Top Moments from Guy's Grocery Games: Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Tournament 2

Relive Guy's games in the tournament, discover what sent home the checked-out chefs and find out how much the winners earned.

Photo By: David Moir

An Unforgettable Triple D Finale

Louis Remillard, Bobby Marcotte, Adam Sappington and Zane Caplansky have returned for one last battle in Flavortown Market. They'll have another chance at earning up to $20,000 if they get through three more of Guy's games. However things are a bit different this time: "We're going to have a Triple D showdown in every region," Guy explains of the way the market is divided. And he also has two twists in store.

Frozen Food Feud Fails

For Game 1, the chefs must prepare an East Coast High-End Dinner using just aisle 9, which includes the frozen section. "It's better being a little under than a little over," Lou explains his careful poaching then grilling of the lobster tails for his dish. Unfortunately Carl finds it totally raw. Bobby also cooks seafood, serving it with a succotash. Troy commends his choice of vegetables except for the asparagus.

Finding His Inner Italian with Help

"This is really sad but there's a bunch of marinara in cheese sticks," says Guy, when he sees Zane looking for something tomatoey for his seafood marinara. Zane can't be happy enough for Guy's help. "I'm letting my inner Italian east Coaster out on this one," the Canadian native answers when Adam asks how he's coming along. Although Damaris loves the dish, she finds it rustic, not high-end.

Double Whammy Elimination

Guy reveals his first twist, a double elimination, which catches everyone by surprise. Although Adam used crawfish, a Southern ingredient, he's the first chef to make it to Game 2, followed by Bobby. That means it's the checkout line for Lou and Zane. The two remaining chefs must cook a Midwestern dish in Meals from the Middle. "No produce, no condiments, no bread," Guy says.

Midwestern Memory Lane

"I grew up in Missouri," says Adam, claiming his knowledge of the Midwest. He picks up pork chops, and thinking of his childhood foods, grabs canned turnip greens, butter beans and a box of cornmeal. Troy leads his critique with how chops are notoriously overcooked in restaurants, but then reveals Adam's is perfect, although Carl finds the brine didn't have time to infuse the meat.

More Meat on the Bone

"At least I got meat to work with," says Bobby, going for rib-eye steaks with a cherry Bourbon glaze. In a split-second decision he adds a green bean casserole side, which Carl calls the star of the dish. "Just Midwest to the bone," he says. The judges come to a conclusion, and Guy announces Bobby as the new Triple D champion, earning an additional $20,000, which Bobby pledges to St. Jude's.

Twisted Competition

But in another twist, Guy calls Carl out from behind the judges' table. "The question is who really is the champ and who can have the belt," says Guy, announcing Carl and Bobby will go head to head in a third round, surprising everyone. "Every time I think I'm out, they pull me back in," Carl says in disbelief. "Carl is dying right now," says Damaris as she and Troy revel in their fellow judge's displeasure.

All in the Name of Carl

"This isn't fair," Carl says, not accepting Guy's surprise. Carl and Bobby's last game will be a West Coast showdown using the produce section. "I'm not a vegetarian," Carl protests. "I don't understand why you constantly want to hurt me," he tells Guy. So in his leniency, the host allows seafood and aisle 2. "I'm having more fun with this than any competition in the history of Triple G," Guy says, cracking up.

California to a T

"I make sure I use a West Coast fish," says Carl, choosing halibut so he won't get dinged. He also grabs Dungeness crab to make a unique chimichurri. "Going against Bobby is not going to be easy," adds Carl, making sure he goes completely Californian by grabbing artichokes and avocados. Unfortunately judge Aaron May gets the one slightly overcooked fish. Otherwise Troy thinks it screams "Southern California."

International Angle

"I know the West Coast is definitely vegetable-oriented," says Bobby, deciding to stir-fry a medley of them to serve alongisde sesame-crusted sea bass. Having only been on the West coast twice, he's got a big challenge in front of him. "You cooked your vegetables really perfectly," Damaris tells him, however she feels his sauce could have used a thickener to coat the vegetables better.

