Between VBS and my oldest’s birthday, I had a hard time trying to get this up yesterday. But here I am! So do we all thing Teddy is on his way out or can he redeem himself? Is Jeffrey going to stay on top?

So Bobby shows up with a dome. It has a burger under it. Bobby is opening a “Bobby’s Burger Palace” that is about regional burgers. They are going to make burgers in 20 minutes and then they have to present it to camera. The winner will have theirs put on the menu. Katie put an undercooked turkey burger on her bun. Is she going to feed it to them? Melissa did really well in her presentation. Teddy kind of had the game show host thing going again. Oh my goodness, Katie fed them her burger! The bottom 2 were Jamika and Katie. But the top 2 were Melissa and Michael. Michael won and his burger going on the menu.

So for the elimination challenge our finalists find them selves at the Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum. Guy Fieri walks out. The finalists are going to be cooking for soldiers return home from the Middle East. There are 7 baskets each with ingredients that are related to a state. They have to incorporate all the ingredients into their dish. The winner will have their all American dish on the cover of USA Weekend.

Teddy: New York -Duck Breast,Cream Soda, Apples: DLT
Jeffrey: Maine -Lobster, Smoked Adler Seasalt, Blueberries:Potpies
Jeffrey and Teddy cook first. Jeffrey got totally thrown off by the small electric burners. Teddy ums and “let sees” a lot. He had a real hard time. Jeffrey’s food was a huge mess. You could tell he didn’t feel good about his food because it was obvious in the presentation. The judges thought it was gross.

Melissa: New Mexico -Skirt Steak, Chilies, Mesquite Honey :Tostada with a Mango Salsa
Katie: Georgia – Almond, Panko and Cornmeal Crusted Catfish with Sweet Vidalia Greens, Molasses and Orange Butternut Squash
Melissa was smart and tasted all the chilies because she doesn’t cook with them. Melissa did great with the presentation. The judges all thought is was tasty. Katie did better with the presentation. Bobby said Katie did well with the catfish.

Jamika: Wisconsin -Cheddar Cheese, Amber Beer, Keilbasa Sausage: Casserole
Jamika couldn’t get the potatoes to cook. So she decides to process them to get them to cook. She even knows that it is going to make gluey potatoes. Her food looks a little messy. Her presentation was relaxed. The judges say the falvors were good but the texture was off.

Debby: California -Chicken Breast, Zinfendel Red Wine, Almonds: Home Cooked Chicken Dinner
Michael: Hawaii-Kompachi, Pineapple, Macadamia Nuts: Macadamia Crust Fish with a Pineapple Sauce
Michael hit Debby in the eye with the corner of her sheet pan. Both of them were so flustered. Michael’s presentation seemed a little to much for me. In spite of her injury, Debby’s food looks great. Debby’s presentation was a little low but I think it was understandable. The judges said the food was bland.

They liked Jamika’s presentation but really didn’t like the food. Bobby liked Katie’s fish and her presentation. Bob slammed her for not including her perspective of healthy food. They also held the Turkey Burger against her. They told Michael that he needs to make friends with the camera because he is great in person. Jeffrey said he was embarrassed about his food. They want more from Jeffrey’s personality. They loved Melissa’s presentation. The soldier’s loved the food. Bobby liked Teddy’s food. He got slammed for reading the notes on his hand and the nervousness. Bob liked Debby’s presentation. Bobby thought the food was bland and not like her. Bobby said that someone needs to jump up and grab the title because no one has it yet.

In the end Melissa won! I just realized who it is Melissa reminds me of. It is Sissy Biggers! But there is always a loser. This was Teddy’ final appearance! His food may have been better than others but his personality was like nails on a chalkboard for me. So I totally think they made the right choice.

Next week is the Rachel Rae show! So it is going to be good.

Will Teddy’s being a jerk to Melissa last week bite him in the tush? Will he be the next to go? I am interested in what this week has to offer!

So we start by the contestants meeting Tyler Florence at the grocery star. They have to shop on a budget. They have $60 for a 12 person dinner party. They have to also stop by to do a 30 second tip piece for shopping on a budget. Teddy finds the budget thing a challenge. When he came to film his tip Tyler told him that he was cartoonish. Melissa thinks she will do the best with a budget since she feeds her family every night. We will see how it will actually pan out. Jamika kept blinking and she told people to reuse marinades so she is going down. Katie started with a bad tip but she ended up really doing a good job. It was shocking how well she did. Jeffrey was $12 under budget, I think that may have been to much cutting. Jeffrey won the tip challenge.

