Bobby Flay Blindsides Antonia Lofaso Into Cooking Against the Titans

Bobby Flay serves up a delicious twist for his viewers and Titans alike in this episode of Bobby’s Triple Threat. “In my restaurants, and especially in the Triple Threat kitchen, I like to test the chef's merit by how well they think on their feet,” he says. “I also like to spice things up and make sure that no one coming through that door or sitting on that couch gets too comfortable.

“Normally, I’d invite the chef out right now, but I’m switching things up. I’m inviting the judge out first.” The Titans exchange glances and greet Bobby with a choir of questions.

He welcomes Food Network favorite — and Brooke Williamson’s closest friend — Chef Antonia Lofaso into Club 3. The seasoned chef walks out and greets the (confused) Titans with a smile, eager to step into her role as judge for the evening.

Brooke embraces her and whispers, “Why are you out here before the chef?” Antonia whips around to Bobby and says, “I’m out here before the chef?!”

Then, a grinning Bobby delivers his twist. “I asked you here as a judge, but what I really want you to do is cook.”

“This is why I had to switch things up,” Bobby begins. “Your relationship with Brooke is so tight, and you guys are always trying to figure out every single thing before it happens. This is what I have to go through because you two do not stop talking to each other.”

He continues, “Brooke is like, always trying to sort of get the edge before anybody else. But in my house, the pillow does not talk."

Chef Antonia isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. When Bobby asks if she’s up for the challenge, she doesn’t hesitate. “Of course I will cook,” she says. “I'm always up to throw down. Once a competitor, always a competitor.”

For Round 1, Bobby shares that the competing chefs have 45 minutes to make two distinctly different dishes using red peppers and provolone. When asked if she likes these ingredients, Antonia shares she loves provolone, but red bell peppers? Not so much.

She chooses to go head-to-head against Titan Michael Voltaggio, but when probed, she reveals there is no strategy behind her decision.

“I have no real plan, obviously. Like, I’m more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl.”

Bobby, the ever-gracious host, pops by Antonia’s station and spots her roasting her red peppers over the gas stove.

“You don’t roast your peppers in the oven?” he asks.

Her response?

“No, I roast my peppers on an open fire. OK, why are you messing with me?!”

She locks in and continues preparing her first dish. Naturally, Bobby returns for another check-in before the round ends, and Antonia doesn’t appreciate the pressure. “Bobby keeps coming over to my station, and he’s just, like, standing there,” she shares.

“You don’t like it when I come over and look at your food,” Bobby surmises with a (mischievous) smile.

“I hate it so much,” Antonia confirms. “I need you to move out of my station!”

After just 45 minutes, Chef Antonia transforms her red peppers and provolone into two flavor-packed dishes that nod to her Italian American roots. Her first? A Roasted Red Pepper Crostini With Charred Caciocavallo, and her second is a Meatball With Caciocavallo Fonduta With Roasted Pepper Sauce.

Titan Michael serves up a Smoked Provolone Frita With Red Pepper and Brown Butter Emulsion and a Red Pepper Provolone Ravioli With a Lamb and Red Pepper Bolognese.

Who better to judge Chef Antonia than a premier Italian cuisine expert?

“Our judge owns two hot spots in New York City,” Bobby begins. “With a culinary career spanning 20 years, he spent a third of it honing his skills with some of the finest Italian chefs like Massimo Bottura. One of his restaurants, Rezdôra, has one Michelin star, one of my favorite restaurants in New York, and he's been awarded No. 4 Best Italian Restaurant in the World by 50 Best Italy. Please welcome Stefano Secchi.”

Chef Stefano shares that he will look at three things when judging these dishes: seasoning, precision and presentation.

Chef Stefano awards Antonia 6 points. “I just think the crostini could have used work,” he explains.

Titan Michael receives 7 points. “I mean, mozzarella sticks and pepperoni puree. It’s what dreams are made of often,” Stefano says. “So that for me was spot on.”

Michael earns the Titans their first win of the night by just one point. But a win is a win!

Despite her loss, Chef Antonia feels confident entering Round 2. “The Titans have an advantage, obviously, because they do this all the time. But, yeah, I’m warmed up now.”

