Food Network Star 2017 Winner: Who Won On The Season 13 Finale?
The Food Network Star, 2017 version, was crowned on Sunday night in the cooking competition show’s Season 13 finale.
Judges Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay announced the winner of the 10-week cook-off in an episode of the 9 p.m. Eastern time TV show based in New York City.
The finalists from the original 12 chefs were Cory Bahr of Louisiana, Rusty Hamlin of Atlanta, and Jason Smith of Kentucky who managed to navigate difficult elimination challenges requiring a combination of cooking skill and on-screen presence.
The winner of the competition gets to host a cooking show on the Food Network and additional perks that come with culinary celebrity status.
Elementary school cafeteria manager and down-home quipmaster Smith, 39, who describes his culinary point of view as country bling, is the winner. Last year, Smith won the Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship, so he’s not entirely a newcomer.
Assisted by Food Network host Guy Fieri, Smith’s required pilot was called “Fondue for Two,” and was filmed at a French restaurant.
A self-taught chef, Smith admitted to the Food Network blog that he was at a loss for words for the first time in his life with the win and that “I’m very humbled by being named the next Food Network Star.”
Jason's unforgettable moments on #FoodNetworkStar! pic.twitter.com/GXqfHIbAgB
— Food Network (@FoodNetwork) August 14, 2017
The new Food Network Star winner derives his inspiration in the kitchen from his family, Kentucky.com reported.
“Smith, who is known for his equally colorful jackets and sayings, said his interest in cooking began in his grandmother’s kitchen and was nurtured by his mother and other relatives. He also credited his family for his memorable phrases.”
Smith will also be a featured judge on a new Food Network series called Best Baker in America, which premieres next month
Among his signature dishes is garlic-studded polenta with pan-seared pork chops and a tomato gravy, and at the beginning of the competition, Smith said that one of his goals is to demonstrate to Food Network viewers how to make quick and easy recipes.
SPOILER ALERT!! Hear from the WINNER of #FoodNetworkStar in his first interview: https://t.co/Wl02hIKwA4! pic.twitter.com/zR84HJTyA2
— Food Network (@FoodNetwork) August 14, 2017
In a press release, a Food Network exec explained that “Off the bat Jason wowed Bobby and Giada, and viewers at home with his star quality in front of the camera, his cooking skills, affable personality and of course, his signature outfits,”
Although several past winners, such as Melissa D’Arabian and Jeff Mauro, are still active on the Food Network, the only Food Network Star who has actually become a breakout personality on the channel and in other media is the ubiquitous Guy Fieri, the restaurateur who now stars on multiple shows including Guy’s Family Road Trip, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, and Guy’s Grocery Games.
Are you a fan of the Food Network Star reality show, and if so, did you have a favorite among the three finalists? Do you agree with the selection of the eventual winner?
[Featured Image by Michele Eve Sandberg/Invision/AP Images]
