TikTok $100K-Winning Tomato Soup Left Kelly Clarkson Speechless
Tomato soup recipes have been going viral on social media for all the right reasons: they're creative, they're innovative, and they look downright tasty. TikToker @shicocooks featured a decadent recipe on their page that calls for roasting tomatoes with a wheel of Boursin cheese before blending it into a rich, thick soup. The video was @shicocooks' most viral video of 2021 with 22.9 million views. TikToker @yessidothecookingg's video featuring their tomato soup recipe garnered 877,600 views and suggests adding in red bell pepper and sautéing mushrooms and onions to top the creamy tomato soup. Then there was Instagram @micae_makes, whose plant-based tomato soup uses coconut milk and vegetable broth. The recipe raked in nearly 14,000 likes.
All these tomato soup recipes hit it big when it comes to earning hearts, but there's one viral tomato soup recipe that's hitting it extra big and helped its developer, TikToker @kenapeay not only go viral but also win $100,000.
Kelly Clarkson went in for seconds on Kena Peay's tomato bisque
Kena Peay's – you know her from "Food Fighters" (via National Forest Foundation) – TikTok account has over 428,000 followers who tune in to discover both the recipes and hiking advice the content creator regularly shares. Peay has reposted her viral tomato bisque and grilled cheese recipe several times due to popular demand from her fans. The soup features Peay's own "OG Harissa Blend," which she says gives it a kick.
Peay not only won $100,000 for her tomato soup recipe, but she also had the opportunity to share it with a TV audience on "The Kelly Clarkson Show." When appearing on the show, Peay provided Clarkson, and actresses Allison Williams and Folake Olowofoyeku with instructions on how to make her award-winning soup, and let's just say the reactions were enough to make Peay's day.
As Clarkson picked up a spoon to dig into the finished soup, Peay told her, "I'm excited for you to try it. Please be kind." After tasting the soup, Clarkson turned to Peay with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, totally speechless for a few moments before she was able to say, "Oh my gosh! What? I'm going again... I love my job!" (via "The Kelly Clarkson Show" on YouTube).