Bobby shares the two must-use ingredients for Round 2: bay scallops and yuzu.

Antonia selects Titan Ayesha Nurdjaja as her opponent and, turns out, this cook serves as a bit of a rematch between the two chefs.

“Antonia falsely called me to tell me to hang out, and all of a sudden I ended up on the set of Wildcard Kitchen,” Ayesha explains. “It did not go in my favor that day. There were three rounds of cooking and I got swept. So, I guess this is a little bit of a redemption round for me.”

Chef Antonia plates a Scallop Crudo With Yuzu Aioli, Serrano Yuzu Vinaigrette, Celery and Fennel for her first dish. Judge Stefano notes that he wishes the fennel was cut smaller, but overall found the dish well-balanced.

Antonia’s second dish is Risotto With Yuzu Brown Butter and Bay Scallops. “The scallops and brown butter is a fantastic combination,” Stefano begins. “Risotto is what we call in Italiano ‘stracotto,’ way overcooked.”

For her first dish, Ayesha serves Stefano a Scallop Crudo With Yuzu Pickled Turnips, Avocado, Fresno Chili and Candied Yuzu. “The scallops are incredible themselves, just enough heat with a Fresno, so you have the crispiness of yuzu. This is really well done.”

Her second dish is a Yuzu Butter Bay Scallop With Herb Israeli Couscous. With this dish, Stefano doesn’t love the unwiped plate but is left impressed by the food itself.

The winner for Round 2 is…

Titan Ayesha! Stefano awards her 8 points and Chef Antonia 6 points again. “The risotto, I feel so bad! But for me, it’s this thing that’s super important,” Stefano explains. “It just has to be done perfectly.”

Finally, we enter Round 3 and Antonia prepares to battle it out with her bestie, Titan Brooke.

“This is the hardest round yet,” Bobby says. “I think it’s very special seeing the two of you compete against each other.”

The chefs agree and throw hand-hearts at each other from their respective workstations before Antonia reveals the final two ingredients: ricotta and Campari tomatoes.

Brooke looks a bit deflated. “I don’t really cook Italian food, and that’s Antonia’s wheelhouse, so I do feel like she has a bit of an advantage.” She walks across the room and hugs Antonia and predicts her plans for the round. “You’re going to make cavatelli, aren’t you?”

“Just you wait, Brookie!” Antonia replies.

Turns out, "Brookie" was right! After a whirlwind final cook, mishaps like the pasta dough getting stuck in the cavatelli roller, Chef Antonia serves Stefano her final dish: Ricotta Cavatelli With Spicy Tomato Sauce.

“There's real technique here because you could find something like this in Southern Italia,” Stefano says. "There's nothing you can really fault about it.”

Nothing except, of course, tomato skin. “What I don’t love about Campari tomatoes are these things here, the skins, right? The sauce shouldn’t be grainy at all.”

Brooke hopes to bring the win home for the Titans with her final dish: Toasted Black Pepper Ricotta-Filled Agnolotti and Amatriciana Sauce With Shaved Pecorino.

Unfortunately, she may come up short. “All I'm getting is the heat from the Amatriciana. It's just overwhelming,” Stefano says. “This goes back again to the idea that pasta should be the star, and the condiment should be kind of in the background.”

Finally, Antonia and Brooke stand before Bobby and Stefano for the final scoring. Antonia entered Round 3 with 12 points, while the Titans entered with 15.

Judge Stefano scores Brooke first. “Alright, Brooke, for me, Amatriciana. It’s got to be perfect,” he begins. “There’s a lot of black pepper in the Amatriciana sauce. So, it wasn’t my favorite.”

He scores her final dish a 12 out of 20 points. This leaves the Titans’ final score at 27, and chef Antonia must earn 16 points to win.

Next, he turns to Antonia. But before he can score her, Antonia takes a moment to defend her dish.

“I know you didn't like the skin, but just so we're clear, I'm from, like, the hood part of Long Island, like that [sauce] was more like Long Island.”

Laughter erupts, and Stefano doubles down on his feedback. “It was something you would taste in Campania, Calabria, for sure.”

That said, he concurs, “The skin’s exactly right. That was my main complaint.”

In the end, he rewards her with 14 points — giving the Titans their first win of the season.