[Guy] This year, we're doing something special
for the holidays --
combining your favorite competition with your favorite
time of year and turning the TOC Arena...
into a winter's wonderland.
[instrumental "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" plays]
'Tis six weeks before Christmas, and all through
the land, 32 of the world's best chefs are teaming up
and taking a stand.
They'll battle each other with all kinds of treats...
That says holiday right there, all over it.
...because the randomizer demands...
[rowdy cheering]
...they cook one savory and one sweet.
[Curtis] The dessert, really on point.
This is exactly what I'd want served at a holiday table.
-Yeah! -[laughing]
The judges' comments will be both naughty...
[Scott] It feels a little sloppy.
I'm not loving that idea that I'm eating leftovers,
quite frankly. -[Guy]...and nice.
-It's one of the best pieces of lamb I've eaten. -Yeah.
Incredibly impressive, in a way that you want
on your holiday dessert.
All right, kiss me.
As they check their list and score each team twice.
-[smack] -Ow!
-[whispers] Sorry. -Who will win the title,
the trophy, big bucks for a charity of their choice,
and the $100,000 grand prize?
This is "Tournament of Champions: All-Star Christmas."
-Happy holidays. -[cheering]
[sleigh bells jingle]
[audience cheers]
Ladies and gentlemen, happy holidays to everybody
and welcome to our All-Star Christmas Tournament.
It's the first-ever team-versus-team competition in
the TOC Arena.
[cheering]
Would you like to meet our all-star duos and see
who they're competing against?
-[sleigh bells jingle] -[cheering continues]
[Guy] Up first, in the A-Division,
we have our number-one seed sensations.
I am talking about the two-time TOC Champ, Chef Maneet Chauhan,
and her partner in crime, Iron Chef Stephanie Izard.
Talking about competition, Top Chef, Iron Chef, the OG of
competition is right next to me.
[cheering]
[Stephanie] And then we have Maneet.
Not only has won Tournament of Champions once, but twice.
We are the team to beat.
Well, they're taking on the number-four seed,
the Bad Boys, the Dragon Slayer,
Chef Kevin Lee.
And the award-winning restaurateur,
the Boogeyman, Chef Dale Talde!
-Let's go! -[cheering]
Ah, so we're going up against them.
-Chefs, good luck. -Thank you, Chef.
Next, we have the sweet-and-savory
super duo, number-two seed,
eight-time James Beard Award-winner,
and OG TOC judge, I can't believe he's here!
The one-and-only Chef Marcus Samuelsson,
with his newest executive pastry chef, Rachel Sherriffe.
[Marcus] Every competition that I've judged, I've cooked in,
and TOC is no different. It's the holidays.
I'm here with Rachel.
I'm gonna enjoy every second of it.
Who are they gonna be facing off against?
It's the number-three seed teammates,
two-Michelin-starred chef, Chef Graham Elliot,
and his Michelin-starred friend, Chef Giuseppe Tentori.
-Pleasure to have you. -Good to see you, boss.
Let's talk about the B-Division.
The number-one seed super squad,
the TOC Champ, Mayday Chef Mei Lin.
And her good friend, Martini Nini,
Chef Nini Nguyen!
Who are they going up against?
The number-four seed, Mr. Delicious, Chef Adam Sobel.
And the great Hambino, Chef Christian Petroni!
[cheering]
-Right. -[Mei] Sorry, babies. It was nice knowing y'all.
Ladies and gentlemen, then...
there's the number-two seed.
The powerhouse duo competing together for the first time in
a major tournament, the Voltaggio brothers!
Top Chef winner, Chef Michael Voltaggio, and three-time
Top Chef runner-up, Chef Ryan Voltaggio!
It took me a second to read the sweaters, and just so
you know, this is really the way this is.
I have the nice chef, and I have the naughty chef.
The sibling rivalry, it's over --
we love each other. -[Bryan] We do.
Sometimes.
Who are they gonna face off against?
The number-three seed, the incredible
Kentucky culinary crew --
"Chopped" legend and TOC 6 runner-up,
the Duchess of Paducah -- Chef Sara Bradley!
And in her first TOC competition, give it up for
Chef Damaris Phillips.
[Damaris] Christmas and the holidays are about traditions.
Sometimes Southern food
and Kentucky food is overlooked.
This is the time of year when we shine.
[Guy] Let's talk about C-Division.
We have the four-time TOC finalist --
oh, he's back, ladies and gentlemen,
the Jetster, Chef Jet Tila!
[cheering]
And the winner of "The Next Great Baker,"
the Sugar Monster, Chef Ashley Holt!
[Jet] When I heard we were doing All-Star Christmas and it was
gonna be duos, I called on my pastry sister,
who's badass mo-you-know-what,
We're here together, and we're here to win.
-Hey, brother. -Who are they going up against?
They're going toe-to-toe with the number-four seed,
the team from the Chop Shop.
We have TOC's very first runner-up,
Chef AF, Chef Amanda Freitag... -[cheering]
...and fellow "Chopped" judge, the Wild Man himself,
Chef Aarón Sánchez! -[cheering continues]
Oh, no, dude. I don't want this.
-[laughing] -No me gusta. I don't want this.
Next, we have the dynamite duo, the number-two seed team,
three-time TOC finalists, the Angry Italian herself,
Chef Britt Rescigno,
and her teammate, the James Beard Award-winner,
the Bearded Baller, Chef Jonathon Sawyer.
[cheering continues]
Welcome to the competition!
They got a team to go against, the number-three seed team,
the fearsome friends of TOC 6 finalists -- Mama Wong,
Chef Lee Anne Wong, and dessert legend,
the Sweet Assassin, Chef Zac Young!
Oh! Good team!
This might be the first time they called the pastry chef
and said, "Who do you want to bring?"
I'm bringing the heavy hitter,
Lee Anne. Like, I am not messing around.
The last division. Division D.
We're gonna start off with the number-two seed team.
They have the West Coast Dream Team.
The unstoppable "House of Knives" winner,
making a gigantic return,
the Dumpling Mafia Queen herself,
Chef Shirley Chung!
And the legendary James Beard Award-winning pastry chef,
the Princess of Pastry, Chef Sherry Yard!
[cheering continues]
[Shirley speaking]
Because what most folks don't know is that I, too,
was diagnosed with cancer five years ago.
[Shirley speaking]
Well, I want to just hand you
your warrior trophy of life. -Aw.
Because you surely are...
[applause, cheering]
Shirley!
You are one of every chef's favorite people that has set
an example of what it means to fight.
Chef Shirley, you are, without a doubt,
one of my favorite people. We're so happy to have you.
[Shirley] We have the fighting spirit, and we know how to win.
-We got this. -We got this.
Yeah.
They're gonna take on a mega gnarly
number-three seed team.
We have TOC finalist and Maryland Chef of the Year --
again, a warrior beyond measure, the one and only
Huncho, Chef Tobias Dorzon!
And his teammate, the "24 in 24" winner, they call him The Wolf
for a good reason, Chef Marcel Vigneron!
[Tobias] Back in November, a tragic incident happened
where me and my girlfriend were out to dinner and we were
gunned down and I was shot 11 times.
So blessed to be where I am right now.
Went through five surgeries
and still on a long journey back.
I don't know if you folks know, but our good friend
Tobias, they questioned if he was going to walk,
and I'll tell you, he's not just walking, but he's here in
TOC All-Star Christmas. -Yes, sir.
[cheering]
And for the final matchup, ladies and gentlemen,
we have the number-four seed team,
two-time Grocery Games award-winning
wine-country restaurateur, the General herself,
Chef Crista Luedtke!
And Food Network star, the Spice Queen,
Chef Aarti Sequeira, on her first TOC debut.
One team left.
[cheering]
If you look around, there's one chef that we couldn't do
this without. And you know who that is?
[audience] Antonia!
That's right, the reigning TOC champ, Princess Warrior,
Chef Antonia Lofaso!
[cheering]
I wonder who Antonia brought?
Oh, yeah, I'll tell you who she brought.
Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli!
[jaunty holiday music plays]
[applause, cheering]
And that will round it out, folks.
32 chefs ready to do battle.
Love ya. Go get 'em.
[Antonia] Coming in, seeded one,
being the most recent winner,
everyone is like, "They're the one to beat."
The expectation for us is higher.
But it's not as high as the expectation
we have for ourselves. -Correct.
So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen,
the lineup for "Tournament of Champions: All-Star Christmas."
Now, the fact that you have joined forces as a super duo,
the judges are going to expect two holiday dishes
from each team in every round.
That will mean a savory dish and a sweet dish,
because a satisfying holiday entree deserves
a festive dessert.
The bad news is, just like in the Tournament of Champions,
you win, you move on, you lose, you go, well,
with a coal in your stocking.
And the team that wins the holiday contest,
there is a beautiful TOC All-Star Trophy.
Thanks to Carnival Cruise Line, we are awarding
the winning team...
$100,000. -[applause, cheering]
[Guy] $100,000!
Now, since it's the holidays, we also have some more
surprises under the tree.
We have golden gifts that go to the highest scoring teams in
the first and second round.
And in honor of the season of giving, we will also be
giving away another $100,000
to charities for the highest scoring teams along the way.
We're kicking things off...
with one of the biggest battles of the season.
It's a marquee showdown between two of TOC's most high-profile
finalists, along with their mega-talented teammates,
Team Jet and Ashley versus Team Amanda and Aarón!
[cheering erupts]
You guys, to your trailers! Goodbye!
Chefs, thank you so very much!
-[groans] -First -- ugh. I know.
-Rip the Band-Aid off! -It's Christmas.
