All language subtitles for Top.Chef.S17E01-ION10

Up until now,

Up until now,
I've always been the runner-up.

Now it's time to be the winner.

I have been a part of
"Top Chef" family for 10 years.

I have definitely evolved.

Since I've been here last,
I won a James Beard Award,

but the title of Top Chef,
that's what I'm here for.

Please, and thank you.

- This is real.
- I'm back.

- I'm back.
- And I'm ready for it.

It is good to be back.

Go, go, go, go!

PADMA: 15 chefs have returned,

the fiercest
this competition has ever seen.

Savages.

Last season,
a lot of people were upset

and saying I got robbed.

I wouldn't be here
if I didn't think I could win.

They're all here for redemption

and the one thing
that's escaped them all--

the title of Top Chef.

So which one of you said
you would never do this again?

[laughter]

[music playing]

At stake for the winner:

a feature
in "Food & Wine" magazine,

an appearance at the Food
and Wine Classic in Aspen,

and the largest cash prize
in "Top Chef" history...

...furnished by San Pellegrino,

and the title of Top Chef.

PADMA: Good morning.

Welcome to Los Angeles.

What better way
to start the new season

than right here at the historic
Griffith Observatory,

which overlooks
the entire city of Los Angeles,

one of the best food cities
in the world?

Welcome back to you, too.

- [laughter]
- Thank you very much.

You're an elite group of chefs.
There's no denying that.

- Thank you.
- Thanks.

I think we have a few
James Beard nominees here.

Got a few.

Do we have any winners? Nice.

That's amazing.

This competition
is already hard.

Seeing all of these chefs
nominated for James Beards,

have multiple restaurants,
empires basically,

I don't know
what I got myself into.

Think we have
some runners-up here,

and I'm sure we have some chefs

who think
they got burnt by the game.

My elimination sucked,

and I think people
really understood

that it was not the outcome
that I deserved.

TOM: Nicholas, you're the reason
why the team is here,

but you have immunity,
and so you're not going home.

Stephanie,

please pack your knives
and go.

Thank you.

I was devastated
after being kicked off

for somebody else's food,
but it won't happen again.

Who do you think
is your strongest competition?

Well, I'm very scared
of--of Bryan Voltaggio.

- [laughter]
- Why me?

Bryan Voltaggio came last season
as a mentor for me,

and that was amazing.
I really wanted

to make sure
that I impressed him.

Today we have made a waakye,

traditionally from West Africa.

I thought the dish
was really well executed.

It's just an honor
to cook against him.

Is there
a Sexiest Chef here, too?

- Anyone?
- I guess me

and this guy over here.
- [laughter]

I think I got it once.

I know.

PADMA: He just asked you that
so he could raise his hand.

- [laughter]
- Okay, enough small talk.

Who's ready for the first
Quickfire Challenge?

- Let's do this.
- [fly buzzes]

Your first Quickfire is one
you've all seen before,

the mise en place race.

- [chuckles]
- Nice.

There'll be three legs,

each with a new ingredient.

Everyone must first turn
three artichokes.

If it's done to my satisfaction,
you can move on.

Fastest five chefs
will become a team,

and you can head to the kitchen
and start cooking immediately.

For the second leg, you must
supreme five California oranges.

The fastest five chefs
in this leg

will become a team
and head on to the kitchen.

And for the third leg,

you must crack
20 perfect California almonds.

- [music slows]
- [laughter]

Hold on.

Have I ever shelled an almond?

I don't have a nutcracker
in my bag.

When I was a kid, my grandmother
had one of those big nutcrackers

that looked
like a little soldier.

You're like,
doo-doo-doo-doo-doo.

Hopefully I won't get
to the almonds.

Once your team is formed,

your challenge is to use
your prepped ingredients

in two different dishes.

Winning will give your team
a huge advantage

in the elimination challenge.

Once the last team
enters the kitchen,

a 15-minute clock will begin.

The clock
in the "Top Chef" kitchen,

it's gonna move fast.

In case they forgot.

[laughter]

Chefs, your time starts now.

And go!

[laughter]

Breaking down an artichoke

is a lot of careful little turns
that you need to make.

We need to make sure that
the choke is completely removed.

I did just open two restaurants
in the last six months,

so my skills are pretty sharp.
I've been doing a lot of prep.

ANGELO: Oh, my God.
I'm mutilating this.

[laughs]

Turning artichokes
under time restrictions

with these super-talented chefs
is pretty intense.

Everything is
shaking internally.

This is definitely bringing back
some memories. [laughs]

At this point in my career,
we like to call this P.F.T.S.,

people for that sh--.
I got people for that.

- Check!
- [blows whistle]

Stop, stop, stop.

No, this one I've got
to reject completely.

- Okay.
- I'll give you that one back.

You still got a choke
in here, too.

- Okay, got it.
- [blows whistle]

Listen, chefs,
the choke needs to be out.

- Check.
- [blows whistle]

What you got here?

Choke needs to come out
of that one.

Your choke needs
to come out of that one.

- Okay.
- There is a lot

of premature check
from the boys. Hmm.

- Check.
- [blows whistle]

GAIL: Stop.

Dude, you're
leaving choke on there.

Come on. Look. Come on.
- [laughs]

Really, Bryan? Really?

Let's go. [blows whistle]

He definitely deserves
to be penalized.

- Check.
- [blows whistle]

[laughs]

All right, these are good.

- Thanks.
- All right. Really nice.

[blows whistle]

Straight out of the gates,

definitely want
the other chefs to see

that I'm a force
to be reckoned with.

Almost there on these guys.

Jamie's the guy
that gave up his immunity.

I would like
to offer up my immunity

and be judged with my team.

Jamie, please
pack your knives and go.

This is a competition.

I don't know
why you would do that. [laughs]

Check!

- We're good here.
- Cool.

- [blows whistle]
- See ya.

- Good luck.
- Check.

[blows whistle]
Stop, stop, stop.

You're good. You could
go with Kevin and Jamie.

Nice job, Joe.

[blows whistle]

Check! Check, check.

GAIL: Stop.

- We're good here.
- Thank you.

- Nice. Congrats.
- [bleep].

This is very stressful.

Nobody wants to be
on the bottom.

The last group
is gonna have 15 minutes

to make two dishes.

This is our own Hunger Games.

- Check!
- PADMA: There should be

a penalty for calling us over
too many times.

- Yeah, I know.
- [laughs]

TOM: Okay, so this is the last
spot for the first team.

I think you finally did it.

- Finally!
- GAIL: Nice work, Bryan.

Thank you.

- Mr. Voltaggio.
- Yeah, yeah!

Let's go.

Drop your artichokes.
Oranges it is.

Team First Car.

[laughs]

I feel like we have a good team.

The trick here is
we don't know each other's food,

but we have to collaborate
on these dishes.

That's not easy.
- Blastoff.

Good job, guys.

TOM: Don't cut too much
off the ends.

