- Previously,
on Top Chef...
- Top Chef usually
has about 16 chefs.
- I'm wondering what's gonna
happen with all these people.
- 29 chefs arrived
in San Antonio
to compete
in three heats for a spot
in our biggest
culinary showdown ever.
This is what will earn you
a Top Chef coat
or a ticket home.
The first two grueling rounds
proved to be
an emotional roller coaster.
- I'm not the best guy for this,
that's for sure.
- I don't see a tie on there.
- Yeah, it's all cut up.
- I think you should
just leave now.
- Wow.
- Please pack
your knives and go.
- Thanks.
- Head home.
- I think you should
get a Top Chef coat.
- Oh, my God.
- You're in.
- Thank you very much.
- Congratulations.
- Yes!
- Boo-yeah, bee-otch.
- Then that means
you're on the bubble.
- And I'm cooking again.
- Now, 11 chefs
have earned their coats,
waiting for a second chance...
- This sucks.
- And 10 chefs
are about to cook
for the very first time,
and learn their fate.
At stake for the winner,
a feature
in Food & Wine magazine,
a showcase at the annual
Food & Wine classic in Aspen,
$125,000 furnished
by healthy choice
to bring their
culinary dreams to life,
and the title of Top Chef.
- Do you think it's gonna be
the same--the same challenge?
- I was thinking that.
I was thinking that.
In the stew room,
on the bubble,
there's me, Molly,
Edward, and Janine.
- Who do you think else
we're gonna be cooking with?
- I do feel like
I've already been rough,
like, three challenges
or something,
but I worked at Jean-Georges
for a long time,
which was hard as hell,
but I got through it.
So I'm gonna have to
remember what I'm here for,
and that's to win.
- No, the joke is
there's actually no spots,
we're just gonna
cook for 'em.
- They just wanna see us sweat.
- Messing with us.
- We're getting
to know each other.
It's just like prisoners
in a room together,
we're starting to bond.
I feel like I know you.
I spent my life--
- feel like we've been through
so much together.
- All kidding aside,
I don't want anyone
to get in over me.
So I don't know if I wanna
get too friendly with anyone.
There's still
a third group, right?
'Cause there was three groups.
- We're likely looking at
two more people.
- Oh, my God.
- Jesus Christ.
- Wow.
- We're the third
and final group to cook.
- Holy [Bleep].
[Laughs]
- I'm excited that the moment
has finally come,
but not knowing how many spots
have already been taken
definitely adds
to the anxiety.
- Welcome to
the Top Chef kitchen.
Of course, you know
our head judge Tom Colicchio.
- Hi, Chef.
- And I'd like to introduce
you to Hugh Acheson,
Top Chef Masters alum,
chef and owner
of Empire State South,
and one of your judges
this season.
- Thanks. It's good to be
on the other side.
[Laughter]
- It's pretty cool
seeing Chef Hugh,
but I still have
a crush on Padma.
In middle school,
I had her picture in my locker.
I still think
Padma Lakshmi's
the most beautiful woman
on the planet.
It's just a fact.
Everybody has to deal with it.
[Laughs]
- Chefs, I'd like
to hear a little bit
about you guys,
where you work.
Why don't we
start with you?
- Beverly Kim Clark.
I'm the chef de cuisine
at Aria Restaurant.
- Ashley Villaluz. I currently
hold a sous-chef position.
I've worked at some of Seattle's
finest restaurants.
- Paul Qui.
I'm the executive chef
at Uchiko restaurant
in Austin, Texas.
I was also nominated for
rising star Chef James Beard.
- Paul's a good
friend of mine,
and initially
I thought it would be
a huge advantage to be
in my home state,
but seeing Paul,
I'm extra nervous now.
- Jonathan Baltazar
of Heights Cuisine,
and I'm a private chef.
- Laurent Quenioux.
I'm the chef at Vertigo
Wine Bistro in Los Angeles.
- Andrew Currin.
I was nominated this year
for people's best new chef,
Food and Wine Magazine.
- Berenice Dearaujo.
I'm chef de cuisine
of Senora Martinez
in Miami, Florida.
- Kim Calichio.
I am the sous-chef
at Fishtail by David Burke.
- Lindsay Autry,
and I'm the executive chef
of the Omphoy Ocean Resort
and Michelle Bernstein
restaurant.
- Chaz Brown.
I'm the chef de cuisine
of Fatty Crab
on the Upper West Side
of Manhattan.
And I was nominated by my mom
as one of her two favorite sons.
[Laughter]
- There's some amazing chefs
I'm with, I know that,
but I've got a family,
I've got a son and a husband,
that right now I'm supporting.
I'm the one bringing home
the bacon.
So I'm not going to
waste this opportunity.
- Let's get started.
There are ten items
on this table.
We'd like you all to decide
which one of you
will be cooking
with each of those ingredients.
