Barefoot Contessa
Food Network Star Exit Interview: Justin Davis
The first order of business – Happy Fourth of July! Because of the holiday Food Network delayed the exit interview until Tuesday. I hope that hasn’t sent anyone into DTs.
Other than the occasional guest spot on Iron Chef America or Best Thing I Ever Ate the Food Network had earned a reputation for snubbing new media foodies. A serious amount of disrespect considering that there are foodie web sites that are actually older than the Food Network. Most people, given the opportunity, would rather watch Average Betty than Barefoot Contessa. We’d rather see Chef Unleashed than the abomination that is Extreme Chef.
But that changed a little on August 2, 2008 when Ask Aida premiered.
The Aida in question was Aida Mollenkamp who had previously been the editor of the mega food site CHOW.com. Last year another food blogger, Aarti Sequeira (AartiPaarti.com, GoodBite.com) competed and won Food Network Star 6. It isn’t much, but it’s a start.
Enter Justin Davis, one part of the husband-wife food blogging team behind GastronomicDuo.com. Justin was poised to be the next new media foodie to find stardom on the latest installment of Star.
Justin hardly received any face-time the first two weeks, dominated the screen in week three, became a promising competitor in week four. But in week five Justin’s run was over. His elimination was puzzling since Chris had a much worse performance than anyone else on the show, for the second time this season. But at the same time Justin never really put in a great performance.
Alicia Sanchez voiced displeasure with her experience on the show in a blog post that has since disappeared. In it she suggested that contestants were not eliminated because of performance but according to script. She has also voiced her suspicions about whether Chris and Penny were actors who were planted to spice things up. As it turns out, Penny was an actress. Last week Justin Balmes seemed less than joyful over his Star experience as well.
This week I get the feeling that Justin Davis was just relieved to be off the show based on this from his elimination post at Gastronomic Duo, “If Food Network wants Penny’s, Chris’s and Jyll’s, they can have them. I was called the opposite of authentic, I would say the same for the show. ”
Justin mentioned some of the close friends he made on the show even mentioning that when Justin B. was eliminated he actually teared up. At the same time he clearly was not enamored with all of his fellow contestants saying, “A lot of the other finalists, I felt, were like little children standing in a room yelling Hey, look at me! Look at me!” He said inwardly he felt, “I don’t know that I want to play this game.” “I put myself out there to be judged and to be critiqued. I can’t be upset about how it turned out,” he admitted clearly upset.
It was obvious both watching the show and talking to him that Justin was not happy being part of Food Network Star. His performance on the show was easily that of someone who was disengaged. I think Bobby Flay nailed it when he said, “He dropped out of high school and I feel like now he is dropping out gain.” Justin himself said, “I learned something about myself; I learned I’m not cut out for reality TV.” An honest assessment.
Justin was also nice enough to share some of the warmer behind-the-scenes happenings. He was especially impressed with the approachability of season two winner Guy Fieri saying, “He took the extra time to kind of step away from everything that was happening, which is the competition, and took a minute to talk to everyone as a person not as Guy Fieri. It was really interesting to see that side of him. He concluded, “I found him to be a humble and welcoming person.”
How has traffic to Gastronomic Duo been effected by your appearance on Star?
It definitely has seen an upswing. I feel like we’re a little bit more on the radar. Especially locally, my local appearances, we’ve seen a lot of really good traffic. I’d still like to see a lot more obviously.
We’ve been running it for two years and I think the first year and a half was trying to figure out what it was going to be. We’ve finally got it to the point that it looks good; it feels good. Now we just have to get the video in play.
To date Aida and Aarti are the only two Food Network celebs to get their start on the Internet. Do you think that the network is missing out by not tapping new media sources for on-air talent?
I think that there’s a huge food blogging community out there and I have found them to be, for the most part, really supportive. People want to start this online discussion about food and I think that food bloggers have a lot to say. Do I think that they are totally missing out? I don’t know. I wouldn’t deter any food blogger from trying to go on the show.
On your blog post yesterday you alluded to “big things” on the horizon. Can you give us a hint as to what you have in the works?
I’m lining up doing a small online series; it’s just going to be a quick four episodes. Get it up and get it out there and try to market myself. I think we’ll find some really fun special guests. I think it’ll be an interesting thing. I want it to be an expansion of my blog. It’s my half of the blog.
I’m all about seducing women with food. I think that if I can teach men to cook a lady something that they’re going to love I feel like they’re going to have a much better chance at getting a second date. I’m going to do a little video series on that and see what the response is.
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Be sure to stop by each Monday for my exclusive mourning after exit interviews with each exiled foodie (HERE). This year I have also added the WTVC (WannabeTVchef) Food Network Star Polls – six categories for contestants who best embody the spirit of former Food Network Star competitors. Be sure to check them out HERE. Click HERE to get all the news, gossip and snark on Food Network Star season 7.
Food Network May 2011 Highlights
Press Release from Food Network:
Food Network Crowns Cake Cavalier on ‘Last Cake Standing’ Season Finale and Names BBQ King in New Series ‘Best In Smoke’
Season Premieres: Paula’s Best Dishes, Guy’s Big Bite, Diners Drive-Ins and Dives, Chopped
On-Air and Online “In the Kitchen” Theme Weekend: Mother’s Day

Ina Garten – The Heartless Contessa?
