- Now ten weeks ago,
I sent 15 of america's best
Up-and-coming food and drink entrepreneurs
On a crash course of business challenges...
Create your very own wine brand.
Sell kitchen products on live television.
- Action.
- Run a pop-up coffee shop.
- Uh-oh!
- Whoo!
- Designed to test their character...
- I feel like a failure. [sniffles]
- Showcase their business skills...
- We care about our profits. We're running businesses.
- And convince me they have what it takes
To win $1/4 million of my very own cash.
- The concept,
I truly felt like there was potential there.
- Tonight, just three are left standing:
And this week, we will be showcasing your products.
- Drink the future!
There's a lot riding on this
Not just for me, but for the world.
- This opportunity is life-changing.
- The win is so close now.
Welcome to my pizza girl popup.
- Are you proud of yourself?
- No, not yet.
- The person who I'll be investing in...
Who will be my food star?
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- The time has come for my finalists
To face one last challenge.
- Top three.
- Oh, my gosh. [chuckles] - oh, my god!
I can't believe it!
- Oh, look. Our products there.
♪ ♪
Smart cups launched with an energy drink.
It's known as the world's first printed beverage.
You add water, releasing the ingredients.
And then you drink it.
- [squealing excitedly] no!
Pizza girl!
♪ ♪
Pizza girl is an all-organic pasta sauce company.
There is no added sugar or preservatives
And it is also the best-tasting pasta sauce
Because we kettle cook it for hours.
- I've never actually seen your guys' products.
- Pizza girl! - I know.
♪ ♪
Fat miilk is a vietnamese coffee company.
I import all of the beans directly from vietnam,
I roast it here, I package it up,
And I share it with the world.
♪ ♪
- Before I choose which brand to invest in,
I need to stress test the products to see
Who can take their business to the next level.
[suspenseful music]
Hello, hello. - Hi!
- Hello.
- All three of you, congratulations.
This week,
I'm deciding who will win my $1/4 million investment.
I have done extensive research
Across all three of your businesses,
But now, I need to see how the public feels
And get some insight when they can see, touch,
And taste your products.
- [whispers] yes.
- Tomorrow, each and every one of you will be hosting
Your very own event showcasing your products...
- Cool.
- Your brand, and you.
Now whilst I've seen something unique
Across all three of your businesses,
There are ways you can evolve
Ahead of going live to the public
Which will help me decide who I'm gonna invest in.
Chris, let's start with you.
Smart cups is a truly revolutionary product,
But hard to grasp.
Your marketer needs a big push in the right direction.
We need to make sure that the average joe
Can really understand the benefits of your product,
So you'll be working on a brand-new marking campaign...
- Cool.
- That will really help your product shine en masse.
♪ ♪
- Lan!
Now, you have a mission
To bring vietnamese coffee beans to the public
With fat miilk, but I know
Your coffee can have a much, much bigger reach
If it wasn't just coffee beans and customers can taste it
Without having to brew it first.
- Mm, yeah.
- You're gonna be developing and making a delicious,
Ready-to-drink vietnamese coffee.
- Oh!
- Caroline.
Pizza girl is a brand that is definitely you
Through-and-through, hands-down.
- Yep.
- The pasta sauce is delicious. - Thank you.
- But it's time to expand your brand
With something that your name
Already makes your customers crave,
So I want you to develop your very own frozen pizza...
- Oh, my gosh.
- That will really showcase your sauce.
Tomorrow, the public will see your re-energized brands
And products for the very first time.
Right.
All three of you, good luck, and I'll see you soon.
Off you go.
[dramatic music]
As well as demonstrating their businesses can provide
A growth opportunity for my investment,
I want to see how the public react
To their leveled-up products.
- Good luck! - Bye. Later.
- Bye, guys.
- So I've given each of them an empty retail space.
- Oh, my gosh.
- They have just 24 hours to transform them
Into pop-up events to present their brands to the public.
♪ ♪
I know these three need a huge amount of help
To pull off their launch event tomorrow,
And they will not be able to do it alone,
So I've invited three previous contestants back.
- [gasps] oh, my god!
- I heard you needed a little help.
[lan squeals softly]
[soft upbeat music]
[chris laughs] - hi, chris!
- [laughing] what's up, man?
- Hey. I was just wondering if you need any extra help.
- Oh, my god! [caroline screams]
Seeing sydney walk in the door, I'm so excited.
This sweet human's now gonna get to support me
Through this crazy finale, and I could not be happier.
- Okay. - Ah!
[peaceful upbeat music]
It's literally homemade in a jar.
- Delicious.
- I grew up eating pasta sauce almost every meal.
You'd be surprised
How many ways you can use a pasta sauce.
