07x01 - House of Chef-Presentatives

[bunniefuu]

- Top Chef is back.
- Hot. Very hot. Coming through.

- No, that's not me.
- No, you had it on 300.

After six seasons
across the U.S.,


in our nation's capital,

Washington D.C.,

to make their mark
on culinary history.

Thank you for coming.

They've all come here
with a lot to prove...

I want to prove to myself that
I'm worthy of being on top chef.

Winning top chef
would show my mom that I can be

everything she said
I couldn't be.

And a lot to fight for.

My mother is Thai
and my father is Burmese.

We support two orphanages
in Thailand

because there's a lot
of mouths to feed in Asia.

It's missing.
It's not there.

It's a city of idealists,
visionaries,

and ruthless power seekers.

Angelo's team wants to use
one of our foam g*ns?

No.

Your group even threw you
under the bus!

This season,
new judge Eric Ripert joins

our culinary supreme court.

I had a hard time to find
flavor in that sauce.

And after 29 challenges...

That in itself is a feat.

Welcome to Goddard space
flight center.

It's like I chewed
a caterpillar.

But my name was on it.

One outstanding competitor
will take the title of top chef,

and the grand prize...

A feature in food & wine
magazine,

and a showcase at the
food & wine classic in Aspen.

$125,000 to help turn
their culinary dreams

into reality,

furnished by Dial Nutriskin.

Top chef season 7:
Hail to the Chef.

My name is Tiffany Derry.
I am from Beaumont, Texas.

In tenth grade I started
working at ihop.

I just always decided
I'm just gonna work harder

than everybody else
on the side of me

and see what comes out of it.

Now I am the executive chef
at go fish ocean club in Dallas.

I think it would be awesome
to be the first African-American

to win this bad boy
in Barack Obama city!

My name is Stephen Hopcraft.

Leaving my wife and my


was probably one of the
hardest things I've had to do.

But I also am here
to try and create opportunities

for my family.

I came here to change my life
and to kick ass--that's it.

My name is Tracey Bloom.

I'm the executive chef at table


Last year I was voted one
of the top 25 chefs in Atlanta.

I'm ready to compete.
Now is my time.

My name is Kenneth Gilbert.

I've been cooking as long as
I would stand up to the stove.

Scrambled my first egg
when I was three years old.

My confidence level,
on a scale of one to ten,

is--is a ten.

Immediately after arriving,
we went straight to the museum,

where there was
a breathtaking view.

What about the obelisk?

It's not higher than
the capitol or the monument.

Oh, wow.

I think that D.C. is a great
place for top chef to be held.

You have really great
chefs here.

You have Jose Andres here,
Jean-Louis Palladin.

Eric Ripert's got
his restaurant here.

So I'm really excited
to be able to compete here

in Washington.

- Where you from, Kelly?
- Vail, Colorado.

My husband and I own
our restaurant together

in Vail, Colorado.

I was named one of the top

young female chefs
in the country.

When I want something,
I go after it 100%.

And I don't lose very often.

- I'm Lynne. Nice to meet u.
- Andrea. Nice to meet you.

Oh, hugs too?

My name's Lynne Gigliotti.

I'm a chef instructor at the
culinary institute of America.

I might not be the most
flashy person out there.

I don't have any tattoos
or crazy hr,

but my food tast good.

Just because you're
an instructor,

you know,
you're not dead yet.

Hi. Love your scarf.

- Thank you.
- Nice to meet you, Arnold.

My name's Arnold myint.

I'm the executive Chef
and owner of three restaurants

in Nashville.

Motivational staff dance.

In preparation for top chef,
I got a wardrobe stylist,

and I got a facial.

- Hey, I'm Jacqueline.
- Kevin.

Jacqueline, nice to meet you.
Kevin.

My name is Kevin Sbraga.

Currently executive chef
at rat's restaurant

in Hamilton, New Jersey.

I'm expecting to let
the world know Jersey is here--

I'm here and I'm the best
damn cook out there.

- What's up, man? How are you?
- Good.

- Been a long time
- yeah, it has.

I've known Kenny Gilbert
for about eight or nine years.

Kenny is an amazing,
amazing cook.

He's my biggest competition.

- Where are you coming from?
- New York, New York.

- Oh, cool.
- And yourself?

Brooklyn.
Okay.

I do catering for a living.

I would like to prove
that any self-taught chef

can b*at the pants
off of all of these guys.

