Michelle Anthony on “Cupcake Wars” and a plea to Food Network

I watched the DVR’d version of last night’s “Cupcake Wars” featuring Caroline High grad Michelle Anthony this morning. If you still plan to watch it, don’t read on.

Anthony was the first of four contestants eliminated, but let’s look at the challenge that led to that elimination: Contestants were asked to make a “tailgate-inspired” cupcake, using ingredients like hot dogs, nacho “cheese” dip, beer, pretzels and potato chips as cupcake components.

Maybe it’s because I’m pregnant, or because I watched this over breakfast, but every single cupcake the contestants created made me want to vomit, including the nacho cheese cake the judges liked so much from another contestant.

That led me to wonder, “Why does so much on Food Network gross me out lately?” From the far-fetched reality show challenges to people who think peanut butter, jelly and vodka go together to most of the stuff Sandra Lee makes, a lot of the programming on this cable channel is starting to look unappetizing. That’s probably why, when I need my food TV fix, I’m a lot more likely to end up watching real food programming on public television. The only cupcake that actually sounded semi-edible was a dark chocolate stout cake that the judges thought wasn’t tailgate-y enough.

So because of the tailgate stunt, we never really got to see what Anthony can do. I have not been to her Richmond bakery, but if you’d like to sample her Southern specialties, check out her website here.

And to Food Network, a plea: Please stop grossing me out. Or actually, who cares? I should probably just turn my TV off, anyway.

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