LAST EDITED ON 06-17-09 AT 12:30 PM (EST)

Brett - eliminated Ep 2

Debbie

Eddie

Jamika

Jeffrey

Katie

Melissa

Michael

Teddy

Jen - Eliminated Ep 1

Talk about CUT THROAT: Debbie is out for Debbie!! She was caught in several lies, and there were several others that went unnoticed, or unrevealed. She is a witch!! It was HER decision and HERS alone to make that horrid sponge cake disaster, and she said it was an 'executive decision' on the part of the group. BAH! Shame, shame! I already dispise her-buying over budget and lying about it. Throwing people under the bus, not getting the real ingredients-she would HAVE to know how important that could be to an original dish.

Did they send the right person home? NO way! Debbie should have been the first to go. They gave her a slap on the wrist and a tiny little lecture on 'character'. Wowwwy. Big freaking deal. She'll continue on with her ways, and it's good for the show.

I'm keeping my eyes on Jamika and Jeffrey, and we'll see who else comes out on top in the next competiton.

BTW: does anyone else feel that Giada is a total snob? Every thing I've ever seen her on, with the exception of HER show, portrays her as a total un-smiling, condesending, judgemental, beotch! I really think her looks have gotten her where she is, and definitely NOT her personality. DO NOT LIKE HER! Sadly, next episode, they will be working with and for her...we'll see what happens!

Looks like I may be a lone poster on this forum. But whatever...

OK, I take back what I said about Giada, for now, anyway. She was actually pretty nice last night, and I appreciated her feedback, for the most part. She wasn't as rude and crude as I've seen her on previous episodes.

And WOW, what was up with Brett? Help someone out then throw them under the bus? Is that the name of the game? Well, Karma is a beotch, isn't it, baby? At least Mamma Girl was nice enough to bid him adeau in a dignified manner. And Deb wasn't too irritating this time, either.

We'll see what happens with Ted and the other guy-can't remember his name. The one who gave WAY too much info for Valentine's Day. Looks like he may be in trouble next week, but that just means, when you are in the previews, that you are going nowhere. It's all drama, all drama, baby.

I don’t know what Brett was thinking making such a show about his helping Melissa with her meal. I can’t tell whether he was trying to make himself look good or make her look bad. Either way, it showed remarkable poor sportsmanship imo. I’m glad Teddy stayed out of it and I wish they had showed us if he said anything to Melissa after they were dismissed. Since they were sitting next to each other I find it hard to believe that nothing was said about it.

I did get some clarification from my friend who knows Teddy (re my post above) and she said that although he thought there were some great contestants with amazing skills, some of the contestants really had no interest in food/culinary arts and were only there to try and be a star – and he had a real problem with that. She also said that the Teddy on last night’s ep was the real Teddy - that he is a big goof.

I was very surprised that Brett was eliminated – I really thought it would be Eddie or Katie. But not sorry to see him go...

I like that we are really starting to see personalities and skills come through. I could easily see a final with Michael, Jamika, and Jeffrey or Teddy.

While I think Debbie was trying to save her butt, I think she is entitled to do that in the name of being in a competition. As long as she makes good TV, she can possibly be hired. The judges will call her out for her mistakes, and she's aware they are willing to cut her slack at first. If she continues to compromise her integrity for the job, it could eventually hurt her.

Other contestants were so craptastic that Debbie couldn't help but shine and get the safety dismissal. I didn't find Giada to be snotty. I thought she was acting appropriate and professional, and she did come across as friendly, IMHO.

My favorites are also Michael, Jamika and Jeffrey. I'd love to see them race to the finals. They (and Debbie) have the charisma to pull off a TV series.

Lori

I'd forgotten about Michael. I actually like him, too. He's quite witty, and seems to be a decent chef, at this point. As long as he doesn't get too into himself. That seems to happen sometimes when they get that 'edge', then the head starts to get a little too big, and they start over-doing things, like Eddie did last night. WHOA, what a train wreck that was, huh?

I agree-the final 3 for me, would be Jeffrey, Jamika and Michael, at this point. Anything can happen, though. It's still really early in the game....

Wow! Teddy is kind of a mess. When the camera turns on he is like a characature of a bad salesman. When he is in front of the judges, he reminds me of a little kid who, when he thinks he is in trouble, just starts talking to get himself out of trouble and blames everyone else. Then he has a terrified, weepy look in his eyes. He does not have the right demeanor for a competition show on a network that wants a likable winner.

