09x11 - Fit for an Evil Queen

[bunniefuu]

- Previously on Top Chef...

It's restaurant wars.
- Whoo!

- Into the void.
Here we go.

It's turning
into chaos real fast.

You want me to take over
for a little bit?

- No, I can do it.
- Let Paul do it,

and let one person
stay doing it.

- Judges are
[bleep]ing pissed

that it's taking
this [bleep]ing long.

Why are you plating with
a [bleep]ing plastic spoon?

- Lindsay and Sarah
are definitely treating me

like a child.

- If I took it out
on you, I apologize,

but you were
[bleep]ing up my dish.

- Lindsay worked with you
on your dish for a long time.

- The chef who really
brought us the best food

is Beverly.

- Whoa!
[Laughs]

- Either one of you
could go home

for this mess
that was called Canteen.

- Ty...

Please,
pack your knives and go.

Seven chefs remain,
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.


- Well, congrats, Bev.
- Thank you.

- Congrats.
- Yeah, congratulations.

You deserved it.
Enjoy yourself.

- I'm happy that we are
the winning team

for restaurant wars, but
it's still a little bittersweet

for me because I think
that Lindsay should have won.

I felt like she really
was the glue

that held us all together.

I think you guys
have been really strong.

I think
it was just a bad day.

And everyone has a bad day.

- Definite last words for them
were, "step it up, guys.

Step it up."

- It was very,very tough.

- Hey, chefs.

- No!

- You're headed back
to San Antonio tonight.

See you there, okay?

- What?
- Home.

- Headed home.

- Hey, Bev, you gonna
share that wine tonight?

- Ed!
[Laughter]

- Let's do it, Paul.
- Let's do it.

Been a long, long trip.
- Good-bye, Austin.

- I'm the only [bleep]
that hasn't won.

I've done different things
every time.

I've never done
the same thing again.

- No, I haven't repeated
a single thing.

- The other girls are probably
pissed that Beverly won.

- I think so.
- Oh, yeah.

- I definitely think so.

- As we're going
back to San Antonio

and the girls are quiet,
I definitely feel like

there's some sour grapes
feeling from Lindsay.

It was still hard for her to
accept that I won the best dish.

But I won that
fair and square.

- You know, it was hard, like,
trying to get all those servers

to help me set up that room and
then brief them and all that.

You know, like...
- Yeah.

- I have very high standards,
and when someone drops the ball,

I tend to lose my [bleep],
but I know that it was justified

to keep us on the top.

- Came back home.

- You gonna toast it?
Oh, nice call, Paul.

I'm getting really close
to the final four,

which is where
I truly believe I belong,

and I really want to fight
tooth and nail to get there.

- I think from here on out

it's just gonna be,
like, individual...

- Now it's gonna
test creativity.

- Yeah.
- [Bleep] It, just bring it on.

Competition's
gonna heat up.

Ed's gonna be
pretty tough to b*at.

He has a lot of experience
with different types of food,

and Sarah's classically trained
and she knows her flavors.

- You ready, guys?
Let's go make some gravy!

- Lock up the house.

- When I walk into the kitchen,
I see Eric Ripert.

- Hello, chefs.
All: Good morning.

- He's a legend
in the culinary world,

and to be in his presence
is an honor.

- Welcome back, Eric.
- Thank you very much.

- I notice this
conveyor belt in the back

and that's something new.

I have no idea
what's going on,

but I know
it's gonna suck for us.

- Chefs, this challenge
is about quick thinking.

- There are times
when you have days

to think and rethink
your plan for a perfect dish.

There are
more challenging times

when you have to make
quick decisions in a kitchen.

- Chefs,
we're giving you 30 minutes

to create
a sophisticated dish.

When time starts,
this conveyor belt

will start moving with
a variety of ingredients on it.

You must pick
three ingredients from the belt,

and you must
use them all in your dish.

Everything else
can come from the pantry.

- New ingredients
will come out constantly.

The longer you wait,
the better the chance

of getting
a great ingredient,

but you will have less time
on the clock to cook.

- The winner
of this quickfire

will have immunity
in the elimination challenge.

- There's only seven of us.

Every chef is gonna be under
the microscope at this point.

In order to survive
as long as I can,

immunity is so important.

- Your 30 minutes
starts now!

- I see cookies, goldfish.

I decide that I should run
and start getting basic things

so that whenever
I do see something,

I can start cooking.

- Ah, [bleep].

- I see a big bowl
of macadamia nuts and I grab it,

'cause I think
this challenge is nutty.

Bev, you gotta move it all
to your side, please.

What is that?

All of the sudden,
I see a jar of sauerkraut,

and I love sauerkraut,
but now I just screwed myself

'cause I also
got macadamia nuts,

and what am I gonna
do with those now?

