Fabio He's an impressive guy, man.
He is. He's unexplainable.
I'll tell you what, he turned me into a Fabio fan.
- Yeah. - For sure.
Fabio had the weakest dish of the day,
and I feel awful 'cause he's a great friend of mine.
It wasn't a hamburger with French fries on it.
It was more like a meatloaf.
But by far, the worst thing
on the plate was that cheddar cheese.
Fabio, please pack your knives and go.
I wish he would have consulted with me.
I run a burger restaurant.
If he would have spent ten minutes
and sat down with me, he'd probably still be here.
He reminded me, "this is what I do, Carla.
I do peasant food."
And I'm like, "I hear you. Let me do what I do."
The person we thought did the best job is...
Carla.
It's great to be the last three women standing.
It would be pretty amazing to be a woman
winning Top Chef All-Stars.
Are you kidding me? Ha!
- To the magnificent seven. - To the magnificent seven.
What's up with season four?
What's up with season four? Representing.
Me and you will be allies
all the way until it's just me versus you.
Let's hope we get to that point.
You know what? I almost got eliminated today.
But it means nothing, 'cause I'm here,
and I'm gonna kill it on this next one.
I want the championship belt around my waist.
I'm not like these new-school parents
who are like, "we're all winners."
That. That's bull, man.
Who the Said losing's okay?
In what country is that cool?
Seven Chefs remain to fight it out
for half a million dollars in cash and prizes--
the most in Top Chef history--
and the grand prize,
a feature in Food & Wine magazine,
a showcase at the annual Food & Wine classic in Aspen,
$200,000 to pursue their culinary dreams,
furnished by Buitoni...
And the title that's eluded them all--
Top Chef.
♪ Top Chef: All-Stars 8x10 ♪ Lock Down Original Air Date on February 16, 2011
== sync by elderman == == for www.addic7ed.com ==
♪ ♪
Hello, Chefs.
- Hi, Padma. - Good morning.
Well, we're on our way, and everything's a-okay.
Padma, I swear she's speaking, like, in tongues
or like someone's possessed her.
Can you tell me how to get to...
Sesame Street!
Oh, my God!
Cookie Monster.
Ahh...
- Hi, Chefs. - Hi, Elmo!
When my daughter Zaya was little, Elmo was, like,
her best friend. It's Sesame Street.
It doesn't get bigger than this.
Please meet your judges for this round.
That's Cookie Monster in the middle.
- Hi, Chef. - That's Telly
over there on the right. That'd be me.
- And over here near me is Elmo. - Hi.
My daughter Riley's 2 1/2 years old.
In my house, Elmo's like Elvis.
So if I screw it up, it's gonna be just devastating.
Chefs, your job today--
cookies! Sorry.
Chefs, just make your version of the world's best--
Cookie! Cookie! Cookie! Cookie! Cookie! Cookie!
Cookie! Please! Where Cookie?
Calm down, Cookie.
- Sorry. Me okay. - It's okay. Calm down.
- Ahh, okay. - Okay, Chefs,
I think you get the idea.
You have 45 minutes to make us
the best possible version of a...
What?
Oh--oh, yeah, Cookie!
Yeah, what she said--Cookie.
Do you guys have
any last-minute advice for our Chefs? Elmo?
Elmo would like a cookie maybe with some zucchini or carrots.
- Yuckah! - What do you mean yuckah?
- Eccha! - It's good.
Me think just make it yummy--
maybe chocolate chippies.
The winner of this quickfire will take home $5,000.
- Whoa! - Whoa!
That buy a lot of cookies.
I've probably never made a cookie from scratch in my life.
I ain't even thinking about the $5,000.
I'm just hoping I can make a cookie so I'm not embarrassed.
Can they go already?
Your cookie quickfire starts...
Now!
Run! Run!
Make cookies now!
Look at 'em go!
Yeah. Looks like they really want it.
You're cooking for Cookie Monster,
but you could win $5,000.
You need to take it seriously.
Cookie Monster asked for a chocolate chip cookie,
and he is the expert, so that I can do.
I really want to win this.
She's weighing the butter.
Weighing-- you can do that?
Me guess so.
Me just kind of throw stuff in bowl and mix
and hope for best.
I love shortbread cookies.
Because it's not overly sweet,
I'm gonna add in some lemon zest
to kind of just elevate the flavor a little bit.
Behind-- sha-sha-sha-sha-sha.
I don't fear pastry like a lot of Chefs do.
