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00:01Jen, if you do have to set out from any part of the competition,
00:04you will be asked to depart.
00:06Okay.
00:06Previously on Top Chef, it's time to barbecue.
00:09Yes!
00:10We have Seeger, who's like, I've done it a million times.
00:13In two teams of five, you're going to have all night to smoke a whole hog.
00:17Okay.
00:18This should just lift right up.
00:19It's whole hog for a reason.
00:21It's not whole hog separated into parts.
00:23She feels good.
00:24Look at that, bro.
00:26Well, because Seeger obviously knows a lot about pork.
00:28Vote for your favorite.
00:31Where Lawrence won me over was all the different iterations of the pork loin.
00:35Seeger, I think the pork's a little on the dry side.
00:37Hey!
00:38Three for three?
00:38Three for three, baby!
00:39Sweet, baby!
00:40Come on, baby!
00:42And the winner is?
00:43Lawrence.
00:44Nice.
00:47Seeger, please pack your knives and go.
00:52Nine chefs remain to compete in the ultimate culinary showdown.
00:56Woo!
00:58At stake for the winner, the grand prize of a quarter of a million dollars provided by Graza
01:02olive oil, a feature in Food & Wine magazine, plus an appearance at the Food & Wine Classic
01:07in Aspen, their own exclusive dinner at the historic James Beard House in New York, and
01:12the title of Top Chef.
01:27Feels like we've been here for forever.
01:29For real.
01:30How are you feeling about it?
01:31I feel good, actually.
01:33Yeah.
01:34They like my food.
01:35I know I'm in the right direction.
01:36Yeah.
01:37But what am I doing where I'm not locking in enough to, like, actually win the challenge?
01:42Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:42I still feel very confident in myself, and I think it's not just about me.
01:46It's just for the Vietnamese community, it's for all the female chefs, it's for my family.
01:51There's so many reasons as to why I want to win this.
01:54I want it really, really bad.
01:56All right.
01:56You ready to go?
01:57Let's get it.
01:58Ah!
01:58Let's open it.
02:00Ah!
02:02Ah!
02:02Ah!
02:04Ah!
02:06Ah!
02:08Ah!
02:12Like what I've done with the place?
02:14Ooh!
02:16Nice!
02:16Cracker Barrel!
02:17Oh, s***!
02:18Oh!
02:19Are you ready to bring a taste of the country to the Top Chef kitchen?
02:22Yeah.
02:23Absolutely.
02:30Since 1969, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has been a beloved destination for a crave-worthy
02:36comfort food and a warm, nostalgic atmosphere.
02:39Here in the Carolinas, there are over 60 locations alone.
02:42That is a lot.
02:43Anyone been to a Cracker Barrel?
02:44Yeah, absolutely.
02:46I like their hamsteak.
02:47The hamsteak.
02:48Oh, the hamsteak.
02:48Last thing.
02:49Dude, the hamsteak is great.
02:50And then the pancakes with, like, the crispy edges.
02:51So good.
02:52Ooh.
02:52Yeah.
02:53Depending on what time you drop by, you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner thanks
02:58to their all-day menu of home-style country favorites.
03:01So today, that's exactly what you'll be doing.
03:05You're going to be cooking up a complete day's worth of meals.
03:08But we want you to create something that isn't already on the menu.
03:11So a new country classic.
03:13Gotcha.
03:13And yes, I said, we.
03:15You know that.
03:16I can't eat alone.
03:21Come in.
03:23Turn it up.
03:24Hey.
03:25Oh.
03:26Hey.
03:26How's it going?
03:29I mean, when we talk about Southern hospitality, how do we not talk about Southern tarp?
03:36We're honored to be here with y'all.
03:37And here in the Carolinas, we're all about Southern hospitality.
03:39So who would we be to not show up with a gift for you?
03:42Sweetie.
03:43Yes.
03:43Is that a gift for you or for us?
03:45We're going to find out.
03:46Yeah.
03:48So let's see what you brought.
03:52Oh, yeah.
03:53Dude.
03:54As you know, this is the peg game.
03:56It's a staple at Cracker Barrel.
03:58Yeah.
03:58Instead of the classic knife ball, it's only appropriate we do a peg pull.
04:02It makes sense.
04:03You'll be working in teams of three for this challenge.
04:05Lawrence, come on up.
04:06First peg pull.
04:08Ooh.
04:09Top Chef Orange.
04:11Yellow.
04:12Oscar.
04:13Here we go.
04:14Lawrence has been a quick fire champ.
04:16I'm pumped.
04:17Here we go.
04:19Yellow.
04:20Green team.
04:22Green.
04:22Another green.
04:23Orange.
04:23All right.
04:24Orange is complete.
04:24It's the international team.
04:28Yellow.
04:29Last member of the yellow team.
04:30Come on, brother.
04:31This is the first time I am on the same team as Brandon.
04:34We both know our cooking styles.
04:35We got that twin language, homie.
04:37All right.
04:37We're good.
04:38All right, Justin.
04:39Last member of the green team.
04:40Are you all happy with your teams?
04:41Yeah.
04:42Yeah, for sure.
04:43Each of you will be responsible for a course.
04:45Breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
04:47And then you'll have 45 minutes to prepare the three dishes.
04:5045.
04:51Great.
04:51That's wonderful.
04:52That's like a lot of time for a quick fire.
04:54Sounds like it.
04:54Really?
04:55Yeah.
04:55A lot.
04:56Well, we think this challenge might be fixing for a twist.
05:00Uh-oh.
05:01She's seen that coming.
05:02Man.
05:03Life in the South is really all about slowing down.
05:06So only one chef from each team can cook at a time.
05:10Oh, yeah.
05:11Oh, everyone's processing a little bit.
05:15Damn.
05:16So do you split the time evenly, or do you give more time to one of the rounds?
05:20Okay.
05:21Each dish can be served as it's ready.
05:23You'll present your dish, and we'll taste it right on the spot while your next teammate gets going on the
05:27next dish.
05:28Up for grabs is $12,000, thanks to Cracker Barrel.
05:31Damn.
05:32You'll have three minutes right now to discuss who's doing which dish and your strategy.
05:36Oh.
05:37Starting now, come grab your menus.
05:39I got breakfast.
05:39You guys, you want to grab one?
05:40Yeah.
05:41I could do lunch or breakfast.
05:42I'm down for breakfast.
05:43Yeah, okay.
05:44I'll do dinner.
05:45Yeah, yeah.
05:45I'll do breakfast.
05:46Can I get lunch?
05:48I'll do a fried green tomato BLT.
05:50Are you okay with dinner?
05:50Yeah.
05:51Yeah, I guess so.
05:51We have technically 15 minutes each, but 15-minute dinner is tough.
05:56They better keep to their minutes.
05:57I hope they do.
05:58I still don't know what I'm doing.
05:59You have one minute.
06:00Heard.
06:00When I cook, I just, like, at my own pace, you know?
06:03Yeah.
06:03No rush.
06:04I was thinking about lunch, doing, like, a fried green tomato, like, BLT.
06:07Oh, yeah.
06:08You can do fried oysters.
06:10I wonder if I make a batter, if I could just give you my batter, then.
06:1415 seconds.
06:15I want to make sure we leave you with enough time.
06:16I think I can get breakfast done in less than 15 minutes.
06:20You're good at doing this.
06:213, 2, 1.
06:23All right, done.
06:23You have 45 minutes on the clock.
06:25Your time starts now.
06:27Let's go, Oscar.
06:28Let's go, let's go.
06:29All right.
06:30Let's go, Justin.
06:31Let's go, Justin.
06:32Come on, Brandon.
06:33Let's get it.
06:33Take it home, baby.
06:34Let's go, Oscar.
06:36Oh, that's so sweet.
06:38You're very welcome.
