02x08 - Holiday Spirit

[bunniefuu]

Previously on Top Chef

Did you ask me if I needed help today?

It's a yes or no question.

No, it's not a yes or no
question. It's an explanation.

So sit the f*** down. If you're asking me
a question, let me tell you the answer.

Your elimination challenge
is to cook some breakfast.

Some very hungry California athletes.

We were expecting a kitchen.

Instead we got fire pits. I'm saying.

That is so f***ing special.

I'm screwed.

Aw damn, I just dropped my phone.

This is ridiculous.

I think I'm very pretty, can you?

Congratulations.

You represent the three bottom
choices in this elimination challenge.

My eggs were too dry. Overcooked.

They were brown. They were rubbery.
They were completely overcooked.

Frank, please pack your knives and go.

Eight chefs remained, fighting out for
a spot in the Top Chef finale in Hawaii.

At stake for the winner, a state
-of-the-art Kenmore Pro Kitchen,

furnished by Sears, an editorial
feature in Food & Wine magazine,

a chance to showcase their
culinary talent at the


Wine Classic in Aspen.

$100,000 to kick-start
their culinary career,

furnished by the makers of
the glad family of products,

and the title of Top Chef.

The winner is...

Frank is now gone, and
there's only eight of us left.

I know I'm going to start
sleeping a lot better,

considering he's not going
to be snoring in my room.

Check that out, baby.

And Frank eliminated me, grabbed
me, and broke my freakin' knife bag.

I was actually on the chopping
block with Frank from this point on.

I just have to stay focused
and keep my eye on the price.

But I've been here for a
long time, and it's hard.

We've been here in
competition for several weeks.

I really, really am missing
my family and my kids.

Now there are eight of us.

We're dropping like
flies around here lately.

I think we should get out of here now.

Yeah? You guys want to go?

Good idea, Mom.

Let's go.

We show up at the kitchen
for our quick-fire challenge.

Ah!

And there's loads of booze!

Hello, everyone, and happy holidays.

Today, please meet our guest
judge, award-winning mixologist,

Kristin Woodward.

She's from Oysters
Restaurant in Corona del Mar.

This round of the competition
is about entertaining.

As you know, this is the party season,

so it's all about drinking,
eating, and being merry.

For your holiday season quick-fire,

you must create an
original Bailey's c*ck

and a small snack or
bite to accompany it.

The closest thing to bartending now
is pouring scotch or gin and a glass.

I'm a cook.

I leave the liquor to other
people, and then I just drink it.

I've never been a bartender before,

but I think that Bailey's is
a very appropriate challenge.

I like drinks. I like mixing drinks.

Your 20 minutes starts now.

I kind of feel like
the challenge is bogus.

I don't drink mixed drinks at all,

so I wasn't really sure what
I was going to make of it.

I sort of deviate from a Christmas theme

because I've never celebrated
Christmas in my life.

I make a Hanukkah snack.

Because of the holiday season,

I immediately take something
warm, you know, comforting.

I'm going to try and make like
a hot chocolate-style c*ck.

Oh, that'd be too much.

Bailey's is a great after-dinner drink,

but to actually make a c*ck
that you might have before dinner

is a meal challenge just because
of the fact that it's cream-based.

Ten minutes.

You have such a strong
bartending background.

I feel like everyone's going
to talk smack to me back home.

Oh, you can't even win a bar challenge.

It's like I have to win.

Everyone, you have five minutes.

We're going to have to go.

Hey, everyone.

Hands up.

Your time is down.

Your time is up.

Hello.

Good morning.

Here we have what I call
a little tasty lacy,

a toffee, candied rim.

The drink has caramel Baileys,

bushmills, white cadaver, like
a cherry ice cream sandwich,

a cookie, tried to make a
little Christmas color in there.

The first thing that obviously comes
to most people's mind is dessert.

I just thought after dinner drinks,

I just tried to make it taste good.

First, we have original Baileys,
rum, vodka, vanilla bean.

Right here, we do have
some real sliced beef,

just on a sesame wafer.

It is finished with a little fresh nutmeg

and actually dark chocolate.

I was kind of hoping someone would
do a burger and a Baileys shake.

To start off, I did a Baileys hot
chocolate flavored with a little cadaver.

And then for the tapas, I did
an eggnog flavored French toast

with a savory apple rosemary saute.

I've created what I call fire and smoke.

