The Most-Memorable Moments from Clash of the Grandmas

These grannies may look innocent, but when forced to face off in the kitchen, they don't shy away from showing their competitive streaks.

More Is More

"I am putting the kitchen sink in my pizza," Grandma Karen said of her plan to use a plethora of ingredients — including peppers, chili paste, olives and salami — in her pizza. Despite the seeming overload of flavors, she managed to pull off an impressive pizza, as judge Sharone Hakman said, "You got a standup fist pump from me."

Edible Art

There's no doubt that Grandma Genevieve's sculpted zucchini was a masterpiece — judge Aarti Sequeira went so far as to take a snapshot of it. But it turns out that may have inadvertently been her downfall in the first clash, after the panel took issue with the flavors in her Thai-inspired pizza. "Breaks my heart to say this: I wonder if you had spent a little less time on your beautiful flowers and a little more time on tasting as you were going, then maybe it would have been a bit more of a balanced dish," Aarti told her.

Mission: Black Beans

With mere moments left in the second round, Claudine searched frantically for three little black beans, one to top each of her paella-inspired Hawaiian-Mexican mash-up dishes. And thanks to her fellow competitor, she managed to complete her dish as she hoped. "Come get three black beans out of here, darling," Granny Ally told her.

Ingredient Flop

Though Grandma Karen wasn't shy about packing her dishes with plenty of ingredients, in her joint Hawaiian-Mexican stuffed tortilla in Round 2, she forgot a critical one: cheese. "It is difficult to make sense of these two cultures without some sort of through line through the whole thing, and that would have been some cheese," explained Aarti, and ultimately the misstep cost Karen the contest.

Special Delivery

Granny Ally had her eyes on Sharone throughout the contest, so it was only fitting that in Round 3 she said, "Sharone, this dessert is really for you." Both she and the judge are Eastern European, so her daiquiri-inspired strukli, a Croatian dessert, was especially meaningful to her.

Time to Spare

Once she moved her apple cake to the oven to bake, Granny Claudine found herself with time on her hands. "I'm doing the dishes just for the fun of it," she said, taking her spot at the sink to rinse her utensils. But minutes later, after she presented her dish to the judges, she learned her old-school cake, which Sharone deemed "the ultimate rustic dessert," was strong enough to earn her the win and the coveted $10,000 prize.

A Scary-Good Granny

"The best part of being a grandma is playing monsters," Grandma Joan said. And while Cameron Mathison isn't her grandson, she was quick to unleash her monster effect on him, raising her arms and rawr-ing at the stunned host.

Plan B Means Green Beans

"I'm looking for it everywhere," Granny Neera said of her search for broccoli, which was a required ingredient in the first clash. "What will I do?" Her solution was to simply skip the broccoli altogether and instead pick up green beans. "At least something will be there crunchy," she said. "It is a risk, but … I will have to do it, since the time is running out," she admitted. Ultimately, though, her risk didn't pay off, and the judges sent her home first this week.

Overcoming Personal Obstacles

For Grandma Veronica, the mandate to use grits in the second clash was going to be a problem. "I absolutely hate grits," she declared. But in true competitor fashion, she didn't let her individual taste stop her from turning them into a palatable dish, and she worked on transforming them. "Polenta is just a glorified grit, so I'm thinking that I'm topping the grits with a really delicate and spicy marinara sauce, which I think is going to be completely unexpected," she said. And, indeed, the judges were pleased with what the sauce added. As Jamika Pessoa told her, "Mixing the sauce in with the grits — it almost turned [it in]to a polenta for me. That's the genius part of this."

Time Woes

Time wasn't on Veronica's side in the third and final clash as she raced to finish her secretly savory sweet potato-bacon tarts. But just as she prepared to put her tarts in the oven, she realized there was one tool that might save her: the convection oven. Though she was unaccustomed to the oven, she pressed her luck nonetheless, saying, "It is what it is. I'll go with it." Though she managed to finish the plate in time, she ultimately couldn't keep the judges from feeling that her dish leaned more sweet than savory.

A Meaningful Victory

"It's not about the money. It's about something that I've never done before," Grandma Dale said as she worked on her savory cupcake offering. Despite her unfamiliarity with this kind of dough, she persevered through the final clash and managed to plate a savory, cupcake-inspired, shrimp-topped dish — one that earned her the win after all. As she claimed victory with that plate, in an emotional moment, she told the judges, "This is just Dale conquering herself."

Prepared for Anything

When Grandma Guenevere walked into the Clash of the Grandmas kitchen, little could we have imagined that she was bringing more than just her apron and culinary skills. It wasn't long into the first battle when she unexpectedly pulled items out of her bra, including a small bottle of lavender-scented oil, which she said is how she stays calm. Later she even broke out a personal fan to help her cool down.

