1 00:00:02,042 --> 00:00:04,083 For your elimination challenge, we're putting on 2 00:00:04,083 --> 00:00:06,000 a fundraising block party. 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:08,542 I just get really proud when I think about where I come from. 4 00:00:08,542 --> 00:00:10,626 My grandmother's curry. Every time I come back home, 5 00:00:10,626 --> 00:00:12,667 my grandmother will make this dish. 6 00:00:12,667 --> 00:00:15,959 It was missing that depth that everything had individually. 7 00:00:15,959 --> 00:00:18,167 Yeah, it's my mom's recipe. 8 00:00:18,167 --> 00:00:23,375 I want to create the moment of a Korean baby eating fish. 9 00:00:23,375 --> 00:00:25,417 Jae's dish was really interesting. 10 00:00:25,417 --> 00:00:27,959 -I love that. -My mom's meatloaf. 11 00:00:27,959 --> 00:00:29,792 It's always been my favorite. 12 00:00:29,792 --> 00:00:31,375 The meatball could've used a little more fat. 13 00:00:31,375 --> 00:00:33,584 The winning chef today is... 14 00:00:33,584 --> 00:00:35,459 Jae. 15 00:00:35,459 --> 00:00:38,626 Luke, please pack your knives and go. 16 00:00:38,626 --> 00:00:41,083 ♪♪♪ 17 00:00:41,083 --> 00:00:45,459 Six chefs remain to compete in the ultimate culinary showdown. 18 00:00:45,459 --> 00:00:48,250 At stake for the winner: a feature in Food & Wine 19 00:00:48,250 --> 00:00:51,209 magazine, an appearance at the Food & Wine Classic 20 00:00:51,209 --> 00:00:56,584 in Aspen, $250,000 furnished by Sanpellegrino, 21 00:00:56,584 --> 00:00:59,334 and the coveted title of Top Chef. 22 00:00:59,334 --> 00:01:06,584 ♪♪♪ 23 00:01:06,584 --> 00:01:16,292 ♪♪♪ 24 00:01:16,292 --> 00:01:19,042 -Good morning! -Good morning, everyone. 25 00:01:19,042 --> 00:01:22,209 -What is this? "Hey Chefs." -Oh, Lord. 26 00:01:22,209 --> 00:01:23,542 "Hey Chefs, grab a map. 27 00:01:23,542 --> 00:01:25,167 "Meet me at the Houston Farmer's Market. 28 00:01:25,167 --> 00:01:26,375 -"Love, Padma." -ASHLEIGH: Whoo! 29 00:01:26,375 --> 00:01:28,083 EVELYN: Oh, hey! 30 00:01:28,083 --> 00:01:29,250 We're going to the Farmer's Market! 31 00:01:29,250 --> 00:01:35,000 ♪♪♪ 32 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,250 ♪♪♪ 33 00:01:38,250 --> 00:01:40,209 DAMARR: This is it right here. 34 00:01:40,209 --> 00:01:41,417 EVELYN: This is what I'm talking about. 35 00:01:41,417 --> 00:01:42,667 Anything you can possibly imagine. 36 00:01:42,667 --> 00:01:44,417 The Houston farmer's market, 37 00:01:44,417 --> 00:01:49,959 it's essentially walking into a Mexican market. 38 00:01:49,959 --> 00:01:52,209 Before coming to Houston, I didn't really know 39 00:01:52,209 --> 00:01:53,584 what I was in for. 40 00:01:53,584 --> 00:01:55,167 I love that the community embraces 41 00:01:55,167 --> 00:01:56,751 different cultures and the food. 42 00:01:56,751 --> 00:01:59,417 Yeah, yeah. All my chilies. 43 00:01:59,417 --> 00:02:03,167 -Good morning, chefs. -ALL: Morning. 44 00:02:03,167 --> 00:02:05,626 Please welcome your all-star guest judge 45 00:02:05,626 --> 00:02:07,375 for this Quickfire Challenge. 46 00:02:07,375 --> 00:02:09,125 She competed on Top Chef 47 00:02:09,125 --> 00:02:10,792 and Top Chef Mexico. 48 00:02:10,792 --> 00:02:12,292 Claudette Zepeda. 49 00:02:12,292 --> 00:02:13,667 Thanks, I'm super excited to be here. 50 00:02:13,667 --> 00:02:15,167 Nice to meet all of you guys. 51 00:02:15,167 --> 00:02:16,501 Claudette and I just wanted 52 00:02:16,501 --> 00:02:18,417 to heat things up a bit. 53 00:02:18,417 --> 00:02:22,667 ♪♪♪ 54 00:02:22,667 --> 00:02:25,501 For today's Quickfire, you'll be shopping and cooking 55 00:02:25,501 --> 00:02:27,959 here at the Houston Farmer's Market. 56 00:02:27,959 --> 00:02:30,375 -Ah... -Operating for over 75 years, 57 00:02:30,375 --> 00:02:32,792 it's the city's oldest and largest farmer's market. 58 00:02:32,792 --> 00:02:35,250 And as you can see, it's recently been transformed 59 00:02:35,250 --> 00:02:39,417 into a can't-miss Houston destination. 60 00:02:39,417 --> 00:02:43,000 And there happens to be a can't-miss Tex-Mex dish 61 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:46,083 that was popularized right here in Houston as well. 62 00:02:46,083 --> 00:02:48,584 Can anyone guess what it is? 63 00:02:48,584 --> 00:02:52,167 ♪♪♪ 64 00:02:52,167 --> 00:02:53,542 Like, I don't know... 65 00:02:53,542 --> 00:02:56,542 -It's the fajita! -Fajitas! Okay. Okay. 66 00:02:56,542 --> 00:02:59,167 Fajita translates to "little belt," which is what 67 00:02:59,167 --> 00:03:01,751 ranch hands in Texas called the skirt steak of the cow. 68 00:03:01,751 --> 00:03:06,584 The story goes that local legend and chef "Mama Ninfa" Laurenzo 69 00:03:06,584 --> 00:03:10,209 was the one who popularized the fajita as we know it today. 70 00:03:10,209 --> 00:03:13,751 She served these strips of meat with her homemade 71 00:03:13,751 --> 00:03:17,167 tortillas and some peppers and onions all on a hot skillet. 72 00:03:17,167 --> 00:03:21,167 For this Quickfire Challenge, you'll get to shop anywhere 73 00:03:21,167 --> 00:03:24,792 in the farmer's market to create your own take on fajitas. 74 00:03:24,792 --> 00:03:27,292 -Ah. -Chipotle's provided you 75 00:03:27,292 --> 00:03:28,918 with some amazing proteins. 76 00:03:28,918 --> 00:03:30,751 They have always been committed to buying 77 00:03:30,751 --> 00:03:33,751 fresh local ingredients and responsibly raised proteins 78 00:03:33,751 --> 00:03:38,083 seen across their menus, from carnitas to pollo asado. 79 00:03:38,083 --> 00:03:40,584 And today they're going to award the best, 80 00:03:40,584 --> 00:03:42,375 most original fajitas... 81 00:03:42,375 --> 00:03:44,501 $10,000. 82 00:03:44,501 --> 00:03:48,083 -Oh! Hey! -A lot of masa right there. 83 00:03:48,083 --> 00:03:49,584 Nick, you're The Baker, right? 84 00:03:49,584 --> 00:03:51,375 I'm The Baker. 85 00:03:51,375 --> 00:03:53,167 The reason why they call me the Mississippi Baker 86 00:03:53,167 --> 00:03:54,667 is because I have the most bread. 87 00:03:54,667 --> 00:03:57,167 -Nick! -Ten grand. 88 00:03:57,167 --> 00:04:00,042 -Nick and Ashleigh. -You get $10,000! 89 00:04:00,042 --> 00:04:04,501 Congratulations. You'll be receiving $40,000. 90 00:04:04,501 --> 00:04:06,667 Need a little bit more dough to fill up the oven, though. 91 00:04:06,667 --> 00:04:09,167 -[chefs laughing] -The Baker has just been baking 92 00:04:09,167 --> 00:04:11,709 way too much bread and I'd like to take some bread off him. 93 00:04:11,709 --> 00:04:14,709 Just a couple of slices. 94 00:04:14,709 --> 00:04:17,083 You'll have 45 minutes to shop through 95 00:04:17,083 --> 00:04:21,125 the market and create your finished fajita dish. 96 00:04:21,125 --> 00:04:23,792 Are you ready? Because your time starts now! Good luck. 97 00:04:23,792 --> 00:04:25,584 [Evelyn laughing] 98 00:04:25,584 --> 00:04:31,417 ♪♪♪ 99 00:04:31,417 --> 00:04:33,125 ASHLEIGH: Oh, you're trying to steal my sh--. 100 00:04:33,125 --> 00:04:35,125 No, I'm trying not to. I think the hardest part 101 00:04:35,125 --> 00:04:37,292 of the challenge is just navigating the market. 102 00:04:37,292 --> 00:04:39,626 Dividing your shopping and cooking time 103 00:04:39,626 --> 00:04:42,167 wisely is a big part of the challenge. 104 00:04:42,167 --> 00:04:43,667 [Jae speaking Spanish] 105 00:04:43,667 --> 00:04:45,501 I am thinking about making Korean-style 106 00:04:45,501 --> 00:04:47,584 crepes instead of tortillas. 107 00:04:47,584 --> 00:04:49,375 Dinero? Dinero? How much? 108 00:04:49,375 --> 00:04:52,792 So, I don't want to spend too much time shopping 109 00:04:52,792 --> 00:04:55,334 because crepes take a while to make. 110 00:04:55,334 --> 00:04:57,125 I love being alone here. 111 00:04:57,125 --> 00:04:58,834 NICK: Do you have any more peppers? 112 00:04:58,834 --> 00:05:03,125 [Buddha speaking indistinctly] 113 00:05:03,125 --> 00:05:04,834 Fajita's not just the steak. It's about 114 00:05:04,834 --> 00:05:07,501 the peppers, the salsa, the condiments, 115 00:05:07,501 --> 00:05:08,751 all the accoutrements. 116 00:05:08,751 --> 00:05:10,375 [Evelyn panting] 117 00:05:10,375 --> 00:05:12,417 I have to make a good fajita platter 118 00:05:12,417 --> 00:05:14,334 or my mom's going to yell at me. 119 00:05:14,334 --> 00:05:16,167 CLAUDETTE: 35 minutes. 120 00:05:16,167 --> 00:05:17,792 Okay. Thank you. 121 00:05:17,792 --> 00:05:20,709 -Hey, Jae. -DAMARR: Excuse me. 122 00:05:20,709 --> 00:05:22,542 34... 123 00:05:22,542 --> 00:05:24,959 NICK: Are you serving yours with tortillas, man? 124 00:05:24,959 --> 00:05:27,417 BUDDHA: Yeah, I'm gonna serve it with tortillas. 125 00:05:27,417 --> 00:05:29,375 -Are you making them? -Uh, no. [laughs] 126 00:05:29,375 --> 00:05:31,334 NICK: I'm definitely gonna make tortillas 127 00:05:31,334 --> 00:05:33,250 because I just hope that the world 128 00:05:33,250 --> 00:05:36,459 and Top Chef can see my versatility. 