Highlights from Guy's Grocery Games: Season 5

When faced with only 4 pounds of ingredients in Game 2 Watch Your Weight, Walter (pictured) had to forgo the heavier ingredients — cream and beef broth — and sacrifice a sauce for his steakhouse dinner. Walter impressed the judges when he improvised with the reserved liquid from his sauteed kale. “I think this is a brilliant technical move,” he said. Walter’s strong start carried him all the way to the finale, where he took home $12,000 to go toward his foundation for helping children with diabetes.

“This game is called Let it Roll,” Eddie (right) said during Game 1. “And I think I’m rolling right down to disaster.” Despite having to use ricotta and tofu (as determined by the dice), Eddie wowed the judges with his bacon-infused meatloaf with ricotta mashed potatoes; he wowed them again in the next round with his chicken liver brunch. Ultimately, Eddie’s za’atar chicken — a dish reminiscent of his Lebanese culture — beat Andrew’s coriander fried chicken and was worthy of the shopping spree.

Making an innovative dinner seemed easy for the Triple G chefs, but then came the twist: Guy’s Grocery List. In this challenge, the chefs had to incorporate Bush’s Sweet Heat Beans, an exotic fruit, an item from aisle 8 and black garlic into their dinners, which proved challenging for Cidney (left), yet favorable for Michael (right). “All the ingredients on this list play really well into Asian profiles,” said Michael, who created a duck cassoulet that the judges loved.

In Game 1 Odd/Even during Battle America II, the contestants chose between the odd and even aisles for their regional feast. “I can’t even do something that the Midwest is known for, meat and potatoes, ‘cause one’s even, one’s odd,” Josh said. Though his barbecue cauliflower didn’t quite nod to his meat-and-potato roots, Josh wowed the judges with his Beef Tenderloin and German Potato Salad, which sent him through to win $20,000 in the shopping spree.

In this special Mother’s Day episode, four moms took on Flavortown Market, and in a game of Express Lane, each had to make a family-favorite dish with only seven ingredients. Reva, Miriam and Jill (pictured) were lucky that Guy’s wife, Lori, operated the register, because she allowed them each an extra ingredient. “I know [Guy] said only seven items, but it's Mother’s Day, and I’m giving them eight items,” Lori said. “He’s been overruled.”

Guy’s son Hunter helped host the games during this Father’s Day-themed episode, where dad chefs Alex, Ken, Ryan P. and Ryan J. came ready to prove they were the best. Hunter learned the ropes from his dad, manning the register during Game 1 Express Lane, where Alex shined with his Rosemary Chicken and Spaghetti Bolognese, and playing the Fieri Food Pyramid, which gave the chefs three tricky ingredients: croutons, pears and mussels.

After bringing back charcoal, the correct answer in Guy’s culinary quiz, Antonio won an extra 30 seconds to shop, an especially important advantage when Guy revealed the twist in Game 3: Closing Time. “Thank God I had that extra 30 seconds,” Antonio said. “That could really make or break my dish.” Those 30 seconds did indeed give his grilled family favorite, a bacon cheeseburger stuffed with provolone, an edge over Corey’s grilled Napoleon with fruit.

“How great to see the Fantastic Four back!” Guy said about the contestants returning to Flavortown Market. In Game 1 they had to face Guy’s Grocery List, which featured the ingredients that tripped them up the first time. Though all of the chefs put up a great fight, Daniel and Tregaye battled it out in the final game of Let It Roll, where Tregaye’s PB&J Bread Pudding brought her the sweetest redemption: $14,000 in the shopping spree.

In this summer-themed episode, John was sure to bring heat — starting with the Game 1 Let It Roll challenge, where he wowed the judges with his barbecue beans that incorporated vanilla ice cream. Though he was outrun by Patrick in a game of Word, John put up a good fight to the finale, and it showed in Flip This Dish, a new game where John transformed traditional cherry pie ingredients into his winning chicken dinner.

When four young chefs came to Flavortown Market, they were ready to prove their culinary chops that helped give them their recognition at an early age. In a new game called World Fusion, Guy pulled a Chinese and an Italian flag out of a globe to establish the two cuisines each chef had to combine in his or her best world fusion dish. While Tyler surprised the judges by successfully cooking a risotto in 30 minutes, Anthony made the mistake of using soba, a traditional Japanese noodle, which sent him home.

“This is going to be the most nerve-racking challenge,” Guy said as Cindy and Jamie ran for the first ingredient while Peter and Ethan waited at their stations. In this relay-style game, the contestants took turns shopping for ingredients and cooking their best surf and turf meals. Though Ethan and Jamie made a delicious Lobster Risotto with Steak, it lacked the brightness and acidity that Cindy and Peter’s Lamb and Trout achieved with their addition of charred lemon. 

In Game 3, Ignacio and Erika faced the dreaded music of Musical Carts. When the music stopped and started, the chefs had to switch carts and continue shopping for ingredients to make a dynamite dinner. Once Erika and Ignacio began cooking, they had to incorporate three of the ingredients they did not add to their own cart. In the end, the presentation of Erika’s charred skirt steak slightly edged out Ignacio’s flank steak.