09x07 - Game On

[bunniefuu]

- Previously on Top Chef...

- We are cooking


- Damn,
I cut myself.

I need a medic
right now.

- How long are
those [bleep] shrimp

gonna take her
to do today?

You spent a lot of time
working on shrimp.

I'm not really sure
what else you did.

- Totally was uncalled for
to call me out like that.

- The winner of this
challenge is Heather.

- [Laughs]

- You know, chef,
usually it's really difficult

to send someone home,

but tonight you really
made it easy.

- Whitney, please pack
your knives and go.


all hoping to win

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.

- Tonight was extremely
tough to get through.

- Pinot.

- I couldn't believe how harsh
Heather was on Beverly.

And no matter if you like
a person personally or not,

there's no room
for that kinda stuff.

It just says a lot
about her integrity.

- I'm kinda squeamish
when it comes to cats,

but I'll look at it.

- I've been in the bottom
far too much.

To just narrowly skate
past elimination,

it's very humbling.

And I know that if I'm gonna
stay in this competition,

I need to make sure
that I showcase

the chef that I am.

- There's only 12.
- Dirty dozen.

- Ohh.
- The dirty dozen.

- Dirty dozen.

- We walk into the kitchen,

and I'm like,
holy crap!

I see Tim Love.

He's a very well-known
Fort Worth chef

and a Top Chef Master.

- Good morning, chefs.

All: Morning.

- Please meet Tim love,

chef and owner of the
Lonesome Dove Western Bistro

in Fort Worth.

- Behind him is all these
Don Julio tequilas.

Tim Love and Tequila,

sounds like a great way
to spend the morning.

- Welcome to Texas.
- Thank you.

- Thank you, chef.

- Chefs, these are
all variations

of Tequila Don Julio,

the original
ultra-premium Tequila.

We want you to choose
one of these tequilas

and make a dish that pairs well
with what you've chosen.

- I love Tequila.

I've been to Jalisco, Mexico,

where Tequila comes from.

This is a challenge
that I can definitely rock.

- Good Tequila is made
to be sipped.

You know, similar to a wine
or a nice craft beer.

Generally,
you want some intense,

long-lasting flavor in the food
to go with the Tequila.

- We've set up
a Tequila tasting for you.

Come up here,
find the Tequila you like,

start cooking.

The winner
of this quickfire

will not receive immunity.

- I definitely was hoping
that there would be immunity.

As we get down
to the best chefs,

one mistake
and you go home.

- They will, however,
win $5,000.

You have 30 minutes
to taste and cook.

And your time...

Starts now.

- What do we got here,
boys and girls?

- Behind you, left.

- Anything awesome in here?

Chef Tony Mantuano and I
have a tradition.

Every time we fly,

we always have a sh*t
of Tequila at the airport.

And it's always blanco.

I'm making a fennel risotto

and seared sea scallops.

The blanco has this
really fresh aloe vera

kind of, like, greenness.

And I think it's gonna
go really nicely with fennel.

Mmm.
Delicious.

- 21 minutes.

- Does somebody
have all the limes?

- Grayson.
- Thank you.

- Did you grab all that?

I love Tequila,

but it's not the easiest
thing to work with.

Spirits are so high
in alcohol,

there's so much
heat involved,

that you really have
to have a dish

that settles that out.

- I'm in Kentucky,
so we're more familiar

with bourbon
up where I'm from.

- This is kind of
a variant of a dish

that I fabricated while I was
on the beach in Thailand.

I'm using the 1942
Tequila Don Julio.

I'm gonna try and pick up

on some of the caramely,
woodsy notes.

My style of cooking--
warm, southeast Asian flavors--

will pair perfectly
with the Tequila.

I've been known to make
a mean Margarita

on the playa in my day.

- [Chuckles]

- Soy.

- Cactus sharp.

- The dish I'm making
is a raw oyster.

I'm using the Tequila blanco

'cause it's really crisp
and clear,

and it's gonna mesh well
with the oyster.

I smell Tequila.

Tequila reminds me
of vacations,

relaxing, beachy.

And I just want it
to be simple and fresh.

Ty, you still have agave?

Thank you.

- Coming through!

I really love oysters.

I want to do a cold smoke
with green tea.

I know that smokiness
is gonna go well

with the reposado.

- Catch.

- What's the time?
- Ten minutes.

- I picked the 1942,
which is my favorite.

The 1942 has a sweet, smoky,
earthy flavor to it,

so I'm just gonna do a very
simple pan-roasted lamb chop.

I think it's
pairing beautifully.

This is so smooth,

and shooken up with some ice,
it's pretty tasty.

- Nyesha, do you need
all that basil?

- I'm actually
treating the Tequila

with what I would normally
make a sauce with Sherry.

I lived in Mexico
for three years.

I'm comfortable
pairing food with Tequila.

I'm going hard.

I'm making pan-seared salmon

with a caramelized
fennel puree.

The fattiness of the salmon

is gonna be a nice vehicle
for all the different flavors.

- I need one
of the fire baskets.

- You have five minutes left.

