Amuse-Bouche: Twitter Time!

(I'm working on a bunch of other stuff this week in preparation for my trip this weekend. Bear with me.)

• Follow Food Network Addict on Twitter! I'll be posting pics and updates all weekend long at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, so this will be your FIRST place to get the inside info.
• NFNS dropout JAG gets new gig.
• Food Network trademarks "Cupcake Wars" for a possible upcoming project.
• You can win a trip for 2 to San Francisco to cook with Tyler Florence. Check out the podcast and enter to win.
• "If the tent's a'rockin', don't come a'knockin'." -- No link here. Just a great Ina quote from this past weekend's episode.
• The King and Queen of Spain will be present at SOBE this year. Quick! Hide the Rachael Ray slop!

I'm very excited about using Twitter at this year's food festival. I try to get better coverage every year, like videos and interviews, and think Twitter will be the best and easiest way for me to keep you all updated while I'm on the beach at events and not in my room on the laptop. I'll post as many pics as I can! Should be fun.

JAG Was Willing to Reveal Other Finalist Back in June

In a startling update that seems to decrease any shred of honor JAG may have still had, the Air Force Times is revealing that when JAG was questioned back in June about his military service he admitted to being one of the final two contestants and "offered to trade the name of the other finalist — a big reality television no-no — in exchange for keeping his background a secret."

Well, JAG, you've basically lost any credibility you may have had with me, now.

"In a bid to preserve his shot at a six-episode Food Network series deal, Garcia revealed in those interviews that he was one of the final two contestants. Military Times did not include this claim in previous stories because it was not clear whether this was another lie, and to protect the integrity of the show."

It's obvious that JAG was willing to do whatever it took to keep his ass in the competition, as well as keep the fact that he lied a secret. This only worked to his detriment, though. If the Food Network found out that he had revealed the name of the other finalist he would have been eliminated anyway.

Ugh.

JAG Bows Out

I waited until the morning to post about JAG's resignation so I could see what kind of comments came in. While the majority of viewers seem to think JAG is entertaining, his ability to hold up an entire shows seems to still be in question. Also, many comments don't show much sympathy for JAG.



"His lies are what got him on the show. He had to know that the lies were going to come out. What a mess."

"Why would you say all that stuff when you know that people can check it out. I now consider him a horrible disgrace to the U.S. for lying about going overseas. What really makes me mad is that the network let him "resign" instead of kicking his butt off the show. After the lie he told, he doesn't deserve to be treated with any respect. The show is now completely contaminated."

"What a poseur. Earlier in the show he was mentioning how he doesn't want to bring up the past, I guess because it's made up. Made up like the so called Caribbean elements in his cooking. Beyond just being honest, at least have some sense. He's on a public forum, mentioning service in 2 currently ongoing and hotly debated wars. He expects no one will check? Excellent job representing the latinos on food network! Also, kudos to Food Net. on the background check."

There are some supporters out there, too:

"Seriously people, give the guy a break. I don't think anybody out there is innocent of fluffing up one's resume to land a choice job. Now throw into the mix that the reporter took liberties with his "Service during" and what did you expect from the guy?"

"George Bush was a crackhead and a drunk before he became president, Bill Clinton lied about his past while he was president and he was impeached. We forgave both of them. JAG made a mistake one that does not even come close to what our last two presidents have done with their lives. Come on people, cut the man some slack!"

"Jag is being victimized and Food Network is showing bad form by trying to cheaply gain ratings off of this sensationalism."

Some people seem to be confused about the order of events. The show was filmed early this year (it's cold out in many episodes and I seem to remember hearing the contestants went to the Food & Wine fest back in Feb).

The Marine Corps Times broke the story on June 13, which was "several months" after the filming of last night's episode. When JAG didn't clear things up in a press conference, Food Network investigated further.

I don't claim to know whether or not Josh actually said he deployed to Afghanistan or if he truly graduated from culinary school. In last night's resignation, he claimed he told the producers both of these things. I don't see JAG as the kind of person to be coerced into saying he lied just to "save face."