We are in about 500 stores now,
And we're producing about 3,000 jars a week.
Let's make a bunch of these.
I grew up in the family pizza business.
[camera shutter clicking]
D'amores pizza is famous in malibu, for sure.
It's the only good pizza.
Hi! - Hey, what's up?
- Now, I have my own little pizza girl.
My dad helped the moniker "pizza girl"
Because he made us wear these embarrassing shirts
That said, "pizza kid."
And once people get to know the story,
Then they understand why pizza girl makes pasta sauce.
- I've never seen anyone work harder, including myself.
- My dream is to get this investment
And then be able to buy my own facility.
♪ ♪
- And what the hell are you doing here, man?
- I'm here to help. What is this, though?
Is this-- - this is smart cup.
- This is smart cup? - Yeah.
So you just add water and less than a minute,
You have an energy drink.
Go ahead.
- That's really good.
♪ ♪
- Hey, princess! Hi! - [giggling]
- My family gives me a purpose.
Before I met maria, I really had no real direction.
Hey. [smooches]
And she put a fire in my belly.
- When chris and I first started dating,
He was a man with a lot of ideas.
♪ ♪
- My dad is a scientist.
- Comedian. - A chemist.
♪ ♪
- Smart cups eliminates liquid from products,
And so we can take all your products
That you see in a grocery store,
And we can print those.
All you have to do is add water
And in a couple seconds, you have your mouthwash,
You have your beverages, you have your margarita,
You have your detergent.
Having gordon on board will make smart cups,
Overnight, a global business.
It's gonna be so exciting, I can taste it.
♪ ♪
- The whole idea that he wants to see this product line
Be expanded outside of, like, brewing coffee.
I am supposed to create a ready-to-drink beverage.
♪ ♪
My parents immigrated here from vietnam,
And they really wanted their children
To have a secure and stable career,
And that's why I became a pharmacist.
[camera shutter clicking]
I bought this bike when I was a full-time pharmacist
And was gonna drive around chicago and serve coffee.
[person chuckles]
I've always grown up with vietnamese coffee,
And as I got older, I just knew that
We had to push it out there.
Per week, we are selling anywhere
From 500 to 800 pounds of beans.
I haven't told my parents that I quit being a pharmacist
To start fat miilk because they are so proud of me,
And so I just don't want to be a disappointment.
And so that's why I haven't told them.
- So these are all blue roasts for the market?
- Yeah, and they all have to go out today.
My parents are huge inspirations to me,
And I don't think they know
How big of an influence they've had in my life.
This opportunity with gordon ramsay
Is definitely life-changing,
And I just hope that they come out of this proud.
- Oh!
- Drink the future!
- The pressure reaches breaking point.
- Oh, my god! - Are you okay?
[dramatic music]
- I have a very tough decision to make.
- In just 24 hours,
The three finalists vying for my $1/4 million investment
Will showcase their brands
In their own pop-up retail spaces.
[indistinct chatter]
- I walk into an empty space
And I don't know how I'm gonna do this in 24 hours
And I see you and I'm like, "all right."
- To lend a helping hand,
They've each been joined by a previous contestant.
- Oh, my god! [caroline laughs]
- I've also enlisted an interior designer...
- Hi!
- For each finalist to help bring their units to life.
[dramatic music]
- I want to have kind of like this night market street feel.
- Looking at your products here and the colors,
It'd be like black walls
With those pops of your brand colors...
- Yeah. - Just like jumping off at you.
- The whole design that I'm really going for
In this space is essentially to be transported
To a combination of old age and new age vietnam.
[upbeat suspenseful music]
- With the space,
I want to capture that this is a technology platform
Capable of printing food, beverages, and beyond.
- Okay.
- I want to capture the environmental aspect of it.
- So I'm thinking
Every material in this space needs to be organic,
Something that's found on earth,
Because I feel like this is such an earth-focused endeavor.
- I love it.
I'm competing against lan and caroline in the finale.
Lan's got fat miilk, a vietnamese coffee,
Caroline's the pizza girl with her pasta sauce.
The good thing that I've got on my side, smart cups,
I can make both their products!
♪ ♪
- I just want the personality of pizza girl
To be represented everywhere.
- So I think we can have, like, something in the middle.
Like, it will be like the pasta pizza bar.
- Great. I love the idea of doing, like,
A pizza-making station, because it's so fun...
- Oh, fun. So fun.
- To, like, pound out the dough.
- Yeah, we're gonna have all the toppings over there.
- Yes!
- The win is so close now I can taste it.
And you know what?
It tastes like pizza girl sauce.
[car horns honk]
♪ ♪
- This is the final challenge,
And it's the first time I'll be seeing the top three
Unveil their products to the public.
