Bobby Flay and Cat Cora were the Iron Chef judges for tonight's Iron Chef Challenge at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. Alton Brown challenged each finalist as a floor reporter when they were not involved in the cooking portion of the competition. As a floor reporter, it was the competitor's job to show his/her deep encyclopedic knowledge (or not) during the commentary portion of the competition. Amy actually surprised me during the reporter portion of the challenge because she did such a good job. Paul, however, did not come across as knowledgeable or a culinary expert. Rory came across as a smart ass and bitchy and JAG did just ok as the reporter.
Paul (Party Food on a Budget) vs. Rory (Backyard Bistro) - Based on the judge's comments, I'd say Rory won this round as a cook and Amy won as a commentator.
Amy (Gourmet Next Door) vs. JAG (Latino Fusion) - Based on the judge's comments, I'd say Amy won this round as a cook and, if I absolutely HAD to pick, I'd say Rory won as a commentator but only because she was a bit more knowledgeable.
After tonight's episode, there are 3 finalists left: Amy Finley, Rory Schepisi and Joshua Adam Garcia (JAG). The finalist who went home was Paul McCollough.
Next week: Cooking with Rachel Ray!