129 00:05:36,459 --> 00:05:38,459 What do you got working on, Buddha? 130 00:05:38,459 --> 00:05:39,792 Kind of relating it to Korean food. 131 00:05:39,792 --> 00:05:41,459 I'm working on a corn salsa. 132 00:05:41,459 --> 00:05:44,000 I have never made a fajita before, 133 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,042 but I know that corn's really big in Mexico and in Korea, 134 00:05:47,042 --> 00:05:49,125 so I want to do a little spin on it. 135 00:05:49,125 --> 00:05:50,375 I got a lot to do. 136 00:05:50,375 --> 00:05:54,626 ♪♪♪ 137 00:05:54,626 --> 00:05:56,584 Hmm... 138 00:05:56,584 --> 00:05:58,501 There's a lot of variety here 139 00:05:58,501 --> 00:06:01,125 at the Houston Farmer's Market. Maybe too much. 140 00:06:01,125 --> 00:06:04,417 I'm going to have to execute this dish really quickly. 141 00:06:04,417 --> 00:06:07,626 Feel like I'm the only one still shopping. 142 00:06:07,626 --> 00:06:10,125 Hey, guys. Y'all ready for a new Baker in town? 143 00:06:10,125 --> 00:06:12,584 If she did win this 10, she still haven't got 144 00:06:12,584 --> 00:06:14,167 equal to The Baker, though. 145 00:06:14,167 --> 00:06:16,167 -I know! -[Damarr laughing] 146 00:06:16,167 --> 00:06:19,250 Listen, Nick, enough is enough. I want some bread, too. 147 00:06:19,250 --> 00:06:21,167 I made a marinade for my beef. 148 00:06:21,167 --> 00:06:24,584 It has papalo, garlic, lime, jalapeño. 149 00:06:24,584 --> 00:06:26,375 Damarr, what are you thinking? 150 00:06:26,375 --> 00:06:28,584 DAMARR: I'm going to do a seared steak with a salad 151 00:06:28,584 --> 00:06:30,584 -that incorporates tortillas. -Okay. 152 00:06:30,584 --> 00:06:32,584 I got kind of inspired. I saw they had this 153 00:06:32,584 --> 00:06:34,584 -Jamaican booth. -NICK: Oh, cool. 154 00:06:34,584 --> 00:06:36,501 It'll have spice, it'll have acid, it will have sweetness. 155 00:06:36,501 --> 00:06:39,125 I think it should be balanced. Maybe I'll go a little... 156 00:06:39,125 --> 00:06:41,000 Caribbean flair here. 157 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:44,667 ASHLEIGH: Ten K, 10K. 158 00:06:44,667 --> 00:06:47,292 Ashleigh, I'm checking on you. What are you doing? 159 00:06:47,292 --> 00:06:50,626 I tried to get everything I could, girl. 160 00:06:50,626 --> 00:06:53,083 Honestly, I miss my girlfriend. 161 00:06:53,083 --> 00:06:54,542 She works with all these ingredients. 162 00:06:54,542 --> 00:06:56,083 I was getting excited seeing stuff 163 00:06:56,083 --> 00:06:57,751 that she normally uses in the kitchen. 164 00:06:57,751 --> 00:07:00,250 My partner, Meghan, she's half Mexican, 165 00:07:00,250 --> 00:07:02,834 and she seals burritos with this amazing cheese crust. 166 00:07:02,834 --> 00:07:04,667 I want to mimic that because that is one 167 00:07:04,667 --> 00:07:07,167 of my favorite things that she does. 168 00:07:07,167 --> 00:07:11,542 Hopefully those memories help me out a little here. 169 00:07:11,542 --> 00:07:13,334 [coughing] 170 00:07:13,334 --> 00:07:15,209 Trying smoke us out over there, Jae? 171 00:07:15,209 --> 00:07:17,375 [laughs then coughs] 172 00:07:17,375 --> 00:07:20,167 I am charring pineapples and tofu. 173 00:07:20,167 --> 00:07:23,709 Making gochujang crepes with a tomatillo. 174 00:07:23,709 --> 00:07:27,167 -ASHLEIGH: Oh, cool. -It's gonna be-- not Tex-Mex. 175 00:07:27,167 --> 00:07:30,709 Korean-Mex or something, right? [laughing] 176 00:07:30,709 --> 00:07:33,042 ASHLEIGH: I like that idea. I like where you're going with it. 177 00:07:33,042 --> 00:07:34,250 NICK: Ten minutes, chef. 178 00:07:34,250 --> 00:07:35,417 Oh, my gatos. 179 00:07:35,417 --> 00:07:37,792 [sizzling] 180 00:07:37,792 --> 00:07:40,292 -NICK: Come on, baby. -Here I go smoking. 181 00:07:40,292 --> 00:07:42,042 [sizzling] 182 00:07:42,042 --> 00:07:44,167 ASHLEIGH: People love to see that sizzle. 183 00:07:44,167 --> 00:07:45,459 I got to get these things hot. 184 00:07:45,459 --> 00:07:47,667 I'm just testing a bunch of stuff. 185 00:07:47,667 --> 00:07:49,584 Buddha, what you got going on right now, man? 186 00:07:49,584 --> 00:07:52,667 I got an avocado and ssamjang crema. 187 00:07:52,667 --> 00:07:54,876 -Three minutes. -ASHLEIGH: [bleep] 188 00:07:54,876 --> 00:07:56,876 That's not a good tortilla. 189 00:07:56,876 --> 00:07:58,584 Oh, my... 190 00:07:58,584 --> 00:08:02,542 Crepe is sticky, and it's not getting cooked 191 00:08:02,542 --> 00:08:04,250 as fast as I want to. 192 00:08:04,250 --> 00:08:06,459 Oh, [bleep]. 193 00:08:06,459 --> 00:08:09,792 Ah... Salsas, tortillas. 194 00:08:09,792 --> 00:08:11,834 DAMARR: Just gonna put these chicharróns on top. 195 00:08:11,834 --> 00:08:13,834 -One minute. -ASHLEIGH: Damn! 196 00:08:13,834 --> 00:08:16,792 ♪♪♪ 197 00:08:16,792 --> 00:08:20,167 JAE: Ah! 198 00:08:20,167 --> 00:08:21,542 PADMA: Time's up. 199 00:08:21,542 --> 00:08:24,334 -[bleep], really? -Hands up, utensils down. 200 00:08:24,334 --> 00:08:26,292 JAE: Ugh. 201 00:08:26,292 --> 00:08:27,459 ASHLEIGH: I didn't finish. 202 00:08:27,459 --> 00:08:28,667 That's crazy. 203 00:08:28,667 --> 00:08:32,584 ♪♪♪ 204 00:08:32,584 --> 00:08:35,250 ♪♪♪ 205 00:08:35,250 --> 00:08:37,709 -Hi, Jae. -Hi, Padma. Hi, Chef. 206 00:08:37,709 --> 00:08:43,042 So, I have gochujang tomatillo crepes with stir-friend tofu, 207 00:08:43,042 --> 00:08:46,375 poblano peppers with a pineapple salsa on top. 208 00:08:46,375 --> 00:08:49,167 -I'm missing a crepe. -Yeah, unfortunately, I'm sorry. 209 00:08:49,167 --> 00:08:51,584 It didn't make the plate. 210 00:08:51,584 --> 00:08:54,584 I made some beef fajitas. 211 00:08:54,584 --> 00:08:56,709 -I marinated in papalo-- -[Claudette] Ah! 212 00:08:56,709 --> 00:08:58,792 -- lime, fish sauce, garlic. 213 00:08:58,792 --> 00:09:03,250 And then I also have un salsa verde and a pico with rambutan. 214 00:09:03,250 --> 00:09:05,375 I like that. That's kind of my thing. 215 00:09:05,375 --> 00:09:07,626 I did a steak fajita-inspired dish, 216 00:09:07,626 --> 00:09:10,209 so I did a seared steak with a mango relish 217 00:09:10,209 --> 00:09:13,125 that includes dried chilies and onions. 218 00:09:13,125 --> 00:09:16,209 And then I did a purslane salad over the top and grated 219 00:09:16,209 --> 00:09:18,125 some chicharrón over as well. 220 00:09:18,125 --> 00:09:20,375 Why did you choose mango? 221 00:09:20,375 --> 00:09:21,876 They were really ripe and soft and sweet. 222 00:09:21,876 --> 00:09:24,792 I did a cabbage and black bean braise, 223 00:09:24,792 --> 00:09:27,042 served it with some tri-tip. 224 00:09:27,042 --> 00:09:30,501 I have a jicama slaw and a lime cilantro crema. 225 00:09:30,501 --> 00:09:33,542 And I made some corn tortillas as well. 226 00:09:33,542 --> 00:09:36,375 -Mm. Great texture. -Thank you 227 00:09:36,375 --> 00:09:38,709 -for making the tortillas. -You're welcome. Thank you. 228 00:09:38,709 --> 00:09:42,709 Today, I made a beef fajita with corn and avocado. 229 00:09:42,709 --> 00:09:45,042 It's inspired by ssam. 230 00:09:45,042 --> 00:09:47,083 Looks like you had way more than 45 minutes. 231 00:09:47,083 --> 00:09:48,626 -[all laughing] -PADMA: Hi, Ashleigh. 232 00:09:48,626 --> 00:09:50,375 -Hello. Hi. -What'd you make for us? 233 00:09:50,375 --> 00:09:52,042 Chicken fajitas. 234 00:09:52,042 --> 00:09:54,250 I added this cheese crust on the bottom. 235 00:09:54,250 --> 00:09:56,250 You're not going to find a salsa on yours, unfortunately. 236 00:09:56,250 --> 00:09:58,167 Uh-oh. What happened? 237 00:09:58,167 --> 00:10:01,250 You know, time. 238 00:10:01,250 --> 00:10:04,167 This was a fun challenge, but a couple dishes 239 00:10:04,167 --> 00:10:05,792 fell short of the mark today. 240 00:10:05,792 --> 00:10:08,834 Damarr's. I think it was a little too thick. 241 00:10:08,834 --> 00:10:10,626 The salsa was a little too sweet, 242 00:10:10,626 --> 00:10:12,334 so there wasn't enough balance. 243 00:10:12,334 --> 00:10:14,667 -Okay. -Ashleigh, I'm sorry, 244 00:10:14,667 --> 00:10:16,501 you didn't give me the full dish. 245 00:10:16,501 --> 00:10:19,250 Also the cheese being on the bottom, 246 00:10:19,250 --> 00:10:23,000 I was scraping the dish to get a little bit of it. 247 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:25,042 Jae, unfortunately you were also one 248 00:10:25,042 --> 00:10:27,375 that gave me three-quarters of a dish. 249 00:10:27,375 --> 00:10:31,125 The dish, Jae, ate a little too oily for me. 250 00:10:31,125 --> 00:10:34,125 Let's talk about some of our favorite fajitas today. 251 00:10:34,125 --> 00:10:37,209 Nick, I think you did an amazing job incorporating all 252 00:10:37,209 --> 00:10:39,292 of those ingredients that you saw in the market. 