Tournament of Champions All Star Christmas S01E06

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00:00:00It's the finale of the biggest holiday tournament in the food world.

00:00:14Two down, two to go.

00:00:15Now is the hardest part.

00:00:17Game time, chef. Game time.

00:00:19This is gonna get intense.

00:00:20We've witnessed five epic nights of culinary battles.

00:00:24Ow!

00:00:25Let's go!

00:00:27Filled with spectacular savory dishes.

00:00:29Perfection.

00:00:30And delicious holiday desserts.

00:00:32It makes you feel like the holidays just gave you a big hug.

00:00:35It went from 16 teams of elite chefs all the way down to the final four duo.

00:00:41Kevin and Dave.

00:00:42Here, baby.

00:00:43Tobias and Marcel.

00:00:45Jed Nashly.

00:00:47Michael and Brian.

00:00:49Which team will win the title?

00:00:53The trophy, big bucks for their charities,

00:00:56and the $100,000 grand prize.

00:01:00Jingle, jingle all the way.

00:01:02This is Tournament of Champions All-Star Christmas.

00:01:11Are you ready to meet the final four?

00:01:14The winners of the A Division, Chef Kevin Lee and Chef Dale Calde.

00:01:20Let's go! Let's go!

00:01:23We've been the underdog every challenge and every cook we went into.

00:01:27We've taken down some great chefs in the previous two rounds.

00:01:30It's what we do.

00:01:31Next, the winners of the B Division.

00:01:34Chefs Michael and Brian Valtagia.

00:01:40I've been runner-up in three seasons of Top Chef.

00:01:42I've been runner-up on 24.

00:01:44This time, it's time for a win.

00:01:46Up next, the winners of the C Division.

00:01:48That's right.

00:01:49Chef Jettila and Chef Ashley Holt.

00:01:53The pressure of the semifinals is real, and it's intense.

00:01:58This is gonna be my fifth time going into the TOC quarterfinals,

00:02:02but I feel reinvigorated.

00:02:04Pastry Chef Extraordinaire has got my back right here.

00:02:09Last, definitely not least, the winners of the D Division.

00:02:15Chef Tobias Dorzon and Chef Marcel Vigneron.

00:02:21Being able to get two wins under my belt and be here and feel alive,

00:02:25just a couple months ago, I really didn't even know if it was gonna be possible.

00:02:30The comeback is always greater than the setback.

00:02:33Isn't that right, Tobias?

00:02:34That's a fact.

00:02:35You're the final four. Congratulations.

00:02:38You are just two cooks away from winning it all.

00:02:41The title, the trophy, big bucks for a charity of your choice.

00:02:45And thanks to Carnival Cruise Line, $100,000.

00:02:48Woo!

00:02:49Woo!

00:02:50Woo-hoo!

00:02:51Wow.

00:02:52So before we get started, I do have a golden gift.

00:02:56And to bring out my favorite six-foot-one elf, Hunter Fieri.

00:03:01Woo!

00:03:02There you go.

00:03:03Yeah!

00:03:04Woo!

00:03:06What's your favorite elf?

00:03:07One team has scored the highest in the quarterfinals

00:03:10and actually the highest in the entire tournament thus far,

00:03:13a 93.

00:03:15Woo!

00:03:16Chef Jet and Chef Ashley.

00:03:17I have never seen a 49 in savory.

00:03:20I have no words.

00:03:22There you go.

00:03:23Oh, my God.

00:03:24I'm sorry.

00:03:27All right.

00:03:28What you have here is a $10,000 check to the charity of your choice in your name.

00:03:34Ashley, who did this go to? What charity are you playing for?

00:03:37I want to give this to the Outdoors Empowered Network.

00:03:40They give kids access to nature.

00:03:43If we start there with the kids, then we can make a better planet for all of us.

00:03:46Jet?

00:03:47This is going to ALADS, which is the Association for Los Angeles Sheriff's Deputies.

00:03:52We've suffered some major tragedies, and this is going to their families.

00:03:56Love it.

00:03:58I love it.

00:03:59I love it.

00:04:00But that's just not enough.

00:04:02I mean, they got the highest score.

00:04:0493 is very high.

00:04:05What do we have in the stockings?

00:04:06There's more?

00:04:07There's more?

00:04:08I mean, it's the season of giving.

00:04:11Guys, this is too much.

00:04:13No way.

00:04:14What is this?

00:04:15We're each getting a cruise for two, thanks to Carnival Cruise Line.

00:04:19Are you serious?

00:04:21My daughter's going to please out.

00:04:24Let's get into this.

00:04:25Teams, you ready to go?

00:04:26Yes, sir.

00:04:27We're kicking things off with a battle between Team Jet and Ashley versus Team Kevin and Dale.

00:04:39Teams, good luck.

00:04:51Let's go.

00:04:53Final Four.

00:04:56It's surreal.

00:04:57I didn't think I'd be this nervous right now.

00:05:00Well, ladies and gentlemen, we are at the semifinals.

00:05:03Our number one seed team, Chef Gentila and baking champ Ashley Holt.

00:05:09They are on a roll after a near flawless showing in the quarterfinals with dishes that just blew the judges away.

00:05:16You just keep doing you.

00:05:17Having such, like, an assassin on pastry, it gives me more confidence.

00:05:22Now they're taking on Chefs Kevin Lee and Dale Talday, the only number four seed team to make it this far.

00:05:29The caliber of Chefs that we have taken down in this competition, I believe, gives us a lot of confidence going into this round with Jet and Ashley.

00:05:37Even though they're great chefs and Jet's been to the final four multiple times, I know Ashley's a great baker.

00:05:42She's won some baking competitions.

00:05:44This game will break you down mentally.

00:05:46I'm hoping for one or two mistakes from our opponents.

00:05:49I'm hoping for nerves.

00:05:50Kevin and Dale, they have slayed many dragons.

00:05:53It stops today, though.

00:05:54It's not about, like, I'm doing one thing, Kevin's doing another thing.

00:05:57It's us.

00:05:58We are doing everything together as a unit.

00:06:03Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go.

00:06:06Are you ready to see these teams go snowballs to the walls?

00:06:11Let's write this up.

00:06:14Kevin Lee is a James Beard-nominated Oklahoma restaurateur who includes Korean staples in his Christmas dinner.

00:06:23Acclaimed New York City restaurateur chef Dale Talday cooks an Asian-style feast every Christmas from his Filipino roots.

00:06:31They have already landed two big upset victories.

00:06:35Give it up for the Dragonslayer and the Bogeyman!

00:06:39Team Kevin and Dale!

00:06:43Let's go!

00:06:52White wristbands, white headband.

00:06:53It's a whiteout today.

00:06:54It's a whiteout.

00:06:55It's a whiteout today.

00:06:56Let's meet their opponents.

00:06:58Jet Tila is a four-time TOC quarterfinalist and a master of Asian cuisine who cooks a killer prime rib every Christmas.

00:07:08Next great baker winner, Chef Ashley Holt celebrates the holidays by making cookies with her daughter and then sending them to friends and family.

00:07:16They've earned the highest score so far.

00:07:21Give it up for the Jetster and the sugar monster, Team Jet and Ashley!

00:07:37Congratulations.

00:07:38You're the number one seed.

00:07:39You've risen all the way to the top.

00:07:41Anything you're worried about?

00:07:42I'm worried about two dudes in crazy outfits that can cook their asses off.

00:07:47Yeah.

00:07:48Chefs, to the randomizer!

00:07:49Let's go!

00:07:52It's a heck of a randomizer.

00:07:54Oh, my lord.

00:07:58So, everybody understands the rules of the randomizer.

00:08:01It's like the rules of the road.

00:08:02The savory ingredient goes for one dish, the sweet item for the other dish, and the equipment, the style, and the wild card ingredients go for both dishes.

00:08:10Here we go!

00:08:11Oh, what do we got? What do we got?

00:08:12What do we got?

00:08:13Savory gets prime rib. Sweet gets guava. The equipment is the cookie press. Style will be red. What is that turned up nose of disappro...

00:08:25I mean, I've never been to the final four. I guess it's a little...

00:08:41It gets crazy in here.

00:08:42And the wild card ingredient, marzipan pigs. It's like getting itchy wool underwear.

00:08:47Oh, great. Merry Christmas.

00:08:51So, here's the deal. 45 minutes to cook. I'm gonna give you two minutes to confer. Chefs, good luck.

00:08:58What are you thinking?

00:08:59Making a tart, guava cream, marzipan crumble.

00:09:02I'm gonna make churros, a coconut guava, shaved ice. I'm gonna do a char siu rib roast, the marzipan in the sauce.

00:09:09I'm staying sweet, he's staying savory, and we're just trusting each other to just do our job.

00:09:13So, I'm gonna mix some bad stuff, okay? I'm gonna take the eye of the rib out and I'm gonna grind it.

00:09:17We thought we were close before. I mean, now we're brothers. As a team, we can conquer this together.

00:09:23Chefs, your 45 minutes start now. Go!

00:09:26For the savory dish, prime rib roast. I mean, this is about as holiday Christmas as it comes.

00:09:36And for the sweet dish, guava, sweet and a little musky.

00:09:40The cookie press, it really makes some cool designs for the holiday time.

00:09:44How they're gonna use it, that'll be a whole nother story.

00:09:47I don't need that. I don't need that.

00:09:49Red. I mean, we have everything here that they could even think about with red.

00:09:53These are so cute.

00:09:54And marzipan, round almonds, sugar. Watch out for the marzipan pig.

00:09:59Ooh, third time. Still not used to this.

00:10:04For me to be here in the final four, it's drink come true.

00:10:08I know we got our headbands and wristbands on our Hawaiian shirts going on,

00:10:12but we're taking this tournament seriously and we're here to win.

00:10:17Toss you. First thing that comes to my head. Bright red.

00:10:20Bright red.

00:10:21I have cooked hundreds of prime ribs in my life.

00:10:24I cook one every year. It is the center of our Christmas dinner.

00:10:28Red plays right into my style of cooking because red cooking is actually a classic Cantonese technique.

00:10:36I'm gonna do a char siu prime rib.

00:10:41Thanks, guys.

00:10:46What's the plan with that, chef?

00:10:47Uh, I gotta start dying it red really quickly.

00:10:50You're caught red-handed, chef.

00:10:51Yeah.

00:10:52Booyah! Dad jokes, Justin.

00:10:54I'm gonna need gloves for sure.

00:10:56This is gonna get intense.

00:10:58I can cook without fear when I know I have a phenomenal chef that has my back.

00:11:03I've been putting in all this work in my career and I'm here working on your team.

00:11:07It's gonna feel extra awesome when we beat them.

00:11:10Girl, it's our team. It's our team.

00:11:12Hello, hello. Welcome back to the dance floor, chef.

00:11:15All right, we got this.

00:11:17Breathe.

00:11:18When I see the guava, the cookie press, the marzipan, I'm immediately inspired to do a guava tart.

00:11:24A beautifully composed tart screams Christmas.

00:11:27I'm gonna do that in the quickest way possible by doing like a no-bake cheesecake.

00:11:30Really tart guava, room temp cream cheese, and then you fold that into whipped cream.

00:11:36All right.

00:11:37So I know I need to get these guavas simmering with some water and sugar.

00:11:41Chef, hold any plans for the figs?

00:11:43Yes. Those are gonna go get crumbled up and then put into a nice crumbly topping on my tart.

00:11:49Got it.

00:11:52Style's red. Red's holiday.

00:11:54I add dehydrated cranberries to the guava. That just hits the red.

00:11:57Add a little bit of color there.

00:11:59Put it right in the blender.

00:12:03Then I move on to making my tart dough.

00:12:06Egg, vanilla, butter, sugar?

00:12:08Correct.

00:12:09I'm gonna put some dehydrated cranberries into the tart dough.

00:12:12This dessert needs to read red.

00:12:14Right now, it's very muted.

00:12:15The moment I saw prime rib and red, I immediately thought tteokpoki.

