The Next Food Network Star, anyone?

The challenges have been tough this time, IMO, and many of the contestants have zero personality.

I was looking at the Food Network site and read that the winner from last time (Gourmet Next Door?)has moved to France. She filmed one season's worth of shows and then quit. She was the one who quit during the show, then was allowed to come back and she ended up winning. I never thought THAT was a good idea!

Anyone watching?

Season 1 the 2-guy catering team one, how many seasons did they last?

Season 2 Guy won, he's still around and appears to be a growing star.

Season 3, Amy, the "gourmet next door" won because one of the 2 finalists was disqualified due to lying about his background (shades of Robert, the "Dinner Impossible" chef who supposedly was fired but is still around) so she was brought back. Her show was uninspiring at best and as you said, only 1 season.

Now they're into Season 4. Already we've seen a hint of recycled stories when the Indian woman ran off crying "I can't do this anymore" and then come back, like Amy did in one episode last season.

The show is starting to seem stale to me and I'm beginning to feel manipulated by it. They are having to stretch farther and farther for their storylines, causing them to seem implausible and fabricated. I mean, they run these folks all over town on a scavenger hunt for ingredients and then take them to a train and require them to make brunch for the judging panel with their found ingredients and no planning????

I guess... the bloom is off the rose for me when it comes to this show, maybe for the network as a whole. I used to love the competition shows when they broadcast the World Pastry, Chocolate & Baking competions but I think they've gone overboard with the competition aspect of their programming.

blanked that out of my mind. And even Guy had to be "re-formulated." He does better on the diner show than on his own whatever it was he was supposed to be.

but I think they're all suffering from the same thing, the played-out reality TV problem of trying to interest us after a parade of the same old, same old, ad nauseum.

They all start out with too many personalities, with standouts only appearing when at least half the crowd has been thinned out.

Add to that the fact that they're having trouble finding "hooks" for shows and mistakenly try to focus on personalities, instead, and you have a recipe for total boredom.

Face it, as much as we love to hate them, Sandra Lee and Rachael Ray have both lasted as long as they have because their shows have appealing hooks that draw viewers who are trying to learn how to cook instead of live on fast food.

and admittedly only for a certain amount of limited T&A.

They all suck, and you'll notice that, except for Guy who managed to reinvent himself, most of the shows are from experienced hosts on other networks or venues with no great shakes from the "stars."

Competition shows all have to raise the bar every season, and eventually trhe bar gets to stupid high.

Or maybe they don't want kids who can cut it. I remember a Top Chef episode where the challenge was to fillet and cook a fish. Not one of the contestants knew where to start and they all screwed it up.

A "Top Chef" doesn't know how to fillet a fish?

(Let's have more of that Cuban girl Ingrid with the big 'uns and real cooking skills.)

where a contestant trying to pass herself off as a cook wouldn't even touch a raw fish without the maximum squeals of alarm. My gawd, don't they screen these people before they put them on a cooking show? They didn't even make her fish it alive out of a tank, kill it, scale it, and gut it.

She acted like a cleaned, gutted fish was going to bite her. Idiot.

At least Top Chef manages to screen the non cooks out.

His stuff was spot on freaking yummy--he knew his stuff. Remember the chocolate/cocoa challenge--everyone attempted a dessert recipe and he kicked out mole! I also liked his intense personality.

This season I'm really liking the AA man with the double hooped ear-rings. His food just seems spot on, and the judges seem to agree. I think that his on camera persona can be developed with the confidence of winning more challenges and a little tutoring. :)

the one that I hoped would win and then when she got kicked off, I was mad. (The under-represented French thing on a food network channel and all.) I hope she is doing well.

And, no. I'm not really watch the Next Food Network Star this time because they are looking for personalities. No cooking skills, but you have a pierced tongue? You're for us.

I'm heading over to the site to see what I can find out about her in France.

on the first show - forgot her name, but I've seen her standup in the past - I was really surprised at how unprepared she was, and I was really surprised that they didn't give her more of a chance. Then I liked the guy (dark hair, forgot his name) they sent home, and again, I was surprised because he seemed like he might be able to do it, unlike all the rest of them. The young guy is now the only one left that I'm rooting for, but I think it's too much for him.

I really like Guy Fieri. I didn't see the season he was on, unfortunately. I really wish they'd re-run it sometime. He's aggressively maximizing his opportunity, and I think that's really smart of him. He's a local boy, very active in the community, I see him at local events, just hanging out with his boys, or co-hosting local radio shows, that sort of thing. I saw him at our county fair a couple years ago and talked to him, he was just totally cool.

Somehow though, I've still never gone to any of his restaurants, lol.

my 11 year old told me this! I thought he was mistaken but he recognized him from a kids' show and when I googled, it was true. Not that there's anything wrong with that. :P

I think Aaron is great but I'm not going to go out of my way to watch him. I was hoping for a Lisa win at the end. I felt she was the only one who really "pushed" it in terms of learning new skills and improving our daily culinary creations. My sense is that the Food Network is not necessarily moving in the direction of catering to "Real Foodies".

I was very happy when that the annoying young perky one got sent home. Oy, I just wanted to reach through the tv and strangle her aleady.

I thought she was smug and annoying. I thought Aaron knew more about cooking than Adam, so I was happy with that choice. I think the network is trying to become more diverse, which is great. I hope his hospital experience brings a healthier point of view to his cooking too.

But she grew on me. She's a bit manic and obviously very motivated to prove herself on her own outside of her connection to her Chef Husband. I ultimately found her to be more interesting than I first thought and much more compelling as a human being than I expected. I really hope she finds a place for herself.

Don't get me wrong, I like Aaron but I'm not that interested in cooking big food.

Now that I'm older I find that I lean more towards the froo-froo food...I like complicated flavors but look for simple methods. I'd rather eat a simple cucumber sandwich most of the time than a heaping order of Ribs.

can be found with either cucumbers or ribs, which is what I found interesting with Aaron. That and his lack of pretention.

She looked like an Oompa Loompa. Back away from the self-tanner and no one will get hurt.

Next Food Network Star to avoid.

I was thinking just about everything you said! I was surprised by Aaron's win, because the judges always seemed to downplay him, but his food did look pretty good most of the time. I liked Lisa a lot...the only thing I didn't like about her was her constant frenetic movement. She was a little too uptight sometimes, but I can be that way, so I understood it.

This was the first season I watched any of it, actually - only caught the last half so I missed a bunch I'm sure.

I was wondering IF she had won, would they make her drop the prim and polished look for the tight, low-cut tops they make their other female stars wear?

I was a little surprised they went with Aaron, but I caught his new show and I think he did a good job.

I didn't think I'd get anything from him but I actually was entertained and the idea of using the Corn Chips on the chicken fingers was a good one that I had totally forgotten about. (I'm still traumatized by the Cornflakes in the Lounge).

I would still have prefered Lisa but they made a good choice with Aaron. I won't be setting the TIVO but I'd watch again if I stumble across him.

Probably not, but I thought I'd toss it out there.

:hi:

Will Lisa be next?

And did anyone catch the new show "Ask Aida"? I saw part of it and she had someone sitting in the kitchen with her taking questions from someone online JUST like Adam had pitched during the finale.

Where did Aida come from? Don't you wonder if some of these people come out of the search before the new contest even starts?