01x01 - Who Deserves to Be Here

[bunniefuu]

What does it take to make it as a chef?

Being a great chef is about
perseverance and dedication.

It's long hours and it
takes years of training.

It's hard to get recognized.

You have to have solid credentials
before you can get your own kitchen.

Of the thousands that applied,

twelve of the country's most talented
chefs sharpen their knives from battle.

Top chefs are working with fire,
knives, and people every day,

and that's a lethal combination.

I'm not your b*tch, b*tch.

The competition is called Top Chef.
Do you know how to read the one?

Maybe you talk about what your
food makes you want to throw up.

Call the fire department.

Watching their every
move in the kitchen is

our head judge, culinary
giant Tom Colicchio.

I've been cooking for about 25 years.

I've seen three stars at the age of 26.

The recipient of five James Beard Awards,

I think it qualifies
me to be a judge here.

Would you have served
that in a restaurant?

No.

Why serve it here?

Joining us at the judges table is Gail
Simmons of Food and Wine magazine.

She's tough. She's a tough
critic. She has my respect.

At stake for the winner, a
feature in Food and Wine magazine.

A chance to showcase their culinary talents
at the annual Food and Wine Classic.

A state of the art, Kenmore
Elite Kitchen provided by Sears.

$100,000 to kick start their culinary
career and the title of Top Chef.

My name is Harold Dieterle. I'm
from New York City and I'm a chef.

I took a home class in high
school to meet girls and then

just right from the get go I
knew I had a knack for cooking.

I'm a professional, you
know. I've been doing this a

long time so it's definitely
time to take the next step.

My name is Andrea Beeman
and I teach cooking classes.

I teach people how to get
better food into their diet.

Antioxidant-rich
vegetables and whole foods.

It's so delicious and
fantastic. You can love it.

I got into cooking healthy food when
I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism.

I changed my diet
radically. I improved my

life when I improved
the quality of my food.

My name is Miguel
Morales. I currently work

in a large hotel in
New York City cooking.

It's been a passion of mine
since 11, 12 years old and that's

truly what this business is
about. Just passionate drive.

My name is Candace Kumai and yes I do do
modeling work and I do love the kitchen.

I am halfway through culinary
school right now. I am trying to

steer out of the modeling world
and go into the culinary world.

My name is Brian Hill. I'm
actually a personal chef.

I cook for celebrities like
Eddie Murphy, Mary J. Blige,

Mariah Carey, people that
can afford me if you will.

My name is Kent Lee and I'm from Dublin,

Ireland and at the moment
I live in Los Angeles.

I also have martial arts.

Back in Dublin, Ireland, we're working in

the kitchen. It's very,
very militaristic.

You put a plate of it, they flip your
plate, fill it all over the place.

I do not regret one day
of going through that

training because that's
the way I like kitchens.

Let's check this kitchen
out. What have we got here?

Oh nice. Goodness gracious. What
are you doing? You got a chair?

My name is Leanne Long. I am
currently the executive chef of

event operations at the French
Culinary Institute in Manhattan.

I've had the privilege of
working with some of the

best chefs in the world and
I'm confident in my skills.

I'm just here to do my thing.

My name is Steven Aspreneo.
I'm the sommelier in charge

of the wine program at a
restaurant called Nob Hill.

It's located at the
MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Now we open the champagne.

I'm definitely a leader.
I set an example and

a level of quality that
others should follow.

I'm Lisa Parks. I'm self-taught for the
most part, but I'm here for a reason.

I love to cook. It's what I do.

This is a housewife's
kitchen. You like this place?

F*** you. You hate your a*s.

My name is Cynthia Sestido.
I bought a restaurant many,

many years ago in the Hamptons
and it was very successful.

Basically what I'm doing now is
a lot of parties. I did Nikki

Hilton's party at Jay-Z and of
course Beyonce who's a doll.

My name is Dave Martin.
I'm currently running

a restaurant in downtown Manhattan Beach.

I'm kind of a late bloomer. I
was in the technology sector

and when the market crashed,
I landed at a restaurant.

So I was very successful
in my former life and now

I'm ready to be even more
successful in this life.

