Previously on Top Chef...
Oh, my God!
[Dogs barking]
- [Laughing] Yeah! - Wow!
I didn't become a chef till later in life.
Emeril popped out of the TV
and, like, just slapped me across the face.
- Me? Wow. - I, myself, worked my way up.
If you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything.
[Laughing] Oh!
That's not the best face.
She's beautiful.
Baby Georgia is here. Woohoo!
Congratulations, dad.
It is more important than ever to win now.
The torchon is not set up the way that I want it to.
It looks really simple.
And you see all these layers.
This is Brooke on a plate.
Brooke, congratulations.
You're moving on to the finale.
Thank you very much.
You know, I had it in my mind
that I was gonna make torchon.
This has nothing to do with how good of a chef you are.
You just can't do it.
Josh, please pack your knives and go.
The two of you will be competing in the finale,
plus the winner of Last Chance Kitchen.
So head home, and come back raring to go.
- Cheers to going home, doll. - [Laughs]
At stake, for the winner,
a feature in Food & Wine magazine,
a showcase at the annual Food & Wine classic in Aspen,
$125,000 furnished by Healthy Choice,
and the title Top Chef.
[Rock music]
♪ Top Chef: Seattle 10x16 ♪ Finale, Part 1 Original Air Date on February 20, 2013
== sync, corrected by elderman ==
This is a big house for two people.
And it's us two.
Oh, my God, I'm so excited.
[Both laughing]
Top two. I can't believe it.
I never thought I'd actually make it this far.
Being Top Chef would change my life and my career.
And that $125,000 is staring me in the face right now.
Good job. [Both laughing]
I am ecstatic to be in the top two,
in the semifinals of Top Chef.
I know, technically, it'll be top three,
but right now, I'm going with top two,
'cause I like the sound of that.
And...
♪ We're in the finals ♪
♪ we're in the finals ♪
♪ ♪
♪ we're top two ♪
♪ but it's actually, technically, top three ♪
[Both laughing]
♪ I don't know who is coming ♪
♪ to visit me ♪
♪ in L.A. ♪
Both: Yay!
[Upbeat pop music]
♪ ♪
It's been six months since Alaska.
Life has been a whirlwind.
What's up, dude?
The restaurant has been busy.
I've been cooking my butt off,
thinking about the finale.
This past month, I've got the opportunity
to go stage at a restaurant called the Vintage Cave.
A super high-end restaurant up in Honolulu.
Trying to focus on what I'm gonna be doing
in the finale.
Brooke comes from a background
of working for some high-end chefs.
I wanna just get my technique down.
It's like a championship boxer, right here.
I want to go into the finale being ready, right?
We got crepe, brussel.
Double garlic, double soup.
Five-piece buns.
Two pats.
[Pans clatter] Oh!
Take it easy, boss.
Crumbling under the camera.
Padma and Tom isn't even here, bro.
[Laughs]
Opening up a restaurant of my own
has always been a dream of mine.
Winning Top Chef will let me have that dream come true.
Hi, I'm Sheldon. Hi.
Where you guys from?
- From New York. - New York?
We were saying, we were here the first week you opened.
- Get out of here. - Yeah.
Now it's--every time we come, it's more and more and more.
It's crazy, right? Awesome.
Hawaii has been nothing but supportive.
I'm never gonna forget where I'm from.
It's made me who I am today.
It'll be a cherry on top, to win Top Chef
and bring it home for everyone.
We're in my backyard right now.
D.T. Fleming Beach.
Just gonna have some friends and some family down, you know?
Oh, I forgot the green onion.
Just cut 'em and put 'em back inside there.
I've had to hit him a few times for his language, though.
But I guess that happens in the kitchen.
I'm pretty lucky that I have a supportive wife
that let me go away.
'Cause she'd be home with the three girls by herself.
I know I wouldn't be able to handle that.
What do you think? You think he's gonna win?
- Yes, yes. - Yes?
I'm gonna go into the final like a beast.
I wanna hear my name at the end.
That's gonna create a better future for those girls.
Create a better future for my family.
Argh!
Hopefully he'll represent Hawaii.
Put Hawaii on the map.
And I said, "yeah, he's opening a Filipino restaurant."
[Laughter] Urbano.
- Urbano. - Urbano.
- Let's do balut. - Balut eating contest!
My grandfather traveled from the Philippines
with a dream of a better future for his family.
Here I am, three generations later,
doing the same thing.
Keep that Simeon legacy alive,
battling it out on Top Chef
for a brighter future for my family.
I know I can win.
Coming back home, it's been difficult to focus
on just food.
