Previously on “Top Chef”: a two-part Quickfire
involving amuse bouches for Gail and vegetables for Tom. Carlos won the whole
thing and also a car which made Nicholas look pissed. Then everyone was
supposed to use what they’ve learned to make a dish that could possibly be
served in all of Emeril’s restaurants, if they win. This is the last challenge before
the finale so of course everyone freaked out a lot. Shirley won, because she’s
on a roll. Carlos and Nicholas were the bottom, but Carlos was sent home. Boo. (click
for more)
Last Chance Kitchen: Both Louis and Carlos traveled
to Hawaii to have the last Last Chance Kitchen battle. They each made a seafood
dish, and then served them blind to Tom, Emeril, and the three finalists. Everyone
got a vote and of course Tom didn’t read any of them on air so it could be a
surprise.
Shirley has realized she wants to cook her own
food. Nicholas…is Nicholas. I think I’m OK with Nina or Shirley winning, but
not Nicholas. Nina has done consistently well. Then we have to talk about Last
Chance Kitchen, which is dumb because we’re going to find out what happened in
five minutes. Or less.
Oh, that was the preview for the episode. Whatever.
Nicholas is not here to enjoy himself. Or make friends, probably. The final
three go to some fake party to get cheers. I mean…it’s probably 9am and
everyone is just standing around holding drinks in coconuts and I’m sure this
is just some random thing they set up for no reason. Shirley thinks maybe they
are cooking a luau and shit just got real. Hee. Padma introduces Sam Choy. Padma
is wearing a royal blue jumpsuit for some reason. Recap of Last Chance Kitchen.
Well, just the last episode. Everyone voted for the tuna dish, which belonged
to Louis. Louis won EIGHT TIMES. In a row.
Quickfire challenge. They will be cooking with
Spam. Ha! Oh they try to be tricky about how it’s a “local delicacy” and “Hawaiian
steak”. At least they included different flavors. Louis says they should have
expected it, being in Hawaii and all. True. This is the last Quickfire of the
season. Winner gets $10,000. Sam says he’s the Spam master. The random “party
guest” cheer a lot.
30 minutes. Shirley raves about the view. Nicholas
is lost because he never cooks with Spam, obviously, and he didn’t bother to
learn anything about Spam before he came. Louis seems pretty confident, after
winning essentially 8 Quickfires to get here. The random people ask him a
million questions about his torchon and whatever. Spam foie gras? Sigh. Nina is
also using breadfruit, to the delight of some random woman. Nicholas knows he underseasons
and yet because Spam is so salty he’s not going to season anything.
Shirley: deconstructed Spam musubi with
Spam-infused rice, nori, and cucumber slaw. Some random people get to eat too,
but I’m not sure if they’re voting or what. Louis: Spam mousse with garlic,
chives, scallions, snap peas, beech mushrooms and togarashi. Togarashi is
Japanese chili powder. Why are the chyrons so damn tiny? I can’t read the
descriptions. Is it because this episode is letterboxed for some reason? Has the
whole season been letterboxed and I just didn’t notice? I hate it. I want to be
able to read what is in everything. Nicholas: Spam broth with pancetta, seaweed,
dried shrimp, clam juice, fried egg. Nina: breadfruit and teriyaki Spam croquette
with sour orange and mango slaw.
Nicholas had a “sodium challenge” but the egg
smoothed it out. Nina’s slaw was delicious and flavorful. Louis maybe did not
have enough Spam flavor. Shirley’s was tasty. Sam says that the person who did
Spam like he’s never seen before is Nicholas. Boo. He says he would love to
trade his money for a spot in the finale, because OF COURSE. Of course he can’t
be happy with a pile of money. He has to bitch about something.
Elimination challenge. Tom and Padma talk about
Polynesians and being self-sufficient and how they brought pigs, chickens, and
24 crops, collectively called “canoe crops”. They must make a dish with just
these ingredients. One hour today, and two hours tomorrow. Then Tom tells them
only two chefs are going to the final challenge. Oo, double elimination.
