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Did This One Mistake Cost Me $10,000? What Really Happened on Food Network's Chopped Redemption
Apr 26, 2026
The Chopped saga continues! We are back with the full behind-the-scenes story of my third time on the Food Network - this time stepping into a New York City commercial kitchen to film Chopped Redemption. We break down what it's like being the cowboy outsider in a room full of trained chefs, the drama with my fellow contestants, and the result that shocked me.
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Kent Rollins
Cowboy Cooking, Cast Iron, Outdoor Cooking, Grilling, Dutch Oven Cooking
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0:00
And they said, "We have a little problem
0:02
here, Kent, with your dish." And Ted
0:05
said, "Because we think there may have
0:08
been contamination in your dessert, pal.
0:11
We think there was a little blood in
0:13
it." At this time, I'm a little
0:14
deflated. Here you are close again. You
0:17
might not make it.
0:22
Howdy. My name is Kent Rollins. I've
0:25
been a cowboy and a chuck wagon cook for
0:27
over 30 years, cooking for ranches all
0:30
across America. You might have seen me
0:32
on the Food Network or alongside my
0:34
beautiful wife, Shannon, on our YouTube
0:35
show, where we share cowboy cooking from
0:38
the trail. But now we're going to take
0:39
you behind the scenes to real campfire
0:42
conversations. Join us as we share
0:44
humor, cowboy wisdom, and stories full
0:47
of history, heart, faith, and of course,
0:50
a little fire. So grab you a cup of
0:52
coffee, pull up a chair, and welcome to
0:54
the podcast.
1:00
>> Thank y'all so much again for joining
1:03
us. And Kent, we are continuing the Food
1:06
Network Chopped saga in this episode.
1:10
>> on forever.
1:11
>> It well,
1:11
>> Felt like it at the
1:12
>> I thought it did.
1:14
>> And so, if you all missed the last
1:16
episode we did, um Kent, I had asked you
1:19
to kind of deep dive and give us the
1:22
behind the scenes, all the juice on your
1:24
time on the Food Network's Chopped
1:27
series. And you have actually been on
1:28
Chopped three times. So,
1:31
in the last episode we talked about your
1:33
time at Chopped Grill Masters, which was
1:35
the Food Network's first major outdoor
1:38
production. It was all outside. It was
1:41
all grilling. And
1:44
I don't know. Should I do a spoiler
1:45
alert? Like, maybe I won't. If you guys
1:47
didn't listen to that episode, go back
1:48
and listen to it. And what we won't talk
1:50
about what happened. But
1:52
now, we're going to talk about your
1:56
third time on Chopped. my goodness. And
1:58
this one's a doozy, folks.
2:00
>> Yes, it is.
2:01
>> Um it gets kind of there's a little bit
2:02
of drama involved.
2:03
>> Drama was involved.
2:05
>> And so we're going to talk about
2:08
the episode called redeemed or
2:11
re-chopped.
2:12
>> That's right.
2:13
>> And if anybody wants to go back and and
2:15
watch this one, I found it on Discovery
2:17
Plus and this was season 17 episode 11,
2:21
just in case anybody's wondering. So
2:23
let's just recap a little bit. You had
2:26
been on Chopped Grill Masters. You did
2:29
that. Yay, that's over. You come back.
2:31
You live the life on the chuck wagon
2:32
again. You're doing your cowboy cooking
2:34
thing. And then you get another call.
2:37
>> The phone rings and they said
2:40
Hey, Ken, we would really love for you
2:42
to come up here to New York City. That
2:44
first check mark right there just made
2:45
me go woo.
2:46
>> And this is a producer from from
2:48
Chopped.
2:49
>> And second was
2:50
we'd love for you to be in Chopped
2:53
Redemption.
2:54
And I'm thinking, well,
2:56
I don't know about that, you know, I
2:57
don't I don't really like to cook inside
3:00
that much. I'd rather cook outside.
3:02
>> Right, so this was a lot different than
3:04
Chopped Grill Masters. Chopped Grill
3:06
Masters, you're like, okay, this is
3:07
weird, but it's outdoor, it's grilling,
3:10
it's more in your wheelhouse.
3:11
>> Yeah. And uh
3:12
>> The Chopped Redemption
3:15
is like the normal Chopped episodes if
3:18
you have watched. They are in a
3:20
commercial kitchen.
3:22
It's all filmed in New York.
3:23
>> Yep.
3:24
>> So this was out of your element.
3:25
>> Yes, it was. And And you know, I didn't
3:28
give an answer the first day. Thought
3:29
about it for well, probably for three or
3:31
four days.
3:33
Then I thought, you know,
3:34
I think I'm going to do this. I prayed
3:36
about it. And uh
3:38
I want people to know I can cook inside,
3:40
outside, on top of the house, you know,
3:42
tornadoes, hailstorms, no nothing bother
3:44
me. But it's still
3:46
I remembered that anxiety
3:49
that really comes over you when you're
3:50
at Chopped. And now this was totally
3:52
different cuz I'm inside.
3:55
>> The reason you said yes then was because
3:57
you wanted to show people that you could
3:58
also cook inside. Was that the main
4:00
reason?
4:00
>> Yeah, and they
4:02
they had sort of cast this deal for
4:04
contestants that were really liked and
4:06
contestants that were sort of hard to
4:08
get along with.
4:09
>> Oh, interesting.
4:11
>> already taking place.
4:12
>> So the concept behind this specific
4:15
episode, Redeemed or Rechopped, the Food
4:19
Network brought in four contestants who
4:21
had previously been on some sort of
4:24
Chopped
4:25
>> and been chopped.
4:26
>> And been chopped. So I guess that is our
4:27
spoiler alert. You had been chopped um
4:30
on the previous Grill Masters. You had
4:32
won your first round.
