04x06 - Tailgating

[bunniefuu]

[Padma]
previously on top chef:

You'll be cooking
a very high-end dinner

For about 320 people.

We can do, like, a seared piece
of beef and a deviled egg.

I'm totally not having it.
I don't like the idea.

[Spike]
how heavy is the seasoning
on your mushrooms?

[Zoi]
they're seasoned.

[Spike]
I feel zoi's mushrooms
are a little underseasoned.

Absolutely bland.

Yeah, that's a bad choice.

I tasted the mushrooms
many times,

And they were really delicious.

Nothing was seasoned.

I would've really enjoyed

Squeezing a little bit
of lemon.

Zoi, please pack your knives
and go.

Are you [bleep]
kidding me?

you are just putting
your teammate

In the ground.

So [bleep] what?

Yeah so,
so [bleep] what!

That's weak [bleep].

all right, we get your point.

You're just making it worse.

You get to bitch and whine

about everything
you [bleep]

Feel about!

At stake for the winner,

A feature
in food & wine magazine,

A showcase at the annual
food & wine classic in aspen,

A gourmet dream vacation
in the french alps,

Provided
by evian natural spring water,

$100,000 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]

♪ ♪

[Spike]
I'm feeling a little
like [bleep]

Because as the show
goes on,

A lot of gossip
starts to happen.

And I heard through
the grape vine

That a lot of people thought
I should've went home.

But I think that's
just a lot

Because people are feeling
maybe a little threatened

'Cause, you know,
I'm a talented dude.

Like, you know,
and I got a lot of passion

And my goal is to get
to the final four

And no less.

I'm gonna go take a shower,

But I'll be back down
in a second.

I love zoi.

She's the love of my life.

I really wanted to see her
go longer.

I wanted to see her, like,
compete longer.

All I want to do right now
is win.

I want to win for both of us.

[Ryan]
the air is getting
super tense.

Zoi going home
really stirred the pot.

People are gonna sit here
and stew about it,

And it's gonna make them
weaker today.

Gives me more
of an advantage.

I wake up this morning.

I'm happy that I won.

But it's hard to get over
what happened

With dale last night.

I don't want that kind
of confrontation

In this competition.

Sometimes I perceive
how you are as negative.

And I can't handle that.

If you think
that I'm negative,

Then you think I'm negative.

I can't change how
you perceive me

But we have to live together

For as long as we're both here.

So if you have
a problem with me,

You need to come to me and--

The constant negativity,

It's starting to wear
on some people in the house,

And I'm just letting you know.

and I'm sorry
for approaching you that way.

So I pulled lisa aside
and I apologized,

I said, "listen,
I am apologizing

For the way I talked to you
last night."

But what I'm not gonna apologize
is the way

Your personality rubs me
the wrong way.

It's a horrible thing
to be around.

That negativity to me,
it gets--it wore me down.

That's your opinion.
You're entitled to it.

All right.

I have a big problem
with the fact

That he's turning it

Into "well, I'm sorry
for going off on you."

But then he has
to still plug

That he has
an issue with me.

I keep my mouth shut.

I let him do his apologizing,

But dale can go [bleep] himself,
as far as I'm concerned.

[Nikki]
we get to the top chef kitchen
this morning,

And we see that there is,
like, 16 pitchers of beer

Lined up on the bar.

And I'm just excited
'cause it looks like fun.

And we all need
a little bit of fun.

I want to introduce you
to our

Guest judge
for this quickfire challenge.

Head chef of the hugely popular
chicago restaurant avec,

koren grieveson.

[Stephanie]
avec is a local chicago
restaurant located downtown.

The food's really awesome
and it's really popular.

So this round
of the competition

Is about simple pleasures.

So for your quickfire challenge
today,

we want you to create
a dish

That pairs perfectly with beer.

there's 16 types of beer here.

Each chef will be able
to taste three beers

Before choosing one.

you'll all have 30 minutes

to create a dish
that pairs well

With your beer choice.

[Stephanie]
pairing beer with food

Is a very popular concept.

This one.

You don't want the food
to overpower

The beer too much.

You don't want the beer
to overpower the food.

It's--it's an art.

The last thing I need right now
is some beer.

I have barely any experience
pairing beers.

I have an idea,

But not like a high level.

[Sniffs]

I've been known to drink
a beer on occasion.

[Laughs]

[Lisa]
I love beer.
I love cooking with beer

I know what this beer
goes with

And I know that I can
keep it fun.

I will go
with this one.

Land shark lager.

My hair is like
a shark fin.

I got land shark beer.

It's kind of like
a lucky charm.

I'm not a real beer drinker
really,

So it all tastes
the same to me.

bass.

Tiger.

Kirin ichiban.

Your time starts now!

My strategy
through the whole competition

Is to take a buzz word
of the challenge.

This one is simple pleasure.

I really do want to show
in this competition

That although I could hook up
some neat machine

And pull out
an electric smoker,

That when it comes down
to it,

A chef needs to be able
to make a good sandwich.

You know,
sometimes the simplest dishes

Are harder to create.

The chefs can tend to think
of the audience

And, like, dumb them down.

And--i mean, it's hard
to balance it out.

Can I steal some
of your mirin?

What do you need?
Miso?

