19x11 - Family Vacation

[bunniefuu]

Previously
on
Top Chef.

For this challenge,

you'll have to create
a dish for astronauts.

This is gonna be
a lot of fun.

Alan Shepard
played golf on the moon.

I'm going to do
a little take on that.

Buddha was inspired

and purposeful
in this dessert.

Buddha, we're going to
send you to the stars.

Oh, my
gatos.

The beef was very mushy.

It just disintegrated
on my plate.

- Yeah.
- Jae.

Please
pack your knives and go.

And on the finals
of
Last Chance Kitchen...

This is it.

Whoever wins this,

will get to join
these fine chefs over here,

right back
in the competition.

Go, go, go!

Ticking clock
still gives me nightmares.

Sarah,
what you got on your mind?

Ricotta gnocchi.

I have
a good track record

in
Last Chance Kitchen.

I don't want all of that work
to end on failure.

I really do
want to take this.

Jae's making one of those
tasty broths again.

- Always.
- Clam broth

with the brown butter.

Sarah.
Gnocchi's nicely made.

The garlic and the fried
rosemary give a little texture.

Jae,
the snapper is perfectly cooked.

I really like
the brightness from the squash.

So, the winner
of
Last Chance Kitchen,

and the chef that is going back
into the competition...

Sarah.

I know you guys aren't,
like, happy I'm back, but--

Someone
had to come back, girl.

So, here's the deal.

You're going to meet
Padma and Shota

tomorrow morning
in Galveston.

Six chefs remain

to compete in the ultimate
culinary showdown.

At stake
for the winner:

a feature in Food & Wine magazine,

an appearance at the Food & Wine Classic

in Aspen,

$250,000,

furnished by Sanpellegrino.

And the coveted title
of
Top Chef.

Sorry.

We're going
to Galveston!

- Yay! Field trip!
- Field trip!

I am ready
for the change of scenery.

Sarah's back!

I remember
seeing you in
Last Chance.

Your face said it all.

Like,
you were there to win.

Sarah
went out pretty early.

So, that means
she's knocked out

a lot of chefs to be here,
and I'm really impressed.

It's cool
to just come back in

and just drop
right there in top six.

Last Chance,
you have
so much more creative freedom.

My biggest fear in being back
is that I've been practicing

a different kind
of cooking than you guys.

I haven't had to spend
the night thinking about a dish

and I don't think
I'm very good at that.

I'm really honored
to be back.

But for, like,
the larger challenges,

it becomes
really difficult for me

to not overthink things.

In
Last Chance Kitchen,
I benefited

from staying
in the moment.

And coming back,

I look forward
to putting that into practice.

There's no more
immunity being offered.

Oh, really? Great.
That's great news for me.

Welcome
to Galveston, everybody.

Yeah, these homes on the water,
it's crazy.

- Stunning.
- Yeah.

This does actually
remind me of New Orleans.

Yeah.

Oh,
I just saw fish jumps!

- Look at 'em.
- Damn.

Bountiful AF.

- Good morning, chefs.
- Good morning.

Welcome to beautiful
Galveston Island.

And welcome back
to the competition, Sarah.

- Thank you.
- How are you feeling?

- Horrified. Yeah.
- Horrified?

- Yeah.
- You should feel so proud.

Yeah. Yeah. No.
It's just a different game now.

So, we'll see.

And you guys,
of course,

know your all-star judge
for today,

Top Chef Portland
finalist,

Shota Nakajima.

Congratulations
on making it this far.

It feels like
just yesterday

that I was standing on a beach
getting ready for a Quickfire.

Well, this is it.

There's no more
Last Chance Kitchen

to fall back on.

Now that
we have our top six,

let's dive back
into the competition.

We're here on what the locals
call the "Best Coast."

And one of the reasons why,
is, of course,

the amazing seafood
that you can find

right here
on the Gulf of Mexico.

And it's escaping.
Right now.

He's trying
to break free.

Hello, little one.

For today's Quickfire,

we want you to bring
this beautiful shellfish

to new heights.

For the first time
ever on
Top Chef,

you'll be creating
the ultimate,

decadent communal appetizer.

- The seafood tower.
- Mm.

Who here
loves a seafood tower?

Well, I've eaten them.

I don't really enjoy
making them.

Shucking oysters,
de-shelling shrimp,

it's a lot of work.

You'll each
be responsible

for two shellfish dishes:

one hot and one cold.

Being able to cook
the freshest ingredients

straight from the water
is every chef's dream.

The winner of this Quickfire

will receive an advantage

in the elimination challenge.

Chefs, you have just


Your time starts now.
Good luck.

Nick and I
are wrestling right now.

- Yeah, we are.
- We just need six.

Can I have six?

You can get it, okay?

- Ooh!
- Can I have

some ginger from somebody?

You took the whole thing?

With seafood,
there's a lot of prep to do.

hot and cold.

And with the time constraint

and limited equipment,
this is pretty tough.

I can't really
even remember a time

- I've been to a beach.
- Really?

Yeah,
but this is really cool.

Maybe I'll start going.

I'm an inside chef,
like an indoor cat, you know?

I'm missing
the
Last Chance Kitchen.

There's tools there

and proper cooking equipment
and things to chill food with.

There's none of that here.

I love
fried seafood by the water.

Yeah, it's pretty scenic.

I've got beautiful shrimp,

so I'm gonna do, like,

- an elevated cocktail.
- Nice.

I'm gonna do something
with this radicchio,

some sort of
soft shell crab taco.

Feels great
cooking on a beach,

but also
I'm constantly shaking

the sand
off my radicchio.

Evelyn,
what's your inspiration today?

My inspiration
is a thing I feel like

really speaks of Houston,
which is our Viet-Cajun.

For my seafood tower,

my cold dish
will be raw oysters

on the half shell
with a fish sauce vinegar,

chili oil
and crispy shallots.

I'm tryin' to make it spicy.

For my hot element,

I'm making
a Thai-Cajun shrimp boil.

