This is not his usual mojo of programs, and something about it all just seems off. He can't put his finger on it, and trying to describe it fails to really bring any words, but it's also the reason why he can't seem to tear his eyes away and ignore it for something else instead. Was it bias? Uncanny valley? How exactly did those specific batch of strangers get pulled on stage? Their reactions seem genuine, and it's a lot like how that happened to him and his friends for that Winter Jam. But he's not sure on a lot of things in general when he's still new...

The mint recipes, though. Oh gosh. Cheese and mint pastries sounded good, and sign him up for peppermint salt water taffy! But... uh... it's very obvious that both contestants that had them baked those in a rather rough manner. He'd still taste them, don't get him wrong, and A+ for effort! They shouldn't listen to how unnecessarily harsh the judge was, no matter if it was genuine, or just the reality TV show act.

But he still can't help but wince, Tails' ears pinning back. "Guess I'll keep those recipes in mind..." he mutters, because Chip knows he isn't not going to try recreating them just to taste it for himself. He knows well the little guy would have encouraged it, even; and the thought of the tiny god drilling into the judge, while eagerly consuming everyone else's efforts is perhaps the only thing that's making this watch a little more bearable.

He can sympathize and already feel the exhaustion bleeding through this single first round, otherwise.

"For later," he says without question, tails swishing as a hand cups his chin. Talking about it is one way to restore the light in his eyes, at least. "Some of these sound great to make, but something's clearly going awry in the process, whether that's pressure, or... something else..."

Honestly, some of the contestants seemed like they had never picked up a pan in their lives. Too many people did, really, and while most of their outfits suggested this was a high-class event, how could someone explain the appearance of the badger that baked the tupig? That was someone of a lower caste trying their best, and being on stage like that only would've added to their humiliation.

The spider lady? That's who the kid was referring to, right? She went before either of the mint-flavored contestants, but Tails was a little busy already being infected by game show blues to properly pay attention. Then again...

"I doubt she actively is, from how she presented her end product. But now that you mention it... the flour spilling onto her the moment she lifted it was definitely not intentional, and I could've sworn there used to be ginger before it became onion and turmeric powder. Who even bakes red pepper flakes into pie?"

An ear and tail flicks as the kid briefly makes eye contact with his own sky blue eyes, before Tails narrows them back at the screen. Spotted somethings, huh? He should definitely be paying closer attention then, and not be focusing on the misery of the cast. Something else was, in fact, going on, making this show all the more unfair, and his own personal feelings should be put on the backburner for now.

Round 2 starts, and it's when the camera focuses back on the opossum that he audibly gawks—right there! The flour and powered sugar! A little, tiny suspect shape! And then the oven wasn't working, next plates were scattered everywhere, and he can see the bites being taken out of each "cookie" live. Of course, there's the cascading embarrassment at one of the possum kids trying to gracefully point it out to the judge and failing, but one would know.

"I see it. And if production is keeping it in view, then post-production doesn't care, or this really is live, or it's both—they endorse the sabotaging efforts. None of this is fair to even begin with!"

Surely, there was a reason why something as simple as being able to go anywhere in this ball mattered so much, but the real goal was to make them all look like fools. Tails doesn't even care about how audible his outburst was, he's just mad that everyone, if not most in the production crew involved is ultimately a bully.

"The rats should really watch out, then..." His tails swish in agitation. "Both of them each had good scores that balance each other, and it's likely sabotage might be aimed at either of them next. The opossum scored well last round, and look at what's happened now."

"It does!" Game shows that allowed fraud of some kind were often looked down upon, weren't they? He didn't quite see the reception to the Clean Sweepstakes' exposure due to being busy trapped in a melting engine room, but looking around online had revealed how the crowd was, and he's glad that the masses were able to be on the same page there. But whether or not that would also apply to here...