- I'm just kind of,
uh, you know,

waiting to see what comes up,
and just making some things

I think that'll go nicely with
a variety of different stuff.

So we'll see.

I don't know if this
is a good strategy or not.

I don't know much right now
except that pop rocks

ain't gonna do it in a dish.

- I start a carrot
white wine sauce,

and I'm hoping that,
by the end,

I'll have a good piece
of fish to go with it.

- Oh, man, they took it off.
Those [bleep]ing bastards.

- Those lobsters?
- Yeah, [bleep]Ing took it off.

- Coming through!

- The hardest part about
this challenge is the waiting.

I'm looking at the clock
and I get impatient

and I just grab
the saffron and some bread.

I saw the bitter melon
go around a few times,

and I don't know
why I picked bitter melon.

No matter how you prepare it,
it's still a little bit bitter.

- Those [bleep]ing bastards.

Damn it!

Damn them.

[Sighs]
[Bleep]Ing bastards.

- Careful,
the flame's coming.

- I just start
creating a dish with stuff

that we have in the pantry,
because if you wait

on the conveyor belt,
you just lose valuable time.

- Maybe this was a trick.

Maybe there aren't gonna be,
like, super-awesome items.

Or maybe it's gonna
be five minutes left

and I'm not gonna
have time to cook.

So I grab
the saltine crackers.

It's definitely a risk.

- [Sighs]

- It's a fun challenge.

- I'm really
running out of time,

so I have to grab
rice krispies.

I take the tofu,
canned black-eyed peas...

Damn it!

Because those are things
I can definitely

fuse with my style.

I know that my flavors are what
get me through the challenges.

- Jonesy,
lobsters are back!

- [Grunting]

- Nice catch,
nice catch.

- This challenge is nuts.
- Very, very hard.

- Ten minutes,
ten minutes!

- I wait until
the last possible minute,

because I want the best
ingredients for my dish.

I see a small grouper come
and then immediately grab clams,

with barely any time left,

and my best bet
is to do bouillabaisse.

My God, I am making
bouillabaisse for Eric Ripert

and he is gonna
rip it apart.

- Awesome.

- Okay.

- Behind, coming through.

- [Bleep].

- Hands up.
Utensils down.

- [Sighs]
[Bleep].

- Boom!

- [Groans]

The curried rice krispies
are right next to my plate.

I didn't put them on.

I'm just really so upset.

- Please welcome
the queen herself,

Oscar-winner
Charlize Theron.

- [Gasps]
- Wow.

- The ingredients
were macadamia nuts,

sauerkraut,
and black truffle.

So what I made for you
is a sauerkraut soup,

shrimp cooked in brown butter,
and shaved truffle.

- Did you toast them or not?
- Yes.

- You toasted the macadamia?
Okay.

- I got lucky enough
to get lobster and foie

and vanilla as well.

You know, I really wanted
some of that Foie gras fat,

so I incorporated
that a lot into

the flavors
that you'll be tasting.

- The cauliflower, when paired
with milk and vanilla,

actually brings out
a lot of chocolate notes.

- Yeah, totally.

- I still think
chocolate would go well

with Foie gras or lobster,
so I think it's a winner.

[Exhales]

- What three ingredients
did you get?

- Goldfish...
- Okay.

- Um...
[Laughs]

Uh, grapefruit
and Dover sole.

Goldfish crumbled
with some rosemary,

some brunoised
grapefruit zest.

- It's kind of clever
to put goldfish on fish.

Do you ever do that, Eric?
- I have never done that.

- You probably shouldn't.
[Laughs]

- It's interesting.
- Yeah.

[Laughter]

- Paul, what were
your three ingredients?

- Wonder bread,
bitter melon, and saffron.

I made a broth
with mussels,

bitter melon,
a little bit of ginger.

- Have you used
bitter melon like that before?

- I've used it
in a soup before

and usually let it
sweat a little bit

to get some of
the bitterness out.

I think that I pretty much
bombed this challenge.

I don't think a lot of people
like bitter melon.

- My ingredients
were artichokes...

- Yes.
- Cottage cheese,

and saltine crackers.

I did a fried soft-shell crab
with the cottage cheese sauce,

which is, uh, tarragon, and
then a shaved artichoke salad.

- Have you done
a sauce like that before...

- No.
- Or is the first time?

- No,
not with cottage cheese.

I can't believe
I'm serving Eric Ripert

saltines and cottage cheese
with the seafood.

This is, like, bad.

- Off the belt, I grabbed
one of the small groupers,

uh, clams, and pernod.

I did a bouillabaisse
all cooked in, like,

a tomato, fennel,
and pernod broth.

- Fennel.
- Both.

- Yes.
- Great, thank you.

- Thank you.
- Thank you so much.