I have the scotch.

Then in the middle, we have some really
good coffee mixed with some Baileys.

And the tapa, which is traditionally,

is to encapsulate the vapor inside.

Right, the salt in is sweet.

The c*ck is actually a little bit
of original Baileys at the bottom.

Took egg whites, shook them
up with a bit of Guinness,

and finished it with a
little bit of scotch whiskey.

Here I have some horseradish
with beets spread on matzah

with a little bit of
matzah meal potato pancake.

My drink here is a little chocolate mama,

the mint chocolate Baileys
with a little crown royal.

I shook it over with a
little bit of orange juice,

created a little orange zest in there,

and for a little bite after, little
grilled mango over melted brie

on a Danish apple crisp.

It's a pretty basic
presentation for your drink.

It's a caramel ginger cappuccino.

I infused some ginger
in the caramel Baileys.

And then I did a classic little
petit four with dark chocolate

and then caramelized almonds, walnuts,

pistachio, and pecan on top.

Thank you, Olivia. Thank you.

I took the parrot bay rum,

and I mixed it with fresh lime and sugar.

Then I did a float with
heavy cream, caramel Baileys,

and some cinnamon.

And I paired that with fresh scallop

that I've marinated
in the parrot bay rum.

I'm going to tell you I'm a little
afraid to taste this c*ck

because the cream and the lime juice

made a curdled crust on top.

I mean, maybe it tastes good, but...

But it doesn't.

Okay. Yeah.

All right. Thank you. Thank you.

Okay, so could all of you chefs
gather around over here, please?

Unfortunately, I do have to ask you

who you were least impressed by.

It was Mia.

I didn't like the presentation.

It just didn't go as well
as I would have wanted it to

with the bite.

Nobody likes to hear their
name called as a loser.

I'm basically just frustrated

with the way the whole thing is going.

It's really starting
to take its toll on me.

I'm very, very homesick.

Betty, I would have sent it back

if I got it in a restaurant.

I was embarrassed.

I have got to prove myself,

because if you blow
it, you're out of here.

Okay, so who were the
real standouts here?

Okay, first of all, Cliff.

The beef was cooked perfectly.

The c*ck was absolutely delicious.

Sam, the Spanish-style hot
chocolate, absolutely delicious.

The eggnog French toast was seasonal.

And anyone else? Yes.

Michael, your c*ck was wonderful.

The ice cream sandwiches, great.

I loved it. Thank you.

So, Kristin, who have you chosen

as our holiday quick fire winner?

My decision is...

Cliff.

Achieving immunity definitely enables you

to have a lot more freedom.

You don't have the fear
of being sent home.

So, congratulations to Cliff.

As you know, you will be immune

from elimination in the next challenge.

For your holiday season
elimination challenge,

you first need to draw eyes.

Okay, Elia, let's start with you.

What? Orange.

Black. Orange.

Black. Orange.

Black. Orange.

Black team, over here.

Orange over there.

As you know, this is the party season,

so it's all about drinking, eating,

and being merry.

It's also the busiest time of the year

for the restaurant and catering business.

The good news is you're all invited

to Los Angeles Magazine's Christmas Bash,

produced by Warner
Brothers Special Events,

Hollywood's premier producer

for corporate and red carpet events.

It's about as inside
Hollywood as you can get.

The bad news is...

you're the caterer.

Each team will get $1
,500 to shop for food

and any equipment you may require.

Then you'll have four hours to prep

here in the Kenmore kitchen.

Both teams must create a
fabulous c*ck party display

for the 200 or so party guests

that will make their
way down the red carpet.

You'll be judged on taste, originality,

leadership, and wow factor.

And when the party's over,

one chef from the losing
team will go home.

Good luck. I'll see
you on the red carpet.

This actually is one of those challenges

that does threaten my livelihood.

Not only is it a catered event,

it's a catered event for people
that I throw parties for.

And if I can't pull this off,

this is gonna look really bad for me.

I'm glad I'm on the team.

I think we should just agree
that Tam is our organizer.

I agree to agree.

I think we can all agree that
Sam is our organizing leader.

And after directing us,
this sounds good to me.

The team nominates me,
team captain, team wins.

You're the man. Your
team loses your history.

If I run a restaurant in Manhattan,

the crew is like 15 guys.

I can definitely lead four people.

I think that we should
try to get at least maybe

like eight to ten items,
including some sweet tenderloin,

like who like this for you.

