The fourth season of the American reality television series The Next Food Network Star premiered on Sunday, June 1, 2008. Food Network executives, Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson, were joined by Bobby Flay as the Selection Committee for this season, which was filmed early 2008 in New York, New York and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Aaron McCargo, Jr. was announced as the winner on the season finale, which aired on Sunday, July 27, 2008. His show, Big Daddy's House, premiered on August 3, 2008. In addition, runner-up Adam Gertler was given a show, Will Work for Food, which premiered January 19, 2009 and Kelsey Nixon, who finished fourth, began hosting her show, Kelsey's Essentials, on the Cooking Channel on November 6, 2010. According to a 2017 D Magazine interview, runner-up Lisa Garza was also offered a contract on Food Network, but she declined.Catching Up with Lisa Garza-Selcer - D Magazine
Contestants (In order of elimination)
Cory Kahaney, 45 - New York, New York; Stand-up ComedianTV : The Next Food Network Star : Next Food Network Star : Season 4: Cory : Food Network Kevin Roberts, 39 - San Diego, California; Radio Talk Show Host/Restaurant Owner/AuthorTV : The Next Food Network Star : Next Food Network Star : Season 4: Kevin : Food Network Jeffrey Vaden, 43 - White Plains, New York; Food Service ManagerTV : The Next Food Network Star : Next Food Network Star : Season 4: Jeffrey : Food Network Nipa Bhatt, 35 - Victoria, Minnesota; Marketing ManagerTV : The Next Food Network Star : Next Food Network Star : Season 4: Nipa : Food Network Jennifer Cochrane, 32 - Woonsocket, Rhode Island; ChefTV : The Next Food Network Star : Next Food Network Star : Season 4: Jennifer : Food Network Shane Lyons, 19 - Colorado Springs, Colorado; Private Chef/ActorTV : The Next Food Network Star : Next Food Network Star : Season 4: Shane : Food Network Kelsey Nixon, 23 - North Ogden, Utah; Assistant Culinary DirectorTV : The Next Food Network Star : Next Food Network Star : Season 4: Kelsey : Food Network —Fan Favorite
Runners-Up Lisa Garza, 32 - Dallas, Texas;TV : The Next Food Network Star : Next Food Network Star : Season 4: Lisa : Food Network Adam Gertler, 30 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Food serverTV : The Next Food Network Star : Next Food Network Star : Season 4: Adam : Food Network
Winner Aaron McCargo, Jr., 38 - Camden, New Jersey; ChefTV : The Next Food Network Star : Next Food Network Star : Season 4: Aaron : Food Network
Contestant progress
Episode 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9MiniChallengeWinner None AaronAdamJennifer Adam Kelsey Shane None None None NoneAaron WIN WIN HIGH LOW LOW HIGH HIGH IN WINNERAdam IN LOW HIGH LOW LOW HIGH LOW IN RUNNER-UPLisa LOW WIN WIN HIGH IN LOW LOW IN RUNNER-UPKelsey WIN HIGH LOW WIN WIN LOW OUT FAN FAVORITEShane LOW IN IN HIGH WIN OUT Jennifer IN IN LOW LOW OUT Nipa LOW LOW LOW OUT Jeffrey HIGH LOW OUTKevin IN OUT Cory OUT : No winner was announced for the Mini Challenge. : There was no Mini Challenge in this episode. : No one was eliminated in this episode.
(WINNER) The contestant won the competition, and became "The Next Food Network Star". (RUNNER-UP) The contestant made it to the finale, but did not win. (FAN FAVORITE) The contestant was voted the Fan Favorite for the competition in an online poll. (WIN) The contestant won that episode's Elimination Challenge. (HIGH) The contestant was one of the Selection Committee's favorites for that week, but did not win the Elimination Challenge. (IN) The contestant was neither the Selection Committee's favorite nor the least favorite. They were not up for elimination. (LOW) The contestant was one of the Selection Committee's least favorites for that week, but was not in the Bottom 2. (LOW) The contestant was one of the Selection Committee's least favorites for that week and was in the Bottom 2, but was not eliminated. (OUT) The contestant was the Selection Committee's least favorite for that week, and was eliminated.
