19x07 - Swallow the Competition

[bunniefuu]

Previously on Top Chef...

Please welcome back...

Ashley.

I am back.

You'll be making
a dish in honor

of five trailblazing
Texas women.

Seems like you know pretty much
everything about Selena.

She had such
a bold personality.

- This is amazing.
- Wow.

I just want to do it justice,

and especially
for Barbara Jordan.

It didn't wow me,
and Barbara Jordan is wow.

- Yes.
- She went to Europe

the same time that
I kind of went to Europe.

It needed salt,
it needed acidity,

it needed brightness.

The winning chef
tonight is...

Evelyn.

Monique, please
pack your knives and go.

Nine chefs remain
to compete

in the ultimate
culinary showdown.

At stake
for the winner:

a feature in
Food and Wine
magazine,

an appearance in the Food
and Wine Classic in Aspen,

$250,000,
furnished by San Pellegrino

and the coveted title
of
Top Chef.

Look, everyone here,
we've been in the bottom,

- you know what I mean?
- Yeah.

I have a lot of
confidence issues.

I was a sous chef
at Noma before I left

and I haven't had a job
since I left.

You know something
is going to come up

and it's going to
----ing hit your strength

and then
you're going to shine.

My idea was
to take three months off

and then look into
opening up my own restaurant.

But of course,
the day after I woke up

not having a job anymore
was the kick off to COVID.

I've got another chance
to put myself on a plate.

- Exactly.
- When you work at a restaurant

like Noma
everybody just expects

that you know
how to do everything.

I got into this industry
because I really liked learning.

- That's what I'm doing here.
- Come on, Buddha.

Don't worry.

Hello, hello.

I see all these
different ingredients,

spices and herbs.

It's some African vibes
going on.

Please welcome
your guest judges

for today's
Quickfire Challenge.

Houston's very own
Ope Amosu

and James Beard
award winner

and top chef all-star,
Kwame Onwuachi.

Good to see you all.

Is that--
is that Evelyn over there?

I'm here.

Houston is home
to one of

the largest Nigerian populations
in the country.

Both Ope and Kwame

are at the forefront
of bringing

Nigerian cuisine
to a wider American audience.

I couldn't let you guys
come to my city

and not try some
traditional Nigerian soups,

stews and swallows.

A swallow is a starch
that's been cooked,

preferably boiled,
until very, very tender.

And then
we break a piece off

and you dip it in
whatever soup or stew you have,

and you use that
to help you swallow that.

But chefs,
before you try anything,

let's draw knives.

Your knives
are labeled with three

very traditional swallows
from Nigerian cuisine.

Jackson, what did you get?

- Iyan.
- Iyan.

- Amala.
- Eba.

For this Quickfire Challenge
we want each of you

to take one of these
three swallows

and make a dish
that perfectly complements it.

The winner
of this Quickfire Challenge

will receive immunity.

So come on up.

We're going to let you
taste a few ingredients.

Grab your swallows.

I would try the stew,

- then the sauce first.
- Like this?

This is the
egusi.
Grounded melon seeds.

- This is really good.
- Mm-mm.

Amala
is like curry
and rice dumplings.

It can be gummy
and chewy at the same time.

That's your
efo rero.

Braised spinach
with palm oil, peppers, onions.

- So what's the heat from?
- Scotch bonnet.

I've never cooked
Nigerian food before.

The iyan swallow is made out of smashed yam

and it's giving, like,
a texture of mashed potato.

And this one
is Seafood Okra.

It's going to draw with this--
- Oh, because of the okra?

- Because of the okra.
- Yeah, watch that draw.

The technique is,
like, you kind of wrap it around

- a little bit, you know.
- Look at this.

There you go.

I've never had
eba.

It's almost like
a starchy potato.

Learning more about my history
and where I come from

is definitely
interesting to me.

I feel inspired
and I want to go for it.

I'm going to take you down
to the spice aisle real quick

because you have
everything from
Yaji,

which is used to spice
suya,
which is like this roasted meat.

- Street meat.
- Street meat.

We have alligator pepper
which is grains of paradise.

Grains of paradise
are so hard to find.

They're like
little peppercorns.

So, there's
a couple of things here

that will give you
that draw.

Okra,
ogbono.

Once water is added to this
it'll start to slime.

I think you guys have had
a nice little sample.

You have thirty minutes
on the clock

and your time starts now.

- All right.
- All right.

- All the shrimp is gone.
- Jesus, man.

When I taste my swallow
I thought of gumbo

with a little bit
of crispy okra right at the top.

So, when you get the eba you dip

and hopefully you can grab
some bits of surprises.

Cooking with soul, baby.

Buddha,
which ingredients did you grab?

I've got a guinea fowl,

I've got some dried shrimp
and some curry powder.

I'm going to be doing
a take on a sauté,

like a peanut sauce
with guinea fowl and shrimp.