Is that class big enough? I don't know.

I know you packed the
world with you, girl.

I do, I do.

For me, this is a competition.
I mean, I don't want

to be a cliché, but I'm
not here to make friends.

If I meet some cool people among
the process, great. But I'm here to

win $100,000 and to win this
competition. That's all there is to it.

Seeing everybody together, we're
definitely a Motley crew. This is

definitely competition. I'm eager
to see if everybody can throw down.

I have no idea what's
coming, but I'm very excited.

I knew the challenge would be really
big today, being the first challenge.

We pulled around the corner
and it was fleur de lis.

I have no idea what I'm
getting myself into. As a chef,

you need to be prepared to
handle all sorts of twists.

Fleur de lis is an institution in San
Francisco. It's not just a restaurant.

It's been recognized all over
the country, all over the world.

Good evening, everyone. I'm
Katie Lee Joel. I'd like to

introduce you to two of the
finest chefs in the world.

This is Tom Colicchio and Hubert Keller.
I'm sure you're all familiar with Tom.

He's going to be keeping a very close
eye on you as head judge of Top Chef.

Each week, there will be
two challenges. First, the

Quick Fire Challenge, which
is a short, simple test.

The second is the
Elimination Challenge. If you

win tonight, you cannot
be eliminated tomorrow.

Welcome to your first
challenge. Chef Keller has given

you an incredible opportunity
to work in his kitchen.

You'll have 30 minutes to hold down the
line. This is going to be a tough one.

Working on the line
in a kitchen is one of

the most brutal jobs
you could possibly do.

You have to plate dishes,
you do dishes, you scream

people every screaming at
you. It is a nasty job.

If you can't cut it, Chef Keller will
ask you to walk out of the kitchen.

We're going to find out very
quickly who deserves to be here.

Grab your whites, let's get going.

I'm ordering one lobster. It's
a really difficult challenge.

They'll be asked to sauce plates,
pull things out of the oven,

cook certain things, saute
certain things, whatever it is.

Chef Keller has very high standards
and he's very exacting, and

I'm not sure how many of them
are going to last a half an hour.

I've never been in a restaurant kitchen,
so I'm totally at a disadvantage.

Can you put it in here? Oh
sh**t, I messed that one up.

Oh oh, it's falling over.

That's it, you have to leave the line.

Okay, I'm very sorry.

You see the way you put it down?

I think you're way too
nervous to work the line.

Okay, sure.

Cynthia, those shoes isn't going to work.

You really think so?

Those are not the appropriate shoes in
the kitchen, and you should know better.

Well, I apologize, I'm sorry.

But it was way too dangerous, so
unfortunately I had to let it go.

You wouldn't let me work with the shoes.

I guess I don't have any immunity, huh?

I'd have your shoes right,
everything would have to be perfect.

So the tension was mounting,
mounting, mounting, mounting.

I am.

You have to leave the line.

Okay.

Tiffany, let's grab another plate.

Tomato, please.

That's a one foie gras, one symphony.

Hot out.

Tiffany planted in fishing and
plating, helping, jumping in.

Not too nervous and controlled.

What we need when we
are in a busy kitchen.

Tiffany, if you continue that way,
I might offer you a job, you know?

I might hold you on that one.

I'm a competitive person.

I always have been.

I'm passionate about what I do.

You made your half an hour.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

A little bit more.

A little bit more?

I think you made it, Dave.

Thanks.

All right.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, I think it's going to work.

Okay.

You're actually doing things pretty
well, but definitely not fast enough.

Okay, no problem.

Timon, you better stop
now, because the way

you're shaking, just
slowing down the line.

Just stop it.

The better part of the last 13 years
is me just cooking behind the line.

I'd seen a couple other people who
seemed like foodies come back down.

I was increasingly nervous.

It's not just in yours.

We're just shaking.

Also to shake it.

For no good reason.

Okay, Harold, I'll give you
one more chance on that one.

You had your chances, so
you have to leave the line.

Harold came up here
really, really nervous,

cracked under pressure.

Definitely slowed down the line.

I gave him several chances to reorder
the plate, something fairly easy.

