1 00:00:03,177 --> 00:00:05,483 KRISTEN: Tonight, the finals begin. 2 00:00:05,483 --> 00:00:10,184 Only four chefs remain to fight it out for a spot in the finale. 3 00:00:10,184 --> 00:00:12,273 DAN: This definitely isn't Milwaukee anymore. 4 00:00:12,273 --> 00:00:14,579 This is it. The finals of Top Chef. 5 00:00:14,579 --> 00:00:16,799 Winning Top Chef changes everybody's life. 6 00:00:16,799 --> 00:00:18,975 Beyond what it's gonna do for my business, 7 00:00:18,975 --> 00:00:22,022 I think about what it could do for the state of Wisconsin 8 00:00:22,022 --> 00:00:23,414 or the city of Milwaukee. 9 00:00:23,414 --> 00:00:25,112 My food's got to be really good, 10 00:00:25,112 --> 00:00:27,462 and I know that, and I just have to be me, do me, 11 00:00:27,462 --> 00:00:30,030 and the rest will take care of itself. 12 00:00:33,337 --> 00:00:35,818 LAURA: I came with a mindset of winning. 13 00:00:35,818 --> 00:00:38,690 Coming from Mexico, going to school, working at the best 14 00:00:38,690 --> 00:00:42,129 restaurants in the world, that's what keeps me going. 15 00:00:42,129 --> 00:00:45,088 So do I have what it takes to be a Top Chef? 16 00:00:45,088 --> 00:00:47,308 Absolutely. Good morning. 17 00:00:47,308 --> 00:00:51,007 [intense music] 18 00:00:51,007 --> 00:00:53,096 I basically ran to Curaçao, 19 00:00:53,096 --> 00:00:55,751 '‘cause I ran the New York City Marathon and came directly here. 20 00:00:55,751 --> 00:00:59,320 26 miles of challenges and Quick fires. 21 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:01,017 The finish line is right there. 22 00:01:01,017 --> 00:01:04,107 You work and you practice and you train for this moment. 23 00:01:04,107 --> 00:01:05,848 Everything counts at this point. 24 00:01:05,848 --> 00:01:10,026 ♪ 25 00:01:10,026 --> 00:01:12,289 SAVANNAH: Walking in on day one, 26 00:01:12,289 --> 00:01:14,161 I felt like the underdog in the room. 27 00:01:14,161 --> 00:01:18,730 But when I had a mind shift was the Indigenous challenge. 28 00:01:18,730 --> 00:01:22,343 I made for you a squash and maple jelly cake. 29 00:01:22,343 --> 00:01:23,866 - It's amazing. - WOMAN: I love it. 30 00:01:23,866 --> 00:01:25,346 - That's it. - KRISTEN: Nailed the brief. 31 00:01:25,346 --> 00:01:27,217 Winning it gave me this feeling that 32 00:01:27,217 --> 00:01:28,392 I could accomplish anything. 33 00:01:29,872 --> 00:01:32,353 I did come out of Wisconsin with the most challenges won. 34 00:01:32,353 --> 00:01:35,573 I wanna seal the deal. I wanna take this home. 35 00:01:36,531 --> 00:01:38,750 - Not in Milwaukee anymore. - SAVANNAH: We are not. 36 00:01:40,622 --> 00:01:42,232 KRISTEN: At stake for the winner: 37 00:01:42,232 --> 00:01:44,800 a feature in Food & Wine Magazine, an appearance 38 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:49,370 at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, $250,000 furnished 39 00:01:49,370 --> 00:01:53,287 by Saratoga Spring Water, and the title of Top Chef. 40 00:01:56,290 --> 00:01:59,293 ♪ 41 00:01:59,293 --> 00:02:00,859 DANNY: That'’s them right there. 42 00:02:00,859 --> 00:02:02,165 LAURA: Oh, right there. 43 00:02:02,165 --> 00:02:03,688 DAN: Oh, I see them. 44 00:02:03,688 --> 00:02:04,863 Here we go. 45 00:02:06,822 --> 00:02:09,520 Bon bini, Chefs. Welcome to Curaçao. 46 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:11,000 - Hi. Good to see you. - Hello! 47 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:12,523 - Hello! - Chefs. 48 00:02:12,523 --> 00:02:14,264 We couldn't bring you all the way to Curaçao 49 00:02:14,264 --> 00:02:16,223 without giving you a blue curaçao beverage, 50 00:02:16,223 --> 00:02:17,398 so come on up and grab one. 51 00:02:17,398 --> 00:02:18,921 Danny, you wanna take this one? 52 00:02:18,921 --> 00:02:20,836 - There's no alcohol in it. - Thank you. 53 00:02:21,706 --> 00:02:24,405 SAVANNAH: Oh, my gosh. Thank you. 54 00:02:25,362 --> 00:02:27,190 Cheers to each and every one of you 55 00:02:27,190 --> 00:02:28,670 for making it to the final four. 56 00:02:28,670 --> 00:02:30,237 - ALL: Cheers. - KRISTEN: Very proud of you. 57 00:02:30,237 --> 00:02:32,413 - Cheers. - KRISTEN: How's everyone been? 58 00:02:32,413 --> 00:02:34,415 Anything new happening, exciting happening? 59 00:02:34,415 --> 00:02:36,068 - I got engaged. Yeah. - You got engaged? 60 00:02:36,068 --> 00:02:38,767 - KRISTEN: Congratulations! - [laughs] Thank you. 61 00:02:38,767 --> 00:02:40,247 Did that happen right after you got home? 62 00:02:40,247 --> 00:02:41,639 I got off the plane and it happened. 63 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:43,119 Yeah, it was very quick, yeah. 64 00:02:43,119 --> 00:02:44,251 [laughs] It was cute. 65 00:02:44,251 --> 00:02:45,687 That's fantastic. 66 00:02:46,166 --> 00:02:47,819 Okay, Chefs, are you ready to take 67 00:02:47,819 --> 00:02:50,170 a stab at your final Quickfire Challenge? 68 00:02:50,170 --> 00:02:51,258 Yes. 69 00:02:51,258 --> 00:02:55,479 ♪ 70 00:02:55,479 --> 00:02:57,133 So you may have already noticed this 71 00:02:57,133 --> 00:02:58,569 very interesting-looking fish. 72 00:02:58,569 --> 00:03:00,441 Does anyone know what it is? 73 00:03:00,441 --> 00:03:01,964 - Is it lionfish? - Lionfish? 74 00:03:01,964 --> 00:03:03,574 - Have you cooked with it? - Never cooked with it. 75 00:03:03,574 --> 00:03:04,967 I haven't cooked with it. 76 00:03:04,967 --> 00:03:06,490 To tell us a little bit more about it 77 00:03:06,490 --> 00:03:08,840 is a local chef and a lionfish hunter, 78 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:10,451 Helmi Smeulders. 79 00:03:10,451 --> 00:03:13,062 - DAN: Hello. - Hello! Good morning. 80 00:03:13,062 --> 00:03:14,629 - Hello, Chefs. - CHEFS: Hi. 81 00:03:14,629 --> 00:03:16,935 Welcome on the beautiful island I call home. 82 00:03:16,935 --> 00:03:18,154 Thank you. 83 00:03:18,154 --> 00:03:19,416 Helmi, can you tell us 84 00:03:19,416 --> 00:03:20,983 a little bit more about the lionfish? 85 00:03:20,983 --> 00:03:22,811 It's a beautiful fish, but it's an invasive fish. 86 00:03:22,811 --> 00:03:24,813 It doesn't belong here in the Caribbean. 87 00:03:24,813 --> 00:03:27,163 They eat the baby fish off the reef, 88 00:03:27,163 --> 00:03:28,773 and they reproduce very fast. 89 00:03:28,773 --> 00:03:30,471 - DANNY: Interesting. - SAVANNAH: Wow. 90 00:03:30,471 --> 00:03:31,994 It's originally from the Pacific, 91 00:03:31,994 --> 00:03:34,605 so local chefs are encouraged to hunt the fish 92 00:03:34,605 --> 00:03:36,651 and use them in their restaurants. 93 00:03:37,042 --> 00:03:39,741 Lionfish, they have 18 venomous spines. 94 00:03:39,741 --> 00:03:42,657 If you get stung, it's extremely painful. 95 00:03:42,657 --> 00:03:44,528 - Get the [bleep] out of here. - No. 96 00:03:44,528 --> 00:03:47,009 Those spikes, there's, A, a lot of '‘em. 97 00:03:47,009 --> 00:03:48,880 B, they're poisonous. 98 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:50,752 C, they hurt. I'm good. 99 00:03:50,752 --> 00:03:53,668 Chefs, you may have already guessed it, but lionfish is what 100 00:03:53,668 --> 00:03:55,539 you'll be working with today for your Quickfire. 101 00:03:56,671 --> 00:03:59,195 But we are not gonna make you break them down. 102 00:03:59,195 --> 00:04:01,110 Yes. Thank you for that. 103 00:04:01,110 --> 00:04:03,373 We're not gonna take any chances with the spines and venom. 104 00:04:03,373 --> 00:04:05,810 Well, I mean, that'd be a great way to eliminate one of us too. 105 00:04:05,810 --> 00:04:07,116 [laughing] 106 00:04:07,986 --> 00:04:10,511 Before we get started, though, we have one more 107 00:04:10,511 --> 00:04:12,077 ingredient that we want you to work with. 108 00:04:12,077 --> 00:04:13,731 Okay. 109 00:04:14,950 --> 00:04:16,168 KRISTEN: Cheese. 110 00:04:16,168 --> 00:04:17,518 SAVANNAH: Oh! 111 00:04:17,518 --> 00:04:19,128 Yeah, that's invasive to a fish dish. 112 00:04:19,824 --> 00:04:21,696 Just '‘cause we left Wisconsin didn't mean 113 00:04:21,696 --> 00:04:23,306 we're gonna leave all the cheese behind. 114 00:04:23,306 --> 00:04:25,221 The Dutch brought Gouda to the island 115 00:04:25,221 --> 00:04:28,659 in the 17th century, and the locals took the leftover rinds 116 00:04:28,659 --> 00:04:32,620 and turned them into Curaçao's national dish. 117 00:04:32,620 --> 00:04:34,752 - Keshi yena. - GAIL: Keshi yena. 118 00:04:34,752 --> 00:04:36,841 Savannah, you've done your research. 119 00:04:36,841 --> 00:04:38,713 TOM: As you may have guessed, we want to see 120 00:04:38,713 --> 00:04:40,715 what you can do with lionfish and Gouda. 121 00:04:40,715 --> 00:04:42,630 You know, mixing cheese and fish has often been 122 00:04:42,630 --> 00:04:44,675 frowned upon in the kitchen. We wanna see how you bring 123 00:04:44,675 --> 00:04:46,416 these two ingredients together. 124 00:04:49,289 --> 00:04:50,725 KRISTEN: Now that you're in the finals, 125 00:04:50,725 --> 00:04:52,901 the Quickfire will not come into play 126 00:04:52,901 --> 00:04:55,730 if you are on the bottom of the Elimination Challenge. 127 00:04:55,730 --> 00:04:58,689 You have only 30 minutes, and whoever makes our favorite dish 128 00:04:58,689 --> 00:05:02,084 will take home the final $10,000 in Quickfire Quick Cash. 129 00:05:02,084 --> 00:05:04,521 - DAN: Not bad. - KRISTEN: Good luck, Chefs. 130 00:05:04,521 --> 00:05:07,263 - Your time starts now. - LAURA: Oh, my gosh. 131 00:05:07,263 --> 00:05:09,526 ♪ 132 00:05:09,526 --> 00:05:11,354 DANNY: Bloop! 133 00:05:14,966 --> 00:05:16,925 DAN: I wanna win this last Quickfire. 134 00:05:16,925 --> 00:05:20,798 So far this season, I've won $8,000 from Restaurant Wars. 135 00:05:20,798 --> 00:05:22,974 I still have not won a Quickfire. 136 00:05:22,974 --> 00:05:26,848 Adding $10,000 to that would be great. 137 00:05:27,631 --> 00:05:29,372 I have some salt, Danny, don't worry. 138 00:05:29,372 --> 00:05:31,331 DANNY: Salt. Thanks, girl. 139 00:05:31,809 --> 00:05:36,553 ♪ 140 00:05:38,033 --> 00:05:40,383 - How's that fish feel for you? - LAURA: Oh, it's super tender. 141 00:05:40,383 --> 00:05:42,646 DAN: This fish totally reminds me of a snapper, doesn't it? 142 00:05:42,646 --> 00:05:44,648 Cheese and fish is just not my thing. 143 00:05:44,648 --> 00:05:46,650 That's sacrilegious right there. That's crazy. 144 00:05:46,650 --> 00:05:49,784 Gouda'’s this rich, big, bold flavor. 145 00:05:49,784 --> 00:05:53,527 Lionfish, it's this delicate, mild fish. 146 00:05:53,527 --> 00:05:56,791 And so to put the two together and not have 147 00:05:56,791 --> 00:06:00,447 overpowering Gouda flavor on the fish is gonna be key. 148 00:06:01,012 --> 00:06:03,232 - LAURA: 25 minutes, guys. - God, what? 149 00:06:03,754 --> 00:06:05,452 Five minutes, gone. 150 00:06:07,976 --> 00:06:09,630 SAVANNAH: I'm gonna do a crudo style. 151 00:06:09,630 --> 00:06:11,414 Oh, my gosh. I'm just shaking again. 152 00:06:11,414 --> 00:06:13,285 I'm doing a raw preparation today 153 00:06:13,285 --> 00:06:14,896 because we've had six weeks off. 154 00:06:14,896 --> 00:06:16,680 30 minutes is gonna go by really fast, 155 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:18,639 and I don't wanna get caught with my pants down. 156 00:06:18,639 --> 00:06:20,205 I'm doing a sauce inspired by what 157 00:06:20,205 --> 00:06:21,816 I would traditionally put in a keshi yena. 158 00:06:21,816 --> 00:06:23,470 It's like an agrodolce base. 159 00:06:23,470 --> 00:06:25,254 I need to make sure that the sauce is really 160 00:06:25,254 --> 00:06:27,735 flavorful and packs a punch, because the fish doesn't 161 00:06:27,735 --> 00:06:29,476 necessarily do that on its own, 162 00:06:29,476 --> 00:06:32,261 so I want to finish it with some chili crisp. 163 00:06:32,261 --> 00:06:34,394 It's a little crazy. 164 00:06:35,307 --> 00:06:37,919 DAN: I think I got a pretty good idea of what I'm doing here. 165 00:06:37,919 --> 00:06:40,661 The lionfish really reminds me of the snapper, so I'm doing, 166 00:06:40,661 --> 00:06:42,793 like, somewhere between a tartare and a ceviche. 167 00:06:42,793 --> 00:06:45,274 - Dan, what's in the blender? - It's my sauce jammer. 168 00:06:45,274 --> 00:06:47,798 I'm gonna make, like, a tartare aguachile. 169 00:06:47,798 --> 00:06:50,410 I never heard of aguachile with cheese in it before. 