 |
| Photo - Food Network |
Dom Tesoriero won the first challenge which allowed him to pick the teams for the second challenge and he went with boys vs. girls. After the buzzword meals, the judges decided that neither team would be declared the winning team, which pretty much made the team challenge worthless.
The judges decide that the Arnold, Dom, and Michelle performed the best. Sita Lewis, Rosa Graziano, and Eddie Jackson were in the bottom three. After deliberation, the judges decided that Sita Lewis would be the one sent home and there was no Matthew Grunwald moment to save her again.
Can Sunny replace Giada as a permanent judge?
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how Eddie's plate even remotely qualified as cooking - never mind the fact that his dish didn't fulfill the burnt requirement and his presentation was lackluster.
ReplyDeleteGiven that Bobby's marriage broke up after this episode filmed, that makes Sunny's "Fifty Shades of Flay" line even more ironically funny.
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't love Sunny she's certainly better than Giada. Good idea!
ReplyDeleteThe elimination wasn't a surprise. Sita has been at the bottom since day 1. She was going to be eliminated last week and I was hoping she would see how she got saved by someone else's bad timing. But I guess she didn't or she couldn't come up with the goods.
ReplyDeleteGiada seems to have bulldozed her way into taking over the show. She appears to have put herself in charge, and Bobby has almost no input. In addition, she keeps making comments to influence or change the opinions of the guest judges.
ReplyDeleteThe woman is power-mad.
Well, that's why he was in the bottom three this time. But his previous performances, both in cooking and presenting, were enough to show that this was probably a momentary glitch. And it's obvious that he learned from this and will work to reestablish his cred as a personality and cook.
ReplyDeleteSita was basically all talk and no walk. I get a similar vibe from Rosa and wonder how much longer she will last.
ReplyDeleteEddie had a bad night, for sure, but he can cook, and I like him so much. So glad he wasn't eliminated.
ReplyDeleteSita wore me out--glad to see her go and hope Rosa is next.
ReplyDeleteMeet too Judy. I sometimes wonder if when the Mentors try to change someone ie; taking away his "cheat day" POV they don't realize it leaves someone spinning. It's got to be hard to reinvent ones self in one day. I wish they would have helped him define and articulate who he "was" rather than make him become someone else, because darn it I liked who he was! Here's to hoping he can regroup and come back even stronger.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that Giada needs to go, but Please NO, not Sunny! She's so LOUD and she pronounces yolk a YuLk....I've never heard anyone pronounce the L in yolk before. Is that a regional dialect?
ReplyDeleteThis season seems to be a calmer and gentler NFNS than in seasons past. Less frantic activity. The challenges seem relatable, not bizarre as in episodes past. More minimalist than before. Less Susie and Bob. I like it.
ReplyDeleteThe judges are well acquainted with "cheat day"!!!!
ReplyDeleteI see what you did there.
ReplyDeleteYep, you did. That's because the show was in the can before the divorce got underway.
ReplyDeleteExcept that the Dials of Doom will be back next week. I hate those.
ReplyDeleteThis epsidoe was hard to watch. The overall cast seems weak, divided into those who can cook, but not really present and vice versa. I hate to say it, but all the women feel like canon fodder. I can't see any of them with their own show.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see Sita gone. Anyone else roll her eyes when she said she wished the judges could see what Sita could do? She had three weeks and talking about yourself in the 3rd person is always awful.
The women do look weak as a whole, although I think Emilia is beginning to show some promise. Her cooking has always been good, and her presentation skills are improving. Right now, she still seems to need prompting from the judges, but if she loosens up, I think she can take the initiative an present more of herself.
ReplyDeleteMichelle also seems to have some ability, although I personally find her annoying. I think she'd do better if she'd drop the Mom bit and concentrate on her ethnic heritage instead.
As for the rest, I'm not seeing much of anything. I don't see how Rue can last much longer, and Rosa also seems to promise more than she delivers.
It's still early so I'm holding out hope for Michelle. FN desperately needs a Middle Eastern-themed cooking show. Yes, I know Armenia is not a Middle Eastern country, but many Armenians have settled throughout the ME. Besides, there has to be a better representation of Armenians than the Kardashians...ugh!
ReplyDeleteI like it, but we may be in the minority. This is what happens when you remove the "villain" early on. I am still VERY surprised they actually kicked him out. I would have thought they'd keep him for the "love to hate" ratings
ReplyDeleteRue has been such a disappointment, because I like her in interviews, but she just can't quite get there. I think Rosa is next, then maybe a guy to break things up, then Rue. Rue seems to be the under the radar enough that if she can stay out of the bottom 3 she'll continue to skate by for far too long.
ReplyDeleteI really like Sunny, and at first saw Giada as a vapid cleavage tramp...but I gotta say Giada's performance thus far on FNS has proved me wrong. I think G has given good advice, and thoughtful commentary for the contestants. G is playing her strengths (pretty and in great shape) but she has the brains to back up her opinions. So, count me as a Giada convert. (again, nothing against Sunny).