Couldn't handle it.

I was really upset with myself.

I was kind of a nervous wreck.

On top or around, Chef?

So lay up, Chef.

Lea did really well.

I really can tell as soon as you jumped
in, there was a communication going on.

Okay, Lea.

I think you made the cut.

Oh, great.

Thank you, Chef.

Thank you.

I think we have another


Working with Chef Keller
on the line was awesome.

I got my hands dirty, and it was cool.

Okay, guys, that's a tangent thing.

Here you go.

Make sure you can just taste
the sauce before you put it on,

to see if there's enough seasoning.

Did I just see you put
your finger in the mouth?

Yes, Chef.

Nobody puts a finger in
the sauce, in the mouth.

First, we have to throw the sauce.

We have to start the whole thing over.

Big mistake.

Kenny stuck his finger in the sauce,

and it's not the most hygienic
way to taste the sauce,

and in this kitchen, it doesn't fly.

Anyway, he doesn't like
the way I taste my sauces.

What do you mean, you used your finger?

Yeah, I always use my finger.

The winner of tonight's
Quick Fire Challenge

cannot be eliminated in
tomorrow's elimination challenge.

Tom and Hubert have been
observing you all night.

Hubert?

Yes, I think we have a winner.

Did you throw the saucer, Chef?

Nobody in my kitchen put
the finger in the sauce.

But I work with my hands.

I think you're being rude and obnoxious.

I speak my mind. That's where I am.

The winner of tonight's
Quick Fire Challenge

cannot be eliminated in
tomorrow's elimination challenge.

Hubert, how do you
think our chefs held up?

Three actually lasted


Dave, Tiffany, and Leanne.

The three of you, I think,
did really, really well.

What I was watching is how
my guys were reacting to you,

where suddenly the guys were
communicating with that person,

and there was one person
really who stood out in that.

It's Leanne.

It was great to find out that
I won the Quick Fire Challenge

and I won immunity.

The next challenge, I'm going to bring
it just as much as I did this time.

You know, it's 110% every time.

So Leanne's the only
one who knows for sure

that she won't be going home tomorrow.

Tomorrow you'll be preparing
your signature dish.

This is really a time for us
to get to know who you are

through the ingredients that you choose,

your preparation, presentation,
and ultimately how it tastes.

In the morning, you'll go
shopping for your ingredients.

The people you'll be cooking
for, they're very demanding

and they're very critical.

So go home, enjoy your
first night in the house.

For one of you, it will be your last.

I hope you learned something today.

I didn't learn anything today, Chef, because
I wasn't in your kitchen long enough.

Did you throw the saucer, Chef?

I saw you licking the finger.

You're not answering my question, Chef.

You said you were going
to throw your saucer.

Did you throw it out?

Nobody in my kitchen put
the finger in the saucer.

I am a chef. I work with my hands.

Are you accustomed to talking back
to the chef in his restaurant?

Do you show that much lack of respect?

I don't respect him having a
conversation. I'm talking about the chef.

I don't think questioning him is what
you need to do in his restaurant.

I speak my mind. That's what I am.

I think you're being rude and obnoxious.

I think there are 11 people here
who will probably agree with me.

Absolutely. Yes.

And disrespectful. Yeah.

There's no place for this.

I guess we'll get to see what you're made

up with the next
challenge, I guess, right?

There's so much that irritates
me about what happened tonight

with Ken and with Chef Ubert.

It was just a complete lack of respect.

Are you eating a lot of sh*t around?

Are you going to ask anyone
if you can ask them that

or are you just going to help yourself?

I'm going to ask you.

You're unbelievable. Unbelievable.

Really?

Yeah, really.

Are you upset?

What do you think?

I think you made a mockery of
this project and all of us.

Absolutely. It's your detriment.

I'm fine. I'm on the line.

Yeah, that was fun. I
had a good time too.

So did I.

That was a good time.

I'm tasting them sauces there so good.

Dude, don't even talk about it. Please.

At first I felt bad for him, but
now it's starting to be like,

I'm not sure if he deserves to
wear a chef's jacket at this point.

You're making me
uncomfortable and, you know,

you really put a damper
on, like, my night.

