- 11 minutes ago
Top Chef S23E07
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00:01.
00:06Jen, if you do have to set out from any part of the competition,
00:09you will be asked to depart.
00:11Okay.
00:11Previously on Top Chef, it's time to barbecue.
00:15Yes! Barbecue.
00:16We have Seeger, who's like, I've done it a million times.
00:18In two teams of five, you're gonna have all night to smoke a whole hog.
00:23Okay. This should just lift right up.
00:25It's whole hog for a reason.
00:27It's not whole hog separated into parts.
00:29She feels good.
00:31Look at that, bro.
00:32Well, because Seeger obviously knows a lot about pork.
00:35Vote for your favorite.
00:38Where Lawrence won me over was all the different iterations of the pork loin.
00:42Seeger, I think of pork a little on the dry side.
00:44Hey!
00:45Three for three.
00:45Three for three, baby!
00:46Sweet, baby!
00:47One, baby!
00:49And the winner is Lawrence.
00:52Nice.
00:55Seeger, please pack your knives and go.
01:00Nine chefs remain to compete in the ultimate culinary showdown.
01:04Woo!
01:05At stake for the winner, the grand prize of a quarter of a million dollars provided by Graza Olive Oil,
01:11a feature in Food & Wine Magazine, plus an appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen,
01:16their own exclusive dinner at the historic James Beard House in New York, and the title of Top Chef.
01:37It feels like we've been here forever.
01:39For real.
01:40How are you feeling about it?
01:41I feel good, actually.
01:43Yeah.
01:43They like my food.
01:45I know I'm in the right direction.
01:46Yeah.
01:47But what am I doing where I'm not locking in enough to, like, actually win the challenge?
01:52Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:52I still feel very confident in myself, and I think it's not just about me.
01:57It's just for the Vietnamese community, it's for all the female chefs, it's for my family.
02:01There's so many reasons as to why I want to win this.
02:04I want it really, really bad.
02:07All right.
02:07You ready to go?
02:19What's happening?
02:21Yeah.
02:21Something's happening.
02:23Wow.
02:24Like what I've done with the place?
02:26Ooh.
02:27Nice.
02:28Cracker barrel.
02:29Oh, .
02:30Oh.
02:31Are you ready to bring a taste of the country to the Top Chef kitchen?
02:35Yeah, absolutely.
02:43Since 1969, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has been a beloved destination for crave-worthy
02:49comfort food and a warm, nostalgic atmosphere.
02:52Here in the Carolinas, there are over 60 locations alone.
02:55That is a lot.
02:56Wow.
02:56Anyone been to a Cracker Barrel?
02:58Yeah, absolutely.
02:59I like their ham steak.
03:00The ham steak.
03:01Oh, the ham steak.
03:02Dude, the ham steak is great.
03:03And then the pancakes with, like, the crispy edges.
03:05So good.
03:06Ooh.
03:06Yeah.
03:06Depending on what time you drop by, you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner, thanks
03:12to their all-day menu of homestyle country favorites.
03:15So today, that's exactly what you'll be doing.
03:19You're going to be cooking up a complete day's worth of meals.
03:22But we want you to create something that isn't already on the menu.
03:26So a new country classic.
03:28Gotcha.
03:28And yes, I said, we.
03:30You know that.
03:31I can't eat alone.
03:36Come in.
03:38Turn it up.
03:39Hi.
03:40Oh.
03:41Hi.
03:41How's it going?
03:44Hi.
03:44How's it going?
03:46Hi.
03:46How's it going?
03:47How's it going?
03:47I mean, when we talk about Southern hospitality, how do we not talk about Southern Char?
03:51We're honored to be here with y'all.
03:53And here in the Carolinas, we're all about Southern hospitality.
03:55So who would we be to not show up with a gift for you?
03:59Oh, yes.
04:00Is that a gift for you or for us?
04:01We're going to find out.
04:03Yeah.
04:04So let's see what you brought.
04:09Oh, yeah.
04:10Dude.
04:10As you know, this is the peg game.
04:13It's a staple at Cracker Barrel.
04:15Yeah.
04:15Instead of the classic knife pull, it's only appropriate we do a peg pull.
04:19Makes sense.
04:20You'll be working in teams of three for this challenge.
04:23Lawrence, come on up.
04:23First peg pull.
04:25Ooh.
04:26Top Chef Orange.
04:28Yellow.
04:30Oscar.
04:31Here we go.
04:32Lawrence has been a quick fire champ.
04:34I'm pumped.
04:35Here we go.
04:37Yellow.
04:38Green team.
04:40Green.
04:40Another green.
04:41Orange.
04:42Orange is complete.
04:43It's the international team.
04:46Yellow.
04:47Last member of the yellow team.
04:49Come on, brother.
04:50This is the first time I am on the same team as Brandon.
04:52We both know our cooking styles.
04:54We got that twin language, homie.
04:56All right.
04:56We're good.
04:57All right, Justin.
04:58Last member of the green team.
04:59Are you all happy with your teams?
05:00Oh, yeah.
05:01Yeah, for sure.
05:02Each of you will be responsible for a course.
05:04Breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
05:06And then you'll have 45 minutes to prepare the three dishes.
05:0945.
05:10Great.
05:11That's wonderful.
05:12That's like a lot of time for a quick fire.
05:13Oh, really?
05:14Yeah.
05:15A lot.
05:16Well, we think this challenge might be fixing for a twist.
05:20Uh-oh.
05:21She's seen that coming.
05:22Man.
05:23Oh.
05:23Life in the South is really all about slowing down.
05:26So only one chef from each team can cook at a time.
05:30Oh, yeah.
05:33Everyone's processing a little bit.
05:35Damn.
05:37So do you split the time evenly or do you give more time to one of the rounds?
05:41Okay.
05:42Each dish can be served as it's ready.
05:44You'll present your dish and we'll taste it right on the spot while your next teammate gets going on the
05:48next dish.
05:49Up for grabs is $12,000 thanks to Cracker Barrel.
05:53Oh.
05:53Damn.
05:53You'll have three minutes right now to discuss who's doing which dish and your strategy.
05:59Starting now.
06:00Come grab your menus.
06:01I got breakfast.
06:01You guys, you want to grab one?
06:02Yeah.
06:03I could do lunch or breakfast.
06:05I'll be down for breakfast.
06:06Yeah, okay.
06:06I'll do dinner?
06:07Yeah, yeah.
06:08I'll do breakfast.
06:08Can I get a lunch?
06:10I want to do a fried, a green tomato BLT.
06:12Are you okay with dinner?
06:13Yeah.
06:13Yeah, I guess so.
06:14We have technically 15 minutes each, but 15-minute dinner is tough.
06:18They better keep to their minutes.
06:20I hope they do.
06:21I still don't know what I'm doing.
06:22You have one minute.
06:23Heard.
06:23When I cook, I just, like, at my own pace, you know?
06:26Yeah.
06:26No rush.
06:27I was thinking about lunch, doing, like, a fried green tomato BLT.
06:31Oh, yeah.
06:32You can do fried oysters.
06:33I wonder if I make a batter, if I could just give you my batter then.
06:3715 seconds.
06:38I want to make sure we leave you with enough time.
06:40I think I can get breakfast done in less than 15 minutes.
