During this week’s episode of “The Next Food Network Star,” we may have been tipped off about who would be eliminated this week before they were eliminated. But more on that later.

The Final Four made it to New York City, where they would be duking it out for real to see who would have their own show on Food Network. The finalists? Aarti, Aria, Tom and Herb. And this week they would be battling Iron Chef-style. Alton Brown was waiting for them, as well as Iron Chefs Bobby Flay, Cat Cora, Michael Symon and Masaharu Morimoto. They would be competing in groups of two, making three dishes each based on the secret ingredient. When they weren’t competing they would be floor commentators ala Kevin Brasch.

They also had sous chefs to work with them, in the form of former contestants Brad, Brianna, Paul and Serena. Since Tom won last week’s challenge, he was able to choose his sous chef first and he went with Brianna. The rest chose randomly, and Herb picked Paul; Aarti chose Brad; and Aria had Serena.

The first battle was Herb vs. Aarti and the secret ingredient was shrimp. Herb was flying around the kitchen and Aarti was not….she kept contemplating her menu while the clock (60 minutes) was ticking fast. The judges questioned if she was going to finish, and rightly so. But she did. Meanwhile, Tom was awesome on the floor, even impressing Alton with his food knowledge, while Aria was the opposite–clumsy and not food savvy enough for Brown.

Herb’s dishes went over fairly well–he made a “hangover” shrimp dish that his mom made when he was growing up; a seafood soup; and stuffed shrimp. But Aria’s dishes were better–gazpacho with coconut milk; roasted shrimp; and prawn masala. Bobby loved the last two dishes and Symon even commented that the masala was the single best dish he had tasted on the three seasons he’d been guest-judging this show. Wow. Aarti really delivered the goods under pressure.

Tom then faced off against Aria and their secret ingredient was bacon. Yum! But these two too the challenge in opposite directions. Aria played it too safe while Tom just went crazy with his creations.
Aria made French toast tacos with a “side” of bacon…really? She then made a cheddar omelet (with bacon); and a waldorf salad with bacon. The judges berated her for not using the secret ingredient or making it the centerpiece of the dishes. Meanwhile, Tom went nuts. He made “bacon cakes” that were like crab cakes; a bacon steak, something that’s probably never in the history of food been attempted; and French toast with bacon and (are you ready for this?) clams. I’m getting nauseous just writing this. The judges thought Tom’s ideas were great but that he didn’t think them through enough. Ya think? Susie Fogelson’s attempt at cutting the bacon steak sounded like a bed squeaking in the next room over. Seriously, it looked like as if it was like trying to cut a piece of rubber. Meanwhile, Herb was a decent floor commentator but froze when asked to do a quick camera teaser. Really, Herb, at this stage? But Aarti was worse….just feeling like she was completely lost on the floor and totally uncomfortable.

At the judge’s evaluation, a winner was declared for each round. Aarti beat Herb, based mostly on her food; and Tom beat Aria, based mainly on his commentary. So they would both be heading to next week’s finale.

Meanwhile, either Herb or Aria would be eliminated this week. Herb had great energy and the judges loved his food, but Aarti was so good this week that Herb had no chance of winning. Too bad he didn’t go up against Tom or Aria. But Aria, while her food tasted good according to the judges, didn’t incorporate the secret ingredient enough, and was a lame commentator. So it was an easy choice to send her home, despite all the promise she showed early on this season. It’s worth noting that they were showing promos for a show called “Family Style” during the show…..which was supposed to be the name of Aria’s show. D’oh! Way to give it away, Food Network. Also, way to steal Aria’s idea.

So now we’re down to Herb, Tom and Aarti……and next week is the grand season finale. Who do you like? I’m saying it’s Aarti leading the pack with Tom a very strong contender. But is Tom too aloof? And Herb shows flashes of brilliance but also flashes of utter failure on camera. I’m sticking with Aarti–she’s unique, interesting and apparently knows how to cook. But we’ll see how it shakes out next week.

