[Padma]
previously on top chef:
I'm a little chef.
[Zoi]
the challenge is to make
one course
Inspired by a movie.
I'll do the machine.
I've been sitting
in the back seat
A little bit too much.
I'm ready to kind
of just take that chance.
Cut it off right there.
Spike has a big vietnamese
influence
So I definitely think
that's probably the twist
That we're gonna take.
Our film was
talk to her.
They seem to be timid
with the intense flavors.
So what we have here
is a salmon
With some faux caviar.
The movie that inspired us
was good morning, vietnam.
one of the team,
The execution was perfect.
that was richard.
[tom]
spike, you took the lead
on this dish.
Manuel, on the other hand,
you were just happy
to go along.
Manuel, please pack
your knives and go.
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]
♪ ♪
I wake up this morning
And I think about what happened
the night before.
And I still felt
like being in the bottom
For that challenge
Was just such [bleep].
I definitely feel
like I deserve to be here today.
So waking up feels good.
Trying not to be irritated,
Pissed about the fact
that we got jacked
On the last one.
But it's kind of good.
It kind of lights a little fire
under your ass.
[Jennifer]
I know zoi's talent
and skill.
To see her called out...
I guess I'm more like
a fan, in a way,
Where I'm, like,
"what--what's going on?
What are they talking
about?"
You know, it's ridiculous
sort of thing.
All right, guys.
Ready to go to the kitchen?
It's evening out.
Two girls, two guys gone now.
So it's time for somebody else
to go home.
[Silently]
I'm not.
Good morning, chefs.
[All]
good morning.
I'd like to introduce
the guest judge for this round.
chef and owner
of the famous
Blue ginger restaurant
in boston,
Ming tsai.
[Lisa]
ming tsai's best known
For his east-meets-west
cuisine.
I love his food.
So I am, like,
just all grins.
So this round of the competition
is about good taste.
one of the most important
weapons
in a chef's arsenal
Is his palate.
If your palate
is not trained,
If you can't tell
what tastes good,
you shouldn't be cooking.
Might as well pack up
your knives and go home.
It's time to find out
Just how truly sensitive
your palates are.
[Chuckling]
If I was standing
on a couch,
I would jump up and down,
Because every year
that I have seen top chef,
Every year the have
the blind test.
It's my favorite quickfire,
Hands-down--
you have no idea.
So here's how
it works.
Ming and I will give out
pairs of items to taste.
one will be an expensive
gourmet version,
and the other will not.
You'll have 20 seconds
to tell us
Which of the two
is the higher quality.
the chef who gets
the most right
will win immunity
in the next challenge.
[Andrew]
it's very important
to have a good palate.
As a chef, it's your life.
If you can't season properly,
If you can't taste
what good food is, you suck.
But if you're blind,
it's really hard to do.
[Ryan]
I'm the first person to go.
[Ming]
how are you?
Which can't be a bad thing.
I'll set the pace.
I'm going to blindfold you.
I woke up this morning,
didn't eat any breakfast
So my palate's really good.
This is my chance to shine.
We're starting the clock
right now.
[Ryan]
first one they give me
is maple syrup.
2...
Which one is the better
quality product?
This one.
Correct.
Anybody that cooks
Knows that the first thing
I'm looking for
Is something really
heavy salted,
Something really
overly sweetened,
Something that has
a lot of fat on it.
And that's the one
that's mass produced.
This guy.
Correct.
Well done.
Thank you.
[Ryan]
I mean,
it would be really cool.
I think I have a good chance
of getting on this one.
Watch out
for the big puff of hair.
It depends on the ingredient
And what you're looking for
To make it the higher quality.
A nicer fish
would be less fishy.
A nicer soy will have
more flavor.
Ten seconds, stephanie.
That is wrong.
I'm sorry.
I, for the first time,
am a little bit shaky.
It's okay.
Just water.
Sorry.
[Dale]
for chocolate,
I'm looking for
A high fat content,
something rich.
I'm looking for a bitterness.
This one.
You're right.
You're correct.
That's wrong.
I'm sorry.
This entire thing
would've been easier
Without a blindfold on,
Because things
you can just see.
Good quality butter
looks different
Than cheap butter.
And you're correct.
[Stephanie]
the aged cheese,
The second I put it
in my mouth,
It had those nice
little crunchies in it
And I just bit into it
And knew right away,
like, "this one right here."
You're right.
Soy, I got the sake.
I got all the asian ingredients
right,
So I feel good about that.
Love caviar.
And I've boughten a lot
of caviar
And I've tasted caviar.
This one.
That's wrong.
k*lled me
to get that one wrong.
It's not easy.
Correct.
That's incorrect.
Ten seconds.
Correct.
[Richard]
my hands are great.
My skills are good.
My technique is sound.
But there's no walking around
this one.
If you're on the bottom three
in this challenge,
I think
it's a big embarrassment.
