It began eight weeks ago and just like that, reached its finale. “The Next Food Network Star” was like a whirlwind because, well, it was. And instead of torturing us with a two-hour finale like many other reality shows do, last night’s one-hour show was just enough. And they also kept us on the edge of our seats the entire time, because none of us really could guess accurately who was going to win.
After a lot of recapping the season, it was down to business, and the final challenge, which was to create their own pilot in Rachel Ray’s studio. Each contestant had to brainstorm what they wanted their actual show to be, and were able to work with producer Gordon Elliot, who appears to be able to extract the best out of everyone he works with.
Lisa began, and her theme was beautiful basics. As she did at the start of the season, Lisa went into her meeting with Elliot with three options of how to approach a pilot. But he kept going back to the “basic” theme. So Lisa ran with that, creating a black cod with zabaglione and crispy leeks. The key is that she was making the zabaglione, which is an egg yolk, sugar and alcohol mixture, and showing the audience that it’s very easy yet elegant. I’m only slightly annoyed that I just had to spend ten minutes looking up how to spell it! Anyway, Lisa did an amazing job, and even though I personally wouldn’t watch her show, I could see how the judges may have easily selected her.
Then Adam went, and his show was called “Hungry in Philadelphia,” where he would interact with someone live on the Internet and teach them as well as all of America how to cook a beer can chicken with Adam’s own twist. Adam hit it out of the park…he looked at ease, was entertaining, and looked like an authority figure. However, with “Ask Aida” beginning next week, you had to think that Adam is not going to win….I mean, why would the network have two exact shows? Hmmmm.
Then it was Aaron’s turn. Aaron made a jerk ribeye with honey-glazed plantains. Yum. I didn’t think Aaron was as fluid as Lisa or Adam, but his food looked amazing as always. Then, he kind of surprised me and injected a bunch of humor. “Big Daddy’s Kitchen” suddenly seemed like it could be a real show.
So the judges had to choose one from among three very worthy finalists. I was pulling for Adam or Aaron, knowing that Lisa was probably going to win. As the judges deliberated, they gave no indication which way they were leaning, but the last thing they said was, “Who can we put on a show, now?”
After about seventeen commercials (seriously, that Mercury spot was shown at EVERY break), it was time to announce the winner. I sat there, fully expecting Lisa’s name to be called. But it was….Aaron McCargo Jr.! Big Daddy saved his best performance for when it counted, and you have to believe his food chops played a big part. The guy just hasn’t made many dishes that didn’t make you want to jump into the TV and taste. So “Big Daddy’s House” will debut next week, and you can visit the Food Network’s website for details.
So what happens with Lisa and Adam now? They both deserved to win as well, and it should be interesting to see where they go from here? Perhaps the network will offer them shows down the road? Anyway, it’s been a pleasure blogging the show for you this season, and we’ll see you next time!
