Random Thoughts: The Next Food Network Star
천년 전, 야심차게 시작했다가 쭈그러든 영어 음식 블로그의 잔재에 올리려고 쓴 글.
Some random thoughts about the fourth season so far(gotta be random, otherwise just cannot finish long sentence after 5:30: my English engine used to be shut down).
1. Even before watching the second challenge, I was 98% sure that Jennifer was gonna be the one who would / should be gone: how could not the executive chef know udon noodle? There was no way she got confused it with linguini. The second challenge was even worse, so I just could not watch her portion of the show (flipped the channel). For whole season before getting finally eliminated, she had been disaster to my eyes. Mashed potato pizza? It was flat-out gross, period. After the desicion, she said “I know I am a great mom and chef”, and this looked very self-justifying and contradictory to me; during her appearance, the jury had pointed out the lack of self-confidence, and it eventually killed her opportunity, then she suddenly became so confident to say that she knew she was… I do not know what is her specialty as a chef, but she did not look like some kind of culinary expert for me(and never looked creative either. Repeat: mashed potato pizza…), thus she may not be a great chef (udon noodle… had she been watching the shows from the company where she tried to become the show host, she would know already what the udon noodle was). And nobody would care whether she is great mom or not as that is not their main interest. Oh, she has already been forgotten two seconds after the elimination, so never mind.
2. About other contestant, including the ones already gone.
-Cory: I already believe that the humor is some kind of variation of sacarsm, so I did not expect she would bring what the jury had expected. However, didn’t it sound offensive “you seemed dark” from Tuschman guy? Personally, I hate to say or hear that someone is a dark person, as I have heard that occasionally, even from some people who wasn’t even able to do eye-contact. Anyway, she was just an easy target.
-Kevin: some guys would love to learn how to cook just because it would bring some advantages in scoring girls, and he could be the one. His culinary point of view was just ridiculous. Fresh mozzarella in onion soup? I don’t want to eat that. In his weekly chat in ESPN, baseball scout/writer Keith Law mentioned that “That guy is tool. Romance in Crostini? He must be single.” Well said, couldn’t agree more.
-Jeffrey: he was not a TV type, sorry.
-Nipa: my least favorite of all four season, don’t even want to go into details.
-Aaron: for the first few shows, I thought that he would win, as FN is dying to find some Afro-american talent. However, he never seems to be relaxed in front of camera, and even worse, his cooking skill seems to be lost somewhere along the line. Maybe having hard time in front of camera affects his cooking? If it goes like this, he will be gone next week or the next.
-Adam: walking the plank with Aaron, he is very likely to be next.
-Lisa: kind of style I don’t like personally… She seems to get better, but will Rachel Ray and Giada De Laurentiis let the younger lady join the roster? Always skeptical about it.
-Shane: considering his age, he has done it really well, and looks like cooking skill is very good, maybe more than that. At this point, he can go all the way to final. If he can win, FN can have great asset. Attempt to make US verions of Jamie Oliver? Sounds like good idea!
-Kelsey: she must be the cutest contestant ever in the show, but I don’t know why I cannot get it. Anyway, she can be versatile if she can win all the way; she can host cooking program, as well as traveling program(I would watch hers million times over Rachel Ray’s). However, the same question applies here: can Rachel Ray and Giada…? she is even younger than Lisa, a lot.
4. I don’t know what level of expertise FN or the jury expects from the contestants, but the challege is getting more and more ridiculous as the show getting deeper into competition. Simply put, let Rachel or Giada do some things from the challege, just want to see they can do it. The point here is that I cannot see FN has some kind of clear plan of using them, whoever wins the competition, as they have filled all the niches with other show hosts/hostesses. There were three trails of new show, and two of them would be hosted by someone who had already been in other shows, and the other was some pretty food blogger. For me, no one from the contestants pool can survive with distinctive character of both personality and show, as FN have spent all kind of possible combinations of personality and show. Moreover, I cannot see the shows lasts longer; they just throw a lot and see what sticks, and go from there.
5. I was kind of tired watching Emeril Lagasse at the very end of his tenure, but after his departure (forced or not, I don’t want to know), the FN haven’t been able to find one who can carries them on his/her shoulder. It seems that they have chosen Bobby Flay, but his personality cannot match Emeril’s. And his Iron Chef status makes things even worse, as the show is not for showing warm side of cooking to the viewer; it is brutal and athletic battle, and no one watches the show to see chef’s personality, as no one would care athlete’s personality much when watching the competition. Why am I saying this? Probably I want to say that FN is drifiting, even now.
6. Does FN really think this show is a success? They would, but I don’t think so. Whether voluntarily or not, two out of three season’s winner have gone, and the only one remains is not someone I enjoy watching. The cooking side of him doesn’t really appeal to me, maybe just to me, I don’t know. Anyway, I have not put all the contestants in some picture while watching whole season, considering all the shows and talents they have, but no one among the group gives me very bright and clear picture of what they will/can become, so I think this season doesn’t look very optimistic on the halfway point here. Don’t get me wroing, I am pointing FN more as the problem, not the contestants.
7. So much for the Tuschman guy saying that ‘This will (can?) change your life forever?’ Oh well…
8. Alton Brown rules… little less than before, but still. Oh, this is irrelevant, sorry.
# by bluexmas | 2008/07/01 12:02 | Media | 트랙백