You're very handsome. You know that?
It doesn't have to be like that.
Being a mom is a huge part of my life.
Deciding to do Top Chef was one of the hardest things
that I've ever had to do, because I had to leave
my son and my husband and my businesses for so long.
Winning the title would ultimately
make the whole thing worth it.
80% of the time, we take him to school together.
- Mom. - Yeah?
Sometimes you have to go to Hudson House.
Sometimes I do have to go to Hudson House.
After getting Hudson off to school,
we pretty much bounce back and forth
between the two restaurants.
My day-to-day life is worrying about paperwork,
worrying about finances.
This is the antithesis of why I got into this business.
If I could spend my whole day in a kitchen, I would.
Special that I'm doing tonight,
which is actually gonna be a pig ear salad.
There are definitely days where I feel like
I've strayed too far from my love of cooking.
Looking back on the competition,
I'm so appreciative of everything that I went through,
and I feel like, you know, it definitely inspired me
more than I had been in years.
- That's pretty awesome. - Look at us.
That was so quick.
Now, if only I knew whether or not
we could get pig ears during the finale.
[Laughs]
It doesn't get much more romantic than this.
Candlelight, your pretty eyes.
Aww!
My husband and I met when I hired him
as my sous chef.
We don't spend enough time together.
We should do this more often.
I was this bossy chick in the kitchen,
and he was this surly sous chef.
So who do you think you're gonna be up against?
Kristen.
Yeah? That'll be a pretty solid battle.
Obviously, the ultimate satisfaction
would be beating somebody that I have
immense respect for in a, you know, culinary world.
I think you're gonna crush it.
I--whoever you go up against.
Hi. Wanna sit down?
How are you? I'm okay.
Right on.
You're my favorite protege.
Oh, really? Favorite?
I only have a couple, so...
[Laughter] Thanks for your honesty.
So now you're on the verge. You got a game plan?
I kind of feel like I was gaining momentum at the end.
- Right. - But everyone else
has had a chance to learn new things,
whereas a lot of my life is running the restaurants
and being a mom.
You wouldn't have gotten this far
unless you were able to do it.
So I want you to go kill it.
I'll do my best. Thank you.
Cheers to you.
I've definitely changed since this whole thing began.
I feel like a stronger person now,
so I have what it takes to be the next female Top Chef
it's good to see you.
I'm sorry we're not in Hawaii.
I wish I could say the same thing.
- Oh, man. - Oh!
Right back in the mix. It's been a while since we--
do you even remember how to cook?
- Um...Yeah. - Yeah?
You're such a celebrity now.
My motto in the semifinals is think clearly
and don't let my anxiety get the best of me.
So who do you think won Last Chance Kitchen?
It would definitely be a surprise to see Josh.
Who would you be surprised if you see?
- Carla and Josie. - Yeah.
I'm gonna go with Kristen.
She's been on fire.
Whatever happened before, it doesn't matter.
Those last three challenges, I wasn't cooking from the heart.
But now, here I am, focused.
I think they'll be surprised of what I come with.
I'm ready to cook.
The winner of Last Chance Kitchen is...
- Ahh! - Wow.
Welcome to Craft.
How are you feeling?
- Nervous. - Very nervous right now.
Only two challenges stand between you
and the title of Top Chef.
It feels like my heart's gonna beat out of my chest.
The adrenaline is going.
I've been waiting this whole time,
and this is what it's all about.
Each week, there's been another important competition
going on...
We're doing Last Chance Kitchen again.
[All cheer, shout]
I feel like two butterflies in the stomach.
It takes me 12 minutes just to debone that bitch.
You're given that second chance, and that's amazing.
The person who redeemed themselves the most is Kuniko.
- I got a great idea. - You go first.
I was thinking, like, pork burger.
I can just see Tom going, like,
"you got a pickle. Why wouldn't you just
make a good burger?"
You couldn't think of a better thing to do
with pickles than put 'em on a burger?
How friggin' original!
I just wondered, like, how that dessert was to you guys?
- The burger was even worse. - [Bleep].
Since you were so critical
of Lizzie and Danyele's dessert,
your challenge is to make your own dessert.
Welcome to your nightmare all over again.
I need to get some sort of redemption.
I wanted to do hay ice cream. Hay ice cream?
Okay, freak-o.
The winning chef is C.J.
- Oh, boy. - Oh, roommate.
- Let's go, big Ceej! - Salt and pepper.
- Don't make it too salty. - [Scoffs]
- C.J. - Aw, man!
- He's still in. - Won four in a row.
It's gonna be like a shootout at the O.K. Corral.