Yeah.

This is my idea is doing, like,
a pork roasted,

Put pretzels on it
and gratin it.

I'm pulsing the pretzels
in the cuisinart

And it's just turning into dust.

It went to hell in a handbag
very quickly.

[Bleep].

[Jennifer]
I might've been, like,
a lot more fired up

Than everyone else.

I'm doing this for zoi.

I just want to, like, go in
and kick some ass.

[lisa]
30 seconds, guys!

[Padma]
5...4...3...2...

Utensils down!

hands up!

Hi, richard.

Hey, padma.
How are you?

It's a grilled tuna sandwich.

We've made
a little quick pickle

With some mustard seeds
and coriander.

Koren seems like the type
of chef

That's a super connoisseur
of beer.

Do you have any questions
for richard?

I don't.

I think she has
a good poker face,

So I'm nervous about that.

Thank you.

Hello, andrew.

Basically, I made
a, um, gastrique

With fresh raspberries

And then rainbow trout
pan-seared.

On top of that
is a grilled peach

and then
a simple herb salad.

I'm not definitely
an acid person,

But maybe a little more acid
to brighten it up a little bit.

Hi, padma.
Hi, dale.

My beer was red hook esb.

Pan-roasted pork tenderloin.

I made a miso caramel.

On top of the tenderloin,

I've crushed up some pretzels.

I've never done this dish
before.

It looks like I put
raw pretzel dust

On top of, like,
the pork.

Great.
Thank you.

I'm praying I'm just
not getting called out

As one of the bottom three.

I have miso-glazed cod

Sautéed.

some sautéed napa cabbage.

[padma]
thank you.

Okay, so beer signifies
fried food to me.

I am not a big beer drinker.

I marinated the shrimp

In, um, three different kinds
of citrus.

Great.
Thank you very much.

Thank you.
Thank you.

Hello.

So whenever I go out
and drink beer,

I like to have some mussels.

It's a cilantro vinaigrette.

I wanted it to go with, like,
a coriander

That I think you get
in a beer,

And finished it with
just a little bit

Of hoegaarden at the end.

Koren doesn't have
a whole lot to say,

And it's nerve-wracking.

We have, uh, juniper spiced
lamb rack.

The sauce is stella
with, um, some honey

That I brought from home.

I can't taste the beer
in it, no.

But the flavors
were really nice.

Thank you very much.

Hi, ryan.

Chef, how are you?
How are you?

Actually took the espelette.

Deglazed it with some beer.

in the crepinette itself
is actually lamb.

[padma]
all right, thank you, ryan.
thank you very much.

Hello, spike.

I kept it simple.

I just did, like,
a little bit

Of a charcuterie plate.

I saw the cheeses.
I saw the salami.

And then I just did, like,
a little tapas of some clams.

Do you have clams
with beer often?

No, I like to keep it
straightforward.

maybe a little chorizo.

I feel like koren
just didn't get the dish.

But there's really nothing
to get.

I'd be happy if I got
a cutting board

With some clams,
and, like, some charcuterie,

And a beer.

Thank you.

Hello, lisa.
How's it going?

I wanted to keep this simple,
stupid, fun.

Burger and beer is to me,
like, the ultimate combination.

A little more heat
would've been nice.

[padma]
thank you.

[jennifer]
hi, padma.
hi, jennifer.

Well I had land shark lager beer
which is an island beer,

So I thought
of french caribbean.

So I made beignets
with shrimp, scallop,

A little bit of fennel,

An avocado puree,

And then a little pepper puree.

[padma]
well, I'm very impressed,

because we've gone through
a lot of your colleagues.

they're still light.

They don't taste greasy.

Wouldn't you agree?
I agree, absolutely.

It's a great flavor.

I'm really confident
after the judges leave.

I've been in the middle,
you know?

I just want to win something.

Okay, so let's start
at the bottom.

Who were your least favorites?

The first one would be nikki.

larger shrimp--

maybe you would've
cut in half.

Cooked a little bit
differently.

Not as much breading.

Didn't have much seasoning
at all.

Your next bottom.

Spike.

Kind of missed
the two components together.

Wasn't really a united dish.

The last one
would've been dale.

Wasn't really moist enough
for me

To really get that combination
of the flavors

With the pork and the heat.

After the outburst
that dale had on me,

I was kind of, like,
"good, bitch.

Have fun on the bottom."

okay, so let's move on

To happier things.

Who were the stand-outs?

Richard.

Good use of the basil
and pickling.

Good use of the spices,
mustard seed.

Big, bold flavors
for sure.

[padma]
your next stand-out?

It would be stephanie.

loved the mussels for sure.

Great with the beer.
Great choosing.

Great citrus.

Love the fact that you used
the orange with that.

You met your mark
on that one.

[padma]
and your last?

Jennifer's.

Great balance
of flavors.

Great heat,
great acidity.

Really light flavors.

so who have you picked
as the winner

Of our beer-pairing quickfire?

Jennifer.

Thank you, chef.

So jen wins immunity.

I'm sure she feels
on top of the world

After zoi getting booted.

And, like, yay, lesbians.
Here we go.

As the winner of the quickfire,

You are now immune
from elimination in this round.

[Jennifer]
the night before, I was, like,
you know, pissed off,

Depressed, and frustrated.