That's the Smithsonian.
The capitol's over there.

The name is Timothy Dean.
Born and raised in D.C.

I do have the hometown
advantage.

My wife Michelle,
she passed away three years ago.

And I know she's
looking down on me.

And I gotta win for her.

I don't know if
you know Jean-Georges?

Of course. I know Wylie,
Jean Georges, all those guys.

I worked with him
for a long time.

- Okay.
- I was with ducasse in France.

I had a restaurant
in the West village,

and we were the first
Chinese restaurant

to ever receive
a Michelin star.

I was actually just
in Monte Carlo recent--

last week, actually.

- How was it?
- Amazing.

Have you been to France before?
Yes.

Whoever's gonna go
against me,

there's gonna be blood
on the stage.

It's gonna be w*r.

Did you go to Louis xv?
Yeah.

Charlie was working there
when I went.

Angelo, he's like,
"I've got it going on."

And I'm like,
"this is some bull

Hey, Padma's here.

Yep, that's them.

I kind of feel like I'm
a stranger in a strange land.

But when Padma and Tom
walked out,

that's when it's really
hitting me--

I'm here. I'm in D.C.
I'm on top chef.

Welcome to Washington, D.C.

And welcome to top chef 7.

D.C. is a city where
history is made.

You'll have an amazing
opportunity

with these challenges

to make a little history
of your own

in this competition,
and in the culinary world.

For your first
quickfire,

we'll be testing your
basic skills and speed

to see how you stack up
against your fellow chefs.

You'll be competing
in a mise en place tournament.

The first leg...

You'll have to peel
ten potatoes.

The 12 fastest will
move ahead to leg two.

Then you'll have to brunoise
ten cups of onions.

After that, four chefs
will be eliminated.

Moving on to leg three,

you'll have to break down
four chickens

into eight parts.

I think it's an amazing
first challenge

because you have to
react immediately.

And two, you see the skills
of each individual

right off the bat.

The four fastest chefs will
move on to the final leg,

where you will have
to use these ingredients

to prepare a dish.

Padma and I will
taste the dish

and determine a winner.

And this is
a high-stakes quickfire.

The winner will receive...

$20,000.

Wow.

The pressure is on.

I have one daughter
and a baby on the way.

If I were to win
the 20 grand,

I would use it for
a down payment on a house.

That alone was be amazing.

So, chefs,
take your positions.

Okay, chefs...

Go.

♪ ♪

I'm right next to Kenny.

While I'm still on
my first potato,

I hear his first potato
hit the ground--

like, he's done already.

He's going through potatoes
pretty quickly,

and I'm a little bit nervous.

♪ ♪

I have a really great
resume,

but I'm competing
against people further along

in their career
than I am.

That doesn't mean that
I'm not as good as they are,

but then I sliced
my palm open.

So I feel like an idiot.

Good!

All right, Kenny,
you're good.

You're moving on
to the next round.

♪ ♪

check!

Angelo,
you're moving on.

Peeling a potato
is not difficult.

But when Tom's, like,
with a whistle

and a box full
of $20,000,

it's a little bit
of pressure.

Check!

- John, you're good.
- Check.

- Check!
- Check!

Uh, I can see already
you've got a lot of work to do.

- Check.
- Timothy, you're good.

- Check.
- Alex, you're good.

Only four spots left now.

- Check.
- Check!

- Check.
- These are good.

One more spot left.

- Check.
- Stop.

Okay, we're done.
Next round.

So for the five chefs
who didn't complete the task,

you can go stand
over there.

That was
total incomplete .

I've peeled 1,002 potatoes
in my life.

The pressure of it,
it was overwhelming.

Round two.

You'll be brunoising
ten cups of onions

a brunoise is
a small dice--



I don't know if
I'll be the fastest,

but I think I'll be
the most precise.

After this leg, four chefs
will be knocked out.

Okay, ready?

♪ ♪

after Kenny won
the first one, I was, like,

"no way is he gonna win
this next one."

So I start chopping those onions
like a Wood chipper.

Check!

So master Kenny
down the street here

raises his hands
and yells "check" again.

The guy's an animal.
He's ridiculous.

Looks good to me.

I want him to fall off
the building.

Check.

Okay.

- Check.
- You look good.

- Check.
- Angelo, that's good.

- Check!
- Alex, that looks good.

Three spots left.