- You should be able to take
any of these ingredients
and make it sing.
- Once you've decided,
grab your tray,
but do not touch the cloche.
It'll ruin the surprise.
- In my mind, I'm thinking,
"it won't matter whatever
ingredient I pick,
"because we're
probably gonna switch
once we pull up
that cloche."
- Your three minutes
starts now.
- I'll take the mushrooms.
- Duck.
- I'll do the sprouts.
- I see a bowl of rice
up there,
and next to it,
it says risotto.
My wife is Italian-American.
I know how to make it good.
That's the ingredient
for me.
Risotto.
- I would love short ribs.
- I wanna take duck.
- I'll do "oxtopus."
- "Oxtopus"?
- "Oxtopus"!
[Laughter]
- Sweet.
- Octopus.
- I either want mushrooms
or oxtail.
- I'll take the shrooms.
- Hey, you wanna rock, paper,
scissors for the mushrooms?
- I'd love to.
One, two, three.
One, two, three.
One, two, three.
I win,
so I'm pretty excited.
Now I just need to find out
what's underneath this cloche.
- Okay, I'll take
the oxtail.
- Cool. Game on. Let's go.
- Are you all happy
with what you ended up with?
Anybody else not happy
with what you have?
- Depends on how much
time we have.
- Ah, okay.
[Laughs]
- Ready...
Set...
Lift.
- [Bleep]
- These clocks
are the amount of time
that each of you have
to prepare your ingredient.
- I am not happy.
I need to make it
into the top 16,
and 20 minutes is not
enough time for me.
- Are you happy
about your choices now?
- Oh, my God.
If you talk to an Italian,
risotto takes all night.
Could have gone for those
Brussels sprouts.
- Your times start now.
- You need all the fennel?
- You need all the fennel?
- Tom and Hugh are walking
around the kitchen,
so I'm just feeling
a little nervous and scared.
- Bagel,
head of cabbage--
- what are you doing?
- Some grilled trout
with a little,
like, southeast-Asian salad.
This is my one sh*t
to get that coat,
and grilled trout--
it's something simple
that I can execute
in 20 minutes.
I'm just super nervous
right now.
- Well--
- I own three trailers
that make street food,
and that business has been
featured on Bourdain,
which I thought
was really cool.
I just want to show the world
what us Texas cooks can do.
- Right behind you.
- How's it going?
- Awesome, if I didn't
have to clean chanterelles.
Mushrooms take at least
And the chanterelles
need to be cleaned.
- Little wild mushrooms,
a little poached egg?
- A little fried spinach
to garnish.
I'm excited
to talk to Tom,
but eight minutes
have already elapsed.
I know I'm screwed.
- Okay.
- Thanks, Chef.
- [Bleep]
I have 60 minutes
to cook oxtail.
I'm gonna have to
pressure cook it.
I don't normally use
a pressure cooker to cook,
so I know it's going to
be a challenge.
I just got married.
It's almost been a month.
And my husband
is Filipino.
His grandmother has taught me
how to cook quite a few dishes.
So I'm making a Filipino dish
called kare-kare,
inspired by her.
- Hey, Kim.
- Hey, chef, how you doing?
- What are you making?
- Fennel puree with some fennel,
shaved artichoke,
and the puree is gonna
be on the plate
with the pan-seared lamb.
I think just 'cause
I'm a sous-chef
doesn't mean that
I should be underestimated.
I'm strong
in my techniques,
and I have
a fresh mind, too.
- Hey, Laurent.
Little zabaione with the duck?
- No, no.
It's a yuzu lemon curd.
- Oh, okay, oh, okay.
- I grew up in France
in the Loire Valley.
As a matter of fact, I never
wanted to come to the U.S.,
but I had no choice.
I was working
in a three-star restaurant,
and the chef
got a contract,
so we got shipped out
to Los Angeles,
and I loved it so much
that I never got back to France.
- You have about a half an hour
left, I think, right?
- Yeah.
- Octopus definitely
brings out memories
of something my mom used to make
for me when I was growing up.
She was a wonderful cook,
and she only cooked,
like, Korean food.
But in our restaurant
it comes in already pre-cooked,
so it's definitely
a challenging ingredient for me.
- Do you feel happy
with the risotto?
- I'd better be, or my wife
will literally k*ll me.
- [Laughs]
- That is not a joke.
I'm not very happy about
- It's been a, uh--
it's been a stumbling block
for a lot of Top Chef people
in the past, so...
- Thanks for the words
of encouragement.
Kiss it.
- Keep it simple,
bring it.
- But I'm not afraid
to be judged.
Am I a Navy Seal,
or am I a G.I. Joe?
It's very important
to me that I see
where I stack up
against the best of the best.
- Ten minutes!
I'm doing Asian-marinated
short rib with a cabbage slaw.