- Whoo!

- As I'm cooking,
I notice that Chris Jones

is overcooking
his chicken breast.

He could be in
a little bit of trouble.

Sorry, I didn't mean
to freak you out.

- Can I use some
of your olive oil?

- Yeah.

- I see Ty-lor using clams,
I'm like, [bleep].

That's genius.

That's, like,
a perfect pairing

to have something salty and
briny and sweet with Tequila.

- 30 seconds.

Make sure
your Tequila's poured.

- I like this.
- I'm on it.

- Get on it, get on it.

- I have a great feeling
about this dish,

and it's one
of the first times

I've been able
to show myself

in one little bite.

[Timer beeps]

- Hands up,
utensils down.

- I'm very happy
with how the sauce came out.

The puffed quinoa
is delicious.

But the chicken, I feel, is dry
because I really rushed it.

- Hello, Ty.
- Hi.

I did some steamed
clams today

in a Thai-style
fish caramel sauce.

I paired it with
the 1942.

- Sweetness to the clam.
It's pretty good.

- Thank you.

- I chose the reposado.

I made a salad with mango,
avocado, and corn.

I thought that it would
pair well with the mango.

- I'm still trying to really
pair it with the Tequila.

- Got it.

- I like light,
clean flavors.

I taste the reposado.

It won't overpower an oyster.

And then I cold-smoked
the oyster with green tea.

It has a little bit of sweetness
with the reposado.

- I think you do get a little
bit of smoke off of it,

which is interesting.

- I chose the blanco.

I made a fennel risotto.

I glazed the rice
with the Tequila,

finished with
some fennel pollen

and some caramelized shallots.

- And you used the blanco
the whole time?

- Yes.

- I chose the anejo
because of the depth in it.

So I did a crust salmon
over a caramelized fennel puree

and used the anejo to emulsify
my brown butter sauce.

- Skin's nice.

Thank you.
- All right, thank you.

- Bye.

- What I made was basically
a bok choy lettuce wrap.

It's got a quick-marinated
lamb T-bone.

Underneath it is a cactus
and mango salad.

This is a little Korean
fermented chili paste.

- Very interesting pairing.
- Thank you.

- I used Don Julio blanco.

The puree in the bottom
is actually a lime vinaigrette.

You have coconut bitter greens
with touches of honey.

- I think it's
a real playful dish.

- Thank you very much.

- What did you select
for your Tequila?

- Anejo.

I have a sesame cod,

and I made
a Tequila brown sugar glaze.

I never drink Tequila.

- Where are you from?
- Wisconsin.

I'm a beer girl.

[Laughter]

- Today I made raw oyster

with a Tequila and lime
tapioca pearl

and then also there's caviar,

a jalapeno, cucumber liquor

with a little sea salt air
on top.

- Makes me feel like
I'm at the beach, which--

- I know.
- Wow.

Thank you very much.

- I chose the 1942,

which I paired it
with lamb T-bone.

Keep it really,
really simple.

I did a medjool date
and [indistinct] pistou.

- Think that kinda
medjool date is really sweet.

Thanks.

- How did our chefs do
with this Tequila quickfire?

- I felt like some people really
looked at it as a pairing,

whereas others really just
didn't live up to the challenge.

Heather, felt like
you just were thinking,

I like to drink Tequila,

and then I'm gonna make
this rock shrimp dish.

To me, I felt like
it was a new special

at a new chain restaurant.

- Ouch.

- Chris, I felt like
the chicken itself

was dry on the palate.

It was stuck in my teeth.

One highlight of the dish
was the quinoa unfortunately.

The other one
at the bottom is Sarah.

You put the Tequila with it,

it felt like I was putting
lemon juice into cream.

And I felt like the risotto was
a little undercooked as well.

- I've been training
with experts in Italy

in how to make risotto.

I'm not gonna change
how I cook risotto

due to somebody's palate.

- One of my favorites
was Chris.

Of all the tequilas
that we had,

the blanco was
the hardest one to pair with.

You came with a real
briny oyster

with the caviar on top.

I thought you did
a really great job.

- Thank you.

- Next is Lindsay.

I felt the salmon
was cooked really nicely,

and you took
the flavor of the Tequila

and flowed it
all the way through the dish.

- Thank you.
- And Ty.

The spiciness of the dish

really was a good contrast
to the Tequila.

And the greenery in there
was really good too.

- Thank you.

- Chris, Lindsay, and Ty,

one of you will win $5,000.

- Nice.

- Tim, who's our winner?

- I think all of them
displayed well

in pairing the Tequila,

but there obviously
was one standout.

It was just simple, clean.

And that winner is...

[Suspenseful music]

♪

Ty.

[Cheers and applause]

- Yes!
Thank you, chef.

This quickfire challenge
was my sh*t at redemption.

I succeeded, and I'm
gonna fight to stay here

and show my food
is rocking off the chart.

- Congratulations, Ty,
you win $5,000.

- Thank you.

- Don't drink it all
in one sitting.

[Laughter]

- This is a twist
I didn't see coming.

