05x07 - Focus Group

[bunniefuu]

Previously on Top Chef...

Holy [bleep].
Oh, my god.

[hosea]
I can tell you right now,
I can't serve this.

This is garbage.

It's all bad.
We can't use any of it.

[hosea]
you've got an event planned--

Cheers.

Whether or not you're ready,
the hundreds of people,

They're gonna be there hungry.

I did a crudo of sea scallop.

That just
tastes raw.

[eugene]
I'd be very surprised
if I was in the bottom three.

That was a bit of a shock.

Could he have tasted this?

Congratulations, hosea.

So the three of you
were the judges'

And the guests' least favorite.

I mean, you guys gotta
step up your game here.

In the spirit of
the holidays,

No one is going home
tonight.

[melissa]
I'm gonna listen
to tom's advice.

I need to cook better food.

At stake for the winner,

A feature
in food & wine magazine,

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

$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]

♪ ♪

Breakfast of a champion.

Spam and pork and bean.

[eugene]
I get up this morning,

And I'm kinda
pissed off, you know.

I felt that I shouldn't have
been in the bottom three.

There's nothing they can
tell me to change my mind.

I stand behind my dish 1,000%.

[melissa]
I didn't realize
how much pressure

There is on you as a chef
once you're in the situation.

And that's what's
so hard about this,

Is that you wouldn't
make these same mistakes

In your restaurant
and your everyday life.

I'm feeling awesome right now;
I'm feeling on top of the world.

'cause I came back
from near disaster

To snag another win.

It feels good to have
two elimination wins now.

[stefan]
I don't care hosea won.

I run circles around that dude.

I'll clean the pot later
with the beans, I'm sorry.

[jamie]
this morning, I'm in a bad mood.

I have these people that, like,
are thinking about me

And like rooting
for me, and like,

Who care about me back home,
so I wanna win for that reason.

Let's roll, you dull rollers.

[ariane]
don't forget your knives.

Hello, chefs.

[all]
hello.

[padma]
I'd like to introduce
our guest judge for this round.

Award-winning
french chef

Jean-christophe novelli,

Who you'll
soon be seeing

In his own show
on bravo, chef academy.

Hello.

[all]
hello.

[radhika]
jean-christophe novelli
is an acclaimed pastry chef.

Immediately I'm thinking,
dessert challenge.

In today's world,

Customers are more and more
concerned with diet.

Here in new york city,
some stores have to display

The calorie count of
their snacks.

So chefs have to work
harder and harder

To figure out
how to give their customers

Something they crave

Without all of the guilt.

So chefs, your diet dr. Pepper
quickfire challenge

Is to create
the ultimate sweet treat.

But there
is a catch.

What you see
before you

Is all the sugar
in our top chef pantry.

Jean-christophe and I will be
walking out with it.

[all]
oh.

[eugene]
immediately,
I think I'm [bleep].

'cause I'm not strong at all
in pastries or desserts.

[padma]
you'll have 45 minutes

To create a sweet treat--

Using any non-sugar
ingredients--

That tastes so good

We'll think there's
nothing diet about it at all.

Your time starts now.

Good luck.

Bye.

How 'bout
a diet dr. Pepper?

[jeffrey]
in miami, people are focused on
their physique.

I'd say over half
my desserts are sugar-free.

I'm gonna do
a little spring roll,

Stuff it with some nuts,
coat it in honey,

And make a fat-free
frozen yogurt.

I'm excited.
I can win a quickfire today.

[pans clattering]

You guys,
top oven's set to 375.

Please don't
change it.

At my restaurant,
I don't make desserts.

But I find some phyllo dough,

Some ricotta mascarpone,
and then some agave syrup

To give it some sweetness.

So I'm gonna do,
like, a layered napoleon

Of the cheese mixture,
the phyllo dough,

And the stoned fruit.

[carla]
I don't wanna be known
as a baker in this competition,

But I do like making desserts.

My idea is to have

A cute little container
of banana ice cream

With baklava
and chocolate coins.

So I cut my bananas up,
I get them in the freezer

So they can freeze.

[hosea]
I'm trying to think of something

That's--that's really healthy.

So I decided to do, like,
a roasted fig and peach dessert.

I wanna incorporate some yogurt.

[stefan]
I'm looking at hosea's
next to me.

Some green vomit.

I swear to god,

I have not seen anything
like this before in my life.



Diet dr. Pepper.

[ariane]
I'm making a whole-wheat crepe

With, um, caramelized pears.

Sweetness is coming
from the pears

And the diet dr. Pepper.

What's up?

I'm not a big fan of desserts,

But I realize I can make
a really good bread pudding.

I do feel like I have
a good shot at winning

Another quickfire.

I'm doing, uh, banana lumpias,

And I'm doing
a mini blini, uh, sandwich.

[eugene]
banana lumpias,
it's a filipino dessert.