So I'm not gonna make a chocolate chip cookie.
Th's boring. What you doing?
Well, you said you wanted zucchini,
so I'm making zucchini cookies.
- Go, go, go! - All right, all right.
Okay.
He's doing it with zucchini! Yay!
This is so exciting.
- This me kind of place. - Yeah.
Looks like a lot of sharp stuff over there.
Yeah, that's why we're all the way over here.
I haven't made a cookie in probably 25 years, so...
I just want to get through this.
I've never made cookies before,
but there's a first time for everything.
That's not the first cookie you've made.
- It is. - Really?
- You dropped an orange. - Five-second rule.
Hurry, pick it up.
Uh, Mike Isabella--
it's pretty amazing that someone who eats so many cookies
would be uncomfortable making cookies.
You're gonna serve that?
Have you won a quickfire yet this year? I have.
Whew. Tsss!
19 minutes, guys.
As a caterer, I make cookies for a living.
The first time I made cookies was when I was in girl scouts.
It would be great for me to win $5,000
making something that I make all the time.
Mm.
I'm not a cookie person.
Like, I know I can't make traditional cookies,
so I'm not gonna make a traditional cookie.
But my cookie's gonna taste delicious.
Dale, no potato chips in the cookies!
You don't like potato chips in the cookies?
I've been heckled by a lot of people before,
but never did I think
it was gonna be the Sesame Street guys.
I mean, what's the appropriate response to that?
You can't really curse at them. That just wouldn't be cool.
You guys are gonna like it. You guys are gonna like it.
Dale is just putting stuff together,
like chocolate and pretzels and potato chips,
but he's not baking a cookie.
He's a cookie cheater.
Behind-- sha-sha.
Richard Blais is by me.
He's making whipped cream, and he's freezing it
and calling 'em ice cream cookies.
Richard, be careful.
Is there ever gonna be a challenge
that he doesn't use liquid nitrogen?
All I can do is pray now.
Five minutes!
- Five minutes, everybody. - Five minutes, everybody!
Aaah, aaah, aaah, aaah...
I can't take the pressure!
Oh, it smells so good.
We need bigger platters.
My cookies are huge.
They don't look that nice on the plate.
But taste-wise, I'm happy with the cookie.
There's only one minute left!
Me no can take it.
Five, four, three, two, one.
Time.
Time up. Can we eat?
- Cookie time. - Okay, let's go. Cookie!
Ahh, num num num!
- Y, cookie, be careful. - On to the next cookie!
It looked like cow chips. Well, it did.
They look good.
Miss Antonia, tell--tell us about your cookies.
So I did a chocolate cookie
with a little bit of white chocolate chips.
Just put a little bit of caramel on top
just to get the sprinkles to stay on.
- Mmm. - Mmm, mmm, mmm.
Elmo can definitely taste the white chocolate.
- They're, like, melted. - They are.
I got some of that gooey center stuck to the roof of my mouth.
That was very good, miss Antonia.
Thank you. Thank you.
I'm going traditional-- chocolate chip cookie.
They're cinnamon and chocolate chunks.
Me like the texture.
I thought maybe it was cardamom. No.
Very close-- cinnamon and cardamom
actually grow in the same part of the world.
- Really? - Really.
T.M.I.
- Next cookie. Next cookie. - Next!
- Hi, Dale. - Hi, Cookie Monster.
So I made a pretzel and potato chip shortbread,
glazed them with caramel and chocolate.
It starts off really sweet,
and then it gets--
it gets kind of salty at the end.
It's kind of fun. Delicious.
Num num num num num...
I have a little girl named Riley
who watches you every day.
Hello, Riley. Elmo loves you.
Oh, wow. This is huge.
My heart is, like, melting right now.
I'm the coolest dad in the world.
So I'm calling this an ice cream cookie.
So I made ice cream with zucchini and mint.
Technically, is that cookie?
- You're pulling my leg. - That not technically cookie.
It actually isn't a cookie.
It's an ice cream disk.
And Elmo tasted zucchini. It was really good.
Let's go visit Mike.
- Thanks, Mr. Richard. - Thank you.
What's up, guys?
I got an almond and dried cherry cookie,
and I dusted it with a little rose petal powdered sugar.
You did that in 45 minutes?
Yeah. I'm a little fast sometimes, you know what I mean?
Num num num num.
Mmm. It like party in me mouth.
So I made a shortbread cookie today.