- Check!
- Lynne, that looks good.

- Check.
- Check.

Okay, that looks good,
and that's good.

We're done. That's it.
You two are in.

That's disappointing.

I was one of food & wine
magazine's

top ten best new chefs
in America.

But I can't dice up onions.
I was pissed.

Only four of you will make it
to the final round.

And be eligible
for the $20,000.

Every time I butcher
something,

I butcher it the same way.

Take the breasts off first,

remove the wing,
pop the thigh bone.

I'm gonna cut the leg
and thigh in half.

So that chicken is done

within
a good 30 seconds.

Check.

Yeah!

Looks good to me.

Check.

You're clear to move on.

Check.

Okay, Tim, you're good.

One spot left.

Check!

All right, Kevin,
you're good.

That's it--
the last one in.

I was 1/4 of a chicken away
from $20,000.

I'm pissed.

The four chefs that are going
to the final cook-off,

come to the table down here.

Damn, Kenny, he's fast.

But does he know how to cook
and do it well?

I'm here to win it all.

I came here to represent,
and that's what I'm gonna do.

We have our final four chefs
eligible for $20,000.

Oh!

The little jerk!

Obviously he thinks I suck.

Okay, chefs,
this is the last leg

of your high-stakes
quickfire.

There's $20,000
on the line here.

You need to make a dish
using the chicken,

the onions,
and the potato.

Plus you can use
whatever's I the pantry.

Go to it.

Corn starch, anyone?

I have the chicken in,
I got fresh herbs on it.

I'm gonna do
a potato galette.

It's hot. Feels like August
in D.C. right now.

I'm gonna make
a boneless chicken wing.

I'm gonna poach it
in a chicken broth,

flavor it with the onions,
potatoes, and mushrooms.

You've got 20 minutes.

It's all good.

What I end up making is
Moroccan-spice chicken two ways

with dried cherries.

I wanted to represent
not only speed,

but efficiency and poise.

And I wanted everyone to be,
like, "wow,

this guy is truly
the Alpha male."

- Drinks are on them.
- Drinks are on them.

My dish is
roasted Spice chicken

served with a chilled
onion jam.

I'm feeling really pumped up.
I'm feeling extremely focused.

I feel like a ninja.
Guys, two minutes.

Time's up.

- Hello, Angelo.
- What'd you make for us?

So we have a roasted wing,
curried onion jam

with potato noodles.

- Very nice. Thank you.
- Thank you very much.

- Hello, Kevin.
- How are you?

So I have a boneless
chicken wing

with hot and sour broth,
tomatoes, fennels, potato,

and a little bit
of mushroom.

- Thank you.
- Thank you so much

thank you.

Hello.

Hi, Padma, hi chef.
How you doing?

I did a potato galette
with oyster mushrooms

with a little bit
of onions.

Make sure you get
a cherry.

- Great. Thank you.
- Okay.

Hi, Kenny.
How are you?

I did a duo of chicken.

You have a caramelized onion
potato puree

as well as onion confit.

Thank you.

So, Tom, let's get the bad news
out of the way.

Sure. Tim, there was
too much cream in the dish.

It really kind of marred
all the flavor

trying to come through.

Kevin, the broth was
very salty.

I just couldn't
get past the salt.

That means it's between
Angelo and Kenny

for the $20,000.

Kenny, I like how you
featured the roasted potato.

The flavors were nice.
A lot of different spices.

A lot of different things
going on--nice job.

Angelo, I loved
all your flavors.

The onion jam was great.

I thought the chicken was
well cooked.

I also loved how
you used the potato.

For $20,000,
furnished by dial nutriskin--

the winner of our first
quickfire...

Is Angelo.

Congratulations.
Thank you.

I want people to know
that I'm business.

And I want to set the pace
where everybody's chasing me

at this point in time.

I actually want to be
the first contestant

to win every single
challenge.

Well done.

Angelo wins
this competition,

and I'm, like,
"what the ?"

I really don't see Angelo
being a thr*at.

I just look at it
as an obstacle.

And now for your first
elimination challenge.

We're in the nation's
capital,

where every part of the country
is represented.

So as a chef,
we want you to represent

where you're from
in your dish.

Every single day of my life,

I cook regional
Colorado cuisine.

This is my challenge.

You'll be cooking for


successful Washingtonians
at the kickoff party

for the annual
cherry blossom festival.

