For some inexplicable reason, Food Network decided to shorten the title of the show. Yeah, I don’t get it either, but since “The Next” is no longer part of the title, I have to acknowledge the change. And now the show title looks weird without an article in front of it (like “a,””an,” or “the”). Oh well.
And, as an added bonus, the show was ninety minutes this week. Why? While the episode dragged, I can understand a two-hour premiere, but this is too much. Now I’m wondering, how long will the show continue to be ninety minutes? Here’s hoping that at least the Food Network “Powers That Be” themselves know what they’re doing.
So, moving on. The Camera Challenge this week was to make a pizza, and the winner would have their recipe featured in Food Network Magazine. But in a surprising twist, the loser would be eliminated. Well, none of the presentations were spectacular, and so, Penny won with her new “Middle Eastern Mama” concept.
And, as expected, Juba was sent home because of his inability to speak in front of the camera or a group. Good, glad I won’t have to endure another one of his painfully awkward presentations.
Along with the magazine feature, Penny won the advantage of getting to pick teams for the Star Challenge, where they had to make three complicated dishes accessible to the home cook. This is where I wonder if producers purposely gave her the win because they knew aggressively competitive Penny would definitely create some drama. She did, but only because she was asked about her reasoning behind her groups again and again. Okay, yes, I don’t especially like her, but I can’t fault her for making the most of her advantage. What was she supposed to do, put herself in a group with the strongest competitors? While it would have increased her likeability, I can’t blame her when not many people have the confidence to do that.
As for her blunt explanation of why she created the groups, yeah, maybe contestants didn’t like the truth, but she wasn’t especially mean like she was to Alicia last week. And each of the many times the topic came up, I got the feeling producers were trying to make her seem more bitchy than she actually was. This was particularly so in the scenes where Alicia and Mary Beth asked her about the groups first. I mean, why ask when you know you’re not going to like the answer?
Anyway, the groups for this week were:
Time Consuming: Short Ribs with Parsnip Puree
Penny/Mary Beth/Susie/Katy
Expensive Ingredients: Abalone with Caviar
Orchid/Chris/Vic/Justin B.
Technically Difficult: Pork Belly with Scallion Pancakes
Alicia/Whitney/Jeff/Jyll/Justin D.
The contestants had to cook and present in front of the regular judging panel, along with Scott Conant, Anne Burrell, and the Neelys. Katy’s dish literally went up in flames when she added too much wine to an overheated pan, and Orchid made the mistake of serving canned oysters when the store didn’t have fresh ones. Chris made a horrible impression by using an ingredient when he had no idea what it was, and Jeff noticeably sweated into his spring rolls. And of course, Alicia nearly had a nervous breakdown. On the bright side, Jeff did make the judges laugh, Susie’s dish was well-received, and the judges loved Mary Beth.
In the end, Alicia, Chris and Katy were the worst from each group, and Katy was sent home. I’m a little surprised that she was eliminated so early on, since I thought maybe Vic or Chris would go first, but I’m definitely not shocked. Despite her unfocused energy, she wasn’t very interesting and her food never impressed.
My finalist picks so far are Orchid, Mary Beth, Jyll and Jeff.
My picks for elimination in the near future are Chris, Vic, and Alicia.
It’s too soon to tell for the others. The judges seem to like Penny, but none of the other contestants do, so if she screws up once she won’t have any friends in elimination. Susie and both Justins are middle of the pack, their challenge will be standing out among contestants with stronger presence. Whitney could easily make the top three or four if she shows more personality.
