Adam's smoked out; Lisa's cassoulate; Aaron's Mac Daddy n Cheese
I don't want to fan the flames...the main thread on last night's TNFNS finale (and the leak) is pretty acidic in places...or kick around any conspiracy theories (okay, maybe!), BUT...
As usual, it's true that my take on food and food media is less political or technical, and more psychological and tangential.
I can't figure out if FN powers-that-be flubbed this whole season (up to and including the leak on the website), or if they are actually evil geniuses sitting on the other side of the nation's cultural synapse, anticipating and working every trend from the focus on the self to all things Eastern.
Seriously, this season was like some crazy Oprah's book club does Heart of Darkness regression therapy with web-cam brulee.
http://www.happyhoarfrost.blogspot.com/2008/07/tnfns-finale-your-zen-selfs-too-little.html
Go ahead, say "it's just a show, you nutbird; it's not that deep." I have to say I prefer mindful to mindless (which often means I favor the more complicated theory), but in the end, the issue the entire season has been CHANGE. Who needs to, who doesn't, who can and who just plain can't. The soft-spin on "change" (that's selling out, and audiences hate that), is the more palatable concept this evolved into on the show, which is "revealing the self that was always there."
I'm still not hopeful about anyone's ability to truly change. In fact, my theory is that Aaron won, simply because he did and would have to change the least of the three.
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9 Comments:
I think the interesting comment was, "Who is ready to start working on a show tomorrow?" (Or something like that.) Comment made when they were "deciding" who to choose. This leads me to believe that they may be toying with the idea of working with one or both of the others to get them ready for some sort of show.
dbcurrie at 10:18PM on 07/28/08
Maybe I misread the finalists' expressions when the winner was announced, but Lisa (and Adam to a certain extent) did not look the least bit surprised at the selection. I think Lisa was savy enough to realize the fix was in after the Vegas challenges. Or maybe she just didn't care after seeing the tremendous surge in popularity of her Dallas restaurant from the free publicity. I wouldn't be surprised if a sweetheart deal was brewing to get her on FN in some manner. Same with Adam. I could see him as an easy (and more enjoyable) replacement for Mark Sommers. I've tried to keep an open mind about the FN, despite their recent programming disasters. I now bow to those of you who gave up hope a long time ago regarding FN. My weekend mornings will be pleasantly tv-free.
Josdean at 10:39PM on 07/28/08
Josdean, from your mouth to FN's ears re: Marc Summers. I'm sure he's a nice enough guy, and he sure is prolific enough, producing a slew of FN shows, but good gah is he the most loathsome television personality. I can handle maybe one or two minutes of Unwrapped, MAYBE. That show is pure pain.
BangieB at 12:05AM on 07/29/08
I totally agree with Josdean...Lisa will absolutely have a show on FN.
bessfour at 9:36AM on 07/29/08
Just thought you'd appreciate the unofficial surveillance:
I was half-way kidding when I mused on the FN line of Lisa's aprons (Kohl's carries Bobby's stuff, right?) in that blog entry~ "Quick: how many people just Googled 'Lisa Garza aprons?'"--
but Feedburner lets you see how people get to your blog (other sites, Google searches, etc.), and there are SCADS of people out there Googling that very thing in the past 24 hours (inadvertently ending up at my entry because of that word combo).
In some capacity, Lisa will design and Adam will entertain. He needs an audience and she needs to NOT have an audience. I'm sure FN will find a way to parlay their skills. I know these are people and this was each's dream (and despite my woeful emotional attachment to it all), but they are both in-house resources now--and if the network is smart they will use whatever talents they have. Especially since they have to give some of their earnings back to FN over the next few years (which I heard, but do not know is true).
HappyHoarfrost at 9:56AM on 07/29/08
Frankly, I was shocked they didn't choose Lisa. I thought she seemed the most qualified and that the judges were eating her up. I guess she did come across nervous and a little bit contrived though, now I can't decide! Aaron being chosen was definitely a shocker to me though.
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 5:10PM on 07/30/08
I don't understand why anyone would be so shocked at the outcome. Aaron's food was consistent. People feel that he should have been eliminated the previous week, but what about the past weeks that both Lisa and Adam erred? According to you all, they should have been gone weeks ago. Please, stop all of the negative and hurtful comments that i've seen posted on all three finalists on different blogs. Aaron has improved his on-camera skills, and will continue to polish them. Give him a chance, and if you don't care for his brand of cooking, simply,don't watch his show. I am open to it, and hopefully more diverse and cultured shows such as Asian, Indian and other types of cuisine will follow. Thank you for hearing me.
sassy at 3:37PM on 08/02/08
I just recall when Martha Stewart was guest on the show she did say something like Aaron would be the one she would watch....from there I just had a feeling he was the winner.....
rabbitriddle at 3:51PM on 08/02/08
I rated the final three in order as Adam, Aaron, Lisa. I felt that Lisa was just too rigid, and her "Beautiful Dining" or whatever it was gave me queasy reminders of Amy Finley's "Gourment Next Door," and we know what a disaster her selection (by the public) was last year. I thought Adam had a great TV personality and a natural ease on camera> If they really wanted the person most ready to start taping his own show, that was Adam. Plus he would fulfill a demographic FN doesn't touch - young, urban, hip. There seemed to be a prejudice against him from the beginning. They kept questioning his "passion" for food, but he owned and cooked for a restaurant. How much more passionate can you be? They also questioned his food knowledge, but in the episode where had to answer questions at various food venues he got more right than anyone. I think Aaron was the pre-determined winner based on programming decisions, but good for him. I actually would prefer watching any of the top three, and even a couple of earlier eliminated contestants, over some of the reigning food network "stars." How many years have mainstays like RR, Giada, and Paula Dean been on the air? Not to mention overexposure from hosting multiple shows. It's time for change.
bluepiano at 11:22PM on 08/06/08