They're not
gonna be pointy that way.

[Angelo sighs]

This Quickfire, 100% déjà vu.

- Check.
- [blows whistle]

The winner
of our first Quickfire

is Angelo. Congratulations.

Obviously there's been
so much transformation for me,

so much personal growth,
so much hard growth.

- Check!
- [blows whistle]

No. You left a segment there.

GAIL: There's a lot
of meat that you left behind.

Yeah, you're leaving too much
way behind on these oranges.

Ah, we can tell who's not
used to prepping these days.

- Check.
- [blows whistle]

- GAIL: Those are pretty nice.
- TOM: That looks good.

And your artichokes
look nice, too, Nini.

I know.

You are the first chef
for the second team.

Honestly, I don't think

I've shelled an almond
in 20 years.

I have to move my ass.

Check!

TOM: The shape's good.
Okay. We're good.

- NINI: Come on, guys. Let's go!
- You can do it!

- Check.
- They look clean and pretty.

- We're good.
- We're good, Steph.

- Check!
- [blows whistle]

PADMA: These look good.

- GAIL: Yeah, these are nice.
- TOM: Yep.

- [blows whistle]
- BRIAN: What's going on?

Old man, let's go.
Let's step it up.

- Joe, how we looking?
- When it comes to making pasta,

usually you need
a little more time.

If we can't fill it, Joe,
can we do a flat pasta?

No?

- Check!

- Check!
- [blows whistle]

There's one spot left now.

It's mine.

TOM: They look great.
You are good to go,

fifth member of the second team.

Malarkey, wrap this up,
and get in the car.

Yes, thank you.

Whew! Let's go.

Team 2, you're 5 1/2 minutes
behind Team 1

BRIAN: Yes, yes.

It's only gonna be
a five-minute head start.

Ooh,
I like the gray wood, too.

It's the ladies and Malarkey.

What's your name one more time?

- Nini.
- Nini, I'm Bryan.

- Karen.
- Karen.

I'm excited to introduce
myself to these people,

like, on a fan level,
which is embarrassing,

and I'm not going to tell
them that, because that's

gonna blow my, like,
rock-hard exterior.

[bleep]. They all
have to crack their nuts.

- 20.
- That's a lot.

Okay, that's not gonna work.

Remember, you have 15 minutes

when you get back
to the kitchen.

As fast as we
can shell these almonds

is how much less
of a time advantage

that we're giving
the other teams.

I've just got to tap it
just light enough

that I'm not gonna crush
the almond on the inside.

[laughs] Okay.

I have a brilliant idea

of cracking the nuts
with the wine key.

- Jen's got out a little...
- Nutcracker.

- Nutcracker over there,
sort of.

Agh.

[bleep].

- Check!
- [blows whistle]

Lee Anne, these look great.

You're the first chef
of the third team.

[laughs] Thank you.

GREGORY: I keep
breaking almonds.

ANGELO: They're very delicate,
like you.

Angelo, I haven't seen him
in almost 15 years,

but we worked together
at Jean-Georges.

He's gonna be
some fierce competition.

The guy's an absolute beast.

- Check.
- [blows whistle]

Check!

TOM: So Angelo and Gregory.

Okay, we got 20.
They look good.

Gregory, you're the second...
- Thank you.

- chef of the third team.
- Sick.

And, Angelo.

They look good. Angelo,
you can join the other team.

[laughs]

Check, please.

[blows whistle] Okay, great.

All look good.
- Thank you, chef.

[blows whistle]

Let's go, Jen Carroll.

TOM: Jen?

I keep cracking 'em all.

Maybe the technique's wrong.

Got any tricks
you want to share, Tom?

I don't, actually.

Last time on "Top Chef,"

I had
a very aggressive attitude.

Why did you guys choose not to
plate everything individually?

You guys are smart enough.
You're the judges.

Why don't you say, "Hey, can I
get a different plate for this?"

Whew! I had some balls.
[laughs]

That's not what I plan to do
this time around.

Let's go! Team Almond!

[laughs]

- MELISSA: Ooh-wee.
- All right.

- Where do you want to go?
- Right here.

Closer to the range, yeah.

Where is everything?

Okay, where is everything?
[laughs]

KEVIN: We don't have any idea
how much time we really have.

The last team has 15 minutes,

so we have at least 15 minutes.

All right, so I'm butchering
these artichokes.

I'm gonna give you all the
pieces here in just a second.

Bryan and I are going
to make an artichoke

that has been grilled
in a sumac marinade.

I'm going to work on the yogurt.

I got pasta started.

I'm working, uh,
artichoke purée.

KEVIN: Jamie, Joe, and Melissa
are going to do

a big tortellono
with an artichoke-miso filling.

If Joe can make pasta that fast,
good on you, my man.

- Check!
- [blows whistle]

You're good. You're good.
- Get out of here.

You are the last one to join...

- Ay yi yi.
- the third team.

Welcome back.

Go, go, go!

Remember, you have
15 minutes when you

get back to the kitchen,
so get going.

I'll do a sauce

for the raw, shaved
crudo situation.

Yeah.

Guys, we don't have any idea
how much time we have here.

We could have very little.

We're kind of working blind
here on time.

Oh, great.

I'm going left.

Left, yes.

Oh, sh--, they're here?

- That's super fast.
- Really fast.

Really, really fast.

Oh, sh--.

This pasta dough
isn't even resting yet.

We may have
to change gears on this.

- Where's the clock?
- BRIAN: The "Top Chef" kitchen,

it's spectacular.
I'm, like, "Wow,

these guys have come
a long way since season 3."

- [music slows]
- We were, like,

in a covered wagon in
the olden days compared to this.

Nini, how's it going
over there?

- Making the aioli now.
- Copy.

The first dish we're gonna be
making is the artichoke tempura

with the citrus-Asian aioli
and tempura orange.

Bryan, I'm walking
over to the fryer.

BRYAN: All right, here.

Holler if you need 'em
thicker or thinner.

Let me know.
- Thanks.

The other dish is gonna be

the Mediterranean carpaccio,
which is gonna have

the raw artichoke hearts,
the raw orange.

Karen's making a beautiful
mint chimichurri vinaigrette.

Fresno or homemade chili?
- Yeah, I want a little--

yeah, a little chili.
- I got it.

Ho!

All right,
that's 15 minutes right there.

15 minutes, guys.

- Ho ho! Ho ho!

KEVIN: How in
the absolute flying [bleep]

did they get
the rest of that stuff done?

We got to speed up.

I'm working
on the tempura, okay?

The fastest way that we're going
to be able to cook artichokes

within 15 minutes is throwing
them into the deep fryer.

Anyone see ice?

Oh, my God. Behind!

- Can I come share your fryer?
- Uh, give me two seconds,

and I can let you
use this one.

Stephanie's got both baskets
down in the other fryer,

so I have no fryer.

Sh--!

10 minutes!

10 minutes heard!