- So, which swallow did you get?
- I got iyans, made out of yams.

What's difficult
is we have to make

something so flavorsome
within thirty minutes,

so the swallow
can pick up all that flavor.

I'm making something
called
Sukuma Wiki.

What's that?

Just like stewed greens,
basically.

I had spent this gap year
in East Africa.

I loved
the food scene there.

I remember this dish
that just reminded me of home.

I'm going to get some of that,
you know,

the pull
they talked about.

- 20 minutes, chefs.
- 20 minutes?

I'm definitely taking
inspiration from the spices

and making a shrimp
and scotch bonnet stew

garnished with pineapple and suya spice...

...which almost kind of
tastes like

curry powder
with more flavor.

There's a lot of similarities
with, like, Southeast Asian.

I mean, there's ginger,
there's garlic.

My mom always makes,
like, chicken wing stew,

but like a Mexican version.

I'm trying to pull from her
but just trying

to make it taste
a bit more Nigerian.

What do you think about
the stuff you tasted up there?

Uh, I thought
it was really interesting

to be able to experience
a new cuisine.

Quite honestly it's just really
frustrating to get these, like,

once in a lifetime opportunities
and I can't taste anything.

I got snapper,
I got a bunch of veg

from up there,
I got curry and
suya.

My game plan
is just to create a sauce

and perfectly cook the fish
and hope that it works out.

Ten minutes.

Guys, there's backup of all
the spices in pantry, FYI.

- Heard.
- Why do I help people?

I don't know.

Luke, is this new to you?

Everything about this
is new to me.

- You have five minutes.
- Five minutes!

That food was spicy,
I ain't holding back.

I taste my stew,
it is a little sweet

because I added in
a little bit of tamarind paste,

so I'm adding in
a lot more spice

just so I can
balance that out.

This time flies
the out of here.

I don't feel this
is the most cohesive dish.

I think that my dish
is a little spicy

and I don't know
whether that's going to

- bite me in the butt.
- One minute.

Fifteen.

Time's up, hands up everybody,
utensils down.

Alright,
every chef that drew the
iyan,

please come up.

- Okay, Jackson.
- I made snapper with tomato,

red bell pepper, red onion,
with a light herb salad on top.

The fish is actually
in the middle

that you can kind of
break off with your fingers.

- It's like a curry, right?
- So, curry powder, suya spice--

I like the fact
that you went bold, though.

Because the swallow,
you know,

kind of dampens down
the heat,

so you have to always
take that into consideration.

- Luke, what did you make for us?
- Chicken thighs coated in

I believe with
leaf,

with bitter greens
and dry crayfish broth.

I like the flavoring here.

I like that
you went in with the leaves.

I did a shrimp
and guinea fowl

with peanuts
and fried plantains.

I used all the spices,
all the dried shrimp

that was on board here to make
an African inspired sauté.

It's got that all over it.
That peanut, it speaks to us.

You're going to be Buddha Chuku
after we eat this, man.

It's really speaking
to the roots, man,

- I appreciate it.
- Thank you so much.

Everyone who drew
eba,
please come up.

Thank you, okay Nick,
what did you make for us?

I made an okra stew.

I added in chicken thighs
and crabs.

I also put crispy okra
over the top.

It's sweet.
What else is in here?

It was the tamarind paste, too.
I added it.

- Okay.
- I prepared
Sukuma Wiki.

I used that leaf that has
all that hole on it

and cooked it in a shrimp
and crab stock

and then on top
is grilled shrimp

that I marinated
with
shito.

The jute leaf,
yeah, I'm tasting that.

The jute leaf,
yeah, it's good.

Damarr,
what did you do for us?

I did a scotch bonnet
and shrimp stew

that I thickened with okra

and I topped that
with some diced pineapple.

And what are
the Nigerian spices you used?

I used
the bright orange one.

Suya
pepper. Oh yeah.
- Suya?

You definitely used
suya
in here.

Nice amount of
heat in here, too.

- Yeah.
- Thank you all.

The chefs who drew Amala,
please come up.

Hi, thank you.

So, I made a tamarind
and chicken wing stew.

It has a bit of crab fat,
a crab stock,

tomatoes, charred okra
and herb-lime salad on top

to kind of cut through
the richness of the stew.

What did you,
did you use one of the leaves?

- So, that's cilantro and mint.
- Okay.

- What did you make, Jo?
- I made a chicken

and kale stew
that's been seasoned

with suya and banga spice.

Chefs, I have
a poached mackerel

and wilted arugula
in beef stew.

- Thank you so much.
- Thank you, chefs.

Overall I think
y'all did great.

To see you transform
these ingredients

and still put your spin on it
was definitely inspiring.

There were
a couple that weren't

as successful
as the rest, however.

The first one,
unfortunately, is Nick.

That stew was
a little too sweet for us.

The addition
of tamarind is fantastic,

but you do need
to cook it out.