06:44You're good at doing this .
06:45Three, two, one.
06:47All right, done.
06:47You have 45 minutes on the clock.
06:49Your time starts now.
06:51Let's go, Oscar.
06:53Let's go, let's go.
06:54All right.
06:54Let's go, Justin.
06:55Let's go, Justin.
06:57Come on, Brandon.
06:58Let's get it.
06:58Take it home, baby.
06:59Let's go, Oscar.
07:02Sweetie.
07:02Oh, this is sweet of you.
07:03Very welcome.
07:07Vamos, vamos, vamos, vamos, vamos.
07:09What are you making, Oscar?
07:10Pan de elote.
07:11It's like a corn pancake almost.
07:14We got 15 minutes of pop, but I'm thinking breakfast should be quicker.
07:18And if I can give them five minutes extra, I think it gives our team a good shot to win.
07:2240 minutes, Oscar.
07:25That was good.
07:27I'm making a hash brown.
07:28I'm making eggs.
07:30Brandon, you keeping this one classic?
07:32Yes, chef.
07:33Little eggs benedict.
07:34This is really cool to watch how fast they're going in.
07:37This is high level.
07:38Hollandaise is kind of a fancy brunchy thing.
07:40Little hot sauce.
07:41But you can make hollandaise in less than five minutes with the friction and the heat from the blender.
07:45Eight minutes, push it.
07:47Yes, chef.
07:49Let's go, Oscar.
07:50You got this.
07:50I'm there.
07:51I'm there.
07:51I am making my favorite diner food, corn beef hash.
07:55That sounds good.
07:57Hash browns.
07:58I'm going to try to give each of us 15.
08:00Five minutes on the clock.
08:01Justin, what are you cutting?
08:03Some cubed steak.
08:04Nice.
08:05I don't have enough time to sear the steak, so I tossed it in the fryer.
08:09Just had to get that beef cooking.
08:10Let's go, Justin.
08:12Come on, Brandon.
08:12Let's go.
08:14Ooh.
08:15A flip.
08:17Look at that timing, baby.
08:21Nice.
08:22Third plating.
08:24Little maple.
08:25Let's go, Justin.
08:27Tell me when it's done, please.
08:29Cherry, let's go, let's go, let's go.
08:31Okay.
08:33Chicken stock.
08:34Oscar, what did you make for breakfast?
08:36Pan de elote.
08:37I haven't been to Cracker Barrel.
08:38I saw the picture.
08:40Super inspired.
08:41It's a corn cake.
08:42Throw some berries in it, a little bit of maple, and then shaved piloncillo.
08:45Like, nice little sweet bite.
08:46Really good.
08:47Great job.
08:48I've never had this before.
08:49A little salty, a little sweet, a good little crunch.
08:52Oscar's corn cake is still eating, like, a good hearty pancake.
08:55Yeah, yeah.
08:57You're at 30 minutes, Sherry.
08:59We're doing good.
09:00Walking plates.
09:01Heard.
09:0230 minutes left on the clock.
09:06This looks fantastic.
09:08Beautiful.
09:09This is my kid's favorite meal.
09:11I call it rushed hash browns and shortcut hollandaise.
09:14Did you know immediately what you wanted to make?
09:16Of 100%.
09:17I'm very impressed.
09:19You're welcome.
09:20Really well cooked.
09:23Come on, Justin!
09:25Oh, God.
09:27Spoiler alert.
09:28The beef is overcooked.
09:29Jesus Christ.
09:31All right.
09:32Justin's going over his 15 minutes.
09:34DeWynn needs to get going, and being fast is, like, one of my weaknesses.
09:38So I'm worried about literally everything.
09:41Come on, Justin!
09:45Are you done?
09:46Yeah.
09:48Okay.
09:49Go!
09:49What's up, Justin?
09:51Just gonna take a second for myself.
09:53Yeah, yeah.
09:56Let's see.
09:58What'd you make for breakfast?
09:59The one thing I saw that the Cracker Bell didn't have was corned beef hash.
10:02So I made a mustard sabayon, hash browns, and New York strip for the corned beef.
10:07Hmm.
10:07Did you do, like, a pastrami seasoning on the outside, or what'd you do?
10:10Yeah, I tossed the beef in, like, brown butter with rye.
10:12Great. I think you need to sit.
10:17DeWynn, you plan on doing 15 per team evenly?
10:20I'm gonna try and do 10.
10:21Cooking in the Top Chef's Kitchen is, like, combat cooking.
10:24This is ridiculous.
10:25I want to make sure Jen gets 15 minutes to execute her dish.
10:30I just really want to keep this simple.
10:32Trying to make a batter to fry some green tomatoes.
10:36Really?
10:37Anthony, what are you doing?
10:38Uh, same thing as you, dear.
10:39Oh, all right.
10:40Oh, now DeWynn's nervous.
10:42I can see it.
10:42Because he's trying to copy me.
10:44Oh-ho-ho!
10:45I'm doing a cornmeal base.
10:47I think DeWynn's doing tempura.
10:48So maybe that'll help me pop up.
10:50Just a classic southern way of doing it.
10:53Sherry, how you feeling?
10:54Good.
10:55Soup is a perfect lunch food.
10:57I know I'm not gonna be able to develop the flavor that I want in 15 minutes.
11:02But then I see shrimp paste.
11:04Let's go.
11:05It's a really concentrated shrimp flavor that's gonna be so good with my cornbread.
11:11Sherry, save me that batter, yeah?
11:12Save me the batter.
11:14Wait.
11:14Is there steak in the fridge?
11:15Do you know?
11:16I didn't even.
11:17Anthony, if you find some steaks in there, pull them for me.
11:19I got you.
11:2218 to go.
11:24Nice and golden.
11:25Hey, DeWynn, there's a bunch of country ham in that bus tub.
11:28Perfect.
11:30I'm looking for bacon for my BLT, but country ham is maybe even better.
11:35Because I don't have to cook it.
11:37Come through, brother.
11:38Let's go. Start plating.
11:39Already plating.
11:40All right, let's do it.
11:41That's what I'm talking about.
11:42Plating.
11:43Hit me.
11:44I'm done. Go.
11:46Oh, boy.
11:47Last to start.
11:48First to serve.
11:49That's our girl.
11:51Come on. Let's go.
11:53Come on up.
11:54Yes.
11:55Yes.
11:56Let's go, baby.
11:58Oh, everyone.
11:59Yeah.
12:00I love it.
12:03DeWynn, what'd you make for lunch?
12:05Fried green tomato sandwich.
12:07How'd you choose the meat?
12:09I was looking for some bacon, but I think the country ham actually works out much better.
12:13Mm-hmm.
12:14Come on, Jay.
12:14Start cooking.
12:15Let's get it. Let's get it.
12:16All right, chefs.
12:16In front of you have a fried green tomato and country ham open-faced sandwich.
12:21A little bit of salmon roe. There's avocado.
12:22All right, Sherry.
12:24I made a crab and shrimp bisque with a whole cake.
12:28Crab and shrimp bisque?
12:29Did you have, like, shrimp cells?
12:31There's shrimp paste.
12:32Shrimp paste was a very smart play.
12:33Thank you so much.
12:34It's a lot of flavor to bring in in that short of time.
12:36Where's the tequila?
