Anything You Can Do...

Last night both "The Next Food Network Star" and "Design Star" were on. I find it amusing that they air at the same times and carry ads for each other. I like that I can catch both of them and last night, both shows got down to three finalists. For "Design Star", that meant that two of the remaining five designers had their "show" canceled.

There were some similarities between the two episodes last night. On air personality was a key factor in selecting the finalists. The designers had to introduce the kitchen they had remodeled. The chefs were interviewed as they were busy cooking. To me, the latter posed the greatest challenge. The designers had time to think about what they wanted to say. Interviewed by Dayna Devon from "Extra", the chefs had to come up with answers on the spot, while continuing to cook.

A big difference between the two shows last night was that the chef's were each on their own, competing in pairs in a Vegas Throwdown where each chef chose a signature dish to prepare. The twist was that they also had to prepare the other cook's dish. Adam and Lisa made Vegas style Mac 'N' Cheese and Cassoulet while Aaron and Kelsey made Stuffed Pork and Chicken Parmesan . In the end, it was Kelsey who was sent home. Even though she probably had one of the best personalities, she lacked experience.

On "Design Star", the five remaining designers had to work together to remodel a kitchen and dining area. Tracee drew the role of project leader. In the end, she failed on several levels to provide the kitchen the homeowners wanted. The big issue was tile. She bought tile, but didn't get it back to the house in time for it to be put in. Mikey V. was the other designer who was sent home. In his case, it was more his onscreen performance that made the judges finally decide he was the one to leave. Next week, the three designers will be whittled down to two and the viewers will choose the winner based on their final designs.