There's a lot of pressure,
thinking that this is the dish
that can move you forward,
but I think I can put
all the bull[Bleep] aside
and just make my way
through this.
- Time's ticking.
- Yes, it is.
- Getting there.
I like the ideas, though.
- 60 minutes to braise veal
with a bone in it
is definitely a test
of time management.
I see Tom speaking to someone
out of the corner of my eye,
and as I see him
starting to approach me,
I just run.
I'm like,
"I don't have time."
- One minute, chefs!
- The fennel
is not cooking,
but I got to
start plating.
This is
my judgment plate.
[Bleep], like,
I need to move fast.
- Knowing that
this plate was gonna
move me forward
in the competition,
it's very nerve-racking.
I wouldn't even
be able to face
any of my guys in Austin
if I go home today.
- My mushrooms are still
on the stove,
my eggs are not
beautifully poached.
Oh, you bitch.
- 30 seconds left.
- At this point,
I'm literally throwing
this stuff on the plate.
I know I'm gonna
be in trouble.
Not good.
[Timer beeps]
[Sighs]
- Chaz is not gonna
get it done in time.
- Cook, risotto, cook.
- This is the moment
that all the hard work
has been building up to.
My hands are shaking.
For me, this is it.
There's no option
for me to go home.
- Kim, what did you make?
- I have for you
a pan-seared lamb chop,
some kalamata olives,
and arugula,
with a little bit
of pan jus.
- Today I made for you
some properly-roasted mushrooms.
They're topped with a little bit
of brown butter vinaigrette,
and then a poached egg.
- I made a grilled trout,
and a light southeast
Asian-influenced tomato salad.
It's pretty
rustic in cut.
- Paul,
let's start with you.
- It was my favorite dish
of the group.
- Thank you, chef.
- Everything is seasoned nicely,
the fish is grilled nicely.
I would be happy
to see you continue
and compete
in the competition.
- It's such
a precise dish.
I agree with Tom,
I think you should move through.
- Thank you, chef.
- Welcome
to the Top Chef house.
- Thank you so much.
- There you go.
- I couldn't
feel happier.
This huge sense of relief
just overcame me.
I've passed
the first trial.
[Sighs]
- Kim, your lamb was grgreasy.
I'm afraid what you cooked
doesn't earn you a chef's coat.
- It's just not there.
It was overcooked.
I just can't get past that.
- Please pack
your knives and go.
- Thank you
for the chance.
- Andrew,
how are you feeling?
- Nervous.
I really let my nerves
and the clock
get the best of me,
and just wasn't proud
of what I put forward today.
- Some of the mushrooms
are a little gritty,
but they are
roasted nicely.
Let's put you on the bubble
and see what you can do.
- Thank you, chef.
- I thought your dish
had a lot of earthiness,
a lot of flavor.
It was a bit messy,
especially with the greasy,
fried spinach.
I'd like to put you
on the bubble.
- Hell yeah.
Thanks, Padma.
I wasn't happy
with my first dish,
and ended up
with a messy plate.
So I feel blessed
to have this second chance.
I'm ready to get in there,
and show 'em what I can do.
- What do you think's going on
in the other room?
- I can't imagine it's just us,
you know?
Like, I'm sure that there's
got to be a few more.
- Oh, hola.
- I walk into
the stew room.
There's four chefs
in there already.
I feel a little uneasy.
- What are you in for?
- I got mushrooms.
But I'm ready to move on.
I'll cook five times today
if they want me to.
- Cook, risotto,
cook, risotto.
At this point,
I'm just telling myself,
"Chaz, all you got to do
"is make sure that
it's cooked correctly,
and you're gonna send a powerful
message to the judges."
- Being a private chef
is very different.
It's much more relaxed,
and right now,
it's total chaos.
Chef Tom and chef Hugh
are lurking around,
and I'm [Bleep]ing bricks.
Hot pan.
- With short ribs, the longer
they sit and marinate,
the more tender
they become,
and my marinade
really isn't
getting to the point
where I want it to fast enough.
- In France,
either you become a cook,
you become a priest,
or you become an army guy.
The worst in the family
always end up to be the cook.
Well, it was a little bit
like that for me,
but I love what I do.
Unfortunately,
the oven is not hot enough.
So I didn't get
the crispiness on that duck.
And that's
pissing me off.
- We're looking
at two minutes.
- Hey, you need help?
I have time.
- How much time do have?
You have any idea?
- I think you got one minute.
- Huh?
- One minute.
- One minute for me?
- One minute.
- Thank you.
- I can help you plate.
- I say to myself,
"Chaz, you got 30 seconds.
Try something."
- You need anything?
- No, my plates
are over there.
- He takes the risotto,
tells me it's all good,
but I know it's not looking
too good for him.
- Right behind you.
[Timer beeps]
[Scoffs]
Time's up.
And it's heartbreaking.
[Bleep]
It just destroys me inside
to know that I'm not
gonna be able
to give the judges
something.
