"For your group test this week you will be cooking without your mentors," Ted tells the five remaining cooks. But they won't be entirely without help, as Robert Irvine will be coaching all of them. "He is one tough dude," worries Sherri. Ted then reveals that the cooks must use mystery canned foods in their dishes.
Deciding Not to Ham Up the Ham
"August, I think you're losing that canned ham," says Sharon, who uses her advantage from last week to swap out her canned salmon. Robert recommends a binder for her ham rillettes: "Take a potato to almost make a cake." But Sharon ignores his advice, using bread and orange juice to bind it instead.
What You See Is What You Get
"I'm glad I actually came here," says Robert, pressing his SOS button upon smelling burning bread from Team Alex. He notices Sherri's chowder is too thin and shows her how to thicken it. "Chef Irvine is intense," says August, who compares him to Alex and adds, "I appreciate the no-BS approach."
Revolting Reactions
"So are you all wondering who the special guest judges will be?" Ted asks the mentors. He then reveals that they will be the judges and they'll be judging blind. "What did we do wrong?" says Bobby, because any of them could inadvertently send a home cook to the elimination test. "What did they put in it, soap?" says Bobby after spitting out the rillettes.
Lessons in Confidence Pay Off
"Bobby and Robert have two completely different mentoring styles," Joseph says. That initially worried him, but Robert's tough love helped him turn out perfect meatballs made from canned chicken, and the mentors scored his dish the best. "Joseph continues to surprise me," says Bobby as the two are spared from the elimination test.
Ted explains the elimination test: "Your goal is to wow us with a dish featuring an ingredient that has stumped your mentors in the past." For Michael, that's veal. "Vanessa has the talent; she just has to stay focused, and I am the person to keep her focused," says Michael. "Thank God you're back," Vanessa says.
From the Fire Into the Frying Pan
"This is only my second time being in the elimination test," worries Sherri, who's making fried guinea hen. "She looks more freaked out than ever," Alex notices as Sherri burns the sliced lemons she's frying. "This is cutting it close," says Sherri, waiting until the final seven minutes to fry the hen.
Focused Improvement
"There's a lot of complex flavor here," says Robert upon tasting Vanessa's seared veal. "It's the perfect dish," he declares, surprised by her turnaround from the earlier round. "This is a restaurant-quality meal," Robert says before proclaiming it the best dish. "It's amazing what focus can do," he adds.
Back in the Bottom
"You'll be losing a team member again," Ted tells Alex. "This time that cook is Sherri," announces Robert, who found the hen perfectly cooked but didn't like the raw green beans. "I would not take back this experience that I've had for [anything]," Sherri says. "You've just been astounding to watch," Alex tells her.
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