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00:00Get that money.
00:01Come on with these cards.
00:02This is so made of you.
00:04If you got the hustle, I've got the game.
00:06Let's go.
00:07Each night, I invite the country's most elite chefs
00:09to put their money and reputations on the line.
00:11This is warm from my pocket.
00:13What the hell?
00:14I need my money back.
00:15Come and get it, daddy.
00:16In my late night culinary poker game.
00:17I can't wait to see these cards.
00:19Stand back.
00:20You're a mad man.
00:21But now, the stakes are higher.
00:23I've never seen this much cash.
00:25The twists are bolder.
00:26What are you?
00:26You cannot do that.
00:28And the cards are wilder.
00:29Oh, my.
00:30This guy's instigating me.
00:32All bets are off.
00:36This is going to be fun.
00:37When it's all or nothing, put it all on the line.
00:43All right.
00:44Now, I know you're expecting to see Eric,
00:46because this is his house and his game.
00:49But the last time I was here, I challenged him
00:51to put his money where his mouth is and come here and compete.
00:55So wait, you want me to play the game and you host one night?
00:57There you go.
00:58OK.
00:58All right.
00:59I'm gay.
01:00So after years of bringing these chefs to compete against me
01:03and beat me and take me down and messing with me on Alex
01:06versus America, I'm turning the tables on him tonight.
01:09And I've got some chefs that he's not going to be happy to see.
01:13Guys, here he comes.
01:14Um, I'm usually the one to turn the lights on over here.
01:17Yeah, you are.
01:18What's going on?
01:20Eric's not just a pretty face.
01:22He's defeated Stephanie Izard and Graham Elliott in head-to-head battles on Tournament of Champions.
01:26He's a restaurant owner and an author.
01:28But as the host of Alex versus America?
01:30How's it going?
01:31Hanging on by a thread, Eric.
01:32He makes my life miserable.
01:35Can't believe you said yes to this.
01:36Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to turn the tables on you?
01:40I'm a little nervous right now.
01:40I've got to be honest, I am nervous, but I am home.
01:43I know Alex was going to give me a bunch of hell, but I love to compete.
01:47I ain't scared.
01:48Who do you have coming up?
01:49I'm curious, I've got to know.
01:50Your hands are awful shaky getting that ice.
01:52I instantly regret this decision.
01:55So you probably remember this first chef, especially her prawns with boiled peanuts
02:01that beat your appetizer on the finale of Top Chef.
02:04Oh.
02:05Oh my gosh.
02:06Hello?
02:08Sarah Bradley?
02:09Really?
02:10Sarah Bradley is the very first Chopped legend, and best of all, she aced out Eric in the
02:16Top Chef finale to become the season 16 runner-up.
02:19Now I'm here to take your money, buddy.
02:21Oh!
02:21Is this what we're doing here?
02:23Yeah.
02:23But we do know where we're at right now.
02:25This is my turf.
02:26They better have a new deck.
02:28Trust me, Eric has no idea what cards are coming.
02:29I like that.
02:30I like that.
02:31I hear footsteps.
02:32This next chef is someone who both of you are going to want a second chance at competing against.
02:37She's a James Beard semi-finalist, a prolific cookbook author, winner and fan favorite of Top
02:43Chef season 16.
02:44I know exactly.
02:45Sure you don't want to double up on that whiskey?
02:47Hello.
02:48Kelsey has southern charm and southern grit to match.
02:51And she outcooked Eric and Sarah in the Top Chef finale to win the whole thing.
02:56Cheers, cheers.
02:56Cheers, cheers.
02:57So this is one, two, three.
02:59First, second, and third.
02:59Absolutely.
03:00Top Chef.
03:00Wow.
03:02We've known each other for 15 years, I believe.
03:05If there are two competitors in the world who know how to beat Eric, it's definitely Sarah
03:09and I.
03:10This is diabolical.
03:15This is weird for me.
03:16I've never been on this side of the table.
03:18Welcome to the hot seat, I guess.
03:19Wow.
03:20Okay.
03:20This is so...
03:21Is this what I put the chefs through all the time?
03:23No, but you usually are like, all right, no chefs.
03:25All right, we are playing culinary poker.
03:28You are going to bet your cash based on the cards you're dealt.
03:31And then you back it up in the kitchen.
03:33That's what you say, right Eric?
03:34That is something, but yes.
03:35Back it up in the kitchen.
03:36There are three hands, which means three rounds of cooking.
03:38A chef.
03:39What do you call this first round?
03:40The speed round.
03:42We have 20 minutes for this first round.
03:44The first buy-in is...
03:46$500.
03:47All right, so cough it up.
03:48That's right.
03:49Doesn't the tone change when you pull out your own money?
03:51It got a little serious.
03:53Hold hard cash.
03:54Listen, we work in a restaurant industry, which has extremely small margins.
03:58And I have a beautiful little girl who is, you know, as much as I love her, she does cost
04:03a penny.
04:04So hosting is nice, but I ain't rich.
04:06I took it out of my kid's piggy bank, so I'm fine.
04:09Oh, this one.
04:10Just kidding.
04:10Okay, so there's $1,500 in the pot.
04:12Eric, we start with the community card, right?
04:15Which is the dish card?
04:16Absolutely.
04:16So this is the card that you're all going to make.
04:18All right, here's the card.
04:19You ready?
04:23Make it melt.
04:24Okay.
04:24Lots of things melt.
04:25Sure.
04:26And then these are the wild cards.
04:28The wild card changes everything.
04:30These cards can either help you or take you down.
04:32That I know.
04:35I get making a noodle dish.
04:36I'm like, psh, I'm gonna make some macaroni and cheese.
04:40Make a kid friendly.
04:42As the father of a six-year-old, this is something that's right up my alley.
04:46Pass my card to the right.
04:48The good thing about this card is it potentially could derail what Sarah and Eric are doing, but I don't
04:52know what they have.
04:53All right, Sarah, so the pressure's on you.
