Weinr Loves Food!

Congratulations to Aaron, the Next Food Network Star Winner!

In some ways, I’m surprised. I thought that Adam’s performance was good, and I also thought that Lisa’s performance was, too. And I know that Aaron wasn’t happy with his performance. I also don’t think that he does as well on camera as the other two, but at the same time, he’s got a cooler feel about him when he’s himself, and FN is probably looking to keep their network fresh in general.

Which isn’t to say that any of the finalists were specifically un-hip, just that FN is probably looking forward to having new stars and new shows, to try to keep up with new things in general. And this sort of thing just goes along with all the things they’re branching out into on their website. Blogs, Vlogs and other stuff like that. And, let’s face it, Bobby Flay, Alton Brown, Paula Dean, Emeril, and many of their other personalities aren’t looking as young as they used to look. This, combined with the thought that many of their younger, fresher personalities have done pretty well when they’ve tried (Guy Fieri, Michael Simon), probably means that FN is a little under the gun to come up with a few more personalities that’re effective entertainers, and work in the limelight that is food network.

Which is another topic to touch on. Food Network does a good job coming up with seemingly effective stories about what happens on NFNS, but I can’t help but wonder about what is really going on. Season 3 had it’s own twists I won’t talk about right now, but this season, season 4 had three finalists - and the winner started work the day after the fanale. This, along with the fact that only one other finalist has any shows at all (Guy, I talked about it in my last post) makes one wonder whether or not FN is having a rough time and needs to come up with new shows. Why would they need new shows? It’s all about scandals:
If you’re not aware, Marc Sommer was probably pushed my FN to pull Robert Irvine from Dinner:Impossible because the Saint Petersburg Times dug up a bunch of dirt on him. Apparently, Irvine lied about some of his credentials. If that weren’t bad enough, it hit them in the wallet when HSN pulled some of their Irvine-endorsed merchandise. Irvine was also scheduled to perform at the FN SOBE food & wine festival, but withdrew from the event. Which sucks because I liked him - I thought he was a creative chef and the personality that he had was ass-kickingly delicious. There’s a whole bunch of other controversy over on Robert Irvine’s Wikipedia page, if you want to check it out.

NFNS Season 3’s JAG was also disqualified graciously withdrew from the competition after some dirt came up about him not actually serving in Afghanistan. Apparently, he was also never anything other than a private, even though he claimed having a corporal rank. Oh, yeah, and he also never completed culinary school like he claimed, either.

Seriously - I just dug this gem up, too. Apparently, FN’s own website was messed up and announced the winner of season 4 on 07/25/08. So, even their technical aspects have issues.

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Are you ready for the Next Food Network Star finale? I am. Will it be Aaron, Adam, or Lisa?

I actually have no idea who I want it to be - they all have a personality that should work well on television, but they also all have huge gaps which need to be filled in one way or another.

Anyone remember Amy, from last season? No? I didn’t think so I don’t think her show even exists anymore, does it? Guy Fieri is still around and doing well, cashing in on his fame through new TGI Friday’s commercials and a couple of television shows. Good for him. Season 1? Steve and Dan, the winners, are in Chicago working in their restaurant.

Anyway, back to this season. I think the “three finalists” thing is a little weak, but FN can do what they want to do, I guess. I’m looking forward to seeing the winner.

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So, I really don’t care for reality shows in general, but I’ve been watching The Next Food Network Star and I’ve been enjoying it. Well, except for the commercials. My wife enjoys it, too, although I think she’d forego the commercials if she had the opportunity to, too. I am a little bummed that it’s invaded my Iron Chef America time slot, but that’s okay because I don’t think they’re showing new episodes of it right now anyway.

The best part about the show is actually talking about the people on the show, and who we can see as strong contenders for the next star of Food Network. Sure, sure, it’s a little canned at this point, being season three (How many new stars can a TV station have anyway?) in a way that says that in the end, unless they’re really strong, they’re going to lose out to existing Food Network personalities, but at the end of their careers I guess they’ll both: 1- have had a TV show and I don’t, and 2- have more fans than I have, although I’m working on that one.

So, in no particular order, here are random thoughts about last night’s episode (spoilers are present):

-I am so glad they got rid of Jewel Renee Zellweger Colombe last night. The healthy food persona she had wasn’t awful - it’s the lack of personality, and the deer-in-headlights look that she conveys on screen that bothers me. And, she purposely screwed over the exceptionally flamboyant Paul when they were out shopping by receiving a bag that wasn’t hers and leaving it at the grocery store. I know it’s a competition, but that’s just mean - she could have grabbed it and been his savior if she wanted to, but she didn’t.

- I don’t generally like personalities like Tommy, but I wasn’t expecting him to go home. It was apparent, though, that he didn’t want to be there anymore (he was missing his family,) and I’m sure that’s why the judges let him go. I think he could have stayed longer if he had the drive to be away from his family, but he may not have lasted too long in the real world.

- I’m surprised Amy is still around - I don’t think her on-screen presence is very strong, and I don’t see her making strong claims about food - I don’t think she can be a food authority. I think she will leave soon.

- JAG is finally winning some good votes, I think. In the beginning, he was way too tough and way to confrontational to stay in it long. He’s settled down quite a bit, and has a good chance at going far, I think. His good personality has come out, and you can see how passionate he is about the experience he’s going through right now. He is quite intense, maybe too much to win, but I think he’s putting his whole heart into it. If he doesn’t go far, it will be a shame.

- Mike Salmon (like the fish - *gag*) is a strong, non-confrontation personality, but I don’t think he has the makings of a Food Network star. I think he’ll go further than a few other people in the competition, but I don’t think he’ll win it - he’s too canned in that the judges have started mentioning that a lot of the stuff he says sounds fake - that won’t win him this competition.

- Paul is a nice guy, but I don’t think he’s going to last much longer. He’s been messing up a lot, and I don’t think that’s what’s killing his chances - I think it’s his personality. He has way too much energy to burn, and I see him like a budding puppy that’s been scolded, and at the same time can’t help but try to hump your leg, too. I don’t think the judges are going to keep him on the show much longer
- I don’t see Alanis Morrisette Rory as the next Food Network Star - the judges mentioned her cleavage in this round, even though I don’t think they can really say much about that - after all, isn’t that what Giada is all about? Anyway, she didn’t seem to have a strong personality initially, but she’s come out a bit, and apparently has some excellent food. I don’t know - her smile is abnormally large so maybe they’ll consider her, but I don’t think she has it. I think she’ll go further than most, though.
- Adrien is my pick for the Next Food Network Star. He’s got a great on screen presence, and a good personality to go along with it - he’s not too confrontational, and he’s been staying out of the shit started by other people who were previously on the show. And, he’s got a metrosexual look to him, and I think that will please most people - and not offend anyone. At the end of the day, unless there’s something glaringly wrong with him or he snaps and starts swearing at the judges, I think Adrien will at least be one of the top two finalists.

So, there you have it - my thoughts on Round 4. I should go back and write about the other rounds that I watched, but I probably won’t. It’s been hectic lately.

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