06:42Vamos, vamos, vamos, vamos, vamos.
06:43What are you making, Oscar?
06:45Pan de elote.
06:46It's like a corn pancake almost.
06:49We got 15 minutes of pop, but I'm thinking breakfast should be quicker.
06:52And if I can give them five minutes extra, I think it gives our team a good shot to win.
06:5640 minutes, Oscar.
06:59That was good.
07:01I'm making a hash brown.
07:02I'm making eggs.
07:04Brandon, you keeping this one classic?
07:05Yes, chef.
07:06Little Egg Benedict.
07:07This is really cool.
07:09So watch how fast they're going at it.
07:10This is high level.
07:11Hollandaise is kind of a fancy, brunchy thing.
07:13A little hot sauce.
07:14But you can make hollandaise in less than five minutes with the friction and the heat from
07:18the blender.
07:19Eight minutes, push it.
07:20Yes, chef.
07:21Let's go, Oscar.
07:22You got this.
07:23I'm there.
07:23I'm there.
07:24I am making my favorite diner food, corn beef hash.
07:28That sounds good.
07:29Hash browns.
07:30I'm going to try to give each of us 15.
07:32Five minutes on the clock.
07:34Justin, what are you cutting?
07:35Some cubed steak.
07:36Nice.
07:37I don't have enough time to sear the steak, so I tossed it in the fryer.
07:41Just had to get that beef cooking.
07:42Let's go, Justin.
07:44Come on, Brandon.
07:44Let's go.
07:46Ooh.
07:47A flip.
07:48Ah!
07:49Look at that timing, baby.
07:53Nice.
07:53We're plating.
07:55A little maple.
07:56Here we go, Justin.
07:58Tell me when it's done, please.
08:00Sherry, let's go.
08:01Let's go.
08:01Let's go.
08:02Okay.
08:04Chicken stock.
08:05Oscar, what did you make for breakfast?
08:07Pande elote.
08:08I haven't been to Cracker Barrel.
08:09I saw the picture.
08:10Super inspired.
08:11It's a corn cake.
08:12Throw some berries in it, a little bit of maple, and then shaved piloncillo.
08:15Like, nice little sweet bite.
08:16Really good.
08:17Great job.
08:18I've never had this before.
08:19A little salty, a little sweet, a good little crunch.
08:22Oscar's corn cake is still eating, like, a good hearty pancake.
08:25Yeah, yeah.
08:27You're at 30 minutes, Sherry.
08:28We're doing good.
08:29Walking plates.
08:31Heard.
08:3130 minutes left on the clock.
08:34Oh.
08:36This looks fantastic.
08:37Beautiful.
08:38This is my kid's favorite meal.
08:40I call it rushed hash browns and shortcut hollandaise.
08:43Did you know immediately what you wanted to make?
08:45100%.
08:46I'm very impressed.
08:48You're welcome.
08:49Really well cooked.
08:52Come on, Justin.
08:54Oh, God.
08:55Spoiler alert.
08:56The beef is overcooked.
08:57Jesus Christ.
08:59All right.
08:59Justin's going over his 15 minutes.
09:02DeWin needs to get going, and being fast is, like, one of my weaknesses.
09:06So I'm worried about literally everything.
09:09Come on, Justin.
09:12Are you done?
09:14Yeah.
09:15Okay.
09:16Go.
09:17What's up, Justin?
09:18It's going to take a second for myself.
09:20Yeah, yeah.
09:23Let's see.
09:24What'd you make for breakfast?
09:25The one thing I saw that the Cracker Bell didn't have was corned beef hash.
09:28So I made a mustard sabayon, hash browns, and New York strip for the corned beef.
09:33Hmm.
09:34Did you do, like, a pastrami seasoning on the outside, or what'd you do?
09:36Yeah, I tossed the beef in, like, brown butter with rye.
09:38Great.
09:39I think you need to sit.
09:40You need to.
09:43DeWin, you plan on doing 15 for our team evenly?
09:45I'm going to try and do 10.
09:47Cooking in the Top Chef's kitchen is, like, combat cooking.
09:50This is ridiculous.
09:50I want to make sure Jen gets 15 minutes to execute her dish.
09:55I just really want to keep this simple.
09:57Trying to make a batter to fry some green tomatoes.
10:01Really?
10:02Ante, what are you doing?
10:03Uh, same thing as you, dear.
10:04Oh, all right.
10:05Oh, now DeWin's nervous.
10:06I can see it.
10:07Because he's trying to copy me.
10:08Oh, ho, ho!
10:10I'm doing a cornmeal base.
10:11I think DeWin's doing tempura.
10:12So maybe that'll help me, uh, pop up.
10:14Just a classic Southern way of doing it.
10:17Sherry, how you feeling?
10:18Good.
10:19Soup is a perfect lunch food.
10:21I know I'm not going to be able to develop the flavor that I want in 15 minutes,
10:26but then I see shrimp base.
10:27Let's go.
10:28It's a really concentrated shrimp flavor that's going to be so good with my cornbread.
10:34Sherry, save me that batter, yeah?
10:36Save you the batter, wait.
10:37Is there steak in the fridge, you know?
10:39I didn't even.
10:40Anthony, if you find some steaks in there, pull them for me.
10:42I got you.
10:4518 to go.
10:46Nice and golden.
10:48Hey, DeWin, there's a bunch of country ham in that bus tub.
10:51Perfect.
10:52I'm looking for bacon for my BLT, but country ham is maybe even better,
10:58because I don't have to cook it.
10:59Come through, brother.
11:00Let's go.
11:00Start plating.
11:01Already plating.
11:02All right, let's do it.
11:02That's what I'm talking about.
11:03Plating.
11:05Hit me.
11:06I'm done.
11:07Go.
11:07Oh, boy.
11:08Last to start.
11:09First to serve.
11:10That's our girl.
11:11Ugh.
11:13Come on, let's go.
11:14Come on up.
11:15Yes.
11:16Yes.
11:17Stop at me.
11:19Oh, everyone.
11:20Yeah, I love it.
11:24DeWin, what'd you make for lunch?
11:25Fried green tomato sandwich.
11:28How'd you choose the meat?
11:29I was looking for some bacon, but I think the country ham actually works out much better.
11:33Mm-hmm.
11:34Come on, Jay, start cooking.
11:35Let's get it, let's get it.
11:36So, all right, chefs, in front of you have a fried green tomato and country ham, open-faced
11:40sandwich, a little bit of salmon roe, there's avocado.
11:42All right, Sherry.
11:43I made a crab and shrimp bisque with a whole cake.
11:47Crab and shrimp bisque?
11:49Did you have, like, shrimp cells?
11:50There's shrimp paste.
11:51Shrimp paste is a very smart play.
11:52Thank you so much.
11:53It's a lot of flavor to bring in in that short of time.
11:55Where's the tequila?
11:56I know, right?
11:57Woo!
11:59Uh-uh.
11:59You got 12 minutes left.
12:01Those batters working out for you?
12:02It looks beautiful.
12:03Thank you, chef.
12:04Perfect, dude.
12:05They both did a batter-based thing, so we're gonna do some chicken tendies.
12:08I'm trying to be smart about this cook, so I'm gonna reuse the batters from both Oscar
12:12and Sherry's dishes.
12:14Tendies in 10 minutes, absolutely.
12:16Flores, let's take these twins now.
12:18Start cooking.
12:19Come on, let's go.
12:20Next, next.
12:20I'm gonna use the tri-tips.
12:22They're super small.
12:23They're gonna cook really fast, so I'm gonna make a smothered steak.
12:26I'm using the Wins batter to fry my oysters.
12:28Everything I do has to be quick, so I get my oysters in her batter.
12:33I fry a few just to see Wins batter was really great for her fried green tomato,
12:40but for these oysters, it kind of made everything too wet.
