- 13 hours ago
Get ready for a culinary showdown like no other as Top Chef Season 23, Episode 7, brings the heat to the kitchen! The stakes are higher than ever as our talented chefs face an unexpected challenge that will test their ingenuity and skill.
Prepare to witness some serious creativity on display. From innovative ingredient combinations to daring plating techniques, this episode is packed with moments that will make you gasp. Who will rise to the occasion and who will crack under pressure?
Dive into the intense competition and discover what it takes to impress the judges. This episode is a masterclass in high-stakes cooking and culinary artistry, promising a thrilling ride from start to finish.
#TopChef #Season23 #CookingCompetition
Prepare to witness some serious creativity on display. From innovative ingredient combinations to daring plating techniques, this episode is packed with moments that will make you gasp. Who will rise to the occasion and who will crack under pressure?
Dive into the intense competition and discover what it takes to impress the judges. This episode is a masterclass in high-stakes cooking and culinary artistry, promising a thrilling ride from start to finish.
#TopChef #Season23 #CookingCompetition
Category
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Short filmTranscript
00:16Jen, if you do have to set out from any part of the competition,
00:19you will be asked to depart.
00:21Okay.
00:21Previously on Top Chef, it's time to barbecue.
00:25Yes!
00:26We have Seeger, who's like, I've done it a million times.
00:28And two teams of five.
00:30You're going to have all night to smoke a whole hog.
00:33Okay.
00:34This should just lift right out.
00:35It's whole hog for a reason.
00:37It's not whole hog separated into parts.
00:39She feels good.
00:41Look at that, bro.
00:42We'll go with Seeger.
00:43Obviously knows a lot about pork.
00:45Vote for your favorite.
00:48Where Lawrence won me over was all the different iterations of the pork loin.
00:52Seeger, I think of pork a little on the dry side.
00:54Hey!
00:54Three for three?
00:55Three for three, baby!
00:56Sweet, baby!
00:57One, baby!
00:59And the winner is Lawrence.
01:02Nice!
01:04Seeger, please pack your knives and go.
01:10Nine chefs remain to compete in the ultimate culinary showdown.
01:14Woo!
01:15At stake for the winner, the grand prize of a quarter of a million dollars provided by Graza Olive Oil,
01:21a feature in Food & Wine magazine, plus an appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen,
01:26their own exclusive dinner at the historic James Beard House in New York,
01:30and the title of top chef.
01:46It feels like we've been here forever.
01:49For real.
01:50How do you feel about it?
01:51I feel good.
01:52I feel good, actually.
02:06They like my food.
02:09I know I'm in the right direction.
02:29What's happening?
02:31Cute.
02:31Something's happening.
02:32Oh, wow.
02:33Wow.
02:34Like what I've done with the place?
02:36Ooh.
02:37Nice.
02:38Cracker Barrel.
02:39Oh, s***.
02:40Oh.
02:41Are you ready to bring a taste of the country to the Top Chef kitchen?
02:45Yeah.
02:45Absolutely.
02:53Since 1969, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has been a beloved destination for crave-worthy
02:59comfort food and a warm, nostalgic atmosphere.
03:02Here in the Carolinas, there are over 60 locations alone.
03:05That is a lot.
03:06Anyone been to a Cracker Barrel?
03:08Yeah, absolutely.
03:09I like their hamsteak.
03:10The hamsteak.
03:11Oh, the hamsteak.
03:12The hamsteak is great.
03:13And then the pancakes with like the crispy edges.
03:15So good.
03:16Yeah.
03:16Depending on what time you drop by, you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner thanks to
03:22their all-day menu of homestyle country favorites.
03:25So today, that's exactly what you'll be doing.
03:29You're going to be cooking up a complete day's worth of meals.
03:32But we want you to create something that isn't already on the menu.
03:36So a new country classic.
03:38Gotcha.
03:38And yes, I said, we.
03:40You know that.
03:41I can't eat alone.
03:46Come in.
03:48Turn it up.
03:49Hi.
03:50Oh.
03:51Hi.
03:51How's it going?
03:52How's it going?
03:52Madison LaCroix and Craig Conover from Southern Charm.
03:55How's it going?
03:56Hi.
03:56Hey, how's it going?
03:57I mean, when we talk about Southern hospitality, how do we not talk about Southern Charm?
04:01We're honored to be here with y'all.
04:03And here in the Carolinas, we're all about Southern hospitality.
04:05So who would we be to not show up with a gift?
04:08Very sweet of you.
04:10Is that a gift for you or for us?
04:11We're going to find out.
04:13Yeah.
04:14Yeah.
04:14So let's see what you brought.
04:19Oh, yeah.
04:20Dude.
04:20As you know, this is the peg game.
04:23It's a staple at Cracker Barrel.
04:25Yeah.
04:25Instead of the classic knife pull, it's only appropriate we do a peg pull.
04:29Makes sense.
04:30You'll be working in teams of three for this challenge.
04:32Lawrence, come on up.
04:33First peg pull.
04:35Ooh, Top Chef Orange.
04:38Yellow.
04:40Oscar.
04:41Here we go.
04:42Lawrence has been a quickfire champ.
04:44I'm pumped.
04:45Here we go.
04:47Yellow.
04:48Green team.
04:50Green.
04:50Another green.
04:51Orange.
04:52All right.
04:52Orange is complete.
04:53It's the international team.
04:56Yellow.
04:57Last member of the yellow team.
04:59Come on, brother.
05:00This is the first time I am on the same team as Brandon.
05:02We both know our cooking styles.
05:04We got that twin language, homie.
05:05All right.
05:06We're good.
05:07All right, Justin.
05:08Last member of the green team.
05:09Are y'all happy with your teams?
05:10Yeah.
05:11Yeah, for sure.
05:12Each of you will be responsible for a course.
05:14Breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
05:16And then you'll have 45 minutes to prepare the three dishes.
05:1945.
05:20Great.
05:21That's wonderful.
05:22That's like a lot of time for a quickfire.
05:23Sounds like it.
05:24Oh, really?
05:24Yeah.
05:25A lot.
05:25Well, we think this challenge might be fixin' for a twist.
05:29Uh-oh.
05:31She's seen that comin'.
05:32Man.
05:33Oh.
05:34Life in the South is really all about slowing down.
05:36So only one chef from each team can cook at a time.
05:40Oh, yeah.
05:43Everyone's processing a little bit.
05:45Damn.
05:47So do you split the time evenly, or do you give more time to one of the rounds?
05:51Okay.
05:52Each dish can be served as it's ready.
05:54You'll present your dish, and we'll taste it right on the spot while your next teammate
05:57gets going on the next dish.
05:59Up for grabs is $12,000, thanks to Cracker Barrel.
06:02Oh.
06:03Damn.
06:03You'll have three minutes right now to discuss who's doing which dish and your strategy.
06:09Starting now, come grab your menus.
06:10I got breakfast.
06:11You guys, you want to grab one?
06:12Yeah.
06:13I could do lunch or breakfast.
06:14I'm down for breakfast.
06:16Yeah, okay.
06:16Can I do lunch?
06:17Yeah, yeah.
06:17I'll do breakfast.
06:18Can I get lunch?
06:20I want to do a fried, a green tomato BLT.
06:22Are you okay with dinner?
06:23Yeah.
06:23Yeah, I guess so.
