Chef Jernard Wells, sixth from left, is one of 13 finalists on Season 12 of "Food Network Star," which began Sunday night on Food Network. Twelve of the finalists are shown; Martita Jara, the 13th finalist, was a surprise addition during Sunday night's episode. Jara won Food Network's "Comeback Kitchen," a competition of "Food Network Star" contenders from previous seasons. That winner's prize was a second chance on "Food Network Star."
Jernard Wells works on a shrimp and grits offering inspired by his wife.The final five contestants on "Food Network Star" had to cook guilty pleasure dinners for one of Food Network's toughest judges on Sunday night's episode, Alex Guarnaschelli. The Iron Chef is unflappable in the kitchen, but former Chattanoogan Jernard Wells managed to make her uncomfortable in Sunday night's episode, nearly causing his elimination.
The final five chefs were charged with creating a five-course meal of guilty pleasure dishes on Sunday night's episode for Guarnaschelli, guest judge Trisha Yearwood and weekly hosts Bobby Flay and Giada DiLaurentiis. The five courses included appetizers, seafood, pasta, entree and dessert. Wells was assigned the toughest course, the entree, and decided to make Gorgonzola-Stuffed Tenderloin with Kentucky Bourbon gravy.
Each chef then had to present the dish to the judges explaining why it was a decadent, guilty pleasure. Wells turned on his smooth-talking, "Chef of Love" persona, explaining -- with a lot of innuendo -- why the meat was such a romantic dish. He opened with "cinnamon is a natural aphrodisiac for men" and the presentation spun downhill from that.
"I feel like he cooked me a seduction dinner I didn't know I was invited to," commented Guarnaschelli afterward. She and Yearwood both said Wells' presentation made them uncomfortable.
Flay agreed, "The Love Chef came on too strong."
During the final judging, Flay told Wells this, who asked the judges to express his apologies to Yearwood and Guarnaschelli. Flay told Wells both his dish and his presentation were over the top and he had too many skills to resort to that.
It was obvious to viewers that Wells and baker Erin Campbell were the bottom two and it appeared Wells may have cooked his last until Campbell got her critique. Her chocolate dessert wasn't decadent enough for the judges, to which Campbell took offense, let her emotions get the better of her and talked back to the judges. Anyone who has watched the show knows that's the fastest way out the door, and it held true Sunday night. Campbell was eliminated, Wells slid into the Final Four.