Who says cooking isn't a sport?  Not the folks at online betting site Bookmaker.com who have put odds on the new season of Next Food Network Star which kicked off this past Sunday.  So far, it looks like the West Coast is gonna represent, with LA Chef Jeffrey Saad in the lead and the dark horse from NYC, Brett Austin, trailing far behind.

Now if only Bookmaker would post odds on whether Bobby Flay will come out and cook against Smoke In Da Eye on the competition barbecue circuit this summer...

Next Food Network Star Season 5: Round 1 (most likely to least likely to win)

1)      Jeffrey Saad (-150)

2)      Michael Proietti (EVEN)

3)      Melissa d'Arabian (+135)

4)      Jamika Pessoa (+185)

5)      Debbie Lee (+200)

6)      Eddie Gilbert (+225)

7)      Teddy Folkman (+275)

8)      Katie Cavuto (+300)

9)      Brett August (+425)

In other news, less then one week to go in our $100 Home Depot Father's Day Giveaway.  You gotta be in it to win it!  And we'll be back tomorrow with a grilled flank steak recipe from our recent class at Viking Cooking School!

- SmokeInDaEye.com, Home of Bigger, Badder, Bolder BBQ