Elimination Challenge:
Now they have to cook the 12 person dinner using what they bought for the elimination challenge. So they head out to the Hampton’s to cook. Of course they are delivered to Ina Garten’s house. They have to make dinner for Ina, her friends and the celection committee. Then they are told that they will be in teams of 2. Jeffrey got to pick his own teammate as a reward for winning the tip challenge. They have to make a appetizer, entree and dessert. Each team member was responsible for 1 course and then they were to collaborate on the last. They are cooking 2 teams at a time. They have an hour to cook and 2 minutes to present.

First up at Debby and Teddy along with Eddie and Melissa. Debby is wary of Teddy since he threw Melissa under the bus last week and Eddie is afraid that Melissa doesn’t have the cooking chops. Things seem to start well with Debby and Teddy because they are working well together. But Teddy didn’t have a plan for the dessert. 5 minutes until they are supposed to be done and Teddy is just throwing his dessert together. Melissa and Eddie are really working separately. But when they work together Eddie isn’t being very nice. Eddie seemed a little short in his presentation and a bit dismissive to Melissa. Melissa’s chicken was bland but Eddie’s salad was totally overpowered by onion. Debby presented calmly and it seemed to mellow Teddy out more than usual. I think Teddy may get slammed for his dish just being an assembly. The judges liked the appetizer and the meatloaf but the dessert tasted store bought.

Teddy & Debby: (D)Vegetable Linguine with an Asian Marinara, (C)Meatloaf with a Peach and Apricot Sauce, (T)Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
Eddie & Melissa: (E)Sweet Onions and Watermelon Salad, (M)Lemon Thyme Chicken, (C)Bananas Foster Nutella Quesadilla

Then it was the next 2 teams turn. Jamika is using a store bought marinade so she added a few things. She says that she doesn’t have enough salmon to keep tasting it. Jeffrey thinks the soup isn’t spicy enough so he added some of the Red Chili seeds back into it. Michael cuts himself and just feels off. Jeffrey did well with his presentation and then helped Michael with his. Michael seemed off. The judges liked the soup but it still seemed a little mild. The judges also liked Michael’s main but I didn’t hear anything one way or the other about Jeffrey’s crepes. Jamika seemed smooth in her presentation and Katie still did a bit of education but did better. The judges thought that the dishes didn’t go together at all.

Katie & Jamika: (J)Salmon w/Seaweed and Pepper Slaw, (K)Whole Wheat Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Broccolini, (C)Fruit Salad with Grilled Pineapple
Jeffrey & Michael: (C)Roasted Tomato and Red Chili Soup, (M)Pesto Rubbed Grilled Chicken and Broccoli Rabe, (J)Chocolate Filled Crepe

Judging:
They dinged Jamika and Katie for not having their food more cohesive. They really liked Jamika’s dish but Katie’s was just ok. They told Katie to stop educating again. They thought that Jeffrey and Michael’s plate looked great. The soup was to mild. They also didn’t like that they heard the same story about Jeffrey and his daughter with the crepes. They liked Michael’s food but his presentation seemed lost. They thought that it was clear that Melissa and Eddie weren’t working together. Melissa said that there was tension. Bobby said that he saw the tape of them cooking together and saw Eddie rolling his eyes. Bobby told him that a little chivalry goes a long way in the kitchen. They thought the chicken looked good but could use some more flavor. Then they turned to Eddie’s salad. Bobby said that the onion was over powering and it seemed to be something Eddie had done before. Eddie then said he got it out of a Paula Deen cookbook. Whoa! It is one thing to base something off a recipe you have heard but to put your twist on it but… They are looking for something original. They liked Debby’s presentation and the food. They thought that Teddy’s dessert was a disaster. Then Teddy claimed the meatloaf as his dish. He did it again!!! Debby made the sauce and flavored the meatloaf. Bobby doesn’t like the way things are going with Teddy’s lack of responsibility. I think this has to make Melissa feel a little better because it wasn’t her.

Jeffrey and Michael won. That wasn’t shocking at all. The bottom 2 were Teddy and Eddie. Eddie said he should stay because of integrity and Teddy said he has the cooking chops. I think who ever doesn’t go this week will go next week. Eddie was in the bottom last week too. Eddie was the finalist sent home. I think Teddy will go next week because he proved that he has a lack of integrity.

While I think I know who will be kicked out next week. But I have no idea who will exceed. See you next week to see if I am at least right about Teddy getting kicked off!

So here we meet again. I am interested to see what this “holiday” episode will hold for us. I don’t think you will last long on Food Network if you can’t make it through the holidays due to all the specials that they do. Let us see who will make the cut!