Correct.
You are correct.
My palate is very, very good.
I am taking my time.
I'm tasting with one finger
And swishing my water
And then tasting
with another finger,
Really to make sure
That I'm not cross-contaminating
flavors on fingers.
You're right.
This one?
That's right.
This one.
Correct.
The one on the left.
Sorry, that's not correct.
Was it harder
than you thought?
Hell, yeah.
Okay, ming.
let's start at the bottom.
Who scored the lowest?
[ming]
the lowest score
was 6 out of 15.
And you are correct,
stephanie.
[Stephanie]
I suck at quickfires.
I guess no immunity
for me,
But I'm pretty used to that,
since I've never had it.
[padma]
there was a tie for runner-up.
Tie for runner-up.
11 out of 15.
Ryan...
And jen.
[Zoi]
I'm a little irritated
that jen beat me.
I want to be able to have
bragging rights, you know?
So, heh, whatever.
She beat me by one.
and in the top place,
Very solid score
of 12 out of 15...
Antonia.
[Applause]
I win.
[Laughs]
I win the quickfire
challenge.
I was like, whatever.
Was a great number.
Like, I'm proud of you.
Good job.
So antonia, your palate
has won you safety
from elimination
in the next challenge.
Thank you.
For your next elimination
challenge,
you'll be cooking
for the meals on wheels
Chicago celebrity chef ball.
it's being catered by
Chicago's best-known chefs.
while the celebrity chefs
at the event
will prepare the second through
fourth courses, your job...
Is to set the tone
for the entire dinner
By creating
the very first course.
[Stephanie]
I think the diners
that attend
The meals on wheels event
are always expecting
High-end, terrific flavors,
'Cause that's what
they get every year.
They're getting
the top chefs from chicago.
The most important thing
is keep it simple
and execute it perfectly.
Taste, taste, taste.
and that comes
from your palate.
The theme of the event
is four elements:
Earth, water, fire,
and air.
So you work in four teams,
each creating a first course
Inspired by a different element
for 80 guests.
So it's time
to draw knives.
Fire.
Water.
Air.
Fire.
Water.
Fire.
Water.
Earth.
Air.
Earth.
Earth.
Air.
So you have your teams
And your elements.
You'll now have 15 minutes
to plan your menus.
Is not enough time
To kind of strategize
or plan for a meal,
Especially of this magnitude
and this volume.
Good luck.
Water.
Water.
Water.
So we're the water team
which is actually,
Looking around,
it's a pretty strong team.
How do we feel
about raw fish?
[Andrew]
never worked with mark before,
But I've worked
with richard before
And I see that he immediately
Walks into a situation
Like he's the executive chef,
So it'll be fun dealing
with that.
I thought about doing
a duck
Or a chicken mousse.
So air, to me,
right away is birds,
Little birds
or a poultry of some sort.
Something that flies.
we need for them
to think air,
And if I got this dish
in front of me,
All I would say
is "oh, they use a bird."
[Muttering]
I was thinking
butternut squash--
[antonia]
we also have $500.
Yeah.
I have to say
I'm really, like, against soup.
We just had an entire challenge
based on high-quality.
$500 And we're gonna make
squash soup?
No.
If you two are totally
into soup,
I will make a [bleep]ing
good soup with you.
Yeah, but you're freaking me out
because--
I'm thinking
it's not enough quality.
Okay, well so we're not gonna
do soup then.
I'm kind of feeling
a little vulnerable
Being on a team
with antonia.
It's a little scary
because she definitely--
She has immunity
this round.
So if our team
goes in there
It's up to me and zoi.
I think carpaccio's
much more elegant.
I think we should use
cooking techniques
that use fire, like grill.
Something related
to garnish the plate.
Something like that.
Maybe we can do kind of like
a warm beef tartare,
Like a seared beef tartare.
Not a fan of doing
a tartare.
We can do, like,
a seared piece of beef
And then wrap it around
a deviled tuna--
A deviled egg.
[Dale]
I want to think about
the challenge
And not be so literal.
Like, think fire, devil,
deviled eggs.
I just liked the deviled egg
idea.
I thought that
was kind of cool.
[Lisa]
I'm totally not having it.
I don't like the idea.
I think that doing
this tiny little presentation
Of an egg is--
is weak.
[Dale]
little concerned
about lisa
'Cause I haven't worked
with her before.
I think she's a negative person.
She has a way about her
that I can tell
I'm not gonna be able
to work with her very well.
I'm gonna be honest.
I don't know how comfortable
I am with this idea.
I don't know
if it's enough.
[Stephanie]
I haven't worked
with dale in the competition.
I know that he's very
talented.
I'm more a little nervous
Of how him and lisa
are gonna butt heads
Because lisa is a really strong
personality,
And dale is that
self-proclaimed [bleep].
It sounds really cool
as an hors d'oeuvres, maybe.