I do tend to agree, however, that JAG was probably asked to resign. I think we have a little STAR JONES situation going on here. Except this one turned out the way Barbara Walters had hoped it would with Star.

It's true that his military service shouldn't influence his performance on the show. It is a "food" show after all, right?

This logic does not hold true for people in the public eye, though. Sometimes this works to our advantage (e.g.- we wouldn't want a child molester serving as president, regardless of whether or not that crime would affect the way she did her job), which in turn can work to the disadvantage of the person in question.

It's even true that his graduation from culinary school shouldn't affect his ability to perform well on this show or on the Food Network. The network prides itself on its ability to connect with the "home cook" and its biggest stars are not trained chefs.

The fact is, Josh misrepresented himself and he had to be removed from the competition. Even if no "bad press" came from this situation, JAG would still have the characterization of someone who does not tell the truth. His inability discuss himself or his past last night only made him look even more closed off. And the Food Network does not want that in a host.

Bad press would definitely come out if JAG were to win at this point. And with the decision not resting in the network's hands, they simply had to remove him. That is a liability that you do not take on with a new host and not simply a cheap attempt to "bow to sensationalism" or to capitalize on a scandal for ratings.

Also, some people seem to have this rosy impression that if JAG were to have a show, he'd only be judged on his cooking ability and that "this situation should have no merit" on his ability to host. Ummm... who on the Food Network is judged this way? No one.

The host is the show and everything that comes with that person. And as JAG progressed, I think it probably occurred to him that he couldn't get by on being private or trying to focus on "who he is now."

What makes people so interested in people like Paula Deen and Rachael Ray is that they have interesting and, yes, flawed pasts. Their history and personality are just as much a part of their shows as the food.

So, I think the Food Network made the right decision in asking JAG to resign/accepting JAG's resignation. Misrepresentation cannot be tolerated on any level and JAG should have been up front about everything. Now we'll just have to wonder what would have happened if he had been truthful from the beginning.

How'd you think it went down?

JAG Embellishes More than his Food

In what I think is a pretty startling article, the Marine Corps Times has uncovered some additional information on Josh Adam Garcia, a.k.a. "JAG"-- a current contestant on the Next Food Network Star.

It turns out JAG might have "jagged up" everything from his culinary training to whether or not he actually served as a corporal in Afghanistan.


[Photo]

While he originally said he graduated from the New York Restaurant School, his bio on FN now says he simply "attended." He's pulling a little Sandra Lee action! All her bios say she "trained at the Cordon Bleu" which we now know was a 2-week course that she didn't even attend in its entirety.

From the MCT:

“He attended, but did not graduate,” said Midge Elias, director of public relations at the school, now known as the Art Institute of New York City. Privacy rules prevent the school from releasing any further information, such as number of course hours completed or whether the former Marine used the GI Bill to help finance his training, as he claimed in multiple interviews.

Okay, that in and of itself isn't a crime, but just say that you attended and didn't graduate!

In what's a little more troubling, there seems to be no record of JAG going to fight in Afghanistan.

"... the service has no record of Garcia ever deploying to Afghanistan, and certainly not as a member of 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, the infantry unit Garcia said he accompanied to the war zone in 2002. In fact, Marine officials at the battalion’s home at Camp Lejeune, N.C., said the unit did not deploy to Afghanistan that year."

According to the MCT, when JAG was confronted about this, he said he simply let the producers "believe what they wanted to believe."

Okay, that's shady. And not to mention incredibly disrespectful to the thousands of people actually serving overseas.

JAG tries to cover the holes of his story up by saying there was a "big hazing scandal" that prevents him, or the U.S. Military, from discussing the specifics of his record.

Please.

What's makes this story so important to both JAG himself and the viewers is that, unlike many reality shows, the Next Food Network Star does not select a winner until the public votes, despite taping the majority of the episodes months ago.

JAG could conceivably be, unbeknownst to us, in the final two right now just waiting for that vote. The judges and editors could have already crafted a show that primes us to vote for him. Lots of people could be screwed here.

I wonder if this story will get much attention, or will people just pass this off as another reality show contestant embellishing their life with the hopes of being cast.