253 00:10:39,292 --> 00:10:41,792 You made your own tortilla and you did it well. 254 00:10:41,792 --> 00:10:43,792 -It was lovely. -Buddha, 255 00:10:43,792 --> 00:10:46,584 the overachiever of the day. [chuckling] 256 00:10:46,584 --> 00:10:49,292 The star of your meal was the corn. 257 00:10:49,292 --> 00:10:51,292 So much flavor in that corn. 258 00:10:51,292 --> 00:10:54,250 Evelyn. Papalo, it is a very polarizing herb, 259 00:10:54,250 --> 00:10:56,792 so congratulations on properly using it 260 00:10:56,792 --> 00:10:59,626 and not scaring us away by its potency. 261 00:10:59,626 --> 00:11:03,459 So, Claudette, who had our favorite fajita dish of the day? 262 00:11:03,459 --> 00:11:06,375 The chef that really took advantage of their surroundings 263 00:11:06,375 --> 00:11:09,083 and gave us the perfect bite is... 264 00:11:09,083 --> 00:11:12,501 ♪♪♪ 265 00:11:12,501 --> 00:11:15,000 -Nick. -Yeah, man! 266 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:19,042 -[chefs laughing and clapping] -The Baker comes again! 267 00:11:19,042 --> 00:11:21,667 Nick, congratulations. You won a sizzling $10,000 268 00:11:21,667 --> 00:11:25,000 from our friends at Chipotle. The Baker! 269 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:26,751 Yeah, so you gonna roll out the dough. 270 00:11:26,751 --> 00:11:28,584 You got to knead the dough. 271 00:11:28,584 --> 00:11:30,334 [all laughing] 272 00:11:30,334 --> 00:11:32,375 Another win for the Mississippi Baker. 273 00:11:32,375 --> 00:11:36,542 $35,000 in right now. Let's just keep on moving it up. 274 00:11:36,542 --> 00:11:38,417 Thank you for spending some time with us. 275 00:11:38,417 --> 00:11:40,459 It was really nice to see you. Take care. 276 00:11:40,459 --> 00:11:42,959 Yes! Thanks for having me. -Good luck. 277 00:11:42,959 --> 00:11:44,417 [clapping] 278 00:11:44,417 --> 00:11:46,167 All right, chefs, it's time to launch 279 00:11:46,167 --> 00:11:47,626 right into your next challenge. 280 00:11:47,626 --> 00:11:49,959 Please welcome your next guest judge, 281 00:11:49,959 --> 00:11:52,834 a longtime member of the Top Chef family, 282 00:11:52,834 --> 00:11:54,375 Chef Marcus Samuelsson. 283 00:11:54,375 --> 00:11:56,167 [clapping] 284 00:11:56,167 --> 00:11:57,417 MARCUS: Hi! How are you? 285 00:11:57,417 --> 00:11:59,250 I like your jacket, by the way. 286 00:11:59,250 --> 00:12:02,375 -Listen! I brought it. -Sick wardrobe, always. 287 00:12:02,375 --> 00:12:03,792 [chuckling] 288 00:12:03,792 --> 00:12:05,792 I'm super excited to be here in Houston. 289 00:12:05,792 --> 00:12:10,792 It's amazing food and culture and of course, NASA. 290 00:12:10,792 --> 00:12:12,459 NASA. It's NASA! 291 00:12:12,459 --> 00:12:14,125 It's a space challenge! 292 00:12:14,125 --> 00:12:18,542 ♪♪♪ 293 00:12:18,542 --> 00:12:20,834 Houston is known as Space City. 294 00:12:20,834 --> 00:12:23,459 The Space Food Systems Laboratory 295 00:12:23,459 --> 00:12:26,501 at the Johnson Space Center supports the development 296 00:12:26,501 --> 00:12:29,584 of flight foods in all of NASA's missions. 297 00:12:29,584 --> 00:12:32,417 They're currently researching how to feed 298 00:12:32,417 --> 00:12:35,334 a crew that's on a mission to Mars. 299 00:12:35,334 --> 00:12:38,375 This challenge, you'll have to think like a food 300 00:12:38,375 --> 00:12:41,125 scientist and create a dish for astronauts. 301 00:12:41,125 --> 00:12:42,459 [chuckling] 302 00:12:42,459 --> 00:12:44,375 Food scientists have to meet 303 00:12:44,375 --> 00:12:46,959 the difficulties of eating in microgravity, 304 00:12:46,959 --> 00:12:50,250 such as limiting any foods that can create crumbs 305 00:12:50,250 --> 00:12:53,834 or any free-floating liquids that might get loose. 306 00:12:53,834 --> 00:12:55,542 To help you get a little bit more 307 00:12:55,542 --> 00:12:57,167 information and inspiration, 308 00:12:57,167 --> 00:12:59,167 I've set up a meeting for you 309 00:12:59,167 --> 00:13:01,542 -at the Space Center-- -Whoa. 310 00:13:01,542 --> 00:13:03,709 -- right here in Houston. 311 00:13:03,709 --> 00:13:06,709 -We're going to NASA! -Oh, wow. 312 00:13:06,709 --> 00:13:09,459 I'm excited to have some experience at NASA. 313 00:13:09,459 --> 00:13:11,751 In the kindergarten, the teachers always ask me, 314 00:13:11,751 --> 00:13:14,375 "Jae, what do you want to be when you grow up?" 315 00:13:14,375 --> 00:13:16,834 And I said, "astronaut!" 316 00:13:16,834 --> 00:13:19,334 Tomorrow morning you'll have two and a half hours 317 00:13:19,334 --> 00:13:21,250 to prep and cook your dishes 318 00:13:21,250 --> 00:13:24,167 in the Top Chef kitchen before service begins. 319 00:13:24,167 --> 00:13:26,501 And you want to make sure your dishes are truly 320 00:13:26,501 --> 00:13:29,709 out of this world, because three retired astronauts 321 00:13:29,709 --> 00:13:32,375 will be joining us to taste what you've all created. 322 00:13:32,375 --> 00:13:34,334 That's awesome, man. That's awesome. 323 00:13:34,334 --> 00:13:37,667 Along with, of course, your All Star guest judge, 324 00:13:37,667 --> 00:13:40,250 -Melissa King. -Hey! 325 00:13:40,250 --> 00:13:43,209 And the winning dish in this challenge will inspire 326 00:13:43,209 --> 00:13:48,459 a dish that will be sent up to space for a future mission. 327 00:13:48,459 --> 00:13:50,542 That's very cool. 328 00:13:50,542 --> 00:13:52,125 Well, good luck, Chefs. 329 00:13:52,125 --> 00:13:53,667 Have fun at the Space Center. 330 00:13:53,667 --> 00:13:55,584 ALL: Thank you. 331 00:13:55,584 --> 00:14:01,167 ♪♪♪ 332 00:14:01,167 --> 00:14:03,709 -NICK: This is amazing. -JAE: It's really cool. 333 00:14:03,709 --> 00:14:14,375 ♪♪♪ 334 00:14:14,375 --> 00:14:16,209 DAMARR: Blast off. 335 00:14:16,209 --> 00:14:18,501 BUDDHA: Never been so close to a rocket before. 336 00:14:18,501 --> 00:14:21,083 Hi, welcome to Rocket Park. 337 00:14:21,083 --> 00:14:23,334 My name is William Harris. I'm president and CEO 338 00:14:23,334 --> 00:14:26,042 of Space Center Houston here at NASA's Johnson Space Center. 339 00:14:26,042 --> 00:14:28,542 Preparing food for astronauts is really challenging, 340 00:14:28,542 --> 00:14:30,334 so we're real excited to have you here. 341 00:14:30,334 --> 00:14:32,000 And I actually got some real astronauts here 342 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:34,167 who are going to be some of your testers tomorrow. 343 00:14:34,167 --> 00:14:36,584 -Awesome. -I got to tell you, 344 00:14:36,584 --> 00:14:39,292 I'm pretty nervous and excited. I've watched the show 345 00:14:39,292 --> 00:14:42,292 and the countdown clocks make me incredibly nervous, so... 346 00:14:42,292 --> 00:14:44,167 More nervous than your countdown clock? 347 00:14:44,167 --> 00:14:45,667 The clock counted down to zero and I got 348 00:14:45,667 --> 00:14:46,834 blasted off of the planet! 349 00:14:46,834 --> 00:14:48,834 We spend a lot of time here. 350 00:14:48,834 --> 00:14:51,167 It's basically where we do most of our training. 351 00:14:51,167 --> 00:14:54,167 And we practice eating space food. 352 00:14:54,167 --> 00:14:55,792 I lived on the Space Station 353 00:14:55,792 --> 00:14:59,792 for six months and food's important, okay? 354 00:14:59,792 --> 00:15:02,375 Cady said she was on station for six months. 355 00:15:02,375 --> 00:15:04,792 And you think about if you were going somewhere 356 00:15:04,792 --> 00:15:07,209 and had isolated choices, what would you prepare 357 00:15:07,209 --> 00:15:08,876 for six months? And we're preparing 358 00:15:08,876 --> 00:15:11,083 to send astronauts on to Mars, where the mission 359 00:15:11,083 --> 00:15:12,876 -can be up to three years. -Wow. 360 00:15:12,876 --> 00:15:16,375 WILLIAM: We're going to head over to the Science Center. 361 00:15:16,375 --> 00:15:18,876 Whoa! Look at that. 362 00:15:18,876 --> 00:15:22,250 It's like we're on the moon. 363 00:15:22,250 --> 00:15:24,584 -What is this? -This is the garden. 364 00:15:24,584 --> 00:15:27,626 ASHLEIGH: Getting some veggies here. 365 00:15:27,626 --> 00:15:30,167 WILLIAM: Welcome to the International Space Station. 366 00:15:30,167 --> 00:15:31,626 -Oh! -DAMARR: Thank you. 367 00:15:31,626 --> 00:15:33,167 I'm really excited to introduce 368 00:15:33,167 --> 00:15:35,125 you all to Dr. Grace Douglas, 369 00:15:35,125 --> 00:15:37,167 who's a food scientist with NASA Johnson Space Center. 370 00:15:37,167 --> 00:15:39,501 She's going to tell you about astronaut food. 371 00:15:39,501 --> 00:15:41,083 We have about 200 different foods 372 00:15:41,083 --> 00:15:42,626 and beverages on the regular menu. 373 00:15:42,626 --> 00:15:45,501 Everything that we send has to be a wide variety 374 00:15:45,501 --> 00:15:47,709 so that people can find foods that they like. 375 00:15:47,709 --> 00:15:51,334 They don't want to be bored off of the food. 376 00:15:51,334 --> 00:15:53,584 They want something that is craveable. 377 00:15:53,584 --> 00:15:55,459 It's not a whole lot of, like, salt. 378 00:15:55,459 --> 00:15:58,501 Salt exacerbates things like bone loss. 379 00:15:58,501 --> 00:16:00,792 But we work with a lot of spices. 