170 00:06:50,410 --> 00:06:53,195 Neither have I. But we're going aguachile with cheese in it, 171 00:06:53,195 --> 00:06:54,370 you know what I'm saying? 172 00:06:54,370 --> 00:06:55,415 I'm gonna mix with the lionfish 173 00:06:55,415 --> 00:06:57,242 lime juice and mayo. 174 00:06:57,895 --> 00:07:00,115 Ooh, yeah. Mayo is really the key. 175 00:07:00,115 --> 00:07:02,552 That's gonna be where we bridge the gap between 176 00:07:02,552 --> 00:07:04,685 aguachile and Gouda. 177 00:07:04,685 --> 00:07:06,382 - I love it. - You know, it feels 178 00:07:06,382 --> 00:07:08,819 a little bit intimidating because it's hard to work with. 179 00:07:08,819 --> 00:07:10,778 So I'm gonna go with a ceviche. 180 00:07:10,778 --> 00:07:13,476 - DANNY: Let's go. - I'm going to cure the fish, 181 00:07:13,476 --> 00:07:16,523 and I'm actually adding a little bit of Gouda into it. 182 00:07:16,523 --> 00:07:18,873 I grew up with guava in Acapulco. 183 00:07:18,873 --> 00:07:23,225 I grew up in Acapulco, so it's my jam, almost, you know? 184 00:07:23,225 --> 00:07:25,923 I'm excited to showcase my Latina side. 185 00:07:25,923 --> 00:07:28,317 Guava and cheese is such a classy combination. 186 00:07:28,317 --> 00:07:30,450 Real Latina of you, girl, let me tell you. 187 00:07:33,757 --> 00:07:35,455 Gouda in the oven. 188 00:07:39,633 --> 00:07:41,373 I could simply make a crudo, 189 00:07:41,373 --> 00:07:43,593 but I think that's kind of the easy way to go with this. 190 00:07:43,593 --> 00:07:45,116 DAN: Danny, whatcha doing? 191 00:07:45,116 --> 00:07:46,509 DANNY: I'm gonna make a croquette. 192 00:07:46,509 --> 00:07:48,076 DAN: Gonna take you out, kid! 193 00:07:48,076 --> 00:07:49,817 DANNY: Your boy's got cheese happening over here. 194 00:07:49,817 --> 00:07:51,253 SAVANNAH: Oh, my God. 195 00:07:51,253 --> 00:07:52,994 This is giving me, like, Cheese Fest vibes, 196 00:07:52,994 --> 00:07:55,213 except Danny's making a croquette this time, 197 00:07:55,213 --> 00:07:57,738 and we're all making ceviches or crudos. 198 00:07:57,738 --> 00:07:59,043 DANNY: I hope they hold together. 199 00:08:00,088 --> 00:08:02,482 - LAURA: Whoo-hoo! - DAN: Watch your feet. 200 00:08:02,482 --> 00:08:05,441 I'm gonna use this frico as my, like, crunch factor. 201 00:08:05,441 --> 00:08:06,921 Oh, I'm fric-ing it up too! 202 00:08:06,921 --> 00:08:08,444 BOTH: We'’re in a fric-off! 203 00:08:08,444 --> 00:08:10,925 A frico's basically just a, you know, crispy cheese. 204 00:08:10,925 --> 00:08:13,971 It elevates the fish instead of overpowering it. 205 00:08:16,583 --> 00:08:17,975 Ten minutes, guys. 206 00:08:17,975 --> 00:08:20,108 [Danny exclaims] 207 00:08:20,108 --> 00:08:21,936 [Dan humming] 208 00:08:21,936 --> 00:08:24,068 DANNY: Dropping in some lionfish croquettes, 209 00:08:24,068 --> 00:08:25,940 which-- I didn't think they were gonna hold together. 210 00:08:25,940 --> 00:08:29,117 The croquettes are feeling a little soft. 211 00:08:29,117 --> 00:08:30,553 They're gonna be cute. 212 00:08:30,553 --> 00:08:33,121 I think I've added too much egg white. 213 00:08:33,121 --> 00:08:34,688 I'm just hoping that when they hit 214 00:08:34,688 --> 00:08:36,516 the oil that they get crispy. 215 00:08:36,516 --> 00:08:38,169 Oh, let's go! 216 00:08:40,084 --> 00:08:42,260 DAN: I thought the cheese would come off real easy, 217 00:08:42,260 --> 00:08:44,175 but we are incorrect. 218 00:08:45,220 --> 00:08:46,961 Chefs, you have five minutes left. 219 00:08:46,961 --> 00:08:49,093 - DAN: She's lying. - Let's go. 220 00:08:49,093 --> 00:08:54,229 ♪ 221 00:08:54,229 --> 00:08:56,013 Time to plate, huh? 222 00:08:58,189 --> 00:09:00,322 DAN: Yeah, now we're cooking with gas. 223 00:09:00,322 --> 00:09:02,193 SAVANNAH: I hope it's not too intense for them. 224 00:09:02,193 --> 00:09:03,934 Oh, yours look really nice, bubba! 225 00:09:03,934 --> 00:09:05,849 I'm gonna cover it all in frico to kind of 226 00:09:05,849 --> 00:09:07,982 encapsulate it like it was a cheese casserole. 227 00:09:07,982 --> 00:09:09,636 DANNY: The wind just took all my garnish. 228 00:09:09,636 --> 00:09:11,768 - Oh, God. - LAURA: I'm shaking. 229 00:09:11,768 --> 00:09:13,640 DANNY: It's like your first time all over again. 230 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:16,817 Three, two, one. 231 00:09:16,817 --> 00:09:19,428 Utensils down. Hands up. 232 00:09:19,428 --> 00:09:20,821 Yeah! 233 00:09:21,909 --> 00:09:23,650 KRISTEN: Dan, you can come on up, please. 234 00:09:25,869 --> 00:09:27,349 Dan, tell us about your dish. 235 00:09:27,349 --> 00:09:29,394 You got lionfish tartare, lots of herbs, 236 00:09:29,394 --> 00:09:33,834 an orange and fresno aguachile, and Gouda frico. 237 00:09:33,834 --> 00:09:35,923 And then the fish is tossed in something white. 238 00:09:35,923 --> 00:09:37,794 Fish is tossed in a little bit of Kewpie Mayo just 239 00:09:37,794 --> 00:09:38,926 to add a little bit of fat. 240 00:09:38,926 --> 00:09:40,449 Missed your herbs, Dan. 241 00:09:40,449 --> 00:09:42,277 - Nice to see them again. - Thanks. 242 00:09:42,799 --> 00:09:44,148 All right, Laura, what do you have? 243 00:09:44,148 --> 00:09:47,108 This is a lionfish crudo with guava sauce 244 00:09:47,108 --> 00:09:48,892 and some Gouda crunch on top. 245 00:09:48,892 --> 00:09:50,459 What did you think about the lionfish? 246 00:09:50,459 --> 00:09:52,374 I'm sure it's the first time you worked with it. 247 00:09:52,374 --> 00:09:54,594 Yeah, it's actually very tender. 248 00:09:54,594 --> 00:09:56,770 - KRISTEN: Thank you, Laura. - Yeah. 249 00:09:56,770 --> 00:09:58,728 - TOM: It's a croquette. - DANNY: Yes! 250 00:09:58,728 --> 00:10:00,469 - What do you know? - DANNY: It felt right. 251 00:10:01,296 --> 00:10:05,779 It's a lionfish croquette with a Gouda cheese sauce 252 00:10:05,779 --> 00:10:07,737 and a little slaw on top. 253 00:10:07,737 --> 00:10:10,653 So the cheese is not in the binding? 254 00:10:10,653 --> 00:10:12,742 No, I didn't want it to just get weird. 255 00:10:12,742 --> 00:10:14,222 KRISTEN: Great. Thanks, Danny. 256 00:10:14,222 --> 00:10:16,050 - DANNY: Thanks, guys. - Thank you. 257 00:10:18,095 --> 00:10:19,706 Savannah, tell us about your dish, please. 258 00:10:19,706 --> 00:10:23,579 I made a lionfish crudo, and the sauce inspired 259 00:10:23,579 --> 00:10:25,189 by inside of the keshi yena. 260 00:10:25,189 --> 00:10:27,496 And then the frico on top is to represent how 261 00:10:27,496 --> 00:10:30,107 the cheese would get crispy on the outside if you baked one. 262 00:10:30,717 --> 00:10:32,022 What's the heat? 263 00:10:32,022 --> 00:10:33,720 The heat is a little bit of chili oil. 264 00:10:35,069 --> 00:10:37,071 - Great. Thanks, Savannah. - Thank you very much. 265 00:10:38,115 --> 00:10:39,464 SAVANNAH: They might think it's spicy. 266 00:10:39,464 --> 00:10:41,728 DANNY: Oh, yeah. They're all cracking water. 267 00:10:49,823 --> 00:10:52,129 It wasn't an easy challenge combining 268 00:10:52,129 --> 00:10:54,218 the fish with the cheese, but all four of you 269 00:10:54,218 --> 00:10:56,481 created tasty, original dishes. 270 00:10:56,917 --> 00:10:58,309 Helmi, what'’d you think of Savannah's dish? 271 00:10:58,309 --> 00:11:01,530 I really liked your take on the keshi yena. 272 00:11:01,530 --> 00:11:02,966 It was very tasty dish. 273 00:11:02,966 --> 00:11:04,794 KRISTEN: Your sauce was so delicious. 274 00:11:04,794 --> 00:11:07,057 I think for me, the olives were the thing that kind of really 275 00:11:07,057 --> 00:11:09,146 - brought it alive. - Thank you. 276 00:11:09,146 --> 00:11:11,018 Tom, what'd you think of Dan's dish? 277 00:11:11,018 --> 00:11:13,585 TOM: I like the herbaceous notes, the bright acidity. 278 00:11:13,585 --> 00:11:15,239 I enjoyed it a lot, yeah. 279 00:11:15,239 --> 00:11:18,721 GAIL: Just that tiny touch of mayo was a great bridge 280 00:11:18,721 --> 00:11:20,375 between the fish and the cheese. 281 00:11:20,375 --> 00:11:21,724 Thanks. 282 00:11:21,724 --> 00:11:22,856 Tom, what'd you think of Danny's dish? 283 00:11:22,856 --> 00:11:24,379 I liked the fact that your cheese 284 00:11:24,379 --> 00:11:26,163 in your dish was different than everybody else. 285 00:11:26,163 --> 00:11:28,035 The only thing, I didn't get a lot of lionfish in there. 286 00:11:28,035 --> 00:11:29,993 It was a lot of the batter. 287 00:11:29,993 --> 00:11:31,647 KRISTEN: Overall, that texture? 288 00:11:31,647 --> 00:11:33,170 I'm a big fan. 289 00:11:33,170 --> 00:11:35,172 Helmi, what'’d you think of Laura's dish? 290 00:11:35,172 --> 00:11:38,132 I'm very happy you used another local ingredient, the guava. 291 00:11:38,132 --> 00:11:39,611 The sauce was really nice. 292 00:11:39,611 --> 00:11:41,831 There was very little frico there. 293 00:11:41,831 --> 00:11:44,529 It felt like you were intimidated by it. 294 00:11:44,529 --> 00:11:46,488 Helmi, who had our favorite dish of the day? 295 00:11:46,488 --> 00:11:50,144 The chef with the best lionfish and cheese dish 296 00:11:50,144 --> 00:11:53,495 gave us something really balanced and flavorful. 297 00:11:53,495 --> 00:11:55,192 And that chef is... 298 00:11:59,631 --> 00:12:00,981 Chef Dan. 299 00:12:01,416 --> 00:12:04,027 - Congratulations, Dan. - That'’s the first win! 300 00:12:04,027 --> 00:12:05,855 Finally, I win a Quickfire. 301 00:12:05,855 --> 00:12:07,291 That'’s a rebuttal from the last one. 302 00:12:07,291 --> 00:12:09,380 I wanna start out strong, and I wanna show 303 00:12:09,380 --> 00:12:11,513 everybody else I'm going for the big W. 304 00:12:11,513 --> 00:12:12,601 I wanna be Top Chef. 305 00:12:12,601 --> 00:12:13,907 Congratulations, you won 306 00:12:13,907 --> 00:12:15,560 $10,000 in Quickfire Quick Cash. 307 00:12:15,560 --> 00:12:16,779 Yes! 308 00:12:16,779 --> 00:12:18,433 Helmi, thank you very much for having us. 309 00:12:18,433 --> 00:12:20,478 - This was amazing. - Thank you. 310 00:12:20,478 --> 00:12:21,741 The pleasure was all mine. 311 00:12:21,741 --> 00:12:23,046 And good luck to all of you. 312 00:12:23,046 --> 00:12:24,352 - Thank you. - GAIL: Thank you so much. 313 00:12:24,352 --> 00:12:25,396 - Thank you, Chef. - HELMI: Bye. 314 00:12:25,396 --> 00:12:26,658 All right, Chefs. 315 00:12:26,658 --> 00:12:28,443 Are you ready to set sail into the finale? 316 00:12:28,443 --> 00:12:30,140 - Yes. Let's do it. - Let'’s do it. 317 00:12:34,449 --> 00:12:36,886 KRISTEN: We're down to our final Elimination Challenge. 318 00:12:36,886 --> 00:12:38,758 We're all gonna be setting sail on 319 00:12:38,758 --> 00:12:41,891 Holland America Line's Eurodam that's right over there. 320 00:12:42,631 --> 00:12:44,589 TOM: Holland America has recently launched a global 321 00:12:44,589 --> 00:12:47,114 fresh fish program, which serves over 80 different 322 00:12:47,114 --> 00:12:49,899 species of fish from 60 ports around the globe. 323 00:12:49,899 --> 00:12:51,945 From port to plate in just 48 hours. 324 00:12:51,945 --> 00:12:54,164 So for your final Elimination Challenge, 325 00:12:54,164 --> 00:12:56,993 you are going to be tasked with creating an eight-course 326 00:12:56,993 --> 00:13:00,910 fresh fish tasting menu collectively as a group. 327 00:13:00,910 --> 00:13:02,433 - Wow! - DAN: That'’s kinda fun! 328 00:13:02,433 --> 00:13:04,044 Oh, I like this. This is good. 329 00:13:04,044 --> 00:13:06,524 You'll each be responsible for two courses. 330 00:13:06,524 --> 00:13:10,224 Each course must feature a different fresh fish, 331 00:13:10,224 --> 00:13:12,835 and they must be served in the following preparations: 332 00:13:12,835 --> 00:13:17,100 raw, steamed, mousse, poached, 333 00:13:17,100 --> 00:13:21,278 fried, roasted, smoked, and blackened. 334 00:13:21,278 --> 00:13:22,889 How you divide them is up to you. 335 00:13:23,324 --> 00:13:25,935 Savannah, as the winner of the last Elimination Challenge, 336 00:13:25,935 --> 00:13:28,285 you'll get first picks at the two fish you wanna work with, 337 00:13:28,285 --> 00:13:30,766 as well as the two preparations you wanna highlight. 338 00:13:30,766 --> 00:13:32,159 Awesome. 339 00:13:32,159 --> 00:13:34,117 I'm excited to have the option to choose, 340 00:13:34,117 --> 00:13:36,946 but, you know, I'm also a little hesitant 341 00:13:36,946 --> 00:13:38,818 because the way my brain works, 342 00:13:38,818 --> 00:13:42,473 if I have too many options, I have more issues. 