The Next Food Network Star 6/29

Hell Week meets the Food Network. They ditched the right person, though.

Kelsey and Shane rocked the challenges. I’d actually eat what they made, as opposed to the other dishes, which were train-wrecks.

I’m betting on Shane, Kelsey and Lisa as the Final Three. Adam will be toast next week, then Aaron.

Jennifer was the right person to go. She was a trainwreck every week and she totally submarined her own team with that stupid broken jar. (what was she doing bashing a jar on a flat grill like that? Who does that?) I felt bad for Lisa, who didn’t screw up but had to suffer the burden of an incompetent teammate.
I agree that Adam and Aaron will go next. Ironically, they’ll go for opposite reasons. Adam can play to the camera (maybe a little too much for my taste), but he can’t cook. Aaron can cook but he’s a bit of a stiff in his presentations.

My guess for top two is Shane and Lisa. If I have to pick a winner, it would probably be Shane. He’s getting the best edit. Lisa seems really smart and able yto me in a lot of ways, but her edit hasn’t been as good. She’s not really getting a “bitch” cut, but she’s getting a little bit of a “crazy” cut. She’s coming off as a little emotional and desperate.

When I worked in a restaurant, the way we’d bash open jars in a pinch is to do it only on the rim of the lid, on the corner of a prep table. Doing that on the edge of the grill and not being careful with your aim is just asking for trouble. These days I’d take a table knife and use it to break the seal by levering it between the jar and lid, but IIRC where I’d worked the silverware bins were across the kitchen far from our prep area. You’d give the jar a few careful whacks, try it, and only then go running for a knife if need be.

I agree with Diogenes’ perceptions about the rankings. It seems like Adam got in on the strength of his wit (which as we’ve seen, misfires horribly at times) and maybe is a decent home cook whose friends told him that he’d be great with his own TV show.

I was also a tad puzzled by some of the judges’ comments - sure, perhaps the contestants could have done a bit better at adhering to the traditional dish, but part of the challenge was to make it more accessible to a home cook and to be a relatively fast-cooking dish. Coq au Vin needs to have the chicken and red wine (cognac in this case) flavors melded? Good point. Turducken wasn’t done in a combined fashion? Come on, they didn’t have a hugely long time to roast some nested birds. Maybe if they pounded out the poultry breasts into large cutlets and rolled them up, something like that? I’d give them a lot more slack than the “chicken breast/cognac sauce” version of Coq au Vin - except that Lisa and Jennifer had to toss the duck.

That was my wife’s idea for Turducken, too. Pound out the turkey and chicken, then wrap around the duck sausage. Sear, add some white wine to the pan and cook in a hot oven. Slice and serve over some Napa cabbage. A simple sauce, done correctly, would finish it off nicely. Unfortunately, Lisa had to deal with Jennifer “helping.” I’m glad to see it didn’t kill her.

When it gets down to crunch time, I think Lisa’s restaurant experience will lift her above Kelsey.

  1. Shane
  2. Lisa
  3. Kelsey
  4. Aaron
  5. Adam

I had the same idea, and not quite sure why they didnt do the same since one of them mentioned medallions. Mix some herbs betwen the layers and it would have rocked.

And if Jennifer had done that in a restaurant, they would be a strong chance she would have been fired - that was just beyond stupid. If you want to bash a jar, at the least, do it over an empty sink, not on the grill.

And I think that Shane’s previous acting experience is going to pay off for him. I am still partial to Kelsey - though I cant say why, she isnt really my type, but I like her personality and earnestness, but she needs a few more years to develop her cooking chops. Even if she doesnt win, I can still see her doing a cooking show down the road.

Thank goodness Jennifer is gone. And then she had the nerve to think she shouldn’t have been the one to go?? They didn’t show her even trying to open the jar the conventional way, failing and then smashing it–she went right to the smash. Lisa annoys me but I respect what she knows and felt bad for her.

I really hope it will be Shane in the long run.

Haricots verts = Harry-cot Vayr? Is that like spats-uhl for spaetzle?

