Image Credit: The Food Network


Austin Daily Press - Austin, Texas
Eliminated Week Three - Crepes Bonaparte - Fullerton, California
Grill 'Em All - Los Angeles, California
Eliminated Week One - Nana Queens - Culver City, California
Nom Nom Truck - Los Angeles, California
Eliminated Week Two - Ragin' Cajun - Hermosa Beach, California
Spencer on the Go - San Francisco, California

We start with the recap of the entire race so far including the departures of Nana Queens, Ragin Cajun and Crepes Bonaparte ending with Tyler in this week’s destination; New Orleans. The contestants meet Tyler outside the superdome and Tyler announces New Orleans is the official halfway mark of the race. They get $400.00 for supplies this week. Because New Orleans has such a big night life, they get an extra day in New Orleans. Nom Nom is a bit concerned because New Orleans has quite a few Vietnamese restaurants and they are not sure they can compete. Austin Daily Press recalls a great sandwich they had in New Orleans so they go to the restaurant and the chef shows them how to make it and sells them the olive salad they need to make it.

Grill Em All finds a spot near a bar and starts selling. They were supposed to save a parking spot for Austin Daily Press but didn’t and by the time Austin arrives, there is nowhere for them to park. So Austin goes in search of a place to park. Nom Nom has a friend in New Orleans who recommends a bar for them to park near. Spencer on the Go still does not have supplies because they are having trouble getting food ordered. The morning of day two is rain, more rain and it is just a miserable day. Spencer on the Go finally gets supplies and gets cooking while Grill Em All cannot sell because their truck is leaking into their grill and fryer. They get a tarp, cover the top of the truck and start selling. Austin Daily Press cannot get their generator started and without electricity, they cannot cook. Thankfully a local man has a generator he brings out to let Austin use. Nom Nom is setup near an ice cream shop and doing good business, mostly because there is enough room for cars to drive up to the truck to order.

Nom Nom has to move over where the night crowd is and ends up having trouble parking, hitting a car and Grill Em All and Nom Nom end up in a battle for the people in the bars. Tyler is getting ready to spring the Truck Stop challenge on them now. They have to close up shop on the spot and get some sleep and meet him at the docks in the morning. They all have to turn away customers, lose money but they begrudgingly close down and head to bed. Next morning they meet Tyler at the docks and he shows them catfish. They must filet and prepare a catfish dish within 30 minutes and it will be judged by a local chef. The winner gets $500.00 added to their total and the loser will get a punishment. So they all start cooking.

Nom Nom does a fish Banh Mi, Grill Em All does a blackened catfish with quail egg sandwich, Spencer does cornbread coated catfish with grits and Austin does a breaded catfish sandwich. Nom Nom was slightly undercooked. Spencer had undercooked grits. Grill Em All was a little to tart. Austin got lost in translation, to sour. The chef, Jacques Leonardi chooses Spencer on the Go as the winners. They get the extra $500.00 in their total. Spencer is released to go sell. The rest are told they must filet 700 pounds of catfish before they can leave to go sell. Some are a bit squeamish about the fish, but they get it done. They are finally released to go sell, but they only have about 3 hours left to sell. Grill Em All and Austin Daily Press both park near Spencer and Nom Nom finds another spot but everyone is selling. Morning of day four, Elimination day they all meet up to hear the final totals.

First place, with $2103.00 is Nom Nom and they win a trip to New Orleans. Grill Em All looks green when this is announced.
$1307.00 get Grill Em All second place.
$1170.00 makes Spencer on the Go the last team in the final three.

Austin Daily Press heads home and sold only $809.00 but would have won if anyone but Spencer on the Go had won the Truck Stop. The race heads out and next time it’s Jonesborough Tennessee but has a population of only 5000, although it is home to the International Storytelling Center and the oldest city in Tennessee.