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00:13Top Chef is back!
00:16Whoo!
00:17Bring it on!
00:1815 chefs have come to the Carolinas
00:20to compete in the ultimate culinary showdown.
00:23Uh-oh, we got a fire!
00:24I'm a wild man.
00:25Mexican, born in Chicago.
00:27I've been living in the Carolinas for the last five years.
00:2913 years now.
00:31I want to represent.
00:36Let's go!
00:37Top Chef is the biggest culinary stage.
00:39Punjabi are here.
00:40That means Punjabis are here to represent their food
00:44and their culture.
00:49I've been trying to get on Top Chef for, like, 11 years.
00:52I am your next Top Chef winner.
00:56You will not be going home today.
01:01I'm not going home, but someone is.
01:04I'm not treating this like Burning Man.
01:06I'm not here to find myself.
01:08I'm just here to go up against the best of them.
01:10I'm not here to play patty cake.
01:18I come from a lineage of Michelin kitchens.
01:21My first kitchen job was at La Cirque.
01:24I don't know how I'm not gonna win this.
01:26When do I get my prize?
01:27At stake for the winner, the ultimate grand prize
01:31of a quarter of a million dollars
01:32provided by Graza Olive Oil,
01:34a feature in Food & Wine magazine,
01:36plus an appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen,
01:39their own exclusive dinner
01:40at the historic James Beard House in New York,
01:42and the opportunity to present at the James Beard Awards,
01:45the restaurant industry's biggest night of the year,
01:48and the title of Top Chef.
01:52No!
01:54No!
02:05No!
02:05No!
02:07No!
02:09No!
02:09No!
02:10No!
02:10No!
02:12No!
02:12No!
02:13No!
02:14No!
02:18No!
02:19That's all.
02:21Yeah?
02:22It's beautiful.
02:25Wow!
02:27Let's go!
02:29That's all.
02:30Hey Chefs.
02:31Come on over.
02:35I cannot believe that I'm here.
02:39Actually, I can't believe it.
02:40There are two renowned Afro-Curibian restaurants in Atlanta, and I opened both of them.
02:45So I'm ready.
02:46Let's bring it on.
02:47Are we getting in those cars?
02:48Hey, what's up?
02:51Hey, chefs.
02:52Hello.
02:53Welcome to Top Chef Carolinas.
02:56And welcome to Charlotte.
02:57You're invited?
02:59Yeah.
03:01Charlotte's got a lot.
03:02There's some deep culinary traditions, but embracing new trends as well, making its own identity.
03:06I spent many summers down in South Carolina, so I'm really excited to see what North Carolina has to offer.
03:13I set a challenge for myself where I know everybody's name without you telling me.
03:17I prefer to wait until some of you are gone.
03:18This way it's easier.
03:21Ice cold.
03:23Brittany, you're in Charlotte.
03:25That's right.
03:26We met before, right?
03:27We did.
03:27We did a couple years ago, yeah.
03:28Yeah, Policchio, nice guy.
03:30Came to my restaurant, Sajioni, here in Charlotte.
03:32I am a transplant.
03:34I worked in a one Michelin star restaurant, Marc Borgione.
03:36I worked in a two Michelin star restaurant, Marea, both in New York City.
03:39I'm going to give it to you like it's straight, but I'm going to be sweet about it.
03:42I don't want to be Captain Obvious here, but you kind of look alike with the same color shirts.
03:47Jonathan and Brandon.
03:49Identical twins?
03:50Yeah.
03:50You like separated yourself far enough.
03:53Yeah.
03:53Who's a better chef?
03:54We're going to find out.
03:55We're going to find out.
03:56We're going to find out.
03:57We know who the humble chef is.
03:59Yeah.
04:00You know, we've been in competition with each other our whole life, whether it's career.
04:04Yeah.
04:04I mean, career, school, sports, you name it.
04:07I've cooked with Chef Alan Susser, a James Beard Award winning chef.
04:11Le Scalier, which was a five star, five diamond.
04:13I currently work with Chef Edward Lee.
04:15Charlie Palmer Oriel, which is a one Michelin star.
04:18It's all fun to get used now, but I'm a smoking bill.
04:20Hey, it's on.
04:22I might get confused between you two.
04:24Anyone else know each other?
04:26Uh, yes.
04:27Justin?
04:28My boss followed me here.
04:29Wow.
04:29Got it.
04:31Y'all a couple?
04:32Yeah.
04:33Been happily together for 16 years.
04:35We've worked together 10 years now.
04:38At least.
04:39Yeah.
04:39Working as co-executive chefs.
04:41When we were at Voyager, we won Food and Wine Best New Restaurant.
04:45I'll say it.
04:46She's a much better cook than me, for sure.
04:48Thanks, Justin.
04:50You're here to fight it out for a quarter of a million dollars, furnished by Graza Olive Oil
04:55and the title of Top Chef.
04:57Woo!
04:58Let's go!
04:59Ready.
05:00You know the drill by now.
05:02There will be no immunity given for quickfire challenges.
05:04So, instead, you'll have the chance to earn an additional $100,000 in quickfire quick
05:10cash all season long.
05:11That's a lot of money.
05:13I'm leaving here with something.
05:14Okay.
05:15Who's ready to leave your competition in the dust?
05:22You can't talk about the Carolinas without talking about NASCAR, which is obviously why
05:26we're here at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
05:28Here to judge your first quickfire are two people that know a thing or two about NASCAR.
05:33Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kyle Busch.
05:37And seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Jimmy Johnson, who is just inducted into the
05:42NASCAR Hall of Fame.
05:43Woo!
05:44Woo!
05:45It's great to see everybody.
05:47Well, well, well, it's Jimmy Johnson.
05:50Hi, Joanne.
05:51Hey, Jimmy.
05:52Great to see you.
05:53It's my boss.
05:55Legacy Motor Club hired me as a Vietnamese-American chef who did all of her training in France
06:01to come into NASCAR and completely create a new program that no other team is doing.
06:07No favoritism there.
06:09Perfect.
06:09Understood.
06:11NASCAR grew out of the tradition of bootlegging in the Carolinas, where moonshiners souped up
06:17cars to outrun the law.
06:19Is that true?
06:20It is.
06:21The best drivers and the fastest cars were based in this area because they were trying
06:25to outrun the cops.
06:26Are you still outrunning the law?
06:27No, sir.
06:29That is not my job during the week.
06:31My job is on Sundays.
06:32Got it.
06:34Chefs, we want you right now to split yourselves into five teams of three.
06:39She's on my team.
06:42Jesse.
06:42Brittany.
06:43Justin.
06:43Brittany.
06:44Nice to meet you.
06:45Let's kill this man.
06:46Who's your partner?
06:47Justin.
06:47Curly hair.
06:48Short, cute little dude.
06:50I feel like I need to do the first challenge on my own because I came here to see what
06:54I can
06:54do as Jennifer and not as Jennifer and Justin.
06:58As a team, you only have to create one dish.
07:02It can be anything your team wants to make using the ingredients we have in the pantry.
07:06But there won't be a traditional clock today.
07:09You've got to do a while they race.
07:10You're going to have the time that it takes a professional driver to take 23 laps.
07:16Chill.
07:1623 laps, you know, 23rd season.
07:19Chill.
07:19Not only will you be putting your cooking skills to the test, but also your time management
07:24and plating skills as well.