00:12:23This is a very traditional Korean.

00:12:25It's typically made with some rice cakes.

00:12:27That's gonna be super red.

00:12:29Okay, what's the plan?

00:12:30I'm making tteokpoki, chef.

00:12:32I'm gonna use the eye of the prime rib eye roast, grind it, and make it into like a gochujang ragu.

00:12:38Then I'm gonna take the spinelas of the rib eye.

00:12:41I'm gonna make a little skewers with some gochujang glaze to reinforce that red.

00:12:45Where are my pigs finding their way into this?

00:12:47The pigs is gonna be going in the ragu.

00:12:50In the ragu.

00:12:51What are we doing with that, Kev?

00:12:55Making the spinelas skewers to go with my tteokpoki.

00:12:58Yeah, this is an amazing part of the prime rib.

00:13:01It's gonna be utilizing the prime rib two ways.

00:13:04Super smart.

00:13:05Honestly, I feel like I'm working next to someone I've worked with for like 10 years.

00:13:09Absolutely.

00:13:10We said it from the very beginning.

00:13:11Can make sure he wins championships.

00:13:13If we make it to the end, we're going to be dangerous.

00:13:19You are just determined to get the snow cone machine down here at work.

00:13:22I have to, guy.

00:13:24It is like my jammy jam.

00:13:26What are you gonna do with this?

00:13:27My shaved ice.

00:13:28My parents had a guava tree in the Philippines, and it's a tropical fruit.

00:13:32I love it.

00:13:33So the first thing I'm thinking is a red guava halo halo.

00:13:36Halo halo is a shaved ice sundae and basically means mix mix.

00:13:40I have to push this in this direction of red so I can juice these beads and incorporate the juice into guava juice and give it a nice red color.

00:13:49We have this beautiful machine here that can take fruit, puree, and make a shaved ice dessert.

00:13:55Shaves it nice and fine and thin.

00:13:57It starts to spin and it's not doing what it needs to do.

00:14:01I couldn't get the shaved ice machine to work last time.

00:14:04Seems like maybe this liquid is not chilled enough because you see it kind of melting off of it.

00:14:08It's supposed to shave it.

00:14:10It's actually just dumping ice.

00:14:12So this time I have to make it work.

00:14:14There's a lot of pressure to not fail, but I'm a little in the juice right now.

00:14:18And if you don't know what the juice is, it means you're getting squeezed.

00:14:21They got a lot going on over here.

00:14:23So much.

00:14:24I'm having difficulty running my guava beet juice through the machine.

00:14:32I'm trying to get this to work.

00:14:34So I'm pouring the guava beet juice onto the machine directly, but it's just turning into goop.

00:14:39So I just scrap it all.

00:14:41I get into liquid nitrogen.

00:14:43If you want to get something cold fast, dump some liquid nitrogen on it.

00:14:47It's actually just creating ice.

00:14:49I'm just going to have to take the ice out of this liquid nitrogen, put it in a food processor,

00:14:53and blend it until it gets to the consistency that I need it to be.

00:14:57This whole competition, I've just been pivoting, and so what's new?

00:15:01Chefs, you've got 20 minutes left.

00:15:04Whoever wins this and loses the finale is going to be pretty overwhelmed.

00:15:10The finale's tonight, folks.

00:15:13All right, Justin, let's start using this marzipan.

00:15:15Marzipan in the char siu glaze.

00:15:18Marzipan marinating the beef.

00:15:21I need some sweet notes to this, and that's why the marzipan is perfect.

00:15:25I think they will taste it here.

00:15:29Okay.

00:15:30Yes.

00:15:31I've used the cookie press before for Christmas,

00:15:33but it's like one of those gadgets in your drawer that you don't really ever use.

00:15:38This is wasting my time having to extrude this dough, but this is part of the game.

00:15:44It's used. It's extruded.

00:15:46Ash, you good? What's going on?

00:15:47Yeah, tarts are about to go in the oven.

00:15:49Okay.

00:15:50This is very risky here.

00:15:51This is a multi-step dessert.

00:15:53Having to make the dough, press it out, then finish baking it, and then cool it off.

00:16:00Keeping on top of the time is of utmost importance here.

00:16:04Otherwise, I'm not going to have a dessert to put on that plate.

00:16:07I feel extremely nervous.

00:16:12Kevin and Dale, they consistently beat first seeds and create upsets, but it's not going to happen to this cook.

00:16:24A little extruder.

00:16:25Kevin, what's the plan with the extruder?

00:16:27I'm hoping I can do the second grind on this thing, Chef.

00:16:30Oh.

00:16:32Huh.

00:16:34Oh, yeah!

00:16:40It's a workout.

00:16:42This is the final four, and you've got to push through these moments.

00:16:47The recipe and pig is very dense.

00:16:49I want to put it in the cookie press to really break up that tough texture into my ragu.

00:16:54You all right, Kevin? How do you feel?

00:16:55I'm good. I'm good.

00:16:56I will put money on it that any one of these chefs have not touched a cookie press or even used it.

00:17:02And if they did, they used it when they were a child.

00:17:04Or their Play-Doh set.

00:17:05Yeah, it's like a Play-Doh set.

00:17:07That cookie press proving to be a little bit of a hassle for everybody.

00:17:12Chef Dale's making a pate chute.

00:17:15It's going to become a churro that'll be extruded through the cookie press.

00:17:19Very, very smart.

00:17:21I'm in a cookie press.

00:17:22I've never used one of these before, but they look like a caulking gun.

00:17:25That's part of this whole game is that you're going to get something that you've never used before,

00:17:29but you have to utilize it to its greatest ability.

00:17:3115 minutes, 15 to go.

00:17:34You know what? I can't avoid trying to extrude now.

00:17:37I've been basically fearful. I just have to face my fear.

00:17:40Chef, how do you feel about the cookie press?

00:17:42This sucks, bro.

00:17:43How do I load this?

00:17:45Load it from the top.

00:17:46Blago's on the bottom.

00:17:47I don't use a cookie press.

00:17:49I don't bake anything.

00:17:51The only move for me is an extruded noodle.

00:17:54I take flour, corn starch, salt, and a little chicken powder mixed with water.

00:18:00I'm going to pray that this cookie extruder's going to work.

00:18:05Ah, what a mess.

00:18:10Today on the DIY Channel,

00:18:12I have my crust.

00:18:13I have my curd.

00:18:14More marzipan pigs.

00:18:15Oh, great.

00:18:16I need more of a crumble on top, so I grind up the marzipan pigs, mix it with a little bit

00:18:33of butter and flour, and I'm going to make a streusel of sorts.

00:18:37And I'm finally getting all these tart shells out of the oven.

00:18:41Oh, God.

00:18:42He scared me.

00:18:45Put them in the blast chiller, just to cool it down a bit.

00:18:48Woo!

00:18:52So I got my tukboki working.

00:18:55This is a very traditional Korean dish.

00:18:57If you haven't had rice cakes before, it could be a very foreign texture.

00:19:01But I'm hoping that judges understand my dish.

00:19:03TOC is very intense.

00:19:05That money is real.

00:19:06And nobody here wants to lose.

00:19:10For my guava beet halo halo, I'm marinating coconut strings in yuzu and melted marzipan

00:19:16to add the necessary nuttiness to the halo halo and the perfect consistency.

00:19:22Kevin, how are you doing on time?

00:19:23I'm good.

00:19:24I'm good, chef.

00:19:25Chef, five minutes.

00:19:26Five minutes to be plated.

00:19:28I'm placing the tukboki on one side of the plate.

00:19:32Then I have my cochitian glaze, but now it's skewer.

00:19:35Standing up on it, I'm giving it a little height.

00:19:37For my halo halo, I take corn flakes, because almost all halo halo has some form of crunchy cereal added to it.

00:19:44I'm layering it down with the coconut strings that's been marinated in marzipan.

00:19:49And then I'm adding a little bit of the snow.

00:19:52And then I powdered sugar my churro, and then I place that on top, and I think it looks like a really sexy dish.

00:19:58Sexy deal.

00:19:59Chef, you've got to be plated in three.

00:20:01Time is ticking.

00:20:02I've got to get stuff on a plate.

00:20:04I get my cheesecake mixture in a bag, pipe that on top of the guava curd.

00:20:08Two minutes.

00:20:09Two to go.

00:20:10I start my plate with a simple stir fry with charred leaves, red onion, and bell peppers.

00:20:17I spoon noodles on the side.

00:20:20I lay char si prime rib on top.

00:20:23This sucks.

00:20:25My dessert is not on the plate.

00:20:28Trying to get these from point A to point B.

00:20:31One minute, chefs.

00:20:32We have one minute to go.

00:20:33I don't like how it looks, so I try and cover it up with a few more crushed dehydrated cranberries, the sugared raspberries, put some of my marzipan crumble on top, and then a nice soft dusting of powdered sugar.

00:20:46Five, four, three, two, one.

00:20:50That's it!

00:20:51Stop!

00:20:52Holy .

00:20:53Wow.

00:20:54Chefs?

00:20:55Job well done, both teams.

00:20:56Really?

00:20:57Oh, God.

00:20:58I mean, that's crazy.

00:20:59Final four is no joke.

00:21:00It's crazy.

00:21:01No.

00:21:02Oh, man.

00:21:03That was brutal.

00:21:04Wow.

00:21:05Oh, my gosh.

00:21:06Why do we do this to ourselves?

00:21:07For the glory.

00:21:08Oh.

00:21:09Dale just got, he got ran over by a bus.

00:21:12It's tough.

00:21:13That's a tough one.

00:21:14Tonight's four world-class judges have been patiently waiting for the rest of the day.

00:21:17Oh, man.

00:21:18Oh, man.

00:21:19Oh, man.

00:21:20Oh, man.

00:21:21Oh, man.

00:21:22Oh, man.

00:21:23Oh, man.

00:21:24Oh, man.

00:21:25Oh, man.

00:21:26Oh, man.

00:21:27Oh, man.

00:21:28Oh, man.

00:21:29Oh, man.

00:21:30Oh, man.

00:21:31Oh, man.

00:21:32Oh, man.

00:21:33Oh, man.

00:21:34The judges have been patiently waiting in their trailers.

00:21:36And boy, are you going to be blown away who showed up tonight?

00:21:40Whew.

00:21:41The legendary chocolatier, James Beard Award-winning pastry chef, the one and only, the legend,

00:21:46Chef Jacques Torres.

00:21:48Yeah!

00:21:49No way.

00:21:50He's back.

00:21:51I made a dessert for Jacques Torres.

00:21:52Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

00:21:54The renowned restaurateur and cookbook author,

00:21:57who Curtis Stone called one of the most exciting Latin chefs working in America today.

00:22:02Oh.

00:22:03Ooh.

00:22:04Lorena Garcia!

00:22:08Go Chef Lorena!

00:22:12Recipient of the President's Lifetime Achievement Award.

00:22:16Wow, wow.

00:22:18The one and only, Iron Chef Kat Cora!

00:22:21Legend!

00:22:22I can't believe we have this powder chef trying our food.

00:22:25Legend.

00:22:26What else do you expect?

00:22:28And last but not least,

00:22:30Michelin-starred restaurateur and James Beard Award winner,

00:22:34Chef Nancy Silverton!

00:22:36That's an all-star cast of judges.

00:22:40Our queen!

00:22:42Tonight, the savory dish must use prime rib roast.

00:22:47The sweet dish must use guava.

00:22:50Both dishes must use a cookie press.

00:22:53The style is red,

00:22:55and the wild card ingredient is a marzipan pig.

00:22:59So to kick things off for you is our TOC3 champ,

00:23:02Chef Tiffany Faison.

00:23:04Guy?

00:23:05Judges?

00:23:06Holiday heroes?

00:23:07This is a prime rib roast and pig

00:23:09of the marzipan variety, tabuki ragu.

00:23:12Prime rib roast was ground and placed into the ragu.

00:23:16The first grind was in the meat grinder.

00:23:18The second grind was in the cookie press.

