Favorite Thing of the Week

Okay, favorite thing of the week, July 27…this tremendously under-rated “reality” show is the best thing on TV right now! It shows on FoodTV Sunday nights at 9:00. Twelve real live people have competed for their own show on the Food Network. What I love about this show, besides the obviously embarassing fact that I love food so much that when I’m not eating it I’m watching it, is two things.

1. The contestants are likable, interesting, and nice to each other. This is in stark contrast to the overt viciousness of the slutty girls on “The Bachelor,” or even the fake best-friendship of American-Idol contestants. On “The Next Food Network Star,” contestants help, listen to, and are kind to each other. Furthermore, unlike most shows where you just HATE that so-and-so got kicked off when someone obviously less pretty/talented/etc still remainds, in this one, I am PUMPED about the two finalists. Melissa, a stay-at-home mom, makes fantastic unique food and has Rachel Ray’s peppiness without her annoying New York accent. The other guy, Jeffrey, is just plain likable. He’s humble, kind, and knows his stuff. I’m rooting for Melissa but would watch either.

2. This show has done for cooking what “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” has done for construction: taken a conventionally gender-specific topic and made it appealing to the other side. In “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” they’ve done it by adding a hefty dose of emotional appeal. In “The Next Food Network Star,” it’s gotta be the competition. But this is all a long way of saying that my husband LOVES this show. Tune in next Sunday to see who wins!