01x06 - Pizza Champs

[bunniefuu]

...a little bit. Yeah.

All right. And in three...

Two...

- Ladies and gentlemen,
welcome to the main event!

These guys are legends.

Stepping into the ring today,

we have the best of the best--

literal world champions
of pizza.

- He's the guy I've lost to
the most.

- No, no, no, no.
- The upper crust.

- You wear your heart
on your sleeve.

Unfortunately,
I might step on it today.

These three pizza pros
travel the globe,

crushing tomatoes
and collecting trophies

in the toughest pizza-making
competitions on earth!

Today, these three champions

will battle in two rounds.

- I got that nice, crispy booty
y'all are looking for.

- I'm gonna walk behind.
- I'll let my pizza talk.

They'll have
to impress the judges...

Silence says
everything, doesn't it?

And win over
the voice of the people--

a jury of champions.
- So good.

Only one'll
walk away with $10,000...

$10,000!

And the title
of Best in Dough.

Oh-h*-h*-h*.

Let's meet
the contenders!

My name is Joe Carlucci,
AKA Famous Joe.

I hold
two Guinness World Records

for the highest pizza toss

and for
the largest pizza stretch.

I have probably competed
in over 200 competitions.

I am the most competitive
person with anything.

Add onto that pizza--game over.

I'm Leah Scurto.

People stop me on the street
and say, "Hey, Pizza Leah!"

I've competed three times
in Italy

at the World Pizza
Championships.

The competition level
is really high.

This is gonna be a fun day.

My name is Ali
and I'm a pizzaiolo

making pizzas
from around the world.

I have designed
about 59 different pizzas

and eight of them have won

national
or international awards.

I am the Best in Dough.

Their peels are polished,

the ovens are hot,

and these pizza champs
are ready to fight it out

for $10,000!

Prepare yourself
for a total knockout.

I'm your referee, Wells Adams,
and this is Best in Dough.

And we are rolling.

- Oh, look at these ovens.
- Wow.

- Whoo! It's beautiful.

- Welcome, pizza champs.

Are you guys ready
to go dough to dough

with the best of the best?
- Oh, yeah.

- Absolutely.

How many pizza
competitions have you won?

- Too many to discuss.
- Oh.

This guy already
with the confidence.

So the c*ck one's
in the middle and--

- Not c*ck, confident.

- You guys are all
seasoned competitors,

so I had to think long and hard

about the right curveball
to throw at you.

Get ready, 'cause it's time

for your
Out of the Box Challenge.

What better way
to keep you champs on your toes

than by taking away literally
everything you hold dear

and freezing you
in your tracks.

For your
Out of the Box Challenge,

you must take a frozen pizza...

And elevate it
into a delicious pie

worthy of a first-place trophy.

- When's the last time
you ate a frozen pizza?

- I don't think I ever ate one.

- You've gotta use every part
from the base to the toppings,

but you can add
anything you want.

The only thing off-limits
this round

is your award-winning dough.

- No? Serious?

So we don't have to eat it,
right?

As far as we don't
have to eat it--

- I am a four-time
World Pizza Champion,

and you're taking
the biggest factor in pizza,

which is dough,
out of our control.

That's like telling me
to boil water with no water.

- You guys have 30 minutes.
Let's go!

- Margherita pizza.
- Oh, he got the good one.

I grabbed the margherita.

It has the least amount
of toppings

and I can show off my toppings

on this piece of cardboard
they call pizza.

Guys, it's only 30 minutes.
It's not two days.

Come on.

I know Leah and Ali.

We've competed
against each other

time after time.

This is exciting to see
who comes out on this one.

Leah, what are you making?

- Something I do in my
restaurant all the time.

I call it the Old Grey Beard.

I really have no idea
the last time

I've even seen a frozen pizza.

I'm nervous and I'm thinking,

"Go simple.
Go with what you know."

I grab the pepperoni pizza
and I think,

"Okay, I can make a pizza
that's on my menu."

I've actually won an award
with it before.

It's got a house-made
Italian sausage,

Calabrian chili peppers,
cubed fontina,

and when it comes out
of the oven,

I finish it with hot honey
and orange zest.

Paprika. I'm missing paprika.

- Hey, pizza champs!

Time to meet your judges!
- Uh-oh.

- Oh.
- Hello, guys.

