S11.E01: Food Star Food Festival

[cooksdelight]

The 12 finalists arrive in Los Angeles and are tasked with making an introductory video. Season premiere.

[Lamb18]

Michelle is the new Sarah. So far.

[susannot]

I recognize Arnold as Arnold Myint, aka Gaynold as designated by J-Mo of Trash Talk Tv, formerly TVGasm. Arnold was on the DC season of Top Chef. Season 7.

Edited June 8, 2015 by susannot

[cooksdelight]

I really should eat a big dinner before watching this show.

[susannot]

Also recognize Eddie Jackson. He was on MasterChef. A former NFL player, he was a fan favorite.

[cooksdelight]

Michelle is the new Sarah. So far.

I don't know why, but she reminds me of the dreaded Penny Davidi.

[susannot]

I really should eat a big dinner before watching this show.

Arnold's plate looked delicious and beautiful. And Eddie's shrimp and avocado oh yeah!! The ladies in the audience liked Eddie. Other shrimp dishes also looked good. Nothing else.

Edited June 8, 2015 by susannot

[cooksdelight]

Arnold's plate looked delicious and beautiful. And Eddie's shrimp and avocado oh yeah!! The ladies in the audience liked Eddie. Other shrimp dishes also looked good. Nothing else.

The lady in this audience liked Eddie too. :P

[nottopbravo]

Every new season we ask, "Hey, what happened to last year's Food Network Star?"

 

Wait.  A Drag Queen?  Are you kidding me?

[Calamity Jane]

Wow, Contestant Bobby is indeed exhausting.  Rosa is the one that gives me a whiff of Penny.  Interesting group.

[zxy556575]

If you're nervous and afraid to speak in public, Dom, then maybe this isn't the show for you. Being able to "relate" to Michelin star chefs isn't going to come in all that handy, capisce?  Every challenge involves a presentation component and watching your flop sweat isn't interesting to me.

 

Emilia the self-proclaimed "edgy food blogger" may not want to hear it, but she was Stepford.

[Lamb18]

The person I was hoping would go home was sent home. Dom was close, but he had better food.

 

I thought it was a good first episode. I like Mamacita and the Zimbabwean woman the best, so I'm glad they did well. Matthew was a mess. He reminds me of the five year old little brother who wants to play with the big kids and is unpleasantly aggressive about it. He needs to remember he's not on Cutthroat Kitchen any more.

 

This may be unpopular, but Arnold reminds me of Lenny in how he is appearing on this show. He has a similar flamboyance and he has a way of opening his eyelids widely that Lenny did, too. Those are probably the only points of similarity between the two men. I remember Eddie now from MasterChef.

[avecsans]

Why oh why do I torture myself with this show? Who are these people and why do they want to sell their souls for this crap? Who wants to be reduced to a cultural stereotype? All kinds of awkward that it's just Bobby and Giada hosting considering the "cheater" banner at his event last week. And I loved when ice-cold Giada criticized a contestant for her lack of warmth.

[Shibori]

You guys, do you think Michelle is a mom? She hardly mentioned it. By which I mean she uses the word "mom" like Smurfs use the word "Smurf."

And I can do without more Italians trying to out-over-enunciate Giada.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Shibori

[LittleIggy]

Matthew is #pretentiousdouchebrat

[WickedTuna]

YAY!! No Alton Brown! I'm glad I decided to watch.

I was so hoping Matthew was going home. What a total ass. I don't know why he had to be so rude to Mom of 3. He might have replaced Penny as my least favorite contestant.

I didn't like Arnold on Top Chef and I don't like him here.

I'm not sure why Dom is there. Maybe he thought they'd switched the show from tv to radio. He seems nice so I feel bad for him.

[cooksdelight]

Every new season we ask, "Hey, what happened to last year's Food Network Star?"

 

Wait.  A Drag Queen?  Are you kidding me?

They knew all about Suzy Wong before casting Arnold, and even played it up on FN's website.

[Surrealist]

Matthew is #pretentiousdouchebrat

 

Matthew's significantly more annoying on this show than he was on his Cutthroat Kitchen episodes.

[Lamb18]

Speaking of Matthew and Cutthroat Kitchen, I am reminded of the CTK challenge in which someone had to cook on a hashtag shaped pan.

