Star Salvation & Episode Previews Talk

[GaT]

If that's the case, i may have to wear some very dark sunglasses to protect me from the huge glaring teeth when Giada sees her boy is back.

They'll probably be buried in Luca's neck, so you'll be OK.

[mlp]

 

Fabio does the occasional commercial, so sponsors must think he's intelligible.

 

He also has his own web series called Chow Ciao! which is quite successful and he's a regular guest on The Chew.  I've never had trouble understanding him other than an occasional word or two.  I find listening to Luca the same.  He's cute and charming so I don't find listening a bit more closely than I would to a native English speaker a burden at all. 

[chessiegal]

If anyone is interested in a spoiler on who's coming back, go to Food Network Gossip.com.

[Kromm]

If anyone is interested in a spoiler on who's coming back, go to Food Network Gossip.com.

 

Hmm, well technically what they say is that it's revealed in a promo screenshot, so in that sense it's fair game, but given that the reveal in the promo appears to simply be a boneheaded FN editing mistake, I suppose we still have to consider it as privileged info.

[howmanywords]

Hmm yeah thats a pretty obvious giveaway, but then again FN use to spoil the winner in the dumbest ways possible in past year so I'm not surprised they let something like that clip slip.

 

I like Chad but he's getting a show anyway in October (not so much where he'll be cooking but rather simply hosting but still) so I didn't really care he left.

[cooksdelight]

Oh God, Giada will be insufferable.

[Aethera]

Chad has always felt a bit fake for my taste.  My sister lives in his town and has been to his BBQ joint - she says it's ok but that he's can be kind of creepy with the female patrons - a lot of charm and smarm.

 

I think Luca did far better in the challenges on the Star Salvation than he did on the actual show, but I just find him boring, no matter how cute he is.  And I actually think Lenny seems like a nice guy, but I don't think he should get a show.  I find him to be less annoying than Pie Guy Rodney last season (though I live in DC and LOVE his pies; they are delicious).

[cooksdelight]

Nothing new is up yet for this season. Hurry up, FN!!

[Totale]

I think I'm going to go rogue and actually not chase down their extra ten minutes a week online or OD and be as "surprised" as anyone else when the "winner" of SS is revealed.  I'm going to do my best at not hearing about it (no spoilers in the episode threads, please!!) and won't look at this thread once I hear it's started.  Because let's face it the mothership is already a storytelling fantasy to carry along the product placement shots and fill up the dead summer hours, and their storytelling is getting off to a pretty shaky start this year since it appears they promoted the interns who were on the "vet Lenny" team last year to scriptwriters, and I'm curious to see what they can come up with for a truly shocking re-entrance.

[cooksdelight]

I will watch for the first time, only to see Matthew squashed like the cockroach he is.

[backformore]

I will watch for the first time, only to see Matthew squashed like the cockroach he is.

Let's hope it's that, and not some bizarre "redemption arc" where asshole grows up, learns his lesson, and out-cooks everyone.  #boycottfoodnetwork if that happens.  Hey, where are the emojis in this forum?   How is Matthew supposed to know what we're talking about? 

Edited June 15, 2015 by backformore

[aradia22]

 

Nothing new is up yet for this season. Hurry up, FN!!

OK. Good. I thought it was just me. Maybe they're waiting for more people to be eliminated?

[Skyfall]

Maybe they scrapped it since America isn't voting this season?

[howmanywords]

No its happening because it was mentioned in a press release and there's a placeholder for this season on the FN site. Jeff and Alex G. are hosting.

[cooksdelight]

First episode is up:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/food-network-star/star-salvation.html

[cooksdelight]

If Matthew can dial it down and get rid of the hashtags, he may be a contender to come back. Alex seemed really receptive to him this time around. Rosa had the advantage of being in front of the camera more than the others, and it showed. Christina...ay yi yi!

[leighdear]

I am absolutely dying for a taco right now.   Good episode, I agree completely.  Though I'm going to have to try that butter/cream/hot sauce thing.

 

But I still abhor Matthew and don't ever want to see him on my TV.    

Edited June 29, 2015 by leighdear

[cooksdelight]

LOL, I agree about Matthew, he's too high-energy. And he has the Elvis sneer, but not in a sexy way. He was nice to help hapless Christina.

[Commando Cody]

Matthew needs to drop all the social media references and tone it down a lot.  I don't want to see this incarnation of him on my TV.  

[GaT]

If Matthew can dial it down and get rid of the hashtags, he may be a contender to come back. 

No, no, NO. Do. Not. Want.

 

I'm not going to watch this crap this year, Matthew didn't win, did he?

[howmanywords]

No, no, NO. Do. Not. Want.

 

I'm not going to watch this crap this year, Matthew didn't win, did he?

Well technically no one won yet, its only week 1 and there's another 5 weeks to go but he was safe this week. His food actually looked good and there was a moment where Christina couldn't figure out how to turn the burners on the stove and he helped her. 

