"People in the Midwest love their bacon," says Matt of entering St. Louis, the next stop in the race. Before the guys know it, Tyler Florence sends all the teams off on a Speed Bump to Mama Toscano's. There they'll learn how to make a local favorite, toasted ravioli, which they'll have to sell to earn their seed money.
Partnering Up with Locals
"Do you have any ideas maybe how can I give it a Middle Eastern twist?" Tommy asks, not quite sure how they'll pull off selling toasted ravioli. Hoping to repeat last week's win and overtake Beach Cruiser, Middle Feast decides to team up with a local food truck to help them secure a spot.
Sticking to the Plan
"We should stick with what we've been doing as far as partnerships," says John. "It's really helped us in the past." So Let There Be Bacon decides to sell out in front of a brewery. All the teams are getting huge lines of customers, except for Beach Cruiser, as the team seems to have gotten lost.
Coming Up Short
Beach Cruiser finds the "hip, college part of town" to sell toasted ravioli, which the team is marketing as "T-Ravs." They park near a coffee shop and taco place. As soon as the lines die down, they decide to close up after earning just $270 and head to buy groceries, but they end up forgoing some ingredients.
Sharing in the Bacon Love
Upon returning from shopping, Let There Be Bacon finds that the line of customers by the truck has doubled. People even help load their groceries: "I've never seen people that love bacon so much," says Jon. Matt decides to open before prep is complete, "hoping it doesn't shoot us in the foot," he says.
Unexpected Help to the Rescue
Just when the teams are in a lull, Tyler shows up to evaluate their dishes, but he finds Let There Be Bacon is in the weeds. "You got me for a half an hour," Tyler tells them. Jon is thankful for the extra hands and the organization, admitting, "[Tyler] changed the way that food was flowing through the kitchen."
Looking for Authenticity
"I'd like to see some pita bread just because I want to feel an authentic touch," Tyler tells Tommy after tasting Middle Feast's chicken shawarma. Tyler thinks it doesn't make sense for them to use tortillas. "This is the choice that we made not to go and search for our special ingredients," Tommy regrets.
Amateurish Upselling
"And how much are you charging for this?" Tyler asks Lance of Lone Star after tasting his quesadilla. Tyler's surprised by their price: "For 15 bucks, I think you could afford some scallion," he says. "I think this is kind of amateurish." Andrea admits it might taste like a $15 quesadilla, but "it didn't look like it."
The Hard-to-Swallow Truth
"If your truck was on the streets right now in any city in America," Tyler tells the teams the next day, "I don't think any truck would really survive longer than a month." Of the food quality, he says, it's "just not there," adding that if elimination were right now, Beach Cruiser would most likely be going home.
A Fire Has Been Lit
"Now is not the time to cut quality," says Shane, taking what Tyler said about their team to heart. He's making no concessions when it comes to buying the ingredients he needs to make the team's tacos stand out, especially when it comes to Tyler's Truck Stop cooking challenge to make the best dish.
Rolling with the Punches
"Today we're putting all of Tyler's lessons from yesterday into practice," says Matt of Let There Be Bacon. Although they couldn't find grits for their "best" dish, they settle on making sweet potato hash with bacon-wrapped shrimp. They finish serving customers before heading over to the cooking challenge.
High-Stakes Challenge
"This is our chance to shine," says Gretta, letting Shane "do what he does best" as an experienced chef. He prepares the Beach Cruiser signature fish tacos with bok choy, pineapple salsa, fried avocado and a pinch of fried baby kale to finish it off. The prize at stake is having their till doubled.
Going the Extra Mile
"We can put out a quesadilla in five minutes, but we have 20 minutes," says Andrea, so the team of Lone Star decides to use its time wisely and cook three test steaks before settling on the perfect one for Tyler. Lance takes it even further, preparing two quesadillas and picking out the best looking one.
Final Sales in St. Louis
"There's not a doubt in my mind you guys are from Texas," Tyler tells Lone Star Chuck Wagon, the team he chooses as the winner of the challenge. At elimination they come in first place, back on top for the first time since the first week. Unfortunately Beach Cruiser falls to the bottom, $160 behind Middle Feast.
Trace the Race in Season 5
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