'Food Network Star' Recap: 'Iron Chef'

[Food Network Star - Season 7 Episode 10]

There were four contestants remaining. Mary Beth and Susie were happy to be the final four. Jeff knew that he's been working for a long time to get his prize. Mary Beth knew that she would have to work harder after she was chosen over Whitney. Vic wanted to make sure his "Mama's Boy" persona was still shining. The contestants were driven to their next challenge. They walked into a smoky room with their pictures on the walls. Michael Symon, Bobby Flay, and Alton Brown introduced them to their next challenge: compete in an Iron Chef America-inspired challenge.

Alton announced that there would be two battles where two competitors would go up against one another. The contestants would have an hour to make three dishes based off of the mystery food ingredient. The other contestants would have to do on the floor commentary and then the four would switch places. Each finalist would also get to judge their opponents food. These elements would show their cooking abilities, camera abilities, and general food knowledge.

Since Jeff won the last challenge, he got to pick his competitor. He chose Susie, which meant Vic was against Mary Beth. Alton announced that there were assistants helping them out: Whitney, Penny, Jyll, and Chris (the last four eliminated contestants). As part of his last win, Jeff also got to choose his assistant. He chose Whitney. The rest of the contestants pulled names from a hat:

Vic - Jyll
Mary Beth - Penny
Susie - Chris

Mary Beth was blindsided that she had to work with Penny for yet another competition. Mary Beth and Vic started the competition first and their secret ingredient was rack of lamb. Mary Beth knew there were so many options with lamb. Time started and Vic and Mary Beth grabbed as much as possible. Vic decided to go for a carpaccio, a lamb burger patty melt, but didn't think of a third challenge. Mary Beth saw some seasonal lamb ideas all made of lamb chops. Grilled, roasted, and pan seared. Vic pounded his carpaccio and decided instead to slice his loin in thin slices. Susie had to report quickly to Alton about Vic's decisions and he pointed out that a thin slice wouldn't be a carpaccio.

Mary Beth wanted to do an umami (five flavor taste) style lamb. Jeff was trying his best to have personality during his interactions with Alton. Susie giggled when she didn't know specifically what Alton was looking for. For one dish, Mary Beth wanted to mix couscous and winter fruit and while she was trying to get Penny to help, she was more distracted by how slowly Penny was working.

Alton asked Susie questions about asparagus and Susie was mumbling and giggling the whole time with vague answers. Jeff had a good back-and-forth with Alton describing umami. The judges were a bit worried about Penny, they talked to Alton and he approached Penny. He asked Penny if she was intentionally going slow; she claimed to be methodical. With time running out, Mary Beth tried to get Penny to help plate. Time was up and everyone seemed to be done.

Vic went first for judging. His lamb with the arugula was his first dish. Mary Beth liked Vic's dish, but tried to explain how limp the arugula was. Michael Symon thought that Vic had finesse. Vic explained his lamb burger; Mary Beth liked the flavor. Judge Susie was impressed by the sandwich. Judge Bob thought that the French fries were overcooked. His last course was a lamb chop and the grand marnier sauce. He was called out for using mint jelly and all the judges were disappointed.

Mary Beth explained her winter couscous with grilled lamb. Vic thought the food needed seasoning; Michael agreed noting that liked the thought process. Mary Beth had her fall pan cooked lamb chops. Judge Bob liked the elements, but the lamb didn't look well seared. Mary Beth's early spring "Umami Explosion" was a good idea but Vic thought the food was overcooked. Bobby hated the lamb, but Giada pointed out that she loved her personality.

Jeff and Susie were next to compete and their secret ingredient was lobster. Jeff was worried because lobster could turn badly if it was over cooked. Jeff wanted to continue with his sandwich concept for all three dishes. Susie wanted to do a ceviche, a stew, and cilantro pasta. Jeff wanted to do a traditional lobster roll, "BLAT" (Bacon, lobster, avocado, tomato) sandwich, and a lobster taco. Mary Beth commentated for Jeff and she was using her writing abilities to make verbally strong arguments. Vic blanked when Alton what harissa paste was and Vic blanked. He decided to call the paste "toothpaste for the devil."

Jeff couldn't make an avocado sandwich and instead put mayonnaise in his now BLT. Susie was worried that her ceviche wouldn't get tender enough in the hour. At the halfway point, Mary Beth was talking about ingredients and when Alton asked if all salt is sea salt, while the answer was yes, Mary Beth blanked. Susie decided to change her enchilada with char. Jeff was even more worried that all three of his dishes used generic store bought mayo. He was under a lot of pressure to make the dishes beautiful. Susie wanted to make sure that looks and taste was perfect.

Jeff was judged first. He explained his classic lobster roll and Susie liked the tenderness of the lobster. Judge Susie thought he made an amazing lobster roll. Bob liked his point of view being so focused. Jeff's Baja taco had problems with the thickness of the batter; but Judge Susie liked how he extended the concept of sandwich to a taco. Jeff's LBT was good, but he needed a little bit of lemon in his mayonnaise.

Susie was next and her ceviche had great perks and was positive about how vibrant the dish looked. Susie's enchilada had a creative spin. Michael loved how well cooked the lobster was. Susie's lobster stew was great, and the judges loved the spice.

The contestants were up for judging and all four judges were impressed by how the final four dealt with their work on the Iron Chef challenge. The judges started with Mary Beth. Bobby knew that Mary Beth was handicapped by having a slow moving Penny. For her commentary she had a blank moment. Judge Bob loved her description and she was the best judge. Bobby thought the ideas were good, but she can't execute her food. Vic's salad and burger were his best dishes, but his lamb chop was horrible because of the sauce. Bob wasn't convinced by his commentary; Vic pointed out how proactive his commentary was. Vic was being a bit too nice with his reviews. Jeff's classic lobster roll was great, but he was criticized for not making his own mayonnaise. He also didn't execute well. The judges were also impressed by how he managed to make Alton smile. Jeff's judging was on the ball. Susie's approached the challenge like an Iron Chef. Her judging was right on point.

In battle lobster, Susie beat Jeff. In battle rack of lamb, Vic was the winner. That meant both Susie and Vic were safe. It left Mary Beth and Jeff as the bottom two. The judges discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the bottom two contestants. Mary Beth was smart, had a strong comedy skill, but her cooking expertise is lacking. She excites people about food. Jeff has a charm for his personality, but he made horrible mayonnaise-based sandwiches. Bob pointed out that both Rachael Ray and Alton Brown were both impressed by Jeff. After deliberation, the person eliminated was Mary Beth. Jeff made it to the finals. Mary Beth was proud to find her passion and was grateful.

Next Week: The Top Three contestants had to do the final camera test and pilot episode.

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