But before their launch parties,
I need them to make some tweaks
With the help of my guest consultants.
Here's hoping they're open to change.
Working with chris on his smart cups marketing
Are jamie and olivia... - Hey.
- From branding agency, flux.
- Hey, guys. How are you? - Hi!
- The company's clients include spotify,
Home depot, and live nation.
- Gordon asked us to work with you today...
- Yeah.
- To help transform the brand from now to next.
Are you ready? - Yeah, let's do this.
Yeah, I'm excited. - Okay. Let's have a seat.
♪ ♪
- Helping lan create her ready-to-drink coffee
Are dennis and alina
From leading drinks developer, drink labs.
- Hi!
- Hi! How are you? - Hello!
- Hey, guys!
- They work with big brands like keurig, dr. Pepper.
- We are ready just to help you take this to the next level.
♪ ♪
- Finally, helping caroline create a line of frozen pizzas
Is founder of slow rise pizza, noel brohner,
Known as the professor of pizza,
Noel's worked with big companies
Like google and disney.
- Hi. - This is ines.
- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you, too.
- Hey, I gotta say I'm jealous of you
Because you're a piece of la pizza history.
- Oh, my god. - You really are.
- Frozen pizza's been a dream of ours forever, you know?
D'amores should've had it years and years and years ago.
♪ ♪
- We have some ideas,
So this is a chance for us to talk together
And brainstorm around a little bit
And see what comes out of it.
How much time do you spend
Explaining smart cups to people?
- A lot of time. - Great.
We're gonna change that. - Yeah.
- Let's make sure that somebody can get it in a half a second.
- Yep.
- So, "for a better planet, just add water."
- Oh, that's cool. I like that.
- "drink the future."
[intricate percussive music]
"small cup, big impact."
- What you guys have done is amazing.
It's so simple, it's so clean.
I think it creates that visceral feeling.
I've never really seen it like this before,
And it makes it so much cleaner.
I love that there's fruit there, there's water.
It's alive.
But over here, "for a better planet, just add water."
It gets to the point. It's so simple.
I'd give you a kiss right now if I could.
[laughter]
- Happy to hear that. Yeah.
- It takes me so long to explain smart cups.
Now, I've got a couple sentences,
I hit people, wham, bam, thank you, ma'am,
Now you understand smart cups!
[suspenseful music]
- At drink labs,
The team helping lan create her ready-to-drink coffee
Are skilled in fast-tracking beverages
From concept to shelf.
- Oh, that's amazing.
That's fantastic. - Wow.
- Very rich.
- We definitely need to bottle that magic.
- That would be amazing to be able
To make this exact drink in a bottle form.
- So this is what's called a homogenizer,
And it basically takes it and rotates it...
- Yeah. - Rather than stir it.
- I'm really familiar with that machine.
- Right.
- Like, in compounding medications...
- Yep. - Yes.
- Like, creams and ointments. I've used that before.
- Yeah, you gotta make sure
So that it's everything's evenly distributed.
- Exactly. Okay.
- So we're not really trying to complicate the process.
- Right. - Yeah.
- You know we just really want to take the quality product
You're currently producing... - Mm-hmm.
- And put it into a shelf-stable version.
- Right.
To create a ready-to-drink beverage
Is just so in line with the brand
And exactly what it is that I feel would be the next step.
This reminds me of putting labels of prescription bottles.
- Right?
♪ ♪
- Wow. I'm never gonna forget this moment.
This is crazy.
- The first fat miilk in a bottle ever.
- My first drink! - Congratulations.
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
- For tomorrow's big launch, caroline must create
A delicious frozen pizza that will impress the crowds.
- Let me make a suggestion. - Yep?
- The sauce is the star. - Yeah. Oh, yeah.
- So let's not hide it on the bottom.
- Okay.
- Let's feature it on the top.
We're painting the pizza now. - Yes.
- We're not making your father's pizza...
- Right.
- We're not making your grandmother's pizza.,
We're making your pizza.
- Have you tried my vodka sauce?
- Uh, I have tried it.
I drank about a half a jar the other day.
[laughter]
And also, like, for frozen pizza,
We have to find a way
To make it look like the hand of the artist
Had a part in the making of the pizza.
Both: Mm!
- Is that why you pulled the dough at the end?
- Yeah! - I like that, I like that.
- Once the last pizza comes out,
We're gonna let it cool, we're gonna wrap them...
- Okay.
- We're gonna double-wrap them, and we're gonna get them
Into the freezer as quickly as possible.
- Okay, okay.
I like this one.
And then I really like the idea of doing a pepperoni.
- Yeah.
- 'cause you know people will love that.
Pizza girl is already on its rise, right?