04:54I like my card, but the strategy now is to make Eric feel like he's the smartest guy in the
05:01room.
05:01Um, I'll pass.
05:04Is that what it is?
05:05Check.
05:05Check.
05:05I'll check.
05:06Which means we're over to you, Eric.
05:09I've seen people go big way too early and it doesn't go well.
05:12You want to slow play this.
05:14This is a game of three rounds.
05:17Was that like $500?
05:18That was $500.
05:19Just like right in the middle?
05:20Right in the middle.
05:21Okay, KBC, so the action is to you.
05:23I don't know what I'm betting on, so I just want to put down the bare minimum.
05:26Call.
05:26You're gonna call the $500.
05:28Ooh, this pocket's sweeter and sweeter.
05:31All right, Sarah, so the action is to you.
05:33I'm gonna make them pay to play.
05:35I love my card.
05:36I love posturing.
05:39If you want in for $500 more, you can come in.
05:42If you don't, you can stand there and watch me cook.
05:44I'll make it $1,000.
05:45Ooh.
05:46Wow.
05:47Sarah, Sarah, Sarah.
05:49I cannot wait to take your card.
05:51So now we're at $3,500.
05:54Um, this is my house.
05:55I, like, I ain't scared.
05:56I'll call the $500.
05:58We don't play scared.
06:00Nah.
06:01Ta-da.
06:02All right.
06:02This is $4,500.
06:04Ooh.
06:05That's motivating.
06:06All right, Sarah, what's your wild card?
06:07Make it a noodle dish.
06:09Ooh.
06:10Cheesy, noodley.
06:11Eric?
06:12I have some Mike Mines, kid-friendly.
06:15I got a couple of things I'm thinking about.
06:16All right, KBC, let's see what you got.
06:18You know, I'm feeling giving today.
06:19Oh, gosh.
06:20I'm sorry.
06:20Oh, my goodness.
06:24All wild cards we passed to the right.
06:28All right, so KBC, give yours to Eric.
06:31Okay.
06:31Eric, give yours to Sarah.
06:33Okay.
06:34Now you have to make your dish, kid-friendly.
06:36Sarah, give yours all the way to KBC.
06:38You have to make a noodle dish.
06:41You don't have a wild card now.
06:42Mm-hmm.
06:43That means you're getting a new one.
06:45That's not how I would do this.
06:46This is exactly what you would do.
06:48Oh!
06:49This is why you can't be married to the wild card until that 3-2-1-go.
06:52Your wild card is...
06:54Oh!
06:54Hopefully it's worse!
06:57Oh!
06:57Oh!
06:58Oh, my gosh.
06:59May I flip?
07:02Exclusive use of stovetop.
07:04What stovetop?
07:05All the stovetops.
07:06Shut up.
07:06I can't believe how helpful that was to you.
07:08I'm so upset.
07:09How am I supposed to make a noodle without boiling water?
07:11Kelsey was very excited to move cards over, but now the tables have turned.
07:15She's, you know, on her heels right now, and that's exactly where I want her to be.
07:18This is accurate!
07:19I, I, I, thank you!
07:20Um...
07:20No!
07:21I'm good.
07:22You're a liar.
07:24I can't.
07:24There's 4,500 in the pot.
07:26You have 20 minutes to cook a melty dish, and your 20-minute chef starts now.
07:32You gonna jump over the table again?
07:34Do you remember it?
07:36I'm thinking s'mores.
07:38S'mores are quick, and then also some ice cream.
07:40You're sharing those with me.
07:41Yes, chef.
07:42We got group chat.
07:43Both Kelsey and Sarah.
07:44If they win, I'm gonna be hearing a lot of talk my way.
07:49So I'm going very literal here.
07:51Cheese noodles.
07:53And I'm gonna figure out how to boil a noodle in a microwave or a circulator, or anything
07:56that doesn't involve fire.
07:58You know what's nice is that since my stovetop isn't on, I got, like, extra storage space.
08:02Sarah, what are you making?
08:03I'm doing a little cookies and cream s'mores, and then I'm doing a grilled cheese.
08:07Kid-friendly, plus we make it melty.
08:10Oh, you are full-on oven.
08:11Yeah.
08:12A good trick you wanna make, or a bunch of grilled cheeses at once.
08:16Lots of butter.
08:17Put your bread down like this.
08:18I've seen Wild Card Kitchen a lot.
08:20There's so much strategy.
08:22I've got a little raclette, which is, like, super melty.
08:25Kelsey's been here before.
08:26Eric has been here for every single cook.
08:28I'm the newcomer, so I'm gonna go for it.
08:31For me, this is kid-friendly.
08:32Check.
08:32All right, check.
08:33Check.
08:33I got the check mark.
08:35Eric, what are you doing?
08:36So, I'm gonna do, like, a pocketed s'mores.
08:39You're making s'mores?
08:40I'm doing s'mores.
08:41Are you doing s'mores?
08:42I'm doing s'mores.
08:43Oh, goodness.
08:44It's a s'mores-off.
08:45So, right now, I'm just doing, like, a marshmallow fluff.
08:48Condensed milk?
08:49Yes, chef.
08:49I love the condensed milk play here, because it's melty.
08:52I'm stuffing this puff pastry with graham crackers,
08:56a little bit of chocolate in there, some marshmallows.
09:00Are you worried about that being baked?
09:01Because you have 20 minutes.
09:02No problem.
09:03Good.
09:04I'm sorry.
09:04I'm not the host here.
09:05Excuse me.
09:06Hi, Chelsea.
09:07Hi, chef.
09:09So, you have the hardest card.
09:10You've got to make noodles, and you've got to make it melty.
09:12So, it's gonna be, like, a spaghetti on the bottom.
09:14Fried mozzarella right over the top.
09:16Melty, melty.
09:17What are you using?
09:18I'm doing fresh pasta, because it'll cook faster.
09:20But I can't use a stovetop.
09:23Ha, ha, ha, ha.
09:24Mwah, ha, ha.