12:37I know, right?
12:38Whoo!
12:40We're off.
12:40You got 12 minutes left.
12:42Those batters working out for you?
12:44It looks beautiful.
12:44Thank you, chef.
12:45Perfect, dude.
12:46They both did a batter-based thing, so we're gonna do some chicken tendies.
12:49I'm trying to be smart about this cook, so I'm gonna reuse the batters from both Oscar and Sherry's dishes.
12:56Tendies in 10 minutes, absolutely.
12:58Lawrence, let's take these twins now.
13:00Start cooking.
13:01Come on, let's go.
13:02Next, next.
13:03I'm gonna use the tri-tips.
13:04They're super small.
13:05They're gonna cook really fast, so I'm gonna make a smothered steak.
13:08I'm using DeWynn's batter to fry my oysters.
13:11Everything I do has to be quick, so I get my oysters in her batter.
13:16I fry a few just to see .
13:19DeWynn's batter was really great for her fried green tomato, but for these oysters, it kind of made everything too
13:25wet.
13:26Adding some cornmeal to get some texture.
13:3010 minutes.
13:31Jesus Christ.
13:32You got this.
13:34Whoo!
13:36One other way to make a gravy.
13:37This is exciting.
13:38Don't burn your hair.
13:44We're good.
13:45I wanna make sure I don't overcook the chicken, because once it's overcooked, it gets dry.
13:50This looks perfect to me.
13:51Sweet tea!
13:52I'm gonna use the sweet tea to incorporate a little southern charm.
13:56We're gonna make a little five-spice sweet tea syrup with it.
13:59Let's go!
14:01I'm sweating over here.
14:02Plenty of time, Jake.
14:03Two minutes on the dot.
14:04You got it.
14:05Let's go.
14:05It's game time.
14:06Pick up!
14:08Pick up!
14:09This is critical how flavorful this is.
14:11Whoo!
14:12Let's go!
14:15The rocking's getting a little heavy in the middle.
14:1920 seconds.
14:20Jonathan, start walking it, bro.
14:22Three, two, one!
14:26Time's up!
14:27Time's up!
14:27Time's up!
14:32Time's up!
14:34All right, Lauren, tell us about your dinner dish.
14:36So we have fried chicken tendies with five-spice butter and five-spice syrup.
14:43You checked the internal temperature?
14:45Uh, I did not check.
14:46Oh, you know what that means?
14:47Uh-oh!
14:47You know what that means?
14:48Uh-oh!
14:48Uh-oh!
14:50Is it under?
14:52Oh.
14:53All right.
14:54Yeah.
14:55Aw, my bad, guys.
14:56It's all good, bro.
14:57All right, y'all.
14:58You have a smothered steak in front of you with a bourbon pan gravy.
15:01This is, like, dinner after a long day, something quick, all made in the same pan.
15:05Would you ever do, like, a mashed potato under something like this?
15:09100%.
15:09If we had 20 minutes each, there would have been mashed potatoes on the plate.
15:14Good job, bro.
15:16I did a cornmeal battered oyster with lemon pepper and creamed corn.
15:21What's in the batter?
15:23DeWin's batter and added cornmeal and flour to it.
15:25Okay, great. Thank you.
15:26Thanks.
15:29With these team challenges, obviously, there are definitely highs and lows on every single team.
15:34Madison and Craig, which team cracked under pressure?
15:40Our least favorite team today was the green team.
15:43Hmm.
15:44Justin, I thought it was cute, but the meat was a little tough.
15:48Yeah.
15:49I will say that my favorite for lunch was on the green team, though.
15:52The sandwich was incredible.
15:53We thought you did an excellent job.
15:55I think, Jen, had you made your own cornmeal batter, it would have gotten more crispy, but it just kind
16:00of all felt a little bit wet.
16:01Gotcha.
16:02The win is gonna come down between the orange and the yellow team.
16:05The breakfast over on orange team was Oscar.
16:07That was my favorite dish of the competition.
16:10Cracker Barrel prides itself on its crispy pancakes, too.
16:12You just nailed it. It was really, really great.
16:14And then on the yellow team, we had Brandon.
16:16I did appreciate not overly greasy crispy hash browns.
16:20I absolutely loved that.
16:21I think my son would just devour.
16:24That brings us to lunch.
16:27Sherry.
16:27In that amount of time to have that much flavor, it was really shocking.
16:30I really enjoyed eating your dish.
16:32Thanks so much.
16:33Anthony, there's a lot going on.
16:35I love the idea of fried green tomatoes, especially when you add a little kick to it.
16:40You kind of won me over with that.
16:42And that brings us to dinner.
16:45Lawrence.
16:46Lawrence.
16:46That's him.
16:48I like the sauce.
16:49I like the butter.
16:50There are so many opportunities to make sure the chicken was cooked.
16:53No, I love it.
16:54Jonathan.
16:55I thought the flavor was great.
16:56I personally loved it, but I think if you would have cooked the beef a little bit less,
17:01it would have been a perfect dish.
17:02And I chose the thinnest pieces because I wanted to make sure they were cooked.
17:05Well, you accomplished that.
17:06Interesting.
17:06The nuts.
17:07The winning team gave us a crave-worthy menu and some brand new classics.
17:13And the winning team is...
17:19The yellow team.
17:20Yes!
17:21Congratulations, yellow team.
17:23You got me to bring it home.
17:25You just won $12,000, thanks to the generous folks at Cracker Barrel.
17:29So that means $4,000 each.
17:32Congratulations.
17:36Lawrence, if your chicken was cooked, you would have won.
17:38I know.
17:39I haven't won a quick fire yet.
17:41This was my chance.
17:42Oh, my God.
17:44Lawrence, you had time.
17:46Why didn't you cook the chicken?
17:47Madison and Craig, thank you for being here.
17:49It was an honor to be included in your guys' challenge.
17:51We know how important this is to y'all.
17:52Thank you so much.
17:54Thank you, guys.
18:00Chefs, you are cordially invited to the celebration of the season.
18:11Please help me welcome your next guest judge, actress, singer, and Top Chef superfan, Melissa Benoist.
18:20Welcome.
18:21Hi.
18:24Holy .
18:25This is amazing.
18:26I'm a huge Supergirl fan.
18:28I'm so pumped, you guys.
18:29I've watched the show since season one.
18:32I even wrote a letter to get on the show and said how much I loved it.
18:36I'm such a superfan.
18:37I need you guys to know.
18:40So you may have seen her work on Glee, Supergirl, and most recently Waterfront.
18:44Yeah.
18:45And now I'm really happy to be here in the Queen City with you all.
18:48Did you guys know that the city of Charlotte was actually named after a queen?
18:51Sophia Charlotte Mecklenburg Strelitz.
18:54That's a mouthful.
18:55You've already made breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
18:58And do you know what Queen Charlotte loved the most?
19:03Brunch.
19:03Brunch didn't exist back then.
19:05Yeah.
19:06It was dessert.
19:07Oh.
19:08She loved decadent desserts.
19:12Oh, wow.
19:13I just hope we don't have to make a cake.
19:14I don't like making cakes.
19:15I know how to do it.
19:16I just hate making them.
19:17I went to culinary school for the International Baking and Pastry degree.
19:21So in my mind, we have to make a dessert.
