Okay, Carrie and Barb...

[Jenise]

...and anyone else who's watching Next Food Network Star: who's going to win? Tamika's gone, and we're down to Debbie, Jeff and Melissa.

I sense the suits prefer Debbie, but she's got a cred issue. I like Jeff!

I think the suits might like Melissa bec. of her everywoman quality--that AND the fact that she's taking their lessons to heart and dialing it down. She's coach-able. I like Jeffrey, too. Debbie...she's disappointed one too many times with the credibility issue...Don't like that...they are all obviously good cooks.

I want to be on next season.

B

We're traveling for a few weeks, so I missed the episode with Tamika going home. Will have to try to catch it on re-runs. I think Melissa has good energy and although she is a bit manic at times, I think she is pretty likable. I also like Jeff, although he comes off a bit "too cool for the room" at times. Debbie showed her true colors during the Miami cocktail party episode. I can't believe she said that she was acting "self-lessly," when it was obvious that the complete opposite was true. (By the way, so glad that Michael got cut after that one. Oh my gosh, it was all about him!)I agree it seems the Food TV execs like Debbie. I would say for her cultural perspective. It's a fun show to watch. Kind of like a "fluffy" Top Chef. I really like the female Food Network Exec...can't think of her name right now. (I loved that she said she was tired of the perception that it's only women who are watching their weight when dining out.)

[Jenise]

Like both of you, I rather like Melissa. I was a bit worried at first that she was another Sandra Lee type, but she's obviously not. She knows what she's doing, she's creative, she can think on the fly, and her food apparently tastes as good as it looks. And you're right, she's coachable--she learns fast.

[Jenise]

Oh, I meant to add: Suzy. That's the female's name. Btw, I want to throw in that I'm glad they've let up on the "culinary point of view" thing, they ran that into the ground last season.

I caught a few minutes of the latest episode last night when we returned from dinner with friends. (We are in MA and I had my first lobster of our trip. )
Don't tell me the outcome--since I didn't want to watch the end without starting from the beginning--but it looked like Melissa, despite a few kitchen mishaps was going to come out on top.

[Jenise]

I caught a few minutes of the latest episode last night when we returned from dinner with friends. (We are in MA and I had my first lobster of our trip. )
Don't tell me the outcome--since I didn't want to watch the end without starting from the beginning--but it looked like Melissa, despite a few kitchen mishaps was going to come out on top.

I watched it this morning. Let us know when it's safe to talk!

Is it safe yet?????

[Jenise]

Barb, must not be. But let's talk about you trying out for the show--we're here to help.

Shoot, sorry, no. Can one of you go on the Food Network site and tell me if the show will be on today and what time? If so, I promise I will watch so we can talk. If I go on the website, I know there will be a spoiler. Thanks!

[Jenise]

Carrie, just went there on your behalf and you're right--don't go there! Anyway, according to the FN website the next airing isn't until Thursday at 9 eastern. We'll have to wait until then to talk.

Going through their schedules though I sure did see a lot of shows I don't recognize. Sure are a lot of corny sounding shows on with people I don't recognize.

Switching networks, am really loving Top Chef Masters. That's fun TV--love the way these people we think of as great chefs admit they hardly cook any more, and that most have seen Top Chef and not thought it was that big a deal. They all seem to be rather impressed by the difficulty of performing under fire, and I'm impressed that they're impressed.

Carrie, just went there on your behalf and you're right--don't go there! Anyway, according to the FN website the next airing isn't until Thursday at 9 eastern. We'll have to wait until then to talk.

Going through their schedules though I sure did see a lot of shows I don't recognize. Sure are a lot of corny sounding shows on with people I don't recognize.

Switching networks, am really loving Top Chef Masters. That's fun TV--love the way these people we think of as great chefs admit they hardly cook any more, and that most have seen Top Chef and not thought it was that big a deal. They all seem to be rather impressed by the difficulty of performing under fire, and I'm impressed that they're impressed.

Thank you Jenise! 9am or pm? I actually surfed through the Direct TV line up for today on Food TV and also saw a few I didn't recognize either. One listing just said "Challenge." What the heck is that, I wonder?

I will probably have to wait until we get back to NC to watch all the Top Chef Masters episodes that I'm DVR-ing. I love that show too, and I was impressed by the same thing you were. They are humbled by the tasks! Very refreshing. A far cry from some of the cockier "chefs" on the regular version of Top Chef.

[Jenise]

Thank you Jenise! 9am or pm? I actually surfed through the Direct TV line up for today on Food TV and also saw a few I didn't recognize either. One listing just said "Challenge." What the heck is that, I wonder?

I will probably have to wait until we get back to NC to watch all the Top Chef Masters episodes that I'm DVR-ing. I love that show too, and I was impressed by the same thing you were. They are humbled by the tasks! Very refreshing. A far cry from some of the cockier "chefs" on the regular version of Top Chef.

That's PM, Carrie.

Yes, you watch that and then go, "So who's cocky now?" We watched an episode last night where the four chefs had 20 minutes to make an egg with one hand held behind their back (and encased in an oven mitt, just to keep them honest). John Besh bragged that this is how he makes eggs for himself every day (like a fried egg, but baked in it's serving dish and then topped with any manner of thing), but it never finished cooking and he had nothing to serve. For a professional, that's like flunking kindergarten.

