I might respectfully disagree with you. I think that the Food Network folk know exactly what they are doing. They are generating an audience for their channel (and potentially for their newly-discovered “talent”) by running this show. We are all watching it; I for one would not be interested in a “In the Kitchen with <insert name here>”, but I am fascinated to see who will win and how they do in the challenges.
And better still; some people watch the “Next Food Network Star” and think that they could do better. So Bob and Susie have both an audience for this show, a potential audience for the next competition and a way of introducing their new and existing talent to a wider public.
I was sad to see Michael go but I was not the least bit surprised. His inability to connect with an audience through a camera has been a problem throughout and it was just a matter of time before they tossed him. Additionally, this was one of his worst weeks for food.
Debbie makes me the angriest because there was a point where I liked her. After that catering debacle, I cannot wait to see her go. There is no way they can put someone so selfish and unlikeable on the air. I still can’t believe that she just sat there and worked on her own dishes and completely ignored everyone else. Some expediter she was. I don’t even remember her giving any sort of organizational orders.
Like Ferret Herder, I was not particularly fond of Melissa initially but I have grown to really like her. Her personality is warm and informative. I would definitely enjoy watching her cook on television. She is by far my favorite and I was glad that she had the forethought to cook a vegetarian dish. I was particularly surprised that Caterer to the Stars Debbie, did not create a vegetarian option.
Jamaika is good when she’s on but pretty awful when she’s off. I don’t think she will make it much further.
I don’t think I could watch Jeffrey cook for 30 minutes but if they gave him a show like “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” I would enjoy it. He is very good at making me hungry but his personality has been fairly dry.
Actually, at this point, not only do I not want her to win, I wouldn’t use her catering service, either. What with her going well over budget twice and not showing a trace of organizational skills in the kitchen last episode, she hasn’t shown me anything that indicates she can run a catering business.
From what I’ve seen of various restaurant and cooking shows, isn’t an expediter the person who’s supposed to act as a liason between the chefs and the servers and make sure everything runs smoothly so that the chefs are preparing what people are eating and people are getting all the food they’re supposed to be getting? If Debbie did anything like that, it wasn’t shown on the air.
On the other hand, I’m not quite as willing to give Melissa credit for making three appetizers. She was the one who realized there wasn’t a vegetarian option, and I’m glad someone did that, but she could have substituted her grilled vegetables for one of her existing appetizers. Since all three seemed to be well received, I don’t think doing that would have made her worse off than anyone else. I’ve also got to admit that Jeffrey took more than his share of the budget, too.
It looked to me like he could assign roles, but wasn’t explicitly put in charge of things, nor did anyone take charge of things. I’m not sure if there’s a natural leader in the bunch. I think Mellissa may be capable of leading a team, but that’s part of the hypercompetent, soccer-mom vibe I get from her rather than because of anything she’s done. I can’t remember how Debbie wound up in charge of her team in the first episode. I don’t think you need to be a leader to be the next Food Network star; in fact, they may be better off with someone who’s good at following directions. Not having someone clearly in charge hurt everyone badly last night, though.
A few weeks ago, elsewhere on the net, I said my favorites were Jeffrey, Jamika, and Melissa, and I’m sticking with my bet. Jeffrey showed them something new and did what they asked him to do – telling them more about himself – so I figure he’s still solid. Jamika’s great when she doesn’t psyche herself out and I think her food’s more exotic and unusual than Jeffrey or Melissa. Melissa, though is solid, competent, and perky, and I think she might appeal to people who watch Food Network during the day. If Debbie wins, I’m going to be grumbling at the TV for a while.
Scruff makes a good point upthread, but in all honesty the majority of tasks have sweet F.A. to do with being a TV chef. It does seem an odd way to select a TV personality.
Debbie’s poisoned the well, it’s evident that she has a problem taking responsibility and being honest. Of course, this has little to do with being able to cook effectively on TV. But it’s hard to see how FN would spin a show featuring “the chick who lied on the show!”
Her food does look good and I think of all the chefs, I’d be most likely to enjoy hers. And to her credit, I didn’t hear her say that she was Korean this week.
