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The Next Food Network Star - 3.6 Recap

YumSugar — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 11:30:38 -0700

Oh Next Food Network Star, just when I think you can't get any worse... warning don't read on if you're not interested in spoilers.

What should have been an amazing episode - Iron Chef battle! - turned out to be dull and boring. The contestants have to battle against each other in "kitchen stadium junior" and are assisted by former contestants. Paul "The Party Budget" and his sous chef Mike, go up against Rory "The Backyard Bistro" and her sous chef Adrien in a striped bass battle. Jag "Latino Fusion" and his sous chef Colombe (who was made to look as slow and incompetent as possible) go up against Amy and her sous chef Tommy in a whole chicken battle. Now is it just me, or does striped bass seem a bit more difficult than whole chicken?

The challenges are done back to back, and when they're not cooking, the contestants have to provide commentary to the camera. Amy does a great job and even researches Panko crumbs, Jag is okay, while Rory and Paul are just terrible. Paul declares that plum tomatoes are from "plummy" and Rory thinks she's being cute by attacking Alton Brown. Speaking of AB, he should seriously start reading through his contracts better. He does not seem like he wants to be there and it feels as though he is "contractually obligated" to show up - maybe that's not the case, but it sure comes across that way. Not that I'm complaining, he was - for the second week in a row - actually the most entertaining part of the show.

To find out who won and who went home, read more

In the end, Amy's dishes are declared a "home run" and her perfect commentary secures her a place in the final 3. They also let Rory (who I am now calling Rachael-lite) stick around until next week, leaving Jag and Paul on the chopping block. Here is where I thought we would finally say farewell to Jag (whose breakdown cry-baby tendencies are starting to get to me), but nope, we bid adieu to Paul who (according to Bobby Flay) "needs to learn how to use a spice rack.

What did you guys think, were you sad to see Paul go? Are you even watching this still? Who do you want to win? Let us know in the comments!

Who Should Win The Next Food Network Star?

YumSugar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:40:18 -0700

If you're watching this season of Next Food Network Star, I have to know, who do you think should win?

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The Next Food Network Star - 3.5 Recap

YumSugar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:01:38 -0700

Based on the previews, I was actually looking forward to last night's Next Food Network Star. I'm a big Alton Brown fan and the commercials made it look like it was going to be an interesting drama-loaded trainwreck. So naturally, like all drama-loaded trainwrecks, I couldn't wait to watch.

Let me start with one word: Wow. And that's more of an "Are you serious?" sort of wow, as opposed to an "Amazing!" sort of wow.

We're down to five chefs and at this point none of them look like they're ready (or deserve) their own show. They're yelling, crying, flubbing lines, not cooking anything, and just failing in every way possible. I know that there's a lot of fancy editing, and that they're living in this unnatural pressure-cooker type of environment, but still, get it together folks. Quit your crying, start your cooking, and get ready to be a star!

To see what happened, find out who went home, and discover what causes Alton to breakdown and say, "Can we send them all home and start over?" read more

The show begins with Alton "the supreme educator of Food Network" Brown greeting the contestants in the kitchen for a quick challenge. For the first challenge they each pull three ingredients and are told they have 30 minutes to come up with a dish that they have to present to the camera. That's right, the contestants are finally going under the "gun" of Food Network and will have to present their own recipe in three minutes without stopping.

Once the cameras start rolling things were semi-ok. Rory should have cut stuff up, Jag should have been less gourmet, Paul shouldn't have told so many non-related stories, Amy should have been more put together and Adrien should have actually cooked something... anything.

When they're done with their first challenge, they're then presented with their least favorite food item. For Amy it's bokchoy; Jag, tofu; Paul, lima beans; Rory, goat cheese; Adrien, baby corn. They then have to design a dish that glorifies their ingredient, and then create a 5 minute demonstration with 4 major talking points. Oh and again, it's going to be live with no stops.

Here's where the already mediocre events take a turn for the worst. Amy can't concentrate and cries all night about going home. The next day, Jag throws a tantrum over missing banana peppers [note to self: do not piss off this guy]. Then, when the presentations start, you can actually see the pain and discomfort in Alton's face. He wants out of this room, and is probably wondering how he ended up having to do all of this anyway. Paul rambles on and makes an awkward joke about his hands burning. Amy forgets her script completely and goes blank. Jag has a bajillion ingredients, drops his tofu and says that it's "not half bad." Rory and her huge smile are boring. Adrien "roasts" things in a sauté pan, and tops his dish with a raw egg. See? Disaster. At this point I don't know who I'd watch, I can't tell who I like and I'm not even sure who did the worst.