00:23:21Shenanigans.

00:23:22I call BS.

00:23:24And then guava hollow hollow.

00:23:26Hollow hollow means mix mix,

00:23:28and this chef would like you to take everything together

00:23:31and mix it up.

00:23:32Beets were juiced and blended with guava,

00:23:34mixed with coconut strings that were marinated

00:23:36with marzipan pig and yuzu glaze.

00:23:38The cookie press was used to create a funnel cake.

00:23:41Those two dishes are singing.

00:23:43I find them beautiful.

00:23:44Very tasty.

00:23:45Yes.

00:23:46I love the sweetness and a little bit of sourness of this dish.

00:23:50Very well balanced.

00:23:52Great job of using this prime rib in two different ways.

00:23:56I love the way that they use the marzipan pig to give it just a hint of sweetness.

00:24:01Chemistry wins championships.

00:24:02Chemistry wins championships, baby.

00:24:04I'm scared, Jeff.

00:24:05I know the cookie press was on the randomizer, but I'm not really seeing that in the savory dish.

00:24:09I didn't see where they might have used it.

00:24:12Okay.

00:24:13I love it.

00:24:14This dish is full of so much texture, so much flavor.

00:24:20It's got everything you need in a dish to make you want to go back for more.

00:24:25For the desserts, I was a little bit afraid when I see it thinking,

00:24:33Oh, you know what's going on here?

00:24:35But then when you dive in, you're very happily surprised.

00:24:39It's delicious.

00:24:40I love it.

00:24:41Chef Jacques loved your dessert.

00:24:42I think the dessert is so fun.

00:24:44I think the color is fun.

00:24:46They use a really nice amount of guava.

00:24:49You get a little sweetness with the funnel cake.

00:24:51The cookie press was perfectly used.

00:24:53It's red all over, so I'm all around creativity.

00:24:57The only thing that I would say about the dessert is I wouldn't mind a little bit more color on the fennel cake.

00:25:07But other than that, great.

00:25:12Judges, your scorecards are in front of you.

00:25:1425 points for the taste, 20 points for the use of the randomizer, and five points in plating.

00:25:20Hey, man, we left it all on the court, dude.

00:25:23Nothing more we could have done.

00:25:24Hey, that's the best judging we've had so far.

00:25:26Kevin and Dale, like, they know how to throw, like, really great flavors.

00:25:30Super tough competition.

00:25:31Esteemed judges, here, one of my favorites.

00:25:34This is the Culinary Encyclopedia of the Flavortown Library.

00:25:38Justin Warner.

00:25:39A prime rib roasting on an open fire.

00:25:42Nice.

00:25:43A cookie press extruding different doughs.

00:25:46Marzipan pigs with almondy flavor and benzaldehyde in your nose.

00:25:52For your savory course, we have a char sioux rib roast with a garlic dumpling and winter greens.

00:25:58That prime rib roast was marinated in a ton of red ingredients to give it that sort of red hue.

00:26:04Marzipan pigs were also featured in the marinade as well to lend some sweetness.

00:26:09That cookie press, curiously, was done to extrude this rice-based dumpling.

00:26:15The guava is featured in this guava and marzipan tart.

00:26:19You'll find that guava as a curd in the bottom of it.

00:26:22You'll also see a marzipan pig crumble on top.

00:26:26I absolutely think that the prime rib, mine is very tender.

00:26:30All of the ingredients they used to marinate this, just really flavorful.

00:26:34The spetzal style dumpling, I thought that was a really good use of the cookie press.

00:26:38If I had one thing to nitpick about, I did find a little graininess in the greens.

00:26:43I love the look of it.

00:26:45It had to do with the dye, but really I love that because it makes the prime rib so appealing.

00:26:53The pie, I absolutely love this guava.

00:26:57Reminds me so much of some of the pies that my grandmother made around the holidays too.

00:27:02The dough is a little bit thick, but it just melts in your mouth.

00:27:06So it's okay that's a little bit thick because it just crumbled very, very well.

00:27:11Mark my words, pig crumble is going to be the dessert of 2026.

00:27:19Pig crumble?

00:27:20Yeah.

00:27:21Yeah.

00:27:22And you heard it first in Flavortown.

00:27:28Good night.

00:27:32Dude.

00:27:33This one is...

00:27:34It's going to be very close.

00:27:35It's going to be extremely close.

00:27:38Anybody's game.

00:27:42Coin.

00:27:43Again, two store cards in front of you.

00:27:45One for the sweet, one for the savory.

00:27:47It's the final four.

00:27:48I mean, if we can win this one, pull this one off, we're in the finals.

00:27:52All right, man.

00:27:53Let's go find out our fate.

00:27:54Let's go.

00:27:55Let's do this.

00:27:57Kevin and Dale.

00:27:58Jeff and Ashley.

00:28:00Wow.

00:28:01One point difference.

00:28:03One team scored a 43 out of 50 in savory and 42 out of 50 in sweet for a total of 85.

00:28:16The other team scored a 41 out of 50 in savory and 45 out of 50 in sweet for a score of 86.

00:28:29Ladies and gentlemen, the winner is...

00:28:44is...

00:28:53Dynastia!

00:28:55Whoa!

00:28:58No way!

00:29:03Congratulations.

00:29:05Gentlemen,

00:29:06you guys have grown

00:29:07so much so fast.

00:29:10I would like to

00:29:11invite both of you

00:29:13to TOC7.

00:29:15Uh-oh.

00:29:20Wow!

00:29:22Go kill it, you guys.

00:29:25Go kill it!

00:29:26Go win it, go win it.

00:29:28Merry Christmas!

00:29:30Thank you, guys.

00:29:36How are you feeling, guys?

00:29:38Really, really proud of

00:29:39how close that was.

00:29:41Now that we're both

00:29:42invited back to TOC7,

00:29:44I mean,

00:29:45what's that world?

00:29:46This is huge, Chef.

00:29:48It's epic, guys.

00:29:49I've never been past

00:29:51the final four.

00:29:53And to have such an amazing chef

00:29:55propel us into the finale.

00:29:58Congratulations, Chef.

00:29:59You just made a big name

00:30:00at TOC.

00:30:01Woo!

00:30:02Ladies and gentlemen,

00:30:04officially into the finals.

00:30:07Chef Jack,

00:30:08Chef Ashley!

00:30:09Congratulations!

00:30:10We'll see you shortly.

00:30:13Right?

00:30:14Woo!

00:30:16Oh, my God.

00:30:18I don't know

00:30:19what this place is.

00:30:21I've never been this far.

00:30:22Go into the finals now.

00:30:23I mean,

00:30:24I didn't get this far

00:30:25just to go home.

00:30:25That's right.

00:30:26And I've got the best

00:30:27chef partner here with me.

00:30:29I've got to show up

00:30:30and say,

00:30:30hey, man,

00:30:31you picked the right partner.

00:30:31So that's been

00:30:32a big driving force for me.

00:30:33Actually,

00:30:34I think we all realized

00:30:34I picked the right partner.

00:30:36Ladies and gentlemen,

00:30:37we're not done yet.

00:30:38Are you ready

00:30:39to meet the last two teams,

00:30:41the semifinalists?

00:30:43Right on!

00:30:44We have the number

00:30:46two seed team,

00:30:47celebrated brothers

00:30:48Michael and Brian Voltaggio,

00:30:51who won their B division

00:30:53in the quarterfinals

00:30:54with the second highest score

00:30:57of the competition,

00:30:58a 92.

00:31:0092!

00:31:02Last week was the hardest part.

00:31:04The week before that

00:31:05was the hardest part.

00:31:06But this is the last hardest part

00:31:08before we get a place

00:31:09in the finale.

00:31:10Yeah, I mean,

00:31:10now we've got to be focused

00:31:11on Tobias and Marcel.

00:31:12I just want to go cook.

00:31:13Now I'm ready.

00:31:15Their opponents,

00:31:16the number three seed team,

00:31:17Chef Tobias Dorzon

00:31:18and Chef Marcel Vigneron,

00:31:21who won their D division

00:31:22by outscoring

00:31:23the number one seed team

00:31:25of reigning champ

00:31:26Antonio Lofaso

00:31:28and Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli.

00:31:30I feel like people are like,

00:31:32oh, Tobias and Marcel,

00:31:34like, what's up

00:31:35with that wildcard team?

00:31:38You know what I mean?

00:31:38We're clearly, like,

00:31:39the third seed,

00:31:41you know, in Division D.

00:31:42I've been making the pastries

00:31:44and he's been making the savories.

00:31:46I think that we have proven

00:31:48to anybody out there

00:31:50that we are quite the pair.

00:31:52There's no pride

00:31:52in this game for me.

00:31:53Like, we got one goal.

00:31:55Ladies and gentlemen,

00:31:56are you ready

00:31:56to see these teams

00:31:58rock around

00:31:59the Christmas T.O.C.?

00:32:00And let's light this up!

00:32:05Chef Tobias Dorzon

00:32:06celebrates the holidays

00:32:07by cooking

00:32:09the big feast

00:32:10for his entire family

00:32:11and opens one present

00:32:13early on Christmas Eve

00:32:14with his daughter.

00:32:16Chef Marcel de Giron

00:32:17combines holiday traditions

00:32:19with his wife

00:32:20to celebrate

00:32:21Christmica

00:32:22with their son.

00:32:24Put your hands together

00:32:25for Division D winners,

00:32:27Poncho and the Wolf,

00:32:29Team Tobias and Marcel!

00:32:30What has got you

00:32:39to this point?

00:32:40What is the recipe

00:32:41between the two?

00:32:42Teamwork.

00:32:42Teamwork and communication.

00:32:44I've always cooked

00:32:45from the heart,

00:32:45he always cooks

00:32:46from the soul,

00:32:46and that's what really

00:32:48makes our food shine

00:32:49and taste delicious.

00:32:50Chefs, good luck.

00:32:51Yes, sir.

00:32:53And let's talk

00:32:54about the other guys.

00:32:56Top Chef winner

00:33:00Michael Voltaggio

00:33:01is happy to spend

00:33:02the holidays at home

00:33:04helping his stepdad Bob

00:33:05lift the giant lasagna

00:33:07to the table.

00:33:08And his James Veer

00:33:09nominated brother

00:33:10Brian Voltaggio

00:33:11cooks a traditional feast

00:33:13including a rack

00:33:14of prime rib.

00:33:16Together they've defeated

00:33:17some of the biggest

00:33:17competition heavyweights

00:33:19in the tournament.

00:33:21Make some noise

00:33:22for the boys,

00:33:24Team Michael

00:33:25and Brian!

00:33:26My brothers,

00:33:35knowing you both

00:33:36for a long time,

00:33:37what has brought you

00:33:38to the semifinals?

00:33:40I think that tells us

00:33:42what our job is

00:33:43and then we're coming in,

00:33:45eye on the prize,

00:33:46and we want to get

00:33:46the job done.

00:33:47What he said.

00:33:48Let's go.

00:33:50Chefs,

00:33:51let's take it

00:33:51to the randomizer.

00:33:52Mm-hmm.

00:33:52Randomizer's serving up

00:33:57some doozies.

00:33:59Here we go,

00:34:00going for savory.

00:34:00Yeah!

00:34:01Yeah!

00:34:02Yeah!

00:34:03Yeah!

00:34:04Yeah!

00:34:05Yeah!

00:34:06Yeah!

00:34:07Yeah!

00:34:08Yeah!

00:34:09For the savory,

00:34:11Legoland!

00:34:12Nice!

00:34:13For the sweet,

00:34:15blonde chocolate

00:34:16for equipment,

00:34:17rosette iron

00:34:18for style,

00:34:19green,

00:34:20and the wildcard ingredient,

00:34:22eggnog.

00:34:24Chefs,

00:34:25because I admire you,

00:34:27appreciate you,

00:34:27and I want to be able

00:34:28to get reservations

00:34:29at your restaurants,

00:34:30I'm going to give you

00:34:31two minutes to confer,

00:34:3245 minutes to cook.

