For their first challenge, the contestants had to make an international dish, and they had to do it with five items or fewer. Both Celeste and Eric decided to make stir-fries and chose shortcut ingredients, Celeste going for frozen mixed vegetables and Eric choosing bottled stir-fry sauce. But whose choice would prove to be better?
Veggie Variety
Celeste used chicken thighs, seasoned with the spice packet from ramen soup in her stir-fry, and included the noodles tossed with the frozen vegetables. Catherine said, "My kids would go bananas for this." But Marcela thought the frozen vegetables were a miss: "I would have preferred you to stick to one perfectly cooked vegetable."
The Key to Heightening Flavor
In the end the judges were more impressed with Eric's stir-fry than Celeste's. He doctored up the sauce and it didn't seem bottled at all. Celeste went to the checkout lane, Beau saying to her: "Your ultimate downfall was choosing ingredients that brought no flavor to the dish."
Campfire Creations Gone Wrong
For Game 2, the contestants had to make their best dish using items from only the cereal and snack aisle. Chris made s'mores using a caramel-chocolate bar, marshmallows and toaster treats, but his creation let down the judges: "You had me at hello, and then I put my spoon into it, and I wanted to cry. It's just so sweet to the point of choking it all back," says Catherine.
Simple Steak and Potatoes?
Chris ultimately checks out, leaving Eric and Jill as the final two contestants to move onto the final game. They're told they'll have to cook a steak and potatoes dish, but Guy has got some tricks up his sleeve.
Great Minds Think Alike
As Chris and Jill race to get their ingredients, they realize something's up. Guy announces that the supermarket happens to be out of steak and potatoes. "Welcome to the international house of panic," says Guy. Both Eric and Jill have the same idea and grab sausage and boxed mashed potatoes.
Hiding the Surprise
Even though Jill is using the same exact ingredients as Eric, she chooses to use puff pastry to hold everything, calling it Mama's Meat and Potatoes Pockets. Her dish doesn't come out as pretty as it could have been, but the judges consider that she "did the best with what [she was] able to pull," says Catherine.
Prettying the Presentation
Eric prepares his sausage with onions and peppers, and mashed potatoes made with cilantro. Catherine loves the presentation: "When this was put in front of me, I thought, he brought it." But Beau disagrees about the potatoes. Eric ends up checking out, which means Jill will go onto the Super Shopping Spree.
Paying It Forward
Jill races through the market and manages to bag six out of the 10 items on the shopping list, making $16,000. Jill, a mom and food blogger from Seattle, hopes to share a portion of her win with Seattle's Union Gospel Mission.
More Guy's Grocery Games
For more behind-the-scenes content, videos and photo galleries, visit the Guy's Grocery Games page.