07:26You cannot start plating until the final lap.
07:29Ooh.
07:30Ooh.
07:30Don't worry.
07:31I've got a great sashimi dish.
07:32Just like all of the challenges, you definitely want to win this one because there is $15,000
07:36for the winning team.
07:38Ooh.
07:38Hell yes.
07:39But that's not all.
07:40The winning team gets to take a victory lap in these race cars.
07:44Yes.
07:45Yes.
07:45Yes, yes, yes.
07:46Yes, yes, yes.
07:48Yes.
07:49On your marks.
07:52Get set.
07:53Go.
08:02Oh, be careful.
08:04Everybody sell the tumble, huh?
08:06All right.
08:07I think we go like super simple.
08:08Like I got chili.
08:09I was doing the same thing.
08:10Let's go to the pantry, guys.
08:12Look for raw fish.
08:14I got tomatoes.
08:15I got citrus.
08:16I have chili.
08:17Green team, I got snapper.
08:18You can go start with drink.
08:20All right.
08:21I'm running getting seafood.
08:23Hey, I got crab and shrimp.
08:26Last one.
08:27We could do a crudo.
08:29We'll start with snapper.
08:30It's such a hot day.
08:30The first thing I was thinking about was like, let's do a raw preparation.
08:33Not only is it quick, but it's efficient.
08:35So you make the cure.
08:36I'll cut the fish.
08:37Butchering fish is something I can do very well.
08:39I can do this in five minutes.
08:40Easy, mate.
08:42I've seen Brandon on YouTube.
08:46Damn, that's tender.
08:47He's confident in the things that he says and he's confident in his actions.
08:50We're going to use these cherry tomatoes.
08:51But the ego can go a long way or get you cut down real quick.
08:55What do we have for crunch?
08:56Crunch fried kale.
08:57That's a good idea.
09:00Hush puppy vibe.
09:01Yep, I got it.
09:02I'm going to get these shrimp off.
09:03I'm going to chop them up to throw them in there, okay?
09:05Jennifer's focused on making like the perfect hush puppy.
09:08All right, they're on lap two.
09:09Let's go, baby.
09:10Hush puppy is a good dish because, you know, it's a southern staple.
09:13It's a Carolinian staple.
09:15Come on, we got to make family meal.
09:16Got to be ready in 20 laps.
09:20We are making a brown butter harissa shrimp.
09:24Yes.
09:24We're in the hot sun.
09:26I know that if we make something cold, it might be too hard to keep it cool.
09:30And the first thing I think about is I can make a butter sauce.
09:33What do you got?
09:33I have cabbage going and making pickling liquid.
09:36Brown butter sauce actually sounds pretty heavy.
09:40So instantly I'm thinking let's add some pickled element as well to balance.
09:45Pickling green tomatoes.
09:48Left five, left five.
09:49We got to get on a snapper.
09:51Wow, it's hot.
09:51Ooh, I love the sea snapper.
09:53What flavors are we going for, guys?
09:54Yeah, like I'll make a coconut-based sauce.
09:56You do some veggies to go with the fish, okay?
09:58I was Chef de Cuisine at 21 years of age.
10:01I always bring the inner talent and the strengths of people together and present that on the plate.
10:06It will be kind of a moily sauce from the southern, so we'll just give a light seasoning to the
10:10fish.
10:12I think we should throw the shrimp in the hush puppy.
10:13What do you think, Jennifer?
10:15Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
10:16Yeah, I think we put all the seafood in the hush puppy so we have one thing.
10:19Yeah.
10:19Let's do it.
10:20All right.
10:24Lay the shrimp down and pound it.
10:26I have ice water in here.
10:28Sounds great.
10:28This dish is not necessarily my style.
10:31I worked for Jose Andres for a good part of eight years, but now I live in Hawaii, making creative
10:37Japanese cuisine.
10:38It's an entire island, hopefully rooting for me.
10:42Flavor's good.
10:43Lab 13.
10:44We got 10 more to go, y'all.
10:47Hey, bro!
10:48Hey, brother!
10:49Why are you giving me this island treatment, bro?
10:51I see your shiny hat down there.
10:52It's not snack time right now.
10:54Woo!
10:55Woo!
10:55Woo!
10:56Woo!
10:56Woo!
10:57Woo!
10:58Woo!
10:59All right, how are you looking?
11:00Oh, I feel like these aren't turning out.
11:02I'm working on the hush puppies, and I just don't feel like they're coming together.
11:06Currently, it's a little bit too much shrimp in the batter.
11:09Lab 15, y'all.
11:10It's moving quick.
11:11Let's get ready.
11:12Guys, put everything on the grill.
11:14These aren't turning out.
11:15If we can't figure this out, we're not going to have a ditch.
11:17Sorry, I dumped them all.
11:18They're not good.
11:19Come on.
11:25Come on.
11:27All right, 18 laps, guys.
11:29We got this.
11:30I'm going to take pache to medium.
11:31Cooking the fish in the middle of the speedway is tough.
11:35I don't want the Carolina Sun overcooking it.
11:37I think, yeah, don't overcook it.
11:39No more.
11:39No more.
11:41All right, guys.
11:42Do you want to try this hush pup so I can get them going so they can sit for a
11:45sec?
11:45It's a little greasy.
11:46Yeah.
11:46Yeah, it's very.
11:47Adding more flour.
11:49Jennifer's tiny but mighty.
11:51There we go.
11:52Now we talking.
11:53With a little bit more flour, boom, good to go.
11:55We had to give it a little jump start.
11:57Ha.
11:58Season it right when it comes out of the fryer.
12:00We're lab 20, guys.
12:01We got three labs.
12:02Woo.
12:03Y'all, it's hot out here, huh?
12:04Oh, my God.
12:04I am sweating.
12:06I'm going to fry up some kale if you guys are cool with that.
12:08Yeah, go for it.
12:09Miserable doesn't describe it.
12:10These stainless steel prep tables, it's like 70s tanners with the aluminum foil.
12:16Just a touch thinner if we can.
12:18And not to be a dickhead.
12:19Diago Chile has so much flavor.
12:21Grew up in Brazil, baby.
12:22I know sweat.
12:23I glow.
12:25Let's do it.
12:26Lab 22.
12:27Come on, we're about to start plating, guys.
12:29Lab 22.
12:30We need a garnish.
12:31Go grab some microgreens.
12:32Before becoming a chef, I was working in fashion.
12:35I just love a well-dressed plate.
12:38But we have to wait for the final lap to plate our dish.
12:41So I go sauce, then Nana, you go shrimp.
12:43They're heading back.
12:44They're heading back.
12:44Everything you're using, have in front of you.
12:49Plating, plating.
12:50Come on.
12:5023.
12:5123.
12:51Go, go, go.
12:52You can start plating.
12:53All right.
12:54Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry.
12:55Mushpuppies on, please.
12:56This isn't looking as good as I thought it would.
12:58Girl, we need to make it on the plate.
13:00Come on.
13:01Put the salad.
13:03Hit it with just a little bit of salt.
13:04I got it.
13:07Penel, penel, penel.
13:08Reddish.
13:16Chefs, your time's up.
13:18Put your hands up.
13:19You got to put your hands up.
13:21I'm gutted because not every single dish
13:23got a piece of kale on it.
13:25Sucks minus the kale.
