The Kitchen Sink With Tregaye Fraser To Premiere January 15th

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When Tregaye Fraser won season 12 of Food Network Star, it was announced that she would be a co-host on The Kitchen Sink.  A new 13-episode season of The Kitchen Sink will begin on Saturday, January 15th at 11am ET/PT with Tregaye Fraser as one of the co-hosts.  The other co-hosts are Spike Mendelsohn (Top Chef, Iron Chef, etc) and Fanny Slater (cookbook author who won Rachael Ray's cookbook contest).  They will also be joined by special guests each episode.

A press release states:

"Over 13 half-hour episodes, the co-hosts along with special guests take a look at the latest culinary trends, offer up kitchen hacks and time-saving shortcuts, while sharing delicious new recipes for every occasion, including inspired culinary delights from the latest and greatest digital food frontier. In addition to culinary tips, trends and techniques, the co-hosts serve up delicious recipes to make at home; from Sunday brunch to a Saturday night party including an epic take on a cinnamon roll, Super Easy Sloppy Sliders for a do-it-yourself party menu, a weeknight pasta dish using only five ingredients, nachos with a twist and many more. THE KITCHEN Sink will also step out of the studio and on to the streets with Sink on the Street, going on location for a deep dive into popular food trends and the culinary delights they inspire."

The first season of The Kitchen Sink had 6 episodes, which rotated co-hosts Marcella Valladolid, Katie Lee, Geoffrey Zakarian, Sunny Anderson and Jeff Mauro.  It appears they will not be on this season as co-hosts, but may appear on the show as special guests.

If you are interested, the first four episode descriptions of The Kitchen Sink are below:

Foods You Didn't Know You Wanted
Kitchen Sink kicks off with a new way to weave bacon into every bite of breakfast, then Tregaye Fraser and Jeff Mauro take nachos to a new level with twists on the classic snack food. Inspired by the pizza pot pie, Fanny Slater wows with her combination of pizza and quesadillas. Finally, the Sink hits the streets to see one of the hottest dessert trends then shows how to make twists on ice cream cones at home. (Episode: SI0201H)

Carbs on Carbs
The carbs-on-carbs menu kicks off with an over the top sandwich cake, then Spike Mendelsohn and Tregaye Fraser demonstrate two inexpensive weeknight pasta dishes that are just five ingredients each. Frozen fries get a makeover with two different takes in a skillet, and finally, Katie Lee brings carbs to dessert with a four-ingredient twist on the classic apple pie. (Episode: SI0202H)

The Ultimate Party Menu
Spike Mendelsohn kicks off the show with his Super Easy Sloppy Sliders that will feed a crowd. Then, Sunny Anderson mashes up three crowd favorites into a Mozzarella Stick Pizza Onion Rings appetizer and puts a spin on the classic loaded baked potato. The hosts check in with our Food Network Kitchen correspondent, Vivian Chan, who shares the latest boozy trends. Then, inspired by the trends, the hosts create a dessert taco bar. (Episode: SI0203H)

Sunday Sunday: Brunch
Things kick off with an enormous egg sandwich that will feed 12 people, then Fanny Slater introduces an epic cinnamon roll. Plus, the hosts make a cake that masquerades as America's favorite breakfast food and whip up pancakes with surprises inside! (Episode: SI0204H)

Food Network's December 2016 Programming Highlights

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Below are some of the highlights of the Food Network programming scheduled to air on the channel in December.  There are once again a lot of new Chopped episodes (all varieties) and a lot of holiday themed shows/specials. The Holiday Baking Championship will crown its winner on December 18th and there will also be a Holiday Baking Championship special on Christmas that brings in three previous champions and three fan favorites from Kids Baking Championship.  The Jonas Brothers will be featured in a special called Jonas Restaurant: Family Style where their family opens up a restaurant in North Carolina.

The press release with episode descriptions and air dates is below:

Iron Chef Returns with 'Iron Chef Gauntlet'

One of the questions I get the most is if Iron Chef America was cancelled or when it will be returning. Well it looks like it will be returning, but it will not be Iron Chef America as it will be called Iron Chef Gauntlet.

Alton Brown sent out this tweet and photo (right) with the caption “Finally. #IronChefGauntlet” hinting at the return of the show. Also Variety reported on Iron Chef Gauntlet saying the show will be filmed early next year and will air in the second quarter. They said, “Details of the new format are thin other than it promises to offer some new twists on the cooking-showdown format.” A Food Network Dish post says, "Look out for some of your favorite elements of battle from Iron Chef America, plus new twists that will leave you craving more.”

It should be interesting to see what Iron Chefs will be returning to the show and what the new format is. With the title of Iron Chef Gauntlet and with Alton Brown being involved, it makes me think that it will be a mix of Iron Chef America with Cutthroat Kitchen elements. If any more information about Iron Chef Gauntlet is revealed, I will keep you updated.

Food Network Related News and Links

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Here is some recent news involving Food Network shows and chefs/personalities from the Food Network:

• Scripps Network Interactive has ended its partnership with Netflix, so if you are watching any Food Network shows on Netflix, they will be unavailable at the end of 2016.  Scripps COO said, "In the end, it really is not the kind of dual-revenue model that best monetizes our content over the long term." (Link)
• Alton Brown was on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert this week and here is a video of him making carbonated pumpkin spice ice cream.
• The latest internet craze is the mannequin challenge, and Guy Fieri filmed one on the set of Guy's Grocery Games which is over four minutes long. (Link to video)
• Giada De Laurentiis also did her own version, which is much shorter. (Video)
• Here is a People blog post from Marcela Valladolid on the guilt of being a pregnant, traveling, working mom. (Link)
• Loni Love won Worst Cooks In America: Celebrity Edition and was mentored by Rachael Ray. (Link)
• Carla Johnson won $25,000 for winning Worst Bakers in America.  You may remember her from Worst Cooks in America and her obsession with Bobby Flay. (Link)
• Robert Irvine talked about a Restaurant: Impossible episode that broke his heart (Abudanza), and it was also revealed that LJ from that episode has passed away. (Link)
• As a commenter pointed out, you may have seen Geoffrey Zakarian in the crowd on a recent episode of Dancing with the Stars on ABC.  Here is an Instagram picture of him at the studio.

