Notes on episode 5:
- The first challenge was even more inane than usual. Asking a cook to describe someone else’s dish and then docking them for not guessing all the ingredients correctly is more than a little absurd. At the end, the judges criticized a few contestants for not “owning” the dishes, or “taking ownership.” Hey, news flash, they didn’t cook the dishes they were describing. I have more ownership of the Taj Mahal than they had of those dishes.
- Cat Cora is a verbal train wreck – “your describing skills,” “the reason I’ve chose you” – and I’ve seen shorter roots on a hundred-year-old tree. Having her judge the candidates on presentation was not a good decision. Seriously, when Aaron said “coq de vin,” I’m sure she thought, “Yeah, that’s right.”
- Adam’s decision-making sucked; bone-in chicken breasts can be cooked in 45 minutes in an oven, but not on a grill, and polenta takes a solid 45 just to cook, plus a few minutes to finish it.
- The key to the second challenge was deconstruction. For the coq au vin, I would have done roasted chicken breasts wrapped in some form of cured pork (probably bacon or pancetta) with a sauce of red wine, butter, shallots, and thyme. Lisa’s idea of duck confit for the turducken was great, as was using a poultry sausage, although I would have used the sausage gambit to get credit for chicken, which has the least flavor of the three meats involved.
- “I can’t believe that happened” … no, Jen, I can’t believe YOU did that. Who the hell bangs a glass jar on a cooktop – or ANYWHERE – to get it open? You have heat sources everywhere. Run the lid under hot water for ten seconds. It’s not that hard. If she bangs glass jars all the time, I’m surprised she has any blood left in her system.
- The complaint about the white onions and beige pastry was the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. I cancelled my Bon Appetit subscription four or five years ago because their recipes were slipping, and this is probably why: They care more about colors clashing on the plate than, you know, how the freaking food tastes. Unbelievable. I’m not sure what world they live in; maybe a world where Andrew’s hair is actually stylish.
- Shane and Kelsey won this in a walk; I have to give Shane credit for coming off as older than nineteen every time he’s on camera. Still not sure I could stand 22 minutes of Kelsey.
- The judge who made the point (to Aaron, I believe) about self-editing was spot on: You can’t do that while you’re on camera. It’s not writing, where you can go back, delete, re-word, and so on. You have to just keep going, even if what you just said was wrong or stupid or boxed you into a corner. Fight your way out if you have to, but don’t stop or pause or think about what you just said. The camera is still rolling while you think.
Unrelated link: Starbucks to close 600 stores. I wonder if this location is one of them.
I thought Shance and Kelsey had great chemistry together, almost to the point where I think they could be “co-winners” in a Food Network twist… just an idea. I’d watch, but at this point, if I had to pick between the two, I’d go with Shane. I also don’t know if I could stand her for a full show.
Adam is a mess. I was happy to see them call him out on his lack of any semblance of cooking ability. His jokes are even worse.
Keith, I was waiting for your article as I wanted to compare your view on the show this time(you can read it by follwing the link with my name). I think some contestants are really sub par, so I just wonder whether FN thought they would be calibered or just bring them in as laughingstocks.
I commented 2 weeks ago that I didn’t think Shane had a chance, but he has gotten a lot better in the last 2 weeks. he and Kelsey are the clear favorites.
Adam simply can’t cook. For the coq au vin, I would have used chicken thighs, browning the skin before putting in the oven and building the sauce from that. I definitely would not have used boneless breasts.
You’re absolutely right, Tom. Shane has come to life the past couple of weeks.
Lisa has cemented her status as the resident bitch. Did she really feel the need to tell the judges that Jen’s snafu was GOOD for her by allowing her to not freak out? And OPEN YOUR EYES ON CAMERA!
Yes! I totally agree about the useless gimmicks and boderline hazing they engage in to add tension and drama. They made a challenge for them to make something out of unknown ingredients and then to describe it using all their sense. But WAIT, they have to describe ANOTHER person’s dish. Gotcha! WHY??? What was the whole point of their idea?!? This show would be just fine on it’s own, without all the reality showyness.
Keith – Saturday there’s a Top Chef Marathon, DVR it up and see how much better it is.
Lisa’s secret ingredient is/are(? I studied philosophy) tears
Can we start over?
This is a poor group of contestants. If they want to find a person that can lead a show they’d be as likely to find one in the local 7-11 as they would with the remaining crew.
Please drop Adam this week.
As for opening a jar, grab a spoon, slip it between the lid and the jar and pop the seal… two seconds work.
I agree that Top Chef is much better. The food is better and the judges are better. plus, we get to look at Padma who is absolutely stunning.
I still come back to Next Food Network Star because I am strangely addicted to food-related reality shows. It’s strange since I generally hate reality shows.
Is this worth the time? I loved top chef, but the ads this do not spark my interest. The home cooking “even an idiot mom in a trailer park” routine has destroyed food network for me; is this more of the same?