Evelyn, the flavors

that you used
overpowered that dish

and it felt
a little convoluted.

- Okay.
- Ope,

who had one of
our favorite dishes?

Buddha's dish was actually
put together very well.

- Thank you.
- And it also tied in

to our Nigerian roots,
so it had some of that peanut.

Thank you.
Thank you so much.

The other dish that we
really enjoyed was Damarr's.

It was bold
in all the best ways.

You let
those ingredients sing.

Jackson, I think
the orange sauce stew that

you put together, I really
just thoroughly enjoyed it.

And the winning chef is...

And the winning chef is...

Chuku, you understood
the assignment, Buddha.

Thank you.

It was great
that he loved it so much

that he was willing
to give me a nickname.

- I feel honored.
- Congratulations Buddha,

you have immunity in the next
elimination challenge.

Alright, gentlemen,
I would like to thank you both

for joining us today
and giving us all an education.

Thank y'all.

Okay chefs, we're almost
halfway through the competition.

If you want to win

you're going to
have to dominate.

Woah.

Jurassic Park?

- Hi.
- Oh, my God.

Please help me welcome

Top Chef Colorado
winner
Joe Flamm.

I know
who chef Joe Flamm is

but he is unrecognizable
to me in his getup.

This is definitely
going to be a fun one

if you can't tell
by the way I'm dressed.

Who here remembers
when the first

Jurassic Park
movie
came out?

I am a massive fan
of the
Jurassic Park

and
Jurassic World
movies.

I'm very excited,
but how exactly is this supposed

to tie in
to an elimination challenge?

In the upcoming new film,

Jurassic World Dominion,
worlds will collide.

The dinosaurs are now living
everywhere amongst the humans.

They're ruling the Earth
by air, sea and land,

and for this challenge
that's how you'll be teaming up

to rule the kitchen.

To give you a little inspiration
on how to dominate,

we have a special
message for you.

Hello chefs.

Congratulations on surviving
the competition so far.

We're thrilled
you'll be using our new movie,

Jurassic World Dominion,

as your inspiration for
the next elimination challenge.

It's like no Jurassic film
you've ever seen before.

For this challenge you will
each be assigned a dinosaur

whose unique lifestyle
and diet should be

- showcased in your dishes.
- And here's a tip,

make something
the judges will devour.

The judges will be joined
at the dinner table

by our brilliant co-star
DeWanda Wise.

Ugh, I'm so jealous,
DeWanda is more than happy

to eat all of your fancy food
while we're stuck

eating stale chips
in a greenroom.

Be safe out there, chefs.

Welcome to Jurassic World.

In each one
of these folders

is information on
where these dinosaurs live,

what they eat,
and how big they are.

If there's one thing
Top Chef
keeps doing

is stretching your imagination.

- Thank you.
- Here you go. Here you go.

Match the color
on your dossier.

All the reds go together,
all the greens go together,

and then all the browns
go together.

I'm liking this.

Those will be your teams
for this challenge.

Jo I haven't worked with
since the first team challenge

and Jae I haven't
worked with before.

Nick, Damarr and Buddha,
you have Mosasaurus.

That is a sea dinosaur
that lives in the Atlantic.

It can swallow
a Great White Shark whole.

Evelyn, Ashley and Jo,

you have Quetzalcoatlus,
an air dinosaur.

They were first discovered
actually right here in Texas,

and it's actually
one of the largest

flying animals of all time.

Jackson, Luke and Jae,
you have the Velociraptor.

Velociraptors
originate from China

and their bite is as ferocious
as a spotted hyena.

Each team is responsible

for making a three-course
progressive meal

featuring dishes inspired
by these jaw-dropping dinosaurs.

Today, each team will have
fifteen minutes to menu plan.

Tomorrow,
you'll have two hours to cook

and serve at Houston's
Museum of Natural Science.

To sweeten the pot,
the winning team will get

a VIP trip to attend
the world premiere of the film.

Wow.

I can't wait to see how you
bring these dinosaurs to life.

See you tomorrow, chefs.

We should try to focus on
one subset of cuisine

so that we don't
confuse the.

- You're spot on.
- I mean, I'm staying in

the Southern area,
you know what I mean?

I'm happy
to go Southern.

Nick is extraordinarily

well versed
in Southern cuisine

and Evelyn lives here in Houston
so she understands it.

Homage to Texas.

So, I got the Velociraptor
so I'm going last.

I think a lot of people
are going to go meat

for the third course,
so we'll stand out

just by going desert,
the one thing I want to do

is make some sort of sauce
that's red and bloody because

Velociraptor specifically
is very vicious, right?

- I like that.
- Yeah.

I was thinking a pork loin.

Probably do a bird,
though,

right, because
it's air-based?

I know, well, the air
I wanted to do a sweet potato

on the acai
and, like, make it--

- So it's airy.
- Yeah.