It's basically bananas

Wrapped in egg roll wrappers
and deep fried.

Coated with sugar and cinnamon,
but we can't use sugar.

[stefan]
guys, 13 minutes.

Somehow, I was thinking I was

The only one who was
gonna use the freezer.

No.

So the freezer is constantly
being opened and closed.

[carla]
hey!

Y'all! C'mon!

[carla]
the baklava gets done,

The coins get done,

And my bananas aren't frozen.

You have five minutes!

[carla]
so I decide to sautee
some bananas in walnut oil.

Five, four, three, two,

One, utensils down!

Hands up.

Hi, fabio.

This is
jean-christophe novelli.

[fabio]
for the tart,
I have granola and oat.

And, uh,
fresh berry.

Are you pleased
with this?

Yeah, I'm pleased that, yes.

I believe

The cream wasn't
cooked enough.

Not cooked enough?
No.

Okay.

[fabio]
he is french.

Everything in europe
is between Italy and France.

Even the final of the world cup
two years ago, we won.

So I guess he's
sending me down this time.

Over here, if you would just
scoop this and place it here.

[jeffrey]
this is a frozen yogurt
that I just spun.

I made a baklava spring roll.

A couple different nuts,
the basic spices,

A little bit of cardamom,
and some cinnamon.

Very interesting
combination.

Thank you.

What did you do
for us today?

[eugene]
I have, uh, mini blini sandwich,
and I have, uh, banana lumpias,

With a strawberry
and star anise dipping sauce.

Supposed to be like
a hamburger and french fries,

Presentation-wise.

Very original.
Very. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello.
What did you do?

[melissa]
well, I did a play
on classic burrito,

But I did it with some
fruit and some yogurt.

My specialty food
is latin food at the moment.

I was trying
to be really playful

With the yogurt being like
sour cream, and the burrito.

Thank you very much.
Thank you.

Hi, radhika.

I did a bread pudding.

I used whole-wheat challah,
ground ginger,

Some sauteed white peach

With honey-roasted
cashews.

It's very adventurous.

Thank you.
Thank you.

So today
I made a crepe

With whipped ricotta,
some honey,

Then there's fresh
strawberries,

And a balsamic
reduction on top.

C'est bon.
Very interesting.

[padma]
thank you.
Thank you.

[padma]
hi, stefan.
Hey, padma.
How are you?

What did you
make for us?

[stefan]
I made a sugar-free
mousse de chocolate

With cherries.

Where are you from, stefan?

Um, France.
Oh, you're french.

I'm kidding.
No, I'm finnish.

I'm finland.

It is very well mixed.

Very interesting.

Merci.
Well done.

[stefan]
thank you.

Hi, hosea.

What did you do?

[hosea]
it's, uh, green figs,
white peaches.

They're brushed with a little
honey and balsamic. Roasted.

Have you tried this?

Yeah. I was really
happy with it.

Interesting.

Did you do crepes?
I did--I did
a whole-wheat crepe.

[ariane]
caramelized some pears.

I finished it
with a little toasted almonds.

And, if you will,
a little whipped cream.

No, uh, no thank you.

Oh, you don't want it?

'cause I think
it's over-whipped to start.

Oh, okay.
You can see clearly.

[ariane]
I'm just like, all right, dude.

I mean, he's literally

Picking apart
everybody's dessert.

Hi, padma, how are you?

What did you do?

[jamie]
it's basically a napoleon.

So, what it is, is it's
a ricotta and mascarpone cheese.

And then I did

Sort of a stew

Of peaches, nectarines,
and cherries.

[breathes deeply]

Very interesting.

And last but not least,

We have carla.

Well, what I ended up with today
was a little baklava

And a chocolate disk
and some fried bananas.

My intention

Was to do an ice cream
with frozen bananas,

But it didn't set up, so I
didn't want you to have that.

[carla]
I am so disappointed
in myself, I can't stand it.

And I know it reads
all on my face.

You know, I definitely
wear my feelings on my sleeve.

Jean-christophe,

Who were your
least favorites?

Carla.

Because I think...

The second person

Is ariane.

[jean-christophe]
the pancake, it was missing
a bit of a twist.

The third one
is jamie.

The cheese actually overpowered
your dish completely.

[jamie]
I know my dish wasn't good.

At this point, I feel
a little bit defeated.

Whose dishes
did you like?

I will have to
say radhika.

That was an
excellent combination.

Congratulations.

Who else
did you like?

[jean-christophe]
leah.

I love the touch
of your balsamic vinegar.

Well done.

Thank you.

The third one
was jeff.

It was great.

Well done.

Thank you, chef.

Which one
is your favorite?

I think radhika probably
was just over everybody else.

[clapping]

So congratulations, radhika.

You are the winner

Of the diet dr. Pepper
quickfire challenge.

