24 in 24 Last Chef Standing S03E01 Shift 1 Strategy

Carbonarapasta

Watch 24 in 24 Last Chef Standing S03E01 Shift 1 Strategy - Carbonarapasta on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00:01You definitely have to have a certain level of crazy to do this show.

00:00:0624 chefs.

00:00:0824 challenges.

00:00:0924 hours straight.

00:00:11This is hardest competition in the world.

00:00:13I think it sounded fun a few weeks ago.

00:00:17If you've watched the first two seasons like I have, you know this is insane.

00:00:21I studied both seasons.

00:00:23I studied season one and season two.

00:00:25I think I'm ready. I know I'm ready.

00:00:28You all know the show.

00:00:30And I'm sure you all think you have the perfect game plan.

00:00:33But think again.

00:00:36Because this year, it's not the same game.

00:00:40Oh, what's happening?

00:00:42Why the lights going out?

00:00:43The chef you will be cooking against is not currently in this kitchen.

00:00:49Oh.

00:00:51Participation is optional.

00:00:53This is not in any way, shape, or form what I thought I was walking into.

00:01:01This is what we're here for, right? Do or die?

00:01:04Expect the unexpected.

00:01:06Panic in my mind just came about me.

00:01:09I'm feeling really intimidated.

00:01:11We need a medic.

00:01:12I want to be able to sleep.

00:01:14I'm missing all my stuff.

00:01:16No knives!

00:01:16We have removed all of your knives.

00:01:18They're delirious with exhaustion.

00:01:21That stress is costly churning.

00:01:24Big risk comes with big rewards.

00:01:26This competition is no joke.

00:01:28This is the Hunger Games.

00:01:29I had no idea it was going to be this crazy.

00:01:32This is 24 and 24.

00:01:35Last chef standing.

00:01:41Remember your two shots, everybody, right?

00:01:45We've done this now twice.

00:01:47Do you have a caffeine strategy?

00:01:49Lots.

00:01:50Let's send the chef.

00:01:51Send the first round of chefs.

00:01:54Madre santa.

00:01:55Oh, Maria.

00:01:56My name is Maria Maison.

00:01:59I'm from Tucson, Arizona.

00:02:01And I cook Mexican cuisine.

00:02:03Maria's going to be a heavy hitter.

00:02:05Strong culinary point of view.

00:02:07I've been a two times James Beer semifinalist.

00:02:10Oh, my God!

00:02:11That's real!

00:02:12I have ADHD, and I am proud to say it.

00:02:15Sort of the more chaotic my surroundings are,

00:02:18my brain and myself come down.

00:02:21But also, I'm nervous,

00:02:23because this show is known for throwing the curveballs

00:02:27of the size of Texas.

00:02:29I'm happy to be here with you.

00:02:31Hi, guys!

00:02:32Hi!

00:02:34My name is Molly A.

00:02:35I write cookbooks.

00:02:36I have a restaurant, and I had a show

00:02:39called Girl Meets Farm.

00:02:41I'm Zach Young, and I'm recognized

00:02:44as one of the country's top pastry chefs.

00:02:48Oh, look at all the beautiful squash.

00:02:50It's Molly and Dad.

00:02:51Look at how cute they are.

00:02:53Ooh!

00:02:55Okay, it's real!

00:02:56I'm comfortable cooking on camera.

00:02:58I'm comfortable talking about food,

00:03:00but I haven't competed much.

00:03:03And I'm, like, totally scared.

00:03:05Can the first challenge be to make something

00:03:07for us to eat?

00:03:08I've been named one of the top ten pastry chefs

00:03:11in the U.S.

00:03:12I'm also a judge on Food Network,

00:03:16but I can cook, too.

00:03:18And I think that's why I'm here.

00:03:21Ah!

00:03:22Ooh!

00:03:26Oh, all right.

00:03:28So...

00:03:28You know Joe.

00:03:29I know Joe well.

00:03:30He hit a Michelin star.

00:03:32Joe is gonna be a sleeper.

00:03:35Ooh!

00:03:36Maria!

00:03:37Joe!

00:03:41Hi, Molly.

00:03:42Monique.

00:03:43Nice to meet you.

00:03:44I know these guys.

00:03:45Oh, it's because you're young like them.

00:03:47Yeah.

00:03:47Look at the young swagger.

00:03:49They're of my age.

00:03:50I'm Christina Muros.

00:03:52I am a private chef,

00:03:53and I'm also an ICU nurse,

00:03:55so I like stress, clearly.

00:03:58Ooh, let's check this stuff out.

00:04:00I became a nurse six years ago

00:04:02to educate myself

00:04:04so I could be able to advocate

00:04:05for my special needs child.

00:04:07My daughter Isabel,

00:04:08she's my best friend,

00:04:10and I'm here all for her.

00:04:12Look at all this.

00:04:13Can you see all the plates?

00:04:15I am Italian champion

00:04:16of pizza napoletana.

00:04:17My occupation is basically everything,

00:04:20because when you own a restaurant,

00:04:22you need to do dishes,

00:04:23be a chef.

00:04:25I recognize most of the chefs

00:04:27from other important shows.

00:04:30This is an important opportunity

00:04:32for me to show to myself

00:04:33that I can beat them up.

00:04:36Oh, my God!

00:04:37Oh, my God!

00:04:39Oh, my God.

00:04:40Yeah, of course.

00:04:41Ryan Malarkey, chef, restaurateur,

00:04:44San Diego, California,

00:04:45Bend, Oregon, in the house.

00:04:47How are you doing?

00:04:48I'm starstruck.

00:04:49Oh, good to see you.

00:04:51If you're looking for someone,

00:04:53maybe one of the favorites coming out,

00:04:55he has the experience in shops

00:04:56to be a favorite.

00:04:57He also was a judge in season two,

00:04:59but the question is gonna be for me,

00:05:02Esther, can he control his level of energy

00:05:05for 24 straight hours?

00:05:07I mean, I think everybody

00:05:08who has ever watched me,

00:05:09they know that I have a lot of energy,

00:05:11and this is no problem.

00:05:13The hours, the 24 hours,

00:05:14I'm not scared at all.

00:05:15Only thing that makes me nervous

00:05:17about this competition

00:05:17is that very first round.

00:05:20The first challenge is gonna be brutal.

00:05:23Look at this place.

00:05:25Wow.

00:05:26What's up?

00:05:26Hi, guys!

00:05:28What's up?

00:05:30What's up?

00:05:32Oh, look at this.

00:05:33Two chefs making a comeback.

00:05:35She's back, baby.

00:05:36What's up, baby?

00:05:37And he's back.

00:05:38How you doing?

00:05:39Yeah, Michelle.

00:05:40Yeah, I love Michelle.

00:05:41I love this.

00:05:42Love you.

00:05:42These two came in in season one and two,

00:05:44thought they were gonna win the whole thing,

00:05:46went home in the first hour.

00:05:48It looks familiar,

00:05:49but it also looks a little different.

00:05:51I am a three times James Beard nominee.

00:05:54I am an Iron Chef winner.

00:05:57The first season,

00:05:58I was eliminated the first round.

00:06:00I lost against Marcel,

00:06:02and Marcel ended up winning

00:06:03the whole entire season.

00:06:05So I'm back again, season three,

00:06:08and I'm taking this home.

00:06:10I'm gonna win this thing.

00:06:11Two very strong chefs

00:06:13that you and I both thought

00:06:14would make it far into the competition.

00:06:16Got any tips for us?

00:06:17Yeah, don't get knocked out.

00:06:19I am back, and I'm ready to go

00:06:21because I have never, ever gotten knocked off

00:06:25in the first round.

00:06:26This time, I'm gonna do better.

00:06:28Oh, look at this.

00:06:29Ooh.

00:06:30Back in a competing arena again.

00:06:32Oh, my goodness.

00:06:33Oh, look at this.

00:06:36Shota, Leanne, Alex, these are three favorites.

00:06:40Three favorites?

00:06:40Oh, my God.

00:06:41Alex has been around.

00:06:43I have eaten at his restaurants.

00:06:45He's one of New York's most celebrated chefs.

00:06:48Yeah.

00:06:49Maybe America doesn't know,

00:06:51but those other 23 chefs right now

00:06:54are like, oh, God.

00:06:55The last culinary competition I did

00:06:57was Iron Chef in 2007, which I won.

00:07:01I don't compete very often.

00:07:03One, because I'm busy actively cooking

00:07:06and running my restaurants,

00:07:07and I also have a cute family in Brooklyn

00:07:09that takes up a lot of my time.

00:07:10Choosing to compete on 24 and 24,

00:07:13it's scary, but I think it's scary in a good way.

00:07:16Hey.

00:07:17I mean, Leanne, obviously, Leanne has been doing this

00:07:20for a long time at a high level.

00:07:23I mean, I remember her competing on Iron Chef

00:07:25multiple times.

00:07:26And Top Chef.

00:07:27And, oh, yeah, she did Top Chef as well.

00:07:29You know, she's been around,

00:07:30and she's done well for a very long time.

00:07:32Shota's another one.

00:07:33Oh, Shota.

00:07:34I know you love Shota.

00:07:35I love it.

00:07:35I have a soft spot for Shota.

00:07:36He's so good, and he's, you know,

00:07:38obviously very technical chef.

00:07:40Japanese cuisine.

00:07:42I love his food.

00:07:43Yeah.

00:07:43You ready for this next 24 hours of craziness?

00:07:46I think.

00:07:47I think.

00:07:48Do you caffeinate?

00:07:49Well, I do, but I'm going to wait for a few hours.

00:07:52That's my tactic.

00:07:53Oh, that's pretty good.

00:07:54That's some pretty good zittar.

00:07:56I've done Top Chef,

00:07:57and that takes five weeks to make.

00:07:59All right?

00:08:00Here, we're all going for 24 hours straight.

00:08:02This is crazy.

00:08:03Nobody in their right mind or wrong mind or any mind

00:08:06would ever work 24 hours straight,

00:08:09but here we go.

00:08:11There's the 24.

00:08:12That's it.

00:08:13These 24 chefs have no idea what's about to come.

00:08:16I haven't pulled an all-nighter in a while, guys.

00:08:18Look, the chef world is small.

00:08:20We all know each other.

00:08:21I guarantee the 24 of them have picked the brains

00:08:25of everyone that has done this before,

00:08:27and they have studied every episode.

00:08:29They have everything we need.

00:08:31It's up to us to make good food.

00:08:33They think they know what's coming this season.

00:08:35Trust me, they don't.

00:08:37I don't see the speed stations.

00:08:40Oh.

00:08:41Oh, yeah.

00:08:42Oh, yeah.

00:08:42You're right.

00:08:43I think it's totally different.

00:08:45Me, too.

00:08:45So what we think we know, we don't know.

00:08:47We don't know.

00:08:47We've kicked each season off

00:08:49with the speed obstacle course,

00:08:50but that's not what's about to happen.

00:08:53I can barely see what's happening.

00:08:54Something's not to know.

00:08:55I'm like, oh.

00:08:56What happened?

00:08:57Oh, my God.

00:08:58What's happening?

00:08:59Is it, like, Squid Game?

00:09:00Well, I think something's about to happen.

00:09:03Why are the lights going out?

00:09:05What is going on right now?

00:09:06Why is it black?

00:09:07Is this the first challenge?

00:09:09Like, blind?

00:09:10Welcome to season three of 2424.

00:09:14Oh, no.

00:09:15Is it time?

00:09:16Oh.

00:09:17Look, the door is open.

00:09:18Oh, my God.

00:09:20Oh, my God.

00:09:21Oh, my God.

00:09:21It's very dramatic.

00:09:23What is...

00:09:25What's happening?