Joe, how we looking?

I got pasta dough working here.

MELISSA: How are
those artichokes moving?

Are they moving?

When it comes to making pasta,

usually you need
a little more time.

This is definitely
coming down to the wire.

If we can't fill it, Joe,

can we do a flat pasta

and serve it
with braised artichokes

or no?

JOE: I don't think
our plan's changing.

We're sticking with it.

Chefs, you have
five minutes left.

- Five minutes, guys.
- Crossing, crossing, crossing,

Coming through. Coming through.

There's a lot to do
in five minutes.

We still have
to blend up the purée

and pipe the tortellonis.
Like, this is crazy.

Okay, what do we need? Ice.

No, no, no, no, no! Come on.

- [bleep]
- At this point, the batter

has sat for about five minutes,
and so all that flour swelled,

and now it's much,
much thicker than it should be.

It's literally
like a pancake batter.

- I need filling.
- Yeah, I got you.

We're gonna get ----ing hosed
by these guys who had less time.

Joe, can you
get that pasta down now or what?

He's wrapping it right now.

Two minutes in the water.

What's he doing?

Sasto, he's making pasta.

It's like they never left.

[laughs]
- PADMA AND GAIL: Three minutes!

Three minutes! There we go.

- Come on.
- Behind, behind, behind.

Tempura's right here.

Let's go. Hold on.

Can I get that tempura, please?

Tempura.
- Tempura.

They came out sweet.
- Beautiful.

Chefs, you have 30 seconds left.

- How's that, chef?
- Perfect.

- C'est bon?
- Thank you. Merci.

Everything on the plate, guys.

- What do we need?
- You want herbs?

Do you want, uh, chives?

Think more herbs on here?

- Yeah.
- Always.

3, 2, 1!

Time's up. Hands up.

- Nice job.
- [cheering]

Go, team. Go, team.

- That went so fast...

- That went so fast.
- so fast.

Beautiful dishes, guys,

Beautiful dishes, guys,
beautiful dishes.

Really nice. Well done, yeah.

- Hey, Blue Team.
- Hi.

- Hi.
- What'd you make?

NINI: The first dish
is a artichoke tempura

with a citrus aioli.

GAIL: What's in that aioli?

There's a little bit
of fish sauce, chili oil,

kind of like
an Asian aioli, I guess.

KAREN: This one
is crispy artichokes,

mint vinaigrette,
orange segments,

as well as orange zest
in the vinaigrette

and a little radicchio salad.

Tart.

- Thank you.
- Thanks, guys.

I think they really liked it.

- TOM: Hey, chefs.
- Hi.

- How you guys feeling?
- [laughs]

- Pretty incredible.
- We're just happy we finished.

- Yeah, heart rates are up.
- Me, too.

ANGELO: What we have here is
a beautiful artichoke crudo

with a carrot top
and fennel gremolata

with a sweet-and-sour
orange vinaigrette.

Where are the almonds
in this dish?

- They're in the gremolata.
- Very nice.

This is an almond-crusted fried
artichoke with an orange aioli.

Is this how you wanted
the tempura cooked?

Uh, I only had a minute
and a half in the fryer.

All the fryers were occupied.
- Thank you, guys. Bye.

Sorry I couldn't fry it
longer, guys. I'm so sorry.

- Hi, guys.
- Hi.

How are you?

You guys had
the most time of anyone.

How did it feel in here?

Well, it felt like we only had

about 30 seconds longer
than everybody else here.

- It sure did.
- KEVIN: This first one is

our char grilled
artichoke bottom

with sumac, yogurt, and tahini.
- And what is this?

So we wanted to do
a-a pasta for you guys...

- Really?
- so we did...

- [laughter]
- Joe?

- So soon?
- Joe pasta?

So we did a tortellono artichoke
barigoule with pancetta brodo.

The filling's made out
of braised artichokes and miso.

PADMA: That's one rich brodo.

All right, thank you so much.

- Thanks.
- Thank you.

- Thanks, guys.
- Good job, guys.

PADMA: This was
a really great start.

Each team had
something delicious,

and no team was perfect.

Nothing bad,

little technical things
here and there.

The Green Team,
you guys know that tempura

was really, really
heavy and dense.

Sorry. [chuckles]

And, Red Team,

Joe, the pasta
was doughy, dry, and chewy.

And now for some good news.

The Blue Team, I thought
your tempura was fantastic.

The fry on your tempura
was perfect,

golden, a little caramel,

and I'm really
into that aioli, guys.

Red Team,
the roasted artichoke,

the whole thing ate together
really, really well.

- Thank you.
- I love how the yogurt

felt like a savory
whipped cream, almost.

[laughs]

Tom, do you want
to do the honors?

Great start, but, looking
at our favorite dish,

and that's kind of how
we went with this one...

Red Team.

JOE: I was so relieved.

It's kind of a bummer

to get some negative feedback
on the pasta,

but first Quickfire win,
this feels awesome.

Bryan, is this your first--

It is your first Quickfire win.

Yes, this is
my first Quickfire ever.

- Is it really?
- Ever.

[laughter]

- Ever.
- [applause]

The curse has been broken.

- Enjoy the moment.
- Thank you.

Now that you've had a chance
to get your feet wet,

it's time to dive in
to our Elimination Challenge.

For your Elimination Challenge,

you'll work in teams
to create a seafood feast

that you'll cook and serve
at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro.

We want to see what you can do

when you only have
the bare necessities,

so for this challenge, fire
is your only source of heat.

You're not going to have access
at all to electricity,

no appliances, just your knives
and your talent.

BRIAN: This is in my wheelhouse.

I have a restaurant called
Herb & Wood, all wood-fired.

I don't even like electricity.

I was, like, raised a cave boy.

So, Red Team, you remember
I said you'd have an advantage?

- Yeah.
- Each of you will now become

your own team captain...

- [sighs]
- and will get to choose

who you will work with
in five teams of three

to create three cohesive dishes
served family-style.

So choose wisely
because you'll want to impress

this very intimidating group
of chefs and restaurateurs,

including Nancy Silverton,
Marcus Samuelsson,

Michael Cimarusti,
Caroline Styne,

Josiah Citrin,
Suzanne Goin...

- Oh, cool.
- and your guest judge,

the legend himself,
Jeremiah Tower.

- Oh, my God.
- This panel of judges

for this first elimination,
it's a finale panel,

like we're
working backwards here.

Red team,
let's start with you, Bryan.

Who do you pick as the first
member of your team?

My first pick will be Eric.

Eric's a strong competitor.
I'm not really looking at him

as my mentee
or somebody who's worked for me.

I want to build the best team I
can so I can win this challenge.

- Kevin?
- I'll take Jen Carroll.

KEVIN: Jen knows seafood.

She worked for Eric Ripert
for years.

If you want to win
a seafood challenge,

go out and get
the seafood queen.

Jamie, who would you like?

I'll take Gregory.

