Holiday Baking Championship Winner Crowned Tonight

Tonight at 9pm ET on Food Network is the two-hour season seven finale of Holiday Baking Championship where the winning baker will take home $25,000.  The four remaining contestants competing for the prize are Lorenzo Delgado, Julianna Jung, Eva Roberts and Megan Rountree.  

The episode description for tonight states, "Dressed as a Christmas tree, host Jesse Palmer kicks things off by asking the final four competitors to honor the holiday tree in the form of a beautifully decorated macaron tower. In the Christmas past, present and future main heat, the bakers must feature an assigned icing style in a stunning cake that evokes their assigned time period -- marzipan from the past, buttercream from the present or mirror glaze from the future. In the end, judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall will decide the one baker who will be crowned Holiday Baking Champion and walk away $25,000 richer!"

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 season 7 of Holiday Baking Championship......

Food Network Related News and Links

Photo - Food Network

Here are some recent Food Network related news items:

• Discovery+ is a streaming service launching in the United States in January that will feature all of Discovery's brands including Food Network.  There is a large library of shows and they will also have new, original content.  The new content listed for Food Network includes: Bobby and Giada in Italy, Cakealikes, Duff's Happy Fun Bake Time, Foodways with Carla Hall (working title), Luda Can't Cook, Mary McCartney Serves it Up, What's Eating Sebastian Maniscalo(working title), and Amy Schumer Learns to Cook: Uncensored. (Link with show descriptions).

• Guy Fieri is the executive producer of a documentary called Restaurant Hustle 2020: All On The Line. It follows chefs Maneet Chauhan, Antonia Lofaso, Christian Petroni, and Marcus Samuelsson as they document the challenges their restaurants faced during 2020.  It will premiere on Food Network Sunday, December 27th at 9pm ET/PT. (Link)

• Ree Drummond introduced her foster son to the world and he has been living with her family for a year and a half. (Link)

• Buddy Valastro had his hand impaled during an accident at his home bowling alley.  He has undergone multiple surgeries and continues to recover with hopes of being able to bake the way he used to. (Link)

• Carla Hall will be the mentor competing against Anne Burrell in the upcoming season of Worst Cooks in America scheduled to begin January 3rd at 9pm on Food Network. (Link)

• Here are some recent Food Network books that have released in the past month:

• Ina Garten - Modern Comfort Food: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook 
• Alex Guarnaschelli -  Cook with Me: 150 Recipes for the Home Cook: A Cookbook
• Ree Drummond - Frontier Follies: Adventures in Marriage and Motherhood in the Middle of Nowhere.  The story about her foster child is detailed in here.

Holiday Baking Championship Season 7

The seventh season of Holiday Baking Championship airs on Monday nights at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network.  This season is hosted by Jesse Palmer and the judges are Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman, and Carla Hall.  The only difference is that Carla Hall replaced Lorraine Pascale as a judge this year.   This year there are twelve bakers competing for a $25,000 prize and a feature on the Food Network app over seven episodes.  Last year, there were ten bakers and eight episodes.

The bakers competing for the $25,000 prize on season seven are:

• Jon Buatti (bakery owner) — Auburn, NH
• Lorenzo Delgado (pastry chef) — Miami, FL
• Kess Eshun (pastry chef) — Frisco, TX
• Jeffrey Gray (home baker) — Atlanta, GA
• Julianna Jung (home baker) — Champaign, IL
• Jamaal Nettles (home baker) — Atlanta, GA
• Jonathan Peregrino (home baker) — Detroit, MI
• Eva Roberts (home baker) — Spokane, WA
• Megan Rountree (bakery owner) — Keller, TX
• Lashonda Sanford (bakery owner) — Newport News, VA
• Aubrey Shaffner (pastry chef) — Baltimore, MD
• Kristina Stephenson (pastry chef) — Spokane, WA

The Holiday Baking Championship season finale will air on Monday, December 21st and I will do another post about that episode before it airs.  Feel free to discuss season 7 of Holiday Baking Championship in the comments of this post. 

To see who won season 7 of Holiday Baking Championship, see this post. 

Halloween Baking Championship Winner Crowned Tonight

Tonight at 9pm ET on Food Network is the season six finale of Halloween Baking Championship where the winning baker will take home $25,000.  The four remaining contestants competing for the prize are Renee Loranger, Aaron Clouse, Sinai Vespie and Michelle Lee.

The episode description for tonight states, "The final four bakers reach the last leg of their haunted house journey in the mad doctor's surgical room, where they face off to make severed limb cakes. Then, host Carla Hall challenges the competitors to reach new heights with floating cakes to impress her and the other judges, Stephanie Boswell and Zac Young. The most successful baker wins $25,000 and is 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 season 6 of Halloween Baking Championship...

Halloween Baking Championship Season 6

Halloween Baking Championship season 6 airs on Monday nights at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network and this season has eight bakers competing for a $25,000 prize and a feature in Food Network Magazine.  This season Carla Hall is both hosting and judging while Stephanie Boswell and Zac Young are the other judges.

