Entertainment NOW

TV Media Weekly | June 8 - 14, 2019 By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Is the "Lethal Weapon" series coming back? I really en- joy that show, and I quite like the new guy. A: No, it's not coming back. And though it may disappoint fans such as yourself, "Lethal Weapon" was a troubled show from the begin- ning, and so its cancellation likely seemed to some (such as star Da- mon Wayans, and presumably Fox Television) like a welcome release. The first two seasons of the show were famous for all the wrong reasons — particularly on- and off-set feuding between stars Wayans and Clayne Crawford (leading to Crawford's replace- ment by "new guy" Seann William Scott), and Wayans' willingness to complain openly about not want- ing to do the show. Wayans finally got his maybe- wish last month when Fox can- celed "Lethal Weapon" after its third season. Wayans may have even made it happen. He actually announced back in October that he was plan- ning to quit, saying that the rigors of working on a stunt-filled cop show were too much for "a 58-year-old diabetic" like himself (he had literally become "too old for this [expletive]," as per his character's catchphrase). However, he and the producers later walked that back a little bit and there was hope for a fourth season. But that hope is gone now. Q: "Masterchef" is often called the "biggest cooking competition in the world." Is that true? Is it because of the size of the prize or how many spinoffs it has spawned? A: The phrase "biggest cooking competition in the world" is often used in relation to "Masterchef," but there seems to be no definitive explanation as to why. It's likely a combination of three factors: the number of spinoffs and the size of the prize, as you sug- gest, but also good, old-fashioned ratings. The "biggest" tag has been around for a while. When the American version of "Mas- terchef" was introduced back in 2010, the announcer plugged it as "the biggest cooking show in the world — a phenomenon in over 110 countries." That's a nod to both the spinoff count and the ratings. Because while it may be a "phenomenon" in more than 100 countries, the number of distinct versions of the show is actually only 60 (not that 60 is anything to sneeze at). The other 50 or so countries are watch- ing other people's versions. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Hollywood Q&A By Andrew Warren TV Media F ire up those engines and put the pedal to the metal. Another season of "The Great Food Truck Race" has hit the road on Food Net- work, and with only one team able to take home the grand prize, the competition this year is going to be fierce. Chef Tyler Florence returns to host the culinary race, a role that he's held for all 10 seasons. This year, nine teams of aspiring food truck owners are in the running as they make their way along the Atlantic coast's sunny cities, mak- ing stops along the way where they face challenges that test their cooking, business acumen and ability to market their brand. In this week's premiere, all nine teams assemble in beautiful Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Each has their own food truck for the competition, with its own style of food, branding and way of cooking. What ties them all to- gether, though, is their desire to sell mouth-watering food to ea- ger customers. In Myrtle Beach, Florence challenges the food truck crews to serve up scrummy boardwalk bites and succulent crab dishes to hungry locals, and the team that's the least success- ful is asked to leave the caravan. Next week, the racers are off to Hilton Head, South Carolina, where they face a boiled peanut challenge. With future stops in Florida at Daytona Beach, Tam- pa, Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, the competitors are destined to get plenty of sun as their numbers get whittled down and they get closer and closer to the $50,000 grand prize. The name "Food Truck Race" is a bit of a misnomer — this is a cooking competition, after all, and the food trucks don't actual- ly race each other from city to city. Instead, it's more of a race for sales, with the food truck teams being given unique chal- lenges at every stop that speak to the local food scene, and that encourage the competitors to get creative with both their food and their marketing. Buckle up those seatbelts and make sure you have a nap- kin handy — "The Great Food Truck Race" heads to the East Coast for its 10th season start- ing Sunday, June 9, on Food Network. The Great Food Truck Race' heads to the east coast 10 | Cooking this week Moore's Home Health 2 x 2" Family Health Clinic 2 x 1.5" White Lilies N Paradise 2 x 1.5" Tyler Florence hosts "The Great Food Truck Race" Did you know that we sell BioFreeze? We sure do - in roll-on, gel, and spray! 608 W. Markland Avenue, Kokomo, IN 765-454-5210 STOP IN AND SEE US TODAY!

• Cover