- Joe?
- I'll take Lee Anne.

- Awesome.
- PADMA: Melissa?

- Angelo.
- Melissa, you get to go again.

Karen.

This is an all-star season.

Everyone here
is an amazing chef.

I'm more concerned
about personalities.

Angelo and Karen
seem really calm and Zen.

- PADMA: Okay, Joe.
- Mr. Malarkey.

- Jamie?
- We'll take Stephanie.

All right, Kevin.

Come on, Nini.

Let's do this thing.

Let me guess.

- Come on in.
- All right. Let's do this.

Go ahead. Pick me last.

If these chefs
don't know anything about me,

they're gonna learn
very quickly.

I was a finalist in Season 4

against Richard Blais
and Stephanie Izard.

I can cook my ass off.

Today you'll have
30 minutes to menu plan

and shop here
in the "Top Chef" pantry.

Tomorrow you'll have
2 1/2 hours to prep and cook

before service begins
at Cabrillo Beach.

Show us
why you have what it takes

to win the title of Top Chef.

Speaking of that title,
the winner of this season

will win
the largest cash prize

ever in the history
of "Top Chef,"

a quarter of a million dollars,

furnished by San Pelligrino.

Whoo.

- That's a lot of clams.
- [laughter]

It's a lot of money,
and for a person like me

who wants to open
a restaurant in New Orleans,

it would be incredible,
a quarter-million dollars.

PADMA: Please take five minutes
to menu plan and discuss

before grabbing your seafood.

Good luck, chefs.

We'll see you
tomorrow at the beach.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

All right, guys.

How do you feel about citrus?

We need to be thoughtful
about having a progressive menu.

I think so, too.

I want to do
the sea urchin crudo...

- Yeah.
- I want--

I was thinking
about doing a flatbread.

Well, that's fine.

Clam, uni pizza. You--

You could make a clam sauce,

a ----ing clam pizza,

clam pie with
----ing sea urchin on it.

- Yeah. Do it.
- Does that sound fun?

Want to nail it?

Even though I was team captain,

Malarkey definitely
takes the lead.

Keep going. Keep going.
So what's your protein?

Uh, I was thinking
grilled, seasoned halibut

in--in a miso-butter
coconut sauce.

Can you do some sort of like
a slaw or something under that?

"Don't get that. Get this."
Yap, bap, bap, bap, bap, bap.

It's gonna be vibrant
and alive and beautiful.

- I had my eye on the swordfish.
- ANGELO: Swordfish?

Okay, and it's great
for the grill.

I was thinking it'd be a Cajun
tomato-based seafood stew,

and I can do shrimp.

JAMIE: I definitely
want to do mussels.

I was thinking about doing,
like, a smoked cream--

taking some of the embers
from the ----ing wood...

- I love that.
- and throw them in there.

It's not easy.
All of our styles

aren't particularly in line
from a culinary standpoint,

so we decide to do
beachy-type food

to make our menu cohesive.

You can throw a piece
of grilled salmon on top.

I'll roast some chilies,
so it's just, like,

just nice, chunky,
super-bright relish.

BRYAN: Okay, you're working on
a raw dish, right, a ceviche?

- Yep.
- So you have citrus.

- I have citrus.
- Okay. There's gonna be

orange juice in this guy.

We want to keep things

end-of-summer, very bright.

I'm thinking
charred scallop ceviche.

I'll grab the scallops.

I'll grab the shrimp,
sable, and uni, yeah?

Like, maybe 15 scallops
will be good for me.

You got long arms, too.
You're just gonna be like...

[laughs] I'm fully pumped.

I know I'm faster
than everyone here.

That's a gimme.

[timer beeps]

It is frantic. This is like
running of the bulls.

[overlapping chatter]

Savages.

Sh--.

This is all I got.

Sh--. Really?

I'll see if I
can grab some more.

I think, as you get older,

you start to see the more
optimistic sides of things.

It's like, "Well, this sucks,

but it's still
gonna be delicious."

We can do shrimp for me as well.

Yes, chef.

This is like
the new and improved Lisa

from 12 years ago.

The constant negativity,
it's starting to wear

on some people in the house.
I'm just letting you know.

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

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

Older, wiser.

We have 10 minutes left,
10 minutes!

See, I feel like pomegranate
or grilled plum.

- On the pizza or...
- Yeah.

Going into this challenge,

I want to make
a good impression

because I didn't do very well

in the Quickfire.

Are these pomegranates coming?

Mm, I don't...

Sound like trouble?

I'm not 100% confident
in exactly

what I want to do
with the flatbread,

so I'm grabbing a little bit
of everything to be safe.

Someone control me.

- Are we ready?
- Yep.

That's it.

- Look out.
- Wow.

This is amazing.

Wow.

My house doesn't look anything
like--I live on a farm.

I'm gonna sleep
on the pool table.

I call pool table.

I know nothing about L.A.,

but I do know
that the Hollywood Hills

is sort of a place
you want to be.

Who's in here?

Anybody in here?

There it is, the bunk beds.

If you like to cook,
you, too, one day

might be able
to compete on "Top Chef"

and live in a bunk bed.

You see this?

Whoa. Sh--.

- Holy sh--.
- Oh, sh--.

The moon is looking
spectacular tonight.

Jessie's following them down.
Maggie, you should be the...

This is an incredible group
of people.

I've watched all of you,
you know, in your seasons.

I think we probably all share
this common bond

in all this stuff.
- Madness?

- And madness, yeah.
- [laughs]

It's gonna be great
to cook with all of you.

Cheers.
- Cheers.

It kind of blows my mind
that I'm standing here

and being, like, "I can
compete against these people

and maybe even beat them."

Tastes like
a quarter-million dollars.

[laughter]

Do whatever you have to do in
order for the fire to breathe.

- Am I suffocating it?
- Yeah.

Sh--,
I need to oil this grill up.

Don't. It's gonna burn
if you do that. Don't do that.

No!

You can do it.

Come on, Malarkey. Boom. Boom.

[hair dryer whirring]

The last time I was
on Season 8 on "Top Chef,"

I mean, I honestly don't
even recognize that person.

I-I've been doing
a lot of this self-work,

a lot of self-development.

My son Jacob Elias
is 11 years old.

Jacob is my light.

He's gone through
some struggles in his life.

He had heart bypass surgery,
and then, you know,

it ended up him having
a chromosomal deficiency.

He's just been
through so much fight,

so he's my motivation,
my inspiration.

Like, I'm ready
to cook passionately

and just put my heart
on the plate.

To the beach.

Small, Asian women in the back.

I live in Hawaii.

Cooking over open flame
on a beach

is very comfortable for me.

I can't get out of the car
with all this sh--.

But the last time
I was on "Top Chef,"

I was cooking
over an open fire,

except it was
in four feet of snow...

up on a mountain in a blizzard

while I was
four months pregnant.

The cool thing about up here
is you don't have

to worry about refrigeration.
- Yeah, right?