But as a first course,
I don't feel like
it's enough.
My teammates seem to be
really into it,
But I'm dreading
getting to the grocery store
Because I want to change
the dish completely.
Oh, [bleep] me.
[Dale]
she's just normal lisa.
"That sucks.
[Bleep] that."
Mother[bleep]er.
I'm not going home
for this.
[Richard]
the elimination challenge
is to cook
The first course
for a large charity event.
It's for meals on wheels.
It's an awesome cause,
a noble cause.
It's a good feeling
to be able to participate
In something like that.
What's the freshest thing
you have?
That sea bass.
The coho is fresh.
I like the idea
of fish cooked in water.
Absolutely.
Our theme is water.
So just the top pieces
of the fillets.
And now we're gonna take
a fish
And we're gonna poach it
In a controlled water bath.
So we're really starting
to connect the theme.
[Ryan]
okay, guys, so...
You've got duck breast too?
oh, duck breast.
We're thinking cold, right?
Seared, cold.
I think the more we
conceptualize this dish,
I think the more
we'll get points for saying,
"Hey, you've conceptualized
the dish here about fire."
It's really, really stressful
To be going into the store
And having really no idea
what we're going to do
For the dish.
We get the beef tenderloin,
Rub the outside
with crazy hot spices.
I like the concept
of what you're thinking
But I think we need
to implement it differently.
I think we should really
strictly go asian.
I gotta say
I don't want to do asian.
I just really feel
that for ming tsai,
We need to be doing something
asian.
He's the only chef
out of the four
That we've had so far
That cooks what I like
to cook.
And I really want to just--
I want to knock his pants off
with it.
We need to come up
with something,
And we need to do it soon.
So we've now taken ten minutes
of our time planning,
And we still haven't
the faintest idea
What we're doing.
Are we gonna get screwed
for all you guys did
was carpaccio,
A vinaigrette,
and a salad?
[antonia]
no, I'm going quality.
we're picking high-quality
mushrooms,
High-quality beef,
you know what I mean?
I'm not enjoying this
right now.
Antonia has immunity.
But I feel
if you have immunity
And you're going
into a group effort,
Maybe you should take
Just slightly a back seat.
[antonia]
do you think they both go?
[zoi]
either way, it's gonna
be delicious.
butternut squash soup
Would be delicious.
Carpaccio would be delicious.
Unless you're gonna take
two women and strangle them,
There comes a time
that you gotta just
Roll with it and try
to do as best as you can.
What type of carpaccio?
Probably tenderloin.
You guys are doing fillet?
Yeah.
All right, we're gonna come
right back, okay?
yep.
thanks.
So let's go get some eggs.
We notice another team
is doing carpaccio,
And then we sort of just
change our minds completely.
Can I just vocalize now
That I'm not comfortable
with this at all?
[Lisa]
we haven't determined
all components on the dish.
We haven't determined
what it's gonna look like,
How it's gonna taste.
I'm, like, "no, [bleep] this."
I'm not going home
for this.
Lisa's freaking out.
I know.
[Dale]
I was a little pissed off.
I wanted to tell lisa,
"Smile, all right?
"It's gonna be okay.
"We'll talk about the dish.
Don't worry.
Have some faith."
What if we stop
for a minute
And we decide that
we didn't want to do beef,
That we want to do something
with shrimp?
I like to do a little
slightly spicy marinade
On my shrimp when I grill it,
So you got the fire
from the grill,
You got the fire from the spice.
The number one goal
was to get lisa
On board with the idea
And make her comfortable
with the idea.
[lisa]
we need to stop, breathe,
and talk about this dish.
Like, maybe pickled chilies.
hey, what if we put
the pickled chili salad down
And lay the shrimp against it
so it's sort of standing up.
[Lisa]
initially, I was a little bit
concerned about the dish.
But at this point,
I'm feeling mostly confident.
I'd like to get
a bit more confident.
Want to go ask him
for the thick-cut bacon?
Yeah.
watercress?
Yeah, grab some.
Really nice--
I mean a couple bags.
Pistachio and the champagne,
and we're done.
Mayonnaise, come on.
right, anything else?
no.
[richard]
fish cooked in water.
That was a great idea.
I thought we were gonna have
so much money left over.
[Mark]
I will be cooking in the kitchen
Of the old marshall field's
building.
We have 2 1/2 hours
of prepping and cooking time.
So we walk in the kitchen.
It's huge.
Huge!
You could probably fit
the yankee stadium
In that kitchen, I think.
Coming around with the slicer!
Coming around!
[Andrew]
we decided to segregate
ourselves
From the rest
of the madness
And just put our heads down
and hmm-mm-mm-mm.
Table is done.
We're good.
Thanks, man.
This is my station
over here in the corner.
Coming around!
Coming around!
[Antonia]
we are the earth team.
Our dish is based
on, obviously, ingredients
That come from the earth.
