Season 1, Episode 4

Grand Finale Fake-Out

In the finale episode, eight kid chefs attempt to trick a room full of culinary superstars including Melissa d'Arabian, Eric Greenspan and Richard Blais as well as celebrity guest Jennie Garth, into thinking their food was made by real adult chefs. Afterward, Rachael and Guy will announce the winner of the competition: Everyone walks away improved as a rising chef, but only one kid will land his or her own show to debut on FoodNetwork.com right after the finale airs.
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Recipes From This Episode

Macho Tacos

Fried Rice with Simple Baked Salmon

French Dip Steak Sandwiches with Horseradish Sauce

Cloudy With a Chance of Mashups
Street Food Showdown

Photos of the Episode

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The Final Cook-Off

Rachael and Guy welcome the kids to the competition's final Cook-Off. They will have 75 minutes to prepare a family-style meal for six special guests, who aren't aware that kids are doing the cooking. The kids are happy to learn that their lowest scores will be dropped once tallying up the final scores at the end of the competition. After a classroom powwow, the kids are given their own chef coats and sent off to cook. Later they will pitch their show concepts to the judges.

Photo By: EDDY CHEN ©2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Amped-Up Kids' Favorite

Jack wants to make his five-cheese mac 'n' cheese — it's a version that goes way beyond the kid favorite. He'll be stuffing the mac 'n' cheese into poblano peppers and baking it. He gets started on grating the cheese, but it's going to take some time. Rachael warns him to make sure he puts on the pasta to cook at the right time.

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

Surf-Stuffed-Inside-Turf

Originally Sydney had wanted to make either crab cakes or stuffed chicken breast, but Guy steered her in a different direction, combining both her ideas. So crab cake-stuffed chicken breast it is, but Sydney thinks it will be risky. Guy steps in to show Sydney the right way to butterfly the chicken so that it can be rolled up with the stuffing. Sydney will also be making a bechamel sauce to go on top.

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

Venison Goes Asian

Rachael recommends that Hunter make his venison dish again for this challenge because it's one that really encapsulates his point of view. This time Hunter wants to serve the venison with a peanut sauce over rice noodles. Here he works on making the peanut sauce.

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

Sweet and Savory Seafood

Haile decides to make a healthy dish she says she's made plenty of times with great results. It's her caramel shrimp banh mi sandwiches. Rachael thinks making caramel will really show off her skills. Haile pours the brine over her sliced vegetables for the pickled component of her sandwiches.

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

Professionally Prepared Pork Dish

Cole wants to make pork tenderloin, which he thinks will show off his cooking skills since it's a difficult protein to cook for any chef. Alongside the pork he wants to serve quinoa and fruit salsa. Guy steps in to show him the fastest way to dice the fruit.

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

Korean All the Way

Brandon is making his Korean-style ribs. Rachael suggests he serve it with kimchi, which is something he had never made or tried before, so Rachael steps in to show him how to make the spicy brine for the cabbage.

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

Mediterranean Master

Alessandra is finishing up her warm white bean and fennel pasta salad to pair with her seared Mediterranean-style ahi tuna. She thinks this dish will show off her masterful understanding of Italian cuisine.

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

Stir-Fry Trouble

Daniel is making his tangerine beef stir-fry. But earlier he had some trouble because his Dutch oven was too hot and the beef began to burn. So Guy steps in to help with cooking the remainder of the meat, which will get tossed in the tangerine glaze.

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

The Big Prank

After sampling each of the dishes, the guest judges discuss the merits of the food they've tasted. Overall they were very impressed. Some dishes might have been slightly overcooked or would have benefitted from additional time in the kitchen, which was the overall consensus. Rachael and Guy lead them to believe that the meal was cooked by contestants from Celebrity Cook-Off. Little do they know that kid chefs are about to walk out.

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

Turning Expectation Upside Down

The judges can't believe their eyes when they see the chefs. They weren't expecting to see kids at all, so it was quite a shock. Rachael says, "these are your chefs — their food, their recipes, their knife skills, their plating."

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

A Standing Ovation

The judges give the kids a standing ovation for all the work they put into their dishes. Rachael and Guy tell the kids to practice and get ready for their presentations. They will each speak in front of the judges about their show concepts.

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

From Hunter to Harvest

Hunter is the first to present. He's nervous as ever but manages to get through the presentation as best he can. His concept is called "Game-On" and it's all about cooking with renewable resources, food that was hunted or harvested.

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

Glowing with Pride

Rachael and Guy look on with pride as each kid comes out to present. They can't believe how much these kids have grown in the competition and how poised they are in front of the special guests and the cameras. Rachael even tears up and says, "I'm just so blown away by all these kids."

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

Science and History Combined

Cole wants to bring a bit of science and history back into cooking. His show would be a mini version of Good Eats. The judges comment about his screen presence and confidence.

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

Congratulatory Remarks

The judges congratulate the kids for a job well done and comment on each of their dishes and presentations, highlighting specific details that stuck out for them.

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

Team Guy

The judges liked Cole's presence and thought his food was well cooked and gutsy. The judges loved Daniel's catch phrase and thought his food was presented beautifully though a tad overcooked. They thought Sydney was very poised during her presentation but her sauce fell flat. Alessandra's food was cooked well and her presentation showed off her great personality.

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

Team Rachael

The judges thought Brandon had great energy, a strong concept and really flavorful food. Hunter was really nervous but his concept was strong and his venison was nicely done. They thought Jack was adorable and had a great story about surviving leukemia, but his dish needed more cheese. The judges loved Haile's healthy concept but thought her dish needed more shrimp filling.

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

The Season 1 Winner

Brandon is announced the winner! With a score of 288 points, he earned first place and was awarded his own Web series on FoodNetwork.com. Watch his new show and read his interview.

Photo By: Adam Rose ©2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

School's Out!

Before they leave the show for good, the kids take a moment to pose with Rachael, Guy and the judges: Melissa d'Arabian, Antonia Lofaso, Eric Greenspan, Jack Lee, Richard Blais and Jennie Garth.

Photo By: Adam Rose

Rachael vs. Guy: Kids Cook-Off

Visit the Rachael vs. Guy: Kids Cook-Off page for more behind-the-scenes content.

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