- What happened?
- I made an ass
out of myself.
I thought I had
four minutes left,
I was happy with it,
but there's nothing--
- the risotto's cooked.
- It's cooked.
- How'd you
lose track of time?
- I was trying to stay
on top of it as much as I could.
It's 40 minutes
to cook risotto.
I don't blame
anybody but myself.
- I mean...
- Chaz...
Unfortunately, we really
have nothing to judge you on.
Please pack
your knives and go.
- Thank you.
Pleasure meeting you guys.
Obviously
I'm disappointed in myself.
It stinks, and it stings.
Padma--it kind of feels like
she's breaking up with me.
I want my CDs back, you know,
we have to split up our friends.
You cut me deep, Padma.
- Bernice,
what did you make?
- I made an Asian-style
short rib
with a cooling
cabbage slaw.
- I made a duck
with a lemon yuzu curd
and a small arugula
that have been sauteed
with pomegranate molasses
and lemon oil.
- I made a Spanish-style
Brussels sprouts.
It's deglazed
with a little sherry vinegar.
The Brussels sprouts are sitting
on top of a tomato sofrito
with paprika
and hazelnut gremolata.
- Jonathan.
- The Brussels sprouts
were the main part of the dish,
and to me
they just weren't cooked,
or they weren't seasoned.
I'm gonna say no.
- Hugh?
- I'm gonna say
you have to go home.
- Jonathan, please pack
your knives and go.
- Thank you.
- Laurent.
- You brought
a gazillion things to a plate
that needed
to make sense.
I'll put you
on the bubble.
- I mean, you've been
around a kitchen a long time.
- Yes.
- Probably have more experience
than pretty much anybody here.
- Uh-huh.
- And I'm sure
you can cook.
But based on this dish,
I would say no.
Padma, I'm gonna let you
figure this out.
- I don't think this dish
should earn you a coat.
But I think
you have potential,
so I'm gonna put you
on the bubble.
- Okay.
- We'll see you a bit later.
Thank you.
- The dish wasn't perfect.
I can do a whole lot better.
So I'm totally excited
to have a second chance.
Merci beaucoup
for that opportunity.
- Hugh.
- The dish was
just one-dimensional,
and uninspired.
Unfortunately, I don't think
you should move on.
- Tom.
- You know, bernice,
I know where you work,
I know who you work for,
and I know you can cook,
but we can only judge
by what's in front of us.
And based on this sh,
I would say, um, no.
- Please pack your knives
and go, Bernice.
- Thank you for the opportunity.
- Thanks.
- Hearing, "pack your knives,"
it's gut-wrenching.
I would've very much
liked to have moved on.
I think I could've
done a lot better
than the plate
I presented.
- I'm glad
that I have 60 minutes.
I wish I could have a little bit
more for osso bucco.
And at this point,
I just want everything
to make it on the plate.
- I want to make it so bad.
I can, I must, I will.
I keep this note
in my pocket.
Onions.
If you constantly remind
yourself what your goals are,
you're gonna get there.
- Oh, good.
My oxtail's been braising
for 50 minutes.
[Steam hisses]
I need to check it out,
I need to see where it's at.
I'm having trouble getting
the pressure cooker lid off.
[Hissing]
Oh, my gosh,
what would my husband say?
Are you serious?
I cannot be sent home
for a Filipino dish.
[Bleep]
- Maybe there's
only two spots.
- They leave me here
long enough,
I'm gonna k*ll
the other five people.
- What time do I have?
Eight minutes left, [bleep].
- We're the third
and final group to cook.
We don't know how many slots
have already been taken.
That definitely
adds to the anxiety.
- Got my onions.
[Steam hissing]
What do I do now?
Beverly, do you know
how to open this?
- I'm not sure, I'm sorry.
- No?
- Water--take it to the sink
and run it under cold water.
- Thank you.
- I know that when it
comes down to the judging,
it's gonna be on
the quality of our food--
make sure
your water's cold.
Not necessarily who knew
how to release pressure
out of a pressure cooker.
- I get the lid off,
I'm a little disappointed.
[Bleep]
The oxtail is not as tender
as it should be.
So I try to get
some of it off the bone,
and see if I can't get it
a little bit more tender.
Hot coming through,
right behind.
- My brain
is in hyperdrive
because the octopus--
it comes out a little tough,
so I cut it
in little pieces
so it will tenderize
a little more.
I need to get going.
Ten seconds.
[Timer beeps]
- I did the best that I could do
with 60 minutes...
- Thank you.
- But I just want to just move
past this nerve-racking point.
- Hi, Ashley.
Tell us what you've made.
- Um, it's a Filipino dish,
it's called kare-kare.
It was a bit
of a challenge for me
to cook the oxtail
with this amount of time,
but I feel like
the flavoru are great,
and I hope you love it.
