05x01 - Melting Pot

[bunniefuu]

Top Chef is back.

After san francisco,
los angeles, miami,

And chicago...

We're here to conquer
new york city.

We've brought 17
of the country's

Most ambitious
and talented chefs

To battle it out
in the big apple.

Let's go!
Push yourselves, come on!

[padma lakshmi]
it's our toughest season yet,

And here in new york city,

Their skill, talent,
and determination

Will be tested
to the limit...

It's all about
the recovery.

[high-pitched sound]

Fire in the hole!

[bleep]!

And sometimes beyond.

I've been, like,
screwed up my ass already

For two dishes.
No, no, no.

I found that it was
almost inedible.

Never have I had something

So violently sweet
in my mouth.

This was just conceptually
a disaster.

[padma]
at stake for the winner,

A feature
in food & wine magazine,

A showcase at the annual
food & wine classic in aspen,

$100,000 to help

Turn their culinary dreams
into reality,

Furnished by the makers
of the glad family of products,

And the title of top chef.

[rock music]

♪ ♪

My name is fabio viviani.

And I'm originally
from florence, Italy.

I never been
to new york before.

And to be here to me
is a big freaking deal,

'cause this
is new york, man.

My name's jamie lauren.

I'm the executive chef
at absinthe restaurant

In san francisco.

I try to keep the menu
really seasonal

And really local.

I love the freedom
to be creative.

And I love that nobody
tells me what to do.

My name is eugene villiatora.

Originally from hawaii,

Born and raised,
and migrated to las vegas.

I was not fortunate enough
to go to culinary school.

You know, I started off
as a dishwasher

And worked my way up.

I'm here to prove everybody
that you know what,

This little troublemaker

From a little rock in the middle
of the pacific ocean

Did something with his life.

My name's jeff mcinnis.
Right now I live in miami.

Whenever it comes to something
I'm passionate about,

It's gotta be one way.

It hurts me
if I'm not perfect.

As far as my looks go,

I always get a server or
a food runner to check my hair.

How's the hair, how's the hair?

I have a comb.
Do the hair before I go out.

My name's radhika desai.

My parents are from india.
I'm a first generation indian.

My cuisine is global,
small plates, very eclectic.

But I am worried
that people will see me

And think, oh, she's indian,

She's gonna cook
a bunch of spicy curries

And rice all the time.

My name is lauren hope.

I am a chef
in savannah, georgia.

Winning this competition
would mean the world to me.

My husband's currently
deployed in iraq,

And I refuse to sit at home

And just waste my life away
while he's gone.

I'm lauren.
Alex.

Alex.
Nice to meet you.

Right on.

Whoo!

New york, baby.

Hello, hello.
Hey!

How you doing?
Alex.

Hey, alex.
I'm carla.
Carla? Hey. Lauren.

I'm ariane duarte.

I own
and I'm the executive chef

Of culinariane
in montclair, new jersey.

My husband totally has faith

And my two daughters.

They all believe
that I can do it

And that's why I'm here.

Fabio.
Fabio, what's up, man?

Welcome to the big apple.

I'm daniel gagnon
from long island, new york.

I'm currently working
at the babylon carriage house.

I am the chef de cuisine.

I was so unnoticed
for the longest time.

Winning would mean to me
everything.

I'm going to win top chef.

Aah!
There you are!

Oh!

I think my heart almost jumped
outta my body

When I saw patrick.

He used to be one
of my classmates up at school,

And we always had a good time

And got in a good amount
of trouble together.

I'm still a student.
Are you doing cia?

I am here to share my passion
with the world,

And I have a lot of it.

A culinary student
can be a top chef.

I mean, yes, years of experience
can make you a top chef,

But some people
have just got it in them,

And I'm one of those people.

[speaking italian]

Have you been in Italy?
Of course!

My name is stefan.
I was born in finland.

And I lived in germany
for quite some time,

And then switzerland,
and moved all over the place.

If you don't love to cook,

If you just do it
because you make a living,

Ain't gonna get you
anywhere.

[excited, overlapping chatter]

[richard sweeney]
we're on the ferry

And we're headed over
to governor's island,

And the same question that
all of us keep asking each other

Is so what's
gonna happen first?

Of course, the inner queen
inside me is screaming to know

Where's padma,
and what is she wearing?

Not that it really matters,

But I've got
a bunch of queens back home

That really wanna know.

[leah cohen]
seeing padma and tom
for the first time,

I'm just very anxious
and nervous,

So I'm kind of thinking, like,

My mom said, the one thing
you do, just don't cry.

Because she's, like,
a really tough woman,

And she thinks, like,
if I cry,

Then I look
like a little bitch.

Hello, chefs.

Hello.
Hello.

Welcome to new york.

Thank you.
Thank you.

This is the most competitive
culinary environment in america.

With over 650,000 people working
in the culinary industry,

There are more people
vying for top jobs here

Than anywhere else
in the country.

As the saying goes,

If you can make it here,
you can make it anywhere.

[chuckling]

[tom colicchio]
I can tell you
from personal experience,

This is a tough town.

And there are no prizes
for second place here.

[padma]
so with that in mind,

We're gonna cut
right to the chase

With your first
quickfire challenge.

[padma]
there's 17 of you here

But only 16 chef coats waiting
for you in the top chef kitchen.

The chef who finishes last
in the quickfire challenge

Will leave the competition
right here and now.

[dramatic note]

First quickfire ever
for someone to get eliminated

On the day that we arrive.

So I'm thinking
I might get eliminated.

[padma]
so yes, it is survival
of the fittest,

Big apple style.

Padma says there's only 16 coats
in the kitchen.

I know one of 'em
has my name on it.

I'm absolutely fit
to cook in new york.

I'll be damned
if I go home early.

[tom]
this quickfire
is a test of skill

With three rounds.

For the first round,

You must all peel 15 apples

Using a knife--
no peelers are allowed.