I mean,
so I have a sea dinosaur,

so I'm thinking
oysters and caviar.

I have land,
Velociraptor, very aggressive

in its nature,
also from Mongolia.

I wrote a play off
of broccoli and beef,

so I'll have the short rib
and then on the side

I'll have the onions
that I'll kind of fan up

so it'll look like scales
and then claws.

I'm just, like, thinking of,
like, a list right now,

because I'm still a little
unsure of what I'm making.

I'm going to use
a whole alligator.

The Mosasaurus is a reptile,
so I decide to get alligator.

I was sort of thinking of doing,
like, a quail.

The thing is-- is that it eats
literally everything.

It's so open-ended.

My idea for this dish
is to take a quail,

which is obviously
an air animal,

and stuff it
with a conglomeration

of a lot of different
ingredients.

Greens, nuts,
some vegetables.

- What are you thinking?
- To be honest,

I'm just
a little lost.

It says that
it's eating habits...

It says small mammals.

I'm having
a very hard time

to get a concept
or any ideas.

I'm freaking out more
as time goes by

because I have to have
a grocery list,

I'm about to go
to the Whole Foods

and I do not know
what I'm making.

I think it's sort of
like an inspiration challenge.

I don't think you have to be,
like, super, super literal.

Uh-huh. Agreed.

Because I've got immunity,
that means if Jo and Jae

want to avoid being
in a fifty-fifty elimination,

they'd want to try
and put out their best dishes.

It makes you
cook under pressure.

I'm starting to get
a sense of inspiration

based on ingredients
that I'm seeing.

Hey, chicken wings.

I'll just get three pounds
of wings, then.

Reading about
the Quetzalcoatlus,

it's got these massive wings
that it uses

to soar through
the air at high speeds,

so I'm going to do
a chicken wing.

Because I'm so creative.

Okay, I need twelve oysters.

Looking over the seasonings,
I just got the panko.

I plan on making
a crab croquette

with a red pepper puree.

Once the Mosasaurus
opens its mouth,

there's nothing
but that red flesh

with those back-sided teeth.

I'm going to try
to do everything

in bite-size form
so you could just,

pretty much don't need
a Kn*fe or fork to eat it.

Five minutes!

I would like
to get the lamb.

So, I'm doing lamb two ways.

This is a very
aggressive dinosaur

and I wanted to go
heavy with the meat.

Oh, my God.
I am really nervous.

Buddha has an immunity.

If we are
at the bottom

either me or Jo
are going home.

I mean, I just don't want
to be in the bottom.

I mean, like,
there's no margins.

There's no margins,
there's a team on the bottom

there's a team on the-- yeah,
and one in the middle.

That's it.
And I have a guy with immunity.

- Whoa.
- Aw, man.

Oh, my gosh.

That looks like me
when I wake up.

It's about that time.

Sugar, eggs, some more
sweet potatoes over here.

- Coconut water.
- Alligator.

So, Buddha, have you ever
worked with alligator?

I've worked with
an alligator

but I haven't broken
one down to be honest.

The way we're going
to make it progressive

is that we're going
to have a starter,

intermediate course and then
an entrée course at the end.

For the first course
I'm making smoked alligator,

Jo is making
barbecued quail,

for the third course
Jae is making

a lamb duo.

Wow, these quail

look like little dinosaurs.

I'm gonna smoke her
in some hickory wood.

I do have immunity
but I'm definitely

going to try my hardest
and take risks.

I was like,
what is happening?

It's just Buddha.

Jo, what do you like
about the movie though?

I mean, I grew up
watching these movies

and it's really exciting.

It's bringing out
sort of my inner nerd.

The concept of my dish
is to celebrate

an air animal
that eats everything.

So, I've made a stuffing that
has gone inside of the quail.

Oh, I forgot
to lop your neck off.

And then I'm making
these glazed carrots

that are sort of
reminiscent to me of the meal

that they had
during the first movie.

Right after they fed
the Velociraptor they went

and they ate this very


That's why
I decided to do carrots.

What have you got
working on, Nick?

So, I have the peppers
in the oven, roasting.

I am at the first course,

so I'm going to start it off
with an appetizer.

I'm making crab coquette
with pepper puree.

The second course
is Evelyn with pork tenderloin,

and then Jackson
is going to be dessert,

which is going to have
a gory feel to it.

How are you looking, Evelyn,
what are you starting on?

Just trying to get that pork on
as soon as possible.

Right on, I've got
a cacao cake going in,

I'm toasting
pecans for everyone.

Are these toasted?
Can you smell for me?

So, I'm making
a fudgy cacao cake

and it's very dense and gooey

and it's really,
really, really rich.

Velociraptors are kind of
the bad guys

who kind of create
terror and mayhem,

so I want to add
some sort of spice.

More? No?

I don't even really know
what five spice tastes like.

I've never used it in my life.

Jackson definitely gives you
that mad scientist vibe.

