S12.E10: Pushing For a Pilot

[PRgal]

1 hour ago, bluepiano said:

The tats don't seem to hurt the popularity of Guy F., the poster boy of FN.

Almost every young chef on Chopped and Top Chef appears to spend half their time in a tattoo parlor. And not just the hipster chefs from Brooklyn and LA. It appears to be a universal industry thing. Where I live, many of the food servers are tatted as well. Not an issue for me, except maybe with neck tats. For some reason, they just make people look unclean.

I'm with you about Susie and Tuschie. I used to wish they'd go away. This year I'm wishing they were around, to tell some of the contestants to stop the shenanigans and act with some dignity. Strange that now this show has no one from "the network," because you would think they'd need that perspective. I guess it proves what a lot of people have been posting here, that there's no longer even the illusion that this show is about finding a potential FN "star." It's just a dumb entertainment spectacle.

Tats are a chef thing!  Most I know/have met have them - except for some of the older chefs.

[Pallida]

Guy and I share a tattoo artist, so I'm in support of his tattoos not hurting his popularity :)

Regardless of how I feel about "fleek" as slang, I'm disappointed the network doesn't try to correct such a time-limited descriptor.  As many of you have pointed out, it's outdated already. (I don't know when this was filmed so maybe it was more fitting at the time.)

I actually would be interested in a travel show on bakeries, especially if we got exposure to different cultural ones. For example, Mexican bakeries have some great stuff and are pretty common in the US (regionally dependent I'm sure), but how often do people avoid them because they are uninformed about offerings? I think Damiano could make it work since he wouldn't have sound byte sized time restrictions. 

I got a kick out of Damiano pushing the dough with his middle finger. The blurring was awkward. 

[grisgris]

What the fresh hell was that all about?  I see TIIC have gone ahead and tossed out the bait-and-switch with the location pilots. Only this year, we're all in on the joke and know that's the actual booby prize the winner gets saddled with.

Tregaye was a hot mess and I was so hoping that she'd be the one to get canned. However, even I could tell that when Yaku was making that weird soup that he had way too much going on and it wouldn't go unnoticed by the judges. But, that still doesn't erase the fact that Tregaye had a WTF presentation as well as bad food. Since I can't stand Tregaye, I was OK with Monterey not telling her that her whatever-it-was was too dry.

What was even more egregious about her sliding by was that her pilot was so different from the two guys'. They had to actually interact with the chef and get hands-on with the food. Tregaye just had to experience "ambiance" and shove food into her gaping maw.

After that awkward embarrassing Lenny-like display at the announcement of the final three, that was it for me with Jenard. He did well in his pilot, but I'd get real tired real quick of seeing episode after episode of visits to Cajun places and barbecue is over-exposed, so we don't need more of that. It really doesn't matter because there will only be six episodes of whatever "culinary POV" is chosen for him (or her.)

Please, not Damiano on "Cupcake Wars." Between his arrogance and curmudgeon Florian, my ears would bleed and I have to close caption them. "Dis coop-kake. Eet ees sheet. Oo bake a dee-zaz-tear!" "What? Youcacalladisacupacake. I-a, callitacrapa." (Bonus points if they get into a heated argument.) Poor Candace would have to translate for the bewildered contestants. I love to bake and desserts in general, so I'd watch a bakery tour show. That would actually be more interesting than the tiresome parade of baking competitions and designer cake shows, since FN doesn't have a very good track record with baking demo shows. If Damiano could slow down his speech and then actually explain the baking process being shown (like he sort of did) it might work on the limited run.

Bob and Suzie would have shut down this clown competition in week 2.  The show definitely needs a third voice (of reason) or a representative from FN brass to rein in Archie and Veronica.

When Bobby made the remark to Giada if she'd make that cake for his birthday, I took it as more of him digging at her as to whether or not she had the skills to pull off an Italian dessert of that caliber. YMMV. Why does she always dress like she's going to a nightclub for the final scene? I've noticed that her clothes go from fairly demure to downright provocative as the episode progresses.