343 00:13:42,473 --> 00:13:45,825 Tomorrow, you'll have two and a half hours to prep and cook on 344 00:13:45,825 --> 00:13:48,784 board at the Tamarind Restaurant before the first course is 345 00:13:48,784 --> 00:13:52,962 served to us judges and your guest judge, chef Ed Lee. 346 00:13:52,962 --> 00:13:54,137 - Yes. - Oh, cool. 347 00:13:54,137 --> 00:13:55,922 And some of the ship's finest. 348 00:13:55,922 --> 00:13:57,488 - Oh, so cool. - Cool. 349 00:13:57,488 --> 00:13:59,839 The ship will be providing you with a pantry of 350 00:13:59,839 --> 00:14:01,536 ingredients to work with. 351 00:14:01,536 --> 00:14:04,278 But before we board, we're gonna give you ten minutes 352 00:14:04,278 --> 00:14:07,324 and $100 to shop for some produce at the floating market 353 00:14:07,324 --> 00:14:10,806 where Venezuelan merchants come to sell their fresh produce. 354 00:14:10,806 --> 00:14:12,286 Amazing. 355 00:14:12,286 --> 00:14:14,592 In case you didn't know, Venezuela is actually only 356 00:14:14,592 --> 00:14:17,291 40 miles south of here, so not far at all. 357 00:14:17,987 --> 00:14:19,336 The winner of this Elimination Challenge 358 00:14:19,336 --> 00:14:21,208 will receive $10,000... 359 00:14:21,208 --> 00:14:22,731 - Amazing. - Whoo! 360 00:14:22,731 --> 00:14:24,341 ...along with a ten-day cruise anywhere where 361 00:14:24,341 --> 00:14:26,300 Holland America sails for you and a guest. 362 00:14:26,300 --> 00:14:28,998 - Oh! That'’s great! - Not bad at all. 363 00:14:28,998 --> 00:14:30,521 After you get settled into your staterooms, 364 00:14:30,521 --> 00:14:32,175 we've set up a special meal for you 365 00:14:32,175 --> 00:14:33,742 at Tamarind Restaurant. 366 00:14:33,742 --> 00:14:35,570 - Awesome. That'’s great. - Aw, that'’s perfect. 367 00:14:35,570 --> 00:14:37,267 TOM: We also have a little fun for you tomorrow morning. 368 00:14:37,267 --> 00:14:38,747 Before heading into the kitchen, 369 00:14:38,747 --> 00:14:40,575 we're gonna send you on a little excursion. 370 00:14:40,575 --> 00:14:42,533 You'll enjoy some fun and sun on their own private island 371 00:14:42,533 --> 00:14:43,970 at Half Moon Cay. 372 00:14:43,970 --> 00:14:45,362 - No way! - DAN: Awesome, thank you. 373 00:14:45,362 --> 00:14:47,190 - That'’s great. - Let'’s do it. 374 00:14:47,190 --> 00:14:49,062 Enjoy your dinner tonight, and we'll see you tomorrow. 375 00:14:49,062 --> 00:14:50,890 - TOM: Good luck, Chefs. - CHEFS: Thank you. 376 00:14:50,890 --> 00:14:53,501 - GAIL: Have fun. - Whoo! 377 00:14:55,459 --> 00:14:57,418 - DANNY: Ten minutes, y'all. - SAVANNAH: All right. 378 00:14:58,288 --> 00:15:00,943 Going into this Venezuelan floating market, 379 00:15:00,943 --> 00:15:03,467 we don't know what fish we're using yet, we're not sure what 380 00:15:03,467 --> 00:15:05,948 techniques we're using yet, and we also don't know what 381 00:15:05,948 --> 00:15:08,429 other ingredients are gonna be available on the ship. 382 00:15:08,429 --> 00:15:10,953 But it's ten minutes, $100. 383 00:15:10,953 --> 00:15:12,346 It's gonna be a quick one. 384 00:15:12,346 --> 00:15:13,738 Good, I'm good, I'm good. 385 00:15:13,738 --> 00:15:15,218 Look at the raw sugar. It'’s amazing. 386 00:15:15,218 --> 00:15:16,654 SAVANNAH: I know, isn'’t that cool? 387 00:15:16,654 --> 00:15:19,744 I see lots of citrus, avocados, plantains 388 00:15:19,744 --> 00:15:22,356 calling our names just to play around with it. 389 00:15:22,356 --> 00:15:24,706 Can I buy some of these banana leaves? 390 00:15:24,706 --> 00:15:26,447 DAN: Coconuts? Coconuts. Coconuts. 391 00:15:26,447 --> 00:15:29,929 My strategy here with this shop is to cast a wide net, 392 00:15:29,929 --> 00:15:31,669 grab some ingredients that I know that I'm gonna 393 00:15:31,669 --> 00:15:34,237 be able to use in my cook, and make the best of it. 394 00:15:34,237 --> 00:15:35,717 - Perfect. - MAN: Yeah, finito. 395 00:15:35,717 --> 00:15:37,197 - DANNY: You got any peppers? - Yeah, yeah. 396 00:15:37,197 --> 00:15:38,981 DANNY: Oh, yeah. Beautiful. 397 00:15:38,981 --> 00:15:40,330 I'm grabbing plantains, 398 00:15:40,330 --> 00:15:41,723 I'm grabbing pumpkin, scotch bonnets. 399 00:15:41,723 --> 00:15:43,246 It's definitely produce 400 00:15:43,246 --> 00:15:44,769 right off the banana boat, which is pretty cool. 401 00:15:44,769 --> 00:15:46,467 Oh! They have quenepas. 402 00:15:46,467 --> 00:15:47,947 They used to call me "“quenepa head"” when I was a kid. 403 00:15:47,947 --> 00:15:49,209 I'ma buy these. 404 00:15:49,209 --> 00:15:51,428 I grew up eating quenepas. 405 00:15:51,428 --> 00:15:53,953 My family used to say that I had a quenepa head. 406 00:15:53,953 --> 00:15:55,955 They were just making fun of me '‘cause I had 407 00:15:55,955 --> 00:15:57,478 a round head as a kid. 408 00:15:58,827 --> 00:16:00,133 Si, necesita. 409 00:16:01,482 --> 00:16:03,223 - ¿Y esto es todo, no? - Esto es todo. 410 00:16:03,223 --> 00:16:04,702 - SAVANNAH: Thank you! - LAURA: Okay. 411 00:16:04,702 --> 00:16:06,269 - SAVANNAH: Oh, look-- - LAURA: Stuff ready? 412 00:16:06,269 --> 00:16:07,705 - SAVANNAH: Gracias! - LAURA: Let's go. 413 00:16:10,621 --> 00:16:16,192 ♪ 414 00:16:16,932 --> 00:16:18,803 Oh, wow! Look at this. 415 00:16:18,803 --> 00:16:21,110 - SAVANNAH: Oh, my gosh! - This is cool, man. 416 00:16:21,110 --> 00:16:22,807 - This is big. - This is so big. 417 00:16:22,807 --> 00:16:25,114 - Hello, Chefs. - What'’s happening? 418 00:16:25,114 --> 00:16:28,596 Welcome aboard Holland America Lines Eurodam. 419 00:16:29,466 --> 00:16:32,469 For over 150 years, we've sailed with guests 420 00:16:32,469 --> 00:16:34,732 to every corner of the world, and we're so excited 421 00:16:34,732 --> 00:16:37,909 to sail with you for the finals of Top Chef. 422 00:16:37,909 --> 00:16:39,999 Enjoy your dinner tonight, because we are really looking 423 00:16:39,999 --> 00:16:42,392 forward to seeing what you're gonna cook up for us tomorrow. 424 00:16:42,392 --> 00:16:45,221 Thank you. Thank you so much for having us. 425 00:16:45,917 --> 00:16:51,532 ♪ 426 00:16:53,186 --> 00:16:55,623 DANNY: Ooh! This is cute as hell. 427 00:16:57,103 --> 00:16:58,669 Our rooms are sick. 428 00:16:58,669 --> 00:17:00,367 We have these amazing, big balconies. 429 00:17:00,367 --> 00:17:02,369 It's a sharp-looking ship. 430 00:17:08,462 --> 00:17:11,421 Good evening, Chef. Right this way, please. 431 00:17:11,421 --> 00:17:13,684 - Thank you. - Thank you. 432 00:17:14,424 --> 00:17:17,166 - Welcome, Chef. - What's going on, Chef? 433 00:17:17,166 --> 00:17:18,689 Yeah... [nervous laughter] 434 00:17:18,689 --> 00:17:20,039 What's happening? 435 00:17:20,039 --> 00:17:21,605 Wait a minute, I know you. 436 00:17:21,605 --> 00:17:23,216 This is my sushi bar. Little bit temporary. 437 00:17:23,216 --> 00:17:25,087 LAURA: Chef Morimoto. 438 00:17:25,087 --> 00:17:26,697 I cannot believe he's in front of me. 439 00:17:26,697 --> 00:17:28,438 DAN: I don't-- I don'’t know what to say. 440 00:17:28,438 --> 00:17:30,527 Like-- [stammers] Hello? 441 00:17:31,267 --> 00:17:33,182 SAVANNAH: Is this really Morimoto? 442 00:17:33,182 --> 00:17:35,706 I never thought this would be somebody I'd meet in person. 443 00:17:35,706 --> 00:17:36,968 He's an icon. 444 00:17:36,968 --> 00:17:38,361 I'm very excited to be able 445 00:17:38,361 --> 00:17:39,884 to feed you all tonight. 446 00:17:39,884 --> 00:17:41,321 Thank you. 447 00:17:43,932 --> 00:17:45,760 ...here at Holland America. 448 00:17:49,416 --> 00:17:50,721 Please have a seat. 449 00:17:50,721 --> 00:17:52,854 - Thank you so much. - Enjoy dinner. 450 00:17:52,854 --> 00:17:54,247 CHEFS: Thank you. 451 00:17:54,638 --> 00:17:56,379 DAN: I was like, "“Is that him?"” 452 00:17:56,379 --> 00:17:58,207 DANNY: That was pretty dope. 453 00:17:58,207 --> 00:17:59,774 DAN: Are you kidding? 454 00:17:59,774 --> 00:18:01,558 Oh, my God. 455 00:18:02,603 --> 00:18:04,692 - How you guys feel? - I mean, crazy. 456 00:18:04,692 --> 00:18:06,607 I just forgot what we were doing. 457 00:18:06,607 --> 00:18:08,913 - [laughing] - That's Morimoto. Like... 458 00:18:08,913 --> 00:18:10,524 LAURA: I mean, it doesn't happen every day. 459 00:18:10,524 --> 00:18:11,829 It doesn't happen ever. 460 00:18:11,829 --> 00:18:13,222 Chef Morimoto is just gonna cook for me 461 00:18:13,222 --> 00:18:14,397 and these three goons. 462 00:18:14,397 --> 00:18:16,182 Like, this is crazy. 463 00:18:16,182 --> 00:18:17,705 - MORIMOTO: Hey, Chef. - CHEFS: Hello! 464 00:18:17,705 --> 00:18:18,793 Oh, my goodness. 465 00:18:18,793 --> 00:18:20,447 So this is my first course tonight. 466 00:18:20,447 --> 00:18:21,578 Amazing. Thank you, Chef. 467 00:18:21,578 --> 00:18:23,276 MORIMOTO: This is tuna pizza. 468 00:18:24,625 --> 00:18:26,844 DANNY: Because you said so, that'’s right. 469 00:18:26,844 --> 00:18:29,108 This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime dinners. 470 00:18:29,108 --> 00:18:30,544 - Please. - Thank you. 471 00:18:30,544 --> 00:18:32,850 - Enjoy my first course. - Thank you so much. 472 00:18:33,242 --> 00:18:35,114 DAN: There is no pretty way to eat this. 473 00:18:35,853 --> 00:18:37,768 It'’s amazing. It'’s delicious. 474 00:18:37,768 --> 00:18:40,728 - I am so happy. - DAN: It's crazy good. 475 00:18:40,728 --> 00:18:44,427 I absolutely love his vision of making food approachable 476 00:18:44,427 --> 00:18:45,820 and relatable to everybody. 477 00:18:45,820 --> 00:18:48,257 Bringing a sense of culture to other people, 478 00:18:48,257 --> 00:18:49,780 that's always my aspiration. 479 00:18:49,780 --> 00:18:52,870 And what a better way to do it than something 480 00:18:52,870 --> 00:18:54,176 that you can relate to? 481 00:18:54,176 --> 00:18:56,439 Tuna pizza. I'm in awe. 482 00:18:56,439 --> 00:18:58,354 - So good. - Thank you so much. 483 00:18:58,354 --> 00:19:00,617 Nobody's gonna believe this. Get out of here. 484 00:19:00,617 --> 00:19:02,271 This is second course. It'’s a sushi. 485 00:19:02,271 --> 00:19:03,707 SAVANNAH: Yes! 486 00:19:03,707 --> 00:19:07,146 MORIMOTO: 487 00:19:07,146 --> 00:19:08,625 DAN: It's just so crazy. 488 00:19:08,625 --> 00:19:10,061 DANNY: It's pretty incredible. 489 00:19:10,061 --> 00:19:11,541 This is a highlight of my life right now. 490 00:19:11,541 --> 00:19:13,152 - Enjoy. - DANNY: Super tasty. 491 00:19:13,152 --> 00:19:14,544 Mmm. 492 00:19:14,544 --> 00:19:16,981 I have spent a lot of time loving 493 00:19:16,981 --> 00:19:18,679 and cooking Japanese cuisine, 494 00:19:18,679 --> 00:19:22,248 and I feel so honored to be here in this moment. 495 00:19:25,686 --> 00:19:27,470 DANNY: Little bit, maybe. Yeah. 496 00:19:27,470 --> 00:19:29,820 Actually, I'm also nervous because, you know... 497 00:19:29,820 --> 00:19:31,126 [all laughing] 498 00:19:31,126 --> 00:19:33,868 - Hey, judges. - Yeah, right? 499 00:19:33,868 --> 00:19:35,696 [laughing] 500 00:19:36,827 --> 00:19:38,177 Thank you, Chef. 501 00:19:38,177 --> 00:19:39,874 DANNY: All right, here's the breakdown of our fish. 502 00:19:39,874 --> 00:19:41,136 Oh, my God. 503 00:19:41,136 --> 00:19:42,746 What are you thinking, Savannah? 504 00:19:42,746 --> 00:19:44,400 SAVANNAH: Having the advantage, I get to choose first. 505 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:46,010 We're gonna have to work together to figure out 506 00:19:46,010 --> 00:19:48,274 who's gonna do what so that we all have 507 00:19:48,274 --> 00:19:49,753 an hour in between our cooks. 508 00:19:49,753 --> 00:19:53,017 I'm gonna do raw course with the Atlantic salmon 509 00:19:53,017 --> 00:19:56,456 and the fried course with the striped bass. 510 00:19:56,456 --> 00:19:58,980 You know, in my restaurant, we always did this, like, 511 00:19:58,980 --> 00:20:01,330 play on a fried fish sandwich, and it was so good. 512 00:20:01,330 --> 00:20:02,549 I'm gonna take that as the inspiration, 513 00:20:02,549 --> 00:20:03,941 like, those flavors. 514 00:20:03,941 --> 00:20:05,769 Anyone opposed to sea bream and trout? 515 00:20:05,769 --> 00:20:07,162 LAURA: No, I'm okay with those. 516 00:20:07,162 --> 00:20:08,468 The rainbow trout I'm gonna smoke, 517 00:20:08,468 --> 00:20:10,687 and the bream, 518 00:20:10,687 --> 00:20:12,689 I'm going to make a mousse from it. 519 00:20:12,689 --> 00:20:15,475 My first thought is I could kind of do a play 520 00:20:15,475 --> 00:20:17,172 on these Cantonese fish balls. 