06x03 - Thunderbirds

[bunniefuu]

[Padma]

Previously on

Top chef...

Damn.

I think this challenge

Is absolutely ridiculous.

It doesn't matter

If you're a boy or a girl.

[Ashley] you're curious

What I'm fired up about?

[Preeti] well, no, I know

What you're fired up about.

[Ashley]

I find it



Beyond comprehension,

Making us go do

A wedding challenge

When at least three of us



Aren't allowed



In that institution.

[Preeti] I feel you.

Hey, taste this.

I'm still having some issues

With the lack of flavor

In the shrimp.

The men have arrived

For the ladies.

We just wanted

To let you know.

It's heating up, and it's

Heating up quick out there.

This has been

Sitting out in the sun.

That was pretty nasty.

It was between

The two brothers.

The winner is bryan.

If you saw it was wilting,

I would've taken it out

Altogether.

Why didn't you try

To do something about it?

Eve, please pack your knives

And go.

At stake for the winner:



A feature



In

Food & wine magazine,



, Dollars of merchandise



Provided by macy's,



A showcase at the annual



Food & wine classic in aspen,



And , dollars

To help turn their

Culinary dreams into reality,

Furnished by the makers

Of the glad family of products,

And the title of top chef.

[Rock music]

[Jennifer]

The girls lost



The bachelor party challenge,



And I'm a little pissed off



About it.



Yesterday was the first time



That I wasn't



In the top for anything.

But I'm ready

To start a new day,

And to find out what

Our challenge is gonna be.

I want the challenges

To be tough.

Weed...

Weed out the weaker ones,

And the strong will survive.

Two down.

Only, uh, more to go.

[Laughter]

[Laurine]

I feel



A little intimidated



By some of the other



Contenders here.

You know, I went to school

Years ago.

And decided

I didn't want



To sacrifice everything



To be a rock star chef.



Now I'm surrounded by people



That are so talented.

I just need to focus

And remind myself

That it's about just doing



The best that I can do.

It was lonely in our bedroom.

-Yeah, it was weird.

-It was weird.

-You guys lost two.

-We lost two.

You know what, eve is actually

The nicest of all of us.

-Oh, my god.

-Oh, yeah.

I mean, ash,

You're nice too.

-But you're not that nice.

-I'm not that nice, believe me.

-He's an [bleep].

-What are you talking about?

[Jesse]

Except for



The very first quickfire,



I've been in the bottom,



Like, every challenge,

Which, you know,

Is a bit disheartening.

I'm better than that.



I want to prove myself



To the judges



That I know exactly



What I'm doing



And I deserve to be here.

All right, guys.

Let's go to the m resort.

Go big or go home,

Right, mike?

[Ashley]

So we turn the corner



To the

Top chef

Kitchen.

I see padma and mark peel,

Really accomplished chef

From california.

And there's a mountain



Of potatoes behind them.

Please welcome your

Guest judge for this challenge,

Mark peel...

Author of

The new classic family dinners,

Coming out soon,

As well as owner

And executive chef

Of campanile restaurant

In los angeles.

I began my career working

For wolfgang puck,

And I was the vegetable boy.

I spent a long time

With a potato in one hand

And a knife in the other.

Your quickfire challenge

Is very simple:

Create a dish

Featuring the potato

That is out of this world.

You'll have minutes,

And you'll have access

To all these potatoes.

[Jesse]

I mean,



There's every kind of potato

That you could possibly

Think of.

There's sweet potatoes



And there's russian



Banana fingerlings



And there's french fingerlings.

I love potatoes,

And so I'm really excited.

[Padma] and,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Your time starts now.

Forty-five minutes

To cook potatoes

Is a bit of a challenge.

I see the mussels,



I grab them.



And the first thing



I think of

Is making

A potato-based sauce.

Seasoning is everything.

If you don't season right,

You can ruin the whole thing.

On your back.

[Ash]

A potato is kind of



Bland and boring.



But in my head



Pops the idea



Of a sweet potato ice cream,

Which to me is a wow dish.

Half an hour!

[Jesse] I decide

On sweet potato soup,

Because i-i love soup.

I find it

To be very comforting.

It's gonna have a nice balance



Of sweet and spicy.



[Mike]

When you work



With potatoes,



You really have to pull



The most flavor out



Of the simplest thing



And make it taste great.



I wanted to cut up my potatoes



The same size of rice



And cook it



In the same technique

As I would cook

A risotto.

[Ashley]

I'm doing



A potato gnocchi.



Which, to pull off gnocchi



In minutes,

I'm really nervous

About it.

But, you know,

I feel prepared.

-Aah!

-Very hot. Very hot.

I've got, uh,

:, Everyone.

[Preeti]

I'm making potatoes



With asparagus,

So the bright yellow

And the bright green.

After being on



The chopping block last week,



I felt like I was like,



"All right."

I got to bring my "a" game.

Like, I gotta show 'em



I can do something.

Preeti, right here.

This right here is blanching

Water if that's what you need.

Yeah, you can use it.

It was mine.

[Preeti]

By the time I go



And, you know,



Quickly cut my asparagus



And bring 'em back,

Kevin's pot of water

Is gone.

But ashley had put

A pot of water...

I guess the burner next to it.



And it looked exactly the same.

So I walk up

In the craziness of everything,

Thinking this is the pot

That kevin told me I could use.

And I drop my asparagus



In there.

Dude,

This is my [bleep] water.

Don't put any green vegetables

In here, please.

-[Preeti] I'm sorry.

