In this second round of Chopped Tournament of Stars, Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off alums enter the heat of the competition. Coolio, Carnie Wilson, Penn Jillette and Lou Diamond Phillips are back to show off what they've got, all in an effort to gain a spot in the finale for a chance to walk away with the title and $50,000 for charity.
Appetizer Round
The ingredients consist of beef tongue, candied citron, Chinese broccoli and microwaveable chocolate cake.
When Mistakes Get Made
Carnie immediately goes to get more ingredients, using a bowl to gather them up for her stir-crazy tongue fry. As time goes on she gets more and more frazzled. Unlike on Rachael vs. Guy, there's no one to help guide you in the kitchen. "Being on Chopped is way more intimidating than a crowd of 100,000 people," she says. The judges loved the flavors, but, unfortunately, Chris found a piece of butter wrapper.
You Can Taste the Overcompensation
Penn thinks of himself as "the least skilled, the least experienced" of the bunch, so he's pulling out all the stops by making gnocchi out of the chocolate cake. He plates the dumplings and tops them with the tongue, which he warmed in copious amounts of butter. He finishes with a generous dusting of cayenne. Maneet finds the butter is "drowning everything" and the cayenne "overtakes the entire plate."
Managing Expectations
Lou decides to make Cognac pate with the tongue. Going into the challenge as the only winner of Rachael vs. Guy among the four, he believes there are certain expectations for him to meet. But he says, "[My] biggest expectation comes from myself." Maneet praises the different textures of his dish. And Chris likes the pate idea, but he thinks there's a disconnect between it and the broccoli on the side.
Seeking Redemption
Coming in second place to Lou in Season 1 of Rachael vs. Guy, Coolio is seeking vengeance. "I know for a fact my flavors were much, much better than his," he says. He decides to make a Thai beef and broccoli with peanut sauce to show off his skills. Maneet can't get over the amount of peanut butter he used. But Coolio may have ruined any chances, even slim, by squeezing lemon over his dish after time was called.
Who's Chopped?
"I would expect a little sleight of hand from Penn, but from Coolio?" says Chris. Marc thought Carnie put the best dish forward — except for the butter wrapper, Chris points outs. Maneet loved Lou's pate crostini, but she found the dish lacked harmony. Chris was impressed Penn made dumplings in 20 minutes. Ultimately the judges chop Coolio for cheating. "It didn't help anyway," says Coolio. "I should have ate the lemon."
Entree Round
The ingredients consist of buffalo hanger steak, watermelon cucumbers, ranch dip and pizza.
Committing Sins on Chopped
Lou works on tomatoes for his pizza romesco sauce to go with the steak. The judges notice he hasn't touched the ranch dip, spending all his time slicing cucumbers. In the final seconds, he tries to open the jar but runs out of time. "I have committed one of the cardinal sins," he says, "something I promised myself I wouldn't do." Chris dings Lou for his poor time management, but calls his steak "one of the best."
Finding the Key to Flavor
"Food has always been a vice and ... a love," says Carnie, so she learned how to cook without sacrificing flavor. She ingeniously marinates the steak in ranch. Ted wonders what she might do with the cucumbers. But after trying them, Carnie decides to use them only as garnish. Upon tasting Carnie's dish, Maneet and Marc point out she didn't handle the steak correctly, slicing it before letting it rest, which made it dry.
Where Do Your Priorities Lie?
"I made it through Round 1 by the skin of my teeth," says Penn, but this time he feels better about cooking steak. He makes a pesto using the cucumber, pizza topping and ranch. Amid the chaos, Penn still finds some time to eat but ignores his steak cooking away on the stove. The judges love the pesto, but they can't forgive him for overcooking the steak; they send the dish to the Chopping Block.
Dessert Round
The ingredients consist of peanut-caramel-chocolate bars, Chinese five-spice powder, coconut milk and banana chips.
Dessert of the Day
"I'm thinking, hands down, bread pudding," says Carnie on seeing the basket ingredients. Dessert is her forte: "There's no compromising here. It has to be just right," she says on making sure the dish is perfect from flavor to presentation. She plates the bread pudding and serves it with coconut sauce made with the candy bars. Marc finds her whipped cream is overdone, but otherwise the judges think it's her best dish.
For Consistency's Sake
Going up against Carnie, who considers dessert her forte, Lou's pulling out all the stops by making shortbread, ice cream and curd. But after time is called he realizes he forgot to use an ingredient again, the candy bars. "At least I'm consistent!" he says. Chris calls it a "high-concept dessert." Marc thinks Lou would have done better if he pulled back: "You reached for the stars and you did too much."
Round 2 Champion
Ultimately the judges find Lou made two "critical mistakes" that cost him the win, and therefore Carnie is the winner. "I'm proud of myself," she says, telling the judges: "These tears are a lifetime of ... a love-hate relationship with food." Carnie will go onto the finale to compete for $50,000 for her charity, Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America.
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