I definitely
want to keep them head on,

have the shrimp be as,
like, plump as possible.

Trying to make sure
these are clean.

- Thirty-two minutes!
- So, you're bringing ham

- to the party, huh?
- Yeah, man.

I'm going to bring the heat
with this jerk sauce

to toss my peel
and eat shrimp in.

I'm going to make it
how I'd want to eat it.

I cook local seafood often.
I also grew up on the coast.

It's also the concept
of my new restaurant,

Good Hot Fish.

It would make me look good

if I won this challenge.

Raw Gulf oysters

go hand in hand
with the beach to me.

Well,
I decided to go with the taco.

Since I was very successful
in the last Quickfire

with corn tortillas, I'mma
bring it back to the party.

So, the shrimp
is going to be hot,

the oysters
are going to be cold.

I'm going to do
a watermelon mignonette.

It feels good to be out

with all this fresh air
on the beach.

But I got to tell you,
it is really hot.

Sweat is pouring down
everywhere.

it's hot out here.

Twenty-one minutes, y'all.

Damarr, what ya makin'?

Cook the shrimp,
XO situation.

Oh, cool.

Then the chilled oyster
with some kind of vinaigrette.

Sarah,
what are you doing?

That sounded like you were
my father and I was grounded.

Oh, I'm sorry.

I am making some
crispy rice crackers, because

I want there to be texture
on my pickled shrimp dish.

So, I'm going to try
and get a cold pickle going

of shrimp,
and then do a hot oyster.

I see a lot of people doing
raw oyster dishes,

so I want to do
a cooked oyster.

I'm going to make
a miso butter

out of Sichuan
chili bean paste.

Anybody got ginger over here?
Can I have a little bit?

As first challenge back,

I just want to prove
that I deserve to be here.

I've certainly
dealt with tougher oysters.

You have to treat raw oysters
with hands of care.

Because these oysters
are so delicate,

you don't want to
just rip them apart.

Mother----er.

What the--

I just broke
my oyster Kn*fe.

So, pro tip:
don't do that.

I ----ing
shucked him in the end.

So, he-- he lost.

Love you.

Seventeen minutes.

Time flies.

It's never enough, girl.

Can't do this..

After mixing my masa,

I noticed that
there is no tortilla press.

In the pantry,
I see orzo.

Sixteen.

Orzo pasta
takes probably 15 minutes,

so I'm going to be
cutting it close.

- Ten minutes, chefs.
- Ten minutes.

Soft shell crab,
super delicious.

Orzo.

Tomatoes and peppers
for my shrimp.

Got the shrimp
down on the grill

with a little bit
of my seasoning.

You have
five minutes left, chefs.

- Then you're shucked.
- Puns.

This girl's throwing out
puns right now.

The orzo
is definitely al dente.

But right now,
I am back on track.

I'm rushing to just get

my soft shell crab
teppanyakis put together.

It's getting
really fierce now.

There's no more
Last Chance Kitchen.

There's no immunity.

Any advantage in the next

elimination challenge
will definitely help.

Thirty-five seconds.

Time's up.

All right!
Let's have some seafood.

Great. Mm.

All right, so we're going
to start with Nick's.

I have oysters
on the half shell.

And I made
a watermelon mignonette.

The hot course
is a orzo salad.

I made
a mango-chili vinaigrette.

I also glazed the shrimp

on the grill
with the vinaigrette.

I like the mango vinaigrette.
It's nice.

Mm-hmm.
Very nice and bright.

Ashleigh,
tell us what you made.

I prepared Gulf oysters
on the half shell

with a country ham,
kanzuri barbecue.

It's got such a nice,

- smoky flavor to it.
- And for my hot,

I prepared a peel and eat
jerk shrimp.

So, there's
a bit of spice.

A little
bit of heat.

Excuse me a second.

Yes.

I have gloves, too,
'cause I don't want you

to have
spicy hands, but...

I live in spicy hands,
Ashleigh!

I'm fine with that.

- Awesome.
- All right,

- who's got this plate?
- That's me.

It's a jumbo shrimp
XO cocktail.

It's got a lot of shrimp,
broad bean paste,

XO, scallions.

And the top is

a soft shell crab
taco "yaki."

What
did you put in the sauce?

So, the sauce,
I did sweet soy,

some-- I mean, sorry, soy--

- plum, and some--
- Get it, girl.

Do it.

Tell us
about your dish, Damarr.

So, I did
a gulf oyster

with a peach and tamari
vinaigrette,

a little bit of Thai chili
as well.

And why did you choose

to take it off of the shelf?

Oyster shells
are very gritty,

so I just
wanted to make sure

that the oysters were
really clean and stayed cool.

I love all the fruits
in everyone's stuff.

Tell us
about your hot dish.

I did a seared shrimp

with a shrimp and crab
XO sauce.

So,
it's like a quick XO.

Right.
Absolutely.

All right, Sarah,

you are back
with a vengeance.

Look how beautiful this looks.
What'd you make?

The cold dish is
a dill pickled shrimp.

My grandmother used
to pickle shrimp,

so I just wanted to kind
of do a nod to that.

And tell me,
what is this on top?

I did a hot
buttered oyster,

miso butter and then breadcrumb
and a peach relish.

Are you
used to cooking

in, like,


I wouldn't say
you ever get used to it.

- Yeah.
- But I've done it

- a couple times now.
- Yeah.

All right, Evelyn,
tell us what you did.

I have raw oysters
on the half shell

with a fish sauce vinaigrette,
chili oil and crispy shallots.

On top, we have
a Thai Cajun boil,

but it has a Thai chili butter,
fresh lime.

I suck the head,
I dip it in the butter

and then
go for it.

It's really good.
I love it.

I always do,
like, extra sauce.

Great job.
Across the board.

Everything
was delicious.

It was
very hard to judge.

Who had one of our
least favorite dishes today?

Buddha, the whole dish
was creamy on creamy

and it ate
kind of heavy.

Your hot fried crab,

the bonito on top
was unnecessary.

Sarah,
I really liked the dishes.