00:09:26Oh, this is the break for a while, okay?

00:09:28Oh, my God.

00:09:29Is there food in there?

00:09:30Yeah, we know.

00:09:30It's really hot.

00:09:35I smell the challenge.

00:09:40Oh!

00:09:41Guys, there's a letter.

00:09:43What did you find?

00:09:44There's a letter.

00:09:45Wow.

00:09:46Hello, chefs.

00:09:47The first two challenges are being set up

00:09:49behind those doors.

00:09:51There's a cautious challenge

00:09:52and a bold challenge.

00:09:54When the doors open,

00:09:55you will get to choose which challenge

00:09:57you want to be a part of.

00:10:00Those who choose the cautious challenge

00:10:01will have a 75% chance of survival.

00:10:05Those who choose the bold challenge

00:10:07will have a 50% chance of survival,

00:10:09but with much more to be gained,

00:10:11including the biggest single round cash prize

00:10:14ever given in this arena.

00:10:18I'm thinking cautious.

00:10:20After last year,

00:10:21I definitely do not want to get sent home first.

00:10:23Like, it's my goal to stay here.

00:10:25What will be your strategy?

00:10:27I'm just going back and forth in my mind.

00:10:29This is a tricky one.

00:10:31There are 12 spots in each challenge,

00:10:33and they're our first come, first served.

00:10:36So think fast.

00:10:37Welcome to season three of 24 and 24.

00:10:40You're in my way.

00:10:42Good boy.

00:10:43Good boy.

00:10:43Alright, well.

00:10:44Let the games begin.

00:10:46Hold, hold, hold, hold.

00:10:51OK.

00:10:55All right.

00:10:56Hold.

00:10:58Let's go.

00:11:00Let's go.

00:11:00It's a win.

00:11:01Yes.

00:11:01We're on the wall now.

00:11:03Hello, guys.

00:11:04They say cautious can make you wimpy.

00:11:07I think it makes us stronger.

00:11:09Not a doubt in my mind.

00:11:11I am playing it safe.

00:11:12I can pick out which of these chefs

00:11:15is going for the bold side,

00:11:16and it's the ones who have the boldest chef-y personalities,

00:11:20like Stu-Pak, Malarkey, Leigh-Anne.

00:11:23And, like, I don't want to compete against them right off the bat.

00:11:27Yeah.

00:11:28This is a competition.

00:11:29I came here to win,

00:11:31and you have to be bold out the gate.

00:11:34Oh, look at these faces.

00:11:40You guys look fantastic.

00:11:43Michael and Esther walk in,

00:11:44and, you know, I can see Michael laughing at me.

00:11:46I sat next to him when I judged it last year,

00:11:48and I told him specifically,

00:11:50I will never do this.

00:11:51There's no way.

00:11:52This is too much.

00:11:54And here I am.

00:11:55Chefs, welcome.

00:11:57Season three of 24 and 24.

00:12:03There is one thing about all of you here.

00:12:06You are either insanely talented,

00:12:08or just insane.

00:12:12Of both.

00:12:13Both.

00:12:13Maybe a little bit of both.

00:12:15One thing that we do know

00:12:17is you have signed up

00:12:18for the hardest cooking competition

00:12:20ever devised.

00:12:2224 chefs,

00:12:2424 challenges,

00:12:25and 24 non-stop hours.

00:12:28Crazy.

00:12:31Whichever chef is standing in the end

00:12:33will walk away with $100,000.

00:12:42Winning this competition

00:12:43would mean the world to me,

00:12:44especially right now.

00:12:45You know, I'm in the process

00:12:46of opening a restaurant.

00:12:48I have seven kids.

00:12:49Six of them are adopted,

00:12:50you know,

00:12:50so I'm spending money every which way,

00:12:52you know,

00:12:52so to see a little come in

00:12:54would definitely not hurt.

00:12:55And being a Marine,

00:12:57I have the self-discipline

00:12:59to be here all 24 hours.

00:13:01Now, you all know the show,

00:13:03and I'm sure you all think

00:13:04you have the perfect game plan.

00:13:05But think again.

00:13:08Because this year,

00:13:10it's not the same game.

00:13:14Be ready for more twists

00:13:16and more turns

00:13:17than you could possibly imagine.

00:13:21Wow.

00:13:23So that means to be

00:13:24the last chef standing,

00:13:26strategy is gonna be

00:13:28more important than ever.

00:13:30As you know,

00:13:31each shift is designed

00:13:33to test a real-world skill

00:13:35that professional chefs like you

00:13:37must be experts at.

00:13:38This season,

00:13:40we're kicking things off

00:13:41with strategy.

00:13:47Because to be a successful chef,

00:13:49you're constantly making

00:13:50difficult decisions.

00:13:52Now, you've already made

00:13:53your first strategic call.

00:13:5512 of you decided

00:13:56to play cautious.

00:13:57And 12 of you decided

00:13:59to be bold.

00:14:00That's right.

00:14:04Now you're gonna find out

00:14:05what that means.

00:14:06Okay.

00:14:08If you chose

00:14:10the cautious challenge,

00:14:11you need to create

00:14:12a one-bite dish featuring

00:14:15a easy-to-cook protein.

00:14:17You'll have a choice

00:14:18of chicken thighs,

00:14:20shrimp,

00:14:20or ground beef.

00:14:22and you have a good amount

00:14:24of time to cook.

00:14:2530 minutes.

00:14:26You'll be battling

00:14:27solely for survival.

00:14:29When it's over,

00:14:31nine of you will be continuing

00:14:33and three of you

00:14:34will be clocking out.

00:14:38Now, if you chose

00:14:40the bold challenge,

00:14:41here's what you've gotten

00:14:42yourself into.

00:14:42The 12 of you will also

00:14:45have to make a one-bite dish.

00:14:47But your proteins

00:14:48will be more difficult

00:14:49to work with.

00:14:51Venison, quail,

00:14:52and frog legs.

00:14:56Dirty.

00:14:57Dirty.

00:14:57And you're only gonna have

00:14:5924 minutes to cook.

00:15:03And your odds of surviving

00:15:04are way worse

00:15:06than the cautious challenge.

00:15:07Half of you

00:15:08will be clocking out.

00:15:11So I got literally

00:15:13a 50-50 shot

00:15:14of staying

00:15:15or going.

00:15:16So right off the bat,

00:15:18this is incredibly stressful.

00:15:21But that big risk

00:15:23comes with big rewards.

00:15:26The half of you

00:15:27that make it through

00:15:28will not have to cook

00:15:30again this shit.

00:15:33Plus,

00:15:34the chef who makes

00:15:35the best bold dish

00:15:37will be the first to claim

00:15:39the all-important

00:15:41Golden Knife.

00:15:44The Golden Knife

00:15:45is gonna give you

00:15:46key advantages

00:15:47throughout this competition

00:15:48that ultimately

00:15:49you will want.

00:15:51This time,

00:15:52the Golden Knife

00:15:52comes with one

00:15:53big advantage

00:15:54in the next challenge.

00:15:55It also comes with

00:15:57the biggest cash prize

00:15:58we have ever given out

00:15:59in one challenge.

00:16:01$12,000.

00:16:02Woo!

00:16:05That's great.

00:16:07Wow.

00:16:09So now that you guys

00:16:11know what's going on,

00:16:12does anybody regret

00:16:13where they ended up?

00:16:14I don't know.

00:16:15No.

00:16:15No regrets.

00:16:16No regrets.

00:16:18All right, to frame

00:16:18where we are at here, guys,

00:16:20in about 30 minutes,

00:16:21there's only gonna be

00:16:2215 of you left

00:16:24with that chance.

00:16:26Michael will say go,

00:16:27and the people on Bold

00:16:29will have to sit tight

00:16:30for six minutes

00:16:31until going.

00:16:33All right, everybody,

00:16:34take a look at the clock.

00:16:35We're gonna reset

00:16:37the 24-hour clock

00:16:38to zero.

00:16:40When I say go,

00:16:42the clock starts,

00:16:44and it will not stop

00:16:45until this 24-hour marathon

00:16:47is over.

00:16:49Your 24 hours

00:16:52starts...

00:16:57now.

00:17:13What do they have left?

00:17:16All right, so we have

00:17:17shrimp, ground beef, and...

00:17:19And chicken thighs.

00:17:20Chicken thighs.

00:17:20One bite.

00:17:21It's gotta be very impactful.

00:17:23Mm-hmm.

00:17:29So I'm very glad

00:17:30that I took the cautious side,

00:17:32because I don't know

00:17:33any of those proteins.

00:17:34Going into the first cook,

00:17:36I want to play it safe.

00:17:37I'm looking at this first cook

00:17:38as a warm-up.

00:17:39I want to get to know

00:17:40the pantry,

00:17:41get to know the kitchen,

00:17:42and just kind of get a little bit

00:17:44of the wiggly nerves out.

00:17:46I don't frequently cook shrimp,

00:17:48so I'm a little bit nervous,

00:17:49but for this challenge,

00:17:50I was more excited about shrimp

00:17:52as a one-bite situation.

00:17:55I'm gonna make

00:17:55a challah shrimp toast.

00:17:57I got a lot of inspiration

00:17:59from Heritage.

00:18:01My mom is Jewish,

00:18:02and my dad is Chinese.

00:18:04And it's pretty simple to make,

00:18:06but it packs a lot of flavor.

00:18:08Your hair looks really good.

00:18:09Oh, I see.

00:18:10Hair, okay, sorry.

00:18:12In this competition,

00:18:13I'd like to represent home cooks.

00:18:16I wear it as a badge of honor,

00:18:17and I want to bring it.

00:18:19Oh!

00:18:19So good to see you here.

00:18:21So good to see you.

00:18:22How's it going?

00:18:23You know,

00:18:24I just started my 24 hours,

00:18:25so...

00:18:26Is it starting slow?

00:18:27It's the Japanese in me.

00:18:28I saw your outfit today.

00:18:30I know you're gonna be

00:18:30like the silent killer.

00:18:32You know, that's kind of

00:18:32the whole vibe, right?

00:18:33Yeah.

00:18:34Landing with cautious,

00:18:35I went to the first table I saw.

00:18:38That's literally all it was.

00:18:40What are you making?

00:18:42I'm doing a good old

00:18:43Japanese hanbagu.

00:18:44Oh, hanbagu.

00:18:44And I'm doing a little

00:18:46wafu dressing-grated daikon.

00:18:48Shiso.

00:18:49My style of cooking

00:18:50is classic Japanese

00:18:51with a Pacific Northwest twist.

00:18:54This competition is different

00:18:55than any other competition

00:18:57I've done.

00:18:58I'm genuinely here

00:18:59because I wanna know

00:19:00if I can pull off 24 hours.

00:19:02It seems like a crazy challenge,

00:19:03and I like a little crazy in my life.

00:19:05When I was 18,

00:19:06I moved to Japan

00:19:07with a duffel bag

00:19:08to go work in a mission-star restaurant.

00:19:10I opened my first fine dining restaurant

00:19:12when I was 25,

00:19:13and that's how I lived my life.

00:19:15I'm making a little one-biter,

00:19:17but I want to make it

00:19:17a little bit more elevated,

00:19:18so I'm gonna add some pickled shallots

00:19:20and some fried shallots on top.

00:19:21Cook what you know, right?

00:19:22We shall.

00:19:23Love it.

00:19:26Allora, I'm using ground beef.

00:19:28I am Italian.

00:19:30I am Italy!

00:19:31I was grand champion

00:19:32at the Battle Italiano and chopped.

00:19:34So, my dish is a crostino mediterraneo

00:19:37with polonese

00:19:38and arugola.

00:19:42My strategy?