Announcing the Real Champion

"Of all the people who have compete in Triple G, these two are the most winningest chefs ever," says Guy before announcing the winner of the championship belt is Carl. "Why'd you do this to me," Carl asks Guy as he snatches the belt away from him. Chef Bobby still leaves with $40,000. "This is not the last you'll see of this guy," Guy says of Bobby.

Part 4: A Patriotic Lunch

"Who will be the one to take it next?" Guy asks Louie Finnan, Bobby Marcotte, Claudette Hutchinson and Andres Barrientos, reiterating that one of these four chefs has the chance to win the entire competition. But first a game — and not just any game. Guy asks the chefs to cook a Lunch Counter Special by adhering to the ABCs. Guy pulls the letters U, S and A.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

"The turtle always wins," Guy says to Louie as he passes him by, many strides behind his competitors, who've left him in the dust. Inspired by the colors of Mardi Gras, Louie plans to make a colorful pasta. But as he's shopping, Guy tells him to speed things up. "Listen, if I fell down, you'd never get me picked up," Louie tells him.

Doubling Up on His Chances

"Oh, my God, crumble," says Damaris, grabbing her fellow judges' arms excitedly when she sees Andres is making an apple crumble to go with his sausage sandwich. "It can go either way," says Andres, knowing the risks of cooking two dishes. Damaris loves the dessert, but Troy finds something lacking in the sandwich: It needs a sauce to moisten it.

Jamaican-American Fusion

For her dish, Claudette grabs ackee, to blend her Jamaican roots with the USA. But beyond that she has some trouble fitting her ideas into the letters; luckily Guy comes to the rescue. But the judges' comments are mixed. "This is a counter that I want to go to," Carl tells her of the dish, but Damaris finds it underseasoned. Claudette ends up checking out.

Shopping on the Cheap

After asking for a Deluxe Diner Dinner, Guy springs a Budget Battle on the chefs, who must stick to just $14.02. "Hearty and big is kind of tough to do," says Andres, considering the minimal budget. He ends up buying extra butter, not realizing it's provided at his cooking station, so after putting back the butter, he's left with some money that he doesn't utilize.

Surpassing Diner Expectations

Despite not having enough budget to buy oregano for his chicken meatball stroganoff, Bobby pulls off a successful rendition. "It's one of my favorite meals of all time," says Troy, "and you pulled it off." And Carl calls it "better than most diner's," but his one critique is that he wishes the Brussels sprouts weren't incorporated into the dish.

Inconsistent Pork vs. Too Little Pork

Louie realizes he doesn't have enough of the on-sale pork cutlets to serve to the judges, so he fries a second batch. "My pork cutlets are cooked a little bit inconsistently," Damaris points out, noticing the chef's different results. Andres also uses the same pork cutlets, but he doesn't cook enough for the judges. He checks out for not maximizing his budget.

Leveling the Playing Field

Playing the Regional Road Trip game, Guy lands on Hawaii, so Louis and Bobby will have to cook a Hawaiian chicken entree. "At least it's an even playing field," says Bobby, as neither chef is familiar with the cuisine. "I think I flew over it once," Louie says of the island. Both end up grabbing a pineapple and canned ham to fit the theme.

The Camaraderie in Competition

With Bobby dedicating his potential winnings to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Louie says he, too, would give a portion of his winnings to the same charity to honor Bobby's late daughter. "Just when you thought you couldn't love Louie more," says Troy of the sentiment. Seeing Louie slow to plate, Bobby, with some time to spare, lends Louie a hand. "I did not want to let my brother go down," says Bobby.

Looking for the Most Hawaiian

The judges are presented with two very similar dishes; Bobby's fried chicken with pineapple fried rice gets rave reviews. "True Hawaiian," Carl calls it. Damaris doesn't think Louie's plate of grilled chicken with pineapple fried rice feels Hawaiian. Carl praises Bobby's execution over Louie's, calling it "really high-level play."

Part 4 Winner

Bobby earns the last place in the tournament finale. "He truly was the soul of the competition," Bobby says as he gives Louie a hug. Louis checks out. "On any given day, you're a champion," Carl tells Louie. In an unparalleled race through Flavortown Market, Bobby manages to grab all five items. "I'm so glad I won [$20,000], because I know my daughter would settle for nothing less," says Bobby.