I haven't used a paring knife
in a long time,

Since culinary school,
probably,

'cause we're so used
to using the peeler.

You know, this is not easy.
This is tough.

When you're finished,
call check.

I'll come by
and inspect your apples.

If I'm not happy
for any reason,

If there's too much flesh
taken off the apple,

If it's all hacked up,
I'll make you do another one.

So the first nine to finish
will be safe.

So the remaining eight

Will have to go on
to the next round.

So come over
and pick a spot.

Padma asks us to peel apples,

Which seems
like a mundane task,

But I'm actually
looking forward to it,

'cause I've entered a lot
of cooking competitions

In the last couple of years,
and I won every one.

Okay, one, two...

[whistle toots]

I'm not going home
for an apple.

Not even if I have to swallow
the apple whole--

I'm not going home
for an apple.

I think I'm doing okay,

And then I watched my knife
cut right through my thumb.

And I'm thinking,
oh, [bleep], now what?

But I just wanna keep going.

And I know I've gotta
keep my act together

Regardless of if my thumb
is bleeding,

If my thumb just fell off,
I've gotta keep going.

[stefan]
uh, check.

[blows whistle]

Uh, you're good. You can
go to the line over here.

[stefan]
if I would have lost
the apple challenge,

I would get a flight
to finland.

I would have never
come back to america ever again.

I would have been
so freakin' miserable.

[fabio]
check.

[whistle toots]

You're good.

Kick your ass
the next one--don't worry.
Oh, don't worry about that.

[hosea]
check.

You're good.
All right, thank you.

Okay, they all look good.
You're good.
Thank you.

They all look good.
Great, you're good.

You're good. Okay.

[padma]
all right,

So there are only
three spots left, three spots.

Check!

I wanna be top chef.

I wanna prove that caterers
are just as good

As these restaurant chefs.

[padma]
all right, so we have

Only two spots left,
two spots.

I'm peeling my apples,

And then I keep hearing
padma yelling.

"so I've got three spots left,
two spots left,"

And then I'm just like,

There is no way
that I'm continuing on

In this quickfire challenge.

I was like, I am peeling
these g*dd*mn apples,

And I'm getting
that ninth spot.
Check.

Careful.
Some of them are bloody.
I'm not gonna eat them, so...

Some of them
are really bloody!
Yeah.

Okay, these are good.

[padma]
so there's only one spot left.

Who will it be?

Steady with those knives.
Check.

[tom]
okay, how we doing?

You're good.

[padma]
all right.
[applause]

[padma]
all right, so congratulations.

You've finished
in the top half.

And you, stefan,
you finished first,

So you'll be immune
from elimination

In the elimination challenge.

Congratulations.
Thank you.

It's a nice feeling
to have immunity,

Because it does make people
look at you a different way.

I'm lucky I have it, but I don't
think I'm gonna need it, so...

[padma]
now, the eight of you
who didn't finish

Will move on to round two.

For your next skills challenge,

I want you to brunoise
the apples.

It's a very small dice.

Everything has to be perfect.

If I don't like what I see,
I'll ask you to do it again.

You need to fill up
two cups.

[lauren]
we just peeled the apples.

Now it's time to dice 'em.

But it's not just any dice.
It is a perfect brunoise,

Which is probably
the hardest knife skill.

Okay, so the first four
to finish

Will be safe from elimination.

The last four to finish

Will have to go on
to the final round.

[tom]
ready?

[whistle toots]
go.

I'm looking around me,

And I can hear
the cutting board next to me.

And I'm thinking to myself,
well, holy crap.

What am I doing wrong?

[daniel]
dude, I'm moving so fast,

These guys next to me are like,
what is this guy doing?

He couldn't even peel an apple,
and now he's doing this?

Check.
[whistle toots]

That's good.
Yeah!

Check.

You got stuff like that
in there.

It's pretty obvious, some
of the pieces that aren't right.

I'm feeling disappointed,

Then my hands
start shaking more,

'cause I was like, oh, no,
I'm losing this challenge.

Check.

It's all good.

It's good.
Yes.

All right, so we only have
one spot left.

Check.
[whistle toots]

It's good.

[padma]
good. Congratulations.

I'm thinking...Holy [bleep],

I might actually be sent home.

And being from new york,
I feel like

If I were to be
the first one sent home,

I would just be
super, super embarrassed.

[padma]
so lauren, pat,
radhika, and leah,

Unfortunately, that means
you are going to the next round.

[tom]
your next challenge
will be to take the apples

And cook something
that will convince me

That you should stay here
for this challenge in new york.

[padma]
you'll have 20 minutes,

And under your tables
you'll find burners

And additional ingredients,

Along with the ingredients you
see on the table behind you.

[radhika]
so I'm, like, freaking out

Because 20 minutes
is enough time

To get your knives in order,
salt, pepper,

And, like, your spices.

And the chef who tom considers

To have the weakest dish

Will be eliminated
right here and now.

Your time...

Starts now.

Good luck.

[radhika]
I immediately think
of an apple chutney,

Because I've been making chutney

Since I was, like,


Obviously, I think
indian flavors are my strength,

And I thought, okay,

This is the only thing that
kinda makes sense right now.

Because I couldn't think
of anything better.

[leah]
I look around and I see
radhika is doing pork.

So I quickly decided
not to do pork

Because I don't wanna do
the same protein,

And I used scallops instead.

But I'm just trying
to make it simple,

Because we only have 20 minutes
and one burner

And one saute pan.

Got apples, oranges,
and toasted almonds,

And blue cheese
going into a salad

With a little bit of bacon.

Let's face it--
everything's better with bacon.

Time.



Wow, it goes by
fast.

It goes by real fast.
Holy [bleep].

[patrick]
how we doing with time, hon?

Nine minutes.
Thank you.

[patrick]
my dish is just an apple salad

In a-a yogurt dressing.

The thing that challenges me
is my speed.

I'm more of doing things
perfect, doing them correct,

Rather than doing them
the fastest.

