Next Food Network Star »
Next Food Network Star Winner: Melissa D’Arabian
Published on: August 2, 2009 – 9:16 pm by Jillian Madison 
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Melissa D’Arabian beat the “ingredient smuggler” Jeffrey Saad in tonight’s incredibly boring season finale of Next Food Network Star. She flew under the radar every week, and pretty much bored us to tears the entire time. At least Debbie Lee got people talking, and Michael Proietti got people laughing. Melissa D’Arabian just had us reaching for our No-Doz.
If you didn’t participate in our live-blog of the event, here’s your chance to speak up! What did you think of the season? Did the right person win? Will you watch Melissa’s show? Were you as underwhelmed by it all as we were?
(I don’t know about you guys, but the up-close 80s Glamourshot of Melissa they flashed during tonight’s episode is going to give me nightmare for a week. She looks like a demonic Texan bank teller from hell. Hmm… I wonder if her Nanny took the photo while teaching her how to speak Spanish?)
UPDATE: Melissa’s new show will be called Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa D’Arabian, and it’s going to premiere on Sunday, August 9th, at 12:30 EST after Sandra’s Money Saving Meals. On the show, Melissa will be sharing money saving tips and preparing dinners for a family of 4 on a $10 budget.
There’s frugal, and then there’s just ridiculous. $10 for a family of four? Let me guess, each person gets 5 strands of dry spaghetti and a crust of 3-day old bread?
Sandra’s money saving tips haven’t been very helpful thus far (”Buy in bulk! Boxed pasta is cheaper than fresh pasta!”) Will Melissa’s Melissa’s advice be any better? If the video clip on the FN dish blog is any indication, no. Melissa suggested we prevent waste by buying “wine that is inexpensive enough to cook with, but tasty enough to drink.” Ya don’t say!
At first glance, Melissa’s new set is bright, blue, and very cheap looking. The back wall is tiled with ugly white grout, which unfortunately makes it look and feel like she’s cooking in one of the old shower stalls at my college dorm. Are they setting her up to fail? Does the network really need another homemaker offering up obvious money saving tips?
Stay tuned! We’ll have more info as it becomes available!
Other posts on Food Network Humor:
---Possible Rapper Names For Melissa D’Arabian---Melissa D’Arabian Needs To Shut Up About The Bacon
---Remind Me To Never Go To A Super Bowl Party At Melissa D’Arabian’s House
---FNH Review: $10 Dinners With Melissa D’Arabian
---Twitter Conversations: Melissa D’Arabian’s $10 Dinners
Screw you Melissa!
I can’t wait to see your face on FNH!
be nice. she is a nice lady!!! (:
That was complete BS.
No, FN, don’t pick the contestant who might actually make viewers a bit excited about ingredients like harisa, but instead pick the contestant who will sell more pots & pans to the stay at home mommies.
I will not be tuning in.
who is Jillian?
I didn’t mind Melissa, but I really would like to see Jeffrey also get his “Ingredient Smuggler” show on FN. He may be the zen master, but he loves food and that shows on the camera.
Personally I’m glad Melissa won, heh, I was rooting for her the whole time. I EXPECT TO BE SHUNNED NOW :P
Yes, I was underwhelmed, though I think I knew she was going to win b/c FN apparently just wants the same old predictable crap. I think the first order of business is fixing Melissa’s teeth!!
@APP, but then she will lose the horse demographic who would watch her show.
No, my wife and I won’t watch it, we don’t watch Rachel now. I was definitely underwhelmed by the show and her performance, bland crap. I thought Michael was the most interesting, he could be groomed by a director to deal with cameras. That was the part that pissed me off the most, they(Food Netwitts) waited until the FINAL EPISODE to show the contestants how to make TV! They should have done that from day one, we would have had better entertainment and a better contest.Viva No Reservations!
I’m pleased that Melissa won, Jeffrey was so boring and goofy looking.
Horrible decision. FN is getting worse by the month.
Perfectly nice lady, but I’d never watch her. Jeffrey is far more interesting with that tiny touch of exoticism. Sigh. Hopefully we’ll be able to follow his career somehow.
Jeffrey did not say where you could find harisa, and who makes a sandwich during the final final?
Did someone in this thread really just ask “who is Jillian?” I’m laughing.
I’M THE NEXT FOOD NETWORK STAR!
Jillian you rock!!!
Jeffrey’s sandwich looked like a Guy F. knockoff. I hate Guy F.
I really don’t need yet another show to demonstrate how to make a pan sauce. Seriously. This is elementary stuff. This is stuff that I’ve seen done a million different times on Food Network. I already know how to do this a hundred different ways, without having someone show me the “four step” process. At least Jeffry brought something new to the table. Although I think the “Ingredients Smuggler” was a bit retarded. Sorry, Alton.
Oh no Jillian! You took the screen shot in HD… it really makes her crows feet pop.
I still want to see that screenshot of Eddie (I think it was Eddie) when the announcement was made.
Priceless – and the main reason I wanted Melissa to win.
Somebody get Alton cheeseburger (or a harrisa steak hero) quickly. He looked like he was about to fall over in that Iron Chef commercial.
Well, she was one of the best from this season’s “roster” (and that still is a stretch) but I won’t be watching her. Thanks Jillian, I have not watched an eppy for this season for some weeks now…I’ve spared myself!
That photo of Melissa D’Arabian is hilarious. Jillian, I can’t wait to see what snarky things you do with this neurotic woman over the coming weeks.
This website makes me laugh every day. So thanks for that!
I will not watch Melissa’s show. Boring boring boring. They obviously wanted to fill Rachael Ray’s shoes, since she’s rumored to not be returning to the network once her contract expires.
OMG…that pic of Alton Brown Jillian had on the live blog…WTflyingF??? Did Ted Allen do a Queer Eye on him (or is there something we don’t know…not that there is anything wrong with that…). He looked a little Ted Allenfied to me (and not very healthy looking).
Jill you rule! The live blog was great. I’ve worked with Cover It Live before, but have never seen so many user comments. Great community you have built here, the people in the comments are truly funny too.
I wanted Michael Proietti to win. After he got kicked off, I stopped watching. Melissa, “meh.” If she lasts a year I’ll be shocked.
Before the finale I thought it would be a tie.
However, when they showed the two talking about their experience just before showing the pilots, you could tell that Jeffrey (still in his lavender shirt) was depressed and Melissa (still in her red dress) was still her perky self, suggesting that JS had lost. I told mom this halfway in, but we were still hoping JS would get it.
I should have known when the editor kept showing the judges praising JS in the deliberation room that his head was on the chopping block.
I like Melissa’s 4 step chicken idea; if she would do that multi-step cooking every week it might be worth watching. However, if she’s not, then it’s just another home-cook show, of which FN has plenty already.
I love Jeff’s idea of showcasing a different ingredient every week. I would tune in for that show and want to try new stuff. My only problem is that he did not explain the ingredients of the Harissa condiment. Even though anyone can look it up (I have), it would make the show fuller, more substantial if he went into more detail about the ingredient he was showing off. But that’s fixable.
Did anybody else think that Melissa looked pregnant? I wonder why Alton assured her that the camera shot would be from “here, up.”
Why Melissa? Why have yet another woman touting the simple-ingredients-less-steps-than-fingers-on-a-carpenter’s-hand premise that 40 shows on the Food Network already has?
Jeffrey is dry, but give me somebody who will encourage the use of harissa and miso and other “scary” ingredients that many Americans may not have heard of. Hell, you can show them that you can use those ingredients in dishes that are simple to make. Saffron tends to scare off people because they associate it with dishes like paella that are time-consuming and complicated. I used it in an Iranian chicken dish that was probably the most simple thing I have ever made. Give me that, please.
This is the age of the Internet. If you have a credit card and Google, you can find anything you could possibly want, shipped to your front porch.
I think some of the stuff on this blog is really funny, but geez are you guys a cynical bunch or what? That type of comedy gets old really quick with me because it’s so easy to do. You guys just come off looking like insecure, judgmental, cynical, and generally jaded people. You know, it IS possible to do humor without resorting to the above.
Melissa is a nice, talented person who deserved to win. She grew the most during the show and clearly had the most drive. I thought Jeffrey was also very talented and engaging. Debbie had her issues off-screen but knew how to handle herself on-screen. Jamika was a headcase but talented, she should’ve been gone long ago though. Katie had emotional issues and not much culinary talent. The earlier contestants were correctly kicked off. But what I find really interesting is the consensus favorite on this site: Michael. Seriously? This guy was talented but a complete wreck. He actually said he’s not comfortable in front of the camera!! I’m guessing he’s the favorite because the writers here don’t feel threatened by him or something.
@ automne – if you haven’t already,make sure to visit hotpaella.com ;)
Melissa is totally “white bread.” She is a RR clone, and you can throw in a little Aunt Sandy with that. Definitely not going to watch this one.
I’m upset Jeffrey won but he definitely has a bright future ahead of him. His sucess on the show will help him with his career.
Melissa is totally “white bread.”
Unintentionally conditioned conformist racist, bigot, elitist snob. May as well proclaim Melissa as a ‘cracker cook’. FO
James, did you actually WATCH the show? And the winner is…..(not Jeffrey)
We are not intimidated by saffron because we associate it with paella… It’s the price tag that scares me. I don’t mind trying new things, but most of the chefs on FN insist that using the real thing makes “all the difference in the world” and I’m sure it does but I don’t want to break my wallet just to use saffron. Give me a show that gives me decent alternatives to pricey ingredients and I’ll watch. As for the NFNS I was happy to see Melissa win. If I wanted to see someone smuggling new ingredients week after week I’d watch Good Eats more often.