Okay, get the fire going.

So I ended up
with altitude sickness,

and I had to go home.

I'm gonna gracefully
just bow out.

Since then,
I had my son Rye Ikaika Cady.

He is my world.

He's a little beefcake.

It was super-hard to leave him
and come here.

I'm gonna talk about him a lot.

Bryan, how you doing back there?

Perfect.

Oh, a Boy Scout.

- Yeah, a little charcoal.
- Okay, fire's rolling.

BRYAN: Just getting some coal

building on one side,
get some--get some heat.

We're going to be
sharing a wood grill.

You go in the center
'cause I know you need that hot.

Yeah, just so I
can get it going.

It's a tight space,
and it's a very small fire.

It's gonna be a challenge.

I'd love some stupid-hot fuego.

- Oh, yeah, look at that.
That looks ----ing great.

Yeah, that's gonna be dope.

JEN: Don't know what
I'm looking at, but I love it.

NINI: The wind is crazy.

KEVIN: Yeah, it's swirling now.

I'm really nervous,
'cause there is all kinds

of elements that you
can't control, like wind.

This is just blowing
sh-- everywhere.

I've never cooked
in an open pit,

but Kevin has a beard.

He looks like
he can make a fire.

KEVIN: You want your ----ing
super-ridiculously hot fire,

you're good to go here.
- All right.

KEVIN: I'm gonna do a--
like a braised swordfish

kind of dish, a little spicy.

Swordfish will be a great dish
to treat like a meat protein.

It's gonna stand out
because of how bold it is.

Jen, look at this real fast,
and give me your opinion.

KEVIN: That looks
really nice to me.

It depends
on how you're cooking it

'cause I don't want it
to dry out on you.

Let's--let's just see.

STEPHANIE:
Looking at the other teams,

you know, Kevin and Jen
were in the finale together.

Their team is really strong.

We need to move everything
facing the wind

so that the ash
goes flying over it.

I kind of went into this knowing
I might be a tinge underdog,

just because
how different my career is

compared to a lot of these chefs
that own restaurants.

They need to have, like,
a James Beard for private chefs.

Like, I'm about to enter that
on the ballot.

Fire's looking good.

- Is it raging?
- Yeah.

So, guys, I'm gonna do
a Chesapeake bowl with prawns.

Lisa, what do you got going on?

Scallop and shrimp ceviche.

Bryan, what you got going
over there?

Well, I'm starting
to break down my sablefish,

make a broth with the bones,
and then fresh corn grits.

For me to come back
and to compete again,

you know,
I got a lot to prove for myself.

Been a runner-up
on "Top Chef" Season 6

against my brother Michael.

Congratulations, man.

My brother and I, we're
competitive in so many ways.

When I was on
"Top Chef Masters" Season 5

and I jumped out of a plane,

Michael was so jealous...

Holy sh--!

he went straight
to Perris, California,

and jumped out of a plane
in the same place I did

just to say he did it also.

Angelo, how you doing
on those oysters?

- Aw, shucks.
- [laughs]

- [laughs]
- Dad jokes.

Hello.

I think always
on a team challenge,

you can tell
from the food and the menu

if folks didn't get along
when they were cooking.

- I love that.
- I do, right?

Happy cooks, happy food.

- I love how Zen we are.
- I know.

I'm a Libra.
We get along with all signs.

Let's meditate after this.
- Yeah. Hey.

We're good-looking.
We're charming. [laughs]

I'm gonna do swordfish
grilled over fennel fronds,

and then
I'll char some radicchio.

My plan is
to throw the radicchio

straight onto the embers

to get nice and charred
on the outside.

I'm constantly thinking,
"How do I balance the flavors?"

My Libra side
will definitely come out.

Got a little bit of sesame
in here. Going for a flatbread.

I think I figured out
what I want to do.

I want to build
different layers.

So I'm making a flatbread
with smoked clams,

sea urchin, and a garlic aioli.

I'm going to break down
my spot prawns,

and I can start
shucking clams for you, too.

Joe wants to do
all of this stuff on the dish

with the clams, the aioli,

kind of like me
when I was younger, I guess.

I got kicked off for doing
too much stuff on my dish.

Bryan, was there
anything in the pantry

that you didn't put
on your plate?

That's not fair.

It still hurts.

You know, this being
the first Elimination Challenge,

I just really want to show
that I can come back.

Finishing runner-up,
I've always felt

I had something more to give.
I've dreamed about this day.

I've wanted to come back.
I want to fight,

I want to cook, and I want
that title of Top Chef.

I am excited to have seafood
and open-fire cooking,

and I'm just
gonna cook the bottom

just as tender as possible,
directly on the grate.

Time to go?
- Time to go.

Is my fan even doing anything?

Yeah, you gotta get in there
with some big ones.

I'm up against
so many years of experience.

I'm hoping to do what Kelsey,
the winner of my season, did.

She learned
from everyone around her

and found her way to the top.

Okay, I was, like,
"Am I just not strong?"

So I'm gonna be a sponge
and absorb as much as I can

from all of these chefs.
- Okay.

And hopefully
use it against them.

Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Just kidding. Not kidding.

Do whatever you have to do in
order for the fire to breathe.

- Am I suffocating it?
- Yeah.

Sorry.

It's so pretty, though.

- Thank you.
- Manners.

- Oh, hi.
- How are you?

Handsome people.

Welcome, everybody.

It's really nice
to see all of you here.

When the sun is shining
on the tops of your feet,

that's always a beautiful day.
- Yes.

[laughs]

Well said.

JAMIE: 16 minutes.

Dude, that shrimp
looks ----ing sexy.

- Thank you.
- Those look great.

Think we're looking good.

LEE ANNE:
I'm going right on there.

I want to get
those grill marks, that char.

Sh--, I need
to oil this grill up.

Can you help me?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Need 'em hotter.
You need it hotter.

This is an unseasoned grill.

Lee Anne has put her fish down

on the unseasoned grates,
and they are sticking.

Rub the grill with the oil.
Rub the grill with the oil.

As I'm trying to get
Lee Anne's fish unstuck,

she grabs cooking oil.

Don't. It's gonna burn
if you do that.

Don't do that. [bleep]

No!

Rub the grill with the oil.

Don't. It's gonna burn
if you do that. Don't do that.

[bleep]. Okay, not good.

Sorry. [sighs]

That flame came up and kissed it

and created black soot
on the side of the fish.

That's a dumb technical error.

At the same time,
I don't have extra fish to cook.

As long as I got the flavor,
that's like...

- You got flavor.
- Think about how

we might have to cover
those up a little bit?

MELISSA: Eight minutes.

We looking good, everybody?

All those butterflies
are coming back.

The judges
can see through everything,

but the first time
I didn't win "Top Chef,"

I was a bit younger,
and now it's like

I've grown tremendously
in those past five years.

That's time. Let's go.

I'm hoping
the judges can see that.

Hi, Green Team.

