Season 4 Episode 3 of The Next Food Network Star

[Food Network Fan]

Episode 3 – June 15 at 10pm ET/PT >>
The eight remaining finalists try to stand out from the pack, as they each must create a dynamic dish using the same humble ingredient – a russet potato – and then present their dish to camera. Then they must invent an original food product, to be sampled and critiqued by 50 food buyers…and to surprise guest Martha Stewart. The next finalist is then eliminated. >>

[BerryBaby]

That should be good. I love potato recipes!

[Jane0929]

Has anyone, other than Guy, ever succeeded on the Food Network after winning this so called "contest"?

[Food Network Fan]

Well the "Hearty Boys" are still aired occasionally, but Guy was really the jackpot for them I suppose.

[BerryBaby]

Think Guy is the only one that has succeeded on FN, however many of the others have done well on their own. FN has a section that gives you updates on "Where are they Now?" It's quite interesting.

[Food Network Fan]

There is a thread with the link somewhere here on the forum.

[FoodFan]

Say what you will about the competition, but it does provide a springboard for a new career. The winner is given his/her own show- albeit only 6 episodes. Then it's up to ratings numbers and buzz from viewers to determine if they get anything more than that. Dan & Steve didn't catch on, but Amy might have- she was offered more shows, but turned them down. Guy- what can you say? His hype is the male equivalent of Rachael Ray: exposure EVERYWHERE!! Hope he doesn't burn out too quickly.

[BerryBaby]

Thought Steve and Dan did two seasons? They are still on and I love their ideas. Think they are really busy with their catering business and other projects. They did appear on a FN special during Christmas this past year as well.

[FoodFan]

Originally Posted by BerryBaby

Thought Steve and Dan did two seasons? They are still on and I love their ideas. Think they are really busy with their catering business and other projects. They did appear on a FN special during Christmas this past year as well.

Oh, did they? That's cool. I only say they didn't catch on as stars of FN because nowadays I only see their episodes aired around 4:00 a.m., maybe once a week. (I think we talked about this last week.) I always affectionately call 3-5 a.m. the program graveyard. All the canceled shows end up somewhere in that graveyard schedule. In DC, FN goes off the air at 5:00 a.m. for 4 hours- and I always thought it was dumb of them to end their programming day so close to the break of dawn. Anyway, that's when Hearty Boys turns up- along with Calorie Commando, Top 5, Food Finds, Wolfgang Puck, and others: the 'new restaurant' documentaries, the specials about entrepreneurs going into the food business late-in-life, etc. But I figured D & S had other success before TNFNS. I'm happy for them.

[BerryBaby]

Yes, they seem to 'fill space' with reruns of older shows. Many of them I still enjoy. Food Finds is on Fine Living during the day. The other ones you mentioned are on eternal hiatus, unfortunately.