He's a little out there.

How are those
oysters looking?

They're large
but they're pretty.

For our team's menu
we're really trying to play

on the progressions of flavors

and the progression of size.

So, I'll be making the dukkah fried oyster

with fresno chow chow
and caviar cream.

Mine will be smaller,
maybe two or three bites,

then Ashleigh's shito wing
with watermelon relish,

her plate's going to be
a little larger

and then
you'll come into something

that's even larger
as an entrée with rich,

braised beef and broccoli.

I want this sauce
nice and sticky.

Have you ever made
this dish before, Ashleigh?

Well, I made a version of it
for the last challenge.

- Yeah?
- I put candied pork

and they were expecting
something super sticky,

and it didn't go
over so well,

so, I'm out
to prove something.

What the
is going on here?

You know, my biggest concern
is getting the short rib done.

I'm going to have to use
the pressure cooker,

which, I haven't used one
in four years.

Come on,
pressure cookers.

All right.

- It's a lot of fat.
- On the alligator?

- Yeah.
- Really? Oh, my God.

It needs more salt

but I really like
the spice in there.

I am super confused
about Jae's dish.

I'm breaking up noodles,

so it's going to be
the starch for the dish.

I think she's doing a lot.

She's stir-frying noodles,

she's breadcrumbing
lamb chops, meatballs.

It seems like a lot.

And then I think that
with the pickled napa cabbage

it's really good.

It almost sounds
like a buffet platter.



- This is beyond.
- It really is.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

I'm very excited to have you,
DeWanda, with us.

- Welcome.
- Thank you.

The setting is amazing.

It's great. We're in the vibe.

What is your character
on the movie?

She's like
a black-market dinosaur dealer.

- Oh.
- Sweet.

Selling dinosaur bones
on the side, huh?

She likes selling dinosaurs.

Nice. I like it.

Cheers, everybody.

To
Jurassic World.

I'm just going
to build up the crust

and we'll be good to go.

We've got the color,
we're good with that.

I'm hoping
there's enough sauce.

- Oh.
- Oh, crap, come on dude.

I'm just topping it off
with some salmon roe,

give it a little
pop of saltiness.

For my bead dumplings
filled with smoked alligator,

doing them into little
bite-sized pieces

because the Mesosaurus
likes to eat

in bite-sized pieces,
and so, we have alligator soup.

How're you doing, Demarr?
You need a hand?

No, I should be good, I'm going
to put the caviar in first

and I'm going to fry
the oysters last.

Do I think I'm being
the most theatrical like Buddha?

No, but I think that
what I'm doing makes sense.

I think
it's going to be delicious.

- Oh, man.
- One minute, chefs.

The first course
is on its way.

The first course
is on its way.

Look at this food,
this is beautiful.

It looks lovely,
actually, yeah.

- Hello.
- Hello.

Buddha,
tell us what you made.

And you're supposed to put this

- just right in the middle?
- Yeah, just right in the middle.

It's kind of like a soup
because the Mesosaurus

lives in the water.

There's smoked alligator
with potato,

beets and salmon roe.

On the outside
is a pickled beet sheet

to cut through the richness.

Have you cooked
alligator before?

- Crocodile. Not alligator.
- Mm.

- Wow.
- Thank you, Buddha.

Damarr, what did you make?

As soon as I read
that it throws it's jaw back

and it slides down it's throat
I thought oysters,

so I made
a dukkah fried oysters

sitting on top
of a fresno chow chow,

and there is an oyster cream
to the side of it.

Mm. Very nice.

- Nick?
- I made a crab croquette.

The flesh
of the Mesosaurus's mouth

is so bright red,
and I have a surprise

of pepper puree on the inside
of the fondant potato,

and the pecans
is one of the things

we're going to see
in our flow of our menu.

This is a beautiful start
to this dinner.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- Thank you so much.
- Stunning.

- They all can cook.
- This is all top tier cooking.

Let's start
with Buddha's dish.

His plate
was beautiful to look at.

Smoking alligator, I don't think
anybody would think to do that

and then puree that
into almost like a chowder.

It was sweet, it was acidic,
it was, like, earthy.

There's something about
that last taste of smoke

in combination with the cream
that's really lovely.

It seems like it's a pretty even
playing field at the moment.

Nick's dish, it was
a nice little hors d'oeuvre,

but it wasn't like a dish.

I think
there should have been

- way more red pepper.
- Yes, way more sauce.

Like, I understand
he wanted that surprise,

you open the mouth,
it's bright red.

- A surprise in a sauce.
- Right, exactly.

But I thoroughly enjoyed
Nick's croquette.

I liked it.
I think it was fun.

I think it went well.

- Hope for the best now.
- I love Demarr's dish, too.

The oyster was
crunchy and juicy.

I love the texture
of the chow chow.

I thought
it was super bright.

That's what kept me
going back for more.

