Season 12 Cast Announced

[cooksdelight]

Here's the season 12 group. And..... seven former competitors are vying for a spot in this season. A poor man's Last Chance Kitchen.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/food-network-star/photos/meet-the-food-network-star-season-12-finalists.html?ic1=obinsite

The Comeback Kitchen competitors:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/food-network-star/photos/meet-the-finalists-competing-on-food-network-star-comeback-kitchen.page-7.html?soc=socialsharingfb

[mlp]

Wow, lots of people from other FN shows.  Damiano and (ugh, ugh, ugh) Erin from the baking show.  The "love chef" and Yaku from CK.  I think Monterey was also on CK and I remember the name Tregaye from somewhere too. 

 

Yaku is one of my favorites from CK.  He was hilarious but I hate that huge beard. 

[Maverick]

OMG. Erin? Yuck. I hate to tell that little elf/pixie/whatever the hell supposedly cutie thing she's playing this week, but she's not as adorable as she thinks she is. Or at all. She was good at pulling a fake ass story for whatever challenge they did so Kermie will love her (he would have been fired after this filmed, right?)

And Damio. Do we have to put some heavily accented (usually Italian) contestant on every season for Giada to fawn/pant over? Is it in her contract or something....because she's not worth it.

[Uncle Benzene]

Wait, WHAT?!? No Lenny? NO LENNY?!?

 

Must be because he's ineligible, having already won the whole damn thing once before. It's the only plausible explanation for his stunning absence from this here competition.

 

DAMN YOU AND YOUR CONTRACTUAL FINE PRINT, FOOD NETWORK!!!

 

Mark my words, they will rue this day when none of the season 12 contestants are willing to duct tape candy bars to their bare chests.

[biakbiak]

Oh lord not Ana! She was one of the Real Housewives of Miami.

[Snarklepuss]

So ugh, now they're pulling people from other FN shows and Real Housewives for FNS?  If we thought this network was going downhill before this, imagine now!  We're probably going to think Lenny was tame in a few seasons.  What's next?  Failed reality show stars?

[NYGirl]

OMG Erin is from one of the Baking Championship Shows!!  I HATED HER!!  She thinks she is so cute.  Ugh ugh ugh

 

I will root for Rob since he's from Staten Island..Representing!!

[Wings]

Those links wont allow me to negotiate them.  I have forgotten the name of the seafood chef with the bleached short hair.  I like her.  I see familiar faces but I can't remember the names damnit.   Well, I remember one, Erin.  She is such a phony, please be first out.  What show was Damio on?  

Can someone bring over the pics with their names?  Can anyone negotiate either of those links or am I the only one who cannot?  

[Maverick]

Erin the Elf will go far.  Mark my words.  She'll probably win because, like Lenny, she'll go all in on any moronic challenge they thrown at the 'finalists' and gladly make a fool of herself.  And because Food Network never learns, I hope they find out she did some very bad things with a gingerbread man shortly after crowning her.

 

Damio was on last year's Spring Baking Challenge.  He flirted with Nancy Fuller.  She flirted back.   A lot.   It's mind boggling thinking about how this is going to play out with Giada.

Edited April 3, 2016 by Maverick

[Wings]

Erin the Elf with go far.  Mark my words.  She'll probably win because, like Lenny, she'll go all in on any moronic challenge they thrown at the 'finalists' and gladly make a fool of herself.  And because Food Network never learns, I hope they find out she did some very bad things with a gingerbread man shortly after crowing her.

 

Damio was on last year's Spring Baking Challenge.  He flirted with Nancy Fuller.  She flirted back.   A lot.   It's mind boggling thinking about how this is going to play out with Giada.

 

 

Ah yes, I remember him now. 

Crowing, wow, what a nasty ginger cookie!    ;>)  Loved your typo. 

Edited April 3, 2016 by wings707

[biakbiak]

Those links wont allow me to negotiate them.  I have forgotten the name of the seafood chef with the bleached short hair.  I like her.  I see familiar faces but I can't remember the names damnit.   Well, I remember one, Erin.  She is such a phony, please be first out.  What show was Damio on?  

Can someone bring over the pics with their names?  Can anyone negotiate either of those links or am I the only one who cannot?

That was Michele, I liked her too.

[BW Manilowe]

Those links wont allow me to negotiate them. I have forgotten the name of the seafood chef with the bleached short hair. I like her. I see familiar faces but I can't remember the names damnit. Well, I remember one, Erin. She is such a phony, please be first out. What show was Damio on?

Can someone bring over the pics with their names? Can anyone negotiate either of those links or am I the only one who cannot?

Penny Davidi's coming back. She's 1 of the 7 "also rans" from previous seasons who are looking for redemption, like Michelle, Chad, Martita, & I forget who else.

[cooksdelight]

Michele is the only one of the bunch I'd watch on TV. As long as she's in her native New England cooking seafood.