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, I think Giada is just naturally interactive and talkative and Bobby is naturally withdrawn and a zero. I've never understood the love for him. He seems to either have no personality at all or to just be super withdrawn and introverted and keep most of his thoughts to himself no matter the setting. I don't have a dislike for him - I don't think there's anything offensive about him - there just doesn't seem to be anything there, at least on camera.
ReplyDeleteSo I don't think there's any way of knowing who is in charge, who made that decision, who has power behind the scenes, etc.
I'm just glad Alton is gone. I was never a fan but I understood the geek appeal back in the day. These days he just seems bitter and tightly wound, both on FN and in his personal life. Yikes. Though I will say the beard was a great move. Really rescued his look.
Ohhhh the third person references were so bugging me. The way she used it was so self congratulatory. It's like when someone gives themselves a nickname. You don't give yourself a nickname! And speaking of nicknames, her's was a nickname of a nickname. I bet nobody calls her mamasita.
ReplyDeleteHer thug talk got old first episode along with hashtag.
ReplyDeleteMichelle does seem to have ability but I agree that she's a little annoying. Still I think she has a chance to pull something together. She seems pretty adaptable. I wouldn't mind her dropping the mom angle but I also don't want to hear endless Armenian self high fiving.
ReplyDeleteRue does seem to be a disappointment. I was hoping for more there because I don't know much about her cuisine of origin. I swear her accent seems to come and go and other times almost seem forced or East Londonish. But then her profile says she's lived all over and now is in the USA so that makes sense. I sometimes feel that having a national cuisine as a POV may be a detriment in this competition because many of the challenges don't allow for an adaptation through that narrow lens.
I wish that try-hard scarf guy would go but unfortunately he seems pretty talented cookingwise. I wish he'd drop the sass act and stop playing a camp character. His comment this time about the word "incendiary" was something like "If it ain't a lip gloss color I don't know it." Come on, man, dial it down. You don't have to be a cliche cartoon to win a role.
ReplyDeleteAs a geek, I plead with you not to call Alton a geek.
ReplyDelete...
Although I do like his beard.
Giada has definitely improved. I'll be interested to see where she goes from here.
ReplyDeleteGeek's a good thing these days. It's long since been reclaimed.
ReplyDeleteWait, are you saying you don't want him on your team? If so, ha ha!
Rosa grew on me last week.
ReplyDeleteI like Michelle and her POV.
ReplyDeleteThat whole Mamasita thing was so contrived and obnoxious.
ReplyDeleteI agree Arnold is a caricature. I wish he would just be real.
ReplyDeleteGeek is a good thing, and I'm a geek. And no, I don't want him on my team. :)
ReplyDeleteAgree 100% about Alton's bitter, tightly-wound persona. I miss Good Eats Alton, who was fun and whimsical and about good food... but he was murdered by Cutthroat Alton, who is a total a-hole and Dr Evil wannabe. Pathetic. I wish Alton would put on a few pounds and crack a normal human smile once in awhile.
ReplyDeleteIt's kinda funny that Hashtag got cut the week before the social media and food trend challenge. :p
ReplyDeleteYeah I like Rue as an idea. It would be nice to see some other cuisines on FN than just BBQ, southern/farmer and Italian.
ReplyDeleteAarti does Indian so that's something but i don't know anything about African food and Rue mangaes to make it with whatever's in the pantry. But she does better in the one-on-one interview than in presentations.
Yeah there are guys who are that flamboyant but I feel like he's playing a part. Heck, he missed making a joke about how such a flamer was now making something incendiary :p
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking early July. I'm also curious as to whether Alex, who is judging Star Salvation with Jeff Mauro, will allow Matthew to get very far.
ReplyDeleteUnless, of course, she's been instructed by the producers to make sure he progresses and returns to the fold.
MsPit, you're absolutely right, I forget about Zakarian.
ReplyDeleteStarts on the 28th after next week's episode
ReplyDeleteI find it humorous that most people don't realize that Good Eats "Alton," as likable as he was, was simply a character. I once heard him on the radio down here in Atlanta about 10 years ago and he just came across as an arrogant SOB.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Matt! So it looks as if they will repeat last season's pattern and start with a field of four.
ReplyDeleteBased on what I've seen of Arnold—including his stint on Top Chef—I believe that's really who and what he is. I happen to like him a lot, but I can't imagine FN ultimately allowing him to win FNS.
ReplyDeleteShannon was beginning to grow weary of the 3rd person references too. What in the world prompts a person to refer to themself in that way. Can't they hear themselves?
ReplyDeleteI do too, what a stupid gimmick.
ReplyDeleteThat was the same thought I had...it made me laugh. I wonder if push had come to shove if he could have held up under his own self perceived "forte".
ReplyDelete#stinky?
ReplyDeleteMaybe not Middle Eastern—Penny Davidi redux, ugh!—but more pan-Mediterranean. All the cuisines around the Med have both a lot in common and a lot of differences, and I'd love to see that explored.
