08x06 - We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

[bunniefuu]

That was a free-for-all.

Casey had a lot of balls

for buying chicken feet.

I mean,
that was pretty impressive.

I was fully expecting
to hear my name.

Jamie, you're here because
you gave us a scallop dish

that had very little flavor.

Casey, your chicken feet

weren't cooked enough,
and therefore inedible.

Casey...

Please pack your knives
and go.

Sucks for her.
I feel bad.

But at the same time,
it's like, whatever.

She just att*cked
the challenge like,

"I'm not gonna just, like,

put up a dumpling."
Right.

I think everybody
expected Jamie to go home.

Honestly, her attitude
drives me nuts.

Not all of us failed
the [Bleep] Challenge.

Don't bust my balls

about not putting food out.

Dale can sit there
and be like,

"I only made eight good portions

for the last dim sum challenge,"

and then win.

I mean, like, really?

I could have made
four different dishes

and made ten portions
of each dish.

But that wasn't the challenge.

Marcel's still hating on me.

"You only cooked eight plates
for the judges,

and that's all you [Bleep] Did."

I'm like,
"didn't count my plates."

Good night, Tiff.

Good night, Carla.

Good night, guys.

Here's the [Bleep] deal.

I don't know
how you guys do it

in your [Bleep] seasons,

but I embrace the challenges,

and I make food
for the [Bleep] people.

Marcel's salty 'cause he
thinks his chicken wings won.

You're wasting
a lot of energy on something

that you can't change.

You made [Bleep] 20 dishes,
and whatever.

We were supposed to make
[Bleep] 150,

so what the [Bleep]?

You won the [Bleep] Challenge.
Whatever.

You told me to [Bleep]--
You tell me to plate

five portions.

You know what,
that's why they call it

a [Bleep] Game.

And that's why they call it

a [Bleep] Challenge.

And if you want
to cry about it,

you want to be
a little [Bleep] Bitch,

then get the [Bleep]
Out the game.

Marcel's lucky I took
anger management training.

The old me
would have been like,

"I'm gonna b*at
your [Bleep] Ass

if you don't shut the [Bleep] Up
right now."

- Put it on a plate.
- Put it on the [Bleep] Plate.

I definitely have noticed
throughout the weeks

that we've been here
that Marcel

is kind of an ass[Bleep].
[Growls]


to fight it out for $1/2 million

in cash and prizes,
the most in Top Chef history,

and the grand prize--

a feature
in Food & Wine magazine,

a showcase at the annual
Food & Wine classic in Aspen,

$200,000

to pursue
their culinary dreams,

furnished by Buitoni,

and the title
that's eluded them all--

Top Chef.

[Rock music]

[Alarm beeps]

What are we doing?

Oh, hell no.

It's dark outside.

Morning.
Good morning.

What the hell
is going on here?

It's too late
for a midnight snack,

too early for breakfast.

What I'm gonna do today?

We walk
into the kitchen

and I'm completely confused.

I look around.
Where's Padma?

Nobody got Padma up
at this time of the morning?

Mm.
- Uh-oh.

We got a map.

All right, Chefs...

"Meet us in Montauk!"

[Shouting]

I think it's pretty clear

between the sign
and the note

we are actually going fishing.

To have the opportunity
to just get out

of the Top Chef kitchen

and go to the water
and fish,

if that's really what's coming,

I'm pretty excited.

We're going to Montauk.

Long Island!

Once we find the note
that says we're heading

to Montauk,
we jump in our Toyota Siennas

and head out.

We arrive in Montauk

at the lighthouse.

It's so pretty here.

And it is

just this beautiful sight.

Welcome
to beautiful Montauk Point,

the most popular fishing spot

in the state
of New York.

We're going fishing.

- Yay!
- Yeah.

Chefs, I come here
all the time to fish.

You'll find things
like bluefish,

sea bass,
striped bass,

and some porgy.

There will be
no quickfire today.

Your elimination challenge
is simple.

You'll have five hours
to catch as many fish as you can

and cook it on the beach
for 200 people.

You'll be working
in four teams of three.

Team challenges
are not my favorite thing.

Especially after the dim sum
team challenge,

which was just a disaster.

So, Chefs,
to determine teams,

pull out of this net.

- Team three.
- Team three.

- Two.
- One.

- Two.
- Three.

On my team
is Jamie and Tiffani F.

Last time I was on a team
with the two of them,

we basically were
the most horrific team ever.

It's kind of hard
not to be like "ugh."

- Team one.
- Team two.

- Four.
- Team four.

Four.

I'm glad
Marcel is not on my team.

It's hard to work with that guy.
He can kiss my ass.

Chefs, the other thing
you need to know--

this is a double elimination.

Oh.

Two of you
will be going home.

This is going
to be a double elimination.

I don't care if I have to,
like, jump in the ocean

and wrestle it
onto the [Bleep] Deck.

I'm gonna catch fish.

Teams one and three,

you'll go out
on the Sea Wife IV.

Teams two and four,

you'll go out on Susie E. II.

Chefs, good luck.

And have fun.

Catch a big one.

Just get in on here?

- Yeah. Hey, guys.
- What's going on, man?

I hate the water.

I watched Jaws too many times,

and it really got
into my head.

A shark's scent is up
to an average of two miles.

