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The Next Food Network Star upped its game last night by forcing its final three contestants to whip up a luxurious, “ultimate” three course dinner party for an imposing table of Food Network stars and celebrity chefs. It was a fairly daunting task, and while all three did a fine job, only two could move on. For the sake of ruining it for people on DVR delay, I’ll refrain from saying anything more, but after the jump, I will weigh in with an opinion or two…


I’ll just say it: DEBBIE WUZ ROBBED. Actually, no she wasn’t. Debbie was certainly my favorite because a) she’s camera ready, and more importantly, b) her cuisine fills a massive void in the Food Network: ASIAN. Seriously, the Pacific Rim needs more representation on Directv Channel 231, and Debbie was gonna be the girl to do it. However, as much as I was pulling for her, she had the Alison Iraheta syndrome working for her — basically, there was no way she would ever advance beyond third place. Debbie was great, but it’s hard to imagine her truly being embraced by America. THERE. I said it.
That leaves us with Melissa, who gets better and better each week, and Jeffrey. The former contestant shocks me consistently with how wide her world-view truly is. At first she came off as just another cloying mommy. But then we found out she was raised in a Spanish-speaking household. And she lived in France. And she went to BUSINESS SCHOOL. AND HER MOM COMMITTED SUICIDE! She’s full of surprises, this one. And also tips! I love that! I’m firmly in her camp at the present, and I agree with Bob Tuschman, who said something to the effect of “You have all these little gems, but they’re surrounded by so much verbiage that if we edit it away, I’m sure we can get a diamond.” Sure, he mixed his gems and diamond metaphors a bit, but the sentiment remains true.
Then we have Jeffrey, the most boring forehead on network TV. The guy seems nice, and he certainly knows how to cook. I did not understand why the table of professionals was so entranced by his demo. I found it to be rather shallow, and it left me with questions — how can you tell if the skillet is hot enough? When can you check your scallops? etc. These are all things I asked myself when I first cooked scallops. Unless they were edited out, Jeffrey seemed to ignore boneheads like me.
Nevertheless, we’re stuck with bland Jeffrey (WHO DIDN’T EVEN USE HIS WHOLE DAMN BUDGET) for another week. This means about a hundred more shots of him smiling in that annoying, glowing way. Seriously, how many times do we have to see him do that? The camera cuts to him, and he just SMILES. I’m shocked the editors haven’t just drawn a halo around his head already.
Ultimately, I think we’ll be fine with either contestant, but I’d watch Melissa over Jeffrey any day. What do you think?

14 replies on “'Next Food Network Star' Selects Its Two Finalists”

  1. Debbie lost because she has ethics issues.
    Jeffery is still all over the place and doesn’t have a clear focus.
    Melissa is perfect (except for the Too Much Gums When She Smiles).
    At least Debbie got the Morimoto smile — she’s happy with that.
    hb

  2. Debbie was a bit of a backstabber and repetitive (IMHO), so I wasn’t sorry to see her go. I would agree that Asian cuisine is sorely underrepresented on the Food Network though.
    Melissa is nice enough and seems competent but I don’t think she brings anything new to the table.
    Don’t even get me started on the forehead.

  3. Jeffrey has no discernible “twist”. It’s basically just, “I’m a white guy with an odd hairline and I cook food well.” Debbie definitely got robbed based on Jeffrey’s dismal performance.
    Jeffrey served: a seared scallop (it’s called the Next Food Network Star not The Next Food Network Scallop), an apparent abomination of a risotto, and a chocolate mousse. I can make all those things and I have very little culinary acumen; this is his “ultimate” three course dinner?
    Since all the execs like him so much for some reason I predict that Melissa will win and then they’ll package Jeffrey in a “non-cooking” Food Network show like they did with Adam Gertler.

  4. Debbie is off of the show because she is a big fat liar (not a dig on her dress size either!). Susie and Bob already have some pips to manage on that network – so why not start a search for a credible Asian chef. I am sure that he/she is out there.
    I just like how Jeff looks and would watch his hot ass.
    I thought Melissa’s Mom/suicide story was a bit much. Eeeeek. But she’s very fresh looking and pleasant and can cook. Why not? And her tips are good – I wrote EZPOT on my kitchen blackboard!
    I’ll bet Jeffrey and Melissa both get shows on FN. And that we see alot of Michael and Jameeka. Maybe Debbie can go on with that Robert fellow and have a bullshitting contest????

  5. I too think that Food Network is missing an Asian show and that Debbie was most comfortable in front of the camera and also interesting. I was surprised to see her go. I thought Jeffrey would get cut after his risotto fiasco. I’m glad Melissa stayed – I like her.

  6. The issue with your Little Debbie is she couldn’t cook Korean or ANY Asian food. She could cook her some grits or greens but meeting granny later in life didn’t help her one bit it dishing it onto a plate. She was a Korean as you are B. Seriously, they need to get a real Asain if they want to highlight one on the Network

  7. While I would make out with him, I probably wouldn’t watch Jeffrey on TV. I would have watched Debbie, as she makes a form of cooking I’ve always found a bit intimidating more relatable. I can’t say I like her, and I definitely wouldn’t make out with her 🙂 but she had more to offer. A shame.

  8. I’m thrilled with the final 2. I’ve been rooting for Jeffrey all season, because he clearly knows how to cook (last episode notwithstanding, he did win the vast majority of cooking challenges) and might bring a higher level of cooking show to FN. And Melissa has grown on me week after week. At first, I figured she’s just another Robin Miller (yawn), but I think she’s got more to her.
    I think they’d both do well (assuming FN didn’t dumb Jeffrey down too much). And I’d watch either show. And preferably both!
    I totally agree they need an Asian show. But Debbie’s repetitive lying and lack of personal accountability made her an impossible choice for them. Too bad.

  9. Jennifer30307 – Did you move or is that a typo? No more 30309?
    Btw, you let me down saying you’d make out with Jeffrey; he is not attractive at all to me.
    aholic – a fellow Atlanta girl

  10. “Jennifer30307 – Did you move or is that a typo? No more 30309?
    Btw, you let me down saying you’d make out with Jeffrey; he is not attractive at all to me.
    aholic – a fellow Atlanta girl”
    She wrote in a post somewhere – that yes she did move.

  11. I agree that Asian cooking is seriously lacking on TFN and for that reason, in the beginning, I was strongly rooting for Debbie. However, as each week progressed, I was disappointed that I really didn’t think she was teaching much about Asian cooking. I think the judges sensed that, too, and that’s why they finally had to eliminate her. She did too much of the Asian/Southern fusion. If she was smarter, she would’ve been more cognizant of the programming gap and focused totally on the Asian (as TFN is over-saturated with “Southern” cooking with the overpowering Paula Deen). Plus, she really was a liar/crier. On camera she was great but behind the scenes, UGH!
    I am totally rooting for Melissa at this point. Jeffrey is more of a trained chef but there are already too many trained chef shows. I need homecooking ideas from a home cook, especially since RR seems to be all out of ideas. Plus, Jeffrey is boring. Random thought: I sure wish Anne Burrell could be more boring. Can someone get that woman to stop talking like a combination of Cookie Monster and Valley Girl?? Yuck!

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