I can't stand Guy, but I actually think he does a halfway decent job at mentoring the pilot films. He's more patient and less cranky than Alton and he seemed to offer some actual helpful advice. (However, he seemd pretty impatient with Tregaye. Hee!)

[akr]

That tour of different types of bakeries sounds like a workable concept for Damiano, and actually potentially watchable (the glut of baking contest shows they have interests me not at all, so if they hide him there I won't even be aware of his presence again, which would also be nice). It doesn't have to be too expensive if it's in SoCal, where he is. I suppose they could also have him flirt/teach Italian baking things with five or six average aspiring bakers, so people could apply to be on Damiano's show. Eh. I guess I can more easily see what they might hope to do with him & Tregaye than with Jernard, but that doesn't mean I want to watch any of them. I couldn't watch this week & in light of the comments & who's left, I don't see myself catching up on the rest of this. By contrast, I will go back & watch the last 3 eps of Masterchef Australia, even though I know the results of each ep, b/c I actually genuinely like that show, & the people on it.

Edited July 26, 2016 by akr
Typos

[Lamb18]

I asked my 17-year old niece about "on fleek" and she's heard it used in high school, usually talking about eyebrows or makeup, sometimes about schoolwork. She might have heard "poppin'", but it's not familiar.

[Aerobicidal]

I made a loop of Tregaye's yasssssss. I'm not super tech-savvy, but I hope it's entertaining.

[Pallida]

1 hour ago, Aerobicidal said:

I made a loop of Tregaye's yasssssss. I'm not super tech-savvy, but I hope it's entertaining.

I might have nightmares now.

[LizBug]

Yaku had to be eliminated because Bobby practically promised Tregaye the win a couple weeks ago.

[Joe Blow]

On 7/25/2016 at 4:51 PM, bluepiano said:

Exactly. There's a certain kind of white person who throws around supposed "black lingo" to be hip and cool. And they usually learn it from sit coms and movies. Like Bobby and Giada. I don't think either one of them does a lot of hanging out on the corner.

That's obviously also where Tregaye learned her whole thing.  Maybe that's why it resonates with Bobby and Giada so well..

[RHJunkie]

Tregaye is embarrassing to watch. Does anyone find her routine authentic? She sounds like the aging mother who tries really hard to convince her kids that she's cool so she starts adopting all of the terminology she hears them say. And it didn't really dawn on me until I saw this week's episode and heard the judges commentary on Yaku's soup. They quickly called him out for introducing his concept of fusion but failing to explain what kind of fusion was happening with the dish. Tregaye has been talking about fusion since day 1 and I can't recall a single week where she actually explained what was fusion about any of her dishes. Are we supposed to assume that when Tregaye talks about fusion, she means she's fusing together ingredients and flavours...so basically, her pilot theme is 'hey, come watch me cook dishes that have more than one ingredient'.

I laughed so hard when Jernard did his failed back flip. The sound of the splat and he tried to play it off like a boss. You can't save face after that Jernard. He would have been better off cracking a joke at his expense in that moment rather than respond as if absolutely nothing happened.

[spiderpig]

1 hour ago, RHJunkie said:

I laughed so hard when Jernard did his failed back flip. The sound of the splat and he tried to play it off like a boss. You can't save face after that Jernard. He would have been better off cracking a joke at his expense in that moment rather than respond as if absolutely nothing happened.

He reminded me of our cat, who will casually attempt a jump from a stairway to a windowsill and miss.  Then he saunters away as if to say "I meant to do that".  Animals are so funny.  So are chefs.

[dahling]

I keep misreading the title of this thread as "Punishing For a Pilot".  Hmmmmm. 

[SandyToes]

I with there were spoilers for this show so I wouldn't feel the need to keep monitoring it to find out who "wins." 