- Good sir.
- What's happening?

- Ciao, guys.
- Whoo!

- What's going on, guys?

Cannot wait to see
what you're making today.

Sorry.

- I just said
I can't wait to see

what you're making today.

- What was that?
- What?

- What?

- Can't wait to see
what you're making today!

- Well, you guys are,
you know, amazing chefs.

What would you do
if you were in their place?

- I might try to get
some flavor

from the wood-fired oven.

Maybe throw it on a sheet pan
so it doesn't burn.

- I would scrape off
all the ingredients,

deep fry the crust first,

and then I would put
the ingredient on top

and I would char
in the wood-burning oven.

- That's brilliant.

Ali, what are you doing?

- I think I'll try to make
something Mediterranean.

- So you don't want to tell us.

The chances of winning
is gonna be tough.

These guys are masters
in what they do,

so the only way
I can beat these guys

is to really think
out of the box.

I grabbed the burrata pizza

because I was looking
for something creamy.

I have plans to make a pizza
with doner kebab

and tzatziki sauce
and fresh cucumbers.

Super.

Do I like
the frozen pizza challenge?

Not at all.

But this is what they wanna
test me on,

bring it on.

- Joe, what are you making?

- I'm making the Valentina.

Named after your daughter?
- The Valentina.

Yes, ma'am.

Valentina is my daughter.

It's the name of my pizzeria.

She wanted a pizza
named after her,

so this is sweet and spicy,
like Valentina.

It has caramelized onions,

chorizo,
heirloom cherry tomatoes,

fresh bacon,
and a little balsamic glaze.

Not there yet.

I'm feeling
extremely confident,

and I think the judges

are gonna love
the balance of flavor.

I'm making
all my ingredients first,

and then I'm gonna top it
and pop it in the oven.

Top it and pop it. Right, Leah?

- Is that--
I think it's pop and lock.

- Top it and pop it.
Right, Leah?

We're gonna try
to make this good.

Make it edible.

- Looks like Chef Leah's
making her own sausage.

In 30 minutes,
that's very bold.

I love it.

- I own and operate a pizzeria
called Pizza Leah

in Windsor, California.

I think my strength
is flavor pairings.

I have a knack
for putting together

items that complement
each other.

Mm, that should be
enough sausage.

If you're in the pizza world,
everybody knows Joe Carlucci.

And I've cooked off
in a lot of competitions

against Ali.

These guys are champions
for a reason,

but I think if I execute
perfectly today,

I can take down
the competition.

- I'm happy to hear
the pan singing.

Yes.

Frying some stuff.
They're cooking.

I like that, because I think
that's one of the ways

that you can mask up that dough

that's gonna be
a little bit tough to eat.

- Nice brown
for the caramelization.

You guys ready to have
some amazing frozen pizza?

I have two of the best
in the world next to me.

- Awesome.

- Today's just not their day.

Oh.

- That's what I was thinking,
Joe.

- You guys keep on talking.
The focus is all on.

Oh, Joe, come on.

Sometimes I wonder,

pizza making
or his smack talk?

I don't know which one
is better.

So I have to mute my ears
because if I listen to him,

that might affect
what I'm trying to do

and that's his intention,
so I don't want him to win.

- Ali, what are you putting
in that deck oven?

- It's the doner kebab.
- Oh.

So we're about to get
a doner kebab pizza?

My pizzas take you to
a different part of the world.

My intention is to take it all
the way to Istanbul, Turkey.

- I'm excited.

I started making pizzas
about seven years ago.

Before seven years,
I didn't even know

how to make a single pizza.

But on our honeymoon,

that was the first time ever
I tried Neapolitan pizza.

That's when I caught a bug
and I said, "You know what?

This is the field
I should try."

I'm trying to get
a little crisp on the pizza.

In Turkey,
cucumbers is very, very common.

So I decided,
"Hey, you know what?

"Flavors are beautiful
everywhere.

"Why not pick out the best

"from different countries,
right?

And then present it
like a painting on a pizza."

And now I own 786 Degrees,

the highest-rated pizzeria
in the nation on Yelp.

And it's been a blessing.

Ten minutes, guys!

Only ten minutes left.

Better hurry up, Joe.

- So much focus and dedication
over there at Joe's station.

Joe is like...

eyes on the prize.
- I like it.