This season there are 10 contestants (there were 8 last year) competing for the prize who are listed below:

• Brian Bosch – Santa Ana, CA - Event Designer
• Holly Braddock – Myrtle Beach, SC - Pastry Chef
• Tamara Brown – Los Angeles, CA - competed on season 2 of Halloween Baking Championship
• Aaron Clouse – Columbus, OH - Pastry Chef
• Edward Cunningham – Chicago, IL - Railroad heavy equipment operator
• Michael Gaddy – Dade City, FL - Pastry Chef
• Nerwan Khalife – Bronx, NY - Pastry Chef
• Renee Loranger – Mississippi Gulf Coast - Pastry Chef
• Michelle Lee – Monterey, CA - Sous Chef
• Sinai Vespie – Mishawaka, IN - Pastry Chef

Season 6 is seven episodes long with the winner being revealed on the finale Monday, October 26th.  I will do another post for the finale, but you can comment on this post to discuss the season.

Here is the post for the finale.

Food Network Related News and Links

Sorry for not posting in a little bit.  Here are some of the more recent Food Network related news items:

• Duff Goldman and his wife announced that they are pregnant with a baby that is expected in January 2021. (Link)

• Duff Goldman is releasing a cookbook for kids titled Super Good Baking for Kids which releases on September 29th and is available for pre-order.

• Katie Lee had her baby girl on September 2, 2020 and named her Iris Marion Biegel.  The picture on this post was her announcement on Instagram. (Link)

• Carla Hall signed a contract with Food Network and it looks like she will be appearing on more shows such as, Halloween Baking Championship, Holiday Baking Championship and Worst Cooks in America. (Link)

• Ayesha Curry had a dramatic weight loss and is now a spokesperson for Fitbit. (Link)

• Food Network's Christmas Cookie Challenge was filming in August and had to be cut short due to a crew member testing positive for COVID-19.  Due to that, the season will be six episodes long instead of eight.  It should be interesting to see if there is a winner revealed and how the show is edited.  (Link)

• Food Network's Nancy Fuller listed her property for sale for $5.95 million.  Here is the listing with pictures.

• Rachael Ray had a fire at her house and she and her family were safe despite the damage. (Link)

Worst Cooks in America Winner - Season 20

Tonight at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network is the season 20 finale of Worst Cooks in America where the winner will take home a $25,000 prize and bragging rights for their mentor. The final two contestants are Zach Ignoffo representing Anne Burrell's team and Ari Robinson representing Alex Guarnaschelli's team.


The episode description states, "In the last skill drill, the final two recruits are challenged by a couple of cooks who aren't kidding around -- Chopped Junior Champions! Then, Chef Anne Burrell and Chef Alex Guarnaschelli teach the recruits their finale menus. For the final main dish challenge, the recruits put their newly learned skills to the test by cooking a three-course restaurant quality meal for a panel of culinary experts. Judges Mary Giuliani, James Tahhan and Julian Rodarte blindly taste each course and determine the winner who will take home $25,000!"


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

Continue reading to see who won season 20 of Worst Cooks in America...

Uncle Andy's Diner From Restaurant Impossible Has Closed

Uncle Andy's Diner in South Portland, Maine which appeared on season 9 of Restaurant: Impossible has closed.  In the beginning of May 2020, the restaurant posted the following message on Facebook, "To our uncle Andy's family. With heavy hearts we will be closing our doors May 31st. As much as we would love to stay open for all our loyal customers, there is no other way. As our last option was the PPP Loan which we did not get, So under these circumstances we are unable to stay open past May 31st. For the last 18 years we have enjoyed serving your family and watching them grow. We will miss you all. Dont forget you have until May 31st to get your Hash, your shaped Pancakes, and dont for get the jokes"

A local article also said that Uncle Andy's being closed for sit-down diners due to government regulations devastated the business.  Owner Dennis Fogg said being on Restaurant Impossible did help the restaurant, but he decided to close to try to avoid major debt.

At the end of May, when the restaurant closed, they posted, "That's all folks! THANK YOU to all of our supporters, friends, family, and customers over the years. We love and appreciate each and every one of you.❤❤❤ We invite you all to follow Dennis Fogg Comedy and come see Dennis in his natural habitat, making a fool of himself in front of strangers."


Uncle Andy's Diner appeared on Restaurant Impossible in 2014 and the restaurant was being leased by Dennis.  The restaurant had been open for 66 years, so the closing brought a lot of emotions for the community.  Uncle Andy's Diner has been marked as 'Closed' on the Restaurant Impossible Updates Page. 

Worst Cooks in America - Season 20

Food Network's Worst Cooks in America season 20 begins tonight and airs weekly on Sunday nights at 9pm ET. This season brings a new mentor competing against Anne Burrell which will be Alex Guarnaschelli.  Both Anne and Alex are recently engaged - Anne in April and Alex a few days ago.  Worst Cooks in America continues to be one of Food Network's top rated shows, so we will continue to see the ridiculous contestants appearing on the show and multiple seasons throughout the year. This year the fourteen contestants that will compete on the show include:

• Dolores Aguilar-Fernandez (Cypress, Texas)
• Evan Baker (Bismarck, North Dakota)
• Darian Barnes (Rahway, New Jersey)
• Holly Brooks (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
• Zack Ignoffo (Chicago, Illinois)
• Domaine Javier (San Gabriel, California)
• Jewels McIlroy (Syracuse, New York)
• Johannes “Yo” Phelps (Davenport, Iowa)
• Ari Robinson (Simpsonville, South Carolina)
• Denise Schroder (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
• Louisa Sharamatyan (Glendale, California)
• Eric Smart (Los Angeles, California)
• Erin Sullivan (Mayfield, Kentucky)
• Brianna Weidenbach (Martin, Tennessee)

The winner of Worst Cooks in America season 20 will receive $25,000 and I will do another post about the show before the season finale. This season is only seven episodes long (season 18 was ten episodes) with the finale being on Sunday, August 2nd.  Alton Brown was a new mentor on season 18 with mixed results, so we will see if people like Alex Guarnaschelli on this season.  Feel free to discuss this season in the comments section as people like to discuss the season as it progresses.  

