Anyone who thinks Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg are a strange pairing doesn’t remember their first encounter back in 2008 when Snoop was a guest on Stewart’s show Martha, where the two made mashed potatoes. Even back then the chemistry was electric and thus set the scene for 8 years later when they’re now co-hosting their own show on VH1, Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party.

The first episode was filled with celebrity guests stars including Seth Rogan, Wiz Khalifa, and Ice Cube. Part cooking show, part backyard house party, this one hour premiere celebrated the glorious meal that is fried chicken, and I couldn’t wait for these two show off their own personal cooking styles.

The set is divided into two kitchens, on the right is the provincial white Bedford kitchen stocked with Martha Stewart’s pristine cooking line and to the left, Snoop’s ode to no-fuss, homestyle cooking with grill in front of his flattop and blinged out accessories. Martha and Snoop were battling it out for the Fried Chicken Championship and they took no prisoners in the contest.

A live audience egged on the competitors who took their sweet time to get to cooking. While I loved their banter, I was more than ready to see some cooking action after 15 minutes. Martha and Wiz teamed up and got to work on her famous chicken recipe that included a two day salt water brine, followed by a buttermilk bath, and a dredging in a heavily seasoned flour. Her fry vehicle of choice, a heavy pot and a trusty meat thermometer.

Snoop and Seth Rogen on the other hand, decided to wing it. Deciding to fry only wings, Snoop stated he only had “12 minutes, not three days” so he used his secret seasoning of crushed BBQ chips, egg and flour, then fried it to crisp in a cast iron skillet. Ice Cube gave it a taste and immediately begged Snoop to cook his chicken a little more. The look on his face might lead you to believe Snoop’s secret ingredient might be Salmonella. As it is with the magic of television, after the commercial break fully cooked fried chicken just happened to appear. It’s a good thing, because Ice Cube Gets Food Poisoning would be the worst reality show ever.

In the middle of all this cooking and interviewing the two hosts laid down some fried chicken facts. Martha stated that fried chicken was brought to America by Scottish immigrants while Snoop recounted Obama’s visit to Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles and that his order of the #9 Country Boy is now known as #9 Obama. Seeing as how that’s also my personal favorite on the Roscoe’s menu, I agree with his excellent choice.

Once the cooking was done, Martha and Snoop sat down to a family meal with their guests by saying grace and playing a party game. A play on Two Lies and Truth, the chicken-centric show played Two Thighs and a Truth with some very interesting truths. Seth Rogen auditioned for Dwight on The Office. Wiz Khalifa was born in North Dakota. Ice Cube went to architectural drafting school, and Snoop’s best high school subject was Calculus. But the weirdest truth of them all was that Martha has been struck by lightning three times.

Listening to her recount how each time happened makes you wish the show was less about fried chicken and more about why this woman seems to attract electric current. More telling is when she says, “Jail doesn’t make you stronger, only lightning does.” To which Cube stated, “I think God is trying to kill you.” To quote Seth Rogen earlier in the show, “this is the weirdest group of people on a stage.”

After an hour of weed jokes, fried chicken cooking, and Martha Stewart’s battle with electricity, there was no winner. Both dishes were so good that the show ended in a tie which makes perfect sense as Martha and Snoop are on equal footing as far as being charming entertainers and darn good chicken fryers.

The whole show ended with a musical performance by Anderson .Paak and a hankering for fried chicken. Until next week, Bone Appetizzle.

Deep Fried Thoughts:

-It’ll be interesting to see how this format translates into a half-hour show. I’m assuming either the cooking or the game playing has got to go. Or they can cut the weed and jail jokes entirely but then that would go against format.

-Martha revealed that she kills her own chickens by feeding them vodka and cutting off their heads. I don’t have a comment here, I’m just stating a fact.

-”Snoop was clowning the brine” – Seth Rogen. True, two days is a long time to wait for chicken, but brining is truly the best way to get the juiciest bird.

-Martha said she hates cold fried chicken and hearing those words has never made me feel so betrayed in all my life.

Did you watch Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party? Let us know what you thought in the comments and tag @nerdist and @justjenn on Twitter tell us if you eat fried chicken cold because we all know it’s good that way, Martha.