by Allison L. Nowacki and Bryan J. Polk

We have finally arrived at the final episode of Food Network Star this season. It has been a long journey for our three finalists but the time has come to award Vic, Susie or Jeff their own show on the Food Network. Things got off to an interesting start when Giada De Laurentiis informed the contestants that only two of them would be moving on to create pilots for the final challenge. Each finalist would have two hours to cook their greatest meal and then present it to the camera to prove why they should get the chance to make a pilot.

Jeff made an eggplant parmesan sandwich and told a story about his dad, "Big Ole Gus", who could create a sandwich out of nothing. Susie cooked some pork carnitas with a cactus salad on the side and presented them with a story of when her parents would cook the same meal as a party for their friends. Vic also tells a story about his family as he shares his take on the Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes. While Vic's fish soup and presentation were good it wasn't good enough to save him in the competition and he was eliminated. The first words out of Vic's mouth were "Are you kidding me?" but instead of it being the start of a rant towards the selection committee it is the beginning of his thank you speech for everyone who has ever been involved with Food Network Star.

With Vic out of the competition Jeff and Susie now have to film their pilots with the help of Guy Fierri as their director. They also find out that not only will the selection committee watch the pilot but also a focus group of Food Network viewers. This latest revelation fills Jeff with nerves as he starts to film his pilot causing him to say "Boom!" over and over again in his demonstration. Guy cuts him off and tells him to stop relying on crutch words and that it is fine to have a little bit of dead time in between sentences. Jeff eventually gets in a zone while cooking and telling stories that he doesn't even notice when he spills oil all over his shirt. When Susie is getting set up for her show she seems lost as she is in a kitchen that is new to her. This causes her to be unfocused, which has been a problem that's been following her the entire competition. After a few tries, she finally gets it right and completes a wonderful dish that was so good that she had to eat it with her hands.

When it came time to present the pilots to the selection committee they had Jeff and Susie meet them in what looked like the Food Network Hall of Stars, with huge posters of Rachael Ray, Alton Brown, Aarti Sequeira and others hanging around the circumference of the room. We finally get to meet the focus group, which is made up of this season's previously eliminated Food Network Star contestants. All the returning contestants were very impressed with what they saw in the pilots and overall were very supportive.

The only time there was anything negative said, it came from Penny (surprise surprise) and Howie. Penny was not very impressed with Susie's pilot and thought it wasn't engaging enough. Howie (do you even remember Howie?) thought Jeff's pilot had a little too much schitck for his taste. The rest of the focus group reviews were all positive. Vic even commented by saying "WOW!".

The judges took a moment to deliberate and it seems like it really could have gone to either finalist. Jeff and Susie both have all the qualities they are looking for in a Food Network star. They have each grown tremendously and have every right in the world to be proud of what they have accomplished. When it comes time to announce the winner, it is Jeff who was standing victorious. His Sandwich King show will start airing on Sunday mornings. Jeff seemed to be the right choice as his personality suits not only his television show but will translate to book signings, live events, and other specialty shows on Food Network. We would like to extend our congratulations to Jeff as well as Susie for an entertaining season. It wouldn't be surprising if this isn't the last you have seen of her. Congrats Sandwich King from your loyal sandwich kingdom subjects.

Jeff's show, Sandwich King, will start airing this Sunday morning on Food Network.

(Image courtesy of Food Network)

You can catch more of Allison and Bryan on their weekly reality show podcast at notmakefriends.com.