-[Ashley] jesus christ.

And ashley

Just totally freaks out

Because that was her water



For her gnocchi.

I put that on

With the lid on it.

Did you get rid

Of the other water?

I put that on

With a lid on it.

Did you get rid

Of the other water?

Yeah.

Jesus christ.

[Bleep]ing water in minutes.

I need boiling water,

And I need it, like,

Ten minutes ago.

Come on, man.

[Jennifer] if preeti blanched

In my water,

I just would not have been

As nice as ashley.

I'd have been

Pretty freakin' pissed off.

[Robin] coming behind,

Hot pans.

[Ash] stay cold, stay cold,

Stay cold.

So I'm standing over



The ice cream maker,



Praying over it



It's going to work.

[Whirring]

Come on,

You mother flower.

The ice cream maker is not

Churning my ice cream quickly.

Meanwhile,



The time is counting down.

[Preeti] behind, behind,

Behind, behind.

[Jesse]

The last few minutes,



I'm tasting my soup.



And it's really spicy.

Like, I've used

Way too much cayenne.

I go with it,



But the balance



That I was looking for



Just isn't there.

[Jennifer] twenty seconds.

Utensils down, hands up.

-Hello, ash.

-Hi, padma.

What did you make

For us?

[Ash] I did a chilled

Sweet potato custard

With toasted pecans.

Actually,

It's a good texture.

Thank you.

-Hello, preeti.

-Hi.

I poached

The russian banana fingerlings

In some saffron broth

And then used

The bright green asparagus,

Some lovely vine-ripened

Tomatoes to contrast.

-Very nice.

-Thank you, preeti.

Thank you.

So what I made

For you today

Is I used potatoes

Three ways.

I steamed mussels,

And I used yukon gold

And blue potatoes.

I made

A potato-based sauce

With a little bit

Of chicken stock,

Lemongrass,

Ginger and garlic.

I used duck fat and butter

And creme fraiche

In the sauce also.

-Very nice, thank you.

-[Mark] thank you very much.

I have potatoes three ways,

All of them

Very latin american.

Sweet potato is a traditional

Side dish for a ceviche,

So you want to squeeze

A little bit of lime on top.

This is a purple potato that

I cooked with some of the ham

And a little bit

Of salt.

These are

Fingerling potatoes

That I smashed by hand.

They have yeast,

Aji amarillo,

The slow-cooked egg

And cream.

-Good flavor.

-Thank you very much.

[Mark] thank you.

-I did a potato risotto.

-Really?

So I cut the potato up

Brunoise.

Sauteed a little onion,

And then slowly cooked it.

Wanted to keep the flavors

Really clean.

A little salty.

But nice idea.

-Hi, ashley.

-Hi, padma.

What'd you make?

A potato gnocchi

With sauteed

Hen of the woods mushrooms.

I made a quick

Ricotta cheese,

Um, a little toasted garlic,

And...

You made the ricotta cheese

Yourself?

-Yes.

-Thank you, ashley.

[Mark] thank you.

So I'm from the south,

So I decided to do

Kind of a play on, uh,

Sweet potatoes

With marshmallow.

I did yams with whipped bliss

Bourbon maple syrup.

It's got a puree of yams

In the bottom,

Some pistachios in the middle

For a little bit of texture,

And then some bruleed, uh,

Whipped maple on top.

Wow.

Did you shell these yourself,

The pistachios?

No.

No, they're, uh, pre-shelled.

You got a shell.

Oh, dear.

What have you made

For us?

Um, I was gonna make

A sweet potato-crusted

Yellowtail

With a fennel and leek stew.

[Mark] my favorite part of this

Is the fennel and leek

-On the side.

-Thank you, chef.

-Hi, jesse.

-Hi, padma.

This is a, uh,

Sweet potato soup

With a little bit of ginger,

Brown sugar,

And cayenne pepper.

Sweet and hot.

Has a great texture,

It's a beautiful color.

You like cayenne.

-I do.

-[Mark] yes.

[Jesse]

I made a beautiful,



Heartwarming, and comforting



Sweet potato soup

And it's

Pretty [bleep]ing spicy.

It is spicy.

I'm just, like, "gah!"

Like, "stupid me!"

You know, "I hate me."

Thank you.

[Jesse]

I just don't want to be



In the bottom again.

Well, mark, how did you think

Our chefs did overall?

[Mark] I think very well.

Let's start

With your least favorites.

Eli.

The yam

And the faux marshmallows.

I understand southern cooking,

But that was too sweet.

Ron, the yellowtail.

You had this kind of

A bland yam

On top of a slightly

Overcooked fish.

Flavors didn't work.

Jesse, the soup.

Heavy hand with the cayenne.

I'm on the bottom.

Again.

ba*ls.

Okay, so mark, what were some

Of your favorite dishes?

Jennifer, now let's see.

Your dish was the mussels.

I thought it was a good

Combination of flavor,

Texture, and color.

Very nice.

Almost classical french.

Ash, you had that custard.

Very nicely flavored,

Very nicely seasoned.

You weren't trying

To overreach.

You were working

With time on your side.

I'm actually

Totally surprised by this.

And laughing so hard



I can barely look up.

Ashley, those gnocchi

Were good.

Thank you.

I liked the way

You handled the mushrooms.

If mushrooms

Are not cooked enough,

They have no flavor.

Those were cooked enough.

They really brought out

A great umami flavor

To it to enhance the potatoes.

[Padma] so, mark,

Who is the winner?

The winner is someone

Who really found,

Um, the essence

Of the potato.

