As Season 2 of “Top Chef Just Desserts” got underway, the contestants met outside a local soda fountain shop. Fans got to know a couple of the contestants and learned that several of them knew each other before the show. Craig told fans that Sally was one of his teachers in pastry school. Orlando and Chris also knew each other before the show, they had competed against one another in a previous competition. The contestants were quickly introduced to the host Gail Simmons, and a judge Johnny Iuzzini and their fist quickfire challenge.
The quickfire Challenge:
In the quickfire challenge, the contestants paired in teams of two. They were challenged to take common soda fountain ingredients and turn them into something new and exciting. The members of the winning team would receive immunity in the elimination round. As the contestants chose their partners, Lina was less than pleased that she ended up with Craig. During the competition it became clear that Lina was right to be concerned because Craig was very confused and all over the place. In the end, Johnny Iuzzini thought Amanda and Nelson had the best soda fountain dessert, and he named them the winners of the quickfire. His least favorites were Craig and Lina and Orlando and Megan.
The Elimination Challenge:
In the elimination challenge, the contestants each had to select an old book. Inside that book they would find a name of an old fairytale story. Their challenge was to build a show piece and create 150 individual desserts based on the story of their fairytale. There were two teams of three and two teams of four because they winners of the quickfire got to choose what team they wanted to be on. The teams would have six hours on the first day to prep their desserts and four hours the next day to complete their work.
As always, when people are forced to work in teams there was some bickering going on. In the “Hansel and Gretel” kitchen, Melissa and Lina were working against each other instead of with each other. Lina had many opinions and wasn’t afraid to force them on her teammates. Things weren’t going much better for the “Jack and the Beanstalk” team. Craig’s inexperience forced his teammates to help him every step of the way, which put them behind. Even with all the hiccups, all four teams were able to pull it together and complete the challenge.
Judging:
The members of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” and “Little Red Riding Hood” were called into judging first. The “Little Red Riding Hood” team was up first and received great reviews from the judges. They were told that their desserts had raised the bar from Season 1. Team “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” were up next and also received great reviews. They were told their show piece lit up the room. These teams were the judges favorites, but in the end it was team “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” that were named the winners.
Next “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “Hansel and Gretel” were called into the judging room. Team “Hansel and Gretel” were up first, and it was quickly clear why they were in the bottom as Lina and Melissa began to battle in the judging room. When answering why there wasn’t any gingerbread in their desserts, Melissa threw Lina under the bus by telling the judges that she wanted gingerbread, but Lina dismissed the idea.
“Jack and the Beanstalk” was last to be judged, and while they weren’t the judges favorites, their reviews were mixed. The judges liked their show piece, but felt it was one-sided. As for their desserts, the judges thought they each had one flavor that was very overwhelming.
In the end, the judges decided that “Hansel and Gretel” had let their egos get in the way, and sent Lina home.