'Food Network Star' Recap: 'Food Truck Face Off'

[Food Network Star - Season 7, Episode 6]

The contestants woke up to the sixth week of competition. After falling into the bottom, Orchid needed to make sure she wowed the judges. The contestants were welcomed by Tyler Florence who stood in front of food trucks. He announced that the contestants would be having their own Food Truck Face-Off. The contestants would be randomly split into three teams, create their own truck name, and menu. As part of their camera challenge, they would have to tape a 30-second commercial. This commercial would be used for 150 fans to choose which truck they wanted food from. The contestants pulled keys from a can.

Team Blue: Jeff, Whitney, Susie - Balls on the Roll
Team Yellow: Jyll, Vic, Orchid - Fierce Food Fusion
Team Green: Penny, Chris, Mary Beth - Wrap It Up

Mary Beth was disappointed with being forced to team up with Penny again. In the brainstorming session, Vic decided their teams would put their food in taco form. Jeff wanted his team to have balls; because the word "balls" are funny for 5-year-olds. Whitney agreed after all her criticism of being too calculated. While Susie objected, Whitney shut her down and Jeff tried his best to reassure her. Chris wanted wraps, an easy concept, and suggested a Charlie's Angels commercial.

When taping the commercials, Vic started with a tough exterior that Jyll poked. Orchid butted in last and announced that the group would have a "great time" several times in a row. Tyler suggested having a thesaurus with adjectives ready in the future. Chris tried his best Charlie’s Angels pose with the girls, but Jeff was uncomfortable watching the whole performance. As the final team taped their commercial, Jeff went over the top with his attitude and juggling. The girls did their best to keep with the silly theme. Tyler questioned their taste level and Whitney chimed in, convinced that balls were fun.

With a team budget of $1,000 and time to cook prior to the challenge, the contestants ran to the food warehouse. Whitney wanted to do a falafel, but decided to use cooked chickpeas when she couldn't find fresh ones. Vic wanted prepackaged Philly slices of meat and then went on a search for avocados. Jyll was worried about Vic overdoing his dish with too many ingredients.

Before the cooking preparation began, Jeff acknowledged that he's had issues with his over the top humor, especially with his Raisin Bran joke a few weeks ago. Jeff decided that his group would have a team unity and gave his ladies bandannas. When the teams arrived, they ran to the kitchens to prepare. Susie decided to go with the flow and hope that people would get the "Balls" joke. Mary Beth decided to grab an area of prep that was far away from the chaotic Chris and dramatic Penny.

Susie tried her best to explain her dish to the audience. She decided to add chorizo to have intense flavors in her soup. Whitney was unsure of her cooked chick peas, because she was worried that the center of her food would be softer and smoother than she wanted. Jeff had a family meatball recipe that added a lot of Romano cheese.

Vic decided to throw in a lot of ingredients "Philly-Rito" which was a representation of his roots. Jyll wanted a shrimp po-boy in a taco. Jyll wanted to make sure that her shrimp had a nice crunch with panko. Orchid wanted to do a Filipino pork Adobo; she had a cole slaw that she wanted to make sure wasn't too sour.

Mary Beth wanted to do a chicken ginger wrap and tried her best to put many flavors in. Chris wanted to do a lobster in a wrap. He cooked the lobster and chopped it into small pieces. Penny decided to make a really flavorful Mediterranean wrap. She took a bit too long getting her wraps ready. With time running out, Penny was still working on her food. This got Mary Beth worried, so she asked if she could help. Penny got Mary Beth to chop onions for Penny as the people started walking on. Susie got really nervous about the balls, but it was too late.

The teams left their trucks for their introductions. As Tyler introduced the commercials, Vic was nervous but the commercial had a strong reception. The judges liked it and the audiences responded positively. Bobby was laughing hysterically when he watched Chris's wrap commercial. Finally, Team Balls had their commercials played and there was a mix of reactions from both the audience and Giada. Bobby and Bob both called out Jeff for being the creator.

