'Food Network Star' recap - Comedy Roast

Susie felt defeated about last week’s Rachael Ray challenge, but she had to soldier on. The contestants had to go to Chelsea Market for their next challenge. They had one hour to wander around the vendors and pick out one favorite for a 'Best Thing I Ever Ate' Camera Challenge directed by Bobby Flay. He suggested that one strength that the contestants could use is a strong vocabulary.

Whitney ran around and asked as many questions as possible at the crepe restaurant that she selected. Vic found a restaurant named Buon Italia, which matched his mother's Italian cooking. Jeff went to Friedman's Lunch, which matched him because it had perfect pastrami. Mary Beth thought she had the upper hand by having a strong vocabulary, being a food writer. Susie spent time eating a little bit of everything, instead of asking questions, to better think of descriptions of the food.

After the hour was over, the contestants started taping. Susie went first and the contestants got to watch and learn from her mistakes. She talked too much about the ingredients instead of the description of the taste. Vic tried his best to talk from his heart. Vic didn't talk about taste either, which he should have learned from Susie. Jeff's description of the Reuben was strong; the other contestants thought he was natural. He had a strong tease and descriptive value. Mary Beth described the crepe and had a strong setup. Whitney was nervous because Mary Beth used so much of the description. She then said a similar final sentence as Mary Beth, but didn't do the interested bite.

Bobby thought that while Jeff and Mary Beth both did well, the winner was Jeff. He was given an advantage in the next challenge. For the Star Challenge, the contestants had to make their spin on the roast for special guests. Jeff assigned each meat for the cooks.

Whitney - Pork crown
Vic - Prime rib
Mary Beth - duck
Jeff - Rump roast
Susie - Leg of lamb

The contestants went to a specialty butcher and got their specific cuts of meat. Mary Beth got a lesson on how to cook the duck from the butcher. The contestants had some downtime, so Susie called her sister for moral support. She reminded Susie to hang in there.

The contestants met Bobby and he announced that A-List comedians would be roasting the contestants. The challenge was all about keeping their cool. Jeff has done comedy before, so he knows that they were the hardest people to satisfy. Whitney wanted to do a roasted BLT. Susie knew she bombed the last three challenges, so she wanted to make sure her father was proud. Jeff used suet to fry potatoes. Mary Beth's roast was having issues in the oven. Vic decided to have an oversized prime rib as a joke about Vegas food being so large and decadent.

Vic was first and the comedians had a large slice of meat. The comedians poked at his food. He explained the Vegas point of view; the comedians' loved the taste of rib. Louie Anderson thought that he should kill off Vic Vegas. The comedians liked the teddy bear nature.

Mary Beth was having trouble with carving the duck. While she blamed Jeff, she continued to present her food. She described the duck a bit more academic than she normally would. While Gilbert liked the food, Louie and the comedians thought she lacked emotion. The comedians thought a show called "Food Aficionado" would fit Mary Beth better.

Jeff was terrified getting in front of the judges and comedians. He was describing the food well and had a strong back and forth with the guests. The comedians thought the food was good, but his comedic styles were lacking. Gilbert liked the ease of the presentation.

Susie was nervous about messing up in front of everyone. She spent a lot of time describing her family but was strong with her food. She had a bit of a nervous face wipe during the presentation. The comedians loved the flavor of the dish and knew the heart of the presentation. Susie was happy about her performance.

Whitney was worried about dropping her guard during the presentation. She was in tears describing her family. She explained slaughtering the pig and Gilbert called her a soulless zombie. She left the room feeling like an idiot. The comedians felt bad watching her cry.

The contestants all gathered for judging. Bobby was impressed by the quality level the contestants were showing them. The individual judging started with Susie, who had great food from the taste to the color. She had a strong personality to work the show. Judge Bob loved her teaching skills; for the opposite Whitney has authority, but not personality. The contestants thought Whitney was holding back. The food was great, but now that there are five contestants left, Whitney couldn't hide behind her food. Judge Susie wondered if Vic was "Vegas" or "Mama's Boy" and they told him to use his real last name. Bob thought the meat was too comedic and large. The judges loved Jeff's sandwich and Judge Susie loved the confident but natural demeanor. He had strong verbal and non-verbal cues. Bob loved Mary Beth's dish, but they were afraid that the instructions were too thick. Jeff, Susie, and Vic were the top three, and Jeff was the winner. The three left excited making the top four.

Whitney and Mary Beth were the bottom two, and the judges had to figure out which one would be eliminated. Judge Susie thought that Whitney didn't have the connection between cooking and passion; Bobby thinks that she'll be evolving in food. Mary Beth had a new quirky nature that Judge Susie liked. Unfortunately, Mary Beth had no footing during her presentation. After the judges deliberated, Whitney was eliminated. Whitney still thinks it was her passion, but she'll keep cooking.