The final 4 are now in Vegas with Paula Deen as the guest palette this week. Did you know that Paula started her first food business, a Lunch delivery service called, "The Bag Lady" when she was 42 years old. That inspired a whole wave of hope in me, and was a good reminder that you're never too old to start something new.
Throw down 2 dishes in 75 minutes
The competition between Lisa and Adam was fun to watch because seriously I wanted Adam to stomp Lisa which he did with his Mac-n-Cheese. I'm going to have to try that Panko trick next time I make that cheesy comfort food. When Lisa put Goat Cheese in her Mac-n-Cheese, that really showed some of her food snobbery. Adam stuck with the Velveeta approach and that got him his Black Jack. I don't even know what that bean dish is but Lisa won and sadly it did nothing to help her warm up.
Next up, holey chicken wings Batman! Aaron created a beautifully plated Chicken Parmigiana dish for 4 people in 18 minutes, and not only did he finish the dish on time, all the judges loved it. Truly, Aaron impressed this nosher.
When Kelsey explained to the judges why she made her pork tenderloin dish so petite and the words "Fancy Schmancy" came out of her mouth, I thought, "Oh, that dun did it. Mini-me Elle Woods is gonna be packing up her pink Barbie suitcase."
There is a clear winner now
Unless, Adam or Lisa can pull a rabbit out of the hat, Aaron is clearly going to win The Next Food Network Star competition. Judge Susie Fogelson totally gave it away when she announced that "our pal Aaron" was the first to move onto the next round. When the judges start calling you their "pal," you know you're a shoe in.
Aaron still has a problem being comfortable in front of the camera but I think he can quickly overcome that as he gets more coaching and just starts to relax with himself. Out of the remaining 3, Aaron does have the best cooking skill and personality combo.
Next week, I predict that Lisa will be out the door because I think the judges would rather have personality over skill. Adam has the skills, I think he just has a confidence issue after his restaurant failed. He's starting to shine now when it counts.