4:34
>> Yep.
4:34
>> He went to the finals and you made it
4:37
all the way to the dessert round and you
4:39
got chopped.
4:39
>> Got second.
4:41
>> So the whole point is let's bring back
4:43
these contestants and see what they can
4:46
do with a second chance, right? What did
4:49
redemption then mean for you going into
4:52
it?
4:53
>> Well,
4:54
as Ted Allen said, who hosts Chopped,
4:57
he said, "You know, Ken, we was all
4:58
standing out there. I guess you're the
5:00
only contestants that's has won a round
5:03
on Chopped and didn't receive payment."
5:06
>> That's
5:07
>> That's
5:07
cuz I was in a it was in a tournament,
5:10
you know?
5:10
>> Mhm.
5:11
>> So you had to advance.
5:13
And I'm thinking,
5:14
"Yeah, these people owe me some money,
5:16
you know?" And uh so
5:18
>> And probably some therapy because that's
5:20
that first Chopped was intense.
5:22
>> It was that.
5:23
>> I well, I think I wanted to prove
5:26
>> to myself, too, that
5:28
you can you can overcome any challenge
5:31
in life. You can a-
5:33
can adapt to what's happening around you
5:36
and tell yourself,
5:38
"This may be different. This may be a
5:40
little harder. I'm out of my element,
5:42
but stay true to who you are and stay
5:44
true to heart."
5:45
>> Of course, the competitors are
5:46
different.
5:47
>> Yes, they are. You know, there was a guy
5:49
there from Chicago who was a chef.
5:52
And uh
5:53
>> Frank.
5:53
>> Yeah. And the guy that stuck out to me
5:55
when I first seen him because he had
5:57
this sort of
5:58
red mohawk. You know?
6:00
>> Uh-huh.
6:00
>> And I'm thinking
6:02
I think I might have seen this guy on
6:04
Chopped. But he had a smile that was
6:05
this big.
6:07
You know, I could
6:08
Me and him might not have had the same
6:10
hairdo.
6:11
But I could tell he had the same heart.
6:13
His name was Jeff I
6:15
And uh
6:16
I think, you know,
6:17
this guy seemed like good people. You
6:19
know, and then there was this lady, Zoe.
6:22
And uh
6:24
>> She was a chef from New York.
6:25
>> Yeah, and she was
6:27
she was really proud of herself.
6:29
>> I I could tell she's very intense
6:31
cooking. Um
6:33
one thing I do want to point out that I
6:36
felt was very different, and tell me if
6:38
I'm wrong.
6:40
The competitors and chefs
6:43
from Grill Masters to the Redemption
6:45
episode were much, much different.
6:48
>> ma'am.
6:49
>> I got the impression as a viewer from
6:51
Grill Masters, it was a little more like
6:54
light-hearted. Um people were kind of
6:57
cheering each other on. You guys hugged
7:00
at the end. It seemed a little more like
7:03
kind of we're all in this together.
7:05
Watching the Chopped Redemption, I
7:09
didn't get that same feeling. It felt
7:11
very
7:12
competitive.
7:13
>> Yeah.
7:14
>> We're here to win. Um and I'm going to
7:17
do everything I can to kind of take the
7:18
guy down. So, it was that kind of true?
7:21
>> Yeah. The You know, I was
7:24
Me and Jeff were in the middle.
7:26
And Frank was on one end, and Zoe was on
7:28
the other. Two guys in the middle, we we
7:30
sort of got along. But the opposite
7:33
ends,
7:34
they didn't attract. Just like a
7:35
battery. You know, you can't stick both
7:37
them together, and they're going to
7:38
join.
7:39
>> And so, what do you mean by that? Like
7:40
what what
7:41
>> there was just tension there.
7:42
>> Was there?
7:43
>> You know, I just it's
7:45
And I got manners and I use them.
7:48
But I could just tell that
7:50
I thought some of the things
7:52
I was saying or trying to get across
7:55
to him or her,
7:57
they didn't soak in.
7:59
>> They Were they just kind of like in
8:00
their own zone?
8:01
>> Yeah, in a way, but also a
8:03
a little a little abrupt.
8:05
>> Were they? Was there any kind of um
8:08
challenging with ingredients? Cuz I
8:09
always want to know, like is there ever
8:11
fighting for ingredients or like are you
8:14
sharing ingredients?
8:16
>> Well, I learned at that time that there
8:18
was people that did hoard ingredients.
8:20
>> Was that kind of like a strategy for
8:22
from some people?
8:23
>> it might have been. You know, I'm I'm
8:25
always taught me we're going to share.
8:27
Uh I know they had took can openers
8:29
away, we couldn't find them, you know.
8:31
>> So this is really interesting point that
8:32
I want to make. In round one, the
8:34
appetizer round,
8:35
>> Uh-huh.
8:36
>> all four of you were there. And so it
8:38
you had a can and you had to find a can
8:40
opener and Frank was right next to you
8:42
and he can't hide he can't find the can
8:44
opener and he's freaking out.
8:46
>> And
8:47
>> choice words coming out.
8:48
>> Are there? And so what do you do?
8:50
>> I just take it. You know, they give you
8:52
a knife, you can take your knives.
8:54
>> Okay.
8:55
>> They had these cases, like little
8:57
suitcases.
8:58
>> The other chefs did?
8:59
>> Yeah, but I remember you making me and I
9:01
told you I said we're just going to put
9:02
them in a tarp with sew pockets in them
9:05
and you just roll it up tight, you know.
9:07
Well, when you unroll it, cuz they want
9:09
to look at them, like, you know.
9:11
I had a
9:12
good butcher knife,
9:14
a buck hunting knife,
9:17
a hash knife and a pocket knife.