And I took all that energy
and channeled it

Into the quickfire.

And now for your
elimination challenge...

You're all going
to the bears game tomorrow

At soldier field.

there you'll be cooking
at the tailgating party

prior to the game.

[Dale]
I live for sports.
I love it.

I'm a chicago native.

You know,
it's a big deal for me--

Soldier field tailgating.

I feel very confident

That I'm gonna win
the challenge.

[Mark]
I've never played
american football.

Rugby's my passion.

But you know, I didn't come here
to watch football, did i?

No, I come here to cook.

[padma]
the fans will determine

Who is the top and bottom
three dishes.

from those the judges
will determine

who will win
and who is going home.

you have two hours
to prep tonight

And pack up your food
in gladware.

So good luck.

I'll see you at the game.

It's great having immunity,

But I'm gonna win this.
I'm doing this for zoi.

The fact that spike
is still here and she's not,

It's just total bull[bleep].

You never heard of two boys

Having a bath together
before?

[Antonia]
honestly, this is like
a cheap p*rn.

The elimination challenge
is that we're cooking

Tailgate for the bears fans.

We have 30 minutes to shop,
$350.

And I just run to the counter

And I just, like, att*ck wings.

the skin's off, bones out?

I'm, like, "I'll take
three guys."

Like, one, two, three.

I need 350 wings.
Let's go right now--boom.

I could see other people
around me like, "oh, [bleep].

I was gonna do wings."

I was, like, "well, you're
gonna do something else now."


Wings?

Yeah.

Spike just gets every
chicken wing

That the entire place had.

Can you weigh out one rack?

I'm like, okay, if he does
chicken wings,

I can't do chicken wings.

So I'm gonna do ribs.

I've never cooked
tailgating food before.

It's not reflective
of my cooking style.

I'm just really interested

In a more refined
sort of food.

Yeah, let's do actually
25 pounds of pork.

So the first thing that comes
to my mind

Is a hamburger.

And then I remember a dish

That I do at my restaurant
called a pate melt.

Instead of a patty melt,

It's a pate melt.

So just a little bit more
of me being a wise ass.

So you're doing five more pounds
of ground, right?

[Nikki]
I have a lot of comfort foods

In my restaurant at home.

And so I'm familiar
with that cuisine.

When I go to a ball game,

The first thing I want
is a sausage and pepper hero.

So I'm, like,
hello, it's perfect.

And I buy the shrimp in case
someone doesn't eat sausage.

Where's the produce guy?
[Bleep] me.

A few people go for shrimp
straight off the bat.

And I thought they're
really, you know, taking my gig.

How can I throw a shrimp
on the barbie

When they're already doing it?

That's [bleep]ed up,
isn't it?

[Laughs]

So I'm making
some chicken skewers

And a nice little chowder.

It's gonna rock.

I'm not a big sports fan.

Do I look like a sports fan?

No, I'm not.

I feel that I'm metrosexual,

Whatever the hell
you want to call it.

I spend my money
on good clothes.

I like to go out
and dance.

I mean, I think I've been
to two football games.

So I'm outside
my comfort zone

But I'm gonna run
with what I know.

I wanna cook my style.

California tailgate
in chicago.

Thanks, babe.
Appreciate it.

You got it, brother.

You can put that
on mark's bill for me.

Is that okay?
Is that okay, baby?

Uh, no, not yet.

We've got two hours
to be prepped and packed up.

I'm totally excited
for this one.

We're gonna be outdoors.

We're gonna barbecue.
Like, it's gonna be fun.

[Andrew]
I'm not a sports guy really.

I've never tailgated before
in my life.

My sport is cooking,
you know what I mean?

And I'm in it to win it.

So I'm making beer,
mustard,

Honey glazed shrimp
with parsnip potato whip.

Crispy bacon and, um,
an apple chutney.

This is chicago,
and I seriously doubt

That anybody here
would not like bacon.

People in chicago
really like food.

They want a little more

Than just your average,
you know, hot dog or hamburger.

So I'm gonna do pork tenderloin

With a pear, potato,
and bacon salad

With a rosemary vinaigrette.

[Spike]
I was just, like,
boom boom boom.

I was just attacking
my prep work.

And that's who I am
as a chef, so it was nice

To show some people,

Hey, listen, I'm here
to compete.

I'm here to do the best,

And I'm right on the money
with all of that.

I'm totally excited.

I've definitely been surrounded
by football.

My father's
a huge football fan.

I'm making a dish
that is greek,

So it's a little tribute
to zoi, my girl.

The dish is cucumber tzatziki.

And then chicken souvlaki.

Then I'm gonna do
a quinoa tabouli.

I'm making a bread salad.

Marinated chicken thighs.

And I want to do dessert.

Poached grilled pears.

Little bit of crème fraiche.

And why not just add
one more element,

Because I'm like that,

And throw in
a chili-spiked cocoa?

[Richard]
ryan's got a five course meal

With dessert, pastry,

Miniardise,
a mint for your pillow,

A glass of wine.

Me, I'm doing a burger.

You know, it's just a burger,
but it's a special burger.

You know, we're cooking
for the masses.

I'm making skirt steak
and corn cakes.