Vince Young, it has nothing to do with that. It means that she is the same, ordinary “white bread” you find a million packages at the store. It’s a metaphor. Sheesh.
Okay, so clearly commenter “SP26″ is either Melissa D’Arabian, her husband, her best friend, or one of her 83 children.
I was busy watching “True Blood” while this obvious train wreck was going on. By everyone’s thoughtful and for the most part intelligent comments I could tell that I didn’t miss anything worthwhile. I want to thank Jillian for putting her sanity on the line to set up this site, and everyone else for aiding and abetting her in her heroic efforts.
Who wants to bet Melissa will be the star of yet another of Food Networks “Let’s go visit the factory and/or farm to see how things are made” shows.
@Judith, I agree. This is one of the most sane sites on the internet. Jill says what we are all thinking (well, most of us anyway) and not only are the posts really funny but so are the people who comment here!!! I really wish I found this site earlier. But now everyone in my office reads it and it keeps us laughing thru the day. Cheers to FNH!
And no, I will not watch Melissa’s show. I have no interest in it or in her. If I wanted to watch a soccer mom I’d go down to the park with a cup of coffee and sit on a bench.
“Okay, so clearly commenter “SP26″ is either Melissa D’Arabian, her husband, her best friend, or one of her 83 children.”
Or I’m just someone who is sick of the TMZification of everything in pop culture. Congrats on joining the club.
@Kylie:
Eh, I spent $15 on saffron and it’s not an ingredient to be used so often and so much of in a dish that you’re constantly buying it. Given that only one of the three grocery stores near me carry it and only from one company, I’m stretching it out.
And there are numerous shows on FN offering what you ask for. Robin Miller, Rachael Ray, that Claire woman with the 5-ingredient thing, Sandra Lee, Paula Deen, Bobby Flay (at least I’ve seen the ingredients he uses at the large chain cheapie grocery stores I shop at), etc. For those of us who would like some challenges in cooking and using something that you wouldn’t see very often, we have Good Eats…and that’s about it.
Given that this network is in desperate need of cooking diversity (there is a world of cuisines out there that they’re ignoring), might as well go with Jeffrey who will at say the names of countries other than those of Western Europe.
@Cat Chow:
Thanks for the link! Om nom nom.
I bought saffron at Costco’s before my last paycut. It’s not in the budget anymore, but do you know that bottle even has a serial number?
It’s lasting a good long time, and the taste does make a difference.
Folks, if you did not think Melissa would win, within the first 60 seconds of the episode, you missed the fact the her family was front and center in the first row, while Jeffrey’s family was in the 2nd or 3rd row off center. Jeffrey tanked the seafood risotto and that may have carried over to judges table.
Sorry Food Network. Wrong this time. I am tired of so much chicken. That is for families on a strict food allowance. How about those of us who really enjoy food as a romantic, exciting way to entertain. I don’t need to have a meal just to feed a family. Please inspire me , like Jeffrey does. I know the judges feel the same. Too bad they didn’t consider the life of a mother of 4 young girls that won’t be home to express the joy of cooking with her own daughters.
RE: B&KV about chicken is for folks on a strict food allowance, Jeffrey blew it big, when given $1,000, and he spends about a third of it.
What a horrible choice! Melissa?! Please! She will grate on peoples nerves (at least those who will actually tune in for and episode or two), as she babbles on and and on, and on, about her “soccer mom” meals. Nope. Not gonna be tuning in to her prattle. Just another boring show that will probably tank after a season. What a waste.
Saturday, August 8th * 6:00pm
Mexican Feast
Chef Jeffrey Saad–Finalist, The Next Food Network Star!
$95.00
Come in and join the fun cooking with Chef Jeffrey from the Next Food Network Star! You will learn the magic of using Achiote seasoning as well as a variety of fresh local ingredients. You will learn how to perfectly sear scallops as well as how to prepare incredible chutney as well as a versatile salsa. Your menu will include:
Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Seared Scallops with Spicy Green Chile Chutney
Tostada with Sweet Achiote Onions, Mushrooms, Grilled Zucchini and Goat Cheese
Crab Enchiladas in Tomatillo Salsa
http://www.chefsinc.net/classes/080809.html
I’ll watch her and think most of America will. In a world where a lot of people choose between cooking or McDonalds, and that cooking is usually something frozen or prepackages (a la Aunt Sandy)… showing that you can be a working mom/dad/college student and make something that’s healthy for you in a short amount of time is helpful.
The problem is most of the people on here aren’t basic cooks, are willing/have time to put more effort into their dishes. The rest of America isn’t the same. So Food Network went with the numbers. I’ll watch her because yeah, she might be like Robin Miller… but that lady bores the crap out of me. At least Melissa is somewhat perky and isn’t as mellow.
I am really glad Melissa won!
I think she should a lot of intelligence for the home cook and could acutally show realistic ideas for busy people unlike most of the FN hosts
I’d still bang her. Maybe the Food Network will give her a show dealing with Homer Simpson’s first love – erotic cakes. I see a penis eclair in her future.
Look at that black and white glamour shout again.
I think they think she’s Sara Moulton.
I liked Melissa and was thinking she’d win, but I agree with most of you that we’d like to see some more unusual ingredients on the FN. I have two tubes of harissa that a friend smuggled to me and haven’t used them more than once or twice. Having seen Jeffrey’s show I think I’ll try his recipe! And ya, how the hell did Melissa “invent” that 4-step chicken recipe, when all it is is a saute with a pan sauce? And how did Susie think it was so brilliant? Holy crap.
I did not watch a single episode, but I came to FNH for the recaps. As I was on another site this evening, saw that there was a spoiler alert(not stating who won, but that their show will get cancelled after 3 episodes) I don’t know what to make of that.
Please……the whole season blew this year…it is getting played out , almost like American Idol……
I liked when she asked her toddler “who’s the best cook in the world”? and the answer was “NOBODY!”
LMAO
“As I was on another site this evening, saw that there was a spoiler alert(not stating who won, but that their show will get cancelled after 3 episodes)”
****
You mean the winner’s show?
Kermit’s blog indicates her show will be called “$10 Dinners” that will presumably feed a family of four.
As the least “professional” of the contestants, and the addition of kids (although on that budget and restriction, she wouldn’t be able to feed her own family), she was the obvious choice for a concept FN already had cooking in the wings.
Y’all don’t have to worry about saffron or harissa or much beyond whole chickens, a few herbs and a veg. Wondering if the $10 includes items everyone has in the pantry, or if they’ll do something lame like cost out a teaspoon of cumin?
At one point during the show, our pageant runner-up forgot how to smile and showed more gum than the original FN horse-mouth, Rory, aka: Gum-o (that was my creation on TWOP, btw). I won’t be watching.
Forgot to add: thanks for hosting the live blog, Jillian! We kept you too busy to snark yourself! :-)
Jeffrey, find a hair stylist, your look blows. Jeans with creases underneath the pockets does not look good on a guy your age.
Quite a background…were Bob and Susy impressed by this?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14324436@N04/3694428589/
10 dollar dinners? Comes on after money saving meals? LOLOL
Oh well, never too many shows about saving money- glad she didn’t go with some corny stay at home mom rachel ray show :)
great, another texan with disgustingly, humorously ill-sized teeth
…but this one won
i can honestly say id rather wath big daddy’s house or all 6 reruns of the gourmet next door, twice, than watch 4 step chicken/brick chicken/add beans to it!!!
at least jeffrey went to culinary school, allegedly, where he passed the vegetable quiz, maybe…
Did anyone read Bob Tuschman’s blog yet?? In it, he says Melissa’s new show will be called, “Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d’Arabian.” I liked the Kitchen Survival Guide idea a lot more than $10 Dinners. The new show sounds like Aunt Sandy’s crap.
@Joe: The show apparently is going to air in Aunt Sandy’s timeslot next Sunday. I wonder if Sandy’s show is done or will be moved. I’m on the west coast (but watched the east coast feed in HD) and the on-screen guides still show Sandy’s eat on the cheap show in the slot Kermit announced would be Melissa’s. Anything that gets Sandra Lee off the teevee (even if it involves Grease’s Patty Simcox – the too perky cheerleader – is okay with me.
Thanks for the live blog, Jillian. some of the best comments of the evening in no particular order:
1.[Comment From wildse7en] if she [Melissa] wins, we’ll be seeing backstage footage similar to christian bale on the terminator set.
2.[Comment From Mo] Place Jeffrey and Giada side-by-side and you could show a pilot on their foreheads.
3.Jillian Madison: Alton Brown looks ANOREXIC in the new Iron Chef commercial. OMG.
4.[Comment From geokaren] alton lost 45 pounds in 5 months – eating sardines – for real!
5.[Comment From Lisa] Jeffrey will win because women like to look at him. Period.
6.[Comment From Justin] mmmm… Lactating chicken breasts.
7.[Comment From The Joe] If they dropped him [Jeffrey] from a plane into an unfriendly country to retrieve an ingredient and make it out alive would be the only way I’d watch his crap
________________________________________________
wildse7ven, it WOULD be so fun to watch Melissa’s unedited expletive-filled outtakes. And a Bear Grylls -like adventure cooking show for Jeff would be awesome,Joe.
