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Baton Rouge’s Jay Ducote in top five on ‘Food Network Star’

Jay Ducote preparing his dish—a Cajun burger with grilled onions, cheddar cheese and praline bacon—during the food truck showdown on Food Network Star. Photo courtesy of Food Network

Jay Ducote is one of five remaining contestants left on Food Network Star. On Sunday’s episode, the Baton Rougean was in the zone. His odds of winning his own show on the network increased significantly with this week’s victories.

The episode seemed catered to Ducote’s style of cooking. The first challenge featured contestants cooking and presenting their favorite brunch dishes as portable meals.

Ducote’s andouille hash and egg tacos won the challenge. Check out the recipe. Judges Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis agreed the Capital City native was comfortable. It didn’t hurt that his dish was tasty, too.

With the victory, Ducote was able to assign which teams would cook which proteins during the main challenge—a food truck throwdown. Ducote teamed up with Arnold Myint for a burger food truck. Out of all the food trucks, Ducote and Myint’s Cajun and Asian burgers were deemed safe.

Ducote prepared a Cajun cheeseburger with grilled onions and praline bacon. Throughout social media, he has been crediting Curbside Burgers for the inspiration behind his dish. Check out the recipe.

In a rare move, Michelle Karam voluntarily left the series during the elimination. Karam told judges she missed her family and wanted to return home to California. She was the final female competitor.

Food Network Star airs Sunday at 8 p.m.