[Bleep]. Whoo!
C.J. [Cheering]
Are you kidding me, Tom?
- Big Ceej? All: Big Ceej!
I really don't think anyone can stop me.
- Did we test this? - No, not yet.
Oh, [bleep] Test it [bleep].
I would prefer one of the dishwashers
in place of Josie.
You guys didn't get enough sauce.
She sauced her plate. I'm--
- Kristen, please pack your knives and go.
I'm ready to fight my way back in the finale.
I'm going to do everything that I can to get there.
So C.J.'s won six battles in a row.
A record.
- I feel a little nauseous. - A little nauseous?
Let's go! [Cheers and applause]
This [bleep] is hard!
Oh, it's like lighting a bong. Ha!
Woohoo!
The winning chef is...
Kristen. [Applause]
Here you go. Good luck.
I know Kristen's pissed.
[Bleep].
[Bleep], my hands are shaking.
The winning chef is Kristen.
Karma. [Chuckles]
Of course, it is wifey. I knew it.
The winning chef is Kristen.
Last Chance Kitchen is gonna get me back.
I'm gonna do everything I can to get there,
because I want to be in the finale, I want to win.
And the winning chef is Kristen.
It all comes down to this. You're gonna have to face
the finalist of "save a chef."
The winner of Last Chance Kitchen is...
Tom has just crowned the winner.
The winner of Last Chance Kitchen is...
Ahh!
Oh, yeah.
She is probably my stiffest competition,
but I'm ready. Let's do this.
Kristen, welcome back.
I know you've had quite a journey.
So how does it feel to be back, Kristen?
I'm definitely happy, but just as nervous as always.
Here we are--three chefs--
but only one will walk away with $125,000
furnished by Healthy Choice,
and the title of Top Chef.
It's only fitting that the season started here
in my restaurant, and for one of you,
it will end here in my restaurant.
Craft will open in three hours,
and you are going to be my chefs.
Wow.
My heart's gonna pound out of my chest right now.
[Laughter]
Each of you will be responsible for an appetizer,
an entree, and a dessert.
So, chefs, I'll be in the kitchen expediting with you.
We're in chef Tom's house, and we gotta make sure
that his customers are happy.
It's a lot of pressure, but it's also a big honor.
Hopefully I don't set this place on fire.
During the cook, guys, Hugh and myself will be
going in the back, checking on you guys.
Just to make sure you're doing okay
and to give you, hopefully, some sage advice.
This is the real thing. We're open for service.
And my customers are really demanding.
They expect a lot.
Please, just don't screw this one up.
Your time starts now.
That's good luck.
I need proteins.
The first thing I see is spot prawns.
Spot prawns.
They're alive. They're gonna be sweet.
I want these ingredients to speak to me.
Pork belly, fat, bacon.
[Whispering] "Psst! Pick me.
I'm gonna make you win."
That's the spot prawns talking to me.
[Laughs]
Ooh, chestnuts. Yes!
I'm looking at proteins.
I want to do spot prawns.
I'm doing tuna.
- That's quail. - I'll do quail.
Somebody wanna get this short rib?
You're doing short rib?
- Uh, yeah. - All right.
Never mind, I'm not doing short rib.
- All right. - Actually, wait.
I'm so overwhelmed, I can't commit to anything,
'cause there's too much beautiful product.
[Sighs]
It's very frustrating.
Ahem.
First course. Chestnut veloute.
- Okay. - With duck confit.
My second course is a tuna.
And then dessert, think I'm gonna do chocolate in some form.
Okay.
First course, I'm not sure. I want to do something
with all those pretty beets over there.
Maybe do something with short ribs.
I don't know. I haven't figured it out yet.
I'm gonna do spot prawns.
Second course, the quail with some pickled grapes,
then some type of white chocolate and fennel
and apple at the end.
Sheldon's quail dish doesn't sound like him.
Straying from your comfort zone,
I think it's risky.
Especially now. Let's get cooking.
It's too nice of a kitchen.
Sheldon, what happened to your blue hat?
What? You're color-blind.
[Laughs] I had to bring the red one.
I think I'm throwing a curveball to the judges on my entree,
roasted quail with pine nut puree.
It's definitely out of my comfort zone,
and not the type of food that I've been cooking all season.
But I'm doing it to show how much I've grown.
Okay, I'm changing my first course.
- What are you doing? - Sweetbreads.
What's your second?
I still don't have a full plan yet.
Kristen, it's good to see you back.
Thanks. Good to be back.
I'm definitely ready to redeem myself.
The finale is where I wanted to be
since the very first day that I stepped in Seattle.
