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: