About a month ago, I was cryptically asked to participate in something called a “cooking combat” at the Kenmore Live Studio, located at the corner of Wells and Erie. Apparently, it was some mixed-media marketing thing, promoting Kenmore, the national tour of Wicked, which is wrapping up its six-week stop in Chicago this weekend (read my review here), and cooking.

Sure? Why the hell not.

So, I arrive, thinking I’d passively observe and blog about it. Surprise! Before I knew it, I was mic’ed up and given instructions for helping assist Chandra Lee Schwartz, who plays Glinda, in cooking some sort of chocolate truffle thing.

The premise was a cooking competition pitting Elphaba (and her assistant) and Glinda (and me) against each other. A panel of judges made the final call as to whose dessert was the best, thus winning the “combat.”

The video, in full:

If you want to skip through just to see yours truly, go to 11:50 for my increadiby articulate “reaction shot” to the competition’s entry, and then 16:55 for our cooking segment (and my very, very awkward introduction of myself).

Also: check out 18:20 when I offer encouragement to Chandra as she beats the heck out of some candy canes.

So who won? Let’s just say we were robbed. Sadly, they cut out the part where Chandra and I stormed the judges and forced them to taste our entries one final time after told we were the losers. Because clearly, the thing was rigged.

The experience was chaotic, crazy and a lot of fun. And Chandra Lee Schwartz is a total sweetheart: