S13.E11: The Newest Food Network Star

[Whimsy]

Quote

It all comes down to the final week, as Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay watch the Food Network pilots for the three finalists. Watch what happens behind the scenes of Food Network Star, and then find out who joins the Food Network family and is crowned the newest Food Network star!

[roseslg]

Well, butter my nuts and call me Jason!

[CraftyHazel]

When Cory was knocked out at third place, the suspense was over.  I couldn't see Rusty winning, after doing as poorly as he did in so many challenges.

And I'm not sorry to see Jason win.  I like him, even if many here don't.

Cory actually had the best pilot, I thought.

[LexieLily]

Rusty beat out Cory? Seriously?

Are Bobby and Giada still dating? Just like last season the clip show of their behind-the-scenes moments were suspicious.

[Aerobicidal]

Rusty seems about as comfortable on camera as Richard Simmons would be at a Hooters in Mississippi. 

When I saw his pilot was called French Dipping, I became concerned it would conclude with a scene of him riding an extreme waterslide wearing the Borat swimsuit.

A show in which someone screams at me while spanking raw beef sounds about as appealing as being chased by a gigantic set of wind-up chomping teeth modeled after Giada’s.

Apparently Cory is supposed to be comfortable on TV now because he makes aggressive and meaningless gestures. Good news for him and Rusty: If they don’t make it on the Food Network, I envision some lucrative opportunities in the semaphore industry.

Trace’s hair looks a little unfortunate, but I bet he was a beautiful baby.

A montage of Giada and Bobby laughing at (or at/with) Jason. Bobby joking about Giada’s butt on late-night Food Network. Jason given a pilot filled with cocks. My feeling watching this show. It’s post-masochism.

If Rusty is “tough to beat” when it comes to being on TV, Sandra Lee is the greatest food authority in the history of Food Network.

I totally disagree with their “moment of the season.” Nothing tops mountain baklava! Just ask all the mountainous mamas of the Middle East, Lord Honey!

Amy: “The fresh summer flavor of fresh tomatoes with summery flavor and the Iraq and like such as summer and flavor the tomato and the Iraq.”

That whole episode was such an obvious coronation of Lord Honey. Congratulations, King Honey!

[suebee12]

To let you know how interested I was in this show, I watched a bit(through Rusty's scream fest pilot) and then I swept the patio, unloaded one load from the dryer, loaded in a new one, and then started dinner. Hmmm, guess there wasn't a lot of interest! Jason was my choice but honestly, I didn't think his pilot was all that. Was a bit surprised that Cory was eliminated first but I guess that goes with his laid back personality. One thing that came out of tonight is that we must not have seen enough "southern" yet...same time, same channel next week, The Great Truck Race...through the south!

[TDT]

1 minute ago, LexieLily said:

Rusty beat out Cory? Seriously?

Are Bobby and Giada still dating? Just like last season the clip show of their behind-the-scenes moments were suspicious.

We certainly don't need Guy Fieri 2.0..though congrats to Mr Macke-i mean Jason LOL

Bobby and Giada are now an item? That's news to me..

[StaceyNotStacie]

1 minute ago, Marmiarmo said:

 

And I'm not sorry to see Jason win.  I like him, even if many here don't.

Cory actually had the best pilot, I thought.

I was rooting for Cory, but if he didn't win, I'm glad it was Jason.  I agree that Cory had the best pilot. He gave a lot of information during his pilot. I hope that Food Network keeps him around in some capacity. 

[Whimsy]

Who else FF'd about 95% of this? I started watching it about 50 minutes after it started and just finished watching.  I only watched the "pilots" and the results.  I thought all the pilots had cringeworthy moments. Why do all of these pilots have to be modeled after DDD?

[susannot]

Man Rusty's pilot was unbearably unwatchable.  If  I encountered him on TV while just channel surfing I could not change the channel fast enough.

1 minute ago, Whimsy said:

Who else FF'd about 95% of this? I started watching it about 50 minutes after it started and just finished watching.  I only watched the "pilots" and the results.  I thought all the pilots had cringeworthy moments. Why do all of these pilots have to be modeled after DDD?

I certainly did.

[MerBearHou]

I watched about 5 minutes of the final, saw Bobby teasing Giada about butter my butt, saw Cory get eliminated, changed the channel for good. Congrats to Jason--he seems likeable enough, but I cannot take FNS seriously. 

Edited August 14, 2017 by MerBearHou

[whinewithwine]

Bobby said Cory had the best food all season.  And I thought his pilot was flawless.  At least Mr. "how 'ya durin/ya heard me" buffoon didn't win.  
 

[HyeChaps]

Not a peep from Matthew. 

[smiley13]

Has anyone seen anything saying what the time difference was between the previous episode and what was shown tonight?  Based on Addie, it had to have been several months.

[grisgris]

Cory's pilot was the best of all three, so I was totally surprised when Rusty was chosen over Cory.

I couldn't put up with Rusty's shouting and mugging for the camera.  I can't think of a more ill-suited location for Jason's pilot.  He seemed to take over the kitchen and those French chefs seemed pretty annoyed and obviously, had no idea what Jason's idiotic colloquialisms meant.

I'm not sure what was said but if might have been wise if Cory held off on the bragging on social media about "beating Bobby Flay" until the entire competition was over. Bobby was smiling and acting gracious but I think that in all truth, it hit a nerve.

[susannot]

If Jason really does show food and ideas from his lush farm that we glimpsed in a recent episode, I might watch.  However, that will never happen.  Watch for him to show up on all the stupid baking competition shows.

[srpturtle80]

Why was Addie wearing a nightgown that my 90 year old Grandmother would wear?

[SSAHotchner]

The only one of the 3 I would have watched was Cory. The other two try too hard to put on phony personas that they think will make them more likable, but in reality only succeed in making them obnoxious. The truth is, I watch very little on Food Network these days. I enjoy the cake decorating competitions, the baking championships and, I can't really think of much else. 

[parrotfeathers]

I wasn't ready for Rusty on FN.  I thought Corey was in the bag.

Do any of you remember when the camera showed them bunking somewhere.  Guys in one room; girls in another.  Use of the phone was very controlled.   Then at the winning episode the family was there for a reunion.

Also whatever happened to the girl that won  and then quit the show and moved to France.  I think her name was Amy.

[mlp]

I am thrilled that Jason won.  I've thought all along that he was told to amp up his folksiness because he was basically the same personality on the baking show but more subdued.  His montage tonight seemed to prove me right.  I hope he gets a show of some kind, not just a few judging appearances.  

I have never understood why Cory chose to be on this show.  He's an accomplished chef and restaurateur who, as others have said, should be on Top Chef.  He never seemed comfortable on camera although he did do a good job with his pilot.  I felt sorry for him coming in third out of three and to Rusty of all people.  It has always seemed a bit mean to me for FN to eliminate that third person when there's no reason that I can see why they couldn't make the final announcement with all three standing there.

Rusty seems nice enough but his constant screaming was more than I could take.  He crosses a line between jovial and overbearing.

Interesting that Matthew was totally ignored.  I guess he played the part he was brought back to play and was done.

[SoCal Mema]

55 minutes ago, whinewithwine said:

Bobby said Cory had the best food all season.  And I thought his pilot was flawless.  At least Mr. "how 'ya durin/ya heard me" buffoon didn't win.  
 

But this reality show has never been about who had the best food or who was the best cook. 

 

7 minutes ago, mlp said:

I am thrilled that Jason won.  I've thought all along that he was told to amp up his folksiness because he was basically the same personality on the baking show but more subdued.  His montage tonight seemed to prove me right.  I hope he gets a show of some kind, not just a few judging appearances.  

I have never understood why Cory chose to be on this show.  He's an accomplished chef and restaurateur who, as others have said, should be on Top Chef.  He never seemed comfortable on camera although he did do a good job with his pilot.  I felt sorry for him coming in third out of three and to Rusty of all people.  It has always seemed a bit mean to me for FN to eliminate that third person when there's no reason that I can see why they couldn't make the final announcement with all three standing there.