00:34:33Someone's going

00:34:34to the finals.

00:34:34Good luck.

00:34:37I decided to take pastry

00:34:42again.

00:34:43If it hasn't been broken yet,

00:34:45we don't need to fix it.

00:34:46I don't even know

00:34:46where the sugar is

00:34:47in the kitchen right now.

00:34:48Because I haven't really

00:34:49been focused on it.

00:34:50He does.

00:34:51Lamb.

00:34:51I'm going to season it,

00:34:52I fry it,

00:34:53dropping it in the

00:34:53pressure cushion.

00:34:55I'll make my eggnog ice cream,

00:34:56I'm going to the rosette iron,

00:34:57I'll deal with the white chocolate.

00:34:59So I haven't used

00:34:59rosette iron before,

00:35:01don't even know

00:35:01where the rosette iron is.

00:35:02It makes two of us.

00:35:03Three, two, one,

00:35:05you're cooking.

00:35:0645 minutes, chefs.

00:35:07Only one duo

00:35:08will be going

00:35:09to the final battle.

00:35:18Leg of lamb often

00:35:20uses the centerpiece

00:35:21of a lot of holiday meals.

00:35:23My dad used to do

00:35:24leg of lamb.

00:35:25It was just the whole leg

00:35:25and sometimes he left

00:35:27the hoof on it.

00:35:28Explain that to your friends

00:35:28when they're over there

00:35:29for dinner.

00:35:30For the sweet,

00:35:31blonde chocolate,

00:35:32which is caramelized

00:35:33white chocolate,

00:35:35rosette iron.

00:35:36A lot of creativity,

00:35:37they'll have no problem

00:35:38with this.

00:35:38Green.

00:35:39Talk about lucky.

00:35:40Ton of green in food.

00:35:42Not a huge eggnog fan?

00:35:43All I can think

00:35:44is a Chevy chase

00:35:45with the moose antler

00:35:47little glass cup

00:35:48and having the eggnog.

00:35:49We need to swing

00:35:51for the fences.

00:35:52Whoever wins this round

00:35:53competes in the championship game.

00:35:55You know,

00:35:55we got to work

00:35:55cut out for us.

00:35:58Thank you, chef.

00:36:00You bet.

00:36:01In order to get here,

00:36:02we have knocked out

00:36:03some incredible teams.

00:36:05But we can't toot

00:36:07our own horns too much

00:36:08because if we're going

00:36:09to go up against

00:36:10the Voltaggio brothers,

00:36:12this is not the time

00:36:13to get cocky.

00:36:15Justin, I'm not quite

00:36:16going to do seem butchery here,

00:36:17I can tell you that.

00:36:20It's perfect.

00:36:20We won't have a camera

00:36:22on it long enough.

00:36:23All right, guys,

00:36:23good.

00:36:24We're giving a leg of lamb

00:36:25and we have 45 minutes.

00:36:27I can tell you right now,

00:36:28I'm not roasting that thing.

00:36:29I can grind the leg

00:36:30and start to make some meatballs.

00:36:32That's something I can get done

00:36:33in the right amount of time

00:36:34and also I can build

00:36:34a lot of flavor.

00:36:36How you looking?

00:36:37Good.

00:36:37Grinding meat now.

00:36:39For most people

00:36:39in our profession,

00:36:40it's rare to be in the kitchen

00:36:41with your families.

00:36:42In this case,

00:36:42he is my family.

00:36:43And we always cook together.

00:36:44So I feel like

00:36:45we're celebrating the holidays

00:36:46here together right now.

00:36:48We love each other.

00:36:49We do.

00:36:50We do.

00:36:50We do love each other.

00:36:51Sometimes.

00:36:55What's this, chef?

00:36:56I add eggnog to the breadcrumbs.

00:36:58To make them panade.

00:36:59To make panade, yeah.

00:37:00We're giving eggnog

00:37:01as an ingredient.

00:37:02I can use the eggnog

00:37:03and panko breadcrumbs

00:37:04to make a panade

00:37:05for the maples.

00:37:06That's going to add

00:37:07a really great amount

00:37:08of sweet spice

00:37:08and keep them hydrated.

00:37:10I'm going to set those aside

00:37:11so he can fry them later.

00:37:13What I think is so interesting,

00:37:15honestly,

00:37:15is that Michael chose

00:37:16to take the baking side of things.

00:37:18He's got a mind like a trap.

00:37:21Right now,

00:37:21I'm starting with a pistachio

00:37:23air cake.

00:37:24Green.

00:37:25Air cake is perfect

00:37:26for competition

00:37:26because it takes one minute

00:37:27to bake in the microwave

00:37:28versus 16 to 30 minutes to bake.

00:37:30But all I'm thinking

00:37:31is green everything.

00:37:33Pistachio paste.

00:37:34Pistachios are green.

00:37:36And I'm thinking to myself,

00:37:37holidays.

00:37:38I've got eggnog

00:37:38that's going into it,

00:37:40egg whites, egg yolks.

00:37:41And then I'm also blending

00:37:42into this spirulina.

00:37:44I mean, Brian always says

00:37:45it's okay to play with your food.

00:37:47And I think when I play in pastry,

00:37:49I get to do something cool,

00:37:51do something creative.

00:37:53Instead of adding baking powder,

00:37:55air cake goes into

00:37:57a whipped cream canister.

00:37:58I'm charging it with some NO2

00:38:00and extract it into a cup.

00:38:03I don't want to bake this

00:38:04because I don't want

00:38:05to brown my cake.

00:38:05So my solution is to cook it

00:38:07in the microwave.

00:38:07This will make it nice

00:38:09and bright green.

00:38:10Nice.

00:38:12What's going on?

00:38:13So I'm going to do

00:38:13a creamy cheesy grits.

00:38:16I'm going to do braised lamb.

00:38:18We're doing the eggnog yogurt.

00:38:19It's going to go on top.

00:38:21I like that.

00:38:22Nice move.

00:38:23When you have the time

00:38:24to make leg of lamb,

00:38:26how you want to make it,

00:38:27an hour and a half,

00:38:28two hours,

00:38:28it's a phenomenal protein.

00:38:30It's not something

00:38:31that you cook

00:38:31in 30, 40 minutes.

00:38:33Fryer searing?

00:38:34Yes.

00:38:35And then throw that thing

00:38:36in the pressure cooker.

00:38:37Chef Tobias is using

00:38:38the pressure cooker

00:38:39on that lamb,

00:38:40which I think is awesome.

00:38:42Every round is pivotal

00:38:43and to be in the final four

00:38:45is amazing.

00:38:46I thought I would never

00:38:47be able to compete again

00:38:48because I was shot 11 times,

00:38:51went through five surgeries

00:38:53and still on a long journey back.

00:38:56But God still has me here.

00:38:57He's got bigger plans for me.

00:38:59You know, I'm just excited

00:39:00to be here, man.

00:39:01I'm just truly blessed.

00:39:04For the sweet dish,

00:39:06nothing says the holidays

00:39:06like eggnog,

00:39:07so I'm thinking eggnog ice cream.

00:39:10Is that eggnog in the pot?

00:39:11Eggnog and a little bit of mint.

00:39:13A little infusion.

00:39:14Why is it green?

00:39:15Because it's mint.

00:39:16You know?

00:39:16Obviously.

00:39:17I'm going to try this.

00:39:18Some food color.

00:39:19A little bit of greenery

00:39:20on the scenery.

00:39:22Chef, can you taste this?

00:39:25That's a winner.

00:39:26It's tasting delicious.

00:39:27Now it's time

00:39:28to get that churning.

00:39:30Churn, baby, churn.

00:39:31Churn, baby, churn.

00:39:34Did you make rosetta better?

00:39:35No, not yet.

00:39:37Now I'm going to start

00:39:37to build the curry.

00:39:38The curry, I'm going to start

00:39:39with lots of onions and garlic.

00:39:41I'm going to start sweating

00:39:42down the green curry paste

00:39:43and coconut milk.

00:39:44The old chef trick,

00:39:45how do we make it green?

00:39:47To bring that green element

00:39:48back to it,

00:39:49I'm going to pour the curry

00:39:50over spinach

00:39:51and actually puree the whole thing

00:39:52to finish the sauce.

00:39:54You good, Brian?

00:39:55Yeah.

00:39:57This is semifinals.

00:39:58My whole dessert relies on

00:40:00the fact that I can innovate

00:40:01with these ingredients

00:40:02that I've been given.

00:40:04I'm making a blonde chocolate ganache

00:40:06that will go on top of my cake.

00:40:08You know, we're going to try

00:40:09and go for the fences

00:40:10and hope that it stays

00:40:11inside the park,

00:40:13inside the game,

00:40:14inside the sticks.

00:40:15I don't know.

00:40:16I don't play baseball.

00:40:17I cook.

00:40:17But I imagine that

00:40:19we don't want to hit a foul ball.

00:40:20We want to hit a home run.

00:40:21Yes.

00:40:22I think we're seeing

00:40:23the makings of blonde chocolate ganache.

00:40:25That stuff is so delicious.

00:40:27This is neti, butterscocci, caramelli.

00:40:29It's the brown butter

00:40:30of white chocolate.

00:40:31The brown butter

00:40:32of white chocolate.

00:40:36Nog in there, chef?

00:40:37Yes, sir.

00:40:38Next thing I'm doing

00:40:39is making a batter

00:40:40that I'm going to make

00:40:41from the rosette iron

00:40:41with eggnog, eggs, flour,

00:40:44sugar, and spirulina,

00:40:46but I've never done this in my life,

00:40:48so I'm hoping it'll work.

00:40:49Give me a camera, bro.

00:40:54I'm excited to play

00:40:56with my new toy for Christmas.

00:40:58In the words of young

00:40:59Anakin Skywalker,

00:41:00it's working, it's working.

00:41:04Are you pleased?

00:41:05Pleased enough.

00:41:07Wow.

00:41:09Look at that.

00:41:11That is cool.

00:41:13Nice and light.

00:41:14Super airy.

00:41:16Oh.

00:41:17I'm so mad at you

00:41:18for this right now, guy.

00:41:19These are sexy, though.

00:41:21I can't talk to you right now.

00:41:21I'm busy.

00:41:22Okay, goodbye.

00:41:23I just got kicked

00:41:24out of the friendship tree.

00:41:27Deck the hulls

00:41:29with balls of lamb leg.

00:41:31Deck the hulls.

00:41:32That's right.

00:41:3319 minutes, Brian.

00:41:35Okay.

00:41:3519.

00:41:36If you're not cooking, bro,

00:41:37you need to be cooking.

00:41:39To get the meatballs to fry,

00:41:41I'm actually freezing them

00:41:41with liquid nitrogen

00:41:42that firms them up,

00:41:43so that way they go

00:41:44into the fryer,

00:41:45they keep their shape,

00:41:46but they get brown

00:41:46on the outside.

00:41:47I like what you did there, chef.

00:41:49It's going to make

00:41:49for a less dense meatball.

00:41:51It's brilliant cooking.

00:41:53I'm definitely using

00:41:54every minute of the clock.

00:41:55I'm a little bit worried

00:41:56right now because I have

00:41:56about 16 minutes left

00:41:57and I haven't started

00:41:58the rosettes,

00:41:59so I have to really

00:42:00pick up the pace now.

00:42:02I'm telling you,

00:42:03these took me

00:42:03five minutes to make.

00:42:04You can't lose them.

00:42:05Savory, bro.

00:42:06You've got to get there, man.

00:42:1015 minutes!

00:42:13Here's my opportunity

00:42:14to give the judges

00:42:15comforting food

00:42:16during the holidays

00:42:17that's going to hug

00:42:18their hearts

00:42:19and know that

00:42:20it came from the soul.

00:42:21So I'm working my grits.

00:42:23I got heavy cream,

00:42:25gruyere,

00:42:26I got parmesan,

00:42:27I got sharp cheddar,

00:42:28and eggnog.

00:42:29Which is just genius.

