Rachael and Guy welcome the celebrities to the Coney Island Boardwalk, where the next challenge will be to operate their own hot dog carts. Most excited among the final five celebrities is Florence, who says "[it] has always been a dream of mine to have my own hot dog cart."
Not So Fast
Before anyone can start selling hot dogs, it turns out the first challenge will actually be to make french fries: "It's gonna be your opportunity to cook it, fry it, dip it, season it, top it, batter it — whatever you can do to it to make the best fry," says Guy. The winner of the first challenge gets an advantage of 10 extra minutes to make his or her hot dog in the second round.
Crowning Achievement
Guy stops by to check on Herschel, who's making his Famous 34 Gravy Fries. He starts with onion and flour, then adds beef and red wine. But in an effort to win the 10 extra minutes, he thinks, "Why don't I put an egg on top of the fries?" He hopes the "crown jewel" will set his dish apart from the rest.
Hot, Hot Baby
Ice calls his dish Ninja Sticks, Buffalo-Style. He's making an extra-special hot sauce that includes a ton of garlic and spices. "I'm gonna try my best to pull out the ninja skills," he says, hoping to earn the extra minutes in making his hot dog. "They may call me Ice, but I'm bringing the heat in the kitchen."
A Scoop of Disco Fever
Penn is calling his dish Disco Fries, a guilty pleasure that he says "should really be eaten at 4 or 5am … with someone you don't know really well but are attracted to." Rachael steers him in the other direction and tells him to do a riff on French onion soup. But he's not sure how to get the ratios right: "I'm flying by the seat of my pants." So Rachael has to help him measure the ingredients.
Frantic and Flustered
Florence has never made fries, but since she loves New York bagels, she thinks of doing Everything Bagel Fries. Unfortunately the topping doesn't want to stick. Florence calls Rachael over for help, but she isn't happy when Rachael tells her to toss what she's made because the topping will stick to fries only right out of the hot oil.
Italian Meatspiration
Amanda and Guy dive into Tiffany's dish, which she calls Yo, Yo, Yo Fries, inspired by Italy and Brooklyn. Tiffany had planned to use pepperoni, prosciutto and salami in her recipe, but she couldn't find any of the meats, so she relied on crumbled Italian sausage. But Guy thinks "she improvised well" under the circumstances.
Winning the Advantage
Rachael and Guy gather up the celebrities to announce the winner, but first Amanda goes over the merits of everyone's dishes. She was really impressed by Florence's nod to New York with her bagel-inspired fries, and she loved Penn's Disco Fries, which she thought "felt like I was coming out of a French disco." But Tiffany had the most-creative and flavorful fries, earning her the 10 extra minutes.
The Work's Cut Out
After Tiffany gets her extra 10 minutes, the rest of the celebrities start preparing their dogs. As a vegetarian Ice reaches for tofu, since it didn't steer him wrong last time. But on Guy's recommendation he'll wrap slices of it in wonton wrappers for extra appeal. He realizes early on he's got a lot to do: "I gotta, like, roll it, wrap it, fry it, before it's even a dog."
The Circus Comes to Town
Penn says, "Two things I am is, one, a New Englander and, two, carnie trash." So he thinks a corn dog with bacon and a pancake batter with maple syrup for dipping will be perfect. Rachael loves the idea, but when she tastes a sample she recommends he season the batter more; Penn disagrees because the bacon is already salty.
Tasty Trip to the Island
Inspired by a trip to Jamaica, Tiffany comes up with her Jamaican Hottie Dog. She spent all of her extra 10 minutes cutting up fruit for the salsa. And with the remaining cooking time, she seasoned her dogs with jerk spice and wrapped them in bacon and deep-fried them. "I'm really hoping to take the judges to Jamaica," she says.
The New York Deli Comes to the Boardwalk
Florence made a Kosher Deli Dog, which she topped with coleslaw and a Russian dressing, all in honor of Judy. But the assembly turned out to be much more of a challenge, rolling each dog in mustard and wrapping with pastrami. "But I like a challenge and I got one," she says. In the end it paid off, as the judges loved it.
So, Who's Top Dog?
Amanda thought Penn really stepped it up by not making his dog on a bun. Guy agrees: "With a couple of tweaks, he could have a stand here on the boardwalk." But with Herschel's Famous 34 All-American Dog, Amanda felt "he put 34 ingredients on that dog," she says. "It was one incredible bite ... but a little less is more."
Doggone Good
"I'm glad that we're on the coaching end of this and not the decision end of this," Rachael says as she hands it over to Amanda, who goes over the results of Team Rachael, praising both Florence and Penn for really flavorful dishes. But on Team Guy, Amanda didn't like Ice's Kung Fu Veggie Dog. "I admire you so much for sticking with vegetarian," but she advises him to "pay a lot more attention to proper execution."
A Special Win for Team Rachael
"The team that really came through was Team Rachael," announces Amanda, naming Florence the MVP of the challenge, which means her charity gets $2,500. Racheal was proud that Florence's hot dog was a fitting tribute to Judy, and Amanda completely agreed: "I felt like we ate her story."
Ice Feels the Love
Someone from Team Guy has to leave. Amanda chooses to send home Ice, but he's not upset: "I've made it even further than I thought I would," says Ice, "especially as a vegetarian." And he doesn't leave without getting a group hug from his fellow celebrity competitors. "I feel like I've sharpened my ninja skills a little bit here," he says. "I came in with a smile, and I'm gonna leave with a smile."
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