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00:00This competition is a matter of degrees.
00:10One misstep, and you're gone, baby.
00:13You're gone.
00:19Chefs, the best sushi is not just created by a master,
00:23but it involves a whole team to present a culinary masterpiece.
00:29But wait a second.
00:31I feel like we're missing part of our team today, right?
00:34What about the song? Have you seen Philip?
00:36No. Let me call him.
00:38So sorry. This is so unlike him.
00:40He's usually the first one here.
00:42Special delivery!
00:46Oh, Philip!
00:47Oh, my goodness.
00:49We were wondering where you were.
00:51What do you mean, where was I? I've been here the whole time.
00:53I've been waiting for the delivery.
00:54We need food for the chefs to cook.
00:56Right.
00:57Now that we have our judging team together,
00:59today's challenges are all about teamwork.
01:03Teamwork.
01:04When joining a team,
01:05it's very important to leave your ego at the door.
01:07Having a shared vision and a common goal
01:09is incredibly important when succeeding as a team.
01:12Today, we're going to be testing your teamwork skills.
01:15That includes collaboration, communication, coordinating, support, and respect.
01:22Now, everyone grab a box from Philip's Delivery and take them back to your workstation.
01:27Ooh.
01:28Oh, but don't open them.
01:29Pick a box. Pick a box.
01:30Pick a box.
01:31What's in the box?
01:32This is fine.
01:33I want this one.
01:34I want to take this one.
01:35Uh...
01:36Red, green, red, green, blue.
01:37Uh-oh.
01:38Okay.
01:39You'll notice a colored dot on the top of each box.
01:43Unknowingly, you just became another chef's other half.
01:48So, go and find your chef team partner and settle yourselves at a pair of stations.
01:54Get to it!
01:56Hey, buddy.
01:57Oh!
01:58I am paired with Lucas.
01:59I'm happy.
02:00This guy has strong knife skills.
02:02He works really well with people.
02:04He moves quick.
02:05I feel like this is gonna be a good challenge.
02:07We're the green team.
02:08Uh, we'll go this way.
02:09Over here.
02:10I'm super, super happy that Yoko and I get to work together.
02:15She's technically brilliant, and she's a force.
02:18Hello.
02:19Hello.
02:20We're the red team.
02:22Pleasure to have you.
02:23Who do I get paired with?
02:25Chef Jason.
02:26This is gonna be great.
02:28Chef Jason has come in the top on almost every challenge that we've had so far.
02:33He's obviously got some talent.
02:35Pleasure to have you.
02:36So, I'm thinking, maybe finally I will come out on top.
02:40In our fastest Ikosa challenge yet, you'll have 20 minutes to work together to deliver fresh Japanese flavors and ingredients, but with one clear vision on the plate.
02:51Yes, Chef!
02:52Yes, Chef!
02:53Three of you have proteins in your boxes, and three of you have produce.
02:58You must feature the ingredients in your boxes.
03:02Communication and trust will be key.
03:04Sushi chefs need to work together like a well-oiled machine.
03:08They must communicate effectively and creatively during service to elevate a customer's dining experience.
03:15Judges, what will you be looking for in our first team challenge?
03:19Seasoning, technique is going to be important, but this is a team challenge.
03:24So, we're really looking at who can prepare the most cohesive, singular vision on a plate.
03:30Two chefs.
03:32One vision.
03:33Both chefs from the winning team will get the advantage in the next challenge.
03:37Ooh.
03:38All right.
03:40Your clock starts now.
03:44Go for it!
03:45Ooh.
03:46Oh, wow.
03:47Look at this.
03:48Kumamoto's.
03:49Ooh.
03:50Got some applewood.
03:51Lots of applewood.
03:52Oh.
03:53Yes!
03:54Oh, my gosh.
03:55Two kinds, uni.
03:56We got mangoes.
03:57Ooh, .
03:58Yes.
03:59So, we've got two different kinds of cabbages here.
04:02Nice.
04:03Hey, Jason, how do you like them apples?
04:04Nice.
04:05Shishito sticks.
04:06No.
04:07We got livers.
04:08What are we going to do with livers?
04:09We got livers?
04:10We got livers, man.
04:11So, we got pineapple.
04:12Pineapple.
04:13We got beautiful compache.
04:14What do you think about the compache?
04:15What do you want to do with the compache?
04:16Let's not get a tartare with that.
04:17Tartare.
04:18What are you thinking with the livers?
04:19Thinking of yakitori.
04:20Since you're doing a tartare, I'm doing the liver.
04:21I think we should do, like, a little sambat platter, where people could just, like,
04:24build their own little wraps and just eat it with seaweed, and you could do everything
04:27else with that one.
04:28All right.
04:29All right.
04:30Sound good?
04:31I like that.