And skirt steaks
are, like, fat,

And they're gonna take
forever on the grill,

And then they'll come out
chewy.

So I'm there, you know,
with a rolling pin

Just b*ating my meat.

I cook elegant,
high-end asian food.

But, I mean, tailgating is just
like having a barbecue.

And I've always barbecued
in my family

Since I was little.

And I know what comes out good
on a grill.

I know the type of food
people want.

So I'm excited.

[Bleep] me!

Hey, jen.
Hey, chef.
How you doing?

Good.
How are you?
Great.

So have you done
much tailgating?

You know, when I was a kid,
I did.

Two of my brothers
played football.

Oh, okay.

So you won yourself
immunity too, huh?

Yeah.
How's that feeling--

Knowing you can't get
eliminated tomorrow?

it's great.

Makes me feel a little bit
more at ease, for sure.

Good luck.
I'm going for it.
Thank you.

Hey, antonia.
Chef, how are you?

Good.
So what are you working on?

I'm gonna do a jamaican jerk.

Okay.
Meat sandwich.

I'm picturing big fat men

That like to drink
a lot of beer.

Okay.
You know, mayonnaise, bacon,
and spicy chicken.

I mean,
that's what I'm thinking.
sounds good.

Take care.

Hey, dale.
Hey, chef.
How are you?

Good.
Have you done much tailgating?

Well, I'm from chicago,

so I am a diehard bears fan.

Are you really?

This is going back home
for you.

This is going back home
for me.

I love the challenge.

All right, well good.

I'll see you at the game.
thanks, chef.

Hey, ryan.
Hey, chef.

So what are you working on

For our tailgate party
tomorrow?

Well, what I'm gonna do

Is I'm gonna take the classic
chicken thigh with bone-in,

And then I'm gonna do
a poached pear.

So why do you think
they're gonna like this?

It's simple.
It's clean.

They won't feel like
they're gonna be comatose

After they're going
into the game.

It's light.
It's fresh.

It's something you want
to eat a lot of.

Okay, I'll see you
at the game.

Nice to see you.
Take care, man.

Okay, chefs, you have
a little over half an hour left.

Okay?
I'll see you at the game.

[Bleep].

I think I bit off a lot.

Time efficiency for tomorrow
is what I'm worried about.

We're cooking for 80 people,

And I have a lot to do.

[Lisa]
how many of us are in this
[bleep] refrigerator now?

[stephanie]
this refrigerator--
do you see how packed it is?

[dale]
there's no more room
in any of the coolers.

there is zero room
in any of these coolers.

Because it's
an individual battle,

There's a lot of food
packed in these refrigerators.

It's like that closet
everyone has at home

And you open up

And speakers
are falling out of it,

And golf clubs
are falling out of it.

So we're taping refrigerators
shut

Just to make sure
that all the food

That we have jammed in there
doesn't fall out of it.

So we get home,
and probably the first time

In the competition
that it was really, like,

Wow, I just need
to unwind a little bit.

It was a long, rough day.

Cheers, yeah?

Cheers.

Because it's not
a team challenge,

It's a little bit
more relaxed.

I mean, people are starting
to slow down.

Man the lazy susan!

[Laughing]

[Dale]
for me, I focus harder.

I feel like it might
somehow give me an advantage.

Me and mark got in the tub
together.

Nobody wanted to join us.

Well, you can come hang out
at least.

No.

[mark]
come on!

[Spike]
I feel like mark
already

Is gonna be a good friend
for many years to come.

Like, you know,
he's in new york city.

And, like, just, you know,
he's got curly hair.

He's a cool-lookin' dude

And it's great just to hang out

And relax a little bit.

You never heard of two boys
have a bath together before?

Only in west hollywood.

[Laughs]

I don't know what
those crazy boys are doing.

Honestly, this is like
a cheap p*rn.

Like, bubbles, korbel--

I was, like, aren't you guys
just a little worried?

It's kind of weird.

Ah, nothing like bubbles.

[Spike]
I'm totally confident
with my sexuality,

And if I want to get
in a tub with mark,

The coolest guy
in this house,

I'm getting in
a [bleep] bubble bath with mark,

All right?

it comes with
the whole package, mate.

[Cheering]

This is an honor.
This is an honor.

Let me get the ribs.
Come on.

What happened?

I'm nearly out of food.

I'm just [bleep]
my pants.

[Drum corps playing]

♪ ♪

So the elimination challenge
is tailgating,

Cooking for bears fans.

[Cheering]

You're in the heart
of football,

So this was pretty neat
to see.

Whoo!

Go bears!

We have an hour to work with,

And I've chosen to go

With the hi-tech
mercedes benz of grills.

We've been given a choice
of two grills.

And one is gas-operated
and one is char grilled.

I'm the only one that had, you
know, the testicular fortitude

To pick a real charcoal grill,

Which is how I cook:
on a barbecue.

There's people tailgating
everywhere.

It's, like, really early
in the morning,

And people are partying,

And there's a lot
of good energy.

And I'm ready to go.

I want to introduce you
to our judges

for this elimination.

we have gail simmons

of food & wine magazine.

paul kahan of blackbird
and avec restaurants

here in chicago.

and chef tom colicchio,

Our head judge.

So we're excited to taste
the food.

