If you don’t get it by now, simple. Don’t read the review or look at the video if you haven’t already seen the show last Sunday. If you’re waiting to watch one of the catch up repeats during the week, don’t click. With that said, here’s my review for the seventh episode of Next Food Network Star.

Another enjoyable episode. And wow — I’m in near shock — they actually gave the for remaining contestants, Kelsey, Adam, Lisa and Aaron, and entire 75 minutes to cook. Long overdue giving them some actual time (beyond 30-40 minutes) to cook their dishes instead of “make me 200 meals in two minutes” crapola that makes for artificial drama.

In short, the remaining four go to Vegas (baby!) and they do a Bobby Flay style “Throwdown”. They cook outside in front of the judges, including this week’s guest judge Paula Deen and they have the following to do: To cook their own signature dish, to cook their version of the signature dish of the other finalist they’re paired with or throwing down against, to “up” both of them “Vegas style” while answering both judges questions and the questions of Dana Devon from the E network who gives them a mock interview back where they are cooking.

In short, Adam makes his mac and cheese dish which they love. Lisa makes her cassoulet dish which they love. Lisa’s version of doing Adam’s dish sinks miserably. So does Adam’s version of Lisas. Next, Aaron makes his chicken parm and they love it. He also makes a better version of Kelsey’s dish! Kelsey decides for some reason that “Vegas style” meant turning her normal home-cooked dishes into five-star restaurant type servings. She figures she’s showing them her versatility; the judges feel she’s left her point of view. That aside though, neither her own revamped dish nor her attempt at Aaron’s passes muster especially since she overcooked both meals.

On the personality side with fielding judges questions and answering Dana Devon’s questions. They don’t like that Aaron stopped cooking to answer. They don’t like that Adam continued cooking and all but ignored the interviewer. Kelsey and Lisa did relatively alright in that area. Though Kelsey did a big no-no. The judges have been saying she needs to be more authoritive and stop bringing up she’s just out of culinary school. And she mentioned that again. You can guess by now, yep, Kelsey hit the skids and is out.

Overall show was good. I have nothing to rap against the judges or anything else but one minor but wierd and jarring criticism: The show’s editing during the first half of the judges table scene. I seriously think the editor had to be high on something. It went like this:

Judge gives big praise to contestant A.
Contestant A scowls.
Judge then says something neutral to contestant A.
Contestant A gushes with pride and says thank you repeatedly.
Judges say you can return to your room while we talk.
Shot of contestants standing there waiting for something to start.

Huh???! Don’t they even look at the show before airing it? Really the rest of the show was edited fine and was overall fun to watch. But that one part was three or four minutes of disconnected strangeness worthy of being in a Lewis Carroll novel. If that had not been there, might have been a perfect show. Either way it was an excellent one. Can’t wait til next week.

{15 Jul 2008}