04:32Yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:33Having compache and liver is definitely challenging to make a cohesive dish.
04:38The best way that I could think of is to have a sambat.
04:41Sambat is technically a build-your-own taco where you put any protein, condiments, rice,
04:48and you eat it with a butter leaf lettuce or any type of veggies.
04:51So, I feel like with all the ingredients we've gotten today, we'll work really well with this
04:55dish.
04:56A pineapple in the tartare.
04:58In the tartare.
04:59There we go.
05:00Team green.
05:01We're mean, we're green, we're sushi machines.
05:03All right.
05:04Let's go.
05:06I'll do wagyu first.
05:07How you guys doing?
05:08You getting a good start?
05:09Come through.
05:10Get a good start.
05:11We're going to make a surf and turf roll with uni sauce with wagyu that is breaded and deep-fried.
05:18And then on the top, there's also bell peppers, mango, and Japanese uni.
05:24So, I'm going to put salt and temper right now.
05:27And I'm going to do the flour, egg, bread crumble, fry it.
05:31And then we're going to try to set that inside of the roll.
05:34I'm working the bacon right now.
05:36I'm getting this mandolin going to get the cabbage going.
05:39We decide to prepare raw oysters served with an apple and cabbage slaw.
05:44And we're also going to make a sweet soy-glazed bacon with some braised cabbage and carrots.
05:52Flipping all these guys, making sure they're clean.
05:55There's not a lot of time.
05:56Everything will be right in the middle.
05:58So, we could use whatever we need.
06:00Yes, sir.
06:01Thank you, thank you.
06:02So, it's a very short challenge.
06:03So, I think of, you know, doing a kompachi tartare.
06:06Kompachi's a really, really delicious fish.
06:09It's a little firm, a little soft, nice sweet flavors to it.
06:11So, we want to enhance those sweetness flavors and add a little citrus to offset it.
06:15Tare's going right now.
06:16I'm going to reduce a bit.
06:17Awesome, chef.
06:18Awesome, awesome.
06:19Tare is a Japanese sauce that you brush over your yakitori to give it a little bit of flavor
06:24while you're grilling.
06:25The tare consists of soy, mirin, sake, chicken broth, shiitake mushrooms, kombu.
06:31Here you go, chef.
06:32It's a little hot, so careful.
06:36That's good, chef.
06:37That's good.
06:38The secret to a good yakitori is me.
06:40Oh, my God.
06:43I chop up the mushrooms first, because they need to sauté on the pan.
07:00And then, instead of using butter, I use the Santa Barbara uni to sauté the mushrooms.
07:06It's decadent, and it's delicious.
07:0913 minutes left.
07:1013 minutes.
07:11Yes, yes, yes.
07:12You sample 13 minutes on your clock.
07:15The only thing that trips us up is it's very difficult to make sushi rice in 20 minutes.
07:23This is not as soft as I want it to be, but we're running out of time.
07:26So, how are you on the wagyu, Yoko?
07:28I'm ready to go.
07:29I'm working on mango right now.
07:31What about you?
07:32I'm drying the rice and getting it cool.
07:35And then, I'm also doing the mango sauce.
07:37Nice.
07:38You're doing mango sauce?
07:39Oh, sorry.
07:40The mushrooms.
07:41Okay, okay.
07:42Mango, mushrooms.
07:44Hello, chef.
07:45How are you?
07:46Doing some liver yakitori.
07:48Nice.
07:49Uh, I got my tare done already.
07:51I'm gonna keep brushing with a sake to keep it moist.
07:54Kinda got a surprise off of this one.
07:56This might be the harder one, but, you know.
07:58It is a challenge, right?
07:59Yeah, but it's gonna require the most creativity, so I'm excited to see what you guys come up with.
08:04So, I'm working on our sauce for our slaw, which is gonna have a little bit of Chinese mustard in it.
08:11And miso.
08:13This teamwork between chef Jason and myself, it feels great.
08:18They look good?
08:19Yep.
08:20Ooh.
08:21He's working on some things.
08:23I'm working on some things.
08:24It's like what teamwork should be in a kitchen.
08:27Hey, can you, um, can you taste this?
08:29It's really, really potent, so it would go really lightly, or do you feel like it needs more sweet?
08:33More sweet.
08:34More sweet?
08:35Maybe a lot more sweet.
08:37Everyone has a different taste preference.
08:39Some people prefer a little more sweet.
08:42Some people prefer a little more salty.
08:44And so just trying to find that right balance is always just a little nerve ending.
08:50All right, let's try this again.
08:53A little more.
08:54A little more sweet.
08:55Okay.
08:56Bacon's done.
08:57All right.
08:59This is gonna be the magic here.
09:01All right, this is done.
09:02Last chance.
09:03Last chance.
