Hannah Reviews the 'Next Food Network Star' Premiere!

(Food Network)

The lead-up to tonight’s premiere of Next Food Network Star seemed to last for a solid year, when in reality, I think it was maybe two weeks.  Work kept me busy for most of the day, then I arrived home only to be jetted away elsewhere.  I was okay with this, thinking it would help me pass the, then, four remaining hours before NFNS.  I was mistaken.  I didn’t arrive back home until halfway through the premiere and much to my dismay, I had forgotten to set the DVR.  (Note:  When I turned on the TV and checked the DVR immediately after arriving home, and saw there was no NFNS awaiting me, I actually let out a “Nooooooo!!!”  Kind of like when your favorite sports team makes a terrible mistake and loses their lead, or you open your cabinet, see a box of chocolate poptarts, only to find out THEY ARE GONE!  Anyway, this is a true story.  You could ask my family if you knew them.  But you don’t.  My sister laughed.  It was evil.)

So whatever, I wait around for the midnight showing of this thing.  Only to have it delayed again!!  My sister started watching an hour long show maybe 20 minutes before the restart of NFNS because she has no sense of time management apparently and also no cares for my obsessions.  So then I finally get to watch, even though I started 13 minutes late.  It actually didn’t turn out too bad since it let me skip all of the commercial breaks.

Now, I’ll actually stop rambling and comment on the premiere.  I love that there are no teams this season!  Actually, I l-o-v-e it, that is how much I l-o-v-e it!  Also, I thought it gave a good amount of viewing time to each of the contestants.  But, as with most NFNS premieres, it’s a little hard to make overall judgments on the contestants.  Most of them still needed more camera practice at the time and were still nervous, which is completely understandable.  Did this stop me from coming up with my favorites of the cast though?  No, no it didn’t.

First off, I really like Viet.  (Obviously.  He was my pick from the moment I first looked over the cast. 

Viet already wins 'best smile' of the season.  Hands down.
(Food Network)

Whether it’s his impressive credentials, charming good looks, amazing fashion sense, or humorous tweets (even if he thinks I’m creepy!) I just had a good pre-show impression of him.)  I like the point of view that he’s showing with the American Dream.  I love the stories of people who come from nothing (or likewise, very little) and overcome all kinds of obstacles to be successful.  I mean, he beat Bobby Flay!  Viet owns (or is it, co-owns?) a restaurant, and Chris even recognized Viet as soon as he entered the room!  Viet seems to be an amazing chef with very inventive ideas.  While his camera skills right out of the gate are a little off, I really think he will improve over time and has more practice in front of the camera.  But, enough about Viet.  (Geez..  I’m not doing a good job of dropping my creepy image, am I?)

Next, Chad was another favorite of mine from this premiere.  He is absolutely amazing in front of the camera and just seems so at home with it.  He’s also very into BBQ and we all know (okay, so maybe it’s just me that knows) that BBQ sauce is my favorite of all the sauces in the entire galaxy.  (Also the only one I’ll eat)  And I also enjoy the occasional BBQ cookout!  Chad has also auditioned for a few seasons, so he obviously really wants to win this.  While I think everyone goes there wanting to win, I love someone who has the determination to keep trying despite being told no.  Honestly though, how did he not get on any of the other seasons he auditioned for?  It’s mindblowing!

Nikki was maybe the biggest (best) surprise for me on the premiere!  She is another natural when it comes to performing in front of the camera.  She does a lot of online stuff with her cooking in hopes of gaining more leverage, and I love those who blog and do videos!  While I agree that being cutesy, as some of the judges called her, can be a bad thing at times, I really think it works for her.

I feel like Russell is going to be a pretty big character on this season.  He’s shown the most (at least that I see) in the commercials and a lot of his confessionals get shown.  I love his point of view and all of the innovative techniques that he uses in his cooking, like he did with the smoke on this premiere.  I was a little bummed and surprised to see him in the bottom three this week!  I thought there were less impressive performances, but hey, I’m not the judge here.  I feel like with more time, Russell will be great in front of the camera and his POV will shine through perfectly.  I just think that his video from tonight was a bad reflection of him and his cooking.  I expect good things to come from him.

(Food Network)

A really great honorable mention goes out to Stacey!  She had a great on-camera performance and was very well-liked amongst the people in the focus group.  The biggest (worst) surprise for me was probably Danushka, at least based off of this first episode.  Judging from her bio and all that good stuff, I expected her to be amongst the elite of #TeamHannah, but her personality on-camera is a little dud-ish in my opinion.  I

think she has a lot of dry humor, which I love, but she just needs to try to find a way to make that extend better into her performances.  Rodney was another great surprise for me on this episode!  He provided one of my favorite moments from the entire episode!

Bob: I believe you are the pie guy!
Rodney:  Well, I am!

Rodney seems like a very relaxed guy, which could either hurt or help him in the long run on the show.  I personally could see it working in his favor though.  I’m still indecisive on a lot of the contestants, but I don’t find myself rooting against anyone quite yet.  (Note:  I’ll make comments on Chris and Damaris because they’re both also on #TeamHannah.  Chris has an iffy POV at this point, but in past seasons, contestants have been able to create a great POV inside of the competition, so I could see that happening for him, as well.  Damaris seems like a huge personality, which could really be great.  She is similar to Martie from last season, but from the looks of the previews, could be in troubled waters.)

While it’s sad for Daniela to be the first one out of the competition, after barely getting to know her on the show, it’s a pretty good moment for me since she was on #TeamAustin.  In next week’s episode, I’m hoping to see Danushka step up to the plate and perform great, Damaris NOT have an emotional breakdown, Viet to be awesome, and another great episode!  May all of my wishes come true!

Daniela is the first eliminated.  Only 11 stars remain!
(Credit:  Food Network - for the original picture)

Bonus question:  If any of the contestants read this (I don’t know, it’s possible!), are you allowed to tell me the answer to this question that I’m ALWAYS wondering while watching the show?  If not that’s cool, I’ll continue wondering and making theories up in my head for eternity, but how (after you finish cooking whatever dish it is that you have) do they keep the food warm/good/fresh?  It seems like there would be a decent wait time between when you finish and when you present.  Do the judges just deal with slightly chilled food, or what?  

Love/Hate, Agree/Disagree with my review of the NFNS premiere?  Comment below or tweet me at @theonlytrace!  (If you disagree, I may cry, but just a little!  #HannahJokes)