Hello. How are you?

- Nice.
- Hi.

Melissa, tell us,
what did you guys do today?

Today our team made a modern,

Californian,
Asian-inspired meal.

- Nice.
- I made grilled swordfish

with a hot and sour sauce,
fennel fronds,

ember-grilled radicchio
and charred Fresno chilies.

PADMA: Karen?

I made grilled scallops
with gingered plums,

nuoc cham,
and napa cabbage slaw.

- PADMA: Angelo?
- I have a West Coast oyster.

I took oysters and put them
into a smoked rice porridge.

- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.

- You're welcome.
- Thank you.

Very good start.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

Lots of flavor.

Karen did a beautiful job
on her scallop.

I loved how bright
the other flavors were

without weighing down
and losing the scallop.

I would agree.
I really liked the cabbage.

I really enjoyed the plums.

I thought it was really smart
the way Karen used napa,

the fact that she's
trying to use the grill.

With Angelo's dish, it was
a dish that he wanted to do,

and the grill
happened to be there.

- Right.
- When I'm eating oysters,

I love getting
that burst of brininess,

and I kind of think
it got a bit lost in there.

The texture was a bit
like baby food, you know?

There was no definition in it.

Whew!

PADMA: What about
Melissa's dish?

My favorite bite was actually
the grilled radicchio.

- Can I say that in a seafood...
- [laughter]

God, it was good.

I agree also with Marcus,
of the three dishes,

that's the one
that I would return to.

This is how you grill, the whole
radicchio in the embers.

I mean, you can make
a dish out of that.

How did this team do
as a cohesive meal?

I think there was a thread
that carried through.

There was some boldness.
There was some restraint.

There was nuance.

ANGELO: Hey,
thank you for picking us.

- Good job, team.
- Yeah, thank you, captain.

- Yeah, of course.
- Five minutes.

You're going full plating
right now, huh?

I have to.

I'm trying to cover up
all that oil

that had burned
to the side of the fish.

Some fish is better
than no fish, right?

It is what it is.

Now where's the sea urchin?

Taste a piece
of the flatbread.

It needs a little more aioli
on top.

The last thing I want to do
is for the bread to dry out.

- It's great.
- Good?

The sauce be a little loose,

but...
- It's okay. Saucy.

Just don't want it
to make the flatbread soggy.

- No, it won't.
- We're done. Let's go.

Agh! Sweat in my eye.

- Hi, chefs.
- Hello.

Halibut, just like you ordered.

This is a sea urchin celebration
right here.

- I am here for it.
- Yeah!

Tell us about your menu.

It is an Asian-inspired
California coastal cuisine.

So we have the sea urchin,
the local spot prawns

with sun-made hibiscus ponzu,
burnt chilies, burnt avocados.

So I wanted to do a sesame
and semolina flatbread,

some grilled clams
and raw clams on top,

fried garlic, sea urchins,
pickled peppers

and then an aioli made
out of some Parmesan and miso.

And then your entrée is shoyu
tare glazed Pacific halibut

over charred sweet corn,
napa cabbage,

and an anchovy tarragon butter,
sea urchin on top,

and then uni miso buerre blanc.

PADMA: Thank you, guys.

Pleasure. Appreciate it.

I think we did ----ing great.

I think they loved the crudo.

Because it's family-style,

I don't think I would have
chosen a sauce for the halibut

nor the crudo
that was so thin and watery.

The sauces
make the flatbread soggy.

For Joe's flatbread,
I would have taken the uni

and just put that,
nothing wet.

Just there's too much stuff.

And then, if you're
doing a flatbread

with all this stuff,
it better be crispy.

You better get that crunch.
- The flatbread, it's fine.

It's just it's a little heavy
and kind of messy.

How'd it go?

- Pretty good.
- Yeah.

Lee Anne's halibut
I'm not a fan of at all.

I thought everything
was really muddy.

You can't taste flavors
in here.

Look at that fish. You have all
that carbon on that fish there.

That's just wrong.
- Yeah, that's...

That's like rookie mistake.

I enjoyed Bryan's ceviche
very much.

The charred avocado with
a little bit of the spot prawn.

Use of the hibiscus there,
I thought, was really nice,

but that said,
there needs to be more grill.

He grilled a couple pieces
of avocado.

Come on. It's--
That's not enough.

How was your fire?

[bleep],
it was awesome. [laughs]

He did a good job on the fire.

Conceptually,
they did an amazing job.

It's just that there's mistakes,

and there are big mistakes
in every dish.

They seemed really excited
about all the uni.

They did seem excited about it.

- Yo, yo, Jamie.
- Yep, got it.

To get an element
of the fire into my dish.

I chose to scald the cream
with the embers.

- Oh, yeah.
- This is a technique

that I haven't
really used before,

but we're on the beach.
I have this giant fire.

Like, I'm gonna go for it.

52 seconds.

We got this, guys.

- Ready?
- Yep.

PADMA: Hello, Yellow Team.

- Hey, guys.
- Hi, Jamie.

Hello. How are you?

Ooh. Thank you.

I get so excited
when the food comes. It's silly.

Yellow Team,
tell us about your menu.

What I've prepared is the salmon
charred on the grill

with grilled peaches
and then a sauce

made from roasted Fresno chili
and roasted habanero,

so it's really spicy,
really sharp.

- With the crawfish?
- I love it.

Very well-balanced.

So I prepared for you guys
the steamed mussels,

ember scalded cream,
fresh herbs,

toasted bread
rubbed down with some garlic.

I made a quick
brined prawn, grilled.

On top is a fresh
charred tomato sauce.

On the bottom
is corn, celery, and herbs,

fried shallots, and potatoes.

- Thank you, chefs.
- Thank you.

- Thank you very much.
- Enjoy.

Dude, Nancy said your sh--
was spot-on.

Nancy, what did you think
of this team?

I liked everything.
I really did.

I think this is the meal
that we expected and deserved.

- Yes.
- Yes.

MARCUS: I love that.

Hey. What up?
What up? What up?

I loved the way
Gregory's salmon was cooked.

It was crispy.

The salmon was, like,
pretty near flawless.

There's sweet,
there's sour, there's spice

in that vinaigrette.
There's salt.

With Jamie's mussels,

I liked that sauce, especially
to dip the bread in it.

I mean, that was delicious.

I think it's flavorful.
I just think

the mussels themselves
are dried out.

I loved Stephanie's
charred tomato sauce,

and I loved those
crispy onions and potatoes.

I loved the char on the corn.

I'm floored.
This was very impressive to me.

What I also love about it

is what I don't love
about potlucks, you know.

You have a potluck dinner,
and then somebody

has to bring
the strawberry ambrosia,

and it ruins everybody--

you know, everything else.
- [laughter]

I like that everything
mixed together,

and it just tasted like a team.

I'm going to take
that strawberry ambrosia recipe

and kill it.
- Don't.

Just don't bring it to my house.