We watched an episode last night where the four chefs had 20 minutes to make an egg with one hand held behind their back (and encased in an oven mitt, just to keep them honest). John Besh bragged that this is how he makes eggs for himself every day (like a fried egg, but baked in it's serving dish and then topped with any manner of thing), but it never finished cooking and he had nothing to serve. For a professional, that's like flunking kindergarten.

I saw that one! That was the episode with the chef from Mustards Grill, I think. Love that place....

Okay, Jenise and Barb--thanks for waiting for me to catch up!
It was an exciting night for me last night. Had my first squash blossoms ever, AND made it home from dinner with friends just in time to watch Food Network Star.

I'll give you my impressions.
I was very surprised that even though Debbie was eliminated they were so complimentary of her style. That she was "out of the box ready" to be a TV star. My impression of Debbie on camera was that she is a phony. I didn't get any sense of her style, at all, nor did I get that she was a very interesting person. Anyway, happy they chose to nix her.

At times the show leaves me a little unsatisfied. They go for the sensational comments, but fail sometimes to give you the meat of the matter. I would have liked to know specifically what was wrong with Jeff's risotto, for example. All they said was that it was an embarrassment to Italy, or whatever, but was the rice undercooked? Too mushy? What?
P.S. I'm getting a little tired of hearing what he makes at home with his daughter. Maybe if he gets chosen his daughter should co-host with him.

One note regarding Melissa. I agree with the judges that early on she came off as the "harried housewife." And I'm happy they recognized that she proved herself to be a more complex person on this show. She had a little more grit, and I think she showed she was very adept at making tough decisions on the spot by serving the potatoes with the chicken and stirring a little of the salty rice in with the unseasoned with only a minutes left on the clock. Do you think Tamika was trying to sabotage her by the way??

[Jenise]

At times the show leaves me a little unsatisfied. They go for the sensational comments, but fail sometimes to give you the meat of the matter. I would have liked to know specifically what was wrong with Jeff's risotto, for example.

Actually, they said it was too runny, while making sure we saw Jeffrey telling that bland dietician he had for a helper that it needed to be runnier than what she was making. But their comments seemed to savage him more for more fault than I saw on my TV screen.

One note regarding Melissa. I agree with the judges that early on she came off as the "harried housewife." And I'm happy they recognized that she proved herself to be a more complex person on this show. She had a little more grit, and I think she showed she was very adept at making tough decisions on the spot by serving the potatoes with the chicken and stirring a little of the salty rice in with the unseasoned with only a minutes left on the clock. Do you think Tamika was trying to sabotage her by the way??

She seemed to pull that off well. And I was surprised that she not only got away with but was complimented for serving two pastries in her meal. And where I agree with you about her wise choice in making the switch, I thought it was weird for her chicken and the potato tart to be served on the same plate. Good as either obviously was, they didn't have anything to do with one another--on Top Chef Masters, she'd have been sent packing for that untuitive combination with nothing to tie them together. It was like having two entrees on the same plate. Btw, the day I checked the Food Network site for you, I saw a poll they're doing on who should win. Jeffrey was trailing Melissa by 4:1, she's getting 77% of the vote. The implied landslide means that unless she throws it away in the final they almost have to give her the crown. Which I don't mind as long as they don't lob her the softballs to put in the fix.

[Jenise]

Oh, and re Debbie--she never came off that well to me, either. But then her credibility was an issue almost from Day One so my dislike would have probably prevented me from ever seeing her potential. Oh, I was also annoyed that the judges dinged Jeffrey repeatedly throughout for sticking to his "sweet and heat" southwestern bent, but they constantly praised Debbie for her Korean/Southern fusion and the woman stuck ginger in everything. Now, come on. Either you have to be all over the place or you don't.

At times the show leaves me a little unsatisfied. They go for the sensational comments, but fail sometimes to give you the meat of the matter. I would have liked to know specifically what was wrong with Jeff's risotto, for example.

Actually, they said it was too runny, while making sure we saw Jeffrey telling that bland dietician he had for a helper that it needed to be runnier than what she was making. But their comments seemed to savage him more for more fault than I saw on my TV screen.

I guess I missed that part. Len has a habit of talking to me while my favorite shows are on. At home, I always hit pause (after awhile he gets the hint) but here we don't have DVR.

I thought it was weird for her chicken and the potato tart to be served on the same plate. Good as either obviously was, they didn't have anything to do with one another--on Top Chef Masters, she'd have been sent packing for that untuitive combination with nothing to tie them together. It was like having two entrees on the same plate.

Good point. I didn't think that far, but did think about the dryness factor of both of those dishes. Seemed like there needed to be a sauce with the chicken.

Btw, the day I checked the Food Network site for you, I saw a poll they're doing on who should win. Jeffrey was trailing Melissa by 4:1, she's getting 77% of the vote. The implied landslide means that unless she throws it away in the final they almost have to give her the crown. Which I don't mind as long as they don't lob her the softballs to put in the fix.

Did you know Susie comments on each show? I just found this. The spots are pretty interesting "behind the scenes" insight.
http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/07/31/susies-answers-episode-8/#comment-9949