But the cold dish just needed,
like, a pinch of salt.

Tiny little things
at this point.

I think you just needed
to turn up the volume

a little bit on the flavor.

- And now for the good news.
- Ashleigh,

I really liked your dish.

- Both full of flavor.
- Thank you.

I really
loved your jerk shrimp.

It had
a lot of forcefulness.

And it was sticky
and messy in the best way.

Nick, I really liked
both of your dishes.

Very well balanced,

and your mignonette
was my favorite of the day.

And I like
that you gave us

such a finished,
composed dish with the orzo.

Thank you.

Evelyn, I thought
you did a really beautiful job

of bringing your flavors
to both these dishes.

I liked
that Thai-Cajun spin.

It was my first time
having something like that

- and it was a lot of fun.
- Thank you.

The winning chef today
gave us a seafood tower

that was balanced
and had full flavor.

And the winning chef is...

Evelyn.

I won a Quickfire! Ay!

This is
your first Quickfire win!

- Yes.
- You just won yourself

a good advantage in the next
elimination challenge, too.

Thank you.
Thank you so much.

I'm just so excited

that I got to showcase
my Thai-Cajun style.

Thank you
for being here.

- It was great to see you.
- Thank you very much.

Take care.
Thanks for joining us.

See you later.

As you can see,

Galveston is the perfect
beach town for a vacation.

And even better,
for a family vacation.

Here to help me
introduce this challenge,

from Top Chef Seattle and Charleston,

two-time
fan favorite,

all-star,
Sheldon Simeon.

Hi, Sheldon!
Welcome back, how are you?

Nice to see you.

Thanks for taking me
off the island

and bringing me
to this one.

Chefs,
there's a VIP family

coming to Galveston

for a much needed
family vacation.

They're staying
together just up the road

at a lovely
Vrbo vacation home.

These family members
haven't been together

in a long time,

so this reunion
is really important to them.

That's where
you guys come in, of course.

We all know

that the kitchen
is the heart of the home.

And food
brings families together.

Just like
our friends at Vrbo.

When the family returns
from their day out,

they want
to share a five-star meal

from the comfort

of their
very own vacation home.

So, they're leaving it up
to the professionals.

Has anyone here
been a private chef?

Being a private chef,

it can be really hard,

especially depending
on the client.

So,
I've cooked for rockstars

and movie celebs
and tech giants

whenever
they come to Maui.

And you never know
what you're going to expect,

but it always makes
for a fun session.

For this
elimination challenge,

you'll each have to make

a family style dish

catered to a different
family member's taste.

Ready to find out
who you're stuck with?

Yes.

Here you go.
Good luck.

- Hi, Chef.
- Thank you, Chef.

Lucky number two.

Now that you have
your assigned family member,

it's up to you to interpret
their likes and preferences

any way
you see fit.

Tomorrow, all the dishes
will be served at once.

And, guys,
it's going to be a full house.

So, you'll need
to make enough of your dish

to feed 20 people.

Today,
you'll shop at a local market.

You'll prep and cook

in the kitchen
of the family's vacation home.

And, Evelyn,
since you won the Quickfire,

you'll have 30 minutes
extra cooking time.

That means you'll have
a total of three hours

and the rest of you
will have two and a half hours,

where you'll
feed the family,

their loved ones,

and your guest judges
for this challenge,

Sheldon
and Adrienne Cheatham.

It's hard enough

when you're one person
in someone's house,

but to have six chefs
in a home kitchen

is going to be
a stretch for sure.

I'm looking forward
to eating your food tomorrow.

And go out
and enjoy Galveston. See ya!

This looks like
exactly what I would eat.

Seafood pasta dishes.

Masaman
oxtail curry? Like...

I'm left to believe
that maybe, like,

Sheldon's family
is in town.

Least favorite food,
anything pork?

I am
just so confused.

This is--
I've all had that in my menu.

Do we know
who this person is?

- I don't know.
- Oh, God.

I don't connect
with this one.

This looks like
exactly what I would eat.

Seafood pasta dishes.

Do we know
who this person is?

I don't connect
with this one.

This is my wife.

Hundred percent.

Yeah,
I think this is my dad.

There's
no one else in the world

that would have
this description.

I know my wife
back to front.

Pasta amatriciana, tom yum,

loves the sticky rice.

That is my wife
in a nutshell.

I mean,
this could be my sister.

Things like she hates mushrooms,

as in every time she comes to

my restaurant,
she interrogates every server

to find out if I'm sneaking
mushrooms into her food.

Look at this.
It's in all caps.

She says
she's allergic to them.

She's totally
not allergic to them.

It's just hard
for me to believe that

there is a doppelganger
of my sister's

dietary restrictions
floating around the planet.

Do you feel like
you know this person?

No.

My dossier
is just all over the place.

Barbecue ribs,
crab and shrimp,

Chinese food,
Mexican food.

Is this person
from Mississippi?

What I'mma do
is stick with the seafood,

feature something
like a pasta salad.

The least
favorite food is anything pork.

That's why I think my mom,
because as she's gotten older,

she tends to be
a little healthier.

- He hates
- ---in' chicken livers.

He loves barbecue.

And he's all about fish.

It sounds like my chef,
Erick Williams.

Chef Erick's
been a friend

and mentor to me
for a really long time.

He's helped me grow,
not only as a chef,

but just as a human being.

But he's also my boss.

What are you doing,
Damarr?

Going to do
a roasted fish.

I'm thinking about
doing white beans,

but just making sure
they're cooked.

If there's
one thing you can eat

for the rest of your life,
what would it be? Eggs.

Like, that's my dad.

Just knowing that
we could possibly see

a loved one tomorrow
is getting us very excited.

My wife likes things
that are comforting

when she eats at home.

If I chef it up,
she's going to hate it.

But I don't think
it's necessarily about

making them the most happy,
it's them as an inspiration.

Because
my sister would want

the dish
on here from my mom.

I'm not making her
my mom's dish.

The needs of Top Chef are to have

a exceptional dish
prepared without flaws.

