Sabotaging starts quickly in the premiere round of the Superstar Sabotage tournament, as Michael wins both of the challenges auctioned off during the salmon dinner round. For the swap-and-assign, he saddles chefs Susan, Aarti and Jeff with canned salmon, a salmon carcass and salmon jerky, respectively.
Head in the Game
It's a good thing that Chef Aarti's salmon carcass still retains the meat on the head of the fish because it allows her to harvest portions of meat for her dishes. "The fillets aren't the prettiest; I could have maybe been a little more delicate in cutting them," Chef Aarti notes.
Uphill Competition
Although Chef Jeff is initially working with salmon jerky, he and Susan swap stations, and he's later tasked with something even more cumbersome: cooking while walking on a treadmill. He finishes Susan's dish with canned salmon as his own and even manages to crack a joke: "My hammies. They're seizing up."
Missing the Star
Antonia, the judge of the day, is quick to note of Chef Susan's salmon-jerky salad, "The flavors are outstanding." Unfortunately, however, the flavors of seafood are lost, and the judge has no choice but to send Chef Susan home. "I was sort of caught off guard by boiling the jerky," Chef Susan explains of her downfall.
Critical Minute
Round 2 finds the chefs tasked with making kung pao chicken, and while Chef Aarti and Chef Jeff manage to grab what they need, Chef Michael forgets to grab a key ingredient: chicken. "It doesn't look too good," Chef Michael admits of his situation.
Wrongful Chicken Challenge
Despite Chef Jeff's best efforts to force Chef Michael to spend big on a chance at chicken, it's Chef Jeff who wins the sabotage, and it ultimately means that Chef Aarti is cooking with a whole canned chicken. "On the upside, it's cooked," she says. "It's slimy as all get-out, but at least it's tender."
Inverted Vessel
While a wok may be ideal for cooking kung pao chicken, that's not the case when the pan is upside-down, which is what Chef Jeff must contend with after Chef Aarti wins the sabotage at auction. "I'm going to build a vessel of meat so to contain the peanuts," Chef Jeff says.
Meatless Menu
"Going to be using mushrooms as my protein," notes Chef Michael, unable to win a sabotage that would gift him meat. "I want them to sort of look like chicken." He presents Antonia with stir-fry, and although she wishes there were peanuts present, she tells him, "I love the fact that you used the mushrooms."
Peanut Problems
"I think you have a really beautifully balanced dish," Antonia tells Chef Jeff, although she misses the "nuttiness" that fully toasted peanuts offer, and it's ultimately enough to send him home. "I got an upside-down wok, and that is not an easy challenge," Chef Jeff says reflecting on the contest.
Slow Toasting
It's one sabotage apiece in the third and final round, a test to make French toast, and Chef Aarti is forced to cook her savory take on the dish in a conveyer toaster. "The bread moves through it so slowly," she notes.
French 2.0
For Chef Michael, it's a play on the word "French" that befalls him, as he's forced to use the bread atop French onion soup. He burns a few slices in the oven, but there's enough to present to Antonia, who's wowed by his offering with fried banana. "I actually have to restrain myself from eating this entire thing," she tells him.
Risk Rewarded
Chef Aarti chooses to work with the bold flavors of ginger and curry in her savory French toast, and the offering is a wild success. "This is a dish that I will never forget," Antonia tells her after announcing that Chef Aarti has won the first heat.
