MiniCap: Food Network Star

Hi!  I’m covering for SexyPanda this week for Food Network Star and am thrilled to be part of a double elimination week!  Read no further if you don’t want spoilers…Full recap will be up in a day or two.

First challenge, presented by big head Giada was for the contestants to create a pizza and then explain the story on camera.  Thankfully, Penny decided to drop the “Stilettos in the Kitchen” schtick.  I had visions of her calling for delivery then showing up at the “front door” wrapped in a towel.  Instead, she has decided to become the Middle Eastern Mom.  Because I dislike Penny (intensely and with almost every ounce of my being), I am kind of sorry she’s dismissing  the whole sexy act.  It made me laugh because delusion is funny and certainly would have gotten her eliminated sooner than later.  But in the end, her Mediterranean pie with feta, eggplant and mint, won the challenge and the controversial role in deciding the teams for this week’s Star Challenge.

But before we move on, we have to eliminate one of our players.  And as he is the man with a voice for only print ads, Juba was sent packing.  He could not have been more awkward in front of the camera, so it felt more like a mercy elimination.

This week’s Star Challenge:  The group would be divided into three teams, each with the goal of recreating one of three restaurant meals, but making it more accessible to a home cook.  The categories were Time Consuming, Expensive Ingredients and Technically Difficult.  All three are good reasons for delivery pizza (see above).  Since recently flat-shoed Penny won the pizza challenge, she got to pick the teams.  She went all-out strategy putting Orchid, easily one of the strongest competitors, with a bunch of hyper dudes and “Expensive Ingredients”.  Penny put Alicia, her nemesis from last week, on the “Technically Difficult” team, hoping she would crash and burn.  Or at least cry.

The groups gathered to serve the regular panel plus a few guests:  Scott Conant (who tries way to hard to look intimidating), Pat and Gina Neely and Anne Burrell, who I like but will still snarkily attack.  Did Penny’s plan work?  Well…yes and no.  Orchid did not do well, but she still remained out of the bottom three.  Alicia did cry and land in the bottom three, but it was Katy who was sent packing.  And Penny received kind of a smackdown from the judges on her overall bitchiness, so in a way…we kind of won too.  Stay tuned for lots more!