Sunday night’s episode of “The Next Food Network Star” (seriously, is this season dragging on a bit) featured cereal and foodies. The first challenge, announced by “mentor” Giada Di Laurentiis, was one in which they had to make a dish using Kellogg’s cereals, and the chefs each drew knives to determine which cereal they would be using. They would have just 20 minutes to prepare a dish and 30 seconds to present it on camera. And oh yeah, last season’s winner, Melissa D’Arabian, was on hand to help judge.

Random thought….the little name thingy on the screen presented Tom as “unemployed chef”…ha! Dude is using this show as his job interview, not because he wants to be a star, but because he needs a job!

Herb had Fruit Loops and made French toast with it…Aarti made a quinoa pilaf with All Bran (holy make-sure-you-have-a-toilet-nearby Batman!)…Serena made pork “meat loaf” with Cocoa Krispies…Aria made something called hopple popple (what?) with Crispix…Tom made a Corn Flake crusted pork sandwich…and Brad made Rice Krispies crusted tuna. The worst of the bunch were Serena, who didn’t say the name of the cereal correctly and also called these little patties meat loaves. Oh, and she started singing and it was really bad! Aria made a dish that no one had ever heard of, and it didn’t look or taste good. She’s losing it on camera suddenly as well. Finally, they didn’t like Tom’s lackluster presentation but loved his sandwich.

Aarti was declared the winner for taste and presentation, and her prize was to lead the team in the elimination challenge. That challenge was to serve 40 foodies at a supper club. Each person was responsible for one part of the meal and they had to present that dish to the foodies one at a time. Aarti’s idea was to have the dishes represent different parts of Los Angeles. Pretty good idea if it could be executed properly.

Anyway, Aria made carrot soup with spices but while Aarti introduced her, Aria stepped in and interrupted her, trying to sabotage Aarti but looking like a fool in the process. And wow, these foodies…..you could cut the collective ego with a knife through the TV. Anyway, they weren’t crazy about the soup or with Serena’s pasta and eggplant. Tom’s pan seared black cod with Asian veggies and flavors fell very flat and his presentation sucked just as it did in the first challenge.

Brad made spice rubbed lamb chops that he couldn’t get cooked properly until he threw them on the grill, and his food was well-liked, but he stumbled on his presentation a bit. Aarti made green curry chicken which Bobby Flay especially loved, and her presentation was pretty good. Herb finished with a flan but it was overcooked despite a good presentation.

Aarti was the winner of the night, and the judges appreciated her leadership ability as well. What, is this “The Apprentice” now? Brad was also commended and both he and Aarti were safe. The judges sent Tom, Serena, Herb and Aria away so they could deliberate. They told Herb he shouldn’t skimp on cooking equipment, and told Aria she shouldn’t try and sabotage another chef and also to get off the mediocrity train. But they were both safe.

So down to Tom and Serena. Tom did great the last few challenges but fell very flat this time, and he is just too scattered at times. But Serena kept making the same mistakes–she didn’t come across as an expert and she kept trying to overcompensate by flying through her presentations and “acting”…..making all of us uncomfortable. The singing was probably the last straw. Remember when Bob Tuschman heard Lisa Garza sing and looked like the president of Atlantic Records finding a star? This time, he made a face like he had just drank some sour milk. So Serena was sent home, to Italy, or Russia, or wherever she’s from.

Anyway, we’re now down to five–Tom, Aarti, Aria, Brad and Herb. I think Aarti has jumped way out in front of everyone else, and the other four are all probably also-rans. But we’ll see how it all shakes out in the next few weeks! Thanks for reading and see you all next week….

DArabian, who recently moved from Keller, Texas to Kirkland, Washington, beat out runner-up Jeffrey Saad of Los Angeles to take the title of Next Food Network Star, and we had the chance to participate in a conference call with Melissa this past Monday. Here are a few of the highlights of what she had to say…..

On her new show’s premise: “The challenge isn’t how to feed a family of four hot dogs on ten dollars. The challenge is how to feed them shrimp or a well-rounded meal that has several components. I think you’re going to be really surprised by the ingredients and by the recipes.”

On what she is most looking forward to about being a Food Network Star: “Joining Next Food Network Star was always about connecting with and sharing my stories with other people. Having my show now is an opportunity to share ‘war stories’ with other moms that are stay-at-home moms or work 80-hour work weeks.”

On how she feels about becoming a celebrity chef and TV personality without any formal training: “Watching the show, as a viewer, I was rooting for myself after episode 3 or 4….it feels amazing to know that I’ve been able to accomplish this, but it’s been a tremendous lesson in not underestimating myself.”