521 00:20:17,172 --> 00:20:19,261 I spent some time in Hong Kong living there with my wife, 522 00:20:19,261 --> 00:20:23,091 and on our days off, we would typically eat these fish balls. 523 00:20:23,091 --> 00:20:24,353 It's a fish-based mousse. 524 00:20:24,353 --> 00:20:25,702 I feel like I've definitely done 525 00:20:25,702 --> 00:20:27,400 a lot of mousses this season. 526 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:28,879 I'm surprised you jumped for it so fast. 527 00:20:28,879 --> 00:20:30,185 I wanted to do it again. 528 00:20:30,185 --> 00:20:31,926 You know, my strategy in this claiming game is 529 00:20:31,926 --> 00:20:34,058 to definitely get one of the cooking methods I wanna 530 00:20:34,058 --> 00:20:36,235 get and be able to kind of, like, flex out of the other one. 531 00:20:36,235 --> 00:20:38,454 I would like-- and if you guys are okay with this-- poached, 532 00:20:38,454 --> 00:20:41,022 - blackened, then. - Poached, blackened? 533 00:20:41,022 --> 00:20:43,198 I'm hoping that by taking something like 534 00:20:43,198 --> 00:20:45,505 blackened that nobody really wants that I'll be 535 00:20:45,505 --> 00:20:47,376 able to grab fish that I want. 536 00:20:47,376 --> 00:20:49,509 - LAURA: I can do... - DAN: I would like... 537 00:20:49,509 --> 00:20:51,902 LAURA: ...grouper and snapper. 538 00:20:51,902 --> 00:20:53,687 DAN: Well, I would also like snapper too, 539 00:20:53,687 --> 00:20:55,254 - so we're gonna-- Let's talk. - LAURA: Okay. 540 00:20:55,254 --> 00:20:59,214 I'm hoping to get snapper because that's the fish 541 00:20:59,214 --> 00:21:00,563 that I grew up eating. 542 00:21:00,563 --> 00:21:01,782 DAN: You wanna take the monkfish? 543 00:21:01,782 --> 00:21:03,000 Monkfish roasted is the way. 544 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:04,567 It is the way of the truth and light. 545 00:21:04,567 --> 00:21:06,569 If that fish is gonna get cooked tomorrow, 546 00:21:06,569 --> 00:21:08,049 that's the way to do it. 547 00:21:08,049 --> 00:21:09,398 DAN: It should be roasted. 548 00:21:09,398 --> 00:21:10,834 That'’s a tough one. 549 00:21:18,146 --> 00:21:20,670 I would actually like the grouper and the snapper, 550 00:21:20,670 --> 00:21:22,281 but I know you want those too. 551 00:21:22,281 --> 00:21:23,499 I just want one of those. 552 00:21:23,499 --> 00:21:26,589 Okay, so I'll take the grouper. 553 00:21:26,589 --> 00:21:27,938 You can take the snapper. 554 00:21:27,938 --> 00:21:29,636 - Is that okay? - That's fine. 555 00:21:29,636 --> 00:21:33,248 To me, it was more important to get the snapper 556 00:21:33,248 --> 00:21:34,641 even though I got blackened. 557 00:21:34,641 --> 00:21:36,207 Nobody blackens fish anymore, 558 00:21:36,207 --> 00:21:38,122 and I think it went away for a good reason. 559 00:21:38,122 --> 00:21:40,516 There was a lot of very poorly done blackened fish out there. 560 00:21:40,516 --> 00:21:43,693 So I'll do the grouper for roast, 561 00:21:43,693 --> 00:21:47,001 and then I'm gonna do the black bass for steam. 562 00:21:47,393 --> 00:21:51,875 Okay. I'm going to do the poached course with the dorade. 563 00:21:51,875 --> 00:21:54,095 And then I'm pulling up the caboose with 564 00:21:54,095 --> 00:21:55,836 the blackened snapper. 565 00:21:55,836 --> 00:21:57,272 Caboose! 566 00:21:57,272 --> 00:21:58,708 That sounds great, you guys. 567 00:22:00,536 --> 00:22:02,059 Thank you. 568 00:22:02,625 --> 00:22:05,802 This idea from toasting the marshmallow. 569 00:22:05,802 --> 00:22:07,587 - DAN: Oh, smart. - MORIMOTO: Yeah. 570 00:22:07,587 --> 00:22:09,850 - DAN: So rich. - LAURA: Amazing. 571 00:22:09,850 --> 00:22:11,678 MORIMOTO: Good luck tomorrow. 572 00:22:15,334 --> 00:22:16,726 - Chef? - Yes? 573 00:22:16,726 --> 00:22:17,771 - Do you mind signing it for me? - Of course. 574 00:22:17,771 --> 00:22:19,381 SAVANNAH: Oh, my gosh, yeah. 575 00:22:19,381 --> 00:22:20,687 LAURA: Oh, please. Please, please, please, please. 576 00:22:20,687 --> 00:22:22,123 This meal is so special. 577 00:22:22,123 --> 00:22:23,690 I mean, it really is. 578 00:22:23,690 --> 00:22:25,518 Morimoto's exceeded whatever expectation I had of him. 579 00:22:25,518 --> 00:22:27,171 MORIMOTO: Okay. 580 00:22:29,260 --> 00:22:32,307 That's right. So cooking from bottom heart. 581 00:22:32,307 --> 00:22:34,440 Every single time. Okay? 582 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:36,572 - Good luck! - Thank you. 583 00:22:36,572 --> 00:22:38,269 - Oh, my God. - MORIMOTO: Thank you! 584 00:22:38,269 --> 00:22:39,880 He wrote "“only one time."” 585 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:42,970 This is kind of, like, a perfect little message for me. 586 00:22:42,970 --> 00:22:46,103 We only have this one opportunity to win Top Chef, 587 00:22:46,103 --> 00:22:48,889 and for me, that is what this is about today. 588 00:22:56,462 --> 00:23:00,857 ♪ 589 00:23:03,164 --> 00:23:05,471 LAURA: Oh, my God. Look at this! 590 00:23:05,471 --> 00:23:07,342 Half Moon Cay remind me of home. 591 00:23:07,342 --> 00:23:12,173 My family and my friends spend every summer in Acapulco 592 00:23:12,173 --> 00:23:15,437 racing horses with my cousins by the beach... 593 00:23:15,437 --> 00:23:17,308 - SAVANNAH: Oh, my God. - LAURA: Look at this! 594 00:23:17,308 --> 00:23:20,964 ...eating plantains and fried fish next to the ocean. 595 00:23:20,964 --> 00:23:25,012 - Stingray adventure! - Oh, my God, that's amazing. 596 00:23:25,012 --> 00:23:27,188 - Oh, boy. - SAVANNAH: Look how beautiful! 597 00:23:27,188 --> 00:23:29,190 DAN: I'm so into this. 598 00:23:30,887 --> 00:23:32,802 [frightening music] 599 00:23:32,802 --> 00:23:35,022 - No, no, no me, no! - [all exclaiming] 600 00:23:35,022 --> 00:23:36,197 Oh my God! 601 00:23:36,197 --> 00:23:37,590 [bleep]! No! 602 00:23:37,590 --> 00:23:38,765 I like nature... 603 00:23:38,765 --> 00:23:40,810 I don't like it. I don't like it! 604 00:23:41,681 --> 00:23:43,204 ...from a distance. 605 00:23:43,204 --> 00:23:44,814 Come on! Please, no! 606 00:23:44,814 --> 00:23:46,773 This isn't for me. [chuckles] 607 00:23:46,773 --> 00:23:48,644 [exclaims] Oh, my God! 608 00:23:48,644 --> 00:23:50,603 DAN: It's so cool. 609 00:23:50,603 --> 00:23:52,735 Oh, my God! It'’s on my leg. 610 00:23:52,735 --> 00:23:54,824 LAURA: You know, those stingrays, they come 611 00:23:54,824 --> 00:23:57,958 and give you warm hugs, but also they can sting. 612 00:23:57,958 --> 00:24:00,917 It's like the chefs in the competition, almost. [laughs] 613 00:24:00,917 --> 00:24:04,051 DAN: That was so cool. 614 00:24:07,663 --> 00:24:09,404 - Whoo! - DANNY: Got a little sun. 615 00:24:09,404 --> 00:24:10,884 I'm relaxed. 616 00:24:10,884 --> 00:24:13,060 It's like, have to turn it back on and operate 617 00:24:13,060 --> 00:24:16,324 at 100 miles an hour again is gonna be a challenge in itself. 618 00:24:16,324 --> 00:24:17,673 DAN: This is about as good as it gets. 619 00:24:17,673 --> 00:24:19,196 Sh-- about to get real. 620 00:24:19,196 --> 00:24:20,850 This is the last time the four of us are gonna 621 00:24:20,850 --> 00:24:22,504 be together in this sort of a situation. 622 00:24:22,504 --> 00:24:26,900 SAVANNAH: I'm really trying to enjoy this moment. 623 00:24:26,900 --> 00:24:29,859 The reality is that this could be my last day. 624 00:24:29,859 --> 00:24:32,514 It could be anyone's last day. 625 00:24:32,514 --> 00:24:35,386 But I'm just-- I'm just ready to do it. 626 00:24:35,386 --> 00:24:37,388 DAN: I mean, I don't want to, but let's do this. 627 00:24:37,388 --> 00:24:41,044 [stirring music] 628 00:24:50,271 --> 00:24:53,404 - All right, let's go, guys. - Let'’s go, y'all. 629 00:24:53,404 --> 00:24:55,668 Whoo! Oh, my goodness. 630 00:24:55,668 --> 00:24:57,278 Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! 631 00:24:57,278 --> 00:24:59,062 LAURA: Oh, look at all these peppers! 632 00:24:59,062 --> 00:25:01,543 DAN: We got herbs on herbs on herbs. I love it! 633 00:25:01,543 --> 00:25:03,414 You know this is my world right here-- Oh, jeez. 634 00:25:03,414 --> 00:25:05,286 Look out, guys. 635 00:25:05,286 --> 00:25:06,592 Sea beam. 636 00:25:06,592 --> 00:25:08,811 This kitchen is amazing. 637 00:25:08,811 --> 00:25:10,596 The chefs styled us out here. 638 00:25:10,596 --> 00:25:12,032 DAN: I feel like I'm on a pirate ship. 639 00:25:12,032 --> 00:25:13,903 Arrgh! 640 00:25:13,903 --> 00:25:15,514 DANNY: That was good, Dan, that was good. 641 00:25:16,515 --> 00:25:18,778 What, Savannah, you drinking all that sake or what? 642 00:25:18,778 --> 00:25:21,650 SAVANNAH: I'm doing a sake cure on my salmon. 643 00:25:21,650 --> 00:25:22,825 DAN: Awesome. 644 00:25:22,825 --> 00:25:24,435 For the first course, 645 00:25:24,435 --> 00:25:25,741 which is the raw preparation, 646 00:25:25,741 --> 00:25:27,177 I am making a salmon futomaki roll. 647 00:25:27,177 --> 00:25:28,788 Trying not to be gun shy in breaking down 648 00:25:28,788 --> 00:25:30,180 this fish right now, y'all. 649 00:25:30,180 --> 00:25:31,878 Last time I did this wasn't good. 650 00:25:31,878 --> 00:25:33,923 For the fifth course, the fried preparation, 651 00:25:33,923 --> 00:25:36,796 I am making a fried striped bass sandwich. 652 00:25:36,796 --> 00:25:39,102 The striped bass will be delicious fried. 653 00:25:39,102 --> 00:25:40,495 It's gonna retain a lot of moisture, 654 00:25:40,495 --> 00:25:42,062 and it's gonna be buttery. 655 00:25:42,062 --> 00:25:43,759 DAN: Savannah, how do you feel about going first? 656 00:25:43,759 --> 00:25:46,632 I think I can do a good job and start us all out on a good note. 657 00:25:46,632 --> 00:25:48,590 Just gotta stay focused and execute. 658 00:25:48,590 --> 00:25:50,287 DAN: Stay focused, execute. 659 00:25:50,287 --> 00:25:53,464 So we got some dorade here, so I'm gonna poach it. 660 00:25:53,464 --> 00:25:55,292 I really wanted to cut into the whole fish 661 00:25:55,292 --> 00:25:57,077 because I wanna be able to use the bone. 662 00:25:57,077 --> 00:25:58,948 For the fourth course, I'm making poached dorade 663 00:25:58,948 --> 00:26:00,602 with yucca and pumpkin. 664 00:26:00,602 --> 00:26:02,604 When I go to poach my fish, I'm actually gonna poach it 665 00:26:02,604 --> 00:26:04,301 in the bag with the sauce. 666 00:26:04,301 --> 00:26:06,216 For the eighth course, I'm making blackened snapper. 667 00:26:06,216 --> 00:26:08,828 What we got here is a little bit of blackening spice. 668 00:26:08,828 --> 00:26:12,396 Coming down, coming down, coming down, coming down, coming down. 669 00:26:12,396 --> 00:26:15,095 Coming off this Quickfire win, I feel really confident. 670 00:26:15,095 --> 00:26:17,314 This is my time, man. It's my time. 671 00:26:17,314 --> 00:26:18,707 Beautiful. 672 00:26:18,707 --> 00:26:21,101 Laura, how you feel about working with sea bass? 673 00:26:21,101 --> 00:26:22,929 LAURA: I love the versatility of it. 674 00:26:22,929 --> 00:26:24,757 So I'm doing steamed fish. 675 00:26:24,757 --> 00:26:26,889 I'm gonna use banana leaves for it. 676 00:26:26,889 --> 00:26:30,023 For my first course, I'm making a steamed 677 00:26:30,023 --> 00:26:31,981 black bass with a recado negro. 678 00:26:31,981 --> 00:26:34,070 You know, I have to burn a lot of things. 679 00:26:34,070 --> 00:26:36,638 You know, char flavors have a lot of, like, richness. 680 00:26:36,638 --> 00:26:38,945 For my second course, I'm making a roasted grouper 681 00:26:38,945 --> 00:26:40,990 with a guajillo pepper glaze. 682 00:26:40,990 --> 00:26:44,167 DANNY: Whoo! Burn this mother------ down. 683 00:26:44,167 --> 00:26:47,649 Let's go! I'm gonna turn this whole box into a smoker. 684 00:26:47,649 --> 00:26:50,434 Today I'm making the mousse course, 685 00:26:50,434 --> 00:26:55,526 which is a New Zealand sea bream with a green garlic sphere. 686 00:26:56,658 --> 00:27:01,184 Next, the smoked course, which will be a smoked trout... 687 00:27:01,184 --> 00:27:03,839 Just wanna do something that's local to the area. 688 00:27:03,839 --> 00:27:07,060 ...with a pumpkin and plantain puree. 689 00:27:08,714 --> 00:27:10,237 Whoo! 690 00:27:11,586 --> 00:27:13,022 This is my sauce. 691 00:27:13,022 --> 00:27:15,938 Juice from papaya, carrot, ginger, mandarin. 692 00:27:15,938 --> 00:27:17,853 A little bit of the pulp here to help thicken it. 693 00:27:17,853 --> 00:27:20,073 DANNY: Hour and 25 minutes. 