09:25How are you gonna cook the noodle?
09:26Are you ready for this?
09:27No stovetop.
09:28Circulator.
09:29Oh.
09:30Okay.
09:30That's on.
09:33A circulator or sous vide machine holds a certain temperature,
09:35and it circulates your water.
09:37But they don't get very high, usually.
09:39So, I don't even know if this will boil.
09:41We're making this work.
09:43The negative thing about fresh pasta, y'all,
09:45is if you put that in water that's not hot enough,
09:48it gets this gumminess on the outside,
09:50and then stay raw in the middle.
09:51And I look at my noodles.
09:53No go.
09:54All right.
09:55It's fine.
09:55Fine.
09:56I got plenty of time for this.
09:58I don't like the way the first one's turned out.
10:00We're gonna go back to the 60s,
10:02and I'm gonna microwave this.
10:04This is how I feel about you right now, Eric.
10:07What's the secret to a good noodle?
10:09I'll tell you what's not the most ideal secret,
10:12boiling it in a microwave.
10:13Chefs, you have 14 minutes left.
10:15What we've got, accidentally, is a head-to-head s'more.
10:18Sarah's really going campfire traditional,
10:20and she's getting it all melty in the oven.
10:23I mean, Sarah's s'more just looks so melty, melty.
10:26Oh, come on.
10:26I don't do this to you.
10:28You don't do this to me.
10:30I'm using an ice cream machine as well.
10:31Getting more meltiness out of that.
10:33Oh, all right.
10:33I take equal parts of heavy cream, vanilla,
10:35and some cream cheese.
10:36But it's a risk.
10:38I've seen that ice cream machine help and hurt chefs.
10:42I keep checking on the puff pastry
10:44and notice that it's not baking.
10:46Yeah, that's not gonna go.
10:48So now I gotta pivot and then fry them.
10:50So I had to start over.
10:51Oh, my gosh. Am I really that exposed?
10:53Jeez Louise.
10:56Chef, there's 10 minutes left in the speed hand.
10:59Oh, my gosh.
11:00Oh, now how does it feel?
11:01This is the first time Eric can get beaten at his own game.
11:03How's it gonna look if he has the deck stacked,
11:06he hosts this thing, and he loses?
11:09My s'mores not baking in the time that I needed to,
11:11so I actually started over.
11:13I've got extra graham crackers.
11:14Pivoting in 20 minutes is pretty nerve-wracking.
11:16Eric, you're barely using the stovetop,
11:18and these ladies would do anything to have it.
11:20I just got one thing here, marshmallow fluff.
11:22I don't necessarily need to use all the stovetops.
11:24Again, there's only 20 minutes in this cook,
11:25but anything to their disadvantage is an advantage to me.
11:28Kelsey, let me see here.
11:29I'm gonna make some tomato sauce in the oven
11:32because someone took our stove.
11:34We could look at it this way, Eric.
11:36You took the stovetop away from her,
11:38but she took the top chef title away from you.
11:41That's a good one.
11:42I've got the pizza oven going with onions, peppers,
11:45and jalapenos.
11:46This is definitely not the way I would normally do
11:48a tomato sauce.
11:49In fact, I've never put a tomato sauce in the food processor.
11:51You have no sota, but you're literally making
11:53every other piece of equipment in this room work for you,
11:56which is great.
11:56I mean, yeah.
11:57I really don't want to lose.
11:58If I don't win, here comes the conversations with like,
12:02should she have won top chef?
12:05Where is your melty factor in that mozzarella?
12:08Well, there's gonna be cheese in the actual pasta
12:09on the bottom as well.
12:11I love it.
12:13Chefs, you have five minutes left.
12:15Sarah, how are you planning on beating Eric?
12:18Because you're making the same dish.
12:20So I think two make-it-melties is gonna be good.
12:23One thing about a grilled cheese is like,
12:25it needs to be toasted.
12:27So I run to the back.
12:28I throw them in the pizza oven.
12:33Oh, my God.
12:35This is the behind-the-scenes trick.
12:36If you see the cameraman on your food,
12:40it's probably burning.
12:41I have to get my bread.
12:45Oh, no.
12:47Burnt my bread, Mom.
12:50What's that for?
12:51The grilled cheese.
12:52Nope.
12:53Nope. No, it's not.
12:54Not burned.
12:54That'd be my plan.
12:55Three minutes.
12:56Three!
12:57If you win in the first round,
12:59you're the person that everyone is competing at
13:02because you have more money than them.
13:03And I want that to be me.
13:04Eric, did you get the ice cream?
13:06I've seen that ice cream machine hurt many a chef.
13:10And I know judges hammer chefs for not sticking
13:13to what the dish card is asking you to do.
13:15So the ice cream needs to work.
13:19Ice cream's looking delicious.
13:21Definitely melty.
13:2290 seconds left, chefs.
13:23Wait a minute.
13:2490 seconds left on the clock.
13:25I'm sorry.
13:25I forgot where I was.
13:26My bad.
13:27The puff pastry out the fryer.
13:28Hopefully it's cooked perfectly.
13:29I add my ice cream and I also add the s'more sort of pocket.
13:33A little bit of that marshmallow fluff.
13:34Chefs, you are on your final minute.
13:36Ah!
13:37I'm gonna toss my noodles in this sauce.
13:39Put that on the plate.
13:40Hi.
13:41We melted.
13:42The fried cheese right on top.
13:44I see the noodles on the plate.
13:45Check.
13:4630 seconds.
13:48It goes straight up, triangle style.
13:51And then I go with the s'mores.
13:52Make it melty.
13:53Go hard.
13:54Three.
13:55Two.
13:56One.
13:57Done.
13:59That looks good.
14:00Thank you, chef.
14:01First time cooking in my kitchen.
14:03I always knew what the pressure was like, but now I really feel it.
14:06I hate to beat somebody in their own house, but I will beat him in his own house.
14:14You guys cannot show your hands.
14:16When the judge is judging complete poker faces, you can't give it away.
