After the Rachel Ray episode last week on The Next Food Network Star, the four remaining finalists pack their bags and prepare to head to Miami for the next challenge. Before taking off, however, they meet food and wine connoisseur and Queer Eye star Ted Allen and OTG Concept Chef Michael Coury and were surprised when the two tell them their next challenge - create a dish for one of OTG Management's restaurants at JetBlue Airways Terminal 5 at the JFK Airport in New York.
After the presentation of their dishes, the four wannabe hosts still in contention are told that once they get to Miami, they'll be catering a swanky party at the fabulous Nikki Beach nightclub. The JetBlue challenge winner assigns roles for each finalist, and the team scrambles to pull off an extraordinary party, and another finalist is eliminated.
On the last episode featuring Food Network star Rachael Ray, the six remaining chefs to create kid-friendly dishes and convince a group of children to experiment with food they've never tried before. On the main challenge, they must then transform typical kid fare into gourmet dishes. They also appeared on Rachael Ray to demo their upgrades. Personal chef & nutritionist Katie Cavuto, who specializes on healthy and sustainable Mediterranean cuisine, was eliminated.
The five remaining contestants include:
• Debbie Lee, 39 from West Hollywood, California
• Jamika Pessoa, 30 from Atlanta, Georgia
• Jeffrey Saad, 42 from Los Angeles, California
• Melissa D'Arabian, 40 from Keller, Texas
• Michael Proietti, 28 from City Island, New York
Starting on June 7, the fifth season of
The Next Food Network Star features Bobby Flay as the Selection Committee, and Food Network executives, Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson. This season was filmed early this year in Miami, Florida, and New York, New York.
Catch the
Next Food Network Star tonight on the Food Network.
- Glenn Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: The Food Network
(Image courtesy of The Food Network)