13:29Red team, you can come on up.
13:30Okay, here we go.
13:33What'd you make for us?
13:34Right here, you've got a little bit of cured snapper
13:37and tomato vinaigrette, avocado, radish, cucumber.
13:40Why do all the plates look different?
13:43Crispy kale didn't make it on them.
13:44Okay.
13:45I love a warm crudo.
13:47I know, right?
13:47Yeah.
13:48You guys want to cut this thick?
13:50I was going a little fast.
13:51I'll take the blame for that one.
13:52How'd you guys feel about the pace of the car?
13:53It slowed down a little.
13:54What is this feeling in here?
13:56This is ridiculous.
13:58Thank you, guys.
13:58Thanks.
13:59Green team.
14:00Hello.
14:01Hi.
14:02Oh, cooked fish.
14:03Fabulous.
14:03You have a pan-seared red snapper, corn kernel, and cauliflower florette salad with moily sauce.
14:09Did you guys find it cohesive working as a team for the first time?
14:12Oh, this team worked.
14:13Loved the team work.
14:14A lot of yelling, a lot of coordination.
14:16It was great.
14:17Thanks, guys.
14:17Thank you so much.
14:18My fish is rrrr.
14:20Really?
14:20Not even close.
14:22Oh, yeah.
14:23First time cooking together, it was really good.
14:26Hello.
14:27Hello, hello.
14:28Hi.
14:28Na-na, duen, dey.
14:30Beautiful.
14:30You got it.
14:31Okay.
14:31In front of you, you have a harissa butter poached shrimp with charred red cabbage and
14:37a pickled green tomato.
14:39What is the sauce?
14:40Sauce is a harissa butter.
14:43Purple team, come on up.
14:45Hello, buddy.
14:46Hey, hey, hey.
14:46How are you, sir?
14:47All right.
14:47So we decided to do shrimp ceviche and avocado agua chili.
14:51On top of that, we put a little bit of a crab salad.
14:53How'd you keep it cold in this heat?
14:55Under the table.
14:56It's a miracle.
14:57Yeah.
14:58Great.
14:59Thank you, Shanti.
15:01It's great.
15:05Jonathan, Jennifer, Lawrence.
15:08Yes.
15:09Today, we made a crab and shrimp hush puppy with a harissa aioli and a napa and peach salad.
15:16You feel good about this, huh?
15:18Yeah.
15:18We knew everybody was going to do a cold seafood dish, so we were like, you know what?
15:21Let's go in.
15:22First challenge, let's make it happen.
15:23Good.
15:24Tough decision.
15:27Judges, how do we think the chefs did with their very first quick fire?
15:31I thought they did great.
15:32What a tough environment to work in.
15:34Action packed, heat on the stove, heat in the kitchen.
15:37These guys are pros.
15:39There were a couple dishes that ran out of a little gas.
15:44Jimmy?
15:45With the red team, there seemed to be one ingredient missing off of a few plates with
15:49the kale.
15:51Also, I got a big chunk of fish.
15:52It was like a filet.
15:55And there was another dish that did fall just a little bit short.
15:59The green team, you know, it wasn't a bad dish.
16:03With the competition, though, that's here, it might have been a little bit outdone.
16:06My fish was raw.
16:08Not even close to being cooked.
16:11Who had our favorite dishes of the day?
16:16Purple team did a great job.
16:17The ceviche was beautifully cured.
16:19It was impressive to have the dish be that cold in these conditions.
16:24Good job.
16:24Good job.
16:25Who else had one of our favorite dishes?
16:27The other team.
16:28The harissa butter was gorgeous.
16:30It was emulsified beautifully.
16:32And the pickled green tomato.
16:34Oh, right.
16:35That was my favorite part.
16:36Yes.
16:36Just a little pickle.
16:38That leaves blue team.
16:40The hush puppy itself was really nicely seasoned.
16:42It was beautifully fried.
16:43It was delicious.
16:44Awesome.
16:44But the peaches in that dish gave me that nice little taste of freshness and some sweet
16:48as well, too.
16:51Jimmy and Kyle, as our guest judges, you get to announce our very first quickfire winners
16:55of the season.
16:56The winning team really pushed themselves to the limit.
16:58Absolutely.
16:59And the winning team today is...
17:03Blue team.
17:04Yes!
17:05Go!
17:06Let's go!
17:08Take that, Brandon.
17:09I knew I pissed him off.
17:11Sorry.
17:11I had to say that.
17:12You just won $5,000 each.
17:15Awesome.
17:15$5,000 each.
17:17I'm very excited.
17:19All right, chefs, it's time for your victory lap.
17:21Go ahead.
17:21Winning that first one, I'm here to compete.
17:27Oh, my testosterone level is elevated.
17:35All right.
17:35There we go.
17:42They're on the wall.
17:43Look at that.
17:46It's faster than my Mini Cooper.
17:49You know, it's got a baby car seat that lives in it and a stroller in the back, so I
17:54don't
17:54go that fast.
18:01Jimmy, Kyle, thank you for being here.
18:04Such a pleasure.
18:05It was really, truly an honor.
18:06Bye, everyone.
18:07Bye.
18:08See you soon.
18:08Take care, everybody.
18:12We're not slowing down just yet.
18:14It only gets sweeter from here.
18:20North Carolina is the number one producer of sweet potatoes in the U.S.
18:24It's so important here that it's actually the official state vegetable.
18:27If you haven't guessed it already, the next challenge will focus on sweet potatoes.
18:33Here we have a beautiful supply of Carolina-grown sweet potatoes in a variety of texture, colors,
18:39and tastes.
18:40We have Covington, Norton, Purple Majesty, Murasaki, and Carolina Ruby.
18:49You're each going to draw a knife to determine which sweet potato you're going to have to
18:53showcase in your dish.
18:54Carolina Ruby.
18:56Carolina Ruby's is like the layup of sweet potatoes.
18:59It's always beautiful.
19:01Norton.
19:02Oh, man.
19:03I can get the short stroke, the Norton.
19:04It has zero flavor.
19:06All right, I need to, like, make this taste like something.
19:09For your elimination challenge, we want to see who you are as chefs by turning this humble
19:13ingredient into a high-end dish.
19:16However, you're only going to get one hour to do it in.
19:20Tomorrow, you'll serve at La Belle Helene, which is run by our very own Top Chef All-Star,
19:25Jamie Lynch.
19:26There, you're going to serve James Beard-nominated chefs Chidi Kumar, Kyle Johnson, and your guest
19:33judges, award-winning chef Sean Brock and Jamie Lynch.
19:37This is an individual challenge, but you will be serving in groups of three.
19:40In each group, there will be one winner and another one that will be up for elimination.
19:46Chefs, you should know that immunity is on the table for the elimination challenge.
19:49And it's more crucial for this season because you'll have to survive the first two elimination
19:54challenges before you even get a shot at Last Chance Kitchen.
19:56So the first two that are eliminated are not going to Last Chance Kitchen.
20:00Wonderful.
20:01We just got here, and it's already threatening to kick you out.
20:04I'm trying to run ice through my veins, but the reality is there, and I'm feeling a little
20:07bit of butterflies in my stomach.
20:09Good luck.
20:09We'll see you tomorrow.
20:23One hour to cook and play in a kitchen we've never seen before.
20:26Sweet potato has to be the star.