Food Network's November 2016 Programming Highlights

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Below are some of the highlights of the Food Network programming scheduled to air on the channel in November.  It looks like there is a lot of new Chopped episodes (all varieties), more kids (looks like Alison Sweeney is the go-to kids show host), and a lot of holiday themed shows/specials.  Thanksgiving Live will not return, but Food Network does have a replay on their schedule.  Also, Clash of the Grandmas which had a pilot last year will now be a series.

The press release with episode descriptions and air dates is below:

Food Network Related News and Links

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Here is some recent news involving Food Network shows and chefs/personalities from the Food Network (Sorry for the delay in posting, but thanks for keeping active in the comments):

• Mario Batali recently was at the White House to cook President Obama's final State Dinner. (Link)
• Mario Batali was also recently on Jimmy Kimmel Live (video) and cooked ravioli and cake. He has been making the rounds promoting his new book Big American Cookbook: 250 Favorite Recipes from Across the USA.
• Mario Batali wasn't the only Food Network personality recently at the White House as Ina Garten filmed an episode of Barefoot Contessa in Washington DC.  It will be an hour long special that will air of Food Network Saturday, November 5 at 1pm ET and the episode will have a segment at the White House with Michelle Obama. (Link)
• You may also see a lot of recent article about Ina Garten as she is promoting her book Cooking For Jeffrey, which was just released this week.
• Twitch (which is owned by Amazon and free with Prime) will feature a live-streaming cooking show with Food Network Star winner Justin Warner called ChefShock.  It will be a two-hour show, five days-a-week beginning on Monday October 31st at 8pm ET.  It is an interactive show and you can purchase ingredients ahead of time and prepare them at the same time as Justin while you are able to ask questions. (Link)
• Marc Summers Productions (MSPT) which produces Restaurant: Impossible has received $8.4 million dollars in tax credits from the state of Pennsylvania for filming the show despite only 17 of the restaurants from the show being in Pennsylvania.  Food Feuds and Dinner: Impossible also received $2.55 million in tax credits.  Here is an article with a lot of details, which thinks the tax credit program is being abused.
• Thanksgiving Live is on the Food Network schedule on November 19th, but it looks like it could just be a repeat (Link).
• A commenter pointed out that the Cutthroat Kitchen: Tournament of Terror was moved from primetime to Sunday afternoons at 4pm.
• Alton Brown recently announced in a video that he was taking a break from Cutthroat: Kitchen and hinted at an internet show causing fans to think it would be Good Eats (Video).  In a recent NY Times article, it says that Food Network owns the rights to Good Eats, so he isn't making a penny from the revival. 

Food Network's October 2016 Programming Highlights

Here are some of the highlights of the Food Network programming scheduled to air on the channel in October, most of which have a Halloween theme:

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• A new season of Halloween Wars starting Sunday, October 2nd.  The winner of the season will take home $50,000.
• The series premiere of Worst Bakers In America on Sunday, October 2nd.  The winner of the season will receive $25,000.
• Halloween Baking Championship (with Damiano as a judge) beginning Monday, October 3rd where the winner of the season will get $25,000.
• The Kids Halloween Baking Championship starting on Wednesday, October 5th where the winner of the season will receive $10,000.
• An All Star Halloween Spectacular special on Saturday October 8th featuring Egypt Sherrod, Duff Goldman, Tia Mowry, Adam Richman, Drew and Jonathan Scott in a haunted house competition.
• The premiere of Chopped: Beat Bobby Flay on Thursday, October 20th.
• The Cutthroat Kitchen: Tournament of Terror finale on Wednesday, October 26th at 10pm. 
• New primetime episodes of Beat Bobby Flay, Burgers, Brew & ‘Que (featuring celebrities on each), Cake Wars, Chopped, Chopped Junior, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Guy’s Grocery Games, Star Plates and Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition. 
• A new season (the 24th) of Barefoot Contessa where the theme of this season is Ina Garten cooking for her husband Jeffrey.
• The series premiere of Ayesha Curry's show Ayesha's Homemade on Saturday October 22nd. 
• A new season of Giada’s Holiday Handbook on Sunday, October 30th at 12pm.
• New daytime episodes of Brunch @ Bobby’s, Farmhouse Rules (new season - 7th), Guy’s Big Bite, The Kitchen, The Pioneer Woman, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen and Valerie’s Home Cooking. 
• Buried at the bottom of the press release, it looks like Eddie Jackson has been given a web series called Eddie Jackson’s Game Day Playbook. 

Press release with episode descriptions and air dates is below:

Jersey Shore's Vinny Guadagnino Gets Food Network Show

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MTV's Jersey Shore cast member Vinny Guadagnino will have a new show on Food Network that will air this Sunday at 10pm ET.  The show is called Vinny & Ma Eat America, and as the title implies, Vinny will travel the country with his mother trying American dishes.  It looks like this is just a sneak peak of the show and more episodes will air at a later date.

The episode description states:

"Watch out Georgia! Vinny Guadagnino and his mom, Paola, head south, where Ma reluctantly ditches Italian food for some real-deal Georgia grub. First up, Vinny introduces Ma to the gold standard of Southern food: good old fashioned barbecue ribs. His goal is to get Ma to taste it for the first time in her life! From there, it's Southern-fried chicken and fly fishing with a few sweet pit stops in between."