We'll come around shortly.

Service begins and the crowd
starts coming in.

I look up,
and suddenly there's a lot

Of really hungry bears fans.

Here we go,
a little pork tenderloin.

The fact that the fans
are judging us today

Is really cool.

You're not just cooking
for four judges.

You're cooking for the masses
that come in.

I have, um,
grilled pork tenderloin.

This is a bacon, potato,
and pear salad.

What's the mayo-y stuff
that you're squeezing over?

It's a rosemary vinaigrette.

[Stephanie]
the guest judge today
is paul kahan.

He's a chicago chef.

He is the owner
of blackbird and avec,

Which are some of my favorite
restaurants in chicago.

Tasty.

The pork's cooked nicely.

Unbelievable.
Really good.

Anything's better
when it's sprinkled with bacon.

There's no wind today,
right?

I knew that was gale sayers.
Mother[bleep].

I'm just doling out ribs

And this guy comes over
to me,

And he's got
a 40 bears jersey on.

It's gale sayers.

Probably one of the best
running backs ever.

Delicious.

How you doing?

I turn around,
and it's richard dent

And william
"the refrigerator" perry.

I am a diehard bears fan

Born and raised in chicago.

Oh, yeah?

So this is an honor.
This is an honor.

Let me get the ribs.
Come on.

Three bears legends,

And I'm just in awe.

Hey, dale.
Whatcha doing?

Ribs and a warm potato salad.

Did the ribs in a tandoori-ish
kind of marinade.

Yogurt, chilies, cardamom,

Golden raisins..

It has, um, dried mangos.

Oh, wow, that looks amazing.

thank you.
thank you so much.

I think it's really tasty.

Really good.

This is awesome.

You're gonna have to get
your own rib.

[Laughs]

I am a bears fan.

Come on, I mean, look.

I got the chef hat going on
for you guys.

My game plan is to try to show

Maybe a little bit
more charisma, personality.

And as people were going
through my line,

I'm trying to, like,
spoof 'em up.

so when's the last time
the bears

won a superbowl?

that'll be the last time
I ask that one.

And they're, like,

"Yeah, we don't talk
about that."

How's it going?

Good.
How are you?
fantastic.

Got a little jicama pineapple
slaw.

With lime dressing,
cilantro, and mint

And fiery wings.

Seasoned well.

I think they're really tasty.

Mm, mm.

Oh, yeah.

Spicy.
Awesome.

Very good stuff.

Jerk chicken.
We waitin' on it?

Can I take a little piece
right now?

This is great.
This is good.

Hey, antonia,
how's it going?

[Antonia]
I have jamaican jerk chicken
sandwiches

With a little bit
of pickled onion.

And then I grilled banana
and some pineapple.

This is a nice chicken sandwich.

Put the pineapple
and banana on the sandwich.

nice little tropical,
tasty bite there.

That was by far the best.

It's good,
but it's messy.

Touchdown?

The bears fans
have comment cards.

Basically saying like
touchdown, fumble,

Uh, to rate our food.

All right,
gimme a m*llitary line.

Let's do this.

The line is so long

And people are asking for stuff

That I actually picked fans
to help me out.

Somebody hand me that salt
back there.

Let's go to town.
Let's season this.

You can't serve
unseasoned food,

I'll tell you what.

I need a towel;
mark, you got a towel

Over there you want
to give me?

Thank you, buddy.

Everybody, let's give mark
a round of applause.

Thank you.

I look over and ryan
is working the crowd hard.

Thank you, honey.

[Stephanie]
ryan is the sort of
full of [bleep]

Schmoozer guy.

Gimme some, babe.
Gimme some.

That's my boy right there.

I'm not here to be pretty
and talk really well.

Some of us are just here
to cook.

Oop, sorry.
Sorry, no problem.

All right,
whatcha got for us?

Okay, so I wanted to go
with a classic.

Everybody was going bread,
burgers, this and that.

So I made a grilled bread
panzanella salad.

I made a sherry vinaigrette.

Also did a white wine-poached
pear.

I finished the chicken thighs
on the grill right now.

So I'm serving the bread salad
with the chicken on top.

And marshmallows are going with

My adult-spiked brandy
hot cocoa.

My dish, I feel, is a winner

Because it's not typical
tailgate food.

Ryan, you got yourself
a touchdown here, brother.

That's a touchdown
right there.

Thank you very much,
guys.

It's a little more fancy
than I would expect.

[Andrew]
legends, how are you?

This is
beer mustard-glazed shrimp

With potato parsnip puree.

Hey, why you got
the helmet on?

I'm in the game.

And this is where I am,
and this is my house,

And this is what I play.

I wanted to show people
my dedication

To the art of what I do.

Food is my game.

[gail]
whoo-hoo! Food time.

Don't rush the chef.

So what do you have
for us today?

[Imitates gail]
what do I have for you today?
Oh, my god!

uh, this is basically

Shrimp glazed with beer,

Dijon, and a little bit
of sweet soy.

A little bit of whole grain
mustard.

And then I'm serving that
with potato parsnip puree.

On that is crispy bacon,

And on top of that
is an apple scallion chutney.

Yay, bring it on!

Come on, g*ng.

Oh, okay.

Enjoy the fruits
of my labor.