380 00:16:00,792 --> 00:16:03,876 This challenge is all about bold flavors, which I have. 381 00:16:03,876 --> 00:16:06,417 All of our sauces are thick enough that they're 382 00:16:06,417 --> 00:16:08,501 not just going to float out of the pouch. 383 00:16:08,501 --> 00:16:10,459 -We can't have free liquid. -ASHLEIGH: Mmm. 384 00:16:10,459 --> 00:16:12,375 That's the cherry-blueberry cobbler. 385 00:16:12,375 --> 00:16:14,501 And the interesting thing is, when you're eating this, 386 00:16:14,501 --> 00:16:17,167 you notice there is crust in there; we have to get rid 387 00:16:17,167 --> 00:16:19,167 -of any crumbs. -Crumbs, it's going to go 388 00:16:19,167 --> 00:16:21,375 as far as it can go until it hits something. 389 00:16:21,375 --> 00:16:23,709 Do you rely somewhat on, like, nuts and stuff to add 390 00:16:23,709 --> 00:16:25,584 -some sort of texture? -We do. 391 00:16:25,584 --> 00:16:28,751 I'm thinking of making a pork stew. 392 00:16:28,751 --> 00:16:31,584 I didn't see a lot of pork on the example menus 393 00:16:31,584 --> 00:16:34,167 that we saw and not a lot of Mexican food. 394 00:16:34,167 --> 00:16:36,667 I think it could translate into a dish for NASA. 395 00:16:36,667 --> 00:16:39,334 -Good luck with your challenge. -CHEFS: Thank you. 396 00:16:39,334 --> 00:16:54,459 ♪♪♪ 397 00:16:54,459 --> 00:16:56,417 MAN: Station, this is Houston. 398 00:16:56,417 --> 00:16:59,125 -Are you ready for the event? -Houston, we are ready. 399 00:16:59,125 --> 00:17:01,375 Oh, wow! 400 00:17:01,375 --> 00:17:03,417 Are you talking to us? 401 00:17:03,417 --> 00:17:05,709 MAN: Top Chefs, this is Mission Control Houston. 402 00:17:05,709 --> 00:17:07,876 Please call station for voice check. 403 00:17:07,876 --> 00:17:10,501 Station, this is Melissa King from Top Chef. 404 00:17:10,501 --> 00:17:11,834 How do you hear me? 405 00:17:11,834 --> 00:17:13,584 Melissa, we have you loud and clear. 406 00:17:13,584 --> 00:17:15,709 Welcome to the International Space Station. 407 00:17:15,709 --> 00:17:17,626 [whispering] That's awesome! 408 00:17:17,626 --> 00:17:20,167 Is this real life? Like, what?! 409 00:17:20,167 --> 00:17:22,542 -Hi, everyone! -BUDDHA: Hi. 410 00:17:22,542 --> 00:17:25,209 So, we wanted to ask you a few questions about food. 411 00:17:25,209 --> 00:17:27,250 Does food taste different up there? 412 00:17:27,250 --> 00:17:29,667 I noticed when I first arrived that congestion, 413 00:17:29,667 --> 00:17:31,542 you get kind of a fluid shift to your head. 414 00:17:31,542 --> 00:17:33,542 Feels like you have a cold for a little while. 415 00:17:33,542 --> 00:17:35,250 I tend to use hot sauces and condiments 416 00:17:35,250 --> 00:17:37,709 to kind of bring some of that flavor back. 417 00:17:37,709 --> 00:17:41,250 I came to Top Chef thinking that it was about cooking and food. 418 00:17:41,250 --> 00:17:44,167 But you're also experiencing all these wonderful moments 419 00:17:44,167 --> 00:17:46,501 which are once in a lifetime chances. 420 00:17:46,501 --> 00:17:48,667 Do you have silverware, or-- 421 00:17:48,667 --> 00:17:50,792 -how do you prepare? -You always have your spoon. 422 00:17:50,792 --> 00:17:52,542 You always know where your own spoon is. 423 00:17:52,542 --> 00:17:54,542 Food that's not actually in a can, you're gonna 424 00:17:54,542 --> 00:17:56,375 -use a pair of scissors. -MELISSA: What's in there? 425 00:17:56,375 --> 00:17:59,375 So, this is the cherry-blueberry cobbler. 426 00:17:59,375 --> 00:18:01,792 -Best ever. -MELISSA: Whoa! 427 00:18:01,792 --> 00:18:04,501 Oh, my God. 428 00:18:04,501 --> 00:18:07,751 Whoa! That's so cool. 429 00:18:07,751 --> 00:18:10,250 MEGAN: Thanks for joining us up here and enjoy Houston. 430 00:18:10,250 --> 00:18:14,417 MELISSA: Take care. Bye. 431 00:18:14,417 --> 00:18:18,584 Oh! That's so cool. 432 00:18:18,584 --> 00:18:20,667 -ASHLEIGH: Learned a lot. -EVELYN: Yeah. 433 00:18:20,667 --> 00:18:23,167 ♪♪♪ 434 00:18:23,167 --> 00:18:25,626 -EVELYN: Ugh. -ASHLEIGH: Thank you. 435 00:18:25,626 --> 00:18:27,209 That was awesome. 436 00:18:27,209 --> 00:18:29,083 Definitely did not think about food that way. 437 00:18:29,083 --> 00:18:31,167 NICK: So, how y'all feel? Top six. 438 00:18:31,167 --> 00:18:33,876 ASHLEIGH: It's crazy. I remember when you couldn't 439 00:18:33,876 --> 00:18:35,709 -even get a spot on the couches. -Yeah. 440 00:18:35,709 --> 00:18:38,167 -Or even at the dining table. -Yeah, right? 441 00:18:38,167 --> 00:18:40,584 Our group is getting smaller and smaller. 442 00:18:40,584 --> 00:18:43,292 It just shows us that we're nearing the end. 443 00:18:43,292 --> 00:18:45,751 After tomorrow, it's going to be five of us. 444 00:18:45,751 --> 00:18:48,751 Thanks for the wakeup call, Jae. 445 00:18:48,751 --> 00:18:53,667 I have worked so hard in this industry. So hard. 446 00:18:53,667 --> 00:18:56,792 And I don't feel like I have a whole lot to show for it. 447 00:18:56,792 --> 00:19:00,584 I've won restaurant's awards that are not mine, 448 00:19:00,584 --> 00:19:03,792 put blood, sweat and tears into businesses that are not mine, 449 00:19:03,792 --> 00:19:06,751 and I've sacrificed birthdays and anniversaries. 450 00:19:06,751 --> 00:19:10,083 That's a big part of why I did this. 451 00:19:10,083 --> 00:19:13,083 I'm here to win the title of Top Chef for me. 452 00:19:13,083 --> 00:19:15,209 It's been a long day. Let's get some rest. 453 00:19:15,209 --> 00:19:16,751 -ASHLEIGH: Yes. -For sure. 454 00:19:16,751 --> 00:19:19,501 BUDDHA: NASA challenge, over and out. 455 00:19:19,501 --> 00:19:19,501 ♪♪♪ 456 00:19:19,501 --> 00:19:23,209 ♪♪♪ 457 00:19:23,209 --> 00:19:28,375 ♪♪♪ 458 00:19:28,375 --> 00:19:32,375 JAE: Hi. Yes, I would like to get some ribeye. 459 00:19:32,375 --> 00:19:35,375 -This one, please. -NICK: What up? 460 00:19:35,375 --> 00:19:37,250 DAMARR: Where these banana peppers at, Nick? 461 00:19:37,250 --> 00:19:39,584 I'm definitely having a little chef block, 462 00:19:39,584 --> 00:19:41,709 which could be similar to writer's block. 463 00:19:41,709 --> 00:19:45,375 Creating food that could be packaged and eaten in space, 464 00:19:45,375 --> 00:19:47,375 it's not an easy job at all. 465 00:19:47,375 --> 00:19:49,125 The astronauts talked about wanting a taste of home, 466 00:19:49,125 --> 00:19:50,876 and they also mentioned putting hot sauce 467 00:19:50,876 --> 00:19:53,459 on everything because food tastes differently up there. 468 00:19:53,459 --> 00:19:56,417 I'm really just thinking about going the comforting route, 469 00:19:56,417 --> 00:19:59,459 Boneless, skinless chicken thighs and some chicken livers. 470 00:19:59,459 --> 00:20:01,709 EVELYN: That's a lot of fruit. Making dessert, Buddha? 471 00:20:01,709 --> 00:20:04,792 Yep. Making a pavlova. Pavlova is something that really 472 00:20:04,792 --> 00:20:07,292 brings me back to just cooking at home with my wife. 473 00:20:07,292 --> 00:20:11,292 My wife is a pastry sous chef at Eleven Madison Park. 474 00:20:11,292 --> 00:20:13,209 She's formed me into a better chef. 475 00:20:13,209 --> 00:20:14,792 And I'm proud to be able to showcase 476 00:20:14,792 --> 00:20:16,709 a dish that means a lot to me. 477 00:20:16,709 --> 00:20:18,751 JAE: Eleven minutes, guys! 478 00:20:18,751 --> 00:20:21,375 ASHLEIGH: Can I do two pounds of tuna steaks? 479 00:20:21,375 --> 00:20:25,709 The idea that I have here is this hot sauce ceviche dish. 480 00:20:25,709 --> 00:20:28,751 But you can't just take raw fish to space. 481 00:20:28,751 --> 00:20:31,751 So, I'm thinking tinned fish, reimagined. 482 00:20:31,751 --> 00:20:33,501 Thank you so much. 483 00:20:33,501 --> 00:20:35,417 -Have a good day. -You, too. 484 00:20:35,417 --> 00:20:39,042 -EVELYN: Pork butt, too? -NICK: Black-eyed peas... 485 00:20:39,042 --> 00:20:40,792 -BUDDHA: Thank you. -DAMARR: Thank you. 486 00:20:40,792 --> 00:20:48,125 ♪♪♪ 487 00:20:48,125 --> 00:20:50,375 -[chefs laughing] -ALL: Whoa! Wow! 488 00:20:50,375 --> 00:20:52,375 NICK: Look at this! 489 00:20:52,375 --> 00:20:56,375 Ha-ha! This is going to be a lot of fun. 490 00:20:56,375 --> 00:20:58,709 JAE: Take a look! 491 00:20:58,709 --> 00:21:02,292 NICK: Oh, look at the table! Man, this is beautiful! 492 00:21:02,292 --> 00:21:05,584 Almost makes me feel like I'm cooking at NASA. 493 00:21:05,584 --> 00:21:07,792 Or cooking on the moon. Speaking of moon, 494 00:21:07,792 --> 00:21:09,792 my dish is gonna be based on the moon. 495 00:21:09,792 --> 00:21:11,626 So, they're gonna feel like they're actually on there. 496 00:21:11,626 --> 00:21:14,542 You get this one shot to cook on the NASA challenge 497 00:21:14,542 --> 00:21:18,042 and I want to go all out. I'm making a Pavlova 14. 498 00:21:18,042 --> 00:21:20,209 It's a take on Apollo 14. 