Star Producer Alton Brown mentoring his Contestant Emily Ellyn while she's giving her Camera Presenation for the Producer's Challenge "Burgers" as seen on Food Network Star, Season 8.
Team Alton will bring only two finalists to Miami after saying goodbye to Emily Ellyn in last Sunday's episode. Emily embodied her "retro-rad" POV to a T, but after seven weeks she was still unable to open up and get comfortable on camera. After her presentation to the media panel, "awkward" was the word Jess Cagle from Entertainment Weekly used to describe her. "That's a word you never want to hear about someone in front of a camera," said Bob Tuschman.
Alton saw great potential in Emily: "She was a ready-made package. You could look at her and know what she was about. Retro-rad was great. She lives it. When she wasn't on camera, she was on the side crocheting. She was the real thing!"
Through "happy tears," Emily reflects on the Star experience and working with Alton: "There's no way to even prepare for something like this. The whole thing was awesome. I gave it my best, and I made great food. I was more upset when I was voted off that I let Alton down. He was there for us 5,000 percent."
Hear more from Alton, Bob and Emily in her exclusive exit interview. Did you want to see more retro-rad, or do you think it was Emily's time to go home?
Flip through Emily’s Star Scrapbook and more behind-the-scenes photos from Episode Seven.
Emily, Alton and Bob reflect on Emily's elimination from the competition.
Caption this photo of next week's episode of Food Network Star in which finalists face members of the press and Martita contemplates phoning a friend for help.