Beef carpaccio
with wild mushrooms,
Sunchokes, and mush.
I clean all the mushrooms.
I peel all the sunchokes.
I'm gonna contribute 100%
Whether I have immunity
or not.
[Spike]
go, plate.
I start slicing the fillet.
After that's done,
Zoi's gonna take off,
do the marinated mushrooms
And frise salad,
And I'll do the aioli.
As far as it being like,
you know, the dish
I wanted to do completely
100%, no.
So I have to show
that I'm just as enthusiastic
About this dish as about
doing butternut squash soup.
Good.
Think that's good, yeah?
I think it's perfect.
[richard]
butter to spare
a little bit for me?
[mark]
uh, yeah, how much
you need, mate?
Quarter of a pound,
half a pound?
Pound would be good.
Inspired by the element water,
We're doing sous vide
poached wild salmon.
Mark is responsible
for a parsnip vanilla puree
As well as helping andrew
orchestrate the salad
Of watercress and radishes.
Andrew's also doing
some of his famous
Tapioca faux caviar
Amongst the contestants.
Sous vide, which is cooking
in vacuum bags--
It's probably my specialty.
So my role basically
is executive chef,
And it's a pretty big task.
So I'm cleaning fish
and portioning fish,
Making sure that we get
all this fish ready to go,
Because it is the main component
of our dish.
[lisa]
141.
So we just grill 'em
and pick out
The most beautiful ones
that get grilled.
[Dale]
our concept is fire.
Our dish is prawns and bacon.
Bacon being smoked,
Prawns having a chili rub
on it, then fire.
[Stephanie]
I stick with the shrimp.
Dale jumps on the chili salad
And lisa jumps over and starts
working on her bacon.
She's got a nice method
for cooking her bacon.
Heat up my bacon and press it
So it's nice and flat
and pretty.
You want the fatty side
of every piece of bacon
Going in the same direction
So that when they kind
of shrink up,
They'll fuse together.
Then instead of serving
just a natural piece of bacon,
Everything's gonna be overlapped
So that I can actually cut them
into perfect strips.
With this glaze
that I'm gonna put on it,
It's gonna give you
this gooey, sticky,
Miso flavor that's gonna
completely change
The flavor of the bacon.
We did settle on asian,
and that's cool.
I just hope it's enough
to wow ming tsai.
[jennifer]
want us to start
trimming them?
[Ryan]
we're preparing our version
of air.
It's very simple.
Duck breast, herb salad.
And we have a shot
of prosecco
With some pomegranates in it.
Nikki and jen start the ducks
And I'm picking herbs
And making dressing.
You know, breaking down
pomegranates
And getting the seeds
out of them.
This is an elimination challenge
So this dish needs
to be spot on.
Like, I'm cooking
all the duck breasts,
Making sure that
they're perfect.
I'm just, like,
not [bleep]ing around.
Nice legs.
[ryan]
thank you.
[laughing]
There's an hour and a half
left.
Guys, can you please move
your [bleep]ing equipment
Our of our station?
nikki!
She's gotta move it quick.
There's, like, 50 billion
outlets in the kitchen.
Why is she doing it right
in the middle of our station?
oh, [bleep] me.
[Dale]
lisa is just bitching
about everything.
she's just normal lisa.
You know, it's an observational
negativity.
"That sucks.
[Bleep] that."
For me, it's a horrible thing
to be around.
Bacon is too thick.
It's not working out
the way we want it to.
Mother[bleep]er.
When it's time to get serious,
I'm definitely serious.
I can be that bitch
that everybody hates,
But nothing is getting served
that's not perfection.
We have juice
for the pomerinis?
[ryan]
I'll put it in.
I got it.
Ryan's moving quickly
But he seems at some point
To maybe get a little
frazzled.
Oh, [bleep]!
What happened?
[Nikki]
some of the pomegranate juice
Should've been reserved
for the pomerini.
So we need something
to make that cocktail.
We have a lot of these.
Yeah.
Let's juice some of them--
yeah.
And we'll get the juice.
Problem solved.
and just remember
when you curse,
That draws attention to you.
How are you?
Hey, spike, you want to join us
over here?
How's working with
antonia and zoi?
It's a pleasure
working with them.
Women, finally--
I love it.
[tom laughs]
good, okay.
Good times.
Who's responsible
for each piece of the dish?
[zoi]
it was completely collaborative
I think.
that's the answer
you're usually gonna get..
Who's cooking the mushrooms?
I'm gonna gook
the mushrooms.
Okay, who's making
the sunchoke aioli?
I peeled the sunchokes.
We're also gonna caramelize--
Who's making it?
Who's making it?
I don't care who's peeling it.
You can't screw up
peeling it, so who's making it?
All right, good.
I'll let you get back to it.
Thank you, chef.
hey, guys.
Chef, how are you?
Good, how's it going?