- Little of that chili oil
in there.

All these guys
are champions.

Have you guys won
cooking competitions?

Well, I beat Bobby Flay.

I won Worst Cooks
in America Celebrity Edition,

so...
- So you're the least--

Oh, there we go.

I could definitely see that.

You were
the less worse cook.

- Yes.
I was the least terrible.

Eight minutes left, guys!
Eight minutes left.

And that
is gonna be that.

Anybody know how long
they normally recommend

you cook a frozen pizza for?

- Oh, sweet baby Jesús.

Cranking up the heat on that.

Hey. Watch your leg.

- Hey, champs,
you got five minutes left!

Oh!

Five minutes.

I don't even know
if they're cooking.

Is yours cooking?
- I'm good.

- Is there an oven situation
happening?

- Yes.
- Like, seriously.

The cheese should be melting
a little bit by now.

These frozen pizzas
are taking so long to cook

and I'm getting
a little nervous.

They're going straight
on the deck.

I just hope I finished
on time.

- One minute left, guys.

One minute.

Oh, now I am rushing.

- Coming through.
Walking behind you.

I'm feeling great.

I am the best
at what I say I am,

and I back it up--

not with my mouth,
but with my pizza.

- How much time do we have?
- 30 seconds.

Oh, to the wire.

Five, four, three,
two, one.

All right.

- Yeah.
- Whoo!

I look over
at Ali's pizza,

and it's quintessential Ali.

Joe's pizza has got fresh
basil and bright red tomatoes.

I am not at all confident
about my pizza.

- All right, pizza champs,
bring us your pies.

- Here you go.
- Okay.

- Ooh.
- All right.

- Ooh.
- Ooh.

It's beautiful.

- All right, Joe,
we're gonna start with you.

Tell us what frozen pizza
you chose

and what you made for us.

- I chose the margherita

and I made the Valentina,
named after my daughter.

On the pizza is
caramelized onions,

fresh bacon, Peppadew peppers,

chorizo, a cacciatore sauce,

and a balsamic glaze
when it comes out.

So you have sweet and spicy,

kind of like Valentina,
my daughter,

if you ever met her.

- I like all the components
that are on this pizza.

The counterbalance
of the sweetness

and the Peppadew, right?

It made me go back in
for another bite right away.

I almost forgot
that this is a frozen pizza.

You delivered
a very delicious pie.

- I do love the freshness

that all of these ingredients
are bringing.

I mean, the tomatoes,
nice and acidic.

The glaze kind of stands out.
A little bit sweet.

I do think that the bacon

could have been
a little bit crispier.

And I do find it to be
a little bit oily.

- Thank you, sir.

- Leah, you're up next.

What frozen pie did you choose
and what did you make for us?

- I chose a pepperoni

and I made a pizza
that's on my menu.

I call it the Old Grey Beard.

I made my own
Italian sausage blend

and it has some
Calabrian chili peppers,

some fontina,
and then I finished it

with honey and orange zest.

- Leah, I gotta say,
absolutely delicious.

- Thanks.

- I'm feeling this pizza
in my mouth.

- Yeah.
Calabrian peppers are no joke.

I love the sweetness

that's going along with it,
with the honey.

Really good pie.

- It would have been nice
to have something

a little brighter
as well on here.

Maybe a little basil,
something fresh

to counterbalance
the heaviness of the sausage.

- When I took a bite,
the Calabrian chilis

just punched me in the face.

I mean,
if you can see my cheeks,

I'm still sweating.

- Last but not least, Ali,

tell us what frozen pizza
you chose

and what you decided
to make for us.

- My choice
was the burrata pizza.

I made a very fresh and light
Mediterranean-style pizza.

I wanted to take you guys
to Istanbul, Turkey.

So it has
the halal doner kebab,

the tzatziki sauce,
it has these fresh cucumbers,

and the crust,
I purposely wanted to imitate

a great pita bread.

And you can fold it
and close your eyes

and believe you're on
the streets of Taksim Square.

- Chef, this is wonderful.

I have had
a good doner kebab before,

and that nice folded feeling,

that nice mouthful
is delicious.

You totally knocked it
out of the park

in terms of the execution
of this idea,

and I just ate the whole thing,
so well done.

- The pizza already had
creaminess from the burrata,

and I got more creaminess
from the tzatziki.