- My three ingredients
were tofu, I also grabbed

rice krispies
and black-eyed peas.

So I glazed
the sockeye salmon

with, like,
an orange spice reduction.

With sautee
of the black-eyed peas,

bell peppers,
ginger, garlic.

- And where
is the rice krispies?

- Where are they?

- Right here.
[Laughs]

- So they didn't
make it to the plate?

- I'm so sorry, chef.
Um...I ran out of time.

- You didn't use
one of the ingredients?

- Yeah, I'm sorry.
- We're sorry for you.

- I'm sorry for you, exactly.
- I know.

- Can we taste it with the--
- sure, absolutely.

- It's actually nice.
- [Laughs]

- Beverly should have
just cheated to ensure

her chance to get immunity.

I would have
just chucked it in the air

and hope it landed
on the plate.

- [Sighs]

- Eric, who had
some of the weaker dishes?

- Chris, your lobster dish
with the Foie gras

didn't really come together.

The ingredients didn't
complement each other.

Grayson, the citruses
were overwhelming.

They numbed our palate

and we couldn't
taste the food after that.

Paul, the mussels
with the bitter melon

was not really appealing

because of the bitterness
of the melon.

- Eric, who did better
in this challenge today?

- Sarah,
the soft-shell was good.

Uh, I liked the artichokes.

The fact that you used cheese
to make a sauce with herbs

was interesting
and--and a surprise.

The bouillabaisse
from Lindsay.

The dish was very harmonious.
The flavors were together,

complementing
all the ingredients.

- Thank you.

- So Beverly, I liked
very much your salmon.

I think you did a very good job
with the tofu making a sauce.

And from someone
who doesn't like tofu,

it's a great compliment.

It's very unfortunate you forgot
to put the rice krispies.

- Had you been able to get
all three of your ingredients

on the plate, you would have
won this by a mile.

- Hearing that is very,
very hard to take.

I just needed
five more seconds.

Ugh.

- Sarah and Lindsay.

One of you will win immunity
in the next challenge.

Eric.

- The winner
of this challenge

as, overall,
the most harmonious dish,

is the one from...

Lindsay.

- Thank you.
[Applause]

Well, it's definitely
one of those, like,

backhanded compliments.

Like, "Oh, you won,
but your dish wasn't the best."

- Congratulations, Lindsay.
- Congratulations.

- You win immunity in this
next elimination challenge.

- It still feels good
to be on the top,

but I wish that it wouldn't
be under this circumstance.

- Chefs,
your elimination challenge

is to make a dish
fit for a queen.

- The Queen of England?
Queen Latifah?

- Please welcome,
from the upcoming film

Snow White and the Huntsman,
the queen herself...

- Hey.

- [Gasps]
- Wow.

[Laughter]

- Oscar-winner
Charlize Theron.

- Hi.
- Oh, my...

I freak out.

She's one of
my favorite actresses.

She's so talented
and so beautiful.

- Hi, chefs.
I am so excited to be here.

I'm a huge fan of the show
and I love food.

- Charlize Theron.

Wow.
My head's just spinning.

- So Charlize, I understand
that this new movie's

a much darker interpretation
of the Snow White tale.

- It is a darker version.

It's also bigger
and more epic in scale.

I do play the evil queen,

and she is pretty much
a serial k*ller.

She has a real
appetite for m*rder

to ultimately get
her competition, Snow White.

- Chefs, we'd like you
to prepare a gothic feast

each dish of this feast
should be wickedly beautiful,

just like the queen.

- I want to see
some real indulgence

and risk-taking
in this dish.

Think like an evil queen

and take out
your competition.

- We'll see you all
tomorrow night.

Good luck.

- Let's go shop
for Snow White!

- And the wicked queen!
[Cackles]

- I'm making
an enchanted forest.

Probably beets, beet stems,
some cherries, strawberries.

- I'm making a chicken
that has been mutilated.

- Something wicked...

- Kind of like
a crime scene on the plate.

- Something nasty.

- A cracked-open
baby bird.

- 20 minutes!

The most important ingredient
I'm looking for is wine.

I'm gonna cook
risotto with this wine

so that the risotto
will actually be red

and satisfy the queen's
urge for blood.

I was looking
for fresh figs.

Having the opportunity to cook
for Charlize Theron is kind of

like a dream come true.
I'm so excited.

- I don't know if I'm gonna
use them or just eat them,

but I definitely have
gummy worms.

- Excuse me.
Sorry.

- Beverly kind of
sneaks up behind you.

She's not very vocal.

- Oh, I'm so sorry.

- She's a bulldog, man.

That girl is tiny,
but she crazy.

Five minutes!

- Sorry.

- Thank you so much.

- You're welcome.
You have a good one.

- I gotta get
some wicked spices.