19:23It's really important that I show that skill level.
19:26My palms are sweaty.
19:27That is some table.
19:29Wow.
19:30I'm pumped.
19:31I love dessert.
19:32Do you?
19:32No, I hate dessert.
19:34Growing up, my family wasn't big on sugar.
19:37Very health conscious.
19:38So I just never developed a taste for it.
19:40Not a cavity at 43 years old.
19:43Thanks, Mom and Dad.
19:44Queen Charlotte really loved celebrating and throwing a ball, especially if it was her birthday.
19:51Oh, good God.
19:53Back in 2018, the city of Charlotte celebrated their 250th anniversary with a large party.
19:59Pastry chefs at Johnson and Wales University made enough sheet cakes to feed 3,000 people.
20:06And also, it just so happens that this year is the 20th anniversary of Top Chef.
20:11So we're kind of celebrating a birthday too.
20:13Wow.
20:14And as you can see here, this incredible taller than me cake is full of delicious, beautiful Southern desserts,
20:23all known throughout North and South Carolina.
20:26For this elimination challenge, we want you to create a dessert fit for a queen.
20:32Ooh.
20:33Oh, me.
20:36You'll each select one dessert from this display to inspire your dish.
20:40But you are a very talented group of people, so I think that would be a little bit too easy.
20:46There we go.
20:47There we go.
20:48Come on, here we go.
20:49Give it to me.
20:49This party starts in a little over three hours.
20:53Oh.
20:57Damn.
20:58I know.
20:59After those three hours are up, 60 superfans will enter the kitchen to celebrate and try each of your desserts.
21:07Did you say 60?
21:0860.
21:096-0.
21:09Hurt.
21:11My head is spinning, but that's not all.
21:16Oh, come on.
21:17Oh, what?
21:18You said you were a fan.
21:20Yeah, you're doing this to us.
21:22The superfans are going to hold the power in determining who the winner of this challenge will be.
21:28What?
21:31Desserts for 60 Top Chef fans.
21:34So you know they're going to be picky as hell.
21:36We have bene wafers, apple stack cake, coconut cake, caramel cake.
21:40My personal favorite, banana pudding.
21:42Facts.
21:43100%.
21:43Just let the two of them go first.
21:45There's no other point.
21:46I love all y'all, but I also play football.
21:48My top favorite dessert in the world is banana pudding.
21:52All right, ready?
21:53Three, two, one.
21:55You might want to go.
21:57Oh, .
21:58Nobody got in my way.
22:00Got it, boy.
22:01That banana pudding was coming to daddy.
22:03Hey.
22:04That was civilized.
22:05Yeah.
22:06Yeah, sure.
22:07Yeah.
22:08Justin, do you like ambrosia?
22:09I'm going to learn to love it today.
22:11Baking cakes in that short amount of time, there's so many things that can go wrong.
22:15So, chilled fruit salad, lots of ways you can shake that tree.
22:19Chefs, just remember, this is a party.
22:21Show off and give them something impressive.
22:23Make all of us superfans proud.
22:36Let's go, baby.
22:38Let's do this.
22:39You ready?
22:39Yeah.
22:40Does anybody need pineapple?
22:41No.
22:41Cool.
22:42I'm looking for bananas.
22:43Anybody seen the bananas?
22:44They're over here, buddy.
22:45Is there stuff in those fridges?
22:46We are hosting a party of superfans in three hours, which is insane.
22:54Also, dessert.
22:57What am I doing?
22:58We don't get to go to the market and buy stuff.
23:01I'm not even going to have time to conceptualize my dish.
23:04No.
23:04We're in the storm.
23:05Time starts.
23:06Get at it.
23:07Oscar, how are you feeling?
23:09Emotionally?
23:10Spiritually?
23:11All the above.
23:12Which way?
23:12All the above?
23:12All right, pull out a couch.
23:18The Atlantic Beach Pie is a salty cracker crumb, whipped cream, and lemon and lime custard.
23:25I have Atlantic Beach Pie every Thanksgiving.
23:28I'm going to do a layered dessert of salty crackers, the lemon curd, and yuzu jelly.
23:35I reluctantly do desserts, you know, and I really feel like I'm going to have to channel my grandmothers,
23:41try to remember the things I grew up eating.
23:43So, a little traditional, a little weird.
23:45I'm actually from a very small town called Statham, Georgia.
23:48Only one grocery store in town.
23:50My dad owned it, and that was the name of it, the grocery store.
23:54I'm excited for the different layers.
23:56Oh, .
24:01A lot of eggs.
24:02I'm not a pastry chef, but I've done my chair of pastries.
24:06The sunker is between a cobbler and a fruit tart.
24:09I have a really good pie dough recipe.
24:12When you grate the butter, you have these perfect little nuggets that create pockets of air on the dough.
24:18It's going to be super flaky and delicious.
24:19Oh, snap.
24:22Ah, shells.
24:23Lawrence, what you making?
24:25I'm going to make a tres leches.
24:26It's the last thing that I had with my wife before I left.
24:28I think I'm going to turn this coconut cake into a tres leches, make a coconut cream and condensed milk
24:33soak.
24:34I want to make it a bit of my own.
24:36So, I hope it's good.
24:37Sorry, babe, if it's not, you know?
24:38Wait, don't you have immunity as well?
24:40I do.
24:41Are you happy you're getting it for this challenge?
24:42I'll take it for any challenge.
24:47Apple desserts are normally my favorite to eat.
24:50The apple stack cake reminds me of my great-grandmother.
24:53She would just have, like, a tower of pancakes, paper thin, as if they were crepes almost.
24:59I want to cook with this memory of her.
25:01That's going to make her proud.
25:02You got to get these apples diced.
25:03I want the semifredo to have a good amount of apple flavor and also texture.
25:07I want to try and represent the apple as many ways as I possibly can.
25:10There'll be a spiced apple butter and then a apple gel.
25:17Hey, y'all, I feel nervous.
25:19I know, right?
25:20I got the little ugly duckling cake.
25:22The Moravian is a sad little dense cake.
25:26You know, like, it needs a little makeover.
25:28I got all the breads.
25:29There's a lot of cinnamon notes.
25:31There's raisins.
25:31So, I'm thinking right off the bat, capirotada.
25:34It's like a Jalisco-style bread pudding.
25:36With the s'mores cook-off, Tom loved a little spice in it,
25:39so I'm going to make a little pasilla powder.
25:41Why not?
25:41I like a little spice, a little sweet.
25:43Kind of like me.
25:44Hey!
25:45Love that.
25:46I've got chocolate chest pie.
25:48There's not really enough time to make a pie crust.
25:50So, this is going to get baked like this,
25:52and then I'm going to crumble it later.
25:53So, I call this the top chef pie dough.
26:01Are you good at baking, Duane?
26:03I like desserts that I'm, like, cooking.
26:05Chef desserts.
26:06Yeah, chef-y desserts, exactly.
26:07There was a restaurant I worked at in France.
26:09I had a dolce leche sabayon,
26:11and it was, like, the best thing ever.
26:13So, having the caramel cake, I could really use
26:16that as kind of, like, the star.
26:18The caramel cake is what a caramel cake sounds like.
26:21Just layers and layers of caramel with vanilla cake inside.
26:25But I want to take a Vietnamese spin on it.