- [Chuckles]

- This is really gonna get
some tempers flaring.

- For your
elimination challenge,

the game is on.

Hopefully you like
who you're standing next to

because we're pairing you
in teams.

The person next to you
will be your partner.

- You and I got this.

- I would have rather gotten
paired with anybody else

besides Bev.

I don't think that she's
really a team player.

I've seen selfish
behaviors from her.

She doesn't think
like a chef.

- Last time me and Ty-lor
were teammates,

we both got
our asses handed to us.

And hopefully history
doesn't repeat itself.

- Chefs, I'm hosting
a game dinner tomorrow night

at my restaurant,

except I want y'all
to be the cooks.

Got all my friends flying in
from around the country,

and they all really know
how to cook game.

- I love to cook game meats.

sh**t it, k*ll it,
take out the buckshot,

and cook it.

- Okay, Tim,
let's meet your friends.

- In walk
all these great chefs.

Being from L.A., I notice
Jon and Vinny from Animal.

They're right down
the street from me,

so I wanna do
as good as I can,

because I wanna be able
to go into their restaurant

without them saying,

"you made that horrible
dish for me."

- You'll be serving
six courses at the dinner.

Each team will
be cooking a protein

that's a favorite
of your assigned chef.

Nyesha and Dakota,
you'll be cooking venison

for Bryan Caswell
from Reef in Houston.

Sarah and Paul,
you'll have squab

for Anita Lo from Annisa
in New York City.

Grayson and Chris,
you'll be cooking elk

for Tim Love.

Chris and Lindsay,
you'll have boar

for Jon Shook from Animal
in Los Angeles.

Heather and Beverly,
you'll cook duck

for John Currence from City
Grocery in Oxford, Mississippi.

- Hi.

- And Ed and Ty-lor,
you'll be cooking quail

for Vinny Dotolo, also from
Animal in Los Angeles.

- In Kentucky,
where my restaurant is,

we always do, twice a year,
a game dinner.

So I have a lot of experience

cooking different
kinds of game.

- You'll also have to cook
a few extra plates

for your fellow chefs.

Because all of you
will be judges too.

- Oh.

[Laughs]

- [Chuckles]

- This is a twist
I didn't see coming.

This is really gonna start
to get some tempers flaring,

because you gotta be honest.

I would hope that people
will not put

personal relationships
in the middle of judging,

but karma's a bitch.

- You'll choose
three dishes

that you liked the least,

and those teams
will face elimination.

- Wow.

- The judges will make
the final decision

about which team goes home.

- Oh, my God.

- That's right.
- Double elimination.

It's definitely a risk
because you have to trust

your partner solely.

If you're on your own,

all you have to do
is blame yourself

if you mess up a dish.

- However, the team that wins
will split $10,000.

- Oh, yeah!

- Good luck.

- Get the cart,
get the cart, get the cart.

- Yeah, get the cart.

- Okay.

- So it's like a duet of duck.

- Let's not call it
a duet though.

- With pistachio nuts?
- No, too much, I think.

Get juniper!

- Juniper.

Heather's definitely bossy,

which makes communication
very difficult for me.

- We got all the spices
for the duck breast.

- Uh-huh.

But I'm definitely
a team player.

And hopefully we are able
to work together today.

- We probably don't need
that much.

- Oh, okay.
We can take it out.

- You get salsa.

For the salad, it's gonna
be the nectarine, the arugula.

I've cooked a lot of venison,

but I haven't cooked it
in a really long time.

The double elimination
definitely adds another element

of fear to the whole
competition.

I did not get the onions.

I think we can just do without.

- 11 minutes!

- Let's go that way.
- Okay.

- Thinking slab bacon,
that way we can slice--

- it's an old
carpenter's technique.

I'm gonna soak them overnight
tonight in a salt solution

so they get flexible.
- Uh-huh.

And I'm just gonna carve them

so that we can make links
out of them.

- Okay, you promise this
[bleep] is gonna be banging?

- I promise you.
- All right.

Chris Jones
makes me really nervous.

He does a lot
of crazy stuff,

and I don't.

So I hope to God
he doesn't go overboard.

- This is something
I've done 100 times.

- Three minutes!

- Beverly, this way.

- Whoo-hoo.

- Behind you.

- Okay.

- I was hoping
they were gonna give us

something like roadkill
or some huge, dead carcass

of an elephant or something,

but quail's good.
No complaints here.

- Coming around, hot.

- Let's make
the spice links first.

- You wanna just try it
and see how it tastes?

- Yeah.

- I have never cooked elk,
but I've heard

really getting
those temps right

when you cook it can either
make or break your dish.

- Does anyone have a cherry
or olive pitter?

- I'm just cutting one down,
see if you like it.

- And I'll start boning breast
for the sausage meat.

- I think Sarah's a little
nervous about her sausage,

but I'm confident
that she can pull it off

because that's what she's
passionate about,

and she's good at it.
She's a great chef.

- Roll them in the skin
and make a long tube,

so it's one,
and then we'll slice.