I mean, even just
the smallest droplet of blood

attracts the sharks.

That's a beautiful bay.

- It's amaz--
oh, God, we got a leak.

I don't even go in the pools

'cause this whole shark thing

has really affected my mind.

- Hopefully, we can get
two big stripers or--

- we will.

My team is Fabio
and Marcel.

And we're on the boat with
team Angelo, Tiffany, and Mike.

This is good
fishing grounds.

This time of year
especially.

It's perfect fishing ground.

I'm a good fisherman.

My dad has been for a while

in the national team

in Italy, and he gave me
his passion for fish.

Yeah.

- That's a good sign.
- Tons of fish there.

It's a good sign.

Fabio seems to know
a lot about fishing.

It makes us a stronger team
in my opinion.

- Get it, girl.
- It's time to fish, yo.

Here fishy, fishy, fishy,

fishy, fishy.

It's my team,
Antonia, Jamie, and I,

and then Dale, Carla, and Tre
are also on our boat.

Short, quick, snapping motions
like that.

See what I'm doing?

You don't have the rod
like this.

- [Laughs]
- Not off to the side.

You'll see other boats
doing it different.

Do not pay attention.

Do it the way we do it,
okay?

I like going fishing
'cause for me

it reminds me
of going out with my father.

He's an angler.

He's fished
for his whole life.

I'm gonna k*ll it
on this challenge,

make my dad proud.

I've been on a fish boat
several times,

but I--but I haven't,
like, held the rod.

[Laughs]

I want to catch a fish
that's, like, half my size.

- It's, like, bigger than you.
- Like that. Totally.

That would be awesome.
Whoa. Dale's got something.

I dropped the pole down,
I jigged, like, three times,

and, vroo,
a fish hits.

Come on, baby.
Bring it in, baby.

Bring it on in.
Unbelievable.

It was almost
like it was planned.

Five minutes into it,

I have a fish.

Holy [Bleep].

[Exclamations]

I channeled my father
with that one.

[Laughter]

I give that up
to my old man right there.

[Chuckles]

First striper, baby.

The other team,
I could see it in their face,

there was a little worry.

"Hey, they've
already gotten something

and we haven't gotten
anything yet."

Come on, fishy.

You want to switch out,
buddy?

I don't want you
to get tired.

Oh, you see that?
Right there.

I think I saw a jumper.

Oh, there's a jumper
right there.

Keep it up.
Keep it up.

We just need to get
that first one.

Then they'll smell it
on you.

You know what I'm saying?

It might not be easy, guys.

It's gonna be a long day.

Oh, my gosh.
[Shouting]

[Overlapping chatter]

I'm the first to catch a fish
on my team

and it's really exciting.

[Screaming]

I start screaming
like a fourth-grader.

[Screaming]

All: Antonia! Antonia!

Yes! Yes!

Okay, I see it.

That's another bluefish.

- [Sighs]
- Yes. Wow.

Yeah, Tre.

[Cheers and ululates]

- Yeah.
- [Bleep]

It's gonna be a while.

Man, they were jumping
a second ago.

Come on, Fabio.

No fish for Fabi today.
What's going on here?

Reality is that we're gonna need


to feed 100 people.

At this ratio,

we have to be here
till midnight.

It's not looking too good
in there, guys.

We can't catch anything,

so I don't know
if, like, are we feeding them

the wrong thing?
Spirits are bad.

Oh, lord,
it's gonna be a while.

No, not yet.
I'm good.

Carla!
Whoo!

How many you got?

- How many?
- We've got five.

No.

Five stripers.

And a bluefish.

Man.

Man, they're racking 'em in
over there.

The other boat
hasn't caught any fish?

- Zero so far.
- Wow.

We've been out here
for, like, three hours already.

I got nothing but a nibble.

[Laughter]

See, they're doing the thing
that he said

don't look at other boats.

Look at 'em.
[Overlapping chatter]

You're not rowing a boat,
Mike.

You're catching fish.

Fabio, Blais, and I,

we're off
to a very shaky start.

And knowing that two people
are gonna go home

doesn't feel that good

if you don't catch
fresh fish in this challenge,

you might as well pack
your knives and go home now.

Oh, seriously.
There's, like, so much sand.

I'm just like,
"give me a break."

[Bleep] Hell, it's hot.

Thank God this cucumber's
dripping all over me.

It's kind of like having
a little baby in the background.

I hope you catch
an Italian fish, Fabio.

[Laughs] Sardine?

Our elimination challenge
is catching our own fish

and then having to cook
our own catch.

They have five stripers?

- And a blue.
- One team?

The other team's boat
is catching all sorts of fish.

They're having a good time, man.

Everyone's giving
each other high-fives.

We signed up for
the wrong cruise ship.

We're in trouble.

Push it down
instead of up.

Push it--
just slam it down.

Here fishy,
fishy, fishy, fishy.

All right, I think I got one.
I think I got one.

- Here we go.
- Oh, yeah!

Fabio gets a bite.

And about 20 seconds later,
I get a bite on my line too.

Yeah, Fabio.

I hope he didn't
bite both lines.

Are you serious?
Whoa!

There it is.

I'll get him.

- Yeah!
- Whoo!

Finally, people started
catching a bunch of fish.

It's a big one!