You'll be divided
into four groups,

and you will be competing
head to head

within the four groups.

One chef from each group
will be up for the win,

and one chef from each group
will be up for elimination.

Angelo, Kevin,
Kenny, and Timothy,

since you were in the top
of the quickfire,

you'll have a big advantage.

The four of you
will get to choose

who you're competing against.

So, Angelo,
you won the quickfire,

so you get first choice
of the chef

you want to cook against.

All right, Tiffany,
we'll do it up.

All right.

I'll take the young lady
on the end.

Kenny looks right at me,

and he's, like,
"I'll take you."

What a little jerk.

I mean, obviously
he thinks I suck.

Arnold.

Alex.

I'll choose Kelly.

Lynne.

I'll choose Amanda.

I choose tamesha.

John.

- Congratulations.
- Thank you.

- Uh, Steve.
- Jaueline.

Who do you think is
the worst chef

is the person
who gets picked first.

At the point I get chosen,
I'm feeling okay

because we're the last
three chefs to get picked.

- Timothy.
- I choose Andrea.

Great.

I'm the last person standing,

but I have a kick-ass resume.

I worked for Todd English,
Daniel boulud,

Laurent tourondel,

so I know
I'm a very big thr*at.

Angelo, since you won
the quickfire,

you can choose what group
ed will be cooking in.

This is the strategy part.

Ed, you're gonna go
right over here

with Kenny.

Put a little bit more pressure
on Kenny.

Let him know that
I'm not messing around.

You could tell that
Angelo was sending a message.

When it's all said and done,
it's irrelevant.

So tomorrow you'll have
$300 to shop at whole foods.

And then you'll have
four hours to prep

in the g.E. Monogram
top chef kitchen.

And on the day of the event,
you'll have one hour

to set up at the
Andrew w. Mellon auditorium

before all the guests arrive.

Okay, you guys,
thank you very much,

and good luck.

Thank you.

We arrive at the D.C. house
for the first time...

And it's just this beautiful,
enormous townhome.

All right!

- Go, go, go, go, go.
- Whoo!

Who else is in here
with us?

- Do you snore?
- Yes.

I do. Mad snorer.

Great. Snorers.
Awesome.

A lot of chicken sauce.

I wasn't particularly happy

with my performance
on the quickfire,

so tomorrow's a big day.

Finally I'm gonna get a chance
to cook something.

I want to give the judges
a piece of who I am.

Kevin chose me
for this challenge.

You chose wrong, buddy.

I unpack it,
and my heart just sinks.

We bolt into whole foods.
How you guys doing?

You got short ribs?
A whole rib eye.

There's, like, 17 of us,
and, like, everybody wants

to hit the meat counter
at the same time.

And I'm really stressed that
somebody's gonna take

all the ingredients
that I want.

This is the first dish the
judges are gonna see from me,

so it's gonna take a lot
of thinking on my feet.

Another half.

The elimination challenge is
to represent

the region
where we're from.

And I see chicken livers.

And they're from New York.

I grew up
in the Hudson valley,

so I think, okay, I'm gonna do
a chicken liver mousse.

I really want to win
the first elimination challenge.

I want to immediately
make a statement.



- That's ten pounds right there?
- That's it.

Nice.

Wow, this is cool.

Seeing the Hilton kitchen
for the first time,

it's a little surreal.
I'm a little nervous, actually.

I haven't touched
some of these fancy tools.

I have a mom and pop restaurant
in Nashville.

I'm from D.C.,
so my game plan is

to do something that we're
utilizing out of the Chesapeake.

And I have a great piece
of rock fish

with the quickfire challenge.

I got to pick the people
that I want to compete against.

I picked Alex, tamesha,
and Andrea.

One of us is gonna go
to the top,

and one of us is bottom.

And I have no intention

on being on the bottom four
at all.

I was born in Russia,
so what I decided to do

fuse a little bit
of my mom's favorite soup,

which is borscht,
and my culinary style.

So I'm gonna deconstruct it.

If I can pull it off,
I'm a shoo-in.

If I fail, I'm going home.

Oh, I don't want to lose
my burner.

I'm cooking against Jacqueline,
Arnold, and Kevin.

Kevin chose me
for this challenge

because I guess he thought
that I was an easy mark.

Chose wrong, buddy!

We have some great lamb in
Pennsylvania and South Jersey,

so I'm preparing
my lamb suvee.

Especially for an event
like this, it makes it simpler.