20:28Yes, chef.
20:28You guys have plans?
20:30Cook fast.
20:31Don't do a big potato.
20:33Which restaurant you are in D.C.?
20:34Marcus Ammonson's new restaurant.
20:36Marcus will comment that I am too humble.
20:39I should be a bit more show-offy.
20:40I know I'm going to have to push myself because I don't want to be back on the bottom again.
20:46Where'd you go to school?
20:47Same one as you, actually.
20:48We went to Johnson & Williams.
20:49We went to Sandia.
20:50Did we?
20:51Yeah, we're on the same floor.
20:52Oh, Jesus.
20:53I'm so sorry.
20:54You're fine.
20:55You're fine.
20:57Joy-Pank account, by the way.
20:59Yes.
21:00Are you going to marry?
21:01No.
21:02We've been together 16 years.
21:04What's the holdup?
21:05Like, if we proposed, I'd say yes.
21:07She won't let me put a ring on it, so...
21:09Um, we consider ourselves life partners.
21:12Doesn't get in the way.
21:13No, not at all.
21:14Yeah, yeah.
21:20Pardon me.
21:21Behind, behind, behind.
21:23Oh, coming through.
21:24Coming through, guys.
21:26What are you doing over there?
21:27I am making a sweet potato mochi, actually.
21:32It's a dish that my mom kind of makes.
21:34This mochi, there's normally mung beans inside
21:37and this, like, ginger soup,
21:39but I am going to fill this mochi with some sweet potatoes.
21:42I'm doing a dessert as well, but it's top secret.
21:45Oh!
21:46When I was a child,
21:47my grandma used to make this sweet potato with marshmallow.
21:50That was a combination I'll never forget.
21:51Me and my brother used to crush it.
21:52We got eggs, coconut cream.
21:55So I want to make sweet potato with meringue on the side.
21:58Do you know what Jonathan's making?
22:00I don't know what Jonathan's making.
22:02Do you know what Jonathan's making?
22:0414 minutes, y'all.
22:0514 minutes.
22:06Sorry to remind you.
22:07All these damn chefs everywhere.
22:10Oh, sorry.
22:11I'm so sorry.
22:11How dare you.
22:12I'm so sorry.
22:13I don't know where this was.
22:14Is that bad?
22:15Come on, dude.
22:17You took my...
22:18Where's my cup?
22:19I'm looking for a broth for my collards.
22:23I'm going to do a little West Africa meets the South.
22:26I'm a private chef,
22:27but I started my career in places like Wolfgang Puck,
22:30Jose Garces, and Lake Cuckoo.
22:33And then the pandemic happened.
22:35Lord have mercy.
22:38I had to pivot.
22:39We did West African-focused supper cups.
22:42I really love bringing people together over food.
22:45It's going to work.
22:47It's going to.
22:48You good, chef?
22:48Yeah, you good?
22:49Yeah.
22:51Hell yeah.
22:52First time I'm under budget in anything in life.
22:55This right here, that's the most important ingredient, okay?
22:57See that?
22:58Brandon, I got you, bro.
22:59I'll give you half.
23:01This way.
23:10Wow.
23:13Look at this.
23:14This is Kyoong.
23:17Nice.
23:18Cheers.
23:20How are y'all?
23:22Tough day today.
23:24First quick fire.
23:25Quick fire?
23:26Some of us did great.
23:27Some of us failed miserably.
23:29Yeah.
23:31Nice fire.
23:32What are you doing?
23:33Woo-hoo!
23:35So when did you figure out we were both auditioning for the same thing?
23:39I was at your restaurant during the opening, and every time I said, oh, I need to go take
23:44a call, you're like, oh, I have a call, too.
23:46Y'all auditioning at the same restaurant?
23:48No, like, we have what we call a task force.
23:50So if we're opening a new restaurant, Marcus will gather some of us and ship us over.
23:55Marcus Samuelson is a class act.
23:58He has given me the floor to cook the food that I want to cook.
24:01To me, that's incredible.
24:03And Anthony is coming from the same situation.
24:06We both have been preparing for this for a long time.
24:08My bags are like 80 pounds.
24:10That's like 50 pounds.
24:11All face masks.
24:12I'm like, maybe I'm doing too much skincare on Top Chef.
24:18So what happens if, like, she wins?
24:20I hope she wins.
24:21That'd be awesome.
24:22Jennifer and I opened our very first restaurant, Bunny Bunny, financed it ourselves, but it nearly
24:27broke us mentally and physically.
24:29It definitely did financially.
24:31She won five grand a day, and I'm like, she's not sharing.
24:35She's good.
24:35She's chilling.
24:54Hang a left.
24:55Yeah.
24:57Sweet Potatoes, Carolina Ruby.
24:59Carolina Ruby.
25:01Bam.
25:03I've never worked with this potato before.
25:05It's going to be a little bit of a challenge.
25:07It's super sweet.
25:08Not as wet as the other sweet potatoes.
25:10No last chance kitchen.
25:11A lot's on the line here.
25:12That's what we're here, right?
25:14I was going to make, like, a sweet potato pie, you know, like my grandma makes, but one
25:17hour is not a lot of time to cook sweet potatoes, so I've got a few little tricks up my
25:20sleeve.
25:21I can make a savory dish that mimics my grandmother's sweet potato pie.
25:24I'm feeling inspired.
25:26I'm going to do, like, a quick pan sautΓ© so that I can infuse as much flavor as possible.
25:31Just going to season it with a ton of herbs.
25:33Usually in Haitian cooking, we use a lot of fresh herbs, but I don't have time to build flavor,
25:39so I'm going to add some of the Provence.
25:42I am making snapper.
25:43Make sure that they get a lot of flavor.
25:45I got a lot of herbs, child.
25:47I'm like, woo!
25:53Time to peel.
25:54Nana, you ever cooked mirasaki before?
25:56I have not.
25:57First time for everything.
25:58I know, I know.
26:00It's good for roasting.
26:01Slightly sweet flavor.
26:02Why'd they give us the smallest sweet potato?
26:04That's why I'm like, ah!
26:06What are you doing?
26:07Before I opened my own restaurant, I never cooked Chinese food.
26:09I cooked Turkish food, so I wanted to give an ode to that Turkish cuisine.
26:13Doing a sweet potato sarma wrapped in some collard greens.
26:17Oh, look at you trying to be me, son.
26:19Listen.
26:19Am I going to answer?
26:20You might be.
26:21Anthony, what are you doing?
26:22Three preparations of sweet potato.
26:24An acro, a fondant, and then a jus.
26:26Acro of what?
26:27Of the sweet potato.
26:28Oh!
26:29I'm going to just shred the sweet potato and scoop them right into the fryer.
26:31Look at you.
26:3443 minutes left.
26:3543.
26:39Here we go, chefs.
26:40Welcome to the party.
26:42And potatoes are starchy, my guys.
26:44Excellent.
26:45Couldn't be happier.
26:46What are you going to do?
26:47A dessert.
26:48Woo!
26:49Uh-oh.
26:50In one hour?
26:51I am dual savory and pastry chef.
26:54We got meringue.
26:54Let's button this up.
26:55I was working at Alinea in Chicago, and the chocolate guy doesn't show up.
26:59I said, chef, I can temper chocolate.
27:01And everybody kind of gasped.
