Ep 9. Cream Of The Crop

Cream of the Crop is the 9th episode of the 18th season of Beat Bobby Flay, an American cooking competition series that airs on the Food Network. This thrilling episode features two talented chefs, who are both eager to defeat the legendary Bobby Flay in a culinary showdown.

The episode begins with the show's host, the hilarious comedian and actor, Alton Brown introducing the two competing chefs. The first chef is a well-known pastry chef, Dusty Arndt, known for her innovative and delectable desserts, who hails from Fort Worth, Texas. The second chef is a rising star in the culinary world, J. Looney, originally from Florida but now living in New York City, who is known for his Southern-inspired cuisine.

The first round of the competition, called the "Beat Bobby Flay" round, challenges both chefs to create a dish featuring a secret ingredient, chosen by the show's producers. The judges, restaurateur Michael Psilakis and Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, evaluated the dishes based on taste, presentation, and creativity. After much deliberation, they choose Looney's dish, a spicy shrimp and grits dish, over Arndt's cherry tart, to go head-to-head with Bobby Flay.

Next, the two remaining chefs face-off in the "Judges' Plate" round, where they have to use a specific, given ingredient to prepare a plate of food for the judges to taste. This round's ingredient is cream, and the chefs only have 45 minutes to prepare their dishes. Looney creates a scrumptious creamy corn soup with bacon, while Arndt presents a savory creamed cauliflower and crispy shrimp dish. Both dishes are judged by Guarnaschelli, chef and restaurateur Marc Murphy, and Chef Einat Admony, who together give their scores based on taste, creativity, and presentation.

Finally, the two finalists face-off in the final round, where they must prepare a dish of their choice in just one hour. The judges score the dishes based on a point system that takes into account the same criteria of taste, creativity, and presentation, along with the overall quality of the dish. The winner gets the ultimate prize of bragging rights, as well as the chance to finally beat Bobby Flay.

Overall, Cream of the Crop was a riveting and exciting episode of Beat Bobby Flay. Looney and Arndt both showed off their culinary skills, creating delicious and innovative dishes in every round. The judges' scores were close, and it was a nail-biting finale to see which chef would come out on top. The episode was a great example of the quality culinary competition that the show is known for, and it is sure to leave viewers hungry for more.