I know my lamb's gonna be
cooked properly.

Hey, guys, I've got
an upper oven

on 250 regular bake.

If you need it, great.
Otherwise, please don't touch.

I'm feeling pretty good.

You know, the apple cups
look perfect.

And then I have to
make a decision--

do I want to go in a more
traditional French style,

adding loads of butter?

But then I decide to go light
on the mousseline

because I want the guests
to have a contrast

of flavors and textures.



I'm competing against John,
Tiffany, and Kelly.

I come from a small town
in Connecticut.

It's a country town.

My head automatically goes
to stream fishing,

so I took the sashimi
of arctic char,

chili tapioca--

which kind of takes the place
and looks like char roe--

and a smoked bacon froth.

I'm confident with my food.

I mean, really, I feel like
an orchestra with flavors.

I really can control
every single note.

I can tell you when
it's gonna hit your mouth,

why it's gonna hit your mouth

that's what I do.

So you're probably gonna
have that thing

shaking the table
the whole time, right?

For the next two minutes.

Sorry.

Maple really flows
through the trees in Michigan,

so for this challenge, I'm gonna
make a maple mousse Napoleon.

Now a dessert...Risky move.

But I think it's gonna be tasty.

I think everybody's
gonna love it.

And I'm a strong enough chef
to be able to b*at everybody.

What are you doing, guy?

Doing potato-crusted rib eye.

- Where are you from?
- Where am I from? Ohio.

I'm competing against Kenny,
Lynne, ed, Stephen.

Stephen's a little hick
from some country town.

I'm sure he has no idea
how to cook.

One hour left.

The region that I'm representing
in this dish is Colorado.

So this dish that
I'm preparing

is a cinnamon coffee-rubbed
trout--

black Bean mole,
goat cheese polenta.

I think it's important
to be able to set the tone

for the first
elimination challenge.

I've already set the tone
on the quickfire.

I want this to continue.

I'm having some problems
with the ovens.

Apparently I set the temperature
for the upper one

to the lower one,

so I burnt
my macadamia nuts.

The clock is
ticking down quickly,

and I'm gonna have to
redo that recipe.

I still have to cook up
the puff pastry.

The puree looks pretty good,

and since time is just
flat out running out,

I decide not to pass it through
a Tammy--not to strain it.

Hot behind you.

I'm not sure if I've made
the right choice.

This is a little bit risky,
but it's also a safe bet

because it's something
I know.

Time! Let's go, guys.

Let's go, all right?

Looks amazing here,
huh, Kelly?

Yeah, it looks really good.

So we show up to the
Andrew w. Mellon auditorium,

and it's beautiful.

The challenge is to
create a dish

that represents
where we're from.

I love making food for these
little cocktail events.

No problem.

I unpack my chicken liver
mousseline...

And my heart just sinks.

I taste it,
and it's grainy.

I decide at that point to cook
the chicken liver terrine again

because the more I cook it,
the more it will smooth out.

Ten minutes!

Doors open, and bam--
people at your station.

Plate, schmooze, serve.
It's showtime.

This is a mustard aioli.

Hello. How are you?

I'll get you another plate
all ready.

Mmm, this is wonderful.

Hi, Amanda.

How are you today?
I'm good.

I'd like to introduce you
to your judges

for this elimination.

Tom colicchio,
our head judge--

chef and owner
of craft restaurant.

- We have Eric Ripert...
- Hello, Amanda.

Of Le bernardin and
West end bistro here in D.C.

And, of course,
the luscious Gail Simmons

of food & wine magazine,

and the host of the upcoming
top chef: Just desserts.

It's so surreal to have
Padma and Tom

and Eric and Gail,
and they're just, like,

"hey, Amanda,
what do you have for us?"

This is a throwback

to the Neo-classical
California cuisine

from, like,
the Wolfgang puck era.

So what we have here is
a red snapper carpaccio

with cucumbers and
a daikon and caraway gelee.

I'm from Nashville,
Tennessee,

and my mother's from
Bangkok, Thailand.

So the cake is kaffir lime
and Thai basil cake

with a palm sugar anglaise.

I'm from South Jersey,
right outside of Philadelphia.

So we did a Pennsylvania lamb,
Meyer lemon marmalade,

spring onions,
and a little natural jus.

I am from New York,
so I made a duo

of chicken liver mousse.

They're both very delicate.

