Eva Longoria on chips, movies and TV

Cheesy Garlic Bread, Chicken & Waffles or Sriracha on a potato chip?

If you're shaking your head at the adventurous flavors, then talk to Eva Longoria. The actress, along with celebrity chef Michael Symon, chose the three final seasonings of Lay's "Do Us a Flavor" contest. The consumer-inspired chip flavors hit stores this week partly thanks to Longoria, who served as a judge in the contest.

Longoria, a spokesperson for the brand, appears to have the qualifications to serve as a judge. The restaurateur just launched SHe, a new restaurant in Las Vegas that she calls "a feminine take on the traditional steakhouse." And she has published a book on cooking called "Eva's Kitchen: Cooking with Love for Family and Friends."

She helped sort through some of the nearly 4 million flavor submissions that were gathered between July and October 2012.

"It's pretty amazing that that many consumers participated," Longoria told CBSNews.com. "We only made the final 10 into actual chips, and so I tasted the final 10 on an actual chip and we narrowed it down to the final 3. "

According to Longoria, Americans' flavor ideas were quite subdued compared those submitted in contests held in other countries.

"America has had some pretty tame flavors," she said. "The No. 1 ingredient submitted was bacon. This is the first time Lay's held this contest in the States, but they've done it all over the globe. They had Cajun Squirrel in New Zealand. There was Fish Eggs from Japan...Shrimp in Europe. Though I wouldn't want shrimp on a chip."

But not all of flavors will remain on shelves in America. The contestants behind the final three flavors are now vying for the chance at $1 million in grand prize money, or one percent of their flavor's 2013 net sale -- whichever is higher. Potato chip lovers get to vote on their favorites from now through the May 4, after which a winner will be chosen.

To celebrate the new-flavor launch, Longoria and Symon joined the three finalists -- Christina Abu-Judom, a volunteer coordinator from Phoenix, Ariz. (Chicken & Waffles); Karen Weber-Mendham, a part-time librarian from Land O'Lakes, Wis. (Cheesy Garlic Bread); and Tyler Raineri, a student from Lake Zurich, Ill. (Sriracha) -- at the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday where they rang the opening bell.

Longoria, 37, wouldn't reveal her favorite of the final three, but said, "Everybody's had a different reaction to all of them. Some people want to know what Chicken and Waffles would take like on a chip. Then we have a lot of Garlic and Bread lovers who are like, 'Wow, finally on a chip!' It's interesting to see people's palates in this contest. The great thing is that America gets to pick the winner."

Over the past year, Longoria has been seen in TV ads for the campaign, appearing in spots directed by Brett Ratner ("Rush Hour" and "Tower Heist").

"He's awesome and absolutely insane. I love him and I actually requested Brett to do this spot because of his fun and creativeness - not only on-set but his outcome," said Longoria. "I'm a huge fan."

When she's not hawking chips, Longoria continues to channel her love for acting and will next be seen in "Frontera," alongside Ed Harris, a film about a sheriff's wife who's killed in a robbery by a Mexican man that has illegally crossed into the United States.

"It's a really great story that humanizes people across the border, and it's riveting and accurate," said Longoria.

When asked about whether she'll do another TV series, the former "Desperate Housewives" star said, "Absolutely, I love the medium of television. I think I'll eventually go back."