I'm just gonna go in cooking my ass off
and win this thing.
Oh, my God.
Right? Forgot how much fun this is.
Yeah, right. [Bleep].
[Grunts] Hey, Brooke, there's chicken breasts
for your fried chicken, if you want.
Thanks, Sheldon. Sweet of you to point out.
Kristen and Brooke are great chefs in their own right,
but I'm gonna battle to the end.
Let the best man win.
You heard that-- best man, not woman.
[Chuckles]
[Laughter]
I would re-plate that.
It's cold. Okay.
I'm getting really backed up here.
Don't stop, Brooke, don't stop. [Bleep].
I'm not gonna make it through this round.
Bad day to have a bad day.
Knife, behind, knife!
What are you making, Kristen? What's your main course?
Kind of a play on tuna and veal.
13, 14, 15, 16...
This challenge is--boom-- balls to the wall.
And we have to come up with three courses,
cooked and prepped all by ourselves tonight
within three hours.
Pshh!
How's it going? Hi. Good. How are you?
- I'm good. - Good.
- It's been a while. - It has.
We sent you through in the beginning in my kitchen.
We've been through it all together.
Your kale salad. I know. We've come full circle
in the season. So what are you making?
I think I'm gonna start with sweetbreads.
Sweetbreads? Okay. Poach those off,
and then clean 'em really well.
- Yeah. - No sinew?
I'm gonna do my best to get rid of it all
in the amount of time that I have.
You've been really successful with a couple of things
that are very creative.
I mean, the mussels and frog's legs,
the lamb and the squid. I got lucky with that one.
These were kinda out of left field.
And can you bring something like that to this, you think?
I'm hoping so.
If I can actually execute it properly,
and my flavors, you know, are good, then--
Okay, well, I'm really proud of what you've done.
- Thank you. - Yeah.
[Grill sizzles] You okay there, Sheldon?
Sheldon, do not burn down Craft.
Brooke, good luck. Thank you.
- Hey, Kristen, how you doing? - Good. Sorry for the mess.
It's okay. You guys are a little sloppy here.
What's going on? What are you making?
First course is Brussels sprout leaves, duck rillette,
and then the chestnut veloute.
Veloute is essentially a really rich, creamy soup.
This time around, I'm going simple.
Not boring, not safe, but I'm just focusing
on simple, clean flavors.
The next course is the tuna. Okay.
And then, dessert is a chocolate thing--chocolate.
Oh, that-- you don't know what it is yet.
Okay.
Have you at all changed your approach?
Is there anything that you've picked up?
Um, sometimes simplicity.
I think I try to do too much
in a very short amount of time, and it kind of screws me.
Do you think that's why you were so successful
in Last Chance Kitchen, because you only have
30 minutes, usually, to put something together?
Yeah. And I had no time to over-think it.
- Right. - Which was good.
Kinda like-- kinda like today.
For sure. All right.
Good luck. Thanks so much.
Hey, Sheldon. [Blender whirring]
- Hey, Chef. Sorry if I'm... - That's all right.
- Making kickin' noise, right? - That's all right, man.
Filipino-- what are you going with?
I've been doing a little bit of homework
ever since Alaska till now,
and I think you guys would be surprised
how much I've grown from even from then.
I don't know, I'm feeling quail tonight.
I'll give you one piece of advice.
Taste, brother. Exactly.
Taste, and re-taste.
You know, I want to say to you
that I really admire where you came from.
I don't think you've lost that.
- Thank you. - Just like myself.
A dishwasher. And just keep working hard.
All right, man, good luck. Right on, Chef.
- Mahalo. - Thank you.
1 hour, 13 minutes.
- "Tirteen." - "Tirteen"!
Your pidgin's getting better every day, Brooke.
I'm so proud of you. How you doing? Good?
Yeah. It's kinda cool to be cooking in Craft, huh?
Yeah.
Of course, you want to do right,
especially in the man's house, right?
Like you're sweating the whole time.
- Yeah. You get lost in his... - Blue eyes.
- You get lost in his eyes? - Yes.
- 'Cause I do. - Do you? I do too.
- Like right now. - I just got lost.
Yeah. [Laughter]
I gotta make sure that every single dish is on point.
This is the most important meal that I've ever had to cook.
It's my ticket to the big show.
♪ If I was a sheet pan, where would I be? ♪
I want to be focused, and I want to make it through service.
For my homies. Gangsta pouring.
Hot fire. Yahtzee!
- [Bleep]! - You all right?
Yeah, I just keep burning the pistachios.
These ovens are very hot.
Are you looking good?