00:19:44To win.

00:19:45I try to win.

00:19:46I have my passion inside of me

00:19:49like a good Italian.

00:19:50Italian chefs,

00:19:51they say that they are the best lovers.

00:19:54I think I should,

00:19:55I should ask to my wife this.

00:19:57I'm going to win 24

00:19:59because if I go back home

00:20:01and I don't win,

00:20:02yesterday was my wife's birthday.

00:20:05She's gonna kick my ass out of the house.

00:20:09Amazing.

00:20:10For real!

00:20:11For real!

00:20:15So, I'm an old school New York chef.

00:20:17I'm third generation.

00:20:18What protein do you have?

00:20:20The only thing left, chicken thigh.

00:20:22Part of my strategy

00:20:24is not to just come out guns blazing

00:20:26with chicken, palm and meatballs.

00:20:28I gotta,

00:20:28I gotta do a little bit

00:20:30of a different dance here.

00:20:31For this challenge,

00:20:33I'm going to Southeast Asia.

00:20:34I'm gonna do a pan roasted chicken thigh

00:20:37with the Thai chili lime sauce.

00:20:39Take the bone out.

00:20:41Cook it nice and quick.

00:20:42Crispy on the skin side.

00:20:44Rock and roll, baby.

00:20:45I'm picking cautious

00:20:46simply because of the percentages.

00:20:49Look at the ratio.

00:20:50There's 12 of us.

00:20:51Only three are going home.

00:20:53Six of them are going home.

00:20:54I'm no dummy.

00:20:56But I'm starting to feel stressed

00:20:57because this competition

00:20:58is much different than the rest.

00:21:00People want to call this thing difficult.

00:21:02It's not difficult.

00:21:04It's insane.

00:21:09I thought of something interesting.

00:21:10I wonder like last year to start

00:21:12where Michelle got eliminated.

00:21:14She made a meatball.

00:21:16She made a captain.

00:21:16Oh my gosh.

00:21:17A Greek meatball.

00:21:17Like I wonder if she goes back.

00:21:19I wonder like...

00:21:20She's gonna make a meatball again.

00:21:21No, you know, like redemption.

00:21:23Michelle.

00:21:23Michelle, why'd you pick the ground beef?

00:21:25Because I'm going redemption round.

00:21:26I am making the same thing

00:21:28because I think it was a great bite.

00:21:30And I'm going right back for it.

00:21:32I chose ground beef

00:21:33because the dish that sent me home last year

00:21:36was a Greek meatball.

00:21:37A beautiful Greek meatball, by the way.

00:21:39So the dish I'm going to do this year

00:21:41is a Greek meatball.

00:21:43This time, it's not gonna dry out.

00:21:45The outside of the meatball is so beautifully crisp.

00:21:49But for me, I just think the inside of the meatball

00:21:51is a little dry.

00:21:53To me, bread and milk in a meatball

00:21:57helps keep it really light.

00:21:59It would mean a lot to take home a win

00:22:02or to make it really far

00:22:03because it's been with me for the last year.

00:22:08It's been noodling for a while, huh?

00:22:10Has it really been?

00:22:12Yes!

00:22:13Can I get this Vitamix out of here?

00:22:15Yes, yes, yes.

00:22:15I'm here to take home this grand prize money

00:22:19to help me and my family.

00:22:20We have medical expenses.

00:22:22I'm striving to create a better life for my daughter

00:22:25and give her everything she deserves.

00:22:27So I'm choosing cautious

00:22:29because I think that's the smartest strategy

00:22:31for the long game.

00:22:33I don't have anything to prove here

00:22:34by going bold right off the bat.

00:22:37What's your plan?

00:22:39I thought a perfect first bite

00:22:40would be a shrimp tostada.

00:22:42I'm going to do a nice avocado crema,

00:22:45a little bit of a fresh slaw on top.

00:22:46Just keep it simple and delicious.

00:22:50I am going to make a quick pickle.

00:22:53What you making over there?

00:22:55I am playing on Tex-Mex.

00:22:57I got a little jerk shrimp tostada

00:23:00with crispy plantains, avocado crema,

00:23:03and a quick pickle.

00:23:04Okay, sounds good.

00:23:04Lots of different flavors going on.

00:23:06It's representative of one where I come from in my heart,

00:23:09which is Jamaica.

00:23:11My family is Jamaican.

00:23:12And where I'm coming from for Dallas.

00:23:15Throw a little Tex-Mex at you while I'm at it.

00:23:17I'm the executive performance chef

00:23:19for the Dallas Mavericks.

00:23:21I came here to represent for the sports world,

00:23:23and I'm really looking forward to showing

00:23:26not just the other competitors,

00:23:27but also the world, what it is that we do.

00:23:31Hello, chef.

00:23:32Hello, chef.

00:23:32How are you?

00:23:33Good to meet you. How are you?

00:23:34Good to meet you.

00:23:35How's it going?

00:23:36Oh, it's going well, I hope.

00:23:38Well, I know that you're a seasoned Olympian.

00:23:41Uh-huh.

00:23:41So, a seasoned athlete.

00:23:42So, how does that play into this game right now?

00:23:45Um, I think that this is my training round.

00:23:47I do need to, you know, to find my legs.

00:23:51Competing is in my blood.

00:23:52I am a former track athlete.

00:23:55I'm an Olympian, and I am a freelance chef currently.

00:23:59Where's your protein?

00:24:01Um, my protein is shrimp.

00:24:02Coconut, yeah.

00:24:04Curry? Coconut curry, yeah.

00:24:06Well, best of luck.

00:24:09Any panko breadcrumbs?

00:24:11Do you have panko?

00:24:12I've always been competitive.

00:24:13It's not just competing in the kitchen.

00:24:15I'm also a competitive gamer.

00:24:17I specialize in fighting games.

00:24:18I'm not the typical person that'll walk up

00:24:20and try to attack you.

00:24:21I'm more of the step back, let you attack me, and now counter.

00:24:24I'm doing a Japanese, uh, katsu slider.

00:24:27I chose chicken for my protein.

00:24:29Uh, sliders are usually fun.

00:24:31So, a simple one-bite slider,

00:24:33but it's gonna have a lot of flavor.

00:24:35I'm gonna do whatever it takes to win for my family.

00:24:37My wife and I have three kids.

00:24:39The cool part about it is my son, Cameron,

00:24:41he's actually a Food Network baby.

00:24:42Uh, the first three shows that I won,

00:24:44they were chopped.

00:24:45A vegan competition called It's Compliplated.

00:24:48And Cutthroat Kitchen,

00:24:49we used the prize money to start the process for IBF.

00:24:53So, I wanted to get Cameron here,

00:24:55and now I'm gonna win again to take care of Cameron.

00:24:57How you doing, Chef?

00:24:58Good. How you doing?

00:24:59I am doing well.

00:25:00Smells good whenever you make it over there.

00:25:01Hey, Chef.

00:25:01How's it going?

00:25:03Good, well, how are you?

00:25:03Smells really good here.

00:25:05Cinnamon, onions, and...

00:25:06Mustard oil, cardamom.

00:25:07We're gonna make a Bengali beef tostada.

00:25:09It's a single one-biter.

00:25:10The style of food that I make is quite unique.

00:25:13I'm from the Midwest, and as a first-generation Bengali American,

00:25:16my mom's food is near and dear to me.

00:25:18I have been nominated twice for a James Beard Award.

00:25:21I have beaten Bobby Flay.

00:25:22I have built two restaurants.

00:25:24I'm ready for this.

00:25:25And how do you feel about the Cautious Challenge?

00:25:28I am happy, you know?

00:25:29Yeah, you're happy as you do?

00:25:29I think being here was a big enough risk as it is,

00:25:31so I will play it cautious until I get to the middle.

00:25:34Okay, and then you see.

00:25:35One day at a time, Chef.

00:25:36You got it.

00:25:37Or one hour at a time.

00:25:37One minute at a time.

00:25:38Yeah, it's a different show.

00:25:39One minute at a time, you got it.

00:25:40All right, bold chefs, about two minutes you have.

00:25:42Two minutes till you start.

00:25:44You should have something pretty formulated in your head by now.

00:25:47All right, guys.

00:25:48Come on.

00:25:52Whoo, that's fun.

00:25:53I got started in the culinary world a little bit sideways

00:25:55because I went to Harvard for my master's,

00:25:57and I was actually designing websites for chefs.

00:26:01And then those chefs found out that I could cook,

00:26:04and then other people found out that I could cook,

00:26:06and all of a sudden,

00:26:07I was trying to get people out of my house on a Sunday

00:26:09because I didn't know them,

00:26:10and they were coming over for brunch.

00:26:12Come here.

00:26:14This is the fastest sambal I've ever made in my life.

00:26:17I'm making a fried chicken bite

00:26:18with coconut garlic gravy

00:26:19and a chili lime coconut sambal on top.

00:26:22I'm Sri Lankan.

00:26:23I'm Southern.

00:26:24I'm going for the fried chicken on the first challenge.

00:26:27Oh, you're killing me, bro.

00:26:29Are you okay?

00:26:29I'll be all right.

00:26:30I'm always all right.

00:26:32Little bit of hoisin.

00:26:33We're just going to get a little quick marinade

00:26:35on the chicken.

00:26:36Being a pastry chef in a more savory competition

00:26:39is actually an advantage.

00:26:41Pastry is creativity within the confines of science,

00:26:45like knowing what I can and can't accomplish

00:26:47in a short amount of time,

00:26:49how to build as much flavor as possible

00:26:51without it all breaking apart.

00:26:53I'd say banh mi tostada, chicken thighs,

00:26:57a crispy rice paper cracker, pickled veg.

00:27:01There's a lot of jitters.

00:27:02It's the first challenge of this competition.

00:27:05It's the first time in this kitchen.

00:27:07I'm so grateful.

00:27:09My body like literally put me into the cautious station.

00:27:13If you were to pick cautious or bold,

00:27:17obviously you would be bold.

00:27:19Bold, bold, bold, bold.

00:27:21Bold chefs, 30 seconds.

00:27:24We were watching for six minutes.

00:27:26What I'm doing is actually writing

00:27:28the ingredients I need, the recipe.

00:27:31I'm ready.

00:27:32Five seconds, bold chefs.

00:27:35Let's go bold.

00:27:38All right, bold chefs, go.

00:27:39Whoo!

00:27:53Gotta be athletic in here.

00:27:55I can't run that fast anymore.

00:27:58I'm full of hammy.

00:28:05What made you come back to this crazy world?

00:28:09Because I haven't won one yet.

00:28:10All right, there you go.

00:28:11I love it.

00:28:12Keep going, baby.

00:28:1320 years in the making.

00:28:14Keep going.

00:28:15I consider myself an OG competitor.

00:28:17I was on the first season of Top Chef back in 2005.

00:28:21I have been in enough of these competitions

00:28:24and come close, but not quite.

00:28:28Do you have venison also?

00:28:29I'm doing a venison.

00:28:30Okay.

00:28:30Yukui style, Korean style.

00:28:34Here to play, here to win.

00:28:35All right, let's go, chef.

00:28:36Good luck.

00:28:37Right after high school,

00:28:38I moved down to New York City.

00:28:40My first chef was Marcus Samuelson.

00:28:43And then I opened up Restaurant 66

00:28:45with Jean-Georges von Richten.

00:28:47But then, like, I moved to Hawaii

00:28:4910 years ago to build my first restaurant.

00:28:53It's my family.

00:28:54It's my Ohana.

00:28:55I've been around the industry for 30 years.

00:28:58It's like I need to validate to the world that,

00:29:02yeah, hey, it's Leanne Wong.

00:29:04And you know what?

00:29:05She has game.