Oh. Wait a minute.  Never mind... 

Blech.

[bluepiano]

12 hours ago, RHJunkie said:

 Are we supposed to assume that when Tregaye talks about fusion, she means she's fusing together ingredients and flavours...so basically, her pilot theme is 'hey, come watch me cook dishes that have more than one ingredient'.

It's hard to believe, but she does seem to think "fusion" means using lots of different ingredients. In any case, it's astonishing that none of the judges ever questioned her about what she meant by "my style is fusion." (forgetting about "on fleek" for the moment)

You can bet that Bob and Susie ("the network") would've busted her on throwing around meaningless buzz words, as they used to when people said their POV was "healthy decadent" or some other nonsense.

And yes, the fact that they Bobby and Giada jumped on Yaku for not adequately explaining his fusion concept, while giving Tregaye a free pass all season, shows how the deck was stacked. There are obviously completely different rules for the teachers' pets.

Edited July 28, 2016 by bluepiano

[RHJunkie]

5 hours ago, bluepiano said:

It's hard to believe, but she does seem to think "fusion" means using lots of different ingredients. In any case, it's astonishing that none of the judges ever questioned her about what she meant by "my style is fusion." (forgetting about "on fleek" for the moment)

You can bet that Bob and Susie ("the network") would've busted her on throwing around meaningless buzz words, as they used to when people said their POV was "healthy decadent" or some other nonsense.

And yes, the fact that they Bobby and Giada jumped on Yaku for not adequately explaining his fusion concept, while giving Tregaye a free pass all season, shows how the deck was stacked. There are obviously completely different rules for the teachers' pets.

I wonder what the game plan is for the winner. Are they just going to throw them on as judges for cooking competitions and guest judging spots? Is the winner actually going to get a new show because I can't see why they've propped up Tregaye as being such a force to reckon with. Tregaye loves the camera and feels comfortable in front of it but that's now what makes a great host. She has no real concept for a show, she uses words that are only popular with teenagers who have already moved on to the next new word of the day, and her entire vibe seems too put on. I struggle to see what about her would deem her the best candidate to win this show.

[PRgal]

On 2016-07-26 at 3:31 PM, Pallida said:

 

I actually would be interested in a travel show on bakeries, especially if we got exposure to different cultural ones. For example, Mexican bakeries have some great stuff and are pretty common in the US (regionally dependent I'm sure), but how often do people avoid them because they are uninformed about offerings? I think Damiano could make it work since he wouldn't have sound byte sized time restrictions. 

I got a kick out of Damiano pushing the dough with his middle finger. The blurring was awkward. 

I'd like to see that too!  SoCal would have many East Asian-inspired bakeries with delicious goodies like "cocktail bread" (coconut loaves - they're called "cocktail bread" because it resembles a chicken's tails/feathers) and a gigantic pigs-in-a-blanket like bun (think hamburger-sized bun with a hotdog going through it).  I grew up getting my birthday cakes (when it wasn't a Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake) from such bakeries in the Toronto area.  The cakes are usually less sweet than grocery store or 1980s/early 90s Canadian-based cake places (definitely way, way, less sweet than grocery store cake).  I think pastry shops today have improved a bit on the sugar content - either because of people's tastes or because they're more European influenced now.

[Organized8]

On 7/24/2016 at 11:15 PM, Albino said:

Tregaye's challenge was the worst.  She could have used the 15 seconds she took to say "Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah" (or whatever it was) while pouring on the dressing to explain exactly what it was.  But as usual, it's not about the food, it's about Tregaye being cute. This challenge was supposed to be based on that challenge only.  In that case, Yaku should have beat her.  Just looking at the glances between Bobby and Giada said it all.  But I guess the judges still find her "poppin'", "on fleek" and overall sassiness to be hilarious.  

I've tried to warm up to Damiano...I really have.  But he is so charmless and full of himself.  I will say that his pilot was-a  pretty good-a.

