Top Chef 6/12/25--"Finito" summary

 

Previously on “Top Chef”: There was one last Quickfire, making risotto in Milan. They asked the chefs to be creative and that it didn't need to be “traditional”, and so Cesar and Shuai didn't make rice but vegetables. Then Tom got pissy about it, but you can't ask them to not be traditional and then be mad about it. After this, we had a progressive elimination challenge. The chefs had to make a polenta dish, a beet dish, and a Gorgonzola dish. Bailey re-made the bruleed Gorgonzola everyone hated the last time, but I guess did it well and stayed in the competition, sending Cesar home. I know the internet has decided if you don't like Bailey you're sexist, but I simply do not want to hear from someone who uses phrases like “big-time yumbo” to describe their food. (click for more)

Bailey says she has learned to trust the weird thoughts she has. Kristen tells her she could pick Bailey's dish out of a lineup and that's a good thing. I don't disagree, I don't know how her food tastes. I don't like aggressively quirky, overly positive people who insist they are a ray of sunshine and that's just how they are. Shuai initially came to the show to win money, but he found himself. That's fair, he's done a great job of melding Chinese food to wherever he is. Tristen makes Afro-Caribbean food, and to be fair he also has done a great job of melding things, just like Shuai. But he's done nothing but talk about cooking with purpose and being an example, and it's clear he thinks this makes him better than the other two chefs. I know this could be editing, just like the editors could have picked out all of Bailey's “quirky” confessionals.

The final three get to go see da Vinci's painting of The Last Supper. First of all, this thing takes up the entire wall and I'm not sure that size comes through in photos. Everyone talks about how they felt something about this painting and related it to their food, and overall it just makes me roll my eyes. I can't even condemn them for it because you know the producers made them come up with shit to say. Bailey claims this is a painting of a moment that's been depicted hundreds of times, just like how thousands of people make Italian food but she's unique. Shuai is taking stuff from his family, to pass it on, just as the painting has lasted through generations. Tristen has noticed that Judas is the only black person in the painting so he is feeling the oppression. See? Those were all pretty pretentious. But you know the show took them to look at the painting and then made them do confessionals to relate it to their cooking, and at least one of them will make you roll your eyes because that's how the show works.

Anyway here are Tom and Kristen out in the courtyard for the final instructions. Four course progressive meal, with eliminated contestant sous chefs. They got to choose, and we don't know if there were any fights or anything. I kind of like it when they just get randomly assigned, but whatever. Bailey picked Lana, because they are besties, I guess. They both do that thing where you grin and tilt the top half of your body from side to side. Shuai picked Paula, because of how much she sacrificed during Restaurant Wars. Tristen has Zubair, because he will understand the spices. Not Corwin? Interesting. Some time to plan, then 2,000 euro at “a variety of local markets”. They should all have a plan at this point. Right? I don't think anyone goes to the finale and thinks they're going to wing it. 5 hours to prep and cook today. 2 hours to cook tomorrow, to serve the judges and an “impressive” lineup of guests. Lots of famous people listed, none of which are Blais, whom we saw in the previews.

Obviously Tristen is making Afro-Caribbean cuisine and “a little history lesson”. Shuai is making Chinese techniques and things he likes. Bailey wants to keep it quirky and then she says “giro stravagante”, which means “eccentric turn”. You know, she's not the first person to do “whimsical” and I wonder if I dislike her because the other people were not whimsical themselves. They just made weird shit. But it's annoying to use a foreign phrase to sound more impressive, and it's annoying to decide your diners need a history lesson. Don't get me wrong, I've been to a dinner that was a history lesson. But I knew that going in, I didn't get there and get a lecture. Sorry, I gotta stop or I'm not going to get through this.

See, Tristen is planning to make doro wat, which is the national dish of Ethiopia, because Italy tried to invade Ethiopia and he wants to have a nod to that. He also says “dorengo” is short for “doro wat” which it is not. I suspect that's Italian for “doro wat”, but I can't confirm that. Googling “dorengo food” caused Google to make me prove I'm not a robot so I still don't know. He's making osso buco with oxtail as a nod to Trinidadian cuisine. Shuai wants to make a raviolo that tastes like a soup dumpling. Then he says he is also thinking about osso buco, but with ribs? Osso buco is usually lamb shanks, but cooked for a long time, so replacing the shank with ribs or with oxtail makes sense. He also says he wants to make grits and not polenta, even though I think the only difference between grits and polenta is the coarseness of the grind? Bailey does not seem to be making osso buco or any variation thereof. Everyone is making desserts today.

