[Cheers and applause]
Welcome to the Top Chef Season Ten Finale
in Los Angeles.
For the first time ever, it's all taking place
in front of a live audience.
Only two chefs are left standing.
Fighting her way back from Last Chance Kitchen,
after a controversial elimination challenge,
Kristen Kish.
[Cheers and applause]
And the chef with the most challenge victories
this season, Brooke Williamson.
[Cheers and applause]
They've assembled their teams and are hard at work
creating five dishes that will be served
to 160 diners and our judges.
[Cheers and applause]
The first dishes go out in just a few minutes.
Two chefs remain.
Brooke was a prodigy in the city of L.A.
She started really young, and she was killing it.
To win in Los Angeles on my own turf,
it would be awesome.
Brooke, can I borrow your shears?
No. It's a competition, Josh.
[Laughter]
Brooke's impressed me all season long
just in her consistency.
Brooke did a great job here.
I mean, this is really ballsy.
It's really inventive,
and I think the flavors are really good.
Her food has a lot of different layers,
and that's a trademark of a really good dish.
I'm gonna cook the best food
that I've ever cooked in my life.
Who's hungry?
This [bleep] is hard.
I'll say it till I'm blue in the face,
I think I was eliminated too soon.
What?
I definitely think I deserve to be back in the competition.
Of course it is.
Kristen is very classic. She's very sophisticated.
She has always been my stiffest competition.
- Feeling like a winner? - Every day.
This is where I wanted to be since the very first day
that I stepped in Seattle.
[Bleep], yeah, I want to win.
I want to beat her.
For the winner:
A feature in Food & Wine magazine,
a showcase at the annual Food & Wine classic in Aspen,
$125,000 furnished by Healthy Choice,
and the title Top Chef.
♪ Top Chef: Seattle 10x17 ♪ Finale, Part 2 Original Air Date on February 27, 2013
== sync, corrected by elderman == [Cheers and applause]
Oh, my God.
What is this?
- Welcome to the finale. - Wow.
[Whispers] I did not expect a [bleep] stadium.
Okay, chefs, you have your teams.
You know the challenge. You have three hours.
Your time starts now.
Kristen and Brooke have selected their sous chefs,
prepared their menus, and will compete head-to-head,
serving their best five dishes.
The first chef to have three winning dishes
will be crowned Top Chef.
First course, pig ear chicory salad.
I have team L.A. as my sous chefs.
Stefan might be a little scatterbrained,
but he's really quick.
CJ has a beautiful palate, and Kuniko adds
a level of precision.
The first course, we have a chicken liver mousse.
My sous chefs are Lizzie, Sheldon, and Josh.
These are just good people, you know, no egos.
Second course is scallop-- seared scallop.
We have a scallop crudo dish.
Third course, fried chicken.
- Nice. - Fried chicken?
- Um, fried chicken. - Thanks.
[Laughter]
We have a snapper-shellfish nage.
Red snapper with pork cheek.
For this challenge, we both have to use scallops
for the second round
and snapper for the fourth round.
Kristen and I often gravitate toward the same ingredients
and prepare them very differently.
I think I have bigger, bolder flavors
and that's what I will use to win this.
Final course is a black chocolate miso cake.
We have olive oil cake with ice cream.
Here, here's what needs to happen first.
If anyone needs to look at the components of each dish,
I have them right over here.
My vision for my dishes is simple and clean
but nicely executed,
and then lastly, really pretty.
Then you still have to do garnishes on those, Josh,
so I'll need them asap. Right on.
All right, so explain to me what's exactly happening
with this dish, so I know full-fledge--
All right, so we're gonna brine them for an hour.
Got it.
- How you doing, lady? - Over-boiling milk.
The chefs' skills will be put to the test
in front of 300 people...
Jesus.
Including Emeril Lagasse,
Gail Simmons... Welcome back.
- Thank you. - Hugh Acheson,
Tom Colicchio... Good luck.
And all nine previous Top Chef winners.
And welcome back.
Nice to see you.
Tonight, this elite group of top chefs will accept
its tenth member.