Oh, his nose is stuck.
Ow.

It's actually my ears.

Oh, okay.

Actually, it's delicious.

He's a trip, man.

I don't know
about this parsnip puree.

Very good.

That shrimp was so good.

[Laughing]

There's a hot sauce
and a homemade cocktail sauce.

I'd be happy to give you seconds
if you come back.

Oh!

[nikki]
you guys have to forgive
our portions.

We need to make sure
everyone gets fed

And then we'll come you back
for seconds.

Uh, this is actually
a corn cake.

And then skirt steak,

Little bit of salsa verde
on top.

Enjoy, enjoy.

So this is a chicken marinated
with harissa.

And then I did quinoa
tabouli.

"Quinoa tabouli?"
Yeah.

Is that safe?

[Laughs]

Sounds like a gorilla
or something.

Don't ask me to spell it,
that's all.
Okay.

It's got a sauce that's
so good on top of here.

[Richard]
how's the burger?

Love it.
You're number nine?

very cool.
number nine.

Hey, richard.

Hey, how are you?

Tell us what you made.

Uh, well,
we're kind of inspired

By the classic french
pate.

so we were calling it
a pate melt.

What's in your pate?

[Richard]
it's pork and a little veal

And some pork fat.

And we have a little
spicy chili curry mayonnaise.

Delicious.

Very good.

I don't remember
what kind of meat it was,

But it's pretty darn tasty.

Service is pretty hectic.

It's definitely
a little stressful.

What did you make?

okay, for you, padma,

I have a new zealand chowder.

Oh--

Oh, that's all right.

[Antonia]
mark seemed to be having
a little trouble

Sort of organizing
the grill.

And that might be an issue
for him.

I'm just gonna get
some more skewers on the grill.

Should only be a second.

[Stephanie]
mark is making
a total mess.

Personally, I'm always
cleaning up my station,

Making sure
it looks presentable.

To work clean is very important
as a chef.

Your flavors can be great,

But it's got to look nice too.

Okay, what I'm offering you
is some chicken

And scallion skewers

With a soy and onion glaze.

Buon appetito.

Thank you.
My pleasure.

[Mark]
I've tried the chowder,
and I've tried the skewers,

And I know they're not
the best I've ever done,

But it's been
a really hectic day.

[mark]
and I've got a little bit
of apple and fennel salad.

Good.
Delicious.

I thought the dish
that probably needed

The most help
was the australian's dish.

It wasn't good at all.
Yeah.

There you go.

There's homemade
cocktail sauce there.

I had, like,
the real man food.

I just really go through
my food quickly.

Good stuff.

Oh, man.
Unbelievable.

Hey, nikki.
Hey, nikki.

[Nikki]
I look down at my grill,

And I realize that
the judges

Had not tasted my food yet,

And I'm nearly out of food.

And I'm just [bleep]
my pants.

Unfortunately, all my peppers
and onions have gone.

So hopefully you get
the flavor.

[gail]
what happened?

[tom]
just ran out.

Yeah, I actually had
a lot of repeat.

a lot of new yorkers.

I made sausage and peppers.

Then I'm just grilling
some shrimp

To have something extra.

Made a really,
really spicy sauce,

And then a spiced cider.

What kind of sausage
is this?

It's italian sweet pork.

you made it?

No, I didn't.
We didn't have enough time.

I definitely am not feeling

Like what I served them

Can stand on its own.

Without the peppers and onions
and the sauce.

I mean, that was the whole dish.

If you don't save
some peppers and onions

For the judges,
number one.

that's a problem.
mm-hmm.

number two, didn't have time
to make the sausage.

That's what she said.
Come on.

She's having a bad day.

She's running out of food.
She's running out of stuff.

She's definitely having
a bad night.

You're my last guest.
I'm really sorry.

I'm totally out.

If the game is gonna be
anything like this cooking,

It's gonna be a tough game.

My favorite dish
would have to be richard

With the burger.

I think he had the best meal
out there today for me.

My favorite dish here
was lisa,

And she had the steak.

And it was outstanding.

And dale, he had the ribs.

And it was just wonderful.
It was superb.

Stephanie
with the pork tenderloin.

Bacon always wins.

Dale had some great ribs,

So he's my pick
to win this contest.

I enjoyed it all,
but number one was the best.

Bears!

Please have your tickets
in your hand.

get the kiwi!

Get the kiwi!

let's go bears!

The service is over.

You know, I'm a little worried

Because I felt that
the skewers

Might've let me down
a little bit.

The judges came to me
at the end.

All my onions and peppers
were gone.

I'm hoping that I got
enough positive feedback

From the fans to carry me

At least
through the middle of this.

If it's what they tasted,

It's pretty [bleep] bad.

I think I might be going home.

You gotta clean up
your act a little bit.

He's gonna want
to actually do tailgating

At the tailgate party.

You gotta think about it
before you do it.

That's [bleep]
bull[bleep].

[Bottles clanking]

[lisa]
it's up to the comment cards.

That's what's judging us

On the top and
the bottom dishes.

so these people that came in
at 10:30 in the morning

To eat our food
are the controllers of our fate.

Hello.

[All]
hello.

We'd like to see antonia,
dale, and stephanie.

Thank you.

[Suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

So you three were
the top three fan favorites

Of the challenge,
so congratulations!

Stephanie, you're up here again.

It's a good place to be.
I like it.

how did you guys feel

About having the crowd choose
the top three?

I love that idea.

it opens you up,

And you just kind of think
differently

About what you're gonna do.

[padma]
stephanie, why don't
we start with you.

[tom]
we really like your dish.

it's a great combination.

If I had one criticism
of the dish,

I think the pork could've
been seasoned

A little better.

But everything else
was really tasty.

at first I was a little
hesitant

About the rosemary vinaigrette
on top,

But it went really well.

Thank you.

Antonia.

[Gail]
tom had the suggestion
to put the pineapple

And the banana in the sandwich,
and that made it even better.

[Tom]
so much better

With the pineapple
and the banana in the sandwich.

I did think about doing that,

but I was concerned
that everyone

Would look at it
like it's just a sandwich.

[gail]
what do you mean?

that's the perfect
tailgating food.

[tom]
that's what we want.

Something that's portable
and easy.

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[Gail]
dale, the flavors
were very unusual

For tailgating food,

But they really came
together.

I thought they were
really, really tasty.

Thank you very much.

[padma]
the fans have spoken--
the top three.

But the judges got to choose
the overall winner.

Paul, would you like
to do the honors?

Based on complexity
and depth of flavor,

We've chosen...

Dale.

[Applause]

Thank you.

[Dale]
after the last challenge,

I feel great about getting a win
and I'm psyched.

Dale, we have one of these
for you.

Oh!

Feels good.

Give a little mj fist pump

And a little sammy sosa
to the sky.

Thanks, chef.

Thank you, thank you.

[padma]
congratulations,
dale.

And also you get
to go home

with the summit 650

Gas grill from weber

that you won today's challenge
with.

[Laughing]

Thank you.

That's awesome.
Thank you so much.

Dale, I'm gonna have to rain
on your parade

Just a touch.

I need you to send back
some of your colleagues.

[Applause]

They want to see mark,
nikki, and ryan.

[Suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

You three scored very low
with the crowd.

Nikki, let's start
with you.

Do you have any idea
why you're here?

I mean, I definitely know
by the time

You tasted my plate,

it was nothing like
my first batch.

You were on the bottom
with the fans as well.

I'm surprised that the fans

Didn't receive it
a little better.

Why did you choose
not to make your own sausage?

You know what?
I just didn't--

I wasn't sure about the timing.

richard made sausage patty.

Essentially, he did
the same thing.

it just didn't seem
like there was

A lot of care given
to the sandwich itself.

The sausage was quite dry

when we ate it.

we were all given
very few peppers and onions.

So the whole sandwich
became pretty dry

Because there wasn't anything
on the bun either.

When I first made it, I mean,
it was red peppers, onions.

It looked beautiful.
The sauce was there.

I had a lot of people
come back.

I mean, I had nothing left
by the time

You had gotten to me.

How did the shrimp relate
to the plate?

It didn't relate
to the plate.

I just wanted to have
something else to serve.

There just became
a disconnection between the two.

You could've mixed
the sausage

And the shrimp together,

And it actually tasted
pretty good.

And would've been
an interesting spin on it.

You ran out of sauce,
you ran out of peppers,

You ran out of the onions,
and that was

A big component of the dish.

You can't run out
of that stuff.

Okay.

Ryan.

Yeah, hi.

I'm not quite sure
why you chose a dessert.

and also a dessert
that in a million years

I would never think to see
at a tailgate party.

I wanted to have
a whole dining experience

at my table,
and that's where I was hitting.

I wanted to be able to say,

"Okay, so somebody
doesn't eat chicken,

But wow, there's a dessert."

And you know,
doing a dessert

I didn't think
was too left field.

I don't think
a dessert is left field.

I just think poached pear
with crème fraiche

And huckleberry sauce
was a bit left field.

I just think that there
would've been options

That would've been
more appropriate.

Personally I wanted to cook
the way that

I think that I personally would
like to see at a tailgate.

I don't eat heavy.
I don't eat ribs.

and I thought
of these people,

and I said, "cool,
I'm gonna do chicken instead."

Instead of serving something
on a bun,

I'm gonna do it in the
application of a salad form.

Bread salad that I got
was almost all bread.

And I guess I was expecting

for it to be sort
of moist

And found it really dry.

I dissected a tailgate party

and the caliber of people
that I'm cooking with,

And I'm looking at them
and I'm, like,

I have to do
something different.

you know,
the people came up.

I mean, everybody was
super sweet at this event.

Ladies coming up
and asking for recipes,

And "how did you make this?"

and, "why would you do that?"
and this and that.

and, "wow, a pea stew on top--
finishing a chicken.

This is quite interesting.
We love it."

and bringing in--

I hate to use the word
california flair--

But this challenge
was not about that.

This challenge was about
simple food to the masses

in the form of a tailgate.

Yeah, totally fair.

Mark.

Good yakitori, it's marinated

And you get that really
charcoal flavor.

and I think that's why
you mentioned

you wanted to use
a charcoal grill.

you wanted that flavor.

But it--once you put that heavy,
thick sauce on it,

You don't get that charcoal
flavor anymore.