You start writing down the menu ideas,

and all of a sudden I look at the list,

and there's like 13 items on this menu.

You have to throw an L.A. party.

You damn well better offer great food.

And a large selection of it.

I was thinking two different kinds.

Does someone think that we
should have four different kinds?

I don't think so.

I think that if we have
two top, that's cool.

We only two, they better f*** you again.

Yeah, they should be really good.

I've never believed that
the more the merrier.

I mean, I don't think that it's quantity.

I think that it's quality.

The first one, we can
do a roll of salmon,

like smoked salmon.

If that doesn't work, I
was thinking nega spatula.

Actually, they deserve it.

It could be like a
kid's rasping prosciutto

on top of like organzola
cheese or something.

No, no cheeses. Do you want cheeses?

I'd rather not use a
gorgonzola as an organzola.

I think that's just,
you know, a suggestion.

We have three natural
-born leaders on a team.

I am a professional caterer.

I think that I have a lot
of valuable experience

to bring to this mission about
myself, our teenage chicken skewer.

Or, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Or even if we just saw
you and we just finished.

So we're gonna do two seafood.

We're gonna do a smoked
salmon and a lobster.

I think so. I think it's okay.

Because I have a problem with
serving three cold seafood dishes.

We have already decided in the dishes.

I feel as though that my
professional experience

is not being appreciated.

Of course it's been
appreciated. Come on, Mia.

Please, I mean...

Let's just write the equipment.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

I'm done. Let's just get this done.

I'm a little disappointed that
my team is not allowing me

to be the professional caterer

that has made my business successful.

Mia, you don't have to get mad.

We're just all coming into a common...

And I understand, but so far,

pretty much everything
that I have suggested

has been, like, shot down.

We have a slight change of plan.

I'm not really cool with
this, because we had a plan.

Either you like Cliff's Way

or you don't like Cliff's Way

and you still have to do a cliff set.

All right, what kind of
herbaceousness we got on our list.

The next elimination challenge,

and we're being asked to
host a c*ck party.

Sort of like a red carpet event.

These ones look kind of yucky.

Those look good.

These ones look good.

Limes, apples.

Okay, cilantro.

Scallions.

Scallions, yeah.

So I got rosemary, basil, mint.

One of these.

So, Benny and I are shopping
at Restaurant Depot.

We're buying the majority
of our team's items

because we're in a bulk store
with a lot of ourselves.

They're shopping over wild oats.

There's a lot of stuff we
still have to get, honey.

Yeah, let's get them both.

It climbs in.

What muscles? No, just all the muscles.

All the muscles, yeah.

Don't put them in a plastic
bag, they'll suffocate.

I can wrap them in paper.

That'd be better.

That'd be better.

Thank you.

Don't be a d***.

I'm not being a d***.

I want the muscles to die.

We are a team, so we're trying
to shop as a cohesive unit.

But it's also individual.

You got to fight for your right
to stay in the competition.

I'm going to do that Belgian endive thing

if it's cool with you guys.

You guys cool with it?

Okay, fine.

Sleep and I, we start
speaking about Mikey's canapé.

It could be good, but I think we're
going to have problems with it.

It's not very high-end.

We have a slight change of plan.

The lobster and potato canapé?

Uh-huh.

We're, I think, it's not
a good idea right now.

So we actually have another dish in mind.

Okay, I'm not really cool with
this because we had a plan.

We're just going to
change something midstream

without any discussion at all.

This is why we're calling you
right now as soon as we got here.

Mia is getting a little heated.

She wanted to fight about everything.

They're d*** scratching the lobster idea,

which I think is a bad
idea, but there's...

For what?

Cliff is very stubborn
and set in his ways.

Either you like Cliff's way
or you don't like Cliff's way

and you still have to do what Cliff says.

I don't know why Cliff's changing s***.

He's not going anywhere.

I knew they were going to do this s***.

I knew too, man.

I'm just trying to be cool.

I'm going to get these
lobster tails just in case.

I just felt like I'm in the danger zone

if I don't come up with something.

So I'm going to grab
the steak and lobster

and make something happen.

You can make like a surf turf canapé.

I felt like he just
did like a sweepstakes,

you know, like a shopping sweepstakes.

He's had an awful lot
of stuff for our nerves.

So this.

He had two full flats of groceries

and they had like half a flat.

