Eddie Jackson welcomes six spectacular chefs to the summer house for the ultimate all-American showdown. First up, the chefs have 30 minutes to whip up their best backyard burger and each chef must randomly choose a cooler with an ingredient to use in their dish. Judges Damaris Phillips and Jamika Pessoa are joined by the Grill Dads, Mark Anderson and Ryan Fey, to choose the best backyard burger, and the winner receives a key advantage in the next round. In round two, the chefs make another quintessential American summer food -- hot dogs! They have 60 minutes to create one fully loaded hot dog and one fully unexpected hot dog. In the end, the judges will send one chef home for the summer, while the rest continue on in pursuit of the $25,000 grand prize.
Chef Todd Richards enters Kitchen Stadium to challenge Iron Chef Cora. Will Chef Richards wow the judges with his culinary styling, or will Iron Chef Cora's cuisine reign supreme?
Judges
Karine Bakhoum
Cady Huffman
Jeffrey Steingarten
Challenger stats: Chef Richards
From: Chicago, Ill.
Restaurants: The Oakroom (AAA 5 Diamond, Louisville Ky.), Soleil (The Ritz Carlton Palm Beach), Atlanta Grill (Ritz Carlton, Atlanta), Spice Restaurant (Atlanta), Villa Christina (Atlanta), The Café now Park 75 (The Four Seasons, Atlanta)
Cuisine: Ethnic based dishes with futuristic presentations
Interests: Music (writing, performing, DJ), photography
Ideal secret ingredient: From the potential list that was given: bay scallops number one because they are in season, carrots number two as it presents more challenges, morel number three as they are out of season and very difficult to find
Culinary inspirations: My father, my line cooks, EL Bulli, menus that explain themselves, culinary photography
Ideal judge: One who understands where food is going and how it is rooted in where it came from
Culinary secret weapon: Chef Duane Nutter, Chef Blake Kollker
Favorite restaurant: Morimoto (New York), Alinea Restaurant (Chicago), Hakkasan (Soho London), Mr. J’s Burgers (Chicago)
Favorite food: Sushi, dishes that make culinary sense, my father's red beans and Rice
Food you won't go near: Spoiled, rotten
Weirdest thing you've ever eaten: After you eat it more than once it's not weird anymore; but maybe cow brains
Favorite food destination: Chicago, London, California, New York
Alternative dream job: Honestly, I don't feel I have worked a "job" a day in my life.
In this one-hour special, Guy hits up a diverse roster of totally righteous Vegas joints pulling out all the stops, like out-of-this world finger foods at Bachi Burger, the generations-old butcher shop slingin' killer ribs at John Mull's Meats and Road Kill Grill, and the legendary spot that was one of DDD's very first restaurants ever featured — Four Kegs Sports Pub, where they're servin' up all kinds of Italian favorites. Then he's headed over to the Bulgarian joint, Forte European Tapas Bar and Bistro, and a trip to Vegas wouldn't be complete without a trip to Guy's alma mater, UNLV, where Guy's checkin' in with the culinary department and cookin' up Thai Shrimp with Sticky Rice. You can put your money on it — the culinary side of Vegas is a full spread of winners.