I love food. I love TV. But the combo on “The Next Food Network Star” is testing me. I don’t really trust it. Most of these people just want to be famous rather than be known for great food. Maybe mixing food and TV always breeds suspicion. I mean, it’s not like you can smell or taste the dishes yourself. Plus, Guy Fieri is the only winner of this show who has gone on to bigger and better things. (And while the sunglasses on the back of his head, man jewelry, and odd facial hair annoy me, I do like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.) But here I am, setting my DVR for Sunday nights.

Season 7 (yes, seven) gives us an erratic model (who I truly thought was deaf when I heard her “accent”), a Vin Diesel (or is it The Rock? I get them confused) look-alike with a sweet center, an insecure Asian woman who is clearly the dark horse (dramatic irony?), and a fratastic (yet classically trained) muscleman who yelled at me to “STAY AWESOME!” What does that have to do with cooking? Anyway, as it stands, I’m pulling for the food blogger, Justin. He seems the most normal and maybe even witty.

Thank goodness radio host guy got the boot. If not, I think I would’ve had to draw a line in the sand. I suppose I’ll keep watching. I mean, I need something to tide me over until the next season of Top Chef.