The needs of my sister
is to have this ahi tuna dish

exactly how she likes it.
That is not a flawless dish.

Just remember,
too, that all of us

got to be
in one home kitchen.

I need at least five
of those burners-- No.

Whoa, where am I?

We're doing
dried spices today.

Ashleigh,
what you got going on?

Kind of like
a paella-inspired dish.

I think
this family member is my mom.

She is a huge lover
of seafood and loves rice,

so I'm thinking I want to make
seafood rice with squid.

I want to impress her
by doing that for her.

Nineteen minutes!

Asian food!

What you workin' on, man?

It's a very famous
Roman dish.

It's very minimal ingredients.
All about the produce.

I'm very confident
about this dish,

but I'm also worried
it's too simple,

so I can set myself up
for failure here.

Ten minutes, Chef!

Evelyn,
what were you reading

- over in your dossier?
- Their favorite cuisine

was Southeast Asian
and Mexican.

They pretty much love
everything I make.

If it's not my dad coming,
it could be my mom.

Though she does hate eggs,
but loves seafood.

And so I know
I'm going to stick

to a sweet and sour
fried fish dish

with Mexican
and Southeast Asian flavors.

Coconut cream!
Thank you, thank you, Jesus!

I'm going to go
and start checking out now.

Looking forward
to seeing who it is,

- 'cause I'm not sure.
- Who is it? Who is it?

Hell, yeah.
Thank you so much.

You're welcome.
Good luck.

Galveston Island
trolley!

Being a tourist in Galveston
is a lot of fun.

- Gumbo bar?
- Gumbo bar?

Interesting.

Being
on this old trolley

and hanging out the back,

- waving to everyone around us.
- Hi!

Gee, they all
love waving at the trolley,

- don't they?
- Have a good day!

I just got a feeling
that the locals

wave to the trolley
all the time,

so I don't think
we're celebrities.

- Whoa!
- Like, all this

Spanish influence
on the architecture is so cool.

Yeah.

It feels good
to have this

breath of fresh air,
but I won't lie.

The challenge
is in the back of my mind.

It always is.

It was great!
So much fun.

Look at this!

Do you like
licorice?

Ew!

So, how long
y'all been open?

Over 100 years? Wow.

Nick is, like,
getting all the history.

And also, like,


Oh, man! Let's do six of the
milk chocolate raspberry jelly.

I don't know who he thinks
is going to eat all this candy,

but he's like,
"We're doing it."

Thanks, Dad!

Oh, yeah,
you're welcome.

Thank you.

Wow.

Ooh.

Who's opening the vino?

- Top six.
- Whoo!

- Cheers!
- Top six?

To Galveston!

Welcome back
to the family, Sarah.

Did anybody check
to make sure their paper

- was still the same?
- Yes.

My paper's still the same.

Great.

There's no chance

that this is anyone
other than my sister.

We were always super close.

My parents owned a Jamaican
restaurant in Michigan.

And then they
also owned and operated

a resort in Jamaica.
While other kids were, like,

at summer camp
meeting other kids,

we were in Jamaica
together as a duo, like,

taking on the World.

We got into
trouble together.

She's my best friend.
She always has been.

Nothing you can put on Bravo.

One of her favorite foods
is pasta amatriciana.

I'm going to do it
exactly the same way.

I've been questioning
myself the whole day,

but I believe this dish
best suits the challenge.

There's, like,
a real cheffy side of me,

I think
everyone's seen that.

But, like,
she's the complete opposite

when she's
out of the kitchen.

She wants things
done classically.

When I started
working with my wife,

we had to cook
a family meal

and she cooked
pasta amatriciana.

It was the first dish
that I've ever tasted from her.

I told her,
"I will marry you,"

because I had, like,
three bowls that day.

It was just a joke, and, like,
I didn't mean to say it,

like, in a sort of creepy way,

but it was just, like--
it was-- it was that good.

I was like, "I could live
like this forever."

We were in New York
and I proposed to her.

We call it "Marry Me" pasta.

- That's cool.
- I'll be cooking that tomorrow.

- So, it means a lot, yeah.
- That's pretty deep.

I'm exhausted.
You guys want to go to bed?

- Yeah.
- Yep.

Hopefully,
we'll at least be able

to see the beach
from the kitchen.

Joke's on you.
The kitchen is the beach.

Hello, Vrbo!
C'mon, Buddha.

- Let's go, Buddha.
- The Vrbo rental house

is nothing short of stunning.

Yeah, suck it, y'all.

- All right.
- Hey.

- Oh, look at this.
- This is it!

This is it.

The 30 minutes extra

is definitely going to help me.

I just want to bang out
all the stuff

that need to be
on the stove right away.

I don't want to mess with that
stove once everybody's in here.

Evelyn,
what ya making us?

You? Nothing.

Evelyn,
you know you're my girl.

Make sure you carve out
a little space

- over there for me, okay?
- You're hilarious.

Keep messing with me and I'll
hide some stuff from you.

I will take
all the blenders

and y'all need
to figure it out.

That is a whole 'nother area

that is taken up, too.

It's taking up
a big ol' space.

Two ovens, four burners.

I hope me
and the other chefs

can kind of kiss
and make up later,

because it's going to get
very stressful.

Time to start.

- Let's go, let's go.
- Found the blender!

What're you makin' over there?

I'm gonna do a seared tuna
with a napa salad.

I have no experience
working with ahi tuna.

I'm just trying
to get it as clean as possible

without losing anything.

My only correlation

is when I've eaten it
from my mom.

My goal is to create
a happy medium where my sister

recognizes the dish
as one of her favorites,

but the judges recognize it

as a quality,
restaurant-ready dish.

Ooh! Good ol' time.

I have
a pretty good hunch

that I am cooking
for my mom today.

Everything
I do is amazing.

I am making paella-inspired
heirloom rice

with shrimp
and calamari rings.

That's still pretty hot.

I have
a lot of components,

so I am playing
musical chairs

with baking sheets
and casserole dishes.

