Intuition

I agree - I think that's because half of them probably came in with either no concept or had their concept re-worked by the producers into something they're really not on board with. I think the reason Nicole doesn't have enough genuine enthusiasm (especially in her pilot) is probably that the POV they have fit her into isn't what she went into this wanting to do (I think it might have been "healthy" cuisine, which TPTB hate). Plus it isn't really universally appealing enough to get her a win and she probably suspects that. She just looks like she is trying to please the judges, not be true to herself. Jeff Mauro's POV was clear, it was popular, and it was also GOOD. Then again, he didn't need to be coached into that POV, it was his and he owned it from day one. And WTH is "Cowboy Cuisine"? I think that one's a little weak but they don't care because they're banking on Lenny's "star power" and over the top personality to carry him through, plus that POV is consistent with the cowboy persona. What bugs me about this show is that the finalists always seem to be the ones with the most "star power" with the POV taking a back seat to that. But I think the POV is just as important, and if the contestants need to be coached into something that the viewers will find more interesting, it's as bad as no star power, especially if it makes them act less committed and more disengaged. How many more country cooks does FN need? Aren't we already overloaded with Italian? Luca is cute but I think he gets boring after a while. I thought his pilot was good but I felt ho-hum afterward. I hate to say that because I like the guy. Yeah, I was kidding about that but I do think he's combining every country/cowboy stereotype from my childhood into one persona. Like every cowboy from every TV western from the 1950s and '60s plus Gomer Pyle and Jethro all rolled into one. I know there was a "grandpa" type character on one western who cooked for the cowboys on a chuckwagon - I am straining my memory to remember the show's or the character's name, but I think he was another one Lenny patterned his caricature on.

No, it's not you. Maybe he's actually becoming the snarly guy he's playing on "Cutthroat Kitchen". Either that or he's taking lessons from Bobby Flay.

Sometimes I think Lenny is trying to imitate Jethro:

Well, this may be a real spoiler depending on how you look at it. I'll bet the vote could go either way. I'm not in love with Luca but I'd vote for Quasimodo at this point just because I can't stand Lenny. If anyone else hates Lenny that much I'd suggest voting for Luca because I'll bet he is the only other contestant with a fighting chance.

I agree - I think the reason Nicole doesn't have enough genuine enthusiasm (especially in her pilot) is that the POV they have fit her into isn't what she went into this wanting to do (I think it might have been the kiss of death, "healthy" cuisine). Plus it isn't really appealing enough to make her win and she probably suspects that. She just looks like she is trying to please the judges, not be true to herself. Jeff Mauro's POV was clear and it was also GOOD. Then again, he didn't need to be coached into that POV, it was his and he owned it from day one. WTH is "Cowboy Cuisine"? I think that one's a little weak but they don't care because they're banking on Lenny's "star power" and over the top personality to carry him through, plus his POV is consistent with the cowboy persona. What bugs me about this show is that the finalists always seem to be the ones with the most "star power" with the POV taking a back seat to that. But I think the POV is just as important, and if the contestants need to be coached into something that the viewers will find more interesting, it's as bad as no star power, especially if it makes them act less committed and more disengaged. And how many more country cooks does FN need? Aren't we already overloaded with Italian? Luca is cute but I think he gets boring after a while. I thought his pilot was good but I felt ho-hum afterward. I hate to say that because I like the guy. Seafood would be a great angle if Nicole seemed more engaged and committed to it. I suspect her real POV going into this was probably more the "healthy" angle (given what I have seen her post on her FB page) and as we all know, this is the kiss of death on FNS, so this "coastal" thing was an invention of the producers after finding out some of her family were fishermen.

I know - And especially if Lenny had TV ambitions one would think he'd have the sense not to do it or to take it down soon after. It's still posted! I think what it's revealing is that not only does he use some pretty ugly profanity and get creepy with creamed corn, but that there's a huge disconnect between the cursing Lenny with the hipster glasses and the "Cowboy" hat tipping Lenny, and it's obvious which one is the REAL one. I think a lot of people don't like being faked out, especially when the reality is so far away from the image.

I noticed that! He was flustered around him, that's for sure and I've actually suspected before that he switches teams given his stalking behavior with that male talk show host. I didn't think he did so well in the challenge before Sarah's elimination. Sarah should have gone home weeks ago but still, just based on performance I think Lenny bombed it. His "pilot" looked much better and I think they gave him every advantage in the appealing department. I actually think they gave Nicole the worst situation to make appealing.