06:24We have technically 15 minutes each, but 15-minute dinner is tough.
06:28They better keep to their minutes.
06:30I hope they do.
06:31I still don't know what I'm doing.
06:32You have one minute.
06:33Heard.
06:33When I cook, I just, like, at my own pace, you know?
06:36Yeah.
06:36No rush.
06:37I was thinking about lunch, doing, like, a fried green tomato, like, BLT.
06:41Oh, yeah.
06:41Yeah, I'm going to do fried oysters.
06:43I wonder if I make a batter, if I could just give you my batter, then.
06:4715 seconds.
06:48I want to make sure we leave you with enough time.
06:50I think I can get breakfast done in less than 15 minutes.
06:54You're good at doing this.
06:553, 2, 1.
06:57All right, done.
06:57You have 45 minutes on the clock.
06:59Your time starts now.
07:01Let's go, Oscar.
07:02Let's go, let's go.
07:04All right.
07:04Let's go, Justin.
07:05Let's go, Justin.
07:07Come on, Brandon.
07:08Let's get it.
07:08Take it home, baby.
07:09Let's go, Oscar.
07:11Oh, that's so sweet.
07:13You're very welcome.
07:17Vamos, vamos, vamos, vamos, vamos.
07:19What are you making, Oscar?
07:20Pan de elote.
07:21It's like a corn pancake almost.
07:24We got 15 minutes of pop, but I'm thinking breakfast should be quicker.
07:27And if I can give them five minutes extra, I think it gives our team a good shot to win.
07:3240 minutes, Oscar.
07:35That was good.
07:37I'm making a hash brown.
07:38I'm making eggs.
07:40Brandon, you keeping this one classic?
07:42Yes, chef.
07:43A little egg benedict.
07:44This is really cool.
07:45To watch how fast they're going at it.
07:47This is high level.
07:48Hollandaise is kind of a fancy, brunchy thing.
07:50A little hot sauce.
07:51But you can make hollandaise in less than five minutes with the friction and the heat from
07:55the blender.
07:55Eight minutes, push it.
07:57Yes, chef.
07:59Let's go, Oscar.
08:00You got this.
08:00I'm there.
08:01I'm there.
08:01I am making my favorite diner food, corned beef hash.
08:05That sounds good.
08:07Hash browns.
08:08I'm going to try to give each of us 15.
08:10Five minutes on the clock.
08:11Justin, what are you cutting?
08:13Some cubed steak.
08:14Nice.
08:15I don't have enough time to sear the steak, so I tossed it in the fryer.
08:19Just had to get that beef cooking.
08:20Let's go, Justin.
08:22Come on, Brandon.
08:22Let's go.
08:25A flip.
08:27Look at that timing, baby.
08:31Nice.
08:32We're plating.
08:34A little maple.
08:35Here we go, Justin.
08:37Tell me when it's done, please.
08:39Cherry, let's go.
08:40Let's go.
08:40Let's go.
08:41Okay.
08:43Chicken stock.
08:44Oscar, what did you make for breakfast?
08:46Pan de elote.
08:47I haven't been to Cracker Barrel.
08:48I saw the picture.
08:50Super inspired.
08:51It's a corn cake.
08:52Throw some berries in it, a little bit of maple, and then shaved piloncillo.
08:55Like, nice little sweet bite.
08:56Really good.
08:57Great job.
08:57I've never had this before.
08:59A little salty, a little sweet, a good little crunch.
09:02Oscar's corn cake is still eating, like, a good hearty pancake.
09:05Yeah, yeah.
09:07You're at 30 minutes, Sherry.
09:09We're doing good.
09:10Walking plates.
09:11Heard.
09:1230 minutes left on the clock.
09:14Oh.
09:16This looks fantastic.
09:18Beautiful.
09:18This is my kid's favorite meal.
09:21I call it rushed hash browns and shortcut hollandaise.
09:24Did you know immediately what you wanted to make?
09:27100%.
09:27I'm very impressed.
09:29You're welcome.
09:30Really well cooked.
09:33Come on, Justin.
09:35Oh, God.
09:37Spoiler alert.
09:38The beef is overcooked.
09:39Jesus.
09:40All right.
09:42Justin's going over us 15 minutes.
09:44DeWin needs to get going, and being fast is, like, one of my weaknesses.
09:48So, I'm worried about literally everything.
09:51Come on, Justin.
09:55Are you done?
09:56Yeah.
09:57Okay.
09:59Go.
09:59What's up, Justin?
10:01Just going to take a second for myself.
10:03Yeah, yeah, you're good.
10:06Let's see.
10:08What'd you make for breakfast?
10:09The one thing I saw that the Cracker Bell didn't have was corned beef hash.
10:12So, I made a mustard sabayon, hash browns, and New York strip for the corned beef.
10:17Hmm.
10:17Did you do, like, a pastrami seasoning on the outside, or what'd you do?
10:20Yeah, I'd toss the beef in, like, brown butter with rye.
10:22Great.
10:23I think you need to sit.
10:24You need to.
10:27DeWin, you plan on doing 15 for a team evenly?
10:30I'm going to try and do 10.
10:31Cooking in the Top Chef's Kitchen is, like, combat cooking.
10:34This is ridiculous.
10:35I want to make sure Jen gets 15 minutes to execute her dish.
10:40I just really want to keep this simple.
10:42Trying to make a batter to fry some green tomatoes.
10:46Really?
10:47Anthony, what are you doing?
10:48Uh, same thing as you, dear.
10:49Oh, all right.
10:50Oh, now DeWin's nervous.
10:52I can see it.
10:52Because he's trying to copy me.
10:53Oh, ho, ho!
10:54Oh, ho!
10:55I'm doing a cornmeal base.
10:57I think DeWin's doing tempura.
10:58So, maybe that'll help me, uh, pop up.
11:00Just a classic southern way of doing it.
11:02Sherry, how you feeling?
11:04Good.
11:05Soup is a perfect lunch food.
11:07I know I'm not going to be able to develop the flavor that I want in 15 minutes, but then
11:12I see shrimp paste.
11:14Let's go.
11:15It's a really concentrated shrimp flavor that's going to be so good with my cornbread.
11:21Sherry, save me that batter, yeah?
11:22Save you the batter, wait.
11:24Is there steak in the fridge, do you know?
11:25I didn't even.
11:27Anthony, if you find some steaks in there, pull them for me.
11:29I got you.
11:3218 to go.
11:34Nice and golden.
11:35Hey, DeWin, there's a bunch of country ham in that bus tub.
11:38Perfect.
11:40I'm looking for bacon for my BLT, but country ham is maybe even better, because I don't have
11:46to cook it.
11:47Come through, brother.
11:48Let's go.
11:48Start platin'.
11:49Already platin'.
11:50All right, let's do it.
11:51That's what I'm talking about.
11:53Platin'.
11:53Hit me.
11:54I'm done, go.
11:55Oh, boy.
11:57Last to start, first to serve.
11:59That's our girl.
12:02Come on, let's go.
12:03Come on up.
12:04Yes.
12:05Yes.
12:06Let's go, baby.
12:08Oh, everyone.
12:09Yeah, I love it.
12:13DeWin, what'd you make for lunch?
12:15Fried green tomato sandwich.
12:17How'd you choose the meat?