Shopping is fun, no supermarkets. Shuai buys a lot of seafood. I mean everyone buys seafood, but Tristen jokes that Shuai is spending. You know what, I take back what I said about Bailey being annoying with the Italian. Because Tristen is also not labeling his dishes in English. I'm not sure if they have a time limit today. There is a small argument about Tristen taking all the cilantro. Tristen says something respectful about Shuai but it's Shuai who says something nice about Bailey. Oh it's a rotation. Hmm. I thought that was going to be a thing where they talked about each other but like, Tristen doesn't respect Bailey or something.

Five hours to cook today. Tristen splits a plastic cutting board and Shuai says “calm down Massimo”. He does joke about how this feels like Restaurant Wars again. He hopes his soup dumpling raviolo is good or he'll never be allowed back into Italy or China. Paula mentions they are focusing on the osso buco and stocks, because anything that has gelatin needs to set overnight. Bailey is being inspired by Canada, so she's making pasta she's never made before. She's also making a course that's a nod to Sarah Grueneburg from Top Chef: Texas. Yeah the internet is gonna love that one. Tristen says he's trying to “uncolonize colonized dishes”. As he toasts spices, it's basically chemical warfare and everyone else starts coughing. It's kind of a dick move, although I'm not sure how else he's supposed to toast spices?

Tom Time! Bailey says she wanted to make a menu consisting of everyone and everywhere that has inspired her on her journey. Is that bad? I mean that's what Vinny was doing all the time and he got nailed for it. Tristen complains that he got “discredited” for trying to do his own stuff in the places he was getting classical training. I mean they do that. Even if you were just trying to be creative, you can't come in and be in training and just do your own thing. You gotta get your own place. Shuai says his food is Chinese but not really Chinese? It's whatever he likes? He might not be focused enough. Before he leaves Tom says the finalists (only) are invited to another restaurant to hang out tonight.

Tristen ladles jus over some of his meat and wraps it in plastic wrap so it will look like osso buco. Lots of packing. Tristen hasn't decided which fish he wants for his first course tomorrow, so he's marinated both and he'll test cooking tomorrow. Shuai is worried about his raviolo, but not much else.

The three finalists head to the other restaurant, dressed nicely. Or maybe it's a house? Inside Kristen and Tom and Gail are cooking. The table is set with a ton of antipasto, and as the three enter, Tom pops out of a doorway in a T-shirt and apron and says they're just finishing cooking, so go ahead and sit down and start noshing. They don't do this every year so I think they're really excited. Shuai is kind of freaking out. When else are they going to get this experience? There is so much food, and then Kristen, Tom, and Gail come out and sit with them. I really like when they do this. It makes the judges less scary and I think it keeps the finalists from spiraling. Kristen says she's loved getting to know them through their food. Tom says it's exciting every season, he kind of mentors people and that's what he loves. You can foster this sensation in your kitchen based on who you hire and that's worth it.

In the morning the sous chefs come back. I guess we've gotten over surprising the finalists with no help, which is good. A lot of pushing and making sure they start on things like cakes and pasta. Shuai's gelatin set up nicely so he's grating it for the dumplings. In case you didn't know, that's how soup dumplings work. You make the soup and let it set up overnight into like a solid jelly. Then you cut it up small and make the dumplings. When you cook them, the jelly melts back into broth. But obviously you can't have the gelatin melt before cooking. Desserts are starting. 45 minutes left and Shuai is frying pani puri and Tristen is cooking fish. He has monkfish and cod, and neither one is a disaster. Monkfish is easier to overcook, but cod has less texture. He tells Zubair they're going to fire fish with six minutes left. He still hasn't made a decision because he's just going to fire both of them. Bailey chars octopus.

The judges arrive, and Blais is here with the most ridiculous hair he has ever had. It's not a mohawk, but it is very tall. Oh and Gregory is here too. Nice. Tom tells the judges everyone has discovered their own style. Yeah that is very true. Tristen finally makes a decision with like, a minute to go.

First course comes out, and Tom makes a comment about how monkfish is “interesting”. Bailey talks a lot about paying homage to everyone who influenced her, but also putting her own spin on things. Bailey: polpo e mozz, tomato dashi, and giardiniera. She says this is influenced by her first line cook job in a Japanese restaurant, but cheese isn't Japanese. Also you could have used the Japanese words instead of “octopus and mozzarella” but in Italian. Shuai says Chinese food can take many forms. Shuai: pani puri with scarlet shrimp, aji verde, salsa macha, and gazpacho verde. OK but pani puri is Indian? Come on guys. Also I'm a terrible person and I immediately wish Padma were here to judge this. Tristen says that he always thought “his” cuisine wasn't valued at “tables like this”. Are you trying to guilt them into giving you the win? Tristen: monkfish with pickled turnips, tempura broccoli, and baccala mbongo. Blais says if this was a fight, they all came out and punched each other in the face. The char on Bailey's octopus was balanced by the mozzarella, which was her plan. A strong dish. Shuai's dish had a ton of flavor but it was all balanced in a single bite. Tristen's dish is simple but perfect, but one person thinks the fish was undercooked. Tom says it looked that way, but when he ate it, it was fine. It's right exactly on the line.

