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Top Chef - Season 23 - Episode 07: Desserts Fit for a Queen
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00:25We have Seager 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 up.
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're going to get Seager.
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.
00:52Seager, I think of pork, a little on the dry side.
00:54Hey!
00:55Three for three?
00:55Three for three, baby!
00:56Sweet, baby!
00:57One, baby!
00:59And the winner is Lawrence.
01:02Nice!
01:04Seager, 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.
01:48It feels like we've been here forever.
01:49For real.
01:50How are you feeling about it?
01:51I feel good, actually.
01:53Yeah.
01:53They like my food.
01:54I know I'm in the right direction.
01:56Yeah.
01:57But what am I doing where I'm not locking in enough to, like, actually win the challenge?
02:02Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:02I still feel very confident in myself.
02:04And I think it's not just about me.
02:07It's just for the Vietnamese community.
02:09It's for all the female chefs.
02:10It's for my family.
02:11There's so many reasons as to why I want to win this.
02:14I want it really, really bad.
02:16All right.
02:17You ready to go?
02:18Let's get it.
02:19Ugh!
02:19Let's open your mouth.
02:29That's happening.
02:31Cute.
02:31Something's happening.
02:33Wow.
02:33Wow.
02:34Like what I've done with the place?
02:36Ooh.
02:36Oh, nice.
02:38Cracker barrel.
02:39Oh, s***.
02:40Oh.
02:40Are 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.
03:08I 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.
03:16Ooh.
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.
03:51Please welcome Madison LaCroix and Craig Conover from Southern Charm.
03:55How's it going?
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.
04:09Is that a gift for you or for us?
04:11We're going to find out.
04:12Yeah.
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, orange is complete.
04:52It's the international team.
04:56Yellow, last 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, we're good.
05:07All right, Justin.
05:08Last member of the green team.
05:09Are y'all happy with your teams?
05:10Oh, yeah.
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.
05:30Uh-oh.
05:31She's seen that comin'.
05:32Man.
05:33Oh.
05:33Life 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.
05:41Oh, everyone'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.
06:03Damn.
06:03You'll have three minutes right now to discuss who's doing which dish and your strategy.
06:08Oh.
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?
06:15I'm down for breakfast.
06:16Yeah, okay.
06:16Can I do lunch?
06:17Yeah, yeah.
06:17I'll do breakfast.
06:18Can I get a 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.
06:40I had a, like, BLT.
06:41Oh, yeah.
06:42I'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.
06:55Three, two, one.
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, this is 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 is 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 eggs benedict.
07:44This is really cool to watch how fast everyone is.
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 the blender.
07:55Eight minutes, push it.
07:57Yes, chef.
07:59Let's go, Oscar.
08:00You got this.
08:00I'm there, I'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.
08:12Justin, 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, let's go.
08:25A flip.
08:27Look at that timing, baby.
08:31Nice.
08:32They're plating.
08:33A little maple.
08:35Here we go, Justin.
08:37Tell me when it's done, please.
08:39Cherry, let's go, let's go, let's go.
08:41Okay.
08:43Chicken stock.
08:44Oscar, what did you make for breakfast?
08:46Pande elote.
08:47I haven't been to Cracker Barrel.
08:48I saw the picture, super inspired.
08:51It's a corn cake, throw some berries in it, a little bit of maple, and then shaved piloncillo.
08:55Like, nice little sweet bite.
08:56Really good, great 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.
09:16This looks fantastic.
09:18Beautiful.
09:19This 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?
09:26100%.
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 his 15 minutes.
09:44DeWynn 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.
09:58Go.
09:59What's up, Justin?
10:01It's going to take a second for myself.
10:03Yeah, yeah.
10:06Let's see.
10:07What'd you make for breakfast?
10:08The one thing I saw that the cracker bowl 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.
10:20I tossed the beef in, like, brown butter with rye.
10:22Great.
10:23I think you need to sit.
10:24You need to...
10:27DeWynn, 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 DeWynn's nervous.
10:52I can see it.
10:52Because he's trying to copy me.
10:53Oh, ho, ho!
10:55I'm doing a cornmeal base.
10:57I think DeWynn's doing tempura.
10:58So maybe that'll help me 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,
11:12but then I see shrimp base.
11:14Let's go.
11:14It'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 me the batter, wait.
11:24Is there steak in the fridge, you know?
11:26I 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, DeWynn, 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.
11:44This may be even better, because I don't have to cook it.
11:47Come through, brother.