Vinny and his mother are on this season of The Great Food Truck Race and their show will air right after The Great Food Truck Race season finale this Sunday.  Vinny and his mother also happen to be in the finale, so who knows if them having a show right after means they won.  I wonder if Food Network had them compete on The Great Food Truck Race knowing they would give them another show or if they decided to give them another show while filming The Great Food Truck Race.


Food Network has now had three members of MTV's Jersey Shore to appear on the channel with JWOWW and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino appearing on Worst Cooks in American: Celebrity Edition.  I wonder who will be next...

Food Network Related News and Links

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Here is some recent news involving Food Network shows and chefs/personalities from the Food Network:

• Ina Garten bought a New York City apartment last month for $4.65 million and you can take a look at some of the pictures here.
• Sony recently bought the rights to Sandra Lee's life story and can create up to two four-hour specials based on her memoir Made From Scratch. (Link)
• Ree Drummond announced that The Pioneer Woman Mercantile in Pawhuska will open on October 31st.  That is the building she bought in 2012 and has been renovating for quite some time. (Link)
• A Chopped: Beat Bobby Flay tournament will air on Food Network in October 2016.  Twelve returning champions will face off and Bobby will judge three episodes.  The winners of those three episodes will get a chance to beat Bobby Flay in the finale for an additional $25,000 prize. (Link)
• Katie Lee's show on the Cooking Channel Beach Eats was picked up for a second season and eight new episodes were ordered. (Link)
• Giada De Laurentiis was on the cover of October's Health magazine and there were online articles that said she posed topless, but you can judge for yourself.
• Food Network fast tracked two pilots into series by ordering episodes of All Caked Up (married couple making sculpted cakes) and Ginormous Food (looks at big meals across the country). (Link)
• Ayesha Curry's show Ayesha's Homemade premieres on October 22nd at 12pm on Food Network.  Ayesha is the wife of NBA player Stephen Curry and is releasing a cookbook next week.  She has a popular YouTube cooking channel and has over 4.2 million followers on Instagram.
• The Robert Irvine Show premiered this week on CW.

Damiano Carrara To Be A Judge on Food Network's Halloween Baking Championship

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A new season of Halloween Baking Championship will begin on Monday, October 3rd at 9pm ET on Food Network.  An interesting thing about the show is that Food Network Star season 12 runner-up Damiano Carrara will be a judge on the show along with Sandra Lee and Carla Hall.  The show will be hosted by comedian/ventriloquist Jeff Dunham.  This means he will appear of Food Network before Food Network Star winner Tregaye Fraser (she has done filming for The Kitchen Sink according to her social media).


Sandra Lee also makes another appearance on Food Network after a long absence due to her battle with breast cancer. We all know from her show Semi-Homemade that Halloween is her time of the year after seeing years of her over-the-top costumes.

The press release about the show from Multivu is below:

Food Network's September 2016 Programming Highlights

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Sorry about not posting for a bit, but it has been a bit hectic... Here are the highlights of the Food Network programming scheduled to air on the channel in September:

• The season premiere of Burgers, Brew & ‘Que on Friday, September 9th at 10pm.  This season it seems like Michael Symon is meeting up with a celebrity each episode.
• The season premiere of Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition on Wednesday, September 14th at 9pm.  Here are the celebrities appearing on the show for season two.
• The Chopped Teen Tournament finale on Tuesday, September 20th at 10pm where the winner takes home $25,000.
• The finale of Camp Cutthroat 2: Alton’s Revenge on Wednesday, September 21st at 10pm where the winner could take home up to $75,000.
• The finale of Guy’s Superstar Grocery Games on Sunday, September 25th at 8pm where the winner could win up to $40,000 for their favorite charity.
• The finale of Food Network Star Kids on Monday, September 26th at 8pm where the winner will get a series on Foodnetwork.com.
• The series premiere of Star Plates on Tuesday, September 27th at 11pm.
• A Cutthroat Kitchen: Tournament of Terror  tournament that begins on Wednesday, September 28th at 10pm and is a Halloween-inspired tournament.
• New primetime episodes of Beat Bobby Flay, Cake Wars, Chopped, Chopped Junior, Cooks vs. Cons, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and The Great Food Truck Race. 
• New daytime episodes of Guy’s Big Bite, Brunch @ Bobby’s, Giada in Italy, The Kitchen, The Pioneer Woman, Smollett Eats, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen and Valerie’s Home Cooking.

Press release with air dates and descriptions is below:

More Celebrities Coming To Food Network With Series 'Star Plates'

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A new series called Star Plates is scheduled to begin on Food Network on Tuesday, September 27th at 11pm.  In the series, celebrities will be "stepping into their favorite restaurant kitchens for a culinary crash course - cooking on the line with their favorite chef"  They will work side-by-side with the chef and have to serve a dining room of paying customers.

This continues the trend of Food Network using celebrities (and kids) on their programming, but what is interesting about Star Plates is that it was supposed to be on Cooking Channel.  It actually had a pilot in 2015 with Judy Greer working with Chef Antonia Lofaso, and even last month there was a press release about Star Plates which said it would premiere on Cooking Channel in August.  Perhaps this is the reason Star Plates is in a 11pm timeslot because Food Network doesn't usually have new shows airing at 11pm.