499 00:21:20,209 --> 00:21:22,042 Alan Shepard played golf on the moon. 500 00:21:22,042 --> 00:21:23,709 [Alan speaking indistinctly] 501 00:21:23,709 --> 00:21:25,584 I'm going to do a little funny take on that. 502 00:21:25,584 --> 00:21:27,542 -That's pretty cool. 503 00:21:27,542 --> 00:21:28,667 Buddha's making spaceballs next to me. 504 00:21:28,667 --> 00:21:30,501 A Pavlova 14. 505 00:21:30,501 --> 00:21:32,375 He's doing what I would expect Buddha to do. 506 00:21:32,375 --> 00:21:35,417 There's powders, molds, there's things whipping. 507 00:21:35,417 --> 00:21:42,334 He's a little scientist over there. 508 00:21:42,334 --> 00:21:44,667 -BUDDHA: How you looking? Good? -What I'm making is 509 00:21:44,667 --> 00:21:48,667 a guiso rojo, which is a pork and chili stew 510 00:21:48,667 --> 00:21:50,334 This dish warms my heart. 511 00:21:50,334 --> 00:21:52,375 Coming home to a bowl of this stew 512 00:21:52,375 --> 00:21:54,209 is definitely very comforting. 513 00:21:54,209 --> 00:21:56,876 I've been saying "space challenge" for a while. 514 00:21:56,876 --> 00:21:59,292 I just really didn't know the perimeters of the challenge. 515 00:21:59,292 --> 00:22:02,584 Traditional stews are very loose and goosey, 516 00:22:02,584 --> 00:22:04,626 and that in space does not work. 517 00:22:04,626 --> 00:22:07,792 So, I'm going to incorporate a roux. 518 00:22:07,792 --> 00:22:09,501 Got an hour and 49. 519 00:22:09,501 --> 00:22:10,792 DAMARR: Jae, what are you cooking? 520 00:22:10,792 --> 00:22:13,250 I'm making bulgogi. 521 00:22:13,250 --> 00:22:16,083 That's kind of like the first dish my mom 522 00:22:16,083 --> 00:22:18,375 cooks for me every time I visit. 523 00:22:18,375 --> 00:22:20,584 Bulgogi is a comforting dish. 524 00:22:20,584 --> 00:22:25,167 Back in Korea, it used to be a special occasion dish. 525 00:22:25,167 --> 00:22:29,375 I par-freezed the ribeye to slice very, very thinly. 526 00:22:29,375 --> 00:22:31,751 Cooking something my mom used to cook as well. 527 00:22:31,751 --> 00:22:34,375 Some rice with chicken gravy that'll have 528 00:22:34,375 --> 00:22:36,083 some chicken thighs and chicken livers in it. 529 00:22:36,083 --> 00:22:38,542 And I'm going to do some hot pickled peppers. 530 00:22:38,542 --> 00:22:41,292 -Sounds good, Damarr. -Keeping it pretty simple. 531 00:22:41,292 --> 00:22:45,083 I'm definitely holding some things back to try to, 532 00:22:45,083 --> 00:22:47,459 you know, get closer to the finale. 533 00:22:47,459 --> 00:22:49,209 But the danger of holding back is that 534 00:22:49,209 --> 00:22:51,459 you hold back too much, you'll get eliminated 535 00:22:51,459 --> 00:22:53,626 and never get the chance to actually pull that stuff out. 536 00:22:53,626 --> 00:22:57,209 So, it's really a dangerous game you're forced to play. 537 00:22:57,209 --> 00:23:00,209 [humming] 538 00:23:00,209 --> 00:23:02,751 -[meat sizzling] -NICK: I'm really inspired 539 00:23:02,751 --> 00:23:05,584 about Mississippi kind of having their own identity. 540 00:23:05,584 --> 00:23:07,751 -ASHLEIGH: Yeah. -I've always been, you know, 541 00:23:07,751 --> 00:23:09,250 an ambassador for my state. 542 00:23:09,250 --> 00:23:11,209 So, I created a Mississippi gumbo 543 00:23:11,209 --> 00:23:14,209 cooked with collard greens, speckled beans, 544 00:23:14,209 --> 00:23:16,417 chicken and lots of okra. 545 00:23:16,417 --> 00:23:18,209 I'm going to bring this into space. 546 00:23:18,209 --> 00:23:19,792 EVELYN: What's that down there, Nick? 547 00:23:19,792 --> 00:23:22,375 -The mix 27? -NICK: 26. 548 00:23:22,375 --> 00:23:23,709 BUDDHA: Where have you been hiding? 549 00:23:23,709 --> 00:23:26,125 NICK: Yeah! Thank you, man. 550 00:23:26,125 --> 00:23:29,292 -Buddha, what are you doing? -Making aluminum halos 551 00:23:29,292 --> 00:23:33,042 so the aliens don't detect us down here on Earth. 552 00:23:33,042 --> 00:23:35,542 JAE: Oh, fun. Have fun. 553 00:23:35,542 --> 00:23:38,834 ♪♪♪ 554 00:23:38,834 --> 00:23:41,375 Apparently, astronauts like hot sauce. 555 00:23:41,375 --> 00:23:44,375 -NICK: Yeah. -I do a hot sauce ceviche 556 00:23:44,375 --> 00:23:46,250 for my pop-up. 557 00:23:46,250 --> 00:23:48,375 So, I'm actually going to poach the seafood using 558 00:23:48,375 --> 00:23:50,584 this very aromatic coconut water. 559 00:23:50,584 --> 00:23:53,751 NICK: Very cool. 560 00:23:53,751 --> 00:23:55,751 Jae, why did you decide to use barley? 561 00:23:55,751 --> 00:23:58,375 I don't want to serve mushy rice. 562 00:23:58,375 --> 00:24:00,584 I want to give a, you know, nice texture to it. 563 00:24:00,584 --> 00:24:04,584 One of the rules was not to serve sitting liquid. 564 00:24:04,584 --> 00:24:08,918 Bulgogi is supposed to cook in a beefy broth. 565 00:24:08,918 --> 00:24:11,792 So, I'm thickening with parsnips. 566 00:24:11,792 --> 00:24:13,876 Oh, my gatos. 567 00:24:13,876 --> 00:24:16,751 My brain is really cloudy with all the restrictions. 568 00:24:16,751 --> 00:24:20,417 Without executing this exact dish before, 569 00:24:20,417 --> 00:24:22,501 doesn't make me feel comfortable. 570 00:24:22,501 --> 00:24:26,584 Struggle is real here. 571 00:24:26,584 --> 00:24:28,792 BUDDHA: I'm hollowing out these coconut panna cottas. 572 00:24:28,792 --> 00:24:31,167 I'm going to fill it with mixed berry center 573 00:24:31,167 --> 00:24:33,083 like the blueberry and cherry cobbler. 574 00:24:33,083 --> 00:24:35,459 It's cool to be doing all these different 575 00:24:35,459 --> 00:24:37,125 space ideas on one dish. 576 00:24:37,125 --> 00:24:39,626 The golf balls are berry-cherry sauce 577 00:24:39,626 --> 00:24:42,501 inside a coconut cream and then covered in white chocolate. 578 00:24:42,501 --> 00:24:44,501 And then for moon rocks I want to use meringue. 579 00:24:44,501 --> 00:24:46,792 Pavlova will be able to travel well because meringue is 580 00:24:46,792 --> 00:24:50,209 dehydrated egg whites, basically a freeze-dried product. 581 00:24:50,209 --> 00:24:52,334 Some parts I want crispy and some parts I want 582 00:24:52,334 --> 00:24:54,417 chewy on my meringue. 583 00:24:54,417 --> 00:24:56,792 ♪♪♪ 584 00:24:56,792 --> 00:24:58,542 45 minutes! 585 00:24:58,542 --> 00:24:59,751 EVELYN: How's the gumbo turning? 586 00:24:59,751 --> 00:25:02,125 It's looking pretty good. 587 00:25:02,125 --> 00:25:03,792 Just added some collard greens, already got the butter 588 00:25:03,792 --> 00:25:05,375 beans and black-eyed peas in here. 589 00:25:05,375 --> 00:25:06,876 What type of rice are you doing? 590 00:25:06,876 --> 00:25:09,209 Pumpkin seed and lemon zest rice. 591 00:25:09,209 --> 00:25:11,501 I'm also cooking rice a different way 592 00:25:11,501 --> 00:25:14,542 by toasting the grains itself, as well as roasting 593 00:25:14,542 --> 00:25:16,792 my pumpkin seeds to really add texture. 594 00:25:16,792 --> 00:25:19,459 I think that's the biggest thing I saw with food 595 00:25:19,459 --> 00:25:21,751 in space, was just, like, no texture. 596 00:25:21,751 --> 00:25:25,584 My mom's going to be like... 597 00:25:25,584 --> 00:25:28,626 -Jae, how you feeling? -Good. I'm cooking beef 598 00:25:28,626 --> 00:25:31,667 but super gently, so I don't want to overcook it. 599 00:25:31,667 --> 00:25:36,584 ♪♪♪ 600 00:25:36,584 --> 00:25:38,626 Damarr, you're cooking rice? 601 00:25:38,626 --> 00:25:40,459 Yeah, I overcooked the first batch 602 00:25:40,459 --> 00:25:42,584 so I got to get some more on. 603 00:25:42,584 --> 00:25:45,834 I would really hate to get this far in a competition... 604 00:25:45,834 --> 00:25:47,626 What the [bleep]? 605 00:25:47,626 --> 00:25:49,709 --to go home over something as simple as, 606 00:25:49,709 --> 00:25:51,667 you know, overcooked rice. 607 00:25:51,667 --> 00:25:57,709 ♪♪♪ 608 00:25:57,709 --> 00:26:00,292 Right behind you. 609 00:26:00,292 --> 00:26:03,626 -JAE: Wow! -BUDDHAS: Nine minutes. 610 00:26:03,626 --> 00:26:06,584 My goal is to serve this dish 611 00:26:06,584 --> 00:26:08,751 in the same way that astronauts would eat it in space. 612 00:26:08,751 --> 00:26:10,834 So, the diners can cut open a package 613 00:26:10,834 --> 00:26:14,292 of slaw and scoop it over the tin of seafood. 614 00:26:14,292 --> 00:26:20,375 ♪♪♪ 615 00:26:20,375 --> 00:26:24,209 Look, it's a rover! I know! Isn't it exciting? 616 00:26:24,209 --> 00:26:26,125 MELISSA: Can we ride it around the set? 617 00:26:26,125 --> 00:26:28,417 -PADMA: I would love to. -NICK: Game time now. 618 00:26:28,417 --> 00:26:30,375 PADMA: Wow! That looks great. 619 00:26:30,375 --> 00:26:34,584 ♪♪♪ 620 00:26:34,584 --> 00:26:36,792 It's an honor to have you here. 621 00:26:36,792 --> 00:26:38,751 I know the chefs are super excited. 622 00:26:38,751 --> 00:26:40,959 This is such a great challenge. So, welcome. 623 00:26:40,959 --> 00:26:43,417 -ALL: Cheers. -Thank you all so much. 624 00:26:43,417 --> 00:26:45,959 What's the best thing you've ever eaten in space? 625 00:26:45,959 --> 00:26:49,542 Any food that was unattended, right, by somebody else. 626 00:26:49,542 --> 00:26:52,167 I love it! You're that guy. Every kitchen has that guy. 627 00:26:52,167 --> 00:26:55,292 -[all laughing] -I'm not normally that guy! 628 00:26:55,292 --> 00:27:00,167 ♪♪♪ 629 00:27:00,167 --> 00:27:06,375 [timer beeping] 630 00:27:06,375 --> 00:27:08,959 -Yes! -Yes! Wow. 631 00:27:08,959 --> 00:27:10,959 -Hi, Evelyn. -Hi! 632 00:27:10,959 --> 00:27:13,584 We learned that it's really about spices 633 00:27:13,584 --> 00:27:15,375 and how to introduce more flavor into food. 634 00:27:15,375 --> 00:27:17,626 So I knew this dish was really gonna represent that. 635 00:27:17,626 --> 00:27:21,167 And I think I could really see this dish in a pack in space. 636 00:27:21,167 --> 00:27:24,167 It's a guiso rojo. It's made out of pork, 637 00:27:24,167 --> 00:27:26,667 added some toasted pumpkin seeds to the rice 638 00:27:26,667 --> 00:27:29,250 as well as the escabeche. 639 00:27:29,250 --> 00:27:30,792 Buddha, tell us about what you made. 640 00:27:30,792 --> 00:27:32,876 Alan Shepard played golf on the moon, 641 00:27:32,876 --> 00:27:34,417 so on the plates there's a golf ball. 642 00:27:34,417 --> 00:27:36,375 I've called it Pavlova 14. 643 00:27:36,375 --> 00:27:38,792 Inspiration's from Apollo 14. 644 00:27:38,792 --> 00:27:40,918 Coconut mousse filled with a berry compote, 645 00:27:40,918 --> 00:27:42,792 and then a tropical salsa on the bottom. 646 00:27:42,792 --> 00:27:45,417 Great first start. Thank you. 647 00:27:45,417 --> 00:27:47,792 -MARCUS: Great job. -Wow. 648 00:27:47,792 --> 00:27:50,125 What a pair of beautiful dishes. 649 00:27:50,125 --> 00:27:51,584 Very beautiful. 650 00:27:51,584 --> 00:27:53,918 Evelyn's dish had so much depth of flavor. 651 00:27:53,918 --> 00:27:56,292 That pop of acid, you get the heat. 652 00:27:56,292 --> 00:27:58,584 -Really well-rounded. -I thought that it had 653 00:27:58,584 --> 00:28:00,626 enough spice to make it really interesting 654 00:28:00,626 --> 00:28:02,292 and great, but not overpowered. 655 00:28:02,292 --> 00:28:03,918 This could be a very heavy, dense dish, 656 00:28:03,918 --> 00:28:05,792 but because of the pickles it becomes a light dish. 657 00:28:05,792 --> 00:28:07,959 And I love just subtle things like that. 658 00:28:07,959 --> 00:28:09,959 I like the texture that the vegetables supply. 659 00:28:09,959 --> 00:28:12,292 We really miss texture up there. 660 00:28:12,292 --> 00:28:14,334 Yeah, the textures kept the dish interesting. 661 00:28:14,334 --> 00:28:16,334 And you know who else liked it? My man Tony. 662 00:28:16,334 --> 00:28:18,334 [all laughing] 663 00:28:18,334 --> 00:28:20,459 The stew was, like, super flavorful. 664 00:28:20,459 --> 00:28:23,167 What did you think of Buddha's dessert? 665 00:28:23,167 --> 00:28:25,542 I liked the surprise inside the golf ball. 666 00:28:25,542 --> 00:28:29,167 You break into it, it was interactive and fun and playful. 667 00:28:29,167 --> 00:28:31,167 It had so much flavor. It wasn't too sweet, 668 00:28:31,167 --> 00:28:32,834 but it was definitely like you got the white chocolate, 669 00:28:32,834 --> 00:28:34,542 you got the creaminess, you got the tartness 670 00:28:34,542 --> 00:28:36,584 -from the berry. -He told a great story, 671 00:28:36,584 --> 00:28:39,167 number one. He clearly is engaged. 672 00:28:39,167 --> 00:28:41,792 And I thought it was a nice dessert. It was fun. 673 00:28:41,792 --> 00:28:44,209 I like the plate that I did, yeah, spaceballs. 674 00:28:44,209 --> 00:28:45,792 -It looked awesome. -NICK: What you got left? 675 00:28:45,792 --> 00:28:48,792 ASHLEIGH: I'm just doing my last-minute adjustments. 676 00:28:48,792 --> 00:28:52,375 I never seen nobody have shears on the plate. 677 00:28:52,375 --> 00:28:56,542 The magnitude of creativity here is explosive. 678 00:28:56,542 --> 00:28:58,918 -JAE: You look really calm. -ASHLEIGH: Can't say that 679 00:28:58,918 --> 00:29:00,501 every day now, can you? 680 00:29:00,501 --> 00:29:03,167 -Ready, Nick? -Yep. 681 00:29:03,167 --> 00:29:05,584 [timer beeping] 682 00:29:05,584 --> 00:29:08,918 -PADMA: Beautiful. -TONY: Wow! 683 00:29:08,918 --> 00:29:11,292 Hi, Nick. Hi, Ashleigh. 684 00:29:11,292 --> 00:29:13,459 Please tell us what you've made. 685 00:29:13,459 --> 00:29:15,417 Marinated tuna and marinated shrimp. 686 00:29:15,417 --> 00:29:17,792 And you're going to take your scissors and open 687 00:29:17,792 --> 00:29:22,292 your re-thermostabilizing packet of sweet potato slaw, 688 00:29:22,292 --> 00:29:24,542 and you're just going to scoop that into the little tin. 689 00:29:24,542 --> 00:29:26,876 So, I was just trying to evoke the spirit of being in space. 690 00:29:26,876 --> 00:29:29,584 Nick, tell us about your dish. 691 00:29:29,584 --> 00:29:31,459 So, I created this Mississippi gumbo 692 00:29:31,459 --> 00:29:34,459 and I have it on my menu at the Civil Rights Museum. 693 00:29:34,459 --> 00:29:37,167 It's collard greens, butter beans, black eyed peas. 694 00:29:37,167 --> 00:29:39,876 There's a lot of deep rooted Mississippi ingredients with it, 695 00:29:39,876 --> 00:29:41,584 because all I could think about 696 00:29:41,584 --> 00:29:43,709 is coming to home and having some gumbo. 697 00:29:43,709 --> 00:29:46,209 -And it's really delicious. -Thank you. 698 00:29:46,209 --> 00:29:48,375 -Thank y'all. -JUDGES: Thank you. 699 00:29:48,375 --> 00:29:51,375 Let's see what happens. 700 00:29:51,375 --> 00:29:54,584 What did you think of Ashleigh's tinned seafood? 701 00:29:54,584 --> 00:29:56,459 I think Ashleigh gets extra credit 702 00:29:56,459 --> 00:29:58,334 because I haven't eaten with scissors in a long time. 703 00:29:58,334 --> 00:29:59,792 [laughter] 704 00:29:59,792 --> 00:30:03,125 -I mean, she's so on brand here! -[all laugh] 705 00:30:03,125 --> 00:30:05,334 With the can and the scissors. 706 00:30:05,334 --> 00:30:07,959 I do think that was almost too much 707 00:30:07,959 --> 00:30:10,751 of a focus on presentation. 708 00:30:10,751 --> 00:30:13,209 And then we lacked a bit on the flavor. 709 00:30:13,209 --> 00:30:15,584 The tuna was a very big piece and it was very bland. 710 00:30:15,584 --> 00:30:17,751 If you're gonna poach tuna, you've gotta cook it 711 00:30:17,751 --> 00:30:20,083 -all the way through. -If she would have butchered it 712 00:30:20,083 --> 00:30:21,918 in a little bit smaller cubes, 713 00:30:21,918 --> 00:30:24,375 the flavors of the pickling liquid 714 00:30:24,375 --> 00:30:28,375 would have gone in and it would have been even more flavorful. 715 00:30:28,375 --> 00:30:31,125 -I have no idea what they think. -I know. 716 00:30:31,125 --> 00:30:33,250 What did you think of the gumbo that Nick gave us? 717 00:30:33,250 --> 00:30:35,250 There's a famous Nina Simone song called, 718 00:30:35,250 --> 00:30:39,751 "Mississippi Goddam," and that's really what I feel. 719 00:30:39,751 --> 00:30:41,709 It is super flavorful, not spicy. 720 00:30:41,709 --> 00:30:45,542 You can tell that Nick has cooked this many, many times. 721 00:30:45,542 --> 00:30:48,417 Never had beans in a gumbo before and I kind of like it. 722 00:30:48,417 --> 00:30:51,334 -Makes it a lot more richer. -I thought it was delicious. 723 00:30:51,334 --> 00:30:53,375 I thought it would fly perfectly in space. 724 00:30:53,375 --> 00:30:55,125 I brought the flavor, so... 725 00:30:55,125 --> 00:30:56,626 You brought the Mississippi flavor. 726 00:30:56,626 --> 00:30:58,459 Yeah. 727 00:30:58,459 --> 00:31:00,250 This is definitely not the bulgogi 728 00:31:00,250 --> 00:31:02,292 that my mom used to make. 729 00:31:02,292 --> 00:31:05,792 I'm not 100% happy with it, but the dish itself 730 00:31:05,792 --> 00:31:09,501 tastes pretty good. Five minutes, Damarr. 731 00:31:09,501 --> 00:31:12,250 Hm. This rice is still a little overcooked. 732 00:31:12,250 --> 00:31:16,209 What the [bleep]? Overcooking rice twice 733 00:31:16,209 --> 00:31:19,209 is very embarrassing and I have no other backup plan. 734 00:31:19,209 --> 00:31:21,209 Ain't this pot a bitch? 735 00:31:21,209 --> 00:31:23,083 So, yeah, I'm kind of screwed. 736 00:31:23,083 --> 00:31:27,375 ♪♪♪ 737 00:31:27,375 --> 00:31:30,417 -JAE: Two minutes, Damarr. -Oh, boy. 738 00:31:30,417 --> 00:31:32,626 ♪♪♪ 739 00:31:32,626 --> 00:31:34,167 [Jae sighing] 740 00:31:34,167 --> 00:31:38,584 ♪♪♪ 741 00:31:38,584 --> 00:31:40,501 [timer beeping] 742 00:31:40,501 --> 00:31:43,501 Oh, we're done. 743 00:31:43,501 --> 00:31:47,125 PADMA: Thank you. Beautiful. Hello. 744 00:31:47,125 --> 00:31:51,375 -What did you make, Jae? -Bulgogi with gochujang barley 745 00:31:51,375 --> 00:31:53,959 and sesame mushrooms and carrots. 746 00:31:53,959 --> 00:31:56,584 Going back home, my mom cooks bulgogi 747 00:31:56,584 --> 00:31:59,792 for the first meal because it's a special occasion for her. 748 00:31:59,792 --> 00:32:02,792 That's why I wanted to serve bulgogi today. 