On tonight's episode of The Next Food Network Star, the final four contestants head off to Vegas and stay at the magnificent Caesar's Palace.  As soon as they arrive in their fabulous suite, they receive a note from Bobby Flay telling them to meet him downstairs at Mesa Grill.  When they arrive, they're greeted by Bobby and Food Network personality Paula Deen.  They all sit down for a meal and Paula shares her story with the contestants as to how she ended up becoming the huge star that she is.  It's not all pleasantries, though.  As soon as the meal is over, Bobby tells the final four that they'll compete in a throwdown and replicate their opponent's signature dish.  As if that wasn't enough, they'd be interviewed, while cooking, by Dayna Devon of Extra.

Lisa must face off against Adam first but they're grilled by the judges while creating their dishes.  In his interview with Dayna, Adam doesn't stop moving and literally walks away while she's asking him a question.  Lisa takes the time to look at Dayna and answer her questions, though she comes across as a little hyped up.  The judges loves Adam's mac and cheese, especially Paula, who happened to hate Lisa's take on Adam's signature dish.  Paula was a bit kinder to Lisa's signature dish, her cassoulet.  Adam was unable to outdo Lisa's dish and the judges felt that it seemed like a beginner cooked it.

The next throwdown takes place between Kelsey and Aaron.  She'll have to make his stuffed pork loin and he'll have to top her chicken parmesan.  Kelsey makes a big error by mentioning culinary school when answering one of her questions, especially after being told by the judges that they don't want her to talk about it.  Aaron tenses up when Dayna approaches but he answers her questions with ease.  Aaron was so focused on his dish, he almost forgot to make the chicken parm but Lisa tips him off to get moving on it.  The judges thought Kelsey's chicken parmesan came across more like an appetizer, while Aaron's was a hearty meal.  They didn't feel that her take on Aaron's dish fared any better and sided with him once again.

The judges decide that, after today's challenge, Aaron and Lisa most deserve to continue on in the competition.  That leaves Kelsey and Adam in the bottom two this week.  The judges put their faith in Adam and send Kelsey, who seemed to be a frontrunner all season, packing.


- Gina Scarpa, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of Food Network)