- Wanna do all of these ducks?
What do you think?

- Sounds like a plan.

- I'm gonna make a spice rub,
the [indistinct] spice.

- I just wanna make sure, Bev,
that the whole dish

isn't too Asian,
'cause that's not my style.

And I'm not going home, Bev.

Bev cooks pan-Asian,

and I cook American
farm-to-table plates,

so our styles
don't necessarily meld.

But at this point, I'm focused
on making my food really great.

Hopefully that's
a good match.

Okay, Bev, as soon
as I'm done with this,

you do your dry rub, right?

We might wanna, like, think
about the name of our dish too.

I don't want it
to appear to be, like,

a completely Asian dish.

- Beverly and Heather are having
a little bit of friction.

- We can put
some orange peel in there.

- Yeah.

- I respect Beverly.
She's a talented chef.

And honestly, Heather's
being a complete bitch.

- Hot, hot.
Behind, behind, behind.

- Five minutes,
everything packed up to go.

- Holy crap!

I mean, we can pack it
if you want to,

but I don't think
we need it.

- Paul, it's a touch medium,

but that stupid grinder was--
kept smearing on me.

- Tomorrow, all of us are gonna
pick the bottom three.

Our team's gonna be screwed if
the sausage doesn't pan out.

And if she goes home,
then I go home.

So it's more pressure
than we've ever had.

[Timer beeps]

Let's get out of here.

- Whoo!

- Re-render it
closer to service time?

- No, I think
we should render the fat,

just the one side,

just render it so
it's super, super crispy...

- Yeah.
- As soon as we get in there.

- Okay.

Heather's been very abrasive
and controlling today.

- There's no way
it won't be crispy.

- Okay.

There was a time in my life

I was in a very abusive
relationship,

someone who physically,
emotionally abused me.

And then one day
when he was at work,

I--I ran away.

You know, I took
all my stuff out of there.

And, um, since I've
been out of that,

I've learned so much,

'cause now I have
such an amazing relationship.

I've become
such a strong person

and will never
let that happen again.

Then we'll put it back on,
get it crispy,

and then sear
on the other side?

- Exactly.
- Maybe put a little butter.

- Yep, I have it, yep.

- It's really disappointing.

This is not like
cooking normally.

This is the hardest thing
I've ever done.

- Careful,
it's slippery back here.

- Is there pans big enough
for us to cook the pork in?

- Yeah, I'm gonna get
to that next.

Lindsay and I are the first team
that's gonna be serving today.

We've cooking for Tim love's
friends at his restaurant,

the Lonesome Dove
Western Bistro.

It's difficult having
Tim as one of the judges

because he cooks
game meat for a living.

- It is hot.
- What?

- You know it.

- Preps are in the cooler.
Greens are in the cooler.

Seasons and salts are out.

- The stakes are high
for this challenge.

There's $10,000 on the line.

This is a double elimination,

and we have to taste
each other's food

and throw three teams
into the fire,

which adds an extra
layer of stress.

- Grab me two cutting boards?
- Yep.

- Any of the water
on the floor over here

is coming off my face.

- You guys don't need
the fryer, right, guys?

We have an hour and a half
to prep, cook, and plate

duck breast, crispy duck leg,
and duck jus.

In a normal kitchen,
that would be plenty of time,

but this is the tiniest...
Right behind.

Hottest...
Oh, we're sweating to death?

Kitchen I've been in.

You don't like that pan?
What's happening?

- Yeah, I'm gonna
just strain it.

It's hard to strain it
with all the ducks in there.

- It is so hot.
- All the fat.

- Okay, I need some burners.

- Bev, we need
to give them some burners.

- Got it.

- Right now I'm making
the fried garnish for the plate,

which is gonna be
a sweet potato chain.

[Bleep] You, Chris.

Agh!
- What?

- Potato link is brittle.

I'm gonna have to go
with a different plan.

- I was really worried
about Chris Jones

and his bag of tricks,

but at the same time,
I don't wanna be like,

"Yeah, way to go, you [bleep]ed
up the sweet potato.

Now we're gonna
be in the bottom."

But you [bleep]ed up
the sweet potato.

Are you okay?
- I really [bleep] us here.

I think I'm gonna have to
scratch the whole chain idea

and just do
a sweet potato fry.

I am really pissed
at myself.

I should have nailed this.

It's something
that I've done before.

I got fries coming up.

- Thank you all
for joining us.

All: Cheers.

- And thank you, Tim,
especially

for letting us join
your game dinner.

- Who's hungry?

- Which animal are we eating?
- First?

- On the wall?

- Behind you,
that's the red deer.

- No jackalopes?
- [Laughs]

- Ten minutes.

- Chris, I say we pour
the pork in too.

- That's gotta reduce.

Let it stay on the back.
- I know.

- Bev, don't move 'em
too quickly.

Just let them hang out.

- I think that--
- yep, just let 'em render.

- They're gonna render slow.
- Yep, just let 'em render.

Beverly asks a lot of questions
like a sous chef would ask.

She doesn't think
like a chef.