694 00:27:20,073 --> 00:27:21,857 DAN: Just checking out my potatoes. 695 00:27:21,857 --> 00:27:24,251 They'’re kind of calmly sitting in this little butter mix. 696 00:27:24,251 --> 00:27:26,122 DANNY: This is my fish mousse. 697 00:27:26,122 --> 00:27:27,863 I added some spinach for some color and a little bit 698 00:27:27,863 --> 00:27:30,474 of texture to it, and I'm gonna steam it. 699 00:27:34,261 --> 00:27:36,176 SAVANNAH: Laura, where are you at in your process right now? 700 00:27:36,176 --> 00:27:37,873 LAURA: I think I'm gonna start wrapping my fish 701 00:27:37,873 --> 00:27:39,788 to have it ready for the steamer. 702 00:27:39,788 --> 00:27:41,877 I'm gonna use the banana leaves. 703 00:27:41,877 --> 00:27:44,401 Banana leaves are perfect for steaming the fish, 704 00:27:44,401 --> 00:27:47,056 because the banana leaves retains the moisture, 705 00:27:47,056 --> 00:27:48,536 it retains all the flavor. 706 00:27:48,536 --> 00:27:50,146 Super tight, organized. 707 00:27:50,146 --> 00:27:52,235 At the end of the day, it's, like, part of a plant. 708 00:27:52,235 --> 00:27:55,543 Making sure it's clean the proper way is, 709 00:27:55,543 --> 00:27:56,849 like, very important. 710 00:27:57,545 --> 00:27:59,242 Laura, what are you doing with those banana leaves? 711 00:27:59,242 --> 00:28:02,158 LAURA: Gonna be little cute gifts of joy. 712 00:28:04,073 --> 00:28:05,858 DANNY: So right now, I'm getting these spheres done 713 00:28:05,858 --> 00:28:07,468 so they have time to set. 714 00:28:07,468 --> 00:28:10,601 The goal here is to replicate the Cantonese fish balls. 715 00:28:11,298 --> 00:28:15,389 I'm playing an odd game here where I'm using all one texture, 716 00:28:15,389 --> 00:28:18,435 but the complexity comes elsewhere in heat from 717 00:28:18,435 --> 00:28:23,136 the sphere, and you'll have the fish-forward flavor from 718 00:28:23,136 --> 00:28:25,573 the mousse is where you bring in those different levels. 719 00:28:25,573 --> 00:28:28,445 There's always an added layer of technique that I bring. 720 00:28:28,445 --> 00:28:30,143 Pray that that works. 721 00:28:30,143 --> 00:28:32,319 There's a lot of things that can go wrong with a mousse. 722 00:28:47,900 --> 00:28:49,945 GAIL: It is a beautiful view. 723 00:28:50,859 --> 00:28:52,469 KRISTEN: Thank you. 724 00:28:53,688 --> 00:28:55,777 This is our final Elimination Challenge. 725 00:28:55,777 --> 00:28:58,737 I wanna thank Marisa, Gus, Mark, and Sinu for having us aboard. 726 00:28:58,737 --> 00:29:01,087 Thank you for taking care of the chefs and us. 727 00:29:01,087 --> 00:29:02,828 It's wonderful to be on board with you all, 728 00:29:02,828 --> 00:29:04,481 so thank you very much. 729 00:29:04,481 --> 00:29:06,788 I'm curious, Sinu, how many chefs and cooks you have? 730 00:29:06,788 --> 00:29:08,485 A team of 141. 731 00:29:08,485 --> 00:29:10,270 I think we each have to pick up a shift tonight. 732 00:29:10,270 --> 00:29:11,793 Right? [laughing] 733 00:29:11,793 --> 00:29:14,230 I'm taking notes, guys. Who wants to go first? 734 00:29:14,753 --> 00:29:16,580 SAVANNAH: All right, guys, 18. 735 00:29:16,580 --> 00:29:19,018 My game plan is to do some cured salmon 736 00:29:19,018 --> 00:29:21,716 inside the roll and also a salmon tartare. 737 00:29:22,108 --> 00:29:24,023 It's gonna be the creamy element inside the roll. 738 00:29:24,023 --> 00:29:27,200 I've spent the last few years focusing on 739 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:28,854 certain Japanese techniques. 740 00:29:28,854 --> 00:29:32,640 I worked at M Tempura, which was a tempura tasting menu 741 00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:35,251 restaurant that I helped chef Mike Lee open. 742 00:29:35,251 --> 00:29:37,950 He really is the one that opened my eyes to that cuisine 743 00:29:37,950 --> 00:29:41,344 and taught me so much, and while I feel very comfortable in 744 00:29:41,344 --> 00:29:44,434 that wheelhouse, I want to show a little creativity here. 745 00:29:44,434 --> 00:29:46,741 DAN: Savannah, what's going on? 746 00:29:46,741 --> 00:29:48,047 You're coming up soon. 747 00:29:48,047 --> 00:29:49,526 I'm just gonna put a little bit more of 748 00:29:49,526 --> 00:29:50,397 the tartare on top 749 00:29:50,397 --> 00:29:52,616 so it's definitely salmony. 750 00:29:52,616 --> 00:29:55,663 I want to give different textures all in one bite while 751 00:29:55,663 --> 00:29:58,666 not taking away from the fact that this is a salmon dish. 752 00:29:58,666 --> 00:30:00,494 Hopefully they can put this all in their mouth. 753 00:30:00,494 --> 00:30:02,626 [timer beeping] 754 00:30:06,152 --> 00:30:07,414 SINU: Thank you so much. 755 00:30:07,414 --> 00:30:08,719 GAIL: Wonderful. 756 00:30:08,719 --> 00:30:10,330 Can you tell us about what you've made for us? 757 00:30:10,330 --> 00:30:12,636 I wanted to do salmon in two ways. 758 00:30:12,636 --> 00:30:15,378 There is sake-cured salmon inside, and then there's also 759 00:30:15,378 --> 00:30:17,816 a little bit of salmon tartare on top, some plantain 760 00:30:17,816 --> 00:30:21,602 that I fried twice, and then, lastly, creamy ginger dressing. 761 00:30:21,602 --> 00:30:23,343 - Thanks, Savannah. - Thank you very much. 762 00:30:23,343 --> 00:30:24,823 GAIL: Thank you, Savannah. 763 00:30:25,258 --> 00:30:27,738 I thought Savannah's dish had a lot of flavors 764 00:30:27,738 --> 00:30:29,305 packed into one roll. 765 00:30:29,305 --> 00:30:31,612 I liked the flavor. That was a nice little bite. 766 00:30:31,612 --> 00:30:33,788 I don't know how big a mouth you guys have, 767 00:30:33,788 --> 00:30:35,746 but it was too big for me. 768 00:30:35,746 --> 00:30:37,923 I mean, the bite was big, but I also think that's just 769 00:30:37,923 --> 00:30:39,968 by nature what the futomaki is. 770 00:30:39,968 --> 00:30:41,274 TOM: I thought it was a good start, 771 00:30:41,274 --> 00:30:42,928 but the sauce is a little grainy. 772 00:30:42,928 --> 00:30:44,451 You wanna make this creamy sauce, 773 00:30:44,451 --> 00:30:45,800 and yet you have these little pieces in there. 774 00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:47,149 That's-- that'’s a mistake. 775 00:30:48,977 --> 00:30:52,546 DANNY: Whoo! Oh, they cute as hell! 776 00:30:52,546 --> 00:30:55,201 DAN: Kind of find that extra gear a little bit. 777 00:30:55,201 --> 00:30:57,290 I'm trying to fry my yucca fritters. 778 00:30:57,290 --> 00:30:59,422 That's not turning out the way I want it to. 779 00:30:59,422 --> 00:31:01,555 It's kind of mushy, and I really don't know why. 780 00:31:01,555 --> 00:31:03,513 I need to kinda get my sh-- together. 781 00:31:03,513 --> 00:31:05,472 My brain is, like, fried out right now. 782 00:31:05,472 --> 00:31:07,126 So what I'm gonna try and do is double fry it. 783 00:31:07,126 --> 00:31:09,998 This should give it a little bit more, like, crispiness to it. 784 00:31:09,998 --> 00:31:12,479 It is a bit greasy, but without it, 785 00:31:12,479 --> 00:31:14,524 I'm not sure the dish is as successful. 786 00:31:15,525 --> 00:31:16,831 LAURA: Have one minute. 787 00:31:16,831 --> 00:31:21,488 [intense music] 788 00:31:21,488 --> 00:31:23,707 - [timer beeping] - SAVANNAH: Oh, my goodness. 789 00:31:30,149 --> 00:31:31,802 Can you please explain your dish, Laura? 790 00:31:31,802 --> 00:31:35,284 So the dish is a steamed black bass with a recado negro. 791 00:31:35,284 --> 00:31:37,721 Inside you have escabeche patty pan squash 792 00:31:37,721 --> 00:31:41,638 with kabocha squash and a little bit of fried plantain. 793 00:31:41,638 --> 00:31:46,600 I think it lends very well into cooking in Curaçao. 794 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:48,167 You got one more course in there, right? 795 00:31:48,167 --> 00:31:49,472 I got my one more course, absolutely. 796 00:31:49,472 --> 00:31:51,039 - Yes. - Yeah, exactly. 797 00:31:51,039 --> 00:31:52,475 - Get back to it. - Thank you, Laura. 798 00:31:52,475 --> 00:31:54,129 Sinu, what did you think of the flavors? 799 00:31:54,129 --> 00:31:55,478 For me, I think she hasn't cleaned 800 00:31:55,478 --> 00:31:57,002 the banana leaves properly. 801 00:31:57,002 --> 00:31:58,655 It's giving bitterness. 802 00:31:58,655 --> 00:31:59,787 I'm getting a lot of-- 803 00:31:59,787 --> 00:32:01,571 It's like, it's-- it'’s dir-- dirt. 804 00:32:01,571 --> 00:32:04,487 I do think the fresh fish was well-cooked and delicious. 805 00:32:04,487 --> 00:32:06,185 Actually, if you take a little bit of 806 00:32:06,185 --> 00:32:09,188 the negro sauce and then the green sauce together 807 00:32:09,188 --> 00:32:11,190 and have it in one bite, it was fabulous. 808 00:32:11,190 --> 00:32:12,713 Yeah. 809 00:32:12,713 --> 00:32:15,411 DANNY: Just stay cool, calm and cool and calm. 810 00:32:15,803 --> 00:32:17,544 This baguette, I'm gonna toast it. 811 00:32:17,544 --> 00:32:19,981 It'll hold everything else on top. 812 00:32:19,981 --> 00:32:22,679 I don't know. If it doesn't taste good, I'm not using it. 813 00:32:22,679 --> 00:32:24,638 - No stress, no stress. - DANNY: Whoo! 814 00:32:24,638 --> 00:32:27,293 Well... this didn't steam the way I wanted it to. 815 00:32:27,293 --> 00:32:28,642 That's unfortunate. 816 00:32:28,642 --> 00:32:31,384 The mousse doesn't souffle properly. 817 00:32:31,384 --> 00:32:33,995 I don't have time to cook it longer. 818 00:32:33,995 --> 00:32:37,607 I mean, at this point, there's not really much that I can do. 819 00:32:38,521 --> 00:32:39,914 Well, that's disappointing. 820 00:32:39,914 --> 00:32:43,091 You know, it's a mousse. You get one shot with it. 821 00:32:43,091 --> 00:32:45,267 God almighty. 822 00:32:46,051 --> 00:32:49,271 [timer beeping] 823 00:32:50,969 --> 00:32:52,448 Thank you. 824 00:32:54,798 --> 00:32:57,236 All right, Danny, can you tell us about your mousse dish? 825 00:32:57,236 --> 00:32:59,455 So, sea bream fish mousse. 826 00:32:59,455 --> 00:33:01,240 Little fines herbes salad over top. 827 00:33:01,240 --> 00:33:04,939 And then is a little sphere of scotch bonnet and green garlic. 828 00:33:04,939 --> 00:33:06,245 TOM: Is this mousse cooked? 829 00:33:06,245 --> 00:33:07,768 DANNY: The mousse is cooked, yeah. 830 00:33:07,768 --> 00:33:09,074 - TOM: How did you cook it? - Uh, I steamed it. 831 00:33:09,074 --> 00:33:10,423 Got it. 832 00:33:10,423 --> 00:33:12,903 - KRISTEN: Thanks, Danny. - Thanks. 833 00:33:15,080 --> 00:33:16,733 The interesting was the sphere. 834 00:33:16,733 --> 00:33:18,561 GAIL: I actually loved the spheres. 835 00:33:18,561 --> 00:33:20,433 I thought they were beautiful and interesting 836 00:33:20,433 --> 00:33:23,392 and had a little punch. And I liked the sauce. 837 00:33:25,307 --> 00:33:28,441 Oh, God. My mousse was totally under. 838 00:33:28,441 --> 00:33:30,225 Tom was like, "“Did you cook this?"” 839 00:33:30,225 --> 00:33:31,400 I was like, "“Oh, God."” 840 00:33:31,400 --> 00:33:33,272 Danny's dish is clearly complex, 841 00:33:33,272 --> 00:33:35,491 but I may not be a fan of mousse. 842 00:33:35,491 --> 00:33:38,233 Well, you might just not be a fan of this mousse. 843 00:33:38,233 --> 00:33:40,061 Oh, okay! [laughing] 844 00:33:40,061 --> 00:33:42,498 I feel like there was too much egg white and not enough fat. 845 00:33:42,498 --> 00:33:44,109 Not enough fat. I think you'’re right. 846 00:33:44,109 --> 00:33:45,501 Or the no yolks or something. 847 00:33:45,501 --> 00:33:47,460 - Something went wrong. - Mm-hmm. 848 00:33:53,596 --> 00:33:54,902 SAVANNAH: I'm making such a mess. 849 00:33:54,902 --> 00:33:56,904 I'm just like, I need to [bleep] focus. 850 00:33:56,904 --> 00:33:58,297 LAURA: What are you doing, Savannah? 851 00:33:58,297 --> 00:33:59,994 Running my fish. 852 00:33:59,994 --> 00:34:01,865 I have 40 minutes left, and I'm not where I need to be. 853 00:34:01,865 --> 00:34:05,130 It's just my plan's not coming together how I wanted. 854 00:34:05,130 --> 00:34:06,261 Oh, my God. 855 00:34:06,261 --> 00:34:07,567 I'm not visualizing the way 856 00:34:07,567 --> 00:34:09,308 this is going to be on the plate. 857 00:34:09,308 --> 00:34:11,353 I'm starting to be a little concerned. 858 00:34:11,353 --> 00:34:12,833 Holy sh--. 859 00:34:12,833 --> 00:34:15,009 DAN: Come on, guys. Let's [bleep] do this. 860 00:34:16,054 --> 00:34:17,620 Dan, how's your poach? 