I just really hope that gordon ramsay is a pizza girl.
[bell rings]
- Nice meeting you, jamie. - Thank you.
- Thank you for everything. It was great.
- Thank you. - A pleasure meeting you.
- It was really a pleasure.
- I'm under a lot of pressure,
And there's a lot riding on tomorrow's pop-up
Not just for me, but for smart cups,
For my employees, for my family, for the world.
- Thank you! - Pleasure having you.
Good luck, too. - Take care.
- Yeah. - Thank you so much.
I am not underestimating or putting my guard down
When it comes to caroline or chris.
I just know that they're gonna come out
And do some show-stopping things,
And I just have to do the same and we'll just see
What resonates with gordon the most.
- Thank you, guys, for having us.
- Thank you. Thank you so much.
- And yeah, I couldn't be happier.
I don't have anything to fall back on.
I cannot go and be a pharmacist,
I cannot go and be a scientist.
This is all I have...
Bye, guys.
So that makes me wanna fight
Ten times harder.
100 times harder.
- Downtown la,
And it's the morning of the finalists' product launch.
[dramatic electronic music]
24 hours ago,
They left the designers with a vision for their units.
♪ ♪
With their brands' reputations on the line,
Time to see if their pop-ups are everything they hoped for.
♪ ♪
- Oh, my god. [gasps]
♪ ♪
Oh, my god!
Look at this photo. [laughs]
It's beautiful. - Oh, my god.
It's exactly what you asked for.
- I'm, like, blown away right now.
[lan gasps]
Gosh!
[upbeat dramatic music]
Oh, my gosh, this is amazing!
- Look at how they set up your coffee!
- Oh, my goodness.
- This is amazing. - Wow.
I am literally obsessed. [megan gasps]
This is exactly what I envisioned.
It's beautiful.
- Let's see.
Holy crap. - Holy moly.
[aaron laughs] - this is so freaking cool.
- Look at all that. That's all the new messaging.
It's exactly what you wanted. - It hits all the points.
This is pretty cool.
♪ ♪
- Oh, my goodness me. Look at this.
- It looks amazing. - It's really good.
- Oh, my goodness. How you feeling?
- I'm feeling great, thank you. - Pretty good?
Welcome back, young man. - Good to see you.
- You good? - Yeah, absolutely.
- Ah, come on. How clean and clear is this?
- It looks very clean.
- Love the interactive video there on the wall.
- So we have three examples:
Bone broth, mouthwash, energy drink.
- Yes.
The most prolific one is gonna be the energy drink, right?
- Energy drink.
- That's where everyone's gonna be leaning to.
Yeah. See, that's lovely.
I would honestly, literally, kick off with this one.
- Start with that? - 100%.
'cause it's the one that's the most tangible.
- Okay.
If I win this competition,
In three, five years,
Smart cups will be a global technology,
So it has to go well.
♪ ♪
- Oh, my goodness.
- [chuckling] hey. - Come on.
- Oh, my gosh. - Look at this. Hi, meg.
- Hey! Good to see you. - Likewise.
Good to see you, too.
And now, this looks incredible.
- Having gordon's money, name, validation,
Everything into fat miilk would be a game-changer.
- That is delicious. - Love it?
- Now, just the nuttiness of that...
- Mm-hmm? - That's delicious.
Doors are opening minutes from now.
- Okay.
- Good luck. - Thank you.
[bottles clink softly, ice crunches]
[flowing piano music]
- Okay.
- Wow, this looks beautiful. Hey, how you feeling?
- Hi. I'm feeling amazing. - You good?
Sydney, welcome back.
Good to see you. - Thank you.
- How did that frozen route go yesterday?
Yeah, that looks great.
I love the fact that, yeah,
When we see our traditional frozen...
- Yeah.
- And everything's off the cellophane,
And you pick it up and all the cheese is gone off.
- Right, yeah.
- This is part-cooked, so therefore,
Everything's solidified and it's connected in there.
- Yeah. - That's great.
- I really hope my new frozen pizza line
Will make gordon see that
I'm the one that he needs to invest in.
- That's incredible. Within three or four minutes.
- Mm-hmm. - That is really good.
Mm, really good indeed.
[dramatic music]
[suspenseful music]
Before the pop-up doors open to the public,
I have one last, special surprise
In store for my finalists.
- Oh, my gosh. There's daddy.
♪ ♪
- Stop.
[tender music]
- Go, girl! - Daddy!
- Sweetheart. Oh, my god.
I love you!
- [smooches] I love you, too. - What's up, buddy?
- Hi, babe. - Hey.
- Missed you. - What's up, buddy?
How are you? - [smooches]
Daddy, tomorrow are you coming back?