So the winner for me...

Would be jennifer.

[Applause]

[Mike]

And then



Jen gets the win!



And it's...



It's favoritism to me



At this point,



You know what I mean?

Whatever. Whatever.

You know what I'm saying?

So if I put

A little potato broth

In my plate, I'm gonna win?

But I don't care.



I'll get her.

-Congratulations.

-[Jennifer]

It's really cool.

I get immunity,

And, uh,

It feels good



To be back on the top.

[Padma] now for your

Elimination challenge,

We have a special guest.

[Military drum roll]

-Good afternoon.

-Afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Please welcome

Colonel dave belote,

Commander

Of the th air base wing

At nellis air force base.

[Laurine]

I have no idea



What to expect.



But I have this feeling



Like it's going to be difficult



Or hard just because

Of his presence

In the kitchen.

Colonel belote,

What are their orders?

Chefs, your mission

Is to report

To nellis air force base,

The home of the united states

Air force

Aerial demonstration squadron,

Otherwise known

As the thunderbirds,

To prepare a meal

For of the finest airmen

The world has ever known.

Many of these airmen

Will have recently

Returned from combat

Operations overseas,

And others

Are about to deploy.

But don't be fooled.

Many of them have been stationed

All over the world.

They've been exposed to cuisines

All over the world.

And they possess

Discerning tastes

In addition to very high

Nutritional requirements.

[Michael]

I'm excited



About this challenge



Because my little sister

Is actually an airman

In the air force.

Also, you know,



Who doesn't want to do



Something for their country?

[Padma] for this challenge,

You will all

Be working in a single team.

You'll have four hours

To cook,

But you won't find out

Your ingredients

Or your cooking equipment...

What?

Until tomorrow

When you report for duty.

[Laughter]

Oh, whoa.

We'll see you

At hours tomorrow

At nellis air force base.

[Ashley]

I feel fortunate



To be able to have



The opportunity



To cook for these people.

But it's really scary

Not knowing

What we're walking into

Tomorrow.

We could be cooking



For people

Using toaster ovens

And, like, matches.

Meeting in the lounge.

Feel good about that?

[Bryan]

We get together



As a group immediately.

Figure out how we're going

To pull this challenge off.

What a couple of us

Has been thinking is that,

You know,

There's people.

Uh, we would make someone

In charge

To kind of be like a

Tournant,

To assist everybody.

And then there'd be

Seven teams of two.

Each team of two

Gets one dish.

Jennifer, since you're elite,

You would be that

Tournant,

Because you don't have to worry

About elimination.

If things, you know, go good,

Then... Then you'd look

Like a star.

Again, if things go bad,

Then, uh...

You don't have to worry

About anything,

But everyone else

Really just has to worry

About the food

And maybe we keep, like,

Like an american theme about

What's gonna go on tomorrow.

Does it... Does anyone

Not like that idea?

Does anyone like,

You know?

[Jennifer]

I have zero problem



With being



The chef of the kitchen.

It's what I do every day

At my job now.

I just hope everybody



Is respectful to each other



And really does work



As a team tomorrow.

Let's pick teams.

Let's pick teams.

[Preeti]

I pick laurine



Because of our



San francisco connection.

We have similar styles in terms

Of california cuisine.

[Kevin]

Eli and I are friends



Because

We live in the same city,

We're both from atlanta.

And, uh, I think we bond

On a fat kid level as well.

Uh, I actually... I would be

Down to work with ash.

All right, so them...

Them two, we two.

[Michael]

Obviously for me,



Naturally, I'd like



To have my brother



As my partner.

But mike is confident,

I think, to work with me.

[Mike] I'll work with bryan.

[Bryan]

Mike isabella



Gets my brother.

So I choose mattin.

I think mattin is a solid cook.

-I work with robin.

-[Robin] hector and i.

Okay.

[Laurine]

At the end,



Jesse and ron are left,

And they have been kind of

The weakest two.

[Mike] are you two happy

Working together?

[Ron]

I haven't been



In the bottom in



An elimination challenge yet.



Jesse was on the bottom



A lot.

So I feel nervous.

Very nervous.

-[Preeti] do we feel good?

-I feel...

-You feel good?

-I feel good.

I mean, yo, listen,

Every battle we go into,

You know, you feel good,

And you get the ingredient

In front of you

And you go do it.

Clean up this [bleep].

[Robin]

We get going



Really early in the morning,



Because airmen



Eat at noon.

So we have four hours

Of cooking time ahead of us.

I love the challenge



That they've asked us to do.



I'm really excited



About the opportunity

To cook

For all of the airmen.

The crickets

Are still cricketing.

But we don't know what



The kitchen's going to have,



And we don't know



What the ingredients are



That are gonna be available.



We drive up



Onto nellis air force base



And we finally are released



Into the kitchen



To see what awaits us.

-Okay.

-[Bleep].

[Bryan] what do we got,

K-money?

Uh, a lot of canned food.

[Jesse] spam?

Is this spam?

There's artichokes?

There's canned artichokes,

Yeah.

It's sort of, um,

The worst fears kitchen.

There's no stoves or pots.



Our challenge



Is to serve



Of the air force's



Finest airmen,

And this is not

An ideal kitchen.

[Mike]

Somebody start



Calling out the proteins.

Uh, there's chicken,

Strip loin...

[Jennifer] so are there

Any herbs?

[Preeti] oh, you got broccoli.

[Kevin]

Today we are cooking



For airmen

At nellis air force base.

-Cornbread.

