Food Network Star, Season 11: Top Moments of Episode 4

Get an inside look at the finalists' challenges and relive memorable moments from the fourth episode of Food Network Star, Season 11.

A Patriotic Party

It's just days away from the 4th of July and the finalists are getting in the patriotic spirit with an all-American cookout — and a little friendly competition. They'll work in teams of three to create party-ready bites for a crowd, but before they get started, they'll have just 30 minutes to shop for groceries and only $750 per team to spend.

Every Dollar Counts

Arnold plans to buy 40 pounds of beef for his curry, but his meat alone costs $250, more than his team can afford to spend. It's all up to Eddie as he sprints through the aisles, back to the meat counter to return some of the beef so the guys can stay under budget and check out within 30 minutes. "If he doesn't get back in the next minute, I'm going to have nothing to cook with," Arnold says, though the former NFL'er indeed makes it back in time.

Uneasy and Unsure

"After all these evaluations, I second-guess every choice I make," Rosa says as she looks ahead to the challenge. Even as she's shopping, she's unsure of what she wants to cook, until teammate Michelle helps her decide on chicken Parmesan. "That's what I would want at a picnic," admits Rosa.

Goodbye, Ideal Ingredients

In true Food Network Star fashion, nothing is as simple as it seems. Just when the finalists arrive at Pasadena's Will Rogers State Park for their 60-minute cook time, the mentors throw them a culinary curve ball. They'll switch ingredients and be forced to cook with other teams' goods. "Whoever got my bags got, like, a gift from heaven," Dom says, frustrated that he's had to give up his bounty of rib eyes.

Jay vs. Okra, Again

For the second week in a row, Jay sets off to make an okra offering, and after last week's gumbo flop, there's a lot riding on a successfully execution this time. "The stewed okra is something that I've eaten a hundred times back in Louisiana," Jay says of today's side dish, which he's serving with what were originally Dom's rib eyes.

The. Dials. Are. Back.

Special guest Bobby Deen is on hand this week to judge the cookout, and he, Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis introduce the finalists to the now-infamous audience-polling device. Bobby F. calls the machines "The Dials of Doom." To Emilia, simply, "It's terrifying," she says. The devices record the guests' "real-time reactions," according to Bobby F., so there's no room for error on stage.

A Sandwich Flop

Thanks to the last-minute ingredient swap, Rosa finds herself working with portobellos, and once again, she's conflicted about how to proceed. "Is a grilled portobello mushroom on a sandwich enough to win the judges over?" she wonders. Perhaps it would have been, but her offering in particular falls short, as Giada explains: "There's no finesse, knowledge — again. It's technique again."

Supply and Demand

Although the line at the White Team's table is long, guests get frustrated when they're forced to wait for Michelle to keep up with demand, and several diners head to the other booths. Michelle's making her chicken skewers as the orders come in, which has contributed to the long waits and led to the inconsistently cooked meat. "We got anywhere from raw to completely charred and burnt," Bobby F. tells her.

A Mixed Presentation

"She is very articulate and has a great story to share," Arnold says of Emilia's presentation. Sure enough, the crowd agrees, as she receives high ratings on the dials. The judges, however, take issue with Emilia's tandoori-inspired chicken, since it's lacking in boldness. "I want more flavor from the tandoori chicken," notes Bobby F.

Selling Shrimp

Like Emilia, Arnold wows the crowd with his performance, as Alex explains, "He knows how to deliver information in a way that's entertaining and fun." It's his shrimp, however, that need work, as the Committee notes that they're raw. According to Bobby F., "To cook a shrimp like this is, like, the easiest thing in the world to do."

Language Barrier

Although Alex later tells the judges that what he's prepared is "a fried chicken sandwich basically," when he describes it on stage, he uses uncommon Japanese terms and ingredients, alienating the dish from the audience. Nevertheless, Bobby F. says after tasting, "This is my favorite dish so far."

Slowing Service

It's up to the guests to decide which team's food they want to taste, as each guest has only one token to give away. "They're not being enticed by us anymore," Rue says to her teammates after the initial few guests stop by their table, and then they're faced with no customers. Ultimately they collect only 16 tokens, which lands them in third place.

Running Away from Stardom?

It's no secret that Dom has struggled with the spotlight, and sure enough, he simply walks off stage immediately after he speaks so as to further avoid the attention. "If you have a 30-minute television show, you can't make it 15 just because you're not comfortable in front of the camera," Bobby D. says to the mentors. Dom's placed among the bottom-three this week, along with Rosa and Michelle.

On the Clock

Since Alex spends most of the Blue Team's time chatting about his chicken, Eddie's forced to cut him off with just a few seconds left. The Committee, though, is more concerned about Eddie's dip in performance. "I'm feeling that I'm missing the Eddie I met in the beginning," Giada says. Nevertheless, the Blue Team receives the most tokens — 35, just three more than the White Team — so the guys are safe.

Tell Us More

"What are we cooking, and what is the story?" Bobby F. asks simply of Rue at evaluation, explaining that they need her to demonstrate her expertise on southern African cooking. Simply put, she responds, "I will definitely do that." And she's safe from elimination.

Rosa's Exit

"She can be funny; she's got some great stories and she really does connect," Giada says of Rosa, though she and Giada question Rosa's cooking chops so much so that she's ultimately sent home. "My family will always be proud of me," Rosa says of her inspiration for coming on the show, in a teary goodbye.

Photos: Star Scrapbook: Rosa Graziano

One-on-One with Rosa

Hear from Rosa in her first exclusive exit interview for her thoughts on the contest, and find out what's next for her.

A Second Chance at Stardom

Though Rosa's been eliminated there's a chance she could rejoin the competition. She and the first three eliminated rivals, Christina, Matthew and Sita, are off to battle in Star Salvation, a six-week Web-exclusive contest hosted by Alex Guarnaschelli and Jeff Mauro. At the end of the journey, one finalist will be allowed back into the Food Network Star race.