861 00:34:17,620 --> 00:34:20,101 DAN: Very nice. Just, uh, plating up. 862 00:34:20,101 --> 00:34:21,798 SAVANNAH: Hell yeah. 863 00:34:22,930 --> 00:34:24,932 [timer beeping] 864 00:34:25,715 --> 00:34:27,065 Poach. 865 00:34:27,500 --> 00:34:29,154 - Hi. - Hi. 866 00:34:29,154 --> 00:34:30,851 So I had the dorade. 867 00:34:30,851 --> 00:34:32,853 Fairly familiar with this fish, but I really haven't 868 00:34:32,853 --> 00:34:34,855 cooked this, honestly, since, like, 2005. 869 00:34:34,855 --> 00:34:38,380 I poached it in a coconut turmeric sauce 870 00:34:38,380 --> 00:34:39,729 made from the stock. 871 00:34:39,729 --> 00:34:41,253 We have a little yucca fritter, 872 00:34:41,253 --> 00:34:42,645 some grilled pumpkin, 873 00:34:42,645 --> 00:34:44,952 and then jerk chili garlic crisp. 874 00:34:44,952 --> 00:34:47,607 - KRISTEN: Thank you, Dan. - Thanks, guys. Thanks. 875 00:34:50,827 --> 00:34:52,351 What up, what up, what up? 876 00:34:52,351 --> 00:34:54,135 So much excitement coming back. 877 00:34:54,135 --> 00:34:55,528 DAN: Tom ate all of my dish. 878 00:34:55,528 --> 00:34:56,920 He cleaned the [bleep] plate. 879 00:34:56,920 --> 00:34:58,574 Tom, what do you think of Dan'’s dish? 880 00:34:58,574 --> 00:35:00,489 So Dan said he hasn't cooked dorade since 2005. 881 00:35:00,489 --> 00:35:02,143 He still hasn't cooked it. 882 00:35:02,143 --> 00:35:03,840 [laughing] 883 00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:05,538 I totally agree, '‘cause I had to leave my fish there. 884 00:35:05,538 --> 00:35:07,279 - It's raw. - I liked it. 885 00:35:07,279 --> 00:35:10,630 It wasn't poached correctly, but I think it soaked up 886 00:35:10,630 --> 00:35:13,415 the heavy flavors of the Caribbean sauce. 887 00:35:13,415 --> 00:35:14,982 The spice was nice. 888 00:35:14,982 --> 00:35:16,418 I did enjoy the flavors, 889 00:35:16,418 --> 00:35:17,811 and having sailed around the islands for a long time, 890 00:35:17,811 --> 00:35:20,074 it really did give me a Caribbean feel. 891 00:35:20,074 --> 00:35:22,468 There was complexity there with the herbs and the turmeric, 892 00:35:22,468 --> 00:35:24,644 but the yucca felt like this kinda clunky, 893 00:35:24,644 --> 00:35:26,602 greasy thing in the middle of the plate. 894 00:35:26,602 --> 00:35:28,430 But it's hard, right? 895 00:35:28,430 --> 00:35:29,823 They didn't make this easy on us. 896 00:35:29,823 --> 00:35:31,259 DANNY: You ain't lying, bro. 897 00:35:31,259 --> 00:35:33,131 SAVANNAH: I was hoping for a different situation 898 00:35:33,131 --> 00:35:34,871 with the bread, but I'm gonna do what I can do. 899 00:35:34,871 --> 00:35:36,090 LAURA: Yeah. 900 00:35:36,090 --> 00:35:37,526 Whenever I think about Caribbean flavors, 901 00:35:37,526 --> 00:35:39,354 I think about Yucatán Peninsula. 902 00:35:39,354 --> 00:35:41,574 In Acapulco, you have this really 903 00:35:41,574 --> 00:35:43,663 famous dish, pescado a la talla. 904 00:35:43,663 --> 00:35:46,753 I'm trying to do that, but more elegant. 905 00:35:46,753 --> 00:35:48,581 So I have a broth, I have an emulsion, 906 00:35:48,581 --> 00:35:50,017 and I have pineapple. 907 00:35:50,017 --> 00:35:52,628 I glaze the fish with guajillo peppers, 908 00:35:52,628 --> 00:35:54,195 a little bit of gochujang as well. 909 00:35:54,195 --> 00:35:56,850 I wanna add the richness by making an emulsion, 910 00:35:56,850 --> 00:35:59,722 like a mayonnaise with some kabocha squash. 911 00:36:01,376 --> 00:36:02,682 SAVANNAH: Oh, my God. 912 00:36:02,682 --> 00:36:04,031 I have all these components, 913 00:36:04,031 --> 00:36:05,424 but I don't feel like I have a dish. 914 00:36:05,424 --> 00:36:07,034 This is bullsh--. 915 00:36:07,034 --> 00:36:08,557 It did not turn out. 916 00:36:08,557 --> 00:36:11,038 I'm hoping there's enough texture and balance of flavor 917 00:36:11,038 --> 00:36:14,128 to save me, because this isn't my best showing. 918 00:36:14,128 --> 00:36:15,564 [timer beeping] 919 00:36:15,564 --> 00:36:17,175 Ugh. Sucks. 920 00:36:17,175 --> 00:36:20,265 - You'’re okay. - SAVANNAH: This [bleep] blows. 921 00:36:20,265 --> 00:36:22,397 Fried striped bass. 922 00:36:22,397 --> 00:36:23,877 Thank you so much. 923 00:36:23,877 --> 00:36:25,618 KRISTEN: Can you tell us about your dish? 924 00:36:25,618 --> 00:36:29,230 I have a fried striped bass on a toasted baguette 925 00:36:29,230 --> 00:36:32,407 with pepper kosho and an aji amarillo aioli. 926 00:36:32,407 --> 00:36:34,757 - KRISTEN: Thanks, Savannah. - SAVANNAH: Thank you. 927 00:36:36,324 --> 00:36:38,718 I'm starting to deconstruct the meals now when I eat them, 928 00:36:38,718 --> 00:36:40,285 which I'm really starting to enjoy. 929 00:36:40,285 --> 00:36:42,243 So I thought Savannah's fish was cooked well, 930 00:36:42,243 --> 00:36:43,723 and, yeah, definitely enjoyable. 931 00:36:43,723 --> 00:36:46,813 I think it was the best execution of the fish. 932 00:36:46,813 --> 00:36:48,380 I thought it was really, really good. 933 00:36:48,380 --> 00:36:50,164 GAIL: Her fish was fried nicely. 934 00:36:50,164 --> 00:36:52,732 I liked the kosho. I liked the mint. 935 00:36:52,732 --> 00:36:55,256 I just didn't get sort of juiciness that I hoped for. 936 00:36:55,256 --> 00:36:57,476 I think the bread was too big. 937 00:36:57,476 --> 00:36:58,738 Maybe the fish was cut too small? 938 00:36:58,738 --> 00:37:00,174 Cut too small, yeah. 939 00:37:00,174 --> 00:37:02,045 And at this stage of the competition, 940 00:37:02,045 --> 00:37:03,612 to do something that simple, Savannah's playing it safe here. 941 00:37:03,612 --> 00:37:05,048 In both courses. 942 00:37:06,876 --> 00:37:08,400 DANNY: I'm not having an easy go at it today. 943 00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:11,011 I just need to knock it out with this next course, 944 00:37:11,011 --> 00:37:12,099 make it flawless. 945 00:37:12,099 --> 00:37:14,275 This dish is really, really rich. 946 00:37:14,275 --> 00:37:16,930 I want some acid to cut through this richness. 947 00:37:16,930 --> 00:37:20,629 So I'm gonna do a hazelnut and lemon relish. 948 00:37:20,629 --> 00:37:22,718 I'm just looking for a crunchy burst of flavor. 949 00:37:25,199 --> 00:37:27,636 I put the emulsion at the bottom of the plate, 950 00:37:27,636 --> 00:37:29,421 set my fish on top. 951 00:37:29,421 --> 00:37:31,379 It looks like a piece of art. 952 00:37:31,379 --> 00:37:32,989 Just gonna do lime zest. 953 00:37:33,947 --> 00:37:37,080 - [timer beeping] - Thank you, ladies. 954 00:37:40,083 --> 00:37:42,303 - MARK: Thank you so much. - Welcome back. 955 00:37:42,303 --> 00:37:43,609 Can you tell us about your dish, please? 956 00:37:43,609 --> 00:37:45,959 This is a grouper roasted 957 00:37:45,959 --> 00:37:47,526 with guajillo pepper glaze. 958 00:37:47,526 --> 00:37:50,572 It has an emulsion of guajillo, a little bit of XO, 959 00:37:50,572 --> 00:37:52,313 a pineapple broth. 960 00:37:52,313 --> 00:37:55,142 The inspiration of this dish comes from pescado a la talla, 961 00:37:55,142 --> 00:37:58,319 mixing it with beautiful pineapple from the Caribbean. 962 00:37:58,319 --> 00:38:00,190 How did you cook the fish? Did you sear it first? 963 00:38:00,190 --> 00:38:02,018 - Put it in the oven. - TOM: Straight in the oven? 964 00:38:02,018 --> 00:38:03,281 - Just straight in the oven. - Great. Thank you, Laura. 965 00:38:03,281 --> 00:38:04,891 LAURA: All right. 966 00:38:06,240 --> 00:38:08,286 KRISTEN: Anyone's fish not cooked right? 967 00:38:08,286 --> 00:38:10,288 - ED: Mine's undercooked. - GAIL: Mine'’s a little under. 968 00:38:10,288 --> 00:38:12,333 - Mine's okay. - Is yours raw, though? 969 00:38:12,333 --> 00:38:16,337 It's not raw-raw, but it's-- it's not cuttable. 970 00:38:16,337 --> 00:38:18,121 It does not flake. 971 00:38:18,121 --> 00:38:20,428 The bigger problem I have is what she explained was baking, 972 00:38:20,428 --> 00:38:21,995 not roasting. 973 00:38:21,995 --> 00:38:23,083 Yeah. 974 00:38:23,083 --> 00:38:24,867 MARISA: You want some caramelization. 975 00:38:24,867 --> 00:38:26,347 - Yeah, yeah. - I like the pineapple broth. 976 00:38:26,347 --> 00:38:28,828 I liked the flavor of it, but the mayonnaise, 977 00:38:28,828 --> 00:38:30,308 texturally, it felt strange. 978 00:38:30,308 --> 00:38:32,484 It feels like your sauce is split. 979 00:38:32,484 --> 00:38:33,833 Yeah. 980 00:38:35,051 --> 00:38:38,359 They've all cooked so much-- so much better. 981 00:38:38,359 --> 00:38:41,362 Like, really exceptional things from all of them, several times. 982 00:38:41,362 --> 00:38:42,842 TOM: They feel tense. 983 00:38:42,842 --> 00:38:44,322 They feel like they're just afraid. 984 00:38:44,322 --> 00:38:45,975 It looks like they're cooking scared. 985 00:38:45,975 --> 00:38:48,717 And they come so far in the competition now, 986 00:38:48,717 --> 00:38:50,850 I feel that that's kind of holding them back, 987 00:38:50,850 --> 00:38:52,678 - really scared to-- - They know they're that close. 988 00:38:52,678 --> 00:38:53,940 - That close. - Yeah. 989 00:38:53,940 --> 00:38:55,855 And now there'’s stress. 990 00:38:57,335 --> 00:39:00,207 DAN: I'm gonna go real light with the flavors, 991 00:39:00,207 --> 00:39:02,209 let that blackening spice kind of come through. 992 00:39:02,209 --> 00:39:04,994 I'm adding terlato wine to my butter sauce 993 00:39:04,994 --> 00:39:08,824 on my blackened snapper to give it that acidic brightness. 994 00:39:10,696 --> 00:39:12,524 I smoked the fish perfectly. 995 00:39:12,524 --> 00:39:15,396 I'll never give up. I'll go down swinging all day. 996 00:39:15,396 --> 00:39:18,704 I'm really hoping it's enough to guarantee my spot in the finale. 997 00:39:18,704 --> 00:39:20,793 - [timer beeping] - Zero. 998 00:39:20,793 --> 00:39:22,490 GAIL: Oh, right, smoked. Okay. 999 00:39:22,490 --> 00:39:24,013 KRISTEN: Yeah, we'’re on smoked. 1000 00:39:24,579 --> 00:39:26,581 - Welcome back. - Thank you. 1001 00:39:26,581 --> 00:39:28,017 KRISTEN: Can you tell us what you made? 1002 00:39:28,017 --> 00:39:29,497 Smoked rainbow trout. 1003 00:39:29,497 --> 00:39:31,325 I smoked rainbow trout foam, 1004 00:39:31,325 --> 00:39:32,892 plantain pumpkin puree, 1005 00:39:32,892 --> 00:39:37,636 and then nestled in there is also a hazelnut lemon relish. 1006 00:39:37,636 --> 00:39:39,377 ED: So what did you use for smoke? 1007 00:39:39,377 --> 00:39:40,726 DANNY: I used hickory chips. 1008 00:39:40,726 --> 00:39:42,771 - KRISTEN: Thank you, Danny. - Thank you. 1009 00:39:45,121 --> 00:39:46,775 It ain't over till it's over, Dan! 1010 00:39:46,775 --> 00:39:48,081 DAN: Heard, Chef. 1011 00:39:48,081 --> 00:39:51,737 I liked it. Smoked fish is dry. 1012 00:39:51,737 --> 00:39:53,129 I mean, there's just no way around it. 1013 00:39:53,129 --> 00:39:54,609 But to put that foam on top of there, 1014 00:39:54,609 --> 00:39:56,089 which was so wet, 1015 00:39:56,089 --> 00:39:57,525 I thought it was texturally just really nice. 1016 00:39:57,525 --> 00:39:59,309 And then there was something lemony in there? 1017 00:39:59,309 --> 00:40:00,963 - Yeah, lemon and hazelnut. - Lemon and hazelnut. 1018 00:40:00,963 --> 00:40:02,574 Yeah, you just get a kick of that. 1019 00:40:02,574 --> 00:40:04,227 It was brilliant. 1020 00:40:04,227 --> 00:40:05,925 I love the texture of the nuts and the lemon together 1021 00:40:05,925 --> 00:40:07,448 '‘cause it was so unexpected. 1022 00:40:07,448 --> 00:40:10,059 There is such an amazing through line 1023 00:40:10,059 --> 00:40:12,192 between the hazelnut and the smoke for me. 1024 00:40:12,192 --> 00:40:15,978 All of it was very Danny and really, really delicious. 1025 00:40:17,937 --> 00:40:19,852 DAN: So I've never blackened a fish before. 1026 00:40:19,852 --> 00:40:21,331 DANNY: Just cook the fish well, Dan. 1027 00:40:21,331 --> 00:40:22,594 That's all you gotta do. 1028 00:40:22,594 --> 00:40:23,943 I'm bringing up the caboose here. 1029 00:40:23,943 --> 00:40:25,901 Two minutes. Two minutes. Two minutes. 1030 00:40:25,901 --> 00:40:27,990 Just kinda make this sh-- look nice. 1031 00:40:27,990 --> 00:40:29,470 I'm happy to do it. 1032 00:40:29,470 --> 00:40:30,906 I really feel like this dish is 1033 00:40:30,906 --> 00:40:32,212 even better than my first dish. 1034 00:40:32,212 --> 00:40:35,781 Jesus [bleep]! Finale, here I come. 1035 00:40:36,521 --> 00:40:37,913 [timer beeping] 1036 00:40:46,792 --> 00:40:48,837 Thank you so much. 1037 00:40:48,837 --> 00:40:50,491 KRISTEN: All right, Dan. What'd you do? 1038 00:40:50,491 --> 00:40:53,363 Blackened snapper with Chinese five spice. 