Category: Reality TV (Page 102 of 118)

Next Food Network Star Exit Interview: Shane Lyons

July 7, 2008 / Mike Farley

Shane Lyons is only 19 years old, but battled to be The Next Food Network Star like he was at least ten years older than that. This kid has a bright future as a chef and possibly a TV host, but for now he has to sit back and watch the Final Four battle it out. We had the chance to speak with Shane briefly after he was eliminated from the competition and here is what he had to say…..

Premium Hollywood: If there was one thing you could change about your performance on the show, what would that be?

Shane Lyons: I learned when i was very young that it never made sense to dwell on an audition or performance, trying to figure out what I would have change. You can drive yourself crazy if you have the mind set of “Oh if i only did…” or “If i just…”. I performed the way did because i trusted my instincts and was living in the moment and i reacted in the best possible way at the time in the very unusual circumstances we were performing in. Hindsight is always 20/20.

PH: What did you learn on the show that you intend to apply to your own career?

SL: I learned I accomplish a lot in a very short amount of time with very little resources —which I imagine will provide inspiration later in my career.

PH: Did you have any moments that you were starstruck? If so, when and with who?

SL: Chef Cat Cora. She is every young cook’s dream.

PH: Were those living quarters as cramped as they appear on TV?

SL: It was like a mix between a very flamboyantly decorated sleep away camp, boot camp, and prison.

PH: Who do you think will win it all now that you’ve been eliminated?

SL: The same person I thought would win from the get go. My man Aaron has it in the bag. He has a lot of love and great food to share.

Reality TV, The Next Food Network Star, TV

The Next Food Network Star: Final Four Revealed

July 7, 2008 / Mike Farley

Where is the summer going? “Hell’s Kitchen” wraps up tomorrow, and “The Next Food Network Star” is down to its Final Four as of last night. But before we get there, let’s talk about last night’s episode.

Some of the challenges to date have been very difficult, but I’m guessing last night’s had to be the toughest and most telling of each contestants’ fate on the show. They were asked to show their stuff on Rachel Ray’s network show, but with a twist. Each finalist was paired with a Girl Scout, and had to, with the help of each girl, come up with a healthy meal that a child could assist with in the kitchen, and demonstrate making it on camera in a 4-minute time frame. With that, here is how each performed…

Aaron began by putting himself in a proverbial hole Continue reading »

Reality TV, The Next Food Network Star, TV

Hell’s Kitchen: Don’t Forget It’s a Competition

July 2, 2008 / Mike Farley

Last night the final two on “Hell’s Kitchen,” Petrozza and Christina, got a glimpse of what life may be like for them if they win, and become an executive chef at Gordon Ramsay’s new Hollywood restaurant. And one thing became clear–both of them, as nice as they appear on the outside, have a burning desire to win this thing. How could they not after coming this far?

They started out by recapping the first thirteen weeks of the season. Yikes, has it been going on this long? There were contestants eliminated that I barely remembered, and both Christina and Petrozza had been close to leaving at various points in the show. They also went back to that first show of the season, when they had to cook a signature dish, and Petrozza’s was “hen in a pumpkin.” How hilarious, and how amazing that he’s come this far.

The two chefs were told they had to create their own menu, as for the finale Continue reading »

Hell's Kitchen, Reality TV, TV

The Next Food Network Star: Halfway Home

June 30, 2008 / Mike Farley

It’s hard to believe, the current season of “The Next Food Network Star” is half over. We started out with ten contestants, and now five have been eliminated. In last night’s Episode 5, as usual, the remaining six last night had two challenges. The first was to open a box that had six ingredients, and to make a dish using those ingredients in 45 minutes. Then, they had to talk about the dishes on camera in one minute. But wait, there’s more. The coach in this case was Iron Chef Cat Cora, who told them that instead of talking about their own dish, they had to describe the dish of the person next to them. Talk about a curveball.

The pairings were Shane and Kelsey; Lisa and Jennifer; and Adam and Aaron. These would also be the teams for the second challenge, which was to recreate a dish assigned to them that typically takes a long time to prepare, and transforming that dish to a 45-minute weeknight meal along with two side dishes. Wow, that is some serious pressure. The dishes were Coq Au Vin, Beef Wellington and Turducken. Yikes. And the judges were the usual judges along with the editorial staff of Bon Appetit Magazine. Yikes again.

With that, here is how each contestant fared in both challenges Continue reading »

Reality TV, The Next Food Network Star, TV

Hell’s Kitchen: Family Time

June 25, 2008 / Mike Farley

Last night’s “Hell’s Kitchen” featured the remaining three chefs–Corey, Christina and Petrozza–battling to reach the final showdown. To kick things off, their families were invited in to have lunch with them as Ramsay cooked for them himself. What a treat, right? Well, Christina was the only one who was smart enough to realize she should pay attention. So she analyzed the dish, which was a venison dish with white bean puree and some kind of wine sauce. The challenge, of course, was for them to re-create the dish using ingredients in the kitchen, in 45 minutes.

Not surprisingly, Christina won the challenge, though Petrozza and Corey put in quite an effort. Christina’s reward was to spend more time with her family and Ramsay as they dined at a few of the hot spots in Los Angeles. Corey and Petrozza, meanwhile, had to scrub glassed behind the bar.

For the dinner service, each contestant was asked to take turns “at the pass,” meaning they had to bark orders the way Ramsay does each night to everyone else in the kitchen. None of the three were particularly convincing doing this, but were not horrible, either. As always for this challenge, Ramsay had the sous chefs mess up a few of the dishes to see if the chefs would catch the mistakes. Only Christina did.

And while each contestant did a fairly good job last night, they each made their share of mistakes. Ramsay knows it gets tough at this point to send someone home, but he had to ask each one to nominate someone else for elimination. Corey chose Christina, Christina chose Corey, and Petrozza chose Christina. Ramsey announced the Petrozza was the first to reach the finals, and then he chose Christina as his challenger, sending Corey home.

I think Ramsay may already have it in his mind that Christina will be the executive chef at his new restaurant. But Petrozza is a fighter and he’s really hung in there. Not to mention he must really know something about running a kitchen.

So there you have it….next week we have the battle for the championship–the 47-year-old kitchen veteran against the 25-year-old up-and-comer. Should be interesting, but either one will be a good choice for Chef Ramsay. See you all next Wednesday!

Hell's Kitchen, Reality TV, TV