It has a little bit of lemon and thyme.
- Oh. How much time? - 45 minutes.
That's right.
- Elmo can taste the lemon. - And this is coconut milk.
Yes, a little bit of coconut milk.
Did you like the coconut milk, Cookie Monster?
Yeah, it nice touch.
It's really good for your skin too.
- It is? - How about me fur?
It's good for your fur as well.
On to the next cookie!
Oh, no, this last one.
I did a chocolate chip and Belgium hazelnut cookie...
H a chocolate oh, no, this last one.
And banana milkshake.
Oh, these look delicious.
Ahh, num num num num...
Hey, cookie, be careful.
Mmm. Okay.
Thank you so much, Angelo.
Let's talk cookies.
How was that? Was that fun?
Oh, it delicious.
Yeah, Elmo did have a lot of fun.
Who needed a little help?
Me had little issue with Richard.
- Really? - Yeah.
Technically, it not quite cookie.
You know, he's an expert. He's the Cookie Monster.
You don't want to be called out in a cookie challenge
by Cookie Monster.
So I'm a little disappointed.
Angelo, it just different tasting.
It could be a little dry.
Guys, now tell me who your favorites were.
- Two--Dale... - Yeah.
Dale! Congratulations.
Yeah, we loved the sweet and salty mix.
And our number-two favorite is Antonia.
- Yeah. - Thank you.
The only cookie around here
that's chewy, gooey. Yeah.
Frankly, it wasn't the prettiest cookie
I've ever seen. It looked like cow chips.
Well, it did.
Cow chips!
Did he just say
that my cookie looked like ?
All right, guys, who is the winner
of this cookie quickfire?
We got to-- we got to huddle up.
Huddle up! Come here. Huddle!
Okay, the winner
is...
Dale! Yay!
I don't make cookies,
but Cookie Monster, Elmo, and telly anointed it
as the best cookie.
Winning this quickfire is probably
top three experiences ever
on Top Chef-- this was amazing.
Congratulations, Dale.
You win $5,000, furnished by Buitoni.
It was great to have you guys.
Oh, it was great to be here.
- Bye. - Bye-bye.
- Bye-bye. Bye. - Bye-bye, everybody.
Bye.
Now that we've unleashed your inner child,
we're gonna turn you loose, like kids in a candy store.
For your elimination challenge,
you'll be playing for more money
than we've ever given away in one challenge--
$25,000.
It is--we're like, "what do we have to do?"
My eyes were going ching, ching! Ching, ching!
I'm so excited. I'm thinking this could be the one.
Chefs, you're headed to Target.
Target? I love Target. Love Target.
Tar-zhay-- whatever you want to call it.
You have three hours in the middle of the night
to raid the store and grab anything you need
to make a delicious dish for 100 Target employees.
Wow, that's a lot of employees.
I'm exhausted when I leave a Target,
let alone cooking and running around in a Target.
I can't even fathom how hard this is gonna be.
The store is empty, and it's all yours.
And, Chefs, you don't need to worry about ingredients.
Target has an expanded store
with a varied selection of fresh produce and groceries.
You can find anything you need
to cook and prepare a delicious meal
for an entire family.
You'll also have help from designer Thomas O'Brien.
He'll help you create a great dining experience
for the employees.
Chefs, leave your knives here in the kitchen,
because you'll find everything you need in the store.
We can't bring knives, pots, pans.
Everything we have to get, we have to get from Target
and open it up and build our own stations
and cook enough food for 100 people.
It's crazy.
Have fun on you your shopping spree.
Bye.
Arriving at Target, it's dark outside.
The store is dead-empty. I'm pretty, pretty pumped up.
The whistle blows, and we're off to the races.
I feel like Carl Lewis running through the aisles.
Go, go, go!
$34...$24.
This is not really the time to price.
I got to think. I got to think.
Who doesn't want to go through Target
and just be able to get anything you want?
I think it's so phenomenal.
You got the electric grill pan?
No, I've only got two of these--I got to get more.
I wish I could definitely get over into the tv section
and go on a real shopping spree.
That would be neat. The store is large.
You're talking about four or five
100-yard sprints at least.
So there's a physicality to this challenge
that is very difficult.
Are you making pasta?
Tomato soup.
Tiffany made it this far without a single win.
And she's a little goofy and a little loud.
"I'm from beaumont.
I'm from beaumont."
Yay!
It's really getting on my nerves.
This is probably one of the biggest Targets I've ever seen.