So in some bite,
the result a little full.

Right? A little fatty.
- Got it.

- Ali, this doesn't taste
like a frozen pizza to me.

It just tastes
like a really good pizza.

Well done and thank you.

And these were
three great pies.

It's decision time.

Only one of you can win
the Out of the Box Challenge.

It's time for us to vote.

Daniele?

- Out of the three,
my favorite was...

Joe, I gotta go with you.

- I think the one
that I will try to recreate

at 3:00 in the morning,
cross-eyed, is...

Ali's.

- Well, Bryan,
it all comes down to you.

That's not cool.

My favorite of these three
was...

Ali.

I like
the out-of-the-box thinking.

- Congrats, Ali.
- I like the intention.

Overall, really delicious
and unique pizza today.

- Thank you, brother.
Thank you.

- As the winner, Ali,
you get to choose between

a prize or an advantage
in the second round.

- Advantage would definitely
help me.

These super strong pro guys.

But I think so deep down,
I got this.

With the blessing,
I think I'll go with the prize.

- Nice.
- Okay.

You got a great prize
coming your way.

It's your very own
Lavazza espresso machine.

Super. I love coffee.
Couldn't be better.

Thank you.
In fact, more than me,

my wife is gonna be happy
at home.

- Happy wife, happy life,
right?

Okay, champs, $10,000.

Lotta money on the line.

So we're taking the gloves off

and putting the dough
back on the table.

You all know
what it takes to be a champion.

We want you to recreate
your championship pizza

so we can decide who takes home
the most coveted title of all:

Best in Dough.

This isn't gonna be easy,

'cause we may not be
your toughest critics.

Pizza isn't all about the pros.

It's about the people.

Six people
from different walks of life

will get to eat your pies.

They're our jury,
and each is a champion

in something
other than pizza making.

So together,
they have one vote.

But if there's a tie,
they determine the winner.

Champs,
you've only got 45 minutes.

Huh?

Look at Joe's face.

His face went--

- Bring it.
- Let's get cookin'.

It's dough time.
- Whoo!

All righty.

Oh, two different kinds
of lemons over here.

Round two,
I am ready for redemption.

I'm stoked for Ali.
He made a great pizza.

Man, that guy always makes
great pizzas.

Pretty sure he's the person
I've lost the most to.

I've only beat him twice.

I'm hoping today
will be a third time.

This is my redemption.

It's definitely gonna come down
to the wire on this one.

- I am super excited
right now.

- Yeah. It's really time

for the reality
of their skillsets to come out.

- Welp.

Joe went straight
to the dough.

He was like, "Wells said

"I couldn't play with the dough
earlier.

I'm going straight to it."
- Yeah.

I'm disappointed that
I didn't win the first round,

but I love this round 'cause
I get to showcase my dough.

I can show these judges
and these schmucks next to me--

I love 'em,
but they're schmucks--

how great of a pizza maker
I am.

God, they're gonna hate me
after this.

- Joe's got
some really big doughs

that look nice and soft
and fermented.

- Looks smoother
than a baby's butt.

The pizza I'm making today
placed second

in a competition
in Lecce, Italy.

It's very light.
Not a lot of topping.

Just some roasted walnuts,
bacon, arugula,

Prosciutto di Parma,
and spicy fig jam.

It is called The Winner
because it's gonna win today.

How you doing, Ali?
- Excellent.

- You wanna trade the 10 grand
for the espresso maker?

- Ha-ha.
- Ali.

What you got going on
over there?

- I'll be making a very unique
Indian-inspired pizza.

And with love,
I call it Kashmir.

It has tikka masala
curry sauce,

halal beef meatballs,

Greek yogurt,
and cherry tomatoes.

- I feel that Ali
wants to surprise us again.

I mean, he did it.

He delivered
in the first round.

So I'm looking forward
for the diversity

that Ali bring to the table.
- Yeah.

- Ali, is this your family dish
you're making?

- No, but I got inspired
visiting Kashmir,

which is the northern part
of India.

I'm half Iraqi
and half Indian,

so I grew up
with a lot of Indian flavors.

Oh, beautiful.

It's pretty important for me
to showcase

where I'm from
and the culture,

because I genuinely believe
pizza brings people together

and pizza brings cultures
together.