Nobody cries on Christmas.
Well, yeah, there's tears of joy.
-Joy. -Which we're gonna be doing.
Joyous holiday.
Our first two teams are getting ready to throw down
some holiday dishes.
First up, we have Chef Jet Tila and Chef Ashley Holt.
They are number-one seeds, because, well, Jet is
the winningest chef in this arena without a belt.
And Ashley, well, she is a baking champion.
Dude, I can't believe we're first.
I guess there's no time to have nerves, but --
We have first seed and the first to go.
Oh, now you're making me nervous.
I asked Ashley Holt, please, please be my partner.
We've known each other for quite a long time.
She was my producer on "The Today Show" many years ago.
She is one hell of a pastry chef.
-[Ashley] We're here to make some magic and... -[Jet] Win.
And win.
Now, their opponents,
[scoffs], they are Food Network legends.
Chef Amanda Freitag and Chef Aarón Sánchez.
Amanda competed in the first TOC finale, and Aarón recently
returned to cooking competitions, which explains
their number-four seed status.
-We are a team. -Yeah.
We've cooked together for many years.
We know each other's style. We've eaten each other's food.
What's going to be our strategy is we're gonna
share, divide, and conquer.
You and I both have a ton of experience in every area
of the kitchen.
So I'll do something savory, you do something sweet.
I do something sweet, you do something savory.
So what do you know about Amanda and Aarón?
-They're "Chopped" legends. -[Jet] Fantastic chefs.
-[Ashley] Absolutely. Tough competition. -Battle tested.
There's no turning back now.
-We got this. -We got this, Sis.
It's on. Vamanos.
Are you ready for the fight before Christmas?
[cheering]
Well, then let's light it up!
Chef Amanda Freitag received multiple glowing reviews from
the New York Times as the executive chef before
joining "Chopped" and is the only person to judge
every single season.
Now, she has won a total of six battles in this arena,
and she was the first-ever TOC runner-up.
Her teammate, Aarón Sanchez, is the chef-partner of three
successful restaurants and was awarded
Best Latin American Restaurant
by Time Out New York.
Aarón has judged both "Chopped" and "Master Chef" and defeated
Amanda, Geoffrey Zakarian, and Maneet Chauhan
on "Chopped All-Stars."
Give it up for Chef AF and the Wild Man --
team Amanda and Aarón!
[cheering erupts]
You two.
How long have you known each other -- 20 years?
We came up in New York together, so...
-It's been about 30. -Yeah.
You are going to be a dynamic duo.
-[Amanda] Yeah. -Give it up, AF and Aarón!
[cheering]
Let's meet your opponents.
Chef Jet Tila is a master of Asian cuisine, who has opened
over 20 restaurants across the U.S.
Now, he has an Emmy and a James Beard nomination,
who made the final four of Tournament of Champions
four years in a row.
His teammate, Chef Ashley Holt, is the owner
of a luxury cake shop.
She's a "Chopped" champion and beat out 12 other
contestants to win "Next Great Baker."
Give it up for the Jetster and the Sugar Monster,
Team Jet and Ashley!
[cheering]
Aarón, Ashley, first time in TOC,
but you show up with seasoned pros.
And you two OGs, you know what time it is?
It's time to take it to the randomizer!
Let's go!
-Aye-yi-yi. -All right.
[groans]
and look at how we have disguised the randomizer to
look friendly. -It's so festive.
[Guy] It is festive.
Now, as you know, the randomizer will determine
the mandatory details of both of your dishes.
The mandatory savory item for one dish and the mandatory
sweet item for the other dish, and the equipment,
the style, and the wild card, which is going to apply to
both dishes. Now, doesn't that sound fun?
-Yeah. -Totally -- oh!
-No. -My gift to you is, let's spin the randomizer.
Here we go, savory.
[Amanda] Come on, come on.
I can't believe I'm here watching this right now.
-This is crazy. -I know, I know.
-And then you're gonna cook it! -[gasps]
-[laughing] -[indistinct cheering]
[overlapping exclamations]
Top sirloin, Honeycrisp apples, metal skewers,
poached, and canned pumpkin.
[Amanda] How do you skewer canned pumpkin?
[Aarón] Oh, why do you do this?
[Guy] Here's a gift, because I'm the giver.
You have 35 minutes on the clock, but I'm gonna
give you two minutes to confer with one another
before I start the clock.
-What are you thinking? -Uh, OK, I think I'm gonna
make a skewer, call it a kebab.
Ashley and I have known each other for many years.
She is top-notch in pastry land, and that's why
I'm gonna be cooking savory.
I'm dying to know what they're saying.
Like, what are they thinking?
Like, what are we gonna do with canned pumpkin?
So there will be pumpkin base,
poached apples, marshmallows...
Amanda Freitag can make just about any kind of cuisine.
She's well-versed in desserts as well.
We're gonna go relleno.
I'm gonna start grilling some peppers.
Aarón is a triple, quadruple threat of cooking.
Not only does he have an authentic
Mexican background, but he's classically trained.
And the diversity of what we do, I think it's gonna make
us stand out. -Three, two, one, go.
[cheering]
Well that got real, real fast.
-[Guy] Well that got real, real fast. -[cheering]
Here's a basket, Ash.
This is a terrible randomizer.
There's no cohesive, kind of automatic way to go.
We're just gonna stick with what we're strong at.
I feel most comfortable in sweets.
I think I'm gonna be sticking in my sweet lane.
So, top sirloin, the mandatory savory item for
one dish, not the most tender, definitely high in
the flavor profile.
The mandatory sweet item, Honeycrisp apples --
sweet tart flavor -- actually, out of all the apples,
it's my favorite.
The equipment, the style,
and the wild card need to be employed to both dishes.
Metal skewers, I can see it in the meat, but in terms of
the pastry, no clue.
Poaching sirloin... I don't know.
Canned pumpkin, this is not seasoned.
We call it the wild card because it is.
Chef Aarón, welcome to TOC Holiday.
-This is fantastic! -[Tiffani] How you feeling?
I'm feeling great. I got the best partner.
-[Tiffani] You sure do. -[Amanda] Thanks, guys.
So, to help us better understand
our team's sweet and savory moves,
I'm joined by my own team of culinary commentators.
Michelin recommended chef and food authority,
the wild card himself, Justin Warner.
And award-winning restaurateur and TOC 3 champ,
the one and only Chef Tiffani Faison.
Now, Justin and Tiffani will closely track the preparation
of our holiday dishes so they can faithfully present
them to the judges during the blind tasting.
-Are we dividing savory-sweet? -We're combo-ing.
I'm grinding for chile en nogada.
Very Christmas holiday Mexican dish.
Sure is.
And then we're going into a pumpkin apple tart,
a little cranberry, a little marshmallow.
I like where this is going.
I want to help Amanda get a head start on
the dessert, because, you know, that's gonna be
the most time-consuming.
[Amanda] Aarón is working on tart shells,
so I have to grind that meat right away,
and I grab the bacon as well to give it
some fat and some flavor.
Do you want me to put any onion or garlic or anything
through the grinder with this? -[Aarón] Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.
A little bit of cumin, a little bit of coriander, mama.
[Amanda] We've cooked together at his mom's house,
at each other's restaurants, spent some time
in Mexico together.
[Aarón] And we're so like-minded, yeah.
This is my hermana, my sister.
[Amanda] Tart shell in, tart shell in.
Yes, tart shell in, Chef.
Amanda already has that ground sirloin and bacon
seasoned mixture for me already done,
so I'm grabbing the elements that could potentially go
inside that picadillo or that filling.
Some grilled red bell peppers, which is what I'm putting,
using the actual skewers.
I'm also starting to fry the chile poblanos.
[Guy] Nice to see Aarón Sánchez in there competing.
Haven't seen this in a long time.
He hasn't missed a beat.
-Jet, how we feeling, bud? -This randomizer is hard!
It is hard!
I'm gonna be cooking savory, and I love top sirloin.
I just didn't like anything else.
-The combo of skewer, beef, and pumpkin, -Yeah.
I was like, "Where do I go with that?"
[Justin] Chef, we're gonna see a meatball, a skewer, a coleslaw?
[Jet] You know what, we're gonna do a skewer that's gonna be more
like a, kind of a kefta.
You know, I'm gonna do a kebab on the skewer so they can
slide it off and eat it. -Nice play.
Knowing this game, visually seeing a skewer will
give us points in the judging.
All right, Justin, I am going to poach these skewers
in fat -- garlic butter. -[Justin] Understood.
-Ash, how are you? -Doing good, Jet.
-Doing good? -[Ashley] Yeah, how about you?
Uh...TBD. There's a lot going on at once.
-Chef, flour, sugar? -Flour, sugar --
I'm making a fritter batter.
[Justin] What's gonna be in that fritter?
[Ashley] So, I'm roasting some apples,
oranges, cinnamon -- I'm blending that up, mix that into,
like, a roasted apple,
a seasonal, like, harvest fritter.
We have a lot of culinary experience under our belt,
but we've not cooked together in the kitchen tandem before.
[Ashley] And I know you can hold your own, I can hold my own.
Like, we just got to trust each other.
[Jet] Yeah.
Chef, how is your first TOC so far?
Oh, it's a lot.
When I first started my baking business, I would make
Honeycrisp apples every fall.
So, they were actually the entryway into me
being an entrepreneur.
With 35 minutes, I know that I can make a delicious fritter
that will represent our team in a great way.
Yeah, and be able to fully execute.
Teams, 20 minutes left. 20 to go.
[cheering]
How you feeling, Chef?
I'm making a pumpkin tart with poached apples...
