Michael Next Off 'Star'

A word to those interested in joining future seasons of "The Next Food Network Star" -- don't pull a Michael and admit you're afraid of the camera (on multiple occasions). That, in the end, was his undoing. His food was pretty good and his personality over-the-top. But, when he was on camera, he froze as if he was doused with liquid nitrogen.

Last night, as he was tending bar and having a good time in Miami, Michael pretty much ignored the kitchen until it was too late as Debbie, Melissa and Jamika slaved away. Jeffrey was in and out of the kitchen and managed to save himself. But Michael could not and his stay is over.

Thus, it seems more and more like it's Melissa's show to lose -- something that is not exactly a news flash. Next week, the going gets tougher as they stay in Miami and apparently Michael Symon starts taking away some of their supplies.

Anita Lo Advances on 'Masters'

Anita Lo became the fourth combatant in the champions round of "Top Chef Masters" after getting near perfect scores in last night's episode. The first challenge, which Lo got all five stars on, asked the chefs to make an egg dish with one hand. The main challenge required the combatants to make a dish around a magical theme.

Lo really aced the whole thing and clearly doesn't get as much credit as she deserves.

The episode also included the return of Gail Simmons as a critic and even got a cameo by Chef Tom, one of the shows producers.

Food Network Announces 'Chefs vs. City'

Former "Next Iron Chef" combatants Aaron Sanchez (also a regular on the Food Network's "Chopped") and Chris Cosentino will star in "Chefs vs. City," premiering Aug. 7 at 10 p.m.

Each week, the chefs will travel to a different city, where they will be pitted against two local foodies in a winner-takes-all race. Cities include New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Chicago, Boston and New Orleans.

Each episode will feature five different challenges, which could include everything from wine stomping to eating the spiciest dishes in the country to crab fishing in a gator-infested river. Once the teams have completed their challenges, it's a sprint to the finish line to see if the locals can protect their home turf or if the Food Network chefs can conquer a new city.

'Top Chef Last Vegas' Cast Announced

As with all cast announcements, it's really hard to make any kind of actual judgment until the show starts (in this case, Aug. 26). But our good friend Sarah at Reality Check notes that there are some good local connections, a sentiment echoed by DCist. Bravo's site has the full cast bios.

The best part of this whole thing? Having "Top Chef" for most of the year, with the current "Masters" season running right into the normal version from Vegas.

Per Bravo's press release, guest appearances include Wolfgang Puck, Todd English, Natalie Portman (!!), Daniel Boulud, Penn and Teller, Hubert Keller, Laurent Tourondel, Tim Love, Michelle Bernstein, Tyler Florence, Charlie Palmer, Paul Bartolotta, Nigella Lawson and Jerome Bocuse.

Now THAT's a reason to (everybody say it with me) watch what happens.

Katie Off 'Star'

The final five have been set on "The Next Food Network Star" after Katie was booted on last night's episode. The perky health nut (but not this one) didn't quite cut it in the minds of the judges and couldn't, quite frankly, make anything that special.

The most recent airing starred Rachael Ray, first asking the contestants to make an adult-friendly food appeal to kids in a two-minute segment and then, on Ray's daytime show, demo a grown-up version of a kid's favorite.

Debbie and Melissa stayed at the top, while Jeffrey and Jamika started to slip. In reality, this should be Debbie's show to lose. Food Network does not have any Asian hosts and Melissa is treading dangerously close to Sandra Lee territory. Jeffrey and Jamika really haven't defined themselves while Michael's aversion to the camera will cost him sooner rather than later.

Happy EFO Day!

As you may know, I'm a big Eddie From Ohio fan. And today, July 5, is a time to celebrate them because of their song of the same name.

So take a moment to think about Julie, Mike, Eddie and Robbie as well as, of course, the "Old Dominion."

DC Diss: Teddy Off 'Star'

The very uncomfortable Teddy, who always looked out of place during his stay on "The Next Food Network Star," was finally dismissed during last night's episode. Teddy, a D.C. native who beat Bobby Flay on "Throwdown" last year, never could find his niche and it became obvious he wasn't going to go far during "Star."

The first portion of the episode asked the finalists to make a dish for Flay's new restaurant, Bobby's Burger Palace. The winner was Michael's New York (Italian) burger on garlic bread. During the main challenge, aboard the Intrepid, Melissa shined with a skirt steak tostada that will grace the cover of an upcoming edition of USA Weekend magazine.

It was fitting that Guy Fieri appeared last night because he is the gold standard for the finalists. During his season, Guy had to adjust his culinary wizardry to the home cook. But, in reality, he was the winner from the second he appeared and no member of "Star" in any season has come close to matching him. In fact, he's probably one of the top five stars on all of Food Network.

That being said, Melissa is starting to pull away from the competition, but Jamika (who appears in an Art Institute commercial now and again) is staying nearby as is Jeffrey. Melissa has been the most consistent and is really proving to be a gem, even if she doesn't win.

Rick Bayless Advances on 'Masters'

Just like the premiere episode, when Hubert Keller rose above a group of lesser-known chefs, Rick Bayless advanced past this week's competition in a similar manner. Bayless won by earning a near perfect score in an elimination challenge that fit into his style: create street food using a lovely part of a cow (or pig).

Bayless had to use tongue and made it into a taco that has earned him many accolades. His only serious competitor was Wilo Benet, a wiz of a chef from Puerto Rico. Benet won the quickfire, when the group has to make a food in one color, but Bayless blew everybody out at the end.

The next episode, which airs July 8, includes Anita Lo, Douglas Rodriguez, John Besh (who finished second in "The Next Iron Chef") and Mark Peel. The following week, Food Network's Michael Chiarello is joined by Rick Moonen, Nils Noren and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson.

Eddie Off 'Star'

Eddie looked lost from day one of "The Next Food Network Star" and, not surprisingly, he was eliminated in the show's third episode. It's looking more and more like Jeffrey, Jamika and Debbie are the favorites -- with Katie and Melissa (barely) hanging in there.

Teddy and Michael look like bumbling fools for very different reasons. Teddy is an abomination and I wish they would have sent him home with Eddie last night. He's been caught lying several times already and seems to think his continued apologizes and vows to improve will save him.

Conversely, Michael seems very likable but is totally disorganized and doesn't seem to have the on-camera presence that is required to win the show. The same could be said for Katie, but she seems to be heading more in the right direction.

It continues to be a worthwhile show to watch and next week appears to be the first episode where everything goes wrong for everybody.

Suzanne Tracht Advances on 'Chef'

Last week, Herbert Keller was the best-known of the "Top Chef Masters" contestants and advanced to the championship round; this week, that honor seemed destined for Wylie Dufresne. But not so fast my friend.

Out of seemingly nowhere, Suzanne Tracht blew away the competition in a "Lost"-themed elimination challenge and emerged victorious. Her Thanksgiving on a Plate meal beat Dufresne's chicken-and-egg offering.

It's obvious that this version of "Top Chef" lacks the entertainment value of the original because the host, Kelly Choi, is painful to watch and the judges critics aren't as good as Chef Tom and Gail Simmons (not to mention Padma). If the show returns for another season, then they really need to find a new host and better critics (although James Oseland and Gael Greene would make nice guest judges on the original).