12:19I was looking for some bacon, but I think the country ham actually works out much better.
12:23Mm-hmm.
12:24Come on, Jay, start cooking.
12:25Let's get it, let's get it.
12:26So, all right, chefs, in front of you have a fried green tomato and country ham, open-faced
12:30sandwich, a little bit of salmon roe, there's avocado.
12:33All right, Sherry.
12:33I made a crab and shrimp bisque with a whole cake.
12:38Crab and shrimp bisque?
12:39Did you have, like, shrimp cells?
12:41There's shrimp paste.
12:42Shrimp paste was a very smart play.
12:43Thank you so much.
12:44It's a lot of flavor to bring in in that short of time.
13:15Where's the tequila?
13:16I'm going to make a smothered steak.
13:18I'm using DeWin's batter to fry my oysters.
13:21Everything I do has to be quick, so I get my oysters in her batter.
13:26I fry a few just to see.
13:29DeWin's batter was really great for her fried green tomato, but for these oysters, it kind
13:34of made everything too wet.
13:36Adding some cornmeal to get some texture.
13:40Ten minutes.
13:41Jesus Christ.
13:42You got this.
13:44Woo!
13:46What other way to make a gravy?
13:47This is exciting.
13:48Don't burn your hair.
13:54We're good.
13:55I want to make sure I don't overcook the chicken, because once it's overcooked, it gets dry.
14:00This looks perfect to me.
14:01Sweet tea!
14:02I'm going to use the sweet tea to incorporate a little southern charm.
14:06We're going to make a little five-spice sweet tea syrup with it.
14:09Let's go!
14:11I'm sweating over here.
14:12Plenty of time, Jake.
14:13Two minutes on the dot.
14:14You got it.
14:15Let's go.
14:15It's game time.
14:17Pick up.
14:18Pick up.
14:19This is critical how flavorful this is.
14:21Woo!
14:22Let's go!
14:25The rocking's getting a little heavy in the middle.
14:2920 seconds.
14:30Jonathan, start walking it, bro.
14:31Three, two, one.
14:36Time's up, you kids.
14:37Time's up!
14:44All right, Lauren, tell us about your dinner dish.
14:46So we have fried chicken tendies with five-spice butter and five-spice syrup.
14:52You checked the internal temperature?
14:55I did not check.
14:56Oh, you know what that means.
14:57You know what that means.
14:58Uh-oh.
15:00Is it under?
15:02Oh.
15:03All right.
15:04Yeah.
15:05Oh, my bad, guys.
15:06It's all good, bro.
15:07All right, y'all.
15:07You have a smothered steak in front of you with a bourbon pan gravy.
15:11This is like dinner after a long day, something quick, all made in the same pan.
15:15Would you ever do like a mashed potato under something like this?
15:19100%.
15:19If we had 20 minutes each, there would have been mashed potatoes on the plate.
15:24Good job, bro.
15:26I did a cornmeal-battered oyster with lemon pepper and creamed corn.
15:31What's in the batter?
15:32The wind's batter and added cornmeal and flour to it.
15:35Okay, great.
15:39With these team challenges, obviously, there are definitely highs and lows on every single team.
15:44Madison and Craig, which team cracked under pressure?
15:50Our least favorite team today was the green team.
15:54Justin, I thought it was cute, but the meat was a little tough.
15:58Yeah.
15:59I will say that my favorite for lunch was on the green team, though.
16:02The sandwich was incredible.
16:03I thought you did an excellent job.
16:05I think, Jen, had you made your own cornmeal batter, it would have gotten more crispy,
16:09but it just kind of all felt a little bit wet.
16:11Gotcha.
16:12The wind is going to come down between the orange and the yellow team.
16:14The breakfast over on orange team was Oscar.
16:17That was my favorite dish of the competition.
16:20Cracker Barrel prides itself on its crispy pancakes, too.
16:22You just nailed it.
16:23It was really, really great.
16:24And then on the yellow team, we had Brandon.
16:26I did appreciate not overly greasy crispy hash browns.
16:29I absolutely loved that.
16:31I think my son would just devour it.
16:34That brings us to lunch.
16:36Sherry.
16:37In that amount of time to have that much flavor, it was really shocking.
16:40I really enjoyed eating your dish.
16:42Thanks so much.
16:43Anthony, there's a lot going on.
16:45I love the idea of fried green tomatoes, especially when you add a little kick to it.
16:50You kind of won me over with that.
16:52And that brings us to dinner.
16:54Lawrence.
16:56That's him.
16:58I like the sauce.
16:59I like the butter.
17:00There are so many opportunities to make sure the chicken was cooked.
17:03No, I love it.
17:04Jonathan.
17:05I thought the flavor was great.
17:06I personally loved it.
17:08But I think if you would have cooked the beef a little bit less, it would have been a perfect
17:12dish.
17:12And I chose the thinnest pieces because I wanted to make sure they were cooked.
17:15Well, you accomplished that.
17:16Interesting.
17:16You're nuts.
17:17The winning team gave us a Crave-worthy menu and some brand new classics.
17:22And the winning team is...
17:29The yellow team.
17:30Yes!
17:31Congratulations, yellow team.
17:33You just won $12,000 thanks to the generous folks at Cracker Barrel.
17:39So that means $4,000 each.
17:42Congratulations.
17:46Lawrence, if your chicken was cooked, you would have won.
17:48I know.
17:49I haven't won a quick fire yet.
17:51This was my chance.
17:52Oh, dear, my God.
17:53Sorry.
17:54Lawrence, you had time.
17:56Why didn't you cook the chicken?
17:57Madison and Craig, thank you for being here.
17:59It was an honor to be included in your guys' challenge.
18:01We know how important this is to y'all.
18:02Thank you so much.
18:04Thank you, guys.
18:10Chefs, you are cordially invited to the celebration of the season.
18:21Please help me welcome your next guest judge, actress, singer, and Top Chef superfan, Melissa Benoist.
18:30Welcome.
18:31Hi.
18:34Holy this is amazing.
18:36I'm a huge Supergirl fan.
18:38I'm so pumped.
18:39You guys, I've watched the show since season one.
18:41I even wrote a letter to get on the show and said how much I loved it.
18:45I'm such a superfan.
18:47I need you guys to know.
18:50So you may have seen her work on Glee, Supergirl, and most recently, Waterfront.
18:54Yeah, and now I'm really happy to be here in the Queen City with you all.
18:58Did you guys know that the city of Charlotte was actually named after a queen?
19:01Sophia Charlotte Mecklenburg Straylitz.
19:04That's a mouthful.
19:05You've already made breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
19:08And do you know what Queen Charlotte loved the most?
19:13Brunch.
19:13Brunch didn't exist back then.
19:15Yeah.
19:15It was dessert.
19:17Oh.
19:18She loved decadent desserts.
19:21Oh, wow.
19:23I just hope we don't have to make a cake.
19:24I don't like making cakes.
19:25I know how to do it.
19:26I just hate making them.
19:27I went to culinary school for the International Baking and Pastry degree.
19:31So in my mind, we have to make a dessert.
19:33It's really important that I show that skill level.
19:36My palms are sweaty.
19:37That is some table.
19:39Wow.
19:39I'm pumped.
19:41I love dessert.
19:42Do you?
19:42No, I hate dessert.
19:44Growing up, my family wasn't big on sugar.