I actually thought that they were going to send both Teddy & Eddie home because they both deserved it. It was interesting when Bobby Flay said that he watched the film of them cooking together.

That was difficult to watch!

But I have to say I found this Teddy drama a bit confusing. Correct me if I’m wrong but when he and Debbie were creating their menu didn’t they decide that the appetizer would be her item, the meatloaf would be his (although she then piped up that she would make a sauce for it to tie it in with her appetizer), and the dessert would be the “shared” course? So I do not understand why he said the dessert was his course. Perhaps he said that because she appeared to not help him with it at all. Did I miss something???

It seemed like Teddy was trying to explain this at the judges' table but he did an extremely poor job of it (as far as we saw). It’s really interesting that Bobby said he watched the tape of them cooking. Perhaps he got to see the part where they discussed dividing the courses. Either way, I like that the judges are paying attention to what is going on behind the scenes.

I also find it funny that Debbie doesn’t seem to get the irony of her questioning someone else’s integrity.

And seriously, onion salad??? I cannot imagine a scenario where that would taste good.

The meatloaf was their shared course.

The dessert was his and his alone. He didn't appear to want to do it; he would be using pudding that Debbie bought.
But it was his fault that he spent all his time on the meatloaf and left the dessert - which was HIS - till the end and just threw it together. He should have had Debbie help more with the meatloaf to get it in the oven in time for him to work on the desert. But then Debbie actually reminded him of the dessert; he was fiddling around like he thought he was finished - waiting for the meatloaf to cook.

I so agree about Debbie! She is a snake in the grass! SHE is the one who has to be watched, as far as I'M concerned. This is the 2nd time she's tried to get away with a store-bought dessert, and not take credit for it!

And what the heck was Eddie thinking? Watermelon and onions? Then to give credit for it to Paula Dean?? LOL! What a dork!

Anyway, I think the judges are pretty wised-up about most of these contestants. It's just a matter of time before Deb meets her match, I hope. But I think Vegan lady and "Sunshine" need to go first. IMHO, anyway.

I think Debbie was completely validated by the individual and shared effort task. She was not responsible for dessert, and she can't be blamed for the store bought items. The challenge was meant to challenge the contestants with "budget" items.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Debbie wins the show. They don't have an Asian themed show on, so she'd fill a demographic.

Lori

> They don't have an
>Asian themed show on, so
>she'd fill a demographic.
>

Ah hah! So *that's* why Debbie never lets anyone forget that she is Korean.

I will tell everyone right now, IF Deb wins, there is no way in HELLO that I will watch one second of a show that she is a part of!!

This woman has witched her way through many a competition, martyred herself beyond belief, and thrown several of her competitors under the bus! So what if she's a good cook? Where does integrity come in to play here?

Guy rarely cooks on his show, Rachael Ray is more personality than flavor, and many others who are on HGTV Food channels are 'fun' rather than 'food'. Think I'd eat much of Paula Dean's food? Looks good, yes, but my gall bladder would BURST! LOL.

I think Deb and Jamika were both given a huge rope last night, let's just hope they either use it to tie a knot and gain validation (which, IMHO, Deb can't do no way, no how), or finally kick the bucket and move on to another place where people really care that you are Korean!

BTW, sad to see Michael go, but he shot himself in the foot by mentioning not once, but several times, how camera-shy he was. He could have made a great network star for this season. Oh well. My vote goes for Jeffrey!

I agree with you about Debbie. This show is different from most reality competition shows. You don't have to like the winner of Top Chef or Project Runway. On this show, the food should be good, you must come across a certain way and you must be likable. Debbie's food seems like it is good, but there is something almost "slick" about her.

I do disagree with you about Michael. He is larger than life, but I'm not sure I would watch a show with him more than once or twice and his food never seemed to attract much attention.

All along, I kind of thought it was Jeffrey's to lose, but Melissa seems to be picking up steam.

Looks like Aaron is the second winner to stick around on the Food Network. His show just started the second season and I do see him occasionally crossing over to other shows.

Technically, Aaron "Big Daddy" is on his third season.......