I used to work in a grocery store,
so I was there after hours,
and I know what kind of crazy stuff goes on.
And all of a sudden, a tuna fish can
and, you know, two brooms
broke out into a hockey game.
I can only imagine how weird it'd be at a Target after hours.
But right now my biggest concern is cooking equipment.
- Cutting boards... - They're in the back.
I got 'em.
It's like a giant quickfire in Target with nothing.
- You got knives? - I got knives.
Am I gonna get the tables first?
Am I gonna get my appliances?
But why would I get my appliances
if I don't know what food is over there?
It's like I'm grabbing all of these items--
toaster oven, blender, like, waffle machine,
deep fryer--like, I don't know what I'm cooking,
but I have everything in kitchen that I would need.
You have corn here.
There's scallions right down here.
Mike and I definitely have a good relationship.
You know, we help each other out.
I have your shrimp. That's all I have so far.
Me and Angelo kind of came together.
We decided just to try to get each other to the finish line.
You don't see any coconut, do you? No?
I don't see any, bro.
On his season, he was known as a villain or a bad guy.
He gets a bad rap, but I think he's a cool dude,
and I definitely think
we're gonna be friends for a long time.
Beautiful. We're back on track.
I'm grabbing everything I possibly can.
A couple different burners, flat tops,
knives, cutting boards.
The quicker you get everything,
the quicker you can start cooking.
And also, too, I'm not in the best shape in the world,
so it's definitely gonna take me a little bit longer
to run around the store.
Pbbbt. Whew.
Okay. Ha!
What do you need? I got you some more garbage cans.
Thank you.
- Antonia, you like it? - Whoo!
All right.
So we're using equipment that's, like,
not high-powered... There's no flames.
So everything's gonna take a lot longer,
and equipment's a lot smaller.
So it's definitely a challenge.
I'm about to have a heart attack.
Did you get tablecloths? Nope.
Have you seen the linens? Have you seen the tablecloths?
The wrench that is thrown into my plan
is that, as a caterer, I'm thinking
about how I want to present my table.
And I'm doing all of this, and I think,
"oh, my God, I have to actually shop for my food."
Duh.
Two hours!
What do we have here?
You know, I can hear what's going on,
and I can kind of hear, like, Carl seems like
she's a little bit behind.
Unfortunately, there's not a lot of time
to cook a meal for 100 people.
A few of us might not be able to finish this challenge.
Oh, my God.
I'm just-- oh, my God!
Before I do that, I need to find linen.
Everybody else is cooking, and I'm still shopping.
The sauce looked like parrot .
Have you ever given this guy a urine test?
We have less than two hours
to totally raid Target
and to cook for 100 Target employees.
This is insane.
I'm really concerned,
because everybody else is cooking, and I'm still shopping.
Where are the tablecloths?
- You look sexy over here. - What's up, babe?
I'm the first person to start cooking.
That was really important to me.
I want to try and develop flavor,
and there's not a lot of time to do it.
I'm gonna be making a corn pancake
with a seared pork tenderloin
and some braised pork ribs.
This is a blue-collar dish.
It's food you want to eat at any time of the day,
especially at 3:00 in the morning.
My hopes are that I can win $25,000.
It's a lot of money. It'd be great to win.
You got salt for me? You got a peeler for me?
I don't know where it is.
I'll get it for you.
Great job over there, Chef.
I'm doing a soft egg with parmesan cream.
And I have, basically, heating elements to cook on,
not all the stuff that I would normally use.
It does start to freak me out a little bit
that I'm not gonna find the right groove
to cook these eggs.
Tiff, what do you think about my egg?
I think it's fine.
I'm going to make a spin-off of jambalaya.
It has chicken and sausage and shrimp.
I use creole seasoning
which I absolutely love, so I'm excited.
It definitely gives me an advantage.
I really like the dish, and I thought
it would be something easy for me execute.
I need to find...
Oh, before I do that, I need to find linen.
Kitchen...Deco frames.
Okay, what am I gonna do? I can't do that.
I'm nervous. I'm nervous...
I can't believe I'm not cooking yet.
Because I need to cook,
and my cook time is very short now.
Oh, my God, I want to pass out.
An hour and a half, guys.
This challenge, it reminds me of my college days
in my dorm room
and how I was broke and drunk.
All I would do is butter up the bread,
put my iron on it, 'cause I never ironed anything.
And put, you know, the tomato soup in the rice cooker
and warm it up, and that would be dinner.
