Chad Rosenthal, Season 9 Food Network Star Finalist

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Passionate about all things barbecue, Chad, 37, is a self-taught cook in the process of opening a comfort food eatery near Philadelphia. Growing up, this father of two would perform cooking shows for his family, and he now wants to turn that childhood play into reality.

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Casting: Chad Rosenthal 02:13

Star Romance Trailer 01:13

Meet the Star Finalists 04:35

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Chad Rosenthal

A Pennsylvania-based chef, Chad survived seven weeks of competition before ultimately being sent home. During his run, he served several winning dishes, but his inability to prove his progress thus far forced his exit.

"The Barbecue Guy"

Chad wasted no time in labeling himself "the Barbecue Guy," recording a premiere pitch tape that touted his mastery over barbecue.

First Impressions

After viewing Chad's pitch tape, Bob Tuschman was quick to deem him "instantly likable," and the focus group agreed, awarding him a high rating on their dials.

Burger, Deconstructed

Each finalist was given a journal to use during his or her time on the show, and Chad filled his with go-to recipes, reflections on the competition and notes on upcoming challenges. Here, he broke down the ins-and-outs of his Burger Bash creation, featuring pork and beef, served on white bread and finished with a fried green tomato.

Solid Sale

At Burger Bash, Chad had no trouble enticing the audience with his barbecue-inspired burger, successfully earning 14 tokens. The mentors were impressed with his burger overall, especially the crispy tomato topping, and they named him one of the top-three finalists that week.

Questionable Authority

Unfortunately for Chad, his problems with his week-three mystery ingredient didn't end with his mispronunciation of "salsify," as he also served Bobby a deep-fried hushpuppy that the mentor deemed "very dense."

Safe from the Chopping Block

Serving the judges chicken-and-waffles-inspired plates of peanut waffles and fried hot dogs during the Chopped challenge, Chad delivered a performance with "enthusiasm," according to Bobby.

Sketch Romance

Drawing Team Romance as a trio of floating heads, Chad illustrated what would be the scenario during his movie trailer with Damaris and Viet. Inspired by The Dating Game, the group featured Damaris as the entree choosing between a date with Chad as the appetizer and Viet as the dessert.

Risqué Script

Team Romance took a risk with the suggestive language of the skit, including words like "sexy, spicy and sticky" in Chad's lines.

Beyond Traditional Barbecue

For his appetizer, Chad prepared a Korean-style chicken wing, after previously receiving a request from the mentors that he serve them something other than sweet Memphis-inspired 'cue. "I think with this dish, Chad finally showed that he can do something besides just sweet," Alton noted.

Expect the Unexpected

Giada and guest Terrence Jenkins surprised the finalists with kitchen snafus during their live cooking segments, and for Chad, that meant a co-host with a coughing attack. "I should let this guy work his cough out, and we should start over," Chad said of his reasoning to wait until Terrence returned before continuing his demonstration. His plan proved unsuccessful, however, as Terrence didn't come back until time had almost run out.

Going Live

During the 4th of July Live event, Chad cooked alongside renowned farmer and vegetable expert Lee Jones, but when it came time for his live segment, Chad focused more on his food than his guest. Alton reminded him, however, "a guy like Farmer Lee is a lot more famous than you are" and added that it's important to welcome him to the camera.

Vegetable Victory

Although his on-air performance was a miss, Chad's barbecue vegetable sandwich wowed the Selection Committee. Bob admitted, "I love it." Get the recipe for Chad's sandwich.

Something Different

Tasked with creating two signature products that could be pitched to market, Chad decided upon barbecue beans and a spice rub, two foods that align with his barbecue point of view. The mentors ultimately advise that he package his beans, as the spice rub "is too difficult to differentiate from a lot of other products," Alton explained.

Inspired Product

Before pitching his baked beans to the panel of executives, Chad jotted a few notes on what he believed made his product special. He wrote that they're "great with hot dogs, [a] burger, ribs, chicken, etc.," and he added that they boast a "homemade taste."

Mixed Review

"I sold my product great, but the product might have failed a little bit," Chad reflected after presenting to the executives. They weren't impressed with the look of his beans, although one noted, "The way you described the product sounded really appealing."

At the Auction

Much like his performance during the "culinary vocabulary" Mentor Challenge, Chad's sales pitch to an audience of Gastronauts at the Star Challenge auction showed him searching for words and pausing frequently.

Secret Recipe

Chad wasn't shy about keeping his "Texas Poutine" recipe to himself, penning in his journal, "You didn't like it, so you ain't getting the recipe!" The dish featured french fries, kielbasa and beef, and while the judges appreciated the flavor of the sausage, the "soggy" fries, according to Bobby, were a flop.

Looking for Growth

At what would be Chad's final evaluation, Giada told him that in the past six weeks of competition, he'd been performing simply "well enough," but that she and the Selection Committee needed him to demonstrate progress.

Bidding Farewell

In the end, Chad's lack of improvement was enough to send him home, but he looked back on his impressive journey happily, explaining, "I made it down to number six, which is, I think, pretty incredible."

Chance for Redemption

Chad has an opportunity to return to the competition, but only if he survives a head-to-head showdown in the final battle of Star Salvation against Lovely. Watch the full episode to see them in action.