There's something
about fried oysters to me

that just, like,
it feels like home.

I'm a Maryland girl,

with the caviar cream
at the bottom,

I just thought
that was really inventive.

It's a good composition.

The combination
worked really well.

I just want
something more graphic.

I want to see
evidence of a k*ll.

Evidence of a k*ll.

I'm going to have you
grab a wing to try.

Yeah, it could use
some finishing salt.

- Juicy A.F. Juicy A.F.
- Five and a half.

Aw, really?

My carrots
didn't take the glaze

the way
that I wanted them to,

but I ran out of glaze,

so at this junction they've just
got to go on.

Can you just
give me a wipe please?

I actually am
a little concerned.

When you cook simply,
when you miss, you miss big.

- 15 seconds.
- Heard.

Oh yeah, baby.

Lord Jesus.

- Good luck, Jo.
- Thank you.

- That smells amazing.
- Yes.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- This all looks lovely.
- Yeah, it looks beautiful.

- Hello, everybody.
- Hi.

Evelyn,
tell us about your dish.

This dinosaur, it flies,

and it also is an omnivore,

so it essentially
ate everything.

So, I decided to go
with a pork tenderloin

with Swiss chard,
black garlic sauce

with pecan crumb,
fried garlic,

and for air an aerated
sweet potato puree.

Ashleigh,
what did you do for us?

Quetzalcoatlus soars
through the air

with it's massive wings,

so I wanted to put
a whole wing on the plate.

It is a shito wing
with watermelon relish,

and there's also
a little finger bowl

because it is meant to be
eaten with your hands.

Yes, they are.

- Hi Jo.
- Hi.

How were you inspired
by Quetzalcoatlus.

This animal ate everything,
I sort of decided

to stuff it
with kind of everything.

It's a barbecue-stuffed quail

with the sauce romesco

that's been aerated
on the plate

- with some roasted carrots.
- Thank you all.

- Thank you.
- Thank you so much.

Evelyn's was really,
really nice.

Pork tenderloin
was cooked beautifully

and that aerated
sweet potato sauce

had a lot of flavor.

When you ate
everything together it worked.

Yeah, there's like
ginger and garlic.

Like, I found it to be
really, really strong.

I thought Evelyn did
a really nice job.

Yeah, and this black
garlic sauce is fantastic.

I mean, it's just so
nerve-wracking being there.

The watermelon salad
Ashleigh gave us is delicious.

It's so bright.

I live in LA
and it just reminds me

of being able to buy
fruit on the side of the road.

Some mango, some watermelon,
cayenne and lime.

It's one
of my favorite tastes.

What did you think
of Ashleigh's chicken wing?

It's a little flabby,
it's not crispy enough

and I think the spice on it
that we were promised

- is a little mild.
- It just needed

a little bit more of everything,
little bit more salt for me,

just a little bit
more flavor on that.

Shito has a very
distinct flavor profile

that should sing through.

What do you think
of the quail that Jo gave us?

I would love to have seen
this more graphic where, uh,

maybe taken off the bone

and had the bones
crushed off to the side.

My quail was a little dry.

I just think
she let it cook too long.

Yeah, it was
overcooked for sure.

The carrots, I don't really
know what happened.

They don't look
or taste glazed.

And the carrots felt
like they were an afterthought.

You know what,
a big quail,

it's actually called
a Jurassic Quail.

- Is that what it is?
- Yeah.

Well, I didn't say that,
so, too late now.

So, maybe we'll wait
till 15 minutes?

That way we can
keep your food hot.

I'm just getting,
you know--

there's a lot of components,
so I want to start plating.

Right here, panko.

There's only six plates to
plate up,

components sitting on a plate
for 15 minutes,

it's already gone cold
in my mind,

but I don't feel
like my input or my opinions

are really mattering
at this point.

- No.
- Yeah, I like the other way.

- Like this, yeah.
- With the plate.

Blood, baby.

To finish
the plating of this

I'm making a bloody
Velociraptor footprint

out of raspberry,
so it looks like

kind of Velociraptor
is all bloody

and stomping
through the plates

which I think is silly,
honestly.

I don't know
if the judges are going

to find that amusing or not.

I love it.
Very theatrical.

Bring it home for us,
all right?

Anything else
you want to check?

- No, I've got everything.
- Two, one.

- Looks good, chef.
- How'd I do?

Good job.

Oh, yay.

All right, here we go.
Someone's doing something.

- Wow.
- There we go.

That's kind of
graphic looking too.

This was the prayer
that you asked for.

Thank you. Hi, Jae.
Tell us what you did.

I made lamb two ways.

One is rack of lamb
that is spiced

and on your right side
is a spicy lamb meatball

with pickled napa cabbage.

It's a very
aggressive dinosaur.

I wanted to give
a bold flavor to it.