During panel the judges are rightfully harsh and Amy tells them she wants to go home, only to change her mind immediately. So she stays, as does Rory and Paul - who was the "one person who showed a succinct upgrade" from the day before. Which means we are left with Jag and Adrien on the chopping block. After a few tense moments, they tell Adrien to leave. I'm a little bummed by this, but had already guessed the outcome. Also, what does it say when the one guy who already has a cooking show is kicked off?

Wow. I can't believe there are only 4 contestants left. I think I'm rooting for Paul at this point, and hope he makes it to the end. I guess we'll see what happens after next week's Iron Chef inspired challenge.

Did you guys watch? What did you think?

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The Next Food Network Star - Season 3 Finale Recap

YumSugar — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 11:03:38 -0700

Did you watch the finale of the Next Food Network Star? If so, then you know that it was a weird snooze-love-fest hosted by Marc Summers. I still have a hard time thinking of him as a "food personality," mostly because I can't seem to disassociate him from Double Dare. I spent the whole time expecting him to yell, "On your mark. Get set. Go!" - which, by the way, he never did. Although now that I've thought about it, don't you think NFNS would be more entertaining if the contestants had to go through physical challenges and obstacle courses? But I digress...

The finale episode was mostly a recap/reunion show. We saw highlights from the season, behind the scene clips, the contestants now (anyone like Jag's little glasses?), and all the tears, whining and goofing off that happened during the season. They pretty much showed anything that would drag the show out for 58 minutes before the winner was declared. So who won? To find out, read more

After an awkward car sponsorship placement from Emeril, and a speech from the Food Network President, Bobby & Emeril announce that America has chosen Amy! The picture on the right pretty much sums up everything. Amy flabbergasted, Emeril and Bobby doing their duties, Marc hosting, Rory probably crying, and Adrien glaring, although I'm not quite sure who his angry face is directed towards. Oh and perhaps I am just too cynical, but doesn't it sort of look like they're taunting Amy? As if they are like little devils saying, "Take the key, be one of us! Take the key!"

In the end, I wonder what the percentage was. Although I was rooting for her, I was actually surprised that Amy won. How about you, were you surprised? Will you tune in to her show? What do you think of Jag & Paul's friendship? Did you notice how they never showed Rory's face after she hugged Amy? And finally, will you be tuning in to Season 4 of NFNS?

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The Next Food Network Star - 3.1 Recap

YumSugar — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 09:57:18 -0700

I never got into the first two seasons of "The Next Food Network Star." However, when I heard that the producers were "stepping up their game" this season, I decided to give it another try. Last night's two-hour premiere introduced us to 11 hopeful stars and you know what? It wasn't that bad. As the promos say, it's an all new season, all new rules. And from the look of things, it looks like the producers have taken a page out of Top Chef's rule book. There's more behind the scenes, at the dorms and in the kitchen, as well as faster-paced editing. To see what I thought of last night's premiere, read more

The show starts off immediately with Bobby Flay (each week a new Food Network personality will be the guest judge and host) telling them that they have one hour to create a dish for a potluck. The most successful dish ended up being from Colombe, a yoga instructor who wants an organic cooking show.

Next they're told they have 90 minutes to decorate a three-tiered wedding cake, which will be judged by none-other than Duff from Food Network's Ace of Cakes. At this point I was pretty surprised that they'd have a wedding challenge so soon in the game. However, it must be a quick way to sort out the folks that get it, from those that don't (what was with some of those cakes?!?). The winning cake was a simple white cake with blue dots, created by Amy, who also happened to be the only person who had ever worked with fondant before.

After the wedding cakes were rated, they're then greeted by Robert Irvine from Dinner Impossible. If you thought the 90 minute wedding cake was a zinger, he's there to raise the bar. Try a complete semi-vegetarian wedding for 100 people in just 6 hours. That's right 6 hours. The winners of the two previous challenges become team captains, and Amy (in a stroke of genius) purposely chooses the folks who are caterers. Also one team has 6 folks and the other has 5, but gets an extra $500 to make up for it. Surprisingly, the team that has $2300 to spend, only spends $800. Whaaat? I could spend more than $800 cooking for 30, let alone 100.

The show gets pretty interesting around this point as the orange team seems to do everything wrong. They don't buy enough food, they put chicken stock in the vegetarian dish, they run out of food, and my favorite part, they leave their table and Bobby Flay ends up covering for them! I could not believe that, I understand running back to get something real quick, but what went through the last person to leave's head? Oh yah I'll just leave the station alone, no one's going to notice.