Part 3: Where Are the Twist and Turns?

In Part 3 of the Triple G: Triple D tournament, chefs Michell Sanchez, Adam Sappington, Heather Ludzack and Tye Rhone Bauer are taking on Guy's challenges. "I hope you're ready to play, get messy, get dirty," the host tells the four, who are hanging on his every word, waiting for the twist. But Guy sends them off with just one request: Create a hot sandwich. But then the loudspeaker comes on.

Working with Off-the-Shelf Rules

Michell heads for the bread aisle, looking for some thick-cut bread, but he gets there to find the aisle empty. Over the PA system, Guy reveals it's an Out of Stock game. "Come to Triple G, they said, you're going to have a good time, they said," Michell says to himself in frustration. He finds pizza dough and decides to make a steak panini. "That's what this show is about," says Michell, thinking on his feet.

Praiseworthy Bread Alternatives

Adam (center), thinking outside of the box, decides to make latkes for bread. "If it doesn't work, that means no bread and no sandwich," he says, but luckily it does. "Very nice work," Troy tells him, calling the move "MacGyver." The judges also praise Heather for using frozen garlic bread for her patty melt. "You personally won over all of our hearts," Troy tells her.

The Early Bird Gets the Hook

Tye grabs waffles, linguica sausage, duck eggs and Jack cheese to do a rendition of a Portuguese sandwich from his restaurant. But with more than 12 minutes left, he's done. "They'd like it to be a hot sandwich," Guy reminds him. So Tye puts the sandwiches under the salamander to keep them warm. "My yolk isn't even runny," says Damaris, disappointed by the overcooked egg. Tye checks out for it.

Finding the Game's Loophole

"I think it's very harsh," Michell says, sarcastically, when Guy goes over the rules for Game 2, Seafood Dinner, which requires the three chefs to use a blender and cook with whipped topping, and prohibits any ingredients from aisle 5, all proscribed by the dice in Let It Roll. The whipped topping poses a challenge to all three. But Heather and Michell work around the aisle restriction by using fresh pasta from aisle 10.

Whipping the Whammy Ingredient

Adam works on hiding the whipped topping by blending it with creme fraiche, heavy cream, Dijon mustard, and citrus juice and zest to use over his trio of seafood: branzino, halibut and clams. "Winner, winner seafood dinner," he says, very pleased with the flavor of the unusual sauce. "You took the whammy ingredient and managed to turn it into something not only just OK but fantastic," Troy says.

Cutting Herself Instead of the Sweetness

Upon tasting her avocado cream and whipped topping sauce, Heather finds it too sweet, so she decides to add more avocado but accidentally slices into her hand. And instead of toning down sweetness elsewhere, she adds honey to her shrimp, which worries Damaris. "It needed more savory elements," Troy tells Heather, feeling she didn't mitigate the whipped topping. Heather checks out.

Getting Cheesy in the Northeast

"We're both ends of the country," says Guy, pointing out it's Miami (Michell) vs. Portland, Oregon, (Adam). Going into Game 3, Guy asks for the Ultimate Cheese Dish, but so that neither chef has a home advantage, Guy chooses northeast as the required regional focus on the Regional Road Trip map. "I'm looking to get as many different cheeses as possible," says Michell, who's making pasta again.

Just a Small Soggy Mistake

"Frying chicken in beef tallow is brilliant," says Damaris of Adam's decision for his chicken Parmesan. He brines the chicken and dredges it in a seasoned flour before frying. But when it comes to plating his tomato sauce, Adam realizes it's more watery than he thought. "I loved the use of the fresh tomatoes, says Damaris, adding "the problem is my beautiful crust on that fried chicken got wet."

Taking a Smart Shortcut

"What I'm trying to do is skip steps," says Michell of his decision to use jarred Alfredo sauce in his lobster mac and cheese. But Troy's not convinced. "Once they taste it, they'll understand why," says Michell, doctoring it up and flavoring it with tarragon. "This is by far your best dish," Carl says, appreciating the addition of herbs. "You executed," Troy tells Michell, pleasantly surprised.