[GaT]

Well technically no one won yet, its only week 1 and there's another 5 weeks to go but he was safe this week. His food actually looked good and there was a moment where Christina couldn't figure out how to turn the burners on the stove and he helped her. 

I was hoping he would flame out & be eliminated. Yuck

[vibeology]

As much as Matthew annoys me, I do think he's a pretty cook chef and it'll take a few weeks before he's eliminated. It seems the first few people to go besides him have had pretty bad food, his issue was personality and its going to take someone with a bit more skill to get eliminated before he has any serious competition. 

[cooksdelight]

It was no surprise that Sita was the first one out. Alex said, in a nice way, that she can't cook worth a damn (when she was discussing it with Jeff while they were out).

[cooksdelight]

To be honest though, she was going to make chicken parmigana b/c it's the perfect picnic food?  Um....okay.

 

How many times did Rosa say "chicken parmigiana" while making her tacos? 30? 40? It was damn near getting on my nerves.

[Pallida]

I didn't set out to watch this, but the Xfinity on-demand app screwed up and had this show under the main episode description.  I still find Matthew exhausting, but I think this showed a different side to him.  When Sita was eliminated, he immediately said "that sucks" and touched her shoulder.  Accordingly, I've shifted to think he's just immature and socially awkward.

[Bella]

In the unlikely event that Matthew comes back from this and wins the whole thing, they should make his "show" an online one. I'm serious. That's the way he thinks, and he could probably tell them how best to do it.

[cooksdelight]

I agree, Bella. Food Network needs to get with the times and have some online versions of shows for those age groups who don't sit in front of their TV. I posted in Small Talk about what happened to Martha Stewart who didn't get with the program, and it's going to happen to a lot of others.

[Pallida]

I'm a smidgen older than the YouTube crowd, but I would really enjoy more of a "snippet" online format.  I don't always want to wade through the whole meal - sometimes I just want to know how to make that great side dish.  Some basic skillset videos would be nice too.  Jamie Oliver does some of this, and they're great for reference.

[Bella]

Okay, then we're agreed: Matt doesn't win FNS because he's been a snot and we don't want it to go to his head and turn him back into a snot again, plus he isn't as good a cook as some of these folks. But FN keeps him around, gives him an online outlet, and lets him help them grow that lagging side of their business. (YMMV on the details.)

 

What problem can we solve next?

[CMH1981]

 

I still find Matthew exhausting, but I think this showed a different side to him.  When Sita was eliminated, he immediately said "that sucks" and touched her shoulder.

 

Well being called out for your snotty attitude and eliminated when the judges had someone else in mind in the main heat might humble someone just a smidge.  YMMV

[cooksdelight]

Also, they don't have as much to work with, editing-wise, in these short competitions. Matthew may not be as bad as we saw earlier because they had more to work with. Who knows what was said to whom, and when? They knew before we did that he'd be eliminated and what would happen later in this venue. Editors are like that...they will make someone a villain or a hero based on what they know is coming down the pike.

[xaxat]

In addition to telling Matthew to dial if back to eight, Alex should have banned him from ever saying "hashtag". 

[CMH1981]

Wouldn't it be funny if Matthew wins the whole shebang, star salvation and food network star, and now the FN has the problem of a winner who everybody hates based on his immaturity.  I'm sure that won't be the case but it would be funny to me.  That would mean they have chosen winners who lied about their military past ( i know he was disqualified but before that he was basically the one to beat in the final two), one who decided they didn't want to continue on w/ their own show, and a misogynistic pig.

[cooksdelight]

Based on the past, they won't let someone win that nobody likes. I don't know what the percentage is for people watching this versus just the show on TV, but the general consensus on Matthew is that he's a douche. Even if Matthew redeems himself here, he'd have to go back into the main competition and really suck up and brown nose in order to get America to love him.

[Bella]

And based on the Lenny travesty, they're going to pick the most likable person who can cook. (I'm assuming that this group has been thoroughly vetted, unlike previous contestants.) Matthew has had problems with likability and cooking, so even if he comes back, he's #2 at best.

[StaceyNotStacie]

How many times did Rosa say "chicken parmigiana" while making her tacos? 30? 40? It was damn near getting on my nerves.

 

This made me laugh.  They should have had a counter on the bottom of the screen to see how many times she said it.

 

I usually don't watch the online segments, but this was On Demand, so I watched.  I thought that Matthew wasn't as bad on this as he was in the first two episodes of FNS.  I also liked Christine, the first eliminated contestant.  Depending on how the other eliminated contestants do in the competition, based on how much that Alex and Jeff liked them, I wouldn't be surprised if either one of them came back later in the competition.

[GaT]

I still find Matthew exhausting, but I think this showed a different side to him.  When Sita was eliminated, he immediately said "that sucks" and touched her shoulder.  Accordingly, I've shifted to think he's just immature and socially awkward.