- Yeah. Tomorrow, I find out who wins.
- Okay!
- I've missed my family so much,
Words can't describe it.
I--I just--hopefully, I win this and it's worthwhile.
I've missed you guys. [chuckles]
- I love you. - I missed you, too.
- Look, joe. - Look, look.
Um, wait, hold on. - Yeah, what's going on?
Are you okay? - Yeah. I'm just...
Happy to see you guys.
- [chuckling] aw.
Hey. [laughs]
Are you okay? - [sniffles] yeah, yeah.
- Aw. - He's a little bit crying.
[chris sighs]
- Gordon ramsay's investment would mean the world to us,
And it would be chris' dream come true.
Not only chris', but our family's.
[soft upbeat music]
- Thank you.
[lan gasps]
- Hey! - Yes!
Hi!
Oh! [laughs]
Oh, my gosh! - Aw.
Hi! - What are you doing here?
- Walking in here and seeing lan's face
Is, like, amazing.
I know how much this means to her,
So being able to kind of see her in her element,
Which is, like,
Such a proud sister moment right there.
- I mean, I know if mom and dad could be here right now,
They would totally... - Yeah.
- Lose it, too.
You know, I can only hope that they're incredibly proud.
- My parents don't really know what she's doing.
They're immigrants, so they came over here,
Provided for us, and they gave us a better life.
And, like, I think, like, they always wish that
We would just all go into the medical field
And be stable and secure,
But lan had a bigger vision for her life.
She's always been about
Showcasing what vietnamese culture's all about.
It's just nothing but proud all around.
I think my parents would be super proud of her
To watch this and see this.
♪ ♪
- Oh, my god. - Hi!
- Oh, my god. - [laughing] hi!
Oh, my god! You're here!
[sobbing] my baby!
I mean, seeing my daughter was just so overwhelming.
And my sisters?
[sobbing]
[inhales deeply]
It's just wild. [sniffles]
Will you hold a sign? [laughs]
- It was so good to see, like,
Her after so long and all the hard work
She's put into it and I'm really proud of her.
- Gordon's obviously been putting me through the wringer
And I have to make a frozen pizza collection...
- [gasps] - no way!
- For pizza girl. - That's amazing.
- Oh, my god! - [laughs]
- It's something that we've wanted to do in our family.
- It is. For so long.
- We've been talking about it for so long.
- Oh, I just burnt a pizza, actually, because you just--
Oh, my god, I just burnt a pizza!
- Oh, no.
Eh, it's a little well-done. Where do you want this?
- We gotta hide that from gordon ramsay.
Let's hide it in the trash. - [laughs]
- Go that way. Put it in the trash can right there.
Just get rid of it. - Okay.
[quirky upbeat flourish]
- Downtown la,
And my finalists are minutes away
From presenting their newly-enhanced brands...
[all cheering]
Each fighting to win my $1/4 million investment.
[dramatic music]
- Do you need to give us a job?
- Sure, if you want to make small talk with people
And keep them entertained.
You guys are the smart cups family.
- Really?
- You're the smart cups princess.
- What's the tagline?
- "for a better planet..." all: "just add water."
- "just add water."
♪ ♪
- You're sweating already? - [sighs]
Well, I'm ready to just roll up my sleeves and help.
- Well, that's the italian way, right?
♪ ♪
- Okay, guys. Guests are coming.
I'm gonna greet them at the door.
Look like you're having fun.
[upbeat music]
- Midday.
Time for my finalists
To open their pop-up doors to the public.
- Hey, guys! Welcome to the smart cups pop-up shop!
- Ooh. - Drink the future!
You guys ready? All: Yeah.
- All right.
- Here they come.
Hello, welcome! Come on in. - Hi. Thank you.
- Hi, guys.
Welcome to my pizza girl pop-up.
These are some of my new, frozen pizzas,
And I would love if you guys would give it a try.
♪ ♪
- Hi! Welcome. Nice to meet you!
- Love your outfit.
- Thank you all so much for coming.
I mean, I want you all to just experience the brand.
Fat miilk is a vietnamese coffee company.
We're sampling out first ready-to-drink beverage.
It's ca phe sua da, coffee with condensed milk over ice.
I hope you enjoy.
- Smart cups is a printed ingredient technology
That eliminates liquid transportation.
We print the ingredients of an energy drink
Right inside of a cup... [audience murmurs]
And this cup is actually made out of plant material,
So it's better for the environment.
Small cup, big impact, right? - Oh, yeah.
- So for a better planet, just add water.
[all murmuring] - wow.
- 500 aluminum cans, 500 equivalents in smart cups.
- Wow.
- This weighs 375 pounds versus less than ten pounds,
So reduction of carbon emissions.