11:48Let's go.
11:48Start playting.
11:49Already playting.
11:50All right, let's do it.
11:51That's what I'm talking about.
11:52Playting.
11:53Hit me.
11:54I'm done.
11:55Go.
11:56Oh, boy.
11:57Last to start.
11:58First to serve.
11:58That's our girl.
12:02Come on.
12:02Let's go.
12:03Come on up.
12:04Yes.
12:05Yes.
12:06Let's go, baby.
12:08Oh, everyone.
12:09Yeah, I love it.
12:13DeWynn, 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.
12:24Start cooking.
12:25Let's get it.
12:25Let's get it.
12:26So, all right, chefs, in front of you have a fried green tomato and country ham open-faced
12:30sandwich.
12:31A little bit of salmon roe.
12:32There's avocado.
12:32All 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.
12:46Where's the tequila?
12:47I know, right?
12:50Wow.
12:51You got 12 minutes left?
12:52Those batters working out for you?
12:54It looks beautiful.
12:54Thank you, chef.
12:55Perfect, dude.
12:56They both did a batter-based thing, so we're going to do some chicken tendies.
12:59I'm trying to be smart about this cook, so I'm going to reuse the
13:02batters from both Oscar and Sherry's dishes.
13:06Tendies in 10 minutes, absolutely.
13:08Lawrence, let's take these twins now.
13:10Start cooking.
13:11Come on, let's go.
13:12Next, next.
13:13I'm going to use the tri-tips.
13:14They're super small.
13:15They're going to cook really fast, so I'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.
13:4010 minutes.
13:41Jesus Christ.
13:42You got this.
13:44Woo!
13:46One 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.
14:17Pick up.
14:18This 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.
14:32Three, two, one.
14:36Time is up, you can't be done.
14:43All 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.
15:08You 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?
15:32DeWin'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
15:43team.
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 lunch was on the green team, though.
16:02The sandwich was incredible.
16:03We thought you did an excellent job.
16:05I think, Jen, had you made your own cornmeal batter, it would have gotten more crispy, but
16:09it just kind of all felt a little bit wet.
16:11Gotcha.
16:12The win is going to come down between the orange and the yellow team.
16:15The 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.
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.
16:34That brings us to lunch.
16:37Sherry.
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, but I think if you would have cooked the beef a little bit less,
17:11it would have been a perfect dish.
17:12And I chose the thinnest pieces because I wanted to make sure they were cooked.
17:15Well, you accomplished that.
17:16Interesting.
17:17The winning team gave us a Crave-worthy menu and some brand new classics.
17:23And 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.
17:41Congratulations.
17:46Lawrence, if your chicken was cooked, you would have won.
17:48I know.
17:48I know.
17:49I haven't won a quick fire yet.
17:51This was my chance.
17:52Oh, 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.
18:30Hi.
18:34Holy this is amazing.
18:36I'm a huge Supergirl fan.
18:38I'm so pumped, you guys.
18:39I've watched the show since season one.
18:42I 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.
19:09And do you know what Queen Charlotte loved the most?
19:13Brunch.
19:13Brunch didn't exist back then.
19:15It was dessert.
19:18Oh, she 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.
19:40I'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.
20:03Back in 2018, the city of Charlotte celebrated their 250th anniversary with a large party.
20:09Pastry chefs at Johnson & 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 fit for a queen.
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.
21:09After 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.
21:19Heard.
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.
21:31You're doing this to us.
21:32The superfans are going to hold the power in determining who the winner of this challenge will be.
21:38What?
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.
21:54Just 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.
22:13Hey.
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.
22:50Say, Vinny, 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.
23:03Also, uh, like, dessert.
23:07What am I doing?
23:08We don't get to go to the market and buy stuff.
23:10I'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.
23:16Oscar, how are you feeling?
23:18Emotionally, 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.
23:37I'm going to do a layered dessert of salty crackers, the lemon curd, and yuzu jelly.
23:45I reluctantly do desserts, you know, and I really feel like I'm going to have to channel
23:50my grandmothers, try 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 share 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 semi-friado to have a good amount of apple flavor and also texture.
25:17I want to try and represent the apple as many ways as 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.
25:44It's like a Jalisco-style bread pudding.
25:46With the s'mores cook-off, Tom loved a little spice in it.
25:49So I'm going to make a little pasilla powder.
25:51Why not?
25:51I like a little spice, a little sweet.
25:53Kind 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.