I am voting for either Luca or Nicole even though I'm not in love with either, just because it's a vote against Lenny. I like both of them, but I hate Lenny after that video. I am sorry I don't care what he did or how he cooks I can't support him.

I don't get it. All Paula Deen, someone with a long history on FN, who is supposedly beloved by millions has to do is say the "n" word 30 years ago and FN and the world turns their back on her, but this poser from nowhere with crazy eyes who stalks radio hosts gets a pass from both FN and the public even after uttering sleazy profanity including the "c" word. If that isn't proof of a double standard between men and women, I don't know what is. I suspected it when they sent Martha Stewart to jail, but now I'm sure of it. I am thoroughly demoralized at tonight's outcome. I gave FN the benefit of the doubt but they really ARE that stupid!

I'm thinking Lenny has to be going home this week. I can't believe FN would not have known about those things beforehand and only hired him to be this year's clown. But you never know with them....

Sleuth that I am, I have found even more dirt on this guy. I won't post the sources here but suffice it to say he is a long time poster at the Ronfez.com chat board (going under the moniker "Chuckwagon", although he is also known by his real first name, Lenny). Ron & Fez are two radio show hosts originally out of Florida (and we know Lenny was in Florida for a time). In a current thread on the Ronfez chat board, I saw some of Lenny's friends rooting for him (AKA "Chuckwagon") to win Food Network Star. The infamous YouTube video I posted was also mentioned. It turns out that "Hottub" (who Lenny refers to in that video along with his profanity) is the screen name of someone who also posts on the Ronfez chat board, and that guy even mentioned in the thread how the video mentions him, so we know this is the same guy we're talking about, and they they are all online friends. Interesting that these friends don't seem to see anything wrong with what others see as Lenny's profanity and creepiness (which in my opinion probably says something about them). I also found another YouTube video of a broadcast of the Ron and Fez show from back in 2009, where it is mentioned (I think by Ron) that Lenny "Chuckwagon" was getting Fez down in the dumps because he kept "stalking him" and probably creeping him out big time. I don't know what specific behavior this was referring to, but whatever it was was enough for Fez to get really depressed about. It turns out that some time before this Lenny insisted on meeting Fez at some public appearance somewhere, which happened at least as long ago as 2009 or before, and the so called stalking behavior happened after that. The recording of the radio show was posted in April of 2014 despite it having aired in 2009, so it was before Food Network Star started airing and it included a recent photo of our Lenny in his cowboy attire, so it's definitely him they're referring to. Later on in the show it was mentioned that Lenny explained his behavior with Fez was just a "routine", meaning that the supposed stalking behavior was just a joke, although it didn't seem that Fez was was aware that it was one when it was happening nor was he taking it as one. They also mention Lenny's good looking girlfriend or wife (I don't remember which). It gets even stranger when someone calls into the show claiming to be Chuckwagon only to be reprimanded for making Fez depressed, but later on in a subsequent show they mentioned that the real Chuckwagon said it wasn't him that called in but an impostor! I don't know, it sure sounded like Lenny to me! I won't post the link here but if you do find it and play it, keep in mind that it has some STRONG LANGUAGE, so don't play it in a public area or somewhere where you don't want such language to be overheard! Anyway, I am even more creeped out about this guy than I already was after finding out this new stuff.

OMG, this, 10,000%!!! I think this applies to parenting in general, which is why so many young people today seem to have zero respect for their parents or any older "parental" figures. Their parents have taught them not to respect them by acting like they are the "one down" in the relationship and the kids are the ones in control. My theory has always been that a lot of parents from my generation didn't want to be too dictatorial with their kids lest they damage them somehow (like they thought their parents were with them) so they ended up begging and pleading with their own kids rather than give out orders. Note that my own mother did neither so I never grew up with those issues. Giving me an incentive to eat foods I didn't want to eat still kept her the authority without turning her into a dictator. Of course she picked things I really, really wanted to make it all the more compelling for me to break down and eat the food. Then again, the only rule was that I try the food, not eat all of it if I really hated it. It didn't turn into an exercise in punishment. God, I miss my mom so much (she died in 2001).....