Ask me that in about 20 minutes.
I have spent too much time figuring out my dishes.
Now I'm behind in my prep.
Honestly, I'm in the [bleep].
- You okay? - No.
- What are you dragging on? - Everything.
Knowing I might not make the final two,
I start to panic a little.
It all snowballs.
Oh, this oven was really hot.
What are you making? Brown butter cake?
Yeah. Damn it. I haven't made this in years.
Hopefully, I can recover this.
Brooke, you okay?
Brooke?
[Exhales]
[Bleep].
Okay, guess not.
Oh, God damn it, I'm sweating.
[Speaks native language] Come on, mother hugger.
Hey, Brooke, you wanna do my dessert for me?
- No. - Since you're the baker.
No. When's the last time you made dessert, Sheldon?
- Never. - Never?
What's your dessert? White chocolate mousse,
fennel, and apples.
I gotta do a dessert, which I'm, uh,
not known as the dessert guy.
Kristen? What?
What you doing for dessert?
Chocolate. I made my own homemade chocolate.
I'm worried about dessert. Complete afterthought.
Looking at the clock, I realize that
half my time already went away.
And I'm, like, "oh, well, [bleep],
I should probably make dessert now."
Sheldon, have you seen any sesame oil?
You going Asian? You don't cook Asian,
you Asian person. [Laughs]
It's a white person Asian. [Laughs]
20 minutes, guys! Push!
- Brooke, you gonna be good? - Um, sure.
But I need to just calm down.
You're not gonna be crazy during service
like Carla, are you?
Take a deep breath. [Inhales deeply]
I feel like I'm spinning out of control.
But I think the flavors of my short rib dish
are perfect, and my parmesan sauce is beautiful.
Hopefully my dishes at least hold up.
[Bleep], I feel like I'm missing something.
I'm sweating in places I didn't know I could sweat.
I don't want to be eliminated again.
Five minutes! Holy...[Bleep] show.
All right, guys, listen up. Get your stations all set,
ready to go. Tickets are coming in.
On the expedite, I'm gonna order, fire, pickup.
But you guys need to talk to each other.
Let's have a great service. Also, can we take a second
and clean up? The place is a mess.
This is really gonna be a lot of fun.
I want to welcome all of you, on behalf of Tom, to Craft.
He's not able to be with us at the table
because he's actually expediting for all of the chefs.
So we can blame Tom if the spacing
in the courses isn't just right tonight.
- [Laughs] - Exactly.
Can you imagine how intimidating
it must be right now being back there with Tom,
in his restaurant?
The pressure is definitely on.
Are you more worried about Tom than the chefs today?
You ready to order, miss?
Ordering, two prawns, two sweetbread, two veloute.
- Holy [bleep] show! - Plating two sweetbreads.
You guys ready?
- Got veloute coming, right? - Two.
Let's start moving some food. We're gonna get stuck here.
- Three sweetbreads. - Yes.
This is for two, all right?
Let's start with Sheldon's spot prawns.
- It's very pretty. - I love Sheldon's radish.
I love the sea beans.
My prawn was absolutely perfectly cooked.
It's a very difficult dish to pull off.
It's very, very delicate.
Wanna pick up two prawns now.
- Got it, Chef. - One minute.
One minute in the window.
Okay, let's go.
Two prawns up. Come on!
So this is Kristen's chestnut veloute.
And the little duck rillette.
The raw Brussels sprout give that little kick to it.
I thought the rillette was fine, but you just would never
serve a seared rillette like that just by itself.
You'd have bitterness from pickles,
you'd have cornishons.
Just a touch of acid would make a huge difference.
Do you want to lick the plate?
Should I take it away? [Laughs] I'm ready to lick.
- Is that okay? - That's so embarrassing.
I love the intensity of flavor in Brooke's salad.
There's a lot of surprises.
The kumquat has very aromatic, intense flavor,
but the beet is, like, standing on its own
like a stepchild.
You know, I was back there
when she was prepping the sweetbreads.
We talked about cleaning sweetbreads really well.
I would have cleaned them a little bit more,
and then I wouldn't have cut it so thin
because I still want that real milky softness
to a sweetbread in the center.
Ordering, three quail, three tuna, three shorty.
Got it, Chef.
And then one for me, at some point.
Are those the dumplings for the five?
- Yes. - Make more.
You've got so much coming behind you.
If you're gonna fire each one to order, we're in trouble.
I'm a total [Bleep] show.
And I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna make it
through this round.
Want me to-- do you want me to re-plate it?
Yeah, I would re-plate that.
It's cold. Okay.
[Bleep]!
