Holiday Baking Championship Winner Crowned Tonight

Tonight at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network is the season 5 finale of Holiday Baking Championship where the winning baker will take home $25,000.  The three remaining bakers competing for the prize are: Douglas Phillips, Sarah Lucia Tafur, and Lerome Campbell.

The episode description for tonight's episode states, "Three bakers remain in the competition, and in the pre-heat, they have to create a beautiful edible holiday ornament display. For the final main heat, the bakers channel holiday gift shopping by creating a cake that is decorated like a gift on the outside and reveals a surprise inside when sliced. For one talented baker, the ultimate gift will be $25,000 and the title of Holiday Baking Champion!"

Holiday Baking Championship has been getting great ratings for Food Network and has been one of the highest rated shows on Food Network this year.  I will update this post with the season 5 winner of Holiday Baking Championship after the episode airs.

Continue reading to see the winner....

Restaurant: Impossible Returning To Food Network With New Episodes

Robert Irvine revealed that Restaurant: Impossible is returning to Food Network with new episodes in 2019.  The show is currently casting and the show is expected to film in January-March of 2019 according to the application to get on the show.  With that timeline for filming, I would expect the new episodes to start airing on Food Network in mid-to-late 2019.

Food Network decided not to renew Restaurant: Impossible back in 2016 and Robert Irvine went on to star in his own talk show, which was canceled earlier this year.

Restaurant: Impossible usually had good ratings, so it isn't much of a shock that it is returning to Food Network with new episodes (note - reruns currently air on Wednesdays at 4am).  We will have to wait until the new episodes air to see if the format will be of the original Restaurant: Impossible, the ambush version or something different.

As always, I will do updates on the restaurants that appear on the show and they will be updated on the Restaurant: Impossible Updates Page.  Are you looking forward to the return of Restaurant: Impossible?


Robert Irvine's tweet about the show returning is below:

It’s time to dust off the sledgehammer. 💪 #RestaurantImpossible returns in 2019! Apply at https://t.co/VoSUpXEMEb pic.twitter.com/8YrpNQRCri

— Robert Irvine (@RobertIrvine) December 11, 2018

Holiday Baking Championship - Five Bakers Remain

I have received a few requests to do a post on Food Network's Holiday Baking Championship so people can discuss it in the comments, so here it is.

The five bakers remaining in season 5 of Holiday Baking Championship are: Douglas Phillips, Dan Raymond, Sarah Lucia Tafur, Lerome Campbell, and Chantal Thomas.  Three episodes remain and the winning baker will be crowned on Monday, December 17th.  The winner will receive a $25,000 prize and I will do another post for the finale where you can discuss the season and the winner.

Holiday Baking Championship has been getting really good ratings for a Monday night with about 1.6 million total viewers per episode.  This makes Holiday Baking Championship one of Food Network's top rated shows.

What do you think of the season so far and who are you rooting for to win?

Giada De Laurentiis To Host New Show 'Winner Cake All'

Photo - Food Network

Giada De Laurentiis will be the host of a new Food Network show called Winner Cake All which will premiere on Monday, January 7th at 10pm ET.  The series will be 13 episodes long, and each episode will have four bakers challenged to make a cake for a $10,000 prize.  There will be two challenges per episode, with the first being a decoration challenge and the second being a cake challenge.  The contestants will be challenged to make themed cakes similar to what was done on Cupcake Wars.

Giada recently hosted Ultimate Thanksgiving Showdown and has been a host/judge on Food Network Star for years.  People always seem to comment on Giada's outfits and her behavior no matter what show she is on, so it will be interesting to see how involved she is as the host on Winner Cake All.  The judges on the show will be a rotating panel with judges such as: Dan Langan, Kimberly Bailey, Damiano Carrara and Yolanda Gampp. (Link)


The press release about the show from Food Network is below:

"Culinary icon Giada De Laurentiis kicks off the New Year with the competition series Winner Cake All, premiering Monday, January 7th at 10pm ET/PT on Food Network. Each episode features four of the best cake-baking tandems from around the country, as Giada challenges them to create epic cakes for their clientele's unforgettable celebrations, ranging from a cake honoring a member of the armed services coming home to a cake for the ultimate family party featuring America's favorite quintuplets, the Busbys, from TLC's OutDaughtered. Through 13 episodes the teams are put to the test over two rounds of baking, with a rotating panel of guest judges helping the clients determine which team captures their dream look and taste to prevail with the $10,000 grand prize!

"As a culinary superstar, restaurateur and Food Network host, there isn't anything that Giada cannot do," said Courtney White, President, Food Network. "Whether it is making a cake for a baby shower or bringing a celebrity client's vision to life, these bakers must navigate pressure-filled challenges, while wowing Giada and the judges for the right to walk away with $10,000."


Each episode features the baking teams competing in two rounds, including a Decoration Challenge where each team must create a unique cake topper based on the client's theme. The panel of judges then decide which team is the first to be eliminated. In the second round, the three remaining teams take part in the Cake Challenge, where Giada introduces the client's request for a sculpted cake for their celebration. Thematic episodes during the season include the creation of a game day party cake for former NFL player Rashad Jennings, Guy Fieri tasking the bakers with making a Guy's Grocery Games-themed cake, and Iron Chef Michael Symon challenging the bakers to make a cake for the opening of his new restaurant in Las Vegas. The STAKES are high but only one team will be victorious and celebrate with $10,000.

