Watch It with Us: 'The Next Food Network Star,' Episode 5

We're going to try something a little different this week. If you're planning on watching tonight's episode of The Next Food Network Star, join us here in the comments at 9 p.m. ET. It'll be an open thread—jump in with your comments, observations, or play-by-play as the episode unfolds. This week things get real with Rachael Ray: who do you think will be going home?
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50 Comments:
Can we PLEASE send Katie home finally?
jemagee at 8:19PM on 07/05/09
this episode i predict katie will win (sorry jemagee!) and michael will go home
gypsykid at 8:47PM on 07/05/09
I predict that Katie's going home.
phaedracook at 8:53PM on 07/05/09
I'm afraid Katie is not long for this season.
Alaina Browne at 8:53PM on 07/05/09
yeah i agree katie can be a bit annoying BUT did you watch the racheal ray show the other day with the nfns contestants doing demos? katie actually seemed to do really well
gypsykid at 9:00PM on 07/05/09
Katie should have gone long ago..she has no presence, an overly pushy agenda...and really, she can't cook.
am I the only one who saw the Alton Brand reaction to Michael in the first episode?
My idea for a cooking show on the food network is the reverse, give me folks who want to learn to cook, don't eliminate, use points, and give the winner a kitchen make over...course I'd want to compete but they won't let me :)
Besides, what's the FNS success rate right now - 2 out of 4?
jemagee at 9:01PM on 07/05/09
Whoa! Brussel sprouts, squid, and tofu. . . This is gonna be good.
Alaina Browne at 9:04PM on 07/05/09
Wow! They are actually doing a challenge that ::gasps:: is related to food and is highly appropriate to the Food Network! Someone fetch my my smelling salts, please!
ElizabethS at 9:04PM on 07/05/09
The three front runners have to be women right now don't they?
jemagee at 9:07PM on 07/05/09
yeah i agree katie can be a bit annoying BUT did you watch the racheal ray show the other day with the nfns contestants doing demos? katie actually seemed to do really well
If I watched the rachael ray show I'd have to gouge out my eyes...and ears.
jemagee at 9:07PM on 07/05/09
I'm shocked that the little boy likes Michael's style...:)
jemagee at 9:09PM on 07/05/09
If anything, this show makes me appreciate just how hard it is to do a live demo.
Alaina Browne at 9:11PM on 07/05/09
Oh no - group demos - that can't go well
jemagee at 9:13PM on 07/05/09
Here's my only problem with this show. When filming a food network show - do they get it in the first take - under the gun like this? I would think somtimes you have multiple takes and time to prep, it's like the competition doesn't test the skills needed to be a good Food Network Host as well as it should.
jemagee at 9:14PM on 07/05/09
lol jemagee. trust me i DONT normally watch it, but i wathced the online clips from that one just bc i wanted to see how the contestants performed AND to compare the editing in rr verses nfns....yeah i'm a big dork
gypsykid at 9:14PM on 07/05/09
lol jemagee. trust me i DONT normally watch it, but i wathced the online clips from that one just bc i wanted to see how the contestants performed AND to compare the editing in rr verses nfns....yeah i'm a big dork
Ok, cool points given back, trust me, I'm a big dork as well, have been sicne before it was cool way back in the mid 80s. I mean sometimes I even like what she cooks but her voice makes me cry.
jemagee at 9:16PM on 07/05/09
@jemagee - I remember watching one of the behind the scenes specials. They showed that Rachel Ray's show was shot in real time and they would shoot about 5 episodes a day. But one episode of Giada's show would take days to shoot and reshoot. I think it depends on the style of the show/way the host works.
gingercookiewithlime at 9:17PM on 07/05/09
@gingercookiewithlime
Well ray has to be shot 'real time' for the 30 minute thing, but I bet if she screws up they can start over - but they have time to prep their talks and all and don't get surprised like this. I understand the competition aspect.