27:02I worked my station and the pastry station, and I reigned supreme.
27:06I hope y'all ready, because I came to cook.
27:09Oscar, what you working on?
27:10Deconstructed hash.
27:11A little Mexico meets the American South.
27:13Chorizo that I'm going to remix.
27:16Remix!
27:19I've never made this before.
27:20Never have I ever worked with Purple Majesty, but it's beautiful.
27:24Making some curry poached potatoes.
27:27Cook you little .
27:33I'm going to turn it on station.
27:35Guys, I have all the sweet potatoes to take from me, okay?
27:38How you guys are doing?
27:39Good?
27:39Yeah.
27:40I'm going to play with the textures.
27:42One steamed, one puree, and then a crispy.
27:45I need to get something on the stove pretty soon.
27:48I'm going classic with pork and potato.
27:51Can't go wrong, especially here in the South.
27:52Do you feel like you have enough time?
27:54I think so.
27:55I'm thankful I got the Covington.
27:56Perfect amount of sweetness.
27:57It holds its texture well.
27:59Chef, you familiar with Covington's?
28:00Yeah, I'm making a khichdi with rice and lentil and sweet potatoes on top.
28:04It's going to represent my culture.
28:06Coming down.
28:07Down.
28:08Yep.
28:10Boom.
28:11Behind?
28:11Behind?
28:12This kitchen's crazy.
28:13Things are ramping up.
28:14Trying to put eyes on a blowtorch?
28:16My space gets smaller and smaller.
28:18Behind?
28:18Behind coming through.
28:19Behind.
28:20Sauces are flying.
28:21Oh, God.
28:22What, what?
28:22Move your guy, move your guy, move your guy.
28:24It's wild.
28:27Blowtorch anywhere?
28:28Okay.
28:29I'm just going to do a couple more, and then I got to get this in.
28:32Nana, she was peeling sweet potatoes forever, so I know this is going to be like a heavy hitter
28:37of like sweet potatoes.
28:39I'm sweating.
28:40I probably won't even eat all this.
28:45These Nortons, they're not clean, y'all, just so you know.
28:48Heard.
28:49All right, time to make some mochi.
28:51Working at Arpegg, vegetables were a big part of a dessert.
28:57I went to the best culinary school in Paris, worked at three Michelin-star restaurants, so
29:01I did the damn thing, but regardless of all that, I want to add a piece of myself into
29:06every single dish.
29:07Okay.
29:0847 minutes, chef.
29:10I need someone big and strong to open this for me.
29:13I want to go sweet and savory, so it's going to be a riff on my grandmother's sweet potato
29:17pie.
29:18Nice.
29:18Is anyone sweating yet?
29:20Yes, so much.
29:21No way, me too.
29:22Very much.
29:23You know, I like to develop a lot of flavor, so I'm going to throw them in a bag.
29:27I'm going to hit with some olive oil, and they should be perfectly cooked.
29:30Right behind.
29:31What you got going on with those carrots?
29:33Doing a quick smoke cam stock that I'm going to reduce down to a jus in 30 minutes.
29:3930 minutes.
29:40I'm going to bust in the door with West African ingredients like palm oil stock with crayfish
29:46that are near and dear to my heart.
29:48Make the happen.
29:51All right, Carolina rubies, 26 minutes.
29:5426 minutes.
29:55Is this on?
29:56This oven isn't even on.
29:58I spent five minutes thinking that the oven was on.
30:01The oven was never on.
30:04What the ?
30:05So now I have to put the snapper in the back of it.
30:08All my plans, out the window, behind.
30:10Then I remember, oh, I got to work a saws.
30:13Behind.
30:14She will not be going home today.
30:2317 minutes.
30:24Wait, Chef.
30:25All right, let's go.
30:27I need to pop this piece of fish under the heat lamp just to make sure it cooks through.
30:33Is that heat light on above my fish?
30:35Yeah, wait, wait, yeah.
30:36Okay.
30:37Hey, Rota, how's everything going?
30:39It's going.
30:40I'm going to caramelize some sugar.
30:42So you need to get my sweet potatoes glazing and my soy lime glaze.
30:46In the Philippines, we have this dish.
30:49A lot of street vendors sell it.
30:50We call it kamote kyu.
30:51Just putting them back on the grill to finish caramelizing.
30:55You just have like big chunks of potatoes.
30:57It's delicious.
30:58Yes.
30:59We got 11 minutes left.
31:01We got 11 minutes left.
31:01Heard 11 minutes.
31:08You ready?
31:09Yeah, mighty.
31:10Beautiful restaurant, Jamie.
31:12Thank you for having us.
31:13Can I come and cook in there tonight?
31:14Of course.
31:16Sean, Chidi, Kyle, thank you for being here.
31:19We asked them to show us who they are in their sweet potato.
31:22We're going to vote on the spot.
31:24It's pretty intense to put your cooking style on a plate in one hour with a tough ingredient
31:28in a random kitchen you've never been in.
31:30We never claimed it was going to be easy, Jamie.
31:32Well, I know that.
31:34Anthony, what you got going on, my man?
31:36About to clean some scallops so I can get a good sear on them.
31:38Let's go.
31:39And then I'm going to make a jus.
31:4020 minutes, y'all.
31:41My golly.
31:42Look at that, baby.
31:44Grill marks, y'all.
31:45My biggest fear is being the first one eliminated between my brother and I.
31:49I've got to get on top.
31:50Two minutes in the Carolina ruby party.
31:53The mucaca is done.
31:54If my mom knew I made it in one hour, she would be so proud.
31:58Come on.
31:58You got it.
31:59I just need a little bit of space here, please.
32:01Yes, I'm moving.
32:02Sorry, I'm working like a maniac.
32:04Are you good?
32:04Yeah.
32:05Bacon jam going down.
32:07We are going to be happy, happy.
32:09My God.
32:11Woo!
32:12Nice job, chefs.
32:14Woo, chef.
32:16I need a drink.
32:18So we have the Carolina ruby coming up.
32:20The Carolina ruby is probably the most traditional.
32:25Hello there.
32:26Hi.
32:30Y'all get nervous when we stare at you?
32:31I do.
32:32I think it's bizarre to be watched like a zoo animal while you're so weird.
32:36Sherry, let's start with you.
32:37I made the Carolina ruby mucaca, a traditional dish in Brazil, typically made with fish.
32:43I replaced all the protein with the sweet potato.
32:45And then a green papaya chow chow.
32:47Jonathan, tell us what you made.
32:49So I have a grilled pork loin with Carolina ruby bacon jam, sweet potato puree, pickled okra to cut through
32:55some of that richness.
32:56Day, what did you make for us?
32:57Carolina ruby roasted with some herbe de provence, a sauce creole rose, a note to my Haitian heritage, and a
33:03seared and roasted snapper.
33:04Mine's a little under.
33:06Okay, mine too.
33:08Mine is too.
33:09To keep up with timing, I might have pulled it a little too soon.
33:13While you're standing here, we are going to vote on our favorite and least favorite.
33:17Number one will be in the running to win, and number three will be up for elimination.
33:22I can't look.
33:26Pass me all the carbs, please.
33:30The votes are in.
33:31And the winner of the Carolina ruby round is...
33:37Jonathan.
33:39Congratulations.
33:39It was close.
33:41I just really liked the treatment of the sweet potato.
