Monday, July 13, 2009

"The Next Food Network Star", Season 5, Episode 6

The judges got this one right. On episode 6 of The Next Food Network Star, Michael Proietti was sent home. In a way it's a shame, because what he was really sent home for was being himself. His performance overall wasn't that bad—others had a worse day—but apparently after 6 weeks, the judges decided Michael was too over the top.

And that's my problem with the decision. You see, Michael has always been over the top. As I've stated before, there is no way (in my opinion) that the judges were ever going to build a show around Michael. His personality is too "out there" to draw the ratings numbers The Food Network needs for a show. Personally, I wouldn't watch a show with him in it, but that's not the point. The point is that from day one, Michael has been Michael, and the judges—particularly Bob—said people loved him, although every week the camera showed people turned off by him.

So why was Michael even there? I have a hard time believing he was any different in his audition tape than he was on the show. So if he was "himself" on his audition tape, they should have known that he probably couldn't win. Michael added a lot of "character" to the show, but if that's all they brought him in for, they should be ashamed.

I need to update my guess of who is to go next. I thought it would be Jamika, but Debbie again had honesty issues and that, I believe will get her sent home next.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Who Do I Think Will Win? Glad You Asked!

I thought I would share some quick thoughts on the final five contestants on season five of The Next Food Network Star. Before I do that, I have to first tackle (again)…

The judges. They have their clear favorites, and I think they have lost some objectivity. I really hope they can maintain open-mindedness and fairness down the home-stretch. Here are my thoughts on the contestants. I’ve ranked them first-to-last as far as what I feel their chances are of winning.



Jeffrey Saad: I think this is Jeffrey’s contest to win. I think he is the most relatable contestant left, and his food is almost always good. He seems comfortable in front of the camera, and has a fair amount of polish. Bob, however, doesn’t seem to see it in him, and I don’t know why. He really seems to have blinders on when it comes to Jeffrey. Jeffrey can come across a little “in your face”, but not in a mean way.I like him.

Melissa d’Arabian: If Jeffrey doesn’t win, I think Melissa has a shot. In fact, even in second place, she could come back with a show. It worked for Adam Gertler, right? Melissa is sweet and talented and seems to avoid any big mistakes. She could use a bit of seasoning (FOOD JOKE!), but on a personality-driven network like The Food Network, I think she could do well.



Debbie Lee: Susie loves her. I don’t get it. She’s been good, but there doesn't seem to be anything compelling about her that makes me think I would want to tune in to a show that she was hosting. Nice lady, but in my opinion, not a Food Network Star.


Jamika Pessoa: After starting out strong, Jamika has really fallen hard. Now, she doesn’t even seem to want to be there. I just don’t think her personality is strong enough to help her win this, and from a cooking standpoint, I have no idea what she is about. I shouldn’t be able to say that this late into the competition.

Michael Proietti: This one hurts to write. Michael may be the most talented chef in the bunch, and that includes everybody from the beginning of the season. The problem is, this is The Next Food Network Star, not Top Chef. Personality may be more important than even the food in terms of making a show, and I just don’t believe that The Food Network can ever build a show around his personality. Michael constantly referring to himself as “the woman in the kitchen”, is just little over the top for the Food Network's demographics.

Bob keeps saying how much audiences love Michael, but it seems every week the camera catches someone in the audience being uncomfortable by something Michael has said. Bob has MAJOR blinders on when it comes to Michael. My goodness, this past week, he referred to the cameras as “the depths of hell” and still stayed on. I’m pretty sure all of the shows have cameras…

By the way, I’m not suggesting for a minute that Michael change anything about himself. In fact, I blame the judges that selected him for putting him in a situation where he may not be able to be successful. I wish Michael well, but I think for his sake and for the sake of finding someone that can carry a show, this is his week to go.

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”.