Archives for "Food Network Hosts"

The real story on this weekend’s episode of Semi-Homemade wasn’t Sandra’s tacky bird tablescape, or the way her eyes lit up at the sight of the unopened bottle of vanilla vodka. Oh no. The real story was Sonia Williams, the Semi-Homemaker who was invited on the show to share a recipe for O’Choco Cafe Cake (whatever the hell that is).

After the episode aired, several hundred FNH readers sent us emails and twitter messages asking us one thing: is Sonya Williams a transgender person?

Answer: WE HONESTLY DON’T KNOW.

Something was clearly amiss with her voice, and her hands definitely could never be mistaken for dainty. And what about that aqua turtleneck? Was it just an unfortunate fashion misstep, or a cleverly orchestrated mechanism to hide an Adam’s apple? And how about the awkward banter with Sandra Lee about her two children? Did she actually BIRTH these kids, or did she adopt them? Sadly, the world may never know.

A final note: I’m a big believer in equal rights for all people, and it bothered me to see how FAKE and condescending Sandra Lee was toward Sonya after she heard her speak and started wondering if she might be a man living as a woman. Sandra treated her like she was a leper whom she didn’t want to touch her for fear of catching something. The tension in the air was palpable, and the whole segment was one of the most awkward things I’ve seen on the Food Network in months.

Sonya, good luck to you, whoever you are. We do have one recommendation, though: next time, submit a recipe to Ina Garten instead.