Yeah!

Oh, we got a winner.

Yeah! Come on!

- There you go, brother!
- Whoo!

Yeah!

Now pick it up.

Watch the hook.

- Oh!
- Oh!

With a striped bass,

you can typically get
anywhere from 10 to 25 portions

out of each fish.

I've already caught two,

and I think we're starting
to pick up some momentum.

Thank you.

Oh, this is a big one.

[Laughing]

You're gonna go up,
then down.

Come on, tiff.

How's your husband
gonna feel about this?

He'll be all right.

If we win some money,
he'll be real happy.

Mikey can be disrespectful.

He is such a dog.

I'm like, "Mikey, stop."

Holy [Bleep]. Jesus.

Mine is a fighter

like his mama!

It's gonna be
a big fish, dude.

I'm losing a little bit
of grip right here.

We kind of have
a weird technique

that I don't know
if I'm proud of,

but, like, I'm kind of sitting
in Marcel's lap...

Oh, [Bleep] Me.

Holding his rod.

That's bad.

Ooh, we got a big one.

[Laughing]

I'm tired.

I throw the line out
into the water,

and I feel the line
sh**t off in another direction.

You got it, baby.
Breathe. There you go.

- Dale looks like
he's going into labor--

head down, red-faced,

like the baby is crowning.

Look at the sweat
dripping off his chin.

There he is.

Dude, Dale!
Yeah!

[Laughing]

[Screams]

That ginormous
striped bass

that Dale pulled
out of the water

was like a dragon.

Huge.

Dude!

That is great big fish.

Whoo hoo hoo!

- This fish is--
it's not as big as Marcel.

It's bigger.

It kind of has
the same anatomy--

a really big head
and then a little body,

like a little
bobble-head doll.

[Laughing]

Buttery corn puree.

You want to do
a corn puree underneath?

Yeah.

On our way back to shore,

we started doing
some menu planning.

One strong dish
with multiple components.

I'm letting Marcel think

that he's come up
with the entire dish.

That's the key
to managing Marcel.

If we do
just one dish, guys,

and something go wrong
then?

I know.

Simplicity is the sign
of perfection, man.

- It's a double-
elimination challenge.

Three of us
making one dish.

I think it's a good idea,

because if we're
on the bottom,

it will be hard
for the judges to decide

who to send home
among us.

This is psychological
warfare.

Thanks, Captain.

Thank you.

People who fish, like,
have this thing about fishing,

how great
the experience is,

but I never understood it
until today.

Absolutely one of
the best days I've ever had.

I will never forget
this moment.

Hopefully,
it makes my dad proud.

We arrive
at the farmers market.

We have 30 minutes, $150.

Get what you think is nice.
How about that?

The ingredients here
are bangin'.

If we really
just pay attention,

the market is dictating
the dish in itself.

Are you sure--
- I tasted 'em.

- Spicy, please.
- Taste a bite of that.

Not a lot.

- Ahem.
- I think it's plenty--

- why'd you give that to me?

'Cause you didn't trust me.

You're complaining
that you wanted spice--

oh!

I got you, Richie.
I got your back, brother.

Maestro, why you
so good to me?

'Cause I like you.

Blais and Fabio
cannot be separated.

They are newfound love.

- The lady peas?
- Right there, fresh beans.

They're having
their own little bromance.

They are
like The Odd Couple.

It's like the Professor

and the strange
Italian immigrant.

Maestro, let's go
in the shade.

[Bleep].
[Laughing]

What'd you get?

I haven't gotten
anything yet.

Bluefish is considered
kind of a trashy fish.

It's oily, and I caught
two of those.

You want to get
some more lettuce?

Yeah, I'll get it.

So at the market,
I'm looking for

something that balances
everything.

However, there's going to be
a double elimination,

and I don't want to go home
because of the bluefish.

That lettuce looks great.

My mouth's on fire.

[Bleep],
those peppers are hot.

This challenge
is very back-to-basics.

It's using
what's available around you.

That's the way
that I like to cook,

so I'm excited about it.

We should take something off.
We don't need those.

There's this sense of

where is Jamie
in this competition?

She is probably
the weak member of the team.

I'm just making sure that
I keep some distance from her.

All righty.

Shorty,
you all right over there?

[Laughing]

I would have grabbed
some nori for Marcel.

Be like, "here you go!"

My girlfriend
put a letter in my bag.

Before I left home,
my wife said,

"you have my permission

to not miss us
while you're gone."

I have one of
the best women out there.

Oh, [Bleep], man.

My sous Chef in life
and my best friend

is my wife.

I love being here,
I love competing,

I love cooking,
but I miss my best friend.

[Energetic music]

♪ ♪

Arriving
at water taxi beach,

it's gorgeous.

I always thought Manhattan
was really cool,

but actually being
on the other side

and looking into Manhattan
is even cooler.

Tiffany,
where's the thyme?

- Grocery bags.
- No sand in the food, yeah?

I already have sand
in my shoes.

Oh, seriously,
there's, like, so much sand.

Where are our towels?

It's crazy to me.

Jamie'll complain,
she'll be tired

and want to go home,

and I'm just like
"give me a break."

[Bleep] Hell, it's hot.

Feel like the sun is just
right on me for some reason.