The dish I'm making
is seared scallop

over a witch's stew
of braised short rib

with blood orange
and dragon beans.

The inspiration of this dish
comes from a dish

that I first had
when I was still in college,

and it really changed
the way that I saw food.

[Register beeping]

- It's little apples
and big ones.

- All right, thank you.

- What about this?

What if I just take
the pig's blood in, like, a jar

and just, like,
spray it on everyone?

[Laughter]

How are you guys
gonna incorporate,

like, evil
into your dishes?

- I'm having blood in the apple.
I'm gonna have maggots.

I'm gonna have worms.
I'm gonna have--

this is probably gonna be

the biggest, baddest table
I've ever served.

You've got Eric Ripert
and Charlize Theron.

My love, my wife.

Hey, sunshine.

My wife fortifies
my strength to keep going.

This is kind of, like,
one of the hardest things

I've ever done,
so I'm just--

I'm just trying to just,
you know, make it every day,

just take it
one day at a time.

You know, you--

she's my closest friend.

She's always been that rock,
that person that says,

"buck up
and just make it happen."

I love you too.

- Everybody comfortable
with the plan?

It's a pretty simple plan.
- Yeah.

- You just gotta be
respectful of everybody's space,

make sure you don't take stuff
off people's stations,

make sure you ask if you need
something from another person.

- A few people have
had issues with Beverly.

In the kitchen,
she'll jump in front of you

and grab something and not even
think twice about it.

- I mean, again,
it's a competition,

but, you know,
still want to play nice.

- Right.

- No wicked games tomorrow.
- [Laughs]

- [Bleep] It.
[Bleep].

- Do I get the head of the chef
on a silver platter?

[Laughter]

- We arrive
at southwest school of art.

Everyone has to produce
one course for Charlize Theron.

I'd say this wicked dish
is looking to be

a play on the poisoned apple
from Snow White.

Hopefully,
it'll look kind of wicked.

- Oh, it is evil!

Being first course, I want
to set the tone for the dinner.

I'm doing two sauces:

One white sauce
and one being a black sauce.

That represents the classic
struggle between good and evil.

- Where's our coolers at?

- Evil ingredient coolers
are in that hallway.

- Cool.

I'm, like, really, really,
really stressed right now.

There's around 14 components
in my plate,

and I think it's a lot
to get done in two hours.

- I'm making
a forbidden black rice

and I'm gonna do
a seared halibut.

- I think maybe Beverly
chose to do halibut

so she could show Lindsay
how she can cook it.

A lot of the other chefs
underestimate her ability,

and I think what
a lot of people don't realize

is that she's had
more cooking experience

than anybody
in the house right now.

- Oh, geez.

- I am doing scallops
over a witch's stew

with a lot of dark flavors.

The inspiration of this dish
comes from a dish I first had

when I started working
with Michelle Bernstein

when I was still in college.

If Michelle sees me
totally t*nk this dish,

then I don't know
what'll happen.

Ed, did you get
one oven low?

- The one right here is low.

- I would start
butchering these hearts.

Lamb heart
is an unusual ingredient.

It's almost like
the best steak you've ever had.

The queen
is a serial k*ller,

and I think she's gonna
really enjoy the heart.

- Oh, this one's
got a head too.

Oh, my God.

I'm making black chicken.

Ew, it squeaked.
[Laughs]

I've never worked with it.
It's very lean.

You definitely have to be
careful not cooking it too much.

It'll get really dry.

Man, these guys are gnarly.
Whoo!

- Maybe play with a little bit
of liquid nitrogen

to add a little smoke effect
at the table.

Hopefully, it'll look kind of
wicked when you bite into it,

just like what happened
with Snow White.

- Awesome.

- I'm the chef that likes to
land on the moon first.

And every time
you do something new,

there's a big chance
that it's not gonna work out.

- [Bleep] It.
[Bleep].

I b*rned some beet juice
and I b*rned some cocoa nibs,

so I decide to nix
the cocoa nibs at that point.

I just hope there's enough time
to do what I need to do.

Whoo!
What was that?

- Welcome, everybody.

I think we're in
for a real treat.

- What do you consider
wicked food?

- If I was to make a dish
that was evil,

I would just make anything
and put poison in it.

[Laughter]

- Well, I'd like
to propose a toast.

- Thank you for having me.

- Here is to a wicked feast.
- Cheers.

- Oh! Maggots everywhere!

- The last thing
that I put down on the plate

is deep-fried fish skin
with the scales on it,

and the scales
are gonna look like spikes.

[Timer beeping]

I think this dish
is gonna be

the perfect beginning
to a wicked meal.

- Ah, here's the food!

- Ooh.
- Good evening.

- Ed, I'd like
to introduce you

to our guests and judges
for this dinner.

Eric Ripert,
of Le Bernardin...

