Watch It with Us: 'The Next Food Network Star,' Episode 7
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 the four remaining contestants must survive live demos and a beachside seafood challenge. Sounds like trouble: who do you think will survive?
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40 Comments:
O M G ... better late than never! props to debbie for pulling off the live demo, i have just a teensy bit more respect for her now
bettyconfetti at 9:16PM on 07/19/09
bobby and the other man judge have electric style...anyone else notice their choice of shirt colors? also bobby's hat
bettyconfetti at 9:19PM on 07/19/09
woohoo to finally getting debbie away from the asian!
Grace Kang at 9:28PM on 07/19/09
This is the worst episode of Next Food Network Star ever. It is obvious that Debbie Lee was clued into to what the twists were going to be. Even her sabotages were much, MUCH easier than everyone elses.
WannabeTVchef at 9:31PM on 07/19/09
Jamika is making me incredibly anxious. "We'll see" doesn't sound like the most promising dish.
Carey Jones at 9:32PM on 07/19/09
Jamkia needs to STOP F-ING BLINKING!!! She always blinks when shes getting critiqued and it annoys the hell out of me. Terminate her.
steamsoldier at 9:40PM on 07/19/09
Who ever conceived these two challenges needs to be bashed in the knee cap with a tire iron.
WannabeTVchef at 9:40PM on 07/19/09
Ooh, they took away Debbie's Asian flavors and gave her, wait for it, more Asian flavors. Last time I looked the Middle East was in Asia and a lot of the spices and flavors are similar.
WannabeTVchef at 9:42PM on 07/19/09
hm... i don't really want to try any of their dishes
Grace Kang at 9:42PM on 07/19/09
These challenges were pretty awful and I agree that Debbie seemed a little too comfortable with her twists in the first challenge. I can't believe she didn't use one of the ingredients and tried to pass it off as forgetting it, though.
katieo at 9:43PM on 07/19/09
Debbie gets busted lying to the judges and now she cries. Is this a rerun?
WannabeTVchef at 9:51PM on 07/19/09
maybe debbie's tears will save her...
Grace Kang at 9:51PM on 07/19/09
I feel like these judges are a little sharp with the personal comments. These poor people.
Carey Jones at 9:51PM on 07/19/09
I think Jeffrey's done. Hate Debbie, though, and would never watch her show.
howardn at 9:53PM on 07/19/09
I wonder if Food Network has ever asked US fishermen what they think of Red Lobster? Red Lobster hasn't used domestic shrimp or fish since 1971.
WannabeTVchef at 9:54PM on 07/19/09
Lucky Jeff. Go go go Debbie. Oh, You're Korean? That's different.
howardn at 9:55PM on 07/19/09
methinks jamika is getting the boot! but i agree debbie definitely annoys me the most
Grace Kang at 9:56PM on 07/19/09
The fix remains in on TVFN.
howardn at 9:58PM on 07/19/09
Why was Melissa even in the room just then?
WannabeTVchef at 9:59PM on 07/19/09
Now, FN follows tonights horrific NFNS with an Ace of Cakes featuring that pshyco, Kate, who had eight kids so she could get a TV show.
WannabeTVchef at 10:03PM on 07/19/09
can someone say who got the boot?
gabejgrant at 10:19PM on 07/19/09
Check out my review of tonight's episode. SPOILER ALERT - the booted chef is listed at the bottom of the page. http://bit.ly/o6TrT
WannabeTVchef at 10:34PM on 07/19/09
I hated these challenges so much I had to mute the sound. Now these people are under a huge amount of stress--let's make it even harder for them in completely arbitrary ways. It was just plain abusive and I would have kicked someone in the face.
annien at 11:26PM on 07/19/09
Ok, so when are we all meeting up with our pitchforks, torches etc. to go and get Debbie?
nikonratm at 12:45AM on 07/20/09
I can't wait for college football to start! Until then, perhaps I should just learn to crochet.
Pavlov at 6:03AM on 07/20/09
I wasn't surprised to see Jamika leave -- I thought it would either be her or Debbie. I think Debbie will be next leaving Jeffrey and Melissa. I don't think I'd watch a show starring Jeffrey, but I would watch Melissa.
IndyGal at 7:24AM on 07/20/09
I didn't like the face that Michael Symon was on the show, I love him as a chef and what he has done in his career and with Lola, it's just that I wish he wouldn't be on a show that is not very focused on food.
KWBrown at 7:26AM on 07/20/09
Very painful as usual. I think Melissa will win. Debbie has to go next.
lucylucy at 9:15AM on 07/20/09
@ Pavlov amen to that!
finsbigfan at 9:36AM on 07/20/09
I hope to God that Debbie gets chopped on the next show. I cannot stand this woman. She thinks that everything she does is gold and anything she does wrong was not her fault. I have to admit, when Michael hit her with the baking sheet, I laughed my ass off! Perhaps someone should do a remake of the Sandra Lee "Delicious" video, except this time make it staring Debbie Lee and have her constantly saying "Korean Korean Korean Korean Korean Korean"
stewtowser at 9:40AM on 07/20/09
I realized while watching last night that I would not watch a show with any of these people. In fact, I've switched to rooting against people like Debbie, who seems to have been set up to win since the beginning. The times that she's failed have been because the other contestants put her into a position of authority or because she's stuck her foot in her mouth.