Jamie's gonna be
her own demise,

because she's...

[Whines]

And all that.

Make sure those things
are on over there.

My God, this cucumber's
dripping all over me.

It's kind of like
just having

a little baby
in the background.

Antonia, I used
all that sugar, okay?

- You used all that?
- Mm-hmm.

Feel like the team aspect
is a little less important,

because people are always
gonna be out for themselves,

especially
being a double elimination,

so we're all taking
responsibility

for our own dishes.

Jamie, you're frying.

Yeah, it's supposed to be.

- Listen...
- I just turned 'em down too.

If you don't want me
to tell you, I won't.

Fish can be tricky,

because you have to know
where the tendons are,

where the muscles are,
where the flesh is.

The one thing about bluefish

is that is has
a dark blood line

and it could be bitter
and fishy,

so I want to make sure
that that isn't

in my lettuce wrap.

Richard, you want some onions
in there or no?

Yeah, yeah.

There is a lot
that needs to get done.

We have to allocate tasks,

and Fabio being, you know,
the baby kisser that he is,

we decide to put him
up in the front,

so that way, he can
work on plating

and also all the prep work
for the vegetables.

It's kind of like
a "yes, Chef" sort of situation.

- Richie, this size.
- Yes.

Even a little smaller
if you could.

That's nice.
That's nice.

Everybody here
wants to be a rock star,

but the reality is that
there is no rock star

without
the backstage people.

And that's
what I'm doing today.

I'm doing all the prep work.

That's the base

for the success of our dish.

I'm gonna start
cutting these green beans.

- Fabio was gonna do that next.
- Yes.

Stay on the plan.

Quite honestly, Marcel
is the guy

that wants to do
just one dish.

Marcel, where
are you at, Chef?

Jamon stock is infusing.

Going on the succotash.

And it's one dish with,
like, seven elements on it.

Okay, I'm almost done
with the bean.

Your, uh, peppers
are about to come to you

in less than five minutes.

It might have been a mistake
to listen to Marcel.

In retrospect,
I probably should have said

let's do two,
so I'm very concerned.

Fabio, I need you to get
those peppers.

Fabio, we need
to push, dude.

Fabio's taking
a little b*ating

from his brother Blais.

Fabio, we need you
on that puree.

I am.
I am right here.

Push, push, push.

, shut up.

That's beautiful.

I think it's tasty.

We're marinating them
for sure?

Today is
a double elimination.

So I'm,
like, super nervous.

Watch the grit.
I just got a piece of sand.

Sand or thyme?

Sand.

Especially, like, because
I work in a seafood restaurant,

definitely don't want
to screw up anything.

It would be very embarrassing.

It's the wind.
There's nothing you can do.

- Hey, Chefs.
- Chef, how are you?

How many dishes
are you doing?

We're working
on one dish.

Why only one dish?

Well, we pretty much
predominantly caught one fish.

You guys only caught
one fish?

No, one type of fish.

How are you cooking it?

Pan roasted
in some ghee and some thyme.

We're gonna do
like a jamon froth.

Jamon froth.

So do you guys think
you're at a disadvantage

because if this one dish
goes down,

there's nothing
to fall back on?

- But it won't.
- It won't?

If Tom asks you a question
about something,

he's loading amm*nit*on.

Well, I guess you're
hanging on one dish.

Good luck.
So not good.

Hey, Chef.

How many dishes are you doing?

- Two.
- Two. Okay.

Two dishes in between us all.

Cool.
How was the market?

It was really good
just,

you know, going right
from the boat

right to the market.

That is my perfect
idea of summer.

You fish, you catch fish,
you go to the market,

you get your vegetables,
and you cook.

- Yeah.
- All right, cool.

- All right, thanks, Chef.
- See you later.

- Thanks, Chef.
- Hey, Chefs.

- Hello, Chef.
- Hey, Chef.

How's it going?
Is that the big one?

It was, I think,
catch of a lifetime.

I'll remember that moment
for the rest of my life.

Cool.

I'm doing
a whole roasted striped bass

and I'm toasting up
flour tortillas.

Did you make
the tortillas or...

I did not make
the tortillas.

Um...

I was like, "come on,
man, really?"

Why would he say that?

And then you start
to second-guess yourself.

Should I have made
the flour tortillas?

Hey, Chefs.
So what are you making?

Um, so we're making
three different dishes

using all three of the fish
that we caught

and I got porgy.
Great.

You k*ll it, you gotta cook it.
Gotta cook it.

I'm gonna smoke
some of the bluefish

and flake it
into the garnish.

So have you worked
with bluefish before?

- I have, yeah.
- It deteriorates very quickly

because it's so fatty.

It's actually
a really lovely fish,

but it's just, you know...

Tom was giving me, like,
a strange look about the fish,

and it was
a little disconcerting.

- Thanks.
- Thanks, Chef.

There's a perception
that bluefish

is, like, a terrible fish,

and that's
not at all the case.

It's fresh.
It's really a lovely fish.

And I think
I've already in my head

sort of committed
to cooking bluefish.

So I'm fine.

I said I can smoke it

and flake it in
with my blue.



So, Fabio, I need you
to do that

and then make
the corn puree, okay?

Yes, I'll do
the corn puree.

Fabio, I need you to get

those peppers
and that corn done, right?