Rusty seems nice enough but his constant screaming was more than I could take.  He crosses a line between jovial and overbearing.

Interesting that Matthew was totally ignored.  I guess he played the part he was brought back to play and was done.

Cory seems to be a bit of a reality TV person - making the rounds.  When does he have time to cook at a restaurant?  He should stick to what he does best.  One of the things that grates so much for me on The Food Network is the constant reshuffling of the same reality people across all of their shows. 

 

However, I'm very happy Jason won.  He was always humble, and complimentary to all his competitors (even told Cory he was by far the best cook of them all).  Let's hope they don't turn him into a joke.

[LexieLily]

A little moment that cracked me up was Giada asking Amy if she was more confident after going through this show (clearly expecting a "oh, yes, because of your mentoring!" gushing answer) and Amy deadpanned a "Sure, why not?" Giada didn't have a clue what to do with that. 

[Sew Sumi]

1 hour ago, Whimsy said:

Who else FF'd about 95% of this? I started watching it about 50 minutes after it started and just finished watching.  I only watched the "pilots" and the results.  I thought all the pilots had cringeworthy moments. Why do all of these pilots have to be modeled after DDD?

Is this a rhetorical question? Yikes. 

[Showthyme]

Not surprised at all that Jason won. He is the male version of Paula Deen.

[Blonde Gator]

1 hour ago, HyeChaps said:

Not a peep from Matthew. 

Lord, Honey Chile, he dun practiced his cheesy smile, tho!

[Snarklepuss]

I didn't realize how upset I was going to feel that Cory lost.  I think I'm just tired that anyone I want to win this show usually doesn't.  The last person to win that I wanted to win was Damaris.  Don't get me wrong, I liked Jason but my heart was with Cory.  I thought the network could benefit from his upscale image.  He could bring class back to the Food Network.  Plus he's easy on the eyes.  I find Jason's shtick funny for about 5 minutes and that's it.  I agree with those above that thought Cory's pilot was the best.  I still can't believe they eliminated him before Rusty.  I didn't find Cory's presentation lacking at all.  I've been watching this show since season 1 and I'd notice it if Cory wasn't that good.  Guy got on him for being "too polished".  I think he listened to that and seemed very spontaneous and genuine but I guess no matter what he does someone will find fault with it.  I hope he turns up somewhere on FN anyway.  I thought he was hiding his surprise and shock at not winning well, and I felt for him.

[ivygirl]

Bobby's "mustache" burn re: Giada's comments about his eyebrows was probably one of the best things I've seen on this show. (I realize that's not saying much.) And I was even amused by the clip reel of Jason's little sayings (especially that one in the car about underwear that made zero sense, and that super long one that had the producer/camera person comment... something).

Slightly bummed but not 100% surprised about Jason's win. But hey, he has his fans and his audience. (I don't mean that in a bad way... I just mean that his persona works for some and they enjoy him.) He's certainly not the worst individual they've had on this show. 

Edited August 14, 2017 by ivygirl

[xaxat]

This season was so lazy in its construction. And boy did they stack the odds to get their preferred outcome.

 A woman wasn't going to win it because they didn't bother to cast one that could be competitive with the top men. Out of the men, it was almost lock he was going to be a Southerner because only Matthew and Blake (Who was eliminated so early I had to look him up.) weren't from there.

Bobby's joke about announcing that the winner was "from the South" was probably part of the plan all along.

[HappyDancex2]

That took 7 minutes on DVR.  Which was nice.

I'm ok with the outcome.  Jason will make good talking heads, guest judging and FN live appearances.  They are just crowning him for what they were going to have him do anyway.  Lord Honey I was happy to zap the entire thing off the DVR.

[Catronia]

I hadn't really noticed during last week's episode, but a few days ago, it occurred to me that none of the pilots actually involved any cooking by the contestants. That's when I knew Cory was not winning, so I was already resigned to his loss before this episode. I'm glad Bobby acknowledged that his food was consistently the best. I think he's best off going home, tending to his restaurants, and, if they aren't making enough profit, perhaps considering opening a "fast casual" place with possibilities of a local chain if it is successful. I don't even get why he wants to do this garbage.