Visit FoodNetwork.com/WinnerCakeAll for exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and insider videos with Giada and the celebrity clients. On Food Network's Instagram we are challenging Giada and the judges to a series of "Beat the Heat" games. Find out who can crack the most eggs in 30 seconds and who can stack and frost a cake the fastest! Join in on the conversation using #WinnerCakeAll."

Ultimate Thanksgiving Challenge Winner Crowned Tonight

Tonight at 9pm ET on Food Network is the season finale of Ultimate Thanksgiving Challenge where the winner will take home $25,000.   The final three chefs competing for the prize are Deborah Vantrece, Josh Hedquist, and Darnell Ferguson.

Tonight's episode description states: "In the finale, the remaining three chefs are pushed to the limits of their creativity. In the first round, one chef will be eliminated as the competitors are faced with crucial kitchen equipment being off-limits. Then, in the final head-to-head round, the last two chefs must make a full Thanksgiving meal in just three hours. Only one chef will walk away with the $25,000 prize."

I will update this post with the Ultimate Thanksgiving Challenge winner after the episode airs and feel free to discuss this season in the comments.


Continue reading to see the winner....

Ultimate Thanksgiving Challenge Premieres Tonight

Tonight at 9pm ET on Food Network is the series premiere of Ultimate Thanksgiving Challenge hosted by Giada De Laurentiis.  Five chefs will be competing for a $25,000 prize where they try to make innovative turkeys, side dishes and desserts.  The show will be judged by Alex Guarnaschelli, Carla Hall and Christian Petroni.  The show is only three episodes long and the winner will be revealed on November 18th.

Food Network Star winner Christian Petroni's finds himself on Food Network as a judge again.  There are still no updates on any other potential Food Network shows for Christian or Food Network Star co-winner Jess Tom.

More information about Ultimate Thanksgiving Challenge and other upcoming Thanksgiving specials on Food Network is below:

Halloween Baking Championship Winner Crowned Tonight

Tonight at 9pm ET on Food Network is the season four finale of Halloween Baking Championship where the winning baker will take home $25,000.  The three remaining contestants competing for the prize are Lyndsy McDonald, Jamal Lake, and Michelle Honeman.

The episode description for tonight states, "Inspired by a mysterious "skull man," the bakers enter the graveyard to bring skull desserts to life in the pre-heat. For the main heat, the bakers must create a championship-worthy nightmare cake based on common nightmare themes like falling, being chased or being visited by the dead. The baker that can face their fears and come out on top will be named Halloween Baking Champion!"

I will update this post with the winner after the episode airs and feel free to discuss this season in the comments.

Continue reading to see who won.....

Halloween Wars Winner Crowned Tonight

Tonight at 9pm on Food Network is the season eight finale of Halloween Wars where the winner will take home $50,000.  The final two teams competing for the prize are Candied Cadavers and Zesty Zombies.

The episode description states, "It's the spine-tingling finale of Halloween Wars! The final two teams made up of an expert pumpkin carver, a cake artist and a sugar master have slaughtered their competition, and now they're facing off in one last epic showdown. The team that can best illustrate a terrifying worldwide outbreak and the race for an antidote will be crowned Halloween Wars champions and win $50,000! LeeAnna Vamp, actress, model and horror culture icon, serves as guest judge."

I will update this post with the winner after the episode airs and feel free to discuss this season in the comments.

Continue reading to see who won...

Alton Brown Got Married This Weekend

This weekend in Charleston, South Carolina, Food Network's Alton Brown got married to his fiance Elizabeth Ingram.  Alton and Elizabeth have been engaged since April and he revealed today on social media that they got married this weekend.  The wedding was on a boat and it included their dog which they rescued together.

Yes, @IngramElizabeth and I did in fact tie the knot this weekend. pic.twitter.com/Rsj2gvcKG7

— Alton Brown (@altonbrown) October 1, 2018

Here is a picture of Alton Brown and Elizabeth Ingram on the boat which they got married on.

View this post on Instagram

Yeah, we wore sneakers. #mybouquetwasabloodymary

A post shared by Alton Brown (@altonbrown) on Oct 1, 2018 at 1:57pm PDT

Congratulations to Alton Brown and his new wife Elizabeth!

Food Network's October 2018 Programming Highlights

Photo - Food Network

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

• The Best of Halloween Baking Championship on Monday, October 1st at 10pm. 
• Sandra Lee returns to Food Network as host of a competition show called Haunted Gingerbread Showdown which premieres Sunday, October 7th at 10pm.
• A new series Halloween Cake-Off with Duff Goldman as host on Monday, October 8th at 10pm. 
• A Chopped Champions tournament starting on Tuesday, October 9th at 9pm
• Trisha Yearwood has a Halloween special called Trisha’s Halloween Spooktacular on Monday, October 15th at 8pm. 
• New primetime episodes of Beat Bobby Flay, Big Food Truck Tip, Bite Club, Diners, Drives-Ins and Dives, Guy’s Grocery Games, Halloween Baking Championship, Halloween Wars, Kids Baking Championship, and Triple D Nation.
• New daytime episodes of Barefoot Contessa: Cook Like a Pro, The Kitchen and The Pioneer Woman.

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

*note - Let's Eat is in the press release, but it is no longer on the schedule

Good Eats: Reloaded Premieres October 15th on Cooking Channel

Alton Brown has been promising fans for quite some time that Good Eats would return to television.  When Alton made an announcement about it last year, he said it would be called Return of the Eats, but it appears the show is now called Good Eats: Reloaded.

Alton Brown posted this on his social media accounts: "I’m revisiting the Good Eats library and renovating some classic episodes by adding new scenes, new science and new recipes. The result: Good Eats: Reloaded. Premieres October 15 at 9pm ET on Cooking Channel."