Brooke, I really need these-- I need these fast.
Two minutes. Three minutes.
'Cause I'm getting really backed up here.
Bad day to have a bad day.
I just need these quickly. Okay, here you go.
I can't decide between the quail and the tuna.
I love Kristen's tuna because, outside,
it's perfectly seared.
The inside is nice and moist.
The lemon curd was a little too harsh for me.
I had one bite that, it was borderline salty.
I imagine that Kristen hit it with sea salt
just before going out.
Or it could have been the expeditor.
Ooh. Ouch. [Laughter]
I need these veloutes. I'm so desperate for them.
They're coming right now.
I'm dying up here, and you're killing me.
Tom expediting is frightening.
I peed in my pants a little.
Kristen, those three tuna, I'm desperate. Come on.
I feel like I'm talking to myself up here.
Brooke's dish is, basically, I think,
is perfectly cooked,
and it really goes well with the complement.
I love the parmesan sauce. It mixed well
with the braising liquid au jus.
I love the nettle. I love the nettle puree.
I gotta tell you...
Yeah.
- Hmm. - Sheldon is very brave.
Quail is actually very difficult to do.
The pine nut thing is kind of this ode to pine nut hummus,
which is okay. It's not my favorite.
Overall, this is not Sheldon.
This is another chef who's put on Sheldon's hat.
I want the old Sheldon. I agree with you, Hugh.
He's been brainwashed. I don't know.
I don't know where he-- where he went.
I need five brown butters behind these shorts,
and six white chocolate, and two chocolate curry.
Just keep making desserts.
Sheldon, you gotta give me some white chocolates, right?
- For all day. - Brooke, I really need these--
I need these fast. I really do.
Okay, here we go. Desserts are out.
- Enjoy. - Thank you.
- Here are our desserts. - Let's do this.
Here we go.
White chocolate.
- Brown butter cake. - Thanks, chef.
What do you think of Brooke's dessert?
Holy smokes, that... Is really, really good.
It's good.
Not overly buttery.
And I love the texture on the outside.
And I also love the balance of Brooke's combination
of the red berry because it gives that yin and yan balance.
It's just perfect. Yin and "yan"?
Did you say, "yin and yan"? Yin and yan.
[Laughter]
Ten more brown butter cakes.
You have any down? No, not yet.
Don't stop, Brooke. Don't stop. Don't stop.
Let's try Kristen's chocolate curry cashew.
Interesting. Interesting.
It surprised me to combine chocolate with a curry.
I like the chocolate and curry together.
I don't know.
It's not a great idea.
It's a really basic dessert.
I love the flavors in Sheldon's dessert.
Apple and fennel--I mean, that's a great combination.
But the raw fennel just-- it distracted me
from the apples and overpowered everything else.
The sweetness is perfect. I love the sweetness.
But I think the fresh fennel
is actually pretty distracting,
because there's such a big chunk.
This is amazing. Wow.
This is, I think, genius.
This is a genius dish.
Chefs...
It's always hard running through a service in one night.
You guys did a great job.
I'll see you back at judges' table.
- Good job. - Good job.
This is, like, the worst day ever.
Brooke, it just shows you that you really have
to be prepped up and ready to go.
I had a really rough night.
I can do way more than what I showed tonight.
Fire another quail, I'll pick it up with the short rib.
If we can move that very quickly, I'll be very happy.
Chef Tom's calling out tickets like a drill sergeant.
Picking up one, and then three more behind it.
So, four all day. Serious right now?
Plating the tuna?
- Huh? - Plating the tuna?
Maybe a little heads up would have been nice.
- I'm hungry. - Really?
- Yeah, I have to eat them. - No, you don't.
Yeah, I kind of do.
I'm doing the best I can over here.
Sauce for prawn? Sauce for prawn.
Sheldon, I need sauce for prawn.
- Sauce. - [Groans]
[Bleep] Headache.
Once I look into those baby blue eyes,
he can't get anything from me.
[Chuckles]
Hi.
- Hello. - Hello.
- How's it going? - Bravo, Chef.
- Pretty good. - How was it back there?
It was good actually.
You know, Brooke was a little behind
with her mise en place and almost completely
in the weeds, but she managed to get out of it.
They all struggled at times.
What did you guys think overall?
I thought the evening was awesome.
I really thought they did a great job.
Overall, all the menu just seemed easy.
It was a little safe.
If they put a little more attention
in some individual element,
it could have been perfect.
Well, that--if they were only as fast as you are...
[Chuckles]
Then maybe they would have been okay.
Well, I want to thank John and Martin for joining us.
