A lot of these kicks you go home in at night, you sleep and think about it all night, all
day, consumes you.
This time on Food Fight South, in my hands, I have the final.
We've seen these students in near impossible tasks before, but now the students face their
ultimate test, the best piece of work they've ever made in their lives.
This final project, one last hurrah at Platt College pushes some students to the breaking
point.
This is where she'd let me take the F.
I don't know, I'm stressing out.
I think the reality has set in.
Can the students turn this challenge into an opportunity?
Only one way to find out, it's time for the ultimate food fight.
In my hands, I have the final.
Chef Jean claims to have randomly selected cakes for the students' final project at
Platt College.
But the students doubt that as soon as the envelopes are opened.
Doubt the students, yes, this is going to be awesome.
I think that's going to allow them to be excited, if you give them something that they want
to do.
I think, hopefully, if it's something they want to do, it'll achieve even more.
Okay, so the chefs haven't randomly selected them.
They've matched cake with personality.
But that doesn't mean this challenge is going to be easy.
Mandy realizes that when she sees the detailed piping work on her cake.
I don't want to start crying, but I'm fixing to.
Melody has reservations as well.
I mean, it's pretty, don't get me wrong, but it's complicated.
Brittany seems the most excited about her selection, an iconic Mario sculpture.
I was a little disappointed whenever he started saying it was random selection because I thought
they were hand-picked.
And when everybody opened them, I'm like, yes, they're hand-picked.
No matter what the students' feelings, their cake is their cake.
Now it's time to buckle in and get ready for the ride.
Planning.
Planning is really important.
So a lot of times they'll jump in and just be like, oh, I totally got this.
And then they have to stop, they have to redo because they realize, oh my goodness, I didn't
think that through.
I'm going to jump right in.
The eight.
That's a three-tiered cake, just an eight.
Chef Jean is expecting a lot out of his students right from the start, but that doesn't mean
some of them aren't thinking ahead.
For Mandy, that means her difficult piping work.
It's been a real practice for years on this, trying to get this right, and I've got four
days.
Justina worries her baby dragon may need multiple carvings.
I was really nervous about carving because if I mess up, I don't know how to buckle in.
It's important for the students to tackle the cakes one step at a time.
Mallory's birdhouse cake is no exception, but as the challenge progresses, she falls
behind.
I think I was far behind as I think I am, but I wish I was more ahead.
Coming up, Brittany's design hits a wall as the rest of the students fall further behind.
I think the reality has set in.
The best piece of work they've ever made in their lives, due tomorrow.
Thank you for joining us, and I'll see you in the next video.
Thanks for joining us, and I'll see you in the next video.
The last few days of work have finally caught up with the students.
All those good feelings Brittany had about her Mario design have disappeared.
But Brittany isn't the only one dealing with time issues.
I think the reality has set in that they only have a few hours left, so they don't have
a lot of time to fix what they've got.
Everybody's working, Martin.
Got lots to do.
I don't know.
I'm stressing out.
I'm going to...
I don't know.
I'm scared.
But I told Chef I'd be here until it's done, so if that's in my mind, I'm here until
it's in mine.
Mandy sounds determined, but the piping work that remains is extremely intricate and time
consuming.
I'm going okay, I guess.
Melody was nervous at the beginning of this challenge, but she has made impressive progress.
Now her worry is getting the right ingredients.
I just got to find me some white fondant, because right now we're out.
Luckily, Chef Leslie finds some white fondant.
With the mood worsening and the students struggling, Chef Jean throws them a lifeline.
Take him home, work on him after work.
I think the goal is to get him his structure done and his clothes on, and then we can do
his face in details tomorrow.
Yeah, you can take whatever you want home, okay?
Allie, you want to take that home and we're going to take it home.
Really?
I'm allowing you to.
Okay?
Hey, any of you all, if you want to take anything home and work on it, you can.
You had to promise me that it's only your hands that work on it.
I'm taking this home and I'm making it into a fish head.
That's one last thing I have to do in life.
A spinning mixer is the only sound heard in a very somber kitchen the morning of the
students' presentations.
Brittany's problems from the day before are only magnified.
I stayed up until four.
And then you woke up at five.
So you're very happy.
I'm exhausted.
I had to work last night, so I couldn't stay late here working on him.
But with encouragement from Mandy, she's pushing through.
Yes, she's wearing to go, she's going to get this, aren't she?
Mama Mandy thinks I can do it.
When Chef Jean enters the kitchen, Brittany's fortunes take a dramatic turn.
So I think your plan is we move forward with the model, okay, try to make progress.
And it's almost nine.
So let's say by 11 o'clock, 11 o'clock, if you feel like you're not at a level where
we can put this model on top of the cake, then we'll go to plan B. And plan B would
be you have your cake, let me see this, so you have your cake, and then on top is this
cake.
This is a waste of time.
All right, go to plan B.
Make this perfect.
Brittany's choice of plan B signals a turning point.
I was here until 10, and I got all of it done except for the bottom, and I just couldn't
pipe it anymore.
Mandy's hands are so tired from all the piping work, but her toughest assignment is yet to
come.
She has just a few hours and the bottom of her cake to finish.
I don't know if I'll finish.
I'm hoping I finish, but I don't know.
Not all the students are facing extreme pressure, though, thanks to a neat trick, Jordan's
owl cake is close to being done.
I didn't think I was capable of it until Chef Jean showed me a simple way of doing
it, and now it's so easy, and it looks so difficult.
Last night, Allie was able to make significant progress on her fish, but not without some
headaches.
I completely sculpted my fishing last night.
Make me mad, but I did it.
You realize this is doing a one o'clock, and we have the president coming, and your
family and friends, and TV, it's big time, big time.
I would be so focused and in the zone that nobody can distract me from what I am doing.
Justina listens to Chef Jean's advice, her pace picks up, and her dragon comes to life.
You know, at this point, they should know.
They should know about time management, they should know about planning a project, about
drawing, about proportion, and all I should do is give them some basic pointers or some
suggestions, but I can't make them move faster.
The pieces start to come together, details are being added, and the students, they're
impressing themselves.
I was surprised at my work, anyway, only because I'm usually like a cake short.
Remarkably, Brittany is a few details short of a finished cake, even if it's not exactly
what she wanted.
I'm a little disappointed I couldn't do the body cake, but in a lot of ways, I think
this one is better because it's more creative.
Carly's cake lacks just a few items, or so she thought, until Chef Jean called for more
pearls.
Whenever these pearls are done, I'll be more confident.
It is a welcome sign after such a trying day to see Mandy excited about her finished cake.
She should be.
Her cake is definitely picture worthy.
I am proud of it, I'm so proud of it.
We've got an image of the cake that we had them make, and they're going to put it right
next to that image.
The students are relieved this final challenge is over, but it is bittersweet, knowing that
this will be their final project at Platt College.
If this final project is any indication, a successful career awaits each student.
Well, they did just survive the ultimate food fight, one last time.
