The task this week challenged the contestants' creativity and attention to detail. One of the things I was looking forward to the most at the beginning of this competition was seeing the progression of the contestants and their concepts. This week I was finally able to see their growth and vision through the design of their pods on Restaurant Row.
Stephenie was finally able to give us what we had been asking for, a flavor profile for her health food concept. Going to law school, you learn how to think logically. Mediterranean cuisine is a logical flavor profile for a calorie-counting concept because the ingredients and cooking methods allow you to create many healthy options. She gave a perfect example of being able to take our advice and improve her concept.
On the other hand, Eric came into this competition with a very well thought-out plan, even providing his own sketches to the designers. The downside is that he's so attached to his original idea that he didn't allow his concept to evolve and improve according to our recommendations. Let me assure you, I'm a huge fan of grilled cheese, so I loved this concept - but he is the only person standing in his way.
We saw many triumphs this week and unfortunately some failures. After much deliberation, we decided that one thing we could not invest in was bad food and Alex's inability to improve it.