- Put the onions
on there too or no?

- I think so.
I think this looks good.

It's like a Kn*fe
to the heart.

You don't wanna go home because
somebody else makes a mistake.

You don't like it?
- I don't like the onions.

I don't know why.
- Really?

This is part
of my rustic style,

so we're gonna have
to compromise.

Okay.

- Three minutes,


- A little more.

- These still feel
really rare.

- We pull the boar racks
out of the oven,

and the centers aren't as
roasted as we need them to be.

Luckily we have enough boar

that we're able to get
enough off of it

without using
the very center cuts,

which are under.

So I'm feeling good.

- 26 seconds.
What am I missing?

- We need to pick four more.

- Cilantro.
Don't forget cilantro.

This one doesn't have slaw.

- Ahh!

[Bleep].

[Timer beeps]

- Boar rack for sure.

- Hello.

We decided to do
peach barbecue sauce

on roasted wild boar,

a kohlrabi slaw,
and farro fried rice.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

[Sighs]

- Maybe if they would have
probably left the marinade off,

it might have shined
a little bit better.

- You know,
the slaw I like.

It adds some texture
to the dish.

I think the sauce
is really good.

It's a nice plate of food.
It's not that exciting.

- It's a fun, elegant way
to do barbecue.

- We're gonna have
to nitpick everybody's dish.

- Yeah.
- This slaw's a little watery.

- Hi, sweetie.

- As Chris and I come back
into the kitchen,

I am a little uncomfortable.

I did hear Paul say
that he thought

the slaw was kind of watery.

For me personally,
it's gut-wrenching.

- Behind, please.

- Move your whole thing
over here.

I need this room for plates.
Okay?

- I would like to do legs
a la minute.

We can go,
boom, boom, boom like--

- From me to you.

- Don't worry about
the splatters.

I'm gonna
clean it up right now.

[Timer beeps]

Today we made
a five-spice duck breast,

creamy polenta,
pickled cherries,

and then
the fresh salad.

Thank you.
- Thank you.

- I don't like the way
that the pickled cherries work.

- The duck breast,

it could have been
rendered a little bit more.

It's a little rubbery for me.

- It was all just
a little too safe.

If I was in their shoes,
I'm trying to push myself.

- Hmm?
- No crispy skin.

- Okay.

- Hi, ladies.

- Your duck breast
is perfect.

It's super tender.

- I'm gonna let this
sit up here and rest.

The difficulties for
our venison and beet gratin

is making sure that the
gratin is perfectly cooked

and seasoned,

and Nyesha is very good
and making gratin.

[Bleep] Perfect.

Nyesha, can you set
your timer at eight minutes?

- I think cooking
the venison properly

is gonna be
our big challenge.

Okay, I'm gonna start
on the peaches.

You're four minutes out
on your eight-minute call.

- Two minutes.

These are not crispy.
They're soggy.

The sweet potato ends up
not how I envisioned it.

[Bleep] Ridiculous.

Doesn't look that cute.

These look like [bleep].

And the whole plate is making me
a little nervous at this point.

Don't let your sweat
drip in.

Keep wiping.

[Timer beeps]

- The highlight of this dish
was the elk rack

that we received.

We marinated it overnight,
pan-seared it,

and then oven-roast it
to medium rare.

- Is there any
particular reason

why you cut the sweet
potato in that shape?

- I was actually trying
to do an elaborate technique

that unfortunately
did not work out for me.

So it was not as cool--

- It is how
we wanted it to be.

We just wanted to get height,
and we accomplished that.

- Thank you.

- Don't [bleep]
tell them [bleep] like that.

- Personally I think this
particular piece of meat

is seasoned well,
it's tender.

- Visually, as soon as
the plate hit the table

I was like, okay, 1982,
banquet menu.

- Okay, listen, we're
probably going home,

so do not
say anything to them

about us not feeling good
about our dish.

- The saving grace
of this dish

is I may have really [bleep] up
on the sweet potato chains,

but I feel like I really did
a nice job cooking the meat.

- The elk was
cooked perfectly, Grayson.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

- Good.

- I wish we had
butcher's twine.

If it cracks at all,

then that's gonna
be a problem.

My main fear is that
that dang sausage

is gonna be screwed up,

'cause I'm having
to troubleshoot at this point,

and it's taking longer
than Paul and I hoped.

- Move the [bleep] plate.

I think the difficulties
in cooking a small quail

are definitely
not overcooking the meat.

Most game meat doesn't have
a lot of fat.

It can get dry,
and that's definitely

nothing that you wanna
serve the judges.

- I've been hunting.
I have hunted before.

When I was
a kid in Florida,

we used to go catch gators.

Actually, a lot of people
would go in canoes.

I know some crazy kids

that used to actually
jump on top of the gators.

Small gators,
not large gators.

But it's kinda dangerous.

[Laughter]

- Nyesha, you wanna give
a pokey-poke?

Just want your second
opinion on these.

I'm thinking steel need, like,
another three minutes?

Think this looks
a little too rare?

Unfortunately,
that venison is not cooking.