[Snarklepuss]

I'd love a show about New England cuisine.  It's always so overlooked and underrated.  Someone needs to set the record straight.  Jasper White did his best but he goes back a ways now.  It's not just about seafood either but lots of ubiquitous stuff we take for granted.  Like crisps and cobblers and anything made with cranberries.  And let's not forget Frank Pepe's clam pizza, only that's seafood too.

[Wings]

I love clam pizza!  For those who have never had it, it is a white pizza.  They do not put clams on canned tomatoes!  Those Italians just love canned tomatoes!  They are on everything unless you travel to northern Italy.  

[Mrs. P.]

OMG Erin is from one of the Baking Championship Shows!! I HATED HER!! She thinks she is so cute. Ugh ugh ugh!

I will root for Rob since he's from Staten Island..Representing!

I may just skip this season if Erin is on. I couldn't stand her on the Baking Championship show, and then she won. Yuck. She's really hard for me to watch.

[GaT]

I hope the comeback kitchen thing is on first (& separate), that way if She Who Must Not Be Named wins, I know not to watch FNS. If they run them concurrently, then I would have to stop watching after I already started.

[smiley13]

Why did they drag Michele back up?  And even worse, Penny??

[joanne3482]

Ugh. No more "Italian" and Southern cooking! There's an entire universe out there of food that isn't making fried chicken or pasta with meat sauce. (I recognize Italy is a country with a lot of food variety available but sadly on FN we get pasta with meat sauce almost exclusively in any "Italian" show). 

 

I hope either Michelle or Chris come back. I can't remember Chris at all which means he didn't irritate me and I liked Michelle. All the rest of the returners irritated me somewhere between a lot and A LOT. (Mamacita, Penny, Dom...)

[GaT]

I saw a commercial for Comeback Kitchen for the first time, & it's starting next week. I won't be watching unless She Who Must Not Be Named gets eliminated right away, & if She Who Must Not Be Named wins, then I won't be watching FNS this season at all.

[BW Manilowe]

According to the ads, it appears Tyler Florence & Giada are hosts of Comeback Kitchen.

[Maverick]

 It's Tyler Florence and Valerie Bertenelli.. 

[BW Manilowe]

It's Tyler Florence and Valerie Bertenelli..

Thanks... I've only heard the ads, not seen them, & I recognized Tyler's voice, but thought the female sounded like Giada & not Valerie. Besides, in some ways it makes at least a little sense to have someone from FNS as a host on Comeback Kitchen since the shows tie together, so Giada made some sense there.

[spiderpig]

Anybody watch the advance showing of episode 1?  It's online & On Demand.

No spoilers here...but those who annoyed before did not disappoint.  They are even more obnoxious now.

[Darian]

I remember Chris as supremely annoying on The Great Food Truck Race. I was trying to remember if he also annoyed me on his season of Food Network Star, but I barely remember that season (though I recall liking a few contestants). I hope my lapse is because he wasn't bad on FNS. There are far too many personalities that grate competing and I wouldn't mind rooting for a few people (with Michelle as my favorite).    

[spiderpig]

If I'm ever imprisoned & tortured for information, send in Penny & Matthew.  I'll confess to anything.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

I loved Chris when he was on but I'd be surprised if he won the CK ... he's not "over the top" enough.  My money would be on Dom because Giada adored him.  Or else Mar-teeeee-tah who just got on every one of my last nerves and then some.

[grisgris]

I just saw a promo for the regular FNS, and did I see yet another hot Italian guy as a contestant? Geez, it's been every season now. You know who Giada's going to pull for. Maybe if the stories are true that she's madly in love in her personal life, she won't act so thirsty this time around. One can only hope.

[RealityCheck]

Food Network Star season 12 premieres May 22.
 

Quote

 

Finalists

01. Rob Burmeister (Staten Island, NY)
02. Erin Campbell (Woodbury, MN)
03. Damiano Carrara (Moorpark, CA)
04. Aaron Crumbaugh (Spokane, WA)
05. Tregaye Fraser (Atlanta, GA)
06. Yaku Moton-Spruill (San Francisco, CA)
07. Melissa Pfeister (Los Angeles, CA)
08. Ana Quincoces (Coral Gables, FL)
09. Monterey Salka (Nashville, TN)
10. Joy Thompson (Thomasville, NC)
11. Havird Usry (Augusta, GA)
12. Jernard Wells (Atlanta, GA)

 

Damiano Carrara, the hot Italian, was a finalist on previous season of "Spring Baking Championship" and is one of the owner/bakers of an Italian bakery in California.  If I'm not mistaken, one of the other competitors was the "Love Chef" from Cutthroat Kitchen.
 

Quote

 

Comeback Kitchen Competitors

01. Penny Davidi (season 7)
02. Matthew Grunwald (season 11)
03. Martita Jara (season 8)
04. Brianna Jenkins (season 6)
05. Chris Kyler (season 10)
06. Michele Ragussis (season 8)
07. Dominick Tesoriero (season 11)

Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay are the judges for FNS
Alex Guarnaschelli and Eddie Jackson are the judges for Star Salvation.
Valerie Bertinelli and Tyler Florence for Comeback Kitchen.