ReplyDeleteWatching Rosa and Sita is uncomfortable. Sita babbled on too much, mostly about herself and Rosa has made some really strange noises that I wished she had stopped. She is like watching some crazy person.
ReplyDeleteTo me.....I think that Giada has dialed it down this year. She owns this show and shows authority. BF seems to be just background noise however, could it be because he was facing overwhelming personal problems when NFNS was filmed? Perhaps, Giada being a friend of BF, stepped up to the plate to help out friend.
ReplyDeleteCould we boot Giada and bring Alex back?
ReplyDeleteYou're right and a poor choice of words on my part. I would absolutely watch a Pan-Mediterranean cooking show.
ReplyDeleteT-BONE!
ReplyDelete"does a lot of screaming"
ReplyDeleteSeriously! When someone like that is on my tv, just escalating the volume and caterwauling, inciting cacophony, I just can't change the channel fast enough. "BUH-HAA-HAAAAA OOOOOOH! YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKIN' 'BOUT [SQUAWK SQUAWK SQUAWK, arms waving, smacking the person next to them,]".
Nope!
Suede redux from season 5 of Project Runway. Except that I kind of liked Suede.
ReplyDeleteSometimes if the personality is right you can almost pull off the 3rd person (Suede wasn't that bad) but she was no where near close!
ReplyDeleteYes, please!!! I adore Chef Alex!!!
ReplyDeleteI think she's shown a lot of improvement too, for whatever reason.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. He was fun, very likeable and knew so much about food. We don't get any of that anymore.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see Donatella Arpaia as a judge. She's no-nonsense but still fun.
ReplyDeleteI like Sunny and like her on The Kitchen, but she IS loud and that can be both wearing and obnoxious after awhile. Don't want to see her as a permanent fixture on NFNS.
ReplyDeleteLOL. Judy agrees w/ Shannon.
ReplyDeleteSomehow I don't remember him from Top Chef...which season was he in?
ReplyDeleteArnold was in the DC season—season 7—and went out about halfway through. He won a grilling challenge on the lawn at Mount Vernon—judged by Jonathan Waxman—with kofte skewers.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone else have trouble with DirectTV DVRs Sunday night? For some reason, either it or FN was a half hour off of what it was supposed to be, and what I'd set for FNS got the second half of the show and the first half of Cutthroat. Cutthroat was similarly messed up, recording only the second half of the show. Nothing else was recording at the time, and no other shows before or since have been this "off".
ReplyDeleteHey it worked for Art Smith....
ReplyDeleteArt is OK, but come on man, every line he speaks has a gay reference in it, we get it...
Gail from Top Chef has great cleavage, yes that is my entire comment.
ReplyDeleteI watched that the other day for the first time and she plugged her cookbook about 3 times in 5 minutes.
ReplyDeleteThe Ocean called and they are running out of Shrimp.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, there is something about Giada that is much more approachable and likeable now than before... I'd love to hate her for being gorgeous/smart/successful - but the truth is, she deserves all the accolades she gets.
ReplyDeleteDitto by C Thompson.
ReplyDeleteI like her too.
ReplyDeleteI didn't remember him at all.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could help you. I have Comcast, and my boyfriend has Dish.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your description, I got the image of one of those big clown sprinklers, the ones with the flapping arms that shoot water all over the place. Come to think of it, I think I'll get a couple of them to water my lawn! lol
ReplyDeleteEverything Michelle says refers to her being a mom, and every time Rosa opens her mouth, she reminds us that she's Italian American. Every one of the finalists has his or her own little conversational rut. Why should Arnold be any different?
ReplyDeleteFunny, that's why I like Bobby. I feel Giada comes off as fake especially when she does that weird smile with her top AND bottom teeth showing
ReplyDeleteSunny's makeup and hair that episode was giving me that clown vibe. Giada OK but her fake smile annoys me. Giada is on discussed on a body language blog with the subject being "insincere smies"....
ReplyDeleteOh I always think she's genuinely happy and mirthful when she does that top 'n bottom teef smile. It seems to be when she thinks something's cute or adorable and you can tell she likes the person.
ReplyDeleteHa! You're right about Sunny. I was being metaphorical about the clown part but she did seriously have on near-clown levels of makeup in colors that don't go with her skin color at all. I wish sistas would use stuff more harmonious with the canvas that's being painted on. Gimme some nice subtle golds, coppers, maroons, for example.
ReplyDeleteI do too. She knows a lot, but doesn't come off as a know it all.
ReplyDeleteI have DirecTV, but didn't have that problem. Wish I could help you. We're on Mountain Time in case that might have made a difference.
ReplyDeleteI actually think they are all equally annoying
ReplyDeleteand she obviously has no idea what the word "raunchy" means. Sensual, as Rue said, is one thing, but RAUNCHY? Can you imagine anything raunchy on the Food Network? I sure wouldn't watch it.
ReplyDeleteOh I dunno... I could watch some raunchy stuff on FN. Starring Giada. Maybe with some help from Amanda Freitag and Melissa d'Arabian. LET'S DO THIS.
ReplyDelete