The Next Food Network Star - Meet the Press

Bobby Flay is the guest judge for one last time. Press and publicity are huge aspects of becoming a Food Network Star. This episode each of the finalists has a full day of meetings with the media which is a big challenge to determine which one of the finalists is the most savvy with the media.

The finalists were interviewed on XM radio with Ron & Fez and they had to create a recipe with the food available at the station. Talk about a limited amount of ingredients available to be creative! I thought Amy did the best in this interview. Ron & Fez thought Amy did the best as well.

The finalists then met with the Matt, the Entertainment Director of Star Magazine, and they were interviewed and photographed for an upcoming issue. I thought, once again, Amy did the best in this interview. Matt thought that Rory was the easiest to interview and that Amy was the most poised.

The final challenge in this episode is that each finalist has 5 minutes to demonstrate his/her signature dish on an episode of Rachel Ray. Rachel advised them to just be themselves and make sure to drive home their point of view and cooking style with the best story telling. Amy did a good job at presentation but her food looked very unappetizing. Rory did a great job at presentation and her food certainly looked delicious. Jag did a good job and his food looked good as well.

After tonight's episode, there are 2 finalists left: Rory Schepisi and Joshua Adam Garcia (JAG). The finalist who went home was Amy Finley.

In a shocking revelation, JAG misrepresented certain facts about his military service and culinary training. He said that he served in Afghanistan and that he graduated from culinary school -- he did neither. He admitted in an interview with the judges that, although he was a US Marine, he didn't go to Afghanistan and he admitted he never graduated from culinary school. He took himself out of the competition and apologized. He is a talented chef and, hopefully, he will succeed.

Since JAG withdrew from the competition, Rory's new competitor for the finals: Amy Finley.

Backyard Bistro (Amy) v. Gourmet Next Door (Amy) - next week America will vote!

The Next Food Network Star - Iron Chef Challenge

Bobby Flay and Cat Cora were the Iron Chef judges for tonight's Iron Chef Challenge at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. Alton Brown challenged each finalist as a floor reporter when they were not involved in the cooking portion of the competition. As a floor reporter, it was the competitor's job to show his/her deep encyclopedic knowledge (or not) during the commentary portion of the competition. Amy actually surprised me during the reporter portion of the challenge because she did such a good job. Paul, however, did not come across as knowledgeable or a culinary expert. Rory came across as a smart ass and bitchy and JAG did just ok as the reporter.

Paul (Party Food on a Budget) vs. Rory (Backyard Bistro) - Based on the judge's comments, I'd say Rory won this round as a cook and Amy won as a commentator.

Amy (Gourmet Next Door) vs. JAG (Latino Fusion) - Based on the judge's comments, I'd say Amy won this round as a cook and, if I absolutely HAD to pick, I'd say Rory won as a commentator but only because she was a bit more knowledgeable.

After tonight's episode, there are 3 finalists left: Amy Finley, Rory Schepisi and Joshua Adam Garcia (JAG). The finalist who went home was Paul McCollough.

Next week: Cooking with Rachel Ray!

The Next Food Network Star - Season 3

I've been watching the Next Food Network Star reality TV show this season (it's Season 3). Some of the finalists were extremely annoying and I was not sorry to see them leave. With that said, frankly I'm not sure I'd watch a whole show if any of the finalists were the host but here are the 4 remaining finalists:

Paul McCollough
Amy Finley
Rory Schepisi
Joshua Adam Garcia (aka JAG)

If you are watching, do you have a favorite? Would you watch any of them for a whole hour?

For more info on the show:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_nf_vote/

Giada De Laurentiis

Host of Food Network's Everyday Italian, Giada De Laurentiis's passion for food began as a child when she learned to prepare recipes for her frequent family gatherings.Born in Rome, Giada grew up in a large Italian family where the culture of food was a staple in and of itself. As the granddaughter of film producer Dino De Laurentiis, she learned to prepare many of the family's recipes as well as other Italian specialties.Giada's passion for cooking flourished through professional training at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, where she specialized in both cuisine and pastry. Later, she moved to Los Angeles, where her experience included positions at the prestigious Ritz Carlton Fine Dining Room and Wolfgang Puck's Spago in Beverly Hills.

Giada is a private chef and caterer, as well as founder of GDL Catering in Los Angeles. In addition to Everyday Italian, as the host of Behind the Bash, Giada takes viewers behind the scenes of six-figure weddings, high-roller Vegas soirees and Hollywood movie premieres to see what goes into creating the world's most spectacular parties. On Giada's Weekend Getaways, she heads to cities and towns that are ideal for a three-day, food-filled weekend.Giada is the author of The New York Times best-selling cookbook Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes (Potter, 2005) and Giada's Family Dinners (Potter, 2006).

I love Giada's show Everyday Italian! Giada is gorgeous and fun to watch. So far every recipe I have made has been absolutely delicious!