00:29:08All right, what are you doing?

00:29:09So, you feeling bold?

00:29:10I see you got the venison diced up?

00:29:11I did.

00:29:11What are we making?

00:29:13We're gonna make a Vietnamese-inspired tartare.

00:29:15I cooked a lot of Southeast Asian food,

00:29:18so this naturally being this way.

00:29:20Right, good connection.

00:29:20I love it.

00:29:21I grew up in a small town called Kalihi on Oahu.

00:29:24I worked at the best restaurants in Hawaii

00:29:26before I moved to New York City.

00:29:28It's actually insane that this is my first competition,

00:29:31and Chef Leanne Wong is cooking next to me.

00:29:36She's done a lot of competitions.

00:29:38You know, we both cook with Hawaii flavors.

00:29:40Like, it helps me push myself.

00:29:41I see, you know, where I want to go.

00:29:45So what made you choose bold?

00:29:47Um, I don't know.

00:29:48My instincts, my guts just went there.

00:29:50This is my first competition.

00:29:51Oh, all right.

00:29:53Welcome to the world of crazy.

00:29:55Yeah, I don't know why.

00:29:56Come on.

00:30:01How's it going over there, Chef?

00:30:02Feeling very good.

00:30:04Nice.

00:30:05Love to hear it.

00:30:06I love venison.

00:30:07Oh, you're a venison man.

00:30:09I do cook a lot with venison.

00:30:11Not a lot of one-bite stuff,

00:30:12but I definitely cook a lot with venison.

00:30:15I knew 100% I was gonna go with bold

00:30:18because I would consider myself

00:30:20probably one of the most adventurous people

00:30:22that you know.

00:30:24I'm a bow hunter,

00:30:25so I spend lots of times in the mountains.

00:30:27I love extreme sports,

00:30:28and I cook a lot of wild game

00:30:31and wrote the first nationally,

00:30:33internationally published

00:30:35Armenian cookbook.

00:30:36Got a bunch of awards,

00:30:37write-ups in the New York Times,

00:30:39LA Times.

00:30:40So I got this one in the bag.

00:30:42I'm making a cumin-crusted

00:30:45venison crostini

00:30:46with pepper paste sauce

00:30:47and a garlic lebni.

00:30:49Chef, what are you making?

00:30:51I'm making a venison tartare toast,

00:30:54really elegant,

00:30:55with some trout roe caviar,

00:30:58on focaccia,

00:30:59with lots of big Asian flavors.

00:31:02You know Brian Malarkey,

00:31:03shenanigans,

00:31:03always doing too much.

00:31:06Does fortune favor the bold?

00:31:08We are going to find out.

00:31:12I'm going to win 24 and 24

00:31:14because this is new age stuff,

00:31:17because I deserve it, right?

00:31:19Because I have earned it,

00:31:21I have worked hard for it,

00:31:22and I am playing for the right reason.

00:31:24When I win the money,

00:31:25I am going to create a fund,

00:31:26and I'm going to give money

00:31:28to very talented, successful,

00:31:31motivational chefs

00:31:31to go to high schools

00:31:33and speak to the future generations

00:31:35of the greatness

00:31:36and what you can do

00:31:38with the culinary arts.

00:31:39And it's something

00:31:40that is so fulfilling

00:31:41if you find exactly

00:31:42what you're looking for in life.

00:31:43It is not work.

00:31:44It is magic.

00:31:46I just have to get through this round

00:31:48because six of this group

00:31:50are going to be gone, right?

00:31:51Where did my venison tartare go?

00:31:53You lost your tartare?

00:31:54Oh, I forgot.

00:31:54You didn't put it in the oven,

00:31:56did you?

00:31:56I didn't put it in the oven.

00:31:58Oh, it's on my garlic.

00:31:59I got it, woo.

00:31:59Okay, he found it.

00:32:01Woo, old man, you know,

00:32:02the bottom line is going,

00:32:03you know, the first thing to go.

00:32:04Come on, get it together, Malarkey.

00:32:08The one no one else would take.

00:32:10Frogs likes.

00:32:11I do consider myself a rule breaker.

00:32:13If you were to look at my resume,

00:32:15it makes no sense whatsoever.

00:32:17I've been a pastry chef

00:32:19in three Michelin star restaurants,

00:32:20and I also sling tacos out of a dive bar

00:32:24and everything in between.

00:32:26Gonna make an unusual tempura

00:32:28based on Mexican corn masa.

00:32:30In life, I've always taken the bold path.

00:32:33Masa tempura is something

00:32:34that represents me as a chef.

00:32:36It has Mexican roots,

00:32:38but it's also innovative.

00:32:40I belong in this competition

00:32:42because I love a challenge.

00:32:44I thrive on adversity.

00:32:46I have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder.

00:32:48I think it's a good chip.

00:32:49I think it's a healthy chip.

00:32:50Masa tempura is done.

00:32:51Frog leg is boned and Frenched.

00:32:54And we're gonna hope for the best.

00:32:57I'm thinking I'm gonna do a little bit

00:32:58of a quail curry situation.

00:33:00So I actually grew up eating a lot of quails in Pakistan.

00:33:02And so it feels like it was calling my name,

00:33:05and that's why I picked it.

00:33:06I'm making oven-roasted quail,

00:33:09garlic and herb,

00:33:11lebanae with pickled shallots.

00:33:13I didn't really get into the culinary space

00:33:15until 2020.

00:33:16I was pregnant with my first child

00:33:19and not being able to have, like,

00:33:21nourishing broths that I grew up drinking.

00:33:23I was just making them at home.

00:33:26And like everybody else during the pandemic,

00:33:28I was also posting it online.

00:33:30So quickly those videos

00:33:31of me making food broth went viral,

00:33:33and I started my business.

00:33:35I think I definitely win 24 and 24.

00:33:39I've had long nights.

00:33:41I've been, you know, a team of one.

00:33:43So I know what it takes to make sure

00:33:45that you get to the end goal.

00:33:51I feel like the frog in the baguette

00:33:53is as French, and the duck fat,

00:33:56and the truffle.

00:33:58If I cannot be more French than that,

00:33:59then I don't know.

00:34:01I grew up in Paris, France.

00:34:03Like any Parisian, my love language is food.

00:34:08I just won Best Chef in Miami.

00:34:10I did beat Thomas Keller.

00:34:11I'm still waiting for you to call me,

00:34:14Thomas, you know, to say, like,

00:34:15congratulations, girl, but, you know,

00:34:17obviously you lost my number.

00:34:19I'm gonna do an open sandwich.

00:34:21I'm going to do an open baguette toast

00:34:25with garlic frog,

00:34:27with fig and caramelized endive.

00:34:30And it's gonna be delicious.

00:34:34So right now what I have going on is, uh,

00:34:36I started the roux.

00:34:37So I really wanted to get that roux brown,

00:34:39you know, because that's one of the key factors

00:34:41to a good gumbo is a nice roux.

00:34:44I was born in Chicago and grew up in Michigan,

00:34:47but I am a product of soul food.

00:34:51For this challenge, I'm gonna be making quail

00:34:53and andouille gumbo.

00:34:55Gumbo is a very, very bold dish to do in 24 minutes.

00:34:59I mean, the complexity of gumbo typically takes hours.

00:35:04This isn't something that a normal person would do,

00:35:06but I'm crazy enough to do it.

00:35:08All right, are you feeling like the Marines?

00:35:10Is this, like, is that training helping you out here?

00:35:13Oh, yeah.

00:35:13You gotta be bold to be a Marine, right?

00:35:15Absolutely.

00:35:16I don't know that I would even be here without the Marine Corps,

00:35:19you know, saying, you know what?

00:35:21Push yourself.

00:35:22And, and, you know, when you thought you pushed yourself enough,

00:35:25push yourself even more.

00:35:26That and, uh, you know what?

00:35:27I'm challenging a little bit of my, my grandma right here, so.

00:35:32How you doing, my man?

00:35:34Amazing, bro.

00:35:34I'm vibing right now.

00:35:36Hopefully it all comes together, right?

00:35:37You know what?

00:35:37The most important is having fun, no matter what.

00:35:40People may know me from, uh, the show called Below Deck.

00:35:43I am a yacht chef in Palm Beach and Miami.

00:35:47On a yacht, if you miss one ingredient, guess what?

00:35:50You screwed.

00:35:50Because there is no way to get it.

00:35:52Oh, maybe sometime you can call a helicopter and bring some caviar,

00:35:56but, you know, honestly, some guests, I don't want to pay for that.

00:35:59So, sometimes you just open the fridge in the gati,

00:36:01and you gotta do with what you have.

00:36:03This competition is going to be like being on a huge yacht,

00:36:06and I have 24 hours to make beautiful meal with what we have.

00:36:10What's going on on your side?

00:36:12Venison tartare with Vietnamese flavors.

00:36:14Yes.

00:36:15So, think of really big, bold, spicy, sweet, bitter,

00:36:18lots of herbaceousness, freshness.

00:36:21Yeah, and I love that you went bold, you know,

00:36:23after what happened last time, no fear.

00:36:25The first season, I didn't get the opportunity to push myself,

00:36:30push my stamina, my endurance, and to think forward to this season.

00:36:36If anything, it's going to be harder, and if I don't take the risks,

00:36:40then I probably shouldn't be here.

00:36:42How are you feeling, chef?

00:36:43Great, amazing. I have some idea. I mean, let me tell you something.

00:36:46I don't really know what I'm doing, but I'm going to make the magic happen.

00:36:50I love that.

00:36:50I don't have any plan. I have nothing. I just like to improvise.

00:36:54Well, the good news is you have 12 minutes to figure it out.

00:36:57Yes, yes, sir. Love and passion, love and passion.

00:37:00All right.

00:37:02All right, guys, so this is good.

00:37:04We have some really heavy hitters on the bold side, some great chefs,

00:37:08a lot of people that I think everyone at home knows,

00:37:11and some that are, like, serious hitters that maybe not everybody at home knows yet.

00:37:16Like Alex, everyone at Alex for a long time, he is a superstar chef.

00:37:20He came from the pastry world. He worked at Cleo, Alenia, WD50,

00:37:26then opened his own place doing really, like, beautiful Mexican food.

00:37:30Now, he hasn't done a ton of competition, so let's see how he reacts to that.

00:37:34Then we have some competition veterans over here, like Brian Malarkey and Leanne.

00:37:40And, I mean, so they have been around the block with this.

00:37:43So, in theory, they should be used to this environment.

00:37:46But let's face it, there is no environment like 24.

00:37:51I'm going to make a quail nugget with a mole rojo.

00:37:56Mole, that's what I do on a daily basis.

00:37:59I am known for my salsas through and through.

00:38:02The slogan in my restaurant is, our salsas are hotter than your wife.

00:38:06I've been yelled at because of that.

00:38:08How are you?

00:38:09I'm making my sauce.

00:38:11I'm complex. I'm difficult.

00:38:14I'm spicy. I'm sweet. I'm bitter.

00:38:16I am a mole.

00:38:17Pretty much guajillo, achiote, tomato.

00:38:24I'm a James Beard semi-finalist twice.

00:38:27I can win 24 because I'm resilient and we need a Mexicana out there.

00:38:33I'm ready to be that one.

00:38:34Go, go, go, go.

00:38:35We're making a quick mole there, girl.

00:38:37Yes, we're bringing mango out.

00:38:40Hell yeah.

00:38:41I call myself a dancing chef and I'm bringing here because I'm going to keep on singing that music in

00:38:45my head to keep me focused.

00:38:47One of my passions is one thing besides cooking is what I love.

00:38:50I love dancing.

00:38:51When I'm in the kitchen, the music's definitely on.