They certainly don't
have that much stuff.

So I'm really curious as to what it is

that they're going to be serving.

I have a catering company
that I have to go back to

and if I lose this challenge,

the last thing I need
is for people to think

that I'm not professional
and that I'm a caterer

that doesn't know where her head is at.

We got all sorts of good stuff.

We have four full hours to just cook.

And we just delineate who's doing what

so everybody knows what they're doing.

Can I see the shrimp?

He's doing the mussels,
I'm doing the sauce.

The list of what we're
creating is astronomical.

We have pickled mussel,

this fantastic Sicilian cauliflower dish,

a portobello mushroom tart,

crab cakes, croissant bread
pudding with two chocolates.

It's a pretty long list.

Two hours, guys, we're halfway.

We can make like a salad, like
an herb salad on top of it.

The group has decided,

since Elia has really
good classical technique,

maybe it will be a good idea
to have Elia head the team.

She's really good with
high-end upscale products.

The scallop dish, so
that we everybody know,

we can do a mermalade with grapefruit,

orange, maple syrup.

I would have never thought to
have as little as four dishes

for a c*ck party with 200 plus people

with completely different palates.

I don't know what their
thought process was.

Let's go, Mikey.

Fifteen minutes, you guys.

Trust me on this, you guys.

Let's make some extra
crustini in case we break up

so we have some extra please, can we?

I'm feeling a little bit
concerned and a little bit down.

I don't feel a level of
camaraderie that I'm used to

working on a kitchen team.

We pack up.

I feel we have everything
we need to produce.

Mikey, we are done.

It's Christmas!

Woohoo!

We drive on to the lot and it's magical.

Look at this thing.

I see this gigantic mobile kitchen

that has like six burners, a fryer,

refrigerators, it was really cool.

No fridge, nice.

Feeling good, feeling
good about the facility.

I was definitely swept up.

And now I really can't
wait to do this party.

Do we want the pancetta to
go back into the freezer?

Yeah, we want a bunch of.

I'm very excited, we have good food

and we have good, um,
material to work with.

Let's do it, girl.

With the Sicilian style, with the camper,

the anchovies, the chili flakes.

There's a lot riding on this challenge.

Not only $100,000, not only
having the title of top chef,

but also looking like complete
a*s of this LA magazine party.

Also, you guys, I think we should
have worked on one thing at a time.

I'm excited, I'm just going
to go ba*ls to the walls,

like cooking the entire time,
and I'm not going to stop.

Do you want me to add some
more cheese for the tartness?

We have a lot of food to kick out.

We're nonstop chopping, cutting,
cooking, just go, go, go.

Uh, do you want those
cooked mushrooms somewhere?

The black team just doesn't seem
to be working at the same pace

that we're working at.

You want me to rub a little
garlic on the crustinis

after we toast them?

Sure, we got 20 at a time.

We're in really good shape, since
we do have such high-end ingredients

like the lobster and the
scallops and the filet,

it's really important not
to cook things too soon

because we don't want to
have things sitting around.

These guys just got way too
many things going on over here.

I like the fact that we don't
have so many things going on,

we can actually focus on detail.

Exactly, no.

Delicchio doesn't like little peppers,

doesn't like skin on bell peppers.

How's it going?

Yeah.

So what are you guys doing?

Lots of stuff.

Lots of stuff?

Like what?

We have some crab cakes with roasted
corn and a sea of pepper salsa,

we have ham and cheese potato croquettes,

we have...

Some mushroom tarts,
some beef tenderloins,

some blue cheese, some watercress.

How many pieces of each are you making?

Some things we have like


so you know, the idea is
to keep them coming back.

I'll see you later.

Chef Tom, what's happening?

So what are you guys working on?

We're going to make
four different canopies.

Four, okay.

The other team is doing about 10 to 15,

do you think that's a mistake?

We decided to go with four,

do them clean, crispy,
entire way through.

Is there like a team leader?

Is someone running the show today?

Okay, good.

Look forward to having you later.

All right, thanks a lot.

I am still feeling strong
about the items we have chosen.

Decided not to, unless Chef
Kukio's comments deter us,

we're putting out a great product.



That's crazy.

That is crazy.

We enjoyed it really good.


canopies, it's perfect.

I don't like comparing myself to others

or looking at what they're doing

and then deciding what I'm going to do.