It's time to vote the a*s off the island.

Our main challenge is to
make our signature dish.

Well, the signature dish is
supposed to be, you know,

something that you're good
at or that you like to do.

It's going to say a lot about who we are.

The Quick Fire Challenge taught us
that everyone's vulnerable at all times

and a lot of people are questioning
their skills and who they are.

To design a meal for only $30,
for me, it's very difficult.

I have a million signature dishes,

but I really have not a damn
clue what I'm going to do.

Flowers, what the f*** am I looking for?

$13, $4, I can count that to $3.

$20 each?

F***, man.

I was asking the butcher,
did he have any airlines,

which is basically breast of chicken
from a whole chicken carcass.

And that wasn't on display there,

so I actually went behind the
line and broke a chicken down,

airline it myself.

Wrap it up, I'll take it.

The other night, I had the shakes.

I wasn't allowed to stay in Chef Keller's
kitchen for more than five minutes.

I was kicking myself in
the a*s all night about it.

But what are you going to
do? You got to move on.

See this middle piece of sniffer?

I know I can do some really spectacular
food under the right circumstances.

Make it pretty, make it pretty.

You made me a very happy woman, I think.

If this is what I want
to do, I don't know.

My name is Steven, by the way.

I'm the sommelier in Las Vegas.

A dish is not complete
without the proper wine,

and that was one of the
reasons that I purchased a wine

as part of my ingredients
within my $30 budget.

Do you have anything open for tasting?

Lisa, Miguel and I, we sat
down and we went through

and we tasted about six different
wines from the Rhone Valley.

I noticed how you opened in your mouth.

It was nice for me to be
able to educate my peers,

you know, within this competition.

Welcome to the Top Chef Kitchen.

As you can see, it's been
outfitted with top-of-the-line

Kenmore Elite appliances
and Kafflon cookware.

There's also a well-stocked pantry.

Each of you will have three
hours to prep and cook

your signature dish in your
first elimination challenge.

Today, you'll be cooking for a
very discerning group of diners.

I think you'll recognize
all of their names,

because this evening, they'll
be cooking for each other.

I was pleasantly surprised to find
out that we were going to be cooking

for our other competitors.

I'm going to see what kind of
experience they really have

versus, you know, what
they're talking about having.

I think everybody in there honestly
thinks that I'm going to suck,

but I think once I start
cooking and I'm in the kitchen

and I have my confidence
there, they'll end up seeing.

We're going to separate into two groups.

There'll be a red group and a blue group.

The red group will cook first.

Blue group will sit down with the judges

and get to critique the other chefs.

After that, the blue team will be cooking

and the red team will be
sitting down with the judges.

So step up to the butcher
block, choose a knife,

to see what group you're in.

Red.

Red group on the right
-hand side of the kitchen.

Blue group on the left
-hand side of the kitchen.

Red group, you're up first.

Good luck.

We're looking forward to
seeing what you present.

It was actually ecstatic to go first.

Get your g*ns ready, because it's warm.

I am making a chicken shiitake roulade.

I've always been taught
that the eye eats first.

The way that the plate
looks means everything.

I'm actually making some
handmade flour tortillas

for the braised lamb enchiladas

with the triple chili enchilada sauce.

If it were based strictly on flavor,

I know that my flavors are deeper.

My food kicks a*s.

When we got into the kitchen,

Ken started acting up
again and screaming.

What?

He scares me.

Ken, again, a distraction.

I really don't know what
to think about that guy

at any given moment.

You're like a habanero in
the line of failure, bro.

You like habaneros?

No, they look too hot for me.

I'm making a Hansier Laskenhalligan

and we'll play around with some figs.

A signature dish is a
guy who has a restaurant

that's, you know, is known for it.

It's his dish.

I don't have a signature dish

because I don't have a restaurant.

Let's hope they shut up and eat it.

I'm making some risotto
with cilantro mushrooms

and butterflied shrimp.

Right now I'm preparing a dual beef dish.

I've got a very soft tender filet mignon

and a very tough piece
of beef with a short rib.

I'm preparing a shrimp
and vegetables stir fry

with a spicy plum sauce.