Alex Guarnaschelli Is Engaged

Photo - Instagram

Food Network chef Alex Guarnaschelli announced on social media that she is now engaged. Alex posted a picture of her engagement ring (pictured right) with the caption "Ok @chefmike808 , you’re on! 💍"

Alex Guarnaschelli has been dating Michael Castellon who is also a chef, and he asked her to marry him on her 48th birthday.  Michael also posted a picture of the engagement ring with the caption, "#she #said #yes engaged #boom #luckiest #guy #ever #happy #happy And #happy #bday @guarnaschelli"

Mike has appeared on Food Network before on Chopped, Guy's Grocery Games and as a sous chef for Alex on Iron Chef America, so you may recognize him (link to photo).

Many of her fellow Food Network co-workers/chefs are congratulating her in the comments of her Instagram post such as Giada De Laurentiis, Katie Lee, Scott Conant, Jeff Mauro, Anne Burrell (who also got engaged recently) and Andrew Zimmern.

Congratulations to Alex and Mike!

UPDATE 2/2022 - It was recently announced that Alex and Mike have broken off their engagement.

Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition Winner Crowned Tonight

Tonight at 9pm ET on Food Network is the season finale of Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition where the winner will take home $25,000 for a charity of their choice.  The final two celebrities competing are Wells Adams representing Anne Burrell and Johnny Bananas representing Tyler Florence.


The episode description states:

The two final celebrity recruits are greeted by former celebrity recruit and referee for their final skill drill challenge, Carson Kressley! The recruits team up with their chefs in a recipe relay race where they work together to make steak fajitas. Then chefs Anne Burrell and Tyler Florence break off to teach their recruits their menus for the three-course, restaurant-quality final challenge meal. Judges Dan Churchill, Jeff Mauro and Grace Mitchell blindly taste each course and pick the winner of $25,000 for their chosen charity.

I will update this post with the winner of Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition after the episode airs and you can discuss the season and episode in the comments.


Continue reading to see who won Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition....

Ginger Monkey - Restaurant Impossible Update

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Chandler, Arizona to makeover Ginger Monkey. Ginger Monkey is a gastropub co-owned by Jackson Armstrong who is also the chef and has a lot of restaurant experience.  He can't keep up with the demands of his high-volume restaurant and should be able to run a successful restaurant, but that is not happening.



As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Ginger Monkey 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):

Rosie's Cafe From Restaurant Impossible Has Closed

Rosie's Cafe in Escondido, California, which appeared on season 14 of Restaurant Impossible has closed.  Rosie's Cafe was owned by Kaitlyn "Rosie" Pilsbury who in December of 2019 was involved in a serious hit-and-run motorcycle accident which left her with serious injuries.  When Robert Irvine heard about it, he filmed another episode in February 2020 to help raise money for Rosie.  That episode aired on May 18th, 2020 and the episode raised almost $120,000 for Rosie.

About a week after that episode aired, the restaurant announced on Facebook that they would close for good.  Their message said,

"The historic and innovative location within Escondido’s community known as Rosie’s Café is saddened to announce that between the effects from the horrible crime that struck "Rosie" and the Covid-19 pandemic, Rosie’s Café has closed permanently.
It is heartbreaking for “Rosie” and her crew to accept this reality. However, health and safety are top priorities. “Rosie” is grateful she is alive and strongly committed to her recovery process with a mixture of physical, cognitive, and occupational therapies.
We are optimistic that the future will continue to thrive at this location with the amazing community around. We believe whoever steps in will embrace, cherish, and positively satisfy the community that Rosie’s Café adores so much.
“Rosie” is extremely grateful for all the love and support she has received, especially from the community. Her new motto is “Never Quit being grateful for YOUR life!” She sends a big THANK YOU with hugs, smiles and positivity to all of you.
Stu (Rosie’s dog) says Hi and that he misses you all too. "Rosie" and Stu plan to see you all again, one night at an annual Cruising Grand celebration. Stay healthy and safe individually, and as a community! She says, “remember the power of your minds and use them wisely because this is not the end; it is a new beginning!"

Rosie's Cafe closed on March 25 due to the social distancing regulations and did not offer any takeout service, so they have been closed since then.  The decision to close must have been a hard one, but after Rosie's accident, it is not surprising.  Hopefully her health continues to improve.


Rosie's Cafe has now been marked as 'Closed' on the Restaurant Impossible Updates page. 

Restaurant Impossible - T Phillip's Ale House and Grill Update

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Glendora, California to makeover T Phillip's Ale House and Grill.  T Phillip's Ale House and Grill is owned by Jennifer Kerzie who doesn't stand up for herself and lets everybody walk all over her.  She hasn't paid her mortgage in a year and Robert also finds that the restaurant looks more like a dive bar.  Robert needs to motivate her to step up in hopes of saving her restaurant and house.