-Nice. -...and toasty marshmallows on a skewer.
Toasted marshmallows on a skewer.
Good way to use a skewer.
[Amanda] I'm using the technique of poaching the apples
to sort of check that off the randomizer list.
There's still sugar.
But I also caramelize and then put them on a skewer,
almost like a candied apple. -[Tiffani] What do we got in here?
[Amanda] Pumpkin, cream cheese.
Watch out for 10X on your blouse.
[Tiffani] Don't worry about it, don't worry about me.
Whoo! Sorry. Sorry.
I think, obviously, for dessert, pumpkin and apple
go great for the holidays.
And then I wanted a cranberry caramel to give that balance
a ooey-gooey pumpkin flavor,
bruleed marshmallow with a super sour cranberry.
[Aarón] My sauce for the chilies en nogada, traditionally it calls
for walnuts, and then I decided to use some of that pumpkin
puree in there again to kind of marry everything together.
Traditional meets the randomizer.
Are you stuffing peppers yet?
No, I'm gonna peel them right now, honey.
[Amanda] The best and worst part about Tournament of Champions --
it's one and done, but we are determined.
We're also full of heart, and I think that's something
that around the holidays is exactly what you need
for the win. -Yeah -- absolutely.
To not succeed and at least progress through this
competition will be an absolute failure,
and we're not gonna accept that.
Chef, what's the score here? What do you got?
This is going to be the poached garlic
and onion harissa.
-[thwacking] -There it is.
Canned pumpkin is my world, to make pumpkin pie.
-[Ashley] Mm-hmm. -[Jet] I've never used it
for anything else, so I was very stumped for a few minutes.
What's in the pan over here?
Cooking down my pumpkin hummus.
-So, I'm gonna do, like, a pumpkin -- yeah. -Pumpkin hummus?
-Excellent. -I want to savory up my pumpkin hummus.
Put some chicken powder.
But it can read salty.
I'm going to make a apple-mint slaw
to balance out all the salt and umami on the plate.
[Ashley] The pumpkin puree, I just need to turn it into a cream.
I need to jump into your mixer, OK?
We'll whip some cream, add some sugar, vanilla,
all the good stuff, fold in the pumpkin puree.
-[Jet] Mascarpone, Chef. -[Ashley] Correct.
Give it a little more body and depth.
-And it's gonna be good. -[Guy] How's the fritter, Chef?
Looking good, Chef.
Nice, made extra, broke one open,
checking all the way through.
[Ashley] I see it's a little underdone inside.
I think if I fill it with the cream, it'll kind of help
disguise that a little bit.
You've come into this kitchen, and you've been razor-focused.
-That is amazing. -[Ashley] Thank you.
Teams, five minutes left in the competition.
Five to be plated.
-[Amanda] Aarón, you gotta hustle, hustle, hustle. -I know, I know.
The first thing that I'm getting on this plate is
the nogada sauce. It's the canvas.
Stuffed poblano pepper, pomegranate, a little bit of
greens, micro cilantro, and all day long.
-[Ashley] Behind. -I'll go left, you go right?
-Yeah. -[Jet] I lay my kofta skewer down into that bed of hummus,
paint a little bit of the harissa.
My God, I'm sweating like crazy.
Two minutes, chefs. Two to go.
Let's go.
I'm taking the tart, topping it with some of that
pumpkin-cream-cheese custard, poached cranberry.
This is a little bit of me.
This is a little bit of Aarón
My apples and my marshmallows on a skewer.
-30 seconds. -[Ashley] We have our soft fritter --
dust it with a little bit of powdered sugar.
I'm happy that I was able to show up as a pastry chef
and have a complete dessert on the plate for my first TOC.
[Guy] 10, 9, 8...
[audience joins] 7, 6, 5...
4, 3, 2, 1 --
-We're done! -[cheering]
Thank you so much! We'll leave it up to the judges!
We will see you soon. Thank you.
Great job.
Dude, how was that? First cook?
-That was insane. -Yeah, it is a blur.
I'm happy with it, very much so, because I think what we did
is we were able to invoke Christmas time, the holidays.
-Oh, Sugar Monster. Ladies first. -Oh my god, Jetster!
Thank you.
Come on, champ,
Let's go.
I think as a team we rocked it.
[Aarón] Whew.
Hark -- we have three wise men and women to behold these
Christmas dishes and hopefully shower these chefs with
praise and points. Let's meet the judges.
First, James Beard, award-winning chef,
who has opened some of the most acclaimed restaurants
in the country. -Who is it?
The one and only Chef Michelle Bernstein.
[cheering]
-Right? -I like this.
-I love her so much! -[Guy] Chef, wonderful to see you.
And in the holidays!
Next, we have the Emmy and James Beard Award-winner
named Esquire Magazine's Chef of the Year, Chef Ming Tsai.
[cheering]
-How you feeling? -He's very technical.
And finally, last but not least, celebrated chef
and New York Times bestselling author who has opened multiple
Michelin star restaurants, Chef Curtis Stone.
What's going on, buddy?
-Oh! -Curtis!
-[cheering] -What a great panel.
Well, chefs, you are in for it tonight.
As you know, we have two chefs cooking for you right now.
They had to work with the randomizer, make a sweet
and savory dish.
In savory, they got the opportunity to
work with top sirloin.
In sweet, the Honeycrisp apple.
They both had to use the equipment of a metal skewer,
needed to employ poaching,
and the wild card ingredient was canned pumpkin.
And here to deliver all that information and more,
the one and only chef, Tiffani Faison.
[cheering]
Let's talk about it. Eat it, eat it.
[Tiffani] Judges, on the right, we'll start with
the savory dish.
You have chilies en nogada, Christmas-style.
A roasted poblano that is stuffed with your top sirloin,
ground with bacon, onion, garlic, and other spices
to create a picadillo.
Red bell peppers were skewered and grilled and added
to the picadillo.
On the bottom, the nogada sauce is your canned pumpkin puree,
walnuts, and cream cheese. -I don't see a lot of nodding.
-This is good. -This is really hard.
On the left, your pumpkin and apple tart
is a freshly-baked tart shell.
The filling on top is canned pumpkin,
caramelized white chocolate, and cream cheese with
the cajeta-poached cranberries.
Your Honeycrisp apples,
they were poached in a little bit of apple cider,
skewered, and roasted -- that is then finished
with your marshmallows that have been skewered
and roasted as well. -Oh, my God.
-I'm nervous. -Very, very tasty dishes.
-Yes. -[Ming] Let's start with the savory.
I got to learn how to make chilies en nogada
in Mexico City. It was so delicious like this.
And this chef put tons of flavor in this meat.
This second chef obviously has done some pastry.
It's a delicious crust. There's butter in the crust.
That bite of apple, marshmallow filling,
and cranberries is a perfect holiday bite.
-So, really impressive. -Yeah!
[Michelle] You know, it's an interesting rendition of chilies en nogada.
My husband's from Oaxaca.
I make chilies en nogada also during our holidays.
I'm not getting a huge amount of help from the bottom puree,
I feel like it could have been just a little bit thinner,
but all around, it's a really nice bite of food.
Ming is right. This tart shell is everything.
Like, the shell is amazing. It's buttery, right?
A lot of butter helped, I told you.
Like how I'm taking credit for that?
[both] I told you.
What's interesting is, now, apple, to me,
is a little bit of the second thought after the tart.
-That's good -- crust. -Yeah, that's really good.
Come on, Curtis. Come on, Curtis.
Look, for me, the chili could have been cooked a little more.
It still feels a little crunchy and maybe just a little more
char on it would have given it just a little more
depth of flavor.
But all in all, very, very tasty dish.
Moving on to the dessert, I looked at that and I was
like, "Oh, it's a bit of a mess."
When you think about dessert, you want it to be really pretty.
-Yes. -[Curtis] And the apples that have been poached,
they're a little soft to go on a skewer,
so I'm not sure if it's a great use
of the skewer.
I'll tell you what, though, what it loses in
presentation, it really makes up for in flavor.
And the cranberries really bring a brightness to it.
-Flavor! -[Curtis] Eats really deliciously.
-OK. -All right.
-All right -- hope! Hope! -Good cop, bad cop.
All right, judges, we have two separate scorecards for you.
We are going to score dishes individually.
Remember, 50 points maximum for each dish, 25 points for taste,
20 points for the use of the randomizer, and five points
for the presentation. -I like what they said.
I think so, too.
And I just like the fact that we committed to an idea.
-Yep. -And we didn't waver.
We're just warming up.
So here to describe the second team's delicious dishes is
the fellow food ambassador, the one and only Justin Warner.
-Thank you. -[Jet] Just let me know after it's done.
Judges, before you, you have two plates.
The first of which, our savory dish
for the evening.
The top sirloin was ground with garlic, onion, some za'atar,
and then skewered to form a kefta.
That was then grilled and finished by poaching in butter.
For canned pumpkin, judges, you will find that is
a hummus beneath the kefta.
And then that slaw was done with the apples, snap pea,
and a little bit of labneh.
Our sweet component -- this is a roasted Honeycrisp apple fritter.
The accompanying pumpkin cream
topped with a bit of poached pear relish.
For the Honeycrisp apple, you will find that grilled
and inside of the fritter.
Now, those apples were also skewered.
The pears were poached in a bit of red wine,
some butter and sugar. -Come on, come on.
I love this fritter. It's really good.
In fact, I started with it and I'm gonna finish with it.
-Ooh, yay. -I told you, I told you.
I love how they use the apple component, and I love the use
of the canned pumpkin in the whip.
I think that's fun.