14:21So, Eric, you have no idea, obviously, who's coming to judge.
14:23But I do.
14:25This is rough.
14:26This is rough.
14:26Who else does she have under her sleeve?
14:28I picked a chef that went further than Eric on Top Chef All Stars.
14:31Why are you doing this to me?
14:33Because this is so fun for me.
14:35He is a wildly successful restaurateur.
14:37I hear them coming down now.
14:42Yeah!
14:43Shenanigans!
14:46Brian Malarkey.
14:47Ta-da!
14:48So okay!
14:51I am just loving seeing you over on that side of the table.
14:56What you have done to us, to me.
14:58A little taste of your own medicine, as they say.
15:01I see the theme here.
15:02Chef Brian Malarkey, one of my favorite chefs.
15:04He's crazy.
15:05Come on.
15:06Throw me a bone.
15:07Holy moly.
15:08We're playing for some money, huh?
15:10$4,500 in the pot.
15:12All you can know is the chefs had to make a dish that was melted in 20 minutes.
15:16Let's go right here in front of us.
15:18Okay.
15:20So we have some pasta, tomato sauce.
15:28It's a beautiful dish.
15:30It's got such great seasoning.
15:31It's got a great heat element to it.
15:33The pasta is cooked perfectly.
15:34I mean, this was all in a microwave.
15:36I'm so excited about my microwave skills.
15:38It's so well-balanced with acid seasoning,
15:40but a fried breadcrumb crusted piece of cheese doesn't scream melt.
15:46If it was oozing, that would be more of a melt.
15:49Something melting in your mouth like a perfectly cooked pasta can scream melt to me.
15:55Let's go over here.
15:56Lots of chocolate.
15:58Looks like we've got a puff pastry.
16:03Oh my goodness.
16:05This is decadent.
16:06To make ice cream in 20 minutes, very impressive.
16:09It appears to be melting on the dough right there in front of me.
16:13That is screaming melt.
16:15That's what I would have been scared about right there.
16:17Is the puff pastry going to bake all the way through in 20 minutes?
16:21It is a little undercooked on the inside.
16:24It's the kind of dessert I love and my kids love,
16:26but fancy chefs would be like, it's just too much sweet.
16:30Seriously, malarkey out of all the things?
16:32Whatever, bro.
16:32Come on.
16:34Last dish.
16:35Just for eye appeal alone, this looks like the dirtiest melted cheese sandwich ever and a s'mores.
16:46It is melted.
16:48Oh my God.
16:50Great cheese choice.
16:52You ran out of time a little bit on this one.
16:54You could have had a better toast on the outside.
16:55I could use the stove top.
16:57What's crazy about Wild Card Kitchen is that you can't stand behind your dish.
17:01You just have to sit and watch someone pick it apart.
17:04This just looks like it should be against the law right here.
17:08Let's melt them.
17:09That is melting.
17:11The calorie count on this plate alone, this card is like, kill malarkey.
17:18There is that card.
17:19There is that card.
17:21Everybody went really rich today, and I'm not just talking the money you put on the table.
17:26But only one of you is gonna get this one.
17:28This is my game.
17:29I gotta make sure that I come out the gate really strong.
17:31So the dish that's taken home the $4,500 is...
17:40The only thing I know is that it has to be melted.
17:43And so the dish that's taken home the $4,500 is the sandwich and the s'mores tower of power.
17:54Ah!
17:56Doesn't that feel good?
17:58It does.
18:00It's not a little bit of melt.
18:01This is making it rain, money, melt.
18:04Eric, you're watching your money go away.
18:07What's that like?
18:07To lose the first hand in my own kitchen doesn't feel the best, I'll be honest.
18:12Have fun.
18:14Thanks for breaking our hearts.
18:15I'll be back, y'all.
18:16So let's just recap the money.
18:18Sarah, you have $8,000.
18:20Kelsey, you have $3,500.
18:21I got my feet wet and learned some things.
18:24And definitely with malarkey, it's gotta be more elements of that gameplay.
18:27Eric, you have $3,500.
18:29Ah!
18:30I was that close.
18:31I have to protect this house, so I'm gonna have to bring more strategy at the table.
18:35We are hitting the make or break hand.
18:38You can make up some money or you can go broke.
18:42I'm gonna give you 30 minutes to cook this time.
18:45Okay.
18:45And the buy-in is $1,000.
18:47Lord.
18:48I'm not trying to leave this kitchen with like $500.
18:50I came here to make some money on top of the five grand that I pulled out the ATM.
18:53Let's get that cash.
18:54So in this round, we have two community cards.
18:57Dish card and your ingredient card.
18:59All right, so the dish card.
19:04Tapas.
19:04Okay.
19:06And the ingredient is...
19:10Imitation crab.
19:13Oh, golly!
19:14It's almost a joke.
19:16You would never see that on a tapas plate.
19:18I definitely don't work with a lot of imitation crab.
19:20I don't eat it.
19:21Get it away from me.
19:22I hate it.
19:24Whatever you're thinking, it's all gonna change once I give you these wild cuts.
19:27For you and you alone.
19:30I lose four minutes in my cook.
19:32The only thing I'm worried about is that all the fresh ingredients, there will be gone.
19:38Jeez, Luis.
19:40I mean, adding insult to injury, you can't flambe.
19:44Imitation crab.
19:45In my brain, when I think tapas, I think grilled and herbaceous.
19:49I don't love breaded.
19:50So we've got $3,000 in the pot.
19:52But you remember, you need $1,500 to play in the next round.
19:56Oh, gosh.
19:56Eric, we're gonna start with you this time.
19:58Oh, gosh.
20:00The make or break hand is very, very important.
20:02I don't want to deviate from the game plan.
20:03Play it slow.
20:04Make it to the last round.
20:06I'm gonna check and see what Chef Kelsey does.
20:13Eric, are you scared?
20:14You seem kind of scared.
20:16I will bet $1,000.
20:18Okay.