Who do you like? Who don’t you like? See you guys next week!

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….

With the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop to this season’s “The Next Food Network Star,” it’s safe to say that the proverbial tides are turning as we move deeper into the competition. Two contestants have emerged as front runners quicker than you can blink, and a few others are regressing.

Last night’s episode began with “mentor” Giada Di Laurentiis announcing the initial challenge, which was to create a party bite based on a specific holiday or event, and using the three ingredients that were set before each of them in a picnic basket.

Brad had a bachelorette party and made a crostini with strawberries. Aarti had New Year’s Eve and smoked salmon was the centerpiece of her basket. Tom had a “ladies’ lunch” and made a croque monsieur sandwich, which is sort of like a sophisticated grilled cheese. Herb had a pool party and did turkey burgers. Brianna had a 5 year old’s birthday party and made chorizo taquitos. Say what? Aria had a Sweet 16 and went with finger sandwiches. And Serena had poker night and also made a crostini, which was a bit odd considering this was a “guy” specific theme.

Anyway, Herb stumbled over his words and his burgers weren’t great either; and Brianna, while she always delivers with her food, failed because she didn’t make something young kids would want to eat. So the judges decided they had the worst performances of this challenge.

The ones who did best were Tom and Brad. Tom was absolutely hilarious and is starting to come into his own more and more. Ditto for Brad, who delivered his best performance yet and is becoming really comfortable in front of the camera. So the judges declared them both winners for this one, and they would have an advantage heading into the star challenge.

For that star challenge, Ted Allen was on hand to introduce and describe the task. They would have to transform classic dishes into modern fare, at a house in Palm Springs that was the estate of none other than Frank Sinatra. Along with the regular judges Bobby Flay, Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson; Allen was a judge as were Maile Carpenter, editor of Food Network Magazine, and Cal Fussman, an editor with Esquire Magazine. Brad chose first and went with chicken cordon bleu, and Tom chose lobster thermidor. They assigned Aria pigs in a blanket; Brianna tuna noodle casserole; Herb beef stroganoff; Aarti deviled eggs; and Serena pineapple upside down cake. They had $200 to shop with and 30 minutes to actually cook. Yikes.

Anyway, Aria decided to make breaded shrimp with caviar. Some of the judges thought this was so far off the mark for pigs in a blanket, while others thought she really took a big risk and that it was admirable. Tom made a grilled lobster dish, but he tripped up with his presentation a bit because he was long-winded.

Brad made a bacon wrapped chicken over risotto and the judges absolutely loved his food and his presentation, because he really took the Sinatra theme come to life. Brianna went with a crab and brie casserole, but she, as Fogelson observed, sabotaged herself by claiming she was not a fan of tuna noodle casserole. She also burned her bread crumbs and couldn’t use them.

Herb made a “healthy” beef stroganoff, but he is failing to make his healthy food taste good, and not using his Cuban roots enough according to the judges. Aarti made a “devilish” eggs with red curry rice and forgot the curry. She has regressed a bit the last few weeks, and regressed a bit more last night; and Serena did a puff pastry pineapple dessert, but used frozen puff pastry. Oops.

The judges declared that Herb had the worst dish of the night, and the winner was Brad, again. So Brad was safe, along with Aria, Tom and Serena. On the chopping block were Aarti, Herb and Brianna. Aarti was safe, so it came down to Herb and Brianna. I thought it was Herb going home, and so did Mrs. Mike, but it was Brianna. She had great cooking skills and occasionally showed flashes of brilliance on camera, but in the end, her attitude toward some of the challenges, like last night’s, were her undoing.

So okay….we’re down to six–Aria, Aarti, Tom, Brad, Herb and Serena. The way this is going, Serena and Herb will likely be next to be sent home. I’m revising my Top 3 projections–Brad, Tom and Aria. Aarti has showed time and again that she doesn’t totally have her head in the game, and her confidence level is low.