- My pleasure. - I'm gonna go change.
And I'll see you at Judges' Table.
- Okay, all right. - Good luck.
Take care.
Pleasure.
- That was hard. - That was hard.
I don't want that to be my final note.
I don't serve desserts in a potted bowl.
Like, ugh.
I'm worried the dessert could send me home.
Oh, God.
Stupid red--
Stupid hat.
Tonight, two of you will move on to compete
for $125,000
and the title of Top Chef.
And for one of you, the road ends here.
Sheldon, let's start with your appetizer.
My spot prawn
was cooked perfect.
I liked the flavor.
I thought it was a good dish.
It just--it sung as a really pure, simple starter.
Tom, what did you think of Sheldon's quail?
I thought Sheldon did a nice job with the quail itself.
I thought it was seasoned nicely.
The garam marsala came out, you know, just very subtle.
But it was there.
I didn't care for the pine nuts.
The pine nuts was a little chalky.
Did you roast the pine nuts?
I did not roast the pine nuts.
Yeah, Sheldon, you made a comment to me
saying that, "you're gonna see a new Sheldon tonight."
First of all, there's nothing wrong with the old Sheldon.
I can tell you... Amen.
Because that's what got you here.
I do want to keep my style, but I want to still show
that I've grown from this show.
You know, on the seasoning,
you brought this punch of flavor,
and I think overall
the quail was well-cooked.
It just wasn't what I expect from you.
Talk to me about your dessert.
I think everybody knows I'm not really a dessert guy.
I knew I wanted to use apples and fennels.
Let me ask you about the fennel.
Where were you coming from with that?
I wanted something-- I don't know.
Did you peel it?
Yeah, I just took some peels off of the tops.
- Uh-huh. - I kind of was thinking,
"God, this could be really cool."
And I think those flavors can work.
But you can't just put raw fennel in there.
It's an incomplete dish.
I'm just curious, did you come prepared with a dessert?
No, I have a dessert for the next round.
Yeah. [Laughter]
No, I'm kicking myself in the ass for it.
Kristen, let's talk about your appetizer.
Kristen, I thought the soup was really nice.
I thought the texture was great.
It was nice and velvety. I liked the rillette.
I thought it was a nice soup. Thank you.
You know, I think it was an impeccably-presented soup,
but it was a one-note plate.
I thought it was a little safe for you.
I wanted you to push the limits.
So, Kristen, your second course was tuna.
How did that come about?
I, you know-- really trying to think
about the last time before I was booted out.
Trying to simplify things
and think about how service is gonna run.
I thought it was a good choice.
The consensus at the table was that it was, you know,
perfectly cooked.
I felt that the lemon got bitter for me.
Did you blanche it before you roasted it?
I was kind of going for bitter.
I'm not sure if that bitterness
in the celery puree kind of worked.
Okay.
Tell us about your chocolate with curry cashew.
Were you happy with it? No.
- Okay. - It was in a [bleep]
Little bowl, and I gave you a bowl of chocolate.
Like, I don't--no.
Ugh. I mean, it tasted to me
like a badly thought out pot de creme
that was kind of overdone.
Ouch.
I have to tell you, though,
I actually liked the flavor.
I mean, I think that the dish really could be something.
But not tonight.
Not tonight.
Brutal.
Brooke, let's talk about your first dish.
I thought you did a nice job with the sweetbreads.
They were nice and crispy.
I thought the kumquats added a nice bright note to the dish.
Look, we talked initially.
I went into the kitchen, and we talked about sweetbreads.
And all the elements worked really well together.
The only thing I would say is, I'd clean them more.
Yeah. I think my biggest challenge
was just my timing tonight.
I was cleaning them to order.
Just shows you that you really have
to be prepped up and ready to go.
I mean, you were struggling,
and so, when the tickets started coming in,
you're still, you know, doing mise en place,
and a lot of stuff was just incomplete.
Let's move on to your second course.
Brooke, I think that your short ribs were--
they were delicious. I liked the parmesan cheese,
and I liked the addition of the nettles.
I thought the sauces on your dish
were better than any in that course.
I was about to take some of that tuna Kristen did
and sweep up some more of that sauce.
Let's move on to your dessert.
I thought it was great.
The cake was perfectly moist and beautiful.
The topping of the blackberries was great.
I thought it was pretty damn good,
and so did John Besh and so did Martin Yan.
What about--you know, the cake was nice,
but it's just not a restaurant dessert.
To me it seemed very unfinished.
I had a really rough night tonight,
and I can do way more than what I showed tonight.
And I just would love the chance to actually show that.
Well, thank you very much, chefs.