And as the winner,

You receive immunity
from elimination

In the next challenge.

Thank you.

[radhika]
I'm just on cloud 99.

I'm so excited, like,
I won immunity again.

For the next challenge, tom,
jean-christophe, and myself

Will be joined
at judges' table

By the renowned british
restaurant critic toby young.

He'll be taking over
for gail

For the rest of our time
here in new york.

[fabio]
toby young is a really bad-ass

Food critic in England.

He's gonna piss off
lot of people.

Tomorrow, we'll be doing
a special challenge

In honor of mr. Young's arrival.

But for tonight,
you're off the hook.

So relax, take it easy,

See you tomorrow.

[stefan]
bye, padma. Thank you.

He's the english food critic.

Oh, that guy.
Yeah.

[eugene]
feels good to have
the night off,

But toby young
is coming to town,

And we basically
gotta impress him.

There's a lotta people
rooting for me.

I got my wife and kids at home.

You know, I miss them a lot.

Hi, what're you doing?

Is malia using the bathroom now?

[eugene]
missing my family
does take a toll.

It's the longest
I've been away from them.

So I'm turning it around
and using it as motivation.

I wanna be top chef

Because it's not only to better
my life, but my family's life.

Love you guys.

[woman on phone]
bye.
[eugene]
bye.

Good morning.

Oh, morning, chef.

Colicchio walks in the house.

First thing's
I'm thinking, [bleep].

[jamie]
this is the first time
we've gone

Into an elimination challenge
not knowing what it is.

I wake up,
and it's a beautiful day

'cause I have immunity.

I've had immunity twice so far.

And, you know,
I feel bad sometimes

And I look
at my other fellow chefs

Who work just as hard as I do,
but then that's very passing.

It's a chef-eat-chef world.

Good morning.

Oh, morning, chef.

Colicchio walks in the house.

First thing's
I'm thinking, [bleep].

The house looks like a mess.

Can somebody run
and grab the, uh, gals?

Ladies.

Colicchio's
in our room.

He wants you all
to come over there.

Okay, we're coming,
we're coming.
Let's go.

Morning.

There's room on the couch,
you can sit here.

As you know, uh, for this
elimination, we're welcoming

A new permanent judge,
toby young,

The restaurant critic
in the u.K.

We want him to come
to know you food-first.

So for this challenge,
we're going to be judging blind.

You're gonna be
cooking for the judges,

Plus a group of foodies
and some critics.

You know, we know it's
been very frustrating.

You feel like you haven't been
able to cook your own food.

So today's challenge,
there are no limits.

Just cook something that's
gonna show us who you are

And what you're
capable of as a chef.

We have to cook
a family-style meal

For the blind tasting.

Which mean they're not
gonna be blindfolded,

But whoever's
gonna be the judges,

They're not gonna know
who is cooking their food.

[tom]
you know, because no one
was eliminated last time,

This time,
we're eliminating two chefs.

So make it good,
or you may be going home.

[leah]
that's a big deal.

You have to definitely,
like, step up your game.

[hosea]
out of the 11 people,

We've got radhika with immunity.


we're looking at.

That's a scary thought.

You'll cook at
the astor center in manhattan.

The kitchen's
a little tight there,

So you'll break
into two groups.

Radhika,
you won the quickfire,

So you can choose which group
you want to cook with.

[radhika]
I can feel people
looking at me, staring at me.

This is probably
the best time to have immunity.

Let's start pulling knives.

A.

B.

B.

A.

A.

B.

A.

A.

B.

B.

Radhika, you can
choose to either

Cook with group a
or group b.

I'm gonna choose group a.

[tom]
group a. Okay.

I decided that I would choose

The group that stefan
was not on.

He just creates a little bit
more stress in the kitchen

Than is necessary.

So, group a,
you're gonna gather your stuff,

Head out, do a little shopping.
You're cooking first.

Group b,
you can relax a little bit,

We're gonna
send you out second, okay?

[stefan]
easy, tiger, easy.

Unfortunately, two people
are going home today.

And I don't wanna
be one of 'em.

[melissa]
we have 100 bucks

And a half an hour
to shop at whole foods.

The first thing
I go for is tuna,

Because I know I'm gonna do
ahi tuna crudo tacos.

It was actually a dish

That the chef in my restaurant
and I came up with.

Can I get this one
right here?

Today, I definitely want

To represent
my personality in my food.

The way I'm gonna fry it
is gonna look like

They're swimming
on the plate, so--
that sounds cool.

We have to cook for 12 people,
family style.

I think family style,
I think of whole fish.

So I'm thinking of doing
fried red snapper.

Take that one.

[eugene]
along with daikon fettuccine
and a tomato basil sauce.

We gotta cook our cuisine,
so I'm gonna cook what I like.

[jamie]
I don't know what the hell
eugene's doing.