Emeril Lagasse,
author of

Sizzling Skillets
and other one-pot wonders...

Our head judge,
Tom Colicchio...

And from the new
Snow White and the Huntsman,

the queen herself,
Charlize Theron.

- Our meal begins
with the classic story,

evil versus good.

I wanted to play
on colors a little bit.

The light
being the goodness,

the darker sauce
being the wicked.

On the left, you have
a soy and black garlic pudding.

On the right, you have
an Asian pear and ginger sauce.

They both struggle
to meet

with the tuna tartare
in the middle.

There's a little bit
of fried fish scales.

Enjoy, thank you.
- Thank you.

- I'm into
the fried fish scales.

- I think he has done
a good job with the sauce.

When you combine them together,
they're even better.

- And when you eat them
from the outside,

it really is like a w*r.

Good and evil fighting
right into the middle.

- You put good
and evil together

and you end up
with a politician.

[Laughter]

I think Ed did
a very nice job

with this dish,
this tartare.

- That black garlic
has got, like, a real punch.

- Yeah.

- It's assaulting.
I like it.

- We're off
to a good start.

- Yeah,
- I think so.

- I could eat that
every day.

- Yeah, it's good.
- It's really good.

- Ah, [bleep]!

I'm gonna incorporate
a bloody handprint on my plate.

You have this nice, pretty
enchanted forest in the corner,

and then you have the reach
of the evil queen in blood

coming across the plate.

- It's beautiful, Paul.
- Thank you.

[Timer beeping]

- Ooh! Wow.

- When I was thinking
about wicked,

I was thinking about, like,
an enchanted forest

filled with temptations
that are both good and bad.

Foie gras and bacon,
strawberries with pumpernickel,

serrano peppers,
some pickled cherries,

and some beets.

Enjoy, thank you.
- Thank you.

- I have to just say,
I love this,

because that is so beautiful
and that is so scary.

- A beautiful love song.
- Or a m*rder song.

- Oh, man,
that was good.

- I hope he was
wearing a glove

when he put his hand
on the plate.

- Oh, I love that.
- That's playful.

- But, see, you're scared,
and that's good.

You're worried.

- The dish, potentially,
has big problems,

but it managed
to all come together.

- You know what I like also?
The pickled jalapenos.

And they give you
a little kick.

- I love Paul's dish.
- It's fantastic.

- Paul really
let his imagination go.

- Ah, geez.

- Whew!

- I definitely
feel confident about my dish.

The halibut cooked perfectly

and the flavors
came out really nice.

I really want to prove to them
that I'm a great chef.

[Timer beeping]

- Tell us a little bit about
Snow White and the Huntsman.

- We have eight dwarves
instead of the seven.

- Is that a union issue?
[Laughter]

- If there was an eight dwarf,
what would be--

- It would be Tom.
- Well, at least I'm not Dopey.

[Laughter]

- Looks beautiful.

- My interpretation
of the story

is Snow White
is the halibut and prevails

in the midst of the evilness
of the wicked witch

and the black heart
from the forbidden black rice,

and the bleedingness
of the serial k*ller

is the red curry sauce.

- Thank you, Beverly.
- Thank you.

- I mean, who is she
to call me black heart?

Really, Beverly?
[Laughter]

- Mmm!

- The pineapple
is good with it...

- Mm-hmm.
- 'Cause it's not

too caramelized
and not too sweet.

- How's your fish cooked?

- My halibut
is cooked perfectly.

- She has Snow White

and the evil queen
is hidden in the sauce here.

- The rice, I think, is great.
- Mm-hmm. It's really nice.

- So far, really great.

- I didn't really use
any wicked ingredients

like organs, heart,

but if I was
to have done anything

that was really
far out there,

I don't think I would have
been comfortable with it.

[Timer beeping]

- Thank you.

- For the wicked theme,
and for a queen,

I did a seared scallop
over a witch's stew--

that's with braised
short rib and dragon beans

that have been blackened
with the same spices

that are in the actual stew.
- Thanks.

- The smell is just...
- Yes!

That's exactly what
I was sitting here thinking.

My scallop
is cooked to perfection.

- Mine too.
- Mine too, yes.

- This stew
is so...Damn good.

- I like that
she called it a witch's stew,

because you can picture an
old witch stirring her cauldron.

- Dragon beans.
I mean, how perfect.

Like, if you were
gonna cast a dish.

- Cast a bean?
- Yeah, you would cast

a bean in your dish.

Like, t-that would be
the bean to cast.

- The queen would probably
make this with peasants--

and not pheasants,
peasants, actually.

- Well, my queen,
definitely, yeah.

[Laughter]

- Well,
Lindsay has immunity,

but she may not
have needed it.

- I think there's an absolute
risk in making my risotto.