If that girl makes my macaroni and cheese idea (that i've never made yet) i'll be very irate
Did they announce a winner of the mini challenge? I missed it
jemagee at 9:20PM on 07/05/09
I don't think they announced a winner of the first challenge, just gave feedback
Alaina Browne at 9:21PM on 07/05/09
When did Michael become a sous chef?
jemagee at 9:29PM on 07/05/09
"Ok, cool points given back, trust me, I'm a big dork as well, have been sicne before it was cool way back in the mid 80s. I mean sometimes I even like what she cooks but her voice makes me cry."
cool points? i was usually dungeon master so i dont need those. are they like hit points? my half-elf druid has a dexterity score of 21. she'd kick rr's a$$
gypsykid at 9:30PM on 07/05/09
Melissa and Michael: That could have been a lot worse.
Alaina Browne at 9:30PM on 07/05/09
Jeff and Jamika will be the worst you can tell it's coming.
And hey look, Katie cooked bad food again.
@gypsykid - cool points are like charisma
My 7 year old niece would kick RR's behind.
Jamika started off so strong and I think she's homeward bound tonight.
jemagee at 9:33PM on 07/05/09
Jamika is giving up, hate to see that.
Alaina Browne at 9:38PM on 07/05/09
Jamika is done. She's going home. There's no way they can justify keeping her after the past couple weeks. Katie lives to see another day. She reminds me of that irritating bitter woman who made the finals of top chef with blaze - she was always just good enough to survive, but you knew she had no chance of winning.
Can I just say that I'm tired of Miami as well?
jemagee at 9:41PM on 07/05/09
Katie's done much better this episode. Someone should tell her to never widen her eyes. They're already huge
phaedracook at 9:42PM on 07/05/09
Katie is one of those wide eyed people - it's a bad look - i wonder what causes it.
I'm glad to see Aaron got a second season and didn't vanish like the gourmet next door
jemagee at 9:44PM on 07/05/09
LOL at Bobby! "I'm using ginger, because I'm Korean."
phaedracook at 9:47PM on 07/05/09
i think that either Debbie or Jeffrey are clearly going to win it all
foodieteen at 9:50PM on 07/05/09
I don't think Jeffrey has a shot personally, the two front runners to me are the two women who aren't katie who will be left tonight (their names escape me) are the front runners.
Michael has no shot
jemagee at 9:52PM on 07/05/09
One of the problems with this show is that you can tell that some folk would never ever get a show on food network after less than the first episode...I know they want a 'variety' of contestants, but at least pick folk you think you'd give a show too huh?
jemagee at 9:53PM on 07/05/09
Ok - I thought Katie should have gone home 3 weeks ago - but Jamika was AWFUL tonight...this was a comprehensive dismissal - she was not the worst tonight, Jamika was a disaster
jemagee at 9:59PM on 07/05/09
I have to think that Katie's food had a big part in the decision to send her home -- it's been consistently very bad. And there's nothing inherently wrong with her culinary point of view, but she always struggled with selling it.
Aside from last week's gluey potatoes (and this week's culinary mishap), Jamika's food has been right on.
Alaina Browne at 10:03PM on 07/05/09
damn, not only am i a big dork, i'm also wrong...oh well. i still dont think katie did that badly...on the clips on rr's website she did really well. much better than jamika or michael
gypsykid at 10:04PM on 07/05/09
My review of NFNS 5 Episode 5 is up: http://bit.ly/fy4r5
WannabeTVchef at 10:06PM on 07/05/09
@gypsy
Yeah she was better presentation wise, but they made better food...in the end it's probably easier to improve in front of the camera (and something they don't mind teaching) then teaching someone to cook (which they expect you to know how to do)
jemagee at 10:06PM on 07/05/09
Michael hates the camera and he wants to be the next food network star? That doesn't compute. Maybe Michael should have gone home. I really didn't feel the consensus among the judges.
Ed Levine at 10:13PM on 07/05/09
I don't really care for Katie but I feel like she's tried to improve. Jamika checked out completely. I feel like she didn't even try this episode.
gingercookiewithlime at 10:13PM on 07/05/09
At this point, it's attempting to separate the wheat from the chaff, though I'm not convinced that's a worthwhile endeavor as none of them are really engaging me--I wish they would just show the makings of a TV food personality they were actually hoping to make successful--wouldn't that be interesting?
ElizabethS at 10:45PM on 07/05/09
I'm on the west coast so I'm just watching now. But did anyone else notice that when they went to the kids to discuss the Brussels sprout mashed potatoes and the boy said "I liked the presentation".... All the kids had the Corn Tofu rolls in front of them. TiVo back if you can. Bad editing!
