Food Network host Rachael Ray and Star winner Aarti Sequeira

We have a winner. And I mean a real winner.

Bobby, Susie and I agreed that Aarti is a fresh, natural and exciting talent. She’s both sophisticated and down to earth. Beautiful and relatable. Her food is both comforting and exotic.

Mostly, I think she’s a natural television presence: relaxed, radiant and warm.

Choosing wasn’t easy. She, Tom and Herb were each so different — in personality, point of view and cooking styles. There was something to love about each of them. And fans were passionate for their favorite. And sometimes against anyone who wasn’t their favorite.

Seeing the volley of comments last night from viewers showed the passionate emotional connection that Tom, Herb and Aarti were each able to establish with fans. That encouraged me that any of them could have been the right choice.

But ultimately, Aarti was our choice: a natural star, with an exciting point of view, amazing cooking skills and most importantly, ready to have her own series on television next week.

Aarti will be bringing her party to Food Network starting next Sunday at noon.

Over and out.
Bob

Hey, Guys: I’ve been following all the chatter going on here at Star Talk and to put it simply – I had to join the conversation!

Every week, through the remainder of the show, I’ll be happy to answer questions you send in via our blog here, Facebook or Twitter. If you don’t have a question, but a comment – well, leave that too. I love reading your insights (and several have made me laugh out loud). Keep ‘em coming!

Now, let me get to your questions.

Do you guys watch the behind-the-scenes footage of the cast, kitchen incidents, etc. before making an evaluation decision? – Nicole Miller

Wow, excellent question, Nicole. There are hundreds of hours of footage from every episode, so it’s not logistically possible to screen and edit it all for us in time for judging. But the producers are vigilant about making sure we know EVERYTHING that went on behind-the-scenes. We get massive amounts of background notes before every judging event. The notes detail and transcribe every notable moment for the finalists while they were shopping, cooking, living together, etc. Why? As we say in this competition, character matters.

How long do the eliminations really take? The editing makes it seem really quick. – Jenny Cohen

On average, we talk to each finalist for about an hour. Every judge addresses every finalist. We spend a lot of time giving them constructive advice. In the early episodes, these sessions can take about 10 hours. It all gets edited down to 12 minutes (of course, all my best lines are left on the cutting room floor). Pity the poor finalists – we’re sitting all this time; they have to stand.

Hi Bob. Have you ever thought about the contestants judging each other? – Kris Mohnen

Hmmm. That’s an interesting idea, Kris. We haven’t, although we do that on The Next Iron Chef when they’re all pro-chefs. Maybe we’ll try it?

Hello Bob. I was wondering how someone goes about presenting an idea for a Food Network show. Who would a person contact, and what kind of presentation would you be expected to give? – Devin S. Forbes

I’ve got bad news, Devin. For legal reasons, we are not permitted to review show ideas from individuals. We can only take pitches that come from major production companies (i.e., those who produce network series). So if any of you have an idea, you need to make a deal with a production company, who would then pitch it to us.

Have you ever tasted something that you had to spit out, or even made you sick? – Mike Walters

Luckily, no food in this show has made me sick yet, though some has briefly made me lose the will to live. A few weeks ago DAS and Tom served jerk slaw which everyone but me actually spit out (I was fascinated that they could fit so many horrible flavors onto one fork). In two weeks, you’ll see a dish that I call the WORST DISH in the HISTORY of The Next Food Network Star. Not to put too fine a point on it.

Would you consider taking someone whose food and technique is not the best (but rocks it on-camera) or vice versa – knowing that they will need work to be ready for their own show? Or, are your criteria that they have to excel in both areas? – Tim McMillin, Sr.

Our stars really need to have expertise and food credibility to make it, mostly because our viewers are smart and food savvy. That said, if we saw someone who had the inherent personality and passion for food, but just hadn’t learned proper technique yet, we might tell them to come back after they had been through culinary school and had some experience.

What is the most important factor in picking a star? – Rebecca Stuart

Well, it’s not quite grammatically correct, but there are TWO most important factors when picking a star: A charismatic personality that pops on camera, and an authentic passion for and expertise in the food world. Unfortunately, those qualities are so rare to find together. But if it was really easy to find people like this, I probably wouldn’t have a job.

How much thought is put into the candidates' ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, etc. when choosing contestants for The Next Food Network Star, Chopped, etc? From the outside it appears to be far too much. – Gary Saunders

Our candidate pool and our audience is richly diverse in every way. So, we’re lucky to be able to pick the finalists we feel have the most potential while still being able to reflect the diversity of our viewers.

At the start of the season do you have a gut feeling about who the winner will be? If so, how right have you been? – Hope Harris- Gayles

I’m right about half the time. But no matter what the initial feeling is, you never know how the finalists will do when put to the test. Last year on the first day of taping, I thought Melissa, Jeffrey and Jamika radiated the most charisma. Two years ago, I thought Aaron was disastrous at the beginning of taping. Three years ago, I never could’ve guessed Amy. But Guy, and the Hearty Boys I had a good feeling about from the start.