Last-Minute Mayhem

Each of the grandmas had different ways of approaching the challenge to prepare one of their two appetizer dishes with a clothes iron, but both Maria and Lesa found themselves scrambling to finish their dishes in the final minutes of the first round. After devoting so much time to her bruschetta, Grandma Lesa admitted that she was forced to settle. "For my second appetizer, I don't think I have time for anything creative and artistic," she said, deciding on goat cheese-stuffed lettuce cups. But the judges weren't wowed by them, and ultimately Lesa was sent home.

New Plan

"I don't know how the hell I'm going to manage this one," Grandma Rachelle said as she considered the au jus for her filet mignon entree. With only 30 minutes on the clock, she was forced to get creative in her approach — and it's a good thing she did. "The au jus that you have here is the perfect balance to accompany the steak," judge Eddie Jackson told her.

Lessons Not Learned

"I should have cooked Portuguese food," said Grandma Maria after the first clash, as Eddie had questioned her offering of peppers and prosciutto instead of what she said is the more customary mash-up of cantaloupe and prosciutto. But it appears Maria didn't learn her lesson even after the second round, as she noted something similar after that battle as well. "I should have cooked a Portuguese dish. It's stupid of me," she admitted. Unfortunately for her, the panel members weren't pleased with her seemingly oddball placement of cranberry sauce, and she was send home.

A Quick Sip

Rum was among the items both grandmas were to showcase in their Round 3 dessert offerings, as they were tasked with utilizing fruitcake ingredients in an all-new way. "I like rum. We can't drink any?" Grandma Guenevere asked her rival Rachelle, who responded, "Nope." But ultimately that didn't stop Guenevere, who, not long after that conversation, treated herself to a capful of the liquor. "Bottoms up!" she exclaimed as she prepared to take a swig.

Saved by a Competitor

Despite it being a clash, Grandma Guenevere came to the rescue of Rachelle when the former noticed that her competitor was set to use a bottle of orange liqueur instead of the all-important rum. "I'm very happy I waited to put rum in the tiramisu custard," noted Rachelle.

Christmas Joy

"Grandmas, the judges all agree you took that challenge and you both knocked it out of the park," host Cameron praised the top-two grannies as they awaited word of the victor. Despite Grandma Guenevere's impressive spiked pie, it was Rachelle who claimed the coveted $10,000 prize. "My grandkids are, are going to just freak out," Rachelle said afterward.

Better Together

It was just last week that the three grannies in Round 2 were shocked at the sight of their husbands in the kitchen. This week, all four grandmas experienced similar surprise when their kids showed up in Round 1. They all managed to work well together, though, with the grandmas even heeding their kids’ suggestions along the way. "Oh! That's a good idea," Grandma Saba told Myrna, her daughter-in-law, who thought of spicing up her pot pie pastry with za'atar.

Who's in Charge?

"No, please! Stop the clock," yelled Grandma Blanca to Cameron at the end of the first clash. She was in serious danger of running out of time and wasn't pleased that the host was set on continuing. "Don't you argue with Nana!" she said. Blanca ultimately managed to wrap up just as the clock ran out, though she didn't make it into the second clash.

Turning the Tables on Grandma

In the second clash, the remaining three grandmas heard from their grandchildren in too-cute video messages — but the little ones weren't there to just say hi. Instead, the kids asked their grannies to make dishes starring their favorite colors: purple, yellow and orange. And let's just say the results were colorful, especially after Cameron added the twist of a brunch mandate. "I'm hoping that these suckers macerate, because red and blue make purple," Grandma Sandy noted as she filled up bowls with raspberries and blueberries. Unfortunately for her, though, the second clash proved to be her last.

In Good Harmony

Cameron put Mama Pain, the mom of famed rapper T-Pain, on the spot when he asked her to imagine a T-Pain rap about her PB&J-inspired dessert. She quickly responded with an impromptu beat: "We got a graham-cracker crust, with a coconut taste, with the strawberries on top," she said, breaking it down at her station.

Fighting the Phyllo Woes

With just minutes left to cook in the third and final clash, Grandma Saba found herself in the ultimate predicament: back-to-back struggles with persnickety dough, first phyllo and then wonton wrappers. In a last-ditch effort, she managed to finagle the phyllo enough to work — barely — in her baklava take on PB&J, but ultimately judge Sharone Hakman deemed it "underbaked."

A Singing Victory

"My son T-Pain, he's not the only star in the family anymore," Mama Pain proclaimed after she earned the win and the coveted $10,000 prize. Judge Aarti Sequeira was smitten with her approach to her PB&J dessert, which included Caribbean flavors. "I also love that you gave us 'a peanut butter and jelly sandwich' as they might eat it in the Bahamas — you know, with a little bit of the coconut, a little bit of the allspice," the judge told her.

