''Food Network Star'' is a

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

series that premiered June 5, 2005. It was produced by CBS EYEtoo Productions for seasons 1–8 and by Triage Entertainment for subsequent seasons. It airs on the

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ( ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Prior to season seven, the series was known as ''The Next Food Network Star''.

Season One

Summary

The first season of ''The Next Food Network Star'' series was taped in February 2005, and was composed of five episodes in June 2005.

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

area caterers Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh emerged as the winners, and went on to host a show called ''Party Line with Dan & Steve'', now titled '' Party Line with The Hearty Boys'', which premiered on September 18, 2005. The runner-up, Deborah Fewell, was chosen to host a special on food at beaches, ''Surf N Turf'', which aired in June 2006. Michael Thomas was the recurring chef on ''

The Tyra Banks Show ''The Tyra Banks Show'', also known as and shortened to ''Tyra'' or ''The Tyra Show'', was an American talk show hosted by Tyra Banks that aired from 2005 to 2010. While Banks's show covered a variety of topics, there was a sensationalized focus ...

''. Susannah Locketti made an appearance on '' The Tony Danza Show'', and is also an on-air chef for

Publix Publix Super Markets, Inc., commonly known as Publix, is an employee-owned American supermarket chain headquartered in Lakeland, Florida. Founded in 1930 by George W. Jenkins, Publix is a private corporation that is wholly owned by present and ...

grocery stores in the southern

Contestants

Season Two

Summary

The second season of ''The Next Food Network Star'' series was taped in December 2005 and began airing in March 2006.

Guy Fieri Guy Ramsay Fieri (, ; ''né'' Ferry; born January 22, 1968) is an American restaurateur, author, and an Emmy Award winning television presenter. He co-owns three restaurants in California, licenses his name to restaurants in New York City, Las ...

was announced as the winner on April 23, 2006, beating Reggie Southerland. Fieri has achieved considerable success and a Daytime Emmy at Food Network since his victory, and is still regularly on air as of November 2021. ''

Guy's Big Bite ''Guy's Big Bite'' is a Food Network show starring Guy Fieri Guy Ramsay Fieri (, ; ''né'' Ferry; born January 22, 1968) is an American restaurateur, author, and an Emmy Award winning television presenter. He co-owns three restaurants in Cali ...

'' premiered in June 2006 and aired for 13 seasons until December 2016. Fieri's second series, '' Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'', premiered in April 2007 and has aired for 33 seasons, being the recipient of several Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He went on to the series, '' Ultimate Recipe Showdown'', premiering February 17, 2008, and ''

Guy Off The Hook ''Guy Off the Hook'' is a television series which began airing on Food Network in September 2008. The show is hosted by Guy Fieri and closely follows the format of shows such as ''Paula's Party'' and ''Emeril Live''. The show is taped in front of ...

'' on September 14, 2008. His reality competition ''

Guy's Grocery Games '' Guy's Grocery Games '' (often nicknamed ''Triple G'') is an American reality-based cooking television game show hosted by Guy Fieri on Food Network. Each episode features four chefs competing in a three-round elimination contest, cooking food ...

'' debuted in October 2013 and has aired for 27 seasons. Fourth-place contestant

Nathan Lyon Nathan Michael Lyon (born 20 November 1987) is an Australian international cricketer. He made his Test debut in 2011 and plays domestic cricket for New South Wales. Lyon is an off spin bowler and a lower-order right-handed batsman. Considered ...

began hosting his own series, ''A Lyon In the Kitchen'', on the

Discovery Health Channel Discovery Health Channel was an American subscription television channel. Launched in July 1998, it was owned by Discovery Communications as a spin-off of Discovery Channel, focusing on health and wellness-oriented programming. In the beginni ...

in March 2007. Four of the seasons cast members along with Fieri reunited on Season 10 episode 4 of Guy’s Grocery Games which aired on July 24, 2016.

Contestants

Season Three

Summary

The third season began on June 3, 2007, and the winner was announced on Sunday, July 22. In season 3, judges sent 1 or 2 contestants home weekly. Once the field was down to 2 final contestants, the viewers picked the winner.