So that's my plan of attack--
steak grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough with tomato soup.
Looking at the girls' tables,
they banged out, like, tablecloths
and, you know, a centerpiece,
a corsage for the first three guests.
I didn't know this was, like, Susie Homemaker's challenge.
Oh...
Oh, God, I can't even--
I'm about to pass out. That's--
finally I get everything set up...
But I have to cook.
Carla, take some-- breathe, baby, breathe.
My idea was to do a salmon cake
and soup, but I didn't see salmon.
So I'm making a curried apple soup
with an apple slaw.
And I think, "do I have enough time to go and get a protein?"
Just something-- but I'm afraid to leave,
because I don't have much time to cook for 100 people.
Carla gets to her station last,
which concerns me, 'cause I know that she's doing soup.
Soup is one of those things.
The theory is, the longer it sits,
the more that flavor can develop.
So if you only have an hour to make soup,
it's not an easy task.
You got my can opener, sweetie?
- You never asked for one. - You grabbed it for me.
You didn't? I wasn't aware, dude.
Maybe I grabbed it.
I grabbed everything else for you.
I know. I--
you want me to cook the food for you too?
Uh, if you don't mind.
First, my dish was gonna be spicy coconut shrimp stew.
Then it went to coconut pork.
And now it's just a spicy coconut broth
with some vegetables.
But, you know, everything's coming together.
The flavors are getting close, so I feel confident.
I got to set up, Mike, 'cause I'm never gonna finish.
I'm making potato soup with bacon, onions,
cheddar cheese.
Every household in America loves baked potatoes,
so I think this was totally appropriate for the challenge.
It's a little thick.
Salt? Does it need more salt?
It's missing something.
Mikey tastes my soup--he thinks it's missing something,
so I decide to add more salt, add more bacon to it,
and hopefully it's better.
My one soup's coming out good.
The other one, I'm just waiting for it to boil.
Everybody's making soup.
Everybody's frickin' making soup,
and I think it's ridiculous.
$25,000 on the line, I'm not gonna make a soup
and call it a day and play it safe.
Nine minutes.
As time's counting down,
I have 25 plates ready to go.
I got 75 more to go.
And it's the middle of the night.
We're not sleeping.
There's, like, a fog that comes over you.
It's a pretty crazy challenge.
One minute.
I'm not that happy with my soup,
because it takes time to develop flavors in a soup.
I don't know if this is a $25,000 dish,
but my presentation is a $25,000 presentation.
Is that salty?
At this point in time, I'm pretty worried.
My baked potato soup got a little bit too salty.
That's salty. A little bit.
This is the last run. Need a ladle.
Whew. I'm out of shape.
Ah, I'm exhausted.
Ready or not, here they come.
- Hey, what's going on? - Hi.
I felt like this challenge was geared
towards college kids. Okay.
The old grilled-cheese-iron trick.
A little different than my normal ironing routine.
With the product I was given and the time that I was given,
I think I did a pretty decent job,
but I am scared of what I made.
I mean, it's just grilled cheese and tomato soup.
- Thank you. - You're welcome. Enjoy.
If you guys don't like it,
Mikey over there made it.
This is what I was running around to get.
No, actually, this is what I was running around to get.
A little heat in there, a little chili in there.
So enjoy.
- Unbelievable. - Very good.
I actually really like the spicy tomato soup.
I like the bite to it afterwards.
I like Carla's soup.
I don't really like curry, but I think it's good.
Well, this is a first for Top Chef--
a 3:00 A.M. service.
And I'm going straight from judges' table
to a parent/teacher conference.
"Your daughter's great, but the father's very grouchy."
It's not the prettiest dish in the world--I know that.
But I'm ready to defend my dish if I have to.
I think it's tasty. Pardon my reach.
I'd like to introduce you to your judges
for this elimination challenge--
Anthony Bourdain... Chef.
Host of travel channel's no reservations,
Chef and owner of Blue Ginger, Ming Tsai...
Hello.
And special guest, home designer for Target,
Thomas O'Brien. Great to see you.
This is my play on arepas,
so it's a corn pancake with seared pork tenderloin,
and green chilies, braised pork. Enjoy your meal.
It is well-seasoned.
- Apples add a great acid. - Yeah, it's good.
Frankly, I think Richard's dish was butt-ugly,
but it was delicious.
The sauce looked like parrot .