00:38:54Like Afro beats, we might be like, yo.

00:38:56And then the house music, we're like up, up, up, up.

00:38:59And then I might throw some Ed Sheeran in there.

00:39:02Castles over the hill.

00:39:03That is my get up song.

00:39:05So I picked the frog leg flavors.

00:39:08I'm going to go Italian.

00:39:09I'm going back to when I owned a fruit truck and I had fruit truck frog legs as a special.

00:39:14Chef's going to clock out right now after this event.

00:39:16You know, gets my nerves going.

00:39:18But this is what we're here for, right?

00:39:20Do or die.

00:39:21Let's rock and roll.

00:39:26Oh, my God.

00:39:27Michael is starting on the coffee already.

00:39:29I think he's on his, like, sixth cup.

00:39:31Yeah?

00:39:33Why is everyone so...

00:39:34Just leave me my coffee, me and my coffee habits alone.

00:39:38I can't get it to work, so...

00:39:39Are you actually drinking water right now?

00:39:41I've never seen that.

00:39:42I drink a ton of water.

00:39:43I have to.

00:39:44I drink so much coffee, I have to.

00:39:45Oh, you balance it out.

00:39:47How is the bowl chefs?

00:39:49Good.

00:39:49A lot of interesting stuff.

00:39:51Several different things with frog legs, which I think could be cool.

00:39:55I mean, we got some venison tartars, thing that you would expect.

00:39:58Four minutes!

00:40:08That is a citrus eel.

00:40:10It's super simple.

00:40:11This is so intense.

00:40:13On our side, the bold, the bold and the badass, beautiful, we're gonna lose half of our people.

00:40:18That stress is constantly churning.

00:40:21There is one single goal, and that is to win.

00:40:25So, you know I'm going all in.

00:40:26I'm all in malarkey.

00:40:28I'm not gonna lie, that is pretty damn good.

00:40:33Yes, yeah, so it's rice paper that's been fried up.

00:40:37Why else are we here in bold, baby?

00:40:40I want to win the big purse.

00:40:42I want the golden knife.

00:40:44I want to be able to sleep.

00:40:46All right, you guys, we have two minutes to go.

00:40:49Two minutes to go.

00:40:51Oh, my God.

00:40:52How does this time go so fast?

00:40:53Two minutes left, baby.

00:40:55Heard?

00:40:55Oh, yeah, heard.

00:40:56One battle at a time.

00:40:58In two minutes, nine of these chefs are going home.

00:41:02Damn.

00:41:03Right.

00:41:03Let's rock and roll.

00:41:07Definitely going bold on the cautious side.

00:41:10Now, pay attention on the details.

00:41:1330 seconds.

00:41:1430 seconds.

00:41:18There is nothing dry about that, people.

00:41:22Five, four, three, two, one.

00:41:27Hands up.

00:41:28Whoo!

00:41:29Whoo!

00:41:29You did it, chef.

00:41:30Yes!

00:41:33Ooh, that was a good one.

00:41:34That was a good one.

00:41:35That was a good one.

00:41:35Joey!

00:41:36Yes!

00:41:37Here, come here.

00:41:37Let me feed you that.

00:41:39What is it?

00:41:39A little Greek meatball, and it is not dry.

00:41:41You went with the meatball again.

00:41:42I did, same dish.

00:41:44It's good, right?

00:41:44Delift.

00:41:46All right, chefs, those were two hotly contested battles.

00:41:50So, congratulations for getting through them.

00:41:54And now, for the not-so-fun part, we're gonna find out which nine chefs are clocking out.

00:42:03But this season, we're gonna be doing it a little bit different.

00:42:06What?

00:42:07What?

00:42:09Unlike previous seasons, this time, every tasting will be blind.

00:42:19You will not be able to speak for your dishes.

00:42:22They have to speak for themselves.

00:42:27So, please use the pen and paper at your stations to write down a short description that you want

00:42:33to convey to the judges.

00:42:37So, cautious chefs are gonna bring your dishes up.

00:42:41Bold chefs are gonna bring your dishes to culinary.

00:42:44And then you could all head to the break room.

00:42:50Last chef in the break room.

00:42:51Close the doors behind you.

00:42:53Very good looking.

00:42:55I feel extremely confident for the first time in many, many years of competition.

00:42:59I feel relaxed, which is weird for me.

00:43:02May the cards fall in my favor or not.

00:43:04We'll see.

00:43:05It's up to the secret judge that we had no idea who he is.

00:43:10Woo!

00:43:12Way to go, everybody.

00:43:13We did it, yes.

00:43:14Way to go, way to go.

00:43:15First one's out of the way.

00:43:16First one is out of the way.

00:43:20It's the first and only time that we are all together in.

00:43:24Don't be nervous.

00:43:25Really?

00:43:26How'd it go?

00:43:27We'll see.

00:43:30All right, chefs, I know you can hear me back there.

00:43:34The judge for this shift is a returning favorite.

00:43:38He is a seasoned veteran of all the most elite cooking competitions.

00:43:42Both behind the stove and behind the judging table.

00:43:45Here is renowned restaurateur and culinary legend, Jet Tiva.

00:43:50Woo!

00:43:54What is going on?

00:43:55Where are the chefs?

00:43:57We sent them all home.

00:43:58Yeah, we sent them home, chef.

00:44:00Chef, if you're back there, nice to see you.

00:44:04They liked it in the back.

00:44:06Yeah, I know.

00:44:07I love Jet Tila, but holy buckets, I have never had him judge my food.

00:44:12So I am nervous.

00:44:14Hi, chef.

00:44:15Welcome.

00:44:16Good to see you guys.

00:44:17Good to see you.

00:44:17It's weird that there's no one here.

00:44:19I can hear them, but I can't see anything.

00:44:22All right, let's go.

00:44:23This is crazy.

00:44:24It's our first season of blind tasting.

00:44:27It's going to be wild.

00:44:28Awesome, man.

00:44:29I love that it's blind tasting.

00:44:30We have 12 dishes here right now, and these are the chefs that cooked in the cautious competition.

00:44:3812 chefs made one-bite dishes, and they all had to choose from shrimp, chicken thighs, or ground beef.

00:44:45And the chefs who made the three worst dishes will clock out.

00:44:49Jet, just so you are clear, the chefs are in the break room.

00:44:52Okay.

00:44:52They are watching and listening, so they will hear everything that you're saying about their dishes, even though you don't

00:44:58know who is back there.

00:45:00All right, here we go.

00:45:05Greek meatball, tzatziki, pistachio, gremolata.

00:45:10I do not want to go home. It is not time.

00:45:13It would really be nice.

00:45:15Just last.

00:45:17I'm here for a hundred grand.

00:45:35Wow.

00:45:35Meatball's well-formed.

00:45:37I've got the yogurt.

00:45:38I've got herbaceousness there.

00:45:40But it needs more salt.

00:45:42Wow.

00:45:42Especially with all those Greek flavors.

00:45:45All right.

00:45:45Okay.

00:45:46Okay.

00:45:47All right.

00:45:47Can I say something?

00:45:49I have to get through this first round.

00:45:52I mean, I'm not leaving.

00:45:54All right.

00:45:54This one's Cristino Mediterranean with bolognese amurdo mio lime arugula.

00:46:01Mmm.

00:46:03It's smoky.

00:46:04It's got a ton of really great flavor.

00:46:06What's really lacking here is the bread.

00:46:08I want a crisp red light center.

00:46:12All right.

00:46:12Moving on.

00:46:13Okay.

00:46:14Damba-style Bengali beef tostada cilantro mayo.

00:46:18I'm also judging you by your terrible handwriting, Chef.

00:46:25Big flavor.

00:46:26Acid.

00:46:27Umami.

00:46:28That tostada on the bottom gives a lot of crunch.

00:46:30This is really, really nice.

00:46:34Okay.

00:46:34This is fried chicken bite with coconut garlic sauce

00:46:37and chili lime coconut.

00:46:41The fried chicken is light.

00:46:45It's crispy.

00:46:46The chicken is moist, but it's pretty under seasoned.

00:46:50Under?

00:46:51Okay.

00:46:53Pan-roasted chicken thigh with a Thai chili lime

00:46:56and cilantro citrus relish.

00:46:59It's a lot of soup.

00:47:01Chicken thigh is spot on.

00:47:03It's crispy.

00:47:04This sauce, man, it's kind of like this Thai yum dressing.

00:47:07Great dish.

00:47:09Technically executed very well.

00:47:11So I went a little outside the box, okay?

00:47:14My strategy totally paid off.

00:47:16Jerk shrimp tostada, avocado crema, and fresh tomato.

00:47:21No, you're supposed to eat the whole thing in your mouth.

00:47:23Big Latin vibes.

00:47:24This chef did a great job of cooking the shrimp and seasoning the shrimp.

00:47:28The creaminess is great.

00:47:29I needed one more element that was starchy.

00:47:33Give you a place to go with all this acid and creaminess.

00:47:37I'll take it.

00:47:39All right.

00:47:40Okay.

00:47:41Plantain and shrimp dumpling, plantain crisps, coconut curry, mango relish.

00:47:50This was fun.

00:47:51The dumpling's perfect.

00:47:52Seasoned well, crispy on the outside.

00:47:54The problem with this one is it's missing acid to balance the plate out.

00:48:00I know that too.

00:48:02Wah-fu hambaugu, ponzu, daikon, shiso.

00:48:07A really creative way to use beef.

00:48:10Essentially, if you break it down, it's a meatball.

00:48:12But when you add touches of shiso and daikon, it lightens the dish up.

00:48:16It really elevates the style.

00:48:18It's one of the smarter dishes so far.

00:48:20Oh.

00:48:20Yeah.

00:48:23Shrimp tostada, avocado mousse, and straw.

00:48:27This is a gorgeous bite.

00:48:29Let's see how it eats.

00:48:32Shrimp is cooked perfectly.

00:48:33It's so poppy and crispy, the way shrimp should be.

00:48:36Tostada is fried perfectly.

00:48:38The slaw gives you that acid moment.

00:48:41I'm missing, like, alums.

00:48:43I'm missing scallions.

00:48:45It's just bright, bright, but it could really have been rounded up by more alums.

00:48:49Totally. So right.

00:48:53Hala shrimp toast.

00:48:55Wow.

00:48:56Yeah.

00:48:58I'm proud of my dish.

00:49:00I feel like this dish is enough to help me reach my goal.

00:49:04Really smart dish.

00:49:06Sesame seeds.

00:49:07Hala is the richer dough, egg dough.

00:49:10The shrimp processed on there is smart.

00:49:13But the fat on the bottom needed a few more dimensions to be almost perfect.

00:49:19Okay, I'll take a sip.

00:49:22I feel like it's good enough to make it through to the next round.

00:49:26Hopefully.

00:49:27Okay.

00:49:28Japanese katsu slider, chicken katsu, umami aioli, ponzu chili slaw, puffed rice, brioche.

00:49:38I love the flavors here.

00:49:41The ponzu acid play with the creaminess and the herbaceous of the curry is pretty darn perfect.

00:49:46The problem here was the protein.

00:49:50When you say katsu, I want breaded, strong fry, crunch, nothing crunch.

00:49:58All right, last but not least, chicken banh mi tostada.

00:50:02Huh.

00:50:03All right.

00:50:05It almost looks like banh mi in Greek, like the pickled, you guys see the pickled veg and stuff like

00:50:09that.

00:50:09Jet has eaten a lot of my desserts.

00:50:13And I'm actually excited for Jet to try my food.

00:50:16My food.

00:50:16My food food.

00:50:18Delicious.

00:50:19The cook on the chicken.

00:50:20Good sear.

00:50:21Well seasoned.