I don't know if it was
just too many people

in and out of the oven,
it lost its heat.

I'm racking my brain
trying to figure out ways

to do a quick cook on it.

Just come look
at the inside of these.

Maybe just give it
a quick sear on there?

- Yep, baste it though.

Dakota's extremely insecure,

and I'm trying to, like,
build her confidence.

- I say eight minutes tops.
No more, right, you think?

- She says, "I'm confident
in cooking the meat."

I'm gonna say, "you [bleep]
rock it out, girl."

- Ed, time, two minutes.

- I wouldn't be embarrassed
to lose to any of my opponents

in this competition.
They're all strong chefs.

You cool with this?
- Yeah.

- It's not always the best
chef that makes it to the end.

I mean, you can have
a hiccup one night,

and that's it,
you're gone.

Where's the sea salt?

[Timer beeps]

- Thank you, sir.

- Today we prepared for you
a sorghum quail,

and we have
some pickled cherries,

also eggplant
with a farci of quail.

Enjoy.

- The quail shines.

We want the quail to be the
center of the plate, and it is.

- And they have managed to bring
out all the earthy qualities

of these ingredients.

[Indistinct chatter]

- Oh, that [bleep]
God damn sausage.

The sausage didn't poach
all the way through,

and I'm not happy with it.

So I have to go into plan B,

where I take the forcemeat
I had packed,

I tightly roll that,

and start poaching
a new batch of sausage.

They're not awesome.

- Sarah's a perfectionist

when it comes
to making her sausage.

And it didn't kinda pan out
she wanted to.

So I'm very worried
about the final cut.

This can't be the challenge

where both the people
from Texas are gonna go home.

- Two coming in hot, hot.

- Where's the clock,
Dakota?

- One minute,


The plate is gorgeous.

But no one has to tell me
that that meat is raw/rare.

Are you happy with the meat?
You think it's too rare?

- Do we have a choice?

I'm freaking out

because the venison
is not cooked properly.

Just throw it on there.

All Dakota had to do
was cook the venison properly.

That should never happen
at this level.

[Timer beeps]

- All right,
this is extra.

- We have a roasted
rack of venison

with kabocha squash
and beet gratin.

- Thank you.
- Thank you, enjoy.

- I like the dish.
My biggest issue is the meat.

It's a little bit
blue for me.

- The venison flavor,
I think, was nice.

- Texture's great
on the gratin.

And the venison is
a little undercooked.

- It's a little rare, yeah.

- I'm very upset
at this point.

It's a really
gut-wrenching feeling.

- Three minutes, Sarah.

Cutting it really close.

- I know we are.

- Olive oil, olive oil.

- Where's the olive oil?
Where is it?

- We're at one minute, 17.

- Ah, Jesus Christ.

[Bleep].

This looks like [bleep].

- Don't worry about it,
just keep on pushing.

You got four seconds to
finish all the pepper on that.

[Timer beeps]

- The scariest thing, it's not
that I would be eliminated.

It's that if something I did
would make Paul go home,

I'd be devastated.

I probably wouldn't be able
to forgive myself.

- We prepared the squab
two ways.

We pan-roasted the breast

and made a sausage
out of the legs.

- And we have
some nectarine pickles

with shallots
and jalapeno.

- Thank you both.

- I like the sausage
with the nectarines

all on the fork together
with the watercress.

- I would have
liked to have seen

a little more caramelization
on the skin.

- Presentation
was a little sloppy.

It looked a little rushed.

But I think it's
a very nice plate of food.

- Acid, I think
it overpowers--

- What don't
you like about it?

- You guys wanna sit down
right here in front of the fan?

- I don't wanna sit.

That sausage
[bleep] k*lled me, guys.

It just wasn't what
I wanted it to be.

I make sausage
every day at work,

and it's really
disappointing.

This is not like
cooking normally.

This is the hardest thing
I've ever done.

This is like--

- You know what,
it's okay to cry.

You know,
totally cool.

We all understand
how stressful this is, okay?

We all handle stress
differently.

- Good evening, chefs.

- Hi.

- Can we please
see Ed and Ty?

Thank you.

- Congratulations.

- Congratulations, guys.

[Whistling and applause]

- Ed...

Ty...

Congratulations.

[Applause]

- Ed and Ty,

you'll be splitting $10,000,

furnished by Healthy Choice.

Both: Thank you.

- I won the quickfire
and the elimination.

It feels amazing,

especially after
being in the bottom.

I want to make sure that I
make it to the winner's circle.

I want to win
this competition.

- I'm really happy for you guys,
congratulations.

Ten grand's a lot of money.

- Damn straight.

I looked into
all those chefs' faces,

and I'm like, man, I did not
make an ass out of myself

in front of you guys.

- You'll have, along with
your fellow chefs,


which three teams

to send out to face
elimination.

Good luck.

- Thank you.

- Hey, guys.

- It was a beautiful dish.
You guys should be proud.

- Absolutely.

- What do you guys wanna do?

- I almost wish they could
just pick it for us,

you know what I mean?
So we don't have to talk it out.