Marc Summers Marc Summers (born Marc Berkowitz; November 11, 1951) is an American television personality, comedian, game show host, producer, and talk show host. He is best known for hosting '' Double Dare'' for Nickelodeon, and ''Unwrapped'' for Food Networ ...

(host of the first 2 seasons) only returned for this season's finale.

Bobby Flay Robert William Flay (born December 10, 1964), is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and reality television personality. Flay is the owner and executive chef of several restaurants and franchises, including Bobby's Burger Palace, Bobby's ...

would host subsequent season finales. During the season, the contestants lived in a shared house in New York City. The contestants' challenges included cooking concession food for an NBA game (with guest

Darryl Dawkins Darryl R. Dawkins (January 11, 1957 – August 27, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. He was particularly known for his tenure with the National Basketball Association's Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, although he als ...

) to a mini version of Food Network's '' Iron Chef America'' (with guest judges

and Cat Cora). The Selection Committee consisted of Food Network executives Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson along with one guest. Guest judges included

Alton Brown Alton Crawford Brown Jr. (born July 30, 1962) is an American television personality, food show presenter, chef, author, voice actor, and cinematographer. He is the creator and host of the Food Network television show '' Good Eats'' that ran for ...

Giada De Laurentiis Giada Pamela De Laurentiis (; born August 22, 1970) is an Italian-American chef, writer, and television personality. She was the host of Food Network's ''Giada at Home''. She also appears regularly as a contributor and guest co-host on NBC's ...

Duff Goldman Jeffrey Adam "Duff" Goldman is a pastry chef, television personality, and cookbook author. He is the executive chef of the Baltimore-based Charm City Cakes shop, which was featured in the Food Network reality television show '' Ace of Cakes'', ...

, season two winner Guy Fieri, and Robert Irvine. Paula Deen and

Rachael Ray Rachael Domenica Ray (born August 25, 1968) is an American cook, television personality, businesswoman, and author. She hosts the syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program '' Rachael Ray'', and the Food Network series ''30 Minute Meals'' ...

participated in contestant challenges, and Bobby Flay also played a role in the guidance and selection process. Amy Finley was chosen by America as ''The Next Food Network Star'' on July 22, 2007. Her new show ''The Gourmet Next Door'' premiered on October 14, 2007 and ran for six episodes. Finley later declined to continue with the series, citing relocation to France for family reasons. Among the contestants this season was former child actress Colombe Jacobsen-Derstine, best known for her appearances in the Mighty Ducks film franchise.

Contestants

: Amy Finley was eliminated Week 7, and the original finalists were Rory Schepisi and Joshua "JAG" Garcia. After the final elimination episode was aired, evidence came to light that JAG had lied about both his culinary training and his military service, representing both as more extensive than they actually were. Food Network allowed him to withdraw from the competition and reinstated Amy Finley, who was voted The Next Food Network Star.

Season Four

Summary

Season four of ''The Next Food Network Star'' premiered on Sunday, June 1, 2008. Food Network executives Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson are joined by Bobby Flay as the selection committee for this season. Each new episode aired on Sundays at 10:00 PM EDT. For this season, the viewers no longer received the chance to vote for the winner; producers instead made the final decision. This led to an error by FoodNetwork.com, which briefly posted the winning moment video on their website three days before the finale aired. The winner for the fourth season was

Aaron McCargo Jr. Aaron McCargo Jr. (born July 22, 1971) is an American chef, television personality, and television show host who is best known as the winner of the fourth season of the Food Network's reality television show, ''The Next Food Network Star''. Earl ...

His winning show idea, ''

Big Daddy's House ''Big Daddy's House'' is a cooking show on the specialty channel Food Network. The show stars Aaron McCargo, Jr., the winner of the fourth season of the network's reality television series, ''The Next Food Network Star''. The six-episode first ...