So what is your element?
Our element's water.
Water.
You can tell
by the blue aprons.
of course.
To me, I think a rapport
with tom
In this competition
is an important factor.
So what are you making?
We're gonna do a poached--
poached fish.
Okay?
Who poaches fish anymore?
Uh, three chefs
in blue aprons.
We do have a jacuzzi.
Don't know if he's got
a good poker face
Or the richard blais charm
Has just worn off
on tom colicchio.
And I'm worried,
I'm concerned.
All right.
I'll see you later.
Okay.
Thank you, chef.
All right, guys,
you got a little under
an hour left.
Oh, my gosh.
So I did my walk-through
and checked on all the chefs.
Nikki, ryan, jennifer--
Their element is air.
But they didn't really seem
To have a clear idea
of that dish just yet.
With an hour left
to plating,
They should have an idea.
Stephanie, dale, and lisa--
I just hope the dish
isn't too spicy.
It's the first course.
Typically you don't want
to serve something
That spicy for a first course.
It'll sort of ruin
everybody's palate
For the rest of the meal.
Richard, andrew, and mark.
They're clearly having
a good time.
They seem
a little overconfident.
Really cocky--
they're joking around.
And often I've seen
if people don't take this
Really seriously,
they start making mistakes.
[Glass shatters]
[Bleep], I broke one.
Watch your back.
Atmosphere in the kitchen
is pretty tense, you know?
Everybody's going balls
to the wall.
Can you start grilling shrimp
now?
[zoi]
no, I don't want it
to be pre-grilled.
A little bit more?
Of time,
But it goes quick.
Normally, if you ever
put a dish on the menu,
You would make it,
you would taste it,
Think about how you could
make it better.
But it's not my restaurant,
it's not my plate.
This is kind of just having
to compromise a lot.
buon giorno.
buon giorno.
[Dale]
we have no idea
what's going on out there.
It's a high-stress
situation.
[man]
what are they having?
that's bad.
It's--really, it's like
my worst nightmare.
I think we're all gonna get
our asses handed to us.
[Pleasant jazz music]
♪ ♪
[Chattering]
[man]
we want to welcome you
To the 2007 meals on wheels
chicago
celebrity chef ball.
[Applause]
We will win, we will win,
we will win.
Yeah, we're gonna win.
[Ryan]
we're cooking
for meals on wheels,
Which is a huge
charity function.
And it's a first course,
80 dishes each.
[Richard]
hey, guys, just to let you know,
I don't know if this one
is influenced or not
But everybody else
is plating their food.
What do you think,
richard?
I'm nervous about plating
at 15.
[Richard]
I'm very nervous going
Into the service period
of this event,
Because, you know,
we are serving a warm dish.
A dish that has
a high-level of difficulty
As far as execution
is concerned.
Are you serving skin up
or skin down?
Uh, I think we serve it--
What do you want?
What do you think?
we should've already
decided that.
[Mark]
richard's definitely stressing.
I don't know if he's plated
And I think that's starting
to show.
Careful of the scales.
What's that?
You got scales?
Really?
[Andrew]
scales are unforgivable
on a dish.
It's like leaving
a fish head on
If you cook a fish.
Richard, you happy
with the fish?
Two scales.
[Richard]
okay, we'll just check 'em
As we're putting 'em
on there.
I want to thank everybody here
For allowing us to be part
of chicago meals on wheels.
enjoy, have a great time,
Thanks.
[Applause]
buon giorno.
Yeah, there's gonna be
a glass on the plate
So it has to be
pretty steady.
when you're ready,
Shift over and I can start
sliding in
and dropping the salads.
How heavy is the seasoning
on your mushrooms?
I'm just tasting it.
[zoi]
they're seasoned.
I feel zoi's mushrooms
are a little under-seasoned,
But she wanted to do
real light seasoning.
Yeah, there's salt on those.
It's okay?
[Alarm beeping]
Plate's hot on the bottom,
okay?
We're good, let's go.
Thank you.
roll with the food, guys.
Gotta reach?
There you go.
Hold on, let me wipe
that plate.
[richard]
get the next round
of plates up.
someone get the next round
of plates, if we can.
[Andrew]
I'm very worried
about what we sent up.
Richard assured us
that there was only
A couple pieces that
actually had scales on it,
Even though I got one
on two pieces already,
Including probably
about a total of four scales
Just for myself.
Can you lay out
some plates?
[Richard]
cooking for a large amount
of people
All at one shot.
Really, it's like
my worst nightmare.
But there's a lot of food
that has to go out
And, you know, you have
to compromise.
And I can't stand compromise.
Tapioca on top.
See, I thought
that was a caviar.
[tom]
that's the same one
he did the other day too.
yeah, I know.
yes.
Too bad there's scales
on the salmon.
That's bad.
I had five scales
in my mouth.
What's the matter,
what's the matter?
