Welcome back! Thanks for joining me as we dive into Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars Season 2, Episode 7 recap. Last time, Gordon Ramsay’s team enjoyed a sweet success in the chocolate challenge, and Lisa Vanderpump sent Maria Laura Vacaflores home.
This week’s episode, “Show and Sell” challenges the contestants to demo and sell food gadgets at a trade show. Here’s everything you need to know about Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars Season 2, Episode 7!
A daunting challenge
Team Ramsay, having won the previous challenge, hurtled down the Thames in a Thames Rocket. Meanwhile, Team Vanderpump shared a car. Womp, womp.
Gordon Ramsay Shocks Internet with Insane Biking Injury
The setting for the next challenge is a food and beverage trade show, The International Food and Drink Event. This event will have 30,000 visitors. Wow! Lisa told the teams how important the “ability to sell” is to a business. Each team will present some kitchen gadgets, along with a $2,000 blender in front of brand reps and buyers. Oh, and they will be doing this live in three hours. No pressure!
Each team’s sales skills and presentation will be evaluated by a panel of experts in the food and drink industry. And the judges will be asked to place potential orders for the products. The team with the highest sales percentage will win.
Both Gordon and Lisa have some nerves about this challenge. Will the teams know how to sell a product and impress an audience? And can they “read the room” and know who they are selling to?
Team Ramsay
Contestants on Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars Season 2.
Here are the members of Gordon’s team.
Ali Schlichter
Kyson Clark
Andrew Whiting
Liz Aust
Rose Hankins
Rose decided to be team leader for this challenge because she had experience at a trade show. The products are unusual. There is an automatic pot stirrer and a three-in-one butter knife. Anyway, Kyson opted to present the butter knife, but his biggest concern is whether he will stutter. Finally, it is decided that Ali will present the grater, Liz will wrangle the pot stirrer, and Andrew will demo the blender.
Team Vanderpump
Team Vanderpump on Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars Season 2.
Photo Credit: FOX
Here are the members of Team Vanderpump.
Erica Levin
Roman Desmond
Nicholas Ducos
Jess Druey
Nicholas stepped up as team leader because he has experience demonstrating in front of classes. So, Roman decided to present the avocado gadget, while Nicholas will demo the blender.
Erica selected the semi-automatic whisk, which left the grating tool for Jess. Although Jess tried to persuade Erica to switch with her, she was stuck with a confusing tool and zero cooking knowledge. That is a recipe for trouble.
Watch your fingers!
In the kitchen on Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars Season 2.
Jess was having a hard time with her product. Just then, Lisa showed up. When she asked what was wrong, Jess admitted that she was the only person with no cooking experience.
Then Lisa asked them to run through their presentation. When she heard that the team members were going to be sitting in the crowd, she made a face. A “that is a terrible idea” expression. Lisa worried that it seemed like a school play.
Unfortunately, as soon as she started the demo, Jess sliced her finger. “I hand her a cheese grater and she almost cuts her finger off. I’m like, ‘What the f*ck?’” Lisa commented. I guess Lisa’s sympathy meter was low that day.
Thankfully, Jess said that she was fine, and Lisa gave her the whisk to demo instead. In her confessional, a crying Jess was “overwhelmed” and “second-guessing herself” after the mishap. She felt that she let the team down, and Erica insisted that wasn’t the case.
Meanwhile, Erica had no problem sharing her feelings with Lisa. She told Lisa that she didn’t have time to make sure that Jess felt comfortable with the grater and that the “energy was frenetic and fast.” Finally, Lisa cautioned her team that they were presenting in front of “serious people.”
Prepping for their presentation
Gordon Ramsay with cast members of Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars Season 2.
Over at Gordon’s team, the group decided to start their presentation with breakfast and move on to dinner. Most of all, Rose wanted them to prepare a fun presentation to hook the buyers.
Gordon came by and drilled down on how comfortable the team has to be with using the products. Afterward, Gordon confessed that Team Ramsay hadn’t utilized their prep time.
Next, Gordon and Lisa chatted with the panel that will be judging the challenge. Lucia Fox, who is a host on QVC, will judge along with Michael Baranowski, who is a buyer for Home Bargains, and VP of Sales for BlendTec, Chris Georgeson.
Gordon asked Lucia what was most important about a live presentation. She stated that “being authentic” and knowing all about the product were key. And reading the room was also important. As for the pitch? Michael explained that the person who is pitching needs to “have con
fidence in their product.”
Time for the presentations
Presentation time on Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars Season 2.
Team Ramsay’s Rose took the stage and introduced her team members. It seemed like a high school pep rally. Kyson was up first with his butter knife, and he stuttered. My heart broke for him, but he kept going. When Kyson asked the different sides of the audience to “ooh” and “ahh,” it seemed immature. And he didn’t even spread the butter on the bread, so he didn’t fully demo the product.
Then Lucia asked what the three uses were for the knife, adding that she didn’t understand what made it different. Gordon was upset, noting that Kyson skipped the most important part of the demo. And Lisa also weighed in, calling it “a pantomime.”
Next, Rose presented a multi-blade herb scissor, while Liza demonstrated the automatic pot stirrer. But when Ali presented the grater, she had a hard time using it to slice carrots and Gordon thought that it appeared “dangerous.” Finally, Andrew knew all about the blender, and his presentation was incredible. But I loved it when, after the demo, Gordon demonstrated the butter knife, making curls of butter for Lisa.
Next, Team Vanderpump was up. Nicholas launched directly into the presentation, which focused on breakfast. He explained about the blender as he prepared a smoothie. Unfortunately, he forgot the lid. Oops! I think maybe presenting in front of their peers made both teams nervous.
When Lucia asked what else the blender could make, Nicholas replied that he liked to make soup in it. After that, Roman did a great job demonstrating the avocado tool and Erica showed off the grater. Meanwhile, Jess was energetic and really sold the whisk, even after her grating accident earlier. Chris asked a question about using the whisk to make foam out of milk, and Jess answered easily and confidently.
Afterward, Nicholas admitted that he missed talking about some of the blender’s functions. And Lisa felt her team was “slick” and “professional,” while Gordon thought that the demo was too quick.