26:00So this is going to get baked like this, 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 Sabayone, 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.
26:46Oh, oh.
26:46So I'm making this vanilla pandan rice, and I think that would be a nice base of my dessert.
26:51Ooh, pandan?
26:53You want to try it?
26:54It's super hot.
26:55Careful.
26:57That's pretty good.
26:58It's not too sweet, you know?
26:59No.
27:00Which is the biggest Asian compliment you can give.
27:01But 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.
27:21This is base for the semifreddo.
27:23That blast show don't play around, does it?
27:26Sheesh.
27:27Doing 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 missew.
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,
27:55which kind of sucks for me.
27:57The worst thing that could happen is putting these galettes in the oven.
28:01And the temperature being 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.
28:19Preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.
28:23One hour and 43 minutes till the super fans arrive.
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 flavorful.
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 this,
29:21like, 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.
30:23My goal is to get more votes than my brother, but 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, so 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 and 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, I 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.
31:58There you go.
32:02Let's go.
32:04We are open.
32:07Put a little whipped cream on top of that, and then it's ready to go.
32:10The party has started.
32:12Welcome to Top Chef.
32:14How are you?
32:15I do.
32:16Judges, I have for you.
32:18Coconut chest leches.
32:20I am a real super fan.
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 super fans in the Top Chef kitchen.
32:32It really is like you're in the arena with them.
32:34Having the super fans vote, it'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.
32:46Oh, cotton candy.
32:47It does feel like a party in here.
32:49Yeah, it does.
32:49They was like, Mommy, it's a cooking show.
32:51I was like, don'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.
32:58Anthony, which 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.
33:22Are you grilling him with 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 and we have a chocolate custard.
33:36There's a little bit of pate soup gray that 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, to be like, okay, I'm in the kitchen.
33:49And everything just goes, I thought it was kumquats.
33:51Yes.
33:52Hi, Lawrence.
33:53Hi, judges.
33:54Dessert inspo was coconut cake.
33:55My wife loves coconut.
33:57Chess leches was the last meal we had before I came here.
34:00I wanted to make this for her.
34:02The coconut chess leches.
34:03And this little sugar twill.
34:05It's regular sugar, but it's toasted coconut inside.
34:08That's what you see.
34:09Nice.
34:09Thank you so much.
34:11So far, my favorite has to be Lawrence's.
34:14His ability to blend those flavors effortlessly was fantastic.
34:20Okay.
34:21Good start.
34:21Yeah, I think it's a great start.
34:23Melissa, is this living up to all your, like, top chef wishes?
34:27I do keep feeling like I want to look in the camera and be like, it's really cool to actually
34:31taste the food.
34:34So let's start with Anthony, the 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 and 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, but what he made to me was chocolate pudding with whipped cream.
34:59Right.
34:59I think I was looking forward to having something with more substance.
35:03Yeah.
35:04I 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.
35:19But I loved the texture, and it was a nice crumb.
35:22Yeah, it was nice to make a cake.
35:22You got the moisture of the coconut cake down there.
35:24You really did.
35:25Thank you so much.
35:27The Moravian cake kind of looks sad up there, all lonely, and so I wanted to do, like,
35:32that 80s movie where they give someone a remake, and all of a sudden they're, like, the talk
35:34of the town.
35:36The superfans have a vote, and 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 back to the loft later, and we're going to have
35:44a good time.
35:45Hopefully, they fall in love with my spiel.
35:48I hope you all enjoy.
35:50You know, it's where my mind is right now.
35:53I should be on a beach drinking a rum drink, not 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, so it's rice I cooked with pandan and coconut, and then we have roasted bananas.
36:18How did we get from caramel cake to pandan rice pudding with roasted bananas?
36:22I knew I wanted to make a salted dulce de leche foam, and 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, so a Meyer lemon curd
36:42and a yuzu jelly, and then my two crunches were saltines and graham cracker with pretzel.
36:48Citrus-y.
36:49Yep.
36:50Thank you, Jen.
36:51Thank you, guys.
36:51Thank you so much.
36:53Jen'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.
37:14Thanks, y'all.
37:16There's just something missing, bringing it all together.
37:18What do you think of Dwayne's dish?
37:20The pandan.
37:21Gotta be honest, I was a little confused.
37:23You are not the only one.
37:25I 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 to too damn cold.
38:21Ooh.
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 to happen.
38:29I've got three in mind.
38:30You've got three.
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.
38:47And cotton candy to finish.
38:49I 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.