As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about T Phillip's Ale House and Grill 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):

Bakeaway Camp Winner Crowned Tonight

Tonight at 9pm ET on Food Network is the season one finale of Bakeaway Camp with Martha Stewart where the winning baker will take home the prize of a $25,000 dream kitchen.  The competition only had four episodes and the remaining bakers competing for the prize are Bryan Clark, Catherine Foley, and Nate Clingman.


The episode description for tonight's episode states:

"Camp Director Martha Stewart joins host Jesse Palmer to present the three remaining campers with their biggest baking challenge yet: four hours to make a wedding cake gone wild! To inspire and help the bakers on their last day at camp, Martha gives them all a lesson on how to make the best wedding cake outdoors. Cooking in the wilderness inspires not only wild cakes but wilder weather as the campers race to build their masterpieces in the midst of a torrential downpour. As Jesse adds extra challenges to truly test the bakers' skill and resolve, it's up to Martha and camp counselors Carla Hall and Dan Langan to decide which camper will walk away with a $25,000 dream kitchen and the title of Bakeaway Camp 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......

Habanera and the Guero - Restaurant Impossible Update

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Houston, Texas to makeover Habanera and the Guero. Habanera and the Guero is being destroyed by the owners constant fighting and is on the verge of closing within a month. Robert Irvine will have to convince the owners Vanessa Lomeli and Ben Downing to concentrate on the restaurant in hopes of saving it.



As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Habanera and the Guero 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):

Loyd Have Mercy - Restaurant Impossible Update

Tonight on the season 17 premiere of Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Titusville, Florida to makeover Loyd Have Mercy. Loyd Have Mercy is a homestyle restaurant owned by pastor Andrew Loyd who invested $200,000 into the restaurant and is now losing $4,000 a month.  He has lost hope of saving the restaurant and Robert Irvine needs to motivate him to turn things around.


As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Loyd Have Mercy 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):

Amy Schumer Learns To Cook Debuts With Low Ratings

Amy Schumer Learns To Cook debuted last night on Food Network at 10pm ET and brought it cable ratings of 681,000 total viewers which is well below many of the shows that air on Food Network at similar time slots.  A commenter who always posts the ratings for Food Network shows (thanks!) said this was the second worst rated Food Network premiere to air this year behind Vegas Chef Prizefight (Link). Shows that tend to stick around on Food Network usually get over 1 million total viewers per episode.

Amy Schumer Learns To Cook was promoted a lot on Food Network and they fast-tracked the series which is scheduled to air eight episodes according to the press release.  If ratings remain the same throughout the series, it should be interesting to see if they all air.

Some reviews online about the show were not too positive.  Fastcompany.com wrote an article about the show and its camerawork that was titled, "Let’s hope Amy Schumer’s quarantine cooking show is not the future of TV."

I know people wanted a blog post about Amy Schumer Learns To Cook to discuss it, so here it is.

UPDATE - Week 2 brought in 770,000 viewers, so almost an increase of 100,000 from episode 1.

*Ratings source - Showbuzzdaily

Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition Cast 2020

Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition will be returning to Food Network on Sunday, May 10th at 9pm on Food Network. The season will be six-episodes long and Anne Burrell and Tyler Florence will once again be mentoring the celebrities on their challenges. The celebrities competing for a chance to win $25,000 for charity are: Wells Adams, Johnny Bananas, Dave Coulier, Bridget Everett, Robin Givens, Sonja Morgan and Brian Posehn.


If you don't recognize the names of the celebrities, here is what they are most known for:

• Wells Adams - Contestant on The Bachelorette. Engaged to Modern Family's Sarah Hyland
• Johnny Bananas - Real name Johnny Devenanzio, MTV's Real World  Competing on MTV's The Challenge
• Dave Coulier - Actor of Full House (Joey Gladstone), Stand-up comedian, dated Alanis Morissette
• Bridget Everett - Stand-up comedian, opening act for Amy Schumer (who now has a show on Food Network)
• Robin Givens - Actress on Head of the Class, Formerly married to boxer Mike Tyson, posed for Playboy
• Sonja Morgan - Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York City
• Brian Posehn - Actor/comedian, has appeared on many Comedy Central shows and had recurring role on CBS's Big Bang Theory

This year there are six episodes and seven celebrities participating, while last year there were seven episodes and eight celebrities. Feel free to discuss this season in the comments and I will do another post for the finale.

UPDATE - To see who won this season, see this post.

The press release from Discovery about the show is below:

Spring Baking Championship Winner - Season 6

Tonight at 9pm ET on Food Network is the season 6 finale of Spring Baking Championship where the winner will take home a $25,000 prize.  The three remaining bakers competing for the prize are Sohrob Esmaili, Arin Hiebert, and Tati Vernot.

Tonight's episode description states:

"The pressure mounts in the Spring Baking Championship finale as the three remaining bakers celebrate graduation day by making an honor roll dessert and a diploma dessert with a dipping sauce. Then the competitors create prom-night cakes themed to the '50s, '60s or '80s. One baker wins the title of Spring Baking Champion and the $25,000 prize."

I will update this post with the season 6 winner of Spring Baking Championship after the episode airs.

Continue reading to see who won Spring Baking Championship season 6...