09:04The mustard sauce magic?
09:06Good.
09:07Yep.
09:08Great.
09:13So what do you think about this challenge, Philip?
09:15I think it's a really fun challenge.
09:17You know, we've seen several challenges so far where the chefs got to speak to their own individuality.
09:23And here we're gonna see them be forced to work with another chef.
09:26And not only are we forcing them, we're not giving them a lot of time.
09:29But it's really gonna come down to how well they integrate these ingredients together.
09:33And, uh...
09:34Work together.
09:35Only time will tell.
09:36Right.
09:37You're getting a torch.
09:38This thing's cooking.
09:39This thing's cooking really slow.
09:40Time is running out, and my chicken liver is not cooking as fast as I want it to.
09:48I'll try to get a high heat.
09:49As fast as possible.
09:50I feel like I might not get this dish done in time.
09:54Goodbye.
10:05Five minutes.
10:06Five minutes.
10:07Five minutes.
10:08Five minutes on your crack.
10:09Time is running out.
10:10I'm just gonna stay focused and do everything I can to win the team challenge.
10:15Chef, this yakitor might be down to the bone.
10:18Okay, we're gonna start roaring now.
10:23I think the mushroom is ready?
10:25Yeah.
10:26Okay.
10:27We only have time to verbally check in with each other.
10:31I'm really trusting Chef Yoko and how great she is.
10:35Looking good, Lucas.
10:39Rice is down.
10:40Tartare is down.
10:41It's a very short challenge.
10:4320 minutes is very, very fast to do so many components.
10:46We kind of go into this challenge knowing, like, we have to work together and execute these things very quickly.
10:52When you see that clock running down, just kind of think, oh, shoot, I gotta keep moving, keep moving.
10:56Coming in with the sticks.
10:57Perfect, perfect, perfect.
11:00Coming over with the shredded ginger.
11:02I'm ready.
11:05Oh, that's looking beautiful.
11:06Grab these extra little flakes on there.
11:09Chefs, you have one minute left.
11:12One minute.
11:13Oh, yeah.
11:14Okay, we have time to see it.
11:15Yeah, I'll put it.
11:16Oh, yeah.
11:17Let me get this.
11:25Now I'm pouring a little bit of the oyster liqueur.
11:28Perfect, Dave.
11:29That's perfect.
11:30Five, four, three, two, one.
11:37Hands up!
11:38Hands up!
11:39Hands up!
11:43Oh, yeah.
11:44I'm feeling it.
11:45Team girl!
11:48I feel confident with this dish.
11:50But then again, Jason is always on his game.
11:53Yoko is like a silent killer.
11:54She knows her stuff.
11:55And Joan knows how to execute her dishes really well.
11:58Hello, chefs.
11:59Good morning.
12:00So what do you think, chefs?
12:01Was this a successful team challenge for the both of you?
12:04I would say so.
12:05We definitely worked well together.
12:06Yeah, it was probably the best form of teamwork I've ever experienced.
12:09Absolutely.
12:10Way to sell it.
12:11Yeah.
12:12So what we prepared are two separate oysters topped with a honeycrisp and green apple cabbage slaw.
12:19And then in the middle we have a soy maple braised bacon with some dashi braised napa cabbage and carrots.
12:26So the oyster's on the outside and the bacon is in the center.
12:29Beautiful presentation.
12:30I don't think it's too sweet, but it is really.
12:37And then I need a little bit more acid than a little bit more salt, mere salt.
12:41The bacon's actually quite good.
12:43I know we only had 20 minutes, which is not very much time.
12:47But you could have done a little bit more in 20 minutes.
12:51Hmm.
12:52So to me, they're very ordinary.
12:53Okay.
12:54Okay.
12:55Okay.
12:56I feel the same.
12:57Yes, we should have done a little bit more in the time.
13:00It was so obvious once he said it.
13:02But this was one cohesive plate that showed that two chefs came together and put together one vision.
13:10Hi, Lucas and Abe.
13:12Hello, judges.
13:13Hello, judges.
13:14How do you think you did in this challenge?
13:15No ideas clashing along the way?
13:17No.
13:18They went really well.
13:19Every idea was a good idea.
13:20Our style is making good food.
13:21Oh, well, that's sick.
13:22Well, we'll be the judges of that.
13:26We have here for you a sambat platter.
13:28I got to work on the chicken liver, made my own tare, and then add a little yuzu kosho paste on top of it.
13:34So we did a little orange zest ponzu tartare with a little uni on top, a little pineapple and some red peppers on the inside, and then a little avocado on top.
13:42Mmm.
13:43All right, tasty, tasty.
13:44Tasty, tasty.
13:45Let's try it out.
13:46I think so.
13:47And shiso.
13:48Little bit of the kimchi pickle.