The celebrity/chef pairings and air dates are below and the celebrities seem like a step up from the normal ones that appear on Food Network:

• September 27th - Actress Mindy Kaling and Chef Marcus Samuelsson
• October 4th -  Actress Alyson Hannigan and Chef Michael Voltaggio
• October 11th - Actress Busy Philipps and Chef Dakota Weiss
• October 18th - Actor Colin Hanks and Chef Vinny Dotola
• October 25th - Sportscaster and television personality Erin Andrews and Chef Susan Feniger
• November 1st - Actress Minka Kelly and Chef Geoffrey Zakarian

The press release for the Food Network is below courtesy of Multivu:

Restaurant: Impossible Has Been Canceled

It looks like Food Network has decided not to renew Restaurant: Impossible and the show has been canceled according to a tweet by Robert Irvine.  He tweeted, "Guys after 13 seasons and 170 episodes of Restaurant Impossible,network has decided not to renew it.awesome time and thanks for watching"

Guys after 13 seasons and 170 episodes of Restaurant Impossible,network has decided not to renew it.awesome time and thanks for watching

— Robert Irvine (@RobertIrvine) August 7, 2016

Restaurant: Impossible was on Food Network for 13 seasons over a span of six years and Robert Irvine and his team were responsible for making over 140 failing restaurants.  Of those 140 restaurants, only about 50 of them remain open as of today's date.  Robert Irvine has always claimed a much higher success rate than reality and even yesterday claimed 70% of the restaurants survived, but his definition of success may be different than open vs. closed.

Robert Irvine is currently filming his new talk show that will be on CW in September, but that was not the reason for Restaurant: Impossible ending.

Robert also followed up with another tweet that said, "Hopefully we will have more @FoodNetwork shows in the future . I will keep you informed .. Love to you all."  So, you will probably still be seeing Robert Irvine on Food Network.


Even though Restaurant: Impossible has been canceled, I will still keep the Restaurant Impossible Updates page up-to-date and mark restaurants "Closed" as they close.  Restaurant: Impossible brought a lot of traffic to this site so I don't want to see it go, but a lot of the readers here thought it was time for the show to end.

Food Network's August 2016 Programming Highlights

A little late with this, but here are some of the highlights of the Food Network programming scheduled to air on the channel in August:

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• The Chopped Grill Masters Napa finale which already aired and Sophina Uong won $50,000.
• The series premiere of Food Network Star Kids on Monday, August 22nd at 8pm.
• A Chopped Teen Tournament starting on Tuesday, August 23rd at 10pm with the grand prize being $25,000.
• Cutthroat Kitchen - Camp Cutthroat 2: Alton's revenge begins on Wednesday, August 24th at 10pm.  The episode descriptions do not have the competitors, but there are three Food Network Star alums on this - Rue Rusike, Aaron Crumbaugh, and Emilia Cirker. (Link)
• A family edition of The Great Food Truck Race that begins on Sunday, August 28th at 9pm.
• The premiere of Guy's Superstar Grocery Games on Sunday, August 28th at 8pm.  Eight celebrity chefs will compete until there are four chefs remaining.  The final four will compete for $40,000 for their charity.
• The series premiere of daytime show Smollett Eats Saturday, August 20th at 12:30pm. 
• New primetime episodes of Beat Bobby Flay, Cake Wars, Chopped, Chopped After Hours, Chopped Junior, Cooks vs. Cons, Cupcake Wars, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Guy’s Grocery Games
• New daytime episodes of Brunch @ Bobby's, Giada in Italy, The Kitchen, Patricia Heaton Parties, The Pioneer Woman, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen and Valerie’s Home Cooking. 

A press release with episode descriptions and air dates is below:

Food Network Star Winner Crowned Tonight

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Tonight at 9pm ET on Food Network is the season 12 finale of Food Network Star where the winner will be announced.  The final three contestants are Damiano Carrara, Tregaye Fraser, and Jernard Wells.  On the episode tonight, we will get to see each of their full pilots as well as the top moments of the season.  A poll on this website reveals that people are rooting for Damiano to win with approximately 54% of the vote followed by Jernard at 28% and Tregaye at 18%.  Judging by the comments, it seems that people don't feel too excited about any of the final three but if they had to choose, it would be Damiano.

The winner is determined by Food Network alone this year and while commercials/advertisements of Food Network Star do not guarantee the winner getting a show, tonight's episode description states, "One winner is selected and will go on to shoot their very own show on Food Network!"

I will update this post once the winner is announced and will also update this with any information about the winner's show.  Last year Eddie Jackson won, but his show was not like his pilot and he ended up hosting a BBQ competition show called BBQ Blitz.

YouTube Star Hannah Hart To Get Food Network Show

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Food Network has ordered a travel series with YouTube star Hannah Hart and the series will be a "culinary travelogue adventure".  It will be a six-episode series where Hannah will travel to six different cities and will dine out on a limited budget based on the city's average dining out price. Hannah Hart will also produce digital content for Food Network that will span across various social networks.

Hannah is most known for her YouTube series My Drunk Kitchen and her YouTube channel has over 2.5 million subscribers.  She also has a New York Times best selling book titled My Drunk Kitchen: A Guide To Eating, Drinking, and Going With Your Gut.  You may recall Hannah was a guest judge on an episode of Food Network Star this year.

This seems pretty similar concepts seen on Food Network before such as Rachael Ray's $40 a Day or Jeff Mauro's $24 in 24, but we will have to wait to see how it differs.  Food Network most likely recruited Hannah Hart to help build their online brand and digital content, which is pretty apparent by the press release.


The Press Release from Scripps is below:

Food Network Star Season 12 Winner - Poll

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Season 12 of Food Network Star is down to the final three contestants and each of them have produced their pilot.  The final three contestants all produced traveling show pilots and it wasn't clear if they chose their themes, but their themes were:

• Damiano Carrara - Visiting Bakeries
• Tregaye Fraser - Visited a cafeteria with a zoo and food. 
• Jernard Wells - Authentric Creole food all over the United States.

The full pilots will not be shown until next week's episode, so it is hard to even determine who did the best or what their pilot is even about.

There is always a poll on this site to determine who people are rooting for to win.  So vote below to let everyone know who you want to win and feel free to discuss in the comments.

