TV Squad

The season finale 'The Next Food Network' airs Sunday at 9PM ET, and if you've been watching since the first episode, you know that it's been a good competition. All the three finalists -- Aarti Sequeira, Herb Mesa, and Tom Pizzica -- seem to have a good shot at winning the top prize.

We have our own thoughts about who would excel with his or her own Food Network television show, but if you've studied the judges' reaction, one candidate seems to have the inside track to victory.

Check out our analysis of who will be 'The Next Food Network Star,' starting with the chef most likely to win ...

Now that I've been back from California for a few days, and have fought off the jet lag (it gets worse as you get older, kids), I've been able to look back and digest what I learned at the TCA tour.

Besides the fact that I've learned my limits to eating salmon and chicken for lunch every day, there were a few things, at least from a TV perspective, that have stuck in my brain since I've gotten back:

1. The networks are relying on procedural dramas more than ever. Perhaps they got scared off by the flame out of 'FlashForward,' or the downward spiral to cancellation by 'Heroes.' But there only seemed to be a couple of new dramas on the networks' fall slates that had any kind of beefy continuing storyline. NBC's 'The Event' is probably the most serialized of the new shows, followed closely by FOX's 'Lone Star.' CBS's 'Blue Bloods' has a serialized element, but as we're finding out, there's an on-set disagreement as to how much that should be emphasized.

The rest of the dramatic slate leans heavily on the procedural, and as I said the other day, they are starting to blend together in my mind. Want evidence of this? Jerry Bruckheimer (pictured above) now has shows on three of the four networks this fall.

The thing about reality shows, however humdrum a season it may be, is that they keep you guessing. Because nothing's scripted (unless, apparently it's 'The Hills'), you're never really quite sure of what the outcome's going to be and last minute shockers are not uncommon.

So it was with this week's 9th episode of 'Top Chef: DC.'

Want to know what the unexpected twist of fate was and whose ouster resulted? Read on.

Warning: Spoiler alert!

I'm a picky eater, and I honestly never thought I'd eat anything from a mobile restaurant so lovingly dubbed "roach coach." But today's food trucks are far from cheap eats on wheels -- there are some seriously gourmet offerings on four wheels.

Food Network has pounced on the food truck craze with their fun new show 'The Great Food Truck Race' (premieres Sun., Aug. 15, 10PM ET). With chef and Food Network fixture Tyler Florence hosting, the show follows seven trucks from across the country as they prove their ingenuity and business savvy to try to win the $50,000 grand prize.

I caught up with Florence to hear all about this new wave of food competitions on TV and what kinds of trucks we'll see on the show. Then came the kicker -- he loves the trucks so much, he's getting in on it, too. Sign me up.

There are just some people, places and one particular sport that cannot find success in primetime series TV. Why? Who knows? On this Friday the 13th, we review the cursed ones, and hope for better luck for our deserving-of-better listees.

Steven Weber. Alas, his last stalled series ended just months ago, ABC's 'Happy Town.' Following his breakout on 'Wings', he tried to break free from ensemble series with a show called -- oh my! -- 'Cursed.'

So cursed was 'Cursed,' it was renamed 'The Weber Show' midway through its brief run. Since then, he has guest starred on hits ('In Plain Sight', 'Desperate Housewives') and had a near-miss in 2007.

Things get a bit personal between Chelsea Handler and comedian Jo Koy when talk turns to strippers, lap dances and the possibility that Handler has dental veneers on 'Chelsea Lately' (weeknights, 11PM ET on E!).

AOL Television is excited to announce that Maureen Ryan will joining our team as lead critic on September 1, 2010.

In her new role at AOL Television, Ryan will continue to do what she does best: report on the TV landscape with an unrivaled passion and enthusiasm. From breaking news and insider scoop to getting conversations started about entertainment trends and hot topics, Ryan's audience will find everything they've come to know and love.

"We're elated to have Mo bring her passion, expertise and unique voice to our site," said Sandra Deane, editor-in-chief of AOL Television. "She's an established TV critic with more than 13 years experience at the Chicago Tribune and we're thrilled to have someone of her caliber join the AOL Television team."

Ryan comes to AOL Television from the Chicago Tribune where she worked as a television critic for the last six years and wrote for the paper's various entertainment sections for over 13 years. She was one of the first bloggers at The Tribune Company. Her TV site, The Watcher has been nominated for an Editor and Publisher Eppy Award as Best Entertainment Blog, and her criticism has been cited in Entertainment Weekly, Slate, Variety, Time and Broadcasting & Cable.

Ryan, a member of the Television Critics Association, was named one of the six most influential critics in America by Variety in 2007. She has also commented on television for NPR, MSNBC, CNN and other media outlets, and has served on the jury for the American Film Institute's Top 10 Shows of the Year.