So that’s it…..thanks for reading and we’ll see you all back here next week!

Last night’s episode of “The Next Food Network Star” featured two unique challenges. The first was a chili pepper challenge, in which the 9 remaining chefs had to stake their claim to a specific type of chili pepper on a table and then create at dish with it to present on camera for 30 seconds. The winner would have their dish featured at all three of Bobby Flay’s restaurants.

Paul made a scallop dish with habanero and coconut sauce; DAS made some sort of sushi with tuna; Aria made a pork tenderloin with chili marinade; Herb a yellow chili spring roll with crab salad; Brianna made chili and chicken kabobs; Serena had Anaheim peppers and made a salad with mango and avocado; Tom made poblano with chorizo; Aarti made a steak with serrano chutney; and Brad made chicken and shrimp with coconut peanut sauce using Thai chiles.

The worst of the challenge according to Flay and the other judges were DAS’s sushi and Herb’s spring roll. Herb immediately slipped into this depression that was kind of sad and made me feel really bad for him. He was left wondering if he should really be here. They really liked Tom’s dish and presentation as well as Aarti and Brad, but the winner of the challenge was Brianna. She can be corny and annoying at times (and by times, I mean all the time), but it really seems like she knows how to cook.

The main challenge of the episode was to take the comfort foods of the childhoods of three acclaimed chefs–Jonathan Waxman, Susan Feniger and Eric Greenspan–and re-invent said dishes to reflect their own culinary point of view. Waxman and Feniger were recently contestants on Top Chef Masters on Bravo, so it was cool to see them here. The contestants were broken up into groups of three–and each group was assigned to one chef. Tom, Aarti and Herb were assigned to Waxman; Serena, Brad and Brianna to Feniger; and Aria, Paul, and DAS to Greenspan.

Waxman’s dish was lamb with potatoes; Feniger’s was fried chicken with basic iceberg salad; and Greenspan’s was steak with macaroni and cheese.

Tom made a leg of lamb with smashed fingerling potatoes; Aarti made ground lamb kabobs with pomegranate molasses; and Herb made a lamb with shallot and red wine reduction. The judges liked Tom’s dish but loved Aarti’s. She appears to be a front runner more and more each week. Meanwhile, Herb swung and missed again.

Serena made an Italian style chicken cutlet that was heavy on the breading; while Brad and Brianna both made authentic fried chicken that, I swear, made me want to jump through my TV. Brad’s was with an aioli and Brianna’s was a chicken & waffles dish inspired by her own childhood since her dad had taught her to make it. The judges praised Brad and Brianna but didn’t love Serena’s take, saying it wasn’t authentic enough. I’m not sure why they stress point of view so much, but then berate the contestants when they don’t stay true enough to the task. Huh?

Aria made flank steak fajitas with jalapeno mac & cheese; DAS made a New York strip with 3-berry relish and a basic mac & cheese; and Paul took a huge risk by making a pork tenderloin with marscarpone and spaetzle. Yikes. DAS did not dazzle and his nervousness on camera shone through again. Meanwhile, Paul just veered way too far from the actual challenge, and Greenspan even made a comment that being Jewish, he never even ate pork growing up. Oops. And while they liked Aria’s dish, they didn’t love it…they only liked it more than the other two guys’ creations.

So the winners were Aria, Aarti and Brad–and each was safe from elimination this week. Next to safety were Brianna, Tom and Paul. I have no clue why they gave Paul a free pass, especially since he really messed up this challenge.

It came down then to DAS, Herb and Serena. Serena was declared safe, and then it was between DAS and Herb. Herb was given a pep talk by Flay about lifting his head up and getting back in it, and DAS was sent home. Bob Tuschman made the comment that DAS was getting slightly better each week, but he feared that by the show’s finale, he would not have progressed enough to be a network star. And that was a very correct assessment.