1039 00:40:53,363 --> 00:40:55,627 My dad was a big fan of blackened fish, 1040 00:40:55,627 --> 00:40:59,152 so we did some butter-poached potatoes with some Mandarin 1041 00:40:59,152 --> 00:41:01,589 butter sauce, dill oil, and then some pickled red onion. 1042 00:41:01,589 --> 00:41:03,504 KRISTEN: So you've blackened a lot of fish before? 1043 00:41:03,504 --> 00:41:05,332 - Never. - Okay. Your dad just liked it. 1044 00:41:05,332 --> 00:41:07,029 Never ever. Never, ever, ever. 1045 00:41:07,029 --> 00:41:09,118 Why so stingy with the mandarin oranges? 1046 00:41:09,118 --> 00:41:10,946 Man, you ever tried to supreme mandarin oranges? 1047 00:41:10,946 --> 00:41:13,253 - GAIL: I mean-- - [all laughing] 1048 00:41:13,253 --> 00:41:14,994 DAN: Not necessarily the easiest task. 1049 00:41:14,994 --> 00:41:16,169 - Fine. Point taken. - All right, thank you, Dan. 1050 00:41:16,169 --> 00:41:18,084 - Thanks so much. - Thank you. 1051 00:41:20,086 --> 00:41:22,218 This is my favorite dish of the whole meal. 1052 00:41:22,218 --> 00:41:25,047 But it's comforting. It just made me feel good. 1053 00:41:25,047 --> 00:41:28,007 The potato, it was salty and it was creamy, 1054 00:41:28,007 --> 00:41:29,312 and I thought it was delicious. 1055 00:41:29,312 --> 00:41:31,793 Overall, the juiciest piece of fish 1056 00:41:31,793 --> 00:41:33,447 - that I've had today. - Yes. 1057 00:41:33,447 --> 00:41:34,840 I thought it was good. 1058 00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:36,145 I actually like that he didn'’t use 1059 00:41:36,145 --> 00:41:37,538 the traditional sort of blackening. 1060 00:41:37,538 --> 00:41:39,279 I liked the Chinese five spice. 1061 00:41:39,279 --> 00:41:41,847 KRISTEN: Well, I think it's certainly a lot to discuss. 1062 00:41:41,847 --> 00:41:43,283 We will head off to Judges'’ Table. 1063 00:41:43,283 --> 00:41:45,677 Thank you for providing the fresh fish 1064 00:41:45,677 --> 00:41:46,939 and wonderful dining company. 1065 00:41:46,939 --> 00:41:49,811 - Thank you so much. - Thank you. 1066 00:41:52,379 --> 00:41:54,468 DANNY: It's been a fun ride, I ain't giving up, 1067 00:41:54,468 --> 00:41:56,470 but, you know, it's like, I didn't make a mousse. 1068 00:41:56,470 --> 00:41:59,255 I made a-- I made a broken, undercooked thing. 1069 00:41:59,255 --> 00:42:00,953 Tom was like, "“How'd you cook this mousse?"” I was like, 1070 00:42:00,953 --> 00:42:02,563 "“Yo, it's steamed."” And he was like, "“Hmm."” 1071 00:42:02,563 --> 00:42:04,565 I made, like, an emulsion at the bottom. 1072 00:42:04,565 --> 00:42:05,958 When you pour the broth, 1073 00:42:05,958 --> 00:42:07,437 everything kind of, like, dissolved. 1074 00:42:07,437 --> 00:42:09,788 I wanted it to kind of stay within the plate. 1075 00:42:09,788 --> 00:42:11,572 My second dish, to be successful, 1076 00:42:11,572 --> 00:42:12,878 because it was so simple, 1077 00:42:12,878 --> 00:42:14,444 I had to execute it well, and I didn't. 1078 00:42:14,444 --> 00:42:16,098 I feel like anytime I have an advantage, I tank. 1079 00:42:16,098 --> 00:42:17,970 But you feel pretty good! 1080 00:42:17,970 --> 00:42:19,580 - I kinda do feel pretty good. - Yeah. 1081 00:42:19,580 --> 00:42:22,583 That first course, you know, Tom sopped it up, so... 1082 00:42:22,583 --> 00:42:24,237 I mean, I don't know. 1083 00:42:24,237 --> 00:42:25,934 You go out and you're like, "“Man, I killed it."” 1084 00:42:25,934 --> 00:42:27,283 And then, like, give yourself half an hour, 1085 00:42:27,283 --> 00:42:28,981 and you'll find things wrong with it. 1086 00:42:28,981 --> 00:42:30,460 Nah, dude. There's nothing wrong to feel good. 1087 00:42:30,460 --> 00:42:32,985 If it's me, I've had a great time. So. 1088 00:42:32,985 --> 00:42:34,290 Yeah, me too. 1089 00:42:34,290 --> 00:42:36,205 - I feel good, you know? - SAVANNAH: Yeah. 1090 00:42:42,734 --> 00:42:47,869 [intense music] 1091 00:42:48,391 --> 00:42:50,263 Chefs, for your Elimination Challenge, 1092 00:42:50,263 --> 00:42:53,788 we asked you to create an eight-course fresh fish menu, 1093 00:42:53,788 --> 00:42:57,226 with each of you choosing two different fish to highlight. 1094 00:42:57,226 --> 00:42:59,620 Laura, let's start with you. 1095 00:42:59,620 --> 00:43:02,971 The ratio of that really rich sauce and such 1096 00:43:02,971 --> 00:43:04,407 a delicate steamed fish. 1097 00:43:04,407 --> 00:43:06,018 Were you worried at all about that? 1098 00:43:06,018 --> 00:43:07,585 I was, like, actually overthinking it. 1099 00:43:07,585 --> 00:43:09,804 Like, "“Maybe if I do two pieces, it will look like 1100 00:43:09,804 --> 00:43:12,807 I'm cutting it, and it just doesn't make too much sense. 1101 00:43:12,807 --> 00:43:15,723 Let me just keep it simple, and it's going to be 1102 00:43:15,723 --> 00:43:18,639 about the sauce with the fish."” 1103 00:43:19,379 --> 00:43:23,209 A lot of us got an aroma of an uncleaned banana leaf. 1104 00:43:23,209 --> 00:43:25,341 It didn't feel as if it were cleaned properly 1105 00:43:25,341 --> 00:43:27,517 and then charred before wrapping it, 1106 00:43:27,517 --> 00:43:31,565 and so it comes with this murky, muddy scent, 1107 00:43:31,565 --> 00:43:33,828 and so then when you open it up, that's what hits you. 1108 00:43:33,828 --> 00:43:35,656 I'm-- I'’m sorry for that. 1109 00:43:35,656 --> 00:43:37,919 KRISTEN: Moving on to your grouper dish. 1110 00:43:37,919 --> 00:43:39,225 What temperature was the oven? 1111 00:43:39,225 --> 00:43:40,661 It was actually at 400. 1112 00:43:40,661 --> 00:43:42,924 KRISTEN: In your glaze, what fat was in it? 1113 00:43:42,924 --> 00:43:45,797 There was not fat, actually. 1114 00:43:45,797 --> 00:43:47,276 TOM: Mm-hmm. 1115 00:43:47,276 --> 00:43:49,844 It was only gochujang and the peppers. 1116 00:43:49,844 --> 00:43:51,629 I had a hard time with this dish. 1117 00:43:51,629 --> 00:43:53,369 If you had used the mayonnaise on top of 1118 00:43:53,369 --> 00:43:55,328 it and put it in the oven, it might'’ve helped, 1119 00:43:55,328 --> 00:43:56,677 '‘cause that would'’ve given that fat roasted a bit, 1120 00:43:56,677 --> 00:43:58,374 but you just chose to put it underneath it. 1121 00:43:58,374 --> 00:44:00,202 There was a lot of discrepancies on the cook. 1122 00:44:00,202 --> 00:44:03,031 My fish was severely undercooked. 1123 00:44:03,031 --> 00:44:04,424 Okay. 1124 00:44:04,424 --> 00:44:06,208 Your pineapple broth that you poured over top. 1125 00:44:06,208 --> 00:44:07,688 Because you had an emulsion sauce on the bottom... 1126 00:44:07,688 --> 00:44:09,385 - Yeah. - ...it gave the whole thing 1127 00:44:09,385 --> 00:44:12,084 a kind of a curdled look when it all mixed together. 1128 00:44:12,606 --> 00:44:14,739 KRISTEN: Ed, what'd you think of Savannah's futomaki? 1129 00:44:14,739 --> 00:44:16,392 It tasted great, but it was-- 1130 00:44:16,392 --> 00:44:18,481 construction-wise, it was clunky. 1131 00:44:18,481 --> 00:44:20,309 I liked that you got the plantain in there 1132 00:44:20,309 --> 00:44:22,398 so it was a little different than the typical futomaki. 1133 00:44:22,398 --> 00:44:24,139 I just don't know if that's the best way 1134 00:44:24,139 --> 00:44:25,575 to showcase raw salmon. 1135 00:44:25,575 --> 00:44:27,055 I mean, you're kind of almost hiding it. 1136 00:44:27,055 --> 00:44:28,578 I thought the sauce was good. 1137 00:44:28,578 --> 00:44:30,537 I would rather you strained it a little bit. 1138 00:44:30,537 --> 00:44:32,626 I think little pieces of ginger were floating around in there. 1139 00:44:32,626 --> 00:44:34,410 I strained it, and then I put some back in '‘cause I was like, 1140 00:44:34,410 --> 00:44:37,109 - "“We need some--"” - TOM: Awesome. [laughs] 1141 00:44:37,109 --> 00:44:39,415 I don't need to tell you that. It's okay. 1142 00:44:39,415 --> 00:44:40,982 KRISTEN: And what about Savannah's fried fish? 1143 00:44:40,982 --> 00:44:42,462 You fried it well. 1144 00:44:42,462 --> 00:44:45,117 It was golden, and it was consistently fried. 1145 00:44:45,117 --> 00:44:48,163 It just-- The combination of the size and the bread 1146 00:44:48,163 --> 00:44:50,513 made the fish feel like an afterthought. 1147 00:44:50,513 --> 00:44:53,212 I just don't know why you used that piece of bread. 1148 00:44:53,212 --> 00:44:55,040 I almost-- Yeah. 1149 00:44:55,040 --> 00:44:56,737 I almost completely nixed the idea. 1150 00:44:56,737 --> 00:44:59,697 It was dry. It was just dry. 1151 00:45:00,698 --> 00:45:02,612 I just felt like your creativity wasn't there today. 1152 00:45:04,789 --> 00:45:07,400 - KRISTEN: Dan. - You know, your poached fish. 1153 00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:08,793 I got a raw piece of fish. 1154 00:45:09,576 --> 00:45:11,578 I could see you wanted to undercook it slightly, 1155 00:45:11,578 --> 00:45:13,101 but mine was raw. 1156 00:45:13,101 --> 00:45:14,668 - Um... Mine too. - Mine was raw. 1157 00:45:14,668 --> 00:45:16,104 It flaked, so... 1158 00:45:16,104 --> 00:45:17,758 I don't know if it flaked or it pulled apart. 1159 00:45:18,628 --> 00:45:21,240 I really did like the flavors of your sauce. 1160 00:45:21,240 --> 00:45:23,285 For me, it was that heavy fritter 1161 00:45:23,285 --> 00:45:25,287 that I don't think was incredibly successful. 1162 00:45:26,680 --> 00:45:28,638 However, the blackened grouper was 1163 00:45:28,638 --> 00:45:32,991 so juicy and so moist and had such great flavor. 1164 00:45:32,991 --> 00:45:35,689 Blackened usually is just too much cayenne pepper. 1165 00:45:35,689 --> 00:45:37,647 I like that you used the five spice. 1166 00:45:37,647 --> 00:45:39,432 It brought it a very different direction. 1167 00:45:39,432 --> 00:45:42,609 If everyone made blackened fish the way you did, 1168 00:45:42,609 --> 00:45:44,959 that dish would not have died in the nineties. 1169 00:45:44,959 --> 00:45:46,787 [laughing] 1170 00:45:46,787 --> 00:45:48,006 Danny. 1171 00:45:49,659 --> 00:45:52,662 I didn't like the mousse but you pushed the envelope, right? 1172 00:45:52,662 --> 00:45:54,882 It almost was like cooked egg whites. 1173 00:45:54,882 --> 00:45:57,406 It never-- it never souffled. 1174 00:45:57,406 --> 00:45:59,234 When it went into the tray, it was fine. 1175 00:45:59,234 --> 00:46:01,149 Put in the blast chiller to set it. 1176 00:46:01,149 --> 00:46:03,282 TOM: Steam came out, hit the plastic, 1177 00:46:03,282 --> 00:46:04,631 - condensation dripped back in. - Exactly. 1178 00:46:04,631 --> 00:46:06,807 Everything else of the dish was interesting. 1179 00:46:06,807 --> 00:46:08,156 Sauce was bright. 1180 00:46:08,156 --> 00:46:09,331 Those spheres were really interesting. 1181 00:46:09,331 --> 00:46:10,506 It took me a minute to realize 1182 00:46:10,506 --> 00:46:12,160 that they weren't the mousse. 1183 00:46:12,160 --> 00:46:15,816 But the mousse was-- was a mistake, yeah. 1184 00:46:15,816 --> 00:46:17,470 Listen, on the other hand, 1185 00:46:17,470 --> 00:46:19,994 I thought the smoked dish was really brilliant. 1186 00:46:19,994 --> 00:46:21,343 It hit a lot of flavors. 1187 00:46:21,343 --> 00:46:23,345 - It was unexpected. - Thank you. 1188 00:46:23,345 --> 00:46:26,218 The brightness of the lemon and the sauce, 1189 00:46:26,218 --> 00:46:27,872 I liked kind of digging through it. 1190 00:46:27,872 --> 00:46:29,656 I liked being surprised by the lemon and the hazelnuts. 1191 00:46:29,656 --> 00:46:32,790 That dish, for me, was nearly perfect. 1192 00:46:32,790 --> 00:46:34,269 Thank you, Chef. 1193 00:46:35,009 --> 00:46:39,405 Today's winning chef gave us a dish that was outstanding. 1194 00:46:41,711 --> 00:46:44,584 And that dish was the edge needed to be 1195 00:46:44,584 --> 00:46:47,152 the clear winner of this challenge. 1196 00:46:47,892 --> 00:46:49,458 And that chef is... 1197 00:46:51,765 --> 00:46:53,854 - Danny. - What? 1198 00:46:53,854 --> 00:46:55,464 Congratulations, Danny. 1199 00:46:55,464 --> 00:46:57,902 You just won yourself $10,000 and a ten-day cruise 1200 00:46:57,902 --> 00:47:00,600 anywhere in the world where Holland America sails. 