26:28I went to Vietnam, and I saw this woman grill bananas
26:31and made this, like, tapioca pudding,
26:33and it was so fire.
26:36Ooh.
26:36So, I'm making this vanilla pandan rice,
26:39and I think that would be a nice base of my dessert.
26:42Ooh, pandan?
26:43You want to try it?
26:44It's super hot.
26:45Careful.
26:47That's pretty good.
26:48It's not too sweet, you know?
26:49No.
26:50Which is the biggest Asian compliment you can give.
26:52But I need this to be sweet.
26:54Ambrosia salad is really big in Michigan.
26:57I'm gonna do it pretty close to the original.
27:00Jello, whipped cream, fruit.
27:02So, it's really just a sweet, cold fruit salad.
27:07Something our parents probably used to eat.
27:09Yeah.
27:11This is base for the semifreddo.
27:14That blast jello don't play around, does it?
27:16Sheesh!
27:18Doing a play on banana pudding.
27:20I want to get some roasted bananas.
27:21I got my brown butter working.
27:22The dessert I'm gonna focus on is a banana misuse.
27:26Let's go.
27:28Back, back, back, back, back.
27:30Two hours and eight minutes left.
27:32That oven's not as hot from opening and closing it.
27:35It's not gonna stay hot.
27:36Justin, I'm about to go in there, okay?
27:38It's at 400.
27:39You're good.
27:40I have five trays to go in.
27:42Every two minutes somebody's opening
27:44and slamming the doors closed,
27:46which kind of sucks for me.
27:47The worst thing that could happen
27:49is putting these galettes in the oven
27:51and the temperature being too low
27:53and all the beautiful butter just oozing out of the pastry.
27:58So I crank up my oven,
28:00praying for the worst, hoping for the best.
28:04Wait, what?
28:05What is it? How you say it?
28:06Preparing for the worst.
28:07Uh, preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.
28:13One hour and 43 minutes till the super fans arrive.
28:18Ah!
28:18I want to maximize the flavor and texture.
28:21Oh, shoot.
28:21Who's black bananas?
28:23Roasting the bananas with the skin on,
28:24you get this banana liqueur,
28:26and it's really, really flavorful.
28:28Yeah, these are nice.
28:31Anybody I can open her?
28:32Yeah.
28:33Oi! Thanks.
28:35Anybody have a dessert I could use?
28:36Got you, Justin.
28:37I got some whipped cream for you.
28:38Oh, you're the best.
28:39Ambrosia salad has a lot of different elements.
28:42You know, I still have a lot to get done.
28:44I'm not panicked just yet,
28:45but it's slowly creeping up.
28:46What do we do now?
28:49What are you working on?
28:52A salted dulce de leche sabayon.
28:55I'm really hoping that my sabayon
28:57is going to just encompass this entire dessert.
29:01Needs to be sweeter.
29:03I might just throw this whole thing in there.
29:05The best way for me to kind of utilize that
29:08is to put it in an ISI container
29:10so it has this, like, airy, foamy mouth feel.
29:14That makes me sound really bougie.
29:16Done.
29:18I'm doing good.
29:21This is Agar Agar.
29:22It's a gelling agent.
29:23I'm gonna try and gel this apple cider,
29:25see if it works.
29:29One hour!
29:31I noticed Oscar still doesn't have his bread pudding in the oven.
29:35He has a deep pan.
29:36It's difficult to get that amount cooked
29:38in the proper amount of time.
29:39Got faith.
29:40Don't cheat yourself in the foot.
29:42Bake it off for 40 minutes.
29:4930 minutes!
29:51Sherry, how are they looking?
29:52You tell me. Look at this.
29:54That's beautiful.
29:55Oscar, what you doing with them pineapple tops, bud?
29:57I was gonna make myself a little hat.
29:59Oh, you're so cute.
30:01Okay, so pie crust is done.
30:03I'm making my chocolate sauvignon.
30:05Now I need to whip some.
30:06Whipped cream.
30:07Hey, Brandon, how do you make whipped cream, bro?
30:09Equal parts sugar and water bring to a boil and cool down.
30:13No hesitation.
30:14My goal is to get more votes than my brother,
30:17but he's literally a high-caliber pastry chef.
30:20Jonathan, you're boiling over.
30:22Am I really?
30:23Yeah, I turned it off.
30:25Oh, thank you.
30:26Oscar, is your bread pudding gonna be done in time?
30:28It's close.
30:29Boom.
30:30Pour.
30:30Pour.
30:31This way.
30:32Yeah, so just like that.
30:33Yep.
30:34And then you're just gonna keep on pouring slowly.
30:36Okay.
30:36I wanna manipulate the ingredients of ambrosia,
30:39so I decided to use liquid nitrogen,
30:41but I've never done it before.
30:43Dang!
30:44Am I doing it right?
30:45Yeah, you are!
30:46Liquid nitrogen will give me a new twist
30:48and make it a little bit lighter.
30:52Sherry, you making cotton candy?
30:54Yes.
30:54So I think it's kinda skewed.
30:58Oh, my God.
31:01Hey, y'all.
31:01Six minutes till we serve.
31:03Time to start plating.
31:09I'm real sweaty.
31:10Texture's on point.
31:12Flavor's there.
31:19Hello, everyone.
31:21How y'all doing?
31:22Hi, guys.
31:23Hey, everybody.
31:24It's got a lot of soul, you know?
31:26The bread pudding is a little bit loose at this point.
31:29My whipped cream's been sitting out and it's warm.
31:32It's not a California 10.
31:33It's a Midwest 10.
31:34Not what I want, but, you know, I gotta sell this ugly little dish.
31:39A minute 36, Chef.
31:41A minute 36.
31:42I just wanted to say that.
31:44Thank you, Chef.
31:44I appreciate you.
31:49There you go.
31:53Let's go!
31:54We are open.
31:57Put a little whipped cream on top of that, and then it's ready to go.
32:00The party has started.
32:03Welcome to Top Chef.
32:04How are you?
32:05I do.
32:07Judges, I have for you.
32:09Coconut chest leches.
32:10I am a real superman.
32:12Been watching this since day one.
32:14I'm gonna be dreaming about this for the rest of my life.
32:17Oh, my God.
32:17I wasn't gonna miss this.
32:18Yeah, it's awesome.
32:19Glad you could join us.
32:20There are superfans in the Top Chef kitchen.
32:22It really is like you're in the arena with them.
32:24Having the superfans vote, it's a lot of different palates.
32:27I hope I survive right on.
32:30It's so surreal being in here.
32:32Dream country.
32:33Wow.
32:34Look at this party.
32:36Ooh, cotton candy.
32:38It does feel like a party in here.
32:39Yeah, it does.
32:40Dave was like, Mommy, it's a cooking show.
32:41I was like, don't you ever say that.
32:43This is more than a cooking show.
32:45So, shall we start trying?
32:46Yeah.
32:47How's it going, judges?
32:48Hello, Anthony.
32:49Which dessert did you have?
32:51Apple stack cake.
32:52So, apple semifredo.
32:54Dried apples on the inside.
32:55Apple coulis on the bottom.
32:56Spiced cake with a little bit of molasses.
32:59And then two types of apple butter.
33:00Why did you choose the apple stack cake?