-We got tons of corn, dude.

[Kevin]

I was in rotc



In high school,



So I have actually



Had to cook



In a military facility



Before.

So I know what they generally

Have and what they don't have.

We can do braised pork belly

Out of this.

-And then I'm gonna do--

-A greek salad?

Yeah, with poached shrimp.

-So what have we got so far?

-Who's doing what?

[Jennifer]

I am



The executive chef of the day,



So I take the best idea



That each team has

And give everybody a go.

So nothing works?

No blenders, no nothing.

[Mike] hey, you think about it,

These guys have to do this

Every single day.

-Yeah.

-We can make it happen once,

You know?

[Preeti]

I'm excited



About having the opportunity



To cook for the men and women



Of the air force.

The defining moment for me

That I knew I wanted

To be a chef was -.

We all experienced that day



In many different ways,



And for me, the only thing



That made sense

Was to cook.

And then I went to culinary



School two years later.



[Michael]

Mike and I set up



Right next to each other,



So we can communicate with



Each other through the process

In the four hours

That we have to cook.

I'm basically doing



A soy and mustard-glazed



Pork belly



With crushed peanuts.



And then I decide to serve it



In a little taco shell

Of a crisp romaine heart.

Dude, you're doing

Braised bacon.

It's sexy.

[Michael]

The pork looks good.



I know mike's got that



Under control.



But I'm like, well,



I don't want



To just stand around.



You know, I talked to jen,



And, you know,



I'm like, "do we have



Any salads or anything?"

I was like,

I'll just bang out a salad.

Mike said, "well, there's

Some shrimp in there."

I'm like, "all right, cool,

I'll poach some shrimp off."

My background of cooking



Is greek.



So I'll do, like, a cold



Shrimp-tomato greek salad.

Just for the heck...

The heck of it.

So we do one cut.

It's nice.

Mushroom over the top.

Gratin on the side.

[Bryan]

We want to appease



Everybody's palates



With something



That's familiar.

Mattin and I are going to

Carve a new york strip



On the carving station.



And we're going to serve it



Alongside a cauliflower gratin



With a button mushroom



Demi-glace.

I'm making a little

Franco-american, uh, fusion.

[Eli]

Kevin and I plan on doing



A georgia-style braised pork

With a little bit

Of potato salad.

-What's your base on the pork?

-[Eli] think barbecue.

[Kevin]

I don't know



If you've ever been



Down south, but.



Atlanta doesn't have



The reputation of being



A food city like new york,



But if I was told

That I could only cook one way

For the rest of my life,

It would be cooking

Traditional southern foods.

How you feel

About the chowder?

I would like to do

Clam chowder.

I think that'd be

Really easy.

[Ron]

I probably make



One of the best chowders



In the whole world.



I feel very comfortable



Doing that with jesse.



It is a risk to do a chowder



On a hot day.

But you know those troops, man.

They love chowder.

Three hours left, guys.

[Jennifer] so we're doing

Chicken, what?

Three beans, what?

[Hector] chili.

I'm gonna steam them.

Shredded them in chunkies.

And then we're gonna do

A three bean chili out of them.

[Jennifer] got to do

Her pasta...

This is like brioche, dude.

[Ash] so we're doing a chocolate

Brioche bread pudding.

[Ashley] I'm saying that,

By the way.

[Ash] hey, man, if anybody knows

About silver-tongued chefs,

It's me.

[Laurine] I think we need

Pounds of pasta.

Preeti and I are making

A farfalle pasta salad.

I think it's a good idea



To have a dish



That's familiar,



Vegetarian.

I'm gonna need

To really season these guys.

I'm also thinking about

The lack of cooking space

We have to work with.

-:, Everybody. :.

-[Robin] thank you.

My only concern is

Everybody kind of needs

To get into the soup kettle.

[Ron]

I'm very concerned



About the timing.

The timing worries me.

There's only one skillet.



Laurine and preeti using it



For the pasta salad.



And bryan and frenchie



Using it for the bechamel.

So I guess we're gonna

Take one for the team.

[Hector]

So everybody's trying



To scramble a little bit,

Looking for where

They're going to cook

And how they're gonna cook



The stuff.

I want to make sure

We have it.

You got that

For the last .

We'll be... We'll be

Out of there.

The pork will be out of there.

[Ash]

Jen is the absolute



Right person for this job.

I was a little nervous 'cause

She's a little soft-spoken.

But that is only



In the day-to-day.

Because in the kitchen,

She's on fire.

Ron, as soon as you're done,

Wash it out.

Give it back to ashley.

Thank you.

[Hector] I used to go

To a brewery

That they had

These huge glass jugs

-With a...

-[Jesse] you said "jugs."

...with a ceramic top.

-And you could take it home.

-Lots of places do that.

You know how... You got, like,

That is the beer, yeah?

And then you pass away the beer,

And there's another--

Hold on. Are we...

Are we... Are we good?

We can have

This conversation later.

Let's talk about food

And focus on this.

All right? Thank you.

-[Chuckles]

-How much time?

You got, like a half an hour

To finish everything.

I got you, girl. I got you.

Comin' through, hot.

Taste it.

We're gonna make this

So flavorful.

[Jennifer] ten minutes!

[Indistinct chatter]

[Robin] yes, ma'am. You rock.

Mattin, come on. Speed.

All right? Let's go.

Wrap it up.

Plastica, por favor.



[Eli]

The last



Couple of minutes,



We're finishing packing up,

And we're wrapping up one more

Speed cart with some cling wrap.

Spin!

