At a Glance
- Duff Goldman and Kardea Brown test their knowledge of Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang in a new Food Network video
- Terms like rizz, serving, the ick, pookie, ate, and sus are explained and laughed over
- The segment highlights how the Kids Baking Championship hosts stay current with young contestants
- Why it matters: Shows how chefs working with kids must adapt to ever-changing youth culture to stay connected
The Kids Baking Championship co-hosts are trying to keep up with their young contestants-one slang word at a time. In a fresh Food Network clip, Duff Goldman, 51, and Kardea Brown, 38, trade buzzwords and definitions to decode what Gen Z and Gen Alpha are actually saying.
The Slang Challenge
Goldman kicks things off by explaining why the lesson matters.
> “We’re working with kids. So there’s a lot of stuff we need to know. Most importantly, we need to understand Gen Z and Gen A slang.”
Brown’s first test is defining rizz. She hazards, “Does that mean something cool?”
Goldman confirms, “It is cool to have rizz,” and likens the term to old-school swag, moxie, or chutzpah.
Serving Looks and Giving the Ick
Next, Brown quizzes Goldman on serving. His restaurant-themed guess-“your server is serving you dinner”-misses the mark.
Brown clarifies: “It means to describe an attractive person, like ‘Oh, she’s serving. She’s serving looks.'”
When the ick pops up, Goldman jokes, “Was that a character on Saved by the Bell?” before landing on the right idea: something suddenly gross or off-putting.
Other quick hits include:
- Pookie – a term of endearment for a friend (“That’s my pookie”)
- Ate – to perform flawlessly, as in “She ate and left no crumbs”
- Sus – short for suspicious, not “sussing out” a mystery
Goldman closes with self-aware humor about adults co-opting teen lingo:
> “That’s not what kids think when adults use their lingo… it gives me the ick.”
Key Takeaways
- Staying relevant matters when your co-stars are half your age
- Slang evolves fast–rizz equals today’s swag
- Using teen terms can backfire if timing or tone feels forced
The playful segment underscores how food TV personalities adapt to connect with younger audiences-and why sometimes it’s best to let the kids do the talking.