33:02They reminded me a little bit of family.
33:03Very good.
33:04Wow.
33:06Several different types of apples in here.
33:08A nice, crunchy crust.
33:10Highly recommend.
33:13Okay.
33:13Are you grilling him with all the judging questions?
33:17So, this is my version of chocolate chess pie.
33:19Truly, my grandmother did make this for us.
33:22But she made the old school version.
33:23This is my version.
33:24We have a chocolate sabayon.
33:26And we have a chocolate custard.
33:27There's a little bit of pate sucre that I've crumbled up.
33:29And then some candy kumquats.
33:30How would your grandmother feel about kumquats?
33:32She would go crazy.
33:33Thank you, Jonathan.
33:34You're welcome.
33:34Pleasure.
33:35After 20 years of watching this show consistently, to be like, okay, I'm in the kitchen now.
33:40And everything just goes, I thought it was going to happen.
33:42Yes.
33:42Hi, Lawrence.
33:43Hi, judges.
33:44Dessert inspo was coconut cake.
33:45My wife loves coconut.
33:47Tres leches was the last meal we had before I came here.
33:51I wanted to make this for her.
33:52The coconut tres leches.
33:53And this little sugared wheel.
33:55It's regular sugar, but it's toasted coconut inside.
33:58That's what you see.
33:59Nice.
34:00Thank you so much.
34:01So far, my favorite has to be Lawrence's.
34:05His ability to blend those flavors effortlessly was fantastic.
34:10Okay.
34:11Good start.
34:12Yeah, I think it's a great start.
34:13Melissa, is this living up to all your, like, top chef wishes?
34:17I do keep feeling like I want to look in the camera and be like, it's really cool to actually
34:22taste the food.
34:25So let's start with Anthony, the apple stack cake.
34:27The flavors were actually really nice.
34:29I liked that Anthony's dessert wasn't too sweet.
34:32Yeah.
34:32Yeah.
34:33The apple really came out for me.
34:34Each bite just had a lot of different textures and layers to it.
34:38Did you also make the ice cream from scratch?
34:40Yeah.
34:41Great ice-o-cution.
34:42I feel like it doesn't always turn into ice cream.
34:44There we go.
34:45Jonathan had this great story, but what he made to me was chocolate pudding with whipped cream.
34:49Right.
34:50I think I was looking forward to having something with more substance.
34:54Yeah.
34:54I did like the kumquat, though.
34:56I love orange and chocolate combination.
34:57Of course, we have more chocolate.
35:00Lawrence with the coconut cake.
35:02He actually made a nice cake.
35:03I want more coconut.
35:04Oh!
35:05I get it.
35:05It had that, like, young, sweet coconut flavor.
35:09Yeah.
35:09But I loved the texture, and it was a nice crumb.
35:12Yeah, it was nice to make a cake.
35:13It worked.
35:13You got the moisture of the coconut cake down there.
35:15You really did.
35:15Thank you so much.
35:18The Moravian cake kind of looks sad up there all lonely, and so I wanted to do, like, that 80s
35:22movie where they give someone a remake, and all of a sudden they're, like, the talk of the town.
35:26The superfans have a vote, and I'm a schmoozer, so, I mean, they're eating it up.
35:30You made a lot, too.
35:32You know, I'm gonna take some of this back to the loft later, and we're gonna have a good time.
35:35Hopefully they fall in love with my spiel.
35:38I hope y'all enjoy.
35:41You know, it's where my mind is right now.
35:43I should be on a beach drinking a rum drink.
35:45Not here.
35:47Working my face off.
35:53Round two?
35:54Onward.
35:55Love the flavors.
35:56Thank you so much.
35:58Hi, Dwayne.
35:58Hello.
35:59Your reference was caramel cake.
36:02Yes.
36:02So, it's rice that I cooked with pandan and coconut.
36:06And then we have roasted bananas.
36:09How did we get from caramel cake to pandan rice pudding with roasted bananas?
36:13I knew I wanted to make a salted dulce de leche foam, and then I went backwards.
36:17I'm like, okay, what goes well with that?
36:21This is so good.
36:22But you can secretly stash our dishes for later.
36:24Hi.
36:24Hi, Jen.
36:25Hello.
36:26My inspiration was Atlantic Beach pie, layers of citrus in there.
36:31So, a Meyer lemon curd and a yuzu jelly.
36:33And then my two crunches were saltines and graham cracker with pretzels.
36:39Citrus-y.
36:40Yup.
36:40Yuzu.
36:41Thank you, Jen.
36:41Thank you, guys.
36:42Thank you so much.
36:43Jen's is like a flavor bomb.
36:46This foam, it's delicious.
36:49Hi, Justin.
36:51Hi, guys.
36:52How y'all doing?
36:53I got ambrosia salad.
36:54I have cherry granita at the bottom, roasted pineapple, brown butter walnuts, toasted coconut.
37:01And then a raspberry whipped cream.
37:03Wow.
37:03Brown butter marshmallows as well.
37:05Thanks, y'all.
37:06There's just something missing, bringing it all together.
37:09What'd you think of Dwen's dish?
37:10The pandan.
37:11Gotta be honest, I was a little confused.
37:13You are not the only one.
37:15I did not find it visually appealing.
37:17It had no caramel.
37:19It almost felt like Dwen wanted to do the pandan rice pudding, and then she was like, we're
37:25gonna just like shoo horn it into this.
37:27Yup.
37:27We're gonna finish it off with some dolce de leche foam.
37:31So this is where the caramel is coming from.
37:34And then Jen with the Atlantic beach pie.
37:37I loved it.
37:37I liked it too.
37:38I liked it too.
37:39The yuzu was a little assertive, but I liked that.
37:41I also really appreciated the yuzu, citrus, how powerful it was.
37:47How much does the anxiety of this affect your ability to focus?
37:50It's insane.
37:51It's been wild.
37:53Well, the ambrosia, the ratios were off.
37:56It wasn't enough cream to all the different things.
37:58That was a hot mess.
37:59Actually, a cold mess.
38:01Texturally, there was really nothing there.
38:02It was all crunch.
38:03Justin put everything in liquid nitrogen.
38:05And when you freeze things to that temperature, you dampen the flavor.
38:09It's too damn cold.
38:11Ooh.
38:13Let's start round three, shall we?
38:16I don't know how I'm gonna vote, though.
38:17I really am.
38:18I know.
38:18I know.
38:19I'm waiting for that to happen.
38:20You've got three in mind.
38:22Hi, Sherry.
38:23Hi.
38:23So my dessert was a stunker, and I decided to make a cherry, blueberry, and strawberry compote
38:31inside the almond pate brise, and then a passion fruit mousse.
38:35That was my way of making it a little Brazilian, and cotton candy to finish.
38:39I saved the best-looking galettes for the judges, but I did notice the crust was a little bit
38:46thicker than the other ones.
38:48Mmm.
38:48Maybe that wasn't the right move.
38:51Thank you, guys.
39:14Thank you very much.
39:15It's so good.
39:16I wish we could have seconds.
39:18Do I have deja vu?
39:20My twin brother is over there.
39:22We are going head-to-head today.
39:24Chef, how goes it?
39:25Hello, Brandon.
39:26Welcome.
39:26Last but not least.
39:28Here we have banana masseuse.