Don't enjoy either Jason or Rusty's overwrought "personalities," so don't care. Also, I am very tired of Southern everything. How about some New England cooks (but not like the one many seasons ago who only did seafood)? Northwestern?

[HappyDancex2]

Bobby tipped off Cory's boot by starting to razz him about being on social media talking so much about beating bobby flay...but then immediately giving him props for it being well deserved and cooking great food all season.  It was the total consolation take away speech for the public to reinforce how competent he is as a chef.  The odd thing is that with proper editing, I can totally see how Cory could fit in at FN.  It's all about editing.  They managed to make alex, anne, amanda, geoffrey, katie, sunny,  etc. into food personalities with lots of exposure and proper editing.

[Christina]

If Corey wants to continue on FN, he probably has a place. Damiano didn't win and I can't seem to get rid of him. He keeps popping up as a judge and is absolutely awful at it. For instance, he once complained that he didn't like gingerbread, and I was waiting for the typical follow-up of "but, you blah blah blah and changed my mind!" Instead, when the judges were discussing the food, he said it again. He offers nothing useful or valid by way of critique, I never found him as attractive as Giada did, and think he has been told to play up his accent because sometimes he is hard to understand and other times he is not. The judges always nitpick so the editors have something to work with and it doesn't look like a landslide to viewers, especially when it is, but he has to go and they now have his replacement. 

This season was only landing an appearance at Food and Wine (?) and magazine article(s) and not a show, leading to my early conspiracy theory that Jason was a lock to replace Damiano, which I changed because it seemed like Cory was so far in front of the others when it came to cooking, and is, but didn't expect him to do as poorly as a presenter. Unlike Dom, Cory can probably fix his issues if he wants to be a host as opposed to a chef. This may have just been additional advertising for him.

[spiderpig]

Just finished viewing and haven't read any previous comments yet (although I'm dying to peek).

With this episode, Giada's teeth officially became bigger than her entire head.

I admit to being surprised that Cory was dispatched before Rusty, but I have to say Rusty nailed his pilot.  It made you salivate for one of those French dips.  Cory's pilot was about tacos?  Meh - although he was a lot more animated than usual, it felt a bit forced.

Off now to watch the online post-show, grab a late dinner, and settle back to read all of y'all's takedowns!   Later, guys!   :-)

[GaT]

Not at all surprised that Jason won, but I'm really surprised that Rusty was chosen over Cory, how did that happen?

4 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

Not a peep from Matthew. 

I wish we could say that about the entire season.

[TDT]

5 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

Not a peep from Matthew. 

I'm sure that will change when we see him as a judge on Chopped...or a contestant on Guy's Grocery Games...

[orangekit]

I am not surprised that Jason won, but Cory did a much better  pilot than over the top Rusty .

i thought that Cory came off natural and conversational.  

Rusty, who I actually did like , came odd obnoxious. The people he was with in the restaurant seems put off a bit by his over the top, annoying and loud personality.  He was like Guy on caffeine.  

Jason is good in camera,  but he seems all gimmick now . I liked him on the Baking Championship, but now he's playing a character .

Watching Rusty, who seemed likable transform into over the top,  and annoying in his pilot, and Jason , complete with his goofy outfits and over the top sayings , made me realize that FN is getting even worse with "personalities".

 

Also,  how poorly produced was the  show that they had Jason commenting on everything?  There was really no suspense when one contestant was already the "star " of the show .

 

I never thought I'd miss Susie or Tush, but I do now after this season . 

[meowmommy]

Just watched after getting off night shift, and FF'd through everything but the pilots and the last two minutes.  No way do I understand this decision, given that Cory's pilot was head and shoulders above the other two, but also given that there's no real prize any more, who really cares?  The only thing I could figure was that they weren't willing to go the Top Chef Kristen route and give the 'prize' to someone they'd already eliminated.  Anyway, the pilots used to be a vehicle for the contestants (I can't call them cheftestants here) to showcase their points of view, and now it's just three guys being told where to go, to watch someone else cook and then gush over what they're eating.  That's FN now, I guess.  At least Cory tried to fill his pilot with information rather than just interviewing and eating. 