Buddy Vs. Duff Winner Season 2

Tonight at 9pm ET on Food Network is the season 2 finale of Buddy vs. Duff where a winner will be crowned. Up until this point, Buddy Valastro has a lead over Duff Goldman by a score of 189.5 to 183.5.  The final challenge is worth more points, so Duff will be able to make up the difference pretty easily if he has a better final cake. The final episode has a Star Wars theme and the episode description states:

"For their final challenge, Buddy Valastro and Duff Goldman create their biggest, most elaborate cakes yet to celebrate Star Wars Day. The judges reveal the winner of this year's competition during an event at Disneyland's Galaxy's Edge hosted by Billy Dee Williams."

Here is a 4-minute preview video of the episode that shows a lot of Disneyland's Galaxy's Edge.

Duff Goldman won season 1 of Buddy vs. Duff and season 2 has been a little less controversial.  I will update this post with the winner of Buddy vs. Duff season 2 after the episode airs.

Continue reading to see won season 2 of Buddy vs. Duff....

Great Food Truck Race Winner Crowned Tonight

Photo - Food Network

Tonight at 9pm ET on Food Network is the season 12 finale of The Great Food Truck Race where the winning team will take home $50,000.  The two remaining teams competing for the prize are Lunch Ladies and Mystikka Masala.

The final episode heads back to Los Angeles where the competition started and the episode description states:

"In the season finale, the final two food truck teams return to the competition's starting point for an ultimate face-off in the City of Angels. Tyler Florence brings the trucks to an upscale winery, and they're forced to pull out all the stops, knowing that one team will have to close its doors forever and one will walk away with the grand prize of $50,000."

I will update this post with The Great Food Truck Race season 12 winner after the episode airs.

Continue reading to see who won season 12 of The Great Food Truck Race...

Anne Burrell Got Engaged In Quarantine

Photo - Instagram

Anne Burrell announced today that she is engaged to her boyfriend Stuart Claxton.  People had an article and Anne also posted the picture to the right on Instagram with the caption, "A tiny bit of good news in these crazy times.... We are engaged!!! @stuartclaxton I am a VERY #luckygirl !!!! #ilovewhatido #shelteringwithmyfamily"

The People article said that Anne (age 50) and Stuart (age 48) met in 2018 on the dating app Bumble.  The article also said that Stuart was planning the proposal before social distancing measures were put into place. Anne and Stuart traveled to Cazenovia, New York when these measures were put into place and have been quarantining with Anne's family for the past month and a half.  Stuart decided to pop the question during a date night dinner in Anne's mom's apartment.

You may recall that Anne Burrell was previously engaged to female chef Koren Grieveson in 2013, but they never married.

Congratulations to Anne and Stuart!

Vegas Chef Prizefight Winner Crowned Tonight

Photo - Food Network

Tonight at 10pm ET on Food Network is the season finale of Vegas Chef Prizefight where the winning chef will be named Head Chef at the brand-new $10 million restaurant at the Flamingo Las Vegas.  The three remaining chefs competing for the prize are Jeffrey Compton, Lamar Moore, and Jeff Kraus.


Tonight's episode description states:

"Three chefs remain, but one job interview will end after the first test, and only the final two will meet the Caesars Executives in the Caesars Board Room to make their case. In the last dinner service, the finalists create a tasting menu that showcases their dream restaurant concept. By the end, someone's life will change forever."

I will update this post with the winner of Vegas Chef Prizefight after the episode airs.

Continue reading to see who won Vegas Chef Prizefight....

Tournament of Champions Winner Crowned Tonight

Tonight at 10pm ET of Food Network is the season 1 finale of Tournament of Champions which will be an hour and a half long. The four chefs remaining who are competing for bragging rights and a new truck are Antonia Lofaso, Amanda Freitag, Maneet Chauhan, and Brooke Williamson.  With the remaining chefs all being female, this guarantees a female chef will win Tournament of Champions.

Tonight's episode will first have the two semifinal battles which are Antonia Lofaso vs. Brooke Willamson and Amanda Freitag vs. Maneet Chauhan.  Then the two winners of those match-ups will face off in the finale.

From a previous post, here are the outcomes of the match-ups throughout this season:

• Matchup 1 - Antonia Lofaso vs. Marcel Vigneron. WINNER - Antonia Lofaso 92-89
• Matchup 2 - Eric Greenspan vs. Jet Tila. WINNER - Jet Tila 76-72
• Matchup 3 - Alex Guarnaschelli vs. Darnell Ferguson. WINNER - Darnell Ferguson 72-71
• Matchup 4 - Christian Petroni vs. Marc Murphy. WINNER - Christian Petroni 85-84
• Matchup 5 - Elizabeth Falkner vs. Amanda Freitag. WINNER - Amanda Freitag 92-82
• Matchup 6 - Richard Blais vs. Beau Macmillan. WINNER - Beau Macmillan 81-76
• Matchup 7 - Michael Voltaggio vs. Brooke Williamson. WINNER - Brooke Williamson 96-90
• Matchup 8 - Maneet Chauhan vs. Rocco DiSpirito. WINNER - Maneet Chauhan 91-81
• Matchup 9 - Antonia Lofaso vs. Beau Macmillan. WINNER - Antonia Lofaso 96-85
• Matchup 10 - Amanda Freitag vs. Darnell Ferguson. WINNER - Amanda Freitag 82-78
• Matchup 11 - Christian Petroni vs. Maneet Chauhan. WINNER - Maneet Chauhan 93-89
• Matchup 12 - Brooke Williamson vs. Jet Tila. WINNER - Brooke Williamson 94-83

I will update this post with the winner of the final three match-ups after the episode airs and you can discuss this season in the comments.