I find it interesting that they chose to put Good Eats: Reloaded on Cooking Channel rather than Food Network.  With the cult following of Good Eats, it would probably have had good ratings on Food Network.

So if you have been waiting for Good Eats to return, you can mark your calender for October 15th at 9pm.

UPDATE - It seems like Good Eats: Reloaded may be separate from Return of the Eats and Return of the Eats will premiere at a later date.

Food Network Star Winner Christian Petroni Competes on Beat Bobby Flay

Photo - Twitter

Christian Petroni, the most recent (co-) winner of Food Network Star will be competing on Beat Bobby Flay tonight at 10pm on Food Network.

The episode is described as: "The tables are turned when past Beat Bobby Flay judges Christian Petroni and Leah Cohen return to the kitchen to take matters into their own hands. Cooking Channel's Laura Vitale and Chef Jet Tila judge the judges to deliver the verdict on who will serve Bobby justice."

Christian has been a judge on the show before, but this is his first time competing on Beat Bobby Flay.  I also don't think this is his "prize" for winning Food Network Star and this was probably filmed a while ago.  Appearing on Beat Bobby Flay was Bobby Flay's hope of a consolation prize for Manny.

I will update this post after the episode airs to let you know how Christian did on tonight's episode of Beat Bobby Flay.

Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis Appear in New Scooby Doo Movie

Today a new Scooby Doo movie called Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost was released on DVD and online.  Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis appear in the cartoon movie and do the voice over work for their characters.

The description of the movie states:

"Pull up a chair, tuck in that napkin, and get ready for a 5-star meal of mystery with Scooby-Doo and the gang, as we hit the road to visit the Rocky Harbor Culinary Resort to meet Fred’s uncle, world-famous chef Bobby Flay. Mystery Inc. quickly learns that this state-of-the-art cooking resort isn’t all steak and potatoes after they find out about the legend of the Red Ghost, and the unsolved disappearance of Bobby Flay’s great ancestor chef. When the mysterious Red Ghost returns in disastrous fashion to haunt the inn, the gang teams up with Bobby and his culinary pal Giada De Laurentiis, to dig in for clues and serve up justice. Will history repeat itself and find another world-famous chef missing? Get ready to take a bite out of this gourmet mystery filled with loads of good eating, tasty laughs and even better twists and turns!"

Chopped judge Marcus Samuelsson also appears in the movie.  Below is a preview video of the movie and the photo above is of the cartoon versions of Giada and Bobby.

Food Network's September 2018 Programming Highlights

Photo - Food Network

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

• A new series called Baked with comedian Tom Papa premiering Monday, September 3rd at 10pm. "He travels the country to find the best sweet and savory bread and baked goods"
• A new series called Bite Club hosted by Tyler Florence starting on Thursday, September 6th at 9pm.  He travels to different cities and five chefs (two will judge) battle it out to become the hometown champ.  This premiered after the finale of The Great Food Truck Race.
• A new series called Big Food Truck Tip with Andrew Zimmern starting on Wednesday, September 19th at 10pm.  He will visit different cities and ends up giving a food truck a $10,000 tip.
• The season finale of Kids Baking Championship on Monday, September 17th at 9pm.
• The season finale of Worst Cooks in America on Sunday, September 23rd at 9pm.
• A new season of Halloween Baking Championship on Monday, September 24th at 9pm. 
• A new season of Halloween Wars on Sunday, September 30th at 9pm.  There are also specials -Road to Halloween Wars premiering at 8pm and Even More Monstrous Scares at 10pm. 
• New primetime episodes of Beat Bobby Flay, Big Food Truck Tip, Chopped, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Guy’s Grocery Games and Triple D Nation. 
• New daytime episodes of Let’s Eat, The Kitchen, The Pioneer Woman and Trisha’s Southern Kitchen.  Note that despite the press release saying Let's Eat is at 11am, it has since been moved to 9am, most likely due to low ratings.

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

The Great Food Truck Race Winner Crowned Tonight

Tonight at 9pm on Food Network is the season 9 finale of The Great Food Truck Race where the winner will go home with $50,000.  If you read the preview/spoiler post from our site, you know that the final two trucks are Just Wing It and New England Grill.

The final episode is two hours long and the description of tonight's episode states, "The final two teams head back to Los Angeles, where Tyler Florence welcomes them to the historic Pueblo de Los Angeles, the epicenter of LA's Mexican heritage and culture. He introduces Bricia Lopez, co-owner of James Beard-award winning restaurant Guelaguetza, and they explain the Mexican ingredients and flavors the trucks will be using in their final challenge: chayote and habanero peppers. Both trucks pull out all the stops for the win, but only one team is awarded the $50,000 grand prize."

Just Wing It is comprised of Worst Cooks in America alumni and it seems that neither food truck plans on using the prize money to open up a food truck business, but I guess we will have to wait and see.

I will update this post with the winner of season 9 of The Great Food Truck Race after the episode airs and you can discuss the episode below.

Continue Reading to find out the winner...

Worst Cooks in America Premieres - Anne Burrell vs. Robert Irvine

Photo - Multivu

Sunday at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network is the season 14 premiere of Worst Cooks in America that features Anne Burrell going up against Robert Irvine.  Anne and Robert faced off in season 2 of Worst Cooks in America back in 2011 and Anne's recruit won that season.  This season will be seven episodes long and the winner will go home with a prize of $25,000 and the bragging rights for their mentor.

As is normally the case, many of the contestants on the show are probably looking for their 15 minutes of fame and here who will be competing this year:

• Copan Combs (Stillwater, Oklahoma)
• Robbie Deraffele (Hackensack, New Jersey)
• Marcus Ellis (Queens, New York)
• Bradley Garcia (Miami, Florida)
• Sarah Harris (Porum, Oklahoma)
• Janese Henry (Spring Lake, North Carolina)
• Linda Martin (Manchester, New Hampshire)
• Jessica Paulson (Oakley, California)
• Mary Ann Rapisarda (Valdosta, Georgia)
• Rudy Rehberg (Chicago, Illinois)
• Frank Scuderi (Maple Shade, New Jersey)
• Timmy Thok (New York, New York)
• Carla Waddell (Alexandria, Virginia)
• Kimberly D. Worthy (Atlanta, Georgia)

Feel free to discuss this season of Worst Cooks in America in the comments below and I will probably post a preview of the finale later in the season.


The full press release about this season from multivu is below and you can read episode descriptions and contestant bios here:

New Food Network Show Let's Eat Premieres Sunday

Photo - Food Network

Let's Eat is a new daytime series starting on Sunday, August 12th at 11am ET/PT with co-hosts Brandi Milloy, Stuart O’Keeffe, and Jamika Pessoa.  The co-hosts will discuss "flavorful dishes, to popular restaurant trends, and to the latest food fads captivating social media." The will also be "joined by special culinary guests, as well as experts from Food Network Kitchen, as they explore everything that is current in the culinary world, and share tips, tricks, and mouthwatering recipes to make your time in the kitchen a breeze."


The description of Let's Eat sounds very similar to Food Network's Kitchen Sink, but obviously with different co-hosts.  When Kitchen Sink premiered, it was described as:

"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"

If you are wondering about the hosts, they have all appeared on Food Network in the past.  Brandi Milloy has appeared on Guy’s Grocery Games, Food Network Star and Chopped Junior; Stuart O’Keeffe has appeared on Private Chefs of Beverly Hills and Chopped; and Jamika Pessoa has competed on Food Network Star and is a judge on new show Ultimate Summer Cook-Off.  

The full press release about Let's Eat is below:

Food Network Star Winner Crowned Tonight

Tonight at 9pm ET on Food Network is the season 14 finale of Food Network Star where the winner will be announced. The final three contestants are Manny Washington, Christian Petroni and Jess Tom. On the episode tonight, we will get to see each of their full pilots as well as the top moments from this season. Manny Washington's pilot was directed by Duff Goldman, Jess Tom's pilot by Robert Irvine and Christian Petroni's by Sunny Anderson. A poll on this website reveals that people are rooting for Christian the most, followed by Manny second and then Jess in a distant third. The winner of Food Network Star is no longer determined by viewer voting, so it could be anybody that wins.

There is no guarantee that the season 14 winner of Food Network Star will get a show, so we will have to see if anything is announced for the winner after tonight's episode.  The pilots shot and shown on this episode seem to be more of a final challenge rather than an actual show Food Network is considering creating.  With that said, all of the pilots were traveling type shows where the contestants try other people's food and the pilots were not a show where the contestants cook their own food.

I will update this post once the winner is announced and will also update the post with any information about the winner's show (if there is one).

Continue reading to find out who won (Spoiler):

Food Network Star Season 14 Winner - Poll

Photo - Food Network Twitter

Season 14 of Food Network Star is down to the final three contestants and each of them have filmed their pilot.  Manny Washington's pilot was directed by Duff Goldman, Jess Tom's pilot by Robert Irvine and Christian Petroni's by Sunny Anderson.  We got glimpses of what their pilot is about, but the full pilots will not be shown until next week's episode.  This makes it so it is hard to determine who did the best or what their pilot is even about until next week.


There is always a poll on this site to determine who people are rooting for to win Food Network Star.  So vote below to let everyone know who you want to win and feel free to discuss in the comments. Last year Jason Smith was the overwhelming favorite in the poll and ended up winning the competition.

UPDATE - BOTH Jess Tom and Christian Petroni were named winners.

Food Network Star Episode 8 Elimination

Photo - Food Network Twitter

Tonight on Food Network Star, the final three contestants were joined by the winner of Star Salvation to make there be four finalists again.  The winner of Star Salvation was Jess Tom and she rejoined the competition.

For the challenge on tonight's episode, the four contestants had to cook a dish that displayed their culinary style and the eliminated contestants were there to serve as sous chefs.  Manny had Samone, Christian had Palak, Amy had Harrison, and Jess had Rebekah as their sous chef.  The final three then had to present their dish to the camera.  Previous Food Network Star winners Tregaye Fraser and Jason Smith were there to help Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay judge the challenge.  The judges decided that Amy Pottinger would be the finalist eliminated and she did not get to shoot a pilot.


The three finalists who shot pilots were Christian Petroni, Manny Washington, and Jess Tom.  The pilots were directed by Sunny Anderson, Duff Goldman, and Robert Irvine.  Robert Irvine directed Jess's pilot, Sunny Anderson directed Christian Petroni's, and Duff Goldman directed Manny Washington's.

The winner of season 14 of Food Network Star will be revealed next week.  I will have a poll up shortly to see who everybody is rooting for to win although there is no actual voting by the audience this year.

UPDATE - Here is a link to the poll.