If I can bring people closer
with food,

that's my intention
and I feel really happy

and proud with what I'm doing.

This is actually the first time
I'll be attempting this,

but I'm pretty positive
it's an award-winning recipe.

Leah,
what pizza are you making?

- The name of this pizza
is Where Did Summer Go?

I'm using summer squash,
some zucchini,

'nduja right here,

and finish the pizza
with a nice gremolata.

- Ooh, I hear gremolata
from Leah.

- Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

- And I'm gonna add
finger limes into it.

- Wells, you ever had
finger limes?

- No,
I don't know what that is.

- Finger limes is a lime
that if you open,

it's like caviar.
- Yeah.

- You can use it in your drinks
at 3:00 a.m.

It's delicious, guys.

My love of pizza started

with my family
on my 7th birthday.

We go to a pizzeria,

and the owner
took me into the kitchen.

He was like,
"Hey, it's your birthday, kid.

You're gonna make
your own pizza."

And I've loved it ever since.

This pizza is definitely
a nod to my California roots.

Vibrant and beautiful,
and the flavors really pop.

I know it's delicious.

I'm confident
that I will win this round.

- Joe.
- Yes.

- I heard that you are
the Guinness World Champion

of pizza tossing.

I was expecting for you
to throw me a little show.

- Oh, I'll put on a show.
Don't worry.

Once you taste this pizza...
- There you go.

I hold
a Guinness World Record title

for highest pizza toss
at 21.5 feet.

But this dough today is soft.
It's like butter.

So the harder you are
on the dough,

the easier it is gonna be
to rip.

So you have to be
very delicate.

- Shh.

I'll toss it after I win.

This pizza,
it looks like this right now,

but it's gonna end up
looking like a star.

My daughter loves stars.

So instead of putting stars
in her room,

I designed this pizza.
She fell in love with it.

I started my humble journey
doing mobile catering.

Started off literally
from farmer's markets,

and it was just a one-man show
for the first six months.

That's how I transitioned
to open up my restaurant,

and here I am.

- All right, chefs,
you've got 20 minutes.

20 minutes remaining.

- Whoo-hoo!

- Not gonna lie,
time is kind of ticking.

They know what they're doing.

I'm not worried...
- Yeah, I know.

- Yet.

I handle pressure
in the kitchen

like Michael Jordan
hits a free throw.

The only pressure that's gonna
be in this kitchen

is those competitors worrying

about what I'm doing,
what I'm making,

'cause I'm not worried about
what anybody else is doing,

'cause I already know
that I'm raising the bar.

Something's burning.

- Something is burning.
- Something's burning.

Uh-oh.

Joe burned his bacon.

- Whoa, what are you doing
in there?

- Uh, cooked the bacon over
a little.

At this point,
I'm a little worried.

I think that bacon
is going to the bucket.

Jordan's taken
50 game-winning shots.

He's made nine.

Does he stop sh**ting the ball?
No.

They did say it needed
to be a little more crunchy.

I take this and I move on.

All right,
15 minutes left, guys.

15 minutes left.
- Whew.

That means it's time
to start cooking pizzas.

Hey, champs.

Your jury has arrived.

And boy, do they look hungry.

- How are you all doing?

These six strangers will
account for one of the votes,

so make sure you aim to please.

- Do you guys like pizza?

- Oh, my God, yes.
- Ooh, who doesn't?

- I'ma need a bigger pizza.

That looks a little tiny.

- I like how Leah
is entertaining the jury.

- Yeah.
- I like that.

- Ali.
- Yes.

- Leah is talking to the jury.
She's buttering them up.

- You better believe it.

- I'll let my pizza talk.

- Ha.
- Ooh!

- Table of champs.
Table of champs.

- Tell me your champion story.
- Beer pong.

Beer pong champ, undefeated.

- I competed in the World Rock
Paper Scissors Championships.

- I'm an ultramarathon runner.

- I am
a competitive cheerleader.

- I do drag. I'm a drag artist.

I can dance. I can flop.
- Can you show us?

This is a drop.

- Okay. Okay.
- Boom.

- Yeah.
- That's the drop.

- Ooh. Ooh!

Beautiful!

- Hey, champs,
you got five minutes left!

Five minutes.

There's a lot more
movement now.

Well, they're running
out of time.

- I think they underestimated
the second round.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

- Perfect.

