
Ok, we are taking this show in the road, kids. Let’s hope the Vagina Table will fit in the U-Haul.
If he couldn’t be back home in Hawaii, Miami is the next best thing! Donning the latest spring collection from the Don Ho’s Hawaiian Shirts for Big Boys Line, Ippy is ready for some warm weather. The team of misfits, and I’m not just talking about Team Alton, but everyone, who, truly now, are from the Land of Misfit Toys, are in Miami and they are popping open the Champers!!

Cheers to us!! We are AMAZING!!!
The Mentors are also in Miami. WTF are Alton and Bobby wearing.

Fashion Felony in Progress
Thank goodness that Bobble Head is there in canary yellow to break up the eye-sore/ optical illusion that is Bobby Flay and Alton Brown. The contestants are welcomed to Food Network’s South Beach Food & Wine Festival and are presented with the Star Challenge.

Police Line-up
Their mission is to create two dishes. The first a main dish for an adult- and the second is a “Mini Me” version of the same dish for kids (under age 10) and they have to film their best 30 second party tip. Uh oh… has Martie ever said anything in 30 seconds.

You can’t time for shit…
Oh, and one more thing to mention, the guest judges are Paula Deen, her son and her husband. To the winner of this challenge goes, remember they aren’t being judged in teams anymore, a $20,000 Target Gift Card. Which would cover me for, oh, 2 visits. Maybe.
Seriously, I was in Target a few weeks ago and was behind this lady: “How on earth is my bill $40??? Surely, I couldn’t have spent $40!!” And the cashier had to go, item by item on the receipt while the customer calculated the bill BY HAND on the back of an envelope. (Because the little hamsters inside the cash registers may not be up on the latest mathematical equations.”

By my calculation, my bill is only $7.99
I was like “LADY?!?!! YOU ARE GETTING OUT OF HERE FOR $40… RUN!!! And say your prayers!!!” (Now, I realize we are in difficult economic times and $40 is a lot of money. But if you are on a fixed budget or if you only have a certain amount to spend- try to keep a tally in your head, or better yet, on the back of that envelope, so you won’t have a coronary at the register.) BTW, if you ever see me at Target- whatever you do, don’t get in line behind me. Because I am always behind some lunatic who is questioning the bill or trying to pay with change from the bottom of her purse or paying with 7 different credit cards and a 3rd party check.
Sorry, back to the games..
We immediately cut to the contestants discussing their dishes and tips with their mentors. Up first is Martie with her Partie Tip… it’s an “entertainment survival kit.” Sounds like it will take longer than 30 seconds.
Vampoor wants to make a cold corn soup- sounds like a good thing for Miami.
Bobble tells Ippy that he really MUST have more energy. Miami makes Malcolm think of Caribbean Food. So he is going to make Grilled Jerk Chicken. I’d love to see something more creative from him in the Caribbean Arena, but whateves. And his “tip” is telling people to marinate their chicken. Bobby is like, No- that’s too simple!!
In the one on one interview, Malcolm wonders why he should pick a POV?? Why be limited to one? Well, when you are a famous TV Chef, Malcolm, you can branch out. But for the purpose of THIS competition, you have to pick a POV so the producers can see what you are passionate about and they can build a SHOW around you and your Point of View.