9:19
>> It was a little bit of a hodgepodge
9:21
>> Yes.
9:22
>> of knives.
9:23
>> got me by.
9:24
>> Compared to what some of the other chefs
9:26
brought in.
9:26
>> Culinary folks will bring.
9:27
>> Were in a like a full set of Yeah.
9:30
>> I just take that big old buck hunting
9:31
knife and just
9:33
stab it in that can, open it with that.
9:35
I've I've used pocket knives for can
9:37
openers many times.
9:38
And he's over just going back and forth.
9:41
I don't I can't say what he said.
9:43
And about needed a can opener and I told
9:45
him I said
9:47
just use a knife.
9:49
And he had a few choice words and it
9:51
ended up that he said not everybody's a
9:53
barbarian like you.
9:55
So, I'm thinking Frank don't want no
9:57
help, you know, so I didn't pay it no
10:00
mind.
10:01
>> I think um like I said what was really
10:03
interesting and I
10:05
it may have just been also the kitchen
10:07
scene
10:08
>> Yeah.
10:09
>> and that environment that makes things
10:11
more intense. You're not outdoors. It's
10:13
not like an open setting.
10:16
You're closed in and
10:19
Chopped is super intense. So, I
10:21
And I can see how people can get a
10:24
little more stressed and intense in that
10:27
situation. Did you have a change in
10:30
strategy
10:31
in this version of Chopped versus Grill
10:34
Masters?
10:35
>> Well, I think I was going to try to
10:37
plate a little better. Try to make sure
10:39
that I finished a little ahead of time
10:41
instead of having to scramble and throw
10:43
it on the plate right there at the last,
10:44
you know. And again, I was very thankful
10:47
when it started that the Food Network
10:49
give me another opportunity, you know,
10:51
to try this out and
10:53
but hey Food Network, I'm not don't call
10:55
me. I ain't going back on there no more.
10:56
It was fun while it lasted it was but
10:59
it's a
11:00
can be very chaotic if you let it
11:03
because
11:05
the space between the stoves and the
11:07
tables isn't that big and you're running
11:09
back and forth, you know,
11:11
trying to stay out of everybody else's
11:13
way
11:14
and going to the pantry back and forth
11:16
or back there where the fridge was but I
11:18
just thought get through early, make
11:21
sure it's plated, make sure you hadn't
11:23
left something out. But again, I
11:26
wondered about the folks who bought
11:27
groceries. Who buys chop suey in a can
11:30
and why did you need it?
11:31
>> I do want to say that the ingredients
11:35
felt much more intense
11:37
>> Oh, yes.
11:38
>> this round. You had parrotfish.
11:41
>> Yeah.
11:41
>> Vegan lobster.
11:42
>> Uh-huh.
11:43
>> Chayote squash.
11:44
>> Uh-huh.
11:45
>> Bubble tea.
11:46
>> Yeah.
11:47
>> And it's like, who in their right mind
11:49
is doing the grocery shopping?
11:51
>> Who?
11:52
You cannot go to the little grocery
11:53
store down here and buy any of that
11:56
stuff.
11:56
>> You couldn't even practice, right?
11:58
>> And when
11:59
you know, when we got through with the
12:00
first round
12:02
and Frank went home, and Frank was not
12:04
happy
12:05
when he went home.
12:06
>> you get chopped. That's not fun.
12:07
>> Well, he said a
12:09
>> some more choice words.
12:10
>> Yeah, about the cowboy, you know. And
12:12
I'm thinking
12:14
here we go again, you know, another
12:15
round, more interviews, just like
12:17
before, and then you start. And when we
12:19
got out there in the in the main course
12:21
round, you know, and you get 30 minutes.
12:25
And they pulled out when we got to this
12:27
bag, they said, "You and you have a
12:28
parrotfish." We didn't catch them where
12:31
I had There wasn't enough water, I don't
12:32
think, to make them. We had some bass
12:34
and some crappie and some catfish.
12:36
>> It's a Hawaiian fish, right?
12:38
>> Yeah.
12:39
And uh when I pulled him out, I remember
12:41
telling telling Tegan,
12:43
"I wouldn't cook this fish. I'd mount
12:44
him on the wall." I mean, he's he's this
12:46
long, and he's pretty
12:48
>> How long is that?
12:48
>> I'd say
12:50
he was a good nearly 2 ft.
12:52
>> Oh, wow.
12:52
>> And scales on him were as big as a
12:54
silver dollar.
12:56
And they give you this little scaling
12:58
tool, which wouldn't touch this rascal.
13:00
I mean, he had scales on him thick as a
13:02
horse's foot, you know. So, I'm
13:04
thinking, "Get rid of that. Just take
13:06
your knife. You can either fillet him or
13:08
get them off with that, you know."
13:10
But, chayote squash?
13:12
I'd never heard of that in my life, but
13:14
I knew a lot about squash.
13:16
And raised a lot of squash, you know.
13:19
So, I'm thinking,
13:21
"I'm going to boil it down so long, then
13:23
I'm going to cook it."
13:24
But, the judges There was two of the
13:27
same, and one was different.
13:28
>> Let's talk about the judges. So, Aaron
13:31
Sanchez and Mark Murphy were the same
13:33
judges you had in the previous chopped.
13:36
But, the new one was Alex Guarnaschelli.
13:38
>> Yeah.
13:39
>> And I think that kind of threw you for a
13:42
loop.
13:43
>> Yeah, I don't think me and her seen eye
13:45
to eye, you know.
13:46
>> She again,
13:47
I think really the vibe with this whole
13:49
thing was more intensity.
13:51
>> Oh, it was.
13:52
>> She is very intense. She's a
13:54
>> She's a great chef, I'm sure, but
13:56
>> She's a perfectionist and so she was
13:58
kind of giving you more of a critical
13:59
eye, right?
14:00
>> Yeah, and I would I mean I wasn't paying
14:02
a whole lot of mind, but uh
14:04
I can remember cooking that squash down
14:07
uh after I boiled it so long try to get
14:08
it tender.
14:10
And uh I fried this fish.
14:13
But,
14:14
I went and found me these really deep
14:16
plates that had a whale in the bottom of
14:18
them, like I mean a sunken spot, you
14:20
know.
14:20
And I boiled what was left of that fish,
14:23
head, bones and all with some spices and
14:26
made me a
14:27
like a little broth to sit in the
14:29
bottom.
14:30
>> Oh.
14:30
>> And then put the
14:32
uh fish right there on the top with the
14:34
squash. I can remember everybody getting
14:37
through
14:39
and
14:40
I remember her saying, "Well,
14:43
this is probably not the way I would
14:45
have done something." You know, and I'm
14:47
thinking, "Well, you're not over here.
14:49
No, it's just me."
14:51
>> So, Ken, you know, recently I just got
14:53
LASIK surgery. And since then, I've been
14:56
really concerned about my eye health and
14:58
making sure that I'm doing everything
15:00
right to protect my eyes. And one of
15:01
those big things is wearing sunglasses.
15:04
And you had mentioned that you had been
15:06
seeing a lot of ads for Warby Parker.
15:08
But, purchasing online is sometimes
15:10
tricky because you can't try stuff on.
15:13
However, Warby Parker, you can actually
15:16
try stuff on with just your phone. You
15:18
can view a ton of different styles right
15:21
on your own face. So, you would get
15:23
exactly the look you want without having
15:26
to guess.
15:27
>> They also have prescription glass
15:28
options, too, as well as contacts and
15:30
online eye exams. They also have over
15:33
300 retail stores across the US if you
15:37
ever wanted an in-person option.
15:40
You know, I saw the ad and I'm thinking
15:42
I think Shannon would like these.
15:43
There's so many different styles that I
15:45
think she would really look good in and
15:47
she needs to protect them eyes.
15:49
>> Now, you can get one prescription pair
15:52
and get 20% off an additional
15:54
prescription if you visit
15:56
warbyparker.com/cowboykent.
15:59
That's 20% off any additional
16:02
prescription pairs when you go to w a r
16:06
b y parker.com/cowboykent.
16:15
>> After the first round and getting
16:17
through the second one,
16:19
I could just tell that Jeff there beside
16:21
me
16:22
he had the biggest heart.
16:23
You know, you could tell he was full of
16:25
of pride in what he did and he put forth
16:28
a great effort.
16:30
But, also he was friendly.
16:32
He was a guy that had manners.
16:35
He was a guy that I know
16:37
uh
16:37
is great in and out of the kitchen both,
16:40
you know.
16:41
>> I want to know
16:43
when in between rounds
16:46
you guys all go back into a room.
16:49
>> Yeah.
16:49
>> And they do film this.
16:50
>> Yes.
16:51
>> And they'll use parts of that. What is
16:54
what is the vibe in that room and what
16:55
are people talking about?
16:57
>> Well, when you go in there cuz it's
16:59
after you get through with the round.
17:01
>> Mhm.
17:02
>> And then they take you back in there
17:03
while the judges are making their
17:04
decision, you know.
17:07
And you're The first thing that's coming
17:08
to everybody's mind is did I do good
17:10
enough to advance to the next round, you
17:13
know.
17:14
And I'd say
17:17
but I
17:18
Jeff was asking me, he said, "You know
17:20
your fish look good." And I said, "Well,
17:23
yours had a great crust on it. Looked
17:26
really good to me."
17:28
And
17:29
Zoe, I remember her saying, "Well, mine
17:31
was this, and mine was this, and mine
17:32
was this, and mine was this." And more
17:34
mines, and more mines, you know?
17:37
So, I'm thinking, "I'm just going to sit
17:38
here and listen. I'm not going to say
17:40
nothing."
17:41
>> Mhm.
17:41
>> And uh
17:42
And it wasn't long. Believe that was the
17:44
shortest, as they call it, sequestered
17:46
time that I'd had. And we went back out
17:49
there.
17:50
And uh Jeff was chopped.
17:53
>> Mhm.
17:53
>> And it sort of broke my heart.
17:54
>> Cuz he was your buddy.
17:55
>> Yeah. And I gave him a big hug, you
17:57
know? When it was time for dessert, I
18:00
remember thinking, "This is your chance
18:03
to not only be redeemed,
18:05
but to prove to people that you can cook
18:08
anywhere in any environment."
18:10
>> And it really was a very, um, distinct
18:14
difference between the two competitors.
18:18
You're uh a chef uh
18:20
from Well, you don't even like to call
18:22
yourself chef.
18:22
>> I'm not. Never been a chef.
18:24
>> You are an outdoor cook. You have a
18:25
specialty in live-fire grilling and
18:28
Dutch oven cooking, simple ingredients,
18:30
hearty meals. And you have Zoe, who's
18:33
more a finer, refined chef. She's got a
18:37
restaurant in New York City. She's all
18:39
about plating and design. And so, these
18:42
two worlds are colliding.
18:43
>> I mean, it's like day light and dark.
18:45
>> But before we go into the final round,
18:48
which gets really interesting.
18:50
>> Yes.
18:51
>> And a lot of, um,
18:54
anticipation.
18:55
>> Yes.
18:56
>> Um, I want to go back to round two.
19:00
>> All right.
19:00
>> Because you cut yourself.
19:01
>> Uh-huh.
19:03
>> What happened?
19:04
>> Well, I was trimming on that there fish
19:06
and cut this finger, just barely.
19:09
In the heat of battle.
