Well, I am somewhat sad to say that Aaron McCargo Jr. won the Next Food Network Star this season.

All 3 contestants did 4 minute shows and I loved both Adam and Lisa’s. Aaron is the person I will probably watch the least. 2nd year in a row that I haven’t agreed with them. I didn’t really care for the Gourmet Next Door last year and I feel a bit vindicated that her show didn’t take off. Not that I am happy that the show did poorly just a bit vindicated in my judgment. It is obvious to me that the channel is looking for a new audience share. I hope it works out for Aaron and Food Network.

Separately, I tivo’ed Food Detectives and I have high hopes!

So I wanted to get some admissions and predictions out before tonight’s finale of The Next Food Network Star. I have been slowly becoming a Lisa Garza fan. The icy exterior has seemed to melt a lot and I am happy that her base of knowledge goes beyond the fruffy. Now the question remains, will she win? Well that I am not sure of but I think she should.

The question for the judge in this situation is what audience are you looking for? Adam is entertaining (usually) but he has very limited food knowledge. I personally am only so interested in smoking meat. He has other food knowledge but I don’t think he is confident enough to be able to put a show together with it. Aaron’s presentation is so hit and miss that I am not sure what food knowledge he does have. He also seems to not make real flavorful food (according to everyone who seemed to taste it). It wouldn’t take to many people trying some not so good recipes without Aaron losing all credibility. But both of the guys are a little more marketable to those who don’t really cook yet. I am a faithful network watcher and I would be most likely to watch a show with Lisa. I am already a bit of a foodie but being home taught I always need hints and tips.

So I am not sure who will win but I hope it is Lisa!

So here is a simple 3 minute recap of the last episode of Next Food Network Star. I have to say that Lisa is definitely becoming more likable (and not just because of the comments I have been receiving;). I think that Kelsey is doing well but Tushman is against her because of her age and lack of authority. I think part of her authority issue is that she is short and the pinafore dresses. While those are cute dresses, they aren’t very mature.

I was a little blown away that Shane is out. I have a feeling that he will be picked up by someone, sometime and will be on tv again.

On the whole I think the judges were a bit tough this week. They slammed people from being to pushy with Rachel Ray or not dominating enough. It was very frustrating to watch.

Well, it is VBS week so I hope to post more later!

Technorati Tags: Food Network, Next Food Network Star

This week we said goodbye to Jenn and I have to say that is wasn’t surprising at all. I really think that this is Kelsey or Shane’s to loose. They really seem to have it all but we shall have to wait and see!

See you next week for a more complete analysis.

I found this great well rounded recap. This is a Spoiler Alert, if you wanted to watch the whole episode before hearing the ending just keep moving;). I will add my 2 cents (well, maybe a whole nickels worth) after the recap.

So I am just going to flow through the episode with a few inputs from my 5 year old NerdPie! First, how did Jeffrey make bland home fries (fried potatoes is what we call it here)? You just add spice, it ain’t rocket science.

I agree that Kelsey seems really rehearsed. She might be able to work around that if she just relaxed her eyebrows when she is “presenting”.

Aaron’s Bacon Wrapped Potatoes is something we will definitely be trying over here in the Nerd House. I am just afraid that the Honey Scallion Sauce would be really sweet.

Jennifer has many grating habits on camera. She makes this sound repeatedly in the beginning and I am not sure how to type it. It is kind of drawing air while rubbing your tongue on the roof of your mouth and sounds kind of like ts-uh. Stop it! She also sounded a bit valley girl.

Lisa just annoys me. NerdPie was inquiring about her eyebrows. I told her to hush and be nice but I agree.

Kelsey asked who doesn’t like Sloppy Joes. Well, I use a knife and fork. It is kind of scary to have something in common with Martha Stewart. I still think that Martha showed bad form and was a bit rude to Kelsey.

Shane has to change the name of his sauce. Just drop the “g”.

Jeffrey what is up with the idea that you want a lingering taste that will last through tasting 5 other things? I find that a bit unappetizing.

I was embarrassed for Adam and his singing to Martha. But NerdPie liked it and thought he was silly. I think my kids would totally watch his show with me.

I do not find it shocking that Martha like pretentious Lisa and her “depth of knowledge”. The reality is that I think Lisa has a lot of information that I want but I want it in a different wrapper.

