So...How Are They Doing?

Ok, were are down to the Final Five in season 5 of The Next Food Network Star. Before the season started, I wrote about what I liked and didn’t like, and what I hoped to see and hope to not see. I think it’s time to see how things are going…

THE CHALLENGES:

This is the one that I reeeeeaaaally can’t understand. This contest is to find a person that can carry a show by themselves. So, what did they do last week? PAIR THE CONTESTANTS UP! So, they take people who are already feeling awkward, and now make them work with someone else. So, what useful information can be gleaned? I have no idea. Even if someone performed well, SO WHAT? That will not be the format of their show should they win, so it's just a waste of time.

THE JUDGES:

Fortunately, they have been nicer than in years past, but they still leave me scratching my head. They genuinely seem surprised when people that have never cooked on camera have trouble cooking on camera. If they want someone with that kind of polish, make it a prerequisite in your selection process. And of course, as stated before, the challenges are rarely conducive to getting the information that they need to find a star. Why am I mentioning this in “The Judges” portion of this post? Because two of the judges—Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson— are the Senior Vice President, Programming and Production and the Vice President, Marketing & Brand Strategy respectively. In other words: it’s their baby.

WHERE TO GO?
Well, my hope is now that they have thinned the herd, they will have time to find out who these people are and what they can do. Hopefully the challenges will be geared toward that, and the judges will be mindful of the “big picture”.