UPDATE - The winner was crowned and it was Tregaye Fraser.

Food Network Star Episode 10 Elimination - Down To The Final Three

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On tonight's episode of Food Network Star the three remaining contestants were surprised with the winner of Star Salvation rejoining the competition, and the winner of that turned out to be Yaku Moton-Spruill.  Jernard, Tregaye, Damiano, and Yaku each had help from the eliminated contestants in their first challenge and they had to work together to create a dish of their choosing.  They then had to make a video to present their dish and previous Food Network Star winner Aarti Sequeira was there to help determine the final three contestants who would get to produce pilots.

Damiano, Jernard, and Tregaye were the top three and each got to produce their pilots.  Another past Food Network Star winner, Guy Fieri was on hand to help the finalists do their pilot.  They had to do an intro, a food segment, and an outro. Damiano did his pilot at a bakery, Jernard at a Creole restaurant and Tregaye at a cafeteria with zoo animals and food.  We will have to wait until next week to see who Food Network determined was the winner and what the future will bring for them.

I will have a poll up shortly to see who people are rooting for out of the final three.  In the past, the polls were a pretty good predictor of the winner, but now that the winner is not determined by vote, it just gives us an idea who everybody wants to win.  UPDATE - The poll is now live.

Food Network Star Episode 9 Elimination - Plus Star Salvation

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On tonight's episode of Food Network Star the four remaining contestants had to cook a dish related to a national food day and had to present their dish on a live stream with a family member present.  On the second challenge, they were assigned a different holiday party to host and they took turns hosting their own holiday special.

Jernard came out on top in the first challenge and earned an advantage in the second challenge. He was able to assign the holidays for the second challenge to each of the finalists.  Damiano had Cinco De Mayo, Ana had St. Patrick's Day , Tregaye had New Year's Eve, and Jernard had Mardi Gras.  The judges decided that Tregaye and Damiano were safe, then decided that Ana did the worst and was eliminated.

On Star Salvation, Yaku Moton-Spruill, Monterey Salka, and Ana Quincoces competed for a chance to rejoin the competition. This episode of Star Salvation can be watched here.  This is the last episode of StarnSalvation and the winner will rejoin the final three next week.  As is usually the case with the last episode of Star Salvation, it ended with a cliff hanger and you will not find out who won until next week.

Food Network Star Episode 8 Elimination - Plus Star Salvation

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On tonight's episode of Food Network Star the remaining contestants had to first create a classic American dish with their own twist for Popeye's.  Then in the second challenge, they had to create a five course meal composed of guilty pleasure dishes. The finalists also had to give a presentation describing their dish and Alex Guarnaschelli and Trisha Yearwood were there to help Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay judge the challenge.

Tregaye once again came out on top in the first challenge and earned an advantage in the second challenge.  She was able to pick her course to create, and she was also able to switch other competitors courses.  After the five course meal, the judges decided that Erin Campbell would be the contestant going home.

On Star Salvation, Yaku Moton-Spruill, Monterey Salka, and Erin Campbell competed for a chance to rejoin the competition. This episode of Star Salvation can be watched here, and Erin Campbell was eliminated from Star Salvation, so she will not be rejoining the competition and will not be the next Food Network Star.  Yaku and Monterey keep eliminating everyone that gets eliminated each week.

Food Network Star Episode 7 Elimination - Plus Star Salvation

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On tonight's episode of Food Network Star the remaining contestants had to use frozen food to create a dish of their choice. Lorraine Pascale was on hand to help Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis judge the first challenge. Then in the second challenge the finalists were grouped into three teams of two to create a island-inspired menu for a tiki party. They also had to do a food demo in front of a group of party-goers and Anne Burrell was there to help judge.

Tregaye was determined the winner of the first challenge again and got the advantage of being able to pick her partner for the second challenge, and she chose Damiano.  Tregaye/Damiano, Ana/Joy, and Erin/Jernard were the three teams.  The judges decided that Erin and Jernard were the winning team and were safe from elimination.  Ana and Joy were the bottom team and one of them would be eliminated, and the judges decided that Joy Thompson would be the one to go home.

On Star Salvation, Yaku Moton-Spruill, Monterey Salka, and Joy Thompson competed for a chance to rejoin the competition. This episode of Star Salvation can be watched here, and Joy Thompson was also eliminated from Star Salvation, so she will not be rejoining the competition and will not be the next Food Network Star.

Food Network Star Episode 6 Elimination - Plus Star Salvation

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On tonight's episode of Food Network Star the remaining contestants had to transform food into art, but it had to be done with a savory dish. Duff Goldman was on hand to help Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis judge. Then in a second challenge the finalists have to be a guest on Rhett and Link's popular Youtube show Good Mythical Morning and present their "Will it?" dish that pairs two unique foods.

Tregaye and Damiano were determined the winners of the first challenge, but it didn't give them any advantages.  In the second challenge, the judges decided that Jernard and Tregaye, were the top two and were safe from elimination. Damiano, Erin, and Anna were also safe leaving Rob and Joy as the bottom two. After deliberation, the judges chose to send Rob Burmeister home.

On Star Salvation, Yaku Moton-Spruill, Monterey Salka, and Rob Burmeister competed for a chance to rejoin the competition. This episode of Star Salvation can be watched here, and Rob Burmeister was also eliminated from Star Salvation, so he will not be rejoining the competition and will not be the next Food Network Star.

Worst Cooks In America: Celebrity Edition Season Two Cast

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Anne Burrell revealed that her and Rachael Ray began filming of the second season Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition a few weeks ago on Instagram.  None of the celebrities that were on the show were identified, but Daily Mail recently had a story about Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore throwing a tantrum after being eliminated.  In that story, the other celebrities on the show were listed.   Kenya has since denied throwing a tantrum, but we will see if it makes it on the show.