12:43Adding some cornmeal to get some texture.
12:4710 minutes.
12:48Jesus Christ.
12:49You got this.
12:51Woo!
12:52One other way to make a gravy.
12:53This is exciting.
12:54Don't burn your hair.
12:56Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
13:00We're good.
13:01I want to make sure I don't overcook the chicken, because once it's overcooked, it gets dry.
13:05This looks perfect to me.
13:07Sweet tea!
13:08I'm gonna use the sweet tea to incorporate a little southern charm.
13:11We're gonna make a little five-spice sweet tea syrup with it.
13:14Let's go!
13:16I'm sweating over here.
13:17Plenty of time, Jake.
13:18Two minutes on the dot.
13:19You got it.
13:20Let's go.
13:20It's game time.
13:22Pick up.
13:22Pick up.
13:23This is critical, how flavorful this is.
13:26Woo!
13:27Let's go!
13:29The rocking's getting a little heavy in the middle.
13:3320 seconds.
13:34Jonathan, start walking it, bro.
13:36Three, two, one.
13:40Time's up, you can't do that.
13:47All right, Lauren, tell us about your dinner dish.
13:49So we have fried chicken tendies with five-spice butter and five-spice syrup.
13:56You checked the internal temperature?
13:58I did not check.
13:59Oh, you know what that means.
14:00You know what that means.
14:01Uh-oh.
14:03Is it under?
14:05Oh.
14:06All right, thank you.
14:07Yeah.
14:07Oh, my bad, guys.
14:08It's all good, bro.
14:09All right, y'all, you have a smothered steak in front of you with a bourbon pan gravy.
14:13This is like dinner after a long day, something quick, all made in the same pan.
14:17Would you ever do, like, a mashed potato under something like this?
14:21One hundred percent.
14:21If we had 20 minutes each, there would have been mashed potatoes on the plate.
14:26Good job, bro.
14:27I did a cornmeal-battered oyster with lemon pepper and creamed corn.
14:33What's in the batter?
14:34DeWin's batter and added cornmeal and flour to it.
14:36Okay, great.
14:40With these team challenges, obviously, there are definitely highs and lows on every single
14:44team.
14:44Madison and Craig, which team cracked under pressure?
14:50Our least favorite team today was the green team.
14:54Justin, I thought it was cute, but the meat was a little tough.
14:58Yeah.
14:59I will say that my favorite lunch was on the green team, though.
15:02The sandwich was incredible.
15:03We thought you did an excellent job.
15:05I think, Jen, had you made your own cornmeal batter, it would have gotten more crispy,
15:08but it just kind of all felt a little bit wet.
15:10Gotcha.
15:11The win is going to come down between the orange and the yellow team.
15:14The breakfast over on orange team was Oscar.
15:16That was my favorite dish of the competition.
15:19Cracker Barrel prides itself on its crispy pancakes, too.
15:21You just nailed it.
15:22It was really, really great.
15:23And then on the yellow team, we had Brandon.
15:24I did appreciate not overly greasy, crispy hash browns.
15:28I absolutely loved that.
15:30I think my son would just devour.
15:33That brings us to lunch.
15:35Sherry.
15:35In that amount of time, to have that much flavor, it was really shocking.
15:38I really enjoyed eating your dish.
15:40Thanks so much.
15:41Anthony, there's a lot going on.
15:43I love the idea of fried green tomatoes, especially when you add a little kick to it.
15:47You kind of won me over with that.
15:49And that brings us to dinner.
15:52Lawrence.
15:53That's him.
15:55I like the sauce.
15:56I like the butter.
15:57There are so many opportunities to make sure the chicken was cooked.
16:00No, I love it.
16:01Jonathan.
16:02I thought the flavor was great.
16:03I personally loved it, but I think if you would have cooked the beef a little bit less,
16:07it would have been a perfect dish.
16:09And I chose the thinnest pieces because I wanted to make sure they were cooked.
16:11Well, you accomplished that.
16:14The winning team gave us a crave-worthy menu and some brand-new classics.
16:18And the winning team is the Yellow Team.
16:26Yes!
16:27Congratulations, Yellow Team.
16:30You just won $12,000 thanks to the generous folks at Cracker Barrel.
16:34So that means $4,000 each.
16:37Congratulations.
16:41Lawrence, if your chicken was cooked, you would have won.
16:43I know.
16:43I know.
16:44I haven't won a quick fire yet.
16:45This was my chance.
16:47Oh, my God.
16:48Sorry.
16:48It's all right.
16:49Lawrence, you had time.
16:50Why didn't you cook the chicken?
16:52Madison and Craig, thank you for being here.
16:53It was an honor to be included in your guys' challenge.
16:55We know how important this is to y'all.
16:57Thank you so much.
16:58Thank you, guys.
17:05Chefs, you are cordially invited to the celebration of the season.
17:14Please help me welcome your next guest judge, actress, singer, and Top Chef superfan, Melissa Benoist.
17:22Welcome.
17:23Hi.
17:27Holy ****.
17:28This is amazing.
17:29I'm a huge Supergirl fan.
17:30I'm so pumped, you guys.
17:32I've watched the show since season one.
17:34I even wrote a letter to get on the show and said how much I loved it.
17:38I'm such a superfan.
17:39I need you guys to know.
17:42So you may have seen her work on Glee, Supergirl, and most recently, Waterfront.
17:46Yeah, and now I'm really happy to be here in the Queen City with you all.
17:50Did you guys know that the city of Charlotte was actually named after a queen?
17:52Sophia Charlotte Mecklenburg Straylitz.
17:55That's a mouthful.
17:56You've already made breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
18:00And do you know what Queen Charlotte loved the most?
18:04Brunch.
18:04Brunch didn't exist back then.
18:06It was dessert.
18:08Oh.
18:09She loved decadent desserts.
18:12Oh, wow.
18:13I just hope we don't have to make a cake.
18:15I don't like making cakes.
18:16I know how to do it.
18:16I just hate making them.
18:17I went to culinary school for the international baking and pastry degree.
18:21So in my mind, we have to make a dessert.
18:23It's really important that I show that skill level.
18:25My palms are sweaty.
18:27That is some table.
18:28Wow.
18:29I'm pumped.
18:30I love dessert.
18:31Do you?
18:32No, I hate dessert.
18:33Growing up, my family wasn't big on sugar.
18:36Very health conscious.
18:37So I just never developed a taste for it.
18:39Not a cavity at 43 years old.
18:41Thanks, Mom and Dad.
18:42Queen Charlotte really loved celebrating and throwing a ball, especially if it was her birthday.
18:50Oh, good God.
18:51Back in 2018, the city of Charlotte celebrated their 250th anniversary with a large party.
18:57Pastry chefs at Johnson & Wales University made enough sheet cakes to feed 3,000 people.
19:04And also, it just so happens that this year is the 20th anniversary of Top Chef, so we're kind of
19:09celebrating a birthday, too.
19:10Wow.
19:11And as you can see here, this incredible, taller-than-me cake is full of delicious, beautiful Southern desserts, all
19:20known throughout North and South Carolina.
19:23For this elimination challenge, we want you to create a dessert fit for a queen.
19:30F*** me.
19:32You'll each select one dessert from this display to inspire your dish.
19:36But you are a very talented group of people, so I think that would be a little bit too easy.
19:42There we go.
19:43There we go.
19:43Come on.
19:44Here we go.
19:44Give it to me.
19:45This party starts in a little over three hours.
19:49Oh.
19:49Oof.
19:53Damn.
19:54I know.
19:54After those three hours are up, 60 superfans will enter the kitchen to celebrate and try each of your desserts.
20:02Did you say 60?
20:0360.
20:036-0.
20:04Hurt.
20:05My head is spinning, but that's not all.
20:10Oh, come on.
20:12Oh, boy.
20:13You said you were a fan.
20:14Yeah.
20:15You're doing this to us.
20:17The superfans are going to hold the power in determining who the winner of this challenge will be.
20:22What?
20:23F***.
20:25Desserts for 60 Top Chef fans.
20:27So, you know, they're going to be picky as hell.
20:29We have Benet wafers, apple stack cake, coconut cake, caramel cake.
20:33My personal favorite, banana pudding.
20:35Facts.
20:36100%.
20:36Yeah.
20:37Just let the two of them go first.
20:38There's no other point.
20:39I love all y'all, but I also play football.
20:41My top favorite dessert in the world is banana pudding.
20:45All right.
20:45Ready?
20:45Three, two, one.
20:48You might want to move.
20:49Oh, f***.
20:51Nobody got in my way.
20:53Got it, boy.
20:54That banana pudding was coming to daddy.
20:56Hey.
20:56That was civilized.
20:57Yeah.
20:58Yeah, sure.
20:59Yeah.
21:00Justin, do you like ambrosia?
21:01I'm going to learn to love it today.
21:03Baking cakes in that short amount of time, there's so many things that can go wrong.
21:07So, chilled fruit salad, lots of ways you can shake that tree.
21:10Chefs, just remember, this is a party.
21:12Show off and give them something impressive.
21:14Make all of us superfans proud.
21:25Make all of us superfans proud.
21:27Let's go, baby.
21:28Let's do this.
21:29You ready?
21:30Yeah.
21:30Does anybody need pineapple?
21:31No.
21:32Cool.
21:32I'm looking for bananas.
21:33Anybody seen the bananas?
21:34They're over here, buddy.
21:35Is there stuff in those fridges?
21:36We are hosting a party of superfans in three hours, which is insane.
21:42Also, like, dessert.
21:47What am I doing?
21:48We don't get to go to the market and buy stuff.
21:50I'm not even going to have time to, like, conceptualize my dish.
21:53No.
21:53We're in the storm.
21:54Time starts.
21:55Get at it.
21:56Oscar, how are you feeling?
21:58Emotionally, spiritually.
22:00All the above.
22:00All the above?
22:01All right, pull out a couch.
22:06The Atlantic Beach Pie is a salty cracker crumb, whipped cream, and lemon and lime custard.
22:13I have Atlantic Beach Pie every Thanksgiving.
22:16I'm going to do a layered dessert of salty crackers, the lemon curd, and yuzu jelly.
22:23I reluctantly do desserts, you know, and I really feel like I'm going to have to channel
22:27my grandmothers try to remember the things I grew up eating.
22:31So a little traditional, a little weird.
22:32I'm actually from a very small town called Statham, Georgia.
22:36Only one grocery store in town.
22:37My dad owned it, and that was the name of it, the grocery store.
22:41I'm excited for the different layers.
22:43Oh, .
22:47A lot of eggs.
22:48I'm no pastry chef, but I've done my share of pastries.
22:52The sunker is between a cobbler and a fruit tart.
22:55I have a really good pie dough recipe.
22:58When you grate the butter, you have these perfect little nuggets that create pockets of air on
23:03the dough.
23:03It's going to be super flaky and delicious.
23:05Oh, snap.
23:07Ah, shells.
23:09Lawrence, what you making?
23:10I'm going to make a tres leches.
23:11It's the last thing that I had with my wife before I left.
23:13I think I'm going to turn this coconut cake into a tres leches, make a coconut cream and
23:18condensed milk soak.
23:19I want to make it a bit of my own.
23:21So I hope it's good.
23:22Sorry, babe, if it's not, yeah?
23:23Wait, don't you have immunity as well?
23:24I do.
23:25Are you happy you're getting it for this challenge?
23:27I'll take it for any challenge.
23:32Apple desserts are normally my favorite to eat.
23:34The apple stack cake reminds me of my great-grandmother.
23:37She would just have like a tower of pancakes, paper thin as if they were crepes almost.
23:43I want to cook with this memory of her.
23:44That's going to make her proud.
23:45You got to get these apples diced.
23:47I want the semifredo to have a good amount of apple flavor and also texture.
23:50I want to try and represent the apple as many ways I possibly can.
23:53There'll be a spiced apple butter and then a apple gel.
24:00Hey, y'all, I feel nervous.
24:02I know, right?
24:03I got the little ugly duckling cake.
24:04The Moravian is a sad little dense take.
24:09You know, like it needs a little makeover.
24:10I got all the breads.
24:12There's a lot of cinnamon notes.
24:13There's raisins.
24:14So I'm thinking right off the bat, capirotada.
24:16It's like a Jalisco-style bread pudding.
24:18With the s'mores cook-off, Tom loved a little spice in it.
24:21So I'm going to make a little pasilla powder.
24:23Why not?
24:23I like a little spice, a little sweet.
24:25Kind of like me.
24:25Hey, love that.
24:27I've got chocolate chest pie.
24:29There's not really enough time to make a pie crust.
24:32So this is going to get baked like this and I'm going to crumble it later.
24:34So I call this the Top Chef Pie Dough.
24:42Are you good at baking, Dwayne?
24:43I like desserts that I'm like cooking.
24:45Chef desserts.
24:46Yeah, chef-y desserts, exactly.
24:48There was a restaurant I worked at in France.
24:50I had a Dolce Dece Sabayon and it was like the best thing ever.
24:54So having the caramel cake, I could really use that as kind of like the star.
24:58The caramel cake is what a caramel cake sounds like.
25:01It has layers and layers of caramel with vanilla cake inside.
25:04But I want to take a Vietnamese spin on it.
25:07I went to Vietnam and I saw this woman grill bananas and made this like tapioca pudding
25:12and it was so fire.
25:15So I'm making this vanilla tondon rice and I think that would be a nice base of my dessert.
25:20Ooh, tondon?
25:22You want to try it?
25:23It's super hot.
25:24Careful.
25:25That's pretty good.
25:26It's not too sweet, you know?
25:28No.
25:28Which is the biggest Asian compliment you can give.
25:30But I need this to be sweet.
25:32Ambrosia salad is really big in Michigan.
25:35I'm going to do it pretty close to the original.
25:38Jello, whipped cream, fruit.
25:40So it's really just a sweet, cold fruit salad.
25:44Something our parents probably used to eat.
25:46Yeah.
25:49This is a base for the semi-fredo.
25:51That blast show don't play around, does it?
25:53Sheesh.
25:55Doing a play on banana pudding.
25:57I want to get some roasted bananas.
25:58I got my brown butter working.
25:59The dessert I'm going to focus on is a banana misuse.
26:03Let's go.
26:04Back, back, back, back, back, back.
26:06Two hours and eight minutes left.
26:09That oven's not as hot from opening and closing it.
26:11It's not going to stay hot.
26:12Justin, I'm about to go in there, okay?
26:14It's at 400.
26:15You're good.
26:15I have five trays to go in.
26:18Every two minutes, somebody's opening and slamming the doors closed, which kind of sucks for me.
26:23The worst thing that could happen is putting these galettes in the oven and the temperature being too low
26:29and all the beautiful butter just oozing out of the pastry.
26:33So I crank up my oven, praying for the worst, hoping for the best.
26:39What is it?
26:40How are you saying?
26:41Preparing for the worst.
26:44Preparing for the worst.
26:45And hoping for the best.
26:48One hour and 43 minutes till the super fans arrive.
26:52I want to maximize the flavor and texture.
26:55Oh, shoot.
26:55Who's black bananas?
26:57Roasting the bananas with the skin on, you get this banana liqueur, and it's really, really flavorful.
27:02Yeah.
27:02These are nice.
27:05Anybody have a can opener?
27:06Yeah.
27:07Oi.
27:07Thanks.
27:08Anybody have a dessert I could use?