[Eli]

And I'm feeling



Pretty good.

Our food seems pretty stable,

And since it's being loaded up



By a bunch of air force airmen,



I feel pretty confident

That our food's

Going to be handled well

On its way across the base.

Three, two, one.

[Cheers and applause]

Let's go, you guys. Let's go.

Make 'em proud!

So they drive us over

In a convoy

To the hangar,



Which is pretty cool.



It was like, you know,



It was like we were going



To w*r or something.

[Dramatic music]

We arrive to the hangar,

And it's this huge,

Impressive jet garage.



I mean, there's two or three



Fighter jets in the hangar.



And it's very clean.



Everything's set up



Very straight and organized.



We're excited.



And I think the emotion



Starts kicking in,



And the importance



Of what we're about to do



Becomes overwhelming



For everybody.

Is this the start here?

This is where we hold,

Right here?

Yeah, carving stations need

To switch off down here.

And the salads here.

[Jennifer]

We are going



To set up two stations



That are exactly the same



On both sides.

Okay, so chili right here.

We'll do pork here.

I need potato salad

Right here.

-I just need a chafing dish...

-That's it?

...and then I'm going

To serve the sauce.

[Ashley]

You know, ash and i,



We really don't have much to do

In the way of plating.

Like, we just have

To make sure



The dessert's hot.



So ash and jen and i,



We're gonna be



Everyone else's helpers



For refilling food



And putting out fires.

What do you guys need?

I'm here.

I'm pretty much gonna be

This table's b*tch

In terms of refilling food.

-Okay.

-Okay?

[Robin] so we have

A tortilla chip each.

We have cheese.

Then we have our cumin crema.

As this pasta's sitting,

It's, like, expanding.

-It's warm.

-[Preeti]

I think



It smells good.

I think laurine and I are both

Feeling a little nervous

About our pasta salad.



We're seeing



The other people's dishes,



And it's not that other people



Did so much more,



But somehow



It looks like they did.



And it seems like



There's more components

And bells and whistles

With their dish than ours.

Just make sure it's all

Wiped and clean, thanks.

[Robin] can I help you

Do anything?

Uh, no, I think I'm

In good shape. Thank you.

[Michael]

My focus is



Making sure I have



Everything for my dish,



Because I really threw this



Thing together conceptually

At the last moment.

So I run over to mike



And just give a little tutorial



On exactly how I wanted



The dish to be.

It's gonna be a tough pickup

For the guest.

No, they just hold

Their plate in front of you,

And you just put it

On their plate.

-'Kay.

-Or we can get another platter.

And you can start building.

No, I don't want 'em built

Until they're on the plate.

Just tell the guest,

Grab a piece of lettuce,

Then all you gotta do

Is slice the pork and sauce it.

Or tell them to get

Their own sauce

-And their own peanuts.

-I got you.

But that's the dish.

Five and a half minutes

And counting.

[Jennifer] guys, lids off.

Let's go, behind your station.

Next thing we know, we see



Gail and tom and padma,



Colonel belote,



And mark.

The team is ready,

And the troops are starting



To come in.

[Military music]

-[Preeti] hi, how are you?

-[Man] good.

Excellent.

What's it...

Corn and clam chowder.

Hi.

We have a beef sirloin here.

There you go.

Just eat it like a taco.

-Thanks.

-You're welcome.

The atmosphere in the hangar

Is kind of overwhelming.

Would you like beef

For everybody?

[Michael]

There are airmen



Coming home.



There are some



Getting ready to leave.



There's couples.



There's people



With their children.



So I want to make sure



That I give them



The best experience



That I can.

Instead of treating it

Like a challenge,

Just treating it

Like any other environment

Where I was trying to provide



Some hospitality.

My pleasure.

-Hope you guys

Have a big appetite.

-[Man] oh, I do.

-Hello.

-Hi there, padma.

What did you guys make?

[Preeti] so mike and mike

Made this salad.

It's a greek salad

With cucumbers, chickpeas,

Olives,

And olive oil-poached shrimp.

And then laurine and I made

This pasta salad.

It's the vegetarian item.

Has, uh, broccoli,

Roasted peppers,

Sun-dried tomatoes,

And artichoke hearts.

I'll taste a little bit

Of each.

Ron and I made

A new england-style

Clam chowder.

Roasted corn,

Baby clams,

Celery, onion,

A little potato.

-And, of course, cream.

-Thank you.

Tell me what this is,

Robin.

So we have

A three bean chili

With roasted chicken

And lots of beautiful spices

In there.

All the herbs

We toasted up.

We didn't have fresh herbs,

So we used

The celery

For the crunch.

Now, who came up

With this recipe?

Um, well, we kind of came up

With it on the fly

Once we got into the kitchen

And saw what we had available.

[Mark] did you start with canned

Beans, or were they dried beans?

We had canned beans.

So what I have right here,

Eli and I did, um,

A taste of the south.

We did a georgia-style

Braised pork shoulder.

It's braised in vinegar

And tomato and mustard.

And we're serving it

With potato salad.

The two are meant

To be eaten together.

[Dave] this potato salad

Looks like what I grew up eating

In virginia beach.

Just about every major

Family get-together.

Exactly, that's sort of

What we based this around.

I know there has to be

Lots of, uh,

People here from the south,

And myself and eli both are,

And we decided, you know,

We needed to provide

That flavor that's hard to get

When you're away from home.

[Dave] that's beautiful.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, colonel.

[Kevin]

I take the military



Very seriously.