19:47Very health conscious.
19:48So I just never developed a taste for it.
19:50Not a cavity at 43 years old.
19:53Thanks, Mom and Dad.
19:54Queen Charlotte really loved celebrating and throwing a ball, especially if it was her birthday.
20:01Oh, good God.
20:02Back in 2018, the city of Charlotte celebrated their 250th anniversary with a large party.
20:09Pastry chefs at Johnson and Wales University made enough sheet cakes to feed 3,000 people.
20:16And also, it just so happens that this year is the 20th anniversary of Top Chef, so we're kind of
20:21celebrating a birthday too.
20:23And as you can see here, this incredible taller-than-me cake is full of delicious, beautiful Southern desserts, all
20:33known throughout North and South Carolina.
20:36For this elimination challenge, we want you to create a dessert hit for a queen.
20:42Oh, me.
20:46You'll each select one dessert from this display to inspire your dish.
20:50But you are a very talented group of people, so I think that would be a little bit too easy.
20:56There we go.
20:57There we go.
20:58Come on, here we go.
20:59Give it to me.
20:59This party starts in a little over three hours.
21:03Oh.
21:07Damn.
21:08I know.
21:08After those three hours are up, 60 superfans will enter the kitchen to celebrate and try each of your desserts.
21:17Did you say 60?
21:1860.
21:19Six-zero.
21:19Hurt.
21:21My head is spinning.
21:23But that's not all.
21:26Oh, come on.
21:27Oh, boy.
21:28You said you were a fan.
21:30Yeah.
21:30You're doing this to us.
21:32The superfans are going to hold the power in determining who the winner of this challenge will be.
21:39Let's...
21:42Desserts for 60 Top Chef fans.
21:44So, you know, they're going to be picky as hell.
21:46We have Benet wafers, apple stack cake, coconut cake, caramel cake.
21:50My personal favorite, banana pudding.
21:52Facts.
21:53100%.
21:53Yeah.
21:53Just let the two of them go first.
21:55There's no point.
21:56I love all y'all, but I also play football.
21:58My top favorite dessert in the world is banana pudding.
22:02All right, ready?
22:03Three, two, one.
22:05You might want to go.
22:07Oh, f***.
22:08Nobody got in my way.
22:10Got it, boy.
22:11That banana pudding was coming to daddy.
22:14Hey.
22:14That was civilized.
22:15Yeah.
22:16Yeah, sure.
22:17Yeah.
22:18Justin, do you like ambrosia?
22:19I'm going to learn to love it today.
22:21Baking cakes in that short amount of time, there's so many things that can go wrong.
22:25So, chilled fruit salad, lots of ways you can shake that tree.
22:29Chefs, just remember, this is a party.
22:31Show off and give them something impressive.
22:33Make all of us superfans proud.
22:46Let's go, baby.
22:48Let's do this.
22:49You ready?
22:49Yeah.
22:50Does anybody need pineapple?
22:51No.
22:51Cool.
22:52I'm looking for bananas.
22:53Anybody seen the bananas?
22:54They're over here, buddy.
22:55Is there stuff in those fridges?
22:56We are hosting a party of superfans in three hours, which is insane.
23:02Also, dessert.
23:07What am I doing?
23:08We don't get to go to the market and buy stuff.
23:11I'm not even going to have time to, like, conceptualize my dish.
23:13No.
23:14We're in the storm.
23:15Time starts.
23:16Get at it.
23:17Oscar, how are you feeling?
23:19Emotionally, spiritually.
23:21All the above.
23:21All the above?
23:22All right.
23:23Pull out a couch.
23:27The Atlantic Beach Pie is a salty cracker crumb, whipped cream, and lemon and lime custard.
23:35I have Atlantic Beach Pie every Thanksgiving.
23:38I'm going to do a layered dessert of salty crackers, the lemon curd, and yuzu jelly.
23:45I reluctantly do dessert, you know, and I really feel like I'm going to have to channel my grandmothers,
23:51try to remember the things I grew up eating.
23:53So a little traditional, a little weird.
23:55I'm actually from a very small town called Statham, Georgia.
23:58Only one grocery store in town.
24:00My dad owned it, and that was the name of it, the grocery store.
24:04I'm excited for the different layers.
24:06Oh, f***!
24:10A lot of eggs.
24:12I'm no pastry chef, but I've done my chair of pastries.
24:16The sunker is between a cobbler and a fruit tart.
24:19I have a really good pie dough recipe.
24:22When you grate the butter, you have these perfect little nuggets that create pockets of air on the dough.
24:27It's going to be super flaky and delicious.
24:29Oh, snap.
24:32Ah, shells.
24:33Lawrence, what you making?
24:35I'm going to make a tres leches.
24:36It's the last thing that I had with my wife before I left.
24:38I think I'm going to turn this coconut cake into a tres leches, make a coconut cream and condensed milk
24:43soak.
24:44I want to make it a bit of my own.
24:46So I hope it's good.
24:47Sorry, babe, if it's not, yeah?
24:48Wait, don't you have immunity as well?
24:50I do.
24:50Are you happy you're getting it for this challenge?
24:52I'll take it for any challenge.
24:57Apple desserts are normally my favorite to eat.
25:00The apple stack cake reminds me of my great-grandmother.
25:03She would just have, like, a tower of pancakes, paper thin, as if they were crepes almost.
25:09I want to cook with this memory of her.
25:10That's going to make her proud.
25:12You got to get these apples diced.
25:13I want the semifredo to have a good amount of apple flavor and also texture.
25:17I want to try and represent the apple as many ways I possibly can.
25:20There'll be a spiced apple butter and then a apple gel.
25:27Hey, y'all, I feel nervous.
25:29I know, right?
25:30I got the little ugly duckling cake.
25:32The Moravian is a sad little dense take, you know?
25:37Like, it needs a little makeover.
25:38I got all the breads.
25:39There's a lot of cinnamon notes.
25:40There's raisins.
25:41So I'm thinking right off the bat, capirotada.
25:43It's like a Jalisco-style bread pudding.
25:46With the s'mores cook-off, Tom loved a little spice in it, so I'm going to make a little
25:50pasilla powder.
25:51Why not?
25:51I like a little spice, a little sweet, kind of like me.
25:54Hey, love that.
25:56I've got chocolate chest pie.
25:58There's not really enough time to make a pie crust, so this is going to get baked like
26:01this, and I'm going to crumble it later.
26:03So I call this the Top Chef Pie Dough.
26:11Are you good at baking, Duane?
26:12I like desserts that I'm, like, cooking.
26:15Chef desserts.
26:15Yeah, chef-y desserts, exactly.
26:17There was a restaurant I worked at in France.
26:19I had a Dolce Leche Sabayon, and it was, like, the best thing ever.
26:23So having the caramel cake, I could really use that as kind of, like, the star.
26:28The caramel cake is what a caramel cake sounds like.
26:31It has layers and layers of caramel with vanilla cake inside.
26:35But I want to take a Vietnamese spin on it.
26:38I went to Vietnam, and I saw this woman grill bananas and made this, like, tapioca pudding,
26:43and it was so fire.
26:46So I'm making this vanilla tondon rice, and I think that would be a nice base of my dessert.
26:51Ooh, tondon?
26:53You want to try it?
26:54It's super hot.
26:55Careful.