I'm bringing something to the competition

that other people aren't
bringing, you know.

It's the ability to move
your bowels with vegetables.

How you doing, Dave?

I'm good.

You have it all plotted
out there on paper, huh?

Yeah, you know, I used
to be a business person

known in technical companies,
so I switched that,

and so I guess it's that
detail of the business person.

So, Cam, I've got about 14 minutes left.

When do you think you're
going to get this in the pan?



I'm supposed to go for 10 minutes.

Fish is fish.

I love the ocean.

I surf.

I feel I have to give
something back to the ocean.

The sand get in between
my toes and I can't do it.

Chef Tom Clicke is walking
through the kitchen,

and we're creating conversation.

Well, I'm an Irish man,

and the first time I went out surfing,

I put my weight to the
impact of the film.

Unfortunately, I had no
American friends at the time.

We had a good intellectual conversation.

It's cool to be old, man.

Okay, guys.

Time's nearly up.

We have five minutes.

My hands are shaking right then,

and I was like, oh, my God,

I have to get this done right now,

and it has to look perfect.

When time was cold, that exact second,

I just lifted my hand off my garnish,

and that was it.

It's definitely a intro


It looks like classic bad hotel food.

Whoo!

I really like it.

I really don't know what I'm working on.

I'm winging this baby.

Where the f*ck did my mommy grab?

She was a mess.

The f*ck did I come over here for?

sh*t.

Joining us tonight at the judges' table

are Chef Hubert Keller of Florida Lease

and Gail Simmons of
Food and Wine magazine.

Let's see what the Red
Group has to offer.

Hi.

I made a shrimp with
broccoli and spicy plum sauce

on top of brown rice with steamed kale

and tahini dressing with carrot flowers

and a sesame maple coleslaw.

This is braised lamb enchiladas

with a triple chili enchilada sauce.

The tortillas are handmade

with a masher that's got black bean

and roasted sweet corn.

Chipotle crema as well.

This is a chicken shiitake roulade

with an apple tonkatsu sauce,

just regular blanched asparagus

and creamy wasabi mashed potatoes

as my starch,

and some soy ginger cashews

as a garnish on the side.

Thank you.

And I'd like to present

Pan-seared Alaskan Halliwood

on, let's see, we got
soybean green onion,

parsley puree.

We got a touch of heirloom tomato compote

and a nice, a touch sour fig gastric.

Thank you.

This here is a dual beef.

On the right side, we have filet mignon.

On the left side here,

we have two pieces of short ribs

that have been braised.

On top of that is a garnish.

Thank you very much.

I have a chanterel risotto

with two pepper shrimp

and a thyme-infused oil.

Take it.

Let's go.

Let's go.

It's nerve-wracking.

Hopefully everyone is
enjoying the flavors

and the time that everyone
put into their dishes.

I want to taste Mr. Man's halibut too.

I don't care whether the other chefs

express their opinions about my food.

If the food is good, say it's good.

If the food is crap, flip the plate.

So Harold, tell me your thoughts.

Andrea's vegetable medley.

The kale is completely undercooked

and the broccoli is way overcooked

as well as the shrimp are.

I can see where Andrea comes from

in terms of what this could do

to benefit my body,

but I just don't want to put it down.

She meant well,

I understand what she was going for.

It's a disaster though.

The kale is just a little rocky.

So Tiffany, tell me what you think.

Anything stand out to you?

Miguel's beef dish I think
was one of the highlights.

I was surprised at the
three-hour short rib.

It wasn't bad.

Tell me what your favorite was tonight.

Dave's enchiladas.

I want to sit and watch
Monday Night Football

with the beer and eat his enchiladas.

I thought they were great.

Was there anything that
you liked about Candace's?

Definitely an intro 101
culinary school dish.

The chicken was overcooked

and the wasabi mashed
potatoes were bland,

watery.

She didn't cook enough
water out of the potatoes

before she pureed them.

I loved it.

I think it was great.

What about Ken's dish?

His halibut was absolutely
flavorless in my opinion.

Looks like he's into fusion or confusion.

To me it looks like
classic bad hotel food.