Every man in my family



Before my generation



Has served in the military



With pride.

I think that it's something

Not to be taken lightly.

-Are you,

A crew chief, or...

-Yes.

Well, thank you for what you do

For all of us.

[Kevin]

Our men and women



Who serve this country

Put their life on the line

To save ours

On a daily basis.

A lot of these people



Are about to leave,



Or maybe they had just come



Back from being in theater.



And I think it's important



That they be able to have



A nice time



And enjoy themselves.

They deserve it.

So today we have, um,

Braised pork belly

In a soy and mustard sauce.

And then you get a little bit

Of crunchy peanuts.

And you want to eat it

Like a taco.

[Man] lovely. Thank you.

-How's it going?

-[Mattin] good.

So I have a, uh,

Roasted beef strip loin.

I also served it

With a cauliflower gratin.

And I also have

A mushroom demi.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

[Jennifer] go quick

With your explanations.

We're trying to go

Fast through the line.

We got the line going

All the way around the building.

We gotta

Get these people through.

All right.

[Padma]

It looks



Really delicious,



And it smells good.

And this was all

Out of the mess, right?

[Gail] yeah.

Out of the mess.

No stovetops.

Seems like they did

A good job,

And a great variety of stuff.

[Mark] you know,

Cooking for a mass

Is different rules.

[Gail] absolutely.

It's all excellent

That I've tasted so far.

I love it.

Chili and clam chowder

I am now

Officially in love with.

What's your favorite?

Oh, the beef.

[Padma] tom, what do you think

About bryan and mattin's dishes?

I like the strip.

I think it's well seasoned.

It's cooked nicely.

-It's nice and medium rare.

-Mm-hmm.

And considering the fact

That it had to be held

For a while, it's still

In very good condition.

What do you think of laurine

And preeti's pasta salad?

I think laurine and preeti

Kind of did a half job.

A little salty.

It is nice to have

One vegetarian option.

And it's such a hot day

That pasta salad

Is a light way to go.

But it doesn't seem

To be very interesting

Or that creative, either.

[Hector]

Hola.

-How are you?

-[Woman]

Hola. Como estas?

-Oh.

-Oh!

You impress...

You want to impress me.

Oh, spanish.

I like that, I like that.

[Laughs]

[Gail] the chicken chili

Is really yummy.

I think it has

A very authentic flavor.

[Mark] yeah.

[Padma] I like it

With the celery leaves.

It kind of adds a coolness.

I think that the airmen

Really like this dish.

My favorite

Was the three bean chili.

It's...

It had just enough flavor.

It was spicy,

Just how I like it.

[Padma] tom, what do you think

About the clam chowder

That ron and jesse did?

[Tom] it's a little

On the thick side.

But it's... It's good.

[Padma] I wonder

About the choice

Of a clam chowder

On such a hot day.

It's degrees

And we're eating clam chowder.

Degrees

And we're eating chili too.

Eating heat doesn't bother me.

Eating the cream...

-Yeah.

-I find really rich.

The chowder, actually,

Was gone first.

That was very good.

Being from boston,

That was a surprise to me.

It's potato salad

With a little georgia-style

Braised pork.

Very cool.

[Gail] I'm really liking

Kevin and eli's pork shoulder.

It's really yummy.

You know what?

I love this potato salad.

Let me just go on record

With that.

This tastes like

My aunt's potato salad,

The one she was famous for.

This potato salad,

It's really good.

I really like it. Um...

I wish they had stuff

Like this in iraq.

It's very good.

Thank you.

Do you like bacon?

Do you like...

Oh, you love bacon.

This is bacon.

I had a whole lot

Of scrumptiousness

Wrapped up in lettuce,

Which I thought was amazing.

[Gail] can we talk about

This bacon, please?

[Mark] oh, yeah.

Let's talk about the bacon.

Super mega delicious.

I would eat michael and mike's

Pork belly

Any day

In any situation.

[Tom] and it's delicious.

Yeah, it's really good.

Now, mike and mike also made

A shrimp greek salad.

[Padma] I'm not loving that.

[Mark] it's not really

A greek salad.

I'm not loving it either.

I think the shrimp

Is really undercooked.

Wait until you get

To the bread pudding.

Oh, my goodness.

Oh, my goodness.

[Ash] so you guys made it

All the way to dessert.

That's a chocolate

Bread pudding

With a peanut butter sauce.

[Padma] all right, let's talk

About bread pudding.

[Tom] ashley and ash...

-[Padma] did the bread pudding?

-Yes.

I like it.

It's a little dry.

[Padma] it's

A little dense for me.

[Gail] it is really dense.

But I think it's really

Flavorful and satisfying.

Yeah, it kind of tastes like

A reese's peanut butter cup.

-I think that's the point.

-Yeah, of course.

[Jennifer] good job, guys.

Good job.

Excuse me, chefs.

Can I have you gather round?

I can't tell you how much

That means to me

As an american airman,

Someone who serves the country,

That y'all want to take

Some time to thank us.

And in this room,

You have people

Who have just come back

From deployment.

Orthopedic surgeon that just

Came back from six months

In afghanistan.

A young security forces

Officer,

A cop if you will,

Who got married

Three weeks ago

And goes into the theater

In two weeks.

So he and his wife

Were sharing

Kind of a great afternoon

Together,

Courtesy of you.

[Robin] I find myself

Getting teary-eyed

And a little choked up

At it.

I mean, not only

Did we answer his call,

We made our country proud.

[Dave] we really love

What you've done for us.

You really have aimed high.

