Written By Rick Ellis, Sunday, July 27th, 2008

In some serious culinary circles, the Food Network prompts a lot of sneers and complaints. Critics whine that the network's stars are often lightweight or more concerned with being a TV personality than being an inventive chef.

While I understand the complaints, I don't generally agree with them. It's unrealistic to expect people who host television shows to not being as comfortable in front of the camera as they are behind a stove. And I don't think that every show on the Food Network needs to be a ponderous look at the history of French cafe cooking.

Most viewers of the Food Network probably are a lot like me. We don't work full-time in a kitchen somewhere. We may not even consider ourselves "foodies." We're just people who like to cook, who are looking for ideas and a bit of entertainment along the way.

That's one of the reasons I've enjoyed "The Next Food Network Star" during its four-season run. Yes, it's interesting to see the contestants battle to win their own Food Network show. But it's also easy to watch the show and imagine that, given a slightly different life, we could be competing on the show.

When it comes to creating a Food Network "star," the track record of the show is a modest one. Season Two winner Guy Fieri has rapidly become an institution at the network. But season one winners Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh never seemed to gain traction with audiences. Season three winner Amy Finley originally finished third, before returning to the show to ultimately win after Joshua Adam "Jag" Garcia "withdrew" from the show. Finley's often-awkward series "The Gourmet Next Door" lasted six episodes before she reportedly decided she wasn't comfortable being on television.

All of this turmoil prompted changes to the show in season four, and while the moves were understandable, the results weren't always a net positive. Producers wanted to make sure they ended up with a winner who was both comfortable on camera and wanted to be a "star." So they chose a number of contestants who certainly wanted to be on camera. But their cooking skills were often not equal to their ambitions to be a star.

On the upside, all of the added emphasis on camera skills did ultimately result in some finalists capable of putting together a solid TV show. And by removing the public vote from the final decision (instead, the winner was decided by Food Network executives), the network also insured they would get the winner who best matched their requirements. And by premiering the winner's show the week following the finale, they could capitalize on the viewer interest from the competition.

This season's last episode came down to a battle between three finalists: Aaron McCargo, Jr., Lisa Garza and Adam Gertler. Each was paired with veteran producer Gordon Elliott and asked to create a four-and-a-half minute pilot for their proposed show.

Elliott showed why he is such a successful producer for the network. As he worked with each finalist, he quickly got down to the core of who they are on camera. He helped them define their pitch and directed them throughout the process. The fact that they all cranked out solid pilots is a testament to his skills.

Ultimately, each pilot really showed the strengths of the participants. And that probably was the reason why Lisa Garza didn't win. Her show was informative and nicely paced. But she still has this edge to her personality that is unsettling to watch. While that isn't necessarily her fault, it's still enough to convince me that I wouldn't want to watch her every week.



Adam Gertler's pilot combined webcam questions for a viewer with a recipe in a way that can best be described as a hipper, high-tech version of Sara Moulton's old live Food Network show from a few years back. He was confident and entertaining and if the network was smart, they would move that show instantly to their web site.

Aaron McCargo, Jr.'s show was called "Big Daddy's Kitchen," and it seemed to be an extension of what viewer's had seen the previous week. McCargo had shot a promo with Bobby Flay in a Las Vegas casino, and the big, bold personality that came out during that photo shoot was in evidence during the pilot. While he was still tentative at times, McCargo was still a larger-than-life personality. And given the fact that in that way he has a lot in common with Guy Fieri, I can see why the Food Network would find a show hosted by him to be a certain winner.

Watching the finale did leave me with some unsettled questions however. The judges unexpectedly brought McCargo back for the finale despite a lackluster performance during the previous week's Las Vegas challenges. Which makes me more than a little suspicious about whether they wanted him back because he deserved it that week. Or whether it was because he was the person they were hoping would give a strong enough performance to be chosen the winner.

The announcement of the winner itself was a bit awkward. The only explanation given for the judges decision was they were picking the person who was "ready tomorrow" to begin working on a show. Although it appeared that the finale was taped awhile ago. Otherwise, why would host Bobby Flay tease his show with the generic "It'll premiere next week." I realize they had to cram a lot into one hour. But maybe this was one time when a little extra exposition would have been helpful.

I also wish that the network was more transparent with their decision making on this show. Given some of the PR challenges they've had, shedding a little more light on some of the behind-the-scenes details would do the Food Network and the participants of "The Next Food Network Star" a lot of good.

Still, I'm a fan of the show and of the Food Network. I might not always agree with their decisions, but I'm certainly never bored. And hey, I've learned a few cooking tips along the way.