You really thought the level
would be higher, right?

Yeah, I did.

I think the attitude and the ego

that we've been dealing
with is not represented.

There's no call for it.

Tell me what you thought of the risotto.

Considering Lisa and
her lack of experience,

I think this is done well.

With her experience, mind you.

What was your least favorite?

My least favorite?

Well, it goes without saying.

We're talking Ken.

I think Andrea is a disaster for me.

It's an absolute disaster.

Great.

Now it's your turn to
head into the kitchen.

I hope that you can really impress us.

Good luck.

I'm ready to just run now, honey.

I don't want to stand around you.

Gail, it's your first night with us.

Tell me what you thought.

I don't think all the flavors were bad,

but there's very little originality
to a lot of these dishes.

The only thing that seemed
to be in any kind of harmony

was the beef, and I think
that seems to be the favorite.

I think where the next six
contestants are going to come up,

I'm definitely going to expect
something much higher than that.

So let's see what the
Blue Group has to offer.

The guy who started the first
Quick Fire Challenge is not me.

I'm very assertive. I'm very confident.

I was ready to get down to business.

I am making steamed snapper
and nice fall squash sauce,

and I'm feeling good about it.

We're going to k*ll it today.

I am preparing a smoked sturgeon

and fingerling potato salad.

Even though I won the immunity challenge,

I don't want to do
something really simple

because that's not me,
that's not who I am,

and it's not how I cook.

I want to win.

Today I'm preparing a
resum of Colorado lamb.

I have a rack of lamb, which I'm doing,

seared to the fourth power, basically
four different searing methods.

The more flavor components
I have on the plates,

the more the wine comes into play

due to the fact that I am a sommelier.

He knows his stuff in the wine world.

He's very much full of himself.

Today we have the Pintoresco Tempranillo,

Perniestra Merla region of Spain.

Steven is a sommelier, so he's
a professional bullsh**er.

The meal is not complete
without the wine.

When I'm cooking, I'm focused.

It's not playtime for me.

I'm making a really nice
fall pumpkin lasagna.

It's going to be baked inside
of a small sugar pumpkin.

Yes.

Whoo!

I am cooking char grilled
breast of chicken.

This is a real signature dish

because the whole thing is Caribbean.

Nothing shoulder fantastic.

Mmm, it's okay, it's okay.

I have a tendency to want
to do things on the fly.

I also have a lot going on in my head.

You gotta be kidding me.

Watching Cynthia work is crazy.

It's complete utter chaos.

This is very, very f***ing
hard right next to you, okay?

I heard a curse a couple of times.

Where the f*** tops?

Where the f*** is my boyfriend?

She was a mess.

What the f*** did I come over here for?

How you doing there, Brian?

Steven?

What are you working on?

I'm working on, I really don't
know what I'm working on,

but I think I'm working on
a lamb steak, I believe.

I'm going to do this crazy rice.

What makes it crazy?

You know it's got all
that stuff going on.

It's got the black s***,
it's got the black jazz,

it's got the brown,
it's got the, you know,

I'm winging this baby.

So we'll see what happens.

We've got about 14 minutes left,

so start thinking about plating up.

Ooh, I better get my a*s moving.

Six minutes, guys, six minutes.

I can do it, okay.

It had been almost three hours,

so in my mind, everyone should have had

more than enough time
to prepare and be ready.

Oh, my gosh.

In the last few moments, Cynthia,

she's still trying to figure out things.

And it was like, the time's up.

And I'm like, no, what the f***.

Come on, guys, let's go, let's do it.

Put the top on, Cynthia.

Put the top on, you can do it.

You guys ready?

So the last group had a lot
to say about your dishes.

It'll be interesting to hear what
you have to say about theirs.

This is a threesome of Colorado lamb.

The first preparation on the
cleft is braised short rib

In the middle, we have rack of
lamb seared to the fourth power.

It's seared in rock salt,
then in mirin, then in soy,

then a white miso dressing.

The right dish is a soup of
lamb sausage and fava beans.

The final component of this is the wine,

the Pinto Resco, Tempranillo,

the adding element of tannins
and acidity and balance.