The Part 3 Winner

"He made it more complex and interesting," says Troy of Michell's dish during deliberation, but Carl can't get over Adam's new take on chicken Parm. In the end the decision isn't unanimous, but the final verdict is that Michell checks out, and Adam earns a spot in the tournament finale. Answering Guy's clues in the shopping spree, Adam bags "16 grand for Paws for the Cause," he says, planning on donating the money.

Part 2 of Triple D on Triple G

In Part 2 of the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives tournament, Zane Caplansky, Jon Taub, Marcus Christiana-Beniger and Adam Gold have entered the competition to try their luck at Guy's games. All have had great success in their restaurants since appearing on Triple D, but will they be able to pull off cooking feats on Triple G? Find out how they fared and who earned the second spot in the finale.

An American Dessert Turns Southern Classic

"What am I going to do now?" asks Adam after Guy reveals the chefs' first game of Flip This Dish requires them to turn the iconic American dessert of apple pie into dinner. Being the waffle guy, Adam cooks chicken and waffles using the prescribed apples, cinnamon, vanilla ice cream and pie crust. "You make some killer chicken and waffles," Troy tells him, despite Damaris saying the waffle could be fluffier.

Comparing Apples to Apples

Zane starts grabbing the ingredients for pork chops and applesauce. "But I know I have to take it to the next level," he says, combining sweet potatoes with ice cream. Marcus, too, has a similar idea, but he's not sure what to make of the ice cream. "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it," he says, but he never does. He ends up just scooping it onto his pork chops. Even though the judges liked Marcus' applesauce more than Zane's, they send Marcus home for not manipulating the ice cream.

Not "Meating" the Definition of a Slider

"I don't believe I've ever had canned minestrone soup before," says Jon after getting the ingredient in a game of Sliders. Adam assumes Guy will make them use the others' ingredients as well, boxed mac and cheese and mayonnaise, but Guy reveals it will be just two. For his Comfort Classic dish, Jon decides to make prosciutto and turkey sandwiches without any form of a patty. "This is a great hot sandwich," says Carl. "I don't think it's a slider."

2 Isn't Always Better Than 1

Zane cooks two different sliders: a lamb one using the minestrone and a beef one using the mac and cheese. "What happens if one of Zane's sliders is amazing and one of them is not?" Damaris asks. "They have to be great," says Carl. "If not, they're both bad." Upon tasting the lamb slider, Damaris tells Zane, "You should have stopped with this one," finding it moist but the beef slider dry. Deciding between Jon and Zane, the judges send Jon home.

Supporting North American Relations

For the final round, Guy asks for a Fried Feast using the Regional Road Trip game to determine the gameplay. "My country isn't on the map," says Toronto native Zane, but luckily Guy lands on the Midwest, which Zane feels offers cuisine similar to Canada's. "Is there a cuisine for the Midwest?" Adam asks, unsure of what to prepare. Guy convinces him to do a chicken-fried steak. Despite never having made the dish, he pulls off a successful steak, but he makes a watery gravy.

From Hot Water Into the Fryer

Inspired by the Great Lakes, Zane does a fish fry of beer-battered halibut with smashed fingerling potatoes. "They're just not done enough," Zane says, worried about the potatoes, which he first boiled, then smashed and finally fried. "You nailed it," Damaris tells him of the beer batter, and Carl calls it a textbook dish, but he calls the potatoes "oil-logged."

The Part 2 Winner

The judges decide Zane will move on to the finale, and Adam checks out. In the shopping spree, Zane manages to answer four of Guy's five riddles and earns $16,000. "Every item I grab is 4,000 bucks for No Kid Hungry," says Zane, deciding to donate all his winnings to the charity. But most importantly he grabs the second spot in the Triple G: Triple D finale, for the chance to win additional bucks.