Just a [bleep] mess, man.
Trying to cook
for 300 people at one shot.
Some things aren't good
sous vide.
Yes.
And salmon's one.
[lisa]
she's a rock star.
Ha.
[Dale]
we have no idea
what's going on out there.
So all we know
is that service come in,
They take the plates.
Service come in,
they take the plates.
It's a high-stress
situation.
The shrimp...
Is amazing.
isn't the shrimp good,
ming?
Yeah, it's good.
It's spicy.
Too spicy?
[tom]
spicy.
it's fire.
it is fire.
All right.
You've been shot down, tom.
It was very hot,
Either the sauce
or the bacon.
I couldn't figure out which,
But it was excellent.
They're a little fragile,
So we apologize.
All right, my dear,
thank you very much.
I feel very strongly
That our dish
was a quality product.
And I love the way
the duck tasted.
I loved our salad savage.
The aperitif definitely
could've been better.
But I still think the dish
Is nowhere near the bottom.
thank you.
[Chattering]
They didn't render
the skin at all.
They needed to score it.
The most basic thing
with duck breast.
Score the breast
to render the fat.
I'm irritated by this.
I'm not a big fan
of this trend
Of little drinks with dishes.
With desserts I love it.
Table 14.
[Antonia]
everything's plated up
and it's ready to go.
For the most part,
I really--
I tasted our dish.
I thought it tasted good.
[Chattering]
thank you.
[ming]
sunchokes?
[gail]
mm-hmm.
This would be earth,
I assume.
and it is.
There rosemary in there?
Yeah, that's a bad choice.
rosemary.
Absolutely bland.
Yeah, I think it's
a little bland.
Just throw some salt
on that meat, guys.
These are earthy ingredients,
And there's nothing earthy
about them at all.
[Spike]
I'm a little nervous
just because,
Conceptually, I wasn't
behind the dish from the get-go.
If I was solely making
that dish on my own,
There's a couple things
I would've done differently.
It's like you can't taste
anything.
If I was a judge
on the top chef,
Then I would be telling
one of the earth members
They were
going home tonight.
Oh, ouch!
For this challenge,
The diners also get
to fill out comment cards.
And the judges will
take in account
What the diners are feeling
about the food that's served.
I'm confident that
we're not the bottom team.
So, gail,
did you love
The shrimp dish
as much as I did?
I did.
It was clearly my favorite.
I loved the heat.
I thought it was a perfect
first course.
It had the acid
from the pickling.
It had the saltiness
from the bacon.
I loved the bacon.
And that was, I thought,
One of the best elements
on the dish.
I think it really tied
everything together.
Bacon added to anything
Is not a bad situation.
How was your salmon?
[Ming]
well as you saw,
My first bite
I had two or three scales.
It just ruined it for me.
I don't like the method
they used
to cook the dish.
It had almost no texture.
The duck dish--
the air dish--
I just didn't quite get
that dish.
I really liked the salad.
I thought it was crunchy
And flavorful and bright.
[Tom]
how about the carpaccio?
No one's mentioned it at all.
To me that was
the most disappointing of all.
The salad and the mushrooms
Had almost no seasoning
to them.
This is cooking 101:
season your food.
And that really bothers me
more than anything else.
All right, well at least
we have a consensus.
Let's go back
to the judges' table
And find out who's responsible.
Okay.
Nice job.
Wait, can we burn our sign
that says "fire"?
I think we should
for good luck.
I don't want to get
overconfident
But I'm feeling really good
about the dish.
I'm feeling really good
about all the flavors.
And it really showed
the asian techniques
In all of us,
And I'm proud of that.
I think we're all gonna get
our asses handed to us.
I'm happy with the concept
that we put forth.
Wasn't happy with
the execution.
I'm disappointed in myself.
I'm not sure what
I'm gonna say
In defense if I have to.
All right, guys.
Let's go stew.
[Andrew]
I should be a [bleep]hole.
I should do whatever it takes
To do what I want to do.
You're here because
it wasn't very good.
[Mark]
I'm just not ready
to go home.
You cook sous vide
any piece of fish--tender.
I'm just hoping that that
Just doesn't put us
in the bottom,
You know?
[Padma]
can we see the fire team,
please?
[Suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
Congratulations.
You were the judges' favorite
In tonight's
elimination challenge.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
How did you guys come about
creating the dish?
It took us a while
to come up with the idea.
[stephanie]
it was so collaborative.
it sort of came together
while we were shopping.
We thought peppers for spice.
I knew I had a chili relish
concept in my head.
I really felt that heat.
Who did the shrimp?
I did the shrimp.
marinated them in a garlic--
Some chili garlic sambal.
[gail]
it was spicy...
In a good way.
Who did the bacon?
That was me.
we wanted to press the bacon,
Have it nice and flat,
beautiful strips.
and then I did like
a maple syrup shiro miso glaze.