At this point there are still too many faces and personalities for me too chose from. No one is standing out and since both "Top Chef" and "Hell's Kitchen" begin this week, I hope my brain can keep all these food hopefuls sorted out. Only time will tell, but until then, discuss:

How many times did Amy say the word Paris?
How about Salmon and "like the fish?"
What was with some of those wedding cakes? Were they channeling 3rd graders?

What would you do if you spilled dessert all over Bobby Flay?
If Colombe ends up winning, would Food Network actually air an all organic, all natural food show? I'd love it if they would, but I thought they were getting away from that.
Did Robert Irvine seem a bit rude to anyone else?
Berry skewers for a dessert? Seriously?
Anyone else notice the lovely fresh lemon wall during the interview portions? So refreshing!

So, did you watch? If so, what did you think?

The Next Food Network Star - 3.4 Recap

YumSugar — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 12:03:18 -0700

Before I start with last night's Next Food Network Star recap, I have a quick question: Would you actually watch a show hosted by any of these folks? None of them seem that likable. I once rooted for Adrien, but he's coming across as blah. Then I rooted for Amy, but she's too snooty/whiny. Paul is unfortunately too wound up for Food TV, Rory seems too much like everyone else on the network, Michael seems robotic and Jag, well Jag is sometimes downright scary. So, which of these contestants deserves the chance to build an empire? I'm not sure, but to find out who's no longer in the running, read more

Last night started off with the contestants headed to Fort Dix to cook for the military. Surprisingly, Giada is once again the guest host & judge, although Paula Deen does make an appearance - causing me to wonder why she wasn't the host/judge. Does Giada pull in higher ratings or is Paula too pricey?

The contestants start things off by taking MREs (Meal Ready to Eat) and re-inventing them into something a little more edible and tasty. They have 20 minutes to make it and 1 minute to present it. Amy says the word gourmet too many times, Adrien has the least flavorful dish and barely "made" anything, Jag had the worst presentation and a spicy stew, Rory made nothing memorable, Michael said MRI instead of MRE and Paul had a pretty nice presentation talking about carbs and nutrition. And although he was talking quite fast (Giada actually cut him off with a curt, "Thanks Paul"), Paul is the winner with best presentation and flavor.

With a win in his back pocket, Paul is now told to divide the group into three teams (he & Jag, Rory & Amy, Michael & Adrien) and to choose which dish each is going to prepare. They have to serve either lasagna, meatloaf or chicken pot pies to 75 military folks and are given 2 hours to prepare and prep and 3 minutes to present.

Here's where things start going crazy. Jag and Paul find out their oven doesn't work, so they deep fry their bacon wrapped meatloafs. Amy discovers there's no brown sugar, so she whines to Paula who says, "It'll be sweet and that's all that matters." Amy & Rory can't get their giant pasta pot to drain. Michael & Adrien forget to thaw their fruit and decide to serve it frozen. Once again, I wonder, "Would I actually watch any of these shows?"

When the food is ready, it's time to present. Jag and Paul are actually a lot of fun on stage - Paul even does several pushups. Michael awkwardly talks about Vietnam and Amy & Rory decide to flirt their way into the audience's heart. Ultimately Jag and Paul are declared victors with their deep-fried meatloaf and funny routine. However once everyone's in front of panel, things get emotional. I know I would probably do the same, but keep it together folks, you're on TV! There's no crying in TV! Oh wait, there is, and last night there was LOTS of it. Jag, Amy and Michael cried and a think Rory shed a little tear too. In fact I'm sort of surprised that the whole gang didn't break down. Come on Adrien and Paul, are you dead inside or what!?

In the end, Michael is sent home and the rest of the folks move on to the next round. Next week's episode looks especially interesting. Alton Brown is the guest host/judge and from the preview things look like they go horribly awry. In fact, Alton is even shown saying, "Send them all home and start over." I don't know about you, but I can't wait!

Oh and if you think you can do better than any of these folks, they're currently looking for season 4 contestants.

The Next Food Network Star - 3.2 Recap

YumSugar — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 11:01:18 -0700

This week on "The Next Food Network Star" the contestants were faced with two interesting challenges. First they had to present one section of a recipe in front of the camera, and then they had to come up with a signature grill dish. I must say, I was actually entertained by this episode, the editing and pacing were comfortable, and unlike last week's ludicrous wedding challenge, the challenges really seemed like a good way to determine a new star. Plus, having Giada de Laurentiis as this week's host/judge was a nice treat. To see what happened this week and find out who got kicked off, read more

In the first challenge, the cheftestants had to take Giada's recipe for Chicken Florentine and break it apart into 9 sections. Once the recipe was broken up, they then had to each pick a part and present it to the camera (as if they were on their own cooking show) in 60 seconds. However there was one catch, they had to work as a team and go in order. Meaning, if person #1 only got through part of their step, person #2 would have to finish their step AND try to complete their step. Right away they end up off schedule and Jag "takes one for the team" (as Giada said) and went into hyper-warp speed. In fact, while he was chopping, I actually had to make sure that I didn't accidentally hit the fast forward button on my Tivo.