00:42:32I feel like this

00:42:32going on the holiday menu.

00:42:33Eggnog grits.

00:42:34Eggnog grits.

00:42:36Yogurt.

00:42:38Yeah.

00:42:38Yogurt, eggnog.

00:42:40Eggnog.

00:42:41Yeah.

00:42:41If you want,

00:42:41I can take care of it.

00:42:42That's why I love you.

00:42:43Now, I just have to figure out

00:42:45how to use this rosette iron.

00:42:48I'm thinking that I could

00:42:49actually make blonde chocolate rose,

00:42:52and I'm thinking I could deploy

00:42:53the same technique

00:42:55for Tobias' eggnog yogurt rose.

00:43:00If I freeze the iron

00:43:02and liquid nitrogen,

00:43:03I can dip it into

00:43:04the blonde chocolate

00:43:05and then back into the nitrogen

00:43:07and then hopefully

00:43:08just flick off

00:43:10perfect little stars.

00:43:14Hmm.

00:43:15Didn't really work.

00:43:17Maybe if I make it hot.

00:43:18Maybe my mistake

00:43:19was making it cold.

00:43:20It's not really working for mine,

00:43:36but I think hopefully

00:43:37it'll work for yours.

00:43:39The way the rosette iron works,

00:43:40you have to heat it up

00:43:41and then you dip it

00:43:42into a batter

00:43:43and then you drop

00:43:43the batter into the fryer

00:43:45and the heat of the fryer

00:43:46releases the batter

00:43:47back into the fryer.

00:43:48Then you get little crisps.

00:43:50I'm just going to try

00:43:50something else really fast

00:43:51and see if it works with yogurt.

00:43:53I understand

00:43:53what Marcelo's doing with this,

00:43:55but when you essentially

00:43:56freeze metal

00:43:57and then you add something

00:43:57to metal,

00:43:58it's the equivalent

00:43:58of sticking your tongue

00:43:59on a frozen hole.

00:44:03Failure is not an option.

00:44:05We're not quitters.

00:44:06Where there is a will,

00:44:07there is a way.

00:44:11I got one to work, Tobias.

00:44:13Not enough.

00:44:13It is a very hard pill

00:44:18to swallow

00:44:19when you say

00:44:20you're going to do something

00:44:21and you can't do it.

00:44:23I think he's really

00:44:24putting his team

00:44:25at risk right now.

00:44:26Let it go.

00:44:31I only made one

00:44:32and it's not enough

00:44:33when I do this.

00:44:35I had a plan.

00:44:37It's not working.

00:44:38We've got to pivot, brother.

00:44:39We've got a big issue.

00:44:43Marcelo's been spending

00:44:43a lot of time

00:44:44to make the rosette iron.

00:44:47I think he's pivoting now

00:44:48and getting himself

00:44:49into making a batter.

00:44:51With the randomizer,

00:44:52you can't sweep it

00:44:53under the rug.

00:44:54I need to do

00:44:54what I probably should have done

00:44:55in the first place,

00:44:56which is utilize

00:44:57this rose iron

00:44:59for what it's intended,

00:45:01dipping into a batter

00:45:02and deep frying.

00:45:04Can I get a Hail Mary

00:45:04full of grace?

00:45:06The most important thing

00:45:07is getting something

00:45:08on the plate

00:45:09rather than not getting

00:45:10anything on the plate.

00:45:12So let's focus on the green.

00:45:14Swiss chard

00:45:15and scallions

00:45:16on the grill.

00:45:19Are we going to see

00:45:19a savory rosette batter, chef?

00:45:21Yes, you are.

00:45:22So to make my batter

00:45:23for rosette,

00:45:24I'm using eggnog.

00:45:25I'm using a little bit

00:45:25of green curry.

00:45:28Seeing our second

00:45:29rosette action

00:45:30happening here.

00:45:32What did Rhonda do to us?

00:45:34I think you are showing her

00:45:36that you are not

00:45:36to be beat down.

00:45:37Look at you.

00:45:38You look like you've done

00:45:39this a million times.

00:45:40It's my first time, chef.

00:45:42Come on.

00:45:43Yeah, that does not look

00:45:44like the first time

00:45:45somebody did that.

00:45:46Four and a half minutes,

00:45:47chef.

00:45:48Four and a half.

00:45:49I'm starting to plate.

00:45:50I put my green pistachio

00:45:52eggnog air cake

00:45:53right in the center,

00:45:55pour a quick eggnog

00:45:56and lime milk

00:45:57over top of that.

00:45:59Then place the glazed

00:46:00meatballs in the center

00:46:01of the plate,

00:46:02started spooning on

00:46:03the green curry.

00:46:04It smells delicious.

00:46:05It tastes really good.

00:46:06Then I have a bunch

00:46:07of fresh herbs.

00:46:08I dress that lightly

00:46:09and place it over top

00:46:10of the meatball.

00:46:10Let's take a look at this.

00:46:12I know you're busy,

00:46:13but just...

00:46:14I can't, Brian.

00:46:15I can't, I can't, I can't.

00:46:16I have four minutes, bro.

00:46:19Three minutes!

00:46:20It's not working.

00:46:23I get cold,

00:46:25I get hot,

00:46:26it just doesn't work.

00:46:27We were able to make

00:46:28one rosette earlier,

00:46:31but at this point,

00:46:33I gotta stop playing around

00:46:35with this stuff.

00:46:36Otherwise,

00:46:37we're not gonna have

00:46:37anything.

00:46:39Go ahead, Marcelo,

00:46:39plate.

00:46:40I don't know.

00:46:40Two minutes!

00:46:40I don't know.

00:46:43I'm piping lawn chocolate

00:46:45into my rosette cookie.

00:46:47I'm gonna place the rosette

00:46:49over the top,

00:46:50finish it with lots

00:46:50of dill sprigs,

00:46:52and the dish is done.

00:46:53I mean, this is a definition

00:46:54of green on the plate.

00:46:56I'm putting blonde chocolate

00:46:57crunch around the outside

00:46:59of the cake.

00:47:00Can you help me?

00:47:00Yes, please.

00:47:01Just like this,

00:47:02all the way around.

00:47:03Around the outside,

00:47:03around the outside.

00:47:04Yep, around the outside,

00:47:04around the outside.

00:47:05This is really coming down

00:47:06through the wire.

00:47:08One minute and 30 seconds left!

00:47:11I'm scooping my ice cream,

00:47:13I got my blonde chocolate,

00:47:15I do a little bit of a drizzle,

00:47:16and now I've got just

00:47:18one yogurt rosette.

00:47:21So I'm thinking

00:47:22nitro-shattered rosettes.

00:47:25Anybody?

00:47:26I get my grits on the plate,

00:47:28keep the lamb on the plate.

00:47:30The one thing that I'm missing

00:47:32is rosette iron.

00:47:34I'm worried about that,

00:47:35but I'm running out of time.

00:47:37Time to put my scallions

00:47:38on the plate.

00:47:39That's it, man.

00:47:40That's it!

00:47:41Stop working!

00:47:42Great job!

00:47:45That was good cooking.

00:47:48Yeah, that was good.

00:47:48Good job, bro.

00:47:53That's good cooking.

00:47:58That's holiday cooking

00:47:59right there.

00:48:00Wasn't a cook that I like.

00:48:03Yeah, that was a tough one.

00:48:05That was a tough one.

00:48:07All right, ladies and gentlemen,

00:48:10please welcome back

00:48:11our super-judging team,

00:48:12the one and only

00:48:12Chef Jacques Cora.

00:48:14Chef Moreno-Garcia,

00:48:17Iron Chef Cat Cora,

00:48:18and the OG Chef Nancy Silverton.

00:48:22Oh, wow.

00:48:23Nancy's here.

00:48:24Whoa.

00:48:25Nancy, Jacques.

00:48:26We basically have

00:48:27two pastry chefs

00:48:28in the house right now.

00:48:29Cat Cora,

00:48:29who's an Iron Chef.

00:48:30Jeez.

00:48:31The two teams

00:48:32were blessed

00:48:33with the randomizer

00:48:34providing leg of lamb

00:48:35for the savory,

00:48:36blonde chocolate

00:48:37for the sweet,

00:48:39rosette iron

00:48:40for their equipment.

00:48:42Their style had to be green,

00:48:44and the wild card ingredient

00:48:45was eggnog.

00:48:46Here to describe

00:48:47the first team's dish,

00:48:48the one and only

00:48:48Tiffany Faison.

00:48:50Judges, on your right,

00:48:52braised leg of lamb

00:48:53with eggnog

00:48:54and quattro fromage grits,

00:48:56grilled greens

00:48:57of scallion

00:48:58and cavallonero.

00:48:58To the left,

00:49:01the Grinch green

00:49:02mint and eggnog ice cream.

00:49:04The blonde chocolate

00:49:04was tempered

00:49:05and blanketed

00:49:06on top of the ice cream.

00:49:07Finally,

00:49:07the rosette iron

00:49:08was frozen

00:49:08in liquid nitrogen

00:49:09and dipped

00:49:10into an eggnog batter

00:49:11and then shattered

00:49:12and placed on top

00:49:14for garnish.

00:49:16Did I get a rosette?

00:49:17That didn't make it

00:49:18to the plate.

00:49:19The rosette iron

00:49:19was not employed

00:49:20with the savory course chef.

00:49:21Okay.

00:49:22So I missed that,

00:49:23of course,

00:49:24because it was part

00:49:24of the ram-mizer.

00:49:26That sucks.

00:49:27I wonder what happened.

00:49:28But the food

00:49:29is cooked perfectly.

00:49:30The grits are perfect.

00:49:32The leg of lamb

00:49:32is well-cooked.

00:49:33It's good.

00:49:34It has a lot of flavor.

00:49:35But it's a little bit

00:49:36simple, in my opinion,

00:49:38for this level

00:49:39of competition.

00:49:40I'm missing a little bit

00:49:41of the green

00:49:41on this dish,

00:49:42which I would have

00:49:43loved to see it.

00:49:44But I don't mind

00:49:45the simplicity.

00:49:46I think that the flavors

00:49:46are there.

00:49:48The dessert

00:49:48really surprised me.

00:49:50It's not too sweet

00:49:51with the rosette.

00:49:53Seeing it whole

00:49:54is really visually

00:49:55a beautiful thing.

00:49:56So I wouldn't have

00:49:57known that a rosette

00:49:58iron was used.

00:49:59The ice cream

00:50:00is delicious.

00:50:00It's just that

00:50:01it's still a little

00:50:02bit simple

00:50:03for the level

00:50:04of the dishes

00:50:05that we see so far.

00:50:07Thank you very much.

00:50:08Getting scorecards.

00:50:10I like the lamb, huh?

00:50:11It tastes pretty good.

00:50:12Maybe we still

00:50:13got a shot.

00:50:14Is that good enough

00:50:15for the judges?

00:50:17Here to present

00:50:18the second team's dishes.

00:50:19Justin Warner!

00:50:20Let's go.

00:50:21Come on.

00:50:21Yeah, I know.

00:50:22All right.

00:50:23Judges, we'll begin

00:50:23with a savory course.

00:50:25This is lamb meatballs

00:50:26with green curry

00:50:27and an eggnog rosette.

00:50:29In the construction

00:50:30of the meatballs,

00:50:31the nog was used

00:50:32as a panade.

00:50:33Oh, so smart.

00:50:36On to the sweets.

00:50:38This is a green pistachio

00:50:40and eggnog cake

00:50:41accompanied by

00:50:42a spirulina rosette.

00:50:44I don't think

00:50:45I've ever experienced

00:50:47two dishes

00:50:48that checked

00:50:48every single box.

00:50:50So well.

00:50:52I mean,

00:50:53from color

00:50:54to...

00:50:56The rosette iron?

00:50:57The rosette iron

00:50:57to flavor.

00:51:00Genius.

00:51:01Excuse me one second.

00:51:01If I could please

00:51:02have the paramedics

00:51:03go into their room

00:51:04right now.

00:51:05Please, bring them.

