just putting the first muddled and soupy version in a glass like some heathen. Yeah, rolling your limes and lemons absolutely helps increase juicing capabilities!

All this helpful information and quick changes of thought process spoken aloud show you that Ricky Wang is one damn fine professional bartender. How's it go- the best teacher is one who can explain the information to someone who's never heard it before, rather than an expert who couldn't tell you how they get their answers? And you'll get your wonderfully easy to follow explanation, along with some quips and modest amazement at his own skills.

The Originality

This isn't something I'm seeing on the Cooking Channel, or the Food Network- not anywhere else (well maybe on Netflix, I don't know)! This is a food-based challenge show, technically, but it's nothing like "Chopped", "The Great Food Truck Race", or "Iron Chef." And to be honest I'm tired of those shows.

I like shows of this caliber where there isn't this cutthroat atmosphere and you're punching and crawling over competitors. There's a time limit and a challenge, but the only worry is that Ricky really wants his friends to like what he's made. And that's so nice! You get to watch someone who is really good at what they do create something completely new, off the dome, to make their friends happy. Just good vibes and booze.

Honestly "Worth A Shot" is the perfect foil to a cooking show on Watcher called "Dish Granted" hosted by/starring Steven Lim (and Tony, and Brittney). Steven makes the dish of his friends' dreams, and Ricky makes the drink of his friends' dreams, and I want to see more! I want to see Ricky create more zany, zesty, amazing drinks using ingredients like, I don't know- the Big Cheez-it Tostada. I want to watch someone skilled at their craft, and more than that I want to watch someone genuinely enjoy and take delight in their craft.

So. Beyond me just putting out this super long rambling letter to Watcher for a second season, here's what YOU reading this article can do. Go watch that show. It's fun, it's informative, it's going to give you great ideas for your next summer barbeque. Watch it and spike those views so that they can see that the people want more Ricky Wang!