Ep 3. Battle of the Mentors

In the third episode of All-Star Academy season 1, titled Battle of the Mentors, the competition heats up as the remaining eight home cooks are split into pairs and are assigned to cook dishes chosen by their mentors. The mentors, Alex Guarnaschelli, Curtis Stone, Michael Symon, and Robert Irvine, watch their mentees closely as they prepare their dishes, providing guidance and tips along the way.

The first pair to face off is Matt and Katie, who cook a dish chosen by Chef Irvine. The contestants are given 90 minutes to prepare a dish featuring a mystery ingredient - chicken livers. Matt struggles to handle the liver, while Katie faces challenges with the cooking time of the liver. In the end, both dishes are tasty, but it is Katie's pappardelle with chicken liver ragout that wins the judges' hearts.

The second pair to battle it out is Angela and Natasha, cooking a dish chosen by Chef Guarnaschelli. The dish is a lobster risotto, and the contestants have just 60 minutes to whip up a delicious plate. Angela runs into trouble when she overcooks her lobster, but her flavors are spot on. Meanwhile, Natasha's risotto is perfect, but her lobster lacks flavor. Ultimately, it is Natasha's dish that wins the round, impressing the judges with her perfect consistency and balance of flavors.

The third pair is Jill and Andre, cooking a dish chosen by Chef Symon. The ingredient is pork, and the pair have just 45 minutes to prepare a flavorful dish. Jill decides to take a bold approach and uses a chocolate-based sauce with her pork, while Andre opts for a more traditional pork chop with a honey mustard glaze. The judges are impressed with both dishes, but it is Andre's pork chop that wins in the end due to its perfectly cooked texture and well-balanced flavors.

The final pair features Christopher and Jessica, cooking a dish chosen by Chef Stone. The ingredient is salmon, and the pair have 30 minutes to come up with a creative dish. Christopher goes for a Moroccan-inspired salmon tagine, while Jessica chooses to make a more traditional grilled salmon dish. The judges are impressed with both of their creations, but in the end, it is Christopher's unique spiced salmon that takes the win.

After all four rounds are complete, the judges deliberate on which mentor had the strongest showing in this battle. Chef Stone's mentees come out on top, earning him immunity for the following challenge. The remaining contestants face off in a pressure test, where they have just 60 minutes to prepare a perfect steak dish. The contestant whose dish is the least impressive will be sent home.

The pressure is on as the home cooks scramble to cook their steaks to perfection. Some struggle with the timing and temperature, while others try to infuse unique flavors into their dish. In the end, the judges are impressed with the majority of the dishes, but there is one home cook who falls short. The contestant is sent home, leaving the remaining seven to battle it out in the next round of All-Star Academy.