The kofta, the chef did a really good job
at spicing it up, but then it's just really salty.
-Whoa... -Uh-oh.
[groan]
-She's tough. She's tough. -Mm. Good.
-Chef Ming? -Disagree!
Beautiful-looking tight plates.
You can see the skewer, so visually nailed
the randomizer really well. Starting with the savory.
Mine is well-seasoned, bold.
It's not overly too salty for me.
-Bold. I like that, yeah. -[Ming] It is spicy.
I love it.
I, too, like Michelle, love these fritters.
This pumpkin butter dip is delicious.
This is a perfect combo.
-All right. -Yeah.
-Curtis Stone, what you got for us? -[Jet] Come on, Curtis.
[Curtis] OK, so let's talk about this kofta, because top sirloin,
it will be dry, but then they've poached it in butter.
And I think that's a very clever way to use poaching,
and it's a very clever way to use top sirloin.
-I'm impressed by it. -Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
[Curtis] I love the crunch of the apples.
As a slaw, I think it works really nicely.
The puree is just too salty, sadly.
Duuude.
You never hear that with Jet's food, ever, ever.
I love the apple and pear combination.
They grow together, they go together, right?
That pumpkin whip is delicious.
This is exactly what I'd want served at a holiday table.
So the dessert, really on point.
Oh, my god! Did I make you proud?
You made me so proud! You did such a great job!
Great, judges, score cards in front of you.
Oh, Ash, I'm so sorry.
Like, I messed us up on seasoning.
-Yeah. -Ming liked it.
-But gameplay was strong. -Yeah.
Let me tell you, you can overlook a lot of things.
Oversalting is probably the hardest thing, or overcooking.
They love the dessert, though.
All right, judges, thank you very much.
-More competition coming up. -It can go either way.
You can be surprised, yeah. It's super close.
What a crazy first battle!
[deep breath]
-Here we go. -Let's go find out our fate.
Time to face the music.
Ladies and gentlemen, the judges have
tallied the scores. I have the results.
And let's bring our chefs back in, please.
Chefs AF, Chef Aarón, Chef Jet, Chef Ashley.
[cheering]
I will tell you, both teams, dynamite cooks.
You should be very proud, right?
-[cheering] -Audience? Great job.
In savory...
one team scored a 39 out of 50. The other team scored...
...a 38.
-Ooh. -Oh, shoot.
-Wow, that's close. -Dude.
In the sweets,
one team scored a 40 out of 50,
and one team scored a 44 out of 50.
-[audience] Ooh. -My God.
With a total of 79 for one team and 82 for the other,
the winner of the premier TOC All-Star Christmas Battle is...
The winner of the premier TOC All-Star Christmas Battle is...
Jet and Ashley!
-[Aarón] Man! -[Guy] Congratulations.
-[indistinct mumbling] -[Guy] Congratulations!
[cheering continues]
-[indistinct] -It was such an honor.
-It was beautiful. -[Aarón] Thank you very much,
I appreciate it. -[Guy] Congratulations, Jet and Ashley.
And I think it was a valiant effort, Aarón, to see you come
and cook, and especially with such a dear friend
and the two of you working together,
you did a dynamite job.
-Thank you. -I'm sorry you're going home.
Chef AF, Chef Aarón, thank you so much.
[cheering]
-I'm so proud of you. -I think we did a great job.
-[indistinct] -I just wanted to do that again.
-Me too, I just wanted to do it. -We were ready.
-I thought -- I loved our food. -I thought it was great.
Wow!
Did you think that was yours?
I thought I might have hurt us on the seasoning.
I will tell you this, though. You've won your first round!
Congratulations! Chef Ashley, Chef Jet!
Ashley and Jet, we will see you soon.
Congratulations. First round win.
-Thank you. -Whoo!
-[indistinct] thank you! -Thank you guys!
How do you feel? It's your first win. How do you feel?
Feel awesome! That's great!
First time in the TOC arena. How's it feel?
Oh, my gosh! That was nuts. Crazy!
That wasn't my best cook, straight up.
My pastry partner saved my rear end.
Are you ready to meet the next two teams?
[audience] Yeah!
Our number-two seed team is celebrated chef Shirley Chung
and pastry master Sherry Yard.
Now, Shirley is a fierce culinary fighter,
while Sherry is a decorated pastry chef.
The two are longtime friends, and Sherry recently helped
Shirley through a real-life battle.
[Shirley speaking]
And I just love you, and I can't wait for us to
make memories. -Yes.
Now, their opponents are the number-three seed,
Team Tobias Dorzon and Chef Marcel Vigneron.
Now, Chef Tobias rocketed to the semifinals
his first time on TOC.
And after years of culinary competition, Marcel finally has
a major tournament win under his belt,
and is hungry for his TOC victory.
[Tobias] You tie your shoes, that's when you know
battle mode right here.
[Guy] Both friends know they're underdogs,
but Tobias, well, he has proven that he can overcome anything.
A little over a year ago this time, I was in a hospital bed.
I was shot 11 times.
I was told the possibility of never walking again.
So being here with my guy, you know, ready to take on
everything that comes our way, it's no better feeling.
Thank you for choosing me to be a part of
your comeback story.
Honored and flattered to be here cooking alongside
my boy Tobias.
We're just gonna take the world by storm, baby!
Yes.
-OK...done. -OK.
Sherry's probably got a leg up on us as pastry.
She helped make Wolfgang Puck.
You know, she was his pastry chef, you know, for decades.
-Fabulous. -Hey!
All right. Let's do it, Chef.
Are you ready for a culinary Christmas miracle?
-Let's light this up! -[cheering]
Chef Tobias has gone from professional athlete to
a celebrated executive chef, named 2024 Chef of the Year by
the Maryland Restaurant Association.
But Tobias, well he has proven that he can overcome anything.
Chef Marcel Vigneron has worked under world-renowned chefs such
as Jose Andres, and his eatery, Wolf, was named one of
the top-ten best new restaurants by LA Magazine.
He was the runner-up on season two of Top Chef and beat out
almost two dozen acclaimed chefs to become the first-ever
winner of "24 in 24."
Put your hands together for Huncho and the Wolf.
Team Tobias and Marcel!
[cheering]
-Ha-ha. -My brothers.
My brothers -- gentlemen, it's a pleasure to have you.
-Congratulations. -[Marcel] Thank you for having us.
Let's meet their opponents.
Now, Chef Shirley Chung opened restaurants in Las Vegas to
the likes of Thomas Keller and Jose Andres,
before opening her own L.A. eatery famed for
its best-selling dumplings.
Now, Sherry Yard...
was the head pastry chef at Wolfgang Puck worldwide,
including Spago and Rainbow Room.
Give it up for the Dumpling Mafia Queen
and the Princess of Pastry, Team Shirley and Sherry!
[cheering]
[cheerful holiday music plays]
If you play that music, you should be worried.
-Audience, are you ready? -[cheering]
Teams, let's take it to the randomizer.
Right this way.
[cheering continues]
Now, as you know, the randomizer will determine
the mandatory details of both of your dishes.
-Is charcoal a wild card ingredient? -[laughing]
Let's get busy. Here we go.
Savory.
[cheering erupts]
I'm getting dizzy looking.
Littlenecks!
Strawberries.
-Box grater. -OK.
-Oh. -[Guy] Glazed, and fruitcake.
-Fruitcake? -Fruitcake.
-[Guy] Ooh. -[Shirley] Wow.
-[Guy] Woof. -[Sherry] That one's interesting.
What was the last thing you did, Chef Marcel,
with a fruitcake?
Well, I mean, give it to a friend as a recycled gift.
I use it for a doorstop.
-Paperweight. -Yeah.
Chefs, you have 35 minutes to cook, but I'm gonna give
you two minutes before we start the clock to confer as a team.
Littleneck clams.
Are we taking them out and glazing them?
[Marcel] Tobias is gonna do savory. I'm gonna do sweet.
But at the same time, we're still a team, right?
-Yes. -So, we're gonna bounce ideas off each other.
[Sherry] Strawberries.
I have a reputation.
I don't like to bake,
so my best friends are always pastry chefs.
Glazed strawberries.
Glazed box grater,
glazed strawberries. -Fruitcake.
Three, two, one, and you can begin.
-Ah! -[cheering]
[Guy] And they're off.
The biggest challenge is actually combining all of
the stuff together.
[Tobias] There's many things we can do
with strawberries to make a dessert.
Different ways we can cook the clams,
but how are we going to incorporate a pre-made
fruitcake with clams?
And they're off. Littleneck clams.
They're sweet. They're small.
They're delicious. Strawberries.
You know that the flavor is just next level when they've
had a chance to really ripen on the vine.
Box grater -- everybody knows the box grater for grating cheese,
but it's got a zester on it.
Glazing gives you this nice translucent coating that goes
on there on the outside. Fruitcake is the weird one.
So this is studded with dried fruits and nuts.
This should probably be
the hinge pin to the competition.
[chanting] Fruitcake! Fruitcake! Fruitcake!
[Tiffani] Have you guys known each other for a while?
Yeah, we met on "Guy's Grocery Games," I think it was,
many, many moons ago.
[Tobias] I've known Marcel from previous battles,
but I like to battle with the best.
If I'm ever gonna have to team up with somebody,
I want to team up with somebody
just as good, if not better, than me.
[Tiffani] You guys were not the Christmas coupling
I had on my Bingo card.
I'm thrilled to see you guys here together,
but I'm surprised.
[Marcel] Oh, we're like, the yin and yang.
He's got big muscles, I don't have muscles.
I'm fast, he's a little bit slower right now.
-Yeah. -So, we just like, we fill in each other's gaps.
