We’ve got disappointing news to report from the Food Network studios, as former vice mayor Jim Gray appeared on an episode of Chopped last night but was eliminated in the appetizer round after he was unable to open a stubborn jar of pickles.

Gray appeared intrigued when he saw the basket ingredients. While he noted that the choice of pickles and Cheetos threw him off at first, he also made it clear that the basket included all the components necessary to create an alternate take on the famous Kentucky Hot Brown.

“The plan was to make a miniature Hot Brown and use the pickles in place of the tomatoes, and then add a Cheetos puree to my Mornay sauce, but those darn pickles just wouldn’t budge,” Gray told us.

After several minutes of struggling with the pickles, Gray was forced to abandon them altogether and compile the rest of his dish.

The judges were impressed with the plate Gray ultimately presented to them, but they were forced to chop him for his failure to use the pickles, a key basket ingredient.

“I guess the thing I’m most upset about is that I disappointed Amanda Freitag,” said Gray. “And that I didn’t get to use that ice cream machine.”