Food Network Star Week Two

Where...do...I...begin?

I think the biggest challenge this season is going to be staying invested in the contestants long enough to actually care who emerges victorious.

In past seasons, usually by week two you really get a sense of who the contenders are and who will be going home by the midpoint. This season it's anybody's game. Lenny is still the strongest contender, and he almost won me over by helping out Aryen. But then he acted like he'd somehow been robbed of the credit when Alton complimented her save of the flour. Dude, I was on your side. Grow the hell up. It's not like the cameras aren't on you constantly, capturing every decision you make.

Um, Sarah? You're whining that the challenges keep getting harder? It's the second week! Haven't you seen the show?

Emma, you're still boring. You should have gone home last week. But I can tell you that if it were up to me, I'd keep you in the competition until we get rid of that brat Loreal, because her personality is just rubbing me the wrong way. I'll happily take boring over obnoxious.

I would say I'm displeased that Luca went home instead of Kenny, but as I mentioned I really don't care. There is literally nobody in this competition that I'm rooting for. This is my fourth season watching, and I have to say it's the weakest batch of contestants I've ever seen. Lenny is my top pick purely by default.

So what does this say about the behind the scenes of the show? Did the Food Network really not screen their contestants thoroughly this year? Did they simply aim for the most attractive bunch they could find instead of examining real cooking show potential?

Here's my big question: at what point did the Food Network decide to stick Chad and Martie in the Star Salvation? Maybe this was always the plan, since Star Salvation proved to be so useless last year. Or maybe they gathered this season's contestants together, saw what they had to work with, and said "Lord, we're going to get stuck with one of these wombats, we need to bring back someone we shouldn't have eliminated."

I guess I'm being cruel, but I've seen contestants with real potential who just didn't develop over the course of the competition. I don't have a lot of hope for a bunch of contestants who are already showing such a lack of potential to blossom.

My money is still on Chad.