Tom says that was so good, he wants to go to the kitchen to encourage them. Which he does. At first I feel like no one acknowledges him which is hilarious. But they're not expecting him. I don't think he's ever done that before. Someone, I can't tell if it's Lana or Bailey, says “Daddy says it's good” which is so cringey. Zubair loves Tristen's injera shrimp toast. Shuai's raviolo test came out a little dry, so he is starting to panic. Instead of steaming them in the combi, he's poaching them. There's more of a chance of leaking, but they have to be cooked.

Bailey: porcini and robiola anolini alpini with cabbage, pecan, and brodo. It's filled pasta in a soup. She says the episode in the mountains when they were foraging was “the most important challenge”. Shuai: soup dumpling raviolo with pork and king crab, charred leek vinaigrette, and lardo. Tristen finally explains why he kept claiming “dorengo” was a thing. He's combining “doro wat” and “chicken morengo” to make another dish. That really was not clear. Tristen: pollo “dorengo” with injera shrimp toast and shellfish jus. Chicken “morengo” is a chicken stew with tomatoes and also an egg and crayfish. So I guess that's where the shellfish came from. They love the shrimp toast and the seasoning is perfect. Bailey's dish is “wholesome” and the mushrooms are in season. Nostalgic. Shuai understands flavor and balance, but there isn't enough soup. It looks like they know there is a version that's perfect but this one is not quite there.

Lana is cooking proteins for Bailey, and she says if the roles were reversed she'd do it herself, but Bailey is in charge. Shuai is grateful for Paula. Bailey is now going through the fish Lana has cooked, and she says it's overcooked, but they don't have time to refire it. Lana offers, but Bailey is like “oh no no” as if it's fine.

Bailey: blackened orata with calabrian chili crunch, whipped tahini, Brussels sprouts, and beets. When she's talking about who inspired her, she says Sarah Monteverde. Who is that? Why different names here and in confessional? Shuai: tangcu ossobuco with sweet and sour sauce, radicchio, long beans, and grits. Tristen: oxtail Milanese crepinette with Carolina gold rice grits, curry butter, and bone marrow gremolata. Bailey had great flavors but her fish was overcooked. Gail says it wasn't the “sunny, happy food” she thinks Bailey always makes. Tristen took the time to make a huge portion of oxtail and bone marrow. It's perfect. Shuai's dish is rustic with a lot of things happening. The meat isn't as rich as a veal shank would be and there is maybe too much cheese in the grits.

Bailey: torta di pizzelle with zucca, mascarpone cream, and espresso stracciatella gelato. It's a cake slice with roasted squash. She says “zucca is one of my favorite pastas” but “zucca” means “pumpkin”. I went to look it up because I thought zucca was a pasta shape. You know those flat, light cookies you make with a press, that are like the size of a salad plate? It's a stack of those with roasted squash filling. Shuai: ambrosia—pear and orange jello, pistachio, Italian meringue, and coconut. It's based on ambrosia salad, which is fruit salad with cream and marshmallows. Very Southern and low-brow. Tristen: tropical root vegetable cake with chutney, charred plantain cream, and cassareep sorbet. Cassareep is cassava root syrup with spices. He says that he paired this cake with different roots he found “here”, so I'm not sure why the chyron says “tropical root”. Bailey brought it home and her style is obvious. Every bite of Shuai's dish is different and it's cool. Tristen was interesting, but Blais complains that the ice cream is too spicy. Kristen says maybe she can't say if it was good or bad, but she appreciates it 100%. Tom claims this is the future of food.

Judges' Table. This meal was exceptional. Bailey talks about working on her confidence which is why she put octopus and mozzarella together. Or “octo and mozz”. Will you please just use the regular words for things. “Who are we to judge them if they're happy together living their lives?” Did you just try to use Pride Month language for putting seafood and cheese together. This dish might have been amazing but I'm so irritated by how she speaks. Anyway the dish worked, and was very interesting, and they all praise her for being amazing. Shuai wanted a lighter bite for the first course, and he managed to get it perfectly balanced. Tristen seasoned everything perfectly, but Tom points out the cook on the fish. He did like it though.