Stephanie, either way, one more girl will join this table.
Are you ready to share your tiara?
It's about time. I'm definitely ready.
In just a few minutes, Kristen and Brooke
will be sending out their first dish
to the diners and the judges.
Did you ever expect this?
Being in front of a live audience,
my family, and the nine past winners
adds a whole nother level of stress and anxiety.
- Tell the first course again. - Pig ear salad.
Um, six-minute egg, apricot puree,
candied kumquat, fried pig ear.
Okay, just up?
Just not all the way up. Just make sure they don't fry.
Yeah.
I have a version of this dish on my menu at the triple.
It's a play on frisee lardon.
The eggs need to be perfect,
and the pig ears need to be crisp
and braised for long enough so that they're tender as well.
[Cheers and applause]
I've made chicken liver mousse many times.
I've made it in my sleep.
Prunes, hazelnuts.
Sheldon, can you just grab the hazelnuts out?
Yes, Chef, got it.
I think my biggest weakness is cooking for this many people.
For the past two years, I cooked for ten people.
It's an obscene amount of pressure
with five courses.
I have Lizzie butchering for the fourth course,
Sheldon busting out those scallops,
and Josh beginning dessert.
I just need to stay calm and try not to throw up.
[Exhales]
Something's burning.
[Sizzling]
CJ's, like, completely burning those pig's ears.
I can't even begin to explain.
And standing there, watching it too.
Right.
[Bleep], I really need this--
Uh-oh.
[Cheers and applause]
Wow, this is it.
You can feel the tension, you know?
Just walking in here, you can feel it.
It's very exciting.
I hope they revel in it more than just get
totally anxiety-prone by it. Mmhmm.
[Cheers and applause]
Look at that. That's pretty bad-ass.
Holy [bleep] show.
All: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two,
one! [Cheers and applause]
Time's up, ladies.
Please come serve your dishes.
[Dramatic music]
♪ ♪
Let's start with you, Kristen.
So this is a chicken liver mousse
with frisee, mustard, prune, hazelnuts, and pumpernickel.
It tastes like chicken liver that was seasoned properly.
Kristen, this is not the first time
we've seen chicken livers from you in the competition.
I love the mousse.
I love how you treated the chicory,
and it was very simple and very classic
and certainly very you, so I really enjoyed the dish.
Thank you.
The chicken liver mousse was really well-seasoned,
nicely put together.
I think it had a good balance.
I'll take chicken liver mousse almost any way
you give it to me,
and yours was absolutely perfect.
It had such a velvety, airy texture.
I felt that the lettuce and the croutons
were piled on top of the mousse though,
so it was sort of hard to find it.
Brooke?
I've prepared a crispy pig ear and chicory salad
with a six-minute egg, an apricot jam,
and candied kumquats.
- Tastes good. - Huh? You like this one?
The three eggs weren't seasoned,
but they were both tasty.
Brooke, I thought the dish had great flavor.
I liked the egg together with the puree.
It all worked nicely.
I feel the same way. I loved the dish.
The one problem that I had is that my crackling
were overcooked.
I wanted them to have a little bite to them still,
like, without them being super crunchy.
Brooke, I loved your dish.
My pig ear was crunchy and delicious and not burned,
like some of the other people.
The salad dressing's awesome.
You've got a thing with salad dressing that's just--
you know balance really well in dressing,
and that's key. I mean, it's--
it's a really important attribute.
Brooke and Kristen, it's time to find out
who wins round one.
The first chef to win three rounds
wins the title of Top Chef.
Hugh, who served your favorite dish,
Kristen or Brooke?
Kristen.
I just thought it was a really beautiful mousse,
and it was a really clean plate.
- Gail. - Kristen.
I absolutely loved the combination of velvety
chicken liver mousse and crunchy toasted hazelnuts.
Kristen, that's two votes for you.
One more vote, and you win this round.
Emeril.
- Kristen. - Thank you.
Kristen, you take this round. Congratulations.
Thank you very much.
[Cheers and applause]
Brooke, you need to catch up.