[StaceyNotStacie]

It wasn't too bad.  I was somewhat surprised by who went home; I was expecting the Staten Island guy to go home.  I really liked the football player, Sita, and the woman from Zimbabwe.  I hope that one woman doesn't try to remind us that she is a mom and Armenian every single time she is on camera; it will get old really fast.  All of the others really didn't make much of an impression yet.  

 

I have mixed feelings on Matthew.  He seemed a bit over the top, but I don't know how much of that was really him or if he was playing it up for the cameras.  I've never seen him on any other programs.  I could somewhat see where he was going with the whole hashtag thing, but he didn't explain it very well.  It seems like he wants to be more of a Social Media Food Star instead of Food Network Star.  If he calms down his douchiness, I could see Bob and Susie drooling over the opportunity to create a Social Media Food Network Star to attract the millennial foodies.  

[smiley13]

I am copying and pasting my show comments from the spoiler thread now that it has aired:

 

Those I like: Sita, Jay (Early frontrunner to me, has a very good on camera appeal), Dom, Eddie (Very impressive!), Emilia, Christina, Rue, Alex

Those I did not care for on first impression:  Rosa (too loud), Arnold (too quirky),  Matthew (Seems like a real jerk),  Michele (I think it is the whole Armenian thing, reminds me of the Kartrashians)

I guess that I am interested in 8 of the 12 is pretty good.  I do not agree with the choice of who they sent home though.  I bet they will keep the oh so annoying Matthew around for a while.

I feel like with all of the Bobby and Giada gossip, I will be watching their interactions carefully.  I miss having Alton there.

[leighdear]

Matthew desperately wants to be a successful version of Justin Warner.  #alreadyseenthat   #wannaberebel   #altonbrownhatesyou

 

Mediterranean Mama has my vote already.  I can see her show as an Armenian/Greek mashup that's family friendly.  She had me at Tzatziki Sauce.  

 

Arnold is my fave thus far.  Pro ice skater with some solid food chops.  And FABULOUS! 

 

I also really liked the bearded Louisiana dude that I can't identify yet.  But WOOOOHOOO Nola!   

 

And what exactly happened to Cowboy Lenny from last season?  Didn't he "win"?  Have we seen anything from him, or did I just imagine he won?

Edited June 8, 2015 by leighdear

[Lillybee]

At least we don't have the pie guy this season.

[Christina]

This is my first year watching this show because a friend IRL didn't have anyone to gossip about it with last year, when apparently a racist won. I swear, I don't know if I can handle Giada until the end. Based on the comments she makes, I seriously wonder if she can even cook. I don't remember what it was this time, and don't know if I want to watch it again (and realize the amount of "I's in this paragraph make me sound as narcissistic as she usually sounds), but seriously, does she read from a script?

 

Hit enter before I was ready. The contestants know they are applying to be a food host. You would think they would practice in front of the camera a little before they show up. I can see it still being nerve-wracking to do for real, but I don't know if I should feel sorry for them.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Christina

[cooksdelight]

I noticed the loud creepy doors were back. But no vagina table?

ETA: Ooops, I rewound.... yes, it's there in all it's glory. I think I was only remembering them being outside with the tableclothed table.

[Surrealist]

Matthew desperately wants to be a successful version of Justin Warner.  #alreadyseenthat   #wannaberebel   #altonbrownhatesyou

 

Arnold is my fave thus far.  Pro ice skater with some solid food chops.  And FABULOUS! 

 

Ugh. Justin Warner. You're right about Alton though. I don't recall him liking Matthew very much. I'm not the biggest Alton fan either.

 

I like Arnold too. Also, I like Rue. I'm interested in seeing what else she cooks. I've only had African food once before. I don't live close to any restaurants that serve African cuisines.  :-(

[leighdear]

Ah was soooo bummed that nobuddy waz doin' it PAH STYLE! 

 

Yeah Cooks, the VagTab of Power was in the lowdown position tonight.  Still there.  Still OWNING it!  *ROFL*

[zxy556575]

Gosh, you'd almost think someone in production told the judges what Christina said about her not planning to do anything they said.

 

But she was annoying so I'm glad to see her in the rearview.

 

I don't specifically remember seeing any of these people on other shows, but they all still seem like retreads. Yes, yes, you're passionate about food. We got it.