- Luke, what did you make?
- The Velociraptor,

they were from Mongolia,

so I have beef and broccoli
braised short rib,

some onions
to represent the claws

and then the broth has been
cooked down with seaweed.

Thank you.
Jackson, what did you make?

Firstly, I'd like to apologize:
Velociraptor came through

and took one of our own,
so all that blood is

from one of our chefs
you see on the plate here.

Oh, so we don't
have to send anybody home?

- Somebody's already sent away?
- Maybe a double elimination.

So, I made
a fudgy chocolate cake

with sweet potato,
pecan and raspberry blood.

Obviously,
the footprint is inspired

by the Velociraptor itself.

The chili in the cake,

that's to mimic the aggression
from the Velociraptor as well.

- Thank you all.
- Thank you.

- Thank you.
- Thank you, guys.

What did you think
about Jae's lamb duo?

I could tell that Jae was
really trying to push herself,

but the lamb felt
soft and soggy.

There was a lot going on
on that plate.

That meatball was
really spicy but kind of good.

I really like the cabbage.

All of these things,
I found things

that I liked in them,
but as a dish together

it just did not work for me.

There was
too much to focus on.

What about the beef
and broccoli that Luke gave us?

I think it worked.
He's in the swamp,

the sort of dark
and foreboding.

I do think
that my piece of short rib

was a little bit tough.

You could tell he struggled
with the pressure cookers.

The beef is a little
on the tough side,

but I don't mind it,
I don't like my short ribs

- falling off the bone.
- But it didn't have those sharp,

jagged notes that you love
for Mongolian beef.

Exactly.

What did you think
about Jackson's dessert?

I think it's a dish
that we've all been waiting for.

Graphically, it was great.

At least someone
decided to go for it.

This is a fun movie.

You go with your whole family
and get scared,

you know,
it's an adventure.

And I think Jackson's dish
was an adventure today.

I like the chocolaty
darkness

with the bright blood
orange and the pecans.

I love that crumbly
corner of the brownie

that everyone fights for.

It's really too hard
to tell, man, you know?

DeWanda,
thank you so much for coming

and having this beautiful
meal with us.

- It was great to have you.
- Thank you.

Thanks for having me.

- See you on the red carpet.
- Yes.

For your challenge
we asked you to create

a Jurassic progressive meal.

I think it was
a mixed bag tonight.

There were some
really good things

and there were some things
that were just okay.

We'll get to that,
but, hey, this is fun.

Also, look where we are,
this is pretty awesome.

The team
that ruled the world today...

is the Brown Team.

Congratulations.

Everyone else
can step to the side.

Let's talk about
these dishes.

How did you decide
to do crab croquette?

I knew
I wanted to do seafood,

I just wanted it
to be super refined.

Well, I loved your croquette.

I think
it was a great announcement

to your team's
courses to come.

So, Evelyn,
your dish was spectacular.

You know,
I thought the pork loin

was cooked beautifully,

the sweet potato
was so airy and fluffy

and light and I think that's
where the air

came into play in my mind.

For what I was
trying to go for,

it was just like
I should kind of tame it,

but still be
bold with my flavors.

The garlic sauce was
powerful and strong.

Not tamed at all.

- That was amped up.
- Thanks.

Jackson,
out of all of the dishes

we had today,

yours was the most graphic.

It was beautiful.

Yeah, I loved your dish.

Saying I'm going to go
over-the-top playful

I think it was
completely the right move,

and I like a chewy,
fudgy cake, it was nice.

The whole meal felt
very complete.

Thought through
from beginning to end.

It felt progressive
in the truest way.

Well, as the winning team,
the three of you

get to attend
the world premiere

of
Jurassic World Dominion.

Yeah!

We get to go to LA!

Congratulations you guys,

and have fun
at the premiere.

Yay!

Awesome that we get to go
to the red carpet,

but it just feels good
to get another win.

The three of you
can step to the side.

Green Team and Red Team,
please come forward.

Thank you.

Some of you had our least
favorite dishes of the day

and one of you
will be going home.

Buddha.

You're not going anywhere
because you have immunity,

but even if
you didn't have immunity

you wouldn't be
going anywhere.

It was fabulous.

Every bite of that soup

contrasted with the beet,
the smokiness.

It truly was
a beautiful plate of food.

- Thank you so much.
- Jae,

were you happy with the way

that your lamb came out?

It tastes good to me.

The lamb rack,
you cut it

and then you put it
on the non-sear side.

- The crust.
- I seared and I cut,

then I put the glaze
and I put the crust on top.

It was a little mushy.

I don't really think
it worked,

- unfortunately.
- Okay.

There was a lot on your plate

and I was
actually really impressed

with how much work you did.

I sort of wish it had been
a little more focused.

The dish just
didn't come together.

It seemed like
a collection of ingredients

and things
as opposed to a dish.

Jo, I thought you were
one of the few chefs today

who actually tried to give us
something anatomical,

but then you lost focus
in the dish.