You have delivered,

In the best sense

Of military accomplishment,

And you're dismissed.

[Chefs] thank you.

[Cheers and applause]

[Ron]

I could not handle it.



The emotion was so high.



To me, this challenge



Doesn't matter



I win it or not.



I feel like I win it

Because this is

Cooking for the troops.

This is something I've been



Wanting to do for a long time.

Thanks for what

You've done for us.

I mean,

The best experience

I ever had in my career.

It's really cool to see,

You know, an air force base

This close,



And it was the closest



I've ever been



To anything like that.



There's actually jets



Out on the strip.

It's a great experience.

[Eli]

Nellis is the home



Of the thunderbirds,

Which is the aerial

Acrobatics show wing

Of the air force airmen.

Going into nellis

Air force base is pretty cool.

I don't know what little boy



Doesn't grow up thinking



That, like, airplanes



And fighter jets



Are cool as hell.



So it's kicking back in,

And I'm like,

"Ooh, this is so neat."

Good evening.

-Hi.

-Good evening.

Can we please see mike,

Michael,

Eli, and kevin?

Thank you.

-[Mike] let's go, pork brothers.

-Come on, guys.

Come on, turnpike.

All of you were working

As one team today,

But there can be

Only one winner.

So why don't we start

With kevin and eli first?

We worked on two dishes.

We worked on

The georgia-style braised pork,

And the, uh,

Potato salad together.

The recipe you used.

The flavors that were in

Your pork dish.

Whose idea were they?

My family does

Competition barbecue.

And, uh,

This is sort of a way

We do pork when we don't have

Time to make barbecue.

I thought you really

Nailed the tradition

Of the pulled pork.

It was braised beautifully.

Great complexity of flavor.

And the airmen

That we talked to,

That was one

Of their favorite dishes.

Thank you.

I'm glad to hear that.

You guys put together

A great pork dish as well.

Thank you.

Was it raw pork belly

When you got it,

Or was it already smoked?

-It was, uh, smoked.

-It was bacon.

It was whole slab--

-[Tom] slab... Slab bacon.

-Absolutely.

That's...really cool.

When mike and I

Arrived to the fridge,

We looked at the proteins,

Michael saw shrimp.

He started thinking

Of something cold.

I saw the pork.

I started thinking

Of something hot.

Then we left the walk-in

And we sort of

Went our own separate ways.

How much did you help michael,

And vice versa?

You know, the pork was...

Was fully his dish.

I only turned it out for him.

I just knew

That we didn't have a salad.

I see a lot of fresh vegetables

In the walk-in,

And, you know,

That's just my style.

And we banged out two dishes.

And, you know, all...

All we were required was one.

The... The shrimp dish,

Were you, uh,

Happy with... With, uh,

The way it came out?

Uh, yeah, I was. I was.

I felt it was refreshing, it was

Simple, it was consistent,

It was fresh, it was something

I think we needed,

And it got it going.

Mark, as our guest judge,

It is your honor

To announce the winner

Of this elimination challenge.

The winner

Of this challenge

Is someone who fed

A lot of people

Under very difficult

Circumstances

With a dish of great color,

Flavor, and texture.

And the winner is...

Michael voltaggio.

-[Applause]

-Thank you, chef.

Appreciate it.

Good job, michael.

-Nice job.

-Thank you. Appreciate it.

[Michael]

Obviously,



I was happy to win.



And then I realize



That's, uh,

One elimination for bryan,

And one elimination for me.

So we're...



We're pretty even now

Going into the rest of this,

Uh, competition.

[Padma] please send back preeti,

Laurine...

And, mike, we'll see you

Back here again, I'm afraid.

Thank you.

I'm in the winners' bracket.

How could I go

Into losers' bracket?

I'm frickin' livid.



I'm livid right now.

It was mike.

[Cheers and applause]

[Mike] all right, guys, well,

The judges want to see, uh,

Preeti, laurine,

And myself.

-Which is kind of surprising.

-What?

I guess it wasn't

A team today, you know,

And whatever, whatever,

So...

[Ash] that is

The weirdest thing ever.

Good luck, guys.

The challenge today was a...

Was a team challenge.

Typically people are responsible

For bits and pieces,

But you guys decided

To team up.

Michael, preeti and laurine

Seem a little confused

As to why they're here.

You just seem outright pissed.

Yeah, I am.

Me and mike said we were gonna

Do a carving station.

And he says "I'm gonna have to

Wait to finish the sauce."

Said, "well, let me just do

Like a greek salad

And help out the team,"

Because it was a team thing.

I didn't have to do that dish.

[Mark] but you were

Responsible for it.

And it ended up bland.

Yeah, you know.

You know, I tend--

It was under-seasoned,

And the...

And the shrimp

Were undercooked.

And they...

They had no flavor.

I wasn't even %

About serving it,

To tell you the truth.

I'm not gonna lie.

Then you shouldn't have

Served it.

You split up the work.

You went your own ways.

And the dish

That you put up to us

Is what we have to judge on.

And that dish,

Unfortunately,

I didn't taste acid.

I didn't taste salt.

And I didn't taste

A lot of flavor.

I'm angry at myself

More than anything.

I stumbled, and it's

Not gonna happen again.

It's not.

I-i guarantee that.

Laurine and preeti,

Who said

"Let's make pasta salad"?

We talked about

A couple different dishes--

No--who said,

"Let's make a pasta salad"?

No one?

Somebody said it.

I don't...

I don't think at the same exact

Time said, "pasta salad!"

To be honest with you,

I don't know who said it first.