Yes, I am.

Let me finish
this pepper.

I have three minutes here,
and then I'm on the corn.

Fabio,
we need to push, dude.

I'm pushing, brother,
as fast as I can.

Dude, shut up.

It won't get faster done
if you keep asking.

I gotta go a little slower here
on the pepper,

'cause I don't
wa to smash them.

We don't have
a lot of time.

I'll get it done.

Just let me do it.
We'll be fine.

Fabio, we need you
on that puree.

I am.
I am right here.

Corn first, puree it,
see how it is,

add cream only
when we need to.

I love him to death,

but this guy's gonna get
a heart att*ck

if he doesn't peace himself
out a little bit.

Today,
it looks like

Fabio's taking
a little b*ating

from his, uh,
his brother Blais.

- Can you strain that--
that sauce?

I hear Blais talking
in Fabio's ear all day long.

Push, push, push, push, huh?

Bay leaf? Everything's
on the spice shelf.

Okay, sorry, Chef.

You remind me
of somebody I fired once.

- Chef! Sorry.
- [Laughing]

We've got eight minutes,
everybody. Eight minutes.

- We're in trouble.
- Huh?

We're in trouble.
We have to go.

At the end of the time,

you know, I go into over-worried
mode as always.

We gotta set up
our station up here.

We're in trouble, brother.
We're fine.

Oh, man.

The succotash is
not really succotash to me.

Succotash
is a little fresher.

And, you know,
Marcel's got a heavy hand,

and it's a little,
like, overworked.

We're gonna need
some cilantro chopped.

Give it to me.
I'll [Bleep] Chop it.

- Wait, wait, hold on.
- That's lovely.

One minute, guys!
One minute!

Give me the chive oil.

[Beeps]

Diners are entering.

When the diners come in,

they come in
like a herd of cattle.

Mike, you have
more fish coming?

- The Merlot.
- Three Pinot grigios.

Welcome
to water taxi beach.

- Hi.
- Hi, how are you?

I'm so excited
to be eating your food.

Thank you.

- Hi.
- How are you?

Good. How are you?

So you guys
catch the fish?

Yeah, we did, actually.

You have a lot
of fun, man?

I'm sore.
I can't even move it.

[Laughter]

I'm just doing
a, uh, fresh fish taco.

It's so colorful.

Where's the fish from?

- Um, it's from Montauk.
- Oh, it is?

Yeah.

Of course,
I caught the fish!

- You caught the fish?
- Yes!

Girl, I was like this.

[Laughter]

It's a strong fish.

It's so pretty here.

Yeah, I've been here
for a bunch of parties.

- You have?
- Yeah, it's awesome, right?

It's really nice.

And it's so close
to the city.

How's it going?

Can we get a couple
of cocktails?

Thank you.

Okay.

I'm interested
to go taste the fish

and see what they caught.
Yeah.

Help yourself, guys.

You enjoy your night, okay?

- Hi.
- Hello.

- How are you?
- Very good.

This is Kerry Heffernan.

He's the Chef
at South Gate Restaurant.

He's gonna be our guest judge
for this challenge.

Also, a fishing buddy
of mine

and a Chef that happens
to know more about fish

than pretty much
any Chef I know.

- Pleasure to meet you, Chef.
- Good to see you.

We've got some, uh, sea bass
and succotash for you here.

Little corn puree,
little cherry tomato confit,

a little jamon froth.

Me and Marcel sort of had
the same idea at the same time,

which, um,
is always a good thing

when you have three different
minds coming together.

- Good to see you.
- Thanks, guys.

- Hi.
- How are you?

Is this the fish
we've been hearing about?

This is one of the fish.

Fish of a lifetime.

- It really was.
- Yeah.

I'm making a, uh,
fish taco.

With that, I'm serving
a corn and avocado relish,

and a little bit
of radish and cabbage.

This is a tribute
to the New York bagel.

The smoked bluefish
is a hot smoke,

and then pickled
watermelon rind,

fresh, um, cucumbers
and radishes,

and then I have
a little bit

of toasted
pumpernickel bagels.

Here's my version
of a gazpacho salad.

Bread that's grilled
on the grill,

cucumbers
from the fresh market,

tomatoes.

I added in
a little bit of avocado

just to make it even
a little bit more lighter.

- Thanks to all of you.
- Bye. Have fun tonight.

Hey, guys,
mind if we join you?

Now, this team
only made one dish.

The beans in Marcel,
Richard, and Fabio's dish

just a tiny bit overcooked,

like, just
a little bit mushy.

I just don't know

if the foam
needs to be there.

Yeah, I think, uh,
foam on the beach,

I'm not sure
if that's a bad cocktail.

I like the corn puree a lot.
It's really good.

I like the succotash,

but it's just, like,
overbears the fish,

so I really can't,
I don't know.

Is there no nitrogen
involved in this meal?

There is no nitrogen
involved...Yet.

Dale's taco.

I like how
he put the fish on top

to sort of
highlight the fish,

and the texture's
really wonderful.

Dale's fish tacos
were really good,

because he had
that big roasted fish.

For me, it was kind of like
channeling, uh,

my beach bum style.

Carla's fish is good.

That smoke is really nice.

It's nicely accented
by a little dill,

at that bit of pumpernickel,
that ode to New York.