- This is gonna be
the toughest decision,

but maybe we'll
make them make it.

- No.

- We'll just, like, vote.

- You're not gonna
vote for yourself.

- Neither will you,
you know.

- I know I don't wanna
see Heather go home,

'cause she's a really
good friend of mine.

But all of us might have
to make some tough decisions.

- I hate this,
by the way.

- It blows.

- We're all here.
We all know what we're doing.

I could start.

Heather and Beverly, like,
it's not my style...

So it's definitely
not one of my favorites.

- Right.
- And Nyesha and Dakota.

I thought your meat
was a little tough.

Chris and Grayson,

I felt like the meat
was a little dry

when I ate it.

- I mean, you guys know,
you asked me how the meat was.

I thought it was too rare.
You know.

- Oh, [bleep] Yeah, I mean--

- And you guys's.

I didn't understand
the tied bouquet.

- So who's your third?
- I can't pick a third.

- But we're all going through
and doing our--

- Oh, I get what
you're saying, Grayson.

You don't have to tell me
about the process.

I understand.
I understand.

- Guys, just to touch in,

we've used over
half our time.

- We gotta make a decision.

- So let's go then.
Elk.

Raise your hand if you think
elk should go to the room.

Please.

Elk it is.

- Elk's in.

- Raise your hand if you think
duck should go to the room.

Duck it is.

- Venison.

- I think some of us

are probably conspiring
a little bit,

but if you try and screw over
one person today,

you might be on
their team tomorrow.

So I think the claws still
haven't really come out yet.

- There we go, that's three.

- It's gonna get worse.

All right, you guys,
we'll see you in a little while.

- Bye.

- Bye, guys.

[Suspenseful music]

♪

- Obviously your fellow chefs
felt you served

the three worst dishes
at dinner.

Tonight an entire team
will be going home.

- You guys all feel
you deserve to be here?

- Well, I don't think
we should be here.

I mean,
personally I would serve

that dish again
in my restaurant.

- Why do you guys
think you're up here?

- Maybe because I was on
the top from the last challenge.

I mean, you never know.

- I think for the most part
these weren't bad dishes.

I think, Dakota,
you know exactly

what went wrong
with the dish.

I thought the entire dish
was delicious.

I like the components,

but this was a game challenge,

and that venison was really,
really undercooked.

- Time was running out,

and we had to either
put a very rare piece of meat

on the plate
or nothing at all.

- Nyesha, did it
never occur to you,

let me just go see
if she needs help?

Or let me just take a look?
Or...

- By the time
I did check back,

I was like, dude, this
is definitely way under and--

- I'm very disappointed that
such an easy thing

that I've cooked
so many times,

that I could just completely
let fall out of my grasp.

- Overall, I thought
the flavor sequence in your dish

was really good.
It married really well.

It worked.
It was just the meat.

- Grayson and Chris.

- I think that we played it
a little bit safe

with the juniper.

- I thought the meat
was cooked pretty well.

The potato was like...Wah?

- In retrospect, I shouldn't
have even put it on the plate.

- It sounds like the only reason
you wanted it on the plate

was to show us
this chain link fence thing.

- I thought the flavors
would go nicely together.

- You may be living and dying
by that sweet potato fence.

- Oui.

- Any idea why you're
here Beverly?

- Maybe less protein versus--

- We're also trying to balance
two chefs in one plate.

- You know,
when the plate arrived

the first bite I had
of the leg was really good,

while the breast still had,
you know,

another five or eight
minutes of rendering.

- I thought the duck,

although the skin
wasn't crispy enough,

it was very tender.

- And it felt not so much
like a finished dish

but a collection
of ingredients.

- We also don't really, like,

even throughout
this entire competition,

we have not seen
eye to eye.

- I don't think we--

- I do, I think our work
ethics are completely different.

I do, especially
in the last challenge.

In the last challenge,

you really had shrimp.

That's really what you focused
on for two days.

- Wow, that just
really hits me,

because I have
a really strong work ethic.

And that's 400 shrimp
to peel, devein perfectly.

She helped me peel them
at the very end,

but I didn't ask you to.

- No, your teammate did.

- I'm not liking
this conversation.

I think she is an extremely
hard-working, strong cook.

I mean, she kicks butt
in the kitchen.

Because everybody doesn't
see eye to eye,

that happens
in everyday life.

- So how did this
manifest itself today?

You didn't trust her?

- She doesn't trust herself.

Sometimes you don't
have enough self-confidence

to push through
and get the results.

- Teamwork
is asking questions

and making sure
we're on the same page.

And I do have confidence,

but it comes off
in a different way.

I still think that the dish
was a very delicious dish,

and I stand by it.

- Thank you.
That'll be all.

- Thanks.

- What did they say?

- Yeah, I mean, you know,
a lot of things came up.

Bev, I'm sorry if you think
that I hurt your feelings,

but that's the truth.

I didn't call you out
in the last challenge

at the judges' table,
and you know what?

I feel like I had
no say in our dish.