Sounds [bleep] weird.

You think?
Yeah.
Little bit.

[jamie]
conceptually, his dish
didn't make any sense to me.

Like, I get a whole fried fish,

But, like, the daikon
and the tomato and basil...

Daikon, to me,
it's in the radish family.

Like, you wanna
eat it cold, dressed in soy.

There's nothing about it
that screams tomato basil.

Thanks, man.

[jamie]
we get to the astor center,

I stake out a place
that's right near a stove,

So I have a couple of burners.

At that point I was
kind of like [bleep] it,

I'm gonna do whatever
it's gonna take to win

And impress the new judge.

Behind. Hot water.

I'm in the a group,
so I get to go first.

We have two hours to prep,

So I'm making halibut
wrapped in bacon,

With baby roasted vegetables

And a green mustard butter sauce
that really goes well with fish.

[hosea]
sure is quiet in here,
without stefan in the kitchen.

[radhika]
exactly. It's nice.

I'm making
a spicy crab bisque with

A lemon-scented crab salad.

I make this bisque all the time,
and it's amazing.

People come to my restaurant
just to have this bisque.

Still got the immunity
in the back of the head,

But I'm still wanting
to make a great dish.

[fabio]
this challenge
has to show yourself.

Meat and fresh pasta
is myself.

You know, my grandma,

She has like,


Beautiful pasta.

And I sous-vide the lamb.

Sous vide mean cook the lamb,
but in vacuum-sealed bag

In temperature-controlled water.

It's perfect.

[eugene]




Can you pick this one up for me,
lemme look at this one?

[jeffrey]
family style, to me,
is something I do every day

At my restaurant.

Small plates, a lotta tapas.

I wanna make a good impression
on toby, our new judge.

So I'm just throwing
it all out there.

We have about maybe
eight minutes left, so...

Yeah, okay.

I decide it's really
important for me to create

The environment
that I need to cook in.

So I decide to slow it down.

I want to be able
to hear my intuition.

You know what,
the love has to start here.

And that's what I'm hoping,

Just to take it
all the way through.

I really wanna
do a vegetarian dish,

But I'm concerned
that if I don't do a protein,

The judges won't realize

That I know
how to cook protein.

So I decide to get scallops.

Thank you, thank you,
thank you.

These scallops are huge.

For the last challenge,
the judges,

Like, totally dogged me
on the raw scallops.

I had decided that
I was gonna do them again

Just to prove to the judges
I do know how to cook 'em.

So I decide to do

Seared scallops
with a roasted fennel

And garlic puree.

[fabio]
all she does is scallops.

For christ's sake, come on.

This is top chef,
it's not top scallops.

[eugene]
part of this competition
is based on originality.

Out of all the chefs here,

I'm top dog in being
creative and original.

I grew up in hawaii,

So I grew up around a lot
of different types of cuisines.

I'm deep-frying the fish,

And I don't think
any of the chefs here

Would have the balls to do

Daikon fettuccine
with tomato basil sauce.

You know, that's my imagination.

Eight minutes.

[hosea]
melissa is just--

She's making kinda safe food
that she knows really well,

And she's not really getting
outside of her comfort zone.

[melissa]
I think food is art,
and you can be crazy,

You can be wild,
or you can be plain and simple.

And whatever it is,
as long as it tastes amazing,

People are gonna love it.

Six minutes.

[fabio]
I sliced the first
slice of lamb,

But my jaw drop.

The lamb is undercooked.

I was so focused on the food

And I was so confident
about what I was doing

That I didn't check
the lamb out of the water.

There is nothing I can do

Because there is five minutes
left and I have a rare lamb.

Rare is not gonna be
perfect for the judges.

I know already.

The u.N. Weapons inspectors

Were looking
in the wrong place.

I have found the weapons
of mass destruction

And they are
in this bowl before us.

This is the new judge?
You have got to be kidding me.

Gail!

Come on, you [bleep].
[bleep].

The italian stallion
is making ravioli.

[bleep] kidding me.

I can do fresh pasta
with one hand tied on the back.

[clatter]

The tables were really ideal
for pasta machines

'cause the thing
kept popping up.

Facile.
It's simple.

I'm italian,
for christ's sake.

I love to make the pasta.

[laughs]

[woman]
three minutes.

Uh, this is baked
ground halibut

With green mustard
verblanc,

If they want extra sauce.

[hosea]
the challenge is,

Cook for
a group of food experts

And our new permanent judge
on the panel.

This is gonna be the first time
he tries our food.

I'm in the a group, so we get
to serve our food first

And I'm wondering who the group
of culinary experts

At the table will be.

My bisque just kept
getting blander

And different and weird.

And you know, I know it's really
risky to send that out.

I'm hoping the sourness
of the crab salad

Will counter the sweet thickness
of the soup.

Ahi tuna crudo tacos.