Continue reading to see who won the final matchups:

Great Food Truck Race Season 12 Gold Coast

Photo - Food Network

The Great Food Truck Race season 12 airs on Food Network at 9pm ET/PT on Thursday nights. This season is along the Gold Coast and there are only seven food truck teams who are competing to win a $50,000 grand prize.  This year there are stops in Los Angeles,San Diego, Santa Barbara, Palm Springs and Las Vegas and the season is six episodes long.


The food trucks competing are:

• Bachelor Kitchen (Austin, Texas)
• Crystal’s Comfort Food (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
• Eat My Crust (Phoenix, Arizona)
• Fat Kid (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
• Lunch Ladies (Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts)
• Mystikka Masala (Dallas, Texas)
• Super Sope (Turlock, California)

More information about season 12 of The Great Food Truck Race and the teams competing can be found in the press release and on the Food Network site if you are interested.

Feel free to discuss this season in the comments.  I usually do a preview with spoilers for The Great Food Truck Race, but I didn't get around to it for this season.  I will do another post for the final episode.

UPDATE - Here is the post with the winner.

Buddy vs. Duff Season 2 Discussion

Photo - Food Network

Season 2 of Buddy vs. Duff airs on Food Network at 9pm ET starting on March 15th, 2020.  This season will be eight episodes long with the finale being on Sunday, May 3rd. This season of Buddy vs. Duff will also feature their wives (Lisa Valastro/Johnna Goldman)  and Buddy Valastro and Duff Goldman will have helpers in each of the challenges.

Buddy and Duff will be making supersized cakes and will be "judged on a point system based on creativity, difficulty, adherence to the theme and the incorporation of a special challenging element, ranging from detail, special effects, interactivity, and more."

Season 1 of Buddy vs. Duff was very popular and controversial with a lot of people talking about the behavior of Buddy Valastro on the show.  Buddy and Duff didn't really want to do another season after the show aired last year, but I guess they warmed up to it.

Feel free to discuss season 2 of Buddy vs. Duff in the comments and talk about the changes from season 1 to season 2.

To see who won Buddy vs. Duff season 2 see this post. 

Taverna Trela - Restaurant Impossible Update

Photo - Twitter

Tonight on the season finale of Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Delray Beach, Florida to makeover Taverna Trela. Taverna Trela is a Greek restaurant owned by Bobby Orfanos who has neglected the restaurant since the loss of his parents.  He is supposedly $400,000 in debt and owes money to a lot of vendors.  Robert Irvine will need to inspire Bobby to fix the restaurant in order to succeed.



As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Taverna Trela 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):

Spring Baking Championship Season 6

Spring Baking Championship season 6 airs on Food Network on Monday nights starting March 9th, 2020 and will once again be hosted by Clinton Kelly.  The judges on the show will remain the same with Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman, and Lorraine Pascale returning.

There will be eleven bakers competing for a $25,000 prize over the nine-episode season (there were 10 bakers and 8 episodes last season) and the winner will be revealed on Monday, April 27th after a double-episode finale.

The eleven bakers competing are:

• Val Criado - San Antonio, TX
• Sandra Danso-Boadi - Mississauga, ON
• Sohrob Esmaili - San Francisco, CA
• Arin Hiebert - Calgary, AB
• Franck Iglesias - Old Saybrook, CT
• Molly Matthaei - Jackson Hole, WY
• Aisha Momaney - New York, NY
• Christine Nguyen - Sugar Land, TX
• Anibal Rodriguez - Rio Grande, PR
• Aris Rodriguez - Sedona, AZ
• Tati Vernot - Miami, FL

The press release about the season from Discovery is below and feel free to discuss the season in the comments.

To see who won season 6 of Spring Baking Championship, see this post. 

Worst Cooks in America Winner - Season 18

Tonight at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network is the season 18 finale of Worst Cooks in America where the winner will take home a $25,000 prize. The final two contestants are Shannon Akins representing Anne Burrell's team and Leo Lech representing Alton Brown's team.

The episode description states, "The final two recruits get private cooking lessons from Alton Brown and Anne Burrell and learn to make a dish of their choosing. Then Alton and Anne teach their recruits how to make a three-course, restaurant-quality meal. For the main dish challenge, the two finalists put all their new culinary skills to the test in order to impress judges Kelly Choi, Brian Mazza and Jet Tila, who do a blind taste test and determine the winner of the $25,000 prize."


I will update this post with the winner once the episode airs and feel free to discuss the episode/season in the comments.  A lot of talk this season has been about Alton Brown as a mentor and there has been a lot of discussion about his behavior on the show.

Continue reading to see the winner....

Vegas Chef Prizefight on Food Network

Photo - Food Network

A new Food Network series called Vegas Chef Prizefight airs Thursday nights at 10pm ET on the channel and is hosted by Anne Burrell. Eight chefs are competing in a competition to be named Head Chef at the brand-new $10 million restaurant at the Flamingo Las Vegas. Each week, chefs will face challenges at a different restaurant within the Caesars Entertainment empire to prove they have what it takes to run a high-profile restaurant in Las Vegas.

