Would you eat macaroni and cheese with octopus or kimchi bread pudding? Ever think of combining spaghetti with cantaloupe?
Those were three of the strange culinary combinations that some of the seven remaining contestants on Sunday night’s episode of “Food Network Star” had to master.
Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, hosts of morning Internet talk show “Good Mythical Morning,” were guest judges for Episode Six’s elimination challenge, Contestants had to choose an unusual ingredient in a blind draw before McLaughlin and Neal spun a wheel to determine in what dish that ingredient would be used. After cooking their dishes, the chefs were interviewed by the hosts with the goal of convincing them the odd dish was worth tasting.
Former Chattanoogan Jernard Wells drew ahi tuna and patty melt.
“I have to marry cheese with fish,” he moaned before deciding to bridge the two with a creole remoulade sauce.
“I think you handled the tuna really nicely,” said Judge Bobby Flay. The guest judges both agreed it was a hit. Wells was so pumped by their praise that he tried to jump into a split, not quite managing to get to the floor but still entertaining the judges with his enthusiasm.
Although no winner was declared in this episode, Wells was one of two chefs that the judges singled out as best performers and praised their creative dishes.
“Keep bringing the swagger,” Flay advised Wells.