 

[cooksdelight]

I just asked a question in the Spoilers thread, if anyone reads spoilers and can maybe help a girl out here.... thanks!

[MajorWoody]

I only saw a commercial for the reheated losers. Reading this thread, it seems they are not the entire show? That would be a relief, but it still sucks having to deal with most of them even in small doses. 

 

Wonder why they don't have the most famous also ran competitor, Lenny the Disappeared Cowboy?

Edited May 4, 2016 by MajorWoody
Spelling error

[chessiegal]

36 minutes ago, MajorWoody said:

I only saw a commercial for the reheated losers. Reading this thread, it seems they are not the entire show? That would be a relief, but it still sucks having to deal with most of them even in small doses. 

 

Wonder why they don't have the most famous also ran competitor, Lenny the Disappeared Cowboy?

Lenny wasn't an also ran - he won!

[MajorWoody]

16 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Lenny wasn't an also ran - he won!

I know. But someone forgot to tell FN.

 

They have scrubbed him out cleaner than an old Politburo picture during Stalins time.

[chessiegal]

Can you blame them? They had to do something to correct the worst vetting on TV.

[Snarklepuss]

Oh, Lenny became persona non grata over at Food Network after he was discovered writing on a message board that he would do the nasty to Ree Drummond up the rear end, plus assorted other vile misogynistic comments and creepy videos.  Why would they EVER invite him back?

10 hours ago, MajorWoody said:

They have scrubbed him out cleaner than an old Politburo picture during Stalins time.

It's true.  His recent online presence is so scarce (other than some very recent postings of his on Facebook) it's like someone was paid to erase him from the internet.  And it's no wonder why, either.  His public career is OVER.

Edited May 6, 2016 by Snarklepuss

[GaT]

You would think that anyone who goes on any kind of reality show these days would know to check what's already out there about them before the show airs.  

[MajorWoody]

4 hours ago, GaT said:

You would think that anyone who goes on any kind of reality show these days would know to check what's already out there about them before the show airs.  

You would think a network that has money invested in a potential winner would have taken the time to conduct a check of all contestants. 

[cooksdelight]

Maybe that's why we're getting people this season who have already appeared on a show somewhere, with no repercussions. If FN is really that lazy that they don't do full background checks, social media scans, etc., then they deserve whatever they get.

[Maverick]

 Lenny had already appeared on Food Network prior to being on FNS.  He was on an early episode of Guy's Grocery Games.

[cooksdelight]

FN has a history of not doing their homework on contestants, Lenny was just the worst of the bunch. Season 1, there was that guy who claimed to be a JAG or something and was later found out to be lying. Heck, they praise Robert Irvine and let him have shows when we all know his lies.

[Snarklepuss]

I've already seen the first episode of "Comeback Kitchen".  Comcast put it up today before the show aired.  All I have to say is that this show is obviously purely for entertainment only.  I am going to try to resist taking it too seriously.  I personally think this Comeback thing is just a gimmick to get people to watch and is not a genuine competition.  I thought that before I saw the first episode, too.  I'll go into that more after the episode airs.

[mlp]

I haven't seen it yet but I've thought that the whole set up is a way to get Dom back into play because he was very popular and will draw viewers.  Could be totally wrong of course.

[NewDigs]

1 hour ago, mlp said:

I haven't seen it yet but I've thought that the whole set up is a way to get Dom back into play because he was very popular and will draw viewers.  Could be totally wrong of course.

That's what scares me.

Not a Dom fan.

[cooksdelight]

Dom would require too much coaching and directing. He literally freezes when the camera is on, and when he does say something, it's meh.

Penny is the one that scares me, as she is good on camera. She knows how to play to the camera as she's fixing a dish, and is good at describing her food. But I can't stand her.

[NewDigs]

Giada looked more than willing to coach Dom to victory.

I don't think there's enough coaching in the world.

But Giada...  lol

[spiderpig]

Was it on Previously that someone posted the story about LittleBigHead (Giada) having an off-camera staffer holding a spit bucket so LBH didn't have to swallow what she appeared to be tasting?

[cooksdelight]

Dom should have gotten the axe the minute he cussed on screen. That's inexcusable. If Alton or Suzie had been there, they would have escorted him out the door.

[LexieLily]

Can Penny leave next? Please?

[cooksdelight]

 I started a thread for Comeback Kitchen so we can have all of our comments in one place. 

[RCharter]

On 5/6/2016 at 8:47 PM, Snarklepuss said:

Oh, Lenny became persona non grata over at Food Network after he was discovered writing on a message board that he would do the nasty to Ree Drummond up the rear end, plus assorted other vile misogynistic comments and creepy videos.  Why would they EVER invite him back?

It's true.  His recent online presence is so scarce (other than some very recent postings of his on Facebook) it's like someone was paid to erase him from the internet.  And it's no wonder why, either.  His public career is OVER.

I wish someone had a copy of that video where he molests some corn.  THAT was what Lenny was all about.