[MrHufflepuff]

"You don't want to just be the guy that we like to watch because it's a train wreck..."

 

Shut up, Bobby.  That's the only reason I watch this show.  Well, that, and the yoni table.

Edited June 8, 2015 by MrHufflepuff

[JunebugTx]

At least we don't have the pie guy this season.

 

They re-ran his season yesterday on Cooking Channel.  And I remembered exactly why I was glad he didn't win.  

 

As far as this season, Matthew can go any time.  I liked the NOLA guy.  The one girl was totally monotone (not sure who she was - I was kind of halfway paying attention).  We'll see about the rest.

 

And did Matthew remind anyone else of Chef Tyler Stone that was on Top Chef for about 5 seconds?  Only I think Matthew is worse.  Or maybe I only think that because we got to see more of him.

Edited June 8, 2015 by JunebugTx

[mlp]

I was surprised and happy that the judges picked the three people I liked best as their top three.  I don't dislike any of the men so far except Matthew who is immature and obnoxious.  I don't get the guy who talked about sandwiches though.  He sounded like he was trying to be Jeff Mauro 2.0.  I thought it strange that none of the FN people mentioned that.

 

I didn't think I'd like the first woman who talked - sort of big and gruff.  Rosa?  I changed my mind as the show progressed.  Emilia is going to be a self-absorbed pain in the neck I think.  She reminded me a bit of the woman from a couple seasons ago who had asymmetrical hair who'd been on Restaurant Impossible.  Her name is eluding me right now.  Rue lost me when she described herself in her video.  I may change my mind about her too.

Edited June 8, 2015 by mlp

[Fostersmom]

   And what exactly happened to Cowboy Lenny from last season?  Didn't he "win"?  Have we seen anything from him, or did I just imagine he won?

 

I'd guess he's been banished. Click at your own risk http://gawker.com/did-a-food-network-star-say-he-would-fuck-his-colleague-1620298284

[Surrealist]

I'd guess he's been banished. Click at your own risk http://gawker.com/did-a-food-network-star-say-he-would-fuck-his-colleague-1620298284

 

Well.  8-/

[leighdear]

Nobody can even come close to Jeff Mauro in the sandwich realm. That boy band wannabe can keep blathering about his travels and his crappy whatever, but Jeff is the king. The authority. No room at the inn for the poser. And get a damn haircut, boy.

[niklj]

I don't get the guy who talked about sandwiches though.  He sounded like he was trying to be Jeff Mauro 2.0.  I thought it strange that none of the FN people mentioned that.

 

Yeah I thought that was kind of weird that they kind of seemed pleased (?) about his idea even. They were talking about his only downfall was being slightly boring, which he managed to "fix" by the second presentation. And no mention that one of their VERY OWN WINNERS already has a successful show about sandwiches.

 

I can imagine him saying in the future, "Oh that guy's the Sandwich KING. I'm the Sandwich WIZARD." [/Vanilla Ice]

[Chrissytd]

Matthew seems like a caricature.

I like Sita, Eddie, and Michelle. 

I recognize Arnold as Arnold Myint, aka Gaynold as designated by J-Mo of Trash Talk Tv, formerly TVGasm. Arnold was on the DC season of Top Chef. Season 7.

Thank you. I was trying to figure out where I knew him from.

[JenMcSnark]

Matthew is a fucking horrible person and presenter.  I didn't see anything positive that they were talking about.  Blech. The way he yelled at the girl in the back room?  So rude.  And frankly, the way he was looking at the Foodnetwork girl...I think he's a sociopath. 

 

Christina was probably the right choice to go home because both her food and presentation were bland.  I don't remember anything about her video other than her gorgeous hair. 

[ivygirl]

Matthew is #pretentiousdouchebrat

#hashbrag

 

Dude's all up in your grill like Pah Stahl with that rapid-fire jargon. Except instead of the faux-rockabilly argot, he's all about the "hashtag social media millenials InstaTwitter squadgoals hashtags Hashtags #HASHTAGS!" 

 

Yup, like Pah Stahl minus the charm.

 

But I did love Sooz's insistent "No one knows what a hashtag TASTES like!" 

[Rick Kitchen]

If Dom is so nervous, why is he able to talk so openly in his comments to the camera?