-[Tiffani] What's the plan? -A -- a play on clams casino.
We're gonna put a little bit of Mexican chorizo
in the clams, once we open them up. -OK.
There's a crumble.
And uh, you know I like people to come early
on Christmas dinner -- clams casino is something that
you can offer as a hors d'ouevre.
I want them to open up in a nice broth.
Getting fish sauce to add to my seafood stock.
See if this top works.
Oh, what do ya know?
-I'm going to make a fish brittle. -[Tiffani] What?!
-Like a glaze. Butter and sugar. -Butter and sugar.
[Tobias] Make my caramel first.
I want it to have a salty but sweet glaze.
-[Marcel] Smell that fish sauce -- whoo! -Marcel, Talk me through it.
-I'm thinking strawberry ice cream, Chef. -OK.
You know, it's a big risk. You're dealing with time,
temperature -- this kitchen is hot.
-[Tiffani] What all you got -- strawberries? -Strawberries.
-[Tiffani] Fresh strawberries in there? -Strawberries in there.
[Tiffani] Corn syrup, milk, cream?
-Sugar. -[Marcel] Dry milk powder.
And I blend my strawberries, but I want
more strawberry flavor.
So I actually threw in like half a jar of strawberry jam
into my ice cream base.
[Tiffani] Talk to me about fruitcake.
[Marcel] That's actually really good, that fruitcake.
I ended up throwing the fruitcake in the blender.
[blender whirling]
Chef, you wanna taste the base?
[Tobias] Sure.
It's a little fruitcake-y.
[Marcel] You taste the strawberry, right?
[Tobias laughs softly] Yeah, I do.
[Justin] Chef, when you have a plan, lay it on me.
[Shirley speaking]
-[Justin] Got it. -[Shirley] Whoo!
-[Justin] Glazing now, Chef? -[Shirley] Yep.
Beautiful.
-That is a dense fruit cake. -It is.
-Yum. -[Shirley speaking]
[Guy] How are you putting this in with the clams?
When was the last time you had fruitcake, Chef?
-You like fruitcake? -Yeah.
-OK, good. -[Justin] Chef, I'm seeing
the sugar and corn syrup. Uh...
I'm seeing the dairy items on the side.
Are we gonna see a caramel here?
Yeah, caramel. Uh...
All going well, we'll have a Christmas morning
pain perdu, otherwise known as French toast.
I'm familiar, Chef. I'm liking it.
[Sherry] It'll be beautiful together.
As the butter is browning, I put up a pot with milk and heavy cream.
Box grater, box grater.
And I'm gonna grab all my ingredients that are gonna
add flavor -- orange, the lemon, and ginger.
What's the difference between pain perdu
and regular French toast?
What you charge on the menu, Chef.
-Thank you. -You got it.
So rumor has it there's some chefs out there that might be
a little intimidated that I'm here.
Look at me, little ol' me.
That said, I have been baking for so many years,
and I've done everything from ice cream to sugar sculptures.
Gorgeous. Happy.
A dessert in a short period of time?
I don't know. We'll have to see whether
or not I can pull that off too.
Less than 20 minutes to go -- what do they do with the fruitcake?
[Tobias] This is, like, the nastiest thing
ever in life.
I know clams casino, you finish it off with, most of
the time, breadcrumbs, but you can use the fruitcake and some garlic.
-Mm. Mm-hmm. -[Marcel] Mm-hmm?
-Mm-hmm. -Mm-hmm.
[Tiffani] Mm-hmm.
-Breadcrumbs and...fruitcake. -And fruitcake and garlic.
[Guy] Yeah, that old famous combination.
[Tiffani] Box-grated salad, Chef?
-[bell dings] -[Tobias] Mm-hmm.
[Tobias] I made a fennel and green onion little salad,
so when you're eating the clams and you're getting
the fish caramel, you can have fennel to clean off your palate.
[Tiffani] How's that lookin', Chef?
[Marcel] Great.
-Looks perfect. -[Tiffani] Yeah, it looks great.
Really nice texture.
You got that Sherry Yard on the other side.
-Yeah. -Sherry Yard is one of the best
pastry chefs in the country, if not the world.
And Shirley Chung, she's beaten me on "Tournament of Champions"
before, so I know she's good.
The strength of Shirley just to be back in competition.
I already know that it's gon' be a dogfight.
[Marcel] We got love for every single chef here.
You know what I mean? All of them.
-But... -I wanna get them home
to their families faster. -Yeah, to their families.
As soon as that clock starts, it's a competition.
-Ice cream's made, Chef. -I love that, baby.
Marcel grabbing liquid nitrogen?
Are you serious? What's the game plan, bud?
[Marcel] Um, you know, I'm gonna freeze some stuff
and make some delicious treats.
I gotta do some box grating, right?
So, we freeze the strawberries in liquid nitrogen.
I start grating, and it's like this, like, strawberry dust.
-So, pretty cool, and I was like, "That works." -[[Tobias] It was pretty cool.
[Marcel] That'll be a nice little garnish for on top, I think.
We're checking off boxes.
Right, I got strawberries. Now, we gotta do some glaze.
I'm trying to make this caramel,
get that super thick, really sticky.
[Tiffani] What's the plan with the caramel?
[Marcel] Getting it to a nice glaze-y consistency that I want.
For me, strawberries, caramel, it's a match made in heaven.
Did he just take the strawberries
into caramel and make...?
Sure did. Glazed them.
[Guy] Twelve and a half minutes, Twelve and a half to go.
Now the timer is coming down, I really need to steam my clams.
Deglaze the pan with sake, and then the fruitcakes are
coming out of the oven. -Yeah, that's it.
[Justin] Breadcrumbs?
Breadcrumbs, olive oil, salt, pepper,
fruitcake crumble in this. -[Justin] Got it.
[Shirley] This is the first time I'm combining these two items
together, but it might not be the last time.
Five minutes, teams. Five to be plated.
Five to go.
Strawberries, where are strawberries?
Come and play. I'm on strawberry sauce.
[Guy] They're being grated.
[Sherry] I use the box grater again.
They both use the grater so much.
[Sherry] And put that sauce on the burner
so it can reduce down.
Compression there and heavy cream.
When it came to glaze as a pastry chef, I was thrilled.
-Glazing. -[bell dings]
[Sherry] Glazing. How many minutes?
-[Shirley] Three. -[Sherry] Three?
[Shirley] Hot, right behind you.
[Shirley speaking]
[Sherry] Oh, goodness.
[Sherry] Yes.
[Sherry laughs]
I have my strawberries all around the outside rim.
Fruitcake caramel on the bottom.
Grab the pain perdu. Glaze the strawberries.
[soft Christmas music playing]
-It was a Christmas miracle. -[Sherry chuckles]
Ninety seconds!
[Tobias] I get some of the glaze on the bottom.
Last Christmas, you know, I wasn't walking.
So, being back in the kitchen, being amongst other phenomenal
chefs, I feel blessed to be where I am right now.
I'm just here to
celebrate the holidays with the good people.
[Guy] One minute.
[Marcel] Maybe two scoops, eh?
I take my pre-chilled glasses and do a couple scoops
of ice cream.
I've got my glazed strawberry, and then I'll play around with
all my other stuff that I wanna sprinkle on top.
[all] Five, four, three, two, one.
We're done, chefs, stop working.
[audience cheers]
[grunting]
Both teams performed incredibly.
Where you came up with that in your imagination, I don't know,
but job well done.
[audience cheers]
-[Sherry] I'll take that hug. -[Marcel] Ah.
All right, let's bring in the judges.
Wow, man.
I think we did OK.
I mean, for having never worked together before.
-That was like magic, baby. -Good job.
Your plate looked beautiful. Really beautiful, right?
-[Shirley laughs] -[Tobias groans]
[Tobias] Whoo.
[Shirley] Whoo.
All right, folks, let's welcome back our judges.
The one and only Chef Michelle Bernstein.
-Oh, Michelle Bernstein. -She's gonna be fair.
She's gonna be a really good judge.
-[Guy] Chef Ming Tsai. -Oh, my God, man.
[Guy] Chef Curtis Stone.
[Marcel] Wow. Curtis.
Wow. And they've got great palates.
-Yes. -Great judges.
Judges, for the second battle tonight, the randomizer gave
out the holiday gifts with littleneck clams for
the savory, strawberries for the sweet, box grater for
equipment, the style was glazed,
and who doesn't think about fruitcake?
I try never to eat fruitcake, ever.
[audience laughs]
They're like, "Great, clams and fruitcake."
Mmm. -[Marcel chuckles]
Judges, we'll begin with the savory portion of the dish.
First up, we have sake steamed clams with a soy glaze,
and then, of course, a fruitcake breadcrumbs on top.
For our sweet dish, we have Christmas pain perdu.
The strawberries were run through the box grater,
accompanying that, some toasted fruitcake.
You have the glazed strawberry at the top, and then
the pain perdu itself, which was gently torched with a little
sugar at the end of the cook. -I love littleneck clams.
The clams are nice and tender. The glaze is a great glaze.
It coats your spoon. It's incredibly thick.
Maybe just a little too intense.
It reduced a little bit too much.
I love the use, just like the Italians do,
the breadcrumbs on pastas, on clams.
Really smart use of the fruitcake.
-A really well-thought-out dish. -[both] Yay.
The clams are really nice, not too chewy, but the soy
glaze is definitely way too salty.
I feel like if they would've just stopped a little short,
maybe add a touch of fat in there to soften up the flavors.
I only got three clams. I'm a big guy.
You know, like, this is just a little snack for me.
Maybe a couple more clams would've been nice.
But if you didn't tell me they had to use fruitcake
in it, I'd still like the dish.
I'd be like, "That's actually really good,
and I like it." The pain perdu --
the strawberries get to really sing.
They're bright.
There's a lot of butter in there.
There's a lot of richness and flavor,
the right amount of sweetness.
[Michelle] The crust that they have on that with the sugar,
they did a beautiful job with that.
I know that they were working on a glaze as well with
the strawberries, and I think they could've been a little
shinier, a little glazier.
However, I love that it's not too sweet.
And again, the fruitcake was fun.
It was fun to have the nuts and the dried fruit in there
to have more texture.
The fruitcake in both dishes was not a negative.
It actually helped the dish a little bit.
-[Shirley] Yeah! -[Sherry laughs]
[Shirley] That's good.
-[Sherry] That was good teamwork. -[Shirley] Yeah.
Two scorecards there, 50 points each, 25 points
available in taste, 20 points in the use of the randomizer,
and 5 points for presentation.
A little over-reduced with the soy, a little salty.
That makes me feel a little bit more confident.
Judges, we'll begin with clams Christmas casino.
The littleneck clams were popped open in a seafood stock,
then stuffed with a chorizo and butter glaze
and a fruitcake breadcrumb and garlic stuffing.
It was then finished with a box-grated salad of fennel,
scallion, and lemon zest.
Not to be outdone by clams, we have strawberry
fruitcake ice cream.
The strawberries on the side, they were glazed
with a creamy caramel glaze.
In addition to that, we had strawberries that were
treated to liquid nitrogen and then grated on the top.
A little gift of Christmas sprinkles.
All right, ice cream's melting.
Let's go. Let's get the show on the road.
Pork and clams, I think, is one of the best
combinations, better than peanut butter and jelly
or peanut butter and bacon.
Fennel, so necessary, cuts through all the fat,
gives that a little anise quality.
[Curtis] If you read this on a menu, you'd just get up
and walk out of the restaurant, 'cause you'd be
like, "Fruitcake, clams, and chorizo?
No, thank you." It works.
It's really, really clever.
This chef, or chefs, have got real refinement
to what they've done.
[sharp exhale]
The glaze is really nice, because it's a really
good balance -- it has the flavor of the clam.
Then it also has a delicate sweetness to it, which is not
obnoxious, but the dessert is really sweet,
but I love the frozen strawberry because it cuts
through a bit of the sweetness.
I do agree with Michelle, the dessert is sweet,
but it's dessert, and it's a really well-made,
35 minutes, a strawberry ice cream.
I mean, hats off to this chef.
-Ah. -Mm.
That frozen strawberry gives you a really nice,
interesting balance.
Of course, it's not as sweet as the ice cream, so some more of
that might've been nice.
But the triumph here is this clam dish.
This is wonderful.
Look how hard these chefs are competing,
and they're competing as teams. -I'm having fun.
[Michelle and audience laugh]
Two dishes score 50 points each.
I think if we get this first W, we'll turn it into an M for
some momentum, baby. -I'm all in.
Like, I heard everything.
It's just a different thought process in my mind right now,
just being able to just be here.
-Huh. -Thanks for having me
on your team, Chef. -Come on, man.
Whoo.
-Anybody's game? -Anybody's game.
[Sherry chuckles]
Ladies and gentlemen, I have the scores.
Let's bring the teams back in.
Chef Tobias, Chef Marcel, Chef Shirley, and Chef Sherry.
Well done. What a challenge.
And here are the scores.
In the savory category, for one dish -- 39.
The other dish -- 45.
In the sweet dish category, the judges scored it 40 for one
dish, and 40 for the second dish.
-[audience] Oh. -[Guy] For a total of 79 to 85.
The winner of the "All-Star Christmas" battle between
Team Shirley and Sherry and Team Tobias and Marcel is...
[tense music ends]
[Guy] The winner of the "All-Star Christmas" battle is...
[tense music playing]
-Tobias and Marcel! -[audience cheers]
[Guy] Congratulations.
Well done.
Well done, well done.
Chef Shirley, Chef Sherry, you both worked with purpose.
Both such warriors, cancer survivors, out here
battling tonight. It's been a real pleasure.
-Ladies, thank you very much. Chef Sherry, Chef Shirley. -Thank you. Thank you so much.
-Thank you. -[audience continues cheering]
[man] Chef Shirley!
-It's fine. -OK.
-Yeah, we just made another memory, right? -Yeah.
We didn't know if we were ever gonna see you in
the kitchen again, or a competition, or even see ya.
Yeah.
The biggest thing from my accident, it taught me
that -- Live in your moment.
Like, enjoy every moment, 'cause you never know
when it's your last.
-But you just won, my friend. -Yeah, yeah [chuckles].
Congratulations! You just won the first round!
[all cheering]
-[Guy] There we go! -[Tobias] Let's go!
[Marcel] Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
Come on now. What's up, brother?
-Hey, Chef, how are you? -[Hunter] Congratulations.
The comeback king over here, brother.
The comeback king, baby. I love it.
That's the dream work. You guys are in round two.
-Yes. -Ladies and gentlemen,
did we deliver two fantastic rounds of competition?
And the main event will deliver.
Let's meet our All-Star duo.
From our A division, we have the number one-seeded
team, the powerhouse duo of TOC reigning champ,
the one and only Antonia Lofaso.
-And Alex Guarnaschelli. -Hi, Antonia.
Chef Alex.
-Are we ready? -Are you ready?
They'll be up against restaurateur Crista Luedtke
and Food Network star Aarti Sequeira.
Can you believe this?
Both of them have won "Guy's Grocery Games,"
but Crista has yet to get a win in the TOC arena.
Oh, my gosh! Look at the tinsel.
And Aarti, well, she's a TOC first-timer, which is why
they are seeded number four.
The team that everyone feared, right?
And we get 'em, round one.
I mean, you gotta get through them anyway, so we might
as well get it over with. Rip off the band-aid.
Imagine how everyone's gonna feel when we beat them.
-[Crista] Right. -Then they'll be scared.
Anybody can talk about food, and that is like, it is
the great connector.
But I think when I realized that Crista valued her faith,
and that's something that is really important to me.
You and I are connected on this very deep, sacred level.
I've just always felt connected.
You bring huge, big, bold flavors, which is amazing.
And I think together, our combination of me being
able to multitask. It's a dream team.
Your great strength is that you've won this entire
competition, and you're an amazing cook.
I appreciate that sentiment.
I am still a ball of Christmas nerves.
You and I met on "Chopped" a hundred years ago.
You were my judge, right?
And it went from you being my judge to my mentor,
to my friend.
We've actually never cooked together before.
So this is like a, this is like a first and I'm excited
about it. -Me too.
-All right. -Let's do it.
-[Aarti] Oh! -[Crista] Let's do it.
-Huh. -[Crista laughs]
Are you ready for the final culinary snowball fight
of the night?
So let's light this up.
Chef Crista Luedtke is a celebrated wine country chef
who has won the Michelin Bib Gourmand two years in a row.
[rock music playing]
[Guy] She's an eight-time "Triple G" winner, but has yet
to score a victory in the TOC arena.
♪♪
[Guy] Chef Aarti Sequeira is a super popular Food Network judge,
known for her expertise in both sweet and savory cooking.
She's won "Chopped: All Stars" and season 6
of the "Food Network Star."
Give it up for the contender and the Spice Queen,
team Crista and Aarti!
-[audience cheers] -Whoo!
Let's go!
[bright Christmas music playing]
Ow!
-Whoo! -What?
General, awesome to have you.
Now you have gained superpower forces with the one and only,
-Yes. -the Spice Queen herself.
[Crista] I'm ready to crush it.
I have to say "Good luck to you" because your opponents...
[dramatic chord plays]
[Guy] After a 10-year stint at Wolfgang Puck's Spago,
Chef Antonia Lofaso started her own SoCal restaurant
empire, which include the Michelin-recommended DAMA,
one of my faves.
And earlier this year, she beat out 31 acclaimed chefs
to become the TOC reigning champion!
[rock music playing]
[Guy] ICAG,
also known as Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli,
an acclaimed author and a legendary "Chopped" judge.
She has defeated some of the best chefs in the country
as an Iron Chef and the star of "Alex vs. America."
Please give it up for the Princess Warrior and ICAG,
Team Antonia and Alex!
[audience cheering]
Congratulations, champ, and welcome back.
[Antonia] Thank you. Thank you, Chef.
OK? Nice to see you here competing.
We're super uptight, and I'm gonna make desserts.
-Yeah. -[Aarti cackles]
-[Guy] Teams, are you ready? -Oh, yeah.
Let's take it to the randomizer right this way.
-Oh! -[Crista] Whoo-hoo!
Without further ado, in the big finale tonight,
here we go. -[audience cheers]
[Crista] Come on, come on, come on.
Here we go, here we go, here we go.
-[Aarti] No, no. -[Guy] Chicken, thigh,
pork. -No.
-Chicken. -No, no.
-Whole chicken. -No.
[Guy] Navel oranges, toaster,
peppery, and chestnuts.
-[Aarti sighs] -[Crista] I think I don't like it.
[Guy] 35 minutes on the clock to make this savory dish
and this sweet dish.
I'm now gonna give you two minutes before I start
the clock and let you confer together as a team,
and your clock starts now. Good luck.
What are you doing?
All right, so I'm gonna do fried chicken, mashed potato.
Our whole plan has just been like, "You do desserts,
and I do savory." -And I'm gonna make
an orange ice cream. -OK.
I'm thinking I'm gonna do little mini Bundt cakes.