- I did braised veal
over creamy polenta,
and then a warm salad,
and charred, pickled carrots.
- I did my version
of nakji bokum,
a Korean-style octopus dish,
with spicy
gojuchang sauce,
and I used
grilled scallions
and pickled cucumbers.
- Let's start
with Lindsay's dish.
- Um...
I loved it.
- [Laughs]
- It's perfectly seasoned.
When you first look at it,
it appears to be
a very simple dish.
There's a lot
going on in here.
This is--this is some
good cooking here.
I'd be happy
to give you a coat.
Well done.
- Thank you.
- So, for me,
you've earned a chef coat.
- Come get your coat.
- This is what I came for.
Getting the coat
is like 3,000 pounds
being lifted
off my shoulders.
- Tom, what'd you think
of Ashley's dish?
- You know, Ashley, this dish
was about the oxtail.
I just wish the meat
were cooked more.
- Yeah, me too.
[Laughs]
- And it just--
it didn't do it for me.
Based on this dish,
I don't see it.
- Your oxtail left
a lot to be desired.
But I think
you have potential,
so I'm gonna put you
on the bubble.
- I think that you just
need to mature in cooking more.
And for that, Ashley,
I can't put you through.
- Okay.
- Ashley, please pack
your knives and go.
- Maybe I played it
a little too safe
by doing a dish
that I felt
really represented myself.
It hurts.
- Are you familiar
with cooking octopus?
- Actually, no.
[Laughs]
- It was risky.
Really crazy-risky.
But I liked it.
It tastes of Korean food,
it's comforting,
it's soulful, it's good.
I'd like to see
more of this craziness.
- I think you earned
a Top Chef jacket.
- Whoo-hoo!
- Come get it.
- I made it.
I definitely need this
for my family.
This is up there as being
one of the most important
events in my life.
I'm so excited.
- Cheers.
Congratulations, everyone.
- Congratulations.
- All right.
- Hi.
- More people are coming in.
Let's go see
who else is here.
Congratulations. Chris.
Nice to meet you.
We, uh--we started already.
- Hi, I'm Chuy.
- Hi. Lindsay.
It's really exciting
to start to see everybody
that has made the cut,
but it's not gonna be easy,
because I see
a lot of chefs here
I've read about before,
that I've seen in magazines.
- Did any of you guys
have to do the bubble?
- No, I didn't.
The first one
was enough, you know?
[Laughter]
- Oh, God, to go back
a second time?
I would've freaked out.
- Very un-fun.
Really un-fun.
- This waiting
is k*lling me though.
- It's better to be
sitting in here
than it would be
to not be here at all.
But of course it'd be a lot
better to just have the jacket.
- Where are you from?
- I'm from Minnesota.
- Is that where
you're cooking now?
- I cook on
the Allure of the Seas
for Royal Caribbean.
- Oh, a cruise ship.
[Laughs]
- I expect
some of the chefs
to look down on what I do,
and that's okay.
I think everybody
in this competition
has something
to prove here.
And I am absolutely ready
to defend my territory.
Maybe there's
only two spots left.
- Maybe there's
only two spots.
- I bet you there's
only one spot.
- Hell no.
[Laughter]
Don't even do that.
- If they leave me here
in the stew room long enough,
I'm gonna k*ll the other
five people to get that jacket.
That's how bad I want it.
- Hi, chefs.
We'd like to see you all
in the kitchen.
- We all look
at each other,
stand up,
and walk into battle.
- Seeing Emeril
is certainly a surprise.
And my heart was pounding
through my chest.
- There are six of you,
but there are
just two slots left.
- There's a 33% chance that
I could get into a blue jacket,
and I really wish
there were some more spots.
- Using any ingredients
in the kitchen,
you have 45 minutes
to make one dish
that shows us
why you should be here.
- I'm nervous that we can
choose whatever we want.
It's so hard to compete
in a challenge
where the focus is so broad,
versus something specific.
- Don't leave anything
on the table.
This is your moment
that will define you as a chef.
- Your time starts now.
- The feedback that I received
about the first challenge
was that they really wanted me
to highlight the protein.
So I see tiger shrimp
and go for it.
I can adapt to a lot
of different situations.
So I should be
moving forward.
- I accidentally
hit your burner.
I'll get it, I'll get it.
- I see mussels,
and I immediately know
I wanna do mussels
with a Spanish flair.
Winning Top Chef, bringing
that publicity to Austin,
justifying
my 90 hours a week.
That's where
this inspiration's coming from.
- 30 minutes, everybody.
- I'm making creamy polenta
with pork fig wine sauce
and bacon-wrapped shrimp.
My mother sat me down
when I was a freshman
in high school
and said, "what do you wanna be
when you grow up?"
And I was like,
"are you kidding me?
"I'm 15 years old.
All I wanna do is drink."
But I really thought about it,
and guess what.