Trendy Language ... Kind Of

Tasked with embracing the trend of hand-held eats, Grandma Barbara admitted: "I think I'm very, very trendy. I'm not real big into rap, but sometimes I yell 'holla.'" And indeed she dropped that word more than five times during her time in the competition.

When Grandpa Joins the Party

In Round 2, nothing could have prepared the grandmothers for seeing their husbands walk into the kitchen after host Cameron introduced "top-notch sous chefs." Grandma Barbara was so surprised that she simply shrieked at the unveiling.

Watch: Clash of the Grandmas Highlights

Grandpa "Grumpy"

"My grandchildren call George 'Grumpy,'" Barbara admitted of her husband, who struggled to find his rhythm in the kitchen after Barbara tasked him with simple chores, like grabbing items from the pantry. "Mustard! Let's go. Grainy mustard. C'mon," Barbara shouted at him from her station, urging George on as he browsed the shelves.

Better Together

While working with their husbands proved tricky for Barbara and Rebecka, whose spouse, Blake, isn't a fan of her adventurous cooking, Grandma Robin seemed smitten to have her new husband, Robert, alongside her. "Robert is very good at this already, because he knows to read my face and see what it is that I might need," she explained. Unfortunately for her, though, her English-inspired take on a meatloaf wasn't well-received by the panel, and she was sent home.

Introduction to Liquid Nitrogen

In Round 3, both Rebecka and Barbara admitted to having never worked with liquid nitrogen, but that didn't stop them from rising to the challenge when tasked with making homemade ice cream sandwiches. "I want to watch Rebecka use the liquid nitrogen first, because I don't want to make a mistake," Barbara admitted. Her plan proved beneficial, as she learned from Rebecka that adding too much of the product can turn the ice cream nearly rock-hard. Barbara managed to give the judges a basil-laced ice cream that impressed them. "The ice cream with the goat cheese is so super creamy," Jamika told her.

The Sweet Taste of Personal Victory

"When I'd had made this cookie at home, my family thought I was nuts, and so I haven't made it in three years," Rebecka explained of the spiced cookies she was prepping for her final-round dessert. Unlike her family members, though, the judges were downright floored by these treats, so much so that judge Brandi Milloy noted, "This really is dancing in my mouth." Ultimately Rebecka's offering was strong enough to afford her the win, and she claimed the coveted $10,000 prize.

Impromptu Exercise

Even while facing the trying test of converting stuffing ingredients into a non-stuffing side dish, Grandma Noemi found time to battle host Cameron Mathison in a pushup showdown, right in the middle of the kitchen. Bonus: She won, outperforming Cameron, who admitted defeat by saying, "I'm walking away."

Watch: Clash of the Grandmas Highlights

Win Wine, Lose Wine

Boo was disappointed when she realized she had forgotten the wine in her crab-focused side dish. Her rival Tanya saw Boo's realization unfold, and it convinced her to add a splash of white wine to her own dish — from Boo's bottle, no less. "Thank you very much, Boo," Tanya joked later.

A Purposeful Hush

In Round 2, Grandma Sherri told Boo, "I'm making a secret turkey Thanksgiving dinner," and she was indeed set on keeping her plans under wraps. "My secret ingredient is truffle butter," she explained. "I can't tell her my secret ingredient, because I don't want her saying, 'Hey, can I use some of that?' No. That's mine."

Attempts Aplenty

With limited time to cook, Grandma Tanya found herself working until the last possible moments in Round 2, after she wasted precious time in the beginning decided what to prepare. It was only after she considered several dishes, including a mashed potato-laced tomato sauce that she ultimately tossed, that she landed on a primavera-inspired pasta studded with sausage.

Wine Woes

Remember how we mentioned that Grandma Boo forgot the wine in her Round 1 crab offering? The same fate befell her in Round 2, as she once again failed to incorporate it into her dish, this time a sausage-pepper pasta. "I think my problem with forgetting ingredients is normally I have a drink in my hand when I'm cooking, so I would always have that wine right there," Boo explained of where she went wrong.

Eddie: Chef, Judge and Singer

"Bring me that pie pop," judge Eddie Jackson sang in the softest pitch as Tanya walked her pie-pop presentation over to the panel members' table. Trust us, Eddie: We get just as excited about the dessert course.

Tanya Takes the Win

Though her third-round rival, Sherri, created a sweet potato-filled pie pop that Eddie called "the best thing I had all day," ultimately it was Tanya who earned the $10,000, as her pops were not only flavorful but also firmly planted on the sticks. "I'm overwhelmed with emotion — excitement and exhilaration. I'm just humbled," Tanya said after claiming victory in the hard-fought battle.