39:14So right away, I thought about capirotada.
39:16This is a dish from Jalisco, where my parents are from.
39:19So 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, Brandon.
39:35Welcome.
39:36Last but not least.
39:37Here we have banana masseuse.
39:39My favorite dessert on the planet is banana pudding.
39:41My second favorite is tiramisu.
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
39:48sabayon.
39:49Use vanilla wafers to dip in the 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.
39:55Everybody's been super confused.
39:58Thank you, Brandon.
39:59Wonderful.
40:00I'm a Southerner.
40:00And the banana pudding is a big thing.
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 to eat more custard.
40:35It wasn't pudding-like, it 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, we
40:40like
40:40to party too, you know what I mean?
40:41What about Brandon's?
40:42Brandon's is very good.
40:43There's the right amount of cake to banana to cream.
40:46Even 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.
41:03We all voted for that.
41:06Did you all discuss?
41:08No.
41:08It just felt like home.
41:09It tasted like home.
41:13How about the coconut?
41:14So amazing.
41:16Love it.
41:17It's that banana pudding.
41:18Really, really, really 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 like that.
41:29I like that.
41:30Yeah.
41:30Even the broken whipped cream on top.
41:32Yeah.
41:33Yeah.
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...
42:22Anthony...
42:27And...
42:28Sherry.
42:30Thank you, guys.
42:35By one vote...
42:37Wow.
42:37Wow.
42:38The winner is...
42:41Anthony.
42:42Congratulations.
42:45Woo!
42:46One single vote.
42:48Seriously.
42:50Congratulations, Anthony.
42:51It is nice to have immunity, but at the end of the day, I'm just trying to cook good food
42:55no matter what.
42:56Everything after that is icing on the cake.
42:58No pun intended.
43:01All right, so we all got to go so we can get set for judges' table.
43:04Thank you for being here.
43:07Thank you, thank you.
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 Gwen, please stay here.
43:50The rest of you can move to the side.
43:54Two of you had our least favorite desserts of the evening, and one of you will be eliminated.
44:00Were you all happy with what you were putting up?
44:03I mean, there was definitely some decision fatigue.
44:05Sixties 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 just serve it?
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 it.
44:30Why did I get the big one?
44:31Ever.
44:34Okay, Gwen, 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 pipe 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.
45:35Oh, man.
45:37I don't like this.
45:39You know, I think all three chefs had technical and conceptual issues here, and some of them
45:44a little bit of both.
45:45When you're in the bottom, you're kind of aware of why, and there's no hiding behind
45:48any 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 Oscars.
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
46:07in so many different components of 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.
46:46The 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, don'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.
47:14Pastry 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, couldn't taste the dish, but 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.
47:49No.
47:50Oh, my gosh.
47:51That was awful.
47:54No.
47:54What?
47:55No way.
47:56Man.
47:57It 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.
48:20Yeah.
48:20Hello.
48:21Hello.
48:22How's it going?
48:23Hello.
48:24Good.
48:25Can you all come back to Judge's table for me, please?
48:29Yeah.
48:29Yeah.
48:32Oh.
48:34Oh.
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?
48:54I don't know.
48:54I don't even know.
48:56Okay.
48:56I'm like, something's going on with my face.
48:59It has been a tough few days, yeah.
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.
49:21This time around, we decided to get straight down to business.
49:23I 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.
49:42You'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.
49:53We're going to allow you all to decide how you want to divvy up into your two teams.
49:57So go ahead.
49:58You can get into two teams.
49:59Oh, man.
49:59I don't know.
50:01I 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, and 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.
50:26Tonight, 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?
50:55Math-wise.
50:55Not great.
50:56Doesn't work.
50:57But, yeah.
50:57Focus on winning.
50:58And the prize for the winning team this year will be Epic.
51:01Ooh.
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.
51:27Love y'all.
51:29Yeah, it's good luck.
51:30See you later.
51:30Yeah, 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 a 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, God damn it.
52:01So, I think because of everything that's been going on, we have to ask her to leave the
52:05competition.
52:05Like, it's just for her own well-being.
52:08And she is 100% invited back on another season, but for right now, I don't think it's the best
52:15thing for her.
52:21She deserves to be here, and she's doing so well.
52:24Yeah.
52:25Oh, God, if you cry, I'm crying.
52:30It's pretty shocking.
52:34Because you are the last person that was eliminated, we'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, and I just really need to touch base with Jen.
52:52Hey.
52:53Well, 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, and 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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