33:43Yeah, the sweet potato was the star of the dish.
33:45Everything else really enhanced it.
33:47It was very close between Sherry and Jonathan, though.
33:50Sean, why'd you vote for Sherry?
33:52The lime leaves, the lemongrass, they're like fireworks.
33:55So, Sherry, that means you're safe.
33:57And today, unfortunately, you are our least favorite dish.
34:01The fish was undercooked, as were the sweet potatoes.
34:04The herbs was pretty powerful.
34:06Yeah.
34:06There was herbs de Provence on everything.
34:08It didn't enhance it at all.
34:09Okay.
34:11Go take a load off.
34:12Thanks.
34:12Thank you, guys.
34:15Herbs de Provence is, for me, a satchel in the underwear floor.
34:19Yeah.
34:19Yeah.
34:20Yeah.
34:20Yeah.
34:21Yeah.
34:21Yeah.
34:21Yeah.
34:22Well, guess what?
34:23Guess what?
34:27Oh, man.
34:28I've never loved aloe so much in my life.
34:30You got it.
34:31Oh.
34:33Five minutes.
34:34Five minutes.
34:35Minutes.
34:35Sorry.
34:35Sorry.
34:36Sounded like I was about to shoot.
34:37Shut up.
34:37Calm down.
34:38Yo, my bad.
34:38My bad.
34:39My bad.
34:39My bad.
34:40My bad.
34:40Lauren, she's going to kill you.
34:41Yes.
34:41She will.
34:44My brother, he whooped my ass last challenge.
34:46I can't let it happen again.
34:47I'm going to finish making my ice cream, and then I'm taking it to the finish line.
34:51Two minutes, chefs.
34:53Oh, uh, ring wounds.
34:58How could I let time fly like this?
35:02Minute 20.
35:03Side, behind.
35:04Behind?
35:0530 seconds, chefs.
35:06Ah, Todd, Todd.
35:07Nonna, you need anything?
35:08Yes, I need help.
35:09What do you need?
35:10I need these plated.
35:11I got you.
35:11Let's go.
35:11What do you need after that?
35:12I need a sauce.
35:1412 seconds.
35:14Let's go.
35:15Let's go.
35:15We're with you.
35:15We're with you.
35:16Go, go, go, go.
35:17No!
35:20Oh, my God.
35:22Are they OK?
35:41It's OK, chef.
35:42It's OK.
35:42It's OK.
35:43It's OK.
35:44It's OK.
35:44It's OK.
35:45It's OK.
35:46It's OK.
35:46It's OK.
35:46It's a great, great weave.
35:48Yeah.
35:49Oh, whoa.
35:50You've got some collards escaping your plate, I think.
35:52We all do.
35:54This person was clearly stressed.
35:56Yeah.
35:57Maybe they dropped the tray.
35:59It's OK.
36:00It's OK.
36:00Breathe.
36:01No, just take a minute.
36:02She needs a second.
36:03I can see it.
36:06She's having a, she's having a mind.
36:12Hey, take a breath.
36:13You want to sit down?
36:14OK, come here.
36:15Sit.
36:15Sit for a second.
36:17I'm going to tell you something.
36:18It's OK.
36:20It's OK.
36:21I get it.
36:21I get it.
36:22It's overwhelming.
36:24What exactly is making you upset?
36:25The plates that I'm dropping on you guys are not finished.
36:29It's not finished.
36:30They're so they're not finished.
36:31Mm-hm.
36:31OK?
36:33Oh, gosh.
36:35Whatever happens here, no matter what,
36:37you are still phenomenal, Chef.
36:39Yeah.
36:40We all have bad days, and it's OK.
36:42Yeah.
36:43OK?
36:43OK.
36:44Just let it out.
36:48It's OK.
36:50I mean, I remember the first day.
36:52When you're ready, you can come join us, OK?
36:54OK.
36:54All right.
36:55Yeah.
36:57OK.
37:09OK.
37:13Thanks, guys.
37:16So, Murasaki round, Anthony, can you tell us about your dish, please?
37:19You have seared scallop with three preparations of Murasaki.
37:22The ball is an Acra fritter.
37:23It represents my time in Miami, where I kind of got exposed to more African and island flavors.
37:28And the little disc is a fondant of potato, and then the sauce is actually a jus with the sweet
37:34potato.
37:34Nana?
37:35I have for you sweet potato and puto puto with collard greens sautΓ©ed with smoked ham.
37:42Hey, Lawrence.
37:43I'm Chinese-American, but my roots in cooking is always Turkish food.
37:47So, today we have Murasaki and pork sarma rolled in some collard greens, tomato, and some yogurt.
37:53Shall we vote?
37:54Yep.
37:55OK.
37:56Boy, I don't know.
37:56They're all very conflicted here.
37:58Mm-hmm.
37:59Same.
38:01If they're done, I'll take them.
38:05Tom.
38:07The results are in.
38:13Anthony, you won the Murasaki round.
38:16Congratulations.
38:17Anthony, I love seeing different preparations of sweet potato, but there was also some minimalism
38:24in here that I really love.
38:25The fritter tastes like a really well-done falafel.
38:29You get the sweet potato flavor in there.
38:30I actually voted for Nana.
38:33I thought it was the most sweet potato of all the dishes.
38:35Minimal amounts of protein just to add some flavor, but it was really about the sweet potato.
38:38I had a ring mold still on my plate, but the sweet potato itself is very good.
38:44With the exception of Tom, Nana, everyone did vote for you as the least favorite dish.
38:47Lawrence, that means you're in the middle.
38:49The tomato took away any flavor that you could have potentially gotten from the sweet potato because it was so
38:53overpowering.
38:55Thank you, Chef.
38:57I could see her coming up.
38:58I felt like she was going to drop to her knees and drop those plates.
39:01Stressful.
39:02Thank you guys for helping.
39:03I really appreciate that.
39:05You're fine, Chef.
39:06You're fine.
39:0723 minutes.
39:08Yes, 23, Chef.
39:09Pork's got to get cooking so I can rest it appropriately.
39:11Having an hour to cook a full composed dish is intense.
39:15Coming in for a burner, Chef?
39:17Yes, yes.
39:17I'm so scared about my protein.
39:23I don't think I've eaten a full Purple Majesty potato, like, as its own thing ever.
39:28Apparently, it's a very new potato.
39:29It only was created in 2021.
39:31Oh, is that true?
39:33I didn't know that.
39:34Okay.
39:35How much time?
39:36One minute left, guys.
39:38Mmm.
39:39Tastes like money.
39:40I'm not a religious person, but I'm going to start praying now.
39:43Ten, nine, eight.
39:45Right?
39:46Right now.
39:47Right now, Chef.
39:47Let's go.
39:50Oh!
39:51Nice.
39:52Let's get it.
39:59Purple Majesty Round.
40:00Oscar, let's start with you.
40:01So I'm calling this dish Sal Paisur.
40:03It's cooking a sweet potato kind of in the way that, like, in Mexico City, with the little
40:07boop-boop, the steam thing on the side of Mexico City.
40:09They char them hard.
40:11I added some agave chorizo hash on top.
40:13Pasilla salsa to go with.
40:15It's just a little dollop.
40:16It was just a crazy, brazy kind of dish.
40:18Crazy brazy.
40:19Crazy brazy.
40:20I like it.
40:22Justin, what did you make?
