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BY LORI ACKEN The Will to succeed: Willie Degel Growing up in Queens, the youngest of four driven boys born to industrious parents, Willie Degel developed his entrepreneurial spirit at an early age. "I had three paper routes, I sold lemonade, you name it – I did what I could to make money," says Degel, owner of New York's Uncle Jack's Steakhouse chain and star of Food Network's "Restaurant Stakeout," premiering Sunday, March 11. "I was always hungry and eager, and I was never scared of failure." In fact, it was failure that helped Degel form the signature tough-and-tender business acumen that has made him famous. Following his father's death when he was 20, Degel tried a few shortcuts to success and found himself in jail for several months instead. He realized the only path to prosperity is gutting it out – and everyone deserves a fresh start. "I have these 'Willie-isms,' " Degel says of his hard-won maxims, "and one of my favorites is 'I'm successful from giving.' I give it all I got, I never give up, and I give back every chance I have." With that in mind, Degel hires people who impress him with potential rather than a loaded resume. "I see everybody as an artist," he explains. "God has given us all talents, but a lot of people don't know how to work with that. I evaluate everybody and see what you're good at, put you in that position and let you flourish – even if I might have to smack you in the butt a few times to put you in the right direction." Via "Stakeout," Degel hopes to teach other restaurateurs that talent. After casing each eatery incognito, Degel uses hidden cameras to show the head honchos where they need help. "Right away, the owners are like, 'Wow!' " he says, "but then they point out things to me as well, and we get to know who this owner really is. Why is he in this business? How's it affecting his family and his life? Then we talk about the staff – who they are and why they were hired." Degel believes the outcome is worth it for everyone involved – including viewers. "I think they're going to be so intrigued by how much they learn," he says. "The way I run my restaurants is an education process – and I want this show to be an education process, too." SOLUTION H E W Z S O E S T A P O D U T H P A C I C F I E R R E A C H T A E A R V E N T E D N N N O V A A B E T R G A S I C E V I E S A MA H I R E RA A S A K I N E S P H I R DE A AR J K O N S C ER T E SE O N E W client fill IN FOCUS "Fashion Star," www.nbc. com/fashion-star/ The competitive reality show launches Tuesday on NBC. Host and executive producer Elle Macpherson and celebrity mentors Jessica Simpson, Ni- cole Richie and John Varvatos give 14 unknown designers the chance to win a multimillion-dol- lar prize to launch their collec- tions in three of America's larg- est retailers: Macy's, H&M and Saks Fifth Avenue (one of which will have the winning designs from each episode on its shelves the next day). "Interior Therapy With Jeff Lewis," www.bravotv.com/inte- rior-therapy-with-jeff-lewis The former star of "Flipping •What are you currently reading? "I'm not a reader. I read people. So right now what I'm reading is every owner and every employee for every location I work for." •What did you have for dinner last night? "A grilled chicken salad." •What is your next project? "I have a brand-new restaurant concept that I opened up in Glen Head, Long Island, called Jack's Shack: Naturally the Best. The whole place is built from recycled materials, and the menu is all natural – no hormones, no steroids, no antibiotics, no preservatives, no nitrates in anything we serve." •When was the last vacation you took – where and why? "We just took a week and went to Woodloch Pines in Pennsylvania." WEB LINKS On Sunday, the animated se- ries "Bob's Burgers" returns for a second season of meat- oriented hilarity. To learn more about the family-owned burger joint, click on www.fox.com/ bobsburgers/ "Monster Man" premieres Wednesday on Syfy, going behind the scenes of Cleve Hall's monster-prop-building family business. To learn more about Hall and his clan, click on www.syfy.com/monster- man Ashley Judd stars in the drama series "Missing," pre- miering Thursday on ABC, as a woman in search of her son in Europe. Learn more at abc. go.com/shows/missing Dessert master Ron Ben-Israel returns on Thursday for the second season of the competi- tive reality series "Sweet Ge- nius" on Food Network. Click on www.foodnetwork.com/ sweet-genius/index.html On Friday, USA Network's "In Plain Sight" comes back for a fifth season, starring Mary Mc- Cormack as U.S. Marshal Mary Shannon. Get caught up at www.usanetwork.com/series/ inplainsight/ Friday, in the first-season finale of Discovery's "Bering Sea Gold," viewers learn whether those seeking gold at the bot- tom of Nome Harbor made their quotas. Click on dsc. discovery.com/tv/bering-sea- gold/ MARCH 11 - 17, 2012 – BRAINERD, MN/DISPATCH – 11 Out" returns on Wednesday in a new Bravo series that sees him — accompanied by his faith- ful assistant, Jenni Pulos, and his housekeeper, Zoila Chavez — moving in with homeown- ers for five days in hopes of revamping their spaces and their relationships (and not being suc- cessful in all cases). The home page offers bios and background information, along with a variety of videos, such as Jenni and Jeff talking about working with the homeowners, transforming the spaces, Jeff's take on redesign- ing lives and Jenni's new rap album for children. "Fairly Legal," www.usanet- work.com/series/fairlylegal/ Having its second-season premiere on Friday, the legal comedy-drama gets a revamp for its sophomore year, but it still stars brunette beauty Sarah Shahi as a quirky lawyer-turned- mediator who found herself get- ting fired from her late father's firm at the end of season one. The official home page features background information, videos (including a video hub and inter- views), photos, games (including "Which Character Are You?" and "Could You Be a Mediator?"), features, message boards, full episodes and character profiles.

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