He is charmless.  I seriously cannot understand what some of the female judges see.   The minute he opens-a his mouth-a I'm turned-a off-a.   He's not even that good looking.  

[Nutjob]

Quote

He's not even that good looking.  

THIS. Damiano is honestly, truly an average looking guy in every sense. I don't get what is so attractive about him at all, especially if you compare him to S10 Luca. Now that? I understood. I also don't get any charm from him. He speaks too quickly and lacks humor to a fault... I find him tough to watch, to be honest. Between him and Miss Fleeky Poppin' 2016, I guess it's... go Jernard?

[MajorWoody]

Just when you think this season can't get any lower, it does.

The FN should issue a formal apology to anyone who watched even a minute of Star Salvation, since it apparently was predetermined that the results were not going to matter. Yaku outlasts at least a half dozen competitiors, and then is dumped within 10 minutes in favor of the predetermined favorite, who had the absolute worst performance of the night, both in cooking and presentation.

When the judges said the scoring would be based on this episode alone, and then blatantly ignored how awful Tregaye Poppin' Fleek Fetchit performed in both aspects of this episode, it proves that the results were predetermined. If they had said it would be based on the entire season, their decision might have been somewhat believeable, although not much more.

Tregaye's primal scream while pouring that stuff on her inedible pile of crap was one of the worst presentations of the season. Monterey was a total jerk for not telling her that food was dry, but that still doesn't excuse the overall poor quality of the food and the horrible presentation. She has been turned into a racial buffoon, and whether it is the fault of the judges for pushing her there, she still went along with it. Good luck to the FN finding an audience for this clown.

Damiano once again spoke at 90mph, with his over the top accent, and was indeciperable as to what he was saying. His personality is grating, between his arrogance and condescension to other competitors, and couple that with trying to be a TV star while being totally unable to be understood while speaking, if this was a legitimate competition he would have been gone weeks ago. But Flirty McFake Smile Giada has the vapors when he is on, so he gets a pass every week.

Jernard should be the default winner, not because he is an obvious star, but he is the least awful of these three. If he can tame down his idiotic Love Chef shtick, he seems the most relatable. It certainly appered he injured himself with his ill advised cartwheels, and  would have been hilarious if he broke a wrist while doing that dumb move. Can you imagine the producers faces if that had happened?

Flay should have his Iron Chef patch ripped off his jacket for his descent into this hellhole of shoddy entertainment. Giada never had any credibility, so there is no real consequence for her. 

Either way, no matter who wins, there is no show or series in their future. Their is only the chance to be a future guest judge on GGG or some other low rent show, alongside the other buffoons like D'Arabian and Arty Party.

They really neeed to either dump this series, or do a complete reboot. It is well past its expiration date.

[bec99]

I don't like any of the finalists and agree with anyone who has said the fix is in. I thought the same thing for last year's winner Eddie J. I have tried to watch Eddie on different shows and he just falls completely flat.I was an Anna fan and would watch and eat her food over any of the finalists this year.Oh well, maybe next year FN will get it right.

[jumper sage]

The only thing that caught my attention was Giada's outfit.  Was that a Roman toga?  Was it a signal to Damiano that he was safe for the episode?

[Sew Sumi]

21 hours ago, Nutjob said:

THIS. Damiano is honestly, truly an average looking guy in every sense. I don't get what is so attractive about him at all, especially if you compare him to S10 Luca. Now that? I understood. I also don't get any charm from him. He speaks too quickly and lacks humor to a fault... I find him tough to watch, to be honest. Between him and Miss Fleeky Poppin' 2016, I guess it's... go Jernard?

Fleek and poppin' are so 2015. Someone so THIRSTY for fame should keep up with current slang. Hell, I'm over 50, and I know those words are well past their expiration date. (see what I did there?) :D

[grisgris]

Tregaye ain't all that and a bag of chips either. She can rent a stadium and take several seats! 'Bye Felicia, I mean, Tregaye. LOL!