Carla's lettuce wrap
was awesome.

Very refreshing, very light.

We were out near
the lighthouse.

It was so gorgeous, right?

Tre took a big chance
in sauteing

in an environment like this.

Fish was well cooked.

It's good.
It's, like, balanced.

It's kind of a race
against the fish.

So I start searing fish,

and I notice
the skin

keeps sticking
to the bottom of the pan.

Before the judges arrive,
I want to make sure

that their fish
is cooked really nicely.

- Hi.
- Hi, Padma.

- Hello.
- It's so nerve-racking.

Smells like
a fish fry over here.

I made a cucumber
and watermelon salad,

and then I have
a little cucumber water.

I caught some bluefish,

so, um, I've smoked
some of it

and flaked it into
a very simple salad.

To me, this is
the time of year

to sort of let nature
do its thing.

So I did porgy.
I'm not scared of it.

As far as cleaning the porgy,
it's kind of hard.

A lot of bones, huh?
Yes.

The yield on it is harder
because of that,

so I did a po boy.

A little bit of brioche
on the bottom.

So it's an open-faced po boy.

I did an old bay Mayo.

Enjoy.
Thank you.

- Hi.
- How are you?

I'm good.

As a collective effort,
we did pickled bluefish

with a little bit
of shallots and red chilies.

And the other one is
a little bass.

It's a beautiful
wild striped bass,

and a beautiful spiced
Syrian aleppo pepper,

watermelon for texture,
and a little spice.

Thanks, guys.

Thank you.
Cool.

Tiffany, Mike,
and Angelo's pickled bluefish.

- The fish was nice.
- Yes.

And the smashed potato
is nice.

The herbs
are really nice,

but the potatoes
are a little bit heavy.

No, no, not yet.

I'm gonna go--
I'm thinking spring.

Spring in Paris.

There's something about

Mike, Angelo, and Tiffany's
striped bass dish that--

there's a lot of, like,
competing flavors I find.

It's okay.
The fish is cooked well.

The watermelon's awesome.

- It's very light.
- Very refreshing.

Guys, we are looking
for prep cooks

if anybody's interested.

[Laughter]

Jamie Lauren, let's see
what you're made of.

She certainly
didn't season the fish.

The cucumber water
on its own is delicious.

Very nice,
but it's kind of redundant.

It's water with water.

- It's a fish story.
- Yeah, 90 inches.

"We wrestled it
into the boat."

Yes.

Let's try
Antonia's po boy.

It took a lot of courage
to use the porgy,

which is considered not to be
a noble fish.

I could have eaten
a giant sandwich.

This po boy
is so spicy,

but it's actually,
like, with the crispy,

it works really well.

You didn't catch 'em
in the river.

Did not catch him

in the east river,
don't worry. [Laughs]

I wanted a little bit
of acidity in Tiffani's dish.

It was
a little bit crude.

I wanted to like it more.

Lacks a little bit
of elegance and finishing here.

I don't normally
like bluefish.

Yeah, me, neither.
It's not a fish

that I would ever pick out
at the store.

I live in boon,

but worked on nantucket
for a couple of summers.

So this was our staff meal,
honestly.

- Hello.
- Hi, guys.

- How are you?
- I'm good. I'm good.

How are you?
How are you?

We ate at your restaurant
about a month ago.

Oh, good.

Tell us, um,
what you guys ate tonight.

Everything.

I found Carla's
so refreshing

with the lettuce wrap
and stuff,

and the great dill taste
and a wonderful sauce.

I actually loved
everything I had.

I'm not a big fish eater.

Came to
the wrong place, sir.

Angelo wants to meet you.

[Both laughing]

Let's go, boys!

This guy, he's shy.

Look at him
hiding down there.

[Both laughing]

[Bleep]

Get the [Bleep]
Out of here.

- Hey.
- Hi.

How was your meal?

It was delicious.

The Chefs did a great job,
they really did.

Perfect
for this environment,

fish on the beach.

And they had
a good time out there.

It makes the food
taste better.

That's it.

When you k*ll it,
you have respect for it.

A lot of people
came up here and said

that our table
was their favorite.

I mean, I heard that a lot.

I saw Jamie cooking
her fish for the judges.

It was
a [Bleep] Train wreck.

The skin
fell off the fish.

Flipped it over,
it broke in half.

See, what I think
about their dish,

I think it was
a lot of flavor for the bass.

If you're a team
and you do one dish,

I think it's really hard
to distinguish

who did what
on the one dish.

It's sort of annoying
to me,

'cause that almost feels
like a little bit of a cop-out.

You know,
I have a least favorite.

I think getting rid
of the second person,

that's gonna be
a difficult thing to do.

Let's get back
to judges' table.

All right,
I'm packin' my knives.

[Laughing]

Let's go.

- Mikey!
- Hey, I'm comin'!

Do you feel that you could
have helped your teammates?

Why are you crying?

[Belches]

- Mike blows a lot of--

definitely
a lot of gas continuously,

so I think
if Mike was a fish,

I think he would
definitely be a blowfish.

- Whoo! Whoo!
- Oh, my God!

I think Tre would be
one of those creatures

that buries itself
under the sand.

Sometimes you don't
even notice Tre

until, like, he's laughing.