[fabio]
good job, guys.

High five.

[ariane]
my group is second group.

We're getting ready
to go cook.

We're in a freight elevator.

We open up the door
to come out.

Hello, chefs.

[ariane]
there are the four judges.

Come and take a seat.

[ariane]
and there's five empty seats.

We're like, oh, boy.

You are the food experts.

[carla]
oh, [bleep].

We're going to talk about
our competitors' food

And they're gonna do
the same to us.

So I'd like to introduce you all
to the british food critic

And author, toby young.

Hi.

Hello.

[leah]
toby is a food critic
in the uk.

Fabio says
he's pretty harsh.

Like, he tells you
how it is.

So it's very interesting
to see how he's gonna be.

That looks lovely.

[laughter]

[melissa]
we walk out

And it's the judges

That you're expecting,

And then it's the rest
of the chefs.

And it's kind of
a jaw-dropping event.

Good evening, everybody.

Hello, chefs.

We'll be tasting
these dishes

Without knowing for sure
who did what.

This will ensure
that our opinions

Are completely unbiased.

[hosea]
I don't like it.

They know that they're
gonna be going next,

And they don't want their food
to be the worst food,

So they're gonna
rip us apart.

Enjoy.

A pleasure to meet you.

I think they're gonna be
a little bit harsh

'cause of it's our food,
and if you

Kick me out,
you're gonna save your ass.

Bon appetit.

Oh, you're [bleep]ing
[bleep]ing me.

Oh, my god!

Holy [bleep].

[eugene]
we get to see right now

What they thinking
about our food.

I'm kind of nervous to hear

What the judges are gonna say
about it.

Do they know

That they're being
videotaped or what?

It looks like
a secret camera.

Live is ugly. In television,
it's even uglier.

[laughter]

There's something
in that soup.

I can't even eat it.

It's just

Absolutely against
my taste buds.

It's so--

They're numb right now.

It's just too heavy-handed,

That's what it comes down to.

The u.N. Weapons inspectors

Were looking
in the wrong place

In the run-up
to the iraq w*r,

Because I have found
the weapons of mass destruction

And they are in this bowl
before us.

Stand well back.

[carla]
whoo! Oh, my god!

And this is the new judge?
You have got to be kidding me.

Gail! Gail!

How do you follow that?

We are in for a rude awakening
with toby young.

[padma]
let's talk about this halibut

With the bacon
wrapped around it.

I mean, I think the vegetables
were fantastic,

And for me, the vegetables

Upstaged the fish
with the bacon.

Behind this dish, there
is someone who doesn't know

How to say, "no pasta."

Well, it rather
reminded me

Of one of those
hollywood films in which

Classically-trained
british actors

Have been cast in, uh,
character roles.

The two leads were upstaged
by the supporting cast.

Let's move on to the scallops.

It's a good dish--
mine was medium-rare/medium,

Which was perfect.

The ingredients
were well-chosen.

The fennel and the scallops
complemented each other

Very well.

The way the scallops have
been cooked and combined

Is absolutely--
quite good.

Awesome.

Let's talk about the lamb.

[stefan]
lamb, undercooked.

A little bit
of seasoning missing.

I liked the ravioli.

The lamb, for me,
was definitely undercooked.

Damn it.

The pasta,
very well done.

The cheese mix
is utterly superb.

The mushroom sauce
is absolutely perfect.

Without the lamb,
it's a perfect dish.

[padma]
I think we should move on.

The two fish swimming.

The fish was beautiful.
It looked awesome.

You gotta be careful
with daikon.

Where I'm from,
radishes are cold, not hot.

I thought the fish
was overcooked.

The whole dish
was under-seasoned.

It was the bland
leading the bland.

The taco crudo.

I mean, I like fish tacos,

But it definitely needed
a little bit more salt.

I couldn't overcome
that fish--fishy taste.

[padma]
toby,

What does this dish
tell you about the chef?

It tells me that he or she

Isn't terribly confident.

I think it tasted
a bit like cat food.

Damn.

Wow.
That's harsh.

[melissa]
that was really hard to hear
because I know better than this,

And I don't know
what the [bleep] I was thinking.

Maybe that's
a little harsher

Than everyone else
was being, but...

[fabio]
toby young,
his way to say things

Can either make you
or break you.

Well, I wanna thank all of you

For giving us your
very valued and honest opinions.

So good luck,
and thanks for joining us.

[carla]
thank you very much.

Dress to impress.

Toby young,
he's really brutal.

I can't even imagine

What he's gonna say
about my dish.

[carla]
I'm glad that we're in group b.

We know who the focus group is.

Behind you.

[bleep] sugar...
Where are you, sugar?

[jeffrey]
I'm kinda focusing
on three small plates.

I'm making sausage from scratch,

I'm making sorbet from scratch,

I'm doing two different
seafood items,

I'm prepping more
than anybody else is prepping.