It's kind
of a disaster.

How 'bout this view, huh?

- The view is great.
- Beautiful.

I've cooked
for really important people

in people's homes.

You know,
it is terrifying

'cause you
don't want to mess it up.

I'm definitely
nervous about

possibly
seeing Chef Erick.

But if you
get into your head

about who
you're cooking for too much,

you're prone
to make more mistakes.

I'm making
some green breadcrumbs

to kind of
top my fish with.

I'll pick the clams
from the shells.

I will reintroduce

the clam liquid
to my beans.

So, you'll have, you know,
the richness of the 'nduja,

you'll have the salinity
of the clam juice,

which should be
a really nice pairing.

- How you feeling, Buddha?
- Good.

Just gettin'
my sauce on the go now.

It's been braising.

And I'm just going to

bring it
down to consistency.

But I'm really happy

- with how it's going out.
- Awesome.

- Ah, the crabs.
- Yeah, fight crabs.

And they're fighting back.

That's how
you know they're good.

My dish is pasta,

loads of crab,
loads of shrimp.

I'm also adding some
smoked bits of pork belly

to highlight
the seafood better.

That's what
I'm talking about, man.

I'm eager to learn
who is behind

all of these delights
that's on this paper.

If this is
anybody in my family,

it's going to make it
very emotional for me.

I'm going to
the, guys.

Hello? Hello!

Hi, everybody!

I knew
it was my dad!

- What's up?
- How's it goin', Chef?

Not much, how are you?

- Good to see you, brother.
- Good to see you--

I can't believe
that my mother

is here
in Galveston, Texas.

My mom always saw

that I was destined
to be a chef.

It's got crab, got shrimp,

all that good stuff
in there, which you love.

No, estoy muy bien, estoy
muy bien.
Oh, my God, Daddy.

I wanna just crumble
in your arms right now.

Oh, you makin' me cry,
sweetheart.

My mom just kind
of has this gentle touch

and soothing voice that,
like, I just melt.

Ah! Come help me!
I'm so behind.

I hope at least my tears
season this food well.

Oh, my God. Buddha.

Is my makeup
everywhere now?

- Yeah.
- Can you wipe it?

everybody's
cryin' around here.

Yeah,.

They can go ahead
and cry on that sh--.

I need everything
I get around here, boy.

My mother
is in a wheelchair

and my aunt
takes care of her, so I knew

they weren't
going to be able to come.

But Chef Erick
has been a very important

figure to me
for a long time.

It's definitely
a boost of energy

just seeing
a friendly face.

This is Damarr. Damarr,
this is my wife, Rebekah.

Hi, nice to meet you.

That's my buddy.

I was like,
"I apologize to everyone

in advance for my sister
and what she may say."

See, I told them
that you talk sh--, too.

My sister's charismatic
as all get out.

She was telling me
all about you.

She's a little lioness, man.

She defends
her family fiercely.

She will
literally m*rder somebody

if they make me cry.

So, look out, Tom.

And you know
I hadn't been on a plane

since
I was a teenage girl.

Yeah, that's good.

And I'm 66 now.

That's been
a long time!

Recently,
she went to have surgery

because she had
spots of cancer.

So, to have
her here--

I never freakin',
like, got so emotional

since I've been here--

It's going to be
hard to just focus in

and just make sure
that I am owning

this elimination challenge.

But I'm going to
enjoy this moment.

You know
you gon' have to talk me up?

Oh, dear, all the time!

So proud of you,
sweetheart.

- I love you.
- I love you too, Daddy.

Hope y'all enjoy this.

Whoo! So proud
of you, boy.

- Bye!
- Mwah! I love you.

Aww...

Buddha, how was it
seeing your wife, man?

- Yeah, it was beautiful.
- Saw you kissing

over here in the kitchen, man,
we don't allow that.

I know, I had to
keep it PG-rated, you know?

When I'm
with my wife,

it's like
we've never left each other.

When we're together,
it just feels special.

And she's formed me
into a better person.

And I feel privileged
to be her husband.

Oh, wow. Oh, this is
set up nicely, isn't it?

- It sure is.
- Red snapper.

Crab velouté,
smoked pork. All right, now.

Oh, paella.
Oh, that's going to be nice.

Thanks
for bringing another chef

to the table, Damarr, jeez.

Hey, you know,
you all should

get a little taste of my life
for a little bit, why not?

Twenty minutes left.

I've got
that griddle cranked up.

So, I'm just
going to sear the heck

out of
these calamari rings.

And I just hear this chef
in my head that I worked with

that was adamant

on not
overcooking squid.

I quickly get
this squid off the griddle,

get it back
into some marinade,

and I'm ready to build
this beautiful plate of food.

Rollin', rollin'.

How is the fish, Sarah?

Nick, it's cooked, Nick--

Nick, it's cooked, Nick!

Seven minutes.

I start by plating
my peanut sauce

that I made
specifically for the tuna,

but it looks
kind of sh--.

- Time, anyone?
- Three minutes.

We got Ashleigh
plating up in the living room.

I'm plating
on the TV table.

In the interest of making
a more beautiful plate,

I slide the tuna
over to fan it out.

And it's no longer
on top of the peanut sauce.

So, I'm essentially making,
like,

an aesthetic decision
over a flavor decision.

Anytime you're making
family-style food,

there is
an additional challenge in that

you don't get to control
how your diner eats it.

For my special day.

Mm-hmm.

- Hi! Welcome!
- Welcome to Galveston!

Thank you so much.

How was it reuniting
with all of your loved ones?

- So special.
- Great, great.

- Yeah, really nice.
- Very special.

- It's been going great.
- Oh, good.

We've been
really enjoying the food

and it's a really
wonderful bunch of chefs,

so we're happy
to have you guys here.

Thanks for coming out.
Appreciate it.

Yeah, thanks for having us.

- Cheers!
- Welcome.

It's a pleasure
meeting you all

'cause I've seen
y'all on TV.

And I'm really a fan,
I'm serious.

Good, how nice.