00:50:22Now we get the freshness of the herbs.

00:50:25It really hits that expectation of the name.

00:50:29Don't love their handwriting.

00:50:30Love this dish.

00:50:31How's that sound?

00:50:34No.

00:50:34No notes.

00:50:35No.

00:50:36No negative.

00:50:37Wow.

00:50:38How did I do this?

00:50:38I'm full.

00:50:42All right, Jet.

00:50:43You have tasted all the cautious challenge dishes.

00:50:46Yeah.

00:50:47I need you to take a second, take a beat.

00:50:49Wow.

00:50:49Think about the 12 things you ate, because now you need to choose the bottom three.

00:50:55Oh.

00:50:5630 minutes to make food this great, you should all be proud of yourselves.

00:50:59Really, really nice job.

00:51:01All right, you guys, with that side, cut the feet.

00:51:05Oh!

00:51:07What is this, the Sopranos?

00:51:09Yo.

00:51:10Yo.

00:51:10Ah.

00:51:11If I go out for Greek meatballs, I swear.

00:51:14A lot of chefs were critiqued for their seasoning, and that wasn't one of mine.

00:51:18So I'm just hoping and praying that I don't go home.

00:51:22All right, Jet.

00:51:22They cannot hear us back there.

00:51:24Okay.

00:51:24Do you know your bottom three?

00:51:27I...

00:51:27I know my bottom three.

00:51:29All right.

00:51:30Hang on to the bottom three till later.

00:51:32What?

00:51:32Because next up was the bowl challenge.

00:51:34Are you going to read them?

00:51:35Wow.

00:51:35I thought I could just get it over with.

00:51:37No.

00:51:38Bold.

00:51:38Bold in the front.

00:51:40Good luck, guys.

00:51:41All right.

00:51:42Y'all have so much fun.

00:51:43Good luck, everyone.

00:51:45Everyone, everyone.

00:51:46Taking a risk.

00:51:48I like the risk.

00:51:49Also, there's $12,000 at stake, guys.

00:51:52That's not a small amount of money.

00:51:54All right, everybody.

00:51:55Turn the feed back on, please.

00:51:57Food.

00:51:58Malvern.

00:52:00Half of us are going home right now.

00:52:02I'm freaking out.

00:52:04I'm not ready to go home right now.

00:52:05Should I have played the cautious route?

00:52:07Like, what did I do?

00:52:08All right.

00:52:09So, first dish.

00:52:20All right, so, Jet, these chefs had 24 minutes.

00:52:23Ah.

00:52:24Still one bite, but a little trickier protein.

00:52:27Okay.

00:52:27Their choices were quail, venison, and frog legs.

00:52:31Oh, wow.

00:52:31All game.

00:52:32Kind of right up my alley.

00:52:34And so, unlike the cautious challenge, this time, you're choosing the bottom half.

00:52:39No, no, no.

00:52:41So, this time, six chefs go home.

00:52:44But here's a little kicker here.

00:52:45Your last assignment is to choose the best dish out of these 12.

00:52:49Yeah.

00:52:50And that chef's not only going to get the golden knife, but they're also going to get $12,000 cash.

00:52:56Wow.

00:52:57These chefs took the high risk.

00:52:59Yeah, right.

00:53:00They took the bigger risk, but there's more reward.

00:53:02Okay.

00:53:03All right.

00:53:04So, first dish.

00:53:08We have a boneless quail wing and a mole rojo tossed with sesame seeds.

00:53:17Mole in 24 minutes is mostly, in my mind, impossible.

00:53:24But this is really great.

00:53:28I like that audible feedback.

00:53:31The spices come through.

00:53:33The texture, look at that.

00:53:34That's mole.

00:53:35I will say, though, the quail is dry.

00:53:40All right.

00:53:41Moving on.

00:53:43This is frog legs with lemon parsley grummelada.

00:53:48All right.

00:53:49Very straightforward.

00:53:51Mm.

00:53:54Frog's legs.

00:53:56It's really crispy on the outside.

00:53:58It's tender.

00:53:58It's cooked absolutely perfectly.

00:54:00The seasoning, this is probably one of the best seasoning dishes.

00:54:03But I really wanted a sauce to pull it all together.

00:54:09All right.

00:54:10Frog au cheval, a la French baguette.

00:54:13Au cheval.

00:54:14Because I don't know.

00:54:16Sorry.

00:54:16Wow.

00:54:17It's so big.

00:54:18What's that?

00:54:20Everyone knows I carry my own dinner knife.

00:54:23Guys, I'm sorry.

00:54:24My gosh.

00:54:24This is not one bite.

00:54:26This is not two bites, not four bites.

00:54:28It's kind of an appetizer.

00:54:31Oh.

00:54:32Oh, my God.

00:54:34I love the accoutrement here.

00:54:37I really love the egg cooked perfectly creamy.

00:54:39I love the fig.

00:54:40The problem is, it all kind of covers the frog.

00:54:44The frog is supposed to be the star.

00:54:48Oh.

00:54:50Okay.

00:54:51Vietnamese venison tartare with noc mam, Thai chilies, Vietnamese herbs, and a rice cracker.

00:54:59Here we go.

00:55:03The venison is well seasoned.

00:55:05It's treated well.

00:55:06The gaminess is cooked out of it.

00:55:08The noc mam bright notes of fish sauce and lime, paired with the herbs of the mint.

00:55:13It's very precious.

00:55:14It's well thought out.

00:55:14Not the best to look at, but one of the best to eat.

00:55:19There you go.

00:55:20Ugh!

00:55:24Okay.

00:55:24Field and stream venison tartare, trout roe, garlic, chili, shoyu, citrus aioli.

00:55:34There's so much technique and refinement here.

00:55:37It seems the chef is very accomplished.

00:55:40I do taste the venison.

00:55:41It's a nice treatment of the venison.

00:55:43Very nice dish.

00:55:47Yes, yes, yes.

00:55:49I am so confident I am in the top six of this group already.

00:55:52I think I might have a really good chance that it's $12,000.

00:55:55Cumin crusted venison crostini with pepper paste sauce and garlic labneh.

00:56:05I love all the flavors here.

00:56:08There's cumin, the spice, the salt level.

00:56:12This is where venison is balanced.

00:56:15It's the star of this dish.

00:56:17All right.

00:56:17Let's go.

00:56:18It's not the most gorgeous presentation.

00:56:21I think the venison was a little haphazard.

00:56:27Another chef with nice penmanship.

00:56:29Here we go.

00:56:29Southeast Asian venison tartare, crispy rice cracker.

00:56:35I love the plate up here.

00:56:36The sauce, the creaminess.

00:56:38I don't know if it's mustard or creme fraiche or something,

00:56:40but it balances the tartare.

00:56:41There's a little bit of heat there.

00:56:43It's really, it's a precious dish.

00:56:44I like this a lot.

00:56:47But the rice paper is weird here because it's oily.

00:56:51There's no seasoning on it.

00:56:53I should have put it together.

00:56:54All right.

00:56:55We have oven baked quail with garlic and herb labneh and pickled shallot.

00:57:01It's not a bite.

00:57:02This is not a bite.

00:57:04It's an adorable knife.

00:57:06It's sprinkles.

00:57:07That's definitely gifted by your daughter.

00:57:14I love the labneh.

00:57:15It's really the star of the show.

00:57:17But quail, the cook is inconsistent.

00:57:20It's a little on the over.

00:57:21And then the skin, I don't feel they got a nice crisp on.

00:57:28All right, next up, Chef, we have a quail and andouille gumbo

00:57:32with grilled baguette and marinated tomatoes.

00:57:37It's the smallest gumbo I've ever seen.

00:57:39Come on.

00:57:40There you go.

00:57:44I'm digging the gumbo.

00:57:47I was doubting gumbo in 24 minutes,

00:57:50but that's a really well-composed gumbo.

00:57:53It's got really nice seasoning, herbaceous layers.

00:57:56Really, really good.

00:58:00This one's called French Bite.

00:58:02Frog legs, garlic glaze, flambe, pastis, caramelized onion, and gruyere.

00:58:11They're very well cooked.

00:58:13I didn't even try, bro.

00:58:15But I don't love the onions.

00:58:18Caramelized usually means cooked down until they're soft, tender, and super sugary.

00:58:22These are resistant.

00:58:24I mean, that's not caramelized.

00:58:25That is way undercooked.

00:58:27That's 24 minutes, bro.

00:58:29Next up, frog leg in masa tempura.

00:58:33Wow.

00:58:34With Mexican tartare sauce.

00:58:39You can hear it.

00:58:40I hear the crunch.

00:58:41You can hear it.

00:58:42That's the best cooked frog legs on the table so far.

00:58:47Tartare sauce, really smart as well.

00:58:49So, overall, really great dish.

00:58:53All right.

00:58:54Your final dish.

00:58:56Spicy venison tartare.

00:58:58Yukae-style cucumber.

00:59:00Green apple kimchi, aioli, and fried rice.

00:59:03Yukae is normally, like, a Korean-style beef tartare.

00:59:07It's, like, sweet and savory.

00:59:08Wow.

00:59:10Sorry, that gives it away, doesn't it?

00:59:11Mmm, I should say.

00:59:14The venison's treated well.

00:59:15It's cut perfectly for this.

00:59:17Just to play on textures, right?

00:59:19The crispy rice, the apple, which gives sweetness and acidity.

00:59:23Big faux pas here is salt.

00:59:26You did not salt this enough for all the richness you have here,

00:59:30but this is a tartare that I'll be stealing in terms of technique.

00:59:36I thought I over-salted it.

00:59:38To me, lack of salt is always a slightly better faux pas than too much salt.

00:59:47I thought I over-salted it.

00:59:49Good job, everybody.

00:59:52I got to extend home half these people?

00:59:54Yes.

00:59:55This is not fair.

00:59:57How do you feel?

00:59:59Oh, this is where I'm really stuck.

01:00:02I feel like it's anyone's game right now.

01:00:04You think you know?

01:00:05One, two, three.

01:00:06Oh, and there's gonna be one or two dishes where, like, I'm splitting hairs.

01:00:10This is why it's hard.

01:00:18Chefs, we'll start by revealing the results of the cautious challenge.

01:00:22And remember, three of you will be clocking out.

01:00:26Those of you who are safe get to keep cooking in the shift.

01:00:31But you are not going to the break room.

01:00:36According to Jet, the safe chefs are...

01:00:41Christina.

01:00:43Yes.

01:00:44Shoda.

01:00:45I am definitely a competitive person.

01:00:47The first challenge is always getting the jitters out.

01:00:50So, let's go.

01:00:52Joe, you are safe.

01:00:53Yeah, Joe.

01:00:54Flex.

01:00:56Avashar.

01:01:00Congratulations, Molly.

01:01:02You are safe.

01:01:02Nice, Molly.

01:01:04I had two goals coming into this competition.

01:01:06Cook food that I'm proud of and that represents me.

01:01:10And make it past the first round.

01:01:12So, I'm shocked and relieved.

01:01:14Dawn, you are safe.

01:01:18Zach, you are safe.

01:01:21Goal accomplished.

01:01:22Not eliminated first.

01:01:24Sweet.

01:01:25Maybe I can take my first nap of the day.

01:01:28Holy .

01:01:28I think I'm going home.

01:01:30And that means between Michelle, Antonello, Chris and Sam, three of you will be clocking out.

01:01:40The last safe chef from the cautious challenge is...

01:01:47Michelle.

01:01:52Feels really good to make it through the first challenge.

01:01:55And past the jitters of what happened last year, because I swear to God, if I lost, I would have

01:02:01fell on the floor, held one of the tables and said I'm not leaving.