Thank you.

This is a fresh orange and sage
pasta baked inside of a pumpkin.

The filling is obviously pumpkin
with fresh Parmesan Reggiano cheese

and finely golden raisins that
were all up in the apple gastric.

Enjoy.

So as we have here, we have
steamed pink Thai snapper

with Brussels sprout leaves, rock
shrimp, china roll mushrooms,

and full squash sauce. Enjoy.

I have the only cold
appetizer for the night.

This is a smoked sturgeon salad
with saffron fingerling potatoes,

lemon confit and balsamic reduction.

Hi, guys. Okay, so here we go.

It's not finished. The
pomegranate was stolen or taken.

No, I lost it. I'm sorry.

And I made it surf and turf and
it's lamb and I didn't intend to.

But, you know, what the hell? Good night.

I'm very careful with this.

This is char-grilled
jerk-breasted chicken

to accompany it, my
coconut mashed potatoes.

And for smooth landing, we've got
my original mango and papaya relish.

I think you'll find that
succulent. So enjoy.

Okay, let's get to it.

I'm feeling good about the
dish I put out tonight.

I think Steven's food
looked gorgeous tonight.

I was very impressed. It could
give me a run for my money.

That was a nice thing.

I was not happy with the
way my dish turned out.

I was actually humiliated.
I was pissed at myself.

So does everyone sample everything?

So Dave, tell me your thoughts.

Crazy rice, Cynthia.

Good.

Yeah, I don't want to...

You had to hear the last
group commenting on...

Don't be shy about it.

Oh, they ragged us, didn't they?

Oh, they did.

Miguel, so what didn't
you like about Cynthia's?

I think the presentation
could have been nicer.

I mean, if she would have just
had a nice little salad on top,

it would have been the highlight.

It probably would have been right
up there with, obviously, Harold.

I expected that from Harold tonight.

Harold was really good. It
was just as good as it looked.

What do you think about
Leanne's sturgeon?

I liked the texture
she had going on there.

You could taste the onions
and you could taste the salt.

The season was ripe.

Ken, last night you were full of
opinions. Tell me about Tiffany's.

I think it's a great
vegetarian dish. I would

put it on my menu if I
had a restaurant anytime.

It was an interesting combination
of flavors in my mouth.

Which one is your favorite presentation?

I don't have to be the
pumpkin idea. It was

something that I would
have never thought of.

And what about Brian's?

It's cute and it's a warm Brian
dish, and you can tell he loved that.

And who do you think really had
their personality in their dish?

Cynthia. Crazy rice.

Because her mind's like here, it's
there, and it shows on her plate.

Do you want to tell me about
Steven's, what you thought of that?

This is how he does it, and
it was absolutely beautiful.

Steven's dish, although it
was absolutely beautiful,

there was too many flavors
so I couldn't taste anything.

Which one of these would
you call the weakest dish?

I would have to go with Cynthia's dish.

I know everyone is really
ragging on Cynthia,

but I thought her lamb
tasted pretty good.

It has a decent taste, I mean,
out of everything on the plate.

Well, we certainly have
our work cut out for us.

You can go wait in the kitchen with
the others while we deliberate.

So let's get down to business.

Was there a particular dish that stood
out to you as being really tasty?

I think Steven's dish and Harold's
dish were real restaurant dishes.

When it comes to original IDG presentation
and flavor, I would say the pumpkin.

How do you rate Miguel's duo of beef?

Everyone loved the beef duo.

I think it had a lot of taste to it.

It had a lot of great
qualities. It definitely gave

me a sense of his personality,
which is important.

So what did you think of Andrea's dish?

Everything was either
overcooked, under-seasoned.

She loves vegetables and organic foods,
but it was just a big mess of food.

It's a mess.

Yeah, it was very disappointing.

What did you make of
Cynthia's crazy rice?

Regardless of how it goes
in the kitchen, when you

walk out and put something
in front of a diner,

you have to be behind it.

Obviously, last night there were some
issues with Ken at Hubert's restaurant.

Do you think that that had anything to do

with how much they
talked about Ken's dish?