I've been working in restaurants
since I was 15.
- I could baste all day,
you know that?
It's like, so relaxing.
I'm gonna do a scallop
with a clam bake.
Right now, I feel like
I need to cook to be happy.
I'm recently single.
We had a wonderful
commitment ceremony.
About a month later, she told me
that she didn't like my vows.
And she broke up with me
over the phone after nine years.
A post-it note would've been
more touching than that.
Right behind, right behind.
- Already got it.
Small mixing bowls,
anybody?
Thank you.
- I'm gonna do
sauteed scallops,
rice fennel with saffron,
and a ritotta of scallops.
It's gonna be
a scallop two ways--
raw and cooked.
So hopefully,
this time around,
the judges will understand
my cooking, my style
what I'm about.
- On your tail, Edward.
- I look around, and I realize
that everyone's doing seafood.
I don't want to be doing
the same thing
everyone else is doing.
So I decide
to go with duck.
- Yours?
- Not mine, not mine.
Outside of Kentucky,
I'm a nobody.
I'm here to show
the judges
you don't have to live in
New York to do stuff like this.
As long as I keep
my nerves steady,
there's no way
I can screw this up.
- Ah, [Bleep]!
- Oh, I [Bleep] Myself.
- Edward, you all right?
- It's a pretty bad cut.
- Yeah, go in here.
This is like
the seven dwarves.
- [Laughs]
Oh, my God.
- This bed's too soft.
This bed's too hard.
I'm in the room with Chris
and two other chefs.
We got bunk beds, so it's like
back being in college again,
which is
absolutely awesome.
- You get a little ladder.
- I know.
- This is perfect.
- All right.
Finding this bed, strategically,
is really important.
- Same thing over there.
- Yeah?
- In my room that I'm sharing
with three other guys,
I'm in a bunk bed,
and I'm 6'4", 300-pounds.
It's crazy.
That's what's up.
- Right behind.
- Yeah, I'm moving now.
Moving.
- We have 45 minutes to cook
the best dish that we can bring,
and I'm feeling good.
Everything's running
really smoothly.
Dammit.
Cut myself.
- Edward, you all right?
- I just throw a glove on there,
and just keep on going.
No blood
on the cutting board.
It's a pretty bad cut.
I am just pumping blood
out of my finger.
Good, the doctor is in.
The medic's trying
to check out my wound,
and I'm not about to stop.
Can I move while
you're checking?
And at this point,
if I could cut off my arm
and give it to him
to fix it,
I would cook one-handed
for the rest of this challenge.
He can take
my entire torso.
I'll cook with my feet
if I have to.
Because I bombed
on that first dish.
I won't do that again.
All right, thank you.
- All right, guys,
we got 20 minutes.
[Glass breaks]
- Right behind.
Hot, hot, hot.
I feel really good
about my dish.
I think the watermelon
with the little bit
of lime juice
is gonna cut through
the butteriness of the scallop,
and everything that I wanted
to be there was there.
- I'm stressed
about the moment,
I wanna make sure
everything is done on time.
Think I'm
a little more focused.
I realize it's just two spots,
and I want one.
- Five minutes!
- In the first challenge,
I let somebody else
butcher my meat.
This time I have
everything under control.
I'm gonna rock it.
- 2 1/2 minutes.
- I feel really good
about the mussels,
but I wish I was
already plating.
Ah, [Bleep]!
The six of us in the kitchen
have a lot of stress.
My first round, I ended up
with a messy plate,
but I'm not gonna put out
a dirty plate this time.
- I'm so happy to have
a second chance.
I really want to show
something different,
something fun
and exciting.
- One minute! One minute!
- In the last
minutes of plating,
I'm forgetting
about my shrimp.
- 15 seconds.
- It's just stress,
and I look at the shrimp,
and I'm thinking
they might be overcooked.
[Beeps]
- [Laughs]
- I'm waling my dishes
over to the judges.
Presentation-wise,
it looks different,
it smells different,
so it's looking good.
- I'm looking down
at my plates,
and I know my flavors
are right.
I'm going to walk outta here
with a chef coat.
- Ed, please tell us
what you've made.
- I have a blend of Asian
and Southern food.
A sweet Asian custard,
and then on top of that,
you've got a few slices of duck
with barbecue sauce,
pickled corn, and candied bacon.
- I have
a jumbo stuffed prawn
with a mousseline
of shrimp,
and it sits
on a yuzu beurre blanc,
with a ponzu pudding
and soy-glazed watermelon.
- I have a seared scallop
with baby clams,
bacon, corn--
the garnish is
watermelon and snap peas
tossed with a little bit
of lime juice.
- I made creamy polenta
with a bacon-wrapped shrimp,
and a port wine fig sauce.
- I did a scallop two ways.
- What you have
in front of you is mussels.
The pasta in there
is fregula.
On the side is
charred corn panna cotta
and charred shrimp.