As everyone runs to the outrigger canoe with all
the stuff in it, Shirley totally bites it. Ouch. This is a pretty limited
pantry. Nina breaks down some whole coconuts. She has plenty of experience with
a lot of these ingredients. Shirley thinks she’s the only one with pork, while
Louis has some fish he’s never worked with before. Nina grabs the wrong fish
and breaks it down before realizing. Nicholas claims it’s “his” fish, which is
odd. Did they all claim different proteins and we just didn’t see it? Now she’s
behind, and also she’s realized she and Louis have the same fish. Nicholas wants
to use as many things as possible. Of course. Louis only has three “life-changing”
events, and being on this show is one.
The final four end up back in their swank hotel. Poor
Louis ended up with the cot, but at least he has a door on his room. We continue
the theme of being tourists and go hiking. Maui is gorgeous.
Cooking is going to be outside. Nicholas starts
the pressure cooker. He has pork too, but I think not as the main protein. There’s
jalapeno in there too. Louis is making glazed sweet potatoes.
Tom time! Shirley tells him she’s not losing. Tom
rubs it in to Louis about Kristen and how she came back from Last Chance
Kitchen to win. Nicholas says he’d buy immunity with his winnings. Stop whining
about winning money. You’re always going on about how great you are, so shut
it. Nina says she thinks Shirley is the one to beat. It’s probably true. Tom
tells everyone the winner today will have an advantage going into the last
challenge. Oh and then it starts to rain. Heh. Everyone runs to cover everything
and hope the grill doesn’t go out and whatever. That does suck for them. Suddenly
it stops, so now everyone can recover. Shirley has to throw out some of her
puree, so it’ll have to stretch. Nina is tasting so much her palate might be
numb, but she’s determined not to lose because one little thing is off.
Everyone is here but Hugh! Sad. Gail is pregnant.
Louis: grilled opah with sweet potato and coconut sauce. He gets lots of praise
from the judges. Tom’s is undercooked though. Inconsistent. Blah blah, Tom. Nina:
grilled opah with taro root and coconut puree. Her fish is more consistent but
the sauce might be a bit spicy. The rest of the dish gets high praise. Nicholas:
opakapaka with jalapeno and crispy chicken skin. Somewhere there is a pork jus.
The judges argue about the jalapeno and if it’s too much. They all tell Sam
that this is not like Nicholas and is actually better than usual. Heh. Shirley:
honey-glazed pork with sweet potato and turmeric puree. It is well cooked and
has nice flavors but is really sweet. Uh oh.
Commercial interlude: the judges discuss
breadfruit and how it makes you gassy. Thanks for sharing.
Nicholas jokes about soaking his food in
rainwater on purpose. They all know the judges are going to be nitpicking. Oh,
the stupid video is back. Boo. Louis finds out his fish was inconsistent, but
with good flavor, and Nicholas maybe didn’t do well with the jalapeno, and Nina’s
was very spicy, and Shirley had flavor but was a little sweet. Padma gathers
them all for Judges’ Table.
Shirley talks about showcasing how sweet everyone
is to her. Aww. The pork was cooked really well, and she tried to use the turmeric
to balance out the sweetness. Overall it was sweet. It was ballsy of Louis to
make the dish he did, that was so simple, but it seems to have worked. Padma loved
Nina’s dish, but she could see where it might be too spicy. A very bold
flavorful sauce. Nicholas babbles about using a lot of crops, and Tom says he
seems way more confident. There is still a lot going on.
No dishes were bad, so this is going to be
nitpicking. Louis’s fish was inconsistent, and the best part of his dish (the
seaweed), he didn’t put enough to carry through. Emeril thinks Nicholas actually
thought about all the components of his dish today. Shirley would have had a
completely different dish if she had a little acid. But the pork was cooked
perfectly. Nina’s turmeric was maybe too powerful, and the fish maybe didn’t
stand up to it.
The winner today is Nicholas. Sigh. Whatever.
Padma then tells Louis he’s out. Aww. He’s pretty upset that his son can’t see
him win. Shirley is the other one eliminated. Aww, boo! Stupid Nicholas. She’s
thrilled, though, that she’s found her own style.
Next week: Padma in a bikini, past contestants,
family members? Freaking out. Hopefully Nina beats Nicholas.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment