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Conversely, Grayson and Chris struggled in the prep work but it is obvious from the way that Emeril and Cat speak that theirs is the tastier dish. In a shocking turn of events, they beat a team that had at least twice as long to cook and Chris wins his first challenge and $5,000 of the season. All six remaining players in the game have at least won something now. And most of the other contestants seem thrilled for Chris, who is clearly very popular.

Before the glow expires from Chris’ face, the details of the elimination challenge are revealed. All of the former teammates are now opponents. Each duo will agree to create a meal for an upcoming Healthy Choice-sponsored block party. Chris and Grayson are now opponents as are otherwise BFFs Sarah and Lindsay. The particularly interesting matchup is Ed vs. Paul since those are the two heavyweights of the season. The trick for all six contestants is that each former team must agree upon the dish they will serve.

Eventually, Paul and Ed settle upon Korean barbecue elements. Lindsay and Sarah choose meatballs. And Grayson and Chris agree to chicken salad sandwiches. When we say that they agree to it, what we mean is that Grayson chooses this, Chris looks uncomfortable and eventually cedes the point since he cannot come up with anything better. All of the players are immediately undercut when the twist for the episode is revealed. Since this is a Healthy Choice meal, the contestants are ordered to replace the fattier foods ordinarily required with much healthier ones. This is now a bad time to be cooking meatballs or chicken salad sandwiches.

The shopping and preparation phases of this challenge are more frenzied than normal. Several of the ingredients needed to create healthier dishes are rarely purchased in vast quantities. The butchers are a bit overwhelmed by this, which is problematic since the chefs are operating on a timer while in stores. This rarely becomes a factor on the show but Grayson barely gets her ingredients in time.

In fact, this is a theme for Grayson from the start of the episode until the end. Chris makes his bread ahead of time and this allows him to finish up earlier. Grayson is reduced to requesting help from her opponent in order to get everything ready before prep time expires. Once again, she barely beats the buzzer. The fact that Chris instantly leaps to her aid speaks volumes about his character. Think about other chefs from this season as well as others and decide how many of them would have helped their opponent in a heads-up challenge. That list is small. For all of his other failings, Chris Jones is all class.

The block party itself is grueling. While the chefs are cooking under tents, they are still outdoors. The glaring sunlight is impossible to avoid at certain points. Also, there are other circumstances beyond the chefs’ control. As an example, the bees looooooove whatever Chris and Grayson have in their blenders. Chris, who is allergic to bee stings, is constantly agitated by their presence throughout the party. He has to shoo them away from his food and yet he is keenly aware that if several of them attack at once, he is heading to the emergency room.

During the food service portion of the challenge, several unusual issues arise. Ed has created an open faced sandwich and he immediately recognizes a flaw with the process. He has not made a lot of extra buns. When several early patrons try and turn their open faced sandwiches into full sandwiches, he fears that he will run out of bread. This turns him into a bread counter, which is particularly problematic. The diners vote on which dish is better and each time Ed has to scold one about eating too much bread, he becomes less likely to garner their vote.

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