[stefan]
tiny breasts.

[stefan]
I'm currently making
duck braised with cabbage,

Bread dumplings.

From the czech republic
where I was born.

[stefan]
my dad used to love it,
so my mom used to make it,

So I think of home.

It's really comforting,
good food.

Yeah.
[leah]
is it too salty?

No, don't add
any more.
I'm not add--
I didn't add any.

I'm doing something
I've never done before.

Is it better than the [bleep]
that we tasted before?

Hello...

[leah]
I make a dish that was, like,

Fried fish on top of, like,
fried beans.

I just wanna like, encrust it
in, like, some sliced bread.

You think it's, like,
the skin getting crispy,

But it's actually bread.

Go big or go home, I guess.

[carla]
we got 41 minutes.

[ariane]


[ariane]
I'm making
a pan-seared skate wing

With cauliflower puree

And a pineapple sage
brown butter with crispy capers.

Definitely nervous about what
the other chefs are gonna say.

We weren't too nice
in our comments.

But, I mean, we were honest.

[fabio]
how many minutes
we have left?


[fabio]


Coming around, hot.

My dish is pea risotto
with scallops.

And I've made my gremolata.

Gremolata is lemon zest,
garlic, and parsley.

It's something
that I definitely like,

And I can put layers
of flavor in there and love.

[carla]


It's one minute to go.
No more cooking.

The scallops go on top,
and out the door they go.

[stefan]
out, that's it!

Oh, god.
That was rough.

[padma]
hello, chefs.

[all]
hello.

[padma]
as before,
this is a blind tasting.

Please return to the kitchen,
and we'll see you all later.

Bye, thank you.
[all]
bye, guys.

Oh, we get to watch.
Oh, my god.

[leah]
oh, my go--I don't wanna
watch this [bleep].

[carla]
we walk into the kitchen,
and I'm like,

"oh, my god."

We're able to see
the focus group eat our food.

[stefan]
oh, [bleep].
Oh, this is painful.

Did they watch us?

[stefan]
guys, shh.

[jeffrey]
probably, yeah.

Yeah.
Yeah, I'm sure.

[jamie]
my initial impression is,

If I was the favorite
in the last round,

And these are what
I'm up against in this round,

I'm definitely winning
this challenge.

I thought the duck
was cooked well.

But the dumplings--
I thought it was a little dense.

[stefan]
she knows it's me, so.

Of course she knows.

[leah]
uh, that's pretty
obvious, dude.

[fabio]
if you taste single component,

You may find the dumpling
a little bit too dense.

But if you
get everything together,

For me, actually worked.

I like the dish.

There's so much flavor
in that cabbage.

It's a perfect balance
of vinegar, sweetness...

I--I just really
think it's great.

Oh, colicchio, bah!
They love it!

Why don't we talk
about this trio?

Uh, the creativity
and the idea was there,

But I think there was too much
happening on the plate.

I make avocado sorbet,

And it's never been
as good as this one.

[tom]
I don't like this at all.

It's not a dish.

This is a group--this is
a bunch of hors d'oeuvres.

For me, this was
the standout of the five.

The avocado sorbet was--
it was like

Tom cruise's cameo
in tropic thunder--

An unexpected treat.

[tom]
I-I'm sorry.

I just--I don't see it.

What do you think
about the skate wing?

I thought the cauliflower puree
and the skate

Went really well together.

I think the skate
is cooked perfectly.

The pineapple introduction
is very, very original.

That was fabulous.

[jean-christophe]
absolutely.

Whoo!

Thank you.

How did you find the rouget?

I didn't like the fried beans.

I thought they were
kind of greasy in my mouth.

I disagree...As an englishman,
I'm a fan of fried food.

Obviously.

And, um, this was a kind of
pan-european alternative

To fish and chips.

But what do you think
of the risotto with scallops?

[hosea]
I loved the scallops themselves.

I didn't care
for the topping on 'em,

And I thought
the risotto was uninspired.

The gremolata
was way too garlic-y

And had a lot of
bitterness to it.

I like gremolata,
I don't like raw garlic in it.

[padma]
well, I wanna thank
all of you for eating with us.

I'll see you a little bit later

At judges' table.

Thank you very much.

[all]
thank you.

It's actually a rare
opportunity that we get

Our peers to--

To do our food, and then
you just change it next time.

[jamie]
hope they don't
get mad at us now.

Come on, you guys,
let's go!
Let's get outta here.

[stefan]
leah, let's go.

I thought, overall,
this was a much better group.

I have to say I was impress.

It was quite overwhelming

To taste so many things.

But I think the overall standard
is pretty high.

I think that sitting down

And eating food
the way we're eating it

I think is very
informative to them.

And I think
that they've actually--

Are probably
starting to realize

A lot of the mistakes
they've made

In the past challenges.