27:10Got you, Justin.
27:10I got some whipped cream for you.
27:11Oh, you're the best.
27:13Yeah, ambrosia salad has a lot of different elements.
27:15You know, I still have a lot to get done.
27:17I'm not panicked just yet, but it's slowly creeping up.
27:19What do we do now?
27:22What are you working on?
27:23A salted dulce de leche sabayon.
27:28I'm really hoping that my sabayon is going to just encompass this entire dessert.
27:34Needs to be sweeter.
27:35I might just throw this whole thing in there.
27:37The best way for me to kind of utilize that is to put it in an ISI container so it
27:42has this,
27:43like, airy, foamy mouth feel.
27:45If that makes me sound really bougie.
27:48Done.
27:50I'm doing good.
27:52This is Agar Agar.
27:53It's a gelling agent.
27:55I'm going to try and gel this apple cider, see if it works.
28:00One hour!
28:02I noticed Oscar still doesn't have his bread pudding in the oven.
28:05He has a deep pan.
28:06It's difficult to get that amount cooked in the proper amount of time.
28:10Got faith.
28:10Don't cheat yourself in the foot.
28:12Bake it off for 40 minutes.
28:1930 minutes!
28:20Sherry, how are they looking?
28:22You tell me.
28:22Look at this.
28:23That's beautiful.
28:24Oscar, what you doing with them pineapple tops, bud?
28:26I was going to make myself a little hat.
28:28Oh, you're so cute.
28:30Okay, so pie crust is done.
28:32I'm making my chocolate sauvignon.
28:33Now I need to whip some whipped cream.
28:36Hey, Brandon, how do you make whipped cream, bro?
28:38Equal parts sugar and water bring to a boil and cool down.
28:41No hesitation.
28:42My goal is to get more votes than my brother,
28:45but he's literally a high-caliber pastry chef.
28:48Jonathan, you're boiling over.
28:50Am I really?
28:51Yeah, I turned it off.
28:54Oscar, is your bread pudding going to be done in time?
28:56It's close.
28:56Boom.
28:57Pour.
28:58Pour.
28:59This way?
28:59Yeah, so just like that.
29:01Yep.
29:01And then you're just going to keep on pouring slowly.
29:03Okay.
29:04I want to manipulate the ingredients in ambrosia,
29:06so I decided to use liquid nitrogen,
29:08but I've never done it before.
29:11Hey!
29:11Am I doing it right?
29:12Yeah, you are!
29:13Liquid nitrogen will give me a new twist
29:15and make it a little bit lighter.
29:18Sherry, you making cotton candy?
29:20Yes.
29:21So I think it's kind of skewed.
29:25Oh, my God.
29:27Hey, y'all, six minutes till we serve.
29:29Time to start plating.
29:34I'm real sweaty.
29:36Tetra's on point.
29:38Flavor's there.
29:45Hello, everyone.
29:46How y'all doing?
29:47Hi, guys.
29:48Hey, everybody.
29:49It's got a lot of soul, you know?
29:51The bread pudding is a little bit loose at this point.
29:54My whipped cream's been sitting out, and it's warm.
29:56It's not a California 10.
29:57It's a Midwest 10.
29:59Not what I want, but, you know,
30:00I got to sell this ugly little dish.
30:04Minute 36, Chef.
30:05Minute 36.
30:06I just wanted to say that.
30:08Thank you, Chef.
30:08I appreciate you.
30:13There you go.
30:16Let's go.
30:18We are open.
30:21Put a little whipped cream on top of that,
30:22and then it's ready to go.
30:24The party has started.
30:26Welcome to Top Chef.
30:27How are you?
30:29I do.
30:30Judges, I have for you.
30:32Coconut Tress Leches.
30:33I am a real super fan.
30:35Been watching this since day one.
30:36I'm going to be dreaming about this
30:37for the rest of my life.
30:39Oh, my God.
30:40I wasn't going to miss this.
30:41Yeah, it's awesome.
30:42Glad you could join us.
30:43There's super fans in the Top Chef kitchen.
30:44It really is like you're in the arena with them.
30:46Having the super fans vote,
30:48it's a lot of different palates.
30:49I hope I survive right on.
30:52It's so surreal being in here.
30:53Dream control.
30:55Wow.
30:56Look at this party.
30:57People.
30:58Ooh, cotton candy.
30:59It does feel like a party in here.
31:01Yeah, it does.
31:01They was like,
31:02Mommy, it's a cooking show.
31:03I was like,
31:03don't you ever say that.
31:04This is more than a cooking show.
31:06So shall we start trying?
31:07Yeah.
31:08How's it going, judges?
31:09Hello, Anthony.
31:11Which dessert did you have?
31:12Apple stack cake.
31:13So apple semifredo,
31:14dried apples on the inside,
31:16apple coulis on the bottom,
31:17spiced cake with a little bit of molasses,
31:19and then two types of apple butter.
31:20Why did you choose the apple stack cake?
31:22They reminded me a little bit of family.
31:24Very good.
31:24Wow.
31:26Several different types of apples in here,
31:28a nice crunchy crust.
31:30Highly recommend.
31:32Okay.
31:33Are you grilling him
31:34with all the judging questions?
31:35All the questions.
31:36So this is my version
31:37of chocolate chess pie.
31:39Truly,
31:40my grandmother did make this for us,
31:41but she made the old school version.
31:43This is my version.
31:44We have a chocolate sabayon,
31:45and we have a chocolate custard.
31:46There's a little bit of pate sucre
31:47that I've crumbled up,
31:48and then some candy kumquats.
31:49How would your grandmother feel
31:50about kumquats and...
31:51She would go crazy.
31:52Thank you, Jonathan.
31:53You're welcome.
31:53Pleasure.
31:54After 20 years of watching this show consistently,
31:57to be like,
31:57okay, I'm in the kitchen now.
31:59And everything's as good
31:59as I thought it was going to be.
32:00Yes.
32:01Hi, Lauren.
32:01Hi, judges.
32:02Dessert inspo was coconut cake.
32:04My wife loves coconut.
32:05Tres leches was the last meal we had
32:08before I came here.
32:09I wanted to make this for her,
32:10the coconut tres leches.
32:11And this little sugar drill.
32:13It's regular sugar,
32:14but it's toasted coconut inside.
32:16That's what you see.
32:17Nice.
32:17Thank you so much.
32:19So far, my favorite
32:20has to be Laurence's.
32:22His ability to blend
32:24those flavors effortlessly
32:25was fantastic.
32:28Okay.
32:28Good start.
32:29Yeah, I think it's a great start.
32:30Melissa,
32:31is this living up
32:32to all your, like,
32:33top chef wishes?
32:34I do keep feeling
32:35like I want to look
32:36in the camera
32:37and be like,
32:37it's really cool
32:38to actually taste the food.
32:41So let's start with Anthony,
32:43the apple stack cake.
32:44The flavors
32:44were actually really nice.
32:45I liked it.
32:46Anthony's dessert
32:47wasn't too sweet.
32:48Yeah.
32:48The apple really came out
32:50for me.
32:50Each bite just had
32:51a lot of different textures
32:52and layers to it.
32:54Did you also make
32:55the ice cream from scratch?
32:56Yeah.
32:56Great execution.
32:57I feel like it doesn't
32:58always turn into ice cream.
32:59There we go.
33:01Jonathan had this great story,
33:02but what he made to me
33:03was chocolate pudding
33:04with whipped cream.
33:05Right.
33:05I think I was looking forward
33:06to having something
33:07with more substance.
33:09Yeah.
33:09I did like the kumquat, though.
33:10I love orange
33:11and chocolate combination.
33:12Of course,
33:13we have more chocolate.
33:15Lawrence with the coconut cake.
33:17He actually made a nice cake.
33:18I want more coconut.
33:19Oh, I get it.