Yeah, I agree that Jennifer was the obvious one to go. And what is it with these people that refuse to learn from their mistakes / the judge’s criticisms, even when they understand a nationwide audience is in on the process?? I wanted to smack her for her obstinance, but only after I’d done with beating the daylights out of Adam. Grrr. I like him too, so it makes it that much more difficult to grasp why someone would bull-headedly forge ahead when they’ve been proven wrong so many times. If I were on that show, there’d be a snowball’s chance in hell of me allowing him to make the decisions. Poor Aaron. He didn’t deserve to be up against that two times, but I’m hoping if there’s another go-round that he’ll instead stick up for himself and not let anyone run rough shod over him.

I’m glad Shane acquitted himself well. He’s mostly flown below my radar, but he did really good this time and I’m thrilled to see it. Overall though, I think I’m rooting more and more for Lisa. I like how she listens and attempts to incorporate what she’s discerned into future actions. Beyond that, I agree with Dio and could easily see her falling prey to the “crazy” cut. As to what will happen between now and the finale, I believe everyone is right on the money with the two A guys going next.

That was my thought as well. Absolutely idiotic. Was the jar that hard to open? Might have been the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen on a reality show. (Actually, that honor goes to the Real World castmember that tried to tongue-kiss some guy, only to have him bite off part of his tongue.)

Jennifer was dreadful… it’s just that Nipa and the others were much, much worse. Her challenge response was laughable. And she even made me feel sorry for Lisa.

Shane/Kelsey are a winning combo. I wonder what the odds are that FN lets two people win? Aaron is the most interesting cook but he is terrible in front of the camera. Adam can’t cook…

Some Googling has revealed that Adam is/was an actor
which supports **Ferret Herder’s **guess that he’s basically just a charismatic home cook.

Also it seems that when a contestant says - on camera - that he is “not a camera person” that he might as well be disqualifed right there. Were you not aware you were trying out for a television show, dude? It’s a shame because I suspect that Aaron might be the best cook left in the competition. And he is okay in his interviews, he just doesn’t have, and cannot seem to create, a decent “tv host” personality. He either looks terrified or says “um” every other syllable.

One thing that has bothered me about this show - and I don’t know if I’m noticing this for the first time or what, but the adjective “nice” must no longer be used to describe ANYTHING. I think Aaron is the prime offender here, but seriously, dude, I was taught in second grade that “nice” is about the weakest adjective out there.

I think you could make a drinking game around this - take a shot every time someone describes their food as having a nice crust/sauce/gravy…

I just got to this on our DVR. Finally, finally, Jen gets the axe. She continued with her habit of saying what is wrong. I wouldn’t have gone on and on about all of their mishaps.

The way they cut the judging, I feared that Jen might inexplicably squeak by with Aaron or Adam getting cut. I was quite relieved when the two of them made it.

I think Adam’s the next on the chopping block, unless he can pull out a really good dish. It’s hard to move past repeated comments that your food isn’t up to par. He can be funny and personable, but not consistently.

Aaron should go after that, unless he lets can let his personality out, and it works on camera. He could do well with a show if he eases up behind the camera.

It’s pretty obvious that the top three are Shane, Lisa and Kelsey. Shane has been a little bit of a stealth leader, particularly with Lisa and Kelsey being so over the top. I was glad to see him break out this episode. I think that he’s got a little of the Tyler Florence vibe, and he could succeed in a cooking basics type show.

The other one I can see on her own show is Lisa. If she can get comfortable, I can see her in a “Cooking with a Stepford Wife” type production – elegant but accessible home cooking. Maybe somewhere in the intersection of Ina Garten, Giada and Nigella, but in a more ordinary home kitchen.

I don’t understand how Kelsey would work as the host of a show. The obvious comparison is Rachel Ray, but Ray is less of a cheerleader and more of the girl next door who loves to cook – and talk about cooking. I don’t quite get what Kelsey would have to teach about cooking. She can probably do it quite well, but I don’t see her as an expert, and I don’t see her letting us know how comfortable we can be while cooking.

My bet is that Shane will take it all, but I won’t be shocked if either of the other two leaders win.

Speaking of RayRay, I can’t wait to see the crew on her talk show next week.