Those carrots
just seemed so sad.

I didn't plan
my time well for the final

part of that component.
I was worried about the quail.

What were you worried
about with the quail?

I just wanted to make sure
that it was cooked.

It was cooked,
we ended up with a quail

that was
a little on the dry side.

Okay, Green Team.

Joe, what did you think
of Demarr's dish?

I liked the oyster.

I thought, you know,
it was crispy, it was delicious.

I thought the chow chow
was refreshing.

That was probably the best
chow chow I've ever tasted

and I've had
a lot of chow chow.

Solid cooking. Absolutely.

Luke, your short rib dish.
I love the presentation of it.

I thought the scales on top
playing the claw like that

was really, really clever,
but it just seemed like

that beef could have been
a little bit more tender for me.

I did love your broth.

I think you took it

in a different direction
from Mongolia.

I didn't see the connection
there in the flavor.

Kwame, what did you think
of Ashleigh's dish?

There was
a bitter note in that sauce

that tastes like the sauce
had been over-reduced.

I didn't think
it over-reduced,

I felt like
it coated the spoon nicely,

but I guess I was wrong.

I don't think
that flavor got into the meat.

I want it
to have some punch

and I just don't think
you achieved it today.

Thank you all.
We'll call you back in a bit.

Thanks.

Yeah, great job, Brown Team.

Great job, Brown Team.

Great job.

- Luke, how are you doing?
- I'm all right.

- Quiet. Yeah.
- Yeah.

First we need to establish

who the worst team was,

and then from there
see who should go home.

It almost feels like
more of the negative comments

were aimed
at both Jo and Jae.

There were more mistakes
with Jo and Jae

than there were with Ashleigh
and Luke combined.

- Okay.
- Yeah, exactly.

I made a cooking error

and, you know,
it just wasn't there.

You know, I did, too.

I think
Jo should go home.

I think
Jo should go home as well.

I didn't really enjoy
any component on that dish.

Jo's dish lacked
with the carrots,

the romesco sauce was completely
wiped of it's identity,

and then
the quail was overcooked.

I wouldn't be surprised
if this was it.

Kwame, you just mentioned you
didn't like anything

about Jo's dish, I didn't like
a lot about it either.

I don't like anything
about Jae's dish.

The lamb was bland and dry,
they put this crust on it.

No, sorry.
That's not a crust.

Meatballs were
like rubber balls.

For me there's a lot of issues
with Jae's dish,

but I felt like there was
at least a base of flavor there.

I just didn't like
Jae's dish at all.

Not every day
is a great day,

but every day
we are making progress.

That's how
I push forward.

Yeah.

Okay,
let's get them out here.

Red Team, you had our

least favorite
dishes of the day.

And one of you
will be going home.

Green Team,
please step to the side.

Thank you.

You know, chefs,
this is one of those challenges

that makes you think--
still, at the end of the day

even though you can be
imaginative and playful

and do great things, you still
have to cook great food.

Jo,

please pack your knives and go.

It's been my absolute pleasure.
Thank you.

We'll see you
in Last Chance Kitchen.

Thank you, everybody.
Good night.

I dropped
the ball in execution

over the past few challenges.

It just kept
feeling like I wasn't able

to really
swim out of the middle.

I couldn't kick it
into another gear.

Have mercy.

I am your lovely
eighth alternate.

I'm really proud of the fact
that I hung on to this point.

It's been tough for me
to get it going creatively

in the last year.

This was
sort of my effort to try

to get back
in the game and, you know,

given the caliber
of everyone around me

I'm proud
of what I did today.

Tonight, Jo enters
Last Chance Kitchen.

Her stuffed quail left us
with a dry taste in our mouths.

Had to go back
to something stuffed, huh chef?

- Something stuffed.
- Can she infuse

enough flavor to get back into
the competition?

Do you have enough time

- to get that done?
- We're going to see.

Redemption is massive.
I want to get back in.

Find out now on demand

or wherever you stream
Top Chef.

Next time on Top Chef...

Welcome to Restaurant Wars.

- Oh my--
- Not only will you have to serve

the judges
at a chef's counter,

but you will also have to feed
a restaurant full of diners.

This might be,
I want to say sh--show.

Oh, sorry.

- You okay?
- Be gentle!

Get all the oxtail.

- Good luck.
- Good luck.

I'm winning, okay?
That's the mentality.

That has lost,
like, 40 ----ing minutes.

I still haven't
resolved in my head

what I'm going to change
this dish to.

Taste the barbecue sauce.

Chef table,
that's going to be five judges.

The most important
table of the day.

Today I'm extraordinarily
anxious

just because there's so many
moving parts.

- Showtime.
- This is like life and death.

I'm hoping they're ready
for the ride of their life.

This is my worst nightmare.

The guests
are looking right at you.

Something's going on
because the food is very,

very slow
coming out of this kitchen.

Yes.
This is not good.