Well, we are Nick fans,

so it's all mutual.

Oh, here we go.
Here we go.

Yes, yes.

Okay, let's clear
the way for some food.

I want you guys
to cater my party.

- What a feast.
- This is awesome.

Chefs, I have to say,

this looks like
a beautiful table.

I can't wait
to taste all your food.

It looks absolutely delicious
and smells delicious.

Let's start with you, Nick.
What did you make for us

and how did it feel
to see your mama?

It was very emotional.

My mom knows
she's my biggest fan

and I love her very, very much.

So, my dish is a take
on her seafood pasta salad.

Herb pasta, crab velouté
and smoked pork.

- Evelyn.
- So, what I've prepared

for you all today
is a crispy red snapper

with a sweet vinegar sauce.

There's sticky
coconut rice on the bottom.

And then there's
some pickled chilies on top.

- Buddha, what did you make?
- So, I made

pasta amatriciana,
also known as "Marry Me Pasta."

It was the first dish
she ever cooked, and I tried it.

And it was that good
that I fell in love with it.

And her afterwards.

- You fell in love with her.
- Yeah.

Ashleigh, what was it like
to see your mom?

Aw, it was great. She's a huge
source of inspiration for me.

It was definitely
what I needed right now.

I did
an heirloom rice dish

inspired by paella.

It's also got
red shrimp

and a little calamari
in there as well.

- Hi, Damarr.
- Hi.

I heard
you shed a tear.

You shed a tear?

That was,
uh, last week.

What did you
make for us?

I made a herb bread-crusted
red fish

with little neck clams,
white beans,

'nduja and pine nuts.

And I know
Chef loves acid,

so I got some lemons
to squeeze over top as well.

Sarah, your first
elimination challenge back.

What did you
make for us?

I made a tuna tataki
with flavors of,

like, a peanut noodle.

So, guys, I want to
eat all the food

while it's hot and delicious.

Everybody dig in,

including you guys.

Please take off
your aprons and join us.

You will be
joining us for this meal.

You're the other guests!

- You are the guests!
- What?

We didn't think about that.

No, we did not.

I don't know how to,
like, be normal.

Like,
I'm just so weird!

- Buddha, where are you?
- I'm getting a plate.

- Good to see you.
- How are you?

I'm great. I'm great.
How's it going?

It's going good,
it's going good.

This is
a nice little surprise.

I know you.

That is so good!
Buddha.

Tom, what did you think
of Buddha's amatriciana?

I think
he knocked it out of the park.

The flavors are really good,
and I also love that,

"Amatriciana. That's it.
That's all I'm doing.

"I'm not going to
put anything in it.

This is
what I'm making."

This is certainly
the most rustic dish

we've seen from Buddha.

By a mile!

And Buddha's dish
is ex*cuted so well.

It has enough spice
to keep your palate interested.

And the tomatoes
are roasted so beautifully.

Cheers to you, Buddha.

I'm just
so proud of you.

Evelyn's crispy red snapper.

I love the acidity
and the herbs

and the fresh peppers
and the onions.

And I like
the crispy snapper.

I think Evelyn fried
the snapper really beautifully.

I thought it was delicious,
I like sweet flavors like that,

especially when there's
tons of herbs that back it up.

Yeah, I really like
the cilantro-- kind of that mix.

It was really bright.
It was flavorful.

- I like it.
- Yeah, you like it?

- Lots of flavor.
- Yeah.

Yeah. I enjoy it.

Thank you, Daddy.

I really wanted
to do butter beans

or black-eyed peas.
I wanted to.

- Why didn't you?
- I only had two hours.

Well...

Oh.

I just had a bite of Ashleigh's
squid. I couldn't swallow it.

I mean, it's really undercooked.

It's a huge mistake.

Oh.

I just had a bite
of Ashley's squid.

I couldn't swallow it.

I mean,
it's really undercooked.

Ashleigh's dish
is really flavorful,

but it's a huge mistake.

It didn't feel
paella-inspired at all,

which is fine, it's just that
I was expecting a paella.

Can you imagine you're
out doing your activities,

"Oh, we got
a paella dinner tonight."

- And then you get--
- You were served that.

That's good, Chef.

- What do you think of the dish?
- Delicious.

The beans are beautiful.

Fish is cooked so perfectly.

I love how
it's got pine nuts.

- Yeah, yeah.
- Phenomenal.

I thought Damarr's
fish was excellent.

My fish was moist
and cooked perfectly.

The squeeze
of that lemon on top,

and those crumbs
soaked up all that acidity.

It's like a cozy fish
and cozy beans underneath.

You eat it together
and it just feels like

a very satisfying bite.

His onions are
so beautifully cooked

and have
so much flavor.

They're nicely seared,
they bring some sweetness

and a little bit
of a different contrast

because you get
that smoky paprika,

shellfish flavor
in the beans.

Oh, man.

Awesome.

"Dear Damarr, you are now

"and will always
be number one in our hearts.

"Because your mom and I
are not able to be there,

"we chose Chef Williams
to appear in our stead,

"knowing he, too, shares
our belief that God

"has blessed you
with amazing gifts and talents.

"You were a winner
long before you got to play."

Yeah,
that's a tear-jerker.

It's definitely tough

that my mom
and my aunt aren't here.

So, it's really nice to just
hear some words from her.

Oh, man.

I'm the only child.

And I'm hoping
that I can help my mom

and aunt financially,
because they have done so much

for me
my entire life.

What do you think about
the flavors in Nick's dish?

It just gets
a little confusing.

Is it a hot pasta dish
with crab and shrimp?

And then this pork belly
comes out of nowhere?

You know,
you got a client,

and sometimes, you know,
you listen to everything

they want but you don't give 'em
everything on one plate.

- That's a lot.
- It's got a little bit

of a kick
that I'm really enjoying.

And the, like,
classic macaroni pasta that's,

like, sort of
soft and easy.

Well, soft is one way to put it.

It's overcooked, for sure,

but there's
something about it

that's sort of like
this classic pasta salad.

