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The talk quickly focused on the decision process and how hard it had been to decide between the final three: Herb, Tom, and Aarti. While Susie says, "it was definitely a decision but it wasn't the toughest," she does point out "it was really hard… I think it was pretty split a third, a third, a third - Herb, Tom and Aarti; and if you could imagine feeling as torn as the audience was we were as well."

And Allison was able to ask Susie just how the audience factor, the focus group, affected the ultimate decision. "They liked Aarti the most so, I feel like that's how it affected it." She went on to explain, "I feel like you guys are again seeing such an edited down version of the show, but the most important thing for a marketer to do is for someone to watch them, watch them. So it's not so much about me watching the pilots, although I could barely take my eyes off of them, it was really more about me watching them. It's honest to goodness just raw reaction to what captivates them, where their minds wander, what they're interested in, what their reactions are."

So while Susie still cites the deliberation between sending Aria or Brad home as the most difficult, the decision for the title of Next Food Network Star was tough but she stands by Aarti. "Aarti obviously had the greatest amount of good most consistently so that's exactly the line of thinking that went through," Susie shares. "You guys saw it; we talked openly and honestly about it while it was hard I think Aarti edged them out."

But it didn't take her long to reveal a bit more of when she began to see Aarti really shine, "There wasn't any one moment; the first time I met her in all seriousness she had me at hello," she laughs. "Her accent is beautiful, her smile is beautiful, I was so intrigued by her background and how she brought these flavors to American cuisine. She had a lot of check marks in the boxes that mattered to me, but I'll go back to the confidence thing. You have to confident in this job and if you cannot maintain that and sustain that it's the kiss of death so I think I worried."

Yet we all know how that turned out. "I think that it was a tough road, but I think she kept her poise and her professionalism and her light never dimmed," Susie explains, "which is why I think she came out victoriously."

With Aarti as The Next Food Network Star, it does express a shift to more multicultural cuisine. "I think it's a growing appetite - pun intended," Susie notes, referencing the American increase in using salsa as a condiment. "I think if we strike the right balance with that we could have a real homerun on our hands, and I think it is definitely answering the call of what people are thinking about today."

As for when Allison asked about the future of The Next Food Network Star, "I feel like you want to stay true to your vision in finding the best quality people that you think could make some really interesting TV characters," Susie starts. "But because it's not a show about breaking people down just for the sake of being mean spirited and getting ratings, it really is a show about our next family member. I like our strategy this year and I'd like to see us continue to just find new talent and let the rest just evolve."

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