I decided what I'm going to do
and I'm going to stick with it.

It's going to fall apart.

On one hand, we're totally
going to blow away the judges.

Like, we're doing 13 dishes.

And then on the other
hand, I was like, whoa,

they're totally playing it safe.

And what if their four
dishes are just really solid?

They could have some
tricks up their sleeves.

Simplicity is a sign of perfection.

They want food and
there's nothing out there.

It is coming out soon.

The guests are asking
me, where's the food?

Happy holidays, everyone.

Hi.

Hey.

Our judges for this round are, as usual,

Tom Calicchio, head judge.

Pinch-hitting for Gail
Simmons is Ted Allen

of Bravo's q*eer Eye as well as the book

The Food You Want to Eat.

And our guest judge is Lee Hefter

of Spago Beverly Hills.

All right, well, good luck, you guys.

Good luck.

We'll see you in a bit.

We're all very excited

because we all work
together well as a team.

It's go time now.

We went into this as a team,

and we want to focus on
quality more than quantity.

So I'm going to come
and check on you guys

in like 15 minutes, and you
can tell me what's gone.

As team leader, my plan
of attack for tonight

is that Alana and I to cook

and Marcel and Betty to serve.

Please help yourself to
anything that we have.

Merry Christmas.

I love talking to people.

I love offering them food,

and I am feeling very, very
confident with our offerings.

It's a vegetable terrine
with a red pepper coolie.

I may serve you a piece.

You want a cauliflower?

The party gets started,

and there seems to be a huge crowd

sort of gathering around our table.

It's going really well.

I think from the outside,

you could just tell that we had a
certain confidence about ourselves.

These are some delicious mushroom tarts,

and probably about 45 minutes,

we're going to have a
completely new spread of food.

Totally different menu.

So it's party time.

I just felt more comfortable
being in the kitchen

if something happened or whatever.

We decided that Mia was going
to be in the table with Mikey,

selling the food and presenting it.

Over here, we have a
smoked salmon canapé.

Ladies, strawberries.

I've done that for you.

Oh, my God.

It's really good.

Thank you.

We didn't want to spend
so much time on quantity.

We wanted to be able to
focus all of our energy

into the quality of our dishes.

Our table looks really, really beautiful,

and I'm feeling good,

and I was making people
smile and making people laugh

and making them feel happy.

The black team was
definitely a little fancier.

She was saying earlier she could
probably make some of the stuff

on the orange side,

but the black team stuff,
definitely a little more high-end.

They're working on some more
of those scallops and indives

and some more of that surf and turf.

Good evening.

No, we got more coming out.

I'm positive.

Tell Cliff to rush
with my surf and turfs.

Better be coming out soon.

It is coming out soon.

I'm watching them have a window.

All right, I'll keep an eye on it.

The guests are asking
me, where's the food?

I'm wondering why isn't the
food coming out fast enough?

I'm realizing that we have a
serious problem on our hands.

I wanted to cook during the event.

I didn't cook everything in advance.

The surf and turf and the scallops,

I'm trying to cook them right there.

They need the hassle. I need
some more of these, too.

I got an old tray coming.

Excellent.

I'm running around back and forth.

We have the food. We're putting it out.

As soon as I put it out, it's gone.

Go outside, speak with
them, entertain them.

It's kind of hard when they want food

and there's nothing out there.

They tell me to come
back here and get food.

But everything's there.

Has your team left you
here by yourself again?

No, we're running.

You guys want me to help out?

Like the blazes.

You can help out by enjoying yourself.

I'm going to stand my ground out here

and I'm going to keep working
it like the renez-dupe.

Mikey, take this. Let's
cook some more scallops.

The beauty of all the
food that we're making

is that there's such a variety of it.

If somebody doesn't like one
thing, they can try this thing

or they can try the other thing.

There aren't just two, three,
four things to choose from.

There are 13.

This is a bread pudding with
white and dark chocolate

served with cinnamon almond cream.

Is it good?

It is great.

Absolutely delicious, isn't it?

I wish I had a bigger spoon.

Hi, how are you?

Fancy meeting you here.

Very well, thank you.

Great. So what do we have?

We have pickled mussels with
an apple molasses mignon.

Okay.

And then we have some sesame shrimp

with a little bit of honey.

Okay.

Some toasted sesame seeds.

So who came up with all these things?

This was definitely a team effort.

Who was the leader of the team?