- Hey, guys,
you got three minutes left.

- Three minutes left, and Ali
is just finishing his pizza.

- 1 minute and 30 seconds!

$10,000 on the line, y'all.

- Whew. I'm shaking for them.

Prosciutto di Parma.

- Ali's going for the pizza
right now. My God, this--

Wow,
this is kind of intense.

This is coming down
to the wire.

- I got that nice, crispy booty
y'all are looking for.

Come on. Work with me.

- Five, four...

Three, two, one!

Whoo!

Wow. Beautiful.
- Looks good.

Oh,.
I'm looking at my pizza

and this is not prosciutto,
this is ham.

I know Prosciutto di Parma.

Been using it my whole life.

But I dropped the ball.
I grabbed the wrong one.

I don't believe it.

- Champs, bring us your pies.

- Nice.
- Ooh.

- Oh, wow.
- Oof.

Okay. I can smell this one.

- Oh, here we go.

- Oh, my God.

I think presentation counts,
too, 'cause look at her.

- Joe, tell us what you made.

- I made you a pizza
called The Winner.

It's something light.

Sweet, salty,
and spicy all in one.

Some fresh bacon,
some roasted walnuts,

arugula, spicy fig jam,

Parmigiano Reggiano,
and Prosciutto di Parma.

- From what I see,
this looks more like ham.

- Yes.

What happened?

- I thought I grabbed
the Prosciutto di Parma,

but it was ham.

But I'm very confident

that the ham will bring down
the saltiness

because the bacon will bring
out the saltiness.

So it might help me because
it won't be overpowering salty.

- Okay, Leah?
- The championship pie I made

is a pizza I call
Where Did Summer Go?

It has summer squash,
zucchini, 'nduja,

and I finished it with burrata

and a finger lime gremolata.

- Got it.

- Ali, tell us what you made.

- This was my humble attempt
to tribute Kashmir.

It has tikka masala-style
Wazwan curry sauce,

beef meatballs, Greek yogurt,

beautiful cherry tomatoes.

I really wanted to think
out of the box,

so I tried to make a beautiful
star pizza out of it

because my daughter
loves stars.

- Nice.

- Well, guys, we've got
a lot of pizza to eat.

So head backstage
and we'll see you soon.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- Let's start with Ali's pie.

Let's do it.

- I don't wanna ruin it.
It's so cute.

I have no idea
what I'm eating,

it's just really good.

- This is a tikka masala?
- Mm-hmm.

Typically,
you'd get a spice-heavy thing,

but this is balance.

- This is not something that I
would normally see on a pizza,

but it absolutely works.

I kinda like
the star aspect of it,

'cause it kinda gives you
something to hold onto.

- Presentation
is absolutely perfect.

- I mean, I feel that Ali

is taking us
on a journey around the world.

Everything about this pizza
screams creativity.

I will say, though,

the way he put ingredients
on the pizza,

it's a little bit not uniform.

I got some very yummy bites,

but some other,
I had to look for the flavor.

- You get that kick right away.

- And I love the presentation.
Little tomato at the end.

It's such an experience.

I'm walking into
the cave of wonders

and I got the, like,
tomato at the end.

Pow. You know? Real fun.

This crust
could be too crunchy

or not the right texture,
but he nailed it.

- Yeah.

Moving on to Leah's.

I feel like
Leah's pizza had

three different tiers to it.

You can definitely taste
the finger lime.

Leah's pizza was
complex, I think.

It had the most things
going on.

- The Leah pies.
I love the 'nduja.

The 'nduja is something
that I'm very familiar with it.

And the pairing with burrata
is very classic.

I will say, though,
using this amount of burrata

make the dough a little wet
in the middle.

I had a little bit of tip sag.

- Can you tell me
what tip side is?

- When you grab a slice
and the tip sag.

- Oh, it's tip sag.
- Yeah, sorry.

Is that a pizza term?

- It's a Daniele term, okay?

Let's brand it as Daniele term.

- All right. Trademarked.
- Yeah.

- All right, Bryan,
what are you thinking?

- As a baker, my mind

is immediately going
to this dough.

These air pockets, it's almost
like that spider web.

I call it webbage.
- Right.

- You got terms. I got terms.
- I like to say that too.

Do you see
those little tunnels,

those little webs?