[Laughing]

Angelo would be a mermaid.

A siren of the sea.

[Laughing]

[Somber music]

♪ ♪

I smell
like smoked fish.

Yeah, I smell
like smoke, too.

Wow, two people
are going home today.

I was thinking about

what possibly could have
been wrong with the dish,

overanalyzing.

Gonna give yourself
an ulcer.

I gonna always take
the pessimistic point of view.

I'm right there
with you.

Good evening.

We'd like to see Dale,

Carla, Tre, Tiffany,
Mike, and Angelo.

I don't know,
when they call somebody first,

it doesn't mean
they're on the top.

You know what I mean?

I think
we're at the bottom.

I hope I'm wrong.

[Suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

Chefs, your teams

had our favorite dishes
of the night.

[Relieved sighs]

Yes.

It was wonderful
to taste all of your food.

[Exhales]

The winner
of this challenge

will win a trip
to Amsterdam.

Oh, my gosh.

Mike, let's start
with your team.

Angelo made
the escabeche liquid

and the spice rub for it,

so I rubbed 'em
and cooked 'em.

Tiffany and Angelo
cooked bass.

You cooked that fish
perfectly.

I was very impressed
by the escabeche.

Really enjoyed it.

Thank you.

Dale, the diners
we ate dinner with tonight

went crazy
for your taco.

You could taste the lemon,

you could taste
that sofrito.

This is the kind of food
we want to eat

in this environment.

- Thank you.
- Carla?

My inspiration
with the bluefish

was to do something
representative of New York.

It took us in
a totally different direction.

Didn't expect it
on the beach,

and it made total sense.

If you said,
"make smoked fish and bagel,"

and this is
what you came up with?

This is--
it's just brilliant.

Thank you.

Kerry,
as our guest judge,

please tell us
who won this challenge.

The dish that impressed
us the most

was perfect
in that beach environment.

The winner is...

♪ ♪

Carla.

[Applause]
Congratulations.

It's me...Again!

Congratulations, Carla.

You've won
a six-night trip

to Hilton Amsterdam
in Holland,

plus $5,000 for airfare

furnished by Hilton hotels
and resorts.

I can't
even put into words

how much it means to me
to win these challenges.

I'm speechless.

Thank you, Chefs.

Please send back
the other two teams.

- Thank you.
- Thank you so much.

I won! I won!
I won!

[Applause]
I'm going to Amsterdam.

- Sorry if I'm not
super-ecstatic right now,

'cause that means
that we're on the bottom.

Sorry.
I'm sorry.

They can see you.

- Good luck, guys.
- Good luck, guys.

- Good luck, guys.
- Thank you.

I should have
contained my excitement.

- No. No.
- It works both ways.

Absolutely not.
You're here to win.

[Suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

Chefs, your teams
were our least favorites.

Richard, Marcel,
and Fabio.

Our dish, uh, actually
came about very organically.

We caught five stripers
in a row,

so we decided to just go
with the striped bass.

Why did you decide
to do one dish together?

The previous challenge
led up to this a bit.

I think we were told
that we didn't really operate

as a team
in the first challenge,

and figured
that we could do one dish,

you know, well,
instead of three dishes okay.

You really hung your hat
one one thing.

Richard and Marcel,
I know you guys said

you came up with the idea
for succotash at the same time.

Who made the succotash?

I did 95% of the work
as far as Kn*fe.

I blanched all the veg,
he cut all the veg,

he finished it.

- Air?
- I made the air.

I filleted and cooked
the fish.

It was a team challenge
for us.

We were
pushing each other.

I mean, he asked me
about the corn



Was there
a trust issue there?

There needed to be
restraint with it.

I think the Concord grape,
for example,

it became overkill.

- Going for that
restaurant-quality thing

on the beach

hampered your ability
to execute.

It became very heavy.

And muddled, yeah.

And the flavors got
all kind of muddled up.

It was also
a textural problem,

which was compounded by
the vessel you gave it to us in.

You were given a plastic dish
to serve this in,

and you didn't think
to change it and think,

how can I
do this differently?

Guess we thought
that it was gonna work,

and it didn't.

All right,
let's talk to the ladies.

Antonia.

You know, I know
the term "fish fry"

had been thrown around,

and I was, like,

fried porgy to me
is delicious.

Had you been on a team

that didn't have
two weaker dishes,

you probably would be going
to Amsterdam right now,

because it was my favorite
dish of the evening.

There was heat.

The old bay
gave it great flavor.

It was perfect.

Thank you.
I appreciate it.

- Jamie?
- I got to the market,

I saw
these beautiful cucumbers

and these gorgeous
watermelons,

and I wanted to do something
really light

and just showcase
that piece of bass,

which is
a really light white fish.

What did you do
with the cucumbers?

I took
the sliced cucumbers,

put it in a blender
with some water.

You don't think there's
enough water in the cucumber

to make the water
without adding water?

I mean, I wanted to have
a really, like,

sort of brothy look to it.

Everything tastes bland
after tasting the fish.

It sort of just all seemed
washed out.

There was juiciness,
but there wasn't flavor,

and that's
what we really needed.

Tiffani?

It's very classic
to smoke bluefish, obviously,

like, it holds up
to a good amount of smoke,

and I wanted to just

lightly roast
the bluefish as well,

just get
a really nice, crispy skin.