[dahling]

I'm vaguely reminded of Magnitude from Community who only ever said "pop pop". And that was so 2011.

[PRgal]

2 hours ago, grisgris said:

Tregaye ain't all that and a bag of chips either. She can rent a stadium and take several seats! 'Bye Felicia, I mean, Tregaye. LOL!

 

YEP.  And I wonder how her husband can even deal with her.  He's a hottie (IMHO, anyway), so why her (unless, of course, she isn't like that AT ALL at home - considering how he looked freaked out when he made an appearance as a helper)?

[Sew Sumi]

I'd go with "opposites attract," except for the aforementioned look of horror he had when she opened her mouth. 

[bluepiano]

On ‎7‎/‎28‎/‎2016 at 8:27 AM, Organized8 said:

He is charmless.  I seriously cannot understand what some of the female judges see.   The minute he opens-a his mouth-a I'm turned-a off-a.   He's not even that good looking.  

Well, some women are helpless when they hear an accent, especially French or Italian. But from my (straight male) perspective, I don't find his accent sexy at all. He's hardly Marcello Mastroianni. He sounds more like Chico Marx. 

As for Giada, since she was also starry-eyed over Dom from Staten Island, her taste in Italian (or Italian American) men is set at a very low bar.

17 hours ago, MajorWoody said:

Flay should have his Iron Chef patch ripped off his jacket for his descent into this hellhole of shoddy entertainment. Giada never had any credibility, so there is no real consequence for her. 

Either way, no matter who wins, there is no show or series in their future. Their is only the chance to be a future guest judge on GGG or some other low rent show, alongside the other buffoons like D'Arabian and Arty Party.

Good point about Flay. He's kind of the poster boy for the decline of FN, because he came onto the network with legitimate chef credentials, when that seemed to matter, but has hung around to be part of this circus of fame whores, pseudo-celebrities, and hucksters. As for FN Star, he clearly just doesn't give a shit anymore.

17 hours ago, MajorWoody said:

When the judges said the scoring would be based on this episode alone, and then blatantly ignored how awful Tregaye Poppin' Fleek Fetchit performed in both aspects of this episode, it proves that the results were predetermined. If they had said it would be based on the entire season, their decision might have been somewhat believable although not much more.

This to the thousandth degree. And as others have said, what a waste of time LCK was, since no way was anyone going to emerge from to beat any of the top three. Yaku and Monterrey cooked some good dishes and conducted themselves with dignity. In this season of FN that meant nothing. (And love your name for Tregaye).

Edited July 30, 2016 by bluepiano

[LennieBriscoe]

Could not stand Yaku's beard (my husband was bearded, but not in an Amish way!). Would never watch.

Cannot stand Tregaye's adolescent ways and speech, which I also think are as fake as fake can be. Would never watch.

Cannot stand Jernard's POV (I hate anything "BBQ" and find "Cajun" over-rated) and mush-mouth. Would never watch. 

Which leaves Damiano. I can STAND his accent, but I nonetheless find it annoying. He's okay looking, not obese, and he's a fellow Italiano. However, I don't bake (I am 66 and have never made a layer cake or cupcakes), so.... Would never watch.

Whom do I watch? Not that phony Aarti, nor Giada of the Scary Teeth, nor Bobby (somebody, PLEASE beat him!), nor Trying-Too-Hard JeffreyZ and the silly food-game show he hosts now (same with Alton), nor anyone in a cabin, on a ranch, .....

I guess I really don't watch "food or cooking" shows much, except for the competitions of FNS, MC, GGG, and Chopped!

But Jeff Mauro is cute as a button! :-)

Oh, and Tregaye is in like Flynn.

[Alapaki]

Jesus FUCKING Christ.  When I saw that my DVR inflicted two hours of this horseshit on me this week, I avoided.  And avoided.  But I finally bit the bullet last night.

