Star Salvation

Alex Guarnaschelli and Eddie Jackson test the ousted rivals' creativity and ingenuity by challenging them to transform leftover dinner into breakfast.With leftovers being the name of the game, the finalists have to reinvent day-old dinners by putting a breakfast spin on them — all while conveying their signature culinary points of view, of course.

A new rival joins the Star Salvation competition for the next challenge -- to create a unique spin on a drive-thru meal that will appeal to both adults and kids. Not only must the finalists create next-level road-trip fare this week, but they must make sure their dishes are appropriate for kids as well. At the end of the battle, one hopeful falls for good.

The judges introduce what Eddie calls "the wheel of innovation," which is full of everyday items the hopefuls must transform in next-level ways. After spinning the wheel of innovation, the rivals receive an everyday ingredient that they must highlight in an inventive dish.

The rivals are challenged to create dishes using trendy ingredients and techniques. Trends are the topic of the fourth battle, when Joy joins remaining hopefuls Yaku and Monterey in showcasing such of-the-moment ingredients as seaweed and coconut sugar. One of these finalists will fall, while two will inch closer to Salvation.

A blind smell test determines the ingredients that the finalists cook with. The penultimate episode kicks off not with a taste of food but with a quick whiff of it. Then, it's all about creating harmony in flavor as finalists have to use those mystery ingredients in their dishes.

The rivals make hometown favorites for a final chance to earn "Salvation." The three finalists attempt to prove themselves and their cooking chops to the mentors in the last battle, but ultimately only one hopeful will earn victory and the right to rejoin the "Food Network Star" competition.