1201 00:47:00,600 --> 00:47:03,211 I'm hyped. That'’s gonna be dope. 1202 00:47:03,211 --> 00:47:06,867 I'm going to the finale, I got $53,000, 1203 00:47:06,867 --> 00:47:08,564 and we're going on a cruise? 1204 00:47:09,217 --> 00:47:10,392 This feels really good. 1205 00:47:10,392 --> 00:47:12,612 Thank you. Thank you, Chefs. 1206 00:47:13,439 --> 00:47:14,744 So we have another chef that 1207 00:47:14,744 --> 00:47:16,529 will be moving on to the finale. 1208 00:47:17,835 --> 00:47:19,314 And that chef is... 1209 00:47:22,491 --> 00:47:25,059 Dan. Congratulations, you're in the finale. 1210 00:47:25,059 --> 00:47:26,713 - Double D. - Double D. 1211 00:47:26,713 --> 00:47:28,889 I feel incredibly happy. I feel proud of myself. 1212 00:47:28,889 --> 00:47:30,412 I feel like I've really accomplished something 1213 00:47:30,412 --> 00:47:31,631 just getting to this point. 1214 00:47:33,067 --> 00:47:34,852 I'm in the finale, and it feels really, really good. 1215 00:47:35,591 --> 00:47:37,724 I wanted to be in this position forever, 1216 00:47:37,724 --> 00:47:40,118 and I'm just happy you guys have given me this opportunity. 1217 00:47:41,075 --> 00:47:44,383 That does mean Savannah and Laura, unfortunately, 1218 00:47:44,383 --> 00:47:46,864 only one of you will be moving on to the finale. 1219 00:47:48,953 --> 00:47:50,911 Chefs, we'’ll call you back in a little bit. 1220 00:47:50,911 --> 00:47:52,478 Thank you. 1221 00:47:59,789 --> 00:48:01,356 That wasn't pretty for anybody. 1222 00:48:01,356 --> 00:48:02,618 Oh, no. It was tough. 1223 00:48:02,618 --> 00:48:04,185 We all had issues, right? 1224 00:48:04,185 --> 00:48:06,579 Like, the fish was an issue for everybody. 1225 00:48:06,579 --> 00:48:10,148 But conceptually, they didn't like mine. 1226 00:48:10,148 --> 00:48:11,845 But, like, they understand you. 1227 00:48:11,845 --> 00:48:15,544 Literally some of the worst mistakes that I've made 1228 00:48:15,544 --> 00:48:17,633 are the best learning experiences that I've had. 1229 00:48:17,633 --> 00:48:19,722 It sucks to cook two dishes, and maybe one of them's okay. 1230 00:48:19,722 --> 00:48:21,463 SAVANNAH: I would've killed for that. 1231 00:48:23,596 --> 00:48:25,337 Savannah, you know, she was crushing it, 1232 00:48:25,337 --> 00:48:27,687 and to see her regress like this was kind of surprising. 1233 00:48:27,687 --> 00:48:30,603 Yeah. I mean, a maki and a fish sandwich 1234 00:48:30,603 --> 00:48:32,083 that wasn't really a fish sandwich at all. 1235 00:48:32,083 --> 00:48:34,346 GAIL: She gave us the least interesting food. 1236 00:48:34,346 --> 00:48:35,825 She played it the most safe. 1237 00:48:35,825 --> 00:48:37,915 But I did like all the flavors in the fish. 1238 00:48:37,915 --> 00:48:41,222 And she also perhaps had the least amount of flaws. 1239 00:48:41,222 --> 00:48:43,050 Mm-hmm. 1240 00:48:43,050 --> 00:48:44,573 They liked some components, 1241 00:48:44,573 --> 00:48:46,140 but no, I mean, I still give some undercooked, 1242 00:48:46,140 --> 00:48:47,750 and, like, the banana leaf. 1243 00:48:47,750 --> 00:48:50,362 Then we have Laura, who undercooked 1244 00:48:50,362 --> 00:48:52,059 many pieces of fish at the table. 1245 00:48:52,059 --> 00:48:53,408 And then the banana leaves. 1246 00:48:53,408 --> 00:48:54,801 I was just really overwhelmed by the lack 1247 00:48:54,801 --> 00:48:56,455 of cleaning of the banana leaf. 1248 00:48:56,455 --> 00:48:58,239 I still think, for me, the worst dish of the day 1249 00:48:58,239 --> 00:48:59,937 was Laura's grouper. 1250 00:48:59,937 --> 00:49:01,764 - GAIL: The roasted dish. - TOM: Well, it wasn't roasted. 1251 00:49:01,764 --> 00:49:03,505 - GAIL: Right. - That's, like, the brief. 1252 00:49:03,505 --> 00:49:05,420 Like, you have to roast this piece of fish. 1253 00:49:05,420 --> 00:49:06,769 "“I'm gonna bake it."” 1254 00:49:06,769 --> 00:49:08,641 But her pineapple broth was good. 1255 00:49:08,641 --> 00:49:10,904 - Yeah. - And her sauces were good. 1256 00:49:17,737 --> 00:49:19,434 We're bounded for life. 1257 00:49:19,434 --> 00:49:21,567 - No way around it. - Yeah. 1258 00:49:22,394 --> 00:49:24,700 Either way, guys, this has been a pleasure. 1259 00:49:26,876 --> 00:49:28,661 All right, so I think we have our decision. 1260 00:49:28,661 --> 00:49:30,271 We should get the chefs back out here. 1261 00:49:30,271 --> 00:49:31,838 - Yeah. - GAIL: Mm-hmm. 1262 00:49:33,318 --> 00:49:36,582 [tense music] 1263 00:49:39,106 --> 00:49:41,282 Savannah and Laura, unfortunately, 1264 00:49:41,282 --> 00:49:44,111 only one of you will be moving on to the finale. 1265 00:49:44,111 --> 00:49:45,504 Tom? 1266 00:49:45,504 --> 00:49:47,201 Savannah, your dishes today were just 1267 00:49:47,201 --> 00:49:48,289 really weren't that inspired. 1268 00:49:48,289 --> 00:49:49,769 Yeah. 1269 00:49:49,769 --> 00:49:51,466 You seem to be pulling back the creativity 1270 00:49:51,466 --> 00:49:52,685 that got you here. 1271 00:49:52,685 --> 00:49:54,165 We didn't see that today. 1272 00:49:54,165 --> 00:49:56,776 Laura, you know, you've had your ups and downs, 1273 00:49:56,776 --> 00:49:58,169 and when you're on, you're on. 1274 00:49:58,169 --> 00:49:59,692 Your dishes are creative, focused. 1275 00:49:59,692 --> 00:50:01,041 They're delicious. 1276 00:50:01,041 --> 00:50:03,609 Overall today, there was a lot of flaws. 1277 00:50:05,045 --> 00:50:06,264 Kristen? 1278 00:50:06,264 --> 00:50:09,658 ♪ 1279 00:50:09,658 --> 00:50:12,487 Laura, please pack your knives and go. 1280 00:50:12,487 --> 00:50:14,663 Thank you. Thank you so much. 1281 00:50:14,663 --> 00:50:16,839 Thank you for having me. 1282 00:50:16,839 --> 00:50:19,320 You know, I wish this were was not the way 1283 00:50:19,320 --> 00:50:21,061 I was leaving the competition, 1284 00:50:21,061 --> 00:50:25,979 but I feel good to be part of this, to have an opportunity 1285 00:50:25,979 --> 00:50:29,852 to work with amazing chefs, to learn from other people. 1286 00:50:29,852 --> 00:50:31,593 Thank you so much for having me. 1287 00:50:31,593 --> 00:50:33,030 - Thank you, Laura. - It's such a pleasure. 1288 00:50:33,030 --> 00:50:35,032 To get feedback from Kristen and from Tom 1289 00:50:35,032 --> 00:50:40,211 and from Gail and see the evolution of me as a chef. 1290 00:50:40,211 --> 00:50:42,430 - Thank you so much, Laura. - It was a pleasure. 1291 00:50:42,430 --> 00:50:43,953 - TOM: Thank you. - Thank you, Chefs. 1292 00:50:43,953 --> 00:50:45,912 Being a chef, it's not only about one person. 1293 00:50:45,912 --> 00:50:49,872 It's about my staff, my husband, and it's about 1294 00:50:49,872 --> 00:50:52,440 all the hard work that I put in so many restaurants. 1295 00:50:52,440 --> 00:50:56,096 I want to make sure we're cooking food that's delicious, 1296 00:50:56,096 --> 00:50:59,186 that brings people together, and is not separating people. 1297 00:50:59,186 --> 00:51:00,927 That's what I wanna do. 1298 00:51:03,451 --> 00:51:07,064 If it's not obvious now, Savannah, congratulations. 1299 00:51:07,064 --> 00:51:08,587 - Thank you, thank you! - You are also in the finale. 1300 00:51:08,587 --> 00:51:10,154 I thought you might just send me... 1301 00:51:10,154 --> 00:51:12,460 - No, no, no! - You get the congratulations. 1302 00:51:12,460 --> 00:51:15,376 Today was very rough, and, um, 1303 00:51:15,376 --> 00:51:17,248 all I wanted was one more chance. 1304 00:51:17,900 --> 00:51:19,989 Well, certainly all got it. 1305 00:51:19,989 --> 00:51:21,730 - GAIL: And you earned it. - KRISTEN: Yes. 1306 00:51:21,730 --> 00:51:23,123 GAIL: You deserve it. 1307 00:51:23,123 --> 00:51:25,082 Guys, you should feel good about this. 1308 00:51:25,082 --> 00:51:27,040 - I know, I know, I know. - And I know why you don't. 1309 00:51:27,040 --> 00:51:28,737 You didn't do your best work today. I get it. 1310 00:51:28,737 --> 00:51:30,217 But you have an opportunity to make it up. 1311 00:51:30,217 --> 00:51:32,480 - Yeah. - Tomorrow'’s a new day. 1312 00:51:32,480 --> 00:51:34,091 It's all over now. This is it. 1313 00:51:34,091 --> 00:51:36,745 Have fun with it. Like, this is going to be 1314 00:51:36,745 --> 00:51:39,183 the one time in your life that you get to do it. 1315 00:51:40,097 --> 00:51:42,925 It's [bleep] awesome. [laughs] It's amazing! 1316 00:51:42,925 --> 00:51:44,362 It is. 1317 00:51:44,362 --> 00:51:46,015 [tearful] It's a fantastic moment that you are going 1318 00:51:46,015 --> 00:51:50,324 to remember forever, so have fun with it, truly. 1319 00:51:50,324 --> 00:51:52,109 '‘Cause it's really amazing. 1320 00:51:52,109 --> 00:51:53,153 That makes me emotional. 1321 00:51:53,153 --> 00:51:54,894 You know that makes me emotional! 1322 00:51:54,894 --> 00:51:57,244 So, yes. Learn how to pivot also. 1323 00:51:57,244 --> 00:52:00,682 Like, take your menus and just enjoy it. 1324 00:52:01,335 --> 00:52:02,945 Truly. Congratulations. 1325 00:52:02,945 --> 00:52:05,209 Now get out of here, you crazy kids. 1326 00:52:05,644 --> 00:52:07,646 Go celebrate yourselves. Truly. 1327 00:52:07,646 --> 00:52:10,083 - Yes. - Congratulations. 1328 00:52:10,692 --> 00:52:12,346 - Thank you. - GAIL: Thanks, guys. 1329 00:52:12,346 --> 00:52:14,174 Oh, sh--. 1330 00:52:15,915 --> 00:52:19,136 - DANNY: Whoo! - GAIL: There ya go. 1331 00:52:19,614 --> 00:52:22,661 - Big smiles. - Let'’s go! 1332 00:52:22,661 --> 00:52:24,445 Whoo! Let's get it! 1333 00:52:24,445 --> 00:52:27,448 We're going to the finale. We're about to win Top Chef. 1334 00:52:27,448 --> 00:52:28,754 Life's good. 1335 00:52:28,754 --> 00:52:31,060 To cooking one last meal together. 1336 00:52:31,060 --> 00:52:33,802 I think today scared me enough that if I didn't have them 1337 00:52:33,802 --> 00:52:35,978 before, I would show up with my sea legs. 1338 00:52:35,978 --> 00:52:37,458 Like, I will make it happen. 1339 00:52:37,937 --> 00:52:40,809 It was really close, and I know that, 1340 00:52:40,809 --> 00:52:43,247 but, you know, I still made it. 1341 00:52:43,247 --> 00:52:45,466 I'm literally in the middle of the ocean, 1342 00:52:45,466 --> 00:52:48,339 and I'm-- I'm on the cusp of being the next Top Chef. 1343 00:52:48,339 --> 00:52:50,732 I'm happy to represent my city of Milwaukee. 1344 00:52:50,732 --> 00:52:52,952 I'm happy to represent the state of Wisconsin. 1345 00:52:52,952 --> 00:52:54,214 Let's go. 1346 00:52:54,214 --> 00:52:56,825 - [Danny imitating airhorn] - Whoo! 1347 00:52:56,825 --> 00:52:59,132 [boat horn blaring] 1348 00:52:59,959 --> 00:53:03,180 KRISTEN: Next on the season finale of Top Chef... 1349 00:53:03,180 --> 00:53:06,226 Knowing that this is the biggest cook of your lives, 1350 00:53:06,226 --> 00:53:08,010 we're not gonna let you do it alone. 1351 00:53:09,621 --> 00:53:11,666 - What up, y'all? - [laughing] 1352 00:53:11,666 --> 00:53:13,668 Hello, everybody. How are you? 1353 00:53:13,668 --> 00:53:14,930 Man, this is great. 1354 00:53:14,930 --> 00:53:16,671 You're here for a reason. 1355 00:53:16,671 --> 00:53:17,846 Just cook your hearts out. 1356 00:53:19,152 --> 00:53:20,849 - SAVANNAH: It'’s the final cook. - DAN: Whoo! 1357 00:53:20,849 --> 00:53:22,503 This is all about cooking with soul. 1358 00:53:22,503 --> 00:53:25,376 I wanna know that I gave it my all to become the next Top Chef. 1359 00:53:25,376 --> 00:53:27,508 SAVANNAH: This is, like, my dream come true. 1360 00:53:27,508 --> 00:53:30,511 I'm a totally different girl than I was in Wisconsin. 1361 00:53:30,511 --> 00:53:33,035 My wife is Indian-Pakistani, and I love the culture, 1362 00:53:33,035 --> 00:53:35,342 I love the food, and I'm not afraid to cook it. 1363 00:53:35,342 --> 00:53:38,215 I wanna take the judges on a journey through my life. 1364 00:53:38,215 --> 00:53:39,216 This is trash. 1365 00:53:39,216 --> 00:53:40,869 What does it mean to you to win? 1366 00:53:40,869 --> 00:53:42,262 Being here in the first place was me taking 1367 00:53:42,262 --> 00:53:43,568 a chance on myself. 1368 00:53:43,568 --> 00:53:48,747 ♪ 1369 00:53:49,269 --> 00:53:50,923 KRISTEN: Ooh, beautiful. 1370 00:53:50,923 --> 00:53:53,142 Perfect umami song to seafood. 1371 00:53:53,142 --> 00:53:55,014 Throughout your career, you're gonna be asked, 1372 00:53:55,014 --> 00:53:57,016 "“Why do you cook? Why do you do what you do?"” 1373 00:53:57,016 --> 00:53:59,540 But I think each of you told that story 1374 00:53:59,540 --> 00:54:00,672 today through your menus. 1375 00:54:00,672 --> 00:54:02,064 You are Top Chef.