TVSquad

Congratulations, you won "Next Food Channel", now we are going to put you in a tiny box and cut off your hands. Now, we want a really slick premier episode, so make us proud.

The good news is really that if she can handle this stupid budget show and makes Fnet happy she will have other shows.

Bobby Flay's number of tv shows is in the double digits. Tyler Florence has a new food genre show every time I turn around. But love them both, would love to have those beefy guys over for a sandwich.

Reply

I can't understand the FN's decision to jettison Melissa's "Survival Guide" concept and go with this. "What's your culinary point of view? What's your culinary point of view? You have to be showing us your culinary point of view... oh, but now that you have a show, forget that, we need you to do a show that we can sandwich together with Sandra Lee."

Reply

I was fine with the concept but I thought her stage presence still needs a lot of work.

I felt like she was tense through the entire thing. She needs to learn to calm down. And if she can work on dialing back the bug eyes that would be great too.

Reply

I believe I mentioned last week, when news of the new title/theme was announced, that they were going to assume a fully stocked pantry , and milk eggs bread rice etc would be "assumed" already there with the 10. being only for the protein or main part of the meal.

There's no way to create a "REAL" meal in this economy for ten dollars that will feed 4 full grown people. Not unless you serve mostly starch.(ever wonder why poor people are so fat?)

Reply

Melissa showed more ease with the camera on her first episode than Aaron McCargo Jr. does even after two(?) seasons of his show.

I agree she got the short end of the show concept stick, but it's only a 6 episode pickup, and hopefully FN will get the hint and bring back her original culinary point of view.

Reply

I think if they called it $70 per week, and showed her actually shopping with that amount for the week's menus, it would be more helpful to the viewer. (Here's how these dozen eggs will be used, here's how this gallon of milk will be spread out from recipe to recipe, here's my great idea for stretching these 2 chicken breasts out for 3 meals, etc..).

They have to really have an original concept for her; because personality-wise, she's nothing they don't already have - she's just a mash-up of Rachel Ray and Sandra Lee.

Reply

The concept is rather unoriginal and boring, but Melissa did a pretty good for her first episode. The potato torte looks good and if I recall correctly it was the this torte that won over all the chefs in Miami.

I see a lot of raw talent in Melissa, something I never saw and still don't see in Aaron McCargo, Jr. Hopefully, FN doesn't waste that talent with these boring concepts.

Reply

Saw 10 minutes of Melissa's show - BORING BORING BORING - No entertainment value at all.

Reply

The show was a choke hold to say the least with $10 per show, as another reader mentioned $70 would have been more effective.

Her presentation / survival guide on the show was based around 4 steps if I remember right, and yet the 4 steps included multiple side steps to them. If she goes about with a "survival guide" she'll need to actually demonstrate real-world time consumption instead of going "oooh mashed potatoes out of thin air"

Reply

I am so disappointed that Food Network is not supporting Melissa but actually seem to be sabotaging her success. The concept of her show is boring and already being done, the name of the show is dull and does not market her in anyway and the time slot given to her(with no repeats throughout the week)is basically the kiss of death. I am hoping to see some fast changes in order to give her the shot at success that she deserves. I thought she did a great job for her first show-very nice recipes-great presentation(a little stiff at first but then she relaxed)but I think good ideas for $10 meals for 4 is pretty limited and unrealistic, not to mention had nothing to do with why she won. If you want viewers to watch The Next Food Network Star then you need to follow through after the finale and give the winner a chance!! I would feel the same way about anyone who won that was being treated this way!

Reply

Obviously this is FN's way of trying to be relevant during an economic downturn. While it might be useful in theory to teach people how to eat on virtually no income, its not very fun/uplifting. For me personally, I was excited for the survival guide, as a student with no cooking experience. At least that show provided her enough of a budget to give you a well-balanced meal. Its not like her demo meal of chicken, oil, onion, and potatoes was a budget-killer. I liked that she was giving practical tips and simplifying the basics of making a meal...I guess I'll be eating mac and cheese for the next 4 yrs...lol

Reply

Not planning on tuning in again. Amazing!!! You go to the flea market in the AM & come home & whip up that lunch? Puhleeze!!! The meal didn't quite go with the name & concept of the show. (Seemed more like "The Gourmet Next Door".....which got cancelled a couple of years ago!!!) By the way, during the competition, she kept telling how she cooked with her girls.......then we see they're 4 BABIES....I assumed, from listening to her, that they were old enough to cook with & have fun with in the kitchen..........like Jeffrey's daughter. Loved Jeffrey....he had a real concept of cooking with kids & more of a FAMILY fun thing in the kitchen.

Reply

I think Melissas show 10buck meal is a joke. I think she is boring and she talks way to much. Not to mention she is so slow on what she's making. She is no Racheal or giada.

Reply

4 people $10. My wife and I have been doing that, better than this fist show, for 15 years (actually 5 people, including a 6'+ 200 lb.+ teenager). Yes we start with a fully-stocked pantry and spice rack, but it's not hard if you shop the sales and we do it 4-5 times a week.

Reply

One more thing. Would have much preferred Jeffery's show. Always looking for a new ingredient to try. Did that one year for my dad at Christmas. Went to the local gourmet store and picked out 3-4 unusual ingredients and created a recipe for each. This was about 10 years ago and he still used a couple of them.

Reply

I do not like the show - she is terrible in front of a camera. GIVE ME JEFFREY!!!! She talks toot much ! There is no way that is a meal for 4 for $10 maybe four 3 year olds. Go back home and cook for your family! I will not watch and I watch a LOT of food network!!

Reply

Would love to give Melissa the benefit of the doubt, but after watching the second episode, have too much of a headache to watch again. She uses too much needless chatter and tries way too hard. Would love to have seen Jeffrey as the winner.

Reply