The Great Food Truck Race Season 9 Preview and Spoilers

Photo - Multivu

Tomorrow night at 9pm on Food Network is the season 9 premiere of The Great Food Truck Race. This season is in the Southwest and will have seven food truck teams who are competing to win a $50,000 grand prize. The six-episode season has stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Yuma, Coachella Valley and then back to Los Angeles for the finale.


The food trucks competing are:

• Buns N’ Thighs – Chicago, Illinois (Marla Nones, Victoria Elena Nones, Ian M. Sherwin)
• Chops’ Shop – Pearland, Texas (Sonia Buckelew, Bryan Soliz, Sandra Soliz)
• Heroes on a Half Shell – Frederick, Maryland (Clinton Sheron, Danni Sheron, Donna Sheron)
• Just Wing It – New York, New York (Steven Crowley, Kevin Pettice, Sharon Shvarzman)
• Mobile Moo Shu – Detroit, Michigan (Michelle Gautier, Chelsea Smith, Marley Vanderbrook)
• New England Grill – Newport, Rhode Island (Kevin Des Chenes, Christine Hurley, Ed Gallagher)  
• Sassy Soul – Silver Spring, Maryland and Washington D.C. (Lauren Carson, Paris Henry, Parris Jewel).

More information about season 9 of The Great Food Truck Race such as team bios and pictures can be found at multivu if you are interested.

One interesting thing this year is that one of the teams (Just Wing It) has three contestants from Worst Cooks in America.  I am guessing people will question the legitimacy of both Worst Cooks in America and The Great Food Truck Race because of this.

When filming The Great Food Truck Race, the food trucks advertise their locations on social media (which are later removed) and local newspapers do stories on the race while it is filming. This makes it possible to determine the order of elimination down to the final two trucks. This year I do not have each elimination as there wasn't as much media coverage, but I do have the final two trucks.  If you are interested in the final two, continue reading.  Obviously it is a spoiler, but it just reveals the final two trucks and not the winner.

Food Network Star Episode 7 Elimination - Plus Star Salvation

Photo - Food Network Twitter

Tonight on Food Network Star, the four remaining finalists had to first make a "share worthy" dish that could go on Food Network's Facebook page.  Anne Burrell was there as a special guest to help film the demo video.  The contestants acted as producers and had to communicate with Anne through a wireless earpiece to guide her through a demo.  Anne, Bobby and Giada decided that Amy created the most buzzworthy shareable dish and earned an advantage in the next challenge.

On the second challenge, the finalists had to host a live "in the kitchen" show with special guest Ree Drummond.  Amy was able to pick her topic for her live show and also got to assign everybody else their topic.  Manny made the blunder of calling Ree Drummond Ree Thompson during his live show, but that wasn't enough to get him sent home as he and Christian were considered safe.  Bobby and Giada then decided that Palak Patel would be the contestant eliminated.


On Star Salvation Chris Valdes, Harrison Bader, Jess Tom and Palak Patel were competing. This episode of Star Salvation can be watched here. As is always the case with the last episode of Star Salvation, the winner was not revealed.  We will have to wait until next week's episode to see who won Star Salvation and will rejoin Food Network Star.

Robert Irvine's Talk Show Has Been Canceled

The Robert Irvine Show, which was a talk show that aired on The CW, has been canceled.  The daily talk show started in September 2016 which was shortly after it was confirmed that Restaurant: Impossible was canceled.  The Robert Irvine Show lasted two seasons and production of the show stopped earlier this year.  The show will continue to air on The CW until it is replaced by The Jerry Springer Show in September.  The Robert Irvine Show Facebook page has been taken down and reviews for the show were pretty bad.

We will have to see if this will translate into more work on Food Network for Robert Irvine.  He is already coming back to compete against Anne Burrell on the next season of Worst Cooks in America which starts on Sunday, August 12th.

Food Network Star Episode 6 Elimination - Plus Star Salvation

Photo - Twitter

Tonight on Food Network Star, the remaining finalists had to first update one of their family favorites with a culinary twist.  While they are cooking their updated dish, they also have to film an Instagram story while they cook.  Blogger and host of Girl Meets Farm Molly Yeh was there to help Bobby Flay and Giada judge the first challenge.  The judges decided that Manny was the winner of that challenge and he got an advantage in the 2nd challenge.

On the second challenge, the finalists had to cater a five-course VIP dinner for the 20th anniversary celebration of Shark Night at an aquarium.  Manny was able to choose which course and star ingredient he wanted for this challenge as his advantage.  Katie had the salad course with clams, Palak had soup and yellowtail, Christian pasta and black cod, and Amy had entree and squid.  Man vs. Food's Casey Wells helped Giada and Bobby judge this challenge.  The judges decided that Christian and Amy did the best and were safe from elimination.  They then let Katie Dixon know that she was the contestant eliminated from this episode.


On Star Salvation Chris Valdes, Harrison Bader, Jess Tom and Katie Dixon were competing. This episode of Star Salvation can be watched here, and the judges also decided to eliminate Katie Dixon from Star Salvation. Katie Dixon will not be rejoining the competition and will not be the next Food Network Star.  Next week will be the last week of Star Salvation.

Food Network Star Episode 5 Elimination - Plus Star Salvation

Photo - Twitter

Tonight on Food Network Star, the remaining contestants were in Hollywood and in the first challenge had to cook dishes inspired by the movie Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.   Actress Fran Drescher was with Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis to help judge the contestants on the challenge.

For the second challenge, the remaining contestants were paired up and had to give their take on new Food Network titles: Ooey Gooey, Cheat Eats and Stacked Snacks. It was decided that Amy did the best for the first challenge, so she had the advantage of picking the title of her show and was also able to pick the teams.  Everybody was judged by Bobby, Giada, and guest judges Loni Love and Alex Guarnaschelli.