I kept telling you I didn't want
to do anything Asian.

You didn't listen
to any of my ideas.

- They didn't say they didn't
like the Asian flavors.

- They thought the whole
dish was confusing.

- They didn't say they didn't
they're not wrong.Ors.

- Definitely think
Heather crossed the line.

I just don't work that way.

I don't feel better when
I put someone else down.

It makes me feel worse.

- I just feel like
selling her out

may have sold you out.

- It's not selling her out.

- Okay, no, no--
no, stop, stop.

- No, you stop.
You guys don't speak up.

Everybody who has worked
with Bev on a team,

all has--has--
- that doesn't mean

that I think she has
a bad work ethic.

- There's 13 people
trying to create a dinner

for 200 people,

and one person works
on shrimp for two days?

Seriously?

What would you do
if that was

one of our cooks
or your sous chefs?

Think about it.

- I don't really understand

why you would
call out your partner,

because it's
a double elimination.

Like, you're going home too.

- Ultimately
we worked as a team.

Every decision
on that dish is together.

You know what I mean?

- I don't wanna be
on the bottom.

I wanna be on the bottom
'cause it's my own stuff,

that I did it,

that I had control
of everything on that plate,

that's when I want to get sent
home if it's not good enough.

Not because
somebody else played a part

in what I have put out.

- I think clearly
the pressure of the competition

is starting to wear
on some of them.

- But that's
kind of irrelevant.

We don't really care.

I agree 100% with their
peers who sent them back.

I thought this is exactly
who should be here.

- Yeah, and I think
there's a good chance

that Grayson and Chris
could go home

just because of those ideas
that he had.

They just weren't
well-ex*cuted.

- First and foremost,
think about flavor.

Think about the direction
the dish is going to.

And then if you can
work that stuff in, work it in.

But don't start
with this idea

and then everything else
has to work around it.

- Nyesha and Dakota
didn't come through

on delivering
the main part of the plate,

which is the venison.

- The rest of their dish
was, I think, so good.

- It was great.
- So delicious.

- Really delicious.

I mean, that gratin
was fabulous.

I was really surprised to hear
that Nyesha didn't check

in on that venison
when it came out of the oven.

Just another set of hands,
you know?

- If you're working
well as a team,

you have no problem with
somebody coming over and going,

"is it right?
Is it good?

Is it accurate?"

Heather and Beverly,
just--I mean, there were just

flaws in their teamwork.

- And portion-wise,
it was just too big.

It was a big messy plate
of food.

- Heather was holding
it against Beverly

for something that happened
in previous challenges.

This is Top Chef.
Every day is new.

- You gotta have
a baseball memory.

If you strike out one me,
you get to the plate

you can't take about
the strike out

you had last time.
- Yeah.

- So you come into
the next challenge,

you gotta make it happen.

- Well, I think we know which
team had the worst dish tonight.

- Yeah.

- Okay, let's get
them out here.

[Suspenseful music]

♪

- Chefs, tonight's challenge
was to prepare a game meal.

Your fellow chefs voted
your dishes the worst dishes

of the night,
and we agreed.

♪

Chris and Grayson, the dish
was kind of all over the place.

Very competing flavors.

It just didn't work
very well.

Dakota and Nyesha,

that venison, just really,
really undercooked.

Beverly and Heather,

the duck wasn't crispy enough,

didn't render enough fat out.

But more importantly, almost
like two different dishes.

You guys clearly didn't work
together and it really showed.

Tough challenge.

You know, game is very,
very difficult to cook.

And unfortunately,
for two of you,

the game will be over.

♪

Dakota...

Nyesha...

Please pack
your knives and go.

I'm sorry.
- It's good.

- That'll be all.

- I am really upset
with myself

for not taking more control.

Don't even cry.
- No.

- Nyesha was awesome.

She followed up on everything

that she said
she was going to do,

and I didn't.

- The game challenge ended

in really, really
undercooked venison.

- No.

- She should not be going home,
that's all I gotta say.

It's a stupid thing of not
being able to cook venison

that I've cooked
a million times.

And then I gotta take
Nyesha down with me,

and that sucks.

All: Bye.

- Bye, mama.

- I'm frustrated that
I cannot continue to compete

when I know that
there's cooks in there

that have nothing on me.

- I feel like
I'm gonna go home

d I've disappointed
so many people,

including myself.

- Tonight on
Last Chance Kitchen,

Dakota and Nyesha
fight to avoid

reliving their worst nightmare,
another double elimination.

One is filled with guilt.

The other, revenge.

Can either b*at
winning Whitney

and earn a spot
back in the competition?

To watch Last Chance Kitchen,
go to bravotv.com now.

Next on Top Chef...

- Load 'em out.

- We're ready
to hit the road,

so bring on Austin.
- Welcome to Austin.

- [Sings indistinct]

- Really freaking cool
that Patti LaBelle is here.

- It goes down
to the wire today.

- Rescue, rescue.

That's what I'm trying
to do right now,

but time is running out.

- The dish was
just seared too hard.

- I expected
a lot more from you.