The chefs competing on the show are:

• Brittney Brown (Detroit, Michigan)
• Jeffrey Compton (Auburn, Alabama)
• Julia Helton (Chicago, Illinois)
• Jeff Kraus (Tempe, Arizona)
• Janey Lyu (New York, New York)
• Lamar Moore (Chicago, Illinois)
• Roshara Sanders (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
• Juan Zepeda (Denver, Colorado)

The season will be six-episodes long with the finale airing on Thursday, April 9th. Feel free to discuss the season in the comments and I will do another post before the season finale. A press release about the show with more information is below.

To see who won Vegas Chef Prizefight - See this post. 

Lil G's Kajun Restaurant - Restaurant Impossible Update

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Belle Chasse, Louisiana to makeover Lil G's Kajun Restaurant. Lil G's is a Cajun restaurant owned by Therese Creppel who bought the restaurant 12 years ago.  She has managed to stay in business with the help of her daughter, but she has supposedly had consecutive years of losing more than $100,000.  Her daughter Brooke is only taking home $14,000 a year in pay from the restaurant and the restaurant is putting a strain on their relationship.


As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Lil G's Kajun Restaurant 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 Tournament Of Champions Discussion

Tonight at 10pm ET on Food Network is the series premiere of Tournament of Champions.  Tournament of Champions is a cooking tournament where 16 of the most celebrated chefs face off in a bracket style competition.  They will have head-to-head single elimination matchups until a winner is crowned.  A randomizer machine determines the protein, produce, equipment, cooking style, and time for each of the cook-offs

There are eight chefs from the east coast: Maneet Chauhan, Rocco DiSpirito, Alex Guarnaschelli, Elizabeth Falkner, Darnell Ferguson, Amanda Freitag, Marc Murphy and Christian Petroni.

And eight chefs from the west coast: Richard Blais, Eric Greenspan, Antonia Lofaso, Beau Macmillan, Jet Tila, Marcel Vigneron, Michael Voltaggio, and Brooke Williamson.


The chefs have been seeded 1 to 8 and the bracket is below:

Tournament of Champions has been heavily promoted and the season will only be five-episodes long. Round 1 will last two episodes, then the final eight, final four and final two will each have an episode.  Guy Fieri is the host, Simon Majumdar and Justin Warner will be doing play-by-play analysis of the competition, and there will be a rotating panel of judges.  As far as I can tell, it looks like the only prize for the show is bragging rights for the winning chef. UPDATE - It looks like they will win a brand new truck as well.


What do you think of the seeding and who are you rooting for to win?  I will update this post with the winners of each match-up until the finale and you can discuss Tournament of Champions in the comments.

• Matchup 1 - Antonia Lofaso vs. Marcel Vigneron.  WINNER - Antonia Lofaso 92-89
• Matchup 2 - Eric Greenspan vs. Jet Tila. WINNER - Jet Tila 76-72
• Matchup 3 - Alex Guarnaschelli vs. Darnell Ferguson. WINNER - Darnell Ferguson 72-71
• Matchup 4 - Christian Petroni vs. Marc Murphy. WINNER - Christian Petroni 85-84
• Matchup 5 - Elizabeth Falkner vs. Amanda Freitag. WINNER - Amanda Freitag 92-82
• Matchup 6 - Richard Blais vs. Beau Macmillan. WINNER - Beau Macmillan 81-76
• Matchup 7 - Michael Voltaggio vs. Brooke Williamson. WINNER - Brooke Williamson 96-90
• Matchup 8 - Maneet Chauhan vs. Rocco DiSpirito. WINNER - Maneet Chauhan 91-81 
• Matchup 9 - Antonia Lofaso vs. Beau Macmillan.  WINNER - Antonia Lofaso 96-85
• Matchup 10 - Amanda Freitag vs. Darnell Ferguson.  WINNER - Amanda Freitag 82-78
• Matchup 11 - Christian Petroni vs. Maneet Chauhan. WINNER - Maneet Chauhan 93-89
• Matchup 12 - Brooke Williamson vs. Jet Tila.  WINNER - Brooke Williamson 94-83

To see who won Tournament of Champions and to discuss the finale, see this post. 

Kids Baking Championship Winner - Season 8

Tonight at 10pm ET on Food Network is the season 8 finale of Kids Baking Championship where the winning baker will take home the prize of $25,000 and a feature in Food Network Magazine.  The final episode was originally scheduled to air on March 9th, but it looks like Food Network moved it up a week and they will have back-to-back new episodes tonight.

The four remaining bakers going into tonight's episodes are Morgan Chaffin (Glen Burnie, MD; age 11),  Sam Occhiogrosso (West Hartford, CT; age 11), Graysen Pinder (Wilmington, NC; age 13), and Reggie Strom (Bend, OR; age 12).


The final episode description states, "Fruit is an important element of baking, so Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman challenge the final three bakers to make fruit cakes, but not the holiday kind. Instead, they have to make cakes that look like actual fruit! One baker will walk away with the title of Kids Baking Champion."

I will update this post with the season 8 winner of Kids Baking Championship once the episode airs and feel free to discuss the episode/season in the comments.