Jennalynn at 12:13AM on 07/06/09
yes, jennalynn! I noticed that too. The editing was horrible that time...they just wanted us to keep in mind that Jamika was messing up and didn't want to give her too many compliments.
So glad Katie is gone. I do love her on the FN healthy blog that she writes for, but not on screen. For the most part, I like the ones that are left, except Debbie. I don't know why! She just rubs me the wrong way.
amiyrah18 at 1:02AM on 07/06/09
I'm calling it as a final race between Jeffrey and Melissa.
And i've been aching for Katie to go almost since the beginning! So I'm thrilled with tonights outcome.
Jennalynn at 1:17AM on 07/06/09
They should have kids on the panel every week. That was pretty amusing. Katie's presentation was weird because she seemed to be talking to the kids rather than to the moms, and the bit with the corn mustache was the same thing.
I'm not seeing anyone that I'd be dying to watch. Melissa has a shot at having a show geared towards family cooking, but that's not what I'm after. As for the rest, I'm not entirely sure what their focus would be.
dbcurrie at 2:18AM on 07/06/09
Debbie, Melissa, and Michael (in that order), are my favorites. Unless she has been hit in the face with a sheet pan, she has preformed flawlessly. Melissa has had awesome food the whole time and comes across very nice in person and on camera. Michael's food always seems creative and like it would taste good. I did like Bobby's comment to Debbie about the Korean thing.
gabejgrant at 2:59AM on 07/06/09
Is there going to be a recap post? I don't watch FN much anymore. But I do like to know what's going on with this NFNS sometimes. I saw the first episodes, so I know who's who, just can't watch every week.
engmcmuffin at 10:04AM on 07/06/09
Katie may also have been booted for lying to the judges: I believe it was Susie who asked her if she'd ever been in front of a live audience before. Katie said no (as an excuse for her performance, I guess), even though she's done exactly that on numerous occasions on the Ten Show (a Philly-area morning TV show).
Buckethead at 4:00PM on 07/06/09
Hurray for giving the liar (!) Katie the boot! She's been asking for it since day one. Uptight and irritating and can't cook! oh yeah let's make her a "star".
Now, that Jeff guy is starting to rub me the wrong way...I hated the way he undermined Jamika...and oh yeah he did it on purpose (I don't enjoy his dumb ass stories BTW), the smug goof.
Speaking of Frauds, what's that lying creep Irvine doing back on Dinner Impossible??? Smarten up FNTV!!! Give fakes, phonies and frauds the bin!
Pointy at 5:16PM on 07/06/09
Still quite a few weak links here, but everyone's got troubles. Melissa and Jeffrey are completely forgettable, Michael really needs to work on the presentation skills, Debbie needs more focus and Jamika needs to get her groove back (though I still think she'll be the next star).
DJ Dedd at 5:41PM on 07/06/09
Everyone on this show either is unbelievably annoying, can't cook, lies, or freezes in front of the camera. I can't stand Debbie or Melissa, and they seem to be the judges favorites along with Jamika, who is just plain weak in the kitchen when she isn't in the middle of her comfort zone. Debbie has consistently lied and played up every supposed slight. Melissa is tedious, boring, and hyperactive. I'm waiting for her eyes to explode from her head. Jeffrey is not very smart, and his smoothness is turning bland. Which leaves Michael, who has the potential and some culinary skills but appears to be a psychological time bomb.
I think FN originally figured that Debbie, Mellisa, or Jeffrey would do just fine. Now they are looking at a potential no win situation. If they pass Debbie through another disaster, the fix may be in. "I'm lying and deceitful, and I love to use soy sauce and ginger because ..."
howardn at 7:32PM on 07/06/09
Here's my two cents...I think the whole thing is fixed from the beginning, I don't even know why I watch, but I do.
I was not a fan of little Katie but...it seemed odd to me that the one person who seemed to improve a bit this week got the boot, especially when most of the others all took a turn for the worse. As for the lying about being on tv part, that's nothing new, Rory was on some reality show and the little blonde from one season was an actual actress with parts in movies...what was her name...Shoshana?
sammie at 1:57PM on 07/07/09