Lisa, Susie was practically drooling every time Jeff entered the room; I thought he’d get it for that reason as well.
Jillian, you noticed Alton has lost weight too? How long ago was NFNS filmed?
from an email interview with melissa…
You used to have a cooking show, The Gourmet Gallery, about 15 years ago. How did that come to be?
“The Gourmet Gallery – wow, that takes me back! I hosted a very low-budget, local show that showcased chefs in the Los Angeles area. So it was a food-related show, but it wasn’t really a “cooking show.” I had a great time doing it, but I’m guessing the ratings weren’t great because it was cancelled after I think two episodes!”
Make your own Harissa:
Harissa is a hot chili paste that is commonly found in North African cooking, mainly Moroccan, Algerian, and Tunisian cuisine. It is added to couscous, soups, pastas and other recipes. It can also be purchased in Middle Eastern stores in a can.
For a very spicy harissa: use a blend of cayenne, chile de arbol, or cayenne with a milder chile like ancho chilies
For a medium spiciness: use a blend of New Mexico chilies with guajillo chilies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
* 10-12 dried red chili peppers
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 teaspoon ground coriander
* 1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
* 1/2 teaspoon cumin
Preparation:
Soak the dried chilies in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain. Remove stems and seeds.
In a food processor combine chili peppers, garlic, salt and olive oil. Blend.
Add remaining spices and blend to form a smooth paste.
Store in airtight container. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on top to keep fresh. Will keep for a month in the refrigerator.
Oh wait, just doublechecked the guide and the show replaces Paula’s Best Dishes, and will FOLLOW Aunt Sandy’s cooking on the cheap show. Lord help us all.
wow. I’m surprised to see all the negativity towards melissa. I don’t normally post & actually just stumbled across this webiste, but feel like I should give a different point of view. as a mother of 4 girls myself, it’s nice to see simple ingredients and fast dishes that I can get on the table without much fuss. I also feel that she has a lot of good tips for the “at home” cook. I found the other guy (can’t even remember his name, and I just watched the show!) was very uninteresting. the great thing about tv? you can change the channel if you don’t like what’s on.
Weird, I only saw the commercials for the show, deliberately avoided watching it, and I knew who the winner would be, just from the ads.
I loathe shows like this; I hate “Top Chef” on Bravo as well. I’ll only watch that “Hell’s Kitchen” show if someone fillets Gordon Ramsay on the air.
Was hoping for the Zen Master, but I fear he peaked too late. The stories on the families was surprisingly informative and entertaining, had they done that at the beginning of the show…
Melissa will do fine, but her show will be meatloaf and ‘taters’ and chicken and ‘taters each week. They won’t give her an inch of creativity.
With the zen master I saw tonight a show that could have broken borders with cuisine, that heriso spread is something I did not know about but want to try immediately. He should have swing harder during the past weeks and he would have won.
Now to paraphrase Keanne West:
The FN hates any cuisine that can scare middle america. Or at least is too cowardly to take a chance on anything that a person from the mid west would afraid to eat.
Melissa’s show will be blandness in plate form. A gimick that can sell books. Photo cute but not food challenging.
Sadly, she will make a better character for a new line of pots and pans, and with the no talent hacks running the place like suze and tushie, the FN will continue down the path to mediocre and personality that is is currently in fifth gear on.
$10 Dinners? Boo. :(
I just read Bob’s blog about the show Ten Dollar Dinners.
Dinner for 4 for $10. What’s not to love, he asked.
Ah, just one small thing. Melissa kept stressing her “credibility”. She has 4 kids. She has a husband. She eats.
That’s 6 people, Bob.
Maybe the end of each episode will be Melissa telling us how she would feed the other two people in her family. So much for Melissa’s credibility.
@Its Me: While you’re welcome to your point of view, the Food Network already caters to your audience. You want fast dishes with simple ingredients? Watch 30 Minute Meals. Watch Semi-Homeade with Sandra. Watch 5 Ingredient Fix. Watch Paula Deen. (I love you Paula. This aint a slam gurl….I’ve got your pots.) The Food Network caters to your mommy demographic 16 hours a day out of 24 and you know what? Some of us dont care how many kids you have running around your house. Some of us want to watch the Food Network and be inspired or even challenged to try new things and techniques. Melissa’s show will be sure to show her unique culinary viewpoint of mashed potatoes and breaded chicken cutlets. (OOOOHHHH. Today we’re adding red pepper to the crumbs! Isnt that exciting!) But dont worry, when the one hour of good, interesting programming comes on the channel you dont need to panic. You can change the channel if you dont like what’s on.
Sandra’s Money Saving Meals got renewed for a 2nd season so there will be more of those too! LOL i love aunt sandy! :D
I guess FN is trying to create more shows that save viewers money, although 10 dollars is kind of pushing it.. Hopefully it will be better than 5 ingredient fix (that show is awful) but worse than money saving meals (so sandra can be money saving queen!) :D
God this was the most boring show ever. Here’s a late night idea — they should have a college-aged woman make men cook bacon naked while she drinks. HOT
Why does Food Network not have any sexy shows? People think of it as food porn so combine the two already
Giada’s bikini beach blanket bolonga bingo?!
I’ve been cooking every day for the past thirty years.
I know how to cook, and I know how to cook well. I know technique, I know ingredients, and harissa, which is about the most exotic item Jeffrey’s ever mentioned, stopped being “exotic” to me some years ago.
What I need, after preparing somewhere between approximately ten thousand to twenty thousand meals in my lifetime are ways to think of new dishes to cook, ones that I haven’t already prepared five hundred times, ones that don’t take a lot of time. I want variety in the meals that I prepare so that I can overcome some of the tedium that comes with having to think about, “What should I make for dinner?” every single day of my life, and so that I can provide my family with the nutritional value that comes from variety.
Melissa’s better at that, IMO. I don’t care if she’s showing elementary cooking techniques. I’ve master technique. I don’t need lessons in that.
I just need formulae, so that I don’t have to spend more than five minutes thinking of what to make. I’d rather spend my time making the food.
In his pilot, Jeffrey forgot the single most important thing he had to do if he wanted to introduce Americans to harissa. He forgot to tell viewers who aren’t familiar with it exactly what it is. Seems like a fundamental mistake to me, since his whole stated objective is to connect people with underused, unfamiliar ingredients from foreign cuisines.
I found him more boring than Melissa, anyway. Pleasant, but boring. JMO.
So that’s what happened to Shelley Long
So has Melissa D’Arabian ‘leaked’ her sex tape yet?
wow. gross much
Melissa no longer lives in Texas. Her husband got a job with Microsoft and they’ve moved to Kirkland, Washington and live around the lake somewhere. It was in the local shopping news free dump it by your driveway giveaway paper for Kirkland, like it was a big deal, about two weeks ago. At that point, I assumed she won.
Prediction: She’ll get all enamored of the alleged “Pacific Northwest Cuisine” [aka the emperor has no food] and she’ll go all fresh and natural and local like the big-tooth, bug-eyed dietitian contestant. Of course 9 months of the year around Kirkland 98034 all the uncanned and unfrozen food comes from California but no one notices.
She’ll also discover [yawn...] salmon and farmer’s markets and all the other Pacific Northwest stuff. Bo-ring.
Wait three months and she’ll be history.
I have watched all of the shows mentioned and not one has given me a substitute for an ingredient like saffron. However, Ina, Giada, Aida, Bobby, Robin Miller et al have all used saffron for tons of different meals. I live in Smalltown USA and we don’t get saffron on our grocery store so we have to order of the internet. And 15 bucks for a spice to make ONE dish is expensive. Maybe not for all of you but it is for me. I think its funny that everyone is saying that they will not turn in to watch Melissa. YES you will… Just like you watch Sandra Lee to make fun of her. Your snark will keep her in business for years! LOL
Someone has to pick this up… How is FN marketing a “mom” that has FOUR daughters under the age of 4-ish, lives in Washington state, and will be working in New York?
I guess the nanny will raise her daughters too…
I thought at least Jeffery’s show was something a little different. Wasn’t thrilled by the name they gave it; caused some bad imagery.
Melissa I thought she did a decent job. But her show seems like 90% of the programing that they already have.
I would like to also congratulate FN president Brooks Johnson for actually getting her clothes pressed this time, While still horribly badly dressed at least she didn’t look like she slept in them for a change.
I’m really surprised she won. Jeffrey was good but the “Ingredient Smuggler”? seriously? that killed it for me, I don’t know what he’s smuggling. It reminded me of the saying “smuggling peas” which is awful too. I was more interested in the steak sandwich with harissa, did he actually explain what it is, the chicken dish Melissa made was very boring. Oh well. Tusch and Fogle did a terrible job yet again. At least Guy Fieri makes money for FN.
I too thought that this was complete BS! First of all, how original is Melissa anyways? Come on now! She’s just like Sandra Lee, Rachael Ray, Aida whatever, and Robin whatever. SHE IS COMPLETELY FAKE TOO! She is way too friendly for my liking. I don’t want to sit there and watch someone who is overly nice and happy for 30 minutes. I want someone original and down-to-earth like Jeffrey. What the hell were they thinking!?!?! I think in the long run Jeffrey could of done way more and could of been more successful with other shows due to his talent and personality. Melissa will only appeal to overly happy mom’s who don’t know how to cook.