20:21All right, Sarah.
20:23I'd hate my wild card, but Kelsey doesn't love her card either.
20:27I'm just calling for $1,000.
20:29Now we're at $5,000.
20:30Eric, so you can fold or you can call $1,000.
20:32Or you can raise.
20:33Correct.
20:34I love how I'm telling you the rules when you made them.
20:40I'm gonna fold.
20:43What?
20:44You're gonna fold in your own game in your own house.
20:47Are you trying to razz me right now?
20:48Yeah.
20:49Totally.
20:49You're gonna sit back and watch.
20:51I mean, I know the rules.
20:52I can make it interesting, tire these ladies out a little bit.
20:55There's three rounds here.
20:56You want to make it to the third round.
20:57That is the objective because that's where the biggest payout comes in.
21:00It's a strategy to use, and I think a lot of chefs should be a little bit more strategic
21:05in using it.
21:06Okay, so Eric, you have $2,500 left, and you're guaranteed in the last round.
21:10KBC, you have $1,500, so no matter what, you'll also be in the last round.
21:13But if KBC wins this hand, she'll have $6,500 and be in the pole position.
21:19Okay, so KBC, let's see your wild card.
21:23Make something breaded.
21:24I mean, I live in Alabama.
21:26We bread everything in deep pride.
21:27I think I can handle that one.
21:29Sarah, what's your wild card?
21:30It's not a good one, y'all.
21:32Lose four minutes.
21:33That's, oh.
21:34The first four minutes, we're just going to watch Kelsey cook.
21:36There's $5,000.
21:37We have tapas, imitation crab, 30 minutes.
21:40KBC, and only KBC.
21:42Your time starts now.
21:43Okay, bye.
21:45Four minutes.
21:46That's the shop time.
21:48You better be back at your station.
21:49I'm going to do like a wrapped crab cake.
21:51It's going to be like the imitation crab as well as real crab mixed in with it.
21:56You guys want to hear what I'm thinking?
21:57Yeah.
21:57Okay, so I think I'm going to cure the imitation, cut them up, and then I'm just going to do
22:01like a really beautiful like kind of salsa.
22:04In the South, anytime we get like what we call a trash product, something like imitation crab,
22:10we smoke it, we grill it, or we fry it, which is what we're going to do today.
22:13Just under two minutes.
22:14Yeah, I need a little sip of this.
22:15KBC has a real head start here.
22:16She's already talking it through.
22:17She's got a bunch of ingredients.
22:19There's a real advantage to going over there and being alone.
22:22What else do I want?
22:25We have got to dominate.
22:27Let's clear the head.
22:29Imitation crab is all you see.
22:32Five, four, three, two, one, go.
22:36Oh my God, does she have enough food?
22:38Is there any food left?
22:39Is there anything left in the pantry, Chef?
22:41Yes, no, yes.
22:42What are you thinking, Chef?
22:43I'm going to smoke this imitation crab, fold it into fresh crab.
22:46And then you're going to bread it and fry it.
22:48Yep.
22:48Imitation crab, it doesn't really have a flavor.
22:50Smoking the crab will add a flavor.
22:53So the imitation crab will taste like smoked fish, which just screams tapas to me.
22:57Turn it on so it can...
22:58Yep.
22:59But the biggest thing for me is that I'm not that familiar with the smoking gun.
23:02Okay.
23:03Let's check out Sarah Bradley.
23:04Oh, all of a sudden now we're hosting.
23:06Sarah.
23:07So you're going to skewer the crab, you're going to grill it.
23:09You're confident you're coming off a win and you seem to feel really good about what you're doing.
23:13Malarkey has got to be like, oh, imitation crab.
23:16Okay, I see it.
23:17Are you more worried about the imitation crab or KBC?
23:20It's like flavorless.
23:21The crab?
23:22Yeah.
23:22She's more worried about the imitation crab than she is about KBC.
23:25She knows it.
23:26If I beat Kelsey in this round, I'll still have as her buy-in, so everything else is Eric and
23:30I.
23:31That's the hope.
23:31So what are you more worried about, the imitation crab or Sarah?
23:36I'm always worried about myself.
23:37What'd she say?
23:38She said herself.
23:39I asked Sarah and she said she was more worried about the crab than you.
23:43The last time I was here, I lost parts of my dignity and soul.
23:47Kelsey, you still owe him $1,500.
23:52I just don't want to walk away literally losing everything, so coming in hot.
23:57What are you making, a little arugula pesto?
23:59This is the base of the sauce.
24:01Do you feel like lots of green is important?
24:04Really?
24:05What the heck?
24:06This is a problem.
24:07I think you need more smoke in there.
24:09Yeah, you need more smoke, more chips.
24:11Yeah.
24:11Oh, I hate this stuff.
24:14It's like prissy smoking.
24:15I do like big wood smoking.
24:17That's what my whole third book is about.
24:18Oh, I need to pivot.
24:20Chefs, you have 13 minutes left.
24:21This is a bunch of crap, Eric.
24:23Fine.
24:24Here to play your games.
24:26Foil or plastic wrap?
24:30Definitely smoking the crab will add a flavor.
24:33Actually, the imitation crab will taste like something.
24:35And with Malarky, if he's fun, he's wild, he needs flavor.
24:39I don't need to remind y'all where we stood coming into this.
24:43If I don't win, I will have the least money.
24:45Going into round three, this is annoying.
24:48All right, whatever.
24:49These two chefs going at it.
24:50The make or break hand, I'm trying to make or break these two chefs right here
24:54to make sure that I have a nice upper hand as far as being fresh.
24:58Chefs, we have nine minutes left in the cook.
25:01Hey!
25:01Hey!
25:02You folded.
25:04Sarah, how's that crab looking?
25:06Weird.
25:07Is there seafood in this salsa that you made?
25:09Yes, ma'am.
25:10There is fish sauce in here.
25:12And then there's, like, a little anzo because, you know, it's kind of, like, lacking that, like...
25:16Fishiness?