LBH would never, never have survived this gauntlet if they'd ever made her run it.

[Wings]

The highlight for me was Trace in a new black wig and dyed whiskers.   Not a good look but a fabulous  pause and stare moment. 

Addie is so square. No one wears clothes like that when pregnant anymore.  I didn't in the 70s either! 

I liked Jason s pilot the best because he had the most difficult situation.  A French speaking man who could not banter due to language barrier and cheese fondue of all things. It wasn't good in the 70s and looked no better yesterday. 

Tacos. Oh good god. Who doesn't make those as a quick meal in 100 different ways?  Boring. French dip is good but over in the 60s.  This is all they could find? 

Edited August 14, 2017 by wings707

[spiderpig]

29 minutes ago, wings707 said:

The highlight for me was Trace in a new black wig and dyed whiskers.   Not a good look but a fabulous  pause and stare moment. 

 

Thanks for reminding me about Trace's fright wig.  99 cents at Woolworth's in October back in my childhood.

[smiley13]

I guess I am in the minority, but I loved the finished product of Rusty's pilot.   And after watching Jason's, I would love a trip to The Melting Pot.  You can never go wrong with Cheese Fondue.

[cooksdelight]

8 hours ago, parrotfeathers said:

Do any of you remember when the camera showed them bunking somewhere.  Guys in one room; girls in another.  Use of the phone was very controlled.   Then at the winning episode the family was there for a reunion

Yes, and I miss that. Except the time Penny made that poor woman cry when they were in their kitchen. That's one of the more enjoyable parts of the show because you get to know the contestants, sometimes see something in someone you hadn't noticed before. TC still does it.

I didn't watch but came here to see the results. Jason has skated quite a few times, so no surprise as I could tell he was the chosen one from the beginning. 

[Whimsy]

8 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Is this a rhetorical question? Yikes. 

No.  I record everything I watch because I hate commercials.  I was watching something else until about 9:50 and then turned this on.  I hate clip shows with the fire of a thousand suns so I only watched the new content- the pilots and the results.  Seems I'm not alone based on the following.....

I guess I don't see the "yikes" about it, but YMMV.

9 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

I watched about 5 minutes of the final, saw Bobby teasing Giada about butter my butt, saw Cory get eliminated, changed the channel for good. Congrats to Jason--he seems likeable enough, but I cannot take FNS seriously. 

 

7 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

That took 7 minutes on DVR.  Which was nice.

 

3 hours ago, meowmommy said:

Just watched after getting off night shift, and FF'd through everything but the pilots and the last two minutes. 

[smiley13]

8 hours ago, Showthyme said:

Not surprised at all that Jason won. He is the male version of Paula Deen.

In what way?  He is from Kentucky and specializes in baking.  That is not like Paula at all.

[Thalia]

On August 13, 2017 at 9:35 PM, srpturtle80 said:

Why was Addie wearing a nightgown that my 90 year old Grandmother would wear?

She was heavy with child. 

I thought Cory had the best pilot, but Jason did have some good tips.  I thought the biggest problem with his was the obvious fact that the owner and chef at "Mon-sure" Marcel's thought he was an alien from another planet. 

Edited August 15, 2017 by Thalia

[Hockeymom]

I didn't mind Addie's outfit. She's like a thousand months pregnant. Give her a break!

I didn't care for Jason's pilot. He was a little rude, in my opinion. Yes, I get it. He's from the south. But does he really have to butcher every pronunciation? The fondue looked delicious, but I found the running gag of "Goll-ly these Frenchmen talk funny" to be a little, well, cheesy. How would he feel if they came into his school and made fun of everyone who said Howdy!

I did feel bad for Cory. His pilot was great. Why in the world would they get rid of the best chef in a competition supposedly looking for people with food authority? Were they afraid he'd be nipping at Bobby's heels? They both have the same "stoic white guy who knows his shit" vibe. 

