Season 4 Episode 3 of The Next Food Network Star

[FoodFan]

ibcheft...it's called "edgier TV."

This has been my theory from the beginning...I'm convinced now more than ever that the FN executives are feeling that the product they have- while profitable and popular with viewers- is stale. They are trying to "shake up" their product with all of these over-the-top dramatic shows. Just think: Tasty Travels? Road Tasted? Weekend Adventures? Dinner Impossible? The first three shows are travelogues more than anything else, and the fourth one is a hybrid of James Bond, Matt Helm, and The Fugitive. What others followed- Ham on the Street? Feasting on Asphalt? Throwdown? Food Network Challenge- volume XLVII? More attempts at sexy television. And the ongoing TNFNS is a continuation of that edgy, irreverent, drama that they feel is, if nothing else, probably enticing much younger viewers to check out this network. Me, personally? I'm part of the 'older' demographic that they don't care about. I'm fine just with the cooking demonstrations. I don't care if the person is a gourmet chef or a blue-collar cook, as long as they're knowledgeable and somewhat engaging. But I don't need all this "way-more-than-cooking" bull--- to maintain my interest. MTV and VH-1 already exist. I don't need them to be integrated into FN.

[FoodFan]

Originally Posted by BerryBaby

Regardless of TNFNS, they seem to keep on bringing on new people for new shows...Sunny Anderson, Ingrid, Mary Nolan, The Neeleys..wonder how they got their own shows without going through the competition. (We know The Neeley's had a little help from Paula.)

Well, I guess the network can't populate its existing schedule with just competition winners, so they groom their own talent pool as well. Also, they're not above importing from across the pond, like Jamie at Home and Nigella Feasts/Bites/what-have-you. But I asked the same question a few weeks earlier about the original FN stars: how did Alton, Tyler, Giada, Bobby, et al get their shows. Connections, connections, connections...

[BerryBaby]

Jamie is from years ago when he had The Naked Chef show and cookbook. Nigella is also a staple to UK TV. At least they had some talent to back them, which brought them to the FN.