Chef Estes Makes the Final 10 — The Next Iron Chef Caption It

Rival Chefs Nate Appleman, Duskie Estes and Elizabeth Falkner face Judgement for the Chairman's Challenge "Resourcefulness" as seen on Food Network's Next Iron Chef, Redemption, Season 5.

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Rival Chefs Nate Appleman, Duskie Estes and Elizabeth Falkner face Judgement for the Chairman's Challenge "Resourcefulness" as seen on Food Network's Next Iron Chef, Redemption, Season 5.

Photo by: Eddy Chen/Creel Films ©2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Eddy Chen/Creel Films, 2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

For Duskie Estes, the opportunity to compete on The Next Iron Chef didn’t come easily. While the other nine rivals will face their first challenge during Sunday night’s premiere, Chef Estes has already battled — and won — two cook-offs on the Road to Redemption, an online-only Web series that pitted four chefs against each other in a three-round competition. Ultimately, Chefs Madison Cowan, Robert Treviño and Lee Anne Wong fell, but Chef Estes proved herself worthy of Kitchen Stadium glory with winnings in Battle Coconut and Battle Pineapple, and she earned the right to join the cast of The Next Iron Chef.

In this sneak-peek shot from the Next Iron Chef premiere, Chef Estes is seen with a no-nonsense glare and blank expression as she eyes fellow competitor Chef Elizabeth Falkner. Has a twist in the competition caused these chefs to take the spirit of friendly competition too far? Will Chef Estes be able to maintain her focus in the face of week-one stress?

Before you tune in to the Next Iron Chef: Redemption premiere this S unday at 9pm/8c to find out what has these ladies locked in a staring contest, we’re challenging you, Next Iron Chef fans, to write your best captions (tastefully appropriate, please) for this eye-to-eye moment in the comments below.

Support your early-favorite rival chefs by casting your Fan Vote up to 10 times per day.

Want to relive Chef Estes’ journey on the Road to Redemption? Watch her Kitchen Stadium showdowns unfold online. 

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