19:12
>> And do you even Do you even feel
19:13
yourself getting cut? Is everything
19:15
going so crazy that
19:16
>> No. And your adrenaline is 900 miles an
19:19
hour, you know. So, and at the time I
19:22
was having to take blood thinner back
19:24
then, you know.
19:25
>> Oh.
19:25
>> So,
19:26
I seen it.
19:28
And I got this medic and they ain't They
19:29
ain't going to do this. Time out. Stop
19:31
the clock.
19:32
You know.
19:32
>> Oh, so that's the thing That That's what
19:34
I wondered. So, if there is a medical
19:36
issue, obviously not
19:38
intense, but if there's some sort of a
19:41
medical issue, they don't stop filming?
19:43
There's not like a hey, let me get a
19:45
band-aid. It's full rolling.
19:46
>> No, you don't go out on time outs. And
19:48
they come over with this band-aid and
19:49
put it on cuz this happened right at the
19:51
first of the first second round, you
19:53
know.
19:54
>> And they put this band-aid on there and
19:55
then they give you this little rubber
19:56
glove that comes to about right here to
19:58
fill on this finger.
19:59
Now, this is like
20:02
probably 10:00 in the morning, 10:30
20:03
when this happened.
20:05
Uh
20:06
We're went through
20:09
the middle round and now we're getting
20:10
close to dessert, but we've went through
20:12
all these interviews. Been 4 5 hours.
20:14
>> Okay. And so
20:14
>> Maybe six.
20:15
>> No problem.
20:16
>> No. I'm looking at out there and holding
20:18
us
20:19
throw it away.
20:19
>> All right. So, now let's take Let's take
20:21
us all into the final
20:23
>> the final
20:24
>> the final round. Okay. So, and I love
20:27
this. They build this up for TV a little
20:28
bit. You know, they have you square off
20:30
and like, "Okay, chefs like
20:32
>> fight. It's okay, correct.
20:33
>> Yeah. So, you know, you guys are staring
20:35
each other down.
20:37
What are you honestly thinking
20:39
when you're looking at Zoe?
20:41
>> I'm thinking I wished I had some Dutch
20:43
ovens and a fire outside. I'd see what
20:45
this gal's made out of, you know. But,
20:48
I'm in her turf, so let's prove to her
20:51
and everybody else it don't make no
20:53
difference what we're cooking. I'm just
20:54
going to put my heart into it, do the
20:56
best I can, I'm going to put out a
20:58
winning plate.
21:00
>> And your ingredients are of of course
21:03
wild again, but you decide to make a
21:06
papaya bread pudding.
21:09
>> Yeah.
21:09
>> This is it, right?
21:11
>> 20 minutes.
21:12
>> And your strategy as you had mentioned
21:14
before was just to get everything on the
21:16
plate. However, in Grill Masters and in
21:19
these rounds, your biggest feedback is
21:23
presentation.
21:24
>> Yeah.
21:24
>> Right? And so, what are you doing for
21:26
that?
21:27
>> Well, when I was at Grill Masters and we
21:29
had a dessert round,
21:31
I wanted to do bread pudding so bad
21:34
because it's something that's pretty
21:35
easy, but I didn't think I had time. I'm
21:37
going to stick with the horse I think I
21:39
want to ride and that is I'm going to
21:41
make bread pudding
21:43
with a whiskey cream bubble tea sauce.
21:47
Who I want all y'all to tell me. Leave
21:49
me a comment because this sort of blew
21:50
me away. Who drinks bubble tea?
21:53
So, we got tapioca in it, little berries
21:55
or something, right?
21:56
>> Yes.
21:57
>> I took one little sip of this stuff and
21:59
spit it in the trash can and I'm
22:01
thinking
22:02
on my best day, I would never use this
22:05
in a recipe. Why?
22:06
>> Well, you know, that's just part of the
22:08
charm of Chopped.
22:09
>> But they say use
22:11
a little
22:13
or a lot. You have to have some of it in
22:16
the recipe.
22:18
So, when you can mix that in, whiskey
22:19
kill it in the sauce.
22:21
>> Are you
22:23
it
22:24
Are you in your groove? Are you nervous?
22:26
Are you
22:28
>> She is making baked Alaska.
22:30
>> Uh-huh.
22:30
>> I mean, and this is a very intricate
22:33
little dish and
22:34
>> She's going to bake
22:35
>> She's getting these
22:37
glass deals out and got this liquid
22:39
nitrogen and
22:40
I'm thinking this girl's she's going to
22:42
brew up a bomb over or something to
22:44
happen, you know?
22:45
So, I'm thinking I I am going to
22:48
make this bread pudding the way
22:50
I would love it to be done. Cooked it in
22:53
some muffin pans. That way it's easier,
22:55
it's got a little more presentation.
22:56
It's sitting
22:57
>> Nine?
22:57
>> No.
22:58
And as I noticed as I was getting ready
23:01
to plate cuz you're run around there and
23:02
I look and I'm thinking
23:05
my finger has went to bleeding again.
23:08
>> Uh-oh.
23:09
>> So,
23:10
I ditch all them plates.
23:11
>> Okay.
23:12
>> Give me another band-aid, put it on
23:13
there, start back.
23:16
Time is getting pretty close.
23:18
And it was always one of Ted's favorite
23:19
lines that I said from long time ago.
23:22
And he said, like the monkey said when
23:24
he got his tail in the lawnmower, and he
23:26
knew I was going to answer. And he
23:28
looked over there at me. I said, "Ain't
23:29
going to be long now." I mean, clock,
23:31
cuz they'll give you a warning. Jeff,
23:33
you have 2 minutes, you know.
23:36
So, I get it out there,
23:39
got it on the plate,
23:40
put me some of that sauce around there
23:42
and on it, and I set it out there, and
23:44
I'm thinking, "I would eat that. I'm
23:45
proud of it." Let me back up, because in
23:48
a bread pudding, there's a basic
23:49
ingredient that you really need.
23:51
>> What's that?
23:51
>> And that is eggs.
23:52
>> Okay.
23:53
>> Got to have some.
23:53
>> Yeah.
23:54
>> Go back to the fridge, ain't no eggs.
23:57
>> No eggs?
23:58
>> And I look on her table, she got three
24:01
dozen.
24:02
She took every egg from back there.
24:05
>> Oh, so was the obviously that's a
24:06
strategy there.
24:07
>> So, I just when I got looking for eggs,
24:10
I just stopped and I said, "Excuse me,
24:11
darling, but you might not have learned
24:13
this where you come from, but whereas
24:15
Larys, we're going to learn about
24:17
sharing.
24:18
You ain't going to use three dozen eggs.
24:20
I'm going to take some of them." And she
24:21
just sort of looked at me, you know. I
24:23
didn't say, "Can I, may I, please?" I
24:26
just You just I didn't think that was
24:28
hospitable.
24:29
You know.
24:30
>> Well, you know, it's like it's part of
24:32
the
24:33
it is about cooking, but it's also about
24:36
strategy and time management, and so all
24:38
of those would play in.
24:39
>> I don't think
24:40
I don't mean, I don't think you need to
24:41
steal all the eggs, you know.
24:44
>> So, you got your eggs.
24:45
>> Yeah, and you were able to
24:47
>> So, you
24:48
you have a few seconds to breathe.
24:51
>> Yeah.
24:52
>> You look at your plate.
24:53
>> Proud of it.
24:54
>> And you were feeling really good. At any
24:57
point during this
24:59
um cooking for the dessert, had you
25:02
looked over much to see what she was
25:05
doing or what how she was presenting or
25:07
anything?
25:08
>> I just knew she had this It's like a
25:10
glass cake case in a way, you know, and
25:12
she's got this lid on it. You know what
25:14
I'm thinking?
25:15
I have never seen such a thing in my
25:17
life, you know, and I mean if they're
25:21
judging on presentation,
25:24
>> She would have had it.
25:25
>> She done there, you know. Taste, I ain't
25:27
got a clue what it might taste like.
25:28
>> So, you're you're you turn it in and you
25:31
go back.
25:32
>> To the little room.
25:32
>> To the little room.
25:33
>> Yes. I mean, she was she was telling me,
25:35
you know, I've got this one.
25:37
And I said,
25:39
it's uh one of them deals Zoe do where
25:42
uh
25:42
one's going to win, one's going to lose.
25:45
And I said, whichever one it is, I said,
25:47
that's the way it's meant to be. Well,
25:48
first they bring us out of the little
25:50
room again, to go up there and sit. They
25:52
get them plates out there.
25:55
And they said,
25:56
we have a little problem here, Cam, with
25:58
your dish.
26:00
We're going to have to go back through
26:01
this again.
26:03
>> Like the judging of it?
26:04
>> Yeah. That's what I guess. So, they was
26:06
fixing to to go back through it and Ted
26:08
said, because we think there may
26:11
have been contamination in your dessert,
26:14
Cam.
26:15
And I said, no.
26:16
And they said,
26:17
we think there was a little blood in it.
26:21
So, we're going to send you back in
26:22
there and they was going to go back
26:24
through the footage, you know,
26:25
>> Yeah, this wasn't on camera though.
26:27
>> No, no, no. So, we go back in the room,
26:29
>> Mhm.
26:30
>> you know,
26:31
because there has
26:31
>> Which is very not
26:33
>> They ain't never done this before.
26:34
>> You've never gone back into a room.
26:36
Usually you go out and they judge and
26:38
that's
26:38
>> Yeah, so
26:39
so, I don't know what to fight,
26:41
you know,
26:43
and uh
26:44
she's telling me, she said, you know,
26:46
I think I got this one.
26:49
I'm At this time, I'm a little deflated.
26:52
>> Sure.
26:52
>> You know.
26:53
But I remember telling myself, you did
26:56
the best that you could do today.
26:58
Don't worry about it.
26:59
But it just kept crawling back in there
27:01
heart.
27:03
Here you are close again. You might not
27:05
make it. They come knock
27:06
knock on the little door.
27:08
Time to go.
27:09
>> All right. So they bring you back out
27:11
and this is the final judging.
27:12
>> Uh-huh.
27:13
>> And they start with they start with Zoe
27:16
and she has made baked Alaska.
27:18
>> Uh-huh.
27:19
>> Beautiful presentation.
27:21
And they start talking and honestly I'm
27:25
shocked because I've never heard such a
27:29
negative criticism of a dessert by all
27:34
three judges.
27:35
>> Yeah.
27:35
>> I guess the execution of it. She just
27:37
went too big.
27:39
>> Yeah.
27:39
>> Um
27:40
nobody liked it. The the the flavor was
27:43
bad and I'm just thinking, oh my gosh,
27:46
Kent. This is this is looking really
27:48
good for you.
27:49
>> Yeah.
27:50
>> Um and you can see her face. She's just
27:53
devastated.
27:54
>> Yeah.
27:55
>> And then they come to you and so as a
27:58
viewer I'm thinking, all right.
28:00
>> Well, I'm thinking
28:01
you know, maybe there was blood, maybe
28:03
there wasn't.
28:05
But they said hers was inedible.
28:08
>> Yeah. And so okay, so now you present
28:10
yours and what are what is what is Ted
28:13
come in?
28:14
>> Ted said, well, Kent, we went back
28:15
through the footage.
28:17
And there was
28:18
definitely blood
28:20
in your dish.
28:22
>> And
28:23
when when it shows on screen, it looks
28:26
like a massacre. I mean just the way
28:27
that they edited it.
28:28
>> But see, I changed bowls after that.
28:31
>> So tell me like why did you think there
28:32
wasn't an issue?
28:34
>> Because I went back and changed bowls
28:36
and everything. They had it on the side
28:38
of the mixing bowl, but I'd never dipped
28:40
out of that bowl yet.
28:41
>> Okay. And I saw they had it on the side
28:44
of like a jar, but
28:45
you wouldn't have
28:47
I mean you would have dipped in the jar
28:48
not the outside of the jar. So, are you
28:51
at this point very confident that there
28:53
was not blood in any of the food?
28:56
>> Well, as I told them
28:58
I said, "Well, looks like y'all done
28:59
saddled this horse and this is the horse
29:02
I'm going to ride."
29:04
And Vivian, who was the the producer,
29:07
she said, "Can't we went back to it
29:09
twice."
29:10
>> Mhm.
29:11
>> And I said
29:13
"Well, whatever y'all come up with, I
29:14
guess is what it's going to be."
29:16
>> And
29:16
>> And I remember
29:18
Mark Murphy saying, "Hang on a minute,
29:21
cowboy."
29:23
You know, it's just like a a pretty
29:25
girl.
29:27
You go by looks first. What does your
29:29
food look like?
29:32
It looks very eye-appealing.
29:34
The texture looks great.
29:36
We just can't taste it.
29:39
>> So, there are three elements of judging
29:41
in Chopped. Presentation, creativity,
29:44
and taste. Is the judging at that point
29:47
shifted a little bit? They almost
29:48
softened to you and said, "Hey, don't
29:51
count it out." But I do remember I saw
29:53
your face
29:55
and it was truly heartbroken. Like I
29:58
felt like you had lost all hope in that
30:01
moment.
30:02
>> It It It got to the point to when it was
30:05
there again. It took all the energy I
30:08
had in me. It just
30:10
I was drained.
30:12
Because it's a
30:14
If you're in a food competition and
30:16
something like this and it's really fast
30:18
and it's really quick and you don't know
30:20
half of what you're working with, you're
30:21
already in
30:23
in a bind to begin with, sort of.
30:25
But then when you hear how they're
30:28
describing her dessert,
30:30
you're thinking, "I got this."
30:31
>> Mhm.
30:33
>> I mean, I don't have one foot in the
30:34
stirrup.
30:34
>> Mhm.
30:35
>> Then they kicked me off all four.
30:37
>> And so, they went back through
30:39
>> Yeah.
30:40
>> and at this point they do look at all
30:41
your dishes. Um and it came down and
30:45
they revealed the plate and your plate
30:48
was chopped.
30:49
>> You know Shannon One, I'm sitting up
30:51
there
30:52
standing up there again.
30:54
And there's two of us.
30:56
One of us going home, one of us winning.
30:58
Been there before.
31:00
You know.
31:01
And I'm thinking this is this is my
31:03
chance.
31:05
And when I seen Ted
31:08
lift that off there,
31:09
and it was mine.
31:12
It felt like somebody let all the air
31:13
out of me.
31:15
And I could even hear it in Ted's voice,
31:17
you know.
31:18
I know he in a way he was very
31:20
disappointed, too.
31:21
Um it took a lot for me to
31:27
muster up the courage just to fight back
31:30
tears
31:30
>> Really?
31:31
>> of
31:32
thinking that I'd failed again,
31:34
that I'd let you down, that I'd let so
31:36
many people down that had watched us
31:38
through Grill Masters, that had become
31:40
big fans, you know.
31:42
And I'm thinking
31:44
I don't
31:45
I don't know how to get through this.
31:48
I don't know what's next, you know.
31:51
I know there's another hour and a half
31:53
of interviews.
31:54
>> Oh, then that's got to feel like the
31:55
worst.
31:56
>> And you relive it over and over as
31:58
you're going through it, you know.
32:00
>> I felt
32:02
the honest disappointment and it at the
32:06
time, and I think a lot of people can
32:08
relate to this.
32:10
It's really hard to be the bigger person
32:12
at the moment of being chopped, whatever
32:14
chopped means in your life or your
32:15
circumstance. And I I really felt that
32:19
you were down, you were
32:22
disappointed in yourself, in the
32:24
situation.
32:26
Is that Was that accurate?
32:28
>> Pretty close. Yes, ma'am.
32:30
>> So, how did you rebound from that?
32:32
Because it's very easy, given
32:35
the situation, um you were already the
32:37
underdog.
32:39
Um, some of the contestants were a
32:41
little rough. You're out of your
32:43
element. Ingredients were stolen from
32:46
you. Um, and you're in a situation where
32:49
you felt like it maybe wasn't entirely
32:52
accurate about the blood situation. How
32:54
do you rebound from that?
32:55
>> You going to get dealt cards in life
32:57
that sometimes you don't think are fair.
33:00
And if you let them, they'll just keep
33:02
piling up.
33:03
To where it's just one after another
33:04
after another, and you look for excuses
33:06
in everything you do in life.
33:08
That that should have been this. I could
33:10
have done this. I would have done this.
33:12
I'm better than that. I can do better
33:13
than this.
33:15
You need to take all the shoulda,
33:16
coulda, and woulda and say,
33:18
"I am going to learn from this
33:21
experience."
33:22
>> How long though, in all honesty,
33:25
did it take you to kind of forgive that
33:29
situation, forgive yourself, and see a
33:31
positive?
33:33
>> I'd say it took two or three months.
33:34
>> Wow, okay.
33:36
>> Because um,
33:37
it was another deal. I remember sitting
33:40
down after it aired, you know, which is
33:42
six, eight months after they filmed it,
33:43
you know, and watching it and thinking,
33:46
"You know, I I don't know if I ever
33:47
should even went up there."