Bailey talks about mountains or whatever. Her pasta was beautifully made and they loved the addition of pecans. Shuai admits he poached his soup dumplings. It's almost there, it just needs a little bit. Tristen nailed the chicken doro wat and they all loved the shrimp toast. I am curious about injera shrimp toast.

Bailey talks about her blackened fish, but it was overcooked. Gail says the first two dishes were “unmistakably Bailey” and then this third dish was Sarah. Shuai talks about his grandmother and grits. There was a lot going on, although it sounds like individually each piece was fine. Tristen's dish looked like an Italian dish, but the minute you ate any of it it was clearly Trinidadian.

Bailey wanted to make a roasted squash dessert. Someone else has done that, right? I know somewhere in the past 22 seasons of this show is a roasted pumpkin or roasted butternut squash cake or something. Gail acts like Bailey is a genius. Putting squash in dessert is not new. Pumpkin pie exists FFS. Shuai made ambrosia, and Kristen says it was playful and a great way to end the meal. Tristen's dish was complex, and Tom loved it, although maybe some people thought it was too busy.

Tom says this is everything you can ask for in a finale. They tend to go course by course, but these three meals are all different. They're trying to accomplish different things, so Tom doesn't want to compare courses. This feels suspicious but I don't know why. Listen, I know the producers don't interfere with this show the way they do in most other shows, but that doesn't mean Tom doesn't have an agenda and Tom doesn't manipulate the other judges to get his way. I'm not saying that's what he's doing here, it's just that changing up the judging criteria last minute makes me ask if comparing courses to each other would cause your favorite to lose.

The three finalists have gone outside and Tristen is saying he's a dweeb, he knows a lot about food, but sometimes Bailey says stuff and he has no idea what she's talking about. That doesn't mean she's smarter than you. It could mean she's just making shit up. She doesn't know what Tristen is talking about sometimes either.

Gail says that a lot of things Bailey does look like they shouldn't work on paper, but they do work. The octopus had so much depth and flavor, but the fish was so out of place. It was nice, but then it was overcooked and it didn't go with the other three courses. But dessert was very Bailey. Tom calls it “pumpkin spice tiramisu” and you cannot tell me that dish doesn't exist. She knows who she is and she went with it. You know what, I can agree with that. That's true.

Shuai tells Tristen he needs to open a restaurant soon because he wants to eat his food. “I want to experience it in my mouth.” Heh. Tristen had a mission, and every single ingredient in every dish had a story. The chicken breast was perfectly cooked and they rave over the shrimp toast. The oxtail was amazing, and then that was served with rice grits that still had separate, individual grains. And that's a lot of work. The flavors always come together. Kristen appreciates his dessert, but she's not sure if she likes it.

Kristen then floats the idea that Shuai's menu was a collection of dishes and maybe not a through line of a menu. Tom loved it, but the progression wasn't perfect. But the pani puri and the ambrosia salad were people's favorite dishes. The soup dumpling is very close, and they keep talking about how close it is to perfect. But it's not quite there. We do not see any comments about the ribs. Gail says everyone accomplished what they set out to do, which is exciting. Tom tells the table that overall, someone delivered distinct flavors and a distinct point of view he can't get out of his head.

The rest of the dining table and the sous chefs are back. Tom praises the final three for blossoming and finding themselves. They should all be really proud of themselves. The winner is Tristen. He immediately bursts into tears. When Kristen comes out to give him a hug I think she's crying too. He calls his mom and says he won and mom IMMEDIATELY curses and screams. Heh. He makes a speech that it's so important that the cuisine was recognized and he did it for others and so forth. He had a rock-solid point of view and it's not one that we see ever, and honestly I was pissed when people like Eric and Kwame lost out so I'm not as mad as I thought I would be at the beginning of the episode when he was talking about giving everyone a history lesson. He talks about his dad and bursts into tears again.

Alright y'all! Project Runway is officially back! It starts on July 31^st, with Heidi, Nina, and Law Roach. Christian is still the mentor, not Tim. According to interviews, Heidi mentioned to Tim that they'd approached her, and they talked about both returning. Then Tim never got a contract, and when his agent checked (because Heidi had hers) the producers said they had not planned on offering him one. So not only did they say “no thank you” but if you will remember, he and Heidi had a pact that they would not do the show without each other. That's why we got that one season of Under the Gunn and then why they left together. And then Heidi didn't quit this time. Plus! Utica from Drag Race is a designer! Very excited about this. Thank you for reading about Top Chef and I will see you in July!