Thanks, actually I posted it after mlp mentioned it in a post. The funny thing is I don't see any difference between what we've been seeing every week and what's in the video in that I totally could see there was something majorly creepy about this dude lurking just under the surface of which the video is only the tip of the iceberg. The video didn't surprise me at all. He's a good actor, I think. So now who to root for? I still like Nicole and can see her and Luca in the finale. And thanks to cooksdelight I now will never be able to get out of my head the vision of Luca with longer hair and a white gauzy shirt open and flowing in the breeze, kind of like the original Fabio (not the Top Chef one), LOL. Yeah, Luca is eye candy and not really much else, I suppose. Oh yeah, he can cook but I have to say I have not been over-impressed with his cooking so far. Too bad about Lenny as he actually seems to have some cooking talent. Nicole really seems to know her stuff too in spite of the gaff she made with the sriracha for kids this week. She mentioned new studies about cholesterol on her Facebook page that I only just read about recently myself. I love it that she understands the new trends in nutrition and health without slapping it in your face about being the "healthy" chef. Perhaps TPTB told her not to push the healthy angle up front, but instead go for the "Jersey Girl/Coastal Cuisine" angle. I don't think Coastal Cuisine necessarily means fish or seafood either. I just think they had to think up an angle for her and "Northeastern Cuisine" is not as catchy. I like it that a Northeasterner might win this season as we have had our share of Southern, Country, Western, Californian, and Midwestern (aka Jeff M.) cooks win this show, all bringing their own special regionally influenced styles of cooking with them. Note that I know that Aaron McCargo is from New Jersey, but as he openly called his style of cooking "soul food", I would consider that a style unto itself.

OMG, I agree with everyone so far - This had to be THE most depressing and futile episode so far. This guy was beyond creepy. He was a sicko and morally bereft to boot. This one is going to turn my stomach for a long time. I agree that Fox might have done better not to air it. It was recorded over a year ago. I noticed that Ramsay says he is not going to do anymore "Kitchen Nightmares" - Maybe he'll add this show to the scrap heap as well. It's too bad, the show has potential if they were to pick places with real potential instead of for shock value. I have to wonder why this season was put off so long given how long ago these episodes seem to have been filmed. It's like there was a long hiatus from Ramsay shows in general and then now suddenly they're all airing. I find that strange, or perhaps evidence of some kind of legal issues going on behind the scenes that prevented them from airing. Perhaps it's a ratings issue - Fox didn't want to air it until the summer doldrums. Ramsay was tweeting that it would air "soon" back in January, so I wonder what happened. Also, the hotel itself is still open - It's the restaurant and banquet facility that closed in January.

One would think they would have learned from the whole JAG affair back in 2007 (for the uninformed, he was a contestant on FNS who had to back down after it was revealed that his military background was not as extensive as he made it out to be on the show, and he never actually served active duty in Afghanistan, amongst other fudges and lies). Perhaps they did do standard background checks this season but didn't get thorough enough to poke around YouTube that much. There is another possibility that would lend credence to my own pet theory, and that's that Lenny was never hired to make it to the finale but for entertainment purposes on FNS only. If that's the case they could have known about it but it didn't matter since he wasn't a real contender anyway.

I'm not a fan of it basically because it teaches your kids that it's OK to fool and mislead people. I don't know what kind of psychological damage it does to find out that your parents duped you when you were a kid. OK, hiding medicine is one thing, but food is another. I think it builds more character to openly make your kids eat the food. Kids have to learn early that what's good for them is not always the painless, easy route. Plus they will be less avoidant of new potentially uncomfortable things of all kinds when they get older if they realize one day from this that vegetables really aren't all that bad. My mother used to "bribe" me with other things (i.e., a trip downtown on the subway) to get me to eat food I "didn't like". It worked, and I learned that sometimes in life you have to endure a little pain to get anywhere worthwhile.

Judging from the year it was uploaded (2009), that video of Lenny is only about 5 years old, so he wasn't THAT much younger. It's not even just the vulgar language, but the double dose of "crazy" and "crazy eyes" that go along with it. Thanks for posting that. I always trust my intuition about people (hence the screen name), but it always helps to have some hard evidence to back it up. My creep meter is now pegged. Talk about needing eye bleach, I feel like I need my stomach pumped too! (ETA: This video is NSFW, in other words, not safe to watch at work or in a public place) For anyone who wants to see it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYUy3VeZNNc Read more at: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/star-talk/2014/07/28/episode-9-justins-rebel-recap-season-10/#idc-container?oc=linkback

I finally got around to re-watching the actual Rachael Ray Show segment with Lenny and found that he did indeed make mention of food prices. He said something about finding chicken thighs for 99 cents a pound, using fresh Rosemary, and buying those 99 cent plants at the supermarket and then growing them at home. Not a bad tip - I have an herb garden in my back yard. I also noticed that there was absolutely no evidence of him ripping his pants on the RR show. There was no "sound effect" nor reaction from him shown. I did notice that when he came around to the oven you could see a frayed bit on his inner thigh so it must have been that. Ugh, just thinking about this dude's inner thigh being almost exposed on national TV is enough to make me lose my dinner... Anyway, the RR show segments are much longer than what we saw on the episode of FNS and I do think the general impression of each contestant is a little different. I definitely think they edited Nicole's to make her look her absolute worst. Yeah, but everyone already knew that Roy Rogers was an actor, and he knew that they knew it - He didn't attempt to pass himself off as something he wasn't. He also grew up on a farm in the midwest, which is a lot closer culturally to the cowboy lifestyle, and lead a very "country" life complete with square dances, etc, which was not exactly the comparatively modern New England background Lenny seems to come from. I really detest FNS and the way the show attempts to pass off actors as "the real thing". Cowboys who aren't cowboys but actors trying to pass themselves off as "real" cowboys. Butchers who aren't butchers but artsy fartsy hipsters and reality star wannabes trying to pass themselves off as butchers. Perhaps I am just showing my age - In this day and age when anyone seems to think they can be anyone they want to be whether they really are or not just because they can put on an accent and costume and throw up a few YouTube videos, I suppose expecting that they actually be anything remotely close to what they are passing themselves off as is a passé attitude. If so, I still stand by it. I'm not one of the younger generation who can go there with this stuff. Like the young woman who wants to be a doll - She has even had plastic surgery to make her look more doll-like and has adoring fans on YouTube. One can argue that she actually has made herself into a doll so she's not faking it. Yah, right, whatever....NOT. I don't do emperor's new clothes. She's just a creepy young woman who hates herself too much to really just "be herself". To me that stuff is just too out of touch with reality and narcissistic, sorry. ROTFLMAO!!!!! (Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off) -- That just about sums it up for me. There is a creep factor for me with this guy too. The needle is in the red zone on my creep meter with him. If I had kids, I wouldn't leave them alone with him. I've had a lot of risotto and certain vegetables that you puree and incorporate into it sort of disappear into it what with all else that's going on in it like the cheese, etc., and I'm figuring you don't even taste the cauliflower very much even if your taste is sensitive (like mine is). If someone didn't tell you it was in there, you might never know. That reminds me of my husband, who always said he HATED pumpkin and that if there were even a tiny bit of it in something he would know it right away and gag. Well, I made a devil's food cake with canned pumpkin several times and he loved it, not knowing the pumpkin was in there. I finally fessed up to him about it, fully expecting him to get mad at me, but he said if he didn't taste it, he was OK with it being in there. I kind of think the cauliflower in the risotto would be similar.

Yep, that's him. He's gotta be at least my Dad's age by now (86). Speaking of children's TV, I could definitely see Lenny doing a children's show. I'm not sure that's what they're intending with him, though.

I know a lot of people who said much the same about "Bubba" himself, Bill Clinton. Oh, they know that his "awww shucks, ma'am" act is phony baloney, and then there's that Monica thing, but he's just so likeable anyway that they don't care.... OMG, this whole Lenny thing made me remember something from my childhood, 50 years ago - I went to a day camp in Westchester County, NY (a suburb of NYC) where we had a square dance caller come every week named "Slim Sterling". I remember I was crushed when I found out he wasn't really a cowboy but a Jewish guy from Valhalla, NY, LOL. He's actually STILL around (I guess he was young when I knew him). Perhaps I have baggage, what can I say?