I mean, I guess it's a little late to be complaining about it now, but is this a cooking competition or a personality contest? I think the judges forget that it starts with good food first. When they came on board, it was the food that got them noticed. The rest came later. Even now, I don't think anyone watches Bobby Flay for his sparkling personality!

[Simon47]

I am so happy that Jason is the next Star! He is worthy and he follows the rules in a godly manner. Can't wait to see Jason get his own show!

Ok, Adia Austin Benson Gundry, really?! She reminds me of a princess that came to my child's cheerleading camp last week. She was named Miss Fountain Inn. I think her name was Allie or something. She looked beautiful. Her mom, Nancy, was there. She came to both of my children's performances.

Rusty should definitely have gone home. Cory had a very good pilot, and guess what Rusty was saying over and over again? How ya dern! I am not too surprised that Cory went home, anyway.

Look at Trace! He went from Bieber to Beatle! LOL!

Edited August 14, 2017 by Simon47
Typo with the Jason pg

[Snarklepuss]

9 hours ago, ivygirl said:

Bobby's "mustache" burn re: Giada's comments about his eyebrows was probably one of the best things I've seen on this show. (I realize that's not saying much.)

I usually like banter like that but in this case the entire segment turned my stomach.  There was just something creepy about the way Giada acts around Bobby.  I feel for her given some of her life history but she acts like even if she doesn't have a sexual relationship with him, she certainly wants one.  I don't know why but I find that just ewwww.

[xaxat]

38 minutes ago, Hockeymom said:

Why in the world would they get rid of the best chef in a competition supposedly looking for people with food authority?

I think the concept of "food authority" on this network was retired with the departure of Susie and Bob.

They clearly don't want someone to cook. They want someone who can host and judge competitive shows. I find Jason annoying, but I think he will be good at that.

[Snarklepuss]

38 minutes ago, Hockeymom said:

I didn't mind Addie's outfit. She's like a thousand months pregnant. Give her a break!

I didn't care for Jason's pilot. He was a little rude, in my opinion. Yes, I get it. He's from the south. But does he really have to butcher every pronunciation? The fondue looked delicious, but I found the running gag of "Goll-ly these Frenchmen talk funny" to be a little, well, cheesy. How would he feel if they came into his school and made fun of everyone who said Howdy!

I did feel bad for Cory. His pilot was great. Why in the world would they get rid of the best chef in a competition supposedly looking for people with food authority? Were they afraid he'd be nipping at Bobby's heels? They both have the same "stoic white guy who knows his shit" vibe. 

I mean, I guess it's a little late to be complaining about it now, but is this a cooking competition or a personality contest? I think the judges forget that it starts with good food first. When they came on board, it was the food that got them noticed. The rest came later. Even now, I don't think anyone watches Bobby Flay for his sparkling personality!

ITA, but this show hasn't been a cooking competition for years and even when that did matter it wasn't everything.  They were always looking for someone that could present well on TV all along or we wouldn't have gotten Guy Fieri in Season 2, after all.  But I thought Cory did very well at presenting and whatever he didn't have he showed that he could learn.

I don't know, I'm not a southerner but I would think that Jason's OTT shtick would almost be insulting to most southerners because of the way he acts so "golly gee shucks" like he just fell off the turnip truck and all he knows is what they do in Kentucky for the 51st time every 5 minutes.  He's almost freaking Gomer Pyle, for chrissakes!  He's a nice guy but he's really got to cool it with the caricature!

BTW, I had the same feeling about Bobby feeling threatened by Cory.

[Hockeymom]

1 minute ago, xaxat said:

 

They clearly don't want someone to cook. They want someone who can host and judge competitive shows. I find Jason annoying, but I think he will be good at that.

I think he will too. I just long for the days when I could tune in and get a recipe, maybe learn something. Remember when MTV played music? Five years from now, FN will just be a relic with screaming hosts and obstacle courses - maybe even a "Love at First Bite" dating show thrown in for good measure.