I never understood the hullabaloo Food Network threw over Robert Irvine slightly fudging on his resume. After all none of what he listed was false just exaggerated; still he was suspended. JAG was pulled from the finale of NFNS 4 for the same thing although his “exaggerations” were a bit more exaggerated. Worst Cooks in America host Beau MacMilan had a minor traffic violation that resulted in his job being pulled, ironically he was replaced by Irvine.
On the grand scheme of things these are not serious infractions. Not in the least but it does make one wonder how Food Network and parent company Scripps Networks will handle the recent actions of Barefoot Contessa hostess Ina Garten. After all, punching up your resume or rolling through a stop sign are nothing compared to telling a dying child you’re too busy to meet them.
Apparently that is exactly what Garten did. On March 25th TMZ and about three dozen other media sources reported that she repeatedly snubbed the dying wish of a terminal Leukemia victim. Here’s an excerpt from TMZ’s report:
… a little boy named Enzo was approached by the (Make-A-Wish) organization after he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia three years ago.
Enzo told Make-A-Wish … he really wanted to cook with the “Barefoot Contessa” host because he would often watch the show with his mother while resting in bed.
M.A.W. approached Garten with the wish last year … but at the time, she was unable to meet with Enzo due to a book tour. The organization urged Enzo to pick another wish, but he told them he wanted to wait until she becomes available.
We’re told the organization went back to Ina this year … but her team responded with a “definite no” … once again, citing scheduling conflicts.
A member of Enzo’s family says the 6-year-old is heartbroken … and asked parents, “Why doesn’t she want to meet me?”
Now I have acknowledged that I think Garten’s food and creativity are quite good but I’ve also gone on record as not being a fan of the Barefoot Contessa program. To me it is one of the most boring cooking shows around. I am not alone in my belief that if Ina Garten were not Martha Stewart’s best friend no one would know who she was. She damned sure wouldn’t have a nationally televised cooking show. That being said, she does score exceptionally well in one demographic – well-to-do housewives from the Hamptons.
However, I don’t see that trend remaining after telling a dying child they aren’t important enough to meet her. It sounds like someone is taking their “Contessa” title a little too seriously doesn’t it? It would appear Garten thinks she is something more than just another well-to-do housewife from the Hamptons.
I might could swallow the “scheduling conflicts” excuse but who has a year worth of scheduling conflicts? I’ll tell who wouldn’t – Bobby Flay. Flay is an actual chef who runs nearly a dozen restaurants from Vegas to Nassau, owns a production company, makes countless personal appearances and stars in four TV series. That certainly demands more time than just shooting one TV show from your home and doing the occasional book signing but I’m willing to bet that had Make-A-Wish called Flay would have been on the next flight out.
Since the story has hit the public spotlight, Garten has miraculously found a little time in her busy stay-at-home schedule to honor Enzo with her presence. For his part Enzo says he no longer cares to spend his last few days on earth cooking scones with her royal highness. His new last wish is to go swimming with dolphins. Good for him.
I cannot help but contrast Garten’s callousness with what I witnessed firsthand in tiny Dauphin Island, Alabama. Dauphin Island is a resort town of 1300 people on the Gulf of Mexico that has two industries – tourism and fishing. Both of those were eliminated a year ago when the Deepwater Horizon oil spill struck. Both BP and the White House have essentially Contessa’d the Gulf Coast but Good Eats host Alton Brown managed to spend an entire weekend of his time helping the Island rebound from an ecological, economic and bureaucratic nightmare.
Now if saying you cooked an entire meal for the Royals when it was only dessert results in one year of TV exile and saying you were stationed on the Afghan-front when you were actually stationed at a support facility miles from the action means you don’t ever get a cooking show at all then anything short of Food Network pulling all affiliation with Garten is unacceptable. She’ll be okay, she still has her pal Martha Stewart to prop her “career” up. I understand that celebrities cannot honor every single request for their time but when a dying six-year-old says that their last wish is to spend a few minutes cooking with you how do you say “no” and still sleep at night?
Stuart in 80 Words or Less
Help with Gulf Oil Spill Recovery
Stuart’s Honors & Awards
2015 4th Place Downtown Cajun Cook-off
2015 2nd Place Fins' Wings & Chili Cook-off
2014 2015 4th Place LA Gumbo Cook-off
2012 Taste Award nominee for best chef (web)
2012 Finalist in the Safeway Next Chef Contest
2011 Taste Award Nominee for Little Grill Big Flavor
2011, 12 Member: Council of Media Tastemakers
2011 Judge: 29th Chef's of the Coast Cook-off
2011 Judge: Dauphin Island Wing Cook-off
2011 Cooking Channel Perfect 3 Recipe Finalist
2011 Judge: Dauphin Island Gumbo Cook-off
2011 Culinary Hall of Fame Member
2010 Tasty Awards Judge
2010 Judge: Bayou La Batre Gumbo Cook-off
2010 Gourmand World Cookbook Award Nominee
2010 Chef2Chef Top 10 Best Food Blogs
2010 Denay's Top 10 Best Food Blogs
2009 2nd Place Bay Area Food Bank Chef Challenge
2008 Tava: Discovery Contest Runner-up
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