Eddie Jackson was an NFL defensive back who played for the Panthers, Dolphins, and Patriots from 2004-2007. After retirement he became a personal trainer. So you might be surprised to find out that Jackson’s next chapter in life might take him to the kitchen to become the next Guy Fieri. He’s certainly following in Fieri’s career path as he will be a contestant on the newest season of Food Network’s Food Network Star, and his gimmick doesn’t necessarily involve healthy eating:
“My culinary POV is all about cheat day. (…) My food is fun. I am fun. I am all about simple, fun and delicious. But at the end of the day, I am a big fan of cheat day. I preach it all the time. You deserve it. You need it. You’ve been working hard. So my food is going to be made packed with flavor, because you deserve it.”
All contestants on this show come up with gimmicks or angles to give their hypothetical shows a direction. A former football player and current athletic trainer doing a show on “cheat day” seems very interesting. Of course, winning this competition is about more than that: coming across on camera, being prepared, interacting with other people, and all that stuff. But the gimmick itself is something everybody can get behind … even those for which every day is cheat day.
(Photo from Jackson’s playing days courtesy of Elsa/Getty Images)