We wanna change the world, climate change is an issue.
This is one of the best ways to go about doing that.
Pop-up's going great
And it looks like everybody's having a great time.
They're amazed by smart cup's technology.
The messaging's really hitting home.
People are getting it.
Drink the future, everybody!
Drink the future!
♪ ♪
- Cheers. - Cheers!
- Oh! Caroline would love to hear that.
- With that vodka-infused sauce, oh, my goodness.
I feel like I can be able to eat that and go to work,
But still be a little fun. [laughs]
[indistinct chatter]
- The energy, it's like, alive, it's exciting like pizza girl.
It's--it's just-- it's a vibe, right?
It's incredible.
♪ ♪
You're so cute. I love you.
[upbeat music]
- Oh, yeah.
I'm half vietnamese, so it's really nice to see,
Especially having it ready-to-go?
- Yeah? - Like in those bottles?
It's great. - Exactly.
I am having an amazing time right now.
You know, in the beginning, I was a little anxious,
A little nervous, but this is what I do.
I love telling my story,
I love having my family here, megan here,
And I just feel, like, good energy,
Good vibes right now.
- How you doing? Would you like some more?
- Please. - Absolutely.
That's a good sign. Seconds, right?
- I'm trying to sleep tonight. - I know, right?
- [laughing] - there you go. Enjoy.
- Hoping to impress and prove they can evolve,
My finalists' pop-up events are well underway,
But what the finalists don't know
Is that I'm also sending in two undercover industry experts
Who will give me some professional insight
To help me make my final decision.
I brought in jennifer saenz,
Chief merchandizing officer at albertsons companies,
And mike schall,
Former executive at whole foods
And current head of food and beverage practice
At focalpoint partners.
These two almost have 50 years of experience combined
And really know the ins and outs of what it takes
For products to make it on grocery store shelves.
- Oh, this ought to be interesting.
[tense music]
- Thank you. [indistinct chatter]
- Why don't you guys try the raspberry lemonade?
What I'm trying to do is change the world,
Disrupt the status quo, and reduce carbon emissions.
- So you can pretty much do everything...
- Do everything.
- That can be printed on a surface?
- Anything that can be printed, yes.
So you want organic, you want gluten free,
You want sugar-free-- - you can do it all?
- I can do it all.
So all you have to do is add water.
That's our slogan.
For a better planet, just add water.
♪ ♪
- All right, we're gonna throw these in here.
[cheers and applause]
[suspenseful music]
- There you go! Good!
♪ ♪
- It's good, right?
- It is good. - Yeah.
- So what inspired you on the pasta sauces?
- Being a single, hardworking mom,
I was desperate for a jarred sauce
That actually tasted good
That was also organic with no sugar added,
So I set out to make something better.
- So what are you doing right now to build your brand?
- So I am the brand, right?
So I have to be everywhere at once.
I stand in supermarkets all day long,
Speak to all my customers,
And every single time I do that,
They try it, they walk away, and then they come running back
And they go, "oh, my god..." [laughter]
"this is incredible."
[indistinct chatter]
- Man, this looks fun.
- This is called the asian squat right here.
- You got it!
♪ ♪
- Wow. - Chocolate.
- It's really tasty. - It is.
- How is the coffee? - It's delicious.
- Excellent. - Yeah.
- Fat miilk. What does that mean?
- So fat miilk essentially is two things.
A lot of people think sweetened condensed milk
Makes vietnamese coffee,
But it's really the origin of the bean.
Ultimately, you know, my mission is to really
Create some sustainable practices
That shed light on the people behind the bean.
I think having, you know, ready-to-drink beverages
Would be the next step.
We can get creative and become this global empire
That I know fat miilk can be. - I was just gonna say.
♪ ♪
- How was it? - Great. Second cup.
- Second cup? - It's so good.
- Be careful!
Good to see you all. I'll catch up with you.
♪ ♪
- My parents don't even know I'm here.
They're gonna find out on tv. - I love it, I love it!
I love it. It's the best way. - I know!
- It's the only way immigrant parents
Really get their children's accomplishments.
- Exactly.
- Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for coming.
Would you like to hear from the lady herself?
All: Yes!
- Lan, please.
- Um...
Um--[clears throat]
- Downtown la,
And my finalists have each pulled off impressive pop-ups
Showcasing their brands.
Uh, ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for coming.
Would you like to hear from the lady herself?
All: Yes!
- Lan, please.
- Um...
Um--[clears throat]
- [chuckling] you okay? - Yeah.
[cheers and applause]
- You know you've got this. - I know, I know.
[applause]
First and foremost, thank you all so much.
You know, my parents are refugees from vietnam.
I'm a first-generation vietnamese female,
And so, you know,
That heart and that grit, it's part of my dna.