13:49Kimchi pickle.
13:50Then you dip it in a little soya and enjoy.
13:51Mmm.
13:52Very fun.
13:53Thanks, Chef.
13:54I enjoy eating with my hands.
13:55I enjoy kind of this choose-your-own-adventure style.
13:57That first bite was very delicious.
14:00Thank you very much.
14:01very fun thank you i enjoy eating with my hands i enjoy kind of this choose your own adventure
14:09style that first bite was very delicious thank you thank you very much
14:21the fish is sort of on the season heating together of course searching pineapples peppers and the
14:27topical avocado so it's gonna go seasons but fish itself is around the season the only thing i'm a
14:33little bit struggling on is it feels like you did one dish and you did one dish as opposed to the two
14:40of you making a dish yeah we were almost forced into that because you know yes chicken livers and
14:48kompachi isn't a harmonious match you really you know so i am hearing what you're saying so i applaud
14:53you with the fact that you gave us yummy food in this amount of time everything mixed together and
14:59then with the sourcing mixed together but still fish yourself you have to season a little bit
15:05they tell us exactly how they feel it's not every day that you're stuck with chicken livers pineapple
15:11and kompachi and bean sprouts so you know that's the challenge and you know we're just doing the
15:15best we can all right team joan and yoko we're actually team yojo yojo oh my gosh your ship name we
15:25have it how did you guys work together oh my gosh it was so wonderful because we played to our strengths
15:33chef yoko did the tonkatsu wagyu inside and then i made a sauce with the mushroom and i used the santa
15:43barbara uni as the binder for the sauce let's try
15:57suspense
16:13i think you ran into a little bit of the problem which is trying to cook sushi rice in 20 minutes
16:19that is difficult to do that kind of lends the rice to being a little bit mushy unfortunately okay this is
16:27not a rice dish so this is not a katsu dish katsu have to do something more you know juicy meat and
16:33crispy you know kapan ko outside the lost idea is good but maybe bread cut sandal that's better as soon
16:44as he mentioned it could have been just katsu sandal right away why did i think of that like it makes sense
16:52a challenge because i'm being so focused on making sushi i have to do things outside of my box
16:58so judges which chefs had the winning dish i know 20 minutes very difficult to work with
17:07but you guys have two chefs that was a difficult and fun part as well overall chefs the thing i was
17:12looking for in terms of teamwork is overall vibes of each of your stations i think you all really did a
17:19good job working his teams so winning this winning team is lucas abe we win the challenge and you know
17:39i couldn't have a better feeling you know it's the first challenge that i've won and especially with a
17:43great teammate like abe it just feels really good this spent 20 minutes full a lot of work a lot of
17:48items coming up and the good ideas overall it came down to if we had to take another bite
17:55which bite would it be and it really was that chicken liver uh on that dish so you know what
18:00that means lucas and abe you both get the item or the advantage in the next challenge
18:08for your kesho challenge the team building continues you'll be working in two teams of three
18:14to create your own sushi master pop-up experience it's a sushi master showdown your pop-up needs a
18:23theme and a menu with three spectacular dishes each of you will take ownership of one dish we want to see
18:30a vision that runs through all of your dishes something that unifies it and has a point of view
18:35so chefs your first course will feature short rib your second course shrimp and your third course
18:43duck you'll serve at the omakase table with your team dishes going head to head so short ribs
18:50against short ribs shrimp against shrimp you get the gist right lucas and abe for your advantage you each
18:57get to pick your teams for this challenge and no i'm so sorry but you do not get to be on the same
19:02team again i'm surprised that they separated us lucas and i are supposed to be a team now we're team
19:09captains against each other okay lucas who's it gonna be it's hard to choose between any of these
19:15chefs they're all great i'm gonna have to choose jason jason i didn't want him anyways
19:20good job i go with yoko ah yoko i'm gonna pick marissa all right joe you know what that means
19:33i'm super pumped to be on chef abe's team he's very collaborative and he's not a big ego even
19:40though he should be he's not we've got this to get this we're the underdogs all right chefs we'll be
19:49looking for your use of japanese flavors and cooking techniques and your ability to convey your
19:55pop-up's identity or theme and culinary point of view it's very important that your pop-up has an
20:02identity it has a personality the tiebreaker is going to be how well do your dishes tell the story
20:09of your restaurant one team will win in this challenge and one team will lose and the chef
20:16with the weakest dish on that losing team we'll go home oh and the big news uh we have a very
20:25special guest judge joining us for this challenge okay who is it who is it
20:32hey chef francis oh my god season winner number one she has so much history of cooking she's very
20:47talented with the filipino flavors she knows her stuff and seeing her in front of me it's amazing
20:53is it scarier on that side or this side i like it on the other side okay oh you can come on in the