33:49
>> Really?
33:49
>> Yeah.
33:50
But then I remembered
33:53
I did tip my hat to her. I did tell her
33:56
congratulations. I did have manners.
33:59
You know, it's um,
34:02
you don't you learn from all your
34:03
mistakes. I I'm still
34:05
the same person I was then as I am now.
34:09
I'm I'm going to do the best that I can
34:12
do every day.
34:14
And when you get knocked down, what I
34:16
learned from it is when I got knocked
34:17
off there,
34:19
I didn't know how I was going to get
34:20
back, but I knew number one,
34:23
you were counting on me
34:26
to be the man I always was,
34:29
to have that great pride in what I did
34:32
to deliver it in everything I did
34:34
whether it was
34:35
digging post holes or cooking in a Dutch
34:37
oven.
34:39
And I prayed to God a lot about giving
34:41
me
34:42
courage. Giving me more strength.
34:45
And he has a plan.
34:47
That wasn't part of it.
34:49
>> Mhm.
34:49
>> You learn something from everything you
34:51
go through in life.
34:52
And I I learned in that
34:55
you're going to get stuff thrown at you.
34:57
You're going to get a load put on your
34:58
back.
35:00
And you think you can carry it all the
35:01
time.
35:03
And you try.
35:04
And the load gets heavier, heavier, and
35:06
then you stumble, and then you fall.
35:10
A lot of us want to stay down there on
35:11
the ground.
35:13
We don't know how to get up.
35:16
That man upstairs will help you get up.
35:18
And you rely on the ones that you love.
35:21
I remember just like it was in Chopped
35:23
Grill Masters, the only thing I wanted
35:24
to do after this thing was over was to
35:26
see you and to hold you.
35:29
And you told me no matter what, I'm
35:30
proud of you.
35:31
>> Yeah.
35:32
>> And that's
35:33
that's what counts. You you you put
35:35
you put enough good things in your life
35:38
that you have stored up inside of you
35:40
and that's faith and love and kindness
35:43
and graciousness.
35:45
No matter what gets piled on you.
35:48
Them things will help it fall off.
35:50
>> What was the most positive takeaway from
35:53
Chopped Redemption?
35:56
>> I think meeting Jeff and
35:58
>> Oh.
35:59
And you And I think it's interesting.
36:01
So, the maybe the most two opposites
36:03
>> No.
36:03
>> Um
36:05
find a commonality and come together.
36:07
And you also became good friends with
36:09
Ted.
36:09
>> Yeah. I think Ted seen something in me
36:12
which a lot of people did at Chopped
36:14
Grill Masters, you know.
36:16
But uh
36:17
me and Ted became big buddies.
36:18
>> Mhm.
36:19
>> You know, he gave me a hug. And I don't
36:21
mean just a hug. He gave me a big hug.
36:23
>> Yeah.
36:24
>> You know. I said, "Love you, brother."
36:25
He said, "Love you, too."
36:27
You know, and I still
36:28
I still hear from Ted on occasion. And
36:30
uh and that's what it's about really, if
36:33
you if you think about it. I stay in
36:35
touch every once in a while with Jeff,
36:37
you know. I'll text him. Uh he's good
36:39
people. I think he's still a chef there
36:41
in Baltimore. If you know where his
36:43
restaurant is, you go in there and you
36:45
eat and you tell him the cowboy said
36:46
hello.
36:47
And if he's still got that mohawk, get a
36:49
picture of it because it is class. It
36:51
is.
36:52
>> My biggest takeaway from from this is
36:54
you don't change uh and
36:55
>> Uh.
36:56
>> and you don't apologize for who you are.
36:58
>> No.
36:59
>> So, you even with your plating or your
37:02
presentation, like this is who you are.
37:04
Like you stood on the taste and how you
37:07
cook your food and you didn't apologize
37:09
for it. And I think maybe that's
37:10
something we can all take away is stay
37:13
true to yourself, stay true to your
37:15
beliefs, don't apologize, and
37:18
>> Unless you need to.
37:19
>> Oh, of course there are there are
37:20
moments, but um then, you know, good
37:23
things will will come from that. So.
37:26
>> Anyway, I've enjoyed going through the
37:28
Chopped universe.
37:29
>> It made me sweat a little again going
37:31
there again.
37:31
>> Did you get some stress sweat?
37:32
>> Just a tad.
37:34
You might not finish first every day,
37:37
but it really ain't about so much
37:41
the race that you're in to finish first.
37:43
It's just get across the line.
37:46
You know.
37:46
>> But make it look pretty.
37:47
>> Yeah.
37:49
I've been second a lot in life, I know,
37:51
and that's fine.
37:52
>> Thank you guys so much again. Um you can
37:54
listen to us on Spotify, iTunes, on your
37:57
favorite podcast platform. Also on
37:59
YouTube and you can see Major. Here is
38:02
our little dog who's sleeping with us.
38:04
He's our podcast pioneer and he's always
38:07
with us every episode, so.
38:08
>> Well, it is with great pride, honor, and
38:10
privilege that I tip my hat to all our
38:12
servicemen and women, all the veterans
38:14
that have kept that old flag a-flying
38:15
back there. We commend you all and we
38:18
lift you up in prayer daily. Thank y'all
38:20
so much for letting us into your living
38:22
room, wherever you might be. We
38:24
appreciate it very much. Or maybe we're
38:25
just in your ear.
38:26
Better than having a tick or a bug in
38:28
there. We're a whole lot more pleasant
38:29
than that. God bless you each and every
38:31
one. We'll see you down the podcast
38:32
trail.
38:42
>> Pioneer.
#People & Society