Sam.

We are really, really on our game

with massive amounts of food.

Our table has got a
special something going on.

Is there a rhyme or a
reason to the selection

you made for the first?

No.

Well, except for the dessert is
coming out a little bit later.

What you'll find is a lovely selection.

This is a roasted
vegetable alapanya tureen

with a roasted red pepper coulee.

I'll let Marcel take over from here.

This is a roasted pork,

a little open-faced sandwich
with a tomato molasses.

Oh, very cool.

Well, the presentation is fantastic

and I love the fresh green beans.

Chorizo and egg costada.

Indeed.

Indeed. Would you like to try?

Sure.

And then here we have the beef tenderloin

stuffed with cabrales
bougie and a green bean

served with watercress
and roasted garlic sauce.

And then everybody's personal
favorite, the crab cakes

served with the spicy corn salsa.

So how many total did you do?





Wow, that's ambitious.

When the judges come
through, I'm totally stoked.

Like, I'm proud of everything
that's on our table.

Everything looks beautiful.

Everything tastes delicious.

I'm loving this holiday weather.

Can you tell us about the strawberry?

I can tell you about the strawberry.

We're hearing lots of raves about it.

Well, only in California
can you find strawberries

in the wintertime.

You're combining strawberries
with, do I see bacon?

It's pancetta, so yeah, pancetta.

Did you try the scallops
down here on the end?

This is a pan-seared scallop.

And on top, we have a little
bit of homemade orange

and grapefruit marmalade.

What was here that we missed?

Actually, Mikey's coming back out.

Hi, Michael.

All right, a little steak lobster.

Oh, circum spur.

Steak, lobster, basil,
dill salad on toast.

Looks very pretty.

Were you thinking of any of these canapés

as sort of the star entree?

Well, I kind of came up with
this one on the fly at the store

and I think this is going to
turn out to be the star, but...

And I'll be back in more certain terms.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Great job, you guys.

Great, great job.

We're just celebrating a hard day's work

and everybody coming together
and just doing a really good job.

But you never know.

It's anybody's game.

Dude, we have these guys
sweating tears back there.

It's all good.

You don't really know what
the judges are looking for,

but I admire Elia as a chef.

I think that she's a
superior leader in the making

and I believe in her.

Hey, it's all good.

Teamwork in the competition
is the hardest thing

because at the end of
the day, you get judged.

I'm the leader they chose
and I don't want to go home.

I want to stay and keep on competing

and get as far as I can.

Mia was definitely bitching and moaning.

Put your d*** away, dude.

Didn't we, like, a
whole lot of leadership?

You may think it's
perfect, somebody may not.

What did you think in general
of this holiday party?

I think it was really
stunning that you could have

the same amount of financial resources,

the same number of people
in the same amount of time

and produce a lot of money.

It just results so
dramatically different.

It looked like the orange team had $5,000

compared to the other
team would, you know,

with the same amount of money.

And the orange team kept
their table full of food

and beautiful the entire evening,

whereas the black team, which
said what they were trying to do

was to do four dishes but do them well,

couldn't even keep their table full.

When I went there, two
pedestals were empty

and poor Mia, she was
the only one out there.

But the black team, I
think that the scallop dish

on the end I would the orange marmalade

and the strawberry with
the rosemary mascarpone

and the pancetta were
the two best dishes.

Now, everything wasn't all
great on the orange team.

I mean, I thought the
shrimp was pretty lousy.

There was really nothing on that
table that you wouldn't find

at any garden variety decent
quality catered dinner.

What they did was they filled a big table

with a bunch of stuff
that looked pretty good

and tasted pretty good, and by
comparison to the other team...

I think we have a decision.

Can I see the orange team, please?

Thank you.

So congratulations.

You are the winning team tonight.

Did you guys have any doubt at all
that you were going to win this one

after watching what they did
compared to what you did now?

So much.

So let me ask you a question.
Sam was a team leader.

But I'd like to say something.

I didn't need a whole lot of leadership,

although he was the designated
leader for our team.

It sounds like you kind of want to assert

that you definitely made
a solid contribution.

Is there something else
you're trying to say?

That's just Marcel,
just the way he speaks.

It's just me.

He's a...

I believe in...

He's a...

I believe in synergy.

I just did what...

I just do my own thing.

We do have a winner.

Lee, as our guest judge, it's
up to you to name the winner.