I made a risotto
for Chef Tim Love

and he didn't like my dish.

This time,
the rice tastes awesome,

the wine
is perfect sweetness,

and the lamb heart
is scrumptious.

This is the most proud
I've ever been serving a dish

in this competition.
[Exhales]

- I actually get to eat
in the film.

She has a real appetite
for songbird's hearts.

- Who wouldn't?
- Yeah.

[Laughs]

- Hi, Sarah.
- Hello.

I took inspiration, really,
from the royalty of this,

and I thought that
the blood-hungry queen

would want an Amarone risotto
with sliced lamb heart,

a little currant,
sunchoke, and thyme.

Enjoy.

- It's very, uh,
flavorful, and--

- She did
a good job with that.

- Yeah, she did
a good job.

- You get a little bit
of the currant,

it's a little bit
of a pear, the heart.

All together,
it's quite delicious.

- Oh, my God.
I am this queen.

That heart is phenomenal.
- [Laughs]

- I just want to eat that.

- Bring me more heart.
- Bring me more heart!

[Laughter]

- I have my chicken
on top of your nuts.

Give a sec.

I'm freaked out,
'cause I don't know

how literal I'm supposed
to take "wicked."

My plate really looks
like a slaughterhouse.

- Very slaughter-iffic.
- Boom!

- [Laughs]

- Whoa! Wow.

- Hi, Charlize!
- Hi!

- I made black chicken
with roasted, pickled beets,

some red chard.

There's also
a quail egg and foie.

I wanted it
to look like a chicken

got slaughtered on the plate.
And the quail egg symbolizes

the baby that was inside her
when she got slaughtered.

[Laughs]

- You went there.

Are you okay if I steal this
for the character?

- [Laughs]
- Thank you, Grayson.

- Thank you very much.

- The presentation
is amazing.

- If this dish tastes

as good as it looks,
this is an absolute winner.

- The feet with the nails.
- Yes.

She totally went for it.
- Gutsy, huh?

- It's crispy and delicious...
- Yeah.

- And it feels juicy.

- Well, that's what's
great about it,

it has tons of flavor.

- The vinegar
on the beets I love.

- Yeah,
they're very well pickled.

- Yeah.

It's amazing.

- Are we going to
hang it on the chandelier

or something like that
as a souvenir?

[Laughter]

- This is
one of those moments

I really, truly feel
like I did a great dish.

- That looks
so cool, Chris.

- Thank you.

I know I've been
accused of maybe being

a little gimmicky
in the past,

but just because I play with
liquid nitrogen doesn't mean

that it's just a flash
in the pan, gimmicky food.

[Timer beeping]

- Here is the last course.

- Oh, God.
Awesome.

- This is a apple pie,
cherry pie, poison apple.

A little bit of
granola mix on the bottom.

Pie shell, some puffed
rice krispies as maggots,

if you will,
a worm coming out,

a little bit of basil,
and I'm going to finish it

with just a little bit
of apple powder.

Just to put the spell on you,
if you will.

Enjoy your poison apple.
- Love it.

- Look at that.
- It's beautiful.

- That is--
the drama of it's great.

This is where sort of those
bag of tricks actually work.

- It is really
stunning inside.

- The flavor Chris inserts
is really great,

and the cherry's
really deep and dark.

- I like
the cinnamon in this.

- The whole combination,
for me, worked so well.

I really liked it.
- It's so him.

- I love what he did here.
I really do.

- It was almost like the,
"and by the way, here you go,

it's a story
about an apple."

- I love the maggots.

- I loved this meal.
I really, really loved it.

- This is clearly
the most exciting food

we've had all season by far.

- I think the meal
was one of the best meals

I've ever had on Top Chef.

- There were a few things that
were just a little out of step.

- And they were small too.
They weren't major glitches.

These were all
tiny, little things

that we can have fun
picking apart later.

- Because the whole meal
was so good,

it's gonna come down
to those little glitches.

- Do I get the head of the chef
on a silver platter?

[Laughter]

It was spectacular.
- We are here to please you.

- Oh. Wow.
[Laughter]

[Laughter]

[Drumming]

- [Gargles]

[Laughs]
- Oh, my God.

[Deep hollow tone]

- [Chanting]

[Laughter]

Don't be ashamed,
go for it!

- I don't think
I'm gonna play the bottle.

[Rattling]

[Cacophony
of kitchen instruments]

[Merrymaking]

- Yeah...
It's time to stop.

- All right, stop.
[Laughter]

- How was
the black chicken?

- I left the foot on,
so it was like...

And I get up there
and I said the red on the plate

is basically
the chicken's innards,

and the quail egg
symbolizes the unborn child.

[Laughter]

- That's terrible.

- That looked gnarly.
It was black.

- Good evening.
All: Good evening.