Just gooey and tasty.
[tom]
from talking to you
previously I knew
That each of you were
responsible
For certain components.
and it was nice to see
that each one
of those components
really added to the dish.
This was a great dish.
Really, really nice.
And there's one more thing.
the chef who ming considers
most responsible
for your success tonight
Will win a trip for two
for five nights
In erbusco italy,
in l'albereta hotel
A relais and chateaux property.
It's a tough decision.
stephanie, I think your shrimp
was perfectly cooked,
And you added the heat element
with the sambal.
the spiced chilies I loved.
I love marinating in acid.
The bacon with the miso
created a new technique
that I had never seen.
So therefore, lisa.
Congratulations.
[Lisa]
I'm very excited to go.
I've never been to italy.
I'm just proud because
it's the asian dish
With an asian-cooking chef,
And this is what I do.
There was not a more perfect
challenge that I could've won.
[Dale]
she made bacon
And she gets a trip to italy?
Are you [bleep]ing
kidding me?
I'm bitter.
[padma]
and now I need you
to send back
some of your colleagues.
[Suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
Miss lisa.
[Applause]
All right,
so the bad news.
Uh, they want earth...
And water.
Good luck, guys.
[Muttering]
[Padma]
so you two are the judges'
Least favorite teams
In tonight's challenge.
let's start
with the water element.
Who cooked the salmon?
I cooked the salmon.
we cooked it sous vide.
Thought it was cooked well
and it was moist.
Were you the one
who cleaned the fish?
In what regard?
[padma]
half the people at our table
Had scales, including myself
and ming.
I did run every piece
under water.
If there are a few scales,
Then I must have missed
a few.
but I did definitely
scale the fish.
It wasn't a few.
It was a lot.
as if you missed
the whole filet.
I had six or eight scales
In my one plate.
That's an issue.
I just want to determine--
You were happy
with the texture
Of the salmon as you saw it
on the plate.
I do enjoy the texture
of salmon sous vide.
I'm not a fan
of sous vide salmon.
I think it always comes out
mushy.
[gail]
so richard,
if you did the fish,
What role did you two play
in the dish?
I played of composing
the salad
And also making the process
of the caviar.
Had you made that caviar
before?
Of course, yes.
It did need a little more
flavor.
it was a really
interesting technique.
Mark, what did you do?
For this dish,
I made a little parsnip
and vanilla puree.
I just don't understand
where the parsnip
came from at all
on that plate.
What was it supposed to do?
I'm assuming you put stuff
on a plate because
There's a reason it's there.
So what was the reason
for the parsnip on that plate?
I feel strongly that
a flavor like celery
or parsnip
and vanilla go quite
harmoniously
With confit of salmon.
I don't think that helped
your dish at all.
Let's talk about
the earth team.
antonia has immunity
because she won the quickfire.
did you taste this dish
as it was finished
Before it went out
with your excellent palate?
I thought it tasted great
actually.
Nothing was seasoned.
The entire dish was bland.
start to finish.
Who did what?
I sliced the carpaccio
and made the aioli,
Fried the capers.
[zoi]
I made the pickled mushrooms
made the salad.
I basically prepped
All the vegetables while
they were slicing the meat.
I think every element
needed more seasoning.
Our concern as a team
Was that we didn't want
to overpower the meat.
So maybe in our attempt
to not overpower
We did just the opposite.
I tasted the mushrooms
many times.
I sautéed them
with rosemary and thyme.
And they were really delicious.
They were really, really good.
I'm not one with a light hand
In terms of seasoning.
I like really strong-flavored
foods.
Actually, the one thing
That did overwhelm me
on the dish
Was the rosemary flavor.
It struck me as odd because
I kind of didn't imagine it
with beef carpaccio.
I would've really enjoyed
having some lemon
And squeezing just a little bit
of lemon.
Probably would've been
another component
We should've added.
How did you conceptualize
the dish?
originally,
in the top chef kitchen,
I had thrown around
the idea
Of doing
a butternut squash soup,
But some of us
didn't agree on it.
Yeah, I was totally against
doing a soup for 80 people.
I was, like,
absolutely not.
But you had immunity,
antonia.
Yeah, but that didn't
stop me
From voicing or being
100%--
Didn't stop you at all,
actually.
I think soup's
are brilliant.
[gail]
yeah, very earthy.
For 80 people
in a banquet.
It's the test in france
to see
If you're a good cook:
Make me a soup.
You're not here because
you chose to do carpaccio.
you're here because
The carpaccio
wasn't very good.
[padma]
okay, thank you, all.
We'll get you back in here
in a bit.
[jennifer]
what happened?
[spike]
what happened?
we should've made
butternut squash soup
is what happened.
[spike]
I should listen to myself.
I should be an [bleep]hole.
I should yell.
I should do whatever it takes
To do what I want to do.
But no, I'm too nice.
I take the backseat.