- Janine, how do you feel
you did today?
- I, um, took your advice,
and I simplified it a bit.
- I would've liked
to see the watermelon,
being garnish,
be more of a part of the meal,
as opposed to
this ostracized--
- there was a little on top.
- Okay.
- I tried
to incorporate it like that.
- Growing up in new England's
kinda like home,
and I can taste
every single component.
Simple? Yes.
Well-ex*cuted? Yes.
- Thank you.
I appreciate that.
- Molly, do you feel
that you put a dish out
that will earn you
a Top Chef coat?
- I sure hope so.
[Laughs]
- The shrimp's
overcooked.
Again, the skill's there,
but that one element
is definitely not right.
- It is a dish
that really could've
come this close to being
a magnificent dish.
It needed a little bit
of marrying of flavors,
and a little bit
of push, overall.
- Ed, do you feel like
what you put out today
should earn you
a chef's coat?
- Yes, I do.
I think it's a pretty good dish.
- I love the flavors.
I love what's
happening in there.
Presentation is fantastic.
- I think the duck may've gone
a little bit over,
just in the way
I wanna eat the duck.
- Grayson...
- Why figs and shrimp?
- I bacon-wrapped
the shrimp
because I like
the flavors together.
- So the fig is really
playing off the bacon,
not so much the shrimp?
- Right.
- I'm asking
these questions
because you should
have intention.
Because to my mind,
figs and shrimp don't
make a whole lot of sense,
but figs and bacon,
of course, make sense.
This was a good
version of it.
You put together
a nice dish.
- I loved how you protected
the shrimp with the bacon,
yet gave it a lot
of flavor.
I like the whole
combination.
- Thank you.
- Andrew, how are you
feeling right now?
- I'm very happy.
You told me to cook
with confidence,
and I hope that the flavors
truly come through.
- I like how you got
that smoked paprika
in there a little bit,
and brought
those flavors out.
I'm a little confused
by the panna cotta.
- Okay.
- You know, I wish you had
stopped right here,
'cause I would've been
singing your praises
for this nice
bowl of mussels
that is so
different and fun.
- Laurent, what do you
think about your dish?
Do you think it merits
a chef's coat?
- Well, I hope so.
- This tartare is not
appetizing to me.
It's not look--
it doesn't look appealing.
It's almost gray.
- I got quite excited
when you said,
"scallop two ways."
The hot scallop
is cooked perfectly.
I love the combination
with fennel,
j think that all works.
I have to agree with my
colleagues about the tartare,
but overall I understand
the concept of your dish.
So I appreciate that.
- Thank you.
- There are only
two slots left.
Obviously, we have a very
big decision to make.
We'll call you
back in a bit.
- Thank you.
- [Sighs]
- What do you think?
- You never know.
They could talk you up,
and then be like...
[Pops]
- I think it can
go anywhere too,
and I feel proud
of what I did.
I feel blessed to have
this second chance.
Being from Austin,
I certainly don't
wanna be one
that doesn't even
make it into the top 16.
It would be
an absolute heartbreak.
It's in their hands now.
- Molly's dish--
the shrimp was just
completely overcooked.
If we would have served
this shrimp in the restaurant,
we would be
the laughing stock.
- The flavor was quite bland
on the whole dish.
- You got to get the main part
of the dish right.
- [Bleep] Shrimp, man.
[Laughter]
- Laurent.
- I didn't think it was
a clean, bouncy tartare.
- I don't understand
this tartare and a hot dish.
Typically, you serve
hot food on a hot plate.
- Right.
- And tartare's cold.
That spice--
I still don't get it.
- Still taste it
on the roof of my mouth.
- Edward.
- I thought he did
a nice job.
Making the mushi
in a short period of time,
I think it had
a lot of flavor.
- He floundered a little bit on
the actual cookery of the duck.
- I overcooked the duck.
- Andrew?
- I wish Andrew'd
just stop the mussels.
I don't understand
the panna cotta,
I don't understand
the little,
chopped-up shrimp thing
over there.
- Amen.
- And the mussel dish
was good.
- He is a definite middle-ground
player right now.
- I really did
believe in it, though.
- Grayson.
- It was totally different from
a standard shrimp and grits.
Emeril and I cook
this stuff every day.
- Yup.
- And that's not what we cook.
- I thought it was
a solid dish.
- The grits were
a little dense.
It was flavorful,
but there were a few flaws.
- And that leaves us
with Janine.
- It's a tough one,
it's a tough one.
It was a very good dish.
It was all there
on the plate,
but there was something
about the dish.
It just had this
raw taste to it.
- But Janine's scallop
was perfectly cooked,
so, you know,
it's a hard one.
- I think Janine
is a shoo-in.
- Yeah, you are in, yeah.
- There are
only two spots.
- Mm-hmm.
- I think we have
our 16 chefs.