20:58see if you like i like being competitive all the time what have you been up to since the show since
21:05i won sushi master i did trust bay it skyrocketed and i just recently opened a vegan sushi and then
21:13i'm opening my dream a modern filipino tasting menu oh so chef francis any words of advice for
21:22these chefs right here my advice is basically sticking to what you know and work as a team
21:36trust people but trust yourself a hundred times more all right put on your new aprons
21:43yeah you got them all right chefs you have 90 minutes before head-to-head service begins
21:48starting now all right guys so i think we should go towards an izakaya okay i think what if we do
21:57a citrus forward i love that i love that citrus forward and then what if i have three kinds of
22:02citrus i could do blood orange i can do come class you want to come class and i'll stick to
22:06you okay which protein you guys feel most comfortable with let me try duck all right wow all
22:11right i i never worked with that so i'm really glad that you were able to do that for me
22:16tonight is shrimp shrimp okay then i'll do short rib so we'll do duck with orange yuzu with short
22:21rib and then shrimp with kumquats perfect perfect since you're using a lot of citrus forward
22:26i would think of our name um how about zest zest appeal zest appeal i love that zest appeal
22:33zest appeal all right what are you thinking so i'm thinking i'm taking the shrimp and i'm doing some
22:39kind of uh gyoza but i want to do i want to do a little bit different and make it like with a
22:43like a curry gyoza i like that that sounds nice yeah maybe hit it with like a little tomato soy
22:47coolie for a dipping yeah cute i like where your head's at this is why i picked it all right what
22:54you got um i'm taking a strawberry short rib okay okay a little lemongrass some ginger start a pressure
23:00cooker then yeah i'm gonna have to press cook it we'll check in again what about you yeah what do you
23:03think um i'm thinking duck yakitori with like an onion in the middle maybe like a leak or something in the
23:08middle we can do this let's put it all together oh god what when it comes down to it they're going
23:16to pick the bottom dish of the losing team it's a lot to hold as a leader you don't want someone
23:22on your team to go home jason is one of the stronger team players he's been putting out great plate
23:27after great plate after great plate and i chose marissa because jason already had a team with
23:33marissa and he feels very comfortable working with her how you guys doing getting a good start
23:37getting a good start everything's looking good so far so good all right our concept's uh melting pot
23:43izakaya with the melting pot three different chefs three different backgrounds three different
23:47regions coming together to make some izakaya food which is small plates very very well-known style
23:53of cooking i'm making short ribs a soy bread short rib so i'm reducing it down with uh garlic sesame oil
23:59soy a little bit of sambal chili and lemongrass and then i start working on my creme fresh a little
24:06wasabi a little sugar a little vinegar what do you think chef it's good the wasabi comes through as
24:13well while wasabi comes through the creme this all right you could probably maybe go a little more
24:17wasabi honestly a little more wasabi i'm gonna get my marinade going for the short ribs for my short
24:23rib dish i'm doing my take of a tanindang which is a rice bowl that has a yuzu marinated short rib a yuzu
24:32citrus rice with a lemon soy cured egg i start to work on my marinade i add in my onions my soy my sesame
24:42oil my sugar other spices in it blend it together put my short ribs in a pan with the marinade and let that
24:51sit as long as i can hey chief why did you pick yoko and me to be a part of your team well when it
24:57comes to you i mean you're the mama sushi you gotta have the gotta have the mama sushi in the team
25:01uh yoko when she worked she tasted everything and i kind of like the way that she could be efficient
25:06in the team by trying everything you're way smarter than that other guy over there
25:12the one with the hat but i'm not going to mention his name you picked yokumi that makes you the smartest
25:17man in this room and the bravest who's got the short rib you got the short rib me and abe oh wow
25:24all right look right look at that from teammates to battling it out it's meant to be
25:33doing a short rib in a short amount of time is a little difficult how's it looking over there
25:39good pressure cooker's not locking oh no that's not good what can we do anything the pressure cooker
25:47valve doesn't want to close all the way it's kind of releasing pressure as it goes
25:54at this moment i'm feeling scared that i might not even get something to put on the plate
25:59so in this challenge i'm happy to be on abe's team he has very like high expectation so i'm
26:14very glad that he chose me i'm making a shrimp gyoza with a clear soup our theme is citrus so i'm using
26:22king khan as my citrus and i like to grill it first and then put in the shrimp and i'm gonna steam it
26:27so i make a clear nice soup that cleans the palate hopefully
26:41it's a soup that cleans the palate hopefully
26:57How do you feel? You feel all right?
26:59Feeling pretty good so far.
27:01I'm chopping up my shrimp here for my gyoza filling.
27:04My two nemesis, shrimp and pork, all in one dish.
27:07I will be making a curry shrimp gyoza
27:12with a tomato soy coulis.