I went very light on the fat--
basically none.

No fat in chicken liver
mousse?

Just a touch of egg whites
bind the whole thing.

Thank you.

Okay, this is Amanda's
ode to Wolfgang puck.

It's sort of a messy slice
of fish, I find.

I always thought Wolfgang
seasoned his food

a little better than this.

- This is Kevin's dish, right?
- Yes.

- Seems to be very tender.
- I taste some ginger.

Flavors are good.
Seasoned well.

- Great.
- It's lovely.

Thank you.

- What's your name, chef?
- My name's Kevin.

The lamb was delicious.

It was the first one
we had.

This is Jacqueline's dish
from New York.

It's definitely not
my favorite.

It's coarse.

I just served
grainy-textured pate

to one of the best
French chefs in the world,

and there's just no way
it's gonna be okay.

After making this 100 times,
you need a recipe?

They looked like
chicken nuggets.

Are you Serious?
Are you joking me?

Of course
it's handmade gnocchi.

Hello.

- Hello. How are you?
- I'm well.

The elimination challenge
is cooking a dish

that tells about me
and where I'm from.

Every ohioan's favorite meal--
meat and potatoes.

I've taken some rib eye,
crusted it with potato.

High in the center
and round on the outside

like o-hi-o.

I was born and raised
in Boston, Massachusetts,

so a little Boston baked beans
with a cod cake.

I am from the culinary
institute of America

in New York.

So I've got waffles and
corn and Camembert ice cream.

I'm from Atlanta, Georgia.
We got grits,

port royal shrimp,
and a little bit of cream.

I'm coming to represent
telluride, Colorado.

We did a black Bean mole,
corn polenta.

The trout itself
has been marinated

with a cinnamon coffee rub.

Thank you.
Nice to meet you.

Okay, should we start
with Tracey's shrimp and grits?

The shrimp is as bland
as can be.

That's too bad.

What do you think of Ed's
beans and cod cake?

A little heavy.
There's not enough cod.

There's too much filling.
There's too much breading.

I was surprised at the flavor
of the baked beans.

But the cod just
didn't cut it.

Meat and potatoes
from Stephen.

I don't taste the flavor
of the rib eye.

Because it's deep fried.

So all I'm tasting is the fried,
and not the steak.

Something in that...

I wouldn't serve that
to my kids.

Okay, let's move on
to Kenny's dish.

There is a lot of flavor.

The fish is seasoned
really well.

I like the texture
of the crispy quinoa.

The layers of the flavors.

You can taste all the different
layers a little more.

Eric Ripert is
a guest judge,

and he's like a seafood God
in the culinary world.

And so I'm pretty nervous.

- Hello, Alex.
- How are you, Padma?

Well, I'm from California now.
You know, I was born in Russia.

So what I decided to do was
deconstruct

my mom's classic borscht.

This is a beef short rib.

A little red beet puree,
cabbage,

and a little creme fraiche.

I'm from Barbados,
originally,

and I made a jerked
chicken sphere,

mango, papaya, and jicama,
and voila.

I kind of went Miami-Italian
inspired.

So I made gnocchi,

but I infused it with chorizo,
a little calabaza.

I have a pan seared
rock fish,

because I'm from D.C.
and the Maryland area.

And I did a little
pickled leeks,

then I finished it with
a little ginger and sesame seed.

- Thank you so much.
- Enjoy.

So this is Andrea's
gnocchi.

I don't know how much
it makes me think of Miami,

but it's tasty.

- Well seasoned.
- This is the borscht.

The deconstructed borscht
of Alex.

The meat is well cooked.

A lot of times when someone
deconstructs something,

it doesn't work.

This actually works
quite well.

I don't normally like beets,

but the way he served it
was just amazing.

Who's next?
Timothy's dish.

The problem I have with
this dish is the two sauces.

They weren't distinct
in any way at all.

He cooked with the skin.

And it's very difficult
to cook fish

with a thick skin like that.

It's too big for one bite.
It's awkward.

The intensity that I had
with the quickfire,

and with the confidence
that I have in my dish,

I plan on going all the way
to the finals,

and I plan on winning.

- Where are you from, Tiffany?
- I am from Beaumont, Texas.

So I did chicken-fried
tomatillos

with a shrimp and crawfish salad
and a bacon Sherry vinaigrette.

I am making for you today
a New York strip steak

served with an asparagus,
fiddlehead fern,

and wild mushroom saute.