We will call you back in a bit.
Initial thoughts, Tom?
All three of them had some high points and some low points.
I know we don't take past performance into consideration,
but it's sometimes hard not to think
about what they've all been through for the season.
Sheldon's performed well. Yeah.
He's made a few clunkers here and there,
but he's performed really well. I did like his quail.
Oddly enough, I thought his dessert was interesting.
To see him evolve from where he was
and now where he is has been amazing.
Without a doubt. Forget about whether or not
we're used to him with bigger flavors.
If he decides to go in a different direction,
I commend him for trying to push it.
But what he's brought so far this season
in that flavor profile that he so often cooks in
has benefited him so well.
- Oh, I agree. - And it just fell flat tonight.
Kristen fell on her sword,
'cause she killed in Last Chance Kitchen.
I mean, dish after dish was just so good.
Mmhmm.
She's got an amazing skill set, that kid.
Her first course of the rillette
in a way was the richest.
Her tuna was pretty good too.
Her dessert, the flavors were good,
but, you know, really not executed well.
You know, Brooke, I think her first course was good.
I think her second course was good.
Brooke's short ribs were delicious.
Given the fact that you said she was pretty behind in prep
and really weeded at the beginning,
she got her stuff out, maybe it wasn't as nuanced
as in the first course,
but the other two I thought were really, really strong.
Brooke has been solid all season long.
I just think there was a little bit
of a lack of focus tonight.
It's really sad that one of these chefs
has to go home tonight.
They all had a great season.
And so, you know, it's a tough one.
Yeah.
Any one of us could get called.
It's down to three. It's a one-in-three chance.
Okay, I think we know which two are moving on
to the finale.
[Tense music]
♪ ♪
Chefs, for tonight's challenge, you were asked
to come into my restaurant and take it over.
And for the most part you guys did a really nice job.
Brooke, you had a great season.
Your food is very complex,
but it never comes off being showy.
Tonight, you got behind on your prep.
It was a bit of a rough service.
Sheldon, all season long, you've put together
some dishes that I think are new and exciting.
Tonight, it seemed like you were reaching
for something different.
Unfortunately, in reaching for that,
you didn't bring the old with you.
You kind of lost yourself a little back there.
Kristen, you left the competition a little too soon
this season, but you struggled to get back in,
you're here, you put together some beautiful dishes
in Last Chance Kitchen.
Tonight, you played it a little safe.
This is a tough one,
because watching all three of you all season long
has just been fun.
You bring a certain joy
and a certain enthusiasm to what you do.
Unfortunately, it's gonna be sad to see one of you go.
Sheldon...
Please pack your knives and go.
It's been an amazing ride.
You know, I came here, you know,
I showcased, I got to honor my father,
I got to cook for Hawaii.
You know, I couldn't ever imagine this ever to happen.
So it's been beautiful along the way.
Thank you guys all.
It's been great watching you.
Brooke and Kristen,
that means you're in the finale. Thank you.
- Congratulations. - Thanks, dude.
Come here.
[Sighs]
I'm definitely disappointed
to come so far and so close.
You know, I wanted to bring home the title,
but I fell a little short.
That's a heavy one.
I'm sure we'll see each other again.
- [Chuckles] Yeah. - All right, guys. Kill it.
- Bye, Sheldon. - Bye.
I'm gonna go home with my head held high.
I think I came and represented the state of Hawaii.
I'm gonna continue to cook from my heart.
Aloha.
And then there were two.
Congrats, lady.
Congrats to you.
I always wanted to win,
but now it means more to me now than it ever has.
You fought your way back.
Now I just have to edit my menu.
And I have to compete against you.
Ugh.
To have a spot in the finale is amazing.
This is exactly what I was looking for
during Last Chance Kitchen,
trying to make my way back in, and I did.
It feels weird.
Knowing that the title is one challenge away,
I want it.
I can feel it. Who would have thunk?
I know. That it'd be us?
- Mm-hmm. That's fun. - Kind of cool. Yeah.
Next, on Top Chef...
For the first time ever,
it's all taking place in front of a live audience.
I've never been more nervous at a finale in my life.
The stakes are so high.
Something's burning.
Look at that.
C.J.'s completely burning those pigs' ears.
This is a career changer.
You got a strategy for this?
- Cook yours perfectly. - Wow.
You need to sauce those plates right now.
I'm so jealous of what they're doing right now.
Holy [bleep], Chef.
You've come this far.
You don't want to end up second best.
I get why you're doing it,
although I'm still not sure why you're doing it.
Congratulations. You are Top Chef!
[Cheers and applause]