- We'd like to see
all of you.

- [Sighs]
All right.

Our seven happy dwarf
little friends.

[Groans]

[Suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

- I have to say,
in all the years of doing this,

this has been
one of the finest meals

that I've had
the pleasure of eating.

Now, I know if you can
continue to cook like this,

you guys will have great careers
your entire lives.

- Thank you.

- If I was a queen,
and I had a castle,

you would all
be coming with me,

and I would t*rture
and inspire you to create

these kinds of dishes
every single day.

It was spectacular.
- We are here to please you.

- Oh, wow.
[Laughter]

- Sarah, you nailed
the lamb heart.

Just completely perfection.
- Thank you.

- Lindsay,
that scallop dish,

just a brilliant idea
of taking the spices

that were in the stew,
coating the dragon bean.

These little, tiny, little
details just made that dish.

- Thank you.

- Ed, the sauces
were so amazing.

There was such beautiful
flavor and depth.

So well done.
- Thank you.

- Chris, I really felt like
you made the perfect sweetness

to the dessert.

You kept some of
the natural fruit juices

in there and you
didn't over-sugar it.

Amazing.
- Thank you, thank you.

- Chris, I've been getting
on you kind of all season

for the--the tricks
and little things like that.

This was a time when it was
more than appropriate to do it,

and the effect was great.

- I-I was glad I was able to--
to have a challenge like this.

Thank you, chef.

- Beverly,
the rice was delicious,

and it wasn't overpowering
of the coconut.

- I loved the way
it also gives you

this beautiful texture
and a nice bite.

- It was really well done.
- Thank you.

- Grayson,
the black chicken--wow.

Um...
[Laughs]

The visual...was dead-on.

- I take things
really literally...

- Got it.

- So this
was really hard for me.

- It really did look like
you slaughtered the chicken

on the plate.

- Yes.
[Laughter]

Thank you.

- Paul, your enchanted
forest was beautiful.

And, you know, how can you
b*at that handprint?

- I work better
when there's parameters

or there's some kind of
inspiration like that,

and, uh, I think
it's a lot of fun.

- Charlize,
as our guest judge,

please announce the winner.

- It was so delightful
to have these plates

tell all these stories.

We were really impressed
by all of your dishes,

but the winner tonight is...

Paul.
- [Laughs] Thank you.

[Applause]

- Congratulations, Paul.
- Thanks.

Being on the bottom
for restaurant wars

and the quickfire challenge
felt pretty depressing.

- You get two tickets
to the world premiere

of Snow White
and the Huntsman.

- Thank you.

To be the best out of
that group is an amazing win.

- Beautiful dish.
- Thank you so much.

- Ed...

Lindsay...

And Chris...

You're also safe.
- Thank you.

- Thank you.

[Suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

- We know this is
really hard for you.

It's very difficult for us,

because all of you
have done well.

One of you will go home.

- If these dishes end up
on your menus back home,

and I think they should
with a little bit of--

- She's shaking her head!

- Well, you know...
[Laughter]

A little minor changes.

I think you should be proud
of what you all did today.

- Sarah, I really liked
the presentation.

Rich in color, like royalty.

That really kind of suited
a feast for a queen.

- I really
went with royalty,

to take the best
bottle of wine I could find.

I mean, I spent over half
my budget in Amarone.

- Drink any?

- I have a little bit
in the other room

in case I have to go home.
[Laughter]

- My first bite
was of the risotto,

and I got a real hit of salt.
- Oh, okay.

- The big problem
that I had was the risotto,

maybe a touch undercooked.

- This is how I've always been
cooking risotto and eating it.

Maybe I need to start
cooking it down.

- I'm nitpicking here
because I have to.

- Right.

I feel like I have a lot
to give to the competition.

I truly love and breathe
and sleep food,

and I hope that I can
continue on in the competition.

- Beverly,
I enjoyed the dish.

These are the flavors that
we've been getting from you,

and I think
you do it very well.

There was one mistake
on the plate--

and that was the sauce--was
thickening that with arrowroot.

It became sticky.

- I really wasn't going for,
like, that gruesome quality.

I didn't really want to go,
like, wicked, grotesque.

I wanted to go more, kind of,
elegant, refined route.

- It was a beautiful dish,
and my fish was perfect.

And with the forbidden rice--
I loved that rice.

That rice was heaven.

But the sauce
got a weird texture.

- When I was tasting it,
it was fine.

- If your plate were hot, maybe
that wouldn't have happened.

- I just really feel like
I have something very special

in my heart--
and I know we all do,

but I'm doing this
for my family, and, um...

I think that I have
so much to offer.

I really think
it just comes from my heart.

Thank you.

- Grayson, I loved the idea
of that black chicken.

- Slaughtered chicken,
the eggs that are

inside the chicken--
this is out-there stuff.