Well, let's go talk
to them at judges' table.

[toby]
you could smell it

In a way which wasn't pleasant.

It was a failure
of imagination.

Overall, it just lacked punch.

[carla]
that was brutal.
Oh, my god.

[leah]
who did the whole fish?

[ariane]
eugene.

[leah]
eugene, that's
what I thought.

I feel good
about this one.

[ariane]
I feel tonight
is your night.

Could be tonight.
No one liked mine.

You don't know yet.
You don't know.

Two people are getting
sent home this challenge.

I feel really bad for melissa.

I think she's really worried

That she's gonna
go out like this

Without doing her best work yet.

I'm just--
I've learned so much.

[melissa]
I'm definitely worried
that I'm gonna go home.

A lot of the comments
were really hard to hear,

But I do think
my dish was creative.

It didn't come across
how I would've liked it to.

[melissa]
I am. I'm--I'm fine.

[padma]
can we please see

The chef who
made the skate dish,

The chef who made
the duck dish,

And the chef who made

The scallop dish with fennel.

The three of you
came out on top tonight.

Let's start with you, stefan.

It was great dish, I think.

I really liked
the dish a lot.

I thought it showed
exactly who you are.

I thought the duck
was perfectly cooked,

I thought the flavors
were spot on.

I liked the fact that it was
so unmistakably german.

Something I've eaten myself
on many an occasion.

Stuck in a wood cabin

In the middle of the alps.

Jamie.

You know, I kind of wanted
to redeem myself a little bit

After the, uh,
raw scallop crudo debacle.

And I knew that
fennel and orange

Worked really
well together.

I love the combination
of fennel, orange, and olives.

It's a classic combination.

The fennel has
a slight aniseed undertone,

Which really, for me,

Brought out
and complimented

The caramel flavor
of the scallop.

I believe
it was so refined.

A lovely recipe.

Ariane.

I was pleased with it.

I love skate.

I think it all
went really nice together.

I liked the dish.

I liked the fact
that it wasn't

Just chopped up pineapple
on the plate.

You actually cooked it,
you did something with it.

I believe strongly
that you've done a great dish.

I really enjoyed it.

It was moist, cooked properly,

And I thought it was great.

Thank you, chef. Thank you.

As the guest judge
for this round--
sure.

The honor falls to you
to announce today's winner.

The winner is...

Jamie.

[clapping]

Finally.

Yay.

[jamie]
it was nice to finally win.

I definitely think
I deserved it. I feel good.

You know,
they all really liked my dish.

Watch out, guys--
somebody to reckon with here.

[padma]
congratulations, jamie.

I'm afraid I'm gonna
have to ask you

To call back some
of your colleagues.

Jamie.

[carla]
whoo!

Finally!
Finally, right?

It's about time.
I'm serious.

[jamie]
all right.

So, um...

They want to see, um,

Melissa,

Eugene, and carla.

Come on,
you guys.
[all]
bye, guys.

Bye, guys.

You three came out
on the bottom of this challenge,

And we're going to be
eliminating two of you.

So let's start off
with carla.

My thing was to make
the risotto vegetarian,

And then I put
the scallops with it.

So I-I wasn't happy, and I'm not
surprised that I'm here.

I don't think risotto
makes a good garnish.

Risotto's a dish.

Why did you make
this specific recipe?

I think it's a great vessel
to show, you know,

Flavors,
and building flavors,

And that's what
I like to do.

As a chef, I may not
wow you with pizzazz, like that,

But what I want to
wow you with is flavor.

And I missed the boat on that,

But that's what
the intention was.

My main complaint about it

Was that it was a little tart,
a little bitter.

I wasn't pleased
with the gremolata.

Perhaps I should've
put the gremolata

In the risotto.
Right.

You know, you wouldn't have
tasted the hot garlic,

Nothing would've tasted raw,
and then all that flavor

Would've gone
into the risotto.

Melissa?

[melissa]
I did the ahi tuna crudo tacos.

And I really enjoyed
this challenge,

Even though I ended up
on the bottom,

Because it was
the first time

I've ever seen my food critiqued
while it's being eaten.

What did you enjoy
about hearing?

I mean,
it was pretty harsh.

I mean, I wasn't expecting it
to be as harsh as it was,

But I learned
a lot from it.

What would you have changed?

Well, I would've done
something else.

It was a failure
of imagination.

If we ask you to do
a dish that's gonna wow us,

I don't think that fish tacos

Is something that would
immediately come to mind.

[sighs]

I've made this dish,

And it's been better.

And that's something I'm really
extremely disappointed in.

[jean-christophe]
your dish...

Very watery, very bland.

Overdressed.

The main shortcoming
of the dish

Was you could smell it
in a way which wasn't pleasant.

Didn't you think to maybe
do something to it

To save the dish?

I didn't think
it was that bad.