25:16Yeah.
25:17I'm so glad I can use the stove top in this round.
25:19It imparts, like, a beautiful, smoky flavor.
25:23I'm hoping that they don't burn.
25:27Getting somewhere.
25:28The crab has a nice, smoky flavor.
25:32We're surprised.
25:33Are you using any other seafood?
25:35Smoked.
25:36Imitation.
25:37Raw imitation.
25:38Jumbo lump.
25:38Let the crab be the show.
25:40The worst thing that could happen right now is for this thing that needs to be breaded
25:44and also needs to look like a tapa if this thing looks like a big, hot mess on the plate.
25:47So I'm being very careful in the way I'm handling this and placing it in the fryer.
25:52May the gods be with you.
25:53One minute and 40 seconds left.
25:56I want these ladies to sweat.
25:57I want them to sort of get tired.
25:59I think they are.
26:00So I'm still holding my breath, and I pull them up, and they're perfect.
26:03Wow, I see the breading.
26:05Check.
26:05Yes!
26:06We all know, Malarkey, I've got to be more obvious about what I'm trying to get across here.
26:10So we got a stick.
26:1144 seconds left.
26:12So I start by putting down my crab skewers, a little bit of my salsa, thinly sliced scallops.
26:19If I walk into the third round with $11,000, I'm going to take it all.
26:24Three.
26:25Two.
26:25Two.
26:26One.
26:27Hands up!
26:29Everyone's a winner, except one.
26:32We'll hold that judgment until the end of tonight.
26:34May the best woman win.
26:37Eric is lucky he's got this one out.
26:39I wouldn't want to go against Sarah and I.
26:41Again.
26:44Can't say anything about what you cooked.
26:46It's the ultimate poker face.
26:48Malarkey's on his way.
26:50Hi.
26:54Shot.
26:56Oh, somebody didn't put their money on the table.
26:59So the chefs had 30 minutes to cook, $5,000.
27:02And the cards were tapas and imitation crab.
27:06Tapas, small little bites.
27:08I want this one.
27:09All right, get in there.
27:10Raw scallops on our imitation crab.
27:13This looks really elevated.
27:21Mmm.
27:22I really like what I'm seeing here.
27:25This gambler did not shy away from the crab.
27:29They literally highlighted it.
27:30The raw scallop makes you really believe it is fresh.
27:34A little oil burn right there.
27:37So it's like I'm getting that stringent kind of burnt flavor.
27:43Malarkey, come on.
27:44I lost four minutes in my cook.
27:45But really, world-class dish.
27:48And how about that other dish?
27:49Now this one.
27:52I like the wooden plate.
27:54It's a hot dog-looking crab of some sort.
27:56Maybe somebody had to deep fry something.
28:01What's up, man?
28:05What's up, man?
28:07Not what I expected.
28:09The breading, it's got a lot of herbaceousness to it.
28:12The flavor profile, it's amazing.
28:14My negative is that it doesn't highlight the imitation crab.
28:19There's so much flavor and so much breading that I'm losing that.
28:23If I win this, I'll be $6,500, which is cozy.
28:26If I lose this, I won't be very happy.
28:29This is extremely tough.
28:31Two amazing dishes and I'm really torn.
28:34Don't worry about it.
28:35I mean, there's only $5,000 on the table and the whole night hinges on your choice.
28:44The corn dog imitation crab tapa is my winner today.
28:47Thank you very much.
28:48Oh!
28:50It's so good.
28:52Small bites, big flavors.
28:54I'm calling .
28:57Why?
28:58I can see Eric.
28:59You sat back and kept your money.
29:00I did.
29:00I've seen how different scenarios in this game play out.
29:03Well, I think you've seen them all.
29:04Yeah, right?
29:05Brian, we're going to kick you out and we're going to see what happens when the smoke clears again.
29:09Y'all playing this time.
29:10I want to see it right here.
29:13So how much money do each of you have now?
29:14$6,500.
29:15I'm down to six.
29:17I've got $2,500.
29:19Right now, I'm focused on the all-in-hand.
29:21It's nice that the pot is sort of split evenly, so I'm looking forward to taking their money.
29:28All right, so round three.
29:30The all-in hand, ladies and gents.
29:32And what does that mean?
29:33It means I have to go all-in.
29:35I have the lowest stack at $2,500.
29:38I ain't scared, though.
29:39There it is.
29:40$2,500, ladies.
29:41Pony up.
29:42This round, Eric is, like, coming hard.
29:44He's like, this is my house and I don't want to lose.
29:48If I win this last round, I end up winning the lion's share of the money.
29:52So just like that, there's $7,500 in the pot.
29:54You're going to have 30 minutes for this cook.
29:57And again, we're going to have two community carts.
30:00The dish is high roller dinner.
30:05Ooh.
30:06Ooh.
30:06Okay.
30:07It's like a high roller in Vegas.
30:09Okay.
30:09Okay.
30:10Caviar.
30:11Gold leaf flying through the air.
30:14I like this.
30:15All right, now what about our ingredient?
30:19Are we ready?
30:19It's going to be the most low-brow thing.
30:22Oh, God, y'all.
30:23So your ingredient is fennel.
30:27Ooh.
30:28Okay.
30:29Oh, how I love fennel.
30:30I love fennel.
30:31Fennel is a beautiful ingredient.
30:32Even though it's very humble, you can play it up in so many different ways.
30:36Now remind me, Eric.
30:37Yeah.
30:37Why is this deck so different from the others?
30:40I've taken all of the wild cards, previously rejected for being too extreme, and put them
30:45together in this beautiful diamond deck.
30:48Are we ready?
30:49I'm a little scared.
30:50I'm going to give you each a card, and the whole game is going to change.
30:55You can only use frozen protein.
30:57I have to thaw the protein and then cook the protein in 30 minutes.
31:01This is a crazy, crazy handicap.
31:04I went all in already, so I don't have any more money, which means I can't taste my food at
31:07all.
31:10Oh, my!
