Everything I was thinking during Cooks vs Cons

The Cooks vs Cons shoot was a looong day -- 14 hours. There's a lot of waiting, some napping efforts, some eating (I ordered sashimi for dinner, not realizing that nothing-but-raw-fish is probably the last thing you want when your nerves are at peak levels). 

You film many things multiple times, but the actual cooking only happens once. On a day that can move in slo-mo, those rounds went so super fast. 

A lot of it was a blur, but here's a taste of what I was thinking during those gone-in-a-flash 30-minute rounds.

Corn!! Corn is really one my favorite foods. This is good.

I'm really only running 15 feet, but I am all about that head start.

My nails are definitely chipped. I should have gotten a gel mani.

The moment you realize you should've used fresh corn is the moment you pour canned corn into a blender. No. Turning. Back.

Overmix gnocchi and you get a gummy glob. Undermix it and you might have pockets of flour. Sometimes you don't really know until it's too late.

No wasted motion. Carry all the things.

I'm not used to the power of a professional stove. The water in my quinoa is boiling off before it can cook.

Quin-womp-womp in process.

Chef, I like you and you always have snazzy sport coats, but I can't really talk right now.

I'm going to look so attractive eating on TV, right? Right??

I'm plating and I have five whole minutes left. Is this a good thing... or bad?

This dish is really good. Better than a lollipop beef dish has any right to be. But can it win??

The finals. I know this sounds lame and I talk a big "I'm so competitive" talk. But I already feel like a winner.

And ICYMI, I posted the recipe for my Round 1 polenta gnocchi with creamy corn soubise here. Round 2 recipe coming soon...