TWO GOD-DAMNED HOURS TO GET US EXACTLY NOWHERE!?!?!?!?!

I'd have preferred they just tied me to a chair and had lil' pumpkin head roll her "r's" in my face for two hours.

What was the point?

And the worst thing about this whole farce is that, since they can obviously give a show to whomever the fuck they want to, we already pretty much know that:

Tregaye's getting a show where she can flit around the country saying things like "Daaaaang, you put mayo on that, boo? <insert pigeon neck><insert one-hand-clapping move>", "that's leGIT!".  

Jernard will get a show where he can Barry White all over the country.

And even Damiano might get at least a few guest segments on another show where he can tell us how "when I comma from itALy, I thinka Reuben is a fatta guy who sings.  Now I finda out its a sanawich!"

[Janimo]

@MajorWoody, thank you for all your brilliantly stated comments several posts above.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this season has been a stinking pile of doo doo. I appreciate y'all's comments. Thank you!!
I won't be watching the "finale," but will be checking here for all the wonderful snark that will follow that ep.....just my two cents.
These guys are really baaaaaadddd, but not as much as Chef Lenny, imo,  who has evidently disappeared from the face of the earth.
End of ramble.

[bluepiano]

3 hours ago, Alapaki said:

Tregaye's getting a show where she can flit around the country saying things like "Daaaaang, you put mayo on that, boo? <insert pigeon neck><insert one-hand-clapping move>", "that's leGIT!".  

And I expect her to be a fixture on every one of their holiday cooking specials. "That turkey is popping." "Those gingerbread cookies are on fleek." And then Bobby, Giada, Geoffrey, Sunny, and the rest of the FN clowns can laugh hysterically.

Fortunately I never watch those stupid shows anyway.

The Cooking Channel is really the network about making food. Food Network is "food-related entertainment." I'm not a big fan of "stand and stir" shows, especially as there are a million videos on YouTube to tell you how to make any dish you want. But I wish FN could find something else to fill its schedule besides gimmicky game shows ("Cut Throat Kitchen" is beyond stupid), BBQ and grilling competitions, and apparently their new discovery, kids cooking.

In the history of this network the only three original concepts they came up with were "$40 a Day," "Chopped," and "Diners, Dive-ins and Drives." I liked the travelogue aspect of "$40," and the early, charming Rachel Ray was a great tour guide. "Chopped" is still the best cooking completion show on TV, though I often feel that winners are predetermined, and not chosen solely on the food. Guy F. annoys me, but I love visiting all those quirky independently owned restaurants around the country, where thankfully people are still cooking as a labor of love and holding out against the standardized chain restaurants.

Edited July 30, 2016 by bluepiano

[spiderpig]

This may get me busted by the mods, but when does The Great Food Truck Race return?  That's a fun and interesting show.

FNS is a trainwreck.

[lh25]

I agree with all those saying the fix is in for Tregaye.  After they make a point of saying the judging was on that episode only, and she stayed after blowing both parts of the challenge.  When she can get away with "Food Fusion on Fleek" unquestioned, but Yuku got flack for his Jamaican/Mexican fusion.  At least he flipping named the cuisines involved.

I wouldn't watch any shows by the three finalists.  I'll watch the Finale to better appreciate comments here, but that's the only reason.

[Alapaki]

I noticed that in the commercials and previews, they refer to the show as "Star", as in "on the next 'Star' . . . "

It's like even Food Network doesn't want its name associated with this steamer anymore.

[backformore]

Tregaye reminds me of this classic clip form Larry Wilmore: 

[HyeChaps]

Arrrgh!  JOY is way out in front for Fan Favorite!

[Sew Sumi]

Well, since they taped this thing months ago, I don't even know that it matters, unless they're bringing the people back LIVE tonight just to announce the winner? I mean, they already showed a preview of them all in a room together last week. They USED to do the live thing, back in the days before they started cheaping out on everything. Now? I imagine they've already shot whatever "show" the winner is going to have. 