The judges decided that Katie, Palak, and Manny did the best in the challenge and they were all safe.  It was decided that Jess would be eliminated from the competition and she was sent home and to Star Salvation.

On Star Salvation Jason Goldstein, Chris Valdes, Harrison Bader and Jess Tom were competing.  This episode of Star Salvation can be watched here, and the judges decided to eliminate Jason Goldstein from this episode. Jason Goldstein will not be rejoining the competition and will not be the next Food Network Star.

Food Network's July 2018 Programming Highlights

Photo - Multivu

Here are some of the highlights of the Food Network programming scheduled to air on the channel in July.  There are a lot of new series premiering this month:

• The season premiere of Ridiculous Cakes on Monday July 9th at 10pm.
• A new series called Triple D Nation that starts Friday July 13th at 9pm.  In this series Guy Fieri revisits some of his favorite places from Diners, Drive Ins and Dives to see how they are doing.
• A new series called Comfort Food Tour with the Grill Dads starting Saturday, July 21st at 8pm.
• The season 9 premiere of The Great Food Truck Race on Thursday, July 26th at 9pm.  I will get a preview together before the season starts.
• A new series Ultimate Summer Cook-Off premieres Sunday, July 29th at 10pm. It is hosted by Eddie Jackson and has Demaris Phillips as one of the judges. Six competitors compete for a $25,000 prize.
• A new season of Chopped Grill Masters starts on Tuesday, July 31st at 9pm and has a regional theme.
• New primetime episodes of Beat Bobby Flay, Dallas Cakes, Food Network Star, Guy's Grocery Games, Iron Chef America, and Wedding Cake Championship. 
• New daytime episodes of Trisha's Southern Kitchen, Baked in Vermont, Giada on the Beach, Girl Meets Farm, The Kitchen, and The Pioneer Woman. 

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

Food Network Star Episode 4 Elimination - Plus Star Salvation

Tonight on Food Network Star, the remaining contestants had to cook a dish to show how much they had progressed.  The contestants then had to film a one minute segment presenting their dish and they found out that they had to critique themselves.  During the second challenge, the contestants were split into two teams and they had the task of judging and critiquing Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis after they made a dish of their own.

The bottom two from each team had to compete in a sudden death cook-off where two contestants would be eliminated.  Amy, Harrison, Adam, and Palak were all in the bottom four and they had to make the dish they critiqued from Bobby and Giada.  The judges decided that Harrison Bader and Adam Gertler would be the finalists eliminated from Food Network Star and they went on to compete on Star Salvation.



On Star Salvation Jason Goldstein, Chris Valdes, Samone Lett, Rebekah Lingenfelser, and Harrison Bader were competing.  Adam Gertler wasn't on there for some reason, maybe because he was on Comeback Kitchen. This episode of Star Salvation can be watched here, and the judges eliminated two contestants from Star Salvation - Samone Lett and Rebekah Lingenfelser.  Samone and Rebekah will not be rejoining the competition and will not be the next Food Network Star.

Food Network Star Episode 3 Elimination

Tonight on Food Network Star the remaining contestants had to cook at an exclusive event for "foodies and tastemakers."  At first they thought they were cooking solo, but Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay reveal they are actually cooking in teams.  Each team got their event theme, ingredients and decor in the trunk of their vehicle.  The teams were Manny, Harrison, and Christian  (theme - fiesta); Adam, Amy, and Palak (theme - Morocco); Rebekah, Jess, and Katie (theme - pasta)  Tyler Florence was the guest judge on hand to help out Giada and Bobby.

The judges decided that team fiesta was the winning team and they were all considered safe.  Then Bobby and Giada let Palak, Katie and Adam know that they were safe.  In the end, the judges decided that Rebekah Lingenfelser would be the finalist eliminated from Food Network Star.

Rebekah will go onto Star Salvation with hopes of rejoining the competition.  Star Salvation will begin next week after the new Food Network Star episode airs.

Best Baker In America Season 2 Winner Crowned Tonight

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Tonight at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network is the season 2 finale of Best Baker in America.  The three remaining contestants hoping to take home the $25,000 prize are Lasheeda Perry, Adam Young, and Jean-Francois Suteau.  Tonight's finale has a chocolate theme and during the skills challenge the finalists have to create a glazed Austrian chocolate cake called sachertorte.  Then in the Master Challenge, the finalists have to create a chocolate cake for 100 people that "features caramel flavor and elaborate chocolate decorations, three types of chocolate and three flavors of chocolate bonbons."  Baker Yolanda Gampp is there to help Jason Smith and Marcela Valladolid judge the final challenge.

To see who won Best Baker in America Season 2, continue reading...

Food Network Star Episode 2 Elimination

Tonight on Food Network Star the remaining contestants first had to create a food podcast about colorful snacks. Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis were joined by guest judge Richard Blais to listen to the podcasts and judge.  They decided that Adam Gertler and Jess Tom were the winners of the challenge.

Adam and Jess gained an advantage in the second challenge by being able to pick their other three teammates.  After splitting into two teams, the contestants had to do field reports from a food hall in Los Angeles called The Proud Bird.  The teams were Samone, Amy, Rebekah, Harrison and Manny vs. Adam, Jess, Katie, Palak, and Christian.  Previous Food Network Star winner Damaris Phillips was on hand to help Bobby and Giada judge this challenge and to decide which contestant to eliminate.