I think they were looking to
maybe give him some sort of

permission to act that way
if he was really incredible.

And I think that they were
as shocked as we were.

I mean, I kind of expected
something like that.

There's just no consistency. The flavors
are off. They don't meld. They don't mix.

It's a few bells and whistles, and
there's no talent to bring it together.

Was there anything that
you liked about Candace's?

I liked the flavor of
the chicken. I didn't

necessarily like the
texture of the chicken.

The condiments, the sides, the
starch, lost me completely.

I mean, it's not like a
housewives competition

cooking thing, right?
We talk about chefs.

So we have our decision.

Call them in.

Would Harold, Stephen, and Tiffany
please join us at the judges table?

What do you think that
means? That's the question.

Bye, guys.

Congratulations. You represent the
top three in tonight's challenge.

Tiffany, your dish was absolutely
beautiful. It completely

held up with all the other
dishes that had meat in it.

Congratulations. Thank you.

Harold, you bounced back
really well after last night.

I thought your flavors were spot on,
and overall it was really extraordinary.

Thank you.

Stephen, I really liked
your dish, I must say. First

of all, the visual of it,
the way you presented it.

I think it was an absolutely
great dish, and I liked

it as soon as it came to
the table. It stood out.

Thank you.

The winner of tonight's challenge
really showed us their vision and

creativity, and really had the most
refinement of any of the dishes.

Harold, congratulations. You're
the winner of tonight's challenge.

Your dish tasted the best,
and really gave us a sense of

who you are as a chef. You set
the bar for this competition.

Thank you very much.

Congratulations.

Appreciate it.

Winning tonight was nice,
because I was definitely

mowed down on myself. It felt
like some nice redemption.

Congratulations.

Thank you very much.

Great work.

After seeing what I've gone off against,
I'm feeling very confident right

now. I think my chance is here. I'm
ready to go. I'm ready to k*ll it.

Harold, could you please
ask Ken, Andrea, and

Candice to join us back
here at the judges' table?

Good night. Thank you all.

I think you're welcome.

Good night.

Well, what do you know?

So, Harold was the winner
of tonight's challenge.

It was a great win for Harold, but I
was definitely disappointed. It wasn't

my best dish. You want approval, and
you want people to walk away happy.

I'd like to see Candice, Ken,
and Andrea at the judges' table.

And what does that mean?

I don't know. I don't make the rules.

You represent the bottom
three in tonight's

challenge, and one of you
is going to be eliminated.

Ken, for someone who has aspirations to
cook in a fine dining restaurant, there

was no continuity on your plate. The fish
was bland. The seasoning was just off.

I was not happy with my
dish also, and it didn't go

as planned. I didn't get
that perfection I wanted.

Andrea, passion for produce was evident
on the plate, maybe a little too

evident. My biggest critique of your
dish is that you tried to do too much.

It looked like a b*mb exploded
on my plate. You know, I

knew it when I brought it in
here, and I was like, oh gosh.

Candice, among the six dishes, your
dish had a certain technique, but

it was so overcooked. When you lift
up the lid, then we could see it.

I know that I overcooked my
chicken because I was off on

timing, and I honestly respect
everybody's critiquing on me

because that only makes me want
to do better in this challenge.

Ken, based on the dish you presented,
we don't think you have what it takes to

make it as a top chef. It was bland,
and frankly, it just didn't taste good.

Please pack your knives and
go. Thank you very much.

I'm going home. No. Yeah. The patty from
Ireland has gone home in this heyday.

I was not surprised at all. I knew Ken
was going home. The plate was just awful.

I'm not sure who's the most relieved
that he's gone. I'm pretty sure it's me.

He kind of took some of my energy and
passion away because of the attitude.

I think it was my tongue that got
me into trouble, but that's me. I

expressed myself. I'll always be me,
and you know, I wouldn't want to be

anywhere else. You either like me or
you don't like me. I don't give a f***.

$100,000 are a penny
in my pocket. Once I'm

happy, once I'm healthy,
I don't come to bed.

This season on Top Chef.

Fire on fire faster, dammit.

In the amount of time that you had to
come up with something, it was crazy.

Get off the phone. We're wasting time.