The Great Food Truck Race, Season 4: Behind the Scenes of Episode 5

Go behind Episode 5 of The Great Food Truck Race, Season 4 on Food Network.

Turning Point in the Twin Cities

The four remaining teams meet Tyler just outside of Minneapolis. This weekend they will be selling in two cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul. Tyler warns them "these two cities may be twins, but they're not exactly identical." This will be a turning point in the competition, as the final three teams will be determined. Tyler provides them with $400 in "big city" seed money and promises no Speed Bump that day.

Friendly Competition

On their first day the teams will be selling in Minneapolis. Most of them decide to head to local breweries. Philly's Finest Sambonis and The Slide Show happen to set up at the same one, Indeed Brewing Company. They face competition from other food trucks in the area in addition to one another. Tikka Tikka Taco sets up at 612 Brewery.

Hawaiian Time

Aloha Plate once again taps into the island appeal and opens up for sales by a tiki bar named Psycho Suzi's. Instead of spending all their seed money, they only spend half, hoping to "thin it to win it."

Doubling Down on Bread

The guys of Philly's come up with a new special, a chicken cutlet sandwich with spinach and tomato. But in their hurry to buy bread, Erik unknowingly calls two locations of the same grocery chain thinking they're the same store. The team picks up only one of the orders but promises to pick up the second order the next day.

Sticking It to Them

Tyler said he wouldn't call with a Speed Bump, but he didn't say he wouldn't call with a Truck Stop challenge. The teams must now sell food on a stick, a specialty of state fairs in Minnesota. Priced at $10 each, they will need to make $1500 in sales by 8:30 am Sunday morning. Then they'll have the chance to run to Stone Arch Bridge where they can pick up one of two prizes worth $750 and $250.

Moving to the Next City

Unfortunately not one team makes its goal. Sales were slow and most struggled to get a steady flow of customers, but everyone tried to round up some people the best they could. The next morning the teams head out for new locations, but before they know it Tyler calls with more news: It's now time to move on to St. Paul.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Tikka Tikka Taco opens up at Mississippi Market, a large co-op in St. Paul. They sell side by side with a local food truck, hoping partnering will pay off, but sales soon start to dwindle as the weather takes a turn for the worse. All the teams must contend with a very wet weekend.

The Game Plan

Philly's Finest Sambonis opens up right outside of the baseball stadium in St. Paul, but just as they start selling food, the sky opens up. Joe is worried that they will lose customers, but when the game gets cancelled, they end up getting a steady flow of people exiting the stands.

Nothing in the Way of a Goal

The Slide Show arranged to get a space in front of Patrick McGovern's Pub, but when they got there, the space had been taken and they had no choice but to park in front of a traffic light, which prevents them from opening up their service windows. But it doesn't matter; they end up selling through the passenger door.

Islander Support

The guys from Aloha Plate set up in front of Grand Ole Creamery, a local ice cream shop, and immediately get a crowd of Hawaiian customers who've turned up seeking their island offerings. Before they know it, Philly's shows up beside them, so they lower prices to compete.

Twin Cities, Twin Truck Stops

Tyler calls with a second Truck Stop challenge. The teams can continue to sell their current menus, but must also sell a $10 special made with a local Minnesota invention, Spam. The first team to make $500 in sales and reach the Peace Officers' Memorial will get a highly coveted prize, immunity. They will have until 8:30 pm to make the goal.

Specializing in Spam

Aloha Plate might have an advantage since the canned meat is a Hawaiian favorite, but as Tyler points out, "this isn't just a test to see if you can cook with Spam; it's also a test to see if you can sell it." It won't be easy winning first place, but luckily no one will leave empty-handed. The teams that make the sales goal and reach the memorial even after first place will get $500 added to their till.

The Wrong Tools for the Job

Just as the guys of Philly's Finest Sambonis start to leave the store with their cans of Spam in tow, they find their truck won't start. They assume the problem is with the starter, not the battery. But after using cooking utensils to tinker with the electronics and almost getting shocked, Joe goes for help. It was the battery after all.

The Luck of the Island

Back at the ice cream shop, the Hawaiian guys have no problem selling their Spam specials, making $120 in just 5 minutes. On the other hand, Tikka Tikka Taco, parked not far down on Grand Avenue, is not getting the best foot traffic. Neither is The Slide Show team, who decides to move from its spot in front of the pub to join the other trucks.

Marketing Mystery Meat

The team of Tikka Tikka Taco is excited to be serving Spam, which they rub in ginger-garlic paste and dust with spices. They serve it in tortillas with mango salsa. Michael relies on talking up the special with passers-by, assuming that most people wouldn't stop when they saw Spam listed on the menu board.

Making Up for Lost Time

As soon as Philly's Finest Sambonis shows up on Grand Avenue to join the others, Aloha Plate reaches its goal and gets ready to race to the memorial to win immunity. The Philly's guys must rush to sell 50 sandwiches so they can make their goal and at least get the $500 that Tyler promised.

Aloha Wins Immunity

The guys from Aloha Plate reach Tyler's table and claim the Spam trophy, sealing their win of immunity. Not far behind is Tikka Tikka Taco. And with just two minutes to spare, Philly's Finest Sambonis also makes it to the table. The Slide Show is the only team not to meet the challenge and lose the chance to get $500.

A Slim Victory

For the first time ever, two teams are separated by $1. They are "breathtaking results," says Tyler. Since Aloha Plate won immunity, they will automatically be going on to the next city. But it turns out they didn't even need immunity because they earned the No. 1 spot. Right behind them, with just $1 less, is Tikka Tikka Taco.

Mistake After Mistake

Once again, Philly's Finest Sambonis is in the bottom two. They lost one hour tinkering with their truck and they mistakenly placed two bread orders and ended up not picking up the second order. Tyler takes $120 out of their till to pay for the bread. It isn't looking good for the guys, but surprisingly they come in third place.

The Slide Show Is Over

The Slide Show comes in last place, over $1,000 behind Philly's Finest Sambonis. Tyler has no doubt that they'll be back in the game soon, but now they must give up their keys and head back home to L.A. "This is just the beginning," says Das. "We'll be back doing big things." Read the team's exit interview on FN Dish.

More from The Great Food Truck Race

Get the latest on the race with exclusive behind-the-scenes content and exit interviews with the eliminated teams on FN Dish.

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