Put that whole thing
in your mouth right now.

- Yeah.
- Do it.

Nobody's watching. Oh.

Did we all have
Sarah's tuna tataki?

Mm-hmm.

What did you think,
Sheldon?

I mean, I've--
Being in Hawaii,

I've had every
tuna tataki that there is.

Why I'm goin' to you.

I thought that it
could have been just,

like, a harder sear
and then just still

even more rare
in the middle.

Tataki, I want it to be
just, like, the outside.

But this was
a little cooked inside.

We can focus
on the tuna, that's fine.

But I'm gonna focus
on the rest of the dish

where I was, you know,
sold peanut sauce

and I didn't get that.

I did not
like the tuna.

I agree, it should
have been seared harder,

cooked less throughout.

She needed
to cut the tuna different

because it's cut
with the grain and it needs

to cut more against the grain
so it doesn't get chewy.

Isn't this her first
elimination challenge back?

- Is it?
- Oh, yeah, it is.

I would think that
you come out swinging.

Yeah, cover it.
Perfect. You nailed it.

That BMW's so nice.
I could see you in it.

- Oh, no.
- Just wait!

Just wait. You hear me?

Hi, Chef.
How are you?

It's a pleasure.

It feels like we're
at two different parties.

They're having
a lot more fun.

- Hey, guys.
- Hey, Chef.

- 'Sup?
- Everybody, I want to thank you

for spending this
beautiful afternoon with us.

We're still
in competition so

I have to separate you
from your loved ones.

- Judges, we can head out.
- Okay.

Thank you all
for being here.

Love you, too, baby.

Well,
give me a hug, honey!

I shan't say goodbye.

- See you.
- I know you.

Bye, everyone, good luck.

- All right.
- Wow, that was amazing.

- How does everyone feel?
- I feel good.

You know,
it was a lot of pressure

seeing Chef Williams, yeah.

It's pretty cool
sitting down

and getting to eat
each other's food.

- Yeah.
- Yeah, that was nice.

My mom loved my dish.

Hope that counts for anything.

Given that
we are six chefs,

there's zero room
for error.

Thank God for
the ominous weather now, too.

Goes from beautiful beach day
to, like, ominous thunderstorm.

"And now
somebody goes home!"

Chefs,
for your elimination challenge,

we asked you
to make a dinner

for clients on vacation.

And those clients
just happened to be

your family members.

Presentations were
all really great

and I thought
the flavors were all there.

Just those little things that
are gonna make the difference.

There were definitely
a few things--

You had no
professional equipment.

And it can be very challenging
cooking in a home kitchen

like the Vrbo kitchen
that you had today,

if you're
not used to it.

What about you, Ashleigh?
What was today like for you?

Yeah, I mean, I think I put out
the best that I could in such--

I knew that was coming.
Matter of time. Thanks.

Please hold for hurricane.

Oh,.

Okay, I think
we better take this inside.

It's a bit stormy.
We'll see you in there.

Better go inside,
come on.

- Whoo, windy.
- Wow.

It's wet out there.

That came out of nowhere.

All right, we can make

a Judges' Table out of here.

- There you go.
- All right.

- There you go.
- Okay.

Back in business.

I guess we better
get the chefs out here!

All right, chefs,

Mother Nature had something
else planned for us.

Evelyn,
Buddha and Damarr.

You can stay standing.

The rest of you,
please take a seat.

The three of you

had our favorite dishes
of the night,

so congratulations.

Sheldon, what did you think
of Evelyn's dish?

I love dishes
that have layers like that.

Herbs on top
with the spice.

The crust
of the fish was unique.

You know, adding
the masa into the tempura.

Yeah, I thought
it was a delicious dish

- all the way through.
- I loved the flavor.

I thought
it was bright.

It had acidity,
it had sweetness.

Assembled on the buffet,

it was a very
beautifully plated dish.

It had
a nice crunch to it.

I thought
it ate beautifully.

Thank you.

What about you, Buddha?

How was
today for you?

It's super emotional

'cause my wife
means a lot to me.

And to do this dish that
made me fell in love with her,

it means a lot.

Buddha, this was
a big departure for you.

It showed us
a softer side of you.

There was
nothing fussy about it.

There were
no fancy garnishes.

There was just deep, deep
flavor from the guanciale,

from the roasted tomatoes.

I love that you just
decided to do this dish.

You just gave us a really
great version of amatriciana,

and that's--
that's what we were looking for.

- Thank you so much.
- How about you, Damarr?

It was great
seeing Chef Erick.

He's a friend
and a mentor,

so it was really,
like, special.

But at the same time,
he's my chef and he's my boss,

so that was also
really stressful.

Damarr, I thought you made
the most beautiful dish

for the meal
that you were having.

The bread crumb

and herb crust
on the fish was gorgeous.

When you squeezed
the lemon over it,

the whole thing
came to life.

I think it really added
that little hit that it needed.

The crumbs
were really good

but the beans
were just sensational.

They soaked up
all the flavor of the clams.

I thought it was a really
good play on two ingredients.

I thought it was really,
really flavorful.

I love the details. At this
point of the competition,

it's all about
the details.

And top to bottom,
that bite was delicious.

Adrienne and Sheldon,

as our guest judges,
you have the honor

of telling us
who won

this family reunion
challenge today.

So, the dish
that won

was the dish
that really spoke

to the challenge itself
and executing it very well.

Buddha.

- Congratulations, Buddha!
- Thank you.

This pasta dish
has so many stories.

I met my wife
through this dish

and now
I'm on
Top Chef

winning this
elimination challenge.

Well, Buddha,
as the winner of this challenge,

Vrbo is giving you

a stay
at your vacation home

of your choice
anywhere around the world--

-- worth $10,000,
for you and your wife.

- Nice.
- Ah...

We're going to
go to Rome,

get a nice big bowl
of pasta amatriciana

and enjoy it.

Congratulations, Buddha.

The three of you
can take a seat.

Nick, Ashleigh
and Sarah, please step up.

- Thank you.
- Good job.