Who is it?

The winner.

The winner is the one who could
make the four talented individuals

become one cohesive unit.

And the winner is Sam.

I think you have something for Sam.

Sam, because you are the
winning chef tonight,

you have just won a 20
-piece global knife set.

The whole thing?

Well, you can share it with your friends,

but I would keep it for myself out here.

I was stoked and never
won anything in my life.

And Marcel was totally
trying to steal my thunder.

The kid should have just shut the hell up

and enjoyed that he won
and he wasn't going home.

But he couldn't do that.

Can you go back there
and grab the other team

and tell them to come out?

Sure. Thanks.

And grab your knife set.

Good luck.

I'll make you a joke.

Thank you, baby.

All right. Thank you.

Thank you.

She wants to see the machine.

You were the losing team
in tonight's challenge.

And one of you will go home.

Elliot, where do you think
the mistakes were tonight?

I think it was a lack of
organization at the end.

And you were the team leader.

Yes, I was.

For four dishes, it was nothing
that I left that table saying,

wow, I have to go back
and have another one.

The best dish I thought, for sure,

was a scallop with the
marmalade at the end.

Who did that one? Who created that?

Elliot created that dish.

That was very nice. It
was a very good dish.

And I think that if you would
have done eight dishes like that,

I think it would have been
definitely a more memorable approach.

Michael, what were you responsible for?

I was running, serving.

I was communicating between
the front and the back.

What happened? How come you
couldn't keep food on the table?

In essence, it's probably boiled
down to a lack of communication

between those who were in the kitchen

and maybe those who were in the front.

And me, you're shaking your head.

I did have a problem with the fact

that the food was not coming
out of the kitchen fast enough.

Elliot, you were the team leader.

Why wasn't it coming out fast enough?

We were cooking everything at the moment.

We didn't work fast enough.

But you only had four dishes.

Yes.

I thought we could have done more.

I suggested six. I was
told let's do three.

Did anyone hear her say that?

I felt like my voice was not heard.

I felt like my professional
opinion was not appreciated.

I can't allow Elliot to
get thrown on the bus

because she was put up against
some really hard circumstances.

Why what?

Someone for cooks were
not in line at all times.

Were those cooks?

Mia was definitely bitching and moaning.

In my defense, I was not
bitching and moaning.

I had opinions and I disagreed
with certain decisions

and I made my voice be heard.

And when my voice was not
heard and I realized that,

hey, this is a team, I
stepped off and said,

hey, let's... I'm going with the team.

What were the problems?

I had a problem personally with
serving three seafood dishes.

And so that's when Mike and I decided,

well, you know, we got the money
in our budget still left over.

Let's go ahead and get
the steak and lobster

and let's do something on our own.

I think that we worked well as a team.

I don't mean to be unkind,

but I think we're finding a
difference between the idea

of whether you guys worked
well together as a team

or whether you just sort of
liked each other or something.

No, no.

But the final result was that
the table was half empty.

There was no cohesiveness.

It didn't work.

Maybe your opinion was that
you worked well together,

but the result wasn't a team
of structure and cohesiveness.

Cliff's not going anywhere
tonight. He has a mirror.

That leaves the three of you.

Cliff, who do you think should go home?

We should go home.

Cliff, you can stand there
and say whatever you want to,

but you cannot deny that last night

when I felt that things were not
right, I spoke up for myself.

This is why... this is what we stand for.

Throw me under the bus. I don't give a...

I don't give a black bone.

And you cannot say that you guys...

that you especially did not talk over me.

You did. So put your... away, dude.

You have f***ing immunity.

And that's the bottom line.

Now.

Before we discuss this, Ellie,

the other team leader, do you
have anything else to say?

I really don't want
to go home, of course.

I've been enjoying this.

There have been tough moments.

There have been happy moments.

But this is what a real chef
life is about, you know?

But you're taking responsibility
for this team's loss.

I take a responsibility.

I was the leader of the
team, and we're all together.

All right, we have a decision to make.

Why don't you guys head in the back

and we'll call you out when we're ready.

What happened? You guys know?

No.

Yeah, I'm going home.

After the show in there, I'm going home.

I honestly don't think
that Ellie should go home.

I think that Ellie has more talent

in her little finger than a lot of us.

I have a successful
business to go back to,

and, you know, maybe the
country is where I belong.

Okay, so who's going to go? Ted?