31:14I love a poker face at a time like this.
31:16Oh, my God.
31:16That doesn't mean good or bad.
31:18We may as well reveal our diamond deck cards.
31:19Look at mine.
31:22Makes biscuits from scratch.
31:25Oh, my God.
31:26This card was made for me, but it doesn't mean it's a good thing.
31:29I don't know a person that makes biscuits better than Kelsey.
31:32You never know, guys.
31:33And I still have to do fennel and high roller with biscuits.
31:36Biscuits.
31:37Low dollar.
31:38All right, Sarah.
31:39Can only use frozen protein.
31:42Ooh.
31:42That's not too bad.
31:43It's not terrible.
31:45Eric, let's see your card.
31:46Can I taste food?
31:48I would take anything from this deck.
31:51The one thing I would want is to be able to taste what I'm making.
31:54It's gonna be tough.
31:54Tasting everything and making sure it's harmonious is super important.
31:57Sarah, you have $3,500.
31:59So if you win, you go home with $11,000.
32:01I like that.
32:02Eric, if you lose, you leave with zilch.
32:05But if you win, you win this whole pot.
32:07Yes, Chef.
32:08KBC, you're guaranteed to walk out of here with $4,000.
32:11Mm-hmm.
32:11But I think I'm gonna walk out with $11,500.
32:13Oof.
32:14We have a high roller dinner.
32:16We have to use fennel.
32:17$7,500, 30 minutes on the clock.
32:19You know what you have to do.
32:19Start now.
32:21Let's do it!
32:22Go, go, go!
32:24I'm thinking of all the most luxurious ingredients in that pantry.
32:28I'm going halibut.
32:30I can't go down.
32:31Like, no one's gonna respect me as the host.
32:33Y'all just leave this door open so that my stuff will start to fall.
32:36I see chicken thighs and huge honking pieces of salmon that will not thaw and cook in that amount of
32:42time.
32:42So I went chicken cutlet, which is not, like, very fancy.
32:44Come on.
32:45Well, KBC, you have fennel seed, you have fennel pollen, you have fennel.
32:49What are you gonna do?
32:50I'm doing a dessert.
32:51You're making a dessert.
32:52I am.
32:53Wild.
32:54What?
32:54So you have to make biscuits.
32:56What are you doing, like, a shortcake?
32:57It'll be a lot.
32:58I was a pastry chef at Michelin restaurants.
33:00So I'm focusing on how I treat the ingredients as the high roller part.
33:04You're not measuring?
33:05No, not this part.
33:07I have to feel this part.
33:08But the secret in making them is working really fast and keeping them really cold.
33:13I'm gonna make a small biscuit, because they'll cook faster, no doubt.
33:16The biscuit queen.
33:17I love it.
33:18I know I can make a perfect biscuit, but if you've never worked in the world,
33:23you just never know.
33:25All right, Sarah, do we know what we're thinking?
33:27So I gotta get something thawed and cooked in time.
33:31So I'm gonna go with the chicken cutlet, because it's thin.
33:33I'm at Vegas.
33:33I just won $100,000.
33:36You want a chicken cutlet?
33:38No.
33:38I would say that the least fancy of all the proteins is chicken cutlets.
33:43We like to call blonde chicken.
33:45So, like, how do I make this feel like a really elevated dish?
33:49Oh, this champagne vinegar tastes so good.
33:52Not right now.
33:53Nom, nom, nom, nom.
33:54Oh, man.
33:55I can't use my taste buds.
33:56It's a pretty gnarly wild card to work with.
33:58The cookery and the technique part doesn't necessarily need my taste buds, but really,
34:02tasting everything and making sure it's harmonious, that is absolutely important.
34:06And I don't have that.
34:07Blindly adding salt.
34:08I mean, how's he gonna feel when he comes back here, if he gets B?
34:13How does this make you feel, Eric?
34:14Have you been to therapy?
34:17Love the pine nuts.
34:18Make a little bit of a fennel, remolade situation.
34:22Love.
34:22The pine nuts, the earthiness boost up a high roller.
34:25If I win, I think it's one of the more impressive wins for me.
34:28Aren't we in the same exact situation we were on Top Chef?
34:31With KBC in first place, Sarah in second, and Eric in third.
34:35All right, all right, all right.
34:36I have to make sure that I protect this house, I protect my name.
34:40Eric, do you think this is gonna end the same way?
34:43Um, no, absolutely not.
34:44I'm here to win.
34:45I'm not letting these ladies take over again.
34:52Oh, ha.
34:53I just took my eye off my pine nuts.
34:55For a second, they just start getting way too dark.
34:58All in hand, 14 minutes left.
35:01Not a lot of time on the clock.
35:03I cannot lose.
35:05Ah.
35:09We've got the host of the show.
35:11All the money he has, bragging rights on the line here.
35:15This is time for redemption.
35:19Where's those pine nuts?
35:20There they are.
35:22So, Eric, are you pivoting?
35:23Because you have something in the fryer.
35:25I am, a little bit.
35:26Trying to get some pine nuts nice and toasted.
35:28You know what I really wish I could do right now, Chef?
35:30What?
35:31Taste my food.
35:32Cook with instinct.
35:33Honestly, that's the only thing I can do.
35:35Would you like me to taste something for you?
35:36I would be honored.
35:38I'll bet you would.
35:40KBC, are you making an ice cream or are you...
35:42I'm gonna make a fennel ice cream.
35:44I think that ice cream machine is definitely part of that high ruler thought.
35:47No, I've never made fennel ice cream before, but I've used other savory things in ice cream.
35:53The big kicker here is I'm making an anglaise ice cream base.
35:57It is a very time-consuming thing.
35:59So why do it in a situation like this?
36:01Because it is delicious.
36:03The key here is that you have to let this cool down before it gets in the ice cream machine.
36:07Because if not, it ends up crystallizing too fast.
36:10We got an ice cream going over here?
36:12Yeah.
36:12It's big risk, big reward.