Follow Maureen at @moryan on Twitter

You go, girl!

Lauren Froderman became the third women to win 'So You Think You Can Dance,' which was all the more incredible given how heavily season 7 favored the men.

TV Squad was on scene for the finale, where we talked to a jubilant Froderman (after a quick costume change), runner-up Kenty Boyd and the judges, who insist they weren't in the least surprised that she walked away with the title.

"The only thing that surprised me is that girls got it right," Adam Shankman told us. "Young women decided to vote for a role model instead of a cute boy."

Attention 'Lost' fans! Time to get out your checkbooks, credit cards and the cash hidden under the doggie bed. In a few short days, hundreds of items from the show are headed to the auction block for the highest bidder.

Profiles in History, the world's largest auctioneer of Hollywood memorabilia, has joined up with ABC Studios to auction off costumes, props and various set pieces from the show. In total, 1034 items covering all six of the show's seasons are being put up for bid, which takes place on Aug. 21 and 22 at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica.

Perusing the online catalog, there are plenty of items to ooh and ahh over. To narrow down the possible choices, here are 10 of the most covetable items to bid for either in person, by phone, through mail, in a fax or online.

TV's Betty White-a-Palooza continues with yet another high profile gig for the 88-year-old tube icon. This time, it's a serious dramatic role, in a made-for-TV movie costarring Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Variety reports that White and Hewitt will star in a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie for CBS called 'The Lost Valentine.' Apparently, there are no hard feelings between Hewitt, who's also executive producing, and CBS, which dropped her show 'The Ghost Whisperer' in May after five seasons.

'Valentine,' based on the novel by James Michael Pratt, will star Hewitt as a reporter who profiles a woman (played by White) whose husband was declared missing in action during World War II. (And who better to locate a presumably long-dead lost love than Hewitt?)

This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by e-mailing us at tvsquad@gmail.com. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.

This week we have spoilers for: 'Bones,' 'Castle,' 'Chuck,' 'Desperate Housewives,' 'Fringe,' 'Glee,' 'Gossip Girl,' 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Smallville,' 'The Office,' and 'V.'

The nation's biggest tornado of backroom whispers and unsubstantiated rumors since Watergate continues to engulf Hollywood, as the search to fill the seats of outgoing 'American Idol' judges Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres has taken a new twist.

Despite reports just two days ago that rumored replacement Jennifer Lopez had talked herself out of the job due to excessive contract demands, don't count her out just yet. Today's rumors insist that yesterday's rumors were nonsense. The source of the last info, as told to Entertainment Weekly? The amazingly versatile and tremendously active unnamed 'American Idol' "insider."

"Don't believe everything you read," Hollywood's busiest anonymous source cautioned. "[The Lopez rumors] may simply be a case of one diva's rep slinging mud to make another potential candidate look like a diva. There are a million agendas swirling out there, and a lot of camps aren't above using rumor and speculation to advance their causes."

Here's tonight's lineup of new shows and events (all times Eastern). Check your local TV listings for additional information.

* = Series/Season Premiere
** = Series/Season Finale

8:00 to 9:00
ABC: 'Wife Swap'
MNT: 'WWE Friday Night SmackDown!' -- Two hours
PBS: 'Washington Week With Gwen Ifill' and 'Need to Know'
CMT: 'The Singing Bee'
Disney: 'Den Brother' -- A cocky hockey star ends up being a substitute leader for his sister's Bumble Bee troop; 90 minutes
DIY: 'Man Caves'
FUSE: 'Lollapalooza 2010'
Green TV: 'Coastwatch'

The rest of the schedule and the late night talk shows after the jump.

Proving that day-to-day workplace minutiae and incompetent bosses aren't unique to the Western world, Ricky Gervais announced yesterday that he's bringing 'The Office' to China.

The New York Post reports that the British comedian is expanding his beloved series -- which began as a 14-episode BBC show and spawned a mega-successful American version now in it seventh season, as well as French, German and Chilean versions, among others -- with a Chinese version.

Things are going to be plenty different when 'Brothers & Sisters' returns to the ABC lineup this fall. Not only will the show be minus regulars like Rob Lowe, Luke Grimes and Emily VanCamp, but thanks to the one-year flash forward the creators of the show have put together, Calista Flockhart's character will pass right by that pesky mourning period for her late husband (played by Lowe) and establish a new love interest.

The new man in her life will be 'Army Wives' actor Jeremy Davidson, according to Entertainment Weekly. Davidson, whose character hasn't been given a name yet, will appear in a multi-episode arc as a man Kitty first meets while she's living in Ojai during her year of transition.