[padma]


You have 30 seconds.

Ooh, she just
spun something.

That's chicken or turkey.
Oh, is that what it is?

And bacon.

[padma]
five, four,

Three, two, one.

Utensils down.
Hands up.

Okay. Hi, lauren.
Hello.

So what did you
prepare for us?

I thought a nice cool,
refreshing salad

Would be a good choice.

What's in your salad?

Apples paired
with blue cheese.

It's a spinach salad
with a balsamic vinaigrette,

Bacon, and orange supremes.

Thank you.
Thank you.

Hey, patrick.
Hi, chef.
How are you?

What'd you make for us?

Well, lauren and I have
the same brainwaves, apparently,

Because I was thinking hot day,

So I did an apple slaw
with yogurt dressing,

Some mint, cinnamon,
orange, honey.

[tom]
okay.

I did a pan seared pork
apple chutney

And some golden raisins,

Little bit of chili powder.
Okay.

I made a little
apple hash

With seared scallop,
dried apples on top,

Rice wine vinegar,
apple juice.

Thanks.
Thank you.

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

Okay, so, tom, let's have
the good news first.

Who is safe from elimination?

[tom]
leah, I thought
your dish was really well done.

The scallops
were perfectly seared.

I thought it was
a very nice dish.

And who else?

Uh, radhika,
a very well balanced dish,

Well seasoned,
so I liked it a lot.

Thanks.

[patrick]
knowing that one of us
is going home is terrifying,

Because we both
had just reconnected.

Now it was time
to say good-bye already.

[lauren]
honestly, I'd like to see him go

Because that keeps me
in the competition.

But at the same time,
patrick's a very good friend,

And it hurts.

[suspenseful music]

[padma]
patrick and lauren,

Both of you placed last
in the skills tournament,

And one of you
will be going home

Right here and now.

So, tom,

Who's gonna be competing
on top chef,

And who's gonna be
going home?

[tom]
patrick, I think...

Yours is the winner.

I liked yours
a little better.

Congratulations.

[padma]
and lauren, I'm afraid that
means you'll be going home.

Please pack your knives
and go.

There's a ferry
waiting for you.

All right.

Thank you very much
for the opportunity.

I appreciate it.
Thank you.

All right,
good luck, everyone.

I'm on the verge of tears,

And lauren's
losing a battle of tears.

It's heartbreaking
because, I mean,

I wanted to be happy
for making it,

But I was also heartbroken
at losing my--my friend.

[lauren]
I'm pissed.

I came all this way
and put in all this effort,

And I'm goin' down
on apples.

I don't even get to see
the kitchen.

[padma]
so as for the rest of you,
congratulations,

And welcome to top chef.

And before you go off to move
into your new apartment,

Let's talk about
the next challenge.

It's time
for the knife block.

[jill]
padma and tom are sitting there
with a knife block,

And we haven't unpacked.

You know, basically
just off the plane.

They waste no time.

[padma]
okay, so one at a time,

Come and pull a knife.

Let's start with you, pat.

I have chinatown.

I'm thinking,
regardless of what that means,

I'm probably gonna be cooking
some type of chinese food.

Long island city.

Ozone park.

Jamaica.

[padma]
chinatown.
Chinatown.

Astoria.
Astoria.

Little Italy.

Little india.

[padma and tom]
brighton beach.

You know, I live in colorado,
and this is gonna be

A completely different
experience,

Because I have no [bleep] clue
what brighton beach means.

I don't know what it is,
where it is,

What food they make or what
I'm supposed to do with it.

Brighton beach?

Brighton
beach.
Where is that?

So now please
go stand and pair up

With the chef that has your
corresponding part of the city.

[daniel]
let's do it, homeboy.
Let's do it.

[padma]
so each pair of you

Must design a dish
inspired by the area of new york

You've been given.

Then you'll cook
and serve your dishes

Head-to-head for the judges.

So you'll be cooking
against each other.

Chefs with the top dishes
will be in the running

To win the challenge.

Chefs with the losing dishes

Will be in line
for elimination.

Good luck.
We'll see you tomorrow.

Good luck.

[man]
it smells like christmas here.

[man]
oh, look at this.

[laughter]
nice!

Oh, my god.

Wow! Look at this.

Look at this.
Ha ha!

Whoo!

That's quite a view.

And taj mahal's
right there, man.

Just, you know...

[stefan]
I had no clue
new york was that beautiful.

I've seen, like, pictures
and stuff of new york.

This city's amazing.

To see that kind of view,
it's spectacular.

[overlapping chatter]

There he is!
Team rainbow
is now complete.

Team rainbow is here.
Sit down!

[laughing]
thank god team rainbow's
complete.

I love it.

We are the gays and lesbians
of the chefs,

So we are joining forces
and supportin' one another.

I have a t-shirt
that has a rainbow on it.

You do?
I will totally wear it.

Nice.
We're so gay!

It's okay.
[laughter]

Oh!
Oh!

[richard]
now it's time to really--
not relax, but...

Take a step back and actually
get to know the people

That we're gonna be
living with

And the people that we're
gonna be competing against.

[patrick]
to the good friends
we've already made

And the stronger
friendships to come.

And to good food.

Cheers.

[all]
cheers!

[overlapping chatter,
glasses clinking]

Should I get my pasta maker
out of my suitcase, or what?

I like stefan because
we are both european.

We both like soccer,
and we kinda bonded together.

He make fun of himself,
we make fun of each other.

[hosea]
you two are cute.

Fabio and stefan
are big competitors.

They're both
very talented chefs

With a lot of experience.

And stefan's tough.
He's got a huge ego.

And he started to rub people
the wrong way.

That's emulsion.

Buh, buh, buh, buh.
Yes, it is.

Making a vinaigrette
is an emulsion.

Come on.
Get a life.

[daniel]
fabio and stefan, they think
americans are lower than them,

Just by their personality
and what they say.

"I don't understand
american talk...You know?"