I listen to people.
I get convinced,
la, la, la.
is saying, "this is what
I think"
And making your point
be known.
'Cause everybody comes up
with it together.
It's who made what.
[richard]
right, well,
then I'm gonna
go home then.
'Cause there were scales
on the fish.
It's okay.
It's okay.
Whatever happens, it's cool.
You are someone
to be reckoned with.
You're an amazing chef.
So salmon or beef?
It's pretty hard
to forgive a dish
That's covered in scales.
[Ming]
that's cooking 101:
Make sure it's prepped right.
I think richard
was genuinely satisfied
With the texture,
But none of us were,
clearly.
On the comment cards
The lowest score
was the carpaccio.
The carpaccio.
Who's it gonna be,
zoi or spike?
I would love to get rid
of both of them
Because they're competing
for top chef
And they're allowing someone
who has immunity
To dictate what
they're going to do.
I just don't understand it.
If spike wanted to do soup,
He should've just
put his foot down
And said,
"I'm doing soup."
The thing that confused me
Was when zoi went
into how
She loves highly-seasoned
food.
Bold flavors.
"This is how I want it."
And then she completely
backtracked on herself.
I think that that whole dish
Hinges on those mushrooms.
And she made those mushrooms.
All right, are we sure
about this?
I think so.
Agreed.
All right, let's get them
back in here.
you get to bitch and whine
About everything
you [bleep]ing feel about!
I don't say [bleep]!
[Padma]
you two teams were
at the bottom of this challenge,
And one of you
will be going home.
[tom]
mark, andrew, richard,
The dish sounds good
on paper.
It just didn't work out
very well.
Zoi, spike, and antonia,
We perceived very little
earthiness
In that dish.
[Suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
The judges agreed
with the diners
And thought
that the earth team
Had the worst dish
this evening.
Zoi, please pack your knives
and go.
Okay.
[Zoi]
I feel disappointed,
obviously.
What I do is not
to compete.
It's, like, to cook,
you know?
So I knew that, going into it,
That it would be a challenge
for me.
See you guys later.
What?
What?
Are you [bleep]ing
kidding me?
[Zoi]
I'm totally fine
with what I did.
They didn't get it.
That's okay.
I don't regret anything
that happened.
The fact that jen and I
got to do this together
Is pretty amazing.
I think it's cool
that we got to show people
That you can be a couple
and be professional
And still compete
in this kind of arena.
Don't worry.
No, it's okay.
Don't worry about it.
[Applause]
Whatever happens,
we have a good life
And we have people
that love us and support us,
And so we'll go on.
Who knows what'll happen?
It'll be interesting to see.
You know what?
You should've taken
the backseat on this one,
Having immunity.
[antonia]
I'm not here to take
the backseat on anything.
Well, maybe you should
be considerate
About other people's
opinions.
What did I say to you?
That's what you should've done
is been considerate
That the two people
that were working with you
wanted to do butternut squash
soup.
Did I say I would do it?
and you didn't want
to do it at all.
Did I say I would do it?
No, you said
you wouldn't do it.
Really, I did?
I said I wouldn't do it?
Absolutely.
Stand behind your dish.
How many times
did I try
To explain to you why we should
do butternut squash soup?
And what did he say?
stand behind your dish.
"Soup would've been
the most brilliant idea
In the world."
Stand behind your dish.
If had immunity--
You would just sit back
and not do anything.
I would be considerate
of the other two--
And I said I would do soup!
I didn't say that?
no way.
It's on film.
no way!
no way, no way.
You're just putting your [bleep]
teammate in the ground.
So [bleep]ing what?
Yeah, so--
so [bleep]ing what!
That's weak [bleep].
all right, we get
your [bleep]ing point.
You're just making it
worse.
I'm sure you would
like to see me go home
Instead of her because
earth lost.
Cry over it all night long,
okay?
[Dale]
that was not the person
to go home.
so by saying it
over and over again
Is gonna make it better?
you get to bitch and whine
About everything
you [bleep]ing feel about!
I don't say [bleep]!
The one minute I say [bleep]
about something,
you gonna talk [bleep]?
That's bull[bleep]!
[Padma]
next on top chef:
The constant negativity,
It's starting to wear
on some people in the house.
Dale can go [bleep] himself,
as far as I'm concerned.
[Jennifer]
I'm doing this for zoi.
The fact that spike
is still here, and she's not,
That's just total bull[bleep].
[Ryan]
do I look like a sports fan?
No, I'm not.
so when's the last time
the bears won the super bowl?
Hopefully,
you'll get the flavor.
What happened?
I'm just [bleep]ing my pants.
Oh, nothing like bubbles.
[Antonia]
honestly, this is like
a cheap porno.
I was, like, aren't you guys
just a little worried?
[Padma]
for more about the recipes
seen tonight,
04x05 - The Elements
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Show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges.
Show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges.