More calendar inanity

[plonq]

It wouldn't bother me if this didn't claim to be the "Mensa" edition of this calendar.  Some of the questions are challenging, but others (like this one) drive me up the wall.

The problem:

WORD LADDER
Make your way from SLOW to FAST in only seven steps, changing one letter at a time to make a good English word at each step.

SLOW
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
FAST

The solution:

ANSWER: SLOW, SLAW, FLAW, FLAT, FEAT, FELT, FEST, FAST (There may be other ways.)

My solution: SLOW,SLAW,SLAT,FLAT,FIAT,FIST,FAST  -- oops, I blew it and solved it in only 6 steps.  Then I took a closer look at the "official" answer and thought, "Wait a minute..."

FEAT
FELT  <--- wtf?
FEST

They inserted a random, unneeded word to bring it back up to 7 steps.  No point in just changing the A to an S because that would solve it in only 6 steps, and we want to solve it in only 7 steps.  I guess that's what seperates a dummy like me from these Mensa people; the voices in my head that control me demand efficiency, and it goes against my code to do something like that.