[BW Manilowe]

On July 25, 2016 at 9:12 AM, PRgal said:

And HOW many of them still have shows running??!!! 

Jeff is 1 of the 5 hosts of The Kitchen, which is still making new shows. Right before/after FNS started,

Eddie just finished hosting (what sounds like it was/what I assume was) the first season of The Kids' BBQ Championship with fashion model Camila Alves, aka Mrs. Matthew McConaughey.

So... 2 former winners still have an onscreen FN presence.

[cooksdelight]

Melissa D'Arabian, Justin Warner and Damaris are regulars on GGG as judges.

[txvoodoo]

Just made a topic for the finale: 

[BW Manilowe]

On July 25, 2016 at 11:48 AM, PRgal said:

Which sucks.  Because it shows the lack of diversity when it comes to the TYPE of programming.  I mean, how many Guy Jr. type shows do we need?  We already have the Canadian version - "You Gotta Eat Here!"  Does that air in the US?

I think I've seen You Gotta Eat Here! in the Cooking Channel listings; & on FN once upon a time, when they aired a "preview" block of CC shows (which they did more than once, as I remember). I'm not sure if it's still airing on CC or not. But I remember that title.

[BW Manilowe]

On July 25, 2016 at 7:14 PM, catrice2 said:

I'd bet money that Ana's name was not even in the bag.  Who was Melissa? Wasn't Martita on another season? 

Martita was originally on S8. She & some other also-rans from earlier seasons were in a Star Salvation like show, which ran at the beginning of the season (I think concurrently with it), to see which of them got the last spot in this season's cast. Martita won that slot, but was eliminated in the third week (I think). Then, last week, they brought back Yakub, who won Star Salvation, & eliminated him again the same episode. Personally, I think that was maybe 1 too many returnees this season.

[paramitch]

My main problem is that the outcome was so transparently weighted in Tregaye's favor. The moment Bobby said, "This is yours to lose," it was like the pronouncement of a deity -- there's no way they'd send Tregaye home. And wow, she really deserved to go home here. Her presentation was awful (and full of all the little ticks and fake aspects Kermit and Medusa would have nipped in the bud). They didn't like her food. She should have been dunzo.

So I'm very frustrated at the obvious playing to the camera on Tregaye's behalf too -- Bobby's "heartfelt" comment that "she wants this so badly," as if any of the other contestants wouldn't give their eyeteeth for the prize here.

And I'm getting really tired of some of the grandstanding by Bobby and Giada. While I don't care what Giada wears (I've never found her wardrobe terribly inappropriate), I find myself annoyed that every time something even mildly funny happens, Bobby does the same thing: He tips back his head, opens his mouth, pauses, then laughs aloud. It's just so staged and false, as if he's trying so hard to look delighted and charmed by the contestants. Meanwhile, Giada dissolves helplessly into squeaks and giggles, and again, it all feels very staged.

I don't hate either of them, but I just get the impression that they are now acting all the time. And that's kind of a bummer, especially considering that at one point Bobby impulsively jumped on top of a counter (slightly embarrassing himself, hee), and Giada was at a similar point just a shy young woman who was awkward while conveying Italian cooking tips.

On 7/24/2016 at 8:37 PM, Christina said:

Yaku winning Star Salvation only to be eliminated over Tregaye just proves that Star Salvation is a better show with better judges. Tregaye bombed.

This was why I was amused at both Tregaye's total arrogant dismissal of Monterey's skills, as well as of Monterey's quiet, perfectly reasonable decision not to comment on Tregaye's dry corn cakes. At least thanks to the entire run of Star Salvation, Monterey was able to demonstrate unequivocally that she can really cook -- it was fun to watch Alex be knocked out by her cooking week after week on that. To me, Monterey's skills ultimately appear to be far more sophisticated than Tregaye's, and she now has a world-class chef who thinks so, too.

At the very least, I felt like Star Salvation redeemed Yaku and Monterey especially, showing that they are both capable of cooking great food, and turning in personable performances. While Monterey definitely needs more training and confidence, she's attractive and funny, and according to Alex is a fantastic chef, so I think she'll eventually get there. Meanwhile, I feel like Yaku is ready for a show now -- although I do think he'd need to cut that beard significantly. It's just unappealing for an audience and all I would be thinking is about the inevitable shedding into the food while viewing.

On 7/24/2016 at 11:38 PM, bluepiano said:

The big joke is that they criticized Yaku for not explaining how his dish fused Jamaican and Mexican food, yet NOT ONCE the entire season have I heard Tregaye explain how anything she cooked was "fusion." Fusion between what and what? It was just a buzz word she threw around, while basically cooking anything she wanted. 

I was so frustrated at Tregaye's final presentation here, because she never ever actually:

• Explained her dish or its major components (including the endless-YAAAAAAS sauce)
• Used real descriptors on flavors or textures beyond "fleek" and "popping."
• She never once described a single thing in terms of how it tasted. It drove me bonkers -- in previous years, Kermit and Medusa would have been all over a contestant for that in week ONE, much less the SEMIFINALS.

Meanwhile, the rest weren't great either. I've watched FNS since the beginning, and just can't believe the utter inability of this season's contestants to simply describe the food so that it sounds delicious. Is it warm, crunchy, silky, sweet, salty, buttery, meaty, etc.? How do the flavors combine? It's not rocket science.

On 7/25/2016 at 5:45 AM, xaxat said:

It's an even year. I should have guessed we were going to get a crappy winner. This show is like the San Francisco Giants.

I suppose that means there's hope for next year.

2015: Eddie Jackson

2014: Lenny McNab

2013: Demaris Phillips

2012:Justin Warner

2011: Jeff Mauro

This is fascinating. Especially since I really still enjoy Damaris and Jeff, and think they're two of the more likable, capable and entertaining winners of the bunch.

On 7/25/2016 at 10:03 AM, LittleIggy said:

This is only the 2nd season of FNS I've seen, so I looked up it's history on Wikipedia. It looks as if Guy Fieri is the only "star" it has produced.

I dunno, I went on a quick look through IMDb because I was curious about how much former contestants had accomplished. 

Jeff has probably done best beyond Guy -- he's managed to break out of the Food Network into major networks on occasion, and behind Guy Fieri, he's easily the most successful alumnus so far, after appearing on over 200 episodes of television thus far. While the "sandwich guy" thing got a bit old for me, he did go on to show that he was genuinely creative and knowledgeable, and I also think he's genuinely funny and likable in general.

I'm not a huge fan of Melissa (I think she's secretly rather humorless and clenched), but I do think she can cook, and she's filmed a good 175 episodes of TV herself. Kelsey has meanwhile appeared on over 100 episodes, and Damaris has appeared in roughly 80 episodes of TV so far.

To me, any of these has reason to be proud of their success. Anyone who tapes over 50 episodes of TV, to me, has certainly accomplished something.

On 7/25/2016 at 10:22 AM, joanne3482 said:

True enough since I think Kelsey got a show on the Cooking Channel as did Nikki Dinki and Jeffery Saad.  

I was kind of happy for Nikki, because I felt like she had real chops and a point of view. I don't watch her show, but I was glad for her later success.

[J-Man]

Was this the first year they didn't go back to New York for the pilots and finale?

[Sew Sumi]

No, they filmed pilots in LA last year as well. Before that, I can't recall when they stopped going to NY. They stopped doing Rachael Ray with the top four or 5 about the same time. 

[xaxat]

Hmmm. Was it after the season featuring He who Shall not be Named?

Coincidence?