Next they were told that they had 90 minutes to come up with a grilled dish and that the winning recipe will be featured on the July cover of Bon Appetit magazine. Their dish had to look delicious, be something a home cook could make, and be in season. When finished, they then had to cart it over to Gourmet's headquarters, prep it in 30 minutes and present it in 3. The highlights of the evening were Michael with a tasty looking chicken and Rory with the winning ribs and grilled cantaloupe.

So now that we've got the winners out of the way who were the losers? The bottom two were Adrien and Nikki. Adrien is one of my current favorites (although it still feels too early to say), he's been blessed with great people skills and the camera seems to love him. Unfortunately his food just isn't that great. At this point in the game, it would have been sad to see him go, but luckily we didn't have to as it was Nikki who got sent packing. It's interesting really, in her interview segments she seems lively and fun, but in front of the judges she is flat-out boring, like a Stepford wife, very robotic and dull. I won't be missing her at all.

Now for a few things to ponder:

How squashed are they in their judges' panel?? They're practically shoulder to shoulder!
I was nicely surprised that Barbara Fairchild (Gourmet's Editor-in-Chief) actually took time out to participate.
Michael's tip about sprinkling dried herbs over the coals was really interesting. I'm definitely going to have to give that a try.
I personally thought Paul's decor on his lamb was a cute, if not slightly dorky, touch - but man is he a nervous guy.
Did anyone else have a ton of commercials for Top Chef during their airing?

So did you guys watch? If so, what'd you think about it? Who are you rooting for, do you have any favorites yet?

The Next Food Network Star - 3.7 Recap

YumSugar — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 09:01:38 -0700

So um, wow. Did you guys see this coming? If you haven't watched the latest episode of the Next Food Network Star and are afraid of spoilers, then move right along, because something interesting actually happened this time.

I knew there had been a bunch of controversy over Jag's background - and thought it was a bit weird that Food Network has made no official comment about it - however I didn't think he would actually make it to the final two, so I assumed it wouldn't be a problem. Guess I was wrong. Jag made it to the final two only, you can't vote for him. To find out what happened, and why Jag was eliminated, read more

Okay, I've jumped ahead of myself, so let's back up a minute and start at the beginning of the episode. It starts off with Jag, Rory and Amy mixing up breakfast and what looks like mimosas, only to be joined by guest judge Bobby Flay and several folks from Food Network's PR team. They're told that they're doing a mini-media junket and are then whisked off to the XM Radio Stations to join the Ron & Fez show. Amy does wonderfully, Jag ends up talking trash about Food Network and Rory falls into every trap possible.

After the radio interview, the contestants are whisked back to the studios where they are interviewed and photographed by Star magazine. Jag keeps it positive and avoids questions about his past, Rory talks about how Food Network needs a bolder female personality (really? RR isn't bold enough?), and Amy keeps it real.

Once the interviews are over, they then head over to the Rachael Ray studios where they will each present their signature dish in front of a live studio audience. Amy is up first and does a good job of presenting, but accidentally comes across as snobby. Rory gets some funny looks from Bobby Flay (who seems bored out of his mind to be here) and pushes Rachael out of the way. While Jag wows the audience with jokes and charm, despite the fact that his recipe seemed more difficult. Oh and I wanted to take a second to note, despite what you think of RR, she's really good at her job. I noticed that whenever the contestants started to falter, she asked just the right question to get them back on track. Too bad she couldn't have come in and coached them earlier...

When the press junket is finally over, the judges decide that Rory is staying (my theory: RR is getting bigger than Food Network and Rachael lite is better than no RR at all) as is Jag (the guy is unstable and ridiculous, but he can sure entertain a crowd). I was absolutely stunned when they sent Amy home. She wasn't my favorite (I stopped having one of those weeks ago), but I thought she had the largest chance of staying in.

Now's where the interesting part comes in. We cut to commercial break, and when we return there is some white text on a black background describing the fact that Jag lied about both his service in Afghanistan, as well as his culinary education. They then show Jag telling the judges that he doesn't want to tarnish the FN name and is therefore resigning. I don't know about you guys, but I thought it felt more than just a little rehearsed. It's as if they said, you broke the rules, you're out of here, but so that we don't look dumb and you look like a good guy, you have a chance to resign on film. I mean, Jag's speech seemed like acting, don't you think? Oh and don't they do background checks on these folks? Shouldn't they have found this out before the public did???

