In a candid interview, Kalen Allen, reflected on the upcoming episodes Roku’s “Celebrity Family Food Battle” to his holiday season plans and musical aspirations, and even comedian Ellen DeGeneres going back on tour.
Speaking to What’s Trending’s at Vidcon powered by PRophet, Allen kicked off the conversation by enthusiastically detailing his recent projects.
“I got 50-11 jobs. Right? So I think the most thing that has happened recently is, I came out with a new show called “Celebrity Family Food Battle” on Roku,” he shared animatedly. “It is executive produced by Sophia Vergara, hosted by her son, Monolo Gonzalez Vergara. And it is absolutely wonderful. Howie Mandel and Sophia battle it out on episode one, we are into the hijinks. And we at VidCon, actually the D’Amelio’s are on an episode as well, they compete.”
Reflecting on his experience working with Sophia Vergara and the rest of the cast, Allen couldn’t help but express admiration for the iconic actress. “The funny thing was, so I’m a judge on the show, and sitting there and watching Sophia just walk. I was like, damn, I want to be her when I grow up. I mean a fierce woman. Sickening.”
When asked about behind-the-scenes interactions and bonding moments with the cast, Allen humorously recalled their culinary adventures. “What’s funny is, I think, with anybody that was on the show was watching these people genuinely not know how to cook. There’s a part where Sophia couldn’t figure out how to crack an egg,” he chuckled.
Known for his straightforward critiques on the show, Allen contrasted his role on “Celebrity Family Food Battle” with his experiences on traditional food shows. “Well, the funny thing is that I’ve had the opportunity to judge so many different food shows and normally it’s been on Food Network. Like Beat Bobby Flay, Supermarket Steak-out, where you have real chefs, right?” Allen explained. “So the fun thing about this was that there weren’t real chefs. You had celebrities that didn’t know how to cook. And the fact that I was able to poke a little bit more fun, you know what I mean? I could be a little bit more honest, because these people didn’t have restaurants that they had to go back to.”
As the conversation turned to his upcoming projects, Allen revealed his excitement for the holiday season. “Oh, well, I’m really excited for the holiday season. I have a Netflix Christmas movie coming out called Meet Me Next Christmas, has Pentatonix and Christina Milian. It is going to be absolutely wonderful. And I also have a Christmas album coming out,” he shared enthusiastically.
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Discussing his musical journey and the creation of his Christmas album titled “Christmas Memories,” Allen emphasized the effort and passion behind the project. “A lot of work. I’ve actually worked on the album for three years,” he revealed. “It originally started as an EP and it was just going to be four songs. And then I was like, I feel like this needs to be a bigger body of work. So then I wrote more songs and there are 13 tracks. Yes, it is.”
Beyond his professional endeavors, Allen spoke passionately about nurturing relationships within the industry. “Yeah, absolutely. I try to keep relationships with everybody, especially, the ones that are the most fun,” he shared. “I think it’s important to be able to support each other, because we live in a day and age where people care about these numbers and stuff like that. But sometimes the numbers aren’t always equivalent to talent and I care about talent.”
Reflecting on his interactions with Ellen DeGeneres, Allen expressed excitement for her upcoming tour and their shared love for entertainment. “I am excited that she has found the courage to go back out into the world to do standup again,” he remarked. “We talk about a lot about TV shows or movies. She watches a lot of TV shows and movies. Yeah. Like Ted Lasso, she put me on to Ted Lasso.”
As fans anticipate his upcoming projects, Allen remains a vibrant force in entertainment, eager to share his passion and authenticity with the world.