Mine wasn't the prettiest dish in the world,
but it's not about pretty.
- Did it taste good? - Yeah.
The meat has a nice kick to it and a nice flavor.
And it's not, like, overpowering.
It's just kind of a little hint there.
So I did a simple version of a spicy tomato soup.
And it's grilled cheese
with a little seared, sliced rib eye on it.
But I used two steaming irons to kind of
give a nice sear on the top and warm 'em through.
Enjoy, guys. Thank you very much.
- He got a good crunch on it. - Mm-hmm.
It's brilliant using an iron. I mean, he was thinking.
I think he's going for that late-night,
comfort, stoner food.
You ever given this guy a urine test?
Maybe Dale was trying to become an "iron" Chef.
The grilled rib eye was done perfectly.
I know the flavors haven't developed,
and so I'm really nervous.
I hope this dish does not send me home.
I made a curried apple soup with a tomato ginger jam
and a cucumber apple slaw.
Thank you. Enjoy.
I found this soup a little bit two-dimensional.
It's just screaming out for some protein.
It feels like a sauce.
It feels like a gravy to some protein.
Something is conspicuous in its absence,
whether it's meat or protein...
And the flavor just wasn't there for me.
Taste was good, but a little salty for me.
I'm really just hoping that, you know,
the eggs are cooked properly.
That's the biggest feat in this entire challenge.
I have a garlic crustini, over-easy egg,
a parmesan cream, almonds,
and then just fresh apples and On the side.
- This is a ballsy offering. - Right. 100 eggs?
I like the sweetness as a nice breakfast surprise.
Yeah, it's breakfast time almost.
I love the egg, and I think it's perfect.
How we doing today, everybody?
We got some coconut soup.
It's got a little spice to it, some fresh coconut milk.
You found fresh coconuts here?
No, I found coconut milk.
Then it's not fresh coconut milk.
- You're right. - Thank you, Mike.
I had a teaspoon of it. That's enough.
Kind of sharp for me too.
I think there's a good amount of flavor in here.
This is satisfying for me
to have something spicy like this late night.
It's all right. It was too much spice.
Too spicy.
I'm done. Does your back hurt?
My lower back is killing me.
It probably will as I get...
This is my jambalaya.
It has chicken, sausage, and shrimp.
- Thank you so much, Tiffany. - Thank you.
I'm not crazy about Tiffany's dish.
I thought the chicken was a little soggy and rubbery.
It's okay. Overall it's okay.
It's not a great dish.
There's something not special about it.
- Beaumont, how you doing? - I'm doing good.
I think.
Don't be scared. Make it happen, let's go.
I feel pretty good about the dish, you know.
My biggest concern at this point in time is
is I'm hoping they understand the flavors.
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go. Go.
- You take two. - No, you take two.
I have a version of a baked potato soup
made with bacon, onions,
potatoes, and cheddar cheese, blended.
The garnish is broccoli, potato skins
and sour cream and scallions.
You do not need to pass the salt.
It's too heavy and way too salty.
If you ate a whole bowl of this...
- You'd die. - You'd die.
There was really no zip to it.
It was potatoes.
I mean, the other soups had a lot more taste.
How'd they do in this challenge, Tom?
Well, considering how difficult the challenge was,
some of them did really well.
Some of them, uh, just kind of messed up a little bit.
- We had a lot of soups. - We did.
This was, like, the soup challenge.
- I'm souped out. - I'm souped up.
Well, Thomas, thank you so much.
It was a pleasure dining with you.
Thanks for coming to Target.
All right, well, it's a long drive back
to judges' table, so we better hit the road.
As long as Colicchio's not driving,
with those eyes. I got the check.
I'm exhausted, dude.
Is it really, like, 4:30 in the morning?
I feel like I worked out at the gym today.
I can't smile. I'm just exhausted.
Great job, Mikey.
Tiff, ready to go?
For some reason, I am particularly nervous about this.
I don't know if my nerves are getting to me
because I am the only person that has not won anything,
and somebody's gonna have to go home.
I'm could actually be going home,
and I don't feel it here. Someone has to go.
They all know they made a critical mistake.
The flavor just never developed.
It left, literally, bad taste in the mouth.
What did you think of the egg?
I loved it!
This was the hardest challenge
I've ever done.
Tell me the truth. Don't lie to me.
It's 4:00 in the morning. We are sleep-deprived...
Don't beat on my friend!
It's possible that I just might be a little tired.
You know what? They have these
nifty little hoodies just for me.