That’s it from me. Now, what say you?

Talk to you next week.

So, there you have it, Melissa is our new Food Network star.

So, why Melissa and not Jeffrey?

In many respects, they’re flip sides of the same coin. Two warm, likeable, smart experts. Both parents; similar ages. Both great communicators, full of info, who became remarkably comfortable on camera. Either could have had a hit show.

I struggled with the decision.

Overall, Jeffrey’s food fascinated and delighted me. Except for a few notable flubs, most of his food had a spicy elegance to it. The ingredients that attracted him – and would have been the heart of his “Ingredient Smuggler” show – and the sophistication of his recipes wouldn’t have appealed to everyone. That’s OK; we do a range of shows.

Melissa’s bottomless trove of tips and tricks kept teaching me things, and I thought viewers would appreciate them too. But mostly, her food kept winning me over. It is exactly the kind of smart, sophisticated but accessible home cooking that viewers constantly tell me they want to learn from us. And her deep knowledge of budget and time-conscious recipes seemed perfect for these times.

In the end, Melissa’s personality “popped” more for me than Jeffrey’s did. When I referred to him as the “zen meister”, I worried that at times his “steady as she goes” demeanor could feel slightly flat and predictable in comparison to Melissa.

I can’t state this any more strongly: I’m a huge fan of Jeffrey’s. He’s a class act and has a huge fan base. He just got aced out ever so slightly on this final challenge.

Melissa never stopped surprising me. It’s the edges, quirks and unpredictability that make a star. And her bright energy, endless high spirits and determination definitely excited me. As Ina said, “She glows in the dark.”

So – by a point or two – the decision went to Melissa.

Oh, and for those who asked, Big Daddy’s House, the show of last year’s winner, Aaron McCargo, Jr., continues to be one of the top rated shows in our weekend cooking block.

Tune in next Sunday at 12:30pm/11:30c for Melissa’s show, Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d'Arabian. Yes, Dinner for 4 for $10. What’s not to love?

This is it. The moment we've been waiting for all summer long. This Sunday is the final showdown between Jeffrey and Melissa in their toughest challenge yet. The winner will be headlining their own show on Food Network next weekend. Jeffrey or Melissa? See ya Sunday at 9pm/8c.

And, if you have missed any episodes, you can catch our all-day Star marathon starting Sunday at 1pm/12c.

Debbie
I’ve never met a more polarizing finalist, or, a more confusing one. She had so much going both for and against her. Some viewers were up in arms about her from episode 1. And yes, sometimes the truth seemed to shift underneath her feet like quicksand. Who can guess why she chose to slide into spin-mode on so many occasions? It was so counterproductive, unnecessary and, ultimately, a factor in the viewers and judges never totally trusting her.

On the other hand, she had innate TV skills, a unique culinary point-of-view and the cooking chops to pull it off. When Debbie auditioned in our kitchens for the very first time, I remember thinking that she could really have a shot at this: a natural on camera who could really cook.

So I was as puzzled as anybody by all of her misstatements and missteps. But, interestingly, every guest chef who met Debbie was as impressed by her as we were initially. The dream team of celeb chefs this week was all mesmerized by her natural communication gifts – even if her food fell short this week in almost everyone’s eyes (or mouths).

She admitted this week that she had “lapses in judgment” and learned from them. I’d like to think that’s true. She’ll have plenty of time to reflect on them now.

The Final Two
I couldn’t be happier with our final two. Jeffrey and Melissa have both earned their spots at the very top. They’ve displayed integrity, talent, skill and heart. What I love most is how evenly matched they are. In fact, I’d use the exact same words to describe them both: Smart. Talented. Warm. Generous. Expert. Creative. Likeable.

What I’m going to be looking for:

Melissa: Can she maintain the calm, breezy air and expert authority she’s finally found? No doubt she’s bright, charismatic and warm. And she’s a fountain of recipes, tips, techniques, and practical info. But she’s doubted herself along the way, and came across early on as a "harried housewife". Has Julia Child finally inspired her to be totally fearless? She seemed to truly believe, at last, that she belonged in a room with some of the nation’s top celeb chefs. Can she consistently radiate star confidence and command?

Jeffrey: Can he maintain the energy and passion that excited the table of star chefs in Miami? He has sometimes covered over his low key delivery with false energy. But in Miami he seemed to find just the right balance of sweet and heat, just like his cooking style. His food has been mostly outstanding, but when he failed, he failed big. (Will I ever forget Marcus Samuelsson’s rip that his risotto was “an insult to Italy?”). Missteps aside, I think the guy’s a talented cook, a great communicator, and is devoted to food. Can he exude the star quality I’m looking for?

I am very excited about the final challenge. This will determine once and for all who will join the likes of Paula, Giada, Ina, Rachael and Bobby on our air. Who are you rooting for?