27:15So a coulis, it's made with any type of fruit.
27:18Tomato is a fruit.
27:20And so I'm going to just blanch it a little bit
27:24and add a little bit of soy and a little bit of yuzu
27:28and some other things to kind of really make that tomato flavor pop.
27:32Hi, Chef. You look like you're in the zone right now.
27:34I'm in the zone. I am in gyoza-making mode.
27:38Call her my silent assassin.
27:40She always has the cleanest station.
27:42She's always quiet. It looks like nothing's going on,
27:45and then she gives you a great dish.
27:46Amazing.
27:47Oh, well, thank you for the compliment, Chef.
27:49How are you doing on time? Feel good?
27:51I'm feeling good-ish.
27:53Good-ish.
27:54Good-ish.
27:55If that's a word, can I use that word, good-ish?
27:56You can, and we will leave you alone, Chef.
27:58Best of luck.
27:59Okay, thank you.
28:00Thank you so much.
28:02I'm rendering the duck, but you have to cook it low and slow
28:22so that you don't overcook it because it's fine if it's served a little underdone,
28:27but it's terrible if it's overcooked.
28:29I have the tricky meat that no one else has experience with on my team.
28:35Even worse, I'm going against Chef Jason.
28:39What the duck?
28:41I really have to pay attention to that duck or I'm screwed.
28:46I come up with a Peking duck-style Asian taco, and not only have I not made this kind of duck before,
28:56but I've never made these pancakes.
28:59Every step is a leap of faith and a trust in my ability to cook.
29:08And I hope I nail it, because if I don't nail this, I'm going home.
29:13How are we feeling over here?
29:15You cook a lot of duck?
29:16You comfortable with duck?
29:17No, I took it for the team, but I eat a lot of duck, but I don't cook it.
29:21I made sure to take the note in from don't let your soy sauce burn,
29:25so I've just kept it on low to medium heat. I didn't turn it up.
29:30So, Joan, who are you head-to-head with?
29:32I'm going head-to-head with Mr. Roboto.
29:34Mr. Roboto. Yes.
29:36Because he's so perfect, we call him the Terminator.
29:41That's a first-round draft pick.
29:42I know, and I'm Charlie Brown.
29:44Charlie Brown.
29:45I'm the last one picked on this, but, you know, it's a good underdog story.
29:50Well, best of luck, Chef.
30:00I got to get my skewers ready and make sure that I have enough time to actually cook these properly.
30:06I'm hoping the grill is going to be hot enough for the actual yakitori to get a nice color on it.
30:12I'm going to do a duck yakitori with some leeks and a relish on top.
30:17This relish will have a ton of flavor in it.
30:20There's shishitos, there's jalapenos, red and green, fresh corn, garlic, fish sauce, mirin.
30:29I am trying to pack in as much flavor into the topping as possible so that it's more interesting than just a skewered piece of duck.
30:39I want to make sure the fat gets rendered out of it all.
30:44Yes, but I put a leek in the middle of it.
30:48I see.
30:49Okay, good luck, huh?
30:51Chefs, 42 minutes left.
30:54Oh, yeah.
30:5542 minutes.
30:56Halfway point, guys.
30:57Halfway.
30:59All right, we got this, team.
31:00We got this.
31:01We totally got this.
31:02During this challenge, I'm kind of starting to feel like the default team leader.
31:08Chef Lucas, what can I help you do?
31:10What can I help you do?
31:11I think I'm good right now.
31:12Okay, because this is all I need.
31:13Yeah.
31:14I'm good.
31:15Like, I felt like I was the only person, like, talking or, you know, anything or, like, communicating.
31:20What's in this?
31:21Is this yours?
31:22Oh, no.
31:23Jason started this.
31:24Ooh.
31:25That is good.
31:26It was probably one of the first moments where it felt like we're a team, but we're also competing against each other.
31:34Hey, Jason.
31:35Yeah?
31:36How's your duck coming along?
31:37Uh...
31:40Oh, no.
31:41My duck is in a compromised place right now.
31:47And it's rendering so much fat that it's causing a flare-ups.
31:52The flames are too intense.
31:53One of my skewers is, like, burnt up.
31:56Too high.
31:58At this point, I start panicking a little.
32:00If anything can happen in competition, one little slip-up could mean you could leave.
32:04I am a little worried about the duck.
32:10It could get overcooked.
32:11No, no, no, no, no.
32:13I hope I don't get embarrassed with the duck at this point.
32:17Five minutes.
32:18Five minutes.
32:19Five minutes.
32:20Hi.
32:21Start plating.
32:22I'm starting to plate, and I've cut two different pieces of duck.
32:31I porched the skin so there's a little bit of crispiness, and then the tender part is going into the pancake.