I want a hat.
I just need a good night's rest--that's what I need.
You want a hat? You can borrow mine sometime
if I can borrow that vest.
Oh, anytime.
- Okay. Bye. - Bye.
That was a hard challenge--
just running around and getting everything.
It was just straight-up guerilla style.
It was just hand-to-hand close combat.
Definitely stew room is a weird vibe.
The sun has come up, and it's the morning,
and we're exhausted.
Pbbbbt...
I'm could actually be going home,
and I don't feel it here.
You usually feel decidedly one way or the other?
Or somewhere in the middle.
I feel-- I don't feel anything.
I don't either.
You know, like, someone has to go.
Oh, my...
Hello. We'd like to see Dale,
Antonia, and Richard. Thank you.
♪ ♪
How you guys doing? Are you tired?
A little bit.
Well, one of you will win $25,000,
so that should perk you up.
You had the top dishes of the evening.
Tough challenge-- how was it for you guys?
I mean, the shopping for all of the equipment,
and the 100-yard sprints back and forth in that giant store,
I was just drenched with sweat. It was just a push.
What I really liked about your dish is
you were the only one to actually cook a protein
two different ways.
So you had the loin that was perfectly cooked.
Then you had the braised.
With the apple, it was a good touch.
Antonia.
I'm always happy to see runny eggs,
particularly at 3:00 in the morning.
I thought it was an audacious move.
It could have gone terribly, tragically wrong.
I thought the dish came out really well.
I was very happy with it. Thank you.
- Dale. - It was nice and crispy.
It was hot, and the soup was delicious.
There was a little bit of smokiness
in the tomato soup from the bacon, which was nice.
I really enjoyed it.
- Thank you. - You got that surreal mix
of goofy and devious.
You used an iron on the sandwich?
The inspiration for that was being broke
and partying a little too much.
Ming, as our guest judge,
please tell us the winner of this challenge
and the winner of $25,000.
It's with great pleasure--
and again, I think you all did an amazing job.
But today's winner goes...
To Dale. Congratulations.
I'm, like, boom! That's rent for a year.
A very expensive grilled cheese sandwich.
Thank you very much.
The biggest pot in one challenge
in Top Chef history, and I landed it...
Congratulations, Dale. You win $25,000
for your grilled cheese and tomato soup,
furnished by Target.
Over a grilled cheese sandwich and soup and an iron.
That's what's up.
Thank you, Chefs. I also need you
to send back some of your colleagues.
Oh, you are rockin'.
- Wow. Congratulations. - Awesome.
You're making big bucks here, dog, you're making big bucks.
I'm trying, you know. Thank you very much.
So the bad news-- they want to see Carla,
Tiffany, Angelo.
Bye.
$25,000, .
♪ ♪
Chefs, unfortunately, tonight is the end of the road
for one of you.
Carla, tell us about your soup.
The texture wasn't good. It didn't come up to a boil.
The flavors didn't meld.
I think you hit the nail on the head.
The flavor just never developed.
And so when you ran out of the garnish,
it just wasn't very interesting anymore.
Right.
I think your soup is desperately in need of protein
or some substance.
Did you consider chicken?
Honestly, I didn't even think about the chicken.
That actually would have been a good solution.
The soup would have been a great sauce
for a piece of salmon or a piece of chicken or something.
But it was just thin. It was two-dimensional.
- Angelo. - The concept was, obviously,
a deconstruction of a baked potato.
I think the bottom line-- where I went wrong is
the soup, based in itself, was just not balanced.
It was too salty, way too salty.
Boy, one spoonful, it was just like, "oh, my God."
- . - It was very rich.
That was the other problem I had,
is it's hard to eat a whole bowl of it.
Heavy-handed on the scallions.
It left, literally, a bad taste in the mouth.
You didn't taste the completed, assembled dish after?
I did. I apologize.
Maybe I just tasted it, and my palate was just fatigued.
Mm-hmm.
Tiffany.
At home, my mom makes this dish.
She calls it red rice, since it's not really jambalaya,
being that it's not cooked in the tomato sauce.
I was just trying to extract as much flavor
as possible really quickly.
And the spice you used.
It was a creole seasoning that I love.
So you used a prepared spice mix.
- Correct. - Those dried spices
are what really got you into trouble.
It accentuated the difficulty of the challenge
rather than distracted from.
It would have been better, I think,
and just used straight-up cayenne
for the heat or whatever
and not used those dried herbs and spices.