40:23We have poached potatoes and curry and cardamom, pureed potatoes with brown butter, crispy potatoes,
40:29charred onions, and then a little cheese sauce.
40:31Is this a dish you've ever made before?
40:32Oh, no.
40:34Didn't think so.
40:36Okay, Brandon, I just need to know.
40:38You made marshmallow fluff.
40:40So this is actually meringue.
40:42My grandma used to make caramelized yams for Thanksgiving.
40:44I used to eat the whole container, so I made a sweet potato caramel with the skins.
40:48Lighten things up with a caramelized coconut and white chocolate sorbet.
40:52The streusel is potatoes that were part-cooked, and then I baked it off with a little bit of
40:56sugar to kind of add some texture to the dish.
40:58All right, we are going to vote.
41:01They have sweet potato all over the scorecards.
41:08Votes are in.
41:09We'll start with the winning dish.
41:13Not unanimous, but still the majority.
41:16Brandon, congratulations.
41:19Told you I was kind of with it, bro.
41:21It just felt like amplified sweet potato to me.
41:24That was good.
41:24It's like something I've never had before.
41:26That's the goal.
41:26We do have to have a bottom chef and Justin.
41:29Okay.
41:30That is you.
41:31Okay.
41:31I mean, it was pretty close, I think, right?
41:33Mm-hmm.
41:34The texture contrast was really fun.
41:36Kind of gave a shot vibe.
41:39Yeah, yeah, yeah.
41:39Which I appreciated.
41:40I just found yours to be a little undercooked.
41:42Potato itself.
41:43Thank you all.
41:43Great. Thank you.
41:44Thank you all.
41:45Good job, man.
41:45All three dishes were really good.
41:47Really focused on the sweet potato.
41:49Justin, how'd your cook go?
41:52Oh, fabulous.
41:53Fabulous.
41:54Feels good, bro.
41:54You obviously cooked the wellest.
41:56The wellest?
41:58Yeah, no, you killed it.
41:59It kind of was pissing me off.
42:00Yeah, I didn't enjoy that.
42:0224 minutes, y'alls.
42:04Norton folks, how are we all doing?
42:05I don't know.
42:06I'm worried about my potatoes in the circulator.
42:08I've never seen this Norton potato cooked,
42:11and they are much drier than I had imagined,
42:14so I'm just gonna let it go until I feel like I don't have any more time.
42:18A little stressed.
42:19If I know you, it's gonna be delicious.
42:21I just gotta get these poaching.
42:23Don't wanna give them raw dough.
42:25Yeah.
42:27She is cooked through, trying to pick out the crispiest ones.
42:33Oh, come on, baby.
42:35Is this a joke?
42:35Everything all good?
42:36No.
42:37My pork, it's definitely under.
42:39You happy with that cut?
42:40No.
42:41I'm freaking out.
42:42The first two chefs that are gone, they're gone.
42:45No second chance.
42:48Gone-er.
42:49Gone-er.
42:55Oh, my God.
42:56I'm freaking out.
42:58I wanna re-fire my pork, but at this point,
43:01being able to plate five components that fast, it's a lot.
43:05Two minutes.
43:06Make sure everything is on the plate, guys.
43:08Yes, sir.
43:14Is there any of the sweet potatoes that is more friendly to quicker cook times?
43:18Oh, the Covington.
43:19Covington, yeah.
43:19Is it?
43:20Okay.
43:20High sugar content when they cook really, really easily.
43:28Jossie, let's start with you.
43:29What did you make?
43:30I composed the rice and lentil kitchen, which is cooked with sweet potato puree,
43:33and we have a roasted sweet potatoes with the yogurt pickles.
43:37Brittany?
43:38I'm a local here now, but I grew up in Columbus, Ohio,
43:40and we always had meat and potatoes.
43:42So, I did a pan-seared pork tenderloin, Covington potato puree,
43:46and then a pickled sweet potato.
43:48The third presentation is a crispy sweet potato.
43:50And how'd you want the crook on your pork?
43:52Meeting rare.
43:53Rhoda?
43:54I grew up in the Philippines, eating sweet potatoes on a stick.
43:56It's kind of like a common vendor item on the streets.
44:00I made a soy glaze sweet potato with sweet potato miso puree
44:05with a crispy sweet potato and lime creme fraiche.
44:09And how was the hour for your dish?
44:10I feel like those timers are rigged.
44:13They're not real.
44:15We're gonna vote.
44:21In the Covington round, the votes are in.
44:26Rhoda, congratulations.
44:27Oh, wow.
44:30Almost unanimous.
44:31The miso really made the sweet potato sing.
44:34That saltiness brought out the sweetness.
44:36The execution was great.
44:37I was very impressed with how crunchy the sweet potato was.
44:40This was the sweetest potato of all the sweet potato dishes that we had.
44:44Just a fantastic dish.
44:46Our least favorite dish belonged to Brittany.
44:50Something about it felt like it was a pork dish with some sweet potato.
44:53I agree.
44:54It did feel more like a pork dish.
44:56But also, my pork felt underdone.
44:59Good.
44:59Josh, flavor-wise, it was fantastic.
45:01Clearly shows us who you are.
45:03Yeah.
45:03But this was about sweet potato, and this was a little out of balance.
45:05Yeah.
45:06Yeah.
45:07Thank you very much.
45:09God, that was hard.
45:10We tasted Rhoda's story here.
45:12Yes.
45:12We tasted Josh's story.
45:14Rhoda, your flavors killed it.
45:16That was a tough one.
45:18Two minutes, Josh.
45:19All right, Jennifer, how you doing?
45:20My potatoes are kind of close to where I need them.
45:24I have never shaken like this in my life.
45:26All right, it's time to pull the mochi.
45:29Feeling good now.
45:30One minute, chefs.
45:36Hands.
45:38Oh.
45:39Ooh.
45:40Look at that.
45:41That looks fun.
45:45Tell us about your dish, please, Gwen.
45:46This dish is a dish that my mom actually makes a lot.
45:49It is a sweet potato and pandan mochi, ginger syrup, and then coconut cream and tarragon oil.
45:56What I have for you is seared and roasted Norton potato.
45:59Finished with a jus with roasted onion aminos, and then a Norton potato puree.
46:06Jennifer?
46:06You guys have a sweet potato poached in sweet condensed milk, goat cheese, squash puree,
46:12and the raw Nortons that I pickled in cane vinegar.
46:17How long did you poach your potatoes, Jennifer?
46:19I don't know.
46:19I didn't even check time.
46:21Under an hour.
46:22Oh, yeah.
46:24Okay, it's time to vote.
46:29We have, as our winner, Gwen, congratulations.
46:37Oh, yeah.
46:37Congrats.
46:38It was just a really refreshing take on the sweet potato.
46:42The mochi texture is amazing, but the sweet potato was still the point.
46:48There was a least favorite, Jennifer.
46:51Flavors are really great.
46:52I mean, the sweet potato may be slightly under, but I just like the dish.
46:56The cook was a little bit challenging, I think, on both Seeger and Jennifer, your dishes.
47:00I really like the flavor combination, though, in your dish, Seeger.
47:02Thank you so much.
47:07Jennifer threw me a little bit.
47:08If Seeger cooked his potato, this would have been a fantastic dish.
47:10I feel pretty good because Tom liked mine, so.