Okay, so we’re down to 8 now–Brad, Aarti, Serena, Herb, Aria, Brianna, Tom and Paul. I think we’re going to see Paul, Herb, Serena and Brad exit soon, and maybe Tom. But Aarti, Brianna and Aria seem to be the best overall performers when you combine cooking chops with TV appeal.

What do you think? Let me know in the space below, and see you all next week…

Nothing like being thrown into the fire. On episode 3 of “The Next Food Network Star” last night, the contestants were again given very difficult challenges that asked them to show their stuff on camera. Being that the show is being filmed in Hollywood this season, it makes sense, but they are really going to make someone earn it this time around.

The episode began with Guy Fieri, who won Season 2 of this show and has seen his career launch into the stratosphere, introduced as guest judge this week, filling in for Bobby Flay. He and mentor Giada Di Laurentiis asked each chef to pick from a box of popcorn in front of them, a movie genre that they would then have to create a dish around and present to an audience.

The best was Aarti, who had the horror genre, and made a “tacky meatloaf,” with a fake eyeball and everything. She also presented it brilliantly, showing she is going to be a contender in this thing. The worst were DAS and Paul. DAS had the foreign film theme, and made tacos that were too dry and delivered his dish too tentatively on camera; and Paul had the drama genre, and made pepper crusted steak with truffle oil, but couldn’t give a good reason why that dish represented drama. Nice.

Next up was their elimination challenge, and for this they would have a red carpet set up at the Highlands Club, complete with paparazzi and everything. There would be a party held for Grammy winning recording artist Colbie Caillat, and the chefs would be catering the party. They would be broken into pairs–with each being given one ingredient at random. Each chef would make one dish, and they would have to collaborate on a third dish with their teammate based on their ingredients. Of course, they would be judged both on the food and the delivery.

The best of the night was Brianna and Herb. Brianna made a pork with fennel chutney, and Herb made a beer marinated flank steak. Their mutual dish was bruschetta with beer fondue. They also called themselves Team Sexy, which was mildly amusing but mostly annoying. Anyway, the judges liked Brianna and Herb the best overall.

Next was Brad and Aarti. Brad made a chocolate seared pork and Aarti a talleggio cheese toast. Their shared dish was a beef skewer with cheese and chocolate sauce. As always, Brad wasn’t great on camera and his food wasn’t the best, but he was carried by Aarti a bit.

Tom and DAS were third best according to the judges. Tom made a banana and avocado mousse, and DAS made a fried pancetta cabbage. Their team dish was tempura battered banana with jerk cabbage, and unfortunately this was deemed the worst dish of the night by the judges. However, these two guys did well on their individual dishes and were decent at presenting them.

The bottom two teams were Dzintra/Aria, and Paul/Serena. Does anyone else think Serena seems more Russian than Italian? Anyway, Dzintra made a beef with mushroom gravy, and Aria a blueberry napoleon. Their combined dish was a salad with mushrooms and blueberry vinaigrette. But it got ugly when, while Aria was talking, Dzintra shushed her like she was a 5-year old. Nice. But not good in the eyes of the judges at all.

Paul made a parsnip slaw with shrimp, and Serena a crusted mozzarella. Their team dish was a tenderloin with parsnip slaw and peanut sauce. Just like with Dzintra and Aarti, the judges felt Paul was condescending to Serena at one point. Also, Serena had had her foot stepped on by Brianna by accident and was in pain.

So it was down to Aria, Dzintra, Paul and Serena. The first two to safety were Aria and Serena, probably based on their overall body of work so far. So it was between Paul and Dzintra. Paul was safe, Dzintra was going home. Man, this woman is weird. And it finally caught up to her and blew up in her face. It might have helped if she was a better cook, but even that was lacking most of the time.

Okay, we’re now down to nine contestants and rolling right along. More drama and fun to follow! See you guys back here next week….