OK, so you do sweet.
Orange zest, and yes, I'm gonna go sweet all the way.
-If you're good with that? -Yeah, great.
I mean, I haven't had a TOC win yet in this arena,
but it's gonna be a Christmas miracle.
We are bringing home the win. Right?
-I love it. -Three, two, one.
-[Antonia] Go? -[audience cheers]
This underdog team of Crista and Aarti can
pull this out, but these two seasoned warriors,
ICAG and Antonia, I mean, they have got so many
competitions under their belt.
This is gonna be a tough one.
Tough one for the underdogs.
One of the things I think about holidays
that we often forget, is there's a spiritual
component about it, and both of us have a very deep
spiritual connection. -I have admired Crista.
-Don't tell her, though, right? -[whispers] I'm right here.
[Aarti] But Crista has a real heart for service.
We've done a ton of fundraisers together.
Crista will do the jobs that nobody else wants to do,
and she will do them without applause, without recognition.
She will do it just because it needs to be done.
-I am truly honored to be Crista's wingman today. -Same.
-You're the best. -You got a good game plan?
I'm doing a schnitzel with, like, a peppercorn milk gravy
with cardamom, and I'm doing a sweet potato puree.
Chestnuts are going in this puree, and I'll actually try to
put some in the dredge as well. -[Guy] Got it.
It's very quiet in the house for Christmas.
-Not even a mouse. -Not even a mouse.
Whoa.
It's about to smell like burnt Christmas in here.
Are we toasting rosemary?
[Crista] We are toasting some rosemary.
-What's the plan? -[Crista] Vanilla.
Cake.
I can put orange zest in the cake.
I can and put my chestnuts in the cake, like.
So cake, to me, is, like, instantly where I go.
Little beautiful Bundt cakes, they look like leaves,
and now I just have to execute it.
Pastry is something that I tend to shy away from.
I don't wanna measure things.
-But I've been honing and practicing. -Yeah, you have.
-And you've been getting my photos of my late-night -I have.
baked treats -- my wife is very happy.
She's like, "Please promise that you will keep baking
-Yes. -after this competition."
[Aarti laughs]
-Watch out, everybody. -Is this...?
Where's the rest of the...? Oh, did you buzz it?
-Yes, it's in your thing. -Oh, you are...
I got you. I love you.
[Aarti] Oh, I love you.
And that's what the holidays are all about.
Did you prep chestnuts?
[Crista] Uh, they're in your dredge.
[Tiffani] Station symbiosis, A-plus.
Chestnuts ground on Crista's station, using that in both
her cake batter and then also handed it right to Aarti for
the batter for schnitzel. -[Guy] Cake batter?
Yes, little Bundt cakes.
'Cause nothing says "Christmas" like little Bundt cakes.
-Wow. -Cake, cake.
First-time TOCer.
-Yes. -Talk about bragging rights, though,
if we took down Antonia and Alex.
Oh, my gosh.
All right, teams, we have 25 minutes left
in the competition.
[Antonia] Crista is an incredible chef.
It's the holidays, and this dish, I think,
could go from the deepest parts of her soul.
I don't count anyone out.
[Alex] I think they're both great cooks, and I think
they came in here a little bit more uninhibited, a little bit
more free, and driven to beat us.
[Antonia] Justin, long time no see.
-[Justin] Indeed. -[Antonia] I'm doing fried chicken.
Breaking down chicken, I mean, do I wanna do it?
No, but I do it pretty quickly.
Like, I had two chickens broken down in, like, less than
two minutes. Maybe three.
Like, four, but all right, it was two minutes.
What's the preparation on the chicken, Chef?
Fried.
Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, chestnut gravy.
-And chestnut gravy? -Yes, sir.
-Like that. -[Justin] She took some extra
parts there and is rendering them out.
[Guy] So she's making a stock over there?
-[Justin] Yeah. -[Guy] Cornstarch and AP?
-[Antonia] Cornstarch and AP. -Got it.
-What was the yellow color? -Mustard.
I could smell that mustard cooking.
-That's crazy. -I'm gonna make a dessert
that has oranges and chestnuts in it and nothing else.
I'm gonna make an orange ice cream sandwich.
[Justin] Thank you.
[Alex] I started making the ice cream base,
basically a neutral vanilla base,
and I added a ton of orange zest.
And I threw that into the ice cream machine, and I thought,
"I'm feeling pretty good."
I roast my chestnuts, I boiled them to soften them,
and then added amaretto and cooked that down with cream.
Can you taste this?
-It's chestnut caramel. -It's delicious.
Those chestnuts were perfect for puree.
Chestnuts work so good in dairy.
Boiling them in cream, softening them, and for me,
I was like, "Gravy." This dish, the chestnuts
actually drove the train.
[bell dings]
I look at the toaster and I think that I'm gonna do
the most obvious thing on the planet on purpose,
and that is make toast.
I thought, "You know, I need to add some sweetness."
-Chef, you toasted the oranges. -[Alex] I did not, Justin.
See what I did there?
I just toasted the bread and then rolled it in caramel.
Do you like that?
[Justin] Oh, wow, I thought they were oranges.
[Alex] No, that's toast.
[Justin] A little trompe l'oeil.
[Alex] It just looks, to me, like holiday,
like caramel, like a candy.
Do you have salt over there, Alex?
[Alex] Take it. Here.
Round one, keep it simple, four things, tops, and be done
with it. -I agree.
-Antonia? -Yes?
-How are we? -Great.
All right, teams, we have 20 minutes left,
20 left in the competition. -[audience cheers]
Yeah! Thank you!
Merry Christmas, you filthy animals!
Pepper, the king of spices.
And cardamom is the queen of spices.
I'm thinking of this dish as almost like
the day after Christmas.
Like, you've done all of your cooking for Christmas Day
and Christmas morning, and you need a break,
and you deserve one, sister.
So you go get yourself some fried chicken and some gravy
and some mashed potatoes. -And a Bundt cake.
[Tiffani] What part of the chicken are we gonna use, Chef?
-[Aarti] Thigh. -[Tiffani] Thigh?
OK. Save the neck for me, Clark.
-[Aarti laughs] -With this short amount of time,
I have to fry this protein.
And so if I'm doing fried chicken, I instantly think of
gravy, and that's a great place to put a lot of pepper.
And because black pepper gravy is a thing.
Black pepper roux rocking, we love that for a gravy.
[Crista] I just remember with holidays, my family always
making like some beautiful, lovely sweet, right?
And there was always like a royal icing
or a yummy frosting.
So the cream is like heavy cream steeped with
this rosemary that I put in the toaster, the orange peel,
pink peppercorns in the cream, and then like let it rip.
I want it to be like snow, like a ski slope, like just
falling down this warm Bundt cake.
Which is, again, perfect for the holidays.
Yeah.
Antonia and Alex, I mean like the most feared competitors
in the competition, right? -[Aarti] Yeah.
But we're scrappy.
[Aarti] Every time I think, "Oh, I'm not gonna finish this.
I'm not gonna get it done either."
How could I even possibly build a dredge?
"Oh, Crista's building the dredge, OK, great."
[Crista] They also have a fire in the station, but we're good.
Do I wanna put any of it in your gravy and just let it
hang out in there for a minute? -[Aarti] Sure.
-Sounds great. -[bell dings]
I'm like, "Oh, the sweet potatoes.
"Maybe I just need to nix it.
"No way they'll get cooked. OK, uh...
Crista has them, and they're in the food processor, OK."
It was like you were in my head.
-[Curtis] Yeah. -Well, and I can't believe you did
all of that, and then you baked a freaking Bundt cake.
[Crista] There it is.
When the chicken floats, it's ready.
[Guy] What are we doing with the potatoes, Chef?
-That's the mash? -That's my mash.
I'm really wanting to make Robuchon potatoes.
[Guy] Is that heavy cream, Chef?
[Antonia] That is heavy cream.
It's TOC, so I always kinda like go for it.
The first medium was using the ricer
and then going to tamis.
That's where she just gets the best
mashed potato you'll find.
[Antonia] I've done enough TOC to know that game-play matters.
And when you see something on the board like whole chicken,
that means giblets. It means liver.
It's the whole chicken for a reason.
-Just that chicken-liver gravy. -Yes, Chef.
-Got it? -Got it.
For me, peppery is not driving the bus.
I don't want the dish to be overwhelmingly like pepper.
Toasting the peppers.
[Antonia] This needs to be sort of pepper-adjacent.
So using a little bit of like Korean pepper, using a little
bit of Aleppo pepper, using black pepper,
and then using actual physical peppers.
Chop them, added some acidity to them.
A little bit of white balsamic, a little bit of red wine then.
You know, when you eat fried chicken, you want
a little bit of that relief.
We are in the final ten minutes.
-Ten minutes to go. -You good, Alex?
[Alex] My ice cream is butter.
I go to check my ice cream, and it's, like,
a little liquidy. Like, I can't make a scoop for
the sandwich, and I know it.
OK.
The margins are so slim on TOC.
The wind can be by one point. It can be by a sliver.
Am I allowed to use the other ice cream machine?
I'm like, "You know what?
I'm gonna lose this whole thing with this product."
I go and grab an orange juice, and I mix
corn syrup, water, sugar.
The rest of the base I save, creamsicle.
[Justin] I think the ice cream might be loose.
I think we're going for, like, more of a sherbet-y sort
of ice-creamy creamsicle, if you will, which I think is
actually a more identifiable use of the Navel orange.
[Antonia] You good, Alex?
I just made an orange creamsicle ice cream in
the other ice cream machine. -OK.