47:13Yeah.
47:13Tom loved yours.
47:14Even though it was on the bottom.
47:16I'm seeing a lot of, like, really good cooking.
47:18Some of the dishes were fantastic.
47:20Mm-hmm.
47:21So, winners raise hands.
47:23The twins.
47:24I was down to the last minute.
47:26It didn't sound like it.
47:28It didn't, right?
47:30Brandon, Jonathan, Anthony, Rhoda, and Dwen are our top five.
47:36Out of those five dishes, which ones kind of were the standouts?
47:39Brandon's was really whimsical and fun.
47:41The sweet potato skin caramel alone was something worth spotlighting.
47:45Beautiful.
47:46That was my favorite thing I ate of the day.
47:47Every piece of equipment I had my eyes on was freaking gone.
47:51Yeah.
47:51I mean, we knew, like, someone was done with their pots when we see it on the floor.
47:56Yeah.
47:57Brandon, I will say, wildly creative.
47:59But when you ate Rhoda's, it was sweet potato.
48:02Yeah.
48:02As a complete dish, I was a standout.
48:04I mean, that dish, it was cooked perfectly, had, like, nice char.
48:08And her story behind it is really intentional.
48:10You said you were on the bottom?
48:11Yeah, I was on the bottom.
48:12Who was on the bottom with you guys?
48:14Her dad.
48:16In the bottom, we had Day, Nana, Justin, Brittany, and Jennifer.
48:22Jennifer and Justin actually showed really well.
48:25They were just in very, very strong rounds.
48:27I agree.
48:28Brittany.
48:28Hers wasn't bad.
48:29It was just boring.
48:30Yeah.
48:31It sounds like it's between Day and Nana.
48:33Mm-hmm.
48:33How'd y'all feel?
48:34That was difficult for me, and I'm not super proud of it.
48:37Day's dish had a lot of issues.
48:39The fish was raw.
48:40The sweet potatoes were crunchy.
48:42Way too much of the dry spice on it.
48:43Didn't taste very good.
48:45It was tough.
48:46When I kind of started having a panic attack, because all of a sudden, I realized how much I want
48:50this.
48:51You know?
48:52Obviously, we got varying degrees of Nana's dish.
48:55Like, I had a ring mold still on my plate.
48:57And just potatoes.
48:58I think her sweet potato was under-seasoned.
49:01My sweet potato, I thought, tasted nice.
49:03Clearly, a bit of a breakdown.
49:05But even now, I thought her cooking was pretty good.
49:07I feel like I'm getting emotional again.
49:09Chidi and Kyle, thank you for joining us.
49:11But we are going to go deliver the news, good and bad, at judges' table.
49:14Let's go take a look at it.
49:17They're going to go eat it.
49:24Can we follow it?
49:25If you follow it on your plate.
49:29I'd like to walk you in the middle of the table.
49:29We can join the table.
49:30Chefs, I mean, obviously, there's some first-challenge jitters.
49:33But overall, I thought there were some really, really good dishes.
49:35And I think a lot of the personalities really came through on plates.
49:39Anthony, Jonathan, Brandon, Rhoda, and Gwen.
49:43You can stay here. The rest of you can move to the side.
49:49The five of you were voted our favorite dishes of your rounds.
49:52Let's start with you, Brandon. How does it...
49:54Oh, I looked at the wrong person.
49:59Gotcha!
50:00It is hard when the two of you are standing next to each other.
50:03Brandon, how does it feel to get through the first challenge?
50:05It felt really good, especially after my brother whooped me yesterday.
50:09Jonathan, how about you?
50:10I feel great.
50:11I mean, well, you already won $5,000, courtesy of the active cash credit card from Wells Fargo,
50:16our season-long quick-fire quick cash partner.
50:18You know, some cash in your pocket. It's a nice feeling.
50:20Felt good, yep.
50:21All five of you really took big, bold swings.
50:23Well, Sean and Jamie, as our guest judges, you get to announce the winner.
50:26I had so much fun exploring the wonderful and wild world of sweet potatoes with you guys,
50:31but I'm going to pick one.
50:33And the winner for today, for the first elimination challenge...
50:41...Rhoda.
50:42Oh.
50:44Woo!
50:45Wow!
50:46Congratulations, Rhoda!
50:49Awesome.
50:50Just layers and layers of sweet potato, and I love when I hear your intention is behind
50:55the dish and you execute on it.
50:56Also, Tom, when you were saying yesterday at the racetrack, you wait to remember people's
51:02names.
51:02I was like, I want you to remember my name.
51:05I'm not going to forget it.
51:07Nice job.
51:07You won the first elimination challenge.
51:09That gives you immunity going into the next one.
51:11Yes.
51:12Congratulations.
51:13Oh, my God.
51:14I am living the mother... dream.
51:17One piece of advice, don't give up that immunity.
51:20Oh, yeah.
51:21I'll take that, Chef.
51:23All right, thank you.
51:24You can step to the side.
51:26So next, we'd like to see Day, Nana, Brittany, Justin, and Jennifer.
51:33An hour for an elimination challenge.
51:35I mean, it was tough, and nerves definitely came into play.
51:40Nana, obviously, you couldn't get everything on a plate.
51:42It was tough.
51:43Should I have done less sweet potatoes?
51:45Yeah, probably.
51:45The other components kind of fell on the wayside, but I was proud of how it tasted.
51:52Day, how was the day for you?
51:54I got flustered, and I overcompensated, especially with the Herb de Pauvin, because I didn't think
51:59I could build the flavor that I was really looking for as fast.
52:02I overthought things.
52:04There were some mistakes when it came to cooking.
52:06I know in a kitchen, time is moving quickly, but the focus is what's really important, and
52:10you kind of lost focus a little bit.
52:14Nana, Day, you have the least favorite dishes of the day, and one of you will be going home.
52:23It's tough to be the first one to go, and this season is even tougher, because there
52:26is no last chance kitchen for the first two out.
52:35Day, please pack your knives and go.
52:40Day, the fish was undercooked, the sweet potatoes were undercooked, and the herbs were just completely
52:45overpowering.
52:46So sorry.
52:47Thank you so much for the opportunity.
52:49I really appreciate it.
52:50It sucks that I didn't get one last chance, but I got to compete on the world's greatest
52:56chef competition with the best and brightest of talents.
53:02I was given an opportunity that I've only dreamed of, and that, to me, is a win.
53:18This season, on Top Chef.
53:20Oh, yeah.
53:22Not every day you cook a 130-pound hog.
53:25That's a Carolina reefer.
53:27Okay, collard greens.
53:29Liver mush.
53:33Great philosopher once said, you only YOLO once.
53:38Hello.
53:39How's it going?
53:40Please welcome, Emeril Lagasse.
53:42Oh, my God.
53:43Eliza Koshy.
53:44That's a showy by Fortune Feimster.
53:47Oh, my God.
53:49This hits for me on all levels.
53:52This thing is awesome.
53:53This is Michelin-style cooking.
53:55We got the good twin on this side.
53:57Ooh.
54:00Get it on there.
54:02Would you like to stay in the competition, or would you like to go?
54:05Oh, God, no.
54:06If you cry, I'm proud.
54:09Go, go, go, go.
54:13Watch the snake over there.
54:14Oh, no, no, no.
54:16I'm out.
54:16Oh, my God.
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