That means, unfortunately,

you had our least
favorite dishes of today.

And one of you
will be going home.

Nick, Sarah and Ashleigh.

Unfortunately, you had our
least favorite dishes of today.

Nick, how was the day for you?
Were you happy with your dish?

I was happy
with the crab stock,

was beautiful.

The pasta probably
was slight overcooked.

- Yeah.
- Yep.

But I was definitely happy
with the crab stock.

I thought
the flavor was really good.

It had
a good level of spice.

The crab flavor
definitely came through,

but the pasta
was overcooked.

It was really hard
to get past that.

You tried
to give the client, your mom,

what she wanted,
but you tried to put everything

in what she wanted.

I've had many
a macaroni salad

and they're
usually mayonnaise-based,

so I was expecting
something cool

and a little bit
of that creamy note.

I understand.

Sarah, how is today for you?

I know this is your first
elimination challenge back.

I struggled throughout,

just, like,
getting my bearings again.

I had made
a peanut sauce that

I thought
had a ton of flavor.

And I, like,
started to plate it up

and then switched
how I plated it.

And so what I realized is,
like, this dope peanut sauce

that I made
ended up in the wrong spot.

And so, you guys
didn't get it on the fish.

- Got it.
- That explains a lot, yeah.

This all makes
a lot of sense, Sarah.

You got me really excited
about a peanut

noodle ahi tuna dish,

and I just couldn't
find the peanuts.

So, that was
the first thing we noticed.

I thought the tuna
needed to be seared

a little bit more,
especially

when it's coated
in that sesame.

- You want it to be toasted.
- I sort of wish that

you had cut it
a little differently.

It felt
a little sinewy.

You cut it
the wrong way.

- Oh.
- Tuna has the circular grain.

- Yeah, totally. I saw that.
- Okay.

But it also has
a very fine grain

that goes
the other way.

When you have sushi,
it's actually cut along

with the fine grain,
not across the grain.

And when
it's cut across the grain

like that,
it eats a little tough.

Totally.
Yeah, I see that now, for sure.

Ashleigh.
The dish was good.

I mean, the red rice
that you used before,

it's a great ingredient.

The big problem I have
with the dish was the squid.

Okay.

The piece that I had,

- it wasn't cooked at all.
- Um. Okay, yeah.

I really liked
a lot of the components

of your dish
as well.

The tentacles
just took away

from all the other
great things that you did.

We have
a lot to discuss.

We'll call you back in a bit.
Thank you so much.

Am I pourin' for one or two?

Just hand me the bottle.

- Good job, Buddha.
- Thank you.

Nice job and two in a row?

- How does it feel?
- Feels amazing.

Thank you, everyone.

Well, it's clear that
each of these three chefs

had some basic problems
of cookery today.

I have a problem
with Sarah's tuna.

It ate very chewy and mealy.

I think the peanut sauce
would have helped a lot.

I didn't get any.

And she admitted that
that was a flaw.

She plated the dish in a way
that the peanut sauce

was not where
it was supposed to be.

I have
a tendency of, like,

making aesthetic decisions
over flavor decisions.

Like,
I moved my fish over

and I moved it off the sauce
that carried the salt.

Shouldn't have done that. Yep.

What about the pasta

in Nick's
"not" pasta salad?

Well, it was--
the flavor was good

but it was
just very soft.

If you get a piece
of pork crouton, you're lucky.

But if you don't get that,
you're just eating

a very soft dish
that has good flavor.

I just liked the flavors
of what Nick did

but there was no conversation
between the pasta,

the seafood
and the pork.

I was confused
from the beginning.

I hate it was
my mom that came.

I cannot get away from
the cookery on that squid.

Yes, I spit it out
into my napkin.

Only time
I wanna see raw squid

is putting it
on a fish hook.

It wasn't cleaned.
It wasn't cooked properly.

And it was
very difficult to eat.

Ashleigh
didn't check her food.

I just made
a rush decision, which...

I could have
just left it off, completely.

So, I think
we have our answer.

- Absolutely.
- Let's get them out here.

You know, chefs,
tonight's challenge

is very real life.
You were asked to come

to a home
and cook a meal.

But the key to it is
really being organized,

especially at
this stage of the game.

It comes down to details
that get you sent home.

Ashleigh,
please pack your knives and go.

Yeah.

This experience
has been incredible.

I appreciate it so much.
So, thank you, chefs.

I'm not surprised.

You can't serve
undercooked

seafood
in this competition.

It was
a huge misstep on my part.

And you guys
are incredible.

I love you guys,
it's been

a privilege
to work alongside you guys.

I feel like through
a lot of this competition,

I have been
hanging on by a thread,

but I feel like
I accomplished a great deal

more than I have
in years in my career.

- Later.
- Thank you, Ashleigh.

- Thank you, guys.
- Good luck to you.

Thank you.

This little incubator
that we're in,

it challenges you,
it forces you to grow.

I've gotten critique like
I never have before in my career

and it's something
that I've been yearning for.

I feel very grateful.

Next time on
Top Chef...

We're going boating, baby!

Whatever you catch
will be on the menu

in the final elimination
challenge in Houston.

Never been on a boat.
I've also never been fishing.

- Hey!
- Rule one, stay inside the boat.

Sarah, how you feelin'
about the challenge?

I'm treating it like
Last Chance Kitchen.

It's not that
much time for two dishes.

Oh! Sh--!

I would just really like
Padma not to think

I'm a complete
nincompoop.

Oh.

The protein
was just so dry.

Dammit!

Hot, hot, hot, hot.
Hot on your back.

Whoo! Guys,
come on. Ugh, swear to God.

If I don't tighten up,
I'm goin' home.

I do not
want to go home.

I'm really behind now.

Gonna try and pull myself out.

What do you
have left to do?

Yeah, I'm no--
Not now, please.

I need to
get myself organized.

- Wow.
- Very delicate.

- And the cuisson was perfect.
- My mind is blown.

Pack your bags,
we're taking you

to a UNESCO
city of gastronomy.