Although Nixon said she was the least experienced cook of all the finalists, she proved her mettle. "It was lucky for me that I won the most important challenges with the best benefits, such as being published in Bon Appetite and having my dish featured in Red Lobster restaurants," she said.

But Nixon still feels most confident about her TV presence, after starring in 100 episodes of her own cooking show, "Kelsey's Kitchen," while at BYU.

"I'm as comfortable being in front on the camera as I am being on my couch at home," she said.

For viewers who noted the culinary chemistry between Nixon and finalist Shane Lyons — yes, a possible show involving the duo "Is on the table, but whether we're going to pursue it is up in the air."

Her advice to future finalists is, "Come up with a culinary point of view and know exactly what it is. And learn to make a lot of dishes in under 30 minutes with limited ingredients, because that seemed to be every challenge. That's unfortunate because I don't think all your dishes have to be cooked that quickly. It just makes it interesting for TV."

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E-mail: vphillips@desnews.com