Who is chef Scottish Francis? Snack Vs. Chef contestant loses a ticket to finals in the season premiere

Netflix's latest reality TV culinary series, Snack Vs. Chef 2022 aired eight bingeworthy episodes on Wednesday, November 30, 2022. The show, hosted by comedians Megan Stalter and Hari Kondabolu, features talented chefs from all walks of life. These chefs bring their diverse culinary experiences to cook incredible snacks and recreate some of the classics until one wins the ultimate price of $50,000.

Chef Scottish Francis was among the 12 talented contestants who competed on the show and created some incredible dishes resembling iconic snacks. Although he won the first round, he missed out on the spot in the finale in the following round. The chef has also previously appeared on season 5 of MasterChef, where he placed 11th. He was also crowned the "Doughnut King" by legendary chef Gordon Ramsay.

The official synopsis of Snack vs. Chef, as given by Netflix, reads:

"Hosted by comedians Megan Stalter and Hari Kondabolu, this new food competition sees 12 chefs go head-to-head in the ultimate snack showdown. Not only must they recreate some of the world’s most iconic snacks, they’ll also be challenged to invent their own original snacks inspired by beloved classics. Only one will prevail and claim the $50,000 prize."

Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers from the premiere episode of Snack Vs. Chef.

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Snack Vs. Chef contestant Scottish Francis loses in the final round

For the season premiere of Snack Vs. Chef, all 12 chefs took part in the ultimate snack showdown until one of them wins the competition and takes home the grand cash prize. The chefs were from experienced backgrounds and had their culinary skillsets ready to compete.

The first four episodes featured three chefs competing against each other with a single chosen snack until one of them achieved a straight ticket to the Top 5. The snack was chosen by the vending machine as well as the three contestants for each episode. In the season premiere, the three chefs chosen to compete include Scottish Francis, Sandy Dee Hall, and Ali Manning.

The snack chosen for the premiere episode of Snack Vs. Chef was flaming hot cheetos. The contestants in the first round had to replicate the cheetos and add their own flavor to it, and had an hour to do the same. While Chef Francis didn't want to be chosen for the same, he was ultimately the first person chosen out of the three contestants for the episode.

Francis, however, took that in his stride and wished to prove to everyone that "his snacks are king." For the first round, the three contestants had to replicate the cheetos by making the body and the powder for the same from scratch. The chef used polenta (mashed cornmeal boiled in salt water) as the body for his cheetos, and added cayenne pepper for the flavor.

Introducing himself to the audience watching Snack Vs. Chef, Francis revealed that he was born in London to a Welsh mother and a Scottish family, making him feel like he encompasses all of Britain. Aside from being called the Doughnut King, he was also nicknamed "Banksy of Bakers," "Shortbread Saucer," and he wished to become the "Snack Emperor" by the end of the competition.

For the Snack Vs. Chef contestant's first dish, the judges felt that it wasn't too hot like the cheetos that he had to replicate and that the dough was soggy and not crunchy, which defeated the purpose. However, experts noted that the flavor of Francis' cheetos was really pleasing, with the powder being "deeply umami and deeply spicy," like a flaming hot cheeto.

Eventually, the other two contestants failed to live up to their potential and Francis won the first round. In the second round, the chefs had to create their own version of the snack inspired by one of the elements they used in the cheetos round. They also had to ensure to leave behind residue that gets stuck on one's fingers after eating the snack.

For the second round, Francis combined his doughnut-making skills with his powdered element on the cheeto to create a doughnut-based snack called "Scorcheez." The judges complimented him on the spicyness and umami flavor of the powder and called the snack a "fantastical mess."

By the end of the episode, however, Francis lost the ticket to the finals as the judges chose Sandy's dishes overall based on the two rounds.

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The Snack Vs. Chef contestants recreated many popular dishes throughout the season, including Oreos, Kit-Kats, Lays, Pringles and many others. The participants managed to make creative and delicious dishes, impressing judges and viewers as well.

All the episodes of Snack Vs. Chef are currently streaming on Netflix.