I'm from Connecticut--
a small town.

We used to go fishing
in the stream.

So what we've done is taken
a smoked arctic char,

and I've deconstructed it.

We have a chili tapioca
with some beautiful

smoked bacon froth.

I am from Detroit,
Michigan,

and in April, maple syrup is
running through the trees.

So what I did was
a maple mousse

with a vanilla sauce and
a white macadamia nut crunch.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Well, let's start
with Angelo.

It's really good.

It's big.

And that dill did still feel
like a lot of dill.

I didn't think so.

If there's any less dill,
I don't think you'd taste it.

And you guys can
lick your bowls too.

This is Kelley's
New York strip.

I like the seasoning
and the juniper.

It's well seasoned.
It's well cooked.

It's a nice medium-rare.

This is the maple mousse
from John.

I hate to say it but
I don't really taste the maple.

I don't either.
I taste sugar, sugar, sugar.

I have one left.

I've got a one in four chance
of being a loser.

And I'm in a real strong group,
I think.

I feel I have a strong dish,
but am I safe from elimination?

I'm not sure.

So I'm really nervous.

Well, from every group
we're going to have to pick

one from the top
and one from the bottom.

So let's go back
to the judges' table.

Thanks a lot, bro.

Appreciate it.
Thank you.

Bye, guys.

- You ready to go?
- Yeah, I'm ready.

Let's go.
Let's do this.

We'd like to see one of you
from each group.

Kevin, Alex, Kenny,
and Angelo.

♪ ♪

congratulations.

You represent the top dish
from each of your groups.

Thank you.

Let's start with you,
Kenny.

My instinct was

that it really lacked editing,
but I have to admit,

as soon as we put it all
in our mouth,

it really was
well-balanced.

I felt the same way--there was
a lot of things going on.

I thought it was
really flavorful.

And it was a nice plate
of food.

Thanks.
Thank you very much.

- Kevin.
- I liked the dish a lot.

And it was the complete opposite
of Kenny's dish.

Very simple, but yet it had
a complexity to it as well.

So you did a very nice job.
Thank you.

Angelo.

Everything came together.

You really tasted the chili.
You really tasted the acid.

I thought it was
really smart.

I thought also
that bacon foam

was really a great surprise,
and I was very pleased.

Thank you.

Alex.

I think that you honored
your mother because

you put together
a nice borscht.

But also, too often
when people deconstruct food,

you lose the original dish,
and we didn't at all.

All the flavors were there.
Thank you very much.

Eric, as our newest judge,

we'd like for you
to announce the winner.

The winner tonight is...

Angelo.
Thank you.

Congratulations.

I win.

- Congratulations.
- Thank you.

They're gonna be chasing me
this whole time.

And I will set the precedents.

Everything that I do
will be outstanding.

Now, unfortunately,
I'm gonna have to ask you

to bring back one person
from each group.

Hey, guys.

Who's the winner?

Angelo.
Congratulations, dude.

All right,
I hate to do this to you.

The judges want to see
Stephen, John,

Jacqueline, and Timothy.

Interesting.

Angelo looks over at me
and says,

"Tim."

I'm, like, at this point,
are you Serious?

Are you joking me?

- Good luck, guys.
- Good luck.

♪ ♪

the four of you had
the least successful dish

in your group.

And one of you will be
going home.

Let's start with you,
Stephen.

Why was the choice
to cut a rib eye so thin

that you really almost had
no choice but to overcook it?

Um, my thought behind it was
I could crisp the outside,

meanwhile keeping
the inside mid-rare.

I thought I could
pull it off.

Apparently that was not
the case.

You had this fantastic
rib eye,

and then you cut it
into small pieces,

and they looked like
chicken nuggets.

Jacqueline.

I was actually surprised
that you told us up front

that you were trying
to make a low-fat liver mousse

it's liver.

I don't think anyone's looking
for a low-fat

chicken liver mousse.

I've never made this
without my recipe.

I've served this dish hundreds
of times around the country.

Did you make it
hundreds of times

or just serve it
hundreds of times?

When I tasted it, I thought
it was slightly under-seasoned.

Which is why--
that's not what I'm asking.

You said that you've
served this dish

hundreds of times.

Did you make it
hundreds of times

or just serve it?
Yes.

After making this 100 times,
you need a recipe?

Not memorized.

John.

We all had the same issue
with the dish.

I didn't get enough maple syrup,
the pastry was soggy.

The puff pastry,
I bought it pre-prepared,

and that might not have been
the right move.

But I did feel the puff pastry
was just an instrument

to bring the mousse
to your mouth.

You know,
there were only

three main components
to your dish.

If you discount 1/3 of it,
and you say that, you know,

it was just supposed to be
a vessel,

that's 1/3 of your dish.

It's a bit part
of what we're tasting.

I guess I just was
being stupid.

Timothy...

What did you think
of your dish?

I thought I had
a great piece of rock fish.

I thought the parsley puree
was seasoned nicely,

the aioli was done nicely.

I was surprised
by the fact

that you kept the skin
on the fish.

That skin was becoming chewy

and was not pleasant
in the mouth.

You were one of the four
that chose your competitors.

Correct.

And you're the only one
who ended up on the bottom.

They all actually won.

I felt that I didn't
let you guys down,

I let myself down today.

I know that I can cook
just as good

as anybody that was
in here before me.

And I plan on doing that.

We'll call you back
when we're ready.

We know nothing...
Except that it's brutal.

There were a lot of mistakes
between our four chefs.

John admitted to us that
he did not make his own dough.

So what was he doing making
that dish in the first place?

It doesn't reflect
who he is.

And that's what
the challenge was.

The cream was grainy
and too thin.

It was an amateur attempt
at making a dessert.

So let's talk about
Stephen's dish.

It was just a bad idea.

He took something
that could have been great

and turned it into,
you know,

something that just wasn't
very well cooked.

I think he got caught up
in the story of it.

I think that Jacqueline had,
actually, a great idea,

and could have been
great flavors.

- Had she made a good mousse.
- Had she made a good mousse.

I don't know why
she was thinking diet.

"I want to do a light mousse."

She made a point of mentioning
the lack of fat

as a selling point
to her dish

when it, in fact,
became its downfall.

What about Tim's dish?

It was a big mistake

to have the fish cooked
like that with the skin

because you lose the pleasure
of having

such a beautiful product.

He should know better.

He was one of the top four
in the quickfire.

And, you know, I think
I expect a little bit more.

- I think we have our answer.
- I think so.

- I think so too.
- I agree.

So we're in the stew
for the first time ever,

and some people are
a little bit nervous.

There's beer back there.

Who said beer back here?

There's some people
that are excited,

but I'm not there to party,
drink, or anything like that.

I ripped it off!

People are making dice,
making games.

I don't know if they're
not taking it seriously.

I was taking it very seriously.


sh**t! sh**t!
Coming down.

Usually when I deal
with stress,

I just want to laugh at
just how crazy it is.

I'ma throw my fruity snacks
on a hard six.

Winner, winner!

Once everybody started
drinking too much,

I just stood back
and looked.

Right there, baby!

I'm just here to cook,
and that's it.

I'm not here
to play with dice. Wow.

♪ ♪

for our first
elimination challenge,

we asked that
you cook something

that shows us who you are,
where you're from,

and who you are
as a chef.

But unfortunately,
the execution wasn't there.

Stephen, you gave us a story
of coming from Ohio.

If Cleveland rocks,
the dish really didn't.

Jacqueline gave us
a great story of New York.

You gave us things
like apples and chicken livers

that can go together.

Your dish failed because your
mousse just wasn't well made,

and that was your downfall.

John, I love the story
of maple syrup.

Unfortunately, I don't think
we saw who you were as a chef,

unless it was
a first-year pastry student.

I believe you're
much better than that.

Timothy, coming from D.C.

And representing
the Chesapeake area,

you gave us parsley,
aioli, and bass.

I think there's a lot more
to this region.

And I know you know that.

It's always tough
to be the first one out,

and it's not a pleasant task
for us,

but unfortunately,
we had to make a decision.

♪ ♪

John...

Please pack your knives
and go.

- Thank you for the opportunity.
- Thank you.

I am very disappointed.

Making a dessert on top chef
is a very big risk.

And it just didn't work out
the way I'd hoped.

All right, it's me.
I'm going home.

I feel I've let down myself
and my family and supporters.

I didn't expect this
to happen.

But hey, it happens.

Sorry.

I just prayed that
I could make it through

the first week or two.

But I've found that
every negative experience

that happens to you
makes you grow

in a way that
you've never known

or anticipated could happen.

This season on top chef...