Lenny's actually not THAT bad, judging from all his YouTubes as the "Black Mamba", which is his "alter ego" and the one we are seeing on FNS, but still it's fakey and schticky, the kind of thing you expect at a tacky resort. He says he works at this 15 room hunting lodge, where he provides "dinnertainment". Yikes. Here's the page on him from the resort: http://autographcollectionhotels.tumblr.com/post/78111708620/kessler-canyon-colorado-autograph-collection-chef

I am sorry but Lenny is as phony as a 4 dollar bill. His website says he was "raised in New Hampshire", then went to study culinary school in Germany, then went to Florida where he worked as a chef de cuisine. It's only because he "longed for the cowboy way" that he made his way to Nashville, TN, then out west to take on gigs as an entertainer as a mule guide and later a chuck wagon cook (note that it does not say how long he has been doing this). So this hat removing "awww shucks", "howdy ma'am" act is NOT genuineness, IMHO. It's all fake and taken straight out of TV westerns from my childhood (yep I used to watch 'em). I am sorry but that is not what I want to see on Food Network. It looks to me like he's one of those people with way too much time and money on his hands and can indulge himself in childhood fantasies. Either that or he's willing risk it all just to follow a crazy dream. I just can't go there with him in his fantasy about himself anymore than I can go there with Loreal. But then again I think FN just hired him to be this year's clown fake contestant. I just don't see him as "for real" in any sense of the word. I think the "real" Lenny is a lot different than what he is putting up on TV, and his background certainly makes it look that way.

@JTMacc99, I couldn't agree with you more. I think the more we see of Nicole, the more they're showing us what she's really capable of. I have to wonder if they don't play shenanigans with the image they give the audience of each contestant just to play up the ringers and clowns in the beginning to get the ratings up for THIS show. I don't think it's any coincidence that Nicole is suddenly looking more "polished" and interesting as the weeks go on. I don't think she is suddenly getting better. She was always better. They did the same thing with Damaris. Did anyone even think she had a chance at the finale until more than half way through the season? They were too busy hitting us over the head with "Pie Style" and all the other clowns just to make ratings for FNS before they got around to showing us who was a REAL contestant, not a ringer. I'm not so sure about what they're looking for. I think the fact that they play up the clowns and ringers until later in the season is not necessarily an indication that that's what they're looking for, just that they want to create ratings for FNS. Also, I don't think they stray too much from what they traditionally have valued in a winner in the end. I think they knew "Pie Style" didn't have a chance next to Damaris last year because he was such a buffoon. I have a feeling they will be making Nicole look better and better as the finale approaches. I wonder if Cowboy Lenny will even last to the finale. I personally think he may be a ringer, not a "real" contestant, just like Loreal, the fake butcher was not "real". I really don't think Cowboy Lenny is as much of a cowboy as he plays on TV. And really, I have no time for that level of schtickiness. I think Sarah will likely be the next to go, and then perhaps Lenny. I think it might be Luca and Nicole in the finale. It could be Lenny and Nicole too, but whatever, I think they'll want to stick to their formula of one man and one woman, one really popular and one not as popular, and one that is real and one that is "schticky". Only this time, I think Lenny is the one that's probably more popular, so you never know, the schtickier one may win this time!

I saw both the RR show and last night's FNS, and I definitely think they made Lenny's segment look better in the editing on FNS, and Nicole's look worse. On the RR show itself it didn't seem like there was any editing but it's hard to tell. They were on the clock but I'm not sure the clock was in "real time" or not. I will have to go back and watch Lenny's segment on the RR show to find out if he mentioned the cost of the food.

I don't think there's been one season yet when it wasn't between a man and a woman in the finals of this show. I have always thought TPTB wanted it that way, but I guess anything is possible. Judging from the voting at the bottom of the screen, Lenny is a fan favorite. But that still doesn't mean he'll make it to the finale. If he does, he may just get voted in by the viewers given his popularity, which I still for the life of me can't understand. I just can't get past his schticky gimmicky act. I actually would take Luca over him in a heartbeat. Thank you, that was me and I agree completely. Luca is no Fabio. It's a shame that Fabio isn't on his own show right now. I thought he appeared in a few things after TC but nothing showcased him to maximize his appeal. Actually on the RR show itself, I think Luca did as well as he appeared to do on the edited version we saw last night. But getting back to him being a ringer or coached, I think if his performance before "Star Salvation" vs. after it were compared side by side, a dramatic improvement would be seen. Too dramatic to explain in any other way than that he got lessons in English diction, or that he was told to dial back the "foreign". Perhaps he was told to dial it up a bit in the beginning to be more "attractive", but then they told him it was too much, and when he got it right they let him back into the competition.