Episodes
Week 1: Star Quality Mini Challenge: Upon arriving at the Food Network Studios, the contestants were met by Alton Brown. He told them their first challenge was to explain their culinary point of view in one sentence on camera, with the option of using a prop. The Selection Committee later watched the videos made in this challenge. Winner: None Elimination Challenge: The contestants were paired randomly into the following five teams: Nipa and Shane Aaron and Kelsey Lisa and Kevin Adam and Jennifer Jeffrey and Cory Each of these teams was required to prepare three dishes (each contestant prepared one dish and the team prepared one collaborative dish) and presented them to the Selection Committee, as well as a group of current Food Network personalities including Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Pat and Gina Neely, Sandra Lee, and Giada De Laurentiis. Winners: Aaron and Kelsey Eliminated: Cory
Original Air Date: June 1, 2008
Week 2: FN Star On the Go
Mini Challenge: Chef Robert Irvine woke the contestants at three o'clock in the morning and had them randomly separate into three teams: Jeffrey, Kelsey and Kevin; Aaron, Adam and Jennifer; and Lisa, Nipa and Shane. In these teams, the contestants had to race to three locations in the New York area, where they were asked a culinary trivia question. If they answered their question correctly, they could select an ingredient and continue to the next location. If they did not, they had to perform a food preparation task before continuing and selecting an ingredient. These tasks included rolling dough for baguettes and butchering a chicken. The first team to go to all three locations and meet chef Irvine in a "secret location" would be able to go first in the Elimination Challenge. Winners: Aaron, Adam, and Jennifer Elimination Challenge: Using the foods they collected in the scavenger hunt (a loaf of bread, a type of cheese and a cut of meat) as well as the ingredients provided for them, teams each had to prepare brunch for the Selection Committee, Irvine and 30 other guests aboard a moving M&E Railway train. The winners of the challenge were featured in an issue of USA Weekend. Winners: Lisa and Aaron Eliminated: Kevin
Original Air Date: June 8, 2008
Week 3: You ... In a Jar
Mini Challenge: Bobby Flay greeted the contestants in the Food Network Kitchens, where he gave them thirty minutes to prepare a dish representing their culinary point of view using russet potatoes. Then, they were given one minute to present their dish on camera, with the Selection Committee watching. The contestants' performance in this challenge was considered during the Evaluation, and so the winner of this challenge could not be eliminated. Winner: Adam Elimination Challenge: Following in the footsteps of such Food Network stars as Emeril Lagasse and Paula Deen, the contestants were required to create their own packaged food product, as well as a simple dish using this product. Then, they had to present it to fifty food buyers, the Selection Committee and Martha Stewart, who served as a surprise guest judge for this challenge. Winner: Lisa Eliminated: Jeffrey
Original Air Date: June 15, 2008
Week 4: Being an Expert
Mini Challenge: Tyler Florence told the contestants they were required to create a sixty-second video demonstrating a cooking technique using a product given to them only seconds before recording. The winning video was featured on the Food Network website, and the winner of the challenge was allowed to pick their ingredients first and serve first in the next challenge. Winner: Kelsey Elimination Challenge: The contestants were then met by Iron Chef Michael Symon, who said that each contestant had to select a fish (cod, tilapia, trout, sole, halibut, mahi mahi or Arctic char) and use it to prepare two dishes. The first dish had to be an "accessible dish" which could be featured on the Red Lobster fresh fish menu. The second dish had to feature a special ingredient selected at the beginning of the challenge (white chocolate, cola, coffee beans, marshmallow creme, grape jelly, caramel or fruit cereal). The winning "accessible" dish was put on the fresh fish menu at all Red Lobster restaurants. For this episode, Michael Symon sat in for Bobby on the Selection Committee, and Red Lobster's senior executive chef, Michael LaDuke, served as a special guest judge. Winner: Kelsey Eliminated: Nipa
Original Air Date: June 22, 2008
Week 5: Enticing and Easy with Bon Appétit
Mini Challenge: At the beginning of this challenge, Iron Chef Cat Cora greeted the contestants, and gave each of them a basket filled with a set of six ingredients. Using these ingredients, the contestants had to prepare a dish in 30 minutes which they would later need to describe on camera. However, at the conclusion of the cooking, Cat announced they would not be describing their own dishes, but that of another contestant. The winner was allowed to pick the dish they and their partner would be making in the Elimination Challenge, as well as assign dishes to other pairs. Winner: Shane Elimination Challenge: The contestants were randomly split into three teams: Kelsey and Shane Aaron and Adam Jennifer and Lisa In these teams, the contestants were required to recreate one of three classic dishes, coq au vin, beef Wellington, or turducken, each of which typically take extensive planning and preparation, preparing a version of it in 45 minutes that would be accessible to home cooks. As the winner of the preliminary challenge, Shane chose to make a variation of beef Wellington with Kelsey, while assigning Aaron and Adam to cook coq au vin, and Lisa and Jennifer to prepare turducken. After cooking, the contestants had to present their dish to the Selection Committee and the editors of Bon Appétit magazine, as well as Cat Cora, who participated in the Selection Committee this week. The winning recipe was featured in the August issue of Bon Appétit. Winners: Kelsey and Shane Eliminated: Jennifer
Original Air Date: June 29, 2008
Week 6: Into the Studio
Mini Challenge: None Elimination Challenge: Bobby Flay announced to the five remaining contestants that they would each be doing a 4-minute cooking demonstration on the Rachael Ray Show, in front of a live studio audience. He told them they had to prepare an innovative and nutritious meal that appealed to an 8-year-old Girl Scout, and that had a main course and at least one side dish. The contestants had time to talk with the Girl Scout on what they like to eat and were given 75 minutes to prepare the meal. Then, they would demonstrate the meal on the show, with the assistance of their respective Girl Scout. Rachael Ray served as a special guest judge for this episode. Winner: None, although Adam and Aaron's recipes, the two that were the best received among the Selection Committee, were shown as the featured recipes on the show website. Eliminated: Shane
Original Air Date: July 6, 2008
Week 7: Vegas Throwdown
Mini Challenge: None Elimination Challenge: The final four contestants were flown to Las Vegas, where they were told by Bobby Flay that they would be participating in a challenge modeled after his show Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. They were then assigned an opponent, and told they had to prepare "Vegas Style" versions of their own and their opponent's signature dishes in 75 minutes, while also answering questions from the Selection Committee, guest judge Paula Deen and Dayna Devon of Extra. Adam was paired against Lisa, with each of them preparing a version of Adam's signature macaroni and cheese and Lisa's cassoulet, while Kelsey was paired against Aaron, each of them having to make a variation of Kelsey's chicken parmesan and Aaron's stuffed pork tenderloin. Winner: None, although Aaron's food was most well received by the panel. However, Lisa's cassoulet, and Adam's macaroni and cheese, as well as both of Aaron's dishes, were shown as the featured dishes on the show website. Eliminated: Kelsey
Original Air Date: July 13, 2008