 

Why did they keep going back to Matthew to get his opinions of them? And he's only 22?  I would have thought he was in his 30s. He's really obnoxious.

 

Emilia is obnoxiously elitist.

 

I want to know more about Rue.

 

Hate Arnold.  His shtick is old.

 

Rosa is a stereotype, but she's fun.

 

Is Michelle really just Melissa D'Arabian part 2?

 

I like Jay.

 

I hate it when people eating food say they're confused by what they're eating.  I'm confused by that comment.  What the heck does that even mean?

[Snarklepuss]

Ugh, this show.  Now instead of just contestants that are reminiscent of past contestants, they have contestants that actually have been contestants before elsewhere.  Thank you, board, for reminding me where I saw Eddie before.  It was bugging me all evening.

 

Every year I think at least one contestant is a plant.  One year I thought it was Pah Stahl, last year I thought it was Lenny.  This year, I think it's Matthew.  They probably told him to play up that hashtag stuff to the point of total obnoxiousness.  At least this year they were wise enough to choose someone that won't win but will light up the boards with people lining up to hate him.  Me, I'm just bored with it.

 

Some of the contestants look promising though.  I actually liked Rosa.  Eddie is another plus, and the girl who cooks the African food.  Not really a fan of Mamacita, though.  Kind of felt it was confusing how she calls herself a name that makes you think she cooks Mexican or something and then she reminds you (every time, no less) that she's half Black and half Italian.  Hokay.  Wonder how they'll ethnically stereotype her.  Plus it's pronounced "mamaseeeta" not "mamaseeda".

 

I did crack up when Matthew called Emilia "Stepford", though.  She seems clueless as to why, too.  You'd think they'd know better than to cast someone who was so devoid of warmth by now.

 

I actually liked the guy from Staten Island - Wish he could warm up to the camera, though.  That was truly painful.  I'm glad they gave him another chance and sent Christina with the severely arched eyebrows home.  She actually looked angry in her presentation video.  She wasn't angry, just looked it.  She was my choice to go home, so at least I wasn't pissed off with the the result of this episode.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Snarklepuss

[Snarklepuss]

If Dom is so nervous, why is he able to talk so openly in his comments to the camera?

 

I can understand why.  It's one thing to be put on the spot by the judges in front of everyone, and quite another to be alone talking to one person with a camera.  The person who wins would have to be comfortable talking on a stage with a crowd in front of them.  I myself would likely be intimidated by that too, but have no trouble with the talking heads.  It's a shame with Dom because he's so likeable in the talking heads, IMO.

[Snarklepuss]

Why did they keep going back to Matthew to get his opinions of them? And he's only 22?  I would have thought he was in his 30s. He's really obnoxious.

 

Yeah, I didn't get that either.  And they all acted like they knew him already.  At first I wondered if he wasn't a comedian they hired to keep things funny this season.  Then finding out here that he was already on "Cutthroat Kitchen", it made sense.  They do already know him and they probably did hire him for comic relief/villain of the season.

[GaT]

Wow, I'm amazed how much I hate Matthew, what a tool. I'm sure they'll keep him around just to annoy me. I also don't like Mamasita (or whatever her name is) just on the basis of the stupid head bopping, I hate head bopping.

[Rick Kitchen]

 

Some of the contestants look promising though.  I actually liked Rosa.  Eddie is another plus, and the girl who cooks the African food.  Not really a fan of Mamacita, though.  Kind of felt it was confusing how she calls herself a name that makes you think she cooks Mexican or something and then she reminds you (every time, no less) that she's half Black and half Italian.  Hokay.  Wonder how they'll ethnically stereotype her.  Plus it's pronounced "mamaseeeta" not "mamaseeda".

 

Her name is Sita, which is why she calls herself Mamacita.  It's the pronunciation of her name.

[phoenix780]

I'm hoping that Matthew is the #shield protecting others from us anonymous internet critics while they develop because I can't see keeping him for any other reason.  I'm also #confused because it seems to me he could easily do what he wants to do- and generate a fair enough of success if he were any good- with a cheap camera and #YouTube.  Now I think we should #ignore, because if TPTB at FN see comments they'll never #letitgo.

