Monday, July 13, 2009
Keller mom Melissa d’Arabian leads mini-revolt on sixth episode of Next Food Network Star
Contestants hosted a cocktail party in Miami.
Week five of The Next Food Network Star, Season 5, focused on teamwork, with four out of five contestants scoring good marks, including Keller mom Melissa d'Arabian.
The episode took place in glitzy Miami, where the team was required to host a cocktail party. But before they ever got on the Jet Blue plane, they first had to prepare a dish at the Jet Blue terminal -- a challenge whose primary goal seemed to be to score free round-trip flights for all on, surprise-surprise, Jet Blue.
Standouts in this challenge were: laid-back Californian Jeffrey, whose revelation that he had a wife sent the judges into such an excited tizzy that he won; and Melissa, who divulged that she grew up in a Spanish-speaking household.
"I didn't know you grew up in a Spanish-speaking household," judge Susie said, flummoxed.
"Well, Arizona," Melissa said, which didn't seem to explain anything, so she added, "My nanny spoke Spanish."
Anyway, off to Miami. Jeffrey was host, and punky-haired Michael bartended. The three women ran kitchen detail, with "I'm Korean" Debbie charged with expediting -- a task at which she failed monumentally. While she focused solely on her two items, the food wasn't going out and people were starving.
Then, during judging, when Debbie tried to weasel out of responsibility, Melissa led the other contestants into a revolt by contradicting her claim that she'd helped other people. Judge Susie, previously Debbie's biggest fan, wrinkled her nose and called her a martyr. Was it enough to get Debbie ejected? No. It couldn't trump Michael's self-defeating admission that he doesn't like the camera -- not the first time he'd made that statement. Say it enough times and they'll believe you. And off he went.
Crossing fingers that the final three are Melissa, Jeffrey, and Jamika.
Scott, says:
Having Spanish-speaking help means one has a Spanish-speaking household?
Anonymous
5 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
TLS, says:
That party was a train wreck. The contestants were set up for failure from moment one and if I had been on that show I would have been irate!!! First of all, they had zero help with front or back service. Five people can not greet, bartend, prep,cook, serve, and clean for the number of people in attendance. I didn't see any sinks back there, no one seems to have any food safety concerns, they were told to dress for the party and they are back there sweating their asses off in grease and fire and smoke. Ridiculous!!
Oh, and they had one vegetarian appetizer. One out of eleven! And why did Melissa have to add the one veg app to her other two? Why couldn't she replace an app thereby reducing her work load?
Debbie was in charge of her group in episode one and she was as incompetent and selfish as she was this episode. Cameras don't lie so why does she think she can get away with not pulling her weight?
And why am I getting so riled up by a show I don't care about?!!
Anonymous
5 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
Teresa Gubbins, says:
TLS, yes, thanks for the reminder about debbie showing similarly bad character in the first episode ... and yet Judge Susie kept saying how LIKABLE she was. of course all this stuff is edited to make a point, but i guess it's good that it eventually came around for ol' Debbie again. do you see her being in the final three?
Staff
5 months agoLink to this comment | Suggest removal
TLS, says:
Well, the next episode looks like it's back to doing a demo on camera and we know that Jamika can't handle that as well as Debbie can so....Debbie will skate on through.
Anonymous
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