26:56That's pretty good.
26:58It's not too sweet, you know?
26:59No.
27:00Which is the biggest Asian compliment you can give.
27:02But I need this to be sweet.
27:05Ambrosia salad is really big in Michigan.
27:07I'm going to do it pretty close to the original.
27:09Jello, whipped cream, fruit.
27:12So it's really just a sweet, cold fruit salad.
27:16Something our parents probably used to eat.
27:19Yeah.
27:21It's the base for the semi-fredo.
27:23That blast jello don't play around, does it?
27:26Sheesh.
27:28Doing a play on banana pudding.
27:30I want to get some roasted bananas.
27:31I got my brown butter working.
27:32The dessert I'm going to focus on is a banana misuse.
27:36Let's go.
27:38Back, back, back, back, back.
27:40Two hours and eight minutes left.
27:42That oven's not as hot from opening and closing it.
27:45It's not going to stay hot.
27:46Justin, I'm about to go in there, okay?
27:48It's at 400.
27:49You're good.
27:49I have five trays to go in.
27:52Every two minutes, somebody's opening and slamming the doors closed, which kind of sucks
27:57for me.
27:57The worst thing that could happen is putting these galettes in the oven and the temperature
28:02being too low and all the beautiful butter just oozing out of the pastry.
28:08So I crank up my oven, praying for the worst, hoping for the best.
28:14What is it?
28:15How are you saying?
28:16Preparing for the worst.
28:17Uh, preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.
28:23One hour and 43 minutes till the super fans arrive.
28:27Ugh.
28:28I want to maximize the flavor and texture.
28:31Oh, shoot.
28:31Who's black bananas?
28:33Roasting the bananas with the skin on, you get this banana liqueur and it's really, really
28:37flavorful.
28:38Yeah.
28:38These are nice.
28:41Anybody, I can't open her?
28:42Yeah.
28:43Oi.
28:43Thanks.
28:45Anybody have a dessert I could use?
28:46Got you, Justin.
28:47I got some whipped cream for you.
28:48Oh, you're the best.
28:49Ambrosia salad has a lot of different elements.
28:52You know, I still have a lot to get done.
28:54I'm not panicked just yet, but it's slowly creeping up.
28:56What do we do now?
28:59What are you working on?
29:02A salted dulce de leche sabayon.
29:05I'm really hoping that my sabayon is going to just encompass this entire dessert.
29:11Needs to be sweeter.
29:13I might just throw this whole thing in there.
29:15The best way for me to kind of utilize that is to put it in an ISI container so it
29:20has
29:21this, like, airy, foamy mouthfeel.
29:24That makes me sound really bougie.
29:26Done.
29:28I'm doing good.
29:31This is agar, agar.
29:32It's a gelling agent.
29:33I'm going to try and gel this apple cider, see if it works.
29:39One hour!
29:41I notice Oscar still doesn't have his bread pudding in the oven.
29:45He has a deep pan.
29:46It's difficult to get that amount cooked in the proper amount of time.
29:49Got faith.
29:50Don't cheat yourself in the foot.
29:51Bake it off for 40 minutes.
29:5930 minutes!
30:01Sherry, how are they looking?
30:02You tell me.
30:03Look at this.
30:03That's beautiful.
30:04Oscar, what you doing with them pineapple tops, bud?
30:07I was going to make myself a little hat.
30:09Oh, you're so cute.
30:11Okay, so pie crust is done.
30:12I'm making my chocolate sabayon.
30:14Now I need to whip some whipped cream.
30:17Hey, Brandon, how do you make whipped cream, bro?
30:19Equal parts sugar and water bring to a boil and cool down.
30:22No hesitation.
30:24My goal is to get more votes than my brother,
30:27but he's literally a high-caliber pastry chef.
30:29Jonathan, you're boiling over.
30:31Am I really?
30:33Yeah, I turned it off.
30:36Oscar, is your bread pudding going to be done in time?
30:37It's close.
30:38Boom.
30:39Pour.
30:40Pour.
30:41This way?
30:41Yeah, so just like that.
30:43Yep.
30:43And then you're just going to keep on pouring slowly.
30:45Okay.
30:46I want to manipulate the ingredients of ambrosia,
30:49so I decided to use liquid nitrogen,
30:51but I've never done it before.
30:53Dang.
30:53Am I doing it right?
30:55Yeah, you are.
30:56Liquid nitrogen will give me a new twist
30:58and make it a little bit lighter.
31:01Sherry, you making cotton candy?
31:03Yes.
31:04So I think it's kind of skewed.
31:08Oh, my God.
31:10Hey, y'all, six minutes till we serve.
31:13Time to start plating.
31:18I'm real sweaty.
31:20Textures on point.
31:22Flavor's there.
31:29Hello, everyone.
31:30How y'all doing?
31:32Hi, guys.
31:32Hey, everybody.
31:34It's got a lot of soul, you know?
31:35The bread pudding is a little bit loose at this point.
31:39My whipped cream's been sitting out, and it's warm.
31:41It's not a California 10.
31:42It's a Midwest 10.
31:43Not what I want, but, you know,
31:45I've got to sell this ugly little dish.
31:49Minute 36, Chef.
31:51Minute 36.
31:52I just wanted to say that.
31:53Thank you, Chef.
31:54I appreciate you.
31:59There you go.
32:02Let's go.
32:04We are open.
32:07Put a little whipped cream on top of that,
32:09and then it's ready to go.
32:10The party has started.
32:12Welcome to Top Chef.
32:14How are you?
32:15I'm a pro job.
32:16I do.
32:16Judges, I have for you.
32:18Coconut trust leches.
32:20I am a real superman.
32:21Been watching this since day one.
32:23I'm going to be dreaming about this for the rest of my life.
32:26Oh, my God.
32:27I wasn't going to miss this.
32:28Yeah, it's awesome.
32:29Glad you could join us.
32:30There are superfans in the Top Chef kitchen.
32:31It really is like you're in the arena with them.
32:34Having the superfans vote,
32:35it's a lot of different palettes.
32:37I hope I survive radon.
32:39It's so surreal being in here.
32:41Dream come true.
32:43Wow.
32:44Look at this party.
32:46Ooh, cotton candy.
32:47It does feel like a party in here.
32:49Yeah, it does.
32:49They was like,
32:50Mommy, it's a cooking show.
32:51I was like,
32:51don't you ever say that.
32:52This is more than a cooking show.
32:54So, shall we start trying?
32:56Yeah.
32:57How's it going, judges?
32:58Hello, Anthony.
32:58How are you?
32:59Which dessert did you have?
33:01Apple stack cake.
33:01So, apple semifredo.
33:03Dried apples on the inside.
33:04Apple coulis on the bottom.
33:06Spiced cake with a little bit of molasses.
33:08And then two types of apple butter.
33:10Why did you choose the apple stack cake?
33:11They reminded me a little bit of family.
33:13Very good.
33:13Wow.
33:15Several different types of apples in here.
33:18A nice crunchy crust.
33:20I highly recommend.
33:22Okay.
33:23Are you grilling him
33:23with all the judging questions?
33:25All the questions.
33:26So, this is my version of chocolate chess pie.
33:29Truly, my grandmother did make this for us.
33:31But she made the old school version.
33:33This is my version.
33:34We have a chocolate sabayon
33:35and we have a chocolate custard.