36:13Six minutes left.
36:15How do I make this chicken feel like a really elevated dish?
36:19I love mushrooms.
36:21I see chanterelles, I see morels, I see king trumpets.
36:25I'm excited for this.
36:26I'm gonna make like this really yummy fennel marsala with tons of roasted mushrooms.
36:32I love the morels.
36:34And I love the way you scored those mushrooms.
36:36And then I'm gonna cover the whole damn thing in truffles.
36:42I don't care how much it costs the Food Network.
36:44Every truffle in-house, I'm gonna use them all.
36:50KBC, how's that ice cream machine?
36:51We're ready.
36:52I don't have time to let it totally cool down, so I just have to go with it.
36:55You're just going in the ice cream machine now with five minutes left?
36:59Three minutes.
37:00It's all I need.
37:01I'm definitely not cautious.
37:02I don't like to lose at all, especially not to Sarah and Eric.
37:07I don't want it to ever be too sweet.
37:09I want it to be very balanced.
37:10So I'm making like a kumquat marmalade.
37:13How those biscuits look.
37:16Okay.
37:22They're good.
37:23Is that a smile?
37:24Pretty great.
37:24That's the first smile I've clocked today.
37:27Two and a half minutes left.
37:28I put that halibut dead center on my plate,
37:31adding a little bit of roe to the fennel sauce that I made,
37:33pour a little bit of that sauce all over it.
37:36I start with the chicken on the bottom.
37:38Off to the side, I put my king trumpet mushroom.
37:41I then cover it in this beautiful, rich mushroom fennel sauce that I've made.
37:46Putting the fennel fronds out so it looks like a fan.
37:48I'm going to start with this kumquat marmalade and then the biscuit.
37:52Did you get the ice cream?
37:53Nope.
37:54You're going to get it.
37:54You got 43 cents.
37:55I got it.
37:56Why are you walking over?
37:57You got this.
37:58Do it.
37:59I'm like seconds away in the freaking ice cream overturn.
38:04No!
38:05Open it up.
38:06Open the machine up.
38:09I'm like scraping it out.
38:10I need more than a minute to plate this, y'all.
38:12You got 10 seconds left.
38:14It's about to be sprinkled.
38:15That's a great idea.
38:16Thank you, chef.
38:17Way to pivot.
38:18Respect.
38:19Four, three, two, one.
38:22That's it.
38:23Hands up.
38:27All right, now you can try your food, Eric.
38:29Now I want to see what you think.
38:31I'm going to try it, yeah.
38:31How is it?
38:32It would have been better if I could season it, but overall it's a really tasty dish.
38:35There's $7,500 in that pot.
38:37It has my name on it.
38:38I absolutely want that.
38:39Go take it all.
38:41Go take it all.
38:42Can I take it all?
38:43Hi.
38:44Hi, everyone.
38:45Yeah.
38:47All your cash in here.
38:48All three of these competitors really want to beat each other.
38:50There are bragging rights here.
38:51There's also $7,500 on the table.
38:53One chef can go home with nothing.
38:55Happens to also be the host of the show.
38:56I love you, Eric.
38:58Me too.
38:59I have seen some of the best chefs in the country walk away with zero money.
39:03So the cards were high roller dinner and fennel.
39:07I've got to do it.
39:09The plate, the gold rim, the truffles, this just screams high end.
39:15Oh, what is underneath?
39:17Wouldn't it be funny if you had high roller and you got a chicken breast?
39:29The sauce is beautiful.
39:31The truffles are really nice.
39:32It's screaming high end, like over the top.
39:36Truffle, truffle, truffle, truffle, truffle.
39:38But I can't hear the fennel.
39:40Hello, fennel.
39:41It takes everything in my soul to not be like, there's fennel there and there's fennel there.
39:49I don't know what he's talking about.
39:51All right, next dish.
39:53I am a sucker for trout roe.
39:57This looks so rich.
39:59Compound butter on the top.
40:02Mmm.
40:06That's some beautifully cooked halibut, which is a very luxurious fish.
40:10Everything really, really goes together.
40:12It is very elegant and definitely high end, but it doesn't scream fennel.
40:18Maybe touch more acid in this one.
40:21Shenanigans.
40:21Dude, if I would have tasted that, I obviously would have put more acid in it.
40:25But I keep eating it because it's so good.
40:27Next dish.
40:28This one's got fennel and it is screaming at us.
40:32It is presented elegantly.
40:34This is a very interesting dish.
40:40It's really, really fun.
40:42The biscuit is cooked beautifully.
40:45It definitely fits into the high roller category.
40:48There seems to be a lot more fennel on the side of the plate than actually in it.
40:51It's not highlighting the fennel.
40:53How?
40:54There could not be more fennel in this dish.
40:56It's a really great first course to a high end dinner.
41:00Just pick a winner.
41:02It's late and there's a lot of money on the table.
41:05I'm just going to say which dish I think is the best.
41:08And then I'm going to run out of here.
41:11The dish is...
41:18Halibut is my winner today.
41:20Yeah!
41:23Thank you, thank you, thank you.
41:25It just was so well-balanced.
41:27The sauce is world-class.
41:28Were you nervous?
41:29I was nervous, but you got to slow play this game.
41:32Brian, you are off a bunch of Christmas lists.
41:35Sarah has 3,500.
41:37KBC has 4,000.
41:39And Eric has 7,500.
41:40A huge round of applause for an awesome pose.
41:43Chef Alex.
41:45Thank you, Eric.
41:45You did well, but I'm happy to get my seat and my title back.
41:49I defended the house.
41:51Eric!
41:52It's absolutely legit bragging rights.
41:54Listen, Kelsey, Sarah, they'll definitely be seeing some dollar sign emojis the next time they look at their phone.
42:00I'm getting out of here!
42:01My job.
42:01Oh, yes, it is.
42:03I'm getting tired!
42:03Hey, hey, hey.
42:05I'm going to go for it.
42:06Bye!
42:06Bye!
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