Choy out-grilled in ‘Chopped’

Hawaii chef Sam Choy made it through the appetizer round of Food Network’s "Chopped Grill Masters" finals before being eliminated, in an episode that aired Sunday.

Choy went up against the winners of three other "Grill Master" competitions: barbecue expert Ray Lampe, rancher and chef Kent Rollins and Sodexo executive chef Ernest Servantes, who took home the prize of $50,000. The first to be "chopped" was Lampe.

"Chopped" competitors face off with a basket of surprise ingredients they must use to create one course of a three-course meal. After each course, judges eliminate one contestant, and the remaining chefs continue with another basket of ingredients.

Choy was by far the most versed in the culinary arts, and when he was eliminated Servantes was astounded. But because the focus was on grilling, contestants with far less experience were able to fare well.

Meanwhile, on "Extreme Chef," Maui chef Tiffany Ward survived her first competition against six other chefs in an episode that aired Thursday, with her Juniper Berry Beef Jerky with Mandarin Oranges, served on a bed of grilled peppers.

The series takes chefs out of the kitchen and puts them in extreme situations and locations.

In Thursday’s show, Ward and her fellow chefs were faced with a "post-apocalyptic wasteland" and had to scavenge for ingredients and tools. They used freeze-dried foods and built fires for cooking.

The winner of the competition takes home $50,000.

Ward works for Maui Catering Services. She graduated from the California Culinary Academy and uses her training in French cooking to prepare Asian ingredients for French-Asian fusion cuisine.

"Extreme Chef" airs 7 p.m. Thursdays on Food Network.