33:20It had that, like,
33:21young, sweet coconut flavor,
33:23but I loved the texture
33:25and it was a nice crumb.
33:26Yeah, nice to make a cake.
33:27You got the moisture
33:28of the coconut cake down there.
33:29You really did.
33:29Thank you so much.
33:32The Moravian cake
33:33kind of looks sad up there
33:34all lonely,
33:34and so I wanted to do,
33:36like, that 80s movie
33:36where they give someone
33:37a remake and all of a sudden
33:38they're, like,
33:38the talk of the town.
33:39The super fans have a vote
33:41and I'm a schmoozer,
33:42so, I mean,
33:43they're eating it up.
33:44He made a lot.
33:45You know,
33:45I'm going to take some
33:46of this back to the loft later
33:47and we're going to have a good time.
33:48Hopefully they fall in love
33:50with my spiel.
33:51I hope y'all enjoy.
33:54You know,
33:55it's where my mind is right now.
33:56I should be on a beach
33:57drinking a rum drink,
33:58not here.
34:00Working my face off.
34:05Round two, onward.
34:07Love the flavors.
34:08Thank you so much.
34:10Hi, Dwayne.
34:10Hello.
34:11Your reference was caramel cake.
34:14Yes.
34:14So, it's rice I cooked
34:16with pandan and coconut,
34:18and then we have
34:19roasted bananas.
34:20How did we get
34:21from caramel cake
34:22to pandan rice pudding
34:23with roasted bananas?
34:24I knew I wanted to make
34:25a salted dulce de leche foam
34:27and then I went backwards
34:28and, like, okay,
34:29what goes well with that?
34:32This is so good.
34:33We can secretly
34:33stash our dishes for later.
34:35Hi, Jen.
34:36Hello.
34:37My inspiration was
34:38Atlantic beach pie,
34:40layers of citrus in there,
34:41so a Meyer lemon curd
34:43and a yuzu jelly,
34:44and then my two crunches
34:45were saltines
34:46and graham cracker
34:48with pretzels.
34:49Citrus-y.
34:50Yeah, yuzu.
34:51Thank you, Jen.
34:51Thank you, guys.
34:52Thank you so much.
34:53Jen is, like, a flavor bomb.
34:55This foam, it's delicious.
34:59Hi, Justin.
35:00Hi, guys.
35:01How y'all doing?
35:02I got ambrosia salad.
35:04I have cherry granita
35:05at the bottom,
35:06roasted pineapple,
35:07brown butter walnuts,
35:09toasted coconut,
35:10and then a raspberry
35:11whipped cream.
35:12Wow.
35:12Brown butter marshmallows
35:13as well.
35:14Thanks, y'all.
35:15There's just something
35:16missing in bringing it
35:17all together.
35:18What do you think
35:18of Dwayne's dish?
35:19The pandan.
35:19Gotta be honest,
35:20I was, like,
35:20a little confused.
35:21You're not the only one.
35:23I did not find it
35:24visually appealing.
35:25It had no caramel.
35:27It almost felt like
35:28Dwayne wanted to do
35:30the pandan rice pudding,
35:31and then she was like,
35:32we're gonna just, like,
35:33chew on it into this.
35:34We're gonna finish it off
35:36with some
35:36dulce de leche foam.
35:38So this is where
35:39the caramel is coming from.
35:41And then Jen
35:42with the Atlantic beach pie.
35:44I love it.
35:45I liked it, too.
35:45I liked it, too.
35:46The yuzu was a little assertive,
35:47but I liked that.
35:48I also really appreciated
35:50the yuzu citrus,
35:52how powerful it was.
35:54How much does the anxiety
35:55of this affect
35:56your ability to focus?
35:57It's insane.
35:58It's been wild.
35:59Well, the ambrosia,
36:01the ratios were off.
36:02It wasn't enough cream
36:03to all the different things.
36:04That was a hot mess.
36:05Actually, a cold mess.
36:07Texturally,
36:08there was really nothing there.
36:09It was all crunch.
36:09Justin put everything
36:10in liquid nitrogen,
36:11and when you freeze things
36:12to that temperature,
36:13you dampen the flavor.
36:15It's too damn cold.
36:17Ooh.
36:19Let's start round three,
36:20shall we?
36:21I don't know how I'm gonna vote,
36:22though.
36:23I really do.
36:23Oh, I know I'm waiting
36:24for that to happen.
36:25Yeah, that's for your mind.
36:26That's for your mind.
36:27Hi, Sherry.
36:28Hi.
36:28So my dessert was a stunker,
36:31and I decided to make
36:32a cherry, blueberry,
36:34and shrubberry compote
36:36inside the almond pâté brisé,
36:38and then a passion fruit mousse.
36:39That was my way
36:40of making it a little Brazilian,
36:42and cotton candy to finish.
36:43I saved the best-looking galettes
36:46for the judges,
36:47but I did notice
36:48the crust was a little bit thicker
36:50than the other ones.
36:51Mm, maybe that was
36:53in the right mood.
36:55Thank you, guys.
36:58The passion fruit on the bottom,
36:59that's the best.
37:01Wow.
37:01What'd you make for us?
37:02The Moravian
37:03was the inspiration for today.
37:05The one redeeming thing it had
37:06was, like, cinnamon
37:07and sugar on top,
37:08so right away,
37:09I thought about capirotada.
37:10This is a dish from Jalisco,
37:11where my parents are from,
37:12so it's kind of like
37:13a bread pudding.
37:13It has raisins,
37:14a lot of cinnamon.
37:15Thank you, Oscar.
37:16Thank you all very much.
37:17Thank you very much.
37:18It's so good.
37:19I wish we could have seconds.
37:21Do I have deja vu?
37:23My twin brother is over there.
37:24We are going head-to-head today.
37:26Chef, how goes it?
37:27Hello, Brandon.
37:28Welcome.
37:29Last but not least.
37:30Here we have banana masseuse.
37:31My favorite dessert on the planet
37:33is banana pudding.
37:34My second favorite is tere masseuse.
37:35What I wanted to do today
37:36was combine them both.
37:36So at the bottom,
37:37you'll find roasted banana
37:38and fresh banana compote
37:39layered with your traditional
37:40sauvignon.
37:41Use vanilla wafers
37:42to dip in the espresso syrup.
37:43Touch of whipped cream on top.
37:44Did you try Jonathan's dessert?
37:46No, not yet,
37:46but I can't wait.
37:47Everybody's been super confused.
37:49Thank you, Brandon.
37:50Wonderful.
37:51I'm a southerner.
37:52Banana pudding is a big thing.
37:53It's really good.
37:56Sherry's galette was undercooked.
37:59The rest of it actually was quite good.
38:01The thing that I did appreciate
38:03about Sherry's dish
38:03are the little pops
38:04of the passion fruit
38:06and then the curd
38:07and the berries.
38:07Everything had a little point
38:08of tartness to it.
38:10The dish was flavorful.
38:11I feel like
38:11who doesn't look
38:12a cotton candy
38:13and doesn't smile?
38:15Moving on to Oscar.
38:16Broken whipped cream.
38:17It was overwhipped.
38:18That was the thing
38:19that made you mad?
38:20Do you see how thick
38:21he baked that?
38:22I know.
38:22Yeah.
38:23I think the problem
38:23with Oscar's
38:24is they needed more custard.
38:25It wasn't pudding-like,
38:25it was bread-like.
38:26Yeah.
38:27And then I put a little rum
38:28in the dulce de leche
38:29because also I want to be like,
38:29we like to party too,
38:30you know what I mean?
38:31What about Brandon's?
38:32Brandon's is very good.
38:32There was the right amount
38:33of cake to banana to cream.
38:35Even though it was the last
38:36and I don't know
38:37if I could have put
38:38another bite in my mouth,
38:39I wanted to eat more.