33:36There's a little bit of pate soup gray
33:37that I've crumbled up.
33:38And then some candy kumquats.
33:40How would your grandmother feel about kumquats?
33:41She would go crazy.
33:43Thank you, Jonathan.
33:44You're welcome.
33:44Pleasure.
33:45After 20 years of watching this show consistently
33:47to be like,
33:48okay, I'm in the kitchen now.
33:50And everything's as good as I thought it was going to eat.
33:51Yes.
33:52Hi, Lauren.
33:53Hi, judges.
33:54Dessert inspo was coconut cake.
33:55My wife loves coconut.
33:57Tres leches was the last meal we had
33:59before I came here.
34:00I wanted to make this for her.
34:02The coconut tres leches.
34:03And this little sugar, it's real.
34:05It's regular sugar,
34:06but it's toasted coconut inside.
34:08That's what you see.
34:09Nice.
34:09Thank you so much.
34:11So far, my favorite.
34:12It has to be Laurence's.
34:14His ability to blend those flavors effortlessly
34:17was fantastic.
34:20Okay.
34:21Good start.
34:21Yeah, I think it's a great start.
34:23Melissa, is this living up
34:24to all your, like, top chef wishes?
34:27I do keep feeling like I want to look in the camera
34:29and be like,
34:30it's really cool to actually taste the food.
34:34So let's start with Anthony,
34:36the apple stack cake.
34:37The flavors were actually really nice.
34:39I liked that Anthony's dessert wasn't too sweet.
34:41Yeah.
34:41Yeah.
34:42The apple really came out for me.
34:44Each bite just had a lot of different textures
34:46and layers to it.
34:48Did you also make the ice cream from scratch?
34:50Yeah.
34:50Great execution.
34:51I feel like it doesn't always turn into ice cream.
34:53There we go.
34:55Jonathan had this great story,
34:57but what he made to me
34:58was chocolate pudding with whipped cream.
34:59Right.
34:59I think I was looking forward
35:01to having something with more substance.
35:03Yeah.
35:03I did like the kumquat, though.
35:05I love orange and chocolate combination.
35:07Of course, we have more chocolate.
35:10Lawrence with the coconut cake.
35:11He actually made a nice cake.
35:13I want more coconut.
35:14Oh, I get it.
35:15It had that, like, young, sweet coconut flavor.
35:18But I loved the texture.
35:20And it was a nice crumb.
35:22Yeah, it was nice to make a cake.
35:22You got the moisture of the coconut cake.
35:24You really did.
35:25Thank you so much.
35:27The Moravian cake kind of looks sad up there all lonely.
35:30And so I wanted to do, like, that 80s movie
35:32where they give someone a remake
35:33and all of a sudden they're, like, the talk of the town.
35:35The super fans have a vote.
35:37And I'm a schmoozer, so, I mean, they're eating it up.
35:40You made a lot, too.
35:41You know, I'm going to take some of this
35:42back to the loft later
35:44and we're going to have a good time.
35:45Hopefully they fall in love with my spiel.
35:48I hope you all enjoy.
35:51You know, it's where my mind is right now.
35:53I should be on a beach drinking a rum drink.
35:55Not here.
35:57Working my face off.
36:02Round two, onward.
36:05Love the flavors.
36:06Thank you so much.
36:07Hi, Dwayne.
36:08Hello.
36:09Your reference was caramel cake.
36:11Yes.
36:12So it's rice I cooked with pandan and coconut.
36:16And then we have roasted bananas.
36:18How did we get from caramel cake
36:20to pandan rice pudding with roasted bananas?
36:22I knew I wanted to make a salted dulce de leche foam.
36:25And then I went backwards.
36:27I'm like, okay, what goes well with that?
36:30This is so good.
36:31But you can secretly stash our dishes for later.
36:34Hi, Jen.
36:35Hello.
36:36My inspiration was Atlantic beech pie, layers of citrus in there.
36:40So a Meyer lemon curd and a yuzu jelly.
36:43And then my two crunches were saltines and graham cracker with pretzels.
36:48Citrus-y.
36:49Yeah.
36:50Thank you, Jen.
36:51Thank you, guys.
36:51Thank you so much.
36:52Jen's is like a flavor bomb.
36:55This foam, it's delicious.
36:59Hi, Justin.
37:00Hi, guys.
37:01How y'all doing?
37:02I got ambrosia salad.
37:04I have cherry granita at the bottom, roasted pineapple, brown butter walnuts, toasted coconut,
37:10and then a raspberry whipped cream.
37:12Wow.
37:13Brown butter marshmallows as well.
37:15Thanks, y'all.
37:16There's just something missing.
37:17I'm bringing it all together.
37:18What do you think of Dwayne's dish?
37:20The pandan.
37:20Gotta be honest, I was a little confused.
37:23You are not the only one.
37:24I did not find it visually appealing.
37:27It had no caramel.
37:29It almost felt like Dwayne wanted to do the pandan rice pudding, and then she was like,
37:34we're going to just, like, shoehorn it into this.
37:36We're going to finish it off with some dolce de leche foam.
37:40So this is where the caramel is coming from.
37:43And then Jen with the Atlantic beach pie.
37:46I loved it.
37:47I liked it, too.
37:48I liked it, too.
37:48The yuzu was a little assertive, but I liked that.
37:51I also really appreciated the yuzu, citrus, how powerful it was.
37:56How much does the anxiety of this affect your ability to focus?
38:00It's insane.
38:01It's been wild.
38:02Well, the ambrosia, the ratios were off.
38:05It wasn't enough cream to all the different things.
38:07That was a hot mess.
38:08Actually, a cold mess.
38:11Texturally, there was really nothing there.
38:12It was all crunch.
38:13Justin put everything in liquid nitrogen, and when you freeze things to that temperature,
38:17you dampen the flavor.
38:19It's too damn cold.
38:20Oh, shh.
38:23Let's start round three, shall we?
38:25I don't know how I'm going to vote, though.
38:27I know.
38:28I know.
38:28I'm waiting for that.
38:29I'm having it.
38:29You got to have three in mind.
38:30That's really hard.
38:32Hi, Sherry.
38:33Hi.
38:33So my dessert was a stunker, and I decided to make a cherry, blueberry, and strawberry compote
38:40inside the almond pate brisette, and then a passion fruit mousse.
38:44That was my way of making it a little Brazilian, and cotton candy to finish.
38:48I saved the best-looking galettes for the judges, but I did notice the crust was a little bit
38:55thicker than the other ones.
38:58Maybe that wasn't the right move.
39:00Thank you, guys.
39:03The passion fruit on the bottom, that's the best.
39:07Wow.
39:07What'd you make for us?
39:08The Moravian was the inspiration for today.
39:11The one redeeming thing it had was, like, cinnamon and sugar on top, so right away I thought
39:15about capirotada.
39:16This is a dish from Jalisco, where my parents are from, so it's kind of like a bread pudding.
39:20It has raisins, a lot of cinnamon.
39:22Thank you, Oscar.
39:23Thank you all very much.
39:24Thank you very much.
39:25It's so good.
39:26I wish we could add seconds.
39:28Do I have deja vu?
39:30My twin brother is over there.
39:31We are going head-to-head today.
39:34Chef, how goes it?
39:35Hello, Brian.
39:35Welcome.