Both were okay but based on the pilots Jeffrey should have won. Much more polished and fun. My wife was crestfallen after watching his because she was rooting for Melissa. Who frankly looks really taut and scary to me. Not surprised her mother killed herself at an early age. It must run in the family. (And don’t tell me looks and manner aren’t important on TV.)
Also, is a show on super-cheap meals really going to pull in the advertisers FN obviously would like to have? Just seems like a very limited scope which will draw a dubious aud. Jeffrey’s show seemed like it would really appeal to FN’s core demo, upscale white people who want to show off a little to dinner guests by throwing in something exotic.
Despite the Debbie train wreck they should really shoot for an Asian show too, preferably one hosted by someone who was born and grew up there as opposed to Shamu.
An Asisan show would be such a relief from all of those pasty white folks on the Food Network! (Debbie Lee sucked)
Jeff should have won. He was sabotaged into using the stupid “ingredient smuggler” title. If he’d gone with something not so strange sounding I think he would have done better.
There must be an intelligent, honest, team-player Asian chef SOMEWHERE who is not a disgrace to his/her ethnicity(No Martin Yan please–I am tired of his clown-like demeanor). I am surprised that FN has not recruited Kylie Kwong from Australia. Maybe they think she is too foreign for the average American viewer (Australian on top of being Asian). Ming Tsai is such a breath of fresh air and a great spokesperson for Asian cuisine–I am not always a fan of his east meets west approach, but he is articulate, easy on the eye, and creative. I would love to watch someone like him on FN.
i think Melissa’s promo with easy steps, like her 4-step chicken, is a better idea than this $10 meals. its too specific and not going to be fun to hear her preach money saving advice every week. hopefully she’ll branch out into a new series after season 1. it’s just like hearing that 5 ingredient fix girl count her ingredients and say “there’s only five ingredients in this delicious disH” over and over and over again! stfu!
SO FN continues the common thread and gives the win to Melissa. What a surprise. Boring, dull and may I say mundane. No breath of fresh air here, just another tedious ‘cooking for dummies’ (my appologies to dummies). And as if RayRay’s voice wasn’t fingernails on a chalkboard, along comes the Melissa with her shrill, near screaming voice, reminiscent of a yapping chihuahua (”SHUT UP DOG!”). UGH. So now I can learn how to cook chicken four ways. For ten bucks. God help us all. And wake me when it’s over.
And just for the record, did AB look like he would rather have been ANYWHERE except on this final episode? There must have been a caviat somewhere in his contract that states “and you must participate in stupid shows as seen fit by Bob Doucheman”.
@Byrdie, I was also thinking the contestants must have had to sign an agreement that they would not divulge any unsavory stories of what really happened off-camera during the competition. It must have got pretty ugly at times. Did anyone notice they did not show Melissa and Teddy hug each other during the final episode? I can’t imagine them doing that.
The final two came down to Jeffrey and Melissa both of whom I liked from the beginning. I was favoring Melissa but was impressed with Jeffrey last night and wouldn’t have minded having him win. Don’t know about the “smuggling” title, but his show could have been more entertaining and interesting than Melissa’s. Methinks she’ll be a one-seaon-wonder.
If you’ve been tuned in to FN since it’s inception, you probably wish for the “old days” when there were professional chefs/cooks/restauranteurs who actually DID teach us a thing or two. They may not have been as slick or gimmicky as the FN personalities that we see now, but our viewing time wasn’t wasted on silly schtick.
We saw a 5 minute clip of the pilot that was edited by the FN execs. Who the hell knows if Jeffrey explained what harissa was or not? Not us.
Wow chicken in 4 steps!!!!!!! OMG that is sooooo creative, no its earth shattering …why this is …I just have no words to describe how painful this will be…Really?
Did anyone else notice how glum Brett was after the winner was announced. While Melissa was receiving her congratulations, he was walking around stage very put out.
I can not take watching those bulging eyes or horse teeth whip together another cheap chicken redo.
I think Bobby Flay could not take a Alpha male on the show..he did not want Jeffrey to out shines him…but really everybody outshines Bobby..
@APP – if I had been a contestant on that series, I would seek pschiatric assistance so as not to find myself in the weeks and months to come, squating in a corner of a dark room sucking my thumb, yelling “bob bob bob bob bob bob bob bob” over and over again.
While I wasn’t crazy about either Jeffrey or Melissa, I liked his pilot better. The only drawback I can see to him having won, is becoming very full of himself. These stars seem to become cocky and arrogant quite fast, forgetting where they came from. (look at Gina Neely; I was so sick of her snobby looks during the 3-course dinner episode where Debbie got the boot)
Jeffrey’s wife looked like she could get used to some huge rocks on her hand, etc.
Melissa obviously makes her kids split one chicken breast 4 ways to feed everyone for $10! She hasn’t had to feed teenagers! ;)
” Someone has to pick this up… How is FN marketing a “mom” that has FOUR daughters under the age of 4-ish, lives in Washington state, and will be working in New York?
I guess the nanny will raise her daughters too… ”
Right. I mean, cheers to her for wanting a full-time career – that’s her right and privilege. But she got this celebrity chef job by touting herself as stay-at-home mommy.
Boy Sunday at high noon will be an hour of Zzzzz. Maybe they are aiming at the just-come-home-from-church demographic?
So many people keep repeating in these comments that they want to watch Food Network because they want to LEARN NEW THINGS. Guess what, FN is not going to help you do that.
The problem with FN is that a cook quickly outgrows it.
If you compare all their shows, most of them are the same basic formula. The recipes are all just different variations of the same thing, the methods of cooking are very similar.
For example, everytime someone makes a pastry on FN, I’m told that you have to use really cold butter and why, but I already know why. I can skip over most of the “tips” they give out, because I’ve heard it 100 times. I’m at the point now of using their site for recipe ideas, but I don’t really need to watch any of the shows any longer.
Now if Melissa can do a good show about cooking on a budget I may watch it. I will at least watch one or two shows before I condemn it. She probably won’t teach me any new techniques, but she might give me some tips I’ve never thought of. But yes, like all the other FN shows it will eventually grow stale.
The only exception in my opinion is Jamie Oliver. Similar to Jeffrey’s idea, Jamie’s show focuses on one ingredient each week and he shows you different ways to prepare it. His cooking methods are very unorthodox at times. He is just very entertaining, he can go out into the woods and cook an amazing meal over a fire he built.
I would have hoped Jeffrey would have been given a chance to do something similar, but I think FN was afraid his special ingredients wouldn’t be easily accessible to people. Who knows they may make the show anyway stealing his idea (just like with Ask Aida.)
For the select few of us out there who are bored with FN, we need a new cooking network that shows more advanced techniques. But we are the minority, so don’t count on it. We now have to make our own way.
” Did someone in this thread really just ask “who is Jillian?” I’m laughing.
I’M THE NEXT FOOD NETWORK STAR! ”
Jillian, I think you are on to something. It’s just what they need – the Food Network Comedy Half-Hour !
;)
Having to follow Aunt Sandy makes you the winner? I think not! Too bad they slammed together a $10 Dinner idea — there’s a dearth of dinning on $5.00 all over the internet. And if your kids are under 5, where’s the challenge there? They eat maybe a tablespoonful! Tying feeding teenagers — boy atheletes — for that price. And don’t give me that “i bought it on sale this week with a coupon and only had to scrap off the hairy mold” crap, that isn’t going to fly.
So, Jeffrey went from restaurants to realestate. What kind of bad career counciling is that?
“Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa D’Arabian”
Season 6:
Designer Jeans: I can do that dinner for 9 dollars.
Suzie Fogelson: Designer Jeans, do that meal.
Bob Tushman: And name that tune!
This show is going to be bland with a layer of blander. They should team her up with Anne Burrel instead, have them fight for the ingredients in the kitchen! Conflict! Flying ingredients! Give me that spatula!!!!! Flour covered hosts rushing to get their meals to the judge’s table!
Call the show: Food Fight!
Special guest star: Debbie for maximum conflict! “Liar am I? wait till I slam you with kitchen equipment Michael-style!”
Has anyone checked out her teeth on the close-up? They are fake!!! They are just too even to be real.
Personally, I loved Melissa and was rooting for her the whole time.
In fact, I thought her 4 step chicken looked fabulous and am going to make it…maybe next weekend. And those potatoes…..made my mouth water.
As for Jeffrey–too snooty for our food palets….he has a very successful career already.
I am thrilled for Melissa and think she will be another Rachael Ray, who for all intents and purposes seems to have forgotten those who got her started.
And Paula Deen…she’s absent pretty much of the time. I can’t relate to her anymore since she got so rich and insists on cooking in a million dollars worth of jewelry.
Kind of makes me gag actually.
JMHO.
“C”
Seeing her smile is a reminiscent of Mr. Ed.
Melissa mentioned in a intervew that she meat Bobby Flay a couple of times prior to be cast as a contestant on this show..hmmmmmm so really did the others have a chance..
Another thing the newest “Kate Gosselin” is touting being a stay at home Mom … while they live in Seattle and she films episodes in NY??
“Has anyone checked out her teeth on the close-up? They are fake!!! They are just too even to be real.”
Something funny about the “hair” in the b/w headshot. If that’s not a wig, it’s a really bad haircut. Look at the bangs on the left side (our right). The stylist must have cut the bangs with kiddie scissors.
Well, I wonder how long it will take before FN take this woman and make us loathe her ? 6 months ? 1 yr ? I hope see doesn’t Fee-eddy-ize before our eyes. We need a new FN host we like. We have too many jaskasses already.
