Something a little different....

Just an update on something random I saw this weekend. On Saturday there was a marathon on the Food Network, of "The Next Food Network Star". I'll admit that this was not high on my list of things to watch, but just like the marathon of "Grease: You're the One that I Want" sucked me in so that I really want to see Max Crumm on Broadway, I can't wait for Amy's new show this fall. There were challenges, just like on Project Runway, Top Chef, or even American Idol. There was even a scandal at the end where one of the finalists dropped out because they found out he'd misrepresented his military record and culinary training. Overall, the contestants were decent, about the same sort of crop that makes it through all reality shows, with some just ridiculous and some that were obvious winners from the beginning. However, the best thing this show had going for it were the judges. The judges on Top Design were dreadful and even though the contestants and challenges were interesting, the show was not. On "NFNS" the judges were the VP for programming and VP for marketing for the Food Network, and they had a lot of personality and did a good job of giving criticism without saying mean things, but explained very realistic things they were looking for. When the contestants heeded that advice, they usually did perform better. At the end, it was two women, Amy "The Gourmet Next Door" and Rory "Backyard Bistro" that competed for the chance for a new show on the Food Network. Amy won and will start her show this fall. She seems very approachable, knowledgable about food, techniques and cuisines, so I'm excited to see what kind of show she'll do.