 

The rest: OK.  Hard to tell at this stage.  I'm most interested in the South African POV, because if we have to go Southern again it'd be nice to see a totally different South.

Edited June 8, 2015 by phoenix780

[Snarklepuss]

Wow, I'm amazed how much I hate Matthew, what a tool. I'm sure they'll keep him around just to annoy me. I also don't like Mamasita (or whatever her name is) just on the basis of the stupid head bopping, I hate head bopping.

 

Yeah, I hate the head bopping too - Plus I hate it when they have to remind you of their self-created nickname too.

 

 

Her name is Sita, which is why she calls herself Mamacita.  It's the pronunciation of her name.

 

OK but I'm still confused.  Perhaps in addition to reminding me of her ethnicity every time she introduces herself she should remind me of that too.  Then she could be even more annoying, but at least I'll keep things straight!

[backformore]

Matthew going home would have been a perfect ending to the episode, but it was too much to hope for.  I am pretty sure he was on Chopped one time

[bluepiano]

You guys, do you think Michelle is a mom? She hardly mentioned it. By which I mean she uses the word "mom" like Smurfs use the word "Smurf."

And I can do without more Italians trying to out-over-enunciate Giada.

 

Michelle even played the child birth card in her opening remarks. I don't even think Melissa d'Arabian pulled that one. Seriously, every season there's at least one contestant who acts as if she's the only female who the world who has ever procreated, and that the special status of being a "mom" is reason enough that we should consider her a food authority. No doubt we will hear on every show "I make this for my kids and they love it." As if that means something.

 

And while Matthew is obnoxious, I would've reacted exactly the same way to a woman who didn't know me from Adam saying, "let me tell you something as a Mother." I can't imagine a co-worker, even one I'd known for years, presuming to act like my surrogate mother and offering me unsolicited advice. Her line before that, "what did you learn from the judges,"  was also really condescending, like she was a kindergarten or Sunday school teacher. To his credit, Matthew actually did give her a straight answer.

 

There were a couple of other annoying female contestants: "Edgy" Emilia, whose demeanor and personality seemed the exact opposite of edgy (she also said her blog was "racy." Huh?) and "Mama-sita," whose shtick of combining clichéd black woman with clichéd Italian woman was old before she even completed the first sentence out of her mouth.

 

Each season it seems that the professional food credentials of these people gets more and more nebulous, if not completely nonexistent.  This year I believe we have a record number of "food bloggers," a title which, with very few exceptions, means nothing. Since I have posted a few Yelp restaurant reviews, I suppose I could call myself a food blogger.

 

Shibori - I also noticed all the Italian-American contestants. In the past Giada has gotten a bit prickly when someone else has claimed the Italian food authority role.

Edited June 8, 2015 by bluepiano

[NikSac]

Took me awhile to get caught up between the fact that I'm on the West coast and the DVR didn't catch the show the first time (I don't get this - it happens every season with this show on the first episode). Just a few thoughts.

 

Matthew - hated him on CTK, and still hate him. I was so hoping he would be voted off. Hopefully next week.

 

Dom - I know he's not great on camera so far, but I liked him.  I can see how it'd take some practice to be good on camera, and I actually applaud him for doing it. The local (to me) guy I've mentioned before who's going for all sorts of various FN angles and has been on CTK has a tough time on camera but pushes himself to do a good job, and I think it's admirable.

 

Sandwich guy - sorry, I forgot his name, but I think it's a little early to be trying to beat out Jeff Mauro. Other than that he seemed pleasant enough. If he sticks around it might be entertaining to see Jeff judging and/or mentoring him.

 

I'm blanking on her name but the one chef looked so much like Lisa Rinna I kept having to remind myself it wasn't Lisa!

 

I guess the rest are pretty forgettable to me so far, but I know I was interested in seeing a few of them again, just can't recall their names. I think hashtag guy was the only one who made me want to permanently tune out, so as long as he's out soon it should be ok.

[cooksdelight]

And did Matthew remind anyone else of Chef Tyler Stone that was on Top Chef for about 5 seconds? Only I think Matthew is worse. Or maybe I only think that because we got to see more of him

Yes, he's just as young, obnoxious, thinks he knows it all and no one can tell him how to do anything as Tyler was. Matthew is going to make me scream at my TV. I bet he wears a suit and tie every episode.