749 00:32:02,792 --> 00:32:04,417 -PADMA: Damarr? -I did rice 750 00:32:04,417 --> 00:32:06,584 and what my mother would call chicken gravy 751 00:32:06,584 --> 00:32:08,417 with some hot pickled peppers on top. 752 00:32:08,417 --> 00:32:10,584 Y'all spoke about missing home a lot, so I want to share 753 00:32:10,584 --> 00:32:12,751 -a little bit of my home. -PADMA: Thank you both. 754 00:32:12,751 --> 00:32:15,292 Thank you. 755 00:32:15,292 --> 00:32:17,792 What do you think of Jae's barley and ribeye? 756 00:32:17,792 --> 00:32:19,626 I wasn't sure... 757 00:32:19,626 --> 00:32:21,501 exactly what the texture was supposed to be, but it... 758 00:32:21,501 --> 00:32:23,292 You didn't know what to make of it. 759 00:32:23,292 --> 00:32:25,959 -Yeah. -The idea of barley gochujang, 760 00:32:25,959 --> 00:32:28,584 I think, is really interesting and could be punchy 761 00:32:28,584 --> 00:32:31,584 and delicious. The barley was undercooked. 762 00:32:31,584 --> 00:32:33,792 But I like the fact that barley 763 00:32:33,792 --> 00:32:36,250 is something that really crosses cultures as well, 764 00:32:36,250 --> 00:32:38,417 and I think they would appreciate the spices. 765 00:32:38,417 --> 00:32:41,250 The thing that I really did not enjoy was the beef. 766 00:32:41,250 --> 00:32:42,876 The beef was very mushy. 767 00:32:42,876 --> 00:32:44,792 It just disintegrated on my plate. 768 00:32:44,792 --> 00:32:47,292 TOM: I didn't care for Jae's mushy bites. 769 00:32:47,292 --> 00:32:49,250 Carrots were the best part of the dish. 770 00:32:49,250 --> 00:32:52,834 Everything was cooked correctly, so... 771 00:32:52,834 --> 00:32:55,584 PADMA: And what about Damarr's chicken thigh? 772 00:32:55,584 --> 00:32:57,375 My rice was overcooked. It was really very mushy. 773 00:32:57,375 --> 00:32:59,667 I appreciate the peppers, 774 00:32:59,667 --> 00:33:02,209 because otherwise there wasn't a lot of flavor. 775 00:33:02,209 --> 00:33:04,417 I guess I was looking for something a little more. 776 00:33:04,417 --> 00:33:07,542 It's not inspired enough. People are bringing it. 777 00:33:07,542 --> 00:33:09,292 I just felt like this was underwhelming. 778 00:33:09,292 --> 00:33:11,209 It's just not interesting at all. 779 00:33:11,209 --> 00:33:13,584 It's not really seasoned well. The gravy is kind of thin. 780 00:33:13,584 --> 00:33:15,292 It was just a stressful cook, you know? 781 00:33:15,292 --> 00:33:17,792 JAE: It was very, very stressful. 782 00:33:17,792 --> 00:33:20,292 I think any of the meals we had today 783 00:33:20,292 --> 00:33:22,792 would be more than welcome in space. 784 00:33:22,792 --> 00:33:25,167 This was a wonderful challenge 785 00:33:25,167 --> 00:33:28,667 that really pushed our chefs to think about food in a new way. 786 00:33:28,667 --> 00:33:31,292 I want to thank all of you for being here. 787 00:33:31,292 --> 00:33:33,292 We've got to go to judges' table now. 788 00:33:33,292 --> 00:33:36,292 Thank you for joining us. Thank you so much. 789 00:33:36,292 --> 00:33:48,584 ♪♪♪ 790 00:33:48,584 --> 00:33:51,375 Chefs, some of you did a great job today, 791 00:33:51,375 --> 00:33:54,334 but there were a lot of missed opportunities. 792 00:33:54,334 --> 00:33:57,876 Evelyn, Buddha and Nick, please stay here. 793 00:33:57,876 --> 00:34:02,667 The rest of you can step to the side. Thank you. 794 00:34:02,667 --> 00:34:07,375 The three of you had our favorite dishes of the day. 795 00:34:07,375 --> 00:34:10,459 Jesus Christ! Thank you. 796 00:34:10,459 --> 00:34:13,709 Evelyn, walk me through that dish, please. 797 00:34:13,709 --> 00:34:16,751 I knew I wanted to do a pork dish inspired by Tex-Mex 798 00:34:16,751 --> 00:34:18,959 flavors and something that I find very comforting. 799 00:34:18,959 --> 00:34:21,375 It was well-seasoned. It was well put together. 800 00:34:21,375 --> 00:34:23,375 The escabeche really stole the show. 801 00:34:23,375 --> 00:34:25,459 It kept the dish interesting, especially the size they were 802 00:34:25,459 --> 00:34:28,167 cut created the counterpoint to the rest of the dish. 803 00:34:28,167 --> 00:34:31,292 The best rice we had today. Stellar job with your stew. 804 00:34:31,292 --> 00:34:33,167 I was very happy. It was cozy. 805 00:34:33,167 --> 00:34:34,876 Thank you. 806 00:34:34,876 --> 00:34:36,876 Buddha, how was today for you? 807 00:34:36,876 --> 00:34:39,209 Today was really nerve-wracking, 808 00:34:39,209 --> 00:34:42,375 making it something that can go to space. 809 00:34:42,375 --> 00:34:45,876 You gave us a beautiful, creative, delicious, 810 00:34:45,876 --> 00:34:49,501 interactive dessert, and I appreciated how much 811 00:34:49,501 --> 00:34:52,792 thought you put into each element of that dish. 812 00:34:52,792 --> 00:34:54,709 -You knocked it out of the park. -Thank you, Padma. 813 00:34:54,709 --> 00:34:57,501 I love that you actually thought about 814 00:34:57,501 --> 00:35:00,751 the space program and tried to work it into the dish. 815 00:35:00,751 --> 00:35:03,167 You have a bunch of tricks in your bag and you played them 816 00:35:03,167 --> 00:35:05,501 -really well here. -Thank you, Tom. 817 00:35:05,501 --> 00:35:09,209 That plate was a perfect intersection between 818 00:35:09,209 --> 00:35:11,250 playing the game, showing techniques, 819 00:35:11,250 --> 00:35:14,250 but not being gimmicky. 820 00:35:14,250 --> 00:35:16,375 PADMA: Nick, tell us about your dish. 821 00:35:16,375 --> 00:35:20,792 Today I got a chance to feature what I do a lot of, and that's 822 00:35:20,792 --> 00:35:23,626 Mississippi-style gumbo, which is all about flavor. 823 00:35:23,626 --> 00:35:25,584 We've all eaten a lot of gumbo. 824 00:35:25,584 --> 00:35:27,792 And today you took us to Mississippi and showed 825 00:35:27,792 --> 00:35:30,959 us that gumbo could be something entirely new. 826 00:35:30,959 --> 00:35:33,542 The beans, the okra, the pickled peppers. 827 00:35:33,542 --> 00:35:36,292 Totally delicious, comforting. 828 00:35:36,292 --> 00:35:38,292 The textures were fantastic, 829 00:35:38,292 --> 00:35:40,792 and it was completely on another level. 830 00:35:40,792 --> 00:35:42,834 Make people forget about gumbo in Louisiana. 831 00:35:42,834 --> 00:35:44,876 I doubt. Don't say that. 832 00:35:44,876 --> 00:35:47,167 TOM: It's a big flavor bomb. And it's Mississippi gumbo. 833 00:35:47,167 --> 00:35:49,459 -Thank you. -There's a lot of beautiful, 834 00:35:49,459 --> 00:35:51,167 subtle things that you did in there. 835 00:35:51,167 --> 00:35:53,751 The okra and the way the collard greens coated 836 00:35:53,751 --> 00:35:56,501 and gave the beans was-- that was a perfect pairing. 837 00:35:56,501 --> 00:35:59,709 -Thank you very much. -Marcus and Melissa. 838 00:35:59,709 --> 00:36:03,292 The chef that won today gave us a dish that was 839 00:36:03,292 --> 00:36:06,334 inspiring, thoughtful and something 840 00:36:06,334 --> 00:36:08,334 that all the astronauts are asking for. 841 00:36:08,334 --> 00:36:11,334 The winning chef today is... 842 00:36:11,334 --> 00:36:16,667 ♪♪♪ 843 00:36:16,667 --> 00:36:19,334 Buddha. We're going to send you to the stars. 844 00:36:19,334 --> 00:36:20,751 -[laughing] -NICK: Good job, man. 845 00:36:20,751 --> 00:36:23,626 -You worked your ass off. -Thank you. 846 00:36:23,626 --> 00:36:26,918 I absolutely loved this challenge, and I feel like 847 00:36:26,918 --> 00:36:30,459 what I did today showed that I'm a serious contender. 848 00:36:30,459 --> 00:36:33,959 I want to make it clear that I'd rather go hard or go home. 849 00:36:33,959 --> 00:36:36,250 I've been in this podium a lot. 850 00:36:36,250 --> 00:36:37,792 -PADMA: This is your first-- -Yeah, my first individual 851 00:36:37,792 --> 00:36:39,584 -in elimination, yeah. -[Tom] Good for you. 852 00:36:39,584 --> 00:36:43,417 Buddha, your dish will inspire a dish that goes 853 00:36:43,417 --> 00:36:45,709 on a future mission up into space. 854 00:36:45,709 --> 00:36:48,792 It's amazing. I can't wait. 855 00:36:48,792 --> 00:36:50,959 The three of you can step to the side. 856 00:36:50,959 --> 00:36:54,792 ♪♪♪ 857 00:36:54,792 --> 00:36:56,959 Ashleigh, Jae and Damarr. 858 00:36:56,959 --> 00:36:59,834 The three of you had our least favorite dishes, 859 00:36:59,834 --> 00:37:01,959 and one of you will be going home. 860 00:37:01,959 --> 00:37:07,709 ♪♪♪ 861 00:37:07,709 --> 00:37:09,626 Let's start with you, Ashleigh. 862 00:37:09,626 --> 00:37:12,959 Your seafood dish, I loved the presentation of it, 863 00:37:12,959 --> 00:37:16,542 but the dish itself felt ate really bland. 864 00:37:16,542 --> 00:37:18,918 I kind of held back and wanted to make it, like, 865 00:37:18,918 --> 00:37:22,584 healthy, so I poached the tuna in coconut water. 866 00:37:22,584 --> 00:37:24,584 I felt like it was a good compliment. 867 00:37:24,584 --> 00:37:26,959 If you had poached it in olive oil-- if you think 868 00:37:26,959 --> 00:37:28,876 about all tinned fish, there's a good amount 869 00:37:28,876 --> 00:37:30,709 of fat in there and that's what keeps it moist. 