The celebrities that will appear on the second season of Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition (assuming that article had them correct) are listed below as well as what they are known for.  When you have to google names to figure out who many of them are (which I did for you), the term "celebrity" is used very loosely.

• Kenya Moore - Reality star - Real Housewives of Atlanta, Celebrity Apprentice, former Miss USA
• Nicole Sullivan - Actress best known for being on MADtv and The King of Queens
• Michael 'The Situation' Sorrentino -  Reality star - The Jersey Shore, Dancing With The Stars
• Loni Love - Comedienne who guest appeared on many shows such as Chelsea Lately, also co-host of The Real.
• Barbara Eden - Actress best known for her role of Jeannie on I Dream of Jeannie.
• Tommy Davidson - Comedian best known for his role on 90's show In Living Color, 
• John Henson - Comedian and host - known for hosting Talk Soup and co-hosting Wipeout 
• Mindy Cohn - Actress best known for her role as Natalie on The Facts of Life and being the voice of Velma on Scooby Doo.
• Matt Dallas - Actor best known for role as lead character on Kyle XY.

Last year, there were only seven celebrities that competed, and Jenni "JWOWW" Farley from Jersey Shore won the competition.  We will see if Mike aka 'The Situation' can make it two for two for Jersey Shore alumni.  Season one of Worst Cooks In America: Celebrity Edition aired in September, so look for season two to begin around the same time.

Robert Irvine Talk Show Coming to CW Network

Photo - PRNewswire

Robert Irvine will be starring in his own talk show on the CW Network starting in September called The Robert Irvine Show.  The show will be 60 minutes long airing Monday-Friday from 3pm-4pm and it is described as "a 60-minute daytime conflict resolution talker."

Robert has mentioned this talk show in many previous interviews, but this press release reveals more information about the show and had the TV network and approximate start date.  The Robert Irvine Show will showcase Robert "providing help to families with his signature "tough love" approach to therapeutic work."  So the show will not have anything to do with cooking but with Robert helping people and families.

Robert Irvine was quoted in the press release saying, "Helping people overcome their most trying obstacles has been an important part of my process since day one. I'm thrilled to be working with Tribune, the CW, and Irwin Entertainment in bringing this exciting new talk format to life."

A lot of people have said Robert Irvine acts like Dr. Phil in a lot of Restaurant: Impossible episodes, so now it appears he actually will be a Dr. Phil type on The Robert Irvine Show.  It remains to be seen if his new show will impact anything with Food Network such as Restaurant: Impossible.

The press release with more information about the show can be found here. 

Food Network Star Episode 5 Elimination - Plus Star Salvation

Photo - Food Network

On tonight's episode of Food Network Star the remaining contestants had to give a food tip/kitchen hack to viewers which was judged by Katie Lee, Bobby Flay, and Giada De Laurentiis.  Then in a second challenge, the finalists had to create a dish for a NASCAR tailgate party.  Robert Irvine was on hand to help judge this challenge and the contestants each got to pick their protein for their dish.


The judges decided that Tregaye, Joy, and Jernard were the top three and were safe from elimination.  Damiano and Erin were also safe leaving Rob, Monterey, and Anna as the bottom three.  After deliberation, the judges chose to send Monterey Salka home.

On Star Salvation, Yaku Moton-Spruill, Aaron Crumbaugh, and Monterey Salka competed for a chance to rejoin the competition. This episode of Star Salvation can be watched here, and the contestant eliminated from Star Salvation was Aaron Crubaugh and he will not be rejoining the competition and will not be the next Food Network Star.

Food Network Star Season 11 Runner-Up Jay Ducote Gets Show....On Travel Channel

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Food Network Star Season 11 runner-up Jay Ducote announced that he will star in a show called Deep Fried America which is a pilot that will air on Travel Channel rather than Food Network.  You may recall that Deep Fried America was his concept on Food Network Star and the episode is scheduled to air on Saturday, June 25th at 1:30pm ET on Travel Channel.

The description of the show states:

Chef Jay Ducote has a huge passion for all things fried -- deep fried, to be exact. He's headed to Austin to dive into a delicately deep-fried tempura-battered burger, a deep-fried lamb meatloaf sandwich, Thanksgiving dinner fried into a ball and even a deep-fried donut topped with a healthy pile of fried chicken.

Jay has a detailed blog post on how the show came about and here is the brief version:

• A few weeks after the finale of Food Network Star, Food Network called him and asked if he was still interested in doing Deep Fried America and he said yes.
• He was assigned a production company and filmed a pilot in November 2015. 
• The production company did the editing for the pilot and sent it to Food Network, and Jay kept waiting and waiting without hearing anything.
• He finally got an email sometime after April that said he had an air date for the pilot and it was on Travel Channel.
• This is only a pilot and Travel Channel will evaluate ratings to decide if they want to film more episodes.

Scripps Networks owns channels such as Food Network, HGTV, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel and DIY, so it is still the same company that Jay will be working for.  I wonder why the decision was made to put Deep Fried America on Travel Channel as Food Network and Cooking Channel both have shows where hosts travel around trying foods.

I will update this post with the ratings (if they are available) after the show airs.

Food Network Star Episode 4 Elimination - Plus Star Salvation

Photo - Food Network 

On tonight's episode of Food Network Star the remaining contestants had to deliver a trendy remote food report for Entertainment Tonight hosts Nancy O'Dell and Kevin Frazier. In the next challenge, the finalists had to prepare a special tableside dining experience at an upscale hotel restaurant. They are also tested how well they can handle curveballs thrown at them by Hannah Hart and Modern Family's Jessie Tyler Ferguson.

There were three teams of three and the judges decided that there was no winning team.  The bottom three were Jernard Wells, Yaku Moton-Spruill , and Rob Burmeister.  The judges decided t eliminate Yaku Moton-Spruill due to his lobster being pretty much raw.

On Star Salvation, Eddie Jackson and Alex Guarnaschelli were judging the eliminated contestants Yaku Moton-Spruill, Aaron Crumbaugh, and Havrid Usry to see who would have a chance to rejoin the competition.  For some reason Melissa Pfeister and Martita Jara were not competing on Star Salvation.  The first episode of Star Salvation can be watched here, and the contestant eliminated was Havrid Usry.  So Melissa, Martita and Havrid will not be rejoining the competition and will not be the next Food Network Star.

Bobby Flay's Horse Creator Wins Belmont Stakes

The third leg of the Triple Crown was today at Belmont Park and the winning horse was Creator who won in a photo finish.  Food Network's Bobby Flay actually bought a minority interest in Creator on Wednesday before the Belmont Stakes and here is a video of Bobby Flay in the winner's circle after the race.  I would say his investment has already paid off.

Creator was a 16-1 long shot and paid $34.80, meaning every $2 that was bet on the horse to win paid $34.80. 

Food Network Star Episode 3 Elimination

Photo - Food Network

On tonight's episode of Food Network Star the remaining contestants each got a name of a dish from Food Network Magazine editor Maile Carpenter and had to create a dish based on that name. Whoever did the best at this challenge would receive and advantage in the following challenge.  That challenge was to shoot a promo for a show called Family Road Trip and the contestants had to work in pairs.  Actress Ali Larter was there to help Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis and Maile Carpenter judge the episode.

Tregaye received the advantage and that gave her the advantage of picking her own co-host while also pairing up everybody else.  She picked Yaku and made the other teams: Ana and Martita, Damiano and Erin, Jernard and Joy, and Monterey and Rob.

The judges decided that the winning team was Jernard and Joy and they would be safe from elimination.  The bottom two teams were Ana and Martita and Tregaye and Yaku.  After deliberation, the judges decided that Martita Jara would be eliminated from Food Network Star for the second time.  Martita will go on to compete in Star Salvation which begins next week.

Food Network's June 2016 Programming Highlights

Photo - Food Network

Here are some of the highlights of the Food Network programming scheduled to air on the channel in June:

• A new Cutthroat Kitchen tournament called Cutthroat Kitchen: Time Warp Tournament that begins on Wednesday, June 1st where each episode has a different theme/decade.
• Guy Fieri is in Cuba for two episodes of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on Friday June 3rd and June 10th.
• A new season of Cake Wars premieres on Friday, June 10th at 10pm.
• The finale of Kids BBQ Championship on Monday June 27th where the winner takes home $20,000 and a feature in Food Network Magazine.
• New Primetime episodes of Food Network Star, Beat Bobby Flay, Guys Grocery Games, Buddy's Family Vacation, Chopped, Chopped Junior, Celebrity Food Fight, Kids BBQ Championship, and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
• New Daytime episodes of The Kitchen, Farmhouse Rules, Patricia Heaton Parties (new season), Valerie's Home Cooking (new season), The Pioneer Woman and The Kitchen Sink.

Press Release with episode descriptions and air dates is below:

Food Network Star Episode 2 Elimination

Photo - Food Network

On tonight's episode of Food Network Star the remaining contestants have to do a culinary travelogue report in which the winners would gain an advantage.  Then the contestants are challenged with mashing up two different cooking styles into one dish which is compared to the food equivalent of a rap battle.  Haylie Duff and Rev Run are the guest judges and help Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis determine who should get an advantage and eventually who would go home.  On tonight's episode two contestants are actually sent home.

There were teams of two and each person who did better than their partner was determined safe.  Melissa Pfeister, Monetery Salka, Aaron Crumbaugh, and Erin Campbell were the bottom four.  After the judges deliberated, they decided that Melissa Pfeister and Aaron Crubaugh would be the two contestants eliminated.  That shouldn't be too surprising as Melissa didn't mention anything on her Twitter about her being on the show.  Aaron and Melissa will go onto compete on Star Salvation in a few weeks.

Food Network Star Episode 1 Elimination

Photo - Food Network

Tonight on the season 12 premiere of Food Network Star, we were introduced to the 12 contestants competing and the winner of Comeback Kitchen was revealed. Martita Jara from season 8 ended up winning Comeback Kitchen and if you are interested in where you have seen some of the other contestants, here is a post about them.

The first challenge for the contestants was to make a 30-second video to explain what they are all about that would be showed at a VIP event in Los Angeles.  Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis, Tyler Florence and Valerie Bertinelli were the judges of this challenge and decided who needed to go home.


The top three contestants from the challenge in this episode were Rob Burmeister, Ana Quincoces, and Monterey Salka. The bottom three were Aaron Crumbaugh, Melissa Pfeister, and Havird Usry. The judges decided that Havird Usry would be the one going home due to his burnt chicken and he will go on to compete in Star Salvation with hopes of rejoining the competition.

What do you think about the contestants this year?

Food Network Star Season 12 Contestants - Where Have You Seen Them?

Photo - Multivu

This Sunday at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network is the start of season 12 of Food Network Star.  As is usually the case, you will probably recognize many of the contestants from other reality shows on Food Network and other channels.  Here is a list of the Food Network Star contestants for this season and where you may recognize them.