32:37So the minutes are running down in the challenge, and I don't have any spare time.
32:42It's to the wire.
32:44This.
32:45Is.
32:46It.
32:53Sorry, you're quiet.
32:54I'm trying to get everything fast.
32:59Chef, one minute left.
33:00One minute.
33:01One minute.
33:02Yes, Chef.
33:07Beautiful, beautiful, Chef.
33:09Five.
33:10Four.
33:11Four.
33:12Three.
33:13Two.
33:14One.
33:15Five.
33:16That's it, Chef.
33:17Do it all this.
33:18Do it up.
33:19Yeah.
33:20Way to go, guys.
33:21Yeah.
33:22Great job.
33:27Abe and Lucas, let's see your short rib dishes.
33:36Good luck.
33:37Just kidding.
33:39Oh.
33:40Lucas, please tell us about your short rib first.
33:43So what we have here is a soy braised short rib.
33:45It's going to be on top of a wasabi creme fraiche.
33:47We have a little Japanese whiskey demi-glace on top.
33:49A little sexy scallions.
33:51And a little flour for garnish.
33:53That wasabi is, like, hitting me.
33:54A little heavy.
33:55I'm too high, dude.
33:56It's a presentation.
33:57Beautiful.
33:58They cook well.
33:59And they season well.
34:00But I think the, uh, wasabi is overpower.
34:01Nice, Chef.
34:02I agree with Chef Morimoto with the wasabi creme fraiche.
34:14But I love that you use pressure cooker to braise your short rib.
34:19And I think you did a good job making it soft.
34:22Okay, Abe, your turn.
34:24All right, so this is our take of a short rib tanin don.
34:28The rice is going to be marinated in citrus and yuzu kosho.
34:32And then the side is going to be the broth, which will be a coconut yuzu citrus broth.
34:37I put in a lot of flavors into it, so I hope you guys could taste the love I put into that.
34:42I think it was smart, Abe, that you gave us something that's a little bit more appetizer-esque.
34:47You gave us something that's a little bit lighter, fresher.
34:50So I tried the meat itself, and the meat with the rice, meat with the daikon.
34:55Every single bite.
34:56Very nice.
34:57Thank you very much.
34:58Thank you so much.
34:59Yoko and Marissa, bring your shrimp dishes.
35:04All right, Yoko, we'll start with yours.
35:06Tell us about your shrimp dish.
35:08I wanted to make a soup dumpling with a guruk hamukwot.
35:11I have shrimp inside, guruk hamukwot, and daikon and carrots that's cooked in dashi broth.
35:18So I like yoke's broth, but this is a shrimp dish.
35:22But shrimp is nothing special, just a shrimp.
35:25Mm-hmm.
35:26My first bite, no taste.
35:28Mm-hmm.
35:29Mm-hmm.
35:30Then second bite, that was a kamukwot.
35:32Yes.
35:33A little bit uneven things.
35:34Maybe you have chopped, chopped, chopped, chopped.
35:36Yes.
35:37So it's even, even, even.
35:38And Marissa, tell us about your dish.
35:40So what I have for you is a shrimp curry dumpling on top of an English pea and curry puree with a tomato, soy, and yuzu dipping sauce.
35:53Curry gyoza has nice ideas, but I think just the ordinary gyoza. I don't feel passion.
35:59The dumpling, I feel like it didn't really pair well with the purees, and I dipped it with a tomato, and it was like a little underwhelming for me.
36:07Okay.
36:08And I really didn't taste much of the yuzu and soy.
36:11Okay.
36:12Yoko and Marissa.
36:14Thank you so much.
36:15Thank you so much.
36:16Jason and Joan, please bring your duck dishes.
36:18Jason, tell us about your duck dish.
36:25I prepared a duck breast and leek yakitori with a relish, and then there's the accompaniments.
36:34The Japanese mustard, fresh grated wasabi, umeboshi, and the Maldon smoked sea salt.
36:40I really, really thought this was going to not be good, and it is very good.
36:46You had this on the grill for like 65 minutes, and it's not burnt.
36:51It's cooked medium rare.
36:53I don't know what you did, but it's, it's beep.
36:56Good.
36:57Thank you very much.
37:06Thank you very much.
37:07It's my turn to present my duck alongside Jason, and his dish is beautiful.
37:13And I'm thinking, oh my God, there's my sad little duck taco lying on its side.
37:20I don't have a chance.
37:22I had the blood orange and orange duck taco.
37:27I made the taco shell, and then the raw onion has a little touch of chili oil.
37:34So you're supposed to add the green onion and then the daikon and cucumber into the taco.
37:42I think you nailed it.
37:43You remind me of the last season of my good friend Debbie.
37:47She, she cooked very hearty, um, dishes, and this reminds me of like Debbie's cooking.