As for 10 buck meals, that will be interesting. I’m sure that will get many FN sponsors and advertisers in a tizzy.
No more expensive prepared shit.
Isn’t this going to be a Robin Miller Quick FIx Meals Redux??
@Matt – ” Look at that black and white glamour shout again.
I think they think she’s Sara Moulton. ”
Wow you’re right. I’m sure they were counting on that resemblance to win her some fans. Too bad – Melissa might be few years younger, but doesn’t have even HALF the skills or personality of Sara.
FYI, Melissa isn’t the sweet, stay at home mom everyone thinks. She has more skeletons than Kate Gosslin!! I know her and worked with her and I promise you, SHE IS FULL OF IT!! A master manipulator, back stabbing, unethical, liar. You think Debbie Lee is bad? Wait till the paparazzi starts digging around in her back yard!! Bob and Susie might get fired over this blunder!! I am surprised FN doesn’t hire PIs to investigate these people’s background!!
Bob Tuschman. Rodent or Mammal ? Just looking at his weasly features wants me to go out and do a mongoose on him. Please stay off camera pal, you are hideous.
Steph, I can’t wait to see the MILFs Gone Wild in the Kitchen video!!
Seriously, I like Melissa. I’d rather watch her than that “Ingredient Smuggler” Jeffrey. Where am I going to find his smuggled ingredients? If they were readily available in stores in the USA, he wouldn’t have to SMUGGLE THEM! And think about it — WHERE exactly did he stash them as he smuggled them? Harissa, indeed!
Her show hasn’t even premiered and I already want to wipe that shit eating grin off her face.
She never closes her mouth. EVER.
Her teeth are always showing. ALWAYS.
Jillian, try and get just ONE shot where her mouth is closed. ONE.
she’s a nice lady!! your just jealous of her mad skills
much more shocked by the super emaciated AB in the scary Iron Chef promo (what the hell’s going on with you, man?) than the outcome of this Profoundly lame season of Next Food Network Star. “Ten Dollar Meals with whoever” will just be another FN show I don’t watch. But AB, man, are you okay???
Seriously, I would have at least tried watching a show featuring a new exotic ingredient a week. Melissa’s show is boring and insulting. Cooking inside a $10 box is not fun. Besides, she has 4 kids, not 2, so the premise is already sunk.
[Slinks off to watch an *interesting* cooking show like Top Chef Masters.]
I am surprised that FN has not recruited Kylie Kwong from Australia.
————————-
Kylie Kwong is a world class chef with prominence in Australia and most Far Eastern nations and has 5 cook books that she authored. Why on earth would she want to be part of a mickey mouse (pun intended) operation like Food Network.
Also, I guess it was fair for FN to kick off a Season 3 finalist for padding his resume but Melissa can get away with her schtick about being a “stay at home mom cook” when she is actually a consultant to 3 or 4 multi-million international clients.
From the comments posted on the FN site (in the entry announcing her win) Melissa ain’t going to be feelin’ the luv from TV land anytime soon…
@Steph — Well, don’t leave us hanging. Do tell.
Well if Jillian’s recent tweet is accurate, she might be a one of those sleeper agent types that thinks Hollywood is out to give her group a bad name and that they are all the devil yadda yadda.
Hope not.
Would take the tarnish off her semi-homemade for 10 bucks or less, shine…
Oh come on, people, she CAN’T be any worse than Aunt Drunky!
@STEPH, spill it!
If she’s on when I’m watching, I’d gladly watch her. On the other hand, I would have tried to find a way to watch Jeffrey’s.
Right now, though, the only person on Food Network that I go out of my way to see is Alton Brown.
The finale was such a farce and so phony. I’m SO glad I recorded it as I only watched maybe 10 minutes of it. Just long enough to see the pilots and who won. That was enuf for me!
I also thought Melissa looked preggo.
I am excited that Melissa won! If shows how out of touch that Food Network is though. If I fed my family for $10 we’d be eating like kings! I feed my family of FIVE for $3-$4/dinner and we eat really well as it is. I can’t imagine the ingredients I could afford to buy on a $10/dinner budget!
@FRUGAL MOM. Please give some examples of eating well for $3-4 per dinner. Hamburger Helper?
I just found you all last night when I was in a mood to vent about the mecca of sameness that is daytime Food Network. I am SO relieved you are here.
Don’t get me wrong. I love cooking shows. I sometimes even appreciate review of basic things I should remember but havent used in my repetoire for a while. I appreciate Paula Deen because she can teach me how to cook some things my Southern mama never got around to teaching.
On the other hand, I think Anthony Bourdain is more spot on about food culture than anyone has a right to be. Yes, I even adore Alton Brown for teaching me the difference between the generic band of paprika in my Kroger vs the imported tin of smoked paprika. And here is where I think people miss the problem.
Alton’s got a fine and long standing audience with viewers on FN. All I want to know is where FN gets off thinking that I — a sometime housewife, sometime working woman smack dab in the middle of their key demographic — cannot handle someone who is not a clone of the same old stuff they show all day long. I can handle both. I can handle someone who teaches me about harissa as well as how to do a basic pan saute. Please don’t insult my intelligence by assuming I don’t want more.
I just want to encourage Susie and Bob to reevaluate their core audience. I’m looking more and more often at Fine Living and that new Create channel. And I am NOT a chef or anything of the kind.
Oh, and PS — to whoever mentioned Lidia’s Italy, amen. Lidia Bastianich can teach circles around Giada any day.
I a proud member of team Jeffrey but I’ll watch Melissa’s show. I replayed the finale just to write down all her information and tips, she just did an excellent job with that.
If FN passes on Jeffrey or doesn’t make him an acceptable offer I’d love to see him on the Travel Channel blending his Cooking Without Borders concept with Ingredient Smuggler. I’m intrigued at the prospect of using new and exotic ingredients in my cooking. I found out harissa comes canned or as a paste and you can buy it at Whole Foods, middle eastern deli’s, gourmet shops like William Sonoma, higher end groceries, ethnic marketplaces and online. If you contact a middle eastern or Moroccan restaurant (as I did) they can tell you where to get it locally.
@Jun
Sure! I live in a medium cost of living area so I really focuse on stocking up on sale prices.
Just the other night I made Dijon Pork Chops.
2 lbs pork chops + dijon sauce ingredients cost me – $1.31. I stocked up on the pork chops when they went on a super low sale price (and froze a lot of them) and a tablespoon of this and that for the sauce cost hardly anything at all
Then for sides we had Roasted Red Potatoes, Green Beans and Squash, and Brown Sugar and Dill Carrots – all veggies came from participating in the local CSA (community supported agriculture). The veggies plus misc. ingredients for them cost me $2.79. It was about 4 lbs. of fresh produce.
So a grand total of $4.10 for my family of 5.
Yeah Steph, we NEED to know the dirt! :-)
Melissa IS pregnant.
I just read this:
Steph
August 3rd, 2009
FYI, Melissa isn’t the sweet, stay at home mom everyone thinks. She has more skeletons than Kate Gosslin!! I know her and worked with her and I promise you, SHE IS FULL OF IT!! A master manipulator, back stabbing, unethical, liar. You think Debbie Lee is bad? Wait till the paparazzi starts digging around in her back yard!! Bob and Susie might get fired over this blunder!! I am surprised FN doesn’t hire PIs to investigate these people’s background!!
_______________
If this is true then post your real name and when you worked with her. Otherwise you’re defaming her and libel laws aren’t anything you want to mess around with. Until then…I’ll catalog you under Spreads Gossip.
Frugal Mom said: ” 2 lbs pork chops + dijon sauce ingredients cost me – $1.31. ”
Did the Best Before date read ” May 21, 2009 ? ”
That must be some choice pork at 65 cents/lb . Woah.
hee hee, Adanm Gertler made the same comments as me about “The Ingredient Smuggler” trying to get through customs with his baggy.
Yeah, I’m back with more bug eyes/big teeth/too much gums dish.
LocalYokel newspaper link about her: http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/kir/lifestyle/52023442.html Remember, this is a heaved unwanted on your driveway for free newspaper, not the Kirkland version of the NYT. It did win a journalism award but it was “Most Likely To Go From Driveway To Recycle Bin Unread”.
Sucks for me dept: she’s going to live about a mile from where I live. She’ll no doubt shop at Whole [lot more expensive] Foods in Bellevue on the way back from dropping the spawn off at the expensive school in expensive Mercer Island. Good! Wasn’t too worried about running in to her at the cheap supermarket where I shop anyway. Maybe she’ll move to Mercer Island; that would be wonderful!
I have friends that tell me that I should try out for the next cycle of “Next”, but I’m not going bald yet [insufficient massive forehead] and cannot show a half-inch of gums when I smile. Also, my eyes don’t bug out.
I actually hope she does go all Pacific Northwest Kwee-Zeen; it would be interesting to see that done for $10 for a family of four.
What???? If I want boring, bland and blonde, I would just read Woman’s World or Family Circle at the supermarket checkout aisle. Melissa D’Arabian is just 1/2 notch up Sandra Lee.
@Silvo – Yup the chops were plenty good. ;-) It was one of those doorbuster sales they use to draw you into the store in the hopes that you’ll get the rest of your groceries there and pay through the nose for them.
People can believe me or not. No skin off my back.
