To celebrate America and the people who have served it, Guy Fieri invites four chef veterans from different branches of the military to compete in two summer-themed games. And for the first time ever, it's all done in front of a live audience made entirely of veterans. First, the chefs have to make a summer seafood feast using what they can fit into a shockingly small mini-cooler. Then, the chef-vets will have to elevate a summer classic dish as decided by a game of Corn Hole. Only one chef will be crowned winner of GGG's salute to summer and earn a $20,000 payday.
The final bakers take on two very difficult challenges inspired by the past -- all leading up to a time-traveling monster mash! In the Dissection Lab, John Henson works on some gross anatomy, and he asks the bakers to create desserts with gummy hearts that will be "dissected" by judges Carla Hall, Zac Young and Stephanie Boswell. Then in the Quantum Physics Lab, John hops into a time machine and journeys to the ancient past for inspirations like medieval vampires and early aliens for time travel cakes. The best baker heads into the future with the Halloween Baking Championship title and the $25,000 prize!
The Kitchen's serving up easy breezy recipes including Marcela Valladolid's Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken, chef Stuart O'Keeffe's Package Parceled Cod, and simple two-ingredient desserts. Plus, learn about seasonal greens and dressing pairings, then quick and easy side salads like Katie Lee's Roasted Carrots and Red Leaf Salad with Buttermilk Herb Dressing and Geoffrey Zakarian's Dandelion Green Salad with Warm Bacon and Shallot Vinaigrette. To top it all off, Geoffrey makes a Rumbarb Cocktail.
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Get That Garden Growin'
It's a Valentine's Day celebration with plenty of chocolate on this episode of The Kitchen. The hosts prepare a romantic meal with Geoffrey Zakarian's Dark Chocolate Mousse, a tender filet mignon with mushroom red wine sauce from Katie Lee, and two mouthwatering side dishes from Marcela Valladolid and Jeff Mauro. The Kitchen crew gets crafty with new ideas for valentines made out of chocolate, including adorable chocolate kiss critters and edible chocolate vessels. A master chocolatier joins in on the fun with a silky-smooth dark chocolate truffle recipe and out-of-this-world flavors to spice it up! Geoffrey caps it all off with his take on a chocolate martini.
Love is in the air in The Kitchen with Valentine's Day food, crafts and sweet surprises. Katie Lee makes a trendy Hidden Heart Cake, and then the gang creates food-inspired Valentines for sweethearts of all ages. Jeff Mauro's Snack Mix Brownies and Sunny Anderson's Sour Cream Swirl Brownies use mix-ins to put a new twist on the favorite dessert, and everyone pitches in to create a Box of Chocolates Cake. Geoffrey Zakarian serves Pasta Pomodoro as a dinner for two, and comedian and author Mamrie Hart stops by to join in on the fun with her French Kiss 75 cocktail and a serving idea for nachos.
The winners of the first two City Food Fights return to prove once and for all which is the best food city in the country. Playing games inspired by their city's legendary basketball teams, Guy Fieri challenges the teams to prepare three winning courses. First, the chefs have 24 minutes to make one of their city's signature sandwiches, but they'll be dribbling a basketball while shopping. Then in the second half, the chefs must make a winner's dinner and dessert that feature the whammy ingredients chosen by the hoops. The team with the highest combined score wins an additional $15,000 and the GGG City Food Fight champion trophy!
For the finale, Guy Fieri takes the final four DDD chefs on an epic cross-country road trip by dividing Flavortown into the East Coast, Midwest and West Coast. First, Guy turns the frozen section into a chilly New York scene, where chefs must thaw out ingredients for an East Coast high-end dinner. Next, the chefs must make an all-American dish by shopping the Midwest -- or at least the middle aisles of the store! The tournament ends with a huge twist as the last two chefs serve up a West Coast winner's dinner and battle it out the shot at an additional $20,000 and the DDD title.
Tyler starts the finalists off with a Chicago-style pizza challenge judged by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. After the mayor chooses the winner, the teams get ready to sell and are given their Speed Bump. The teams must keep a minimum of five dishes on their menu for the rest of the race. On day two, the teams must use another famed Chicago food in all their dishes — polish sausage. Once the teams sell 300 sausages, they race to Mike Ditka's restaurant, where he himself awards the prize and punishment. The winning team will get a five-hour head start to the next city.
Four teams remain as they enter the Twin Cities — Minneapolis and St. Paul. In honor of the Twin Cities, Tyler gives the teams twin Truck Stops. On day one, to honor the Minnesota state fair, the teams must serve all of their menu items on a stick. On day two, the teams head into St. Paul and must make $500 selling SPAM dishes. The first team to make $500 and meet Tyler at the Peace Officers Memorial at the State Capitol building wins a huge reward, and with only four teams left, this reward could save a team from elimination and send them on to the next city.
The five remaining teams meet Tyler at the Crazy Horse Memorial, where they’re given their seed money before heading out to shop in Rapid City, S.D. How will they manage when their follow car is taken during the Speed Bump? On day two, they race to the Wild Idea Buffalo Co., where they find a side of bison that they must butcher for use in all menu items. After selling $1,500 worth of their bison menu, they rush to be one of the first three teams to reach a vista and win a reward, and the next day the losing team is eliminated.