00:51:06I need them.

00:51:08Merry Christmas to me

00:51:10because Santa came early.

00:51:12I mean,

00:51:12these meatballs

00:51:13are like a cafetis.

00:51:14It's like what

00:51:15my grandmother made

00:51:15with lamb.

00:51:16This rosette

00:51:17is absolutely airy

00:51:19crispy.

00:51:20Oh, I don't think

00:51:22I've ever heard

00:51:22such glowing compliments.

00:51:25For the desserts,

00:51:26very good use

00:51:28of ingredients here.

00:51:29The cake is flavorful.

00:51:31Green can turn brown

00:51:32very fast.

00:51:33And here,

00:51:34they were able

00:51:34to put it together

00:51:35so well.

00:51:36I don't know

00:51:37if the chef

00:51:37had the time

00:51:38to talk to each other,

00:51:39but it seems like

00:51:40they've been cooking

00:51:41for years

00:51:41and it just makes sense.

00:51:43I think they just met.

00:51:44All right,

00:51:45your scoring cards

00:51:46are in front of you.

00:51:48Good job, man.

00:51:51It looked like

00:51:51they've used it

00:51:5220 times.

00:51:53Yeah.

00:51:54Voltaggio family Christmas

00:51:55past the rosettes.

00:51:58I've got the scores.

00:51:59Someone's going

00:52:00to the finale.

00:52:01Let's welcome back

00:52:01Team Tobias,

00:52:02Team Marcel,

00:52:04Team Michael,

00:52:05Team Ryan.

00:52:06Team Ryan.

00:52:06One team moves

00:52:11into the finale.

00:52:13One team scored

00:52:14a 39 out of 50

00:52:16in savory

00:52:17and 40 out of 50

00:52:20in sweet

00:52:21for a total

00:52:22of 79.

00:52:25And one team scored

00:52:26a 48 out of 50

00:52:28in savory

00:52:29and 47 out of 50

00:52:33in sweet

00:52:34for a total

00:52:35of 95.

00:52:40And the winner is...

00:52:48Michael and Ryan.

00:52:51Congratulations.

00:52:56Gentlemen,

00:52:57I'm glad to see

00:52:59that there's still

00:53:00a smile on your faces.

00:53:01Oh, for sure.

00:53:02You have so much

00:53:03to be proud of.

00:53:05You're not supposed

00:53:06to be walking

00:53:06and you're bigger,

00:53:08better, and stronger

00:53:08than you were before.

00:53:09Mike and Brian's been

00:53:10people I've watched

00:53:12my entire career.

00:53:14So this competition

00:53:15with them,

00:53:15it was like

00:53:16watching the master class.

00:53:18I'll be back.

00:53:22One little small thing.

00:53:24You're both

00:53:25coming to T.O.C. 7.

00:53:27Keep an eye out for both of them.

00:53:32Chef Tobias!

00:53:34Chef Marcel!

00:53:41Hey!

00:53:43Ah, you win something,

00:53:45you lose something.

00:53:45You know, you live, you learn.

00:53:47You live, you live

00:53:47to fight another day.

00:53:49Yeah.

00:53:50Well, Tazio brothers,

00:53:51you are now

00:53:53in the finals.

00:53:57One win away.

00:54:00Got to take a little break

00:54:01and get these teams

00:54:02back out.

00:54:03I'm going to tell you what,

00:54:04this will be a finale

00:54:05you won't forget.

00:54:11We're heading to the finale.

00:54:13It feels amazing

00:54:13that we're this far,

00:54:14but we're not finished yet.

00:54:17I've been here

00:54:17way too many times.

00:54:18I want the next step.

00:54:19I want the win.

00:54:20Ladies and gentlemen,

00:54:24are you ready to meet

00:54:25the two teams

00:54:26in our holiday finale?

00:54:30I am the most confident

00:54:32I've ever been here

00:54:33because of you.

00:54:34I know the Tazio brothers

00:54:35are super tough competition

00:54:37and they want to win

00:54:39just as bad as we do.

00:54:40I've known these boys

00:54:40for almost 16 years.

00:54:43This is a trip, dude.

00:54:44You know, Target's been

00:54:45on our back since we

00:54:46walked into the kitchen.

00:54:47I'm playing for Brian

00:54:48right now.

00:54:49I want him to get

00:54:50the satisfaction

00:54:50of winning one

00:54:51of these major competitions

00:54:52and I think that

00:54:53he has put in the work.

00:54:54He deserves this.

00:54:56Are you ready

00:54:57for the final fight

00:54:59before Christmas?

00:55:01Let's light it up!

00:55:05We have the number two

00:55:06seed team

00:55:07of Michael

00:55:07and Brian Voltaggio.

00:55:09They have never competed

00:55:10together

00:55:11in a major

00:55:12culinary tournament.

00:55:14And now,

00:55:15they're just one win away

00:55:16from winning it all.

00:55:18show some brotherly love

00:55:20for Volt of the West,

00:55:21Volt of the East,

00:55:22Team Michael

00:55:24and Brian!

00:55:35Two brothers competing

00:55:36in a competition

00:55:37of this level

00:55:38has never happened.

00:55:39Really,

00:55:39what is the goal here?

00:55:41What are you really

00:55:42looking forward to

00:55:43if you're able

00:55:43to pull this off?

00:55:44For me,

00:55:45I've never had a win

00:55:46on any culinary competition

00:55:48in the history

00:55:48I've been doing this.

00:55:49I've been runner-up

00:55:50countless times.

00:55:52So for me to get

00:55:52a win here tonight

00:55:53and to do it

00:55:53with my brother

00:55:54would be an incredible feeling.

00:55:56Let's meet your opponents.

00:55:59Four-time

00:56:00TOC semifinalist,

00:56:01Jet Tila

00:56:02and next great

00:56:04Baker champion,

00:56:05Ashley Holt.

00:56:06They came in

00:56:07as a number one seed team

00:56:09and together,

00:56:10they've been unstoppable

00:56:11so far.

00:56:12Ladies and gentlemen,

00:56:13give it up

00:56:14for the Jetster

00:56:15and the Sugar Monster,

00:56:17Team Jet

00:56:18and Ashley!

00:56:20Woo!

00:56:21Woo!

00:56:22Woo!

00:56:23Woo!

00:56:24Woo!

00:56:25Woo!

00:56:26Woo!

00:56:27Woo!

00:56:28Woo!

00:56:29Woo!

00:56:30Woo!

00:56:31Woo!

00:56:32You're gonna have to

00:56:32work out of better,

00:56:33sister.

00:56:33I know,

00:56:33you're right,

00:56:34sister.

00:56:34If you win,

00:56:36what does this mean to you?

00:56:37It's a big pinch me moment

00:56:38to be here,

00:56:39especially to be working

00:56:40next to Jet

00:56:40and just seeing him cook

00:56:42is just so incredible.

00:56:43I feel very blessed.

00:56:44And Jet,

00:56:45having been to TOC

00:56:47Final Four

00:56:48five times now,

00:56:50what is the big

00:56:51end goal of this?

00:56:53Showing perseverance,

00:56:54what is, what...

00:56:55Yeah,

00:56:55life kicks you

00:56:56in the face sometimes,

00:56:57but you just gotta get up

00:56:58and keep doing it.

00:56:59Last and final words.

00:57:00Let's cook our asses off.

00:57:01Gentlemen,

00:57:03happy holidays.

00:57:04Happy holidays.

00:57:06Let's take it to the randomizer

00:57:07right this way.

00:57:09Happy holidays.

00:57:12Happy holidays.

00:57:13Oh, wow.

00:57:14Well, looky here.

00:57:16In honor of this being

00:57:17the final holiday battle,

00:57:19the randomizer has gone

00:57:21next level.

00:57:21Seriously.

00:57:22The wild card category.

00:57:24Naughty,

00:57:25nice,

00:57:26or naughty and nice.

00:57:28You'll see in a bit.

00:57:30Time to get this holiday

00:57:31party started.

00:57:32Here we go.

00:57:32Woo!

00:57:33Woo!

00:57:34Woo!

00:57:35Woo!

00:57:36Woo!

00:57:40Oh, man.

00:57:41What have we got?

00:57:42What have we got?

00:57:43Savory.

00:57:43Pork Rib Roast,

00:57:46Sweet Red Currants

00:57:47for equipment,

00:57:49Smoking Gun,

00:57:50Style of Black Tie,

00:57:52and the wild card

00:57:54was nice.

00:57:55Bring out the nice, please.

00:57:57Oh, what is going on?

00:57:58I come bearing gifts.

00:57:59Look at this.

00:58:01Take it over to him.

00:58:02Okay.

00:58:02There you go.

00:58:04And you have your nice gift.

00:58:06All right.

00:58:06Thank you very much,

00:58:07elf hunter.

00:58:08And your two minutes

00:58:09starts now.

00:58:13Okay.

00:58:13Oh, advent calendar.

00:58:15That's right.

00:58:16Chocolates, chocolates.

00:58:17Where's chocolate?

00:58:18All chocolate?

00:58:19I'm going to do an eaten mess.

00:58:21Smoked pastry cream.

00:58:22Red currant jam.

00:58:23Everything's individually wrapped,

00:58:24which is pretty annoying.

00:58:25I am not happy about this.

00:58:27I was going to do

00:58:28an herb roasted rib roast,

00:58:30but with chocolate

00:58:31makes me think,

00:58:32oh, yeah.

00:58:33I'm going to make

00:58:33a really nice ganache tart.

00:58:35I'm going to smoke the pork.

00:58:36I can even smoke mushrooms.

00:58:37This is one advent calendar

00:58:38I didn't really feel

00:58:39like opening up.

00:58:40That's a whole lot of chocolate

00:58:41for Brian to figure out

00:58:42how to turn into a savory dish.

00:58:44Your 45 minutes starts now.

00:58:45What?

00:58:46The final battle

00:58:47of the tournament.

00:58:47Who's it going to be?

00:58:48Pork rib roast is the loin of the pig

00:59:00for your pork chops

00:59:01they're coming from.

00:59:01Currants are small.

00:59:02They're sweet.

00:59:03They're little acidic berries.

00:59:05Smoking gun.

00:59:05You get all different types

00:59:06of wood chips,

00:59:07and it really imparts smoke

00:59:08on things.

00:59:09Pretty dynamite.

00:59:10Black tie.

00:59:11This is elegant.

00:59:12This is sophisticated.

00:59:13This is the high end.

00:59:14And nice.

00:59:15Well, the advent calendar

00:59:16and a bunch of little chocolates

00:59:18they've got to unwrap.

00:59:20Now, what was the naughty?

00:59:22I'll save that for next year.

00:59:25We're going to the finals, baby!

00:59:27I can't believe it, man.

00:59:29I've never been here.

00:59:31Facing my brothers in this finale

00:59:33makes my heart full.

00:59:34Voltaggio brothers are two brilliant chefs

00:59:36I've known for well over 15 years.

00:59:39Their mom calls me the third Voltaggio,

00:59:41so I wouldn't want to compete

00:59:42against anyone else.

00:59:44I am not a sister of theirs.

00:59:46I know that they are two to be feared.

00:59:49We've got to be on our game.

00:59:51We've known Jet for years, you know,

00:59:52so this is going to be

00:59:53an emotional challenge.

00:59:55You know, not only that,

00:59:55it's going to be hard.

00:59:57Holidays are about celebrating, right?

00:59:58So hopefully they've got something

01:00:00to celebrate after we're done.

01:00:01This is so nerve-wracking for me.

01:00:03These are my friends.

01:00:05But there's no such thing

01:00:06as a tie in TLC.

01:00:09Feels like Christmas Eve in here.

01:00:11The suspense is killing me.

01:00:12Okay, here we go.

01:00:14Make a dry rub first.

01:00:16Surprised you know where

01:00:17any of the Asian ingredients are.

01:00:19Uh, yeah.

01:00:20I found them finally.

01:00:21I still have the Christmas spirit.

01:00:23I'm actually going in reinvigorated.