I think sending Jeffrey home was the right call. He just never seemed to really stand out in presentation or food. At least Jennifer’s food was good.

So those are my thoughts on this week’s episode. I will see you back next week.

Technorati Tags: Food Network, Next Food Network Star

So, let me start off by saying that I love the fact I can watch this with all my kids (versus the other food reality shows I watch).

I am not going to be doing a deep review but just sharing my observations. Like who would have ever thought that Lisa would be ready to leave before Nipa. Lisa did earn some props from me for that.

In our 3 teams going out for ingredients, if just shows that degrees doesn’t always mean the most wisdom. The Grey team made up of Adam, Jennifer, and Aaron seemed to kick the other teams butts. Now when the Grey team went to the cooking, I think they fell apart. No one seemed to agree to what they were making or how. Individually, I think that Adam made almost raw eggs. I think the idea of a gooey egg was good but not done well.

I think that Nipa was careless on planning for her lamb to be so spicy that the diners had to be warned. I think that Lisa did a good job with redirecting her culinary perspective. Unfortunately Shane flopped a bit with his presentation.

Duck salad? Kelsey could really be getting herself into trouble. Kevin screwed up his team members by not only not bringing the oil but taking out the oil Kelsey put in the box. I think this could spell the end for him. I also don’t see how the crostini is romantic. That team came up with really uneven plates and I think that will bite them in the tush.

The judges really are going to hold Kevin’s feet to the fire on the romance aspect and how it doesn’t fit. Lisa made it clear that the lack of cohesion was due to Nipa’s refusal to do any kind of fusion. When Nipa was asked if she was enthusiastic about this competition by Bobby Flay and she said she wasn’t sure. She started to tear up and walked off. She said she left so she wouldn’t be crying and because she had to think and make a decision. She came back and said that she wanted to be there to bring her heritage.

In the end Lisa and Aaron won the spread in USA Weekend and Kevin was out. On one hand I think that Nipa should have been bounced but she seems to have a little potential but they have seen Kevin’s potential and it just isn’t that impressive. Now I don’t think that Nipa is going to make it to the end but we will see.

So with the start of a new season of The Next Food Network Star I started wondering what happened to old contestants. Well if you go to the Food Network site, they have a follow up page that lists the old contestants and says what they are doing.

So it is time for the new season of The Next Food Network Star and I am all ready to go. I am looking forward to a great season after all the hype. Here is my live blog snark and all;).

So all our contestants arrive and all seems pretty normal but there were a couple of notable things. Kelsey is really perky and is Lisa really that “fabulous” or is it a put on? I also have to say that for the most part I dislike that there are so many actors. That said, I really like Shane Lyons. He graduated CIA at just 18 and has already acted pretty big and isn’t trying to break in.

They all seemed so shocked that Alton Brown (my favorite!!!) comes out and has a little challenge. Why are they shocked? They are meeting in a lit studio and Alton Brown had this role last season. BTW, he was merciless in this position last season;). I think everyone forgets that AB has a theater background and does his own show from the ground up so he knows about the production value not just the cooking. So the challenge was to give 1 sentence to the camera that summarized their culinary point of view. There is also a table of food props they can hold if they need to have something.

Jennifer needed to take her own advice and just said, “Keep if simple”. The majority of them were fine, most had something cute but nothing that bad. I really like the part that Shane said about French food without the attitude. It was hilarious that Adam thought he would grab the “milk” off the table and then end his bit by taking a swig . He was lucky it was just whipping cream and not fake food, it was sitting on the table after all.

Corey was bad, just bad. She seemed to have stage fright but she is a comedian. Unless she can really pull it out, she won’t be long for this show. The other one that was bad was Lisa. “Designer Dining with the 3 C’s, cooking, community outreach and culinary crafts.” What the Heck?!?!? She used a ton of props and was just snooty. AB tried to explain that it was very foreign sounding but I really think that is what she was going for. The whole I am so complicated I must be good thing.

Cooking Challenge:

So everyone was paired up and they had to cook a dish each and a team dish that affirmed their culinary point of view all in 30 minutes. They were going to present their food to 9 people that included the judges and some Food Network stars. They also had to make a beauty plate for the camera.

Corey & Jeffrey: Honey Glazed Poached Salmon, Deviled Eggs Provencal, Parsnip Potato Cakes
Kelsey & Aaron: Orzo Salad with a Lemon Vinigrette, Cajun Salmon Sandwich, Tomato Soup(T)
Shane & Nipa: Pork Tenderloin, Suki Bhaji(Curried Potatoes), Curried Squash Soup
Lisa & Kevin: Arugala Salad, Olive Oil Poached Salmon, French Kiss Onion Soup
Adam & Jennifer: Potato Gratin, Honey Dill Carrots, Meatloaf

So in the menu creation Lisa tries to prove she is as pretentious as I think she is by telling Kevin they need to do a Degustation. That is French for small tasting portion. Now, I like big words I really do. But that was just obnoxious and NerdDad does too! I have watched a lot of cooking shows and I have never heard that term and then she seems shocked he doesn’t know it.

So in the shopping phase Nipa can’s find the spices she needs for her curry. Nipa is planning on using curry as a substitute for turmeric. Then Shane and Nipa go first. When Shane went to do the beauty plate the pork wasn’t done. The pork for the judges was done and in the tasting they found it good. But pork wrapped in prosciutto has to be good. They found Nipa’s curry lacking well, curry flavor or heat.

Next up comes Lisa and Kevin. Lisa says how she did it all in a beautiful dress and heels (to the kitchen camera). Dress in what you want but don’t expect a hand for it. The table thought the salad was over dressed and pine nuts were over toasted. They also thought Lisa talked in circles.

Then up was Adam and Jennifer. They had issues getting the meatloaf done though they did seem to get it done. To top that problem, the judges thought there were to many meats (Lamb, beef, pork, etc). The potatoes in Adam’s grating were not done. Bobby Flay liked Adam.

Kelsey and Aaron were just overwhelmed and frazzled. Kelsey had planned on lemon cups and didn’t have enough time to do them. Aaron didn’t have bread for all his sandwiches. The table was split about Kelsey’s energy. Giada was overwhelmed by it whereas Sandra Lee seemed to like it. They were real honest about time getting away from them and how that happens to real people. The table liked the salmon.

Corey and Jeffrey were last. I think Corey was going down a bad road when she mentioned repeatedly how trendy her salmon was. These are not people who are going to be swayed by trends in food. Corey choked again but Jeffrey seemed to step in to some of her holes. The table found the deviled eggs salty and the salmon too sweet.

Judging:

The judges didn’t seem to feel that Adam wasn’t taking it seriously enough in his attitude. The judges told Lisa that they just didn’t get her point of view and they told Kevin he was just to generic. Of course they told Corey they had expected more out of her presentation and that her salmon was to sweet. The judges seem a bit shocked that Nipa doesn’t get nervous at all. They also held Nipa accountable for doing a dish that she knew she didn’t have the ingredients for. I think I am falling for Shane as a contestant. The judges had hoped to see his youthful exuberance. But he wasn’t happy about what he had put on the plate because it was a little piece of him and not his best. He was feeling self conscious in the presentation because it didn’t meet his standards. He was tearing up and looked to Bobby to understand what he meant about the integrity issue of the food. Bobby Flay couldn’t even look at him (I think Bobby totally understood). Mirror that to Jeffrey’s shoulder shrugging that he knew his eggs were salty with no regret.

Nipa, Shane, Corey and Lisa were in the bottom 4. Corey needs to have fun, Nipa was over confident. Shane needs to show his personality and tighten up the cooking. Lisa is rigid and overpowering and needs to show who she is beyond style. Not shockingly, Corey is the first finalist eliminated.

Technorati Tags: Food Network, Next Food Network Star

43 year old Jeffrey is 6’5’’ and brings a tall order to the kitchen. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, he has owned his own restaurant, catering business and was even a TV intern at one time. Although Jeffrey has a BA in Political Science and English from Howard University, he says he couldn’t pass up the way cooking channels the creative side of the brain.

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39 year old Kevin is widely known as “The Food Dude.” As the Executive Chef of East Village Tavern & Bowl, Kevin is immersed in the San Diego food scene. Kevin writes cookbooks and is the food contributor for a local radio show. This martial arts expert thinks all flavors should pack a mighty punch!

If you haven’t entered yet, stop by my drawing for a Next Food Network Star prize pack!