Vietnam has been a major,
Major player in this industry forever,
And it's time that we acknowledge that
And give the people behind the bean
The respect that they deserve.
- Great job, honestly. - Yeah?
[cheers and applause]
You did a good job. Well done.
Over with caroline,
I want to see how her new pizza girl products
Are going down with the public.
How's the pizza? - It was really good.
- It's amazing. - Amazing.
- Would you buy it?
Both: Yes.
- The pizza and the sauce or just the sauces?
- Both. - Both.
- I would buy both. - Enjoy.
[applause]
How about hearing from the lady
Who put this whole thing together?
- Yes!
- Would you like to hear from caroline?
[cheers and applause] over to you.
- When I became a single mom, it was really important to me
That if I was gonna start a company,
It was going to resonate with every family,
And if you ever feel like
Your family doesn't fit the mold,
Well, let me just tell you I've sat at that table
And pizza girl invites you to sit at our table.
Pizza girl is for everyone. Thank you guys so much.
[cheers and applause]
- Great job. Well done.
♪ ♪
- Hello. - Hey, good evening.
How are we?
What was your impression of the marketing?
- I actually thought the cups were plastic,
So I was a little thrown off. - No.
- But then I found out that they weren't plastic,
So I'm sold. - Yeah, that's good.
Ladies and gentlemen!
Chris.
- Moments like this reinvigorate me
Because I put so much of myself
To get smart cups to where it is today.
You see, smart cups didn't start ten years ago.
Smart cups started when I was ten.
You know?
And I've sacrificed a lot in my adult life
To progress innovation.
[shakily] and I can say that I wouldn't be here today
If it weren't for my wife and my kids and their support.
- Aw. - Yeah.
[applause] - so...
To better the planet, just add water.
- Yes. [cheers and applause]
Pretty good. [all cheering]
Launches, a success.
Time to get professional feedback
From my undercover experts.
Three completely different brands,
And let's start off with lan.
- Yeah. - And that fat miilk.
- Yeah.
- First impressions walking in?
- Her brand has so much soul.
She's thought about every detail in terms of purpose.
- Right. - And it's great.
- One of the concerns early on in the competition
Was the word "fat miilk."
What did that say to you, walking through the doorway?
- You know, the biggest disconnect I had with the brand
Is looking at fat miilk in a milk carton
That sells whole bean coffee. - Sure.
- There's a challenge of communication there.
- Yeah.
How did it taste, that grab-and-go coffee?
- Cheers!
- The flavor was great. - Right.
- And you know, what surprised me
Was actually the energy boost.
I felt it. - Mm-hmm.
- So the product delivers. - Yeah.
- I think if it's a ready-to-drink product,
It's gonna be outstanding.
- Her story is so compelling,
How she supports the farmers very locally,
It had an amazing thread to it from a brand perspective.
[laughter] - how are you feeling?
Gosh, that was amazing. - Yeah.
- You killed it. That was so good.
- Chris' smart cups brand.
First impressions walking through the door?
- Oh, my goodness.
The technology behind that was incredible.
I was so curious to learn what inspired him,
What he was thinking,
But also what are all the possibilities...
- Sure. - To apply that technology?
- I mean, printed foods,
Printed beverages on containers that are sustainable,
It's a terrific opportunity.
- The part for me that I think he has to really work on
Is switching consumer behavior.
People are so used to picking something up
That's ready to drink, ready to enjoy.
Filling with water, waiting a minute?
So it's a speed bump.
- There's no limit to the smart cups technology.
- Yeah, you can put water in anything, right? Yeah.
- If it's an ingredient, we can print it.
♪ ♪
- Caroline and the pizza girl sauce range.
How were the sauces?
- I thought they were excellent.
They're very rich, flavorful,
There are a lot of particulates
In those products.
- Dual branding opportunity not just in the sauces,
But of course, that frozen pizza line.
Do you identify what the brand is immediately?
- Not immediately.
It was a little confusing to me.
Pizza girl on a pasta sauce.
I'm not sure what to expect there.
- I think by tweaking, perhaps, the label and saying
Pizza and pasta sauce... - Sure.
- Would potentially solve that problem.
I think the frozen pizza category
Is extremely competitive,
But with the advantages with quality
And the right size of portion,
I think she can compete effectively.
- You two have given me a lot to think about,
So I really appreciate the feedback.
Thank you so much.
At the grilling tomorrow, I'll decide which finalist
Will be walking away with my $250,000 investment.
- I cannot wait to celebrate when you win.
- Oh, my god, I could actually win this thing tomorrow.
- You're going to. - Thank you, babe.
