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Food Network Star: "Pilot Greenlights" (7/15/2012) [*SPOILERS*]

So, when does Final 3 equal Final 4?

When Martie and Justin both make the finals from Team Alton.

Martie, Justin, Yvan and Michele are your finalists.

Martie was probably separated at birth from Paula Deen.

Yvan's pilot reminds me of Ask Aida.

Michele's show reminds me of Bobby Flay's "Grill It".

Justin's pilot is a take on Alton's Good Eats episode on Caesar Salad.

Watch them and vote for your favorite by July 17 5pm EST.

(As an aside, does Anne Burrell look like she spent about 10 hours too long under the tanning bed?)

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  1. Either too long on the tanning bed or a really bad spray tan job.

    No matter which way America votes, Justin will get a show. Of the 4 "pilots" they showed, his was the strongest and the most interesting.

    Yvan's pilot started a little slow but he picked up steam as he went along and was pretty good by the end. And I'd actually try his crazy mac 'n' cheese recipe.

    Michele did a better job than I expected her too. I think her pilot was the most relaxed she's been on the entire show.

    For as much progress as Martie's made over the last few weeks, to me her pilot was the least interesting and seemed flat. The setting was a little too contrived. I'd actually grown to like her by tonight's episode. I've made shrimp recipes similar to the one she did and they're good. I would have preferred to have heard what was in the recipe, not some story about shrimp cocktail.

    Bottom line...I think this is Justin's to lose and I don't think he will.

    4 Replies
    1. re: DiningDiva

      One the one hand I can't help but think Ippy would have provided a better pilot, and on the other OMG CRAZY CORN MAC AND CHEESE GIVE ME THIS.

      Michelle's was so much better produced than Martie's and Yvan's, and familiar. It felt like "A Bobby Flay Joint" but what recipe? Cook clams in wine and top with corn or something. It's a testament to the production that I'm only now realizing there wasn't much substance.

      Martie. Bless her heart.

      Never mind what everyone says about Justin being quirky and having funky style and Alton Jr and whatever. I want to have his conversation about food. I want someone who thinks aspic is an appropriate first-date topic of conversation. Because on the one hand we have programming exalting the revolution in thought that cooking has seen in the last few decades, but with little discussion about the thought processes behind these new ideas, and on the other hand we have Kelsey's Essentials giving us detailed instructions on making basic food. Justin is a move in the right direction (and might be better served by Cooking Channel, because I really don't want him road tripping to funky joints around the country any time soon).

      Vote early, vote often!

      1. re: ennuisans

        I didn't mean to come off as so dismissive of Martie. It was more that I couldn't describe how I felt. Essentially her focus should be on entertaining; it should be a Martha/Sandra show rather than exclusively a cooking show. My feeling is that whoever produced the segment (the assumption is Alton but in the end FNS is produced by someone higher up) didn't know how to showcase her properly, and it showed.

        1. re: ennuisans

          I also thought Justin is better suited to Cooking Chanel.

        2. re: DiningDiva

          Justin has the only interesting and different food. The others are all the same.

        3. I liked Justin as a host, but that aspic and grilled lettuce did not appeal. At. All.

          Michele, I guess, FTW just because the idea of learning how to prepare seafood/New England style food would be something they've not done on FN. She was personable enough although the recipe was a bit uninspiring (I have to hope she has something more interesting up her sleeve).

          And it will probably only last a season or two anyway.

          1 Reply
          1. re: coney with everything

            What ? you didn't like a gelatanious blob melting on your grilled romaine ?
            Leftovers from Marcel's Quantum Kitchen.

          2. Like I've said before I watch the show because it's a competition not because I'd watch any of them do their own show. I generally only watch the competitions on FN because I don't care to watch a presenter doing cooking demonstrations.
            It's nice to see Justin and Martie have become bffs and I wouldn't mind if either of them won, but probably as Justin is the most quirky of them all he could well have a long career ahead of him.

            1. I thought the aspic and grilled lettuce was shear genius. I need the recipe!

              I was very put off by the canned corn in the mac and cheese but in the end it looked delish and the brother was cute.

              Is Michelle from Rhode Island because that's all she talks about.

              martie seemed nervous but that shrimp looked good

              2 Replies
              1. re: C. Hamster

                We had a farm-to-table resto here in San Diego that was doing a grilled ceasar salad. It was surprisingly good. I thought the aspic trick looked pretty interesting as well. Check the FTV web page, they've been posting recipes from some of the episodes.

                And I agree with you on the cream corn. My first reaction was ewwwww, but by the end it looked pretty darn good :-)

                1. re: DiningDiva

                  Corn in Mac and Cheese = how to add even more carbs to mac and cheese.
                  Kinda like Cheese stuffed crust pizza to me. ( how to make pizza even more fattening)

              2. Unfortunately, you need to vote through Facebook (and install an app to do so), so I guess I won't be voting.

                I'm glad they let Martie and Justin make pilots, those two were probably the two most deserving IMO (based on the promos) and it seemed unfair to eliminate one.

                I thought Martie's pilot was weakest, I thought Michelle's food looked the tastiest, and thought her pilot and Justin's were the best, but I liked Justin's more because I like him and his idea more.

                6 Replies
                1. re: LurkerDan

                  You can vote by phone as well.

                  I agree about Martie. She's Martie Partie (wow, I hate that), but leaves her guests in another room while she prepares a dish with no comment on how it can be prepared ahead? And those cantaloupe boats in the background were pathetic.

                  1. re: BubblyOne

                    Wasn't Aart Paarti a few years ago ? what happened to her ?
                    I liked the pre arranged party waiting for her in the living room.. Very eclectic mixed race party for an Alabama woman.
                    Looked like a " K Tel" commercial to me. ..waiting for someone to put on a record.

                      1. re: coney with everything

                        I think she has a new "go see what other food people are doing" show.

                    1. re: BubblyOne

                      I don't get the appeal. We have so many cooks with tips on entertaining already. I don't think she'll make folks forget Martha, Ina, the Party Boys, and others. I also noticed that she didn't tell us what she was doing. It looks pretty boring.

                      Well, we know each of them will get a show anyway, whether it's on the FoodNetwork or Cooking Channel. My bet is Michelle will head directly to the Cooking Channel. I love New England, so will probably watch.