38:40It was really tasty.
38:42This is really good.
38:43I'm so glad you like it.
38:44So if you haven't voted yet,
38:46I would highly encourage you
38:48to go place your votes
38:49because we are nearing the end.
38:52We all voted for that.
38:54Yes, I mean.
38:55Did you all discuss?
38:56No.
38:56It just felt like home.
38:58It tasted like home.
39:01How about the coconut?
39:02So good.
39:04It's that banana pudding.
39:06Really, really, really good.
39:07Really good.
39:10So what was your least favorite?
39:11The ambrosia salad.
39:13Too much thanks
39:13is going on in that one.
39:14Anybody a fan
39:15of the bread pudding?
39:16I like that.
39:16I like that, yeah.
39:18Even the broken whipped cream
39:18on top.
39:19Yeah, yeah, yeah.
39:20Well, we're not technical
39:21like that.
39:22That's the wrong answer.
39:23Well, thank you
39:23for your opinions.
39:27If you all want to move
39:28to the side
39:29so you have a good view
39:30of when we announce our winner,
39:31that would be fantastic.
39:33All right, chefs,
39:33you can come join us
39:34in the center, please.
39:35You cut the anticipation
39:36with a knife.
39:38So, chefs, the votes are in.
39:44The top three vote getters
39:46are...
39:56The top three vote getters
39:58are...
40:02Lawrence...
40:07Anthony...
40:11And...
40:12Sherry.
40:14Thank you, guys.
40:19By one vote...
40:21Wow!
40:21Wow.
40:22The winner is...
40:24Anthony.
40:25Congratulations.
40:30One single vote.
40:31Seriously.
40:34Congratulations, Anthony.
40:35It's nice to have immunity,
40:36but at the end of the day,
40:37like, I'm just trying
40:38to cook good food
40:38no matter what.
40:39Everything after that
40:40is icing on the cake.
40:41No pun intended.
40:44All right, so we all got to go
40:45so we can get set
40:46for judges' table.
40:46Thank you for being here.
41:02You know, great night.
41:04For the most part,
41:05the desserts were really good.
41:07As one of the super fans,
41:09it was a treat for me
41:10to be here.
41:11You really pulled it out.
41:13Anthony, I will say
41:13you were definitely
41:14on the top for us, too.
41:15It was beautiful.
41:17As much as you cooked
41:18the apples,
41:19it didn't turn into applesauce,
41:20so you could still see
41:21the pieces of apple,
41:22and you had the texture
41:22in there as well.
41:23If you were craving
41:24an apple dessert,
41:24you hit the spot.
41:25Mm-hmm.
41:26Thank you very much.
41:28Justin, Oscar,
41:29and Dwen,
41:30please stay here.
41:30The rest of you
41:31can move to the side.
41:34So the three of you
41:35had our least favorite
41:36desserts of the evening,
41:37and one of you
41:38will be eliminated.
41:40Were you all happy
41:41with what you were putting up?
41:43I mean, there was definitely
41:43some decision fatigue.
41:4560s just sounded so big.
41:46Before even tasting it,
41:48I saw the pockets
41:49of unsoaked bread
41:50plus undercooked soaked bread.
41:52Had you just made
41:53a smaller amount,
41:54it would have cooked
41:54more consistently.
41:55Absolutely.
41:56My big problem was
41:57your whipped cream was broken.
41:58Yeah, so I was trying to,
41:59like, make sure
42:01that the dessert itself
42:02was good.
42:02To you, it was wrong.
42:03Why just serve it?
42:04I just saw Sherry's
42:05so colorful dish,
42:06and I was like,
42:06I need to put something
42:07on top of it.
42:08Never compare yourself
42:08to another piece of cake.
42:10Ever.
42:12Okay, Dwayne,
42:13remind me how you got
42:14from caramel cake
42:15to your dessert.
42:16I wanted to really
42:18kind of focus
42:19on the dulce de leche foam.
42:21I wanted a lot of caramel,
42:23but without it just being,
42:24like, sugar bomb.
42:25I was missing
42:26the caramel stickiness
42:27and that flavor.
42:28My issue was that
42:29the rice pudding
42:30had very little flavor.
42:31I struggled to find
42:32any reference
42:33to caramel cake.
42:35I got pandan,
42:36rice, banana.
42:36Texturally,
42:37it was kind of soft
42:38on soft on soft.
42:39You're right.
42:40I think I probably
42:41took my interpretation
42:42maybe a little too far.
42:44Justin,
42:45you put all the toppings
42:46in the bottom,
42:47and then you just
42:48piped some cream on top,
42:49and so you didn't really
42:50have this bowl
42:51of fluffy, creamy goodness
42:52that is ambrosia salad.
42:54Yeah.
42:55Liquid nitrogen's tricky.
42:56The dessert was so cold,
42:57you couldn't taste it.
42:58I had the same issues.
42:59It was just hard to taste.
43:00Yeah, there should have
43:01been a gap
43:02between plating
43:03and serving.
43:06We'll call you back
43:06in a bit.
43:07Thank you very much.
43:11I know.
43:12I don't like this.
43:14I think all three chefs
43:16had technical
43:16and conceptual issues here,
43:18and some of them
43:19a little bit of both.
43:20When you're in the bottom,
43:21you're kind of aware
43:21of why,
43:22and there's no hiding
43:23behind any of it.
43:24Nope.
43:24Serving broken whipped cream,
43:25it's just like,
43:26I don't get that.
43:27It's such a major fail.
43:28If I had to choose
43:29a dish that I would eat again,
43:31it would actually be Oscar's.
43:33Okay.
43:33I don't have the eye
43:34to look for broken whipped cream.
43:35I really liked the flavors.
43:37For all the dishes
43:38I've done before,
43:39like, whatever the challenge is,
43:41I've layered that
43:41in so many different components
43:43of my dish,
43:43and I just didn't do that
43:45this time.
43:46Part of me just doesn't believe
43:47that Gwen's was the dessert
43:48inspired by the caramel cake.
43:49The dish was so poorly executed.
43:51The banana was just, like,
43:53gray and completely soft.
43:56And then the pandan had no flavor.
43:58I've made myself home
44:00at the bottom.
44:01I got a pull-out couch,
44:03getting a cable next week.
44:05The flavor wasn't there
44:07for me in justice.
44:09All the components
44:09just were completely separate
44:11and also tamped down
44:12by the temperature.
44:13He was doing an interpretation
44:14that wasn't good.
44:15Right.
44:16For that reason,
44:16it didn't even give me abrosia.
44:18The dish that you gave me
44:19at the very end
44:20was so good.
44:20What do you do
44:21with this Gary Busey thing
44:22over here?
44:22My jaw's doing something weird.
44:24I don't know.
44:24Don't bring attention to it, okay?
44:27I have this whole face thing
44:28going on
44:29that I'm not sure
44:29what's happening.
44:31I can feel, like,
44:32my left side pulling
44:33in a way that is
44:34super uncomfortable.
44:44Pastry is the Achilles heel
44:46of so many savory chefs.
44:47Kind of hurts
44:47when you've got to go home
44:48for doing something
44:49that you really don't do
44:50day to day,
44:50but that's how it is
44:52here in Top Chef's Kitchen.
44:59Justin,
45:01please pack your knives
45:01and go.
45:04Justin, overall,
45:05just way too cold.
45:07Couldn't taste the dish.
45:07But we'll see you
45:08in Last Chance Kitchen.
45:09You got a shot
45:09at getting back in.
45:10Thanks, guys.
45:10It's been a pleasure.
45:11Appreciate it.
45:13It's not the best feeling
45:14in the world.
45:14You're kind of numb
45:15for a second.
45:16Damn, bro.
45:17That does not feel good.
45:19No.
45:19Oh, my gosh.