01:02:05Sorry, Chef Chris, Antonello, Sam, it's your turn to clock out.

01:02:10Thank you, guys.

01:02:12Exiting the first round in any competition sucks.

01:02:15And this is the first time I've experienced it.

01:02:17I've always been a finalist.

01:02:19I've always been a winner.

01:02:20I just win.

01:02:21But sometimes losing is necessary because it will make you grow as a person.

01:02:26Thank you so much for being here, Chefs.

01:02:29Great cooking.

01:02:30All right, everyone. For the bold chefs, this is a lot tougher.

01:02:34Because half of you are going home.

01:02:42So the first chef that is safe is...

01:02:49Chef Lianne Wong.

01:02:54I had a 50-50 shot of staying.

01:02:58I'm incredibly grateful.

01:02:59You were free to the second shift.

01:03:01Yes.

01:03:02All right, now for the part of this that I hate.

01:03:04The first chef that is clocking out is...

01:03:11Chef Monique.

01:03:16Sorry, Chef.

01:03:17Sorry, Chef. Great job.

01:03:21The next chef who is safe...

01:03:23Chef Malarkey.

01:03:27I'm just feeling good.

01:03:29And now I'm going to kind of just kind of settle in.

01:03:31And the next chef going home...

01:03:33Is Chef Anthony.

01:03:37Go, go, go, go, go.

01:03:42Love you guys.

01:03:44The next chef who is safe is...

01:03:48Chef Tramiel.

01:03:51Nice job, Chef.

01:04:02Good job, Chef.

01:04:03Good job, Chef.

01:04:04The next chef who is safe...

01:04:07Chef Alex.

01:04:12Nice job, Chef.

01:04:12The next chef who is clocking out is...

01:04:16Chef Olivia.

01:04:19Love you guys.

01:04:21Aw.

01:04:23This was a fun one.

01:04:26The next chef that is safe...

01:04:30Chef Robin.

01:04:39The next chef who's clocking out is Chef Maria.

01:04:51I'm shocked.

01:04:53I don't know how to take it in.

01:04:55Not yet.

01:05:00I wouldn't change anything.

01:05:02Damn.

01:05:03Maria's a heavy hitter.

01:05:04Thank you, guys.

01:05:05Brutal.

01:05:06It hurts, it stings.

01:05:08That's life.

01:05:09It is what it is.

01:05:11The universe has something else for me.

01:05:12I know it.

01:05:16Chef Fiat and Chef Aro, one of you is going to be safe,

01:05:21and the other, unfortunately, will be clocking out.

01:05:26The anxiety and the fear is overwhelming.

01:05:29I have to make it past round one.

01:05:31The chef who is clocking out is...

01:05:38Chef Aro.

01:05:41Good job, Chef.

01:05:42Sorry, Chef.

01:05:43Good job.

01:05:43Thank you guys for the opportunity.

01:05:45Good job, Chef.

01:05:48Nice work, Bold!

01:05:50Whoo!

01:05:52Nice job, Chef.

01:05:53I'm very curious as to how two of you feel.

01:05:57Viet and Michelle, how are you feeling?

01:05:59Oh, whoo!

01:06:00I feel awesome.

01:06:01A little bit of redemption right there.

01:06:04You made it.

01:06:04Made it to the second round, baby!

01:06:06You made it!

01:06:08Whoo!

01:06:09So, to the remaining Bold Chefs, congratulations.

01:06:11All six of you are guaranteed a spot and shift two.

01:06:16And one of you is about to win the Golden Knife and $12,000.

01:06:21The top two dishes were cooked by Malarkey and Alex.

01:06:28Wow!

01:06:30Nice work, Chefs.

01:06:31Yeah!

01:06:32Wow!

01:06:33The Golden Knife and $12,000 goes to...

01:06:41Congratulations, Chef Alex.

01:06:44$12,000 right out of the gate feels great.

01:06:47I won.

01:06:48I have the Golden Knife.

01:06:49I set the tone.

01:06:50Winning this is a huge relief.

01:06:52I told him, Alex, that you were a chef to watch out for,

01:06:54and congratulations on the round one.

01:06:58New regime.

01:06:59Ah!

01:07:02Right off the bat, and I knew this walking into the arena,

01:07:06Alex Stupak becomes the one to beat.

01:07:11Alex, this is your first competition show, right?

01:07:13In a long time.

01:07:15In a long time.

01:07:15My last one was when you were being introduced as an Iron Chef in 2007.

01:07:20It was your first day.

01:07:21Show how old I am, Chef.

01:07:242007?

01:07:25Oh, shut up.

01:07:26Congratulations, Chef.

01:07:27And you guys, congratulations to all of you.

01:07:29Great job, Chefs.

01:07:30As a reminder, the Golden Knife is a powerful tool for the chef who controls it.

01:07:36How you use a knife can be the difference between winning or losing.

01:07:42And Alex, you now have a very big choice to make.

01:07:45Oh, boy.

01:07:46But first, the other five Gold Chefs, congratulations.

01:07:50You can head to the break room.

01:07:52Good luck, guys.

01:07:53We will see you all in shift two.

01:07:54Good job, you guys.

01:07:55Have a nice rest.

01:07:57Woo!

01:07:58Chefs, chefs, chefs.

01:07:59Woo!

01:08:00Oh, dude, that was...

01:08:01Bring it in.

01:08:02Bring it in.

01:08:02That was so easy.

01:08:03Close the doors.

01:08:04That was, like, the most intense...

01:08:07...that I've ever felt in, like, cooking TV, man.

01:08:09Woo!

01:08:10All right, good news for cautious chefs, you survived.

01:08:14Yay!

01:08:14The bad news is you are not yet in shift two.

01:08:19We have one more challenge to go.

01:08:21And you are all at risk for elimination.

01:08:25All right, Alex is the Golden Knife holder.

01:08:28You now get to choose two chefs from that side of the room

01:08:30and send them into a sudden-death head-to-head battle for elimination.

01:08:38Oh, head-to-head battle.

01:08:40Head-to-head.

01:08:41Getting the Golden Knife first

01:08:43and pitting two chefs against each other,

01:08:46I'm setting a tone of seriousness.

01:08:48I am not here to make celebrity chef friends.

01:08:51He's choosing them who goes head-to-head.

01:08:53Everyone's scared.

01:08:56I'm feeling good.

01:08:58Hello, chef.

01:09:06Alex, who are the two chefs you choose?

01:09:09Give me two names.

01:09:11Different chefs have used this Golden Knife differently in the past

01:09:14and did not use it strategically.

01:09:16I'm not gonna do that.

01:09:17Which two chefs do you choose to be cooking for elimination?

01:09:21I'm trying to size everyone up.

01:09:23You have chefs who do TV competitions all the time.

01:09:26So those ones make me nervous.

01:09:28Zach and Choda.

01:09:33Oui, chef.

01:09:34Zach and Choda.

01:09:35Wow.

01:09:36Vicious.

01:09:38Two powerhouses?

01:09:40Like, Alex is not sparing anyone right now.

01:09:43Alex, why did you select Zach and Choda?

01:09:46I'm scared of both of them.

01:09:48That's a very good reason.

01:09:49So that is using the Golden Knife to your advantage,

01:09:51and there's nothing wrong with that.

01:09:53Zach is the only other pastry chef in the room other than me.

01:09:56If he goes home, that's one less person in line for the ice cream machine.

01:10:00Let's do it, chef.

01:10:02No.

01:10:03Shoda, I don't know him, but this guy is serious.

01:10:06If I make it to the end, he could be one of the people that I go against.

01:10:09Whether Zach wins or Shoda wins, someone I don't want to be here is going home.

01:10:14Oh, man.

01:10:16Okay.

01:10:18It's a brilliant strategy.

01:10:19I'm honestly flattered that it's me and terrified.

01:10:23This is like the first big battle against a giant.

01:10:27Shoda is who I would actually never want to compete against.

01:10:31I get it, Alex.

01:10:32I don't like you right now in this moment, but I respect you.

01:10:36I see you.

01:10:37I know Zach.

01:10:38He's a great chef, and I have a lot of competition experience under my belt.

01:10:42I have some wins, so I'm here to get it.

01:10:45Zach, Shoda, and Alex, you guys can hang out.

01:10:47Everyone else, head to the break room.

01:10:54Yes, baby.

01:10:55All right, props team.

01:10:56Could you bring out the table?

01:11:01Okay, chefs, so on this table are six challenging ingredients.

01:11:06We have durian, ghost peppers, white chocolate chips, liquid smoke, telégio cheese, and creme de menthe.

01:11:12You have 30 minutes to incorporate three of them prominently in a bowl.

01:11:18The way you split up the ingredients is going to be through a draft, which obviously is all about strategy.

01:11:28Alex, you get to choose who picks first, and then you could head back to the break room.

01:11:33Zach goes first.

01:11:35Alex, congratulations on the Golden Knife in your 12,000.

01:11:38You could go chill for a little bit.

01:11:40Good luck, guys.

01:11:40Thank you, Seth.

01:11:41Good luck.

01:11:41I feel a little guilty about this, but mostly I'm focused on trying to predict what curveballs are going to

01:11:46be next.

01:11:48Good job.

01:11:50Easy.

01:11:51Good job, man.

01:11:52Thank you, thank you, thank you.

01:11:54Zach, you have first pick.

01:11:58What are you choosing?

01:12:02Telégio.

01:12:03All right.

01:12:03My strategy here is to give myself options, to go savory or sweet with the first pick.

01:12:09I thought you were going to go with the white chocolate.

01:12:12No.

01:12:13Telégio, it's funky.

01:12:15It does deliver umami to kind of enhance a savory dish or give some contrast to a dessert.

01:12:21Chef showed up.

01:12:22You're up.

01:12:26I've never cooked with any of these ingredients.

01:12:29Go with the liquid smoke.

01:12:30Liquid smoke?

01:12:31Whoa.

01:12:32Okay.

01:12:33It's a good one.

01:12:33But I know liquid smoke is going to be easy to incorporate into a dish to make it prominent.

01:12:38Zach, your pick.

01:12:40Ghost pepper.

01:12:41My strategy is contrast.

01:12:43You have the salty funk from the cheese and the heat from the ghost pepper.

01:12:47Chef showed up.

01:12:49I don't use any of these in Japanese cuisine.

01:12:52Oh, durian.

01:12:53I'm gonna go with the durian.

01:12:54I don't know.

01:12:55It's a fruit.

01:12:56I should be able to figure out something with it.

01:12:59Come to papa.

01:13:00White chocolate chips.

01:13:02What is this?

01:13:03That means cream the mint.

01:13:05What is this?

01:13:05Take a very large gulp of it.

01:13:07Can I smell it?

01:13:08Can I smell it?

01:13:09Yeah, it's turbo mint.

01:13:11Turbo mint.

01:13:12Durian.

01:13:13Liquid smoke sashimi.

01:13:14Done.

01:13:16It's weirdly minty in all the weird minty ways.

01:13:20I don't think I want it.

01:13:21We'll figure it out.

01:13:23All right, chefs.

01:13:23The good news is you could use any other ingredient in the pantry.

01:13:26Now, that being said, you can't completely bury the flavors of the ingredients you chose.

01:13:32And this battles for elimination.

01:13:38Chefs, good luck.

01:13:39Your time starts now.

01:13:42Good luck, chefs.

01:13:43Oh, my God.

01:13:43It's brutal.

01:13:44Well, well, well.

01:13:45Oh, boy.

01:13:46These are two chefs that I thought would make it very far to the competition.

01:13:49Yeah, right.

01:13:50I mean, Shoda, I love his food.

01:13:52Super talented.

01:13:53But the three ingredients I didn't want, he got all three.