It's clear that Aaliyah is
somebody who has a lot of talent

and passion and probably more
knowledge than the other two,

and maybe she's someone who was
erroneously chosen as the leader.

Part of being a leader is listening.

It's not about just kind of saying,

do it my way or that's it.

Because if you shut
yourself off to ideas,

you're kind of out there on your own.

What Aaliyah wasn't strong enough to do

was able to be with the
different personalities

in her group and direct them forward.

I will go home any day so
that Aaliyah can stay here.

Don't do it.

Like Cliff said, I deserve to go home,

send my black a*s home.

I don't give a sh*t.

I'm the only person in my family

to ever make anything out
of my life, the only one.

Coming from where I came from,

I should have been a statistic.

I sold drugs when I was 11 years old.

I know what it's like to
walk the streets of Mecca

at the boulevard to try
to f*cking sell a rock

so you can feed your family.

Are you done playing a part of the water?

You know what, kiss my a*s

because I really don't
give a sh*t right now.

Cliff, you were the one
who threw me under the bus.

Absolutely. Yes, yes I did.

The way I saw it, you had immunity.

You could have just sat back

and let all of us bring
ideas to the table.

The minute I opened my mouth,
you turned around and said,

no, I'm over this sh*t.

I will go home back to Oakdale

and live a happy a*s life.

Me seems very angry and upset still.

You know, it seems to me
that her anger has directed

more at Cliff than it
is than anyone else.

I can't imagine that she fought this hard

to get her voice heard when
they were discussing this menu.

And that's a shame
because she should have.

I can't believe that. Yeah.

It's a little too much, too late.

And Michael?

He played it probably the safest one.

And obviously he doesn't
have the experience

that the other people have.

So is he a top chef?

I don't think so.

All right, I think
it's clear how we feel.

Uh-huh. I think so.

You were the losing team tonight.

And one of you will go home.

Cliff, you have immunity here,

so you really have nothing to lose.

You had everything to gain.

I'm just wondering if
you were the team leader,

if you would have done more.

You know, Michael, you've
been kind of skating by

and coasting, you know.

You didn't seem to really do a whole lot

to sort of get your throat out of here,

but on the other hand,

you didn't do a whole lot
to keep it here either.

I mean, I believe that you said,

maybe we should do more.

But I can't believe
that you made your voice

heard that loudly

and that people ignored you.

Elliot, you're the team leader.

I think that you're a talented cook,

but the challenge was
described to wow people,

and even if they were perfect,

I don't know that you
could have beat a team

that did 13 things,

because you may think it's perfect,

somebody may not.

We haven't made a decision.

I would like to ask you,

Elliot does not deserve to go home.

She's very talented, and, you know,

I'm not doing this for anything

I've done more than I
thought that I would do

when I came here.

No, Elliot, let her stay.

Send me home.

I don't believe that you're
just going to sit here

and go, I'll just go home.

It doesn't strike me as
the kind of person you are.

You seem like you've scrapped and fought

for a lot of things in your life.

I have fought many battles.

You have no idea.

And I just can't believe that you're just

going to throw up your hands and go,

well, whatever.

You know, I've fought so many battles

throughout my life.

I've dealt with being homeless.

You know, I'm the only one in my family

to ever make anything of myself.

The only one.

But if I go home tonight,

I made my family proud.

I just don't think you're a quitter.

You don't strike me as a quitter,

and you're quitting.

Got to know when to fold them.

Well, we did make a decision.

But if you are going
to walk away from this,

and that is your decision,

we will accept that.

And I will pack my knives and go.

You can go.

I'm going home.

I wouldn't let him send Elliot.

She deserves to be here.

So do you.

I said I did not want Elliot to go.

And I'm in debt.

You did not.

I know.

I don't have to do anything
that I don't want to do.

I have a successful restaurant.

I have a wonderful family to go home to.

And my dream for Elliot is that someday

she'll own her own restaurant.

And she'll be able to be as proud as I am

of the things that I've
accomplished in my life.

Next on Top Chef.

For this elimination challenge,

create a seven-course dinner,

inspired by...

That's awesome.

Alon seems to be picking a fight with me.

Shut the f*** up.

Keep making your phones
and go cry in a corner.

Unfortunately, each one of
you committed a culinary sin.

Whatever.

Say la vie.

I don't care.

For more about the recipes,

seen tonight, go to bravotv.com.