So with Jag eliminated, who are you going to vote for? Amy or Rory? You've got until tomorrow - Tuesday, July 17 - at 9am/8c to get your decision in.

Does the fact that Amy is a "side-talker" (as in usually talks out of the side of her mouth) drive anyone else crazy? I think I'd vote for her over Rory, but it still drives me insane.

The Next Food Network Star - 3.3 Recap

YumSugar — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 11:03:18 -0700

Last night's episode of The Next Food Network Star saw the Food Network hopefuls prepping signature chocolate dishes for NBA royalty, as well as serving up courtside food for the fans. It also took us from eight chefs down to six. That's right, in one fell swoop we lost two contestants. So who went home and who got to stick around in hopes of becoming a star? To get my full recap, read more

Everything kicks off with the chefs being greeted by last year's FNS winner, and current Food Network darling, Guy Fieri, who is quickly joined by NBA star Darryl "Chocolate Thunder" Dawkins. They immediately inform the chefs that they have 45 minutes to create a chocolate dish that reflects their point of view. Once the dishes are finished, they then have 30 seconds to present it, along with a tip on chocolate, to the camera. Some of the contestants nail it, while others completely miss the mark (Michael didn't even look at the camera). Once everyone is done, it's JAG - who even snuck in an "It'll be a knock out baby!" catch phrase - who wins with his Mexican styled tempura with chocolate mole sauce.

After the chocolate challenge, they are given $300 to create a dish to serve, in hot-dog vendor style carts, at the next New Jersey Nets basketball game.

Once the food is prepped, they go about "selling" it to the customers. I'm not sure how Tommy thought anyone could eat a sandwich with a softball-sized meatball in it, but he did. Amy also thought Nets fans would be into quesadillas made with goat cheese. Paul almost poisons everyone with undercooked burgers, and I just loved how Rory specifically wore a low-cut shirt to help her sell!

In the end Adrien is declared victor with bacon wrapped mushrooms (see?! everything tastes better with bacon!) and the sadly lackluster Tommy and the spacey Colombe (who actually said, "Where might I find cinnamon? They're all alphabetized.") are asked to leave.

Right now nothing's certain, but I think I'm rooting for Adrien - he seems pretty likable and the camera loves him. Also, I feel pretty confident in saying that even if JAG turns out to be the most talented of the bunch, he's too much like Guy Fieri to win and unless Paul tones it down soon, he'll be "spinning out" sooner rather than later. What do you guys think? Who's your favorite?

Oh and my favorite part of the episode? When Colombe tells Guy the chips and sauce are store-bought and Guy asks her what she's actually cooking. Hrmmm... I'm guessing Guy and Food Network's Sandra Lee don't see eye to eye?

Food Network Announces its 2007 Programming Additions

YumSugar — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 09:58:17 -0700

Get your TiVos warmed up, there's some new stuff coming to Food Network. They just recently announced their 2007 programming additions and here's what we can expect this summer:

Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives - starring - looks like Food Network is putting their new star Guy Fieri (who, I might add was absent from any of the Food Network's South Beach Festival photos I saw) behind the wheel of his 1967 Camaro looking for the best diners, drive-ins and dives the US has to offer. Debuts April 23.
Simply Delicioso (working title) - Galavision superstar Ingrid Hoffmann brings her Latin lifestyle expertise to America. Debuts in July.
Food Dudes (working title) - Follow two young chefs, Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook, try to make a name for themselves and their catering business. Debuts this fall.

To check out the rest, and there's at least one that I'm going to be sure to TiVo, read more

The Next Food Network Star - The third season of the Food Network reality show beefs things up by expanding its format to have contestants compete on location and not just in the studio. Begins June 3 at 9pm.
Feasting on Asphalt 2 - Alton Brown (my personal Food Network favorite) hops on his motorcycle for a second season of touring the back roads of America in search of good eats. Hopefully he doesn't break anything this time (he had an accident last year where he broke his collarbone).
The Next Iron Chef of America - Food Network's looking for someone to join Batali, Cora, Morimoto and Flay. They're casting now for professional chefs to be contestants on the show. Alton Brown is hosting, and I have a thing for food reality TV, so I'll probably end up watching this too. Debuts this fall.
America's Best Recipe - Nine everyday contestants prepare original recipes in front of a live Las Vegas audience. Airs in 2008.

So what do you think, are you looking forward to any of these?

Source: Digital Producer Magazine