'', first aired August 3, 2008. Finalist Adam Gertler was hired to host a Food Network show called '' Will Work for Food'', which debuted on January 19, 2009 and was cancelled after one season. He hosted the Food Network show ''Kid in a Candy Store,'' which aired two seasons. Kelsey Nixon co-hosted a web show on food2.com (a Food Network sister site aka

Cooking Channel Cooking Channel is an American basic cable channel owned by Food Network, a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (69%) and Nexstar Media Group (31%). The channel is a spin-off of Food Network, broadcasting ...

) and also appeared in the premiere of '' Chefs vs. City'' in 2009. In 2010, Gertler and Nixon became co-hosts of ''The Next Food Network Star After Party'', a half-hour recap/interview show following that night's episode of ''Star'', on

. Nixon stars in '' Kelsey's Essentials'', a program on kitchen and cooking basics for The Cooking Channel that ran November, 2010–2013.

Contestants

Season Five

Summary

Season five of ''The Next Food Network Star'' premiered on June 7, 2009. Food Network executives Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson were joined by

as the Selection Committee for this season, which was filmed early 2009 in New York, New York and

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. Melissa D'Arabian was declared the winner on August 2, 2009 with the title for her show being ''

Ten Dollar Dinners Melissa Donovan d'Arabian is an American cookbook author and television show host. She won the fifth season of ''Food Network Star'' in 2009. Following her victory, she went on to host '' Ten Dollar Dinners'' on Food Network. Early life and ed ...

''. Her show premiered on August 9, 200

On August 17, 2009, Food Network announced Jeffrey Saad would return in a series of online videos based on his pilot, now called "The Spice Smuggler." The program premiered with four -minute videos featuring one spice and a recipe incorporating it. Saad was named the national representative for the American Egg Board. In November, 2010, Saad debuted in a new show for The Cooking Channel titled ''United Tastes of America'', which explores multiple aspects of traditional American food. Finalist Debbie Lee has carried her "Seoul to Soul" concept to the streets of L.A., opening a lunch truck, Ahn-Joo, featuring a range of Korean food.

Contestants

Season Six

Summary

The sixth season of the series premiered on Sunday, June 6, 2010.

executives Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson were again joined by

as judges; in addition,

served as an on-set mentor. On July 17, 2010, a post-competition recap and discussion show premiered on Cooking Channel, The Cooking Channel. Shows were filmed in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and New York, New York. On August 15, 2010,

Aarti Sequeira Aarti Lucica Sequeira (born 19 August 1978) is an Indian American cook and television personality, best known as the winner of the sixth season of Food Network's reality television show, ''The Next Food Network Star''. In 2010, after her victor ...

was declared the winner, and her new show '' Aarti Party'' premiered on Sunday, August 22, 2010 and features American style cuisine with unique Indian flair. Season 2 of '' Aarti Party'' premiered that December. The Food Network also signed runner-up Tom Pizzica to host a new show called ''Outrageous Food'', which premiered in November 2010. The last new episodes of ''Aarti Party'' aired in mid-2013.

Contestants

Season Seven

Summary

For the seventh season, the reality television series was renamed, after the first episode, ''Food Network Star'', dropping the word "Next". It premiered Sunday, June 5, 2011. Food Network executives Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson were joined again by Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis as the judges for this season. The series was filmed in Los Angeles, California and New York, New York. Season seven winner Jeff Mauro's show "Sandwich King" premiered on Sunday, August 21, 2011. In spring 2013, Jeff hosted '' $24 in 24'', a show in which he went to several cities and ate an entire day's worth of meals on 24 dollars. Mauro is currently a co-host on "The Kitchen", airing Sunday mornings on Food Network with cohosts Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee and Geoffrey Zakarian.

Contestants

Season Eight

Summary

Season 8 started May 13, 2012. For season 8, the format changed, with the contestants divided into three five-member teams, each coached by a Food Network host, either

, or

. Coaches worked with the teams as they prepared for and completed their tasks. The winner's coach would also be the producer of the winner's show. Each week, a winning team was selected, and one member of the teams that did not win was up for elimination in a new feature called Producers' Challenge. Each challenge was hosted by current Food Network personalities. The final winner was decided by an audience vote cast on foodnetwork.com between July 15–17, 2012 and the winner was announced on July 22, 2012. The winner was Justin Warner, who hosted a one-hour special on The Food Network, but did not have a series produced. He has become a blogger on foodnetwork.com, makes appearances at Food Network events, and is an active Twitter presence.

Coaches

– host of ''

Good Eats ''Good Eats'' is an American television cooking show, created and hosted by Alton Brown, which aired in North America on Food Network and later Cooking Channel. Likened to television science educators Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye, Brown explores th ...

'', '' Iron Chef America'', ''

The Next Iron Chef ''The Next Iron Chef'' is a limited-run series on the Food Network that aired its fifth season in 2012. Each season is a stand-alone competition to select a chef to be designated an Iron Chef, who will appear on the Food Network program ''Iron ...

'', and '' Cutthroat Kitchen''. *

– host of '' Grill It! with Bobby Flay'', ''

Throwdown! with Bobby Flay ''Throwdown! with Bobby Flay'' is a Food Network television program in which celebrity chef Bobby Flay challenges cooks renowned for a specific dish or type of cooking to a cook-off of their signature dish. At the beginning of each show, Flay rec ...

''. Co-host of season 3 of ''

Worst Cooks in America ''Worst Cooks in America'' is an American reality television series that premiered on January3, 2010, on Food Network. The show takes 12 to 16 contestants (referred to as "recruits") with very poor cooking skills through a culinary boot camp, t ...

'' and Iron Chef on '' Iron Chef America'' *

– host of ''

Everyday Italian ''Everyday Italian'' is a Food Network show hosted by Giada De Laurentiis. In the show, De Laurentiis focuses for her viewers on traditional Italian cuisine with an American flair. Popularity The show is recorded (shot at 24 frames for a cinemat ...

'', ''

Giada at Home ''Giada at Home'' is a television show hosted by Giada De Laurentiis. It first aired on October 18, 2008 on the Food Network. The show was nominated for two Daytime Emmy The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive rang ...

'' and Giada in Italy.

Contestants

Season Nine

Summary

Season 9 started on June 2, 2013. For season 9,

, and

mentored and judged twelve ''Food Network Star'' competitors, although the contestants were not divided into teams as in season 8. Many of this season's contestants had previously appeared on other Food Network shows. The winner was Damaris Phillips, decided by an audience vote cast on foodnetwork.com and announced live on August 11, 2013. Phillips hosted the Food Network show Southern at Heart for five seasons from 2013 to 2016. In 2018, she began co-hosting The Bobby and Damaris Show on Food Network with Bobby Flay. Phillips also cohosted "Southern and Hungry" with auto racing analyst Rutledge Wood in 2017.

Contestants

Season Ten

The winner was Lenny McNab, decided by an audience vote cast on foodnetwork.com and announced live on August 10, 2014. It is the last season to date where the finale aired live—all subsequent season finales would be filmed months in advance prior to airing.

Contestants

Season Eleven

Beginning with this season, Alton Brown no longer appeared as a judge. The winner was Eddie Jackson, an ex NFL player and MasterChef (American season 4) contestant.

Contestants

Season Twelve

Martita Jara originally competed in the eighth season of the series; she returned after winning the pre-season competition ''Comeback Kitchen''.

Contestants

Season Thirteen

Matthew Grunwald originally competed in season 11. He returned for a second chance after winning the Comeback Kitchen competition.

Contestants

Season Fourteen

Contestants

This season features Manny Washington and Katie Dixon from

MasterChef (American season 7) The seventh season of the American competitive reality television series ''MasterChef'' premiered on Fox on June 1, 2016 and concluded on September 14, 2016. Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi returned as judges. Graham Elliot left the show aft ...

and Palak Patel who beats

. Amy Pottinger originally competed in season 13. She returned for a second chance after winning the Comeback Kitchen competition, along with Adam Gertler, who originally competed in season four.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Food Network series 2005 American television series debuts 2000s American reality television series 2010s American reality television series English-language television shows Food Network original programming Television series by CBS Studios 2018 American television series endings