where do i start? Sandra lee, the new guy who lost the "next food network star", alton brown? on the plus side, bobby flay and any of the other iron chefs and of course anthony bourdain.

Emeril, hands down. If any of my friends said "Bam!" that much, I'd punch them in the nose. Why don't Emeril's friends punch him in the nose? Because they're not true friends.

Sandra Lee's annoying too, but she's easier to avoid. Rachel Ray's pretty annoying.

What's wrong with Bobby Flay? There are many ways to criticize him, but he's not actually annoying. Same with Mario, even with the shoes.

And I actively like watching Chris Kimball and Alton Brown (even with the new facial hair).

All names listed are big names that I have heard criticism of some sort or another. I should note that just because a name is listed doesn't mean that I personally like or dislike that individual.

Rachel Ray - the charm of a small rodent.
Anthony Bourdain - the arrogance and swagger of a very pretentious man.
Emeril - has not done anything new in 5 years.
Sandra Lee - fake everything.
Paula Deen - sexual innuendo per minute is astounding.

Sandra Lee... my mom loves her, and every time she brings her up I tell her that she's Sara Lee's evil twin.

Rachael Ray is a close second though... that broad is everywhere, and I hate it when she says "EVOO." So cutesy, bleah!

SL, hands down. The rest all have problems, but are palatable.

It's gotta be Sandra Lee, even if I good friend of mine likes her :)

Rachel Ray is annoying too, but she at least cooks, instead of just assembling pre-made items, many of which should never go together.

paula dean is possibly the most annoying woman to ever walk the planet, and even better, she clearly doesnt give a tiny rat's ass how terrible her food is for your body. i really cant muster any respect for chef's who make food that may taste good, but just makes you feel lousy after a few hours of digestion..

Agreed. If Giada was there, I would have voted for her hands down. As it is, Bobby Flay always seems smug and he might be a good cook, but it rarely comes through. I don't get to watch Iron Chef very often though so his best efforts might not be in my sights. On a similar note, FoodTV has gotten their hooks in Michael Ruhlman, writer of "Making of a Chef", for the Next Iron Chef America. So that's bound to be a little interesting.

I'm with ya, Robin! That segment at the end of Giada's show where she fake eats some of the dishes makes me ill. At least Paula Deen practices what she preaches and eats (and enjoys!) her food.

I think Sandra Lee takes the cake here. Paula Deen, I don't like, but some of her recipes are quite good. And Rachael Ray - too freakishly upbeat. Smugness in people like Bourdain and Flay doesn't bother me as those happen to be amazing chefs...

Bourdain's particular genius is his ability to be, when the occassion calls for it, humble. The occassion rarely calls for it, but it's there in case it does. I've never seen that from Flay and I've never like his recipes. Despite all that, I hear from people who know(well, Bourdain being primary amongst them), that he's a very good chef. It just doesn't come through to me. He just seems like a jerk. Most of why I can't stand Giada is because of her show. Bourdain seems to think she can cook so that's a point in her favor. Now if they can just fire whoever's idea it was to make this show into a perfume commercial, her talent might shine through that ultrathin italian veneer.

For Bourdains two cents on this check out http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2007/02/guest_blogging_.html

Ruhlman's blog is an awesome source of information and Bourdain blogs regularly on the state of foodtv there.

Also, I think Bourdain gives Rachel a bit of a bum wrap. For much of lower and middle class america, Miss Ray DOES elevate their food, which is frankly, very sad, but still true. I grew up in a trailer park and while my mother cooked easily above par from Ray with solid and healthy food combinations, the largest bulk of my friends would typically eat things like macaroni and cheese with hot dogs cut in. Mediocrity for a house hold that doesn't make much money or has very little time outside of work has an appeal. And that is Rachel is selling. A fast easy dish that will at least have SOME nutritional value. It's not something I personally would consider a good idea unless I was strapped for time and money, but I know families who are strapped for both and I have to applaud that one thing for Rachel. If people are eating her recipes in 30 minutes, then they aren't eating canned sloppy joes or McDonald's and that's a plus.

I feel Bourdain is a fraud...He smokes, surely he doesn't have a good grasp on his taste buds. Wait until he gives them up to a year and then take what he has to say about food tastes seriuosly. Unless you are a smoker then follow you smoking leader. But please don't insult the rest of us that don't smoke and have taste buds more in tune without all the chemicals.

I HATE SANDRA LEE. Irrationally so, like whenever her show is on I will sit there and watch it and yell at the television. Wow, rereading my last sentence makes me sound crazy (which I swear I am not). I think the number one reason she annoys me is that she always adds these random ingrediants (like champagne extract- I have looked ever since she used it and never seen it) but never mentions the fact they are random and what you could use instead or if they are a must. Not that I have ever made any of her recipes. Yep I clearly issues, which I am sure are evident based on the lengh of this comment :)

Okokokokok....so now, imagine all these people that you've listed...