Continue reading to see who won Kids Baking Championship season 8....

Blue Orleans - Restaurant Impossible Update

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Chattanooga, Tennessee to makeover Blue Orleans. Blue Orleans is a family-owned restaurant owned by Mike and Cherita Adams who started the restaurant after losing everything in Hurricane Katrina.  Mike and Cherita are going through a divorce, which is impacting their kids Dallen and Jolie as well as the restaurant.  Robert Irvine will try to bring peace back to the family and make the restaurant a success.  This episode of Restaurant Impossible will be 90-minutes instead of the usual 60-minute episodes.


As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Blue Orleans 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):

The Balcony - Restaurant Impossible Update

Photo - Twitter

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Larose, Louisiana to makeover The Balcony.  The Balcony is a Cajun seafood restaurant that is one of the oldest in the bayou.  The owner Neely Cheramie has worked there for 28 years and her friendly relationships with all of her employees is causing them to lose respect for her.  Robert Irvine needs to change the way she is running the restaurant in hopes that it can survive.



As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about The Balcony 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):

Restaurant Impossible - Drake's Place Update

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Ferguson, Missouri to makeover Drake's Place. Drake's Place opened in 2014 and is owned by Sonny and Bridget Lewis who are out of money and options.  They are hoping their son can step up more in the restaurant to help turn it around.


As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Drake's Place 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):

Restaurant Impossible - Garrett's Mill & Brewing Company Update

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Garrettsville, Ohio to makeover Garrett's Mill & Brewing Company. Garrett's Mill & Brewing Company is a restaurant located inside a 200-year-old mill.  The owner Shelli is having trouble keeping the restaurant afloat after her husband Brian had to return to his trucking job to earn money to help support the business.  Garrett's Mill & Brewing Company has a $500,000 payment due soon and if they are unable to make it, they will have to close the restaurant.



As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Garrett's Mill & Brewing Company 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):

Restaurant Impossible - Chianti Cow Update

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Port Jervis, New York to Carmine's Chianti Cow. Carmine's Chianti Cow is an Italian restaurant owned by Keith O'Connor and his restaurant has an identity crisis.  He is still serving the same food as the previous owners and Robert needs to reignite Keith's passion before it has to close.


During the makeover the restaurant ditched the Carmine's in the name and now goes by the name Chianti Cow.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Chianti Cow 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):

Alton Brown on Worst Cooks in America - Love It or Hate It?

Alton Brown is the mentor going against Anne Burrell on Food Network's Worst Cooks in America season 18.  When the season started, many people were saying Alton Brown was perfect for the show and that they were enjoying watching him.  After the third episode, it seems that many people have changed their mind and think Alton Brown is being rude to the contestants.

If you follow Alton Brown on Twitter, you will see that he didn't really want to be a mentor on this season and it may have been forced by Food Network.  It may have been done so he could secure more Good Eats episodes, which he is currently filming another season (Link). Alton also said he nearly lost his mind while filming the season and jokes about not watching the episodes and not wanting others to watch them.  Check out his Twitter to see his commentary on the Worst Cooks in America episodes and he is currently lobbying to be replaced on the show.


What are your thoughts on Alton Brown during season 18 of Worst Cooks in America?  Are you loving it or hating it?  Are you enjoying watching him "lose his mind?"  Discuss in the comments.

Restaurant Impossible - Foxfire Grill Update

Photo - Twitter

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Alexandria, Virginia to makeover Foxfire Grill.  Foxfire Grill is owned by Terri Fox and Jacki Coppage who cannot figure out why they are not making money.  The restaurant is in a good location, they're smart and work hard, but that still isn't enough.  Robert Irvine will have to figure out how to turn the restaurant around.



As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Foxfire Grill 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):

Restaurant Impossible - Perella's Ristorante Update

Tonight on Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Warren, Rhode Island to makeover Perella's Ristorante. Perella's Ristorante is an Italian restaurant owned by Louie Perella and it has been around for 25 years.  Robert finds that not much has changed in 25 years as far as the menu, decor, or Louie's opinions and this is holding back the restaurant.  Robert will need to convince him to change his ways if the restaurant wants to be successful.


As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Perella's Ristorante 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):

Kids Baking Championship Season 8

Food Network's Kids Baking Championship season 8 airs on Monday nights at 9pm ET/PT.  Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman are once again the mentors and the winning baker will receive a $25,000 prize and a feature in Food Network Magazine.  The kid bakers (ages 10-13) competing on this season are:

• Liam Bizjack (El Dorado Hills, CA; age 12)
• Morgan Chaffin (Glen Burnie, MD; age 11)
• Anthony Fontanez (Belmar, NJ; age 12)
• Sahana Gade (Sugar Land, TX; age 10)
• Phoebe Gore (New York, NY; age 11)
• Sam Occhiogrosso (West Hartford, CT; age 11)
• Graysen Pinder (Wilmington, NC; age 13)
• Elise Sammis (Chapin, SC; age 11)
• Saleem Sandhu (Yuba City, CA; age 12)
• Avner Schwartz (Haverford, PA; age 12)
• Reggie Strom (Bend, OR; age 12)
• Naima Winston (Baltimore, MD; age 11)

The winner will be revealed on Monday, March 9th and I will do another post about the show before the season finale. Feel free to discuss this season in the comments section as several people have requested somewhere to comment on this season.