I'm like, listen, bro,

You're in my backyard.

[speaking italian]

Fabio and stefan can open their
mouths as much as they want.

It's just gonna make 'em look
unprofessional and immature.

No, no--

Welcome to the u.S.A.!

[laughter]

I look at jeff,
and he has nothing on the plate.

And I'm like,
you gotta be kidding me.

[bleep]!

[man, singsong]
wakey, wakey!

Wakey, wakey!

I love it.

I am going through
a lot of recipes in my head

About the elimination
challenge.

I am nervous, of course.

I've never cooked
indian before.

Dinner was great.
It was fun.

Having dinner
with someone

Is different than working
with someone.

All those little idiosyncrasies
that we have

Are gonna come out,
I'm thinking, like,

"ooh, I didn't know you
were like that, girl."

I can be very shy.
I don't like to go out and--

You know, I-I don't
take praises well.

I like to sit back.
I stay in the kitchen.

And I think that's one

Of the biggest reasons
why I'm here,

To prove to myself that

Maybe I am as good
as people say I am.

Yeah, let's go.

♪ goin' shoppin' ♪

♪ goin' shoppin' ♪

Come on.

[richard]
our first
elimination challenge

Is we have to go
head-to-head with our dishes

Based on the cuisine

From that neighborhood
in new york city.

You're walking too fast.
I'm small.
I have big legs!

Team rainbow
just got shattered.

Patrick's nowhere in sight,

And now me
and my little lesbian

Gotta go up against each other,
which just sucks!

Thank you.
After you.

I'm trying to find
a briny olive,

And then I'm also trying
to find an olive

That's a little more mild.

Astoria's known for greek,
so I think about the ingredients

That are indigenous
to the island of greece.

So I'm gonna sear some fish,
and then do this sort of

Deconstructed
greek salad with it.

Can't read
any of the labels.
I know.

I don't even know
what's in these things.

Brighton beach
is a russian community,

But I've never really cooked
russian food,

So I'm trying to draw
in my mind

What I could do
that represents russia

Without ever having been there.

I have about five ingredients
that I wanna use--

Smoked fish, sour cream,
potatoes,

Creme fraiche, and caviar.

Okay, is that a good one?
Yummy, yummy?

Is that the yummiest?
The best? Okay.

I'm waiting to be inspired.

I want to be led
to do this dish, basically...

By my spirit guides.

I mean,
that's how I do it.

I don't know!

I don't know
what I'm gonna use.

I'm just kinda--
yeah, get some stuff.

For the elimination
challenge,

I'm going head-to-head
with stefan.

Long island city
is known for middle eastern,

And I don't know
middle eastern.

So I'm a little concerned.

What are those?

It's fava beans
with olive oil.

[jeffrey]
I desperately need
dark plantains.

Thank you so much, man.
I hope you get it in time.

Fabio and I are going
head-to-head against each other

In ozone park.

It's latin.
I live in miami.

I know my latin.
He's italian.

It's a whole 'nother continent.
So I know I got an upper hand.

Lookin' good, bro.

[both laughing]

Radhika and I are headed
to a jamaican store.

But when I think jamaica,

I think island food,
caribbean,

Jamaican rum,
tropical fruits.

So I plan on incorporating
those flavors into it.

I'm done.
See if I hit the limit.

Two pounds.

Two pounds
is gonna be--

Actually, I'll just take,
like, half of that.

Half piece?
Yeah.

I definitely know
italian cuisine.

I worked in Italy.
I lived there.

The restaurant I work at now
is italian.

Mozzarella.

It looks amazing.

I'm definitely
a country mouse.

That's why I moved to colorado
in the first place.

So unfortunately for me,

I have no experience
doing italian cuisine.

So I had a very extreme
educational experience today.

Thank you.

I'm familiar with
chinese cuisine from school.

We have a course
in cuisines of asia.

And I'm walking down
the aisle

And I find black rice noodles.

I've never worked
with them before,

But it's a noodle.

You just gotta boil it.
It can't be too bad.

That's rock hard.

Yeah, but then you can
shave them

And use them as like
a green mango salad.

He's telling me
what he's going to do.

Why would you tell me
what you're going to do?

This is a competition.

It's like we're
in a football game,

I'm the linebacker,

I'm gonna sit right
in that hole, wait for ya,

And knock ya out.

Hey.

My elimination challenge
is to go to little india

And go head-to-head
with eugene.

[laughing]
whoa!

We walk into the store,

And I've never seen
so many spices in my life.

And I'm like,
wow, I'm in heaven.

Yeah, let me try one.
What's the red one back there?

I've never cooked
indian food in my life.

So it tells me
right from the get-go

That I'm walking on eggshells.

So I'm just gonna try
and do the best I know--

My style of cooking
with indian ingredients.

Just have to pray
for the best.

That's good.
I'll try to duplicate it.

Thank you.



Thank you.
And the receipt?

Thank you.
[richard]
that can't be 2.50.

Pair of underwear's
not even 2.50.

Thank you very much.

Nice to meet you guys.

It's showtime, man.

[hosea]
when I walk
into the top chef kitchen

For the first time,
I'm just spinning

Because, like,
I see the big tile

That says top chef
on the wall

And all the stoves are there.

And to be on this giant stage

In the coolest frickin' city
in this country

Is--it just gave me
goosebumps.

[man]
damn!

[patrick]
it's beautiful.

There's this great,
big open kitchen

Filled with ovens and stoves.

Everything you could want for--
as a chef is here.

[whistling]

Whoops, sorry.
Sorry, man.

God, can't stop
sweating.

Hot water coming through!

So the time started,
and we have two hour.

I am making a pork tagliata,

Which means sliced in italian

With a mango jalapeno
demi-glace.

[jeffrey]
cooking's going fine.

I have plenty of time.

I get my pork tenderloin
grilled off, goin' in the oven.

And I say to myself, you know,
I still got a lot of time.