39:36Last but not least.
39:37Here we have banana masseux.
39:39My favorite dessert on the planet is banana pudding.
39:41My second favorite is tiram masseux.
39:43What I wanted to do today was combine the both.
39:44So the bottom, you'll find roasted banana and fresh banana compote layered with your traditional
39:48savoyant.
39:49Use vanilla wafers to dip in espresso syrup.
39:51Touch of whipped cream on top.
39:52Did you try Jonathan's dessert?
39:54No, not yet, but I can't wait.
39:55Okay.
39:55Everybody's been super confused.
39:58Thank you, Brandon.
39:59Wonderful.
39:59I'm a southerner.
40:00Banana pudding is a big thing.
40:02Yeah.
40:02It's really good.
40:05Sherry's galette was undercooked.
40:08The rest of it actually was quite good.
40:10The thing that I did appreciate about Sherry's dish are the little pops of the passion fruit
40:15and then the curd and the berries.
40:17Everything had a little point of tartness to it.
40:19The dish was flavorful.
40:20I feel like who doesn't look at cotton candy and doesn't smile?
40:25Moving on to Oscar.
40:26Broken whipped cream.
40:27It was over whipped.
40:28That was the thing that made you mad?
40:30Do you see how thick he baked that?
40:32I know.
40:32Yeah.
40:33I think the problem with Oscar is they needed more custard.
40:35It wasn't pudding-like.
40:36It was bread-like.
40:36Yeah.
40:37And then I put a little rum in the lucha de leche because also I want to be like,
40:40we like to party too, you know what I mean?
40:41What about Brandon's?
40:42Brandon's is very good.
40:43There was the right amount of cake to banana to cream.
40:45Even though it was the last and I don't know if I could have put another bite in my mouth,
40:50I wanted to eat more.
40:51It was really tasty.
40:53This is really good.
40:54Oh, good.
40:54I'm so glad you like it.
40:55So if you haven't voted yet, I would highly encourage you to go place your votes because
41:00we are nearing the end.
41:04We all voted for that.
41:06Yes, I mean.
41:07Did you all discuss?
41:08No.
41:08No.
41:09It just felt like home.
41:09It tasted like home.
41:11Yeah.
41:13How about the coconut?
41:15So good.
41:16Love it.
41:16With that banana pudding.
41:18Really, really, really good.
41:19Really good.
41:22So what was your least favorite?
41:24The ambrosia salad.
41:25Too much things just going on in that one.
41:27Anybody a fan of the bread pudding?
41:28I liked it.
41:29I liked it.
41:30Yeah.
41:30Even the broken whipped cream on top.
41:32Yeah.
41:33Well, we're not technical like that.
41:35He's like, that's the wrong answer.
41:36Well, thank you for your opinions.
41:41If you all want to move to the side so you have a good view of when we announce our
41:45winner,
41:45that would be fantastic.
41:47All right, chefs, you can come join us in the center, please.
41:49You cut the anticipation with a knife.
41:52So, chefs, the votes are in.
41:58The top three vote-getters are...
42:11The top three vote-getters are...
42:17Lawrence...
42:22Lawrence...
42:23Anthony...
42:25Anthony...
42:27And...
42:28Sherry.
42:30Thank you, guys.
43:01All right, so we all got to go so we can get set for judges' table.
43:04Thank you for being here.
43:21You know, great night.
43:22For the most part, the desserts were really good.
43:25As one of the super fans, it was a treat for me to be here.
43:30You really pulled it out.
43:31Anthony, I will say you were definitely on the top for us, too.
43:34It was beautiful.
43:36As much as you cooked the apples, it didn't turn into applesauce, so you could still see
43:40the pieces of apple, and you had the texture in there, as well.
43:42If you were craving an apple dessert, you hit the spot.
43:44Mm-hmm.
43:45Thank you very much.
43:47Justin, Oscar, and Dwen, please stay here.
43:50The rest of you can move to the side.
43:54So the three of you had our least favorite desserts of the evening, and one of you will
43:58be eliminated.
44:00Were you all happy with what you were putting up?
44:03I mean, there was definitely some decision fatigue.
44:05The 60s just sounded so big.
44:07Before even tasting it, I saw the pockets of unsoaked bread plus undercooked soaked bread.
44:13Had you just made a smaller amount, it would have cooked more consistently.
44:16Absolutely.
44:16My big problem was your whipped cream was broken.
44:19Yeah, so I was trying to, like, make sure that the dessert itself was good.
44:23To you, it was wrong.
44:24Why dessert?
44:25I just saw Sherry's so colorful dish, and I was like, I need to put something on top of it.
44:29Never compare yourself to other people.
44:33Okay, Dwen, remind me how you got from caramel cake to your dessert.
44:38I wanted to really kind of focus on the dulce de leche foam.
44:43I wanted a lot of caramel, but without it just being, like, sugar bomb.
44:47I was missing the caramel stickiness and that flavor.
44:51My issue was that the rice pudding had very little flavor.
44:54I struggled to find any reference to caramel cake.
44:57I got pandan, rice, banana.
45:00Texturally, it was kind of soft on soft on soft.
45:02You're right.
45:03I think I probably took my interpretation maybe a little too far.
45:07Justin, you put all the toppings in the bottom, and then you just piped some cream on top.
45:12And so you didn't really have this bowl of fluffy, creamy goodness that is ambrosia salad.
45:18Yeah.
45:18Liquid nitrogen is tricky.
45:20The dessert was so cold, you couldn't taste it.
45:22I had the same issues.
45:23It was just hard to taste.
45:24Yeah.
45:25There should have been a gap between plating and serving.
45:30We'll call you back in a bit.
45:31Thank you very much.
45:37I think all three chefs had technical and conceptual issues here, and some of them a little bit of both.
45:45When you're in the bottom, you're kind of aware of why, and there's no hiding behind any of it.
45:49Nope.
45:50Serving broken whipped cream, it's just like, I don't get that.
45:52It's such a major fail.
45:54If I had to choose a dish that I would eat again, it would actually be Oscar's.
45:58Okay.
45:59I don't have the eye to look for broken whipped cream.
46:01I really liked the flavors.
46:03For all the dishes I've done before, like, whatever the challenge is, I've layered that in so many different components
46:09of my dish, and I just didn't do that this time.
46:12Part of me just doesn't believe that Gwen's was the dessert inspired by the caramel cake.
46:16The dish was so poorly executed.
46:18The banana was just, like, gray and completely soft.
46:22And then the pandan had no flavor.
46:25I've made myself home at the bottom.
46:28I got a pull-out couch, getting a cable next week.
46:32The flavor wasn't there for me in justice.
46:36All the components just were completely separate and also tamped down by the temperature.
46:41He was doing an interpretation that wasn't good.
46:43Right.
46:43For that reason, it didn't even give me abrosia.
46:45The dish that you gave me at the very end was so good.
46:48What are you doing with this Gary Busey thing over here?
46:50My jaw is doing something weird.
46:52I don't know.
46:53Don't bring attention to it, okay?
46:55I have this whole face thing going on that I'm not sure what's happening.
46:59I can feel, like, my left side pulling in a way that is super uncomfortable.
47:13Pastry is the Achilles heel of so many savory chefs.
47:16It kind of hurts when you've got to go home for doing something that you really don't do day to
47:19day,
47:20but that's how it is here in Top Chef's Kitchen.
