Worst Cooks In America, Season 4: Top Moments Of Episode 2
Get an insider's look at the recruits' challenges and relive the most memorable moments from the second episode of Food Network's Worst Cooks in America, Season 4.
The recruits' second week of Boot Camp takes them out of the kitchen and onto a boat to gather the star ingredient of their next challenge: fish. Here Dr. Bob shows off his catch of the day, a black sea bass straight from the waters off of New York Harbor.
New to the Sea
For Carla, the mere idea of going for a boat ride is almost too much to handle; she says of herself, "Carla never learned how to swim." Like her competitors, she too finds beginner's luck on the water and successfully reels in a meaty black bass.
Chef Flay, Filleting
On the dock, Chefs Bobby and Anne demonstrate this week's skills lesson: knife cuts. They reveal the proper technique for filleting fish, as well as for chopping fruits and vegetables into slices, dices, chiffonade and julienne while preparing signature fish dishes. Chef Bobby says that he and Chef Anne are "looking for uniformity and good technique" in the recruits' recreations of these meals.
New Day, New Loop
Just as Aadip found himself on an onion-chopping loop last week, he's now struggling on a pin bone loop as he works to remove stubborn bones from his fish. He ultimately ends up serving a dish that's far too salty, but Chef Anne tells him, "your fish — you didn't do a horrible job filleting it."
Hazard of Boot Camp
Like many of his fellow contestants have done before, Big Mike accidently cuts himself with a sharp knife. Unfortunately, the bad news doesn't end for him, as later his dish is named the least successful on the Blue Team. "This week is all about knife skills," Chef Bobby tells him. "You started off by cutting yourself, so that's probably not a good sign."
Salty Seafood
During tasting, Chef Anne can hardly eat Michael's seafood platter, calling it "super, super salty." This overseasoning proves to be a common problem among many Red Team recruits, and Chef Anne declares, "I am a salter with the best of them, but man — they have taken it to a new level."
No Need to Be Afraid
"Cutting these vegetables makes me feel very nervous because I have a fear of knives," Chet explains. Treading lightly while chopping fennel, he makes sure to avoid nicking his fingers.
To Chef, From Carla
Carla delivers a special treat for Chef Bobby in the form of a heart made out of honey on her plate, but this soon becomes her undoing. "The honey on the plate — it's distracting from the good you did there," Chef Bobby tells her.
Boot Camp in Session
At the start of the Main Dish Challenge, Chefs Bobby and Anne teach their teams the basics of butchering a chicken in the hopes of instilling in them the notion of farm-to-table cuisine. "The purpose of knowing how to butcher a whole chicken is that you can use the entire chicken and not waste any of it," Chef Bobby explains.
Surprise Chicken Pieces
At their cooking stations, the recruits find not just ordinary whole chickens but ones with heads and feet still attached. This task is almost too much to bear for some competitors, who become overwhelmed at the prospect of chopping off these crucial body parts. "I just wanted to hit an eject button and shoot through the roof of Boot Camp," Aadip says of seeing the bird on his cutting board.
Poultry Surgery
In butchering their chickens, Chef Anne's Red Team recruits must perform spine-ectomies in which they cut away the entire backbone from their bird. Dr. Bob manages to remove his chicken's spine, but while cooking, he strays from the recipe, adding ingredients and changing the method of preparation. "I desperately want to reach you as a student," Chef Anne tells him. "I can only give you the tools. It is up to you to pick them up and use them."
Mixed Reviews
Fresh off of her successful finish in the Skills Drill Challenge, Crystal presents a chicken and polenta plate that Chef Anne says "isn't terrible." As for the chicken, Chef Anne thinks it "looks like it went through the lawn mower," although its flavor is pretty good.
Looking on the Bright Side
"Here's a positive: I'm not the worst," Carrie Lee notes after receiving Chef Bobby's feedback on her dish. He's pleased with the outcome of her chicken and polenta, explaining that "there are some very good things going on here."
Grits-Style Polenta
In his demonstration earlier, Chef Bobby cooked polenta that was smooth and creamy, but Alex ends up making the Italian classic thick, saying, "that's how I like my grits." Chef Bobby explains that he's looking for more "finesse" in the side dish, but he nevertheless notes that the seasoning is very good.
Finding Success
"This makes me almost sort of half smile," Chef Anne tells Sue after seeing her plate of chicken with polenta. She compliments her on a chicken that's browned really nicely, and Sue is ultimately named the most successful Red Team recruit of the day.
Back From Behind
After being one of the bottom two contestants last week, Alina makes a stellar comeback with a first-place finish on the Blue Team. Chef Bobby compliments her on all aspects of her chicken dish, calling the polenta well seasoned, the chicken skin nicely browned and the sauce very good, too.
Goodbye to Boot Camp
With only two weeks of Boot Camp under their belts, Dr. Bob and Big Mike turn in their Red Team and Blue Team aprons, respectively. Dr. Bob is proud of the progress he made in his short time in the competition, but Big Mike can't help but see the irony in his elimination. "I'm a mama's boy. One of the reasons I came here was to learn how to cook so I could fly the coop, and the reason I'm going home is all over a dang chicken."