How 'bout a couple more
garnishes?

So I decide to do
a little crispy plantain.

Time to change gears, right?

I'm not using this yet.
Can I move this over?

[ariane]
I can wait.

So I'm making lamb chops on one
part of my plate with hummus,

And on the other side,
I will have beef skewers

And a middle eastern yogurt.

[ariane]
stefan is feeling
very confident.

He holds his head high.

I always second-guess myself.

I'm gonna do, like, farro,
and I'm using dates,

And I'm goin' that route.

Patrick, your oven's
on 250.

I'm just telling you.
Oh.

[stefan]
just be careful.

I'm gonna be making
a mirin-lacquered salmon

With black rice noodles,

And then a ginger garlic
scallion steamed bok choy.

How you doing, good?

Yeah, I'm back on track.

I plan to make a ginger
poached asian chicken salad.

They say they want
to be inspired by my dish.

So I'm trying everything
in my power to inspire them.

What was I thinking?

I'm watching carla
a little bit,

Because, hey,
she's my competition, right?

I need to keep an eye on that.

And she bought some
of the same smoked trout

That was in that store,

And she's got all these
pin bones,

And she's breaking apart
her fish with her hands.

Are you doing smoked fish?

Can you imagine if there
are bones in my stuff?

That's why I got
trout filets.

I've pretty much put together
a greek spin

On a lamb slider.

Don't know what kind of bread
I'm gonna use yet.

It might end up being
a lamb pita?

Uh, I got that,
I got that.

I got that.

I'm missing some...Thing.
No, I'm not.

I'm not really paying attention
to what's going on around me.

I see richard,
he kinda starts talking to me,

And I'm just like,
I don't wanna talk, you know?

Like, I am very focused
when I'm cooking.

I like to do my thing.

Jamie, you much of a talker
when you cook, or no?

Not really.
Okay.

I usually
just kinda stay to myself.

30 minutes to go, my man.
[jeffrey]
yeah, buddy.

I'm going more
for modern italian cuisine,

And I think melissa's doing
more traditional.

I think between the two of us,
you know,

Melissa doesn't have
a lot of experience

Or as much experience
with italian cuisine as I do.

So I definitely feel,
like, an advantage.

I got enough time
just to do this rice.

We're cooking indian food,
grilling some lamb,

And I'm making some
basmati rice.

I wanna infuse some
of my cuisine into it,

Which is latin food.

I think it's
a natural marriage.

[eugene]
what I have in mind doing
is a tzatziki.

It's a mediterranean type dish

Using yogurt, cucumbers,
red onions.

My brain's just scrambling
to just finish my dish.

Farro, it's like a wheat berry.
It's a grain.

I taste the farro,

And after you, like,
try something,

And you try it,
and you bite it,

And you taste it,

And you keep tasting it,
you just kinda lose it.

So the farro needs
a little more time to cook,

And the clock is ticking,
and I'm running out of time.

After being in the bottom two
in the quickfire,

I know that going
into this elimination round,

I really need to prove myself
and prove my skills.

How much time
we got?

Got seven minutes.
I'm gonna start goin' now.

All right, me too.

I never used
these black rice noodles before.

This wasn't the texture I was
looking for in the noodles.

I was looking for more
of a bite to them.

And I'm hoping that
they'll kind of loosen up

And they won't be
as gummy as they are.

Can I, um, get on that real
quick on something real quick?

I wanna redo these noodles

To find out the best way
of getting them done

To make 'em work
on the plate.

Fastest two hours
of my life.
Yeah.

This is the first time
I've competed.

I'm a little off
with my time.

[bleep]!
I see fabio plating.

I was like, you know, maybe
I should start plating soon.

Next thing you know,

I've got three minutes
to plate.

It's got 19 different steps
to it.

Hot, hot, hot,
hot, hot, hot, hot.

[fabio]
I look at jeff, and he has
nothing on the plate.

And I'm like,
you gotta be kidding me.

[man]


[bleep]!

Corner, corner, corner.

Oh, no way.

Stop. Stop.
Hands up, hands up.

A lot of stuff
doesn't make it to the plate.

I think I'm going down.

I can't get past the fact

That the lamb
was overcooked and dry.

[padma]
this is not risotto.
It's very one-note to me.

I'm in the kitchen.
I have all my stuff ready.

And who do I look at?
Jean-georges.

I've seen jean-georges before
because I've worked an event.

I've seen him at bellagio,

And I'm actually very excited
to cook for jean-georges.

Jean-georges is for me one
of the best chefs in america.

Good afternoon, I'd like
to introduce you to the judges

For this elimination
challenge.

We're very honored
to have with us

One of the best chefs
in the country--

Jean-georges vongerichten.

Jean-georges
is incredibly talented

And someone that I respect.

And I'm just like,
oh, my gosh.

And the heaviness
of actually being judged

By someone so talented,
it's great, it's heavy.

Shoulders
are being weighed down.

We also have as our head judge,
as usual,

Tom colicchio of craft

And gail simmons
of food & wine magazine.

You'll be serving up your dishes
head-to-head.

We'll pick a winner
who will win the challenge

And a loser who will be
in line for elimination.

So we're looking forward
to a great first meal.

Good luck to all of you.

Stefan and I are competing
against each other.

He also has immunity.

Where did you go, ariane?

Long island city.
Middle eastern.

Middle eastern.

Which I don't know
much about at all.

So what did you make
for us?

I prepared today a couscous
and gremolada

Yogurt crusted rack of lamb.

And I made a whole wheat
risotto

With dried dates,
chick peas.

[padma]
stefan.

I have two kinds.

I have lamb chop
with a tabouli salad,

Which is a really lemony hummus
with a lot of lemon oil,

With a beef onion skewer.

It's fennel.

And a little bit
of cinnamon.

So ariane, I thought your lamb
was beautifully cooked...

And the farro risotto
really undercooked.

Stefan, let's talk
about your dish.