Yeah, I think that was probably
the dish that let me down.

I was pretty happy
with the chowder.

the soup had decent flavor,

Except it was very coarse.

It could've been strained.

Well, this is my interpretation
of the chowder,

and, you know, I didn't feel
like straining it.

and if you'll enjoy
the taste

then I'm pretty happy
with that.

yeah, well taste and texture
go hand in hand.

Something that's a very rough
taste in your mouth

Is gonna affect sort of the
overall pleasure of the dish.

you know,
aside from the food.

I gotta just say one thing.

Your presentation
was really, really sloppy.

And not just the food,
but your table.

It was a mess.

you took a spoon.

You tasted the soup.

You took that spoon and put it
right back into the soup bowl.

And then you dished the soup out
with that spoon.

there was more food on your
apron than on your grill.

You gotta clean up
your act a little bit.

All right, thank you very much.

we'll see you back in a bit.

Cool.
Thank you.

Where's the beer?

If it's me,
I want a group hug.

[antonia]
nikki, stop.

Did you fight?

Well, uh, who's gonna go?

Let's start with nikki.

You know, I was
really disappointed

When I asked her if she made
the sausage

And she just said no.

You only make sausage
in the restaurant.

It's fast.

She's a chef.

She's not a purchaser
at a supermarket.

It just didn't feel
like she put in much effort.

[paul]
and then the shrimp.

what the heck is this doing
on the plate?

I mean, I understand her
wanting

To please the masses.

But you gotta think about it
before you do it.

Ryan did one of the worst
versions of bread salad

I've had in a long,
long time.

Tailgating or not.

[Paul]
I mean, if you needed to do

A panzanella salad
with grilled chicken thighs,

he could've at least made it
in the style of a sandwich.

Would've been
much more appropriate.

But he purposely didn't make it
a sandwich.

He didn't want to actually
do tailgating

At the tailgate party.

The pears,

it was just totally
inappropriate.

Even if it's inappropriate,

At least make it good
and interesting.

You know, stephanie was one
of the favorite dishes,

and she used pears.

Problem wasn't the pear.

It was how it was used.

Ryan is so long winded.

Have you ever been up there
with him?

No.

He, like,
doesn't shut up.

But I cooked my food
in the practical form

Of what I thought
was feasible.

I did not run out
of [bleep] one thing.

It's [bleep]
bull[bleep].

It's bull[bleep].

Let's go to mark here.

I found the corn chowder

To be just too gritty.

The texture was really terrible
for a chowder.

for me, not making a mayonnaise
for that salad,

That was the big k*ller for me.

Make a homemade mayonnaise,

Infuse some toasted spices
or some garlic.

Of some flavors that really
make that slaw sing.

he just got lazy.

He had in his mind
what he wanted to do,

And he just didn't give thought
to changing it

Or adapting it
to the situation.

He's just a disaster.

I mean,
just so unsanitary.

I really felt like walking away
from that table.

I think we have our answer.
Are we good?

I'm good.
Yeah.

Yep.

All right, let's get them
out here.

[Suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

there are two things
chicagoans

Are really, really passionate
about.

One is their sports

And the other's their food.

And the two came together
at a tailgate party

At soldier field.

Nikki, here in chicago,
sausage is like a religion.

And if you want to do something
to really please the crowd,

You gotta make your own.

Ryan, inappropriate food
for a tailgate.

but not only that,

If we were sitting
in a fancy restaurant,

The food just wasn't very good.

Mark, you need
to clean up your act.

you can't make great food

If you're sloppy
when you do it.

[Suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

Ryan, please pack your knives
and go.

Thank you so much
for the opportunity

Because all of you are great.

Thank you to all of you.

Thanks.
It was a pleasure.

Thanks a lot.

Good luck.
Thank you.

Thank you very much.

What went wrong with my dish
was I went too big.

I cooked ryan scott
tailgate food,

And I brought that to the table
and I'm proud of it.

Thanks, guys.

it's my turn.

what this show brought me

Was cooking, yes.

And what it does
is it humbles you,

And it teaches you that,

It's like, "wow,
I'm not the [bleep]."

So...thank you.

[Applause]

I'm looking at the caliber
of people

That they brought
into this show.

These are top notch chefs.

And to make it as far
as I did,

I'm proud.

I'll see you soon.

I'm extremely proud.

Ciao.
See you guys.

I don't just cook
with my hands,

I cook with my heart.

This personally changed
my life,

So it's gonna change
the way I cook,

The way I look
at an ingredient.

But it's not gonna change me,

Ryan scott, as a person.

[Padma]
next on top chef:

None of us are trained
pastry chefs.

I actually swore to myself
that I would never do a pastry.

[Spike]
oh, my god,
hopefully this works.

We have in our audience
the chefs

From this season's top chef!

What they don't know

Is that they're going
to be improvising for us.

[Laughter]

We took
a nice, long, hard log

of aged goat cheese.

Dip it in the orange sauce.

[All]
ahh.

[Woman]
maybe they could've, like, made
the sauce with their tears.

[Laughter]

[man]
I'm excited about this one
because I love polish sausage.

Don't take this the wrong way,
ted.

Said pointing to the gay guy.

[Laughter]

[Padma]
for more about the recipes
seen tonight,