On if the show is as much work as she thought it would be: “I’ve done my best to prepare myself and my husband and I are really on the same page about this. We talked a lot about what this could potentially mean before I even applied to the show. But the flipside is, it’s like talking to a woman who is having her first child…I feel prepared, but I respect the fact that I’m entering into really new territory.”

On incorporating the actual “mom” aspect into her show: “I’m hoping to hit a common denominator that goes beyond parenting, but I am a parent through and through… but I still think moms will have a huge takeaway from my show.”

On what it was like taping the show and meeting some of the network’s personalities: “I’m being very sincere when I say this….every day was like opening up a Christmas present…and it was like the ultimate surprise party that never ended.”

Being that this final episode was taped before a live audience, there was a lot of time to fill. So they began with shots of both contestants with their families back home–Jeffrey in Los Angeles selling real estate and hanging and cooking at home with his wife and two kids, who I believe they said were 13 and 9 years old. Melissa, meanwhile, is from Keller, Texas, and they showed her with her husband and four kids, all girls, between the ages of 1.5 and 4….are you kidding me? No wonder Melissa is so frantic all the time…they showed a shot of her driving a minivan with the four car seats. Yikes.

Anyway, Alton Brown would be directing their pilots, and he first met with Jeffrey and Melissa before filiming. Jeffrey’s “Cooking without Borders” was quickly shot down, and his new and more accurate theme, “The Ingredient Smuggler,” was agreed upon. Melissa’s “Cuisine Copine” was also shot down, when, after she explained what it meant to Brown, he replied, “Okay, we’re done.” Brown suggested “Kitchen Survival Guide” and Melissa loved it. Both of them were shown having problems getting started, Melissa not looking at the correct camera and Jeffrey forgetting to smile and looking all flustered. But both rebounded and did well, though they would show more of the pilots later.

The other eight finalists were brought out and interviewed randomly, and if you looked at each of them, you had to wonder how any of them would manage to do this pilot challenge effectively. Then they showed a look back at life in the cramped Food Network dorm for the show, and there were some hilarious moments. Who knew Katie was such a character? Why didn’t they let any of that come out on camera during the challenges? It’s also worth noting that Jeffrey and Melissa are the only two contestants with kids.

On to the pilots..Melissa made her 4-step chicken, in which she makes chicken breast in four easy steps that are inter-changeable. She did an excellent job, even if her overall style is a bit like Rachael Ray’s. Jeffrey made a steak sandwich with the secret smuggled ingredient, harissa.
He did great as well, and in fact I thought his pilot was just a notch better than Melissa’s.

I was starting to have this feeling that Jeffrey would win, when in fact I’d been picking Melissa for weeks. But after some intense deliberation between Bobby Flay, Susie Fogelson and Bob Tuschamn, and after Food Network president Brooke Johnson made her grand entrance, Flay held the winning name in his hands…….Melissa D’Arabian!

I couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for Jeffrey, because he was every bit as worthy. But Melissa, the “underdog,” worked her butt off to win this thing. She listened to every bit of criticism, and overcame the fact that she had no formal culinary training to win. Even Flay was consistently impressed with Melissa’s food, which was no easy feat. So props to you Melissa…..and now we all wonder how your show will do for real, and how you plan on juggling life with four very young kids. Maybe that would be a real ratings grabber–a reality show with cameras chasing Melissa and her family around. Bob Tuschman, are you reading this?

Anyway, thanks for reading this season with us…we’ll be on a conference call with Melissa today and will be interested in what she has to say. Stay tuned!

So I ask you, who do you like and why?

Anyway, we had the chance to ask Debbie about her experience on the show and on her future plans…..

Premium Hollywood: What do you think ultimately was the deciding factor in your being eliminated?

Debbie Lee: It’s hard to say. I would love to get inside the judge’s minds to figure out what they were thinking. I know it was a very hard decision, but I think ultimately with Melissa’s being a mom, Jeffrey’s consistency…it just was a tough decision.

PH: Do you plan to pursue your own cooking show regardless?

DL: Yes, I would love the opportunity. I would also love to do some books and have the opportunity to express my Korean-American background.

PH: Who do you think will win now, and why?

DL: That’s a tough one. Melissa is a mom, has the all-American skills, Jeffrey is a fascinating chef with an interesting background, he’s exciting to watch. Let’s just say I’m glad I’m not a judge!

PH: What can you tell us about your new hot dog restaurant?

DL: The restaurant is going to be a hot dog concept that also integrates that comfort food with Southern spirit.