[tom]
I like the use of cinnamon.

It's a spice that
you don't see often used

In savory side of cooking.

I think you used it very well.

It's also very evocative
of the region.

I love this dish.

So it's unanimous.

Thank you very much.

Stefan, you're in the running

To win this elimination
challenge.

Unfortunately, ariane,

You're in the running
to be eliminated.

Thank you.
Thank you.

I don't know if my nerves
are getting the best of me

Or what,
but I don't wanna go home.

[padma]
hello.

I think tom's really cute,
and he's got great eyes.

He's a cutie.
What can I say?

I'd buy him a drink
if I saw him in the bar.

Hell, I'd buy him three.

Richard, can you tell us
where you went?

This morning we went
to a greek market

To go shopping
for your lunch today.

What did you do?

Went with a greek-style
lamb slider

And a little bit of orzo
feta pasta salad.

[padma]
great. Jamie,
what did you do?

I did kind of like
a deconstructed greek salad.

Charred eggplant puree,
seared black bass,

And then it's a salad of
arugula, cucumbers,

Cherry tomatoes, feta,
and it's dressed

In a kalamata olive
and greek honey vinaigrette.

The dishes are both very good
and they're both very close,

And I can't get past the fact
that the lamb was overcooked

And dry, so I'll have
to go with jamie's.

Thank you.
Thanks, guys.

Team rainbow.

Team rainbow.

When you overcook your protein,
that's one of those things

That's kind of unforgivable,

And I'm not quite sure
how this is gonna affect me.

Hello.
Hi.

You know, I was in the bottom
for the quickfire.

I'm just hoping, like,

Jill's dish is somehow
worse than mine.

Let's start with you,
jill.

What neighborhood
did you both go to?
We had jamaica.

What did you do
for us today?

I did macadamia crusted
plantain fritters

With jerk spice scallops.

I used three sauces

To signify the rastafarian
theme that is jamaica.

And radhika,
what did you do?

I did a jerk rubbed halibut

On top of some three bean rice

With a mango salad.

Texturally, I think
it did need something more.

I know that there was
a banana chip.

I see it now. But I don't think
it was enough.

[jean-georges]
I like the flavors...

[padma]
let's talk about jill's dish.

A little bit.

[gail]
I agree. The scallop
was overcooked,

But it had a nice char on,
like a nice caramelization.

[tom]
the sauces as a whole
made sense.

I thought the dish
was very good.

I'm gonna go
with jill's dish on this one.

Jean-georges?
Same for me.

Unfortunately, radhika,
that puts you

On the losing side of things.

Thank you.
Thank you.

I don't know
what's gonna happen.

And of course I'm thinking,
what if I go home?

Thank you.

Thank you.
Fabio, what did you make?

I gotta read part of it,
'cause my english is really bad,

And I will never pull it
through if I don't read it.

Okay,
I have a sous vide pork chop

Mango and jalapeno demi-glace
with the pork.

And I'm a personal--
I love roasted mushroom,

So that's my italian twist
to that dish.

Enjoy.
Thank you.

Jeff?

I took pork tenderloin,
and I took some cuban coffee.

That's on the outside
of the pork tenderloin.

Nice little puree
of smoked plantain.

It's got a little saffron
and sherry vinegar.

[tom]
the rice and beans
and the corn was just--

Just kinda looked like a blob
of something on the plate.

[jeffrey]
my first competition.

I misjudged how long
it takes me to plate,

And it won't happen again.

Really nice knife work
with the avocado.

And it was layered
really nicely.

But then you covered that nice
work up with the mushroom

So you couldn't see it.

[padma]
I would too.

I actually preferred
fabio's dish,

But I'm outvoted here, so
it looks like jeff, it's yours.

Unfortunately, fabio,

That means you're in line
to go home.

Thanks.
God bless you, man.

I'm not worried about you.
You'll be fine.

We went to brighton beach.

Went to a russian neighborhood.

[padma]
all right,
let's start with you.

What did you make?

I did a trio of smoked fish,

Smoked salmon, creme fraiche,
some russian caviar.

Smoked trout with a little bit
of apple chutney on top,

Then on the far side
it's smoked turbot.

Carla?

I have a smoked trout
and wild salmon cake

On top of a potato latke

And a russian sour cream
with black caviar.

I think that your salad
on the side

Could have used
more seasoning.

It didn't have
a lot of flavor there.

[padma]
let's go on
to hosea's dish.

[tom]
what I really liked
about the dish,

I got a very good sense
of your style.

If you were to go to russia,

This is exactly
what you would get,

So I think you did
a great job with it.

[padma]
there was a culinary
eloquence

To what hosea
managed to execute

That won it for him
unanimously.

Thank you.
Thanks a lot.

Hello.

Hi.
Hi, how are you?

Leah, tell us
where you went.

We went
to little Italy.

And you know this
area of town, don't you?

I do. Yeah,
I'm from new york, so...

What did you do?

I used a farro,
and I made a farotto.

I used it in the style
of making a risotto.

And seared snapper and
then pioppini mushrooms on top.

Melissa,
what did you do?

I did a seared
rib eye steak

With a little arugula
tomato salad,

Some fried cipollini mushrooms,
and a simple tomato sauce.

[tom]
you know what I liked
about the dish?

You managed to take fish,

But pair it
with something very earthy.

Melissa's dish--
I really liked your sauce,

But I wanted it to taste
a little saltier.

[tom]
melissa, this dish
would have been

A big hit with just
a little more salt and pepper.

That's it.

Sometimes,
that's all a dish needs.

But--so I'll have to give
this one to leah.

[padma]
hello.
Hello.

Where did you go,
daniel?

Chinatown.

And what did you make?

I made a ginger
chicken poached salad

With a chiffonade of bok choy,

Shiitake mushrooms,
fried wontons,

And a honey sriracha
scallion foam.

Pat, what did you make?

Seared salmon bok choy
with ginger garlic scallion

And then have some
black rice noodles

With some soy
and sesame underneath.

