TNFNS Season 6, Ep. 1

SPOILER ALERT!!!

With all of the network shows on summer vacation, we were in search of something to watch on TV. What luck that The Next Food Network Star (Season 6) has just begun. We watch a lot of the Food Network (Chopped, Iron Chef), but we’ve been watching The Next Food Network Star ("TNFNS") since the second season (also known as “Guy Fieri takes over the world”). After watching the premiere last night, here are our thoughts on which candidates have what it takes (ranked from top to bottom):

Aria: Obviously the front runner even after just one show. Bob Tuschman clearly wants to have her child (just like Melissa from last season), she did well in all of the challenges, and we can’t deny that she does seem to have the potential to be a star. All this despite the fact that she’s from Wisconsin.

Aarti: Seems like a weak crop of candidates when we have her 2nd. We dismissed her early after she served raw chicken in the first challenge and overall seemed to have little personality. But then the judges seemed to like her promo and her food in the second challenge, and next thing we know she’s Aria’s biggest competition for Bob’s love.

Brad: He seems to be channeling Billy Corgan with his clothing and hat. He definitely seems a little robotic and needs to loosen up, but they loved his salmon in the second challenge. We think he has the potential to finish near the top. He could be this season’s Adam Gertler.

Serena: I feel like we are already getting to people with no chance to win. Hopefully everyone will grow some as the weeks pass. The judges see potential, but let’s face it, she’s not usurping Giada as the Food Network’s resident Italian food specialist, even if she is ACTUALLY Italian and doesn’t pronounce spaghetti annoyingly like Giada.

Tom: Doing his best Seth Rogen impression, Tom was at the bottom in first challenge, but rebounded a little in the second, despite the backhanded compliment from Wolfgang Puck about his messy dish perfectly representing him. Probably has no chance, but maybe his personality will carrying him farther than we think.

Herb: I have to say that Herb comes across as a loser. Between his over the top (and fake) energy to leading the other contestants in Pilates in the morning to showing off his pushup ability to the judges, I really don’t have anything good to say. He somehow won the first challenge, and the judges inexplicably seem to like him, but we still see him exiting early as soon as his shtick wears thin.

DAS: We initially pegged him as having potential, and then he served raw chicken in first challenge, and then couldn’t stop waving his arms in the promo taping. Might still be some potential there, but it didn’t look good in the early going.

Doreen: She was Mrs.’s initial reaction pick, but despite seemingly having some potential, she was a complete disaster the entire first show. She managed to cry after repeatedly apologizing for her crappy soup, and yet they brought her back. I thought she was gone for sure, but now, maybe she can rebound. We shall see.

Brianna: She is my vote for the most vanilla contestant of the first episode. I can think of nothing of note she did, except for seeming mad that they did not vote off Dzintra in the first elimination. Needless to say, I can’t imagine she lasts long without some major changes.

Paul: Supposedly a Second City alum, but wasn’t not funny at all. Did nothing worth noting. Couldn’t even make a salad. Let’s just say I don’t see Paul lasting too much longer.

Dzintra: My god, how is she still on the show? I can only assume there was some rule that because she was on the winning team she couldn’t get voted off this week. She should have been gone if only for her strange analogy of presenting the dessert her teammates made for her as the equivalent of “putting your egg in someone else’s womb and it not turning out the way you want.” She also became the first contestant to cry this season, after her weird eye problem landed her in the hospital. I think she should have to wear an eye patch the rest of the season. She is the most annoying person on the show, and there is zero chance I would ever watch a show with her on it, so she has to be the favorite to get the ax next week.

Alexis: We hardly knew him as he becomes the first casualty of The Next Food Network Star. He was terrible, so can’t say this was a bad choice. His first mistake was wearing the paisley shirt and vest in the first challenge. And then he became the first man to cry this season when Wolfgang Puck said his donut (beignet) would cause divorce. Sayonara.


PS added by Mrs. TNFNS came up against Bridezillas and Kate Plus Eight. Why is all good TV on at the same time? Thank heaven for On Demand.