Whasssssssup
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20 Comments
I predict next week will be Ivan or Martita so there will be 2 on every team, unless Marti shows her true motormouth self on-camera again or Gangsta kills somebody with her shellfish. It’s fun to watch, but I think they should just give it to Justin already and spend the rest of the season having the rest do crazy kitchen duels against one another for the chance to be on another food network show.
You know I don’t know honestly if I would watch any of their shows. Sad to say but so true.
If someone wanted to hire me, but the one thing I had to do was come up with a “POV” I don’t think I would be all….”I’m so special, I don’t need one, I don’t want to be restricted to one”. Malcolm had to go.
I would still watch Vampoor’s, Gangster’s and Ippy’s show. The rest are meh.
I didn’t mind losing Malcolm at all. He was boring as all get out.
I thought for sure Gangster was a goner when they said they had to take her food away from the guests because of the shells. How embarrassing! Glad she’s still in the game.
The “grill next door” has got to go. I hate everything about her.
Vampoor and his cup o’ blood t-shirt- hahaha! His soup looked delicious.
Thanks for the recap!
I actually LIKED Malcom’s “lack of POV” – the whole “I’m Soul” thing was interesting, I would watch him cook. (Especially after a professional got ahold of his wardrobe… Exhibit A!) Sad to see him go, but he wasn’t my favorite in this race.
Good for Ippy! Now, let’s see if he can maintain it for longer than one week, I’m pretty sure they go back inside next week. (They have to, TWO weeks in the sunshine really would kill Vampoor.)
I can’t stand Grill Next Door (or Girl on Grill, whatever her name is) or Martita. Both are boring to me. Marti is okay, but I couldn’t watch her. Then, I’m FROM Georgia and it took me a while to really enjoy Paula Deen (my middle son LOVES her – we even ate at her restaurant in Savannah for him, and bought a signed cookbook). So it is POSSIBLE that Marti would grow on me in a cooking show. It is also possible that I would tune her out very quickly.
I wouldn’t watch a show about New England. Doesn’t interest me at all – especially if the woman can’t keep shells out of her meals. The difference is, it’s Gangster’s POV I don’t like, she’s fine.
If Vampoor gets kicked off, I will cry like I did when Daughtry left Idol…
Ok, I have to ask (since I don’t actually watch the show): are you doctoring Vampoor’s pictures, or is that his real colouring? Cause that really does look a little undeadish….
@Lizbot – that’s Vampoor! That pale face with the slightly red cheeks… Love me some Vampire!
In my opinion, Gangster’s biggest issue is that she bites off more than she can chew She has good ideas, but she can’t execute them in the allotted time. I have the same problem. I always get my most brilliant, evil ideas when i do not have enough time to execute them.
They, like on Top Chef, should be judging based on the chef/cook’s performance in the current episode. They are not really supposed to be considering past performance or an overall score. Using those rules, Gangster really should have gone home. She left time at the end of her presentation and left shells in her food. Plus she didn’t use OJ Simpson in her cocktail…. Thanks everyone for reading and for your comments.
@MummyButterfly — wow! I find that intriguing and a little bit scary…thanks for the answer!
@Lizbot: http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/food-network-star-season-8-justin-warner/pictures/index.html
Those are Vampoor’s “official photos” from the FN website, it looks like they’ve photoshopped his cheeks a bit (I think they get really red when he gets overly heated or excited).
It is very transparent that they are evening out the teams to make sure each coach has the same amount of players left. Malcolm should not have been in the bottom tow this week instead of Martie. And he definitely shouldn’t have gone home in front of Gangsta (who incidentally is playing whiffle ball with the guys in your photo while the girls decorated). They had to pull her food from the festival as a safety precaution. How did she survive? How is not honing in on a POV worse than that? Ev is right, Giada is losing someone next week. Let’s hope it is Martita jus so we don;t have to here Giada say her name as annoyingly as possible.
It is very transparent that they are evening out the teams to make sure each coach has the same amount of players left. Malcolm should not have been in the bottom two this week instead of Martie. And he definitely shouldn’t have gone home in front of Gangsta (who incidentally is playing whiffle ball with the guys in your photo while the girls decorated). They had to pull her food from the festival as a safety precaution. How did she survive? How is not honing in on a POV worse than that? Ev is right, Giada is losing someone next week. Let’s hope it is Martita jus so we don;t have to here Giada say her name as annoyingly as possible.
oh i hate when people leave the tails on shrimp. when im eating i don’t want to take time taking off the tails, i want to eat!
it’s quite obvious vampoor is going to win & even though i probably won’t watch his show i hope they do something about that lip balm, it’s so distracting to me
I think they made the right choice getting rid of Malcolm. I mean, I don’t think he was the worst of the remaining contestants but he wasn’t going to win. I forget which episode she said it in but it stuck with me when Malcolm was arguing with Susie about not having a point of view and not wanting to limit himself and she said something like “I don’t like that. That sounds very negative.” It was a very corporate thing and at the end of the day, that’s what people who sign up for the show need to realize. I mean, don’t be like Nikki and just come in with a gimmick but on Food Network you sell yourself based on your stereotype. But don’t remind the big bosses that you’re playing a stereotype because then they feel uncomfortable.
Exactly LaPetite! It’s a business and if your boss tells you to do something, you do it or risk losing your job.
Your recaps get funnier and funnier. Thank you!!! And girl, you and me both about the Target/food store line issues. I usually get the ones that want to negotiate their purchases. Are we in a stall in Marrakesh? NO! Can you just figure out what you don’t want, pay for what you do want, and move along before I set up a cot to turn in for the night ’cause you are killing me! And please no “back in the day” stories to bore us with, thank yee!
Not too sorry to see Malcolm go – he talks a good confessional, but in action, he is boring.
“Martie Mee Maw” and “Grill small children because I hate them” are still with us, I see. Paula was starting to look a little scared with Martie ready to french her.
What is happening to Martita? She is really starting to zone out. And I agree about Gangster’s over thinking her challenges – I don’t know why she is still there.
Go Ippy and Justin!
oh gawd…Paula Deen riding a stick of butter is one of the signs of the apocalypse , i do believe. He dead eyes are coming for you Y’all!
The POV this is annoying, but i get the “branding” of it all for them.
I think malcom would be enjoyable to watch, he had some creative ideas/personality.
Gangsta and Vampire are still my final pics.
Mar-TEE-Ta is flaking out for some reason-hopefully she pulls it together-she is entertaining as well.
@mjhhawk: Ah hahahaha I have been thinking the same thing about Giada’s “Mar – TI – ta” with each syllable carefully enunciated and a giggle in her voice. Once or twice is cute…but c’mon!
I watch practically every cooking competition out there, however, I don’t watch a single “cooking show”. Nor do I cook. Buuuut I’m fairly certain I would Justin’s show just to see what crazy shit he does next. Not to mention I love vampires.
If you speak Spanish you know that any time you add “ita” on to the end of something it just means little. I’m guessing her REAL name is Marta, but there is the equivalent of a Marta senior in the family! She is beyond annoying to me since she only has stories to share off camera. Practice!
Vampoor is the first time food network star will have a contestant with a show I will actively watch maybe even dvr