Bobby welcomes "the elite eight" finalists to Knott's Berry Farm, a famed all-American amusement park, for their first-ever live demo. The key to this performance will be showing "a personal way that you're connected to that dish," Alton tells the rivals, who have one hour to prepare their July 4th-focused feast and three minutes to present it.
Spotlight On: Texas
No longer the fans' "date night buddy," Sarah changes her point of view to focus on her home state of Texas. She's making burgers and pasta salad, and she proclaims, "No one does 4th of July like Texas." For added Southwestern flair, she incorporates green chiles into her burger, but Bobby finds the finished product more akin to "meatloaf" than a hamburger.
Professional Performer
No stranger to the stage, Lenny's a musician who's well versed in entertaining a crowd. On stage at Knott's, his presentation is engaging, according to Alton, but his culinary demonstration falls short when he forgets to set aside unfinished fish for teaching and must resort to a simple how-to of cubing avocados. "There was a lot more know-how on that plate," Alton explains to him.
Delicate Balance
"I want to be really, really loud and big, but not overly acted," Emma proclaims of her goals for the challenge. She manages to pull off this feat by being "happy and enthusiastic," according to one audience member, although her food disappoints the judges on account of too-mushy crab cakes and what Alton calls "bad slaw."
A Laughing Matter
Despite telling the mentors a touching story about his American pride, Chris admits, "I'm thinking I need to maybe be funny instead," and he impersonates President Obama on stage, much to the amusement of the crowd. The mentors laugh, as well, but they're not smiling about what Giada considers to be his "flavorless Alfredo" in place of macaroni and cheese, or the rest of his presentation, which fails to connect to his point of view.
A Different Shore
Nicole furthers her idea of "coastal cuisine" by making pork kebabs inspired by tacos al pastor, commonly found on the Mexican coast. Although Giada notices Nicole "having fun," the latter focuses on the New Jersey shore, which doesn't relate to her dish. "I totally forgot to tie my dish to the coast of Mexico," Nicole admits.
Butcher-Friendly Menu
"I'm about to blow this competition up," Loreal the butcher says excitedly, happy to be cooking steak and potato salad. She successfully marries her point of view with the whats and whys of the beef and salad, but as for the dish, the mentors want more. "If she's going to be the Butcher Babe, she needs to have recipes that are going to bring flavor to people's plate," Bobby tells his fellow judges.
Waiting to Teach
Because Christopher is from New Orleans, a dish assignment of shrimp plus corn and tomato salad fits right into his point of view. Despite his confidence in his cooking chops, he severely struggles on stage, waiting almost two minutes to begin demoing. "Something's gone wrong," Alton says, before he and the mentors deem Christopher one of the least-successful finalists this week.
Mixed Results
"I must enunciate all my words and speak slowly," Reuben notes, and indeed he manages to wow with a well-paced presentation. He disappoints the mentors, however, when he apologizes for speaking Spanish, and his food, too, is weak; Giada says his fried chicken is "inconsistent" and his bean salad bland. Ultimately, he's named one of the bottom two performers this week.
Back from Behind
After a bottom finish last week, Lenny rebounds with a winning performance, and both he and Loreal are deemed the most-successful finalists this week, safe from elimination.
Christopher's End
After five weeks of competition, Christopher's let go from the contest, despite his strong cooking abilities, as Giada explains, "Because this was a live demo, we had to look at who actually demoed something." Reflecting on his journey, Christopher says, "I really took this opportunity to try to come out of my shell, to grow." He adds: "I got far. I almost got halfway. It's nothing to hang your head about."
Christopher joins Luca and fan-favorite Chad in the latest episode of Star Salvation for a chance to re-enter the competition. Watch the Web series now.