-Great. -[Alex] If it works, it works.
[sing-song] Pink peppercorn.
I buzz the pink peppercorns in the blender, and then I just
mix it with a little sugar, and I'm thinking snow,
pink peppercorns, Christmas. -[Antonia] Yeah.
Chef, the pink peppercorns, where have they gone?
[Alex] Well, not yet, but black pepper's going in
my chestnut caramel. -[Justin] Understood.
[Alex] And then pink peppercorns are gonna go on my sorbet
if it ever happens.
Christmas is about believing what you see.
[Alex chuckles]
-Fair enough. -[Guy] Three minutes!
Three to go!
[Aarti] To plate, I start with a beautiful little mound of
that sweet potato puree, and then I nestle the chicken
right on top.
I finish with a good amount of gravy.
Biggest concern for me is, did I do enough?
Did I use the orange enough, right?
Did I use the pepper enough?
I know I put the chestnuts in there, but, you know,
could I have done them another way?
Is this plate big enough to take out giants?
[Guy] Two minutes, chefs.
[Antonia] I feel like I really nailed the randomizer
and nailed the challenge.
The potato puree is, like, so luscious.
Then all of a sudden, the gravy sat down next to it,
like fried chicken and a little peppered chow-chow.
-This is great. -One minute.
[Justin] Chef, are you supremeing?
[Alex] Um, supremes.
I go get my caramel-dipped toasted bread, chestnut puree.
I go get my sherbet out of the ice cream machine that's, like, passable.
Second ice cream.
I made butter, so I pivoted and made creamsicle.
-Chestnut caramel sauce. -Thirty seconds.
Put the pink peppercorn sugar on top of my sherbet.
-[Antonia] This? -All of it.
Use all of it.
It's red, it's green, it's gold.
It looks like the holidays.
[all] Five, four, three, two, one.
-Done! -[audience cheers]
Thank you so much.
We're gonna send you back to your trailers.
-You get to watch the judging. -[kisses smack]
[Guy] Let's bring the judges out right now.
Great job.
We did say, "On a chicken wing and a prayer."
[both laugh]
-We did OK. -I think we did OK.
I like fried chicken, chestnuts, chicken liver.
It's gonna be up to the judges.
Yeah, 100%.
All right, ladies and gentlemen, for their final round,
let's welcome back our judges -- the one and only
Chef Michelle Bernstein. -[audience applauds]
-Michelle's awesome. -She's a technician.
[Guy] Chef Ming Tsai.
-He's tough. -He's tough.
-[Guy] And Chef Curtis Stone. -Wow!
-Heavy-hitters. -I love Curtis Stone.
Curtis is awesome. He's a really good judge.
-These are great judges. -[Aarti] Now be nice.
Tonight, the randomizer served up for this final round a whole
chicken, Navel orange.
Equipment was a toaster, peppery, and chestnuts.
Here to present the first dish, take it away, Chef Tiffani.
Judges, on the right, this is chestnut-coated crispy chicken.
This is on a rustic puree of buttered chestnut
and sweet potato.
Green and black cardamom and the black pepper were
toasted into a roux,
creating the whole chicken gravy.
'Cause nothing says "Christmas" like a Bundt cake,
this Bundt cake was constructed by first toasting orange zest
and also buzzing out chestnuts.
The cream was steeped in toaster-roasted rosemary
and a little bit of orange peel.
And pink peppercorn, then finished again with black
pepper and fresh orange.
[Guy] Did you breathe during any of that?
I didn't.
It's how I talk to my family at Christmas, and then I'm out.
-I'm happy right now. This is fun. -Yes.
We have the chestnut, which makes a really great,
crunchy texture on this chicken.
I'd love a little more pepper in this, because I wanna be
like, "Ah," right? With pepper.
-There's pepper everywhere. -This is a crispy cake.
It has that lovely orange flavor for the holidays.
-What a great Southern treat. -That's right, Michelle.
-Thank you. -Bring it.
I look at this plate of food, and instantly
I think of the holidays, right?
You've got the green, you've got the bright orange.
I do get different hits of peppery notes.
As much as I appreciate the chestnut in the crumb,
a little more would've been something.
-OK. -[Aarti] Sure.
I can't believe they got this cake done in the amount
of time that we gave them.
The moistness of the cake is right there.
I don't get a lot of pepper, and I don't get a lot
of orange. -What?
-[Curtis] Um... -That's good.
No one's searching for the orange in your cake.
Both the dishes
perfectly executed. -Yes.
[Ming] The chicken, moist, super-crunchy.
I wish there were glazed chestnuts on the plate.
-Agreed. -But again,
perfectly cooked chicken and a perfectly
baked dessert. -Let's go to the scorecards.
You knocked it out of the park, girl.
[Aarti] Thank you, but we still have to beat them.
All right, here to present the second team's dish is
the one and only wild card, Justin Warner.
With Jack Frost nipping at my nose, I present
the next round of dishes.
First up, we have fried chicken with mashed potatoes
and chestnut gravy.
Off to the side is a sort of chow-chow.
You will see chilies, Fresnos, and Serranos.
All of those were toasted in the toaster.
No matter what the result, I'm proud of you.
Moving on to the sweet side, we have an orange and pink
peppercorn ice cream sandwich with a chestnut caramel.
You'll find the black pepper in the caramel as well.
Delicious, right? I love this gravy.
Even though the livers are so strong, you taste the chestnut
because of that incorporation.
I like how they toasted all those chilies, those peppers,
to make a little relish. Peppery chicken dish.
I wanna be really spicy right now in my mouth, and it's not
quite there. -We're happy about this.
Yes, it's [laughs].
-Remember whose team you are. -This is not your dish.
-This dessert... -Loves it.
Thirty five minutes, this chef, whoever you are, he or she,
this is a delicious dessert. -You murdered it.
Orange, orange, orange. I love seeing supremes.
I think this is a huge hit, this dessert.
You did it, you did it.
I am impressed with this chestnut liver sauce.
It's beautiful.
I was just telling Ming on the way here that...
-Ow. -...moving over
to the pastry, it would've been nice to see them
actually bake something.
It could use a little bit more spike in citrus, and the pepper
is fun, but I need a little bit more pepper.
There's literally a dusting of pink peppercorns
all over the top.
We're giving them a run for their money.
Yeah, 100%.
Fried chicken is not easy to get right.
In fact, it's quite difficult.
This is super-crispy, and it's perfectly juicy.
Over here on the dessert side, if you're gonna call it
an ice-cream sandwich, you gotta eat it like
a sandwich, and it did.
Of course, when something's frozen, it inhibits the flavor.
And the same goes for orange, right?
If you want this to be really orange-y, you probably gotta
reduce it down.
But for the most part, it's absolutely delicious.
-They're hard. -Yeah.
[Guy] Fantastic. Thank you, judges.
Scorecards are in front of you.
-I don't think we won. -Really?
No. And I think you better start to
wrap your head around that.
I don't wanna wrap my head around that.
-Can we just wait? -[Alex] We can.
I think it's a lot closer than I thought it would be.
You know what I mean?
[Guy] Chefs, thank you very much.
Michelle Bernstein, Ming Tsai, Curtis Stone, job well done.
I mean, we could. We could.
I wanna win it so bad, though.
It's time to tally up the scores and bring the chefs back in.
[Aarti] Thank you for doing this with me.
-Thank you for doing this. -You were the best.
-[Antonia] OK. -[Alex] Come on.
Big round of applause...
-[audience cheering] -[Guy] Crista Luedtke,
Aarti Sequeira.
Alex Guarnaschelli, Antonia Lofaso.
[tense music playing]
The scores are in for the judges, and here they are --
One team scored a 40 out of 50 points in savory and a 39 out
of 50 in sweet for a score of 79.
The other team scored a 40 out of 50 in savory and a 39
out of 50 -- there was a tie.
[audience continues cheering]
First off, let's just hug it out here real quick.
[Aarti laughs]
So, when we come to this type of tie, whichever team
would have a higher taste score would win.
There was a tie in the taste of sweet.
Therefore, the deciding factor will be...
the score of taste in savory. I wish both teams best luck.
The difference in savory was half of a point.
-[dramatic chord plays] -[audience] Oh.
The winner of the battle between Team Antonia and Alex
versus Team Crista and Aarti is...
[dramatic music builds]
[Guy] Antonia and Alex!
[audience cheers]
You gotta say, it's not a win tonight, but that's about
as photo-finish as it can come. -Thank you.
-We feel like we won. -[audience cheers]
Chef Crista, Chef Aarti, great first round.
-[Crista] Go get 'em, guys. -Bye, everybody!
-Woo! -Merry Christmas!
-I mean. -[laughs] I don't know what.
-Like, if we were gonna lose... -There's no better way to lose.
-That's -- that's -- yeah. -Seriously.
-Congratulations.
-You've won the first round. -Barely.
Barely.
Let's go ahead and take a look.
Going up against Tobias and Marcel, who earlier took
down Shirley and Sherry. -We saw that.
A lot more first-round competition that's gotta
happen before we get into the second round.
And I'll tell you what, you're one step closer to
being the champs. Congratulations.
Thank you.
Chef Alex, Chef Antonia, well done.
First-round win.
[glorious music playing]
Barely. Close the door.
We're not going back out there for a while.
We are leaving before they change the score.
We are leaving before they change their mind.
So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen.
But we still have ten more powerhouse duos who are anxious
as a couple of kids at Christmas morning for
their holiday quest to begin.
You've gotta join us next time when six more teams step into
the arena in ho-ho-hopes of becoming
the $100,000 Christmas winners. Adios.
[audience cheers]