- Same here.
- Yup, I do too.
- So do I.
[Suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
- Chefs, as you know,
there are only two slots left.
Unfortunately,
we're gonna have to send
four of you home tonight.
- Molly, last round,
you put together
a nice soup.
We weren't
completely convinced,
we gave you
an opportunity to come back,
but unfortunately,
you completely
hammered those shrimp.
- Molly, please pack
your knives and go.
- Thank you.
Getting a second chance,
and then being eliminated
is definitely bitter.
I wish I could've represented
myself a little bit better.
- Laurent...
Gave you a second chance
to come back in.
A lot of competing flavors.
Unfortunately,
I don't think those flavors
all worked together.
- I'm sorry, Laurent.
Please pack your knives and go.
- Thank you. Bye.
- Ed...
It was a real gutsy call
to do mushi.
It's a hard dish to do
in a short time.
Lot of depth of flavor,
the duck was a little
overcooked, though.
- Ed...
Congratulations.
Come get your Top Chef coat.
- Ha-lle-lu-jah.
I will not disappoint you.
Getting that jacket
is vindication.
I feel like I've already
won something major
just to get he.
- Andrew...
Janine...
And Grayson...
Only one of you
will move on
to compete for $125,000
and the title of Top Chef.
- Janine...
Put together a nice dish.
Scallops were
nicely prepared,
flavor of summer
came across.
We're a little confused about
that little pile of watermelon.
Don't know if it
needed to be there.
But something needed to tie
the whole thing together.
Grayson...
Flavors were good.
Wasn't the most
imaginative dish.
We've seen
shrimp and grits before,
I've seen
bacon-wrapped shrimp before.
It was a little
unexpected with the fig.
Andrew, it was a really
great plate of food.
Then you had to go and
mess it up with the panna cotta
and the grilled shrimp,
and whatever else on there.
I wish you had just
stopped with mussels.
- Me too.
[Suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
- I'm sorry, Andrew.
Please pack your knives and go.
- Thank you.
It sucks to know
you were that close.
I thought that jacket
was mine.
♪ ♪
- Janine and Grayson,
it's down to the two of you.
One of you will be
getting a Top Chef coat,
and the other
will be going home.
[Suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
- Janine and Grayson,
one of you will be
getting a Top Chef coat,
and the other
will be going home.
Grayson...
Congratulations.
You'll be moving on.
- Good job.
- I'm sorry, Janine.
Please pack your knives and go.
- She says, "you're in!"
I feel exhausted,
but I'm happy I am where I am.
Thank you.
- I'm disappointed
not to make it in the top 16.
I just didn't wanna be
the last one next to
the person that got the jacket,
and that's
exactly what happened.
[Chefs chattering]
- I live right by there.
- Oh, do you, really?
- On Broadway,
where treasure island is.
- Wow.
- Walking into the house,
I feel a moment of relief,
like, I made it.
- Man...
- How's it going?
- This house is big.
- How you doing, man?
- I'm breathing for the first
time in a couple hours,
and it feels good.
But Grayson and I have made it
by the skin of our teeth,
so I feel like I'm starting out
at the bottom of this race.
- Congratulations.
- Did it again.
- [Laughs]
- I don't want
the other chefs thinking,
"Ed and Grayson,
they're the underdogs
because they had to
cook again."
We just got
more experience, okay?
Okay, cheers.
- Cheers.
- The final 16 chefs
have been chosen.
- Watch out.
- Where's my team?
- This season,
on Top Chef,
they will battle it out
across the great state of Texas.
- Uh-, here we go.
- I'm sorry, we need
to get someone here, please.
- The journey begins
in historic San Antonio.
- Whoo!
- Can you believe it? [Laughs]
- Nothing here is normal.
- I better see
some mother[Bleep] Snakes
on some
mother[Bleep] Plates.
- Oh, my God!
These challenges
are hard as [Bleep].
So sorry.
- As the temperature rises,
tempers flare in Dallas.
- Why are you plating
with a plastic spoon?
- Are you turning
into Howard Hughes?
- My [Bleep]Ing egg.
Bull[Bleep].
- And in Austin,
the fierce competition
pushes some chefs
to the breaking point.
- This is the hardest thing
I've ever done.
- She's completely
freaking the [Bleep] out.
It's a total meltdown.
- You love driving the bus.
Hitting people.
- I expected
a lot more from you.
- They were crappy.
- You have nothing nice to say,
don't say anything.
- In our biggest
season ever,
it's the biggest
twist of all.
- It's not over just yet.
- The competition continues
online,
hosted by Tom Colicchio.
Time's up.
For the first time
in Top Chef history,
eliminated chefs
will unpack their knives
for the chance to get back into
the Top Chef competition.
The winning chef is...
You get the win here.
Get to keep the coat.
09x02 - The Heat is On
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Show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges.
Show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges.