Food Network Star: Comeback Kitchen - Episode Guide

Former finalists return to the Food Network Star kitchen for a second shot at stardom! Hosts Valerie Bertinelli and Tyler Florence kick off the proceedings by identifying what kept each of the alumni from prevailing in their previous season. Then, the alumni each take on a retro dessert in desperate need of a comeback and shoot an Instagram video about their updated version. Duff Goldman joins Valerie and Tyler to help judge the results, and one contestant will be eliminated from the competition.

For the Mentor Challenge, the competitors each take on a forgotten pantry ingredient and perform a live web stream, demonstrating how they used their ingredient in a creative and modern way. For the Star Challenge, the finalists go head-to-head, traveling back in time to a past decade and working with the tools of that era to create a decade-appropriate dish. After each alumnus presents their dish to co-hosts Valerie Bertinelli and Tyler Florence, another competitor is sent packing.

The final five competitors hack a classic salad bar, harvesting ingredients to create a dish while telling the entire tale in an Instagram Story. One alumnus is sent home based on the results. Then, for the final challenge, the remaining four competitors battle it out for the coveted spot as the 13th finalist on the new season of Food Network Star by creating their own dinner party and a video invitation to attract potential dinner guests. Co-hosts Valerie Bertinelli and Tyler Florence attend each dinner party and determine the ultimate winner.

Eight former finalists are back in the Food Network Star kitchen for a second shot at stardom. Co-hosts Valerie Bertinelli and Tyler Florence challenge the alumni with reinventing a TV dinner while demonstrating that they've improved upon their flaws from the past. For the Star Challenge, the finalists have to marry two unlikely favorites, cereal and dessert, and show off their creations in a one-minute demo. In the end, one hopeful is eliminated from the competition.

The pressure is on as the Food Network Star alumni face an elimination after every challenge. First the competitors are expected to create something new using the ingredients of bizarre vintage dishes, with the least successful competitor eliminated. Then the contestants divide up into two teams as they must plan and create a menu for delivery. Each team will also shoot a one-minute video to promote their dishes, with yet another contestant sent home.

The remaining five competitors battle it out for a coveted spot on the new season of Food Network Star. In the first challenge the alumni must put an international spin on classic New York deli favorites, while creating an Instagram story about their dish. One contestant is immediately eliminated, setting up a showdown with the final four. In the final challenge each competitor is given a summer theme and must livestream about their dish for eight minutes. But to make it harder, fellow contestants join each other's streams to ask challenging questions. Co-hosts Valerie Bertinelli and Tyler Florence decide who will take their spot on the new season of Food Network Star!