39:30My favorite dessert on the planet is banana pudding.
39:32My second favorite is tiram masseuse.
39:33What I wanted to do today was combine them both.
39:35So the bottom, you'll find roasted banana and fresh banana compote layered with your traditional
39:39sauvignon.
39:40Use vanilla wafers to dip in espresso syrup.
39:42Touch of whipped cream on top.
39:43Did you try Jonathan's dessert?
39:44No, not yet, but I can't wait.
39:45Okay.
39:46Everybody's been super confused.
39:48Thank you, Brandon.
39:49Wonderful.
39:50I'm a southerner.
39:51Banana pudding is a big thing.
39:53Yeah.
39:53It's really good.
39:56Sherry's galette was undercooked.
39:59The rest of it actually was quite good.
40:01The thing that I did appreciate about Sherry's dish are the little pops of the passion fruit,
40:05and then the curd and the berries, everything had a little point of tartness to it.
40:10The dish was flavorful.
40:11I feel like who doesn't look a cotton candy and doesn't smile?
40:15Moving on to Oscar.
40:17Broken whipped cream.
40:18It was overwent.
40:19That was the thing that made you mad?
40:20Do you see how thick he baked that?
40:22I know.
40:23Yeah.
40:23I think the problem with Oscar is to eat more custard.
40:25It wasn't pudding-like, it was bread-like.
40:27Yeah.
40:27And then I put a little rum in the dulce de leche,
40:30because also I want to be like, we like to party too, you know what I mean?
40:32What about Brandon's?
40:33Brandon's is very good.
40:33There was the right amount of cake to banana to cream.
40:36Even though it was the last, and I don't know if I could have put another bite in my mouth,
40:40I wanted to eat more.
40:42It was really tasty.
40:43This is really good.
40:44Oh, good.
40:44I'm so glad you liked it.
40:46So if you haven't voted yet, I would highly encourage you to go place your votes,
40:51because we are nearing the end.
40:54We all voted for the same person.
40:56Did you all discuss?
40:58No.
40:59It just felt like home.
41:00It tasted like home.
41:01Yeah.
41:03How about the coconut?
41:05I loved it.
41:06I loved it.
41:07With that banana pudding.
41:08Really, really, really good.
41:09Really good.
41:12So what was your least favorite?
41:14The ambrosia salad.
41:16Too much things just going on in that one.
41:18Anybody a fan of the bread pudding?
41:19I liked it.
41:20I liked it.
41:21Yeah.
41:21Even the broken whipped cream on top.
41:22Yeah.
41:24Well, we're not technical like that.
41:25He's like, that's the wrong answer.
41:26Well, thank you for your opinions.
41:31If you all want to move to the side so you have a good view of when we announce our
41:35winner,
41:35that would be fantastic.
41:37All right, chefs, you can come join us in the center, please.
41:40Cut the anticipation with a knife.
41:43So chefs, the votes are in.
41:48The top three vote getters are.
42:02The top three vote getters are.
42:06Lawrence.
42:12Anthony.
42:17Anthony.
42:17And...
42:19Sherry.
42:20Well, thank you.
42:21Thank you, guys.
42:26By one vote.
42:27Wow.
42:28Wow.
42:29The winner is...
42:31Anthony.
42:32Congratulations.
42:36One single vote.
42:39Seriously.
42:41Congratulations, Anthony.
42:42It is nice to have immunity, but at the end of the day, like,
42:44I'm just trying to cook good food no matter what.
42:47Everything after that is icing on the cake.
42:48No pun intended.
42:52All right, so we all got to go so we can get set for judge's table.
42:54Thank you for being here.
42:58Thank you, thank you.
43:11You know, great night.
43:13For the most part, the desserts were really good.
43:15As one of the super fans, it was a treat for me to be here.
43:20You really pulled it out.
43:22Anthony, I will say you were definitely on the top for us, too.
43:25It was beautiful.
43:26As much as you cooked the apples, it didn't turn into applesauce.
43:30So you could still see the pieces of apple, and you had the texture in there as well.
43:33If you were craving an apple dessert, you hit the spot.
43:35Mm-hmm.
43:35Thank you very much.
43:38Justin, Oscar, and Dwen, please stay here.
43:40The rest of you can move to the side.
43:44So the three of you had our least favorite desserts of the evening, and one of you will be eliminated.
43:51Were you all happy with what you were putting up?
43:53I mean, there was definitely some decision fatigue.
43:56Sixties just sounded so big.
43:57Before even tasting it, I saw the pockets of unsoaked bread plus undercooked soaked bread.
44:03Had you just made a smaller amount, it would have cooked more consistently.
44:07Absolutely.
44:07My big problem was your whipped cream was broken.
44:09Yeah, so I was trying to, like, make sure that the dessert itself was good.
44:14To you, it was wrong. Why'd you serve it?
44:15I just saw Sherry's so colorful dish, and I was like, I need to put something on top of it.
44:19Never compare yourself to other people, ever.
44:24Okay, Dwen, remind me how you got from caramel cake to your dessert.
44:29I wanted to really kind of focus on the dolce de leche foam.
44:34I wanted a lot of caramel, but without it just being, like, sugar bomb.
44:38I was missing the caramel stickiness and that flavor.
44:41My issue was that the rice pudding had very little flavor.
44:44I struggled to find any reference to caramel cake.
44:48I got pandan, rice, banana.
44:50Texturally, it was kind of soft on soft on soft.
44:53You're right. I think I probably took my interpretation maybe a little too far.
44:58Justin, you put all the toppings in the bottom, and then you just pipe some cream on top.
45:03And so you didn't really have this bowl of fluffy, creamy goodness that is ambrosia salad.
45:08Yeah. Liquid nitrogen is tricky. The dessert was so cold, you couldn't taste it.
45:12I had the same issues. It was just hard to taste.
45:15Yeah. There should have been a gap between plating and serving.
45:20Thank you. We'll call you back in a bit. Thank you very much.
45:27I think all three chefs had technical and conceptual issues here, and some of them a little bit of both.
45:35When you're in the bottom, you're kind of aware of why, and there's no hiding behind any of it.
45:39No.
45:40Serving broken whipped cream, it's just like, I don't get that. It's such a major fail.
45:44If I had to choose a dish that I would eat again, it would actually be Oscars.
45:49Okay.
45:49I don't have the eye to look for broken whipped cream. I really liked the flavors.
45:53Okay.
45:54For all the dishes I've done before, like, whatever the challenge is, I've layered that in so many different components
45:59of my dish, and I just didn't do that this time.
46:02Part of me just doesn't believe that Gwen's was the dessert inspired by the caramel cake.
46:06The dish was so poorly executed. The banana was just, like, gray and completely soft.
46:13And then the pandan had no flavor.
46:16I've made myself home at the bottom. I got a pull-out couch, getting a cable next week.
46:23The flavor wasn't there for me in justice. All the components just were completely separate and also tamped down by
46:31the temperature.
46:31He was doing an interpretation that wasn't good.
46:34Right. For that reason, it didn't even give me abrosia.
46:36The dish that you gave me at the very end was so good.
46:39What did you do with this Gary Busey thing over here?
46:41My jaw's doing something weird. I don't know. Don't bring attention to it, okay?
46:46I have this whole face thing going on that I'm not sure what's happening.