Jean-georges is one of
the biggest chefs in america.

And I know
from his cooking style

That he knows a lot
about asian cuisine.

So I'm a little nervous
about that,

'cause I know that he's
gonna call me out on anything.

I'd never worked
with the, uh,

The black rice noodles.

And I was expecting
something a little more

Like an udon kind
of texture to it.
The noodles were really gummy.

[tom]
it's lacking a lot
of those base flavors

You find in chinese cooking.

I get--
it's very one-note to me.

[padma]
daniel, let's start talking
about your dish.

Yeah.
[tom]
I've seen the salad before.

Wolfgang puck's been making it
for 20 some-odd years.

I wasn't amazingly inspired

By the two dishes
that we saw.

I think, though, of the two,

I'm gonna go
with daniel's dish.

Daniel's dish
at least had more flavor.

[padma]
so, daniel, congratulations.
Thank you very much.

Good luck to both of you.

I am feeling nervous
about being back on the bottom.

Alex, tell us
where you went.

We went to an indian market
downtown in manhattan.

Alex, what did you make?

I made grilled lamb chops

With a spicy ragout
topped with basmati rice.

Eugene?

I made a masala rub
new zealand lamb rack

With a basmati macadamia nut
tzatziki.

Are you familiar
with indian food?

I am not, I just...

This is my first time
actually cooking it.

How 'bout you, alex?

Luckily for me,
I have enough experience

With latin food
which kind of correlates

A little bit
with indian food.

Flavors are good,
they're spicy, they're hot,

But they're not over the top.

Overall, I think
it's a very nice dish.

Thank you, chef.

Let's talk
about eugene's dish.

You call it tzatziki,
which it is nothing like.

Eugene, without knowing it,
you've actually made

One of the most classic dishes

That every
south indian home has,

And that's curds and rice.

You hit it
out of the park.

So I think it's unanimous.

That makes you
in the running

To win this
elimination challenge.

We'll see what happens later.
Thank you both.

Thank you.

Lo and behold,
padma actually said

That I...Created
a classic indian dish.

I'm surprised, and I'm happy
at the same time.

Thank you,
[bleep] yes.

If this is the food--the kind
of food that we're gonna get

All season long,
we're in for a nice ride.

There was nothing that was
so god-awful you can point to

And say this person
has no business being here.

That said, I think there are
definitely a few dishes

That really stood
above the rest.

Overall, the most disappointed
sort of neighborhood

Was chinatown.
Yeah.

I think patrick's dish
to me was

The first sort
of amateurish attempt

On bringing those flavors
together,

And I think he failed
miserably there.

I wasn't a big fan
of jeff's dishes,

But I was outvoted here.

But also I wasn't a big fan
of what fabio did either.

I might say radhika.

It was fine
in terms of seasoning,

But I thought texturally
it just really missed the mark.

Ariane, um, the raw farro just
really k*lled that dish for me,

And I think she definitely
deserves a trip to the bottom.

All right,
so we're in agreement.

That's what we wanna do.
Yes?

Great.
I'm gonna go get them.

[tom]
this is some basic stuff
that you need to get,

And you can't just have one
thing that just doesn't work.

[alex]
this is where we feel like
uh-oh, it's a competition.

I think we kinda forget that
half the time.

But I was sweating b*ll*ts
in there!

Like I thought--
sweat was coming out of my pants

When I was, like,
standing up there.

I'm like--aah!

I sat there looking
at the clock going,

If I wait too long, I'm gonna
end up behind the eight-ball.

And then as they're tasting it,
I'm like, oh, [bleep],

Did I taste all those
ingredients together?

And I'm like, oh, man,
what are you gonna say?

What are you
gonna say?

Heads up.
Cheers.

[melissa]
I needed more salt
on my steak.

They like it salty, man.

[carla]
I know, I mean, seriously,

Nobody has ever told me
more salt.

I held back on the salt
and, girl, they were like,

"ain't enough salt."

I will never be making
black rice noodles again.

From the winning group,

We'd like to see stefan,

Eugene, and leah.

But we'd also like to see
from the losing group

Patrick...

And ariane.

Thank you.

Of course,
now I'm sweating.

I'm like, oh...Oh, boy,
I'm gonna get chewed out.

Oh, my god.

It's the first elimination.

The last thing you wanna do
is be voted off first.

[patrick]
I'm really nervous because

Ariane only had
some technical issues

With her grain,

So I'm feeling that I've got
more going against me

Than ariane has.

I'd like to start

By talking to the winners.

The three of you
were the judges' favorites

In this challenge.

So leah,
let's start with you.

[tom]
you really captured
what new italian cooking is,

Especially in this city,

So I thought it was
a very successful dish.

The flavors went
really well together

And were really focused
on the plate,

Which made a really
dramatic statement.

[padma]
moving on to stefan.

[tom]
there was a lot going on,

But your dish
never felt that way.

It felt very simple.

Thank you.

[padma]
eugene.

I'm amazed that you've never
had indian food before,

'cause you did such a good job
at executing it.

While you called it a tzatziki,
which it clearly wasn't,

It didn't matter--
the effect was a great success.

[gail]
it was delicious,
just hit a perfect note,

And the lamb was beautiful too.

Thank you.

When you look
at the history of top chef,

All but one season,

The winner of the first
elimination challenge

Has gone on to win
the entire competition.

And so it's a big deal,
this first challenge.

And jean-georges,
as our guest judge,

You have the honor
of telling us who did win.

The winner is, uh...

Stefan.

Thank you.

[padma]
congratulations.

I think it would be
a great thing

For a european
to win top chef

Because it's been only americans
at this point.

I want to be
the first european top chef.

Hey!
Hey, guys!

Your winner.

[cheers and applause]

[carla]
two in one day?
Shut up!

Good job.
Yeah, it's a good job.
Which is nice.

Ariane, what was
your thinking

Behind the dish,
first of all?

