Remember also that being a Food Network star isn't just about being a television cooking instructor. It, like all manner of celebrity, for that matter, is about promulgating a persona that people value their interactions with (either in person or, more typically, remotely). With Aarti, they have a little bit of Rachel Ray's chumminess, and a little bit of Ming Tsai's exotic interest. They can present her on-screen, of course, and they will. But she's also a good writer - indeed "Aartipaarti" is the name of her blog, which is very popular, and has been for a while before she competed in NFNS. So she can connect with viewers through this new medium perhaps better than any of their previous personalities. And don't underestimate the demand that is out there for (what most purists would consider watered-down) Indian food-influenced products. There are a few brands of what some might consider mainstream packaged Indian foods, but I can imagine that sector blowing wide-open if a name like Food Network, trusted by folks who aren't already-inclined toward exotic food, gets into the action. This could be big in a way that Tom nor Herb could never be.
They actually kept "Aarti Paarti?" 
She wasn't my first choice, but now that it's done, I hope it works out well for her and TFN.
ugh...