870 00:37:30,709 --> 00:37:32,584 It was also still a bit pink in the middle 871 00:37:32,584 --> 00:37:35,000 and you really want it cooked all the way through. 872 00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:37,918 Jae, were you happy with your dish? 873 00:37:37,918 --> 00:37:41,626 Mm, I wasn't really 100% happy, to be honest. 874 00:37:41,626 --> 00:37:43,834 The big problem I had with the dish was the texture 875 00:37:43,834 --> 00:37:46,584 of the beef was just mush. And the parsnip puree, 876 00:37:46,584 --> 00:37:49,167 it was gritty and soggy at the same time. 877 00:37:49,167 --> 00:37:52,709 Your beef was sliced so thin to the point 878 00:37:52,709 --> 00:37:54,918 where it just vaporized on the plate. 879 00:37:54,918 --> 00:37:58,584 And then you cooked the barley so firm, 880 00:37:58,584 --> 00:38:01,375 that softness that we want didn't happen. 881 00:38:01,375 --> 00:38:03,417 I tasted several times. 882 00:38:03,417 --> 00:38:05,918 It really wasn't undercooked for me. 883 00:38:05,918 --> 00:38:07,501 Okay. 884 00:38:07,501 --> 00:38:09,250 Damarr, talk to us about your dish. 885 00:38:09,250 --> 00:38:10,959 Were you happy with the way it came out today? 886 00:38:10,959 --> 00:38:15,459 Uh, no. I overcooked the first batch of rice 887 00:38:15,459 --> 00:38:17,876 and then I was rushing to cook more rice. 888 00:38:17,876 --> 00:38:20,709 -It just didn't go well. -You are right. 889 00:38:20,709 --> 00:38:23,334 Your rice was overcooked. 890 00:38:23,334 --> 00:38:26,876 I loved the pickle, actually. I thought it gave great texture. 891 00:38:26,876 --> 00:38:30,417 But it just felt a little, like, ho hum. 892 00:38:30,417 --> 00:38:33,876 I just think at this stage, we all know you could do better. 893 00:38:33,876 --> 00:38:36,792 The rice wasn't elegant or fun. 894 00:38:36,792 --> 00:38:38,792 It was just like, "Okay, I'm putting rice on 895 00:38:38,792 --> 00:38:41,584 "and I'm putting a stew on." 896 00:38:41,584 --> 00:38:43,959 Listen, this is a tough part of the competition right now. 897 00:38:43,959 --> 00:38:46,375 This is when you gotta dig deep. I'm talking to everybody, 898 00:38:46,375 --> 00:38:48,292 not just you, Damarr, I'm talking to everybody right now. 899 00:38:48,292 --> 00:38:50,334 I made a huge mistake, but I'm not really the guy 900 00:38:50,334 --> 00:38:52,751 that makes the same mistakes over and over again. 901 00:38:52,751 --> 00:38:55,667 We have a lot to discuss. We'll Call you back in a bit. 902 00:38:55,667 --> 00:38:57,918 -Thank you. -Hey, keep your heads up. 903 00:38:57,918 --> 00:39:03,709 Keep your heads up. Come on. 904 00:39:03,709 --> 00:39:06,626 Hi. [giggling] 905 00:39:06,626 --> 00:39:08,459 ASHLEIGH: God, that was very rough. 906 00:39:08,459 --> 00:39:10,000 NICK: Hey, Jae. 907 00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:11,501 JAE: Why everyone is coming to me? 908 00:39:11,501 --> 00:39:12,959 [all talking over each other] 909 00:39:12,959 --> 00:39:14,584 Listen, Jae, as the MVP of the bottom, 910 00:39:14,584 --> 00:39:15,792 that's what people do. 911 00:39:15,792 --> 00:39:16,918 They immediately embrace you, 912 00:39:16,918 --> 00:39:17,959 tell you they're sorry, 913 00:39:17,959 --> 00:39:19,375 it's going to be okay. 914 00:39:19,375 --> 00:39:20,959 Listen, I'm a pro at this. 915 00:39:20,959 --> 00:39:24,667 Well, all three of these chefs had problems today. 916 00:39:24,667 --> 00:39:28,292 This was a challenge to literally shoot for the stars. 917 00:39:28,292 --> 00:39:30,792 Ashleigh did at least try to give us something 918 00:39:30,792 --> 00:39:35,000 interesting, creative, playful, and that she really thought 919 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:37,876 the astronauts would love in space. 920 00:39:37,876 --> 00:39:40,375 It was cute. It was a cute dish but she made some mistakes. 921 00:39:40,375 --> 00:39:42,751 We all agreed the tuna wasn't seasoned and that's it. 922 00:39:42,751 --> 00:39:44,792 I kind of do think it's me. 923 00:39:44,792 --> 00:39:47,918 With Damarr... [sighing] 924 00:39:47,918 --> 00:39:50,876 it was just a poor cooked chicken and rice. 925 00:39:50,876 --> 00:39:55,334 It was such a lack of creativity, imagination, 926 00:39:55,334 --> 00:39:58,667 all the things you need to succeed in this competition. 927 00:39:58,667 --> 00:40:01,876 And flavor, it was so bland. 928 00:40:01,876 --> 00:40:04,292 I'm fired up. I want them to be like, "You know what? 929 00:40:04,292 --> 00:40:05,876 "You three go cook right now." 930 00:40:05,876 --> 00:40:10,209 Jae, she really tried to be creative, 931 00:40:10,209 --> 00:40:12,501 -but she couldn't execute. -The only creative thing about 932 00:40:12,501 --> 00:40:14,375 that was putting nuts in the barley. 933 00:40:14,375 --> 00:40:16,334 Neither of the two main components 934 00:40:16,334 --> 00:40:18,584 of Jae's dish work for me. 935 00:40:18,584 --> 00:40:23,375 The meat felt mushy and the barley did not feel soft. 936 00:40:23,375 --> 00:40:25,792 I did leave almost all of Jae's beef 937 00:40:25,792 --> 00:40:28,542 on the plate because of the texture. 938 00:40:28,542 --> 00:40:30,918 I think we have our answer. 939 00:40:30,918 --> 00:40:32,876 -Yes. -Yes. 940 00:40:32,876 --> 00:40:34,834 Okay. Let's get them out here. 941 00:40:34,834 --> 00:40:42,501 ♪♪♪ 942 00:40:42,501 --> 00:40:45,417 Chefs, imagine what it was like for that little girl 943 00:40:45,417 --> 00:40:48,459 or that little boy to look up and maybe they saw a bird 944 00:40:48,459 --> 00:40:51,292 flying and thought, "I could fly one day." 945 00:40:51,292 --> 00:40:53,959 And they trained. And now think about the time 946 00:40:53,959 --> 00:40:56,584 that you actually decided that you wanted to become a chef. 947 00:40:56,584 --> 00:41:00,209 And here you are. You're so close. You're here to win. 948 00:41:00,209 --> 00:41:02,584 Keep that thought. That's the thought 949 00:41:02,584 --> 00:41:04,834 you're gonna need to push through. 950 00:41:04,834 --> 00:41:11,334 ♪♪♪ 951 00:41:11,334 --> 00:41:14,709 Jae. Please pack your knives and go. 952 00:41:14,709 --> 00:41:16,459 Thank you. 953 00:41:16,459 --> 00:41:18,501 Jae, we'll see you at Last Chance Kitchen, 954 00:41:18,501 --> 00:41:20,375 so you do have a shot of getting back in. 955 00:41:20,375 --> 00:41:21,792 Thank you. 956 00:41:21,792 --> 00:41:25,584 I wasn't proud of my dish for sure today. 957 00:41:25,584 --> 00:41:27,667 CONTESTANTS: Jae! 958 00:41:27,667 --> 00:41:29,709 Don't act like you're surprised. 959 00:41:29,709 --> 00:41:31,751 Well, you [bleep] better go kick ass. 960 00:41:31,751 --> 00:41:34,417 -[Jae making noises] -'Cause I need you. 961 00:41:34,417 --> 00:41:38,709 JAE: It's been quite a journey for me to come to Top Chef. 962 00:41:38,709 --> 00:41:42,375 From Korea to New York to New Orleans, 963 00:41:42,375 --> 00:41:47,459 learning new things in a new language and a new culture. 964 00:41:47,459 --> 00:41:50,501 Bye. Thank you, guys. Take care. 965 00:41:50,501 --> 00:41:54,375 I worked really hard. I never took any shortcuts. 966 00:41:54,375 --> 00:42:04,000 I will always demand more from myself to be a better chef. 967 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:08,209 PADMA: Tonight, the finals of Last Chance Kitchen. 968 00:42:08,209 --> 00:42:11,417 One of these chefs will return to the competition. 969 00:42:11,417 --> 00:42:14,167 This will be a finale like we've never done before. 970 00:42:14,167 --> 00:42:17,792 PADMA: Who will make it back? Find out now on Demand, 971 00:42:17,792 --> 00:42:20,959 or wherever you stream Top Chef. 972 00:42:20,959 --> 00:42:23,542 Next time on Top Chef. 973 00:42:23,542 --> 00:42:26,334 There's a VIP family coming to Galveston. 974 00:42:26,334 --> 00:42:28,834 You'll each have to make a family-style dish 975 00:42:28,834 --> 00:42:31,584 catered to a different family member's tastes. 976 00:42:31,584 --> 00:42:34,667 All the chefs in a home kitchen is gonna be a stretch for sure. 977 00:42:34,667 --> 00:42:37,167 That's hilarious. Keep messing with me 978 00:42:37,167 --> 00:42:39,459 and I'll hide some stuff from you. 979 00:42:39,459 --> 00:42:41,584 This is certainly the most rustic dish 980 00:42:41,584 --> 00:42:44,292 -we've seen from Buddha. -By a mile. 981 00:42:44,292 --> 00:42:45,417 Where'd I see those bowls again? 982 00:42:45,417 --> 00:42:46,792 I have no idea how I'm gonna 983 00:42:46,792 --> 00:42:48,751 accomplish this. It's kind of a disaster. 984 00:42:48,751 --> 00:42:50,292 It just gets a little confusing. 985 00:42:50,292 --> 00:42:51,834 You listen to everything they want, 986 00:42:51,834 --> 00:42:53,667 but you don't give everything on one plate. 987 00:42:53,667 --> 00:42:55,709 [wind whooshing] 988 00:42:55,709 --> 00:42:57,250 Please hold for hurricane. 989 00:42:57,250 --> 00:42:58,792 [thunder booming] 990 00:42:58,792 --> 00:43:02,792 ♪♪♪