The skin on bluefish
is interesting,

but you also have something else
to deal with there,

which is kind
of the bloodline.

There may be a little bit
too much of that.

You know, Ker,
I think you're being kind

to Tiffani and her dish.

The bloodline is
where this dish went wrong.

Whenever that's left on,
it is fishy and strong.

It was a really assertive
amount of fish,

and I found everything
sort of out of proportion.

What I want to know is

what you thought
of Tiffani and Jamie's dishes.

Did you have
a chance to taste them?

I did,
not in their entireties.

The problem, I think
is that it was all separate.

Do you feel like if you had
tasted them as a whole

that it would have
made a difference?

Antonia,
why are you crying?

Do you feel at all

that you could have helped
your teammates?

- I just--
I don't want to

see anybody go home.

Neither do we,

but, unfortunately,
two of you

will be going home.

So we'll call you back.
Thank you.

I mean, this could be,
honestly,

Marcel or Blais
could go home from this,

because it was their idea.

- [Sing-song]
We're back.

I think it is
a tough decision.

They're not sitting
there like,

"oh, well, that sucks."

They weren't unanimous
about anything.

Tiffani, Antonia,
and Jamie.

Tiffani's dish, for me,
the big problem was

the way that she cleaned
the bluefish.

She wanted to leave
the skin on.

The problem with that
is you leave the bloodline in,

and the bloodline
on that fish is just too strong.

- It was heavy-handed
all around.

It didn't show
any refinement or finesse.

Just became this kind
of muddled mess.

Jamie's dish, overall,
I thought was really bland.

The issue was
the opposite of Tiffani.

I think parts of that dish
were too refined,

too light
for a roasted piece of fish.

Jamie got stuck
in her head

about doing this broth,

and it watered down
the dish,

it washed out the dish.

You know, with Richard,
Marcel, and Fabio,

they needed somebody
on their team to say,

"there's too much stuff
on one plate."

It sounds like Fabio
didn't seem to have a whole lot

that he was working on
or doing.

Fabio said that he did


If you're doing
all those Kn*fe cuts,

you're probably not contributing
to as much of the dish.

I don't know.

Marcel and Richard
were really the two

who conceptualized
that dish.

Shouldn't they be to blame

for the fact that it had
way too many components?

Right.

Richard,
he cooked the fish.

He also made
the gastrique,

which was one of my least
favorite components on the dish.

And it may have detracted
from it as a whole.

- Marcel--when you
think about it,

it's like Marcel
just can't help himself.

He has to do a foam.

He gets in his own way
that way.

Well, I think
we have our answer.

- Yes.
- Absolutely.

Okay, let's
get them out here.

[Suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

Chefs, it's
a team challenge.

You were asked to catch
and cook

all that the sea
had to offer.

Tiffani, Antonia,
and Jamie,

you worked together
as a team.

Antonia, you put together
a great dish,

but your other teammates
let you down.

Perhaps, if you give them
a little critical feedback,

you wouldn't be
in this position.

Tiffani, your dish
was heavy-handed

and very fishy.

Jamie, the dish
was just bland.

It was very watery.

Just never really
came together.

Fabio, Richard, Marcel,

just too many elements
on the dish.

Just didn't measure up
to some of the other dishes.

Fabio, I just didn't really see
you in this dish at all.

I don't know what part
you played,

but you didn't seem
to have left your mark.

Richard, you made
that Concord gastrique

and we just didn't care
for it.

It didn't have a place
in this dish.

Marcel, you conceived
of the dish,

and there was
just too much going on.

Not quite sure
that we needed the foam.

Just overly complicated
and not necessary.

Unfortunately,
for two of you,

you'll be going home.

♪ ♪

Tiffani...

Jamie...

Please pack your knives
and go.

Okay.

Thank you.

From the beginning
of this,

I came in just wanting
to sort of

have a different experience
and really enjoy it,

and I did.

I'm very aware of the perception
of who I was in season one,

but I've
become a different person.

I know that I feel good
about the dish,

and if they didn't like it,
they didn't like it,

and that's fine.

Aw.

The feeling of just
being very clear on who I am

as a Chef and a cook
and a person

far outweighs
whatever pride I felt

about just going to the finale
in the first season.

Bye, guys.

[Applause]

I'm bummed that there was
two challenges

that I didn't cook on.

I'm bummed
that they didn't like

the one dish
that I was proud of.

But this has been
an amazing opportunity.

I wouldn't change it
for the world.

What's next for me

is going home
to the most amazing girlfriend.

Kelly's everything to me.

- next,
on Top Chef All-Stars...

Restaurant wars!

♪ Duh duh duh ♪
let the games begin.

The honey is cold,
the lamb is cold,

everything is.

Just keep on cooking,
all right?

Watch the way
you [Bleep] Talk to me.

We will be right back
with you with the drink order.

Dana Cowan is here tonight.

Dana, you're about
to have a date with me tonight.

This is not organized
at all.

We don't know why they bring it
over there.

Get the [Bleep] Away
from me right now.

Don't talk like that
to my server.

If this was my restaurant,

I would just send both of them
home right there and then.

It's not appealing
to eat.

It was like a perfect storm
of [Bleep] Awfulness.