NFNS Video Recap: Episode 5
Here’s the review for the fifth episode of Next Food Network Star, but first the recap video (followed by my commentary) … so if you didn’t catch it Sunday night and are planning to watch it during one of the repeats this week, don’t click. Otherwise, enjoy.
Contests From Hell
Alas, (yes, I said alas) I’m a bit disappointed with this latest episode that marks the midway point of the season. Because while not completely “there” it most certainly went back toward the same insanity of the first episode. While I do understand the concept is not a bad one — though no one said it, it is the very concept of Rachael Ray’s 30-Minute Meals — to take something normally long and complex and “make it accessible to the home cook” by simplifying it and doing it in under 45 minutes … again even though I understand and approve of the overall concept, it still seemed in many ways that the contestants were given the near impossible, and that the challenge was made to create dramatic failures more than riveting food successes.
This has even been asked repeatedly on the food forums and food blogs across the Net. “If it’s about the food, why (are the NFNS contestants) always given no more than 30-45 minutes? If it’s a real challenge, why don’t they give them a real amount of time to cook their best? 60-90-120 minutes? Why is it always a rush?” And then they bloggers or the posters tend to give the answers themselves — and say what I’ve been saying — because the show isn’t about who can make the best food, it’s how to speed it up to Keystone Kops level and see what person will trip, screw up, burn something or in last night’s case, shatter glass everywhere atop the food.
But that was the main and second challenge; let’s start with the first challenge. Cat Cora “hosted” this one in which each contestant got a mystery basket with six items in it. They had to make something in 30 minutes (not bad considering what they were given) and then they had to describe it to the camera. At the last second everyone was forced to switch and describe someone else’s dish, not the one they made. Annoying thing, it seems the contestants got graded solely on camera work and nothing for the dish they came up with. Again it’s only a food network and a food show, why should something like cooking matter? In short, Shane took that. Lisa and Kelsey also did well. Aaron stood there for 70 of the alloted 90 seconds saying not one word. Jen couldn’t figure out what the ingredients were in the dish she was given and Adam was just blah.
Iron Judges
I would like to post a challenge though to either or both Bobby Flay and Cat Cora. Make me oxtail stew in 20 minutes. With root veggies of course. What? You can’t? And yet you two Iron Chefs with over 45 years of experience between you sounded like snooty thugs when criticizing the contestants, folks who aren’t even within three light years of your level to cook their versions of coq au vin, turduken and beef wellington in 45 minutes? Of course they had to then present this to the entire editorial team of Bon Appétit, including publisher Barbara Fairchild and oft-time Iron Chef judge (geez, how incestuous this is getting!) Andrew Knowlton. Yeah, fine. Like I said oh great Iron Chefs, make me a freaking oxtail stew in 20 mnutes. Come on Bobby Flay who’s been cooking Spanish food for a quarter of a century: rabo de toro en veinte minutos, amigo, no?
You see, back to my original thought, the idea of the challenge wasn’t necessarily off, but the reason it was done, to make funny fools for the camera, is what was bad. And when the judges then go off on the contestants with this wasn’t done and that wasn’t done, and this could be better … I say shut up and put your money where your mouth is. Yeah we’ve seen you make five dishes in 60 minutes but we’ve never seen you take a 5- or 10-hour dish and make it in 20 minutes. So until you do that, Bobby and Cat, you really shouldn’t come off as bullies to people much below your skill level. Being a judge doesn’t mean you have license to be culinary thugs, which is how each of you tended to come off last night. I again blame FN and the producers, because I think Cora, Flay and whoever is the flavor of the week are put in a very difficult spot. So it’s not so much their fault as the network’s fault.
You know, there is something I’m wondering if Food Network has ever considered: when this show, with its sometimes near impossible challenges, and then placing likable judges in the position of having to enforce that and judge off that makes people we like not so much likable as they once were. Food Network you really should do those surveys we hear about. I’m betting as your top stars rip apart contestants given impossible jobs that they and you FN end up losing more audience than you gain. If you don’t lose more audience, I’m betting your top stars’ likeability index or whatever it’s called drops. Seriously, do the study FN. You might just find this show of yours is more costly than you thought.
Finally to Judges Bob and Sue. Stop finishing off each other’s sentences like it’s either scripted or like you’re twins seperated at birth; it’s scarily unsettling. And Sue stop with that freaking “here’s your headline” thing; it’s stupid, it’s so annoying it makes me miss Nipa almost. Just stop it!
Contestants and Predictions
Even with my complaints — which are all justified — I am still liking this season the best and caring about the contestants more this year. For that, well done! Who knows, maybe it’s also why I’m hard on the judges and think some of the challenges are stupid, maybe it’s because I’m bonding with the contestants. Naw, some things are just stupid. And yes I’m probably bonding a bit with the contestants.
Adam alas hasn’t the skills but has the personality. Aaron has the skills and can’t get any pesonality through. If you could take the best from each and put them into one, you’d have your hands down winner. Since that science experiment is not going to happen, both of these guys are going to go home is my prediction.
Shockingly last night’s episode could have been labeled “Youngsters Rule!” Last week Kelsey won both challenges. This week Shane wins the first and the team of Kelsey and Shane win the second and get not only their main but all their dishes in Bon Appétit magazine. And Lisa listens to the judges and when she could have and maybe should have blown up majorly (she had the just deserves to) she didn’t. She keeps getting more likable each week and her cooking skills are exceptional too. Really, of everyone who’s left now, everyone except Adam has mad food chops going. Unless someone else screws up majorly next week I predicet Adam or Aaron is going next week and the other to follow the week after. Nope still not sure who will be the winner yet though.