I thought that this was a good test of both their presentation skills and for once, actual cooking skills. It was obvious throughout that Jamika needed to go. It's not a good idea to tell your judge how "pissed" you are at the challenge that they gave you. She seemed fairly arrogant about her skills after she got kicked off.

Melissa kind of came from nowhere to be someone that could possibly win this. I think she could appeal to lots of viewers and the home cook/mom is kind of a new angle.

I like Jeffrey and his food seems really good. He does seem a little goofy, but likable.

I saved Debbie for last, because I can't figure her out. She is probably the best on camera, but for some reason, she almost seems too polished to me. Her food is good and I don't think they have much of an Asian chef on (except Morimoto), but she is certainly getting an odd edit. Every week it is something else that questions her integrity (how hard is it to remember what you did with capers, especially for someone so smooth.) The Food Network is presenting her in such a way that it would be hard to now put her on their network. If we can forget all this, her show would probably be good.

You're right, it could be in the editing that we are seeing Deb in such a bad light, but it is what it is. She's lied several times, and this time was no different. I honestly don't think it was a slip of the memory, or just because she was flustered, or whatever.

She wants to win, and will do whatever she needs to, to do so. If that means being sneaky, so be it. THAT'S how she comes across to me.

Melissa gets on my nerves. Don't know why-maybe I just don't know anyone who smiles so big and so much?? But I couldn't watch that all the time! Jeff is the most down to earth, and yet can feed into wacky, fun, if need be.

I think with the exit of Jamika, for good reason, sadly, she blew it! And with the cut of darn, mind went blank again. Guy with red highlight-HE had some personality! We aren't going to get a lot of great persona. Just some good food, and maybe the person who wins can grow in to a spot that will be best for them.

I mean, I can't see Guy slaving over a stove week after week, or Rachael Ray doing more Martha Steward-type things. So, only time will tell. I hope they make the right decision, and again, I hope that it ISN'T Debbie!!

I didn't like the on-air challenge with each one being sabotaged in a different way. IMO Debbie got the easiest "troubles" to overcome.

If they were going to sabotage the contestants, it should have been the same thing for all of them. I agree that Debbie got the easiest problems, but I don't think it really helped her. In past episodes, the winner of the first challenge got an advantage in the second challenge, but in this one, they said 'Congratulations Debbie, you win.' and then forgot about it.

It seems most people are leaning toward Jeffery, but my money is on Melissa. She listens to the judges' comments and tries to take action on them. For someone with no formal training, she has done a great job with both the food and the camera.

Actually Debbie's advantage was that she got first choice of which fish to use in the elimination challenge. It was mentioned only briefly and not focused on.

By changing the other ingredients, it kind of takes away that advantage.

I think I was won over by Melissa being able to use 15 habanero's and it was still edible. I kept waiting for her hands to start burn her!

Melissa and Jeffery head to head next week for the crown, but I wouldn't be surprised if both of these people end up with some role at the Food Network in the future. The judges appear to be very positive about both of them.

After watching the comments that were made at the dinner party, I was expecting Jeffery to be sent home. I believe that the fact that Debbie ignored the part of the competition that told them to use the movie as inspiration could have been part of the reason she was booted.

I'm looking forward to next week and still pulling for Melissa to win.

I really thought Jeffrey was doomed to be sent home, too! I mean, what was he thinking, making risotto for his main dish? With $1000, he could have whipped up lobster tails, steak, beef wellington-you name it! It was painful to hear the other chefs critique him, after he'd been doing so well!

I really think Deb's past sneakiness caught up with her, and the fact that she pushed her Korean background again, instead of the movie, as they were told to do, just made them realize she wasn't going to change to suit their needs. I couldn't be happier that she is gone! I have had it in for her since day 1, when she blamed her mistake on someone else!!

It's going to be a tough call. I thought last year it would definitely be the other person, instead of who they chose, and I'm still not all that crazy about 'Big Daddy', but whatever. It's time for a woman, so I'm predicting Melissa, but I'd be just as happy with either of them. Jeff has been my favorite personality since the beginning. I hope he can find something to do on the Food Network, too, if he doesn't get this.

I too picked Jeffrey from the beginning. He has the look of a tv show host

I too am glad Debbie is history. I would never have watched any show she was on; and I think the judges knew that from the things she said & did.

Melissa has really grown and improved. I'm not sure what kind of show she would have, but I could see myself watching her.

Agman 2009