 

 

Well being called out for your snotty attitude and eliminated when the judges had someone else in mind in the main heat might humble someone just a smidge.  YMMV

 

 

Also, they don't have as much to work with, editing-wise, in these short competitions. Matthew may not be as bad as we saw earlier because they had more to work with. Who knows what was said to whom, and when? They knew before we did that he'd be eliminated and what would happen later in this venue. Editors are like that...they will make someone a villain or a hero based on what they know is coming down the pike.

I think that once he got eliminated, he realized that his "persona" was not what they were looking for, so he decided to come up with a new one, one that is more endearing. It cost him nothing to tell Sita it sucked she got eliminated when the cameras were rolling, but I bet he's the same little #asshole he was during the main competition.

[Thumper82003]

And based on the Lenny travesty, they're going to pick the most likable person who can cook. (I'm assuming that this group has been thoroughly vetted, unlike previous contestants.) Matthew has had problems with likability and cooking, so even if he comes back, he's #2 at best.

I do not trust TIIC to learn from their mistakes. Heck, get the Mystery Diner people to investigate the contestants! If they didn't learn from the Jag fiasco, why should they learn from Lenny?

TIIC should have a bunch of interns search social media and boards to learn what people think about these idiots. But that would be too easy, especially when Giada is lusting after the worst...

Laughing right now because spell check changed Giada to giraffe.... Too bad I changed it.

[Aquarius]

I think that once he got eliminated, he realized that his "persona" was not what they were looking for, so he decided to come up with a new one, one that is more endearing. It cost him nothing to tell Sita it sucked she got eliminated when the cameras were rolling, but I bet he's the same little #asshole he was during the main competition.

This isn't a change. He did the same on FNS when Christina was eliminated. I remember it distinctly because it was the only evidence that I saw that #douchenozzle had any redeeming qualities.

[GaT]

This isn't a change. He did the same on FNS when Christina was eliminated. I remember it distinctly because it was the only evidence that I saw that #douchenozzle had any redeeming qualities.

It just means he's learned how to imitate behaviors.

[aradia22]

I forgot this was how Star Salvation worked (eliminating one at a time, vs. picking one winner to move on). This is going to be a PITA to recap. Matthew's more tolerable but I still don't like him. Points to him though for trying to describe his food. Remember when they used to do that?

[Aquarius]

It just means he's learned how to imitate behaviors.

Yeah, you're probably right about that.

[cooksdelight]

Is it just me, or is this better than the show?

Christina is gone, and Rosa is probably not far behind. That one slicked piece of hair on her forehead was skeeving me out a bit, coupled with her butchering MARS-ca-pony. (ETA, reverse that.... LOL.... Rosa is gone, Christina not far behind.)

Maybe they need to put Alex and Jeff as hosts of the TV show next year.

My food story would center around bacon and eggs.

My parents worked in textile factories here in NC their entire lives. I walked to school, which was in sight of my mom's kitchen window, from the time I started first grade. I never had to worry about someone kidnapping me back then. My elementary school principal lived next door.

I would get myself dressed with clothes my mom would lay out for me the night before, and grab the brown lunch bag she fixed and left in the refrigerator. Mom and Dad had to be at work before I woke up. I have been a very independent person my whole life.

One Sunday I decided to fix my parents breakfast in bed. I think I'd watched a movie or TV show the night before that gave me the idea. I scrambled eggs and fried bacon, made toast in the oven (we didn't have a toaster) and poured orange juice into two fancy glasses. I was 8, and that was the first real meal I had ever cooked.

[Gbb]

Christina is gone, and Rosa is probably not far behind.

you mean that the other way around, right? Rosa was sent packing.

I'm really enjoying Star Salvation too. Alex is a tough judge but a breath of fresh air after Ja-da. Jeff is probably too nice but I'm sure it's because he can identify with them so much.

[mlp]

I can't believe I'm saying this but..................... Of the four people who were in SK, I liked Matthew the best.  I would have been happy with any of the others leaving.  Getting booted from the main event seems to have taught Matthew a little humility.

 

I can't remember how they get from a group of four down to the one who will rejoin the main competition.

[howmanywords]

And once again Matthew is the one with the best food. I'll give him credit though because I noticed he really listens intently to Alex and Jeff's advice.

[cooksdelight]

you mean that the other way around, right? Rosa was sent packing.

I'm really enjoying Star Salvation too. Alex is a tough judge but a breath of fresh air after Ja-da. Jeff is probably too nice but I'm sure it's because he can identify with them so much.

ACK! Yes, Rosa is gone, I was almost on the verge of being asleep when typing that. :)

[xaxat]

Is it just me, or is this better than the show?

 

Nope, not just you. I think it's because the focus is on cooking and presentation. Without all of the drama and twists we see on the main show.

 

Oh Rue, if only you would have made a dish like that on the show.

[anonymiss]

This is definitely better than the show for me because of Matthew. He's such an entertaining trainwreck but with definite potential so I can't root against him. And his Joker-ish creepy smirk cracks me up. Even his facial features are extreme.

 

Rue seems like a shoo-in if she can bring her POV to fruition.

Edited July 6, 2015 by anonymiss