Jillian, I think the cheap blue set you mentioned is the same set FN gave to Amy (The Gourmet Next Door) a few years back. That show didn’t last long; maybe Melissa won’t either.
I THOUGHT that set looked familiar.
“I just want to encourage Susie and Bob to reevaluate their core audience. I’m looking more and more often at Fine Living and that new Create channel. And I am NOT a chef or anything of the kind.”
I totally agree, SANDY. I posted upthread a ways about the early days of FN and how there were professional chefs,cooks, and restauranteurs who imparted their expert knowledge and techniques to viewers. These highly capable and intelligent folks apparently didn’t have the television charisma for FN’s perceived demographic, so FN brass decided to “move in a new direction” and started their new campaign by not offering Sara Moulton a continuing contract. IMO, FN has gone downhill significantly since they latched onto the 30-something audience while seriously neglecting other demographics. Rant over.
I knew Melissa would win as soon as I saw that her family was sitting front and center. They got lots of camera time. Jeffery’s was stuck up up in the middle of the audience. Not even a clear shot of them.
FN subtle as always.
Wasn’t crazy about either contestant. And I definitely won’t be watching. But, then again I am finding less and less to watch on the FN. It is repeats and stupid cake contests all day long. I am starting to watch more of that Create Network.
She’s the next Robin Miller. Quite frankly, I don’t even like the first one.
food network has become beyond boring,between the baking contests,bobby flay,guy fiera YUKKK ! thank goodness we see less of “nose wiping” emeril,and screwball rachel ray— will be watching less and less FN-boring,predictable,and not entertaining. NOW WE HAVE A RACHEL RAY IMPERSONATOR-FAR TOO SURE OF HHERSELF AND A BIG SHOWW OFF !!!
Another rich soccer mom going to tell us how to cook on a budget.
After watching Melissas skill at manipulation the first two episodes, you knew she would win.
But Suzie..she is not likable..unless you find the sound of nails on a chalkboard a soothing and relaxing sound.
I wish they had a Middle Eastern cooking show on FN as well as an asian one…
You may not like Melissa, but I say she is heads above that smarmy Jeffery. I wanted to throw up every time they showed his face. Why was he not kicked off with the worst dish that offended the judges, when it was between Melissa, and Debbi? Debbi cook good food and she was wonderful in front of the camera. Oh, I know, she didn’t fit the cookie cutter look of the now horrid Food Network line up.
eDt NOT eSt. pls lrn2DST.
Sorry, but Jefferey should have been “eliminated” for the atrocity of his risotto immediately. That would have left Debbie Does Kim Chi and Melissa MILF to cat-fight it out. Debbie looked two dimensional. Literally. Like someone had put her through a manual pasta machine, or the machine that flattens out fondant.
I like Melissa, congrats!
Jefferey, no me like.
Bob Tuchesman, I hate you and your weird little stroke-mouth. Looks like he still needs speech therapy.
Bobbie Flay, I am indifferent about him, but he does have gynecomastia. Please, no more grilled fruit.
I do prefer this panel to “Top Chef.” That Padma Lakshmi is HIDEOUS. What was she, a model? What training does she have as a gourmand? Tom Collicchio is just mean, but has a nice face if he would just shut up.
All for now. K
Padma was a model, but has also written 2 cookbooks.
Her first cookbook Easy Exotic was awarded Best First Book at the 1999 World Cookbook Awards at Versailles. She was host of the Food Network series, Padma’s Passport, which is part of the larger series Melting Pot, in 2001. She has also been a guest host on parts of the British culinary tourism show Planet Food, hosting the segments on India and Spain.[13] Her second cookbook Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet was released October 2, 2007.
Wow, just saw a commercial for her show. $10 Meals? Definately Sandra Lee 2.0.
Padma – Easy Exotic and Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet…
Please tell me that’s a joke, it sure has me laughing!
Padma – Easy Exotic and Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet… Cookbook or porn?
Please tell me that’s a joke, it sure has me laughing!
Horrible decision. I will not watch her show. FN is getting worse at picking the winners.
Anybody else find it ironic that horseface has the last name of a horse breed?
Also, the pic of Sandra Lee camel toe at pophangover.com is mind boggling!
Anyone wonder if FN will “surprise” Melissa during her 6 episode trial run with surprise cameos by Brett August and Teddy Folkman as sous chefs? :)
I’m really happy Melissa won. I think she’s a good addition to the FN lineup. She reminds me of Sarah Moulton.
FN is missing a “mom” who really cooks for a family (not Sandra Lee).
There are plenty of shows on FN for foodies that want to find new ingredients. But there isn’t a show with good advice for the more beginning cook with a family who’s on a budget. So many of the more basic level cooking shows on FN are aimed at singles who cook fun food for their friends coming over.
Hopefully Melissa’s show can be like Sarah Moulton’s shows in the past, which had a lot of good advice for busy moms.
I personally liked Jeffrey Saads style much better than Melissa’s.Jeffery made me want to cook and eat what he was preparing. It was in his delivery. He was just great BUT who I really wanted to enjoy was Jamikia. I would have watched her and Jeffrey but don’t count on me watching Melissa. Won’t be there.
Wanna know why FN picks people we (people who want to learn to cook) think suck?
Read the NY Times piece from Sunday: Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/magazine/02cooking-t.html?_r=1&ref=dining
Here’s the excerpt that tells it all: “Erica Gruen, the cable executive often credited with putting the Food Network on the map in the late ’90s, recognized early on that, as she told a journalist, “people don’t watch television to learn things.” So she shifted the network’s target audience from people who love to cook to people who love to eat, a considerably larger universe and one that — important for a cable network — happens to contain a great many more men.”
We are not their market. Food Network is no more likely to be concerned about teaching us to cook than would be Soap Opera Network. Not their thing.
@ Frugal Mom
FWIW, I believe you.
I don’t meet Melissa’s 2.50-per-person every night, but averaging it out over the week, absolutely I come close, between three and four dollars per person. And I know I do, because I finally got fed up (no pun intended) with the rip-off prices of food and set a challenge for myself.
And I’m able to do it in one of the most expensive areas of the country, metropolitan NYC. We eat well, we don’t eat crap, and the last thing I would feed my family is something like Hamburger Helper (Death by Sodium). Despite the other poster’s question re whether you were feeding them HH, I’m almost sure you’d agree with me that depending on processed foods is the THE MOST expensive, least healthful and least satisfying way to eat.
Nobody’s deprived around here. We have salmon, swordfish, steak, lamb, the more expensive proteins on a regular basis, but I vary the menus with less expensive options, too–the things that are more often on sale, such as chicken or pork chops. I can get a couple of meals out of a pork tenderloin, which is not expensive, is a lean, healthful protein, and is extremely versatile.
And we have a great deal of variety; I don’t know if I’ve ever served the exact same dinner (all courses considered) twice to my family.
It’s really not hard to do if you know how to shop, are proficient in technique and use the proper cooking equipment for the job at hand.
Here are some of the things I do, to achieve it:
–Like you, I stock up when I can, but I don’t buy at bulk stores. I live in a small town with one option for a larger grocery store. I don’t use coupons, although do I look at its weekly sale flyer to know what’s on sale before I go to shop.
Especially in this economy, this store has a lot of 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 specials that change weekly, on staples, some fresh fruits, meats, breads, pasta, condiments, etc. I’m not brand loyal on *most* things (a few things I am where I believe one brand has the best quality), but when I like a particular brand, I take advantage of sales. For example, the other day, I noticed they were discontinuing a good quality Greek EVOO (better than your run-of-the-mill grocery store oil) that I like a lot. It was half-price, and the expiration date was 2010. So I bought all the containers left on the shelf–half a dozen or so. I have a separate pantry where it will keep just fine.
I don’t set menus ahead of time. I just buy what I can on sale and then decide a day ahead or the same morning what I’ll make for dinner.
I order most of my dried herbs and spices via the Internet. Less expensive and much more fresh than what I can get at the supermarket.
I don’t serve large meat portions. I keep them down to the USDA recommended serving size. Better for us, and because the servings are only the size they’re supposed to me, I can buy good quality meats. Some meat I buy at the supermarket, but a lot of my meats and my fish I buy at a small, better quality market with an old-fashioned, full service butcher who gets fish in daily from local fish suppliers.
The bulk of our dinner consists of veggies and grains, which are less expensive.
From autumn through spring, I serve a lot of homemade soups and stews, which are inexpensive, warming, filling, a great way to get your family to eat a lot of veggies, and a great means for me, the cook, to be inventive and express some creativity. I have a selection of drop biscuits, simple breads like corn bread, etc., I can make quickly–most in less than a half hour–while the soups and stews are simmering
I do keep a good inventory of spices, herbs, condiments, oils, wines and spirits for sauces and marinades, etc., representing a good range of cuisines around the world. That keeps it interesting–interesting to me, in cooking it, and interesting to my family, to eat.
I make things like barbecue or grilling sauces, salad dressing, compound mayonaises, compound butters, etc., myself, because they taste better, and it is less expensive to do that way, fresh, as you need them.
Once a week–or even now and then, twice a week–I’ll serve a meatless dinner–pasta with veggies and herbs, Mexican or Asian dinners based on rice, beans, roasted veggies, etc.
I wouldn’t serve my family what Aunt Sandy is apparently willing to serve her family (at least while the cameras are rolling), because my objective isn’t to kill my family, but I can beat her budget often.
This is not an impossibility, at all, to feed your family fresh, whole foods and cultivate in your kids a sophisticated, international palate. It just takes a little thought and discipline.