• Rob Burmeister (Staten Island, NY) - Chopped, Cutthroat Kitchen (won), Cutthroat Kitchen: Evilicious Tournament, Restaurant Stakeout
• Erin Campbell (Woodbury, MN) - Holiday Baking Championship (won - prize $50,000)
• Damiano Carrara (Moorpark, CA) - Cutthroat Kitchen (won), Spring Baking Championship. 
• Aaron Crumbaugh (Spokane, WA) - Cutthroat Kitchen (won), Cutthroat Kitchen: Evilicious Tournament, The Amazing Race season 6
• Tregaye Fraser (Atlanta, GA) - Guy's Grocery Games, Cutthroat Kitchen (won)
• Yaku Moton-Spruill (San Francisco, CA) - Cutthroat Kitchen (won), Cutthroat Kitchen: Evilicious Tournament
• Melissa Pfeister (Los Angeles, CA) - Has not appeared on other reality shows, but has 171k Twitter followers due to her revealing pictures and love of sports - mainly Ohio State.
• Ana Quincoces (Coral Gables, FL) - Appeared on The Real Housewives of Miami on Bravo.  Also has her own cookbooks, which are available on Amazon. She was arrested in 2015 for driving with a suspended license.
• Monterey Salka (Nashville, TN) - Cutthroat Kitchen: Camp Cutthroat (won 1 episode), Esquire's The Next Great Burger
• Joy Thompson (Thomasville, NC) - Restaurant owner who has done local news segments.  It was recently discovered that her restaurant owes around $240,000 in back taxes and penalties (Link).
• Havird Usry (Augusta, GA) - No previous television. Executive chef at an Augusta, GA restaurant.
• Jernard Wells (Atlanta, GA) - Paula's Party, Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell, Cutthroat Kitchen (won), Cutthroat Kitchen: Evilicious Tournament

Obviously the contestant who rejoins the competition from Comeback Kitchen will have competed on Food Network Star in the past as well.  It seems like Cutthroat Kitchen was the breeding ground for Food Network Star contestants this year with half of the contestants competing on the show, with some competing multiple times.

If you area interested in any more information about the contestants, there is plenty of information included in the press release and on the Food Network Star website.  Also, if I missed any television appearances by the contestants, let me know in the comments and I can make updates.

*Somewhat related - In an interview with Aaron Crumbaugh, it says Food Network contacted him to see if he was interested in auditioning.  After interviewing he had to get a background check by a private investigator.  I wonder if this is required after the Lenny Mcnab fiasco.

As always, there will be Food Network Star episode recaps here where you can discuss the episode and who went home.

Restaurant Impossible - Broad Street Bistro Update

Photo - Food Network

Tonight on the season finale of Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in North Versailles, Pennsylvania to makeover Broad Street Bistro. In this ambush episode the owners' son, who is a trained chef, contacted Restaurant Impossible. The owner Tasso has only had the restaurant for a year and a half, but he is struggling due to the atmosphere, the food, and the service.  His wife Kathy doesn't like how he is always at the restaurant and Tasso refuses to accept help from his son Yianni despite being a chef.  Robert ends up doing three ambushes on this episode: one on Kathy, one on Tasso, and another "surprise ambush."

As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Broad Street Bistro to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant: Impossible):

Food Network's May 2016 Programming Highlights

Photo - Food Network

Here are some of the highlights of the Food Network programming scheduled to air on the channel in May:

• The start of Food Network Star: Comeback Kitchen (May 8th) and Food Network Star season 12 (May 22nd).
• The finale of Guy's Grocery Games Redemption Tournament on May 1st with the winner getting a chance at another shopping spree.
• A new series called Buddy's Family Vacation on May 27th that follows around Buddy Valastro and his family on a cross-country road trip.
• The finale of Spring Baking Championship on May 15th with the winner taking home $50,000.
• The start of Kids BBQ Championship starting on Monday, May 23rd at 8pm.
• Celebrity Food Fight, which had a pilot in December 2015, returns for a whole season with Andy Richter hosting.  The show begins on May 29th and will have celebrities such as Tom Arnold, Jonathan Bennett, Richard Blais, Anne Burrell, Kim Coles, Scott Conant, Coolio, Andy Dick, Graham Elliot, Bill Engvall, Jennie Garth, Duff Goldman, Greg Grunberg, Alex Guarnaschelli, Penn Jillette, Kristen Johnston, Kevin Jonas, Christopher Knight, Katie Lee, Tara Lipinksi, Antonia Lofaso, Carlos Mencia, Damaris Phillips, DR. DREW Pinsky, Caroline Rhea, Melissa Rivers, Aarón Sánchez, Jean Smart, Ruben Studdard, and Kendra Wilkinson.
• A new daytime series called Kitchen Sink on May 15th that has the hosts of The Kitchen rotating shows and talking about trendy topics.
• New primetime episodes of Beat Bobby Flay, Cake Masters, Chopped, Chopped Junior, Cutthroat Kitchen, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Restaurant: Impossible.
• New daytime episodes of Brunch @ Bobby’s, Farmhouse Rules, The Kitchen and The Pioneer Woman.

Press Release with episode descriptions and air dates is below:

Watch First Episode of Food Network Star: Comeback Kitchen

Food Network Star: Comeback Kitchen is scheduled to begin on May 8th with seven former finalists competing for a spot on season 12 of Food Network Star.  Despite not premiering until May 8th, you can watch the episode online and On Demand from Xfinity (and I am sure other cable providers).

The online video is below if you want to watch it:

Restaurant Impossible - Factory on 4th (Cray Eatery & Drinkery) Update

Photo - Food Network

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Columbus, Ohio to makeover Cray Eatery & Drinkery. In this ambush episode the owner Crystal's friend contacted Restaurant Impossible.  Crystal opened Cray after being inspired by infused liquors from Cambodia and her lack of experience has her in trouble.  She is unable to pay the bills and is asking for free labor from friends.  Robert also discovers the restaurant isn't clean, the service is slow, and the liquor infusions are "nauseating."

During this episode, Robert Irvine decided to rename Cray Eatery & Drinkery to Factory on 4th and they have kept the new name.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Factory on 4th to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant: Impossible):