For Game 1, Guy sends the contestants out to create a taco night feast, except the store is out of tortillas and all ground meat. The chefs must resort to some clever measures. Lisa, the owner of a Mexican food company says, "I would never serve anything Mexican without a tortilla." Everyone ends up heading to the seafood section.
Nothing Can Stop Him
Jay serves up tilapia tacos with pickled watermelon and has butter-fried challah in place of tortillas. Unfortunately, halfway through the challenge he cut his finger and had to seek immediate medical attention. Even though he needed stitches, he put on a glove and kept going. The judges loved the challah idea, but the plating was a mess, as Richard pointed out.
Taking a Family Meal Angle
Justine, a line cook, makes fish taco bowls based on a dish she serves her family. She uses tortilla chips and chipotle beans to add Mexican flair, but the judges find her attempt lacking: "This is something that I would cook for my kids. But it doesn't feel like it's a taco," says Richard. Ultimately Justine checks out.
Seeing Lots of Potential
In Game 2, Guy tasks the chefs with making any kind of sandwich, but they must use ingredients from the frozen section. With a culinary advantage, Jay gets to pick one item from anywhere and chooses Sriracha, which the judges question. But Richard sees something in him. "Is Jay not the poster boy for what young cooks are about?" he asks the others.
Going with Unnecessary Extras
In Game 1, the judges praised David for including a cocktail with his dish. So for Game 2 he decides to plate up a dessert alongside his duck and blueberry waffle sandwich. Richard says, "Your cleverness got the best of you." And even though David cut the waffles into rounds, Beau says he thought they were "a little safe."
Unfulfilled Concept
Lisa had the same idea to use waffles as her sandwich bread, but her decision to make it a chicken and waffle sandwich falls flat. The chicken was frozen, which meant there was a risk it wouldn't be completely cooked through – and Beau happens to get that piece. Melissa likes the concept but feels "visually it looks exactly like a waffle." Lisa ends up checking out.
Experience vs. Youth
David and Jay go into Game 3, which will have them cooking their best seafood dish, but there's a catch: They can use only five or fewer items. "If I've ever seen a battle royale, it's now," says Guy. It's going to be a showdown, Melissa points out: "We've got sort of the classically trained chef against the tornado wildfire in the kitchen."
Going for Gold
David decides to make an udon noodle bowl with mussels and beer broth. Jay decides to do a scallop crudo, but then makes the brave move to do a duo and adds seared scallops to his concept. "I'm using strong ingredients," he says. "They're going to make five seem like 10."
A Game Full of Surprises
In the middle of Game 3, Guy rolls out his special sale rack that's stocked with ingredients the chefs might consider incorporating into their dishes. Jay chooses saffron and pancetta, even though he thinks pancetta might not work with scallops. David chooses ponzu sauce and garlic to add to his noodles.
Crazy Creativity
Jay dots the plate with his saffron oil and tops the scallops with fried pancetta. He's made a white wine vinaigrette for the raw crudo, but finishes it with more lemon juice. Beau finds it "extremely sophisticated" but still thinks it could have used more acid. Richard surprises Jay by saying, "I hate scallop crudo" but then loves his dish.
Making the Cut
Jay makes it to the Super Shopping Spree. Guy tells him and David, "Both of you played the creativity to the A-level." The judges decided David's dish would have worked better if he would have served the mussels and noodles together, which is why he had to check out.
Paying It Forward
Going into the shopping spree Jay said, "I'm pretty confident that I cannot find most of this stuff in two minutes." However, in the end he found six out of the 10 items, earning $12,000, which he plans to use toward his Boston pop-up restaurant, Whisk, where he also trains culinary students.
More Guy's Grocery Games
For more behind-the-scenes content, videos and photo galleries, visit the Guy's Grocery Games page.