Anyone catch Debbie explaining an excess of garlic powder (yuck) was a "Korean" thing?
pookywookyster at 9:50AM on 07/20/09
Looks like I have to pick a new pony. I guess I'll go with Melissa now. The challenges were completely stupid, though. I'd love to see Bobby Flay in Kitchen Stadium without his spices or grill and watch him choke on his tears.
DJ Dedd at 9:51AM on 07/20/09
@DJ Dedd - So True! Bobby Flay is just as bad about not getting out of his comfort zone of grills and chilis.
yayfood at 11:06AM on 07/20/09
Prediction and why:
1. Thumbs down to perky "home-mom" Melissa. She's just another home-cook-clone-hybrid between Raye-Deen. We don't need to another chef-wannabee telling us how to make gourmet grilled cheese, mac-n-cheese, tuna helper, etc., even with Spanish-speaking nanny influence. Just the same product as what's on the network now.
2. Love him, but Jeffrey is just too zen for the judges. I really wish he would win, but he's just another male cook. Only thing going for him is the middle-East connection - politically correct choice. Plus he's got the shoo-in for "Cooking Without Borders" show. If you check out his RE site, his wife is gorgeous. I could see the two doing the show together ala The Neelys.
So that leaves......Debbie "I'm Korean" Lee. She fills the ethno-centric void at Food Network - already have a plethora of African-Americans, Southern-belles, perky middle-class American, a few sprinklings of Hispanic...but TOTAL lack of Asian cooks. Everyone seems to be spamming her for lying, cheating, conniving, kicks dogs, poisons neighborhood cats persona, but you have to secretly wonder if the producers of FN aren't promoting, hyping doing all that for ratings.
Now, that doesn't mean that Jeffrey won't get his own show even is he comes in 2nd. Look at Adam Gertler: last season runner-up has a prime-time show and does guest judging stints for NFTS...and seems to be much more popular than Aaron McCargo.
JPEater at 12:43PM on 07/20/09
@JPE - I agree, the TVFN is sorely missing an Asian presenter and this girl is their "winner."
simon at 12:57PM on 07/20/09
@JPEater good points. I'd definitely pass on Debbie's show, though. Unless she showed REAL Asian cuisine. I've yet to see anyone show me how to use the other 90% of the items at the Asian food mart.
DJ Dedd at 2:08PM on 07/20/09
Mr. Pointy and I actually enjoy watching this show.
However, and let me make this clear, I will NOT be watching any show hosted by ANY of these contestants. They bore me in all ways possible.
Oh by the way, Debbie... YOU are a LIAR and right in front of the camera too. Don't forget the capers, oops looks like you did, but you didn't forget to to LIE.....
NO TV shows for LIARS!
Pointy at 2:40PM on 07/20/09
I have a really hard time believing that if Debbie was the winner that they would edit her to seem like such a lying liar. Last week Bob Tuschman had some really harsh things to say about her in his blog which makes me doubt she's the winner.
I wanted to kiss Susie when she called Debbie out for lying about the capers.
Besides, Jamika had to go. She was a disaster and unfortunately, Debbie's food was good. I don't see how the selection committee had a choice.
RegrettableFoodie at 6:13PM on 07/20/09
Just because you call some one out for being a liar and there are no reprocussions for their act is really not calling them on the lie to start with. This whole show is a farce. If the "selection comittee" was to do their job correctly, they would have seen the tapes from the 1st show and seen Debbie lie and deceat, then seen it on the 3rd show with the vanilla pudding fiasco that never should have been there, and then the called 3rd strike with sans Capers and then her lying to thier faces when Bobbo asked about them she said "its in the dressing, its ummmm, I had capers?"
This show was taped a long time ago, what the people say on a week to week basis is the thing that the network wants. They cannot change the order at all until the "live" finale.
The network knows that there is not a strong enough personality to like. So they created a strong negatve one in Debbie to get the pot boiling on the viewer, so they will watch and complain about it week in and week out.
Congrats the the food network on that. But, it is my feeling they are losing the audience they have with this practice. I dont think that I will put too much into whomever wins this year, I hope it is Jeffrey or Melissa. But I dont see them thriving on TV. And that is the shame in this whole mess!
Maine Moose at 9:28AM on 07/21/09
Who cares if she's is a slimy liar, at least she's mildly interesting.
Name all the Korean food you see on TV, let alone Food TV.
Get rid of the constant "I'm a Korean girl in the south", and she's interesting.
Problem with Jeffrey is that he's very nice, and handsome, and .. boring. What can you imagine him doing on TV that you'd want to watch?
I can imagine Debbie doing a diners and dives sort of show for Asian food with some cooking/food shopping thrown in.
peekpoke at 11:27PM on 07/21/09