37:54Thank you so much, Chef.
37:55That's a huge compliment.
37:57I think the overall, this is a very successful dish.
38:00I tried the taco shell, a little mushy for me.
38:03And then I check the inside.
38:06It's nice tender and nice seasoning in it.
38:09Thank you, Joan and Jason.
38:11Thank you guys.
38:12Even though I'm confident with how wonderful it tastes,
38:15compared to Chef Jason's, mine is very humble.
38:18And I'm hoping that I will not be dinged for having such an honest dish.
38:29Chefs, today was all about teamwork.
38:32For your kiss show challenge, we asked you to come up with a pop-up concept.
38:36And you served dishes head to head.
38:38One restaurant will be named the winner,
38:40but the chef with the least successful dish on the losing team will be going home.
38:45Judges, how did you think our teams did overall with their pop-up concepts?
38:50So this is a very, very, very difficult judgment.
38:52All the, like, one of our social masters' history.
38:55This is, uh, very difficult to explain my English vocabulary.
39:01Take it away, Chef Philip.
39:03Both teams did a really, really good job.
39:06I think that the errors were minor,
39:09and the wins were pretty huge from both teams.
39:13Overall, it was, like, a tough decision for all of us.
39:16It all comes down to, like, the nitpicking,
39:19the little details that each one of you were missing.
39:22I'll start with zest appeal.
39:23I really liked how you had a citrus incorporated into every dish you had.
39:29I thought that you guys did a great job from the conceptual standpoint.
39:34Melting pot izakaya.
39:36You know, when I hear melting pot,
39:38I think of sort of the melting of different flavors infusing together.
39:42Just like zest appeal sort of had citrus through the whole thing,
39:45you might have three different styles of cuisine
39:49intertwining of the entire menu.
39:52I thought the cookery was very, very strong,
39:55so I felt that you really did deliver on that promise.
39:58So from zest appeal, who had your favorite dish?
40:09John.
40:10Yeah!
40:11Congrats!
40:12Yeah, baby, it's me from last to first,
40:17and here I am on the top with my duck taco pancake.
40:22I'm not gonna cry.
40:23Yes.
40:25Is that good?
40:26Now, Chef Morimoto,
40:28who had your favorite dish from melting pot izakaya?
40:38Jason.
40:39Jason.
40:40Thank you very much.
40:41Congratulations.
40:45So, unfortunately, that does bring us to our two least favorite dishes,
40:50Yoko and Marissa.
40:54Unfortunately, we see both of you at the bottom
40:56because we felt that the shrimp was not as well represented
41:01as both of the short ribs and both of the ducks were.
41:05For the first time, I'm in the bottom.
41:07I put what I thought was a great dish out,
41:10and the judges did not agree with me.
41:13You know, somebody is going to be eliminated,
41:16but honestly, I don't feel like it's time for me to go home yet.
41:19I feel like I really want to show Chef Morimoto
41:22that I have what it takes
41:24and to, you know, give myself one more chance for redemption.
41:27So, the winning team is...
41:38The Destapir.
41:39Destapir!
41:40My heart is pounding.
41:42When our team won, I was so relieved.
41:46I'm very eager to win next competition.
41:49That means, Marissa, you will not be Morimoto's Sushi Master.
41:53I'm so sorry.
41:54Being here on Sushi Master has shown me that, you know,
41:57it's been a while, but I still got it.
41:59I'm here, I'm strong, I'm trying, and I'm going to keep trying,
42:04and I'm going to keep going.
42:06Effort will always be rewarded, and if there's an effort that is rewarded,
42:10then it cannot yet be called effort.
42:11We love you, Marissa.
42:12I love you, Marissa.
42:13Marissa!
42:14I love you, Marissa.
42:15Marissa!
42:16I love you, Marissa.
42:17I love you, Marissa.
42:18I love you.
42:19Francis, we gotta thank you.
42:20Thank you so much for being here for such a fun, but challenging challenge.
42:37Thanks for having me.
42:40Thank you, guys.
42:41Thank you so much.
42:42I know you guys are sad, but this is a competition, you know?
42:45You gotta give your A-game, and at the end of the day,
42:49there's only gonna be one winner, so keep your head up high.
42:52You're doing the best that you can,
42:54and tomorrow's another day. Just keep killing it.
42:56Thank you, Chef. Thank you, Chef.
42:58You've survived half of the competition,
43:00and you are one step closer to winning the title
43:03of Morimoto's Sushi Master and the $25,000 prize.
43:07Now you can go clean yourselves up, brush your teeth,
43:10and make yourselves look presentable
43:12because the next challenges are all about looks.
43:16All right. Head off. Get ready.
43:42Head off. Get ready.
43:43Now we'll find you going to update people's
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