01:00:24Do you still have the Christmas spirit?

01:00:25Oh, 100%.

01:00:26Jingle jingle all the way.

01:00:29What you making, chef?

01:00:30I am going to make

01:00:32a Thai herb crusted smoked pork chop,

01:00:37then a sauce that is going to be

01:00:40like a Thai mole.

01:00:42Got it.

01:00:42Christmas is about prime rib,

01:00:45but the day after Christmas

01:00:46is about pork for us.

01:00:47So we already had traditional Christmas.

01:00:50This is our Asian-inspired

01:00:52day-after-Christmas meal.

01:00:55Apple.

01:00:56I'm going to be smoking the chops raw

01:00:58before I start to cook them.

01:01:00It's like in college, right, chef?

01:01:02Yeah, exactly right.

01:01:03That should keep smoking.

01:01:05Yeah, like Santa's pipe.

01:01:06All right.

01:01:08I'm cooking this down.

01:01:10I'm going to strain it.

01:01:10I'm just going to leave these on.

01:01:13I'm inspired to make an Eat'n Mess with redcurrant puree

01:01:17and smoked pastry cream.

01:01:19Eat'n Mess is a layered dessert, pastry cream,

01:01:22fruit jam, and some meringue shards.

01:01:25For Christmas, an Eat'n Mess is something

01:01:27that you can have in a gorgeous trifle dish

01:01:29in the middle of a table.

01:01:30I definitely have to make it black tie,

01:01:33but it can make it look high-end and beautiful,

01:01:35and I'll just find a way to incorporate the chocolate.

01:01:38You can't whip whites with a paddle.

01:01:40Smart hack, chef.

01:01:44Meringue will take 20 minutes to make.

01:01:47It is a very ambitious thing to make in this competition,

01:01:50but it's go time.

01:01:52I know I can nail it.

01:01:56Black tie, to me, shows precision in a dish.

01:01:59I start thinking, like, okay,

01:02:01how am I going to incorporate the chocolate into smoke?

01:02:03I start thinking cigars, black tie,

01:02:05like, hanging out at a party.

01:02:06Hi.

01:02:07Got my takis, got oysters.

01:02:08I'm going to make a duxelles.

01:02:10It's going to be stuffed in a cigar

01:02:11with smoke flavors into it.

01:02:13I'll smoke the chocolate as well.

01:02:16So smoke mushrooms and chocolate in the cigar?

01:02:18Yeah.

01:02:19Nice.

01:02:19Also adding a little bacon in there, too,

01:02:21just bringing another smoke element to it.

01:02:23Thank you for my Christmas present, chef.

01:02:24You're welcome, buddy.

01:02:25You're going to need to keep that as a souvenir to take home.

01:02:27Thank you, thank you.

01:02:28I'm going to fill it up with all these, like,

01:02:30beautiful gifts to give out this year.

01:02:31I can't wait.

01:02:32Kids are going to love it.

01:02:33He's in the middle of the fight of his life.

01:02:35He's making choked chocolate with me.

01:02:36That would make me insane.

01:02:37I'm just trying to stay jolly, chef.

01:02:40For the dark chocolate, I throw it into a bowl,

01:02:42wrap it with plastic to smoke the chocolate.

01:02:44To create this little cigar that'll have subtle elements

01:02:46of smoke into it, I think it's going to show

01:02:48that there's a technical chef behind this dish.

01:02:50And I think that that's a note that we have to hit

01:02:52with black tie.

01:02:54Smoked chocolate in a duxelles.

01:02:55Neither one of us have ever made it this far

01:02:58in Tournament of Champions,

01:02:59and so there's a lot on the line right now,

01:03:00and we're going to do our best

01:03:01to get this over the finish line.

01:03:03Once I opened up the advent calendar,

01:03:05I immediately went to, like, a ganache tart.

01:03:07I mean, it's black tie.

01:03:09Chef, what chips are you using?

01:03:10Cherry because of the currants.

01:03:14I'm looking to add a delicate smoke to my tart.

01:03:17Some smoking chocolate to make a smoked chocolate ganache.

01:03:19Adding smoke to a dessert is risky

01:03:22because what I can't do is over-smoke

01:03:25what I'm working with.

01:03:27Next, I'm working on my rice cereal crust for my tart.

01:03:31I'm taking some of these chocolate candies

01:03:33and some more dark chocolate

01:03:35and folding it into my rice cereal.

01:03:38Then I spread that out

01:03:39and get that into the freezer.

01:03:44Michael and Brian are absolutely going for it.

01:03:47It is pedal to the metal.

01:03:49They're leaving nothing behind.

01:03:52It's been going for about six minutes.

01:03:54The intent is to char the double chops well

01:03:57to get even more smoke flavor into them.

01:04:00Chef, you've got the green and the red curries,

01:04:01Christmas curry.

01:04:02Green and the red Christmas curry, baby.

01:04:05I'm going to try something crazy.

01:04:08Ash, where's the chocolate?

01:04:09It's over here.

01:04:11Okay.

01:04:11Similar to mole,

01:04:12why can't I put chocolate in the curry?

01:04:14And I think it's going to taste really good together.

01:04:16Because what is curry?

01:04:17Curry is a sauce of herbs,

01:04:20just like mole is.

01:04:21You don't have to justify it to me, chef.

01:04:22I'm your biggest fan.

01:04:23That's right.

01:04:27I add the blended curry paste into a pan,

01:04:29throw some coconut milk,

01:04:30and let it start to reduce.

01:04:32I'm going to do a smoked pastry cream.

01:04:35I'm going to go ahead and start warming my milk.

01:04:37I throw over a piece of foil,

01:04:39poke a hole in there,

01:04:40load up the smoker.

01:04:40I don't typically use smoke in my dessert.

01:04:45So there's all these varieties of wood chips.

01:04:48To be honest,

01:04:49I don't know what any of these chips do.

01:04:52I'm not trying to sound like some idiot over here,

01:04:54like not knowing what I'm doing in the finale.

01:04:56I know how to make good dessert.

01:04:57I don't know what every single ingredient does in the world.

01:05:00Egg, vanilla, sugar, milk, smoke.

01:05:03That's right, smoke.

01:05:03Not hitting a randomizer element

01:05:05can impact our total score.

01:05:07And to be here next to Jet,

01:05:09like I don't want to let him down.

01:05:11So I can't make any mistakes.

01:05:13To finish this pastry cream,

01:05:15I'm going to put that right in the blast chiller

01:05:16to set up.

01:05:21I start cutting off big chops,

01:05:23even though I'm only going to serve

01:05:24like a nice small piece of it.

01:05:25That way it cooks really evenly.

01:05:28Rubbing the outside with Dijon mustard

01:05:30and this barbecue spice that I put together.

01:05:32And then I start searing the pork.

01:05:37Jet wants this just as much as we do.

01:05:39He's been competing for such a long time.

01:05:41He hasn't earned a title yet in the Tournament of Champions.

01:05:44I know he's going for it.

01:05:45So I have to make sure that this is going to be great.

01:05:48Is that brick?

01:05:49Yeah, brick dough.

01:05:50Let's go to brick.

01:05:51To make this cigar, I have to use a brick dough.

01:05:53It's a really fine pastry.

01:05:55It's super fragile.

01:05:56So I'm using these tubes with clarified butter

01:05:58to brush the outside.

01:05:59So when I roll it and bake it,

01:06:00they're going to be able to slide off.

01:06:03Cigars.

01:06:03Yes, I know you like cigars.

01:06:04I know it's not.

01:06:05I know you're not.

01:06:05I know it's not for you.

01:06:06I love a good cigar every once in a while.

01:06:07Well, we'll make sure that we have one for you

01:06:09at the end of this hot mess.

01:06:11I throw this into the oven.

01:06:13I'm super worried that they're going to crack

01:06:14when I'm pulling them off.

01:06:16It's high risk, high reward,

01:06:17and I've got to deliver on black tie.

01:06:22I'm now going to turn my smoked chocolate

01:06:24into a ganache for my tart.

01:06:25I'm heating my heavy cream, bringing it up to a simmer.

01:06:29I thicken this mixture with a little bit of agar agar

01:06:32to create the perfect texture.

01:06:37Now I'm marrying together the cream and the agar

01:06:40and my smoked chocolate.

01:06:42I want this to be a classic fine dining dessert.

01:06:46So I need to make this ganache set up

01:06:48so that I can serve it at the perfect texture and temperature.

01:06:51This is my entire dessert.

01:06:53So this ganache can make or break this championship

01:06:57for both my brother and I.

01:07:02Chef, what's the plan?

01:07:04I need to get these to temperature.

01:07:06So I'm going to roast them in the oven.

01:07:08And I'm going to make the sauce nice

01:07:09and try to get that caviar into a starch if I have time.

01:07:13Take it.

01:07:14All right, coming in.

01:07:15I'm under a ton of pressure here

01:07:16because the randomizer is really playing

01:07:19to the strengths of the voltagios.

01:07:21If this was a family meal, king crab,

01:07:24it would be a totally different cook.

01:07:26But being a TST OG,

01:07:28it's better to embrace the randomizer.

01:07:30Truffle. Truffle.

01:07:31I add some truffle paste to make it high end.

01:07:36Oh my God, that was so good.

01:07:38Say no more, Chef.

01:07:41Currants are cooked down.

01:07:42I'm going to just give it a nice rough chop.

01:07:44I pass it through a sieve, extract the juice,

01:07:47and throw that in the blast chiller.

01:07:51What's the plan with strawberry, Chef?

01:07:53I'm going to use it as a brighter, fresh pop in my dessert.

01:07:58It's time to remove these tuiles off the mold.

01:08:01I'm just really nervous that I'm going to break these tuiles.

01:08:04For us to get our first win together,

01:08:05me to get first win ever,

01:08:07and can't make any mistakes.

01:08:08There's a lot of stress.

01:08:09Oh, don't break.

01:08:22I'm literally shaking as I'm trying to remove these tuiles off the mold.

01:08:25It doesn't look like they're going to release.

01:08:44That's hot.

01:08:44Thank goodness none of these tuiles broke.

01:08:53Wow.

01:08:54They look good.

01:08:56So I take the duxel,

01:08:58and I'm actually going to pipe the duxel into the tuiles.

01:09:01$100,000 on the line.

01:09:03I got to deliver on a black tie.

01:09:05Well, I'm done with these.

01:09:06This takes me to the promised land.

01:09:0811 minutes, 11 to go.

01:09:10Let's plan with currants, Chef.

01:09:11These are going to go into a currant syrup.

01:09:14Yep.

01:09:14Which I'm making over there out of the whole currants on the stems.

01:09:17And this will smother the smoked chocolate ganache.

01:09:22I want every texture of every component of my dessert to be perfect.

01:09:26The ganache is still slightly soft.

01:09:29The rice cereal chocolate is set up and hard.

01:09:32So now I can put these two components together.

01:09:35When it comes to pastry,

01:09:36there's not a lot of room to cover up mistakes,

01:09:38especially with a judge like Jacques Torres or Nancy Silverton.

01:09:41There is no room for missteps right now.

01:09:44Five star black tie with black tie.

01:09:46Gold.

01:09:47Smoked gold.

01:09:48I'm taking the scraps of my rice cereal chocolate crunch,

01:09:51tossing it in gold powder,

01:09:52then smoking it so I can put smoking gun gold nuggets

01:09:56onto my chocolate dessert to make it even more black tie.

01:10:00For us to win,

01:10:02to be able to give this gift to each other,

01:10:05and more importantly to our friend and his family,

01:10:08Chef Sonny Sweetman,

01:10:09who's battling a very rare form of cancer,

01:10:11there's a lot riding on this win for us.

01:10:14Eight minutes, eight to go.

01:10:19It's jet proof.

01:10:25Doing fried rice with caviar, Chef?

01:10:27Yep.

01:10:27My major concern is,

01:10:29is this black tie enough?

01:10:31I'm trying to add black tie with salmon roe and caviar,

01:10:35and I'm hoping the judges will see it.