The audience grabbed their tickets and as service began, the people wanted Penny's Fillet Mignon Wraps. The food wasn't ready as the audience line grew impatient. As time crunch occurred, Mary Beth ran out and started talking to the people in the lines. At the other truck, Vic tried his best to be positive with his food; he and Jyll had strong interaction skills. The audiences talked positively about Jyll and Vic. Orchid felt out of place.

Penny finally got her wraps ready and their line started moving with excitement. The audiences loved the "beef roll" but they didn't like the "lobster roll" or the chicken. Team Balls was worried when there was no line, eventually two people grabbed some balls. After the commercial break, the customers slowly arrived at the ball truck. The contestants were still as chipper as the few audiences loved the food. The audience was really positive with both Jeff and Susie; Whitney's falafel was too tender.

The judges arrived, cutting in line without any forgiveness to the fans. Each contestant explained their food, starting with Team Wraps. Penny's kabob and salad was good for the judges. They liked how not only did it exemplify the street food, it was colorful. Chris's dish had no lobster in Bobby's wrap. Mary Beth's dish was boring and bland looking. Bob thought it looked like leftovers.

The selection committee came to Team Fierce and Orchid was nervous and instead directed the judges to talk to Vic and Jyll first. Orchid tried to get to get into the crowd, but she didn't grab the judges at all. Giada thought Orchid was overshadowed. Jyll's shrimp had flavor and spice. Vic's Philly cheese-burrito worked really well. Orchid's dish was a bit too bitter and sour; Tyler found her dish was lackluster.

Jeff wanted to convince the judges that the concept was a good idea. In the end Jeff had an amazing tasting meatball; Whitney's dish was destroyed by the cooked chick peas. Jeff's sandwich was a flavorful dish and was also visually stimulating. Susie's soup had a light broth and the meatball was good. Susie needed to explain her dish better.

The teams started wrapping up, Mary Beth and Penny hugged; the team did well, but Penny and Mary Beth's relationship still was quite fake. Jeff was nervous about the commercial failing the good food they ended up making.

The contestants stood in front of the judges for their evaluations. Bobby and Giada knew that there were both hits and misses for the teams. For Team Wrap, the judges thought that the concept was easy for contestants to grasp. Chris and Mary Beth complained about how slow the service was because of Penny's dishes. Penny responded by saying her dish was more complex and had a better flavor profile. Mary Beth then created onion drama. Penny tried to shoot her down. Bobby stopped them and told Penny that they have to be a "food network family." The judges all agreed that Penny's dish was the team's best. Chris's dish had too much cream cheese and it killed the wrap. Bob hated the commercial because of its immature style. Mary Beth may have described her food well, but the food was bland and boring. Bob reminded her that humor, words, and warmth were her strengths.

Team Fierce was next and the judges all agreed that Jyll had a great presence and po-boy. Vic has grown to be a better contestant than he started. After tasting his Philly-Burrito, Giada called him a contender. Bobby thought that Orchid was over-shadowed. Orchid had a nice simmer. The dish wasn't as good as the other two though.

Finally, Team Balls were judged. Bob hated the whole Balls joke and the sophomore joke was repetitive. Whitney wanted to be fun and Giada didn't buy it. Bob thought Whitney was being too much of a student instead of a natural person. The falafel lacked texture. Susie's soup was well seasoned, but she didn't sell a bondigas because no one knew what it was. Jeff's description was warm, but he was being too much of a character. His meatball sub was good and it probably was overshadowed by his over-the-top character.

The judges announced a top contestant for each team: Susie, Vic, and Penny. The overall winner was Vic. The bottom three was Mary Beth, Orchid, and Whitney. That left Jyll, Chris, and Jeff safe. The judges deliberated while the contestants waited. Whitney was too much of an extreme where she listened too much and followed too hard. Orchid was warm but she may not have the drive they were looking for; her personality might be too dull for The Food Network. Mary Beth was descriptive, but she didn't deliver. After deliberation, Mary Beth and Whitney were safe. Orchid was eliminated. Orchid was happy to be in the show, but it shocked Whitney to continue working on her attitude.

Next Week: A double elimination with Wolfgang Puck breaks Jyll.