46:50I can feel, like, my left side pulling in a way that is super uncomfortable.
47:04Pastry is the Achilles heel of so many savory chefs.
47:07It kind of hurts when you've got to go home for doing something that you really don't do day to
47:10day, but that's how it is here in Top Chef's Kitchen.
47:21Justin, please pack your knives and go.
47:25Justin, overall, just way too cold. Couldn't taste the dish. But we'll see you in Last Chance Kitchen. You got
47:30a shot of getting back in.
47:31Thanks, guys. It's been a pleasure. Appreciate it.
47:34It's not the best feeling in the world. You're kind of numb for a second.
47:37Damn, bro.
47:39That does not feel good.
47:40No.
47:41Oh, my gosh. That was awful.
47:43Shit.
47:44No.
47:45What? No way.
47:46Man.
47:46Yeah.
47:47It sucks leaving Jen, but she's been killing it. Hopefully this will be a little bit extra motivation to keep
47:53cooking strong.
47:55Not that she needs it, but watch out for her.
47:57Oh.
47:58All right, guys. Bye.
47:59Take care, Jen. Take care.
48:01See y'all.
48:02There's Last Chance Kitchen, and there's a path to working my way back up in the competition, and I'm going
48:07to do just that.
48:09Should we wrap this up, guys?
48:10Let's wrap it up.
48:11Hello.
48:12How's it going?
48:14Hello.
48:14How's it going?
48:16Can you all come back to Judge's table for me, please?
48:19Yeah.
48:20Let's do it.
48:21Sure.
48:23Whew.
48:24Ah.
48:38Before you leave for tonight, we would all like to congratulate you for making it halfway through this competition.
48:43That is no easy feat.
48:45Jen, how are you feeling?
48:47Too many emotions going.
48:48You okay?
48:49Physically?
48:50I don't know.
48:51I don't even know.
48:52Okay.
48:54Something's going on with my face.
48:55I can see that.
48:55Yeah.
48:56It has been a tough few days, but it's only to get more challenging from here.
49:02This is right about the time everybody starts talking about, this is the hardest thing I've ever done.
49:07There are only eight of you left, which really could only mean one thing.
49:12It's time for Restaurant Wars.
49:17This time around, we decided to get straight down to business.
49:20I am so ready for Restaurant Wars.
49:24And now for the nitty gritty.
49:27In two teams of four, you will be responsible for creating your own restaurant concept in just over 36 hours.
49:34That's like trying to build a house in 36 hours.
49:37You just don't do things that way.
49:38You'll need to assign an executive chef, a floor manager, and two line cooks.
49:43And then together, you're going to have to come up with a three course menu featuring at least two options
49:48for each course.
49:49We're going to allow you all to decide how you want to divvy up into your two teams.
49:53So go ahead.
49:54You can get into two teams.
49:55Oh, man.
49:56I don't know.
49:58Oh, look at that.
49:59You guys want to be on the same team.
50:01Lawrence has been winning.
50:03Anthony has been winning.
50:04Sherry hasn't won yet, but everyone's scared of Sherry.
50:06She is such a beast in the kitchen.
50:08And so I know I'm just in a team with winners.
50:11Who's coming to this side?
50:12We are.
50:12Who's coming to the dark side?
50:14Interesting.
50:15That was easy.
50:15We kind of just split the line right in half.
50:17We did a lot of nothing there.
50:23Tonight, you're going to have an hour to create your concept and plan your menus.
50:27That's not all.
50:28Of course.
50:31We're going to add one more element this year.
50:34You're also going to be fielding takeout orders.
50:37Oh, my God.
50:39We all know.
50:39We've all done it.
50:40We all do it, right?
50:41In the real world, I wouldn't do takeout orders on week one, let alone day one.
50:46How do you all feel about being on a team with one person that has immunity?
50:50Math-wise?
50:52Math-wise, not great.
50:53Doesn't work.
50:53But, yeah.
50:54Focus on winning.
50:55And the prize for the winning team this year will be Epic.
50:58Ooh.
50:59Ooh.
51:00Do tell.
51:00You know I can't tell you guys.
51:02Epic.
51:03Okay, chefs.
51:03Time to start planning.
51:04See ya.
51:05Can't wait to see what you made.
51:06Get out of here.
51:07Good luck.
51:12Guys, I don't know what's going on with my face, so the medic is going to take me to
51:17the ER to get it checked out and just make sure nothing crazy is happening.
51:21Sorry, guys.
51:22Yeah, I'll see you in a bit.
51:23Take care.
51:24All right.
51:24Love y'all.
51:26See you later, then.
51:27Yeah, we'll see you.
51:28Yeah, we got you.
51:29We need to find the hell out of it.
51:31Oh, yeah.
51:32I got an idea already, so.
51:33Cool.
51:34Great.
51:39I think you should be the GM.
51:40I was thinking she's the exec chef that expedites.
51:42Then me and Jonathan are cooks.
51:43Because I don't foresee Jen line cooking.
51:46Let's just hope that she's okay.
51:52Hey, Justin.
51:54We just want to give you an update on Jen.
51:56Oh, goddammit.
51:57So, I think because of everything that's been going on, we have to ask her to leave the
52:02competition.
52:02Like, it's just for her own well-being.
52:05And she is 100% invited back on another season, but for right now, I don't think it's the best
52:12thing for her.
52:17She deserves to be here, and she's doing so well.
52:20Yeah.
52:21Oh, god, no.
52:22If you cry, I'm crying.
52:26Yeah.
52:26It's pretty shocking.
52:31Because you are the last person that was eliminated, we're offering you that spot back.
52:38Completely up to you.
52:40Yeah, I'd like to talk to her.
52:42Of course.
52:42For sure.
52:43Okay.
52:43This is a super big decision, and I just really need to touch base with Jen.
52:48Hey.
52:49Well, I'm not having a stroke.
52:52Got all kinds of things attached to my fingers and my chest.
52:56I don't know what's wrong when they end up to have an MRI.
52:59So, we should just go home and get you better.
53:03I mean, you do whatever you think is best for you.
53:08I just, my cards were on you, and now, you know.
53:13Jen's health comes first.
53:15You know, she's the most important person in my life.
53:17There's no way I'm staying in the competition with Jen in a hospital room.
53:22You know, we'll just figure things out together.
53:25Okay.
53:31Tonight, another shocking twist rocks Last Chance Kitchen.
53:34It's a surprise return as two chefs clash for a comeback.
53:37And things get weird.
53:38I'm glad I'm not cooking.
53:40Watch now on Peacock or BravoTV.com.
53:45Next time on Top Chef.
53:46Hey, Chef.
53:47It smells like restaurant wars in here.
53:49Before you made all these, did you test one?
53:51Shut up, Tom.
53:52Let me do my thing.
53:54Hey, Brandon, I just need your help with a little bit of knife work, please.
53:56I'm blown away.
53:57We're about to start service.
53:58Stop talking and start working, bro.
54:00I'm working, dude.
54:00This is my worst nightmare.
54:02Oh, my gosh.
54:05We have a reservation for five.
54:07It's been 40 minutes since we sat down here.
54:09This is ridiculous.
54:10Yeah.
54:11It's a very fine line between the winner and the loser.
54:14It could go any which way.
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