45:20That was awful.
45:22No.
45:23No way.
45:25It sucks leaving Jen,
45:27but she's been killing it.
45:28Hopefully this will be
45:29a little bit extra motivation
45:30to keep cooking strong.
45:33Not that she needs it,
45:34but watch out for her.
45:35Oh.
45:35All right, guys.
45:36Bye.
45:37Take care, Jen.
45:38Take care.
45:38See y'all.
45:40There's Last Chance Kitchen,
45:41and there's a path
45:42to work my way back up
45:43in the competition,
45:44and I'm going to do just that.
45:46Should we wrap this up, guys?
45:47Let's wrap it up.
45:48Hello.
45:49Hello.
45:49How's it going?
45:51Hello.
45:51Good.
45:53Can you all come back
45:54to Judge's table for me, please?
45:56Yeah.
45:56Oh, my gosh.
45:59Oh.
46:01Oh.
46:08Before you leave for tonight,
46:09we would all like to congratulate you
46:11for making it halfway through
46:12this competition.
46:13That is no easy feat.
46:15Jen, how are you feeling?
46:16Too many emotions going.
46:18You okay?
46:19Physically?
46:20I don't know.
46:20I don't even know.
46:21Okay.
46:22I'm like,
46:23something's going on with my face.
46:25It has been a tough few days,
46:27but it's only going to get
46:28more challenging from here.
46:31This is right about the time
46:32everybody starts talking about
46:33this is the hardest thing
46:34I've ever done.
46:35There are only eight of you left,
46:37which really could only mean one thing.
46:40It's time
46:42for Restaurant Wars.
46:45This time around,
46:46we decided to get
46:47straight down to business.
46:48I am so ready
46:50for Restaurant Wars.
46:52And now for the nitty-gritty.
46:55In two teams of four,
46:56you will be responsible
46:57for creating your own
46:58restaurant concept
46:59in just over 36 hours.
47:02That's like trying to build
47:03a house in 36 hours.
47:04You just don't do things that way.
47:05You'll need to assign
47:06an executive chef,
47:08a floor manager,
47:08and two line cooks.
47:10And then together,
47:11you're going to have to come up
47:12with a three-course menu
47:13featuring at least two options
47:15for each course.
47:16We're going to allow you all
47:17to decide how you want to divvy up
47:19into your two teams.
47:19So go ahead.
47:21You can get into two teams.
47:22Oh, man.
47:23I don't know.
47:24Oh, look at that.
47:25You guys want to be
47:26on the same team.
47:26Oh, wow.
47:27Lawrence has been winning.
47:29Anthony has been winning.
47:30Sherry hasn't won yet,
47:31but everyone's scared of Sherry.
47:32She is such a beast
47:33in the kitchen,
47:34and so I know I'm just
47:35in a team with winners.
47:36Who's coming to this side?
47:37We are.
47:38Who's coming to the dark side?
47:39Interesting.
47:40That was easy.
47:41We kind of just split the line
47:42right in half.
47:43We did a lot of nothing there.
47:45Yes.
47:48Tonight, you're going to have an hour
47:49to create your concept
47:50and plan your menus.
47:51That's not all.
47:53Of course.
47:55We're going to add
47:56one more element this year.
47:59You're also going to be
48:00fielding takeout orders.
48:02Oh, my God.
48:03We all know.
48:04We've all done it.
48:04We all do it, right?
48:05In the real world,
48:06I wouldn't do takeout orders
48:08on week one,
48:09let alone day one.
48:10How do you all feel
48:11about being on a team
48:12with one person
48:13that has immunity?
48:14Math-wise?
48:15Math-wise.
48:15Not great.
48:16Doesn't work.
48:17But, yeah.
48:17Focus on winning.
48:18And the prize for the winning team
48:20this year will be epic.
48:22Ooh.
48:22Ooh.
48:23Do tell.
48:23You know I can't tell you yet.
48:25Epic.
48:26Okay, Chefs.
48:26Time to start planning.
48:27See ya.
48:28Can't wait to see what you need.
48:29Get out of here.
48:30Good luck.
48:35Guys, I don't know
48:35what's going on with my face,
48:37so the medic is going to
48:39take me to the ER
48:40to get it checked out
48:41and just make sure
48:42nothing crazy is happening.
48:43Sorry, guys.
48:44Yeah, I'll see you in a bit.
48:46Take care.
48:46All right.
48:46Love y'all.
48:48Yeah, it's a good luck.
48:48See you later, then.
48:49Yeah, we'll see you.
48:50Yeah, we got you.
48:50Don't worry.
48:51We got you, Jen.
48:51Me, you playing the hell out of it.
48:52Oh, yeah.
48:54I got an idea already,
48:55so I don't know.
48:55Cool, great.
49:00I think you should be GM.
49:01I was thinking she's
49:02the exec chef that expedites
49:03and me and Jonathan are cooks
49:04because I don't foresee
49:06Jen line cooking.
49:07Let's just hope
49:08that she's okay.
49:13Hey, Justin.
49:15We just want to give you
49:15an update on Jen.
49:17Oh, goddammit.
49:18I think because of everything
49:19that's been going on,
49:21we have to ask her
49:22to leave the competition.
49:23Like, it's just
49:23for her own well-being.
49:25She is 100% invited back
49:27on another season,
49:28but for right now,
49:30I don't think it's
49:30the best thing for her.
49:36She just,
49:37she deserves to be here
49:38and she's doing so well.
49:40Yeah.
49:41Oh, goddammit.
49:41If you cry, I'm crying.
49:45It's pretty shocking.
49:50Because you are the last person
49:51that was eliminated,
49:52we're offering you
49:53that spot back.
49:56Completely up to you.
49:59Yeah, I'd like to talk to her.
50:00Of course.
50:01For sure.
50:01Okay.
50:02This is a super big decision
50:04and I just really need
50:05to touch base with Jen.
50:06Hey.
50:07Well, I'm not having a stroke.
50:10Got all kinds of things
50:11attached to my fingers
50:13and my chest.
50:14I don't know what's wrong
50:14when they end up to happen.
50:15Am I right?
50:16So, we should just go home
50:18and get you better.
50:20I mean, you do
50:21whatever you think
50:22is best for you.
50:26I just, my cards were on you
50:27and now, you know.
50:30Jen's health comes first.
50:32You know, she's the most
50:32important person in my life.
50:34There's no way I'm staying
50:35in the competition
50:36with Jen in the hospital room.
50:38You know, we'll just
50:39figure things out together.
50:41Okay.
50:47Tonight, another shocking twist
50:49rocks Last Chance Kitchen.
50:50It's a surprise return
50:51as two chefs clash for a comeback
50:53and things get weird.
50:54I'm glad I'm not cooking.
50:55Watch now on Peacock
50:57or BravoTV.com.
51:00Next time on Top Chef.
51:01Hey, Chef.
51:02It smells like Restaurant Wars in here.
51:04Before you made all these,
51:05did you test one?
51:06Shut up, Tom.
51:07Let me do my thing.
51:09Hey, Brandon, I just need your help
51:10with a little bit of knife work, please.
51:11I'm blown away.
51:12We're about to start service.
51:13Stop talking and start working, bro.
51:14I'm working, dude.
51:15This is my worst nightmare.
51:16Oh, my God.
51:20We have a reservation for five.
51:21It's been 40 minutes
51:22since we sat down here.
51:23This is ridiculous.
51:24Yeah.
51:25It's a very fine line
51:26between the winner
51:27and the loser.
51:28It could go any which way.
51:34We have a reservation for five.
51:35We have a reservation for five.
51:35Next time, Joe.
51:36tribe, of theук, of theμαι,
51:36and me, and you can continue.
51:36If, you wait for Sheets and really
51:36have a reservation for six minutes
51:36I'm going to ask you around
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