Just don't bring it
to Nancy's house.

Nothing went wrong.
Our food tasted good.

How are you cooking
the swordfish?

Oh, very rare.
- Very rare,

and then in the--Oh, okay. Yeah.
- Yeah.

Coming into "Top Chef"
the first time, I was a cook.

I still wasn't 100% sure

what kind of food
I even wanted to make.

This time around, I'm
a lot more aware of who I am.

- You need help?
- Nope. I'm good.

I think my dish is awesome.

My sauce is delicious.

This is gonna be a home run.

Two minutes, guys, two minutes.

How clean are you guys?

I'm not super clean,
to be honest with you.

You know who's not gonna
like that? Jeremiah Tower.

That man always looks pristine.

Three seconds, Jen. Three.
- We're good.

KEVIN: We're ready to go.

Hi, everybody.

I have two of my heroes
at the table.

- Ooh!
- Ohh!

Nancy and Suzanne
are women chefs

that have blazed the way
through this industry,

and I just
would like to impress them.

- Oh, yeah.
- That's pretty.

That's beautiful.

Blue Team,
tell us what you made.

Today I made for you a spiced
tuna loin over grilled kale

with roasted
red pepper tahini sauce.

- PADMA: Nini?
- Today I've made for you

a grilled scallop with
grilled carrots and tomatoes,

charred Brussels sprout
and fennel salad.

- PADMA: Kevin?
- I made a eye of swordfish

braised in chorizo,

sourdough bread that is burned
in the coals and crushed,

and then it's used
as the thickener to this sauce,

coal-roasted onion,
and then black and green olive,

as well
as some barely cooked peas.

Thank you so much.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

They definitely had an herb line

going through all.

It's like herbal celebration.
- Yeah.

What did you think
of Jen's tuna?

I thought the sauce is--
was delicious.

I think that dish
was the most successful.

I would eat
Jen's dish for lunch...

- Me, too.
- like, any day.

I think it came together
pretty well.

- Yeah.
- I think so. You never know.

I mean, the scallop
is a beautiful technique

in terms
of a perfectly cooked scallop.

I want to talk
about Nini's carrot.

I love that it's cut in half
but it's a whole carrot.

It looks like a carrot.

Michael, what did you think
about Kevin's dish?

It delivered visually.
The dish was stunning.

- Ohh.
- That wins the cover shot.

Right.
- But it's a disaster.

NANCY: Wow. Yeah.
- Thank you.

After I tasted it,
I felt so let down.

The fish is overcooked.

There's a million
too many things going on.

He had all these ideas
rolling around,

but then he forgot
he was a cook.

LISA: Eight minutes, guys.

BRYAN: It's a little hot out.

Got a nice glow now.

- LISA: It's a shimmer.
- Shimmer.

All right, start plating.

This is our first impression
back on "Top Chef."

Here.

We're representing
these dishes to the judges.

We want to make sure
that they're perfect.

Let's go.

- Hello, everybody.
- Hi.

How's it going, chefs?

You guys have quite the view
from this table.

PADMA: Tell us
about your menu, Lisa.

I did a charred
shrimp and scallop ceviche,

little bit of chilies
in there, candied squash,

sweet potatoes,
king oyster mushrooms, avocado.

- PADMA: Bryan?
- I did the fresh corn porridge,

and then over it is sablefish,
finished it with some coconut

and then took the leek tops,

charred them on the grill,
made a charcoal oil.

- PADMA: Eric?
- So I did the Chesapeake bowl.

Just wanted
to celebrate the prawns--

onions, celery, green peppers,
a little bit of garlic as well.

All right, thank you so much.

Truly appreciate it. Thank you.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- Good job.
- Yeah. Good job.

Each of the dishes
was technically prepared...

- Flawless.
- flawlessly.

- ERIC: How are you?
- [applause]

What up, dude?

What I loved about Lisa's,
it was ice cold.

She didn't try to make it fancy.

A ceviche, you cut chunks
of the seafood, you marinate it,

you add
some good herbaceous notes.

I liked the dish.

Eric's prawns,
I thought the sauce

was really nice and fun to eat,

like you want to dip it up
with bread or...

To me, Eric's dish
had the best flavor.

Mm-hmm.

I think Bryan's dish
lacked textural complexity.

The leeks, the corn,
the fish all became mush.

- Yeah.
- I think this end of the table,

we disagree
a little bit about that.

- Tell me why.
- Yeah. I feel like

there was a sophistication level
in this round of food

that we have not seen before.

But I thought Bryan's dish,
altogether,

the balance, the flavor,
the finesse in it was great.

Bryan,
you got some color there.

Little bit, yeah. Picked up
a little bit of the sun.

PADMA: I think
we had a lovely meal,

and all in all...
- Oh, yeah.

we had some amazing food.

- Absolutely.
- Absolutely.

Agreed.

- Under difficult conditions.
- Yeah.

- Not for us, but for them.
- Not for us, yeah.

[laughter]

Some heavy hitters
for the first table, yeah.

That was pretty intense.

"Resurrected Christ
will be here for dinner."

[laughter]

GAIL: I loved this
as our first elimination.

It took away everything
and just left you to cook

in a way that we don't
get to see very often.

TOM: Most of the food
was really delicious.

There was a couple of flaws
here and there,

but if you guys
are gonna cook this way,

we're in for a tasty season.

PADMA: Who had one
of your favorite dishes, Tom?

I had a few that I liked a lot.

Jen Carroll, I thought, put
together a really great dish.

I can certainly have your dish
for lunch every day.

It was delicious.
- Thank you.

TOM: I liked
Melissa's dish a lot.

To take a whole head
of radicchio

and stick it in embers, I mean,

that takes
a certain amount of confidence.

Thank you.

We had
some amazing dishes today,

but there was one team
that stood out,

and that team is...

the Yellow Team.

- All right.
- Shut up.

- Hey, good job, guys.
- Shut up. No way.

- I'm so glad I picked you guys.
- [laughter]

The rest of you,
please step to the side.

Oh, man.

Stephanie, you seem surprised.

- Always.
- [laughs]

- [sighs]
- Overall, you guys gave us

the best three dishes combined.

Jamie,
I think the mussel dish,

the sauce
was really, really good.

The one negative,
when you cook mussels

and then you take broth
away from the mussels,

they sit there, they dry.
- Yeah.

Stephanie, I loved your dish.

I thought that the shrimp
were cooked beautifully,

lots of charred corn.

It all made sense together.

I'm so glad you liked it.

It was one of the best things
I had all day.

- Thank you.
- TOM: Gregory's dish,

I thought the flavors were
just really, really bold.

I mean, more importantly,
the salmon was

as perfectly cooked
as it could possibly get.

- Thank you, chef.
- You said peaches,

and I went,
"Peaches with salmon?"

Yeah, the peaches
were lightly rubbed

with a little bit of curry paste
and a little olive oil,

- and that was it.
- Anyway, I changed my mind

as soon as I tasted it, so...