01:13:56Damn you, Alex!

01:13:57How is he gonna make a composed dish?

01:14:00How do you open this up?

01:14:02This is gonna be a hard challenge.

01:14:04It's my first time cooking durian.

01:14:05This is an interesting ingredient.

01:14:07I've never worked with durian in my life.

01:14:09Just go with it, right?

01:14:10Durian is a fruit that's got a nice stank to it, is all I can say.

01:14:15Going up against Zach, I gotta roll my sleeves up and cook something I'm really good at cooking.

01:14:19Japanese food.

01:14:20So I'm gonna make durian soba noodle.

01:14:22The durian is gonna go into the broth base with kombu and bonito flakes.

01:14:27Let's see if that's gonna work for us.

01:14:29I'm also gonna use the durian as a chashu base with soy sauce, sugar, and a bunch of liquid smoke.

01:14:35So it's got that smoky meat effect.

01:14:38Durian chashu.

01:14:39Who would've thought I would ever do anything like this?

01:14:42What do you know about Chef Zach?

01:14:45I mean, think of it this way.

01:14:46Chef Alex has been pastry chef at some of the greatest restaurants in the world.

01:14:51Right, right.

01:14:51And he was afraid of Zach's pastry sauce.

01:14:54I think I have to go in my wheelhouse and make a dessert.

01:14:57If I'm going to beat Shoda, I'm going to use my expertise.

01:15:01I'm gonna do a taleggio ice cream with roasted white chocolate and ghost pepper caramel.

01:15:08Dessert is all about balance.

01:15:09You're in a constant battle with sugar.

01:15:11The way you take it on is with acid, with salt, with savory elements.

01:15:16I mean, Shoda's a beast.

01:15:17If I didn't have ingredients that could work in a dessert, I would be a lot more terrified.

01:15:24I feel awful.

01:15:25I've known Zach forever.

01:15:26I hope he...

01:15:26You don't feel that awful.

01:15:28What?

01:15:28He'll be fine.

01:15:29He'll be fine.

01:15:31I better hang on to this or if it's gonna bite me in the ass.

01:15:34Making ice cream right now with cheese is risky.

01:15:36You have to be careful about the fat content and also the texture.

01:15:39If there's too much fat in the ice cream, it'll get busty.

01:15:42Stay.

01:15:42That's a technical term, by the way.

01:15:44Like, I'm not saying ugly.

01:15:45Like, it is busted as in it is busted up.

01:15:48But it's also busted.

01:15:49We got an ice cream going with telégio, which should be a little funky.

01:15:55Cheese flavor.

01:15:56High risk.

01:15:57Hopefully high reward.

01:15:58We'll see.

01:15:59All right.

01:16:00Ice cream is in the machine.

01:16:01All right, chefs.

01:16:02You have 15 minutes left in this competition and only 21 hours to go to see who's gonna be

01:16:08the last chef's standard.

01:16:10How's it tasting?

01:16:11It tastes like durian.

01:16:12Is it good?

01:16:13No, it's good.

01:16:14It's good.

01:16:15I don't want it to come out there, but I think that's already the right balance.

01:16:17And I don't want it to come out more.

01:16:18I actually pulled back on the durian quite a bit with the dashi part just because it

01:16:23was too funky already.

01:16:25I'm gonna add some vanilla clams, a lot of umami into it so it really not masks it, but

01:16:29try to balance it out.

01:16:31You gotta really like durian.

01:16:33This is an interesting dish, not gonna lie.

01:16:35How are you feeling, bud?

01:16:36You know, ingredients all I've never worked with.

01:16:39What are you making?

01:16:40Kind of a hot noodle dish.

01:16:41Liquid smoke's gonna go in the broth.

01:16:42And then I'm gonna do a little herb salad on top.

01:16:44And instead of using mint, I'm gonna do creme dressing.

01:16:47I like it.

01:16:48I mean, there's some creative stuff going on, which I love.

01:16:51We're getting there.

01:16:52Slowly but surely.

01:16:53I'm gonna drop my noodles in right now.

01:16:55Chefs, ten minutes to go.

01:16:57Hi.

01:16:58How annoying would it be to be cooking out here when there's 13 other chefs chilling in the break room?

01:17:04Right.

01:17:05Apple slice?

01:17:06Sure.

01:17:09Just cutting the ghost pepper right now to add into my cream for my caramel.

01:17:14Heat with the cheese will be very nice.

01:17:16You know, a little goes a long way with the ghost pepper.

01:17:18Ghost pepper and caramel.

01:17:20Sweet, smoky, spicy.

01:17:23I came here to make it to Shift 8.

01:17:25I came here to win $100,000.

01:17:27All right.

01:17:28It needs to be perfect.

01:17:29Let's make a little crumble.

01:17:31We have some Marcona almonds.

01:17:33I'm just gonna add this to my white chocolate.

01:17:36Great texture.

01:17:37Salty, nutty, crunchy.

01:17:39Yes.

01:17:40I can't believe that one of these two's gonna go home.

01:17:41I can't believe it either.

01:17:43All right, guys, you got two minutes.

01:17:44I'm here to showcase Japanese cuisine full in.

01:17:47That's my goal and that's what I'm here to represent.

01:17:50Is that enough liquid smoke?

01:17:51Let's just add a little tiny bit more.

01:17:53I pull my ice cream.

01:17:55The texture is beautiful.

01:17:58I actually like the ice cream a lot more than I thought I would.

01:18:01I mean, that's perfect for me.

01:18:02Hopefully the judges think it's perfect too.

01:18:04I think the ghost pepper balance is really excellent in here.

01:18:08Three, two, one.

01:18:11Hands up, guys.

01:18:12Great job, chefs.

01:18:14All right, so Zach, Shota, you can bring your dish up front.

01:18:18I've never lost on episode one before,

01:18:20so I have that fear as I go to the judges' table.

01:18:23I feel good technically about what I made.

01:18:26The great unknown is my good friend Shota,

01:18:28who undoubtedly made something incredibly delicious in that bowl.

01:18:32Perfect.

01:18:33Thanks, guys. You can go to the back.

01:18:34Such a hard competition from the get-go.

01:18:37Why did we have to do this?

01:18:38Oh, my God, you guys.

01:18:40That was a hard challenge, dude.

01:18:41I'm sorry.

01:18:42I'm sorry.

01:18:43I'm sorry.

01:18:44I'm sorry.

01:18:45Give me that knife.

01:18:46I'm sorry.

01:18:47Okay, let's get Jet out here, please.

01:18:50And also, let's turn on the feet.

01:18:53Should we peel the targets off of our backs?

01:18:56No.

01:18:58Jet, the final strategy challenge was a 30-minute showdown between two chefs.

01:19:03Okay.

01:19:04This first chef had to use liquid smoke, durian, and creme de menthe.

01:19:10Okay.

01:19:11Wow.

01:19:12That's crazy.

01:19:14This dish is durian soba.

01:19:16I'm scared to taste this.

01:19:22I love this broth.

01:19:23The broth is the star of the show here, but I've known durian my whole life.

01:19:28I taste almost zero durian.

01:19:31Oh, shoot.

01:19:32Liquid smoke, I think, is the most predominant flavor I'm getting in here.

01:19:37Creme de menthe, I'm not tasting much of that either.

01:19:40Damn.

01:19:40This next chef had to make a dish using telegio, ghost pepper, and white chocolate chips.

01:19:49Wow.

01:19:50Wild.

01:19:52Pomegranate swirl telegio ice cream with roasted white chocolate, Marcona almond crunch, and ghost pepper caramel.

01:20:01Wow.

01:20:05Woo!

01:20:07The telegio is absolutely present, but that funk or the fermentation, it is almost a little too present.

01:20:17Oh, come on.

01:20:18Ice cream consistency and texture is fantastic.

01:20:21It's silky.

01:20:22Caramel is delicious, but I'm struggling to find heat.

01:20:25From a 1 to 10 spice, this is a 1.5.

01:20:30These were six really tough ingredients, as you know.

01:20:32Yeah.

01:20:33There's things I love about both dishes, but it comes down to the strategy of how well you use them.

01:20:37Mm-hmm.

01:20:38Versus how well does the dish taste overall.

01:20:41So, Jet, do you have a winner?

01:20:43I do.

01:20:43All right.

01:20:44Who is it?

01:20:46Cut him.

01:20:46We're gonna cut the feed.

01:20:51Put me out of my misery.

01:20:53Okay, bring out the chefs.

01:20:55Jet, I did not tell you who they were, obviously, but you're gonna know both of these chefs very well.

01:21:00Wow.

01:21:01Oh, man.

01:21:02Good luck, boys.

01:21:02Good luck, guys.

01:21:03Nice work.

01:21:04Bye, guys.

01:21:04Well, well, well.

01:21:07What's up, Uncle Jet?

01:21:10Oh, my God.

01:21:12No.

01:21:18This is a gut punch.

01:21:20Yeah.

01:21:20This hurts more.

01:21:21Shoda and Zach, Jet tasted both of your dishes as you saw from the back.

01:21:26And in the end, it came down to taste and strategic use of ingredients.

01:21:31And I am sorry to say this, but the chef that is clocking out is...

01:21:44Shoda.

01:21:44I'm sorry, Shoda.

01:21:46Whoa.

01:21:47Holy moly.

01:21:49Whoa.

01:21:51No, no.

01:21:52Can I keep that?

01:21:52Dorian smells like a damn nightmare to me now.

01:21:55I've been where you are, chef, so let me make it very clear why.

01:21:58It came down to I could taste more of your three ingredients than I could in the soup.

01:22:05That's it.

01:22:05They were equally delicious.

01:22:08Shoda!

01:22:11This is the earliest I've ever been out in a cooking competition.

01:22:17I'm bummed.

01:22:18I don't know what else to say.

01:22:20I'm bummed.

01:22:20I wanted to cook more.

01:22:21I had a lot more up my sleeve that I wanted to showcase, and I was saving till the end.

01:22:26It's really about the smallest mistakes that send you home.

01:22:32Jet, thank you so much.

01:22:33Pleasure to have you.

01:22:34Always good for having me.

01:22:35Thank you, always.

01:22:36You're the best.

01:22:37Thank you, chef.

01:22:38You did a great job.

01:22:39Good to see you.

01:22:39Zach, congrats.

01:22:41Congrats, Zach.

01:22:41We survived.

01:22:43Yeah.

01:22:45Whoa.

01:22:47Zach, you can head back to your station.

01:22:49As rollercoaster as this first shift was, I needed it.

01:22:54For me, this has totally reset my expectations, because I'm ready to bring it.

01:23:01But if I do get the golden knife, payback is a biatch, Alex.

01:23:06Let's get the chefs back in from the break room, please.

01:23:09Let's do it.

01:23:10Let's do it.

01:23:11Oh, boy.

01:23:12Oh, wow.

01:23:13There's besties already.

01:23:15Yeah.

01:23:16You're smiling now.

01:23:17I would save the energy.

01:23:20Good job.

01:23:21Good job.

01:23:21Hey.

01:23:22Hey, now.

01:23:25And just like that, chefs, the first shift is over.

01:23:31Shift two starts now.

01:23:35Whew.

01:23:42Next time on 24 and 24, 15 chefs enter our four.

01:23:47You're all one step closer to $100,000, where the chefs will face an all-new speed shift.

01:23:54This is seven-on-seven relay race.

01:23:56Go do it.

01:23:57Come on, buddy.

01:23:58There's no labels on these spices.

01:23:59You want me to alphabetize them.

01:24:01Panic in my mind came about me.

01:24:04And two chefs will be clocking out.

01:24:06Come on.

01:24:07I don't want to go home.

01:24:09Woo!

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