47:30Justin, please pack your knives and go.
47:34Justin, overall, just way too cold.
47:37Couldn't taste the dish.
47:38But we'll see you in Last Chance Kitchen.
47:39You got a shot at getting back in.
47:40Thanks, guys.
47:41It's been a pleasure.
47:42Thanks.
47:42Appreciate it.
47:43It's not the best feeling in the world.
47:45You're kind of numb for a second.
47:47Damn, bro.
47:48That does not feel good.
47:50No.
47:50Oh, my gosh.
47:51That was awful.
47:54No.
47:54What?
47:55No way.
47:55Man.
47:56It sucks leaving Jen, but she's been killing it.
47:59Hopefully, this will be a little bit extra motivation to keep cooking strong.
48:04Not that she needs it, but watch out for her.
48:07Oh.
48:07All right, guys.
48:08Bye.
48:09Take care, Jen.
48:10Take care.
48:10See y'all.
48:12There's Last Chance Kitchen, and there's a path to work my way back up in the competition,
48:16and I'm going to do just that.
48:18Should we wrap this up, guys?
48:19Let's wrap it up.
48:20Hello.
48:21Hello.
48:22How's it going?
48:23Hello.
48:24Good job.
48:25Jen, can you all come back to Judge's table for me, please?
48:28Yeah.
48:29Yeah, sure.
48:32Ooh.
48:34Ah.
48:41Before you leave for tonight, we would all like to congratulate you for making it halfway
48:46through this competition.
48:47That is no easy feat.
48:48Jen, how are you feeling?
48:50Too many emotions going.
48:52You okay?
48:53Physically?
48:53I don't know.
48:54I don't even know.
48:56Okay.
48:56I'm like, something's going on with my face.
48:59Yeah.
49:00It has been a tough few days, but it's only to get more challenging from here.
49:06This is right about the time everybody starts talking about, this is the hardest thing I've
49:09ever done.
49:10There are only eight of you left, which really could only mean one thing.
49:15It's time for restaurant wars.
49:20This time around, we decided to get straight down to business.
49:24I am so ready for restaurant wars.
49:28And now for the nitty gritty.
49:30In two teams of four, you will be responsible for creating your own restaurant concept in
49:36just over 36 hours.
49:38That's like trying to build a house in 36 hours.
49:40You just don't do things that way.
49:41You'll need to assign an executive chef, a floor manager, and two line cooks.
49:47And then together, you're going to have to come up with a three-course menu featuring
49:50at least two options for each course.
49:52We're going to allow you all to decide how you want to divvy up into your two teams.
49:56So, go ahead.
49:58You can get into two teams.
49:59Oh, man.
49:59Ty.
50:00Oh, no, I know.
50:02Oh, look at that.
50:03You guys want to be on the same team.
50:04Oh, wow.
50:05Lawrence has been winning.
50:06Anthony has been winning.
50:07Sherry hasn't won yet, but everyone's scared of Sherry.
50:10She is such a beast in the kitchen.
50:12And so, I know I'm just in a team with winners.
50:14Who's coming to this side?
50:15We are.
50:15Who's coming to the dark side?
50:17Interesting.
50:18That was easy.
50:19We kind of just split the line right in half.
50:21We did a lot of nothing there.
50:23Yeah.
50:26Tonight, you're going to have an hour to create your concept and plan your menus.
50:30That's not all.
50:31Of course.
50:34We're going to add one more element this year.
50:38You're also going to be fielding takeout orders.
50:41Oh, my God.
50:42We all know.
50:43We've all done it.
50:44We all do it, right?
50:45In the real world, I wouldn't do takeout orders on week one, let alone day one.
50:50How do you all feel about being on a team with one person that has immunity?
50:53Math-wise, not great.
50:55Math-wise, it doesn't work.
50:57But, yeah.
50:57Focus on winning.
50:58And the prize for the winning team this year will be Epic.
51:02Ooh.
51:02Ooh.
51:03Do tell.
51:04You know I can't tell you yes.
51:05Epic.
51:05Yeah.
51:06Okay, Chefs.
51:07Time to start planning.
51:08See ya.
51:08Can't wait to see what you need.
51:09Get out of here.
51:10Good luck.
51:15Guys, I don't know what's going on with my face, so the medic is going to take me to
51:20the ER to get it checked out and just make sure nothing crazy is happening.
51:25Sorry, guys.
51:26Yeah, I'll see you in a bit.
51:27Take care.
51:27All right.
51:27Yeah, don't worry.
51:28Love y'all.
51:29Yeah, it's a good one.
51:30See you later, then.
51:31Yeah, we'll see you.
51:31Yeah, we got you.
51:32Yeah, don't worry.
51:32We got you, Jen.
51:33Maybe you're playing the hell out of it.
51:34Oh, yeah.
51:35I got an idea already, so.
51:37Cool.
51:37Great.
51:42I think you should be the GM.
51:44I was thinking she's the exec chef that expedites.
51:46Me and Jonathan are cooks, because I don't foresee Jen line cooking.
51:49Let's just hope that she's okay.
51:56Hey, Justin.
51:57We just want to give you an update on Jen.
52:00Oh, goddammit.
52:01I think because of everything that's been going on,
52:03we have to ask her to leave the competition.
52:06Like, it's just for her own well-being.
52:08And she is 100% invited back on another season,
52:11but for right now, I don't think it's the best thing for her.
52:20She just, she deserves to be here, and she's doing so well.
52:24Yeah.
52:25Oh, god, if you cry, I'm crying.
52:29It's pretty shocking.
52:34Because you are the last person that was eliminated,
52:37we're offering you that spot back.
52:41Completely up to you.
52:44Yeah, I'd like to talk to her.
52:45Of course.
52:46For sure.
52:46Okay.
52:47This is a super big decision,
52:49and I just really need to touch base with Jen.
52:51Hey.
52:52Well, I'm not having a stroke.
52:55Got all kinds of things attached to my fingers and my chest.
52:59I don't know what's wrong when they end up to have an MRI.
53:02So, we should just go home and get you better.
53:06I mean, you do whatever you think is best for you.
53:12I just, my cards were on you, and now, you know.
53:17Jen's health comes first.
53:18You know, she's the most important person in my life.
53:21There's no way I'm staying in the competition with Jen in a hospital room.
53:25You know, we'll just figure things out together.
53:28Okay.
53:35Tonight, another shocking twist rocks Last Chance Kitchen.
53:38It's a surprise return as two chefs clash for a comeback,
53:40and things get weird.
53:42I'm glad I'm not cooking.
53:43Watch now on Peacock or bravotv.com.
53:48Next time on Top Chef.
53:50Hey, Chef.
53:51It smells like restaurant wars in here.
53:52Before you made all these, did you test one?
53:54Shut up, Tom.
53:55Let me do my thing.
53:57Hey, Brandon, I just need your help with a little bit of knife work, please.
53:59I'm blown away.
54:00We're about to start service.
54:02Stop talking and start working, bro.
54:03I'm working, dude.
54:04This is my worst nightmare.
54:05Oh, my gosh.
54:09We have a reservation for five.
54:11It's been 40 minutes since we sat down.
54:12This is ridiculous.
54:13Yeah.
54:14It's a very fine line between the winner and the loser.
54:18It could go any which way.
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