...in....bed...


EEEEEKKKKK!

Ray is simply ghastly. Everything from her chirpy voice to "EVOO" and the "garbage bowl". It makes me shudder just thinking about it.

Can she please just pocket the $30 and not subject the world to another scene of her gushing over a morsel of local fare?

I'm pretty sure I could endure (and possibly even enjoy) a road trip with both Paul and Rachel. Okay, maybe a short trip. But I'm almost definite that I'd leave Giada and Sara Lee at the first rest stop.

Seriously, why can't the Food Network generate more quality programming, without all the schlock and decolatage? What about giving a food anthropologist or food historian a shot? A nutritionist? How about news about the restaurant business? I would think there's lots of potential material at both the national and international level.

Bourdain is a smart guy and he's knows what he's talking about when it comes to food, I think. He smokes, but most chefs smoke.

Rachel Ray - no inside voice!

And I am so sick of seing her insipid face on evrything.

It's Mario for me. It's hard to describe why, but he annoys the crap out of me. Even more than RR.

Rocco-haven't heard from him in a while, but watching his show a couple of years ago, he seems to be incredibly pretentious, which I find annoying.

Sandra "Semi-Ho-Maid" Lee-stop giving me those come hither looks while you're talking to me!!

My favorite food celebs are Alton Brown and Paula Deen. AB's quirky scientific approach is so fun. Paula's southern charm (which some find annoying) is enjoyable to me...and she's given me some good recipes (although i tend to leave out 75% of the butter she uses).

Sandra Lee doesn't even come close to being classified as a 'celebrity', so I will skip her.

Bobby is the most annoying to me. Arrogant. You can see it in the way he runs his staff on Iron Chef. Constantly, blaming them when he can't find things right in front of his nose. Morimoto had him pegged right when he criticised him for dancing on his cutting board way back when. Plus, how long can he ride his chipotle and pasilla schtick?

The saddest day was when he beat Rick Bayless on Iron Chef. Very sad.

My least favorate is clearly Rachael Ray, but not because of the concept of her "30 Minute Meals". Although it has been some time since I have watched her show(s), she was in a phase where she presented the appearance of being on cheap drugs. She could say "Hi!" and act as though it were a great revalation and the funniest joke in the world at the same time. Just terrible.

Although I think Paula Deen in pretty much "what you see is what you get", I just cringe when she starts with her "just a little butta" routine as she dumps a whole stick on something. It reminds me why so many Southern men die before they should. But then again, the French do it, too. The medics call it, the French paradox.

Anthony Bourdain remains elusive as he makes so few appearances...at least that I manage to catch. His sharp, sardonic wit is not for everyone, but I find him both amusing and usually accurate. I would like to see him more often.

Paula Deen is far and away the most annoying, y'all.

I personally think Rachael Ray is rippin' hot. EVOO Oh my!

I just have to say, I love the food network, but Sandra Lee annoys the hell out of me , she overrrrr annunciates, I watch her just to see how annoyed I can actually get, she's on right now I just want to pull my hair out.

Alton Brown without a doubt. He'd be fine if he'd just keep his big face a little bit further away from the camera. It bugs the crap out of me.

Favorite - Gordon Ramsay - he is pure genius. Cannot Stand - Sandra Lee

SANDRA LEE!!!! Everything that has an L or R in it becomes LLLLLemon, LLLLLOvely, delllllicious, LLLLLLime, OR Crrrrreamy, terrrrrific or grrrrrreat. She's a loose lush and she knows it. Those "cocktail times" are almost needed, to be able to stand her show and the fact that her bandana always matches her window treatments is just assault on injury. I also hate it when she demands that her viewers follow her orders: "Now I want you to put this.... or Then what I want you to do is....." Sometimes I find myself watching her with the same inexplicable fascination as watching a horrific train wreck. All this and she can't cook. What a food network piece of work! ************* Rachael Ray is a close second with her arm flapping and shouting, abreviating. The salt over the shoulder thing is just proof positive that she's the wack job everyone suspects that she is. My Faves are Alton Brown and Paula Deen (when she doesn't overuse her ya'll). They're genuine and fun to watch. Now in the category of slightly annoying, but tolerable: Giada is a bobble head with the same low cut cleavage-shirt in different colors and that "Cheshire Cat" smile that's really surreal and bizaare. Emeril speaks in precisely one note the WHOLE time, but seems to be a nice enough guy.