[soft upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- After battling it out for ten weeks,
It's time for the final grilling where
One of my three finalists will win my investment.
[suspenseful music]
- Hi. - Hi, daddy.
- Whoop-whoop! Look at you, look at you!
- What's up? - You look so good.
♪ ♪
[door closes] - hello, everybody.
Good to see you all.
Please, lan, chris, caroline, take a seat.
Tonight is a very big night indeed,
And I've got a very difficult decision ahead of me.
Lan, you were in three grillings back-to-back-to-back.
And all of a sudden... [snaps fingers]
You hit your stride.
Chris.
Your strong business skills
Is what kept you in the competition.
Caroline.
You've been a bit of a wildcard across this competition.
But you do wear your heart on your sleeve
In both business in life.
And that level of vulnerability
Has really helped you stand out.
This week, I gave you your hardest challenge to date,
Because I studied your businesses
And then identified areas that could be leveled up
And you made those critical changes
And then hosted your very own launch events.
I now have to decide
Who's getting my $1/4 million investment.
- [exhales deeply]
- I'll see you in the restaurant
For one final time.
♪ ♪
[tense music]
Lan, please take a seat.
Caroline, take a seat, please. - [whispers] okay.
- Chris, take a seat, please.
♪ ♪
This week, I asked you to evolve your business.
You needed to make a grab-and-go drink.
Were you happy with your final product?
- I thought that bottled drink
Encompassed everything that fat miilk has to offer.
It had international flavors, it has variety.
- You expanded the brand beautifully
By that concept of that frozen pizza.
Were you happy with the recipes?
They turned out? - Oh, yeah.
It tasted amazing. I loved them.
I really hope to see those on supermarket shelves.
- How do you feel,
That that whole reposition came together?
- It simplified all the words.
"for a better planet, just add water."
"small cup, big impact."
♪ ♪
- Why do you deserve my investment?
- I truly feel this is a global empire
That has so many revenue streams embedded in it.
You want that return on your investment.
I guarantee you to not only do that, but go beyond it.
- Why should I invest in your brand
Over lan and chris'?
- My brand has already been tried and tested.
Not a single supermarket, gordon,
Has said no to pizza girl yet.
- Tell me why you think you deserve my investment.
- Caroline and lan are coming to you with one product.
I'm coming to you with a technology platform
Capable of doing any kind of product.
I can make coffee and I can make sauce.
With your partnership, with your investment,
We open up the door for a lot of humanitarian goodwill.
You have michelin stars.
I'm talking about nobel prize-worthy work.
- I guarantee you I have the heart, the passion,
The determination, the resilience, and the grit.
I thank you for challenging me every step of this process.
I'm just so thankful for this experience.
♪ ♪
- I have a terrific product,
That plus my love for what I do.
And I think that with your investment,
That is a win.
- You proud of yourself?
- No. Not yet.
I'm not gonna be proud of myself
Until I win this competition
And until we get a product on the shelves.
- I have a very tough decision to make.
Thank you, caroline.
Thank you, lan. - Thank you.
♪ ♪
- Thank you, chris.
- Thank you, gordon.
♪ ♪
[door closes]
- All three of you
Have been exceptional, worthy finalists.
Lan, your brand is clearly on-point,
But more importantly,
It honors and celebrates your heritage.
Congratulations.
- Thank you.
- Chris, you've got big dreams.
And your technology could turn those dreams
Into a big, strong reality.
Very impressive. Congratulations.
- Thank you.
- Caroline.
The dedication that you've shown to your business,
To maintaining high standards daily,
And to be in that position to be breaking the mold,
It's very, very admirable.
Congratulations to you.
- Thank you.
- This has been a really tough decision for me.
The person who I'll be investing in...
[uplifting suspenseful music]
Congratulations goes to...
♪ ♪
Chris.
[applause] - oh, gosh! Yes!
Baby!
[laughing] oh, my gosh! Whoo!
[soaring uplifting music]
Young man, I need to tell you something really important.
Your product could quite honestly change the world.
I want to be part of that journey with you.
- Thank you. - Right by your side.
Congratulations. - Thank you.
[confetti cannon pops]
[laughter and applause]
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
♪ ♪
All three of these products
Really had their own individual strengths...
Oh, my goodness.
And each of these finalists
Is a powerful entrepreneur in their own way.
All right.
But ultimately,
I think chris' product could truly change the world.
- Daddy, I knew that you can win.
- [smooches]
I can now say that gordon ramsay's my partner,
And we're gonna change the world!
- Ah. Amazing. - Thank you.
- I'm on cloud nine right now.
I wish I could print this moment
And save it in a little cup for the rest of my life.
For a better planet, just add water.
Be ready, gordon ramsay! We're adding water!
[cheers and applause]