Food Network Star, Season 13: Top Moments of Episode 6

Relive the best moments of Week 6, and go on set with Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis and the finalists.

Episode: Summer Party Playoffs

Photo By: Eddy Chen

Welcome to Midterms

It's midterms in Food Star Kitchen, and instead of a written test, Bobby and Giada dish out a potato challenge. The key here is creating what Bobby calls a "very personal" dish before taking to the demo stage for a one-minute presentation.

Timing Woes

Though Rusty's potato cake "is really a beautiful dish," Bobby says, his presentation is seriously lacking — he left a whopping 10 seconds of dead air after introducing his plate. "Awkward," he admits.

A Sweet Showing

Both Cory and Jason opt to work with sweet potatoes — Jason in a Kentucky-inspired dish with his go-to trinity of bacon, bourbon and butter, and Cory in a hash with pork. Their presentations are similar too in that they both received a few critiques, but the reasons why are different. For Cory, he's still not smiling very much, while Jason gets notes on his crutch liners. "You have all these sayings that you use," Bobby tells him. "They're going to sound hollow."

Hits and Misses

"This is one of the best things you've made," Bobby proclaims of David's mussel curry. The problem? "I would say this is not a potato dish. This is a seafood dish," Giada notes.

Making Strides

Amy wins the Mentor Challenge this week after Bobby deems her to be "most improved" in her presentation. "We actually could follow your story," he notes. Her potato-steak salad wows the judges too, as Giada says, "I like the idea a lot." Amy's advantage lets her choose which summer party theme she and her competitors will work with come the Star Challenge.

Summer Social

No matter his earlier struggles, Rusty gives an undeniably strong performance at his garden party with the mentors and guest judge Tiffani Thiessen. "He exudes that energy," Tiffani says. Plus, his garden-inspired offering of pea hummus and olive dirt is a runaway hit. "He embraced it," Bobby admits. Ultimately Rusty's deemed a top performer this week.

The Real Matthew

Matthew too brought his A game to his soiree, a pool party complete with ceviche. According to Tiffani, "He was extremely personable and fun." Plus, Bobby is impressed by Matthew's ceviche, as the judge proclaims, "He has inspired me to make ceviche by the pool this summer."

A Serious Setback

For Amy, the success she enjoyed in the Mentor Challenge doesn't last into her picnic in the park, as she comes across "really shy," Giada says. The mentors are forced to continuously ask her questions in order to glean more information out of her brief conversation, and they wish she'd open up more.

Same Mistakes

Perhaps the biggest miss of all, however, came from Addie. Like in weeks past, she seems disengaged. "I wanted a little more excitement," Tiffani tells Bobby and Giada of Addie's performance. Though the mentors admit that Addie's idea to skewer her crab boil ingredients is indeed creative, they fault her for a lackluster presentation, and it's enough to land her in the bottom.

Same Mistakes

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