Rachael Ray is definitely annoying. When she says she is going to make "Sammies" (sandwiches), I throw up in my mouth a little. Lately, though, Paula Deen has exploded all over my TV set and smeared it with her greasy, over-exaggerated drawl and her even greasier cooking. By the way, the French can afford to put lots of butter in their food because they don't fry their food or eat it by the bucketfuls.

Well, I love Nigella...so beautiful. I like Mario because he doesn't seem to take himself too seriously, and that guy can cook! You all have pretty much hit the nail on the head about RachelRayFace. I do love Paula Deen, she's fun, but can get very annoying with her orgasmic faces when she tastes her food-I like to eat but not THAT much!!! Calm down lady. Sandra, poor Sandra what are we going to do with you?? Can your matchy, matchy get any more pretentious? Who has the time or the money to create a new kitchen set and tablescape every time they cook? Apparantly,YOU do. Last but not least,good ole Ina Garten. YUCK. Ugly, Obese, Smarmy. And that LAUGH, always at the most innappropriate times?? How does Jeffery put up with her? Oh yeah, he leaves for the week! Tell me, how does that woman end up with sooo many gay friends??? One does have to wonder...HMMM.

Gina Neely is the most annoying. She needs to tone herself WAY down. Then Paula Dean...the way she scarfs down her food is disgusting. I have to turn my head. And finally Rachael Ray. She's in love with herself (I saw it on "The Next Food Network Show...she was very rude to one of the contestants...eye opener!) and is very sloppy and her "Yum oh" and "delish" need to go.

Chris Kimball. That incredibly annoying vocal tic, that fake laugh. He drops a little "H" into the middle of a syllable, in almost every sentence. Not when he's talking to one of his googly-eyed chefs who bat their eyelashes at his pizza face, but always when speaking to the camera. He's pretending to laugh, but it's nohot very convihincing. Once you nohotice it, you notice that he dohoes it ahall the tihime. The other bigih problem (now I'll stohop) is that he hates spicy food. All the recipes seem to be bland, bland, bland, and he refuses to allow anything with heat. Also, he can turn a simple recipe into a multi-step process, cooking something four different ways and dirtying three different pans, for no apparent reason. I can do a fine steak right on the grill, no pans to clean. He’ll microwave it in a casserole, then broil it in a broiling pan, roast it in a cake pan, and finish by searing it in a cast-iron skillet. He and his chef will roll their eyes in ecstasy and pat each other on the back for how wonderful it tastes, but when the camera zooms in, it looks gross.

Dishonorable mention:

Emirel for being a moron: "what I like ta do is ya hafta be caffle when ya commilize the BAM." Idiot.

Alton Brown for all his bad science and bad research. Lots of fake factoids and urban legends presented as truth. He really has no clue about the physics and chemistry of cooking. His recipes can taste good, but his balls of aluminum foil and mini soap operas are a complete waste of time.

Ray is beneath contempt. 30 minutes, my rump roast! Unless you have a staff of knife-wielding sous chefs and refuse to wash any produce, it's more like an hour, for really boring and unimaginative dishes. She really needs to go to her cupboard and open a can of Shut The Heck Up.

giada is so fake and very annoying,she over acts, and has a huge head.

Paula Dean and her nasal yaall twang is beyond annoying
she gets on my last nerve
yaaaaallll

I understand peoples opinions....MOSTLY. Most of the time, even if I don't agree, I understand WHY someone may have that opinion. BUT.............

TWO of peoples choices make NO SENSE WHAT SO EVER.

The first is MIND BOGGLING. Mario? Are YOU SERIOUS? Someone THAT knowledgable, and THAT talent CANNOT POSSIBLY BE ANNOYING. Case closed. Saying hes annoying is like saying Jacques Pepin is annoying.

Secondly is Emeril. While I understand "bam" got old eons ago, he is RICH, SUCCESSFUL AND FAMOUS.....and YET, low and behold (Bobby Flay and Anthony Bourdain take notice) he is a nice man who runs decent to excellent restaurant where people actually LIKE working for him. He is the ANTITHESIS of annoying.


Annoying? Here you go. And its true as water running down hill....ANTHONY BOURDAIN. Listen "toothpick arms" (the only tattoo he can get is the letter "I", I don't have to hear EVERY SINGLE EFFIN EPISODE some "joke" about how much you have partied in the past, Ok?

Annoying? Bobby Flay. Just cause you KNOW he's an azzhole.

Annoying? Ina Garten......ok, ok...I get it. You are a liberal progressive, you are tolerant and have a TON of gay friends...wait....you ONLY have gay friends. A classic fag hag. And her food...it ain't. Her food store..on long Island...do you REALLY think she had a successful biz??? Please...here honey....heres this months bills...thank you for being so rich..........Oh...and just HOW MANY demin shirts that you DON'T tuck in do you own??