Chefs Anne Burrell and Jeff Mauro introduce the recruits to the classic flavors and dishes of Italy. They start off with a fast-paced game where recruits answer trivia and ride gondolas, followed by an outrageous cooking relay where they must work in pairs to create a romantic Italian picnic basket. In the Skill Drill challenge, the singles take on sausage and pepper sandwiches, which includes making sausages from scratch! Then in the Main Dish cook, Anne and Jeff demonstrate classic meatballs with sauce and polenta. The recruits that successfully replicate their chefs' dishes continue on in boot camp, and the least successful bid "arrivederci" to boot camp.
Chef Anne Burrell and co-host Jeff Mauro welcome a fresh batch of celebrity recruits to culinary boot camp, hoping to take these '90s stars from culinary duds to all that and a bag of chips in the kitchen. In order to choose their teams, the chefs need the 411 on what these recruits can and can't do in the kitchen, so Anne and Jeff ask the celebrities to cook a potluck dish. For the main dish challenge, the recruits have to make elevated versions of classic TV dinners, and the chefs decide which dishes deserve to be syndicated and which recruits should be cancelled from the competition.
Jeff Mauro shares his family's Sunday Gravy recipe, then learn how to use leftover Italian ingredients in new ways and how to make fun crafts using empty wine bottles. Spice up antipasto with Geoffrey Zakarian's Parmigianino Monkey Bread with Soppressata and Olives and Jeff's Salami Cups with Whipped Honey Ricotta and Fresh Figs. Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli stops by to make Olive Oil Cake, and Geoffrey shows how to make classic Italian Limoncello.
Mentioned in this episode:
Wine Bottle Crafts
The Kitchen is honoring beloved comfort foods, starting with Sunny Anderson's "Crazy Rich" Fried Chicken and Waffle Skewers. The hosts dip into Katie Lee's creamy Pimento Cheese Fondue and then announce the winner of the 49th Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest. Jeff Mauro makes a comfort classic, Gourmet Mac and Cheese, and baked potatoes get the star treatment times two in Geoffrey Zakarian's Loaded Bacon Truffle and Chive Baked Potatoes and Jeff's Reuben Loaded Baked Potato. Katie sauces up delicious Sticky and Sweet Sesame Meatballs, Jeff makes a Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, and Chef Zac Young stops by to share a luscious, layered Banana Pudding. Chef Anne Burrell tosses up a rich and flavorful Bucatini All'Amatriciana and pitches in with the hosts to build flavor-packed 5-Star Nachos. Katie wraps things up with a new fried favorite, Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls.
Host Jeff Mauro challenges the three remaining teams to create a scene that features adorable woodland animals going for gold in an Olympic event. This time, the sugar artist is in the hot seat, as each display must incorporate woodland décor made entirely of sugar! Judges Shinmin Li and Kardea Brown determine which two teams head to the finale, where they will battle it out for the title of Holiday Wars champion and $25,000!
Three new teams battle it out for the last spot in this year's Holiday Wars. Inspired by the holiday film "Red One," host Jeff Mauro asks each team to create a display depicting Santa's unique workout routine. Plus, each team must have two full characters on their display and incorporate a gravity-defying element. Which two teams will move on, and which team will judges Shinmin Li and Kardea Brown send home?
Host Jeff Mauro challenges the three remaining teams to reveal what will happen when the kids finally catch Santa while he's delivering their toys. The cake artist is in the hot seat as each display must incorporate an anti-gravity element made entirely of cake! Judges Shinmin Li and Aarti Sequeira determine which two teams are sledding into the finale where they will battle it out for the title of Holiday Wars champion and $25,000!
It's that ooey-gooey goodness in the middle that we just can't get enough of, so we're heading straight to the middle of things to see what greatness awaits. Jeff Mauro indulges in a 100-layer vanilla creme doughnut that's full of surprises. Antonia Lofaso cracks the yolk on ricotta and egg ravioli in Los Angeles, and Chef Lee Anne Wong heads to Hawaii for a unique and irresistible quesadilla that packs a powerful punch.
Head outside for the best of both worlds: breathtaking scenery with fresh air, clear skies and the most-incredible waterfront dining in the U.S. Anne Burrell adores the sights with a meaty pasta from Cecconi's Dumbo in Brooklyn, N.Y., while Jeff Mauro treats himself to a delectable roast chicken from Chicago's River Roast. At Seafood Sam's in Sandwich, Mass., Duff Goldman enjoys a view of paradise with a fried lobster platter fit for a king.
The Kitchen is having a pizza party, and everyone's invited! They're going outside the pizza box with delicious toppings and recipes galore. Katie Lee Biegel combines two of her favorite foods to make her Pizza Salad. Sunny Anderson uses a polarizing ingredient for her French Bread Hawaiian Pizza. Jeff Mauro's Calabrian Pizza Ranch is sure to take any pie to the next level. Geoffrey Zakarian makes a flavor-packed Classic White Clam Pizza.