How's this girl from Wisconsin
come up with this nonsense?

- Um, I don't know.
[Laughs]

- I've never had black chicken,
and mine was moist,

and the skin was crispy,
and I loved the beets.

The greens
were a little salty.

- Now, the quail egg,
it deserved to be there.

Probably would have
been better hard-boiled.

It would have
been easier to handle.

- My problem
was with your foie.

Didn't think it was worked into
the rest of the dish at all.

- If you're gonna give me
Foie gras, give me Foie gras.

Don't tease me like that.

- I feel like I really
went out on a limb today.

I don't feel like I would
ever cook black chicken.

I totally embraced
the wicked thing.

I know she said she wanted
to go more elegant.

Okay.

I could have done
what I like to do,

like pasta, and risotto,
but I didn't,

and I hope you see that.

- Thank you, ladies.
- Thank you.

- We're back.

- No verdict?
- We're okay.

- No, no verdict.
- Mm-hmm.

- They said that they
liked all of our dishes,

so that's
the real weird part.

- Whoever goes home,

we shouldn't
feel sad for anyone.

We should be proud
of whoever goes home today.

- Grayson clearly
made some mistakes.

The egg that was out of place
and salty greens.

- I was really pleased
when the plate was put down.

I had a moment
of like--[Gasps]

But I agree with you,
the greens were a little salty.

- Grayson's dish
was absolutely gutsy.

- I mean, it's clear she
was uncomfortable going there,

but she still did it.
- I agree.

I think Beverly
admitted to that too.

That she made a choice
to not go extreme.

- Beverly put together
a nice dish.

There were a lot of
little things going on

and really well balanced.
She clearly can cook.

The dish didn't look
wicked, or bitter, or dark,

but it was a nice-looking
plate of food.

- But arrowroot
was not the way to go.

- When you put
all the components together,

the flavor
was really good.

I just didn't
like that sauce.

- Sarah handed me
a bunch of choices here.

Using the heart, using
the risotto, using the wine.

All that said,
there were flaws.

You could argue whether
the heart was the main part

of the dish or the risotto
was the main part of the dish,

but the risotto
was clearly undercooked.

- And too much cheese
in Sarah's risotto.

- Mistakes were made,
without a doubt.

- We have a really
difficult decision here.

- We started out saying there's
not really any bad food here.

Unfortunately,
somebody's gotta go home.

[Suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

- Chefs,
for tonight's challenge,

we were looking
for a murderous banquet

of sinister dishes
fit for an evil queen.

The three of you told stories
through your food.

Some successful,
some not so successful.

Sarah,
you definitely went there.

You cooked lamb heart for us,
did a great job with that,

but your risotto had
a little bit too much cheese.

Just missed the mark.

Beverly, you decided to tell
the nice side of the story.

There was definitely
some evil in there

with that forbidden rice.

The dish
was nicely put together.

The sauce was just on
the sticky side.

It was very, very difficult
for us to get down.

Grayson, clearly went there
with the story.

That black chicken with that
claw was definitely fitting.

Some flaws--salty greens,
couldn't quite figure out

how that Foie gras
and egg worked into the dish.

All in all, we did have
a tremendous meal tonight.

Very, very difficult decision,
but unfortunately,

the queen will have
someone's head.

Padma?

- Beverly, please,
pack your knives and go.

- Thank you.

It's all right.

- Are you okay?
- Yeah.

This is really, really difficult
and it really hurts.

I was at the top today
in the quickfire

and I almost
won the immunity.

I could have saved myself
from this elimination round.

I'm going home.

- [Indistinct]
- Thank you.

- Safe trip home.

- I've definitely
proven to myself how much

I can really persevere through
all the highs and the lows.

I never threw
anyone under the bus.

I-I definitely showed people
more than just that I can cook,

but how strong I am.

Bye. Bye.
All: Bye.

- I definitely
have a lot to be proud of.

I live for my son,
and my goal is to be successful

so that he can have
a bright future.

- Tonight on
Last Chance Kitchen...

Standing strong
in the face of adversity,

can Beverly fight her way
back into the competition?

She'll have
to dethrone Nyesha,

who's on a royal
winning streak.

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

Next on Top Chef...

- You have to shine
if you're gonna win

this head-to-head battle.

- My heart sinks.
The last thing I want to do

is compete against Lindsay.

- I want to go against Paul.

If you are gonna go
head-to-head,

why not go
against the best?

- There's only
six of us remaining.

Judges are going to get
more and more critical

about what we do.

- Aw, come on!

- All right,
let's not freak out now.

- Get the [bleep]
off my [bleep]!

- Coming down to the wire,
you gotta deliver.

Now, you have to win this
against other dishes

that are potentially
much more exciting.

- Like a meatball?