Ergo, I believe you. ;-)
@Amy
I *really* miss Sarah Moulton. She wasn’t about marketing herself; she was about intelligent cooking.
I agree with you in that I do see some of that aspect in Melissa. Although she certainly does not have the food resume that Sarah does, she does seem to have a grasp on the fundamental techniques that can only come out of understanding classical cuisine.
I think people are selling her short. If she can understand the restraint of using Habaneros to infuse flavor through the marinade rather than killing the fish’ flavor with them head-on, and if she can make both a savory and a sweet pastry in the humidity of Miami and impress Francois Payard with its quality, then I think she might know what’s she doing. JMO.
okay
1. If you really have to *cook on a budget* not just *want* to because you get fed up with high prices you:
A. Do not have the money to buy in bulk. Yes it makes better financial sense to do so, but you have to have the larger amount of money at one time to do so. Real people on budgets don’t have the extra money to buy in bulk. They buy the smaller sizes because even though it is more expensive in the long run, they don’t have the money to pay for the more expensive original purchase.
and
B. They do not have a deep freezer. Again, because they are living paycheck to paycheck and do not have the extra $200 to buy a small deep freezer. If they are able to put money aside it is to pay for things like car repairs, doctor and meds and school clothes and supplies for their kids.
C. They live in an apartment or small house and have no room to store items bought in bulk.
Telling people to buy is bulk, while a *well duh* is also not a realiztic money saving tip for a lot of people.
If FN wants to do a real cooking on a budget show, then have the host(ess) buy all her ingrediants at Walmart and Aldi’s (bag your own, name brands only when bought from overstocks, etc). And have them use pots and pans and kitchen utensils bought at Walmart. No $1000 pots andpans sets …use the 59.99 ones with the thin bottoms.
Until they do that then their *cooking on a budget* shows have all the reality of a woman with a nanny, a maid, a cook and gardener calling themselves a homemaker.
Melissa. Meh. I’m sure I’ll “watch” it, meaning, I’m sure the TV will be on TVFN Sunday morning/afternoon while I’m doing other things. (Although, oddly enough, I always manage to change it before Big Embarrassment’s House comes on each week…)
Of course, Jeffrey. Meh. Also. He was a little jerky and odd for me. Appreciated his take on ingredients, thought his pilot was a little schlocky.
Speaking of pilot productions, yes Byrdie, I too thought Alton looked kind of bored. Still, his presence in the finale was MUCH more welcome (IMHO) than Gordon Elliot’s. That man is just too slick and cringe-worthy to me.
And one last point – I sure do wish they had shown us more of the sweet moments between the cast members during the season, instead of waiting until the finale to show that abridged clip-show version they did. Did anyone else guess that Katie and Michael were such good friends? Teddy and Eddie? How hilarious was Michael saying something to the effect of killing Melissa had she been his mother? It seemed like a waste to wait until the last episode to show this stuff, and to keep it to such a brief, choppy presentation.
I posted a comment on Bob’s Blog at FN last night and woke to find that it had gone poof! Seems they don’t want to hear anything that doesn’t praise their programming choices. All I pointed out was that FN was “a day late and a dollar short” with shows that could help people cook well during tough economic times.
@Piffle
Hi, Piffle. I don’t have a deep freezer, and I don’t buy in bulk, as noted above. You don’t need to have All-Clad, Le Creuset or DeMeyere pans to cook within a budget. One of the best pans for a lot of things is a $12 Lodge cast iron skillet. If you (not “you you”, general “you”) don’t have a lot of space, or extra money in your shopping budget, then, obviously, you don’t buy a lot of different sale items at once, you may not stock up past the upcoming week or few days or whatever, but it always makes sense for people who are conscious of money, no matter how little room they have, to buy the less expensive or sale item, doesn’t it? So, if you have the type store where, say, maybe chicken quarters are on sale this week 2 for 1, you serve chicken twice that week. You spend one dinner’s worth and get two out of it. Or, better yet, you learn how to cut up a whole chicken, because that’s cheaper than buying parts, generally, and then you have the bones to make stock out of for soups, sauces, etc.
I honestly do not believe that the factors you mentioned are an impediment to cooking good food on a budget. I’ve lived in studio apartments, I’ve struggled for money earlier in my adult life, and I understand that those restrictions are real.
The things that I think ARE really critical for cooking within a budget are 1) learning technique, and 2) learning ingredients–e.g.
What “culinary expert” Padma Lakshmi has been up to more recently – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8nJKa13sBo
She could give Guy a run for his money bigbite-wise (at least Guy doesn’t flash his crotch at us).
@Piffle -
Now that’s what I call “cooking for real” !!
It’s what most of us deal with – old/cheap pots&pans and appliances, no indoor grills, no place for vast outdoor gardens which would die anyhow in water-rationed areas like where I live.
I’ve never had much extra $$ to spend but I still have always enjoyed watching cooking shows (most of the time, embarassingly). But I just basically look for ideas, and NOT exact recipes to be followed precisely. I’m no genius but I AM clever enough to adapt a recipe to my own wants and needs.
Piffle’s got a realistic look on how a lot of people in this country really live. Good for her/him.
Was looking thru the ‘Bob blog’ and it doesn’t seem they are blocking any negative comments. There is alot of dissent regarding the ten dollar concept and that Melissa is a RayRay/Aunt(hic)Sandy clone. So if someone’s posting didn’t make it on, there must be some other reason. Alot of pissed off viewers if you believe what you read. Of course, Bob and Susie either don’t read them postings or don’t care, thus the status quo choice.
Also, Piffle, saw your exact same posting “okay
1. If you really have to *cook on a budget* not just *want* to because you get fed up with high prices you:…” word for word on the blog there. Just find that a bit interesting.
It’s copy/paste, byrdie. Not that interesting…
you are right you did. Look at the time of when it was posted. I posted it there to see if it would be left up or not. I just looked and couldn’t find it… (piffle is taken from my initials..the post there has my first name..patti..)
things that make you go hmmm
oh btw it wasn’t exactly the same…I put in a semi colon and moved you to a line by itself and put colon after
and I also added a bit to one of the paragraphs…
I think it’s great that Melissa won. She worked hard and met the challenges thrown at her throughout the season. And she does represent an important demographic of home cooks. But this Ten Dollar Dinner idea is terrible–and nothing like the show she envisioned having, according to her descriptions of it during the competition.
Ultimately, I just hope that her show does well enough to replace Sandra Lee’s even more terrible show(s). Melissa seems much more genuine and genuinely interested in making the joys of cooking decent food attainable for people who are busy.
I made a mistake in my post on August 2nd. I saw the show before I posted and I meant to say that I was upset that Jeffrey “lost”. He was a really likeable guy and I’d rather watch his show over Melissa’s. He would help the food network compete with the travel channel since he would be using exotic ingredients from all around the world. As for Melissa, yeah she worked hard and it’s nice for the underdog to win (experienced chef v. stay at home mom) but she’s less interesting. Also, her show, meals for less than ten dollars is not really what she was about on the show. She seemed more like someone who would deliver simple meal ideas. Jeffrey was the one using only $370 with a budget of $1000 on the second to last episode. Still, eventhough he didn’t win, Jeffrey was sucessful on the show and that will help him with his real estate and food preparation buisnesses.
The stills from Melissa’s new show are very underwhelming.
Who are all you evil people with your vile comments as if you’re better than everyone else. The internet has made people so unkind, uncharitable and full of themselves!
TFN is the evil empire, with their pre-packaged “stars”, who are hired to shill their EXPENSIVE name brand products to unsuspecting consumers. And you think this website has a problem?
Therese sounds like Melissa.
@TATIANA. I agree.
Geez Therese, it’s not like I wish harm on Guy Ferry…. I only want him to WEAR SHOES in the kitchen..
If that makes me a “playa – hata” then so be it…
Melissa is a liar and apparently good at manipulating. She even admitted on one NFNS episode she clawed her way to the top in business. She hasn’t been a stay-at-home Mom long, nor does she want to be. She wanted the FN show, which means she won’t be home with her very young 4 children. That’s disgusting to me.
Her whole stay-at-home Mom “theme” was a lie and her show about cooking for 4 is another lie. She cooks for 6, the rare times she will be at home. Or does she have live in help? Hubby works for Microsoft, that household doesn’t have to live on $10 dinners, I’d bet.
I’d much rather watch Jeffrey, with his unique style and ingredients. He would have been a welcome change from the same old type of show the network has now with all of their women showing us supposedly easy, simple, quick, cheap food. Who said that’s what we all want? Bobby Flay should have asked us what we want to see, not decided for himself.
What gets me about the whole thing is that her kids are barely old enough to eat table food. When I was watching the show I was under the impression her kids were at least school age. The oldest is what 4 years old? How is she cooking these grown up meals for kids who aren’t even ready for table food? Does she puree her 4-step chicken recipe for the babies?
Mommy Dearest is/was no more a SAHM than Ina Garten. It was a ploy, sham, setup, crap story to make it seem that she was ‘just a home cook’. (begin theme music to ‘Gone With The Wind’). “Why, hi-ow could I eva win? A’m a simple stay at home momma”. Just call her Scarlet, for god’s sake. What a crock. Seems her ethics are WORSE than That Korean Hot Dog Chick, because at least That Korean Hot Dog Chick didn’t disguise her shitty personality behind a horse-tooth fake smile and crocodile tears.