While the boy threw his hands up, Tails' expression just plain flattens at how readily the mic recorded the host's attempt at whispering off-screen. Fight to the death? Really? Okay. More people should adopt the blueish-gray rat's attitude when it came to admitting things, and there's a distinct thought that there would've been some level of respect to brazenly asking things on-camera.

He can't judge on appearance at all, nor can he dismiss Lady Frou Frou's attitude with this being his first impression, but King Jilly Juice was doing a poor job at defining subtlety. He's unsettled by her, huh? That in itself raises another brow that he'll keep in mind for later.

"The opening said some event called the Starlight Auction Ball. Seems like it's being held at some place called the Infinity Spiral in Drakkonvale." Without batting an eye, the Miles Electric is in his hands below, typing away as Tails remains focused on the broadcast, using peripheral view to his advantage. "Not sure what happens if they lose, since this seems to be a one-off show to the main ones. But either way, it's too late to admit any new guests, and we're far from docking at any planets.

"Everyone is admitted through their wristbands, the color of which determines the auction areas they're allowed to visit. That's why the prize of the black wristband seems so valuable, but... for what reason would any of the contestants want it? Is it even a good idea to win...?"

A brow raises at the kid's claim for "intellectual reasons," as if Tails wasn't trying to formulate an idea, himself. It was less in the manner of questionable actions, and more of a wonder if they had any suggestions to take. Far be it from him to not listen to any possible ideas, age didn't matter in this case.

"But for what reasons, in specific...?" the fox asks to himself, not expecting an answer. It wasn't as if they could saunter in and do that, and he doubts any social media profile of them would desire to discuss it—should any profiles even exist that he could track down. Something smelt fishy still, and a live program could only give so many answers. If they weren't allowed to kill on-screen, what would that say regarding off of it?

"Definitely not," he repeats, mouth on his muzzle twisting as Lady Frou Frou essentially suppressed King Jilly Juice into a shadow. There had to be some reason why he was scared of her, and the reaction of some of the contestants, well... They didn't imply good things, either.

She knows their names, and acts as if she sweetly knows them personally, for one. For two, here's shortly a grimace as Tails witnesses the sabotage on the black rat, but he can't decide on whether or not he should be relieved their score would be lowered, since winning wasn't optimal. The answer solidifies once she gives a suspect comment that visibly ticks them off once the ant turned around, something about owning a planet(?!) named Ekosi.

"A what you own?!" slips from his mouth, as he looks up information on what exactly are people thinking on social media. Surely there had to be some form of protest to how awful this was, right? Right?

...

A carefully crafted expression sits on his face, as his main focus flicks from the screen of the show, to the screen of his tablet instead. Especially regarding the times the camera was focusing on the moth, and now her judgement... debating on a scale like this? Bitterness surfaces on his tongue, while his ears pin back. This was none of their business. This should have been none of their business to even pry.

The kid doesn't need to know anything about this, as he opens up a blank file and begins typing in lines of code. Some people need to desperately learn what compassion meant.

An ear swerves to the side, before Tails looks directly at the Cybertronian. It's not exactly what he meant, but he appreciates the sentiment since Rung had said something similar before devouring a regular sugar cube. But did this one try too much organic stuff at once, or only just a little?

The question catches him off-guard though, causing him to blink a couple times. Should he be around a drunk Cybertronian...? It should be fine, right?

"...Uh. A fox. Specifically, a—"

King Jilly Juice's voice suddenly booms louder from the TV, talking over Tails as he advertises his spacestagram.

"—fox."

Oh, it's going to be like that, huh. Admittedly, it's amusing to see a giant robot mimicking an animal trait, though he's not sure if this should go on record for "memories to remind of from when you were drunk." Maybe he should keep that to himself unless asked?

Well... um. He personally thought the screening got too loud to hear, but if this guy says so!

"Yeah, they're all being baked by hand... and I recognize some of these recipes. Tupig is a Filipino dish, savory bread with chillis is a standard one, steamed buns area regular in Chun-nan, salt water taffy is an older recipe from the early days of the United Federation..."