my take on season three of "the next food network star"

i'm sure a lot of you caught the premiere of season three of "the next food network star" this past sunday. i didn't plan on watching at first as my battle wounds from season two are still somewhat raw. but my curiosity got the best of me, and i found myself plopped on my couch in front of the television set sunday night. this time, the network managed to dish up eleven new victims as opposed to just the eight we had in our season, and i have to say, i am super, super relieved i sent in my audition tape for season two and not three.

although the show definitely has become more "glammed" up in each subsequent season, it has grown into a completely reality tv-tainted monstrous mix of "top chef" meshed with "real world." while the eight of us from season two had our own studio apartments in chelsea, season three's finalists have been subjected to bunk-bed accommodations. personally, i'd like to leave all bunk-bed memories to my days in college. and as for being videotaped in my sleeping quarters, i'd like to leave that reserved for special intimate occasions only. i highly doubt this new living arrangement had any thing to do with production budget but rather a desire to drum up a new dramatic edge for the show. we'll just have to wait and see what kind of "real world" drama breaks out . . .

season three has definitely entered the realm of reality television, and by doing so, it's departed further and further from the original purpose of the show. i found myself thinking this a lot during season two: "what the hell do half of these challenges have to do with being a cooking show host on the food network?" i'd like to see how half of food network's current hosts fair on most of these challenges. i'm sure most of them would find them incredibly difficult and completely irrelevant to their jobs. season three will no doubt deliver even more contrived challenges that have nothing to do with being a cooking show host. but it's all about good tv, right?

and so i endured the pain of the first hour of the two premiere. i empathized dearly with the eleven new finalists. i've been in their shoes. i can share their excitement but i can also share their pain and absolutely anxiety. it ain't easy folks. so all of you on television without pity, try to be nice and give 'em a break. i'm still trying to get up the guts to watch the second hour (i couldn't continue after the cake challenge). hopefully i'll make it through the rest of the season and get to see what lucky individual will be crowned the next food network star. but then again, guy fieri will always be the original king in my book.

the food network was nice to give us season one and season two folks a little plug, so check out where we are now.

you know what i think. now i want to hear what you think about season three.

Comments

[A fan]

I agree. What does season three, or even season two, have to do with running an entertaining food show? It is more like Suvivor Flay TV than talent. The first season, I thought they had gotten a good variety of cooks and then the network would go through whatever TV does to find someone who is good looking, entertaining and talented. I saw you there, and thought, maybe they will finally address the growing desire for Asian cuisine. You are pretty and entertaining and I thought you could do a good show. Then you got booted off and Guy won. Now he seems like a fun kind of guy, but frankly, his shows about drive in foods and such have not attracted me even slightly.
So give up on Flay Ray TV and read some of Anthony Bourdains comments about them. He is entertaining, knows food and is good with people. Plus he tells a good story.

Your Fan

[Fan from Napa]

I have been so dissappointed with NFNS 3 that I was wondering if anyone else is too. So, I started to look around for blogs and I couldn't find much of anything. Then I remembered your great web site (which I started reading after NFNS 2 so I thought I'd check in. I agree with all you are saying. This season is a little too dramatic, and yes, particularly the sleeping arrangements. I have watched both nights so far and I don't think I am going to watch it any more. I have no idea what criteria they are using for elmination as it seems WAY off base. I was also stunned by "Little Miss Every Day Italian"'s comments to Adrien about his food looking like vomit. That really bothered me as I felt it was severe, inappropriate and uncalled for. I also felt that the comments made by the judges at BA which were chosen to be aired were a little harsh and should not have been the comments selected for air. I think they are trying too much to emulate Hell's Kitchen, or for that matter, Simon (whatever his name is) from Idol. I agree with you in that I doubt any of the current hosts would do well in these challenges, and particularly Giada. I don't think she can cook, I think her show is boring and I think she has a lot of nerve making comments like that to the contestants. All of that said, I have watched her show a few times, but I will never watch it again. I have never liked her and I like her so much less now. I think I am just going to wait until the winner is announced and not watch the series any more. I am finding it too disturbing and I feel a lot of empathy for the contestants.

[Rachel Hauck]

Great review of the show, Jess. I don't get enough cable channels to watch it, but I think it would be too reality-tv for me.

I loved your interview though. You look so cute!

Rachel

[Hellervon]

It's the only reality-tv that I watch, This one seems to bit a bit slower then the first two, but I'm sure that it will pick up.

On of the contestants cooks at a local (well about 20min way), and just looked at the menu. Kinda curious to taste some of their cooking. Even-thou some the the recipes that they had on the menu where classics, but didn't have the classic ingredients. Personally if I looked at a menu and ordered something that I new, I would be a bit upset. So even tough they are local to me, need a bit more imagination of the naming of plated and not take dishes already named.

[Tracy]

Jess, I do agree with you that they are trying too hard to make it more dramatic. When I first saw the lead-in, I had the feeling they would be creating contrived drama. I don't watch many reality shows because of that very thing, contrived drama; putting people into situations that are just begging for conflict. The wedding challenge was a prime example of that. How could that situation not create conflict between the contestants? Is that what we want to see? Not me.

However, I think that the selection committee is still critiquing them based on qualities that do apply to making a TV show - keeping your cool, presenting your personality, good food. The big beef that I had with the show in both seasons is that toward the end, the selection committee eliminated people who I felt were quite strong, leaving a weaker person on the show. I really do believe that when push comes to shove, the selection committee has been rigging the thing so that the final two will lead to an obvious choice from the viewers. And I don't believe that they are really truly seeking a "fresh new idea" for the Food Network. While I liked the winners in both seasons and thought they were very strong, I don't think that they were actually a very new concept. An ethnic winner would be new and different, as would a health conscious or fresh/organic concept. I don't really see those viewpoints represented on FN right now and there have been good candidates for both on NFNS both seasons.

Anyway, I am going to keep watching. If it turns into Big Brother with cooking, then I doubt I will tune in next season.

[Kathy]

"season three will no doubt deliver even more contrived challenges that have nothing to do with being a cooking show host. but it's all about good tv, right?"

That's *all* it's about, Jess. (And really, it depends on the definition of "good tv" - TVFN and I have differing opinions.) Back in the late 90s, the Food Network used to have actual cooking shows all the time, but now it's more about getting one of their personalities to travel the country and tell us what they are eating. Rachael Ray, the Deen Boys, Bobby Flay, Giada, Alton Brown, and yes, your bud Guy Fieri have all done/are doing that sort of show. The personalities are far more important than the food, and that's a real shame. Whatever happened to the FN Star Season 1 winners, the Hearty Boys? They're nice quiet guys, they don't have big mouths, so they're relegated to an 8 a.m. slot. Who watches Food Network that early in the morning? So for Season 2, they picked Guy because he's all about personality. So far, I haven't seen such flamboyance in the new batch of hopefuls, so it's hard to say who is going to win. But whoever it is better be ready to travel and eat other peoples' food, because if they're serious about cooking and think they're going to get that chance, they'll most likely be sorely disappointed.

As for the format of the show, I don't mind that it's borrowing heavily from the more popular and more interesting Top Chef. As long as there's something on TVFN to watch other than the extremely over-exposed for no good reason Ms. Ray and the often-bumbling Emeril.

[Your fan again]

Now we lost the only interesting cook of Season 3, the vegetarian. What else is left? She was the only one who offered something that FNTV doesn't have. But, as an earlier writer said, it isn't about the food anymore. I think next year they will have to cook while having snakes or scorpions poured on their heads. Or maybe they could sing and dance.