We were played from the very beginning. And now, after all the drama we end up with another ho-hum boring crappy show that probably won’t last more than six episodes.
“…Just call her Scarlet, for god’s sake…”
I’m thinking more along the lines of “The Scarlet Letter”. ;)
you don’t know her life. grow up a bit
@ SP26
Or I’m just someone who is sick of the TMZification of everything in pop culture. Congrats on joining the club.>>>>
I’m sure that with the many sites on these Interwebz you should be able to find one more to your liking.
Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.
I found Melissa’s “Stay at Home Mom” schtick a total fraud. She’s a WORKING Mom. With lots of help. Rather insulting to those folks who do make the commitment to be stay at home parents all by themselves. She gave a great corporate presentation, marketed her brand to FN very well, and sold them the concept they were looking for. Giving us yet another show for the same old demographic. With 24/7 to fill, you’d think they’d have been very excited to have someone with Jeffrey’s spicy, classy and new point of view. They could use a little more variety in their programing.
Check out the placement of bottles, pans etc. in the photos and clips of her new show. They are hiding her pregnancy. Wonder when they will admit it.
Melissa stands behind lame show premise:
http://www.examiner.com/x-14345-Celebrity-Chef-Examiner~y2009m8d4-Melissa-dArabian-wins-The-Next-Food-Network-Star-An-intimate-interview-with-the-ultimate-underdog
I think Jeffrey should have won hands down – although the name “Ingredient Smuggler” was terrible. Trying to think of another name…. Melissa made a dish, I know I and moms have been making since the 60’s – 70’s. It was an at home version that replaced store bought Shake and Bake and used with breadcrumbs or seasoned flour – done in the oven or stove top – saw nothing original there. We do not need another 30 minute slop meal cook. Jeffrey’s show would have added an air of excitement and originality to Food TV. I guess Bobby Flay just could not stand the competition – he had a strange look on his face viewing Jeffrey’s cooking episode. Very disappointed.
I totally agree with the fact that it was sooooo obvious Bobby Flay could not stand and was threatened by Jeffrey!!! I completely blame him and he is now CHOPPED from my list of favorites. Please put Tyler Florence in there instead as he is honest and fair which Bobby is obviously a schmuck!!!!!
i am glad melissa won in your face she deserved to win and i think that later on she will be a iron chef because she roocks
I think she will land on the moon ’cause she MOON rocks!
Jeffrey should have won. I love his uniqueness. He would have drawn a more diverse viewing audience. Melissa brings absolutely nothing to the table. Obviously, I will not bother to watch her show…its been on the air for years already :-p
I’m watching Manic Melissa’s show right now and guess what? It’s not Melissa cooking, it’s Jeffrey! Talking about her trip to Tunisia and the ingredients she smuggled…er…brought home with her. She totally stole his POV.
If she pulls out another “secret” ingredient that was as “secret” as soy sauce last week, by all rights she should be fired and the show set boxed up for the next food network clone of amy-finley-rachel-robyn-sandra-hic-lee.
“Kindergarten Cooking” would be a better name for this lame show. If Melissa is pg, FN knew that they wouldn’t have to film more than one short season of “Ten Dollar Dinners”.
I’d like to know how it’s possible that Mommy Dearest INVENTED glazed carrots. And while we’re on the subject of carrots, can someone explain how they are versitile? Her explaination was that you can eat them as a snack or use them in recipes….yeah, and you can do the same with celery, tomato, lettuce, cabbage, yada yada yada. I guess she should probably think about what she says before she says it because it makes her sound ignorant. And could we please drain the grease off the meatballs before we pour it in the tomato sauce. That was gross and disgusting. She also made my spine shiver when she scraped those big horse teeth on the fork as she tasted that crap she made. I HATE that! Ok, I’m done ranting (at least for this week).
your an ignorant son of a b**** why don’t you learn some manners. didn’t your mom teach you anything. stop judging and being a stalker to her. you need to grow up mama’s boy. go to hell.
Lynn, you nailed it! FN took Jeffrey’s POV! It’s ingredient smuggler cheerleader!
Did you notice how many times she either said ‘cheap, inexpensive, bulk or savings’? I lost count at 17. Think FN got bombarded with everyone saying–it’s NOT $10?
Today I learned from Melissa that: 1. Lemon zest adds lemon taste and 2. Canned tomatoes add tomato taste.
Really?
Well, I watched her first show, and it will be the LAST one I will watch. She is BORING and condencending. I also wonder where the “working mom” went. That is what I expected to see, but she didn’t show ANYTHING about being a “working mom” JUST BORING !! YOU GUYS DFFINATELY PICKED THE WRONG ONE THIS TIME !!!!
JUN – check out the recipe for harisa on the internet. It takes 10 minutes and you probably have all the ingredients already. The sandwich is a killer. I also went to Red Lobster and had Jeffrey’s seafood dish. It was a bit pricey for lunch at $18.50 but well worth the money after I tried it.
lil late on this one, but, Jeffrey the ingredient smuggler??
How bout Jeffy the Turd Burglar?? Thank God he didn’t win. Those introspective shots of him looking out over the ocean or off a balcony and whatnot made me wanna hurl.
Bores me to tears. Untalented, uninteresting, and basically unwatchable.
We rooted for her from the beginning. Look forward to her show in January. She looks like a good clean person that you would welcome into your home. We would rather see her on a weekday slot, some of us go to church on Sunday.
Loved Melissa’s show when does it come back on? I have not been able to find the date and time. Any updates would be great.
@Debra Ulmer, “Loved Melissa’s show when does it come back on? I have not been able to find the date and time.”
On FN, click ‘Chefs’, then choose Melissa’s picture when it comes up, then click on ‘$10 Dinners’ and right at the top it says ‘New Season Jan 2010′
This is a HUMOR site and Melissa is routinely critiqued. I personally hope her show never returns, but everyone’s entitled to their own opinion.
Is this supposed to be a humor website? How com I’m not laughing. I’d like to watch more of Melissa’s shows but unfortunately I don’t see her $10 shows anymore. Are there anymore shows for Melissa coming? Hope before the holidays. That would be wonderful. She has great tips that sound and taste delicious. Thank you.
I was glad that Melissa won but I saw one of her shows and the food looked pretty bad. She was trying to tell us that kids LOVE Moroccan meatballs. Huh? I always watch this contest when it’s on and really enjoy it but I think they should revamp it and just throw a bunch of money at the winner – not give them their own inevitable flop of a show. Guy Fieri has made it work for him (groan….stop with the surfer dude talk) but that must have been a fluke. Use a napkin once in a while, man.
I have tried all of Milissa meals, from the start. She cooks very good. I am a chef, had a Rest. all my life. I have checked her prices, very good.
Only thing you people should do is let her cook what she wants. Why did you put her at $10.00 Meals, it is you people fault. Leave her alone.
melissa show I Love, take Paula Off, I am from Ga, she is a Fake……….
Yeah, right, you’re a chef.
Whew…
when she suddenly played the “S” card (suicide–of parent)
I just couldn’t believe it.
I’m glad they showed it and didn’t cut it.
but i thought, ‘this gal will do anything.”
……….
Back to Tony Bourdain until I cancel my cable service.
I watched Melissa’s six segments and tried almost all of her meals. I made the Moroccan meatballs and the cumin-infused glazed carrots and I can tell you they were a big hit with my dinner guests, one of whom was an 11-year-old – in fact, I think she was the biggest fan of all. She has asked when I’m going to make them for her again! Melissa needs to work out the herky-jerky movements and choppy conversation, but maybe that will come in time. I think she just doesn’t have the on-camera experience to do an effortless show yet. My husband and I both watched every episode of Next Food Network Star and we could not abide watching Jeffrey and his goofy behavior and insistence on being the “Ingredient Smuggler. He got on our last nerve. I’m sure he’s a nice guy and has some creative ideas, but he rubbed us both the wrong way so badly that we would never have watched him on his own show. Melissa came across as having more general food/cooking knowledge and I think that was important to her credibility and her win. I just watched Melissa’s newest segment and, to add to someone’s comment in a previous post, she looks pregnant to me (but I don’t know for sure.) She was a little more relaxed during the newest segment of the New Year…but not a lot. I guess only time will tell. I can assuredly say that I love her recipes and so do my guests. As for her success on the Food Network, I think she will only pull it off if she can get the choppiness out of her voice and get the frenetic behavior under control.
I like Melissa and she is slowly getting used to being on camera.I see some Mexican gal named Marcela will be hosting a new show on FN( Mexican Made Easy ).Did they dump Ingrid Hoffmann?I’m glad they dumped Michael Chiarello.Another gal I don’t care for is that snob Alex G.Her other show didn’t last long but I did enjoy her part when she ate this hot dog ( Best Thing I Ever Ate )at this place in Conn.( next to a hardware store ).I like Robin Miller but they axed her a year or two ago and show the old shows in the am.I always laughed at the filming in that fancy house in Conn. coz she lives in Scottsdale,Ariz.
we call it SNOTTSDALE around here for a reason…
I wanted to like World’s Worst Cook but thought the first episode pretty dopey and kept wondering who did Anne Burrell’s lousy makeup job? She’s lost weight and looks terrific EXCEPT for the horrible new makeup look. Having seen her for years on Iron Chef and her own show we’re used to her spiky whitish hair and bubbly charm but I just don’t think Worst Cook is a very good show and the lack of chemistry between the two head chefs is apparent.