We have to send one of you home tonight.
Do you have any final words
before we make our decision?
Well...
I just have a few words to say.
I'm from beaumont, Texas. It's a real small city.
And there's a lot of times you can't...
Dream big enough.
You know what I mean? Like, it's...
Everything's so far away.
And I'm just really happy,
so whatever decision you make--
I'm not doing this today.
Whatever decision you make, it has been my honor
to work with all of you guys, I promise, so...
Chefs, regardless of who goes home,
it has been a real pleasure to have you here with us.
And it's not an easy decision we have to make.
We'll call you back in a while.
Thank you all. Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Beaumont cried again.
What'd they say about the dish?
Too aggressively seasoned, basically--
just too much.
Damn, Mike.
You giving me a high five 'cause I'm going home?
No, you're not going home.
Why do you think you're going home?
How could you get past salt?
It's been such a long night, and it's such a hard decision.
Plus, I think they're exhausted right now.
They're tired.
And they're beating themselves up
'cause they all know they made a critical mistake.
I thought Carla's soup was weak.
It reminded me of the watered-down sauce
they give in tea shops in India.
The cooking never came together,
and part of it is that she made too much.
She didn't need to make as much as she made.
Without having the time to develop those flavors--
protein would have helped.
And what about Tiffany's jambalaya?
Not really jambalaya.
The dried herbs that she really leaned heavily on,
I can't get past that.
Does that ever make anything better?
You know, I think sometimes these things
that you grow up eating, you have an affinity for them.
But it doesn't mean they're good.
You end up with artificial flavor.
Tiffany had the more-is-better philosophy--
just kept adding, adding, adding,
and that was her demise.
There were a lot of problems with Tiffany's rice,
but it wasn't inedible. No.
I couldn't eat more than a bite of Angelo's soup.
I couldn't get past the salt.
As Chefs, we taste, taste, taste.
Even with a fatigued palate when you try that soup,
it was salty.
And then, you know, five minutes later,
he should be saying, "that's just not good."
I don't think he was giving us anywhere near his best game.
This can easily be fixed. He just lost focus.
- I think we have our answer. - Mm-hmm.
Okay, let's get them back out here.
♪ ♪
So, Chefs, this challenge was difficult.
Going into a Target store with nothing but your wit
and cooking abilities,
gathering everything you need to create a dish...
Quickly it turned into a real test of will.
Carla, your dish never developed,
and I think probably because you made too much.
If you'd made less, it would've cooked a little better.
It would have been more of a complete dish.
Tiffany, you promised a jambalaya,
and I think your focus led you to give us
a rice dish that wasn't complete.
Angelo, just way too much salt, and you lost your focus.
Didn't taste everything in that final second.
It got by you.
It's really hard to see any one of you go home,
but as you know, in this competition,
one bad dish will send you packing.
Angelo, please pack your knives and go.
Oh, my gosh.
Thank you so much.
This has been just a...
Very humbling and amazing experience for me,
and I'm truly honored.
Thank you.
I made an critical error of it being oversalted.
I've made over 40 dishes, you know, almost back to back.
That's a lot, and I think I'm just mentally fried.
It's like when you know you're so close,
and you had control, and you just lost control, and...
I know I'm so much better than this.
Thank you so much for everything.
All right, guys.
What?
- Are you serious? - Yeah.
You?
You've all, like, pushed me
beyond, you know, my limits,
and you really made me define myself
as an individual.
I'm just truly honored to cook alongside you all.
Thank you.
, man, I'm sorry.
Of course I wanted to go to the end,
but that wasn't in my deck of cards.
I think the other Chefs, they really pushed me
to get to know myself even more.
One element that's been extremely hard for me--
being away from my son for so long.
I want him to know that I do love him dearly
and that I never give up.
I think that's the main lesson that I learned.
Next on Top Chef All-Stars...
Oh!
I am floored.
Paula Dean, with her beautiful hair,
is right here.
You know, I've worked to get these guys out of here,
and now all of a sudden, they show up--they're like bedbugs.
Fabio, just pack everything.
In true Fabio fashion,
he wanted to do everything at the last second.
You should use some of these
'cause they have the head on 'em.
Just cook my food, and let's cook it
the way that I want it done.
Redemption is slipping away...
Far, far away.
Bye, redemption.
For more about the recipes seen tonight,
== sync by elderman == == for www.addic7ed.com == go to bravotv.com.