[padma]
so, eugene,

You did
the red snapper.

[eugene]
I do risky things

And think outside the box
a majority of the time,

When I should just
do simplistic things.

Daikon with tomato and basil.

Does that make
sense together?

I've tried it before
and I liked it.

So I--you know, like I said,
I took a chance on it,

And it didn't pay off.

It didn't sound like
you took a chance

Because if you liked it
and had done it before,

It's not much of a chance.

Clearly, you have
a little bit of creativity.

In fact, it was the most
visual dish we had so far.

Somewhere, somehow,
your fish was overcooked,

And that, for me, was enough.

You've described
yourself as someone

Who takes risks,
who overreaches,

But it didn't taste to me

Like a failed
experiment.

All the flavors
were too mild.

Overall, it just lacked punch.

Do any of you have
anything else to add?

You know, I have
a better perspective

Of, uh, what you guys
look for, you know.

I should have went
with one of my other ideas,

Which was go
with an asian-type noodle

Instead of daikon
fettuccine,

But got too creative with that.

You know, I think
that there's, um,

So much more that I have
to offer as a chef,

And as a creator.

I definitely think
I shouldn't go home today.

I want to be here
more than anything.

Well, excuse me.

If you take my scallops

Off my dish,
it would be perfect.

[padma]
okay,

Thank you all very much.

You know,
usually at this point,

We have to decide

Which of the chefs
are going home.

And in tonight's case,

We have to decide
which chef is staying.

I think gene deserves
a second chance.

I like a chef who's
willing to be bold,

Who's willing
to take risks.

He hasn't quite
got it right yet,

But if he keeps going
in this direction,

I think he's going to
get it right eventually.

I just wish
he sort of managed

To bring that dish
together a little better.

It hurts me that the fish
sort of gives up his life,

And then it gets
completely overcooked

And beat up like that.

I mean, you really
should honor ingredients,

And that really bums me out
when I see something like that.

You know, part of the challenge
was to show us who you are,

And I think melissa did that
with her fish tacos.

That's who she is.

Isn't that precisely
why she should go?

[jean-christophe]
carla...

It was like
where somebody's driving

Without knowing where to go.

The fact that she didn't

Just serve a vegetarian dish
and scrap the scallop

Is symptomatic

Of a lack
of confidence,

And I'm not sure she's ever
gonna have the confidence

To make that leap.

[carla]
I wasn't confident enough.

A vegetarian dish--

If I'm still here,
is gonna come outta me.

Okay, so that's
our decision then.

Let's get them back out here.

You know, after six rounds
of the challenges,

We decided to give you a very
straightforward challenge.

We asked you to cook
whatever your heart's content,

Show us your personality,
and to wow us.

Gene...

You are wildly creative,

But your skill level needs
to catch up with the creativity.

Melissa,

I think you showed us
who you are,

But I think
what we really saw

Was a lack of imagination
and creativity.

Carla,

You over-thought it,
overworked it,

And you ruined what could've
been an exceptional dish.

Melissa, please pack
your knives and go.

And eugene, please pack
your knives and go.

Good luck to both of you,
and thank you very much.

[eugene]
you know, I took a lotta chances
and a lotta risks in my dishes.

So I'll take
this learning experience

With my new adventures
in this industry, you know.

We're going home.
Bye-bye, guys.

[melissa]
the last thing
that tom said to me today

Was that he was uninspired

By my imagination
and my creativity.

I love you too.
I love you.

[melissa]
I know people that don't know me

Do not realize
how creative I am

And do not realize
how much imagination I do have.

Because that's
what I'm afraid of--

Is gonna come across
in the end.

I'll see you, carla.

[eugene]
right now it sucks,
but the pressure went down,

And I met some really good
people along the way.

Hey, when the booze is gone,
it's time to move on.

Bye, guys.

You know, I think
I've gained respect

Of the people
in this competition.

But, in the end,
it's not good enough.

[eugene]
a real man can accept defeat.
I have no regrets.

I did my best on this show.

My family will be
proud and happy for me,

No matter what.

Captioning by [font color="#00ff00"]captionmax[/font]
www.Captionmax.Com

[padma]
next, on top chef...

[jamie]
we walk into the kitchen,

Padma's standing
there with hung.

Morning, chefs.

[fabio]
hung is a guys that love fish.

There's gonna be
an aquarium down there.

Jesus christ, what a mess.

I am definitely
not a vegetarian.

This one hates me.

She didn't like jamie,
but, you know, who doesn't?

Enough, I'm done,
I'm not changing it.

He immediately
jumps down our throats.

You're a douchebag.

I am a douchebag?

So you're saying I don't
know how to cook?

I'm done. I don't wanna talk.

Do whatever
the [bleep] you want, stefan.

I'm not changing anything.
I'm done with it.

[padma]
for more about the recipes
seen tonight,