Did you think

It was flavorful?

You know, I thought

It was flavorful

For what we had to work with.

Everybody had, you know,

Tough ingredients

To work with

And a tough kitchen

To work with.

And yet, there were dishes

That were very, very good.

I thought our dish

Was really good.

I thought, in terms of flavor,

I thought it actually

Was better than a lot

Of the other dishes.

It just didn't

Feel creative.

Did you think that there was

Something, like,

Really inventive about

Clam chowder on a -degree day?

Not at all, no.

Okay, just curious.

It was a better version

Of clam chowder

Than your version

Of pasta salad.

Laurine, did you think

The pasta salad

Was a good dish?

You know,

Was it the winning dish? No.

Did i, you know, satisfy

A niche in the menu today? Yes.

But, laurine, why didn't you

Try to cook a winning dish?

To be honest with you,

I think completely forgot

About the competition.

It was...

That was a bad answer.

It was a bad answer,

It was a bad dish,

It was a bad idea.

Between the two of you,

Who's better?

I think that we worked

Together as a team.

And clearly,

That was not the right path.

So would you like

To both go home together?

I'd like no one to go home.

That's not gonna happen

Because this is a competition.

No, I definitely

Want to win this thing.

We have a big decision

To make,

So we'll see you in a bit.

Thank you.

[Jesse] oh, mommies.

[Preeti] they... They want us

To incriminate each other,

But I won't...

I won't do it.

I mean,

Any of them can go home.

I mean, I didn't care

For either dish

For very different reasons.

[Padma] I don't know for sure

Who had the idea

Of the pasta salad.

I thought it was bland.

And it had artichokes

And sun-dried tomatoes,

Olives, and capers.

Somehow,

All these flavorful things

Lacked flavor.

Well, I heard laurine

Pretty much say

That she was embarrassed

That she served us pasta salad.

And preeti just still

Doesn't quite understand

Why she's here.

She really believes

That's a good dish.

I agree in theory.

Laurine seemed to have

Some awareness,

Where preeti did not.

However, she forgot

That this was a competition.

It almost makes me more upset

At laurine

Because this all did

Occur to her here.

Well, why couldn't it

Have occurred to you

When you were working

On the dish?

It's clear that mike felt

He shouldn't have been here.

He was angry.

He was rocking back and forth.

He looked like

He was gonna throw a punch.

[Gail] but you know what,

I have to say,

Regardless of the emotion

He had,

That doesn't excuse him

From making a flavorless dish.

Those shrimp

Didn't look appealing.

Didn't have

An appealing texture.

In his mind,

It was a throwaway dish.

-[Gail] right.

-He didn't care about it.

He didn't put his name on it.

This is a team.

They were working together.

And he could've

Very easily said

"Well, I was responsible

For some part

Of the best dish too

As a team,

So why am I here?"

But everyone was a team.

We didn't ask them--

Right, that's right.

We didn't ask them--

You're absolutely right,

We didn't ask them to pair off.

So what we asked them is,

What part of it did you do?

-[Tom] that's a good point.

-And that's what he did.

[Tom] very good point.

Point well taken.

I was a time...

I wasn't very...

I was so pissed,

And then tom's like,

"You look livid."

Did he say that?

-Yeah.

-[Laughs]

-Did he really?

-Yeah.

I was like, "I am!

[Bleep], I'm angry!"

-Yeah, of course.

-You know?

So I think

We have a decision.

Yeah.

Let's get them out here.

Today's challenge

Was to cook for the masses

On nellis air force base.

For the most part,

The food was very good.

And I know we made

A lot of airmen

And their family

Very happy.

Unfortunately, your dishes

Were our least favorite dishes.

You know, michael,

You put together a dish

That it almost seemed

Like it was a throwaway.

And in this competition,

That's just not gonna cut it.

Preeti and... And laurine,

You pretty much gave us

An uninspired dish.

Preeti, I don't think

You quite understand

That that dish just wasn't

Really up to snuff.

You know, laurine,

I think you know that.

Um, I think

You're somewhat embarrassed

By cooking that dish

For us.

I-i wish you had sort of

Thought of that

Before you...

You cooked it,

Not when you were here,

Um, at judges' table.

Preeti...

Please pack your knives

And go.

Thank you

For the opportunity to compete.

[Preeti]

I'm definitely disappointed.



I know how to cook



Great food.



I know I bring



Great flavors to food.



But, uh, I got to know



The competition



And the competition seems



A lot stiffer than it's been

In past seasons.

Bye, guys.

I think I've really learned

A little bit about

What really matters to me.



At the end of the day,



I really want



To please the customer.

And...

I don't think about

What crazy cool thing

Do I want to make,

And everyone better love it.

Okay, bye, guys.

[All] bye, preeti.

Keep killin' it

With

Top chef.

[Cheers and applause]

I don't have any regrets.

I feel like...

I gave it my all.

And it kind of inspires me



And reminds me how much



I really love what I do.

And I can't imagine doing

Anything else with my life.

Next on

Top chef...

You'll be serving to a table

Of some of the best french chefs

In the world.

This could be

The most important plate

I've ever cooked in my career.

Let's go right to the fish.

Drop it and go to the fish.

-Aah!

-Check.

I feel like throwing up.

However,

For this quickfire,

The winner will get immunity.

The loser will be going home.

-[Gong]

-[Scoffs]

It was a "holy [bleep]"

Moment.

[Jennifer]

I'm scared.



I just hope



I can pull it off.

But I'm nervous as hell.