The advantage Adam and Jess gained worked out as they were decided as the winning team and safe from elimination.  Bobby and Giada decided that Harrison and Rebekah were also safe and Amy, Samone, and Manny were the bottom three. They decided to eliminate Samone.


Samone Lett will go on to compete in Star Salvation with hopes of rejoining the competition.

Grill Dads Get Another Show - Comfort Food Tour

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Mark Anderson and Ryan Fey, who won Guy's Big Project and their own show called Grill Dads, will be starring in a new series on Food Network.  The new series is called Comfort Food Tour and Mark and Ryan will "discover the most mouthwatering and soul satisfying dishes across the country."

The first two episodes premiere on Saturday, July 21st at 8:00 and 8:30 ET/PT and they will actually be visiting a beer garden owned by Food Network Star winner Eddie Jackson.


The press release with more details about the show from Discovery is below:


"Mark Anderson And Ryan Fey Embark On The Ultimate Comfort Food Tour On New Food Network Series
New Series Premieres with Double Episodes on Saturday, July 21st at 8pm ET/PT and 8:30pm ET/PT

New York – June 12, 2018 – This summer, longtime friends and passionate food lovers Mark Anderson and Ryan Fey, embark on the ultimate Comfort Food Tour to discover the most mouthwatering and soul satisfying dishes across the country. Eating their way from destination to destination, they will try it all from juicy burgers that drip down your arm, to homemade cheesy lasagna that makes you feel at home, to sweet-and-savory soul food that will make you want to lick your plate. Their hunt for the best comfort food kicks-off on Saturday, July 21st at 8pm ET/PT, with a second new serving at 8:30pm ET/PT and it’s guaranteed to taste like all the comforts of home.

“Audiences have come to trust Mark and Fey’s palates and abilities to discover the most outrageous and over the top dishes in the country, making them the perfect guides for this deliciously indulgent Comfort Food Tour,” said Courtney White, General Manager and Executive Vice President, Programming, Food Network and HGTV. “Their sense of humor and witty banter as they playfully poke fun at each other adds another layer of fun to this epic trip that is sure to entertain.”

On the premiere on Saturday, July 21st at 8pm ET/PT, it is all about ooey gooey delicious comfort foods as Mark and Fey head to Chicago for the epitome of Italian comfort – homemade cheesy lasagna. At Bacchanalia, a female family run restaurant, the duo learns the secret to making impossibly rich and creamy lasagna, without any ricotta cheese. Then, they end the meal on a high note with tiramisu filled with mascarpone custard. Next, they head south to Turnhouse Grill in Charlotte, North Carolina for perfect pork chops, made with homemade apple butter that adds a sweet complementary flavor to the dish. The sweetness continues with a sinful salted caramel apple bread pudding so good it will make you sing. To round out this trip, Mark and Fey meet up with Eddie Jackson at his outdoor eatery, The Rosehill Beer Garden in Cypress, Texas where he brings eclectic food trucks together serving up classic comfort foods with unique twists from around the globe.

Hungry for more, at 8:30pm ET/PT, Mark and Fey pay a visit to Ninfas, a smokin’ hot Tex-Mex joint in Houston that’s home to the very first fajita served in America. They agree this sizzling showstopper is worth its weight in gold. Then, it is a burger throw down at Moo and Brew in Charlotte, North Carolina. There the duo not only eats delicious burgers, but also makes their very own burger surprise that earns a spot on the menu. Completing the comfort food trifecta, they hit up Azucar, a one of a kind ice cream shop in Miami serving up mouthwatering rum soaked cake topped with homemade Cuban ice cream.

Fans can head to FoodNetwork.com/ComfortFoodTour for more info on all the spots Mark and Fey visit, and to check out insider photos from their adventures and exclusive bonus videos. Head to Food Network’s Facebook and Instagram pages to see clips of the gooiest, cheesiest and most-over-the-top dishes featured on Comfort Food Tour, and keep up with all the action using #ComfortFoodTour.

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FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food. The network strives to be viewers’ best friend in food and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring, empowering and entertaining through its talent and expertise. Food Network is distributed to nearly 100 million U.S. households and draws over 46 million unique web users monthly. Since launching in 2009, Food Network Magazine’s rate base has grown 13 times and is the No. 2 best-selling monthly magazine on the newsstand, with 13.5 million readers. Food Network is owned by Discovery, Inc., a global leader in real life entertainment whose portfolio also includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, TLC, Investigation Discovery, and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network."

Food Network Star Episode 1 Elimination - Plus Comeback Kitchen Winner

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Tonight on the season 14 premiere of Food Network Star, we were introduced to the 10 contestants competing and the winner of Comeback Kitchen was revealed. The two remaining contestants from Comeback Kitchen were Adam Gertler and Amy Pottinger, and Adam Gertler was first revealed as the winner who would get to compete on Food Network Star.  Then after a commercial break Amy Pottinger was also revealed as a winner and she also is competing on this season of Food Network Star.  With only 10 contestants cast this season, this may have been the plan all along to bring two people back.  If you think you recognize some of the new contestants this year, here is a post about what other shows they have appeared on.

On tonight's episode, the finalists had to introduce themselves and then make a portable version of their signature dish.  They had to convince park guests at Universal Studios to taste their dish over other competitors. 

Bobby and Giada decided that the bottom three were Chris Valdes, Jason Goldstein, and Rebekah Lingenfelser.  They then decided that the two contestants to be eliminated were Jason and Chris.

Chris Valdes and Jason Goldstein will compete on Star Salvation with hopes of rejoining the competition.