Part 1: DDD Chefs in Flavortown

For Part 1 of the Triple D tournament, Guy invited Peter Campbell, Brigitte Bledsoe, Lou Ramirez and Louis Remillard to Flavortown Market. "I've tasted all your delicious specials, so I thought now it might be time for you to come in and get a special sampling of my games," Guy tells the four chefs. For Game 1, he wants them to make a belly-bustin' brunch, but the kicker is it's an Express Lane game, meaning no more than seven ingredients.

All Pork, No Bacon?

"That little bit of pancetta's going to do it for you?" Guy asks, questioning Peter's choice of protein for his French toast. Guy hands him a pork belly. Peter uses it along with sausage to infuse maple syrup. Damaris is worried about his choice of sourdough soaking up the batter in time. "It's like dry bread on the inside and French toast on the outside," she tells him after trying it. But Troy loves the pork-infused syrup.

1 Potato, Not Enough Potato

"I just need one potato," says Brigitte, who calls herself the Brunch Queen of Baltimore. "Why not more?" Guy asks her. But she feels she can take care of her steak-and-eggs dish with just one spud. "I loved the potatoes. I need those potatoes," says Damaris, wishing there were more to soak up Brigitte's sauce. Guy just shakes his head in an "I told you so" way.

Seafood, Not Enough Food

Lou plans on making eggs Benedict with "a Miami twist." Guy convinces him to use lobster tails in addition to crabmeat. Lou decides to grill some of the lobster and saute the rest of it to create two textures. "Seafood's so hard to execute during brunch, and the lobster is a little over," says Carl. And Troy says there's too much bread and not enough hollandaise. Lou checks out.

High Surf, Low Turf

For Game 2, Guy asks for a surf and turf dish, but he spins the high and low Food Wheels to reveal rib-eye steaks and frozen calamari, two ingredients the chefs must feature. Peter admits to never having cooked calamari before. And Brigitte is not a fan of it at all. "Frozen calamari is not in my restaurant or in my house," she says.

A Salad Dressing Accomplishment

"[I'm] not really a salad kind of guy," says Louis, pointing out he doesn't look like it either. But he loves his cucumber-melon dressing, and he thinks it will be perfect to brighten his dish and "transition between the sea and the land," he explains. "That salad dressing is fantastic," says Troy. Damaris loves the steak, but she says Louis' calamari comes off as more "like a garnish."

An Unmatched Pairing

Brigitte decides to saute the calamari and then toss it in a tapenade to add more flavor. Peter decides to deep-fry his, and luckily Carl appreciates how it turns out. But he says he wishes everything was more "together," as Peter's plating was so compartmentalized. "Damn, is it delicious," Troy says of Brigitte's calamari. But Damaris says the steak and calamari don't pair. Brigitte checks out.

Remote-Controlled Chefs

In a new game of Regional Road Trip, Guy uses his son Ryder's remote-controlled car to pick a region the chefs must use as inspiration in making their burger and fries. "Why did I know that was happening?" Louis asks when the car lands on the South. "I've never been to the South," says Peter, who has no idea what a burger from there would be like, but he thinks spices might work.

Louisiana Louis

Inspired by a burger he had in New Orleans, Louis makes a blue-cheese-stuffed burger and deep-fries it; he serves it with sweet potato fries and Gorgonzola-bourbon gravy. "A blanket of Gorgonzola gravy is a yes for me," says Damaris. "It's almost like a bar fight in there," Carl says, thinking there's too much going on in the dish. And, unfortunately, no one finds the sweet potato fries successful.

Where's the South?

Peter decides to grind his own meat, using eggs as a binder, but the patties crumble on the grill under the weight of a cast-iron press. He scrambles to get more ground beef and makes new patties. "I'm not feeling 100 percent confident," he says, plating an aioli with mere seconds left. "I don't know what about it is screaming Southern," says Damaris, not seeing the region represented.

The Part 1 Winner

Guy announces Louis earns the first spot in the finale. "Today it came down to gameplay. It just wasn't that Southern," Damaris tells Peter before he checks out of the market. Instead of sending Louis on a shopping spree, Guy reads off five clues, and Louis needs to decipher them. He can earn $4,000 for each correct answer. Louis gets four correct and wins $16,000.

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