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It pains me to say it... but I think *looks around* *whispers* Lisa... has the best shot at a successful show... Aaron, I've liked him from the start, but I think he needs more public speaking experience before he gets a show, although he did great last night I think he's still uncomfortable in front of the camera, but I think he's got a lot of potential... Adam... ugh, he needs to stay in Vegas and get a show for himself, he's an entertainer, not a chef.

*when I said that Aaron did great, I meant the promo/camera part, not the all you can eat pasta buffet he served.

I also failed to mention that the guests all together in the room reminded me of the circus. *shivers*

@annien: LOL

As much as it pains me to concede, I might have to eat a little crow when it comes to despising Vulcan Princess Lisa (hmmm...maybe I can get Adam to smoke it for me--he IS in need of a job). She's either evolving, or I've been completely confused into submisison and have officially drunk the kool-aid of the Food Network.
We all know Lisa's being prime(time)d to win--let's face it, would FN have put Aaron in the vampy Aeon Flux/Mission Impossible garb and pointed the camera up HIS hoo-ha while he scaled a wine tower? But she just might actually be "human" enough to deserve it--or at least, make it work.
Maybe she's not human at all, it's just a trick of perception brought on by the surroundings: Vegas-at-large, transvestite show-girls, zip-wires and feathered full-body fans. Hard to say if this played into the audience identifying with Lisa as the solid element, or not. (Aaron's mortifying eating-disorder schtik and the usually-entertaining Adam as a One Man Bland certainly helped her cause).
As did busting into song! The whole scene was like watching a young, thin Delta Burke on some bizarre lost episode of Designing Women--but it took a pair of Rocky Mountain Oysters to take that risk.
And generally speaking, the element of surprise pays off with people, as long as it doesn't cost them any money.

http://www.happyhoarfrost.blogspot.com/2008/07/next-food-network-star-lisa-can-sing.html

I have a feeling this is FNs way of saying that they really don't know what the audience is going to like, so they're giving voters the choice of three instead of two candidates. And I wouldn't be surprised if two new shows came out of it.

Honestly, I think any one of the three could do a decent show, with enough coaching, and with the right setup.

Aaron might do best with a Molto-Mario-like set where he could talk to people instead of a camera. And he needs to learn how to relax a bit. And he needs a good script and a good director. Bobby coached him pretty well, and the end result was better than most of his ad-libs, except when he was dealing with the Brownie.

Adam should be in some sort of gonzo-contest-cooking show, maybe something like Dinner Impossible, or some sort of challenge against another person, where he could possibly lose or fail the test or whatever. His ability to screw up makes him likeable, so if that's taken away and he has a regular cooking show, it might not be as fun.

Lisa could have a regular cooking show, if she could warm up a bit, and maybe if it was a show instead of a continual contest, she'd be okay. I think FN wants her to fit the Amy Findley niche.

As far as whether I'd watch any of them -- well, I think I'd give any of them a chance and if I was amused or if I was learning something, I'd stick with it. Until they're in their own format, cooking what they want to cook, it's hard to say whether I'd like the show or not.

I didn't see the show, so I don't know what language was used by the people on-screen. However, just so you know (in terms of people who write for Serious Eats and want to be accurate and respectful), "transvestite" is an outdated and inaccurate term for people within a community who might identify as cross-dressers, transgender people, or transsexual people (to name a few possibilities), depending on their personal sexualities and genders align.
It would be worth doing a little research or having a glossary around the editing room, just to be accurate and help to keep from alienating your readers.

"transvestite" is an outdated and inaccurate term for people within a community who might identify as cross-dressers, transgender people, or transsexual people (to name a few possibilities), depending on their personal sexualities and genders align.
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Perhaps, but how are S.E. writers supposed to know which one it is?

Cross-Dresser? Transgender? Transsexual?

S.E. writers don't know everyone's "personal sexualities".

It's not like telling the difference between a Ford and Chevy.

Thank you for the responses; sorry for leaving the thread for so long.

phlin: Acutally, most people aren't aware of the differences, especially people who aren't part of the queer community. It's nothing to be ashamed of, but rather just something to get educated about when called upon to deal with these issues. I wasn't trying to be condescending with the glossary suggestion-- it can be really helpful.

FastFoodCritic: You're right, S.E. writers can't know from watching a TV episode if it isn't explicitly mentioned. However, they can try to refrain from using a term that (most in the community agree) is sometimes offensive and definitely outdated across the board.

Erin Zimmer: Thanks for the attention, I'm sure people will appreciate it.

At the risk of making this a long comment, here are some guidelines. Keep in mind that different theorists have different definitions, but these are the most widely accepted:
Transgender-- a blanket term for anyone whose behavior or feelings transgress societal gender norms, regardless of sexual orientation (this is probably the safest bet for the people on the show, FastFoodCritic).
Transsexual-- a term under the transgender "umbrella" which refers to anyone who feels that they are a gender that is not their biological one (for example, a biological female who feels like a boy). Transsexual people can either act on this feeling with surgery or cross-dressing, or they may still live as their biological gender. This is also independent of sexual orientation.