When you taste it and you feel
the airiness of it,

you can do nothing
but appreciate it.

But I notice all of the oil.

However, at the end of the day,
I love the squash and zucchini.

I love that burrata.

I'm definitely pleased with it.

All right, now it's time
to try Joe's pizza.

I mean,
Joe dough is very good.

I can taste his fermentation.

The slice stayed
very nice and straight,

which is what you want
on a New York pie.

- No tip sag?
- No tip sag.

- All right.
- No tip sag.

You know, fig jam, toasted nuts
to put on a pizza,

I mean, it's very creative.

But I have to say,
if it was prosciutto

instead of ham,

it would have give that pop
of salt that this pizza needs

because overall,
tends too much on sweetness.

- Growing up, I used to eat
a lot of this kind of ham,

and to me,
it's a little bit nostalgic.

I know you're used
to your prosciutto...

The fancy.

Hey we eat prosciutto

- You know what I'm saying?
I eat ham too.

And I asked for crispy bacon
and he gave me crispy bacon.

- I will say that he's got
a good undercarriage.

I'm learning your terms.
- There you go.

- Joe's pizza
becomes really interesting

when you get
that spicy fig jam.

Mm-hmm.
I like the crust.

It was a little saltier
than the rest of them.

Like, I did appreciate that.

Joe's is really strong.
I'm like--

- This is the first time I've
ever had championship pies,

and I'm pretty impressed.

All right, guys, I'm gonna go
see what the jury thinks.

- Dope. Sounds good, man.

- Oh, my beautiful jury.

- Well, well, Wells.
- So what do we think?

Do we think this is
champion-style pie?

- I definitely felt
like I tasted pizza

that I've never tasted before.
- Yeah.

- Please show me your paddles.

Interesting.
We do have a winner.

I'll see you guys later, okay?
- Thank you.

- Oh, Selena.

Did you get a good look?
- Oh.

He's such a cutie pie.

- All right, guys.
The votes are in.

One of you has made
a $10,000 pizza.

Are you ready to find out
who is Best in Dough?

- Yes.
- Oh, yeah.

- Remember,
all three of us have a vote

and the jury represents
the fourth.

Whoever gets the most wins.

And if there is a tie,
the winner of the jury vote

takes home the $10,000
and the title of Best in Dough.

Daniele, you're first.

- Okay, guys.

Every one of you
made an amazing pie,

but ultimately,
I gotta choose one.

And my vote goes to...

Leah.

I loved your pie.
- Thank you.

When I took a bite
of your dough,

it was crispy, blistered.

And I mean, 'nduja, burrata,
gremolada--I'm Italian.

You stole my heart.
An amazing pie.

- All right, I'll go next.

I totally get
why you guys are champs.

My vote goes to...

Ali.

It was a lot
of interesting stuff

that I had really
never heard of

or thought that I would like,
and I loved it.

It was beautiful.
- You're really kind.

Thank you, brother.
- Bryan, you're up next.

- Champions,
eating what you've given me

was an honor.

My vote goes to...

Leah.
- Thank you.

- At the end of the day,
you gave me a nice,

flavorful, and balanced pizza,
so I really appreciated it.

- Thank you.

- All right, so it all
comes down to the jury.

If the jury vote goes for Leah,
you win.

If the jury vote goes to Ali,
you take home the prize.

Pizza is for the people,
and the people have spoken.

The jury chose...

Ali.

Happy for you, buddy.

- Congrats.

I just wanted
to thank the jury,

because I'm a people's person.

I wanna be people's favorite.

They love my pizza.
I'm super proud.

- Thank you.

I'm feeling disappointed,

but sometimes losing's good,

because now you're more hungry.

- You did a great job.
- Appreciate it.

Of course it's Ali.

Despite not winning,
it was a great time.

I'm honored to be considered
in the same realm as them.

You just get one life,
so make it your best

and hopefully I can inspire
even a single soul,

my job is done.

- Don't get down and out.

Another episode
of Best in Dough

is about to begin.

Next up, we have three
mother/daughter duos

stirring things up
in the kitchen,

and they're ready
to go head-to-head

with their competition.

- Mines is really bossy.
- Yeah.

- But you just have to...

not manipulate her--

It's a family-style throwdown

on Best in Dough.

You do not wanna miss this.