What do you think about the contestants this season?  Do you think Adam Gertler has too much experience to be competing on Food Network Star again?

Food Network Star Season 14 Contestants - Where Have You Seen Them?

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This Sunday at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network is the start of season 14 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.  Many have blogs and YouTube channels, but those are not listed.  Also listed is their POV from the Food Network Star Talk Blog.

• Harrison Bader (Los Angeles, CA) - MTV's House of Food (won).  POV - Healthy, delicious and approachable cuisine.
• Katie Dixon (Hattiesburg, MS) - Fox's Masterchef.  POV - Southern-rooted with a healthy international spin.
• Jason Goldstein (New York, NY) - Finished in the top 10 of Rachael Ray’s cookbook contest.  POV - I am a happy comfort food food blogger.
• Samone Lett (Sanford, FL) - Food Network's Cooks vs. Cons.  POV - I like bold flavors and using seasonings and spices. And I love sauces. Anything I do will have to have flavors that pop and have a sauce.
• Rebekah Lingenfelser (Savannah, GA) - ABC's The Taste. POV - My culinary point of view is Southern coastal cuisine, and I love to cook with local, seasonal ingredients whenever they’re available.
• Palak Patel (New York, NY) - Appeared on Food Network's Rewrapped, Beat Bobby Flay (won), Chopped (won). POV - Fine casual. Basically I’ve taken a lot of things that I’ve eaten in my life and done it in a casual form.
• Christian Petroni (Port Chester, NY) - Food Network's Chopped (won), Also a judge on Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay.  POV - Food people want to eat.
• Jessica Tom (Princeton, NJ) -  Food Network's Cooks vs. Cons, Author of a book called Food Whore.  POV - Easily international twists that you can easily integrate into your cooking.
• Chris Valdes (Miami, FL) - Appearances on local news segments.  POV - You don’t have to be a chef to cook like one. And make it fun while you’re at it.
• Manny Washington (Orlando, FL) -  Fox's Masterchef, Food Network's Cutthroat Kitchen (won). POV - American cuisine with Southern and Caribbean influences.

You will also recognize the Food Network Star: Comeback Kitchen winner as they have previously competed on Food Network Star. If I have missed any contestant appearances on other shows, let me know in the comments and I can update this post.

If you are interested in learning more about the contestants, their bios from the Food Network Star press release are available here.

As always, visit Food Network Gossip after each episode airs to discuss the episode and who went home.

Anthony Bourdain Dead At 61 After Suicide

Food TV Icon Anthony Bourdain was found dead Friday morning in a Paris, France hotel.  Anthony was in Paris filming an episode of CNN's Parts Unknown and his close friend Eric Ripert found him unresponsive in his hotel room Friday morning of an apparent suicide.

CNN released a statement regarding death, "It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain.  His love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink and the remarkable stories of the world made him a unique storyteller. His talents never ceased to amaze us and we will miss him very much. Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughter and family at this incredibly difficult time."

While Anthony Bourdain doesn't have a show on Food Network, he was often outspoken about personalities on the network such as Guy Fieri and Paula Deen.  He had quite an impact on everybody in the food world including people on Food Network.  Statements were made by pretty much everybody in the food industry and some of them are below:

Food Network's June 2018 Programming Highlights

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

• The season 14 premiere of Food Network Star on Sunday, June 10th at 9pm.  The Food Network Star: Comeback Kitchen finale will be aired right before the Food Network Star season premiere.
• The season finale of Best Baker in America on Monday, June 18th at 9pm.
• A new daytime series Girl Meets Farm on Sunday, June 24th at 11am.  It has food blogger Molly Yeh who is "bringing her unique perspective and recipes that combine her Jewish and Asian roots with her Midwestern surroundings to Food Network." 
• Guy's Ranch Feast on Sunday, June 17th at 12pm which will have Rocco DiSpirito, Alex Guarnaschelli, Jonathan Waxman, and Scott Conant.
• New primetime episodes of Beat Bobby Flay, Chopped, Dallas Cakes, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Food Network Star: Comeback Kitchen, Guy’s Grocery Games, Iron Chef America and Vegas Cakes.
• New daytime episodes of Baked in Vermont, Giada on the Beach, The Kitchen, The Pioneer Woman and Valerie’s Home Cooking.

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

Food Network Star Comeback Kitchen Starts Tonight

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Tonight at 9pm on Food Network is the return of Food Network Star: Comeback Kitchen.  For the third season in a row, a previous Food Network Star contestant will get a chance to complete on Food Network Star once again. Food Network Star: Comeback Kitchen is three episodes long and is co-hosted by Tyler Florence and Valerie Bertinelli.

The former Food Network Star contestants competing on Comeback Kitchen are:

• Trace Barnett (season 13)
• Adam Gertler (season 4)
• Debbie Lee (season 5)
• Yaku Moton-Spruill (season 12)
• Sarah Penrod (season 10)
• Amy Pottinger (season 13)
• Monterey Salka (season 12)
• Jernard Wells (season 12)

On tonight's episode, the eight finalists have to reinvent a TV dinner while demonstrating that they have improved on their past flaws.  Then for the Star Challenge, they have to make a dish that incorporates cereal and dessert and do a one-minute demo.

Food Network Star season 14 will begin on Sunday, June 10th with the winner of Comeback Kitchen being revealed during that episode.

UPDATE - If you are wondering who went home on the first episode, Monterey Salka was sent home and will not be competing on Food Network Star.

UPDATE 2 - On the 2nd episode, Debbie Lee and Trace Barnett were sent home.