by Kylene Hamulak

 

Season 9 of Food Network Star begins with an introduction to the twelve finalists chosen by Giada De Laurentis, Alton Brown, and Bobby Flay. The first contestant we meet is Nikki Dinki, who claims she's a threat because she talks about food to a camera all the time. I think she's a threat because her name is super fun to say. 

 

Rodney is a musician and a "pie head". Stacey owns a restaurant and is a mom. Chris has a couple of food trucks in addition to seven restaurants, Daniela is from Peru, and Russell has a mohawk so OBVIOUSLY he's unconventional (or so he says.) Damaris is a self-proclaimed "sweet and sassy" Southern girl and Andre is half the man he used to be - literally, he lost half his body weight. Connie - uh, excuse me, LOVELY as she says, comes in with personality, and Chad wants this so badly he's tried out three times for the show. Danushka is a model and a chef, who has kind of an interesting attitude. Viet wants to represent the American dream, and he's already beaten Bobby Flay on Iron Chef.

 

Now then. Are we ready for some competition?

 

First up: 30 Second Pitch Tape for Producers

 

Hearing that their first challenge will be filming the pitch tape puts some of the contestants on edge right away. Stacey - the mom chef - needs Alton's help to get her pitch straightened out, but Danushka just seems angry. There's a lot of second hand embarrassment from my corner. As Damaris and Russell stumble oddly, I'm starting to wonder if anyone is going to be normal. Rodney the pie guy is the first. Viet is a little bit too shy in front of the camera, but Nikki Dinki (can we just keep using her entire name please?) is a natural, pitching her "meat on the side" approach. Chris is talking about compassion, which is weird, and then Daniela starts crying as she talks about Peru. Chad begins by talking about having an EZ Bake oven when he was a kid, and everyone agrees his personality is great. I'm bored by Andre already - he wants to be inspirational, but I'm already tired of hearing how he lost half his body weight. Lovely isn't as impressive as SHE thinks she is, but the mentors give her tips that help her pitch turn out pretty well.

 

 

The Mission: The Potato

 

In their first cooking challenge, the contestants are challenged to use the potato to make their personalities shine through. Nikki Dinki nearly loses a couple fingers, while Damaris is carrying on a conversation with her potato salad. Danushka's potato puffs actually sound delicious, but they're "perfectly raw" inside. Lovely is making a sweet potato hash with a candied bacon and arugula salad, which is apparently "glam". Stacey has potato balls with butter and chives - they sound like delicious tater tots. Viet has some sort of thing with soup INSIDE of it, which sounds interesting, while Rodney is making a fancy potato pie.

 

The Judgement

 

In addition to the mentors and producers this year, the contestants will be judged by a focus group, armed with taste meters, who will be watching their pitch tapes. Their dials will indicate the level of like (or dislike) towards the contestants.

 

Lovely - Sweet Potato Hash

The focus group has a pretty positive review of Lovely, though Bob's not quite getting it yet. Bobby thinks her dish was good overall.

 

Russell - Potato Tasting Trio

Bob isn't excited by his pitch tape, and Suzi tells him to have some fun. Giada likes the idea behind his dish, but was not impressed by the execution.

 

Chris - Stuffed Potato Pierogi

Chris's pitch tape was confusing to Bob and Suzi, and they have no idea what his "brand" would be. The audience doesn't respond favorably either. Bobby calls his dish bland and not very pleasing.

 

Stacey - Fried Potato Balls

The meters swing to the positive pretty quickly for Stacey, though Bob says her relatable personality may be too low key, suggesting that she "ratchet it up". The judges really enjoy her dish and her story.

 

Danushka - Potato Puff

Yeah, the focus group doesn't like her pitch tape, and Suzi thinks she's going to have to find her own "version of warmth." Yikes - that's rough. The dish doesn't do too much better. "If you're cooking the one potato dish that could change your life, this was not it," says Bobby. I groaned with Danushka as he said it.

 

Andre - Spanish Omlette

Andre actually gets a decent rating from the crowd, though Bob doesn't see a "star" in him just yet. Bobby calls his dish a little bland. Honestly, that's how I feel about Andre in general.

 

Damaris - Roasted Potato Salad

The audience stays pretty much in the middle of the meter throughout Damaris's pitch - it's as if they're not really sure WHAT to do with her, and laugh as they try to determine whether or not they actually liked her. Bob likes her goofiness, but thinks her video was off-putting. The judges like her salad, though.

 

Nikki Dinki - Potato, Cauliflower & Parsnip Soup

The focus group star rating leans pretty high with this one, and Suzi loves her "meat on the side" message. She thinks her cutesy personality, however, might hurt her credibility. Bobby calls her dish inventive and says he really likes the flavor.

 

Daniela - Papas a la Huancaina

Again, the focus group seems confused, and the meter barely wavers through her entire pitch, which is mostly just Daniela gesturing as she tries to find her words. Bob almost sarcastically tells her, "This was not a great 30 seconds for you." Gee, ya THINK? Her dish gets a better review, however - the judges liked the flavor and thought behind it. Side note: if she sticks around, I'm going to learn a lot about spelling in Peru.

 

Rodney - Potato Cheese & Crab Pie

Rodney's Star Rating goes green pretty quickly, and the focus group seems engaged by him. Bob agrees, calling him "intriguing". Unfortunately, The Pie Guy wasn't able to deliver a pie to them in his dish, but what they do taste is a "delicious disaster".

 

Viet - Potato Soup Croquette

The audience is pretty middle of the road with Viet, and that seems about right. He's not terrible, but he doesn't do much to jump forward for you either. Bob calls him a "gentle soul" and warn him that's not a great quality for TV. The judges love his dish, calling it "ridiculously good."

 

Chad - Potato Latke with BBQ Sauce

Not surprisingly, Chad's focus group rating is one of the highest of the entire field. The audience is applauding by the end of it, and Bob says he's never heard a reaction like that. "Great beginning," he tells Chad. The dish doesn't go over quite as well - Alton says it's a little confusing - but he doesn't get slammed either.

 

Elimination

 

As the contestants line up in front of the judges, we know some of them are already nervous. Like Danushka, for example, who sarcastically congratulates herself for her "double bad" pitch tape and dish.

 

The Standouts: Chad, Nikki Dinki and Stacey are declared safe based on the focus group and judges thoughts.

 

Also Safe: Damaris, Lovely, Rodney, Andre, Viet and Chris

 

Up for Elimination: Danushka, Russell, and Daniela are the Bottom 3 for this challenge. The judges think Daniela can cook, but they're not sure she's ready to do it on TV. Russell also has the talent to cook, but they sense a disconnect between what he says he is and how he actually presents. Danushka's "warmth" comes up as an issue again, and it's suggested that she's, basically, a side kick, not necessarily the star of the show.

 

Russell is the first to be declared safe. The judges then also tell Danushka they'd like to see more of her.

 

Daniela, the "Peruvian Princess", is eliminated.

 

 

Catch Food Network Star every Sunday at 9/8c on Food Network!

 

(Image courtesy of The Food Network)

 

 

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