I'm not too familiar
with middle eastern,

So I kinda was in the store,
and I looked for...

The things I saw the most of,

Figuring they were
very popular.

And I just thought
it would all work together nice.

The farro
was just so undercooked.

Grains and beans
need to be cooked.

In fact, we had a farro dish
that leah nailed

That was essentially
what you were trying to do.

I shouldn't have called it
a risotto style.

Even if you didn't,
it was still undercooked.

This is some basic stuff
that you need to get.

And when you're working
with 16 chefs

That are as accomplished
as they are,

Everything
on the plate counts,

And you can't just have one
thing that just doesn't work.

Go back to the challenge

And look at what
we were asking, you know--

Go to a specific area
in new york

And find inspiration there.

And I think, patrick,
that's why you're here as well.

We didn't see
that inspiration.

We didn't see those ingredients
that are in chinatown

Sort of translate to something
special on the plate.

I wanted to try
and highlight

The clean flavors
of a chinese dish.

But it all sort of tasted
the same

And had the same texture
to me.

I'd never worked
with the black rice noodles.

They're far too gooey.

I realized
that this is what I've got,

And this is what
I've gotta work with.

The noodles are tricky.

And noodles
are certainly chinese,

But it just didn't say to me
chinatown,

Which is such an extraordinary
part of this city

That has so much
to explore.

I was looking for something
a little more regional.

[tom]
the problem I had
is we almost had a cliche

Of what chinese food is in
someplace other than chinatown.

It really it was a sanitized
version of chinese food.

[patrick]
the dish was not my best work.

It was what I could do
with what I had.

In both cases,

It just kinda highlights

That you really need
to get out of your comfort zone

And see what's out there.

You need to go out there
and experience,

To sort of understand
that you need to travel.

Because new jersey--
I mean, you have access

To every neighborhood that we
highlighted in this challenge.

Someone comes to you
and says, you know what,

I want
a middle eastern meal...

Yeah, but I got books
to look at.

We don't learn to cook
from a book.

We learn by experiencing,

And this is something
that you need to do.

[padma]
can you each tell me
in your own words

Why you should stay?

I have a lot to give.
I know it.

It's here.

[patrick]
I'm the youngest
competitor here.

I'm actually still
in culinary school,

And I wanna be here
because

I'm driven by my passion,
I love food.

It has always been
a part of me,

And I wanna share that
with the world.

[padma]
we'll call you back in
when we have a decision.

Thank you both.

Thank you.

We still don't know yet.

What?
What?

They're deliberating now.

[padma]
well, who's it gonna be,

The newbie
or the seasoned chef?

Patrick is a culinary student,
but you know what,

He comes here to compete,
and it's a level playing field.

It just showed to me

Lack of experience
and lack of inspiration.

[tom]
exactly, that's--

That's what he did.
It was so on the nose.

I just knew I wanted noodles,
and that's chinese.

I just think
that he really wasn't able

To handle, you know,

Doing something
out of the box.

On the fly.
On the fly.

I'm here to...
To share my passion

With you guys and the world.

Ariane has 20 years
of experience,

And is up against someone
who is so young.

Perhaps she's the one
who should go

Because she should have
known better.

This wasn't a question
of whether or not

She used
the middle eastern ingredients.

This was a question
of basic cooking skills.

I made a silly mistake, so...

It's just--it kills me.

Well, I do think
it's a hard decision,

But I think
we've come to one.

Yeah, I think so.

Yes? All right.

Let's get them back in here.

After four seasons
of top chef,

One thing that I find
always exciting

Is that we can have
a 20-year veteran

Like ariane here,

And a relative upstart
like patrick...

Who are competing
head-to-head

And find themselves here.

The challenge was to shop
in a neighborhood

And find inspiration.

Ariane,
the inspiration was there,

But the technique
was just really poor.

And undercooking farro,

You're not going to win
this competition

By doing something
as simple as that

And not doing it correctly.

You know, patrick,
on the other hand,

Your dish
was ex*cuted well,

But the inspiration
wasn't there.

We think you could have
taken it a lot further.

Patrick, please pack
your knives and go.

It's been an honor
to get here, and, uh,

Can't wait to...
Try and change the world.

Well, patrick, you have
a lot of years in front of you.

So I'm sure
we'll see you again.

And good luck.
Thank you.

[tom]
ariane, you gotta bring it.
I'm bringing it on.

Okay.
You know it.
Thank you.

Good-bye, chefs.

Stefan, you're gonna have to
make your own coffee tomorrow.

Oh!
Aw!

I'm going home, guys.

So, I mean, this--this isn't
the end of my career.

I mean,
it hasn't even begun yet.

You're a good man.

Who have I missed?
Okay.

Have I gotten everyone?
You left me out.

[laughter]

All I can do is--
is be proud of what I've done.

Kick ass, okay?

Mwah!

I'm gonna go back to school,
graduate,

And I'm sure, one day,
somewhere down the road,

I will be a top chef.

[padma]
this season on top chef...

[man]
get to your g*dd*mn stations!

[richard]
it's hard and heavy
right from the word go.

Oh, my god,
this is gonna k*ll me.

Everybody taste
every [bleep] thing.

[eugene]
our food was better
than their food, dude.

Bull[bleep].
This was a scrap fight.

Yeah, thank you.
Happy thanksgiving, fabio.

You have immunity.
You cannot go home.

You understand?
So I am actually willing--

...Douche bag.
A douche bag?

So you're saying
I don't know how to cook?

No, no, no--
no, no, hold on.

Do whatever the [bleep]
you want, stefan.

Please welcome
martha stewart.
How do you do?

Oh, my god!

Aah!

That rice was appalling.

It was a failure
of imagination.

I don't think even you

Could withstand
that amount of heat.

'cause I have found

The weapons
of mass destruction,

And they are in this bowl.

You do deserve it.
You are here.

I know it's hard.

[padma]
for more about the recipes
seen tonight,