01:10:37If you go to Hong Kong,

01:10:39there's some very expensive black tie fried rice,

01:10:41and that's what I'm going for here.

01:10:44Okay, you good?

01:10:45Yeah, are you good?

01:10:46Yeah.

01:10:47Meringue's done.

01:10:48Doing good.

01:10:49My daughter is my absolute world.

01:10:52I'm here fighting to show her that we can do hard things.

01:10:54Jamie's so proud of me.

01:10:56But then I realized,

01:10:57oh crap, the chocolate, the chocolate.

01:10:59I have to use something.

01:11:00This has to go somewhere.

01:11:02Jet, you got chocolate?

01:11:03I do.

01:11:04The quickest thing I think of is,

01:11:06I'm already having cream whipping.

01:11:08I'm just going to chop it up and add it to the cream,

01:11:10and I think that actually will work pretty nicely.

01:11:12We're in the home stretch right here.

01:11:15Four minutes!

01:11:18To finish the fried rice,

01:11:19I fold in my salmon roe,

01:11:21place it on the plate.

01:11:24I take each chop,

01:11:26I run it through the curry,

01:11:28and I place it onto the rice.

01:11:31The first element put onto the dish

01:11:33is this soy mustard chocolate sauce

01:11:37that takes some sautéed spinach

01:11:38that's set in the center of the plate,

01:11:39and then a nice cut of the pork.

01:11:41Three minutes!

01:11:43I'm cutting my ganache tart

01:11:45into a perfect little pavé or brick.

01:11:47I'm keeping my plates in the fridge,

01:11:49and I'm adding that current compote

01:11:51to the plates while they're still chilling.

01:11:56Eatin' mess can look very high-end.

01:11:59However, time is my worst enemy right now.

01:12:02Two minutes!

01:12:03First, I add a layer of the smoked pastry cream,

01:12:06then I add some of the strawberries,

01:12:09layer that with shards of the crispy meringue,

01:12:12pour in some of the current puree.

01:12:1560 seconds!

01:12:17I ladle the sauce over the chops,

01:12:19and then I add the caviar on top.

01:12:23Now, I'm gonna place a cigar.

01:12:25Lastly, I'm gonna take some more

01:12:27of the mustard chocolate sauce.

01:12:29I'm gonna spoon that on and around the pork.

01:12:3130 seconds!

01:12:33Now I need to put on my smoked gold nuggets.

01:12:36Six, five, four, three, two, one!

01:12:44That's it!

01:12:45Start!

01:12:47Yes.

01:12:49The battle of the life guy.

01:12:51That was a battle of the life guy.

01:12:53Woo!

01:12:54Woo!

01:13:01There just looks really tight.

01:13:03Yeah.

01:13:03I mean, I expect nothing less from the voltagios.

01:13:05Right.

01:13:06I need water.

01:13:07Yeah.

01:13:08I'm about to pass out.

01:13:09Ladies and gentlemen, for our final judging of the entire TOC All-Star Christmas,

01:13:19let us welcome back our judges for one more tasting.

01:13:23The randomizer served up tonight, pork rib roast for the savory, red currants for the

01:13:30sweet, both dishes must use the smoking gun, the style tonight was black tie, and the wild

01:13:37card was nice, and they were given the advent calendar, so they had to unwrap the chocolates

01:13:43and apply those to the dish.

01:13:44And here to present for the final presentation, the one and only Chef Tiffany Faison.

01:13:49Chef, you've seen love, actually, right?

01:13:55With any luck, by the end of this round, we will be crowning the first TOC All-Star Christmas

01:14:04champs.

01:14:05But for now, without hope or agenda, just because it's Christmas, and at Christmas you always

01:14:13tell the truth, to me, this TOC family is perfect.

01:14:19We are losing our minds.

01:14:27Chefs, I present to you, on the right, a Dijon and spice roasted pork rib roast, a smoked

01:14:34mushroom cigar, and a mustard soy smoked chocolate sauce.

01:14:38The dessert is a cherry-smoked chocolate ganache tart, and a smoked advent chocolate ganache, with

01:14:44currant yogurt, currant compote, and a smoked gold-dusted black tie chocolate nuggets.

01:14:49I think in French we say, oh la la.

01:14:53They are beautiful.

01:14:54They are elegant.

01:14:55Wow.

01:14:56I love the mushroom duxelles, wrapped with a little crunch.

01:14:59The pork is cooked to perfection.

01:15:01It's moist, flavorful.

01:15:03Wow.

01:15:04I love it.

01:15:05The pork dish is so elegant.

01:15:08And if you asked me what I thought about mustard and chocolate, I would have said, you're crazy.

01:15:14You are crazy.

01:15:15I am crazy.

01:15:16But I love the mustard.

01:15:17I love the chocolate.

01:15:18I love the smokiness.

01:15:20The cigar, I love it.

01:15:21Reminds me of you with your tequila and the cigars.

01:15:24I'm about five minutes from that.

01:15:27Right, right?

01:15:28Let's go.

01:15:29Let's go.

01:15:30This chef team is extremely talented and on point with everything.

01:15:35There is a reason there in the finale.

01:15:38And then going to the desserts, it's really black tie.

01:15:41The gold, the ganache is delicious.

01:15:44The little sauce, the red currant bring a lot of freshness to the desserts with the chocolates.

01:15:49It's a beautiful dessert.

01:15:50It's one of the best chocolateries in the world.

01:15:53And I just made him ganache.

01:15:55I love the smokiness in the dessert.

01:15:58We know why they made it to the end, that's for sure.

01:16:01You've got to give them credit where it's due, they plated gorgeously.

01:16:04They know black tie.

01:16:05This glitter chocolate, it's unbelievable.

01:16:08Black tie, hit the mark on that, masterful.

01:16:11Thank you very much.

01:16:12This is what it is.

01:16:13Thank you very much.

01:16:16Your scorecards.

01:16:21We're cooking for Chef Sonny too, and all I kept thinking was, let's love our craft the

01:16:26way that Sonny does.

01:16:27When he sees this, he's going to be so proud of what we did and what we accomplished today.

01:16:31I'm still hoping for some big flavor scores.

01:16:37So proud of us.

01:16:38Yeah.

01:16:39Final presentation, Chef Justin Warner.

01:16:42Yeah.

01:16:43Get it.

01:16:44Judges, your savory dish is smoked pork rib roast and a Thai curry with dark chocolate

01:16:51sauce.

01:16:52This is accompanied by fried rice, anointed with salmon egg, Ocetra caviar as well.

01:16:57Not to be missed at any black tie event.

01:16:59Moving on to the sweet component.

01:17:01Hailing from Eaton College.

01:17:03This would be the legendary Eaton Mess, accompanied by currants.

01:17:07There is a smoked custard and meringue, of course, as well.

01:17:11And one last thing.

01:17:12God bless us all.

01:17:14Everyone.

01:17:15Justin!

01:17:16The flavor on the top is absolutely dynamic.

01:17:21I love that little bit of spice.

01:17:24The rice was delicious.

01:17:26I like those little pops of the salmon roe in there.

01:17:28It's really fun to eat.

01:17:30I love the sauce.

01:17:31It's almost like a molly.

01:17:32I can feel the chocolate and the smokiness of the gun coming through.

01:17:36It is luxurious, but I need that black tie.

01:17:39Yeah, yeah.

01:17:40Fair deal.

01:17:41Fair deal.

01:17:42This dish, it's like a firework of flavors.

01:17:45The combination of the salmon eggs with the flavor of the chocolate, the sauce, it's really

01:17:51go well together.

01:17:53Well, this pork dish is the gift that keeps on giving.

01:17:57It's all flavor that is so integrated and so powerful.

01:18:02It is a memorable dish.

01:18:04The dessert is delicious.

01:18:06The only thing that I will add is maybe a little bit more presentation.

01:18:10Yeah.

01:18:11Make it a little bit more black tie.

01:18:13I love it.

01:18:14I love the flavors.

01:18:15Very well balanced.

01:18:16I think that it's a perfect pairing to the spiciness of the meat and kind of cleans your

01:18:20palate.

01:18:21The tartness of the red currants, just to me, it's lovely.

01:18:25See?

01:18:26I don't know.

01:18:27I don't know either.

01:18:28This is where I can get weird sometimes.

01:18:30I know.

01:18:31Judges.

01:18:32One more scoring.

01:18:33One more scoring.

01:18:34They did like it.

01:18:35Yeah.

01:18:36Yeah.

01:18:37Big flavors.

01:18:38What more can we say?

01:18:40Yeah.

01:18:41Jess, welcome to Tournament of Champions, my friend.

01:18:44All right, Jess.

01:18:45The scores are in.

01:18:46All right.

01:18:47Let's go find out.

01:18:48Hopefully, it's happy holidays at the Voltaggio's house.

01:18:51Okay.

01:18:52Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome back our chefs, the Voltaggio brothers.

01:19:00Michael O'Brien.

01:19:01Jeff Nashley.

01:19:02When the audience is on its feet, we've reached the moment of truth.

01:19:15One team scored a 46 out of 50 in savory and 42 out of 50 in sweet for a total of 88.

01:19:28The other team scored a 49 out of 50 in savory and 49 out of 50 in sweet for a score of 98.

01:19:40This is the highest score, ladies and gentlemen, in TOC history.

01:19:44Wow.

01:19:49We've reached the moment of truth for the title, for the trophy, money for your charities.

01:19:55Thanks to Carnival Cruise Line, the $100,000 grand prize.

01:20:02And the winner of the Tournament of Champions All-Star Christmas is...

01:20:14Michael Ryan of Targill!

01:20:16Jett and Ashley, it shows what true professional competitors you are.

01:20:34Jet and Ashley, it shows what true professional competitors you are, how much you admire your

01:20:47fellow chef, knowing how big your hearts are. We want to give you another $15,000 each to your

01:20:56charities. Ladies and gentlemen, one final big round of applause for Chef Jet and Chef Ashley. Thank you so much.

01:21:19I'm still crying. They still got me. I've been honored to be a part of this. I really have been

01:21:25honored to have an amazing partner, honored to be a part of this amazing family, so I'm happy.

01:21:31I am so happy to see all the emotion and all the energy from all the years of growing up together

01:21:38culminate tonight with what I believe was one of the greatest cooks I've ever seen in my life.

01:21:44Brian, my friend, you have finally graduated to champion status. What does it feel like right now?

01:21:52To be able to cook through and get to this point and get to this win, this is bigger than anything

01:21:57I've ever done. I'm glad it happened here. It really is one of the best feelings in the world.

01:22:03As you know, you have won the title, these artist trophies, $100,000.

01:22:10And there's one more piece. We would like to award you $50,000 for you to give to your friend.

01:22:21Thank you. The person that we just played for, Chef Sonny Sweetman, is one of the most generous,

01:22:28kindest chefs that we've ever known. He's battling a rare form of cancer. This will make a huge difference

01:22:34for somebody that has made a difference in our industry. And I couldn't think of a more deserving

01:22:40person for us to help. And I'm really excited and grateful that we had this opportunity for him.

01:22:44Thank you. Thank you.

01:22:47Chef, that's all for you, buddy.

01:22:49He's got three kids.

01:22:51Tonight, Voltaggio brothers are the first to be crowned

01:22:57Tournament of Champions, All-Star Christmas

01:23:01Champions.

01:23:02This was a huge win for us. This is what we came here to do, and we did it. For us to be able

01:23:15to give this gift to each other, it's incredible.

01:23:18Just sharing that time together, it's very special for us. It took a lot of sacrifice to get here,

01:23:22but now we're here.

01:23:23Judges, come on out. See who won.

01:23:25The very first time we ever competed, we were the last two standing, and it came down to him. You know, he won. And so for me now to share the kitchen with Michael, and for me to get my first win, it's bookended now.

01:23:47Folks, happy holidays. Feliz Navidad. Happy Hanukkah. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. And we'll see you all next holiday season. See you at the FC7. Adios.

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