While this was
a team challenge,

one chef stood out
as our winner.

Jeremiah?

There was one chef
who understood completely

what it was like to do a dish
here under these conditions,

and it was technically perfect,
and that chef...

is Gregory.

- Thank you.
- [applause]

Good job. You deserve it.

- Thank you.
- Good job.

Thank you.

It feels so great
to have this redemption.

This is 16 years
of amazing chefs

trying to fight for that title.

Obviously, I'm here to win.

I gotta take it to the end.

Thank you, Yellow Team,

You can step to the side.

One team did have
our least favorite dishes today,

and one of you
will be going home.

Red Team,

Red Team,
please step forward.

Before I give here,
I want to make a few comments

to a few chefs here.

Angelo, your dish
I wasn't crazy about,

and I'll tell you why.

You made an oyster
that was kind of not cooked,

but it wasn't cold. It was
just like a bit of phlegm.

It was not pleasant at all.

Kevin,
presentation was amazing,

but that swordfish
was hammered, man.

- It was too cooked?
- Oh, yeah. It was tough.

Back to the Red Team.

How are you feeling right now?

We felt really good
coming away from the table,

but we're here now, and...
- [chuckles]

Last place we want to be.

On the ceviche,
I love the jimaca,

the hibiscus, and that color,

I just looked at that dish
and thought it was beautiful.

I, too, loved the color,

but some people commented
about a lot of liquid.

GAIL: When you
put it on a plate

and then you put
your halibut, Lee Anne,

and then you put a piece
of flatbread beside it,

it becomes completely soggy,

and so eating
the three together wasn't clean.

What was the spread
on top of your flatbread, Joe?

It was like an aioli I made,
some Parmesan in there,

a little bit of miso,
some shrimp paste,

and I thought that would act
as kind of like the glue

to hold down the clams
and everything.

"Glue" is not a good word
when it comes to food. [laughs]

PADMA: I think there was also
too much of that aioli.

You covered up all of that
flatbread with all this stuff.

I mean, that's something I think
I've always struggled with

is that editing process.

- PADMA: Lee Anne.
- Ohh. Yeah.

There was a lot to like
in your dish,

but I think you needed
a lot of editing today, too.

The sauce
just weighed everything down

and right over
those beautiful frizzled leeks.

We all noticed the sort of soot

on the edges of the fish
from the cooking process.

- Flare-ups?
- Yeah.

You see it,
but you can taste it, too.

Well, I apologize, chef.

I hope I don't
have to swim home.

- [laughs]
- It's not too rough.

Hawaii is very far away.

[laughter]

PADMA: Chefs, we have
a lot to talk about.

We'll see you in a bit.
Thank you so much.

- Thank you.
- Thank you all.

Let's give it up
for the Yellow Team, huh?

- [applause]
- Oww!

- Killing it. Killing it.
- Nice job.

You know when you don't
make a perfect dish.

You know it in your heart.
- Totally.

But that's the way
the game is played.

We have a really tough decision
to make tonight.

No one wants to be
the first person to go home.

Bryan's dish,
there was no serious flaw.

There were flaws
on the other two dishes.

GAIL: I would agree with that.

TOM: Yeah, we can
take him off the table.

Okay, so then we're left
with Lee Anne and Joe.

I don't think the flatbread
itself was very good.

I thought that was also chewy.

And then
he just piled so much on top

that it was really hard
to see the forest for the trees.

As he talked
about those flavors,

actually when you took a bite,
you didn't get any of that.

None of it.

Lee Anne's,
same problems, though,

the problem with composition.

You had a rich sauce.
You had rich uni.

Lee Anne knew her mistake.

She had some serious problems
working that grill.

That really ruined her dish.

You all right?

Uh, I mean, like, utter fail
yesterday and today,

but other than that,
I'm good, I'm great.

Pbbt! Twice in a row,

I'm making
dumb technical errors.

This is not who I am as a chef.

[sighs]

Very sad. [chuckles]

If I never cook
in a fire pit again...

- Oh, we are.
- I am so okay with that.

These are two dishes
that just didn't work at all,

and it really surprised me

'cause they're--
they're both good chefs.

Okay, I think
we have our decision.

Let's get them out here.

TOM: You know, chefs, it takes
a lot of courage to come back.

There's a lot of pain with it.
But you're all back here,

and you're back here
fighting for your lives,

and you're back here because
you love to cook.

It's tough to be
the first one to go,

but unfortunately there's
always one that has to go first.

Padma.

Joe...

please pack your knives and go.

Joe, there was
just too many ideas

crammed on one piece of bread.

But we will see you
in Last Chance Kitchen.

You can edit yourself,
and, um...

- I know what to do now.
- hopefully win a bunch.

Sorry. Ohh!

It's okay.

Being eliminated first sucks,

but it's always
what you make of it.

If you go out
doing something really dumb,

you gotta live with that,
but if you go out

because everybody cooked
really good food,

then you gotta be prouder
of still what you did

and stand by that.

- I love you, bro.
- Take care.

I don't think there's
anything negative to be seen

by being
the first one eliminated.

[applause]

"Top Chef" is
a once-in-a-lifetime experience,

and here we all are doing it

for a second time
in the same lifetime.

I mean, that's
an accomplishment in itself.

I know it's been
a long, hot day,

and I know
it's hard to see Joe go,

but this is "Top Chef,"

and your next
Elimination Challenge...

starts right now.

- Man.
- [laughs]

- Wow!
- Oh, my God.

This is the ultimate
smackdown.

PADMA: This season
on "Top Chef"...

Look at this place.

For this challenge, you'll be
going back into history.

- This is scary.
- [wails]

- The competition is harder...
- [gasps]

but I think
that we're all better.

- [cheering]
- Done!

- Hi!
- [screams]

Please welcome some of the
biggest names in the business.

- [laughs]
- Oh, my God.

Welcome back, Stephanie.

I know a lot of these chefs
from other seasons,

so this was
very enjoyable to me.

For the first time ever,

"Top Chef" is headed
to Europe for the finale.

Benvenute a Italia.

This was pretty close
to perfection.

It's a Michelin-star dish
for sure.

- Wow.
- I will put it my restaurant.

TOM: And it's flavorful
but still light.

It's just absolutely
stunning to look at.

Got a long season ahead.

- No, no, no, no!
- TOM: Right now,

the mistakes
are gonna be amplified,

the cooking is all
gonna be really top-notch.

You don't want to be the one

walking out of here
second-guessing.

Unless I break my leg off,

I will be the next Top Chef.

Guys, we got one minute left!

The hummus was needing some
seasoning, too. Is that correct?

Do you see
the bus tracks on my back?

This season will be the most
difficult season of "Top Chef."

Go hard, or go home, right?

[bleep]!

- Get your second wind.
- [laughter]

For more exclusive "Top Chef"
content, go to bravotv.com.

[giggles]