No, you are not alone. I don't watch very much on television, but I LOVE this show and have my DVR set to record it every Sunday, just in case. I agree on Penny, she's a pain in the...

Penny makes me feel uncomfortable just watching her.

I can't help on this one, Helene, I cancelled my satellite television service a couple of months ago. I signed up for Netflix and got America's Test Kitchen, something about Baking Classics or something. It sat next to my TV for 5 weeks and I never did watch it, I sent it back yesterday, still unwatched.

I quit watching the Next Food Network Star after Melissa D'Arabian, she drove me nuts!

Is it just me or does it seem like the people who lose end up getting more popular shows than the ones who won? Guy Fieri is a glaring exception to that, of course, but I see Jeffrey, the spice guy, got a show, and so did Kelsey whatshername.

So even if Penny loses, she'll probably get a show!

Annie

I haven't been able to watch much on the Food Network - it's too East Coast for me. At one point I was going to apply to be a contestant on the show you mentioned, but then I noticed that it would have required spending two weeks of February in NYC, and there was no way I could handle February in NY. I went the first week of December one year, and it was the coldest experience of my life. The temps were only around 30 degrees, but the chill from the winds coming down the avenues was far colder than anything else I had ever experienced. My style of cooking is also very different - I almost never use salt, and I see people adding salt to recipes with every step on that show - that turns me off to any of those recipes. I would like to see them do episodes with a ban on salt & pepper. I tend to use chilies more than black pepper, although pepper bothers me less than salt.

I do watch Project Runway, however! Since I no longer do fashion design (and am too old), I never considered being a contestant on that show, however.

Lars

I was hoping this was going to be some pictures of a new puppy destined to be "Best of Show".

I saw exactly one show. Some female had won and was able to choose her team. Made up entirely of females, sans Penny. Penny was not a happy camper and so decided to take all the boxes so the other team could not display their wares as easily and jumped down their throats when they tried to take any. Rabid pitbull who was not to be messed with. Oh-Kay. I didn't even watch it to the end of the one episode, ha!

Maybe I picked the wrong episode? Hm.

No, that was Penny at her finest. And she's gotten worse since then. My husband just calls her "Russell". But she's entertaining, much the same way that a train wreck is entertaining.

I've watched this show every season, but this season, I'm pulling the plug, stopping the recording. I'm a few episodes behind watching, as I record almost everything I watch these days, so I can fast forward through the commercials. Anyway, the last episode I watched was the one where they picked the teams and there was the all girls team. That part was okay, but it's the blatant product placements, combined with the really lame contestants, that has put me off. Everyone having to make something out of a Hersey's product. Then the next episode I tried to watch they were going to have to do something with Kellogg's cereal. Give me a break. I turned it off. If the contestants were interesting, like on Top Chef, I could handle the product placements, maybe, but I can't get into any of the contestants this season.

Sally

Have to admit... shows like this are a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. What bugs me is the FAKE conflicts?!? I enjoy Hell's Kitchen... sick, huh? New season starts Monday, I think. I'm going psychic (or is that psychotic) and saying... SOMEBODY is gonna get into Ramsey's face and walk off... somebody's gonna get hurt and need emergency help (hasn't happened YET on NFNS)... over-use of phrase "throw someone under the bus"! Have seen a few people who were contestants on one of these shows as sous chefs on Iron Chef?!?