Chefs, you can get back to the kitchen. Thank you.
What'd they say?
Uh, that they were both awesome.
Kristen's was perfect.
- Is that what they said? - It sounded that way.
There were execution errors on my first dish.
I won't let that happen again.
Two of the country's brightest culinary talents
continue their fight for the title after this.
Welcome back to the Top Chef finale,
where Brooke and Kristen are going head-to-head,
cooking scallops in round two.
Yeah, I think there's plenty.
Sheldon, can you make a cure?
Four parts salt, one part sugar,
lavender and citrus zest.
Winning the first round feels fantastic,
but I can't let it go to my head.
I want to keep pushing simple and clean,
so my idea with the scallop is to serve them raw.
I'm just going to do something that I like,
that I know is beautiful, and tastes great.
How you doing on those scallops, Kuniko?
We need to wash it really well.
Yeah, they're really Sandy.
It's disappointing that I didn't get any votes.
The pressure's on now to even the score.
They're huge.
I would say that, we could cut in half.
- Half, okay. - Yeah.
So I'm making a seared scallop on top of brandade
with Meyer lemon, black currant and mustard seed vinaigrette,
and some crispy speck with juniper.
My goal is to get a really wide spectrum of flavors
on this plate.
- Hey, Kristen. - Yeah?
- I chose light blue. - Light blue for what?
- For the baby's bedroom. - Shut up.
[Laughs]
Uh, this is gonna be a vinaigrette.
Okay.
Gonna add just a little whole grain mustard,
a little red wine vinegar.
You know, it's amazing what you can get when you have
two of the identical proteins cooked by two different people
in entirely different mind-sets.
Kristen, on that cure, you want it just dry, like--?
- Yup, just pack 'em in. - Okay.
CJ!
[Cheering]
What's up, guys?
You can add a little Meyer lemon and zest.
- Zest? - And start with the scallop.
Why do you want to win this?
- I have a four-year-old son... - Right.
And I don't get a whole lot of opportunities
to do exciting, adventurous things.
My son is 99% of the reason why I'm doing Top Chef.
I want to show him that he can overcome any fears.
I think you just earned your way to Seattle.
Thank you.
I have a lot of phobias that I don't want to pass on...
My fear of heights.
God. Oh, my God.
I have a fear of boats,
helicopters.
I think facing my fears will make me
a better example for my son.
Are you worried about me, Josh?
Yeah, a little.
Brooke has these phobias, but when she's in the kitchen,
she's a force to be reckoned with.
Brooke, baby.
How many ingredients do you have, Bart?
Just enough to whup your ass.
Oh!
We know Brooke.
I heard that the boys interviewed for you.
- Really? - Yeah.
[Laughter]
And I didn't hire you? Sorry.
What did you think of Brooke's dukkah chicken?
Why the [bleep] they don't have no bone?
Where are the bones? [Laughs]
I've never had lamb-stuffed squid before.
Mmm. Damn, this is good.
Oh, my God, it's got every flavor.
Brooke, I like the way her brain works.
I like the way she operates.
She's a great chef.
I thought the broth was beautifully seasoned.
I'm gonna debone frogs' legs.
She's wildly talented and creative,
using a ton of different combinations
that I could never, ever think about.
I would say frogs' legs and mussels...
- That's new. - Are new.
My child gave me this for luck and said,
"mama, I want you to have the lizard."
That's the guy that made me win, right there.
If there was one thing that I had to say to my son,
it would be, "I hope to make you proud, be brave,"
and conquer everything that he wants to do in life.
Brooke, you're moving on to the finale.
To win the title of Top Chef, that would mean the world to me.
This is the coolest thing I've ever done in my whole life.
[Laughs]
[Cheers and applause]
They all have Meyer lemon on them and juniper?
Oh, no, they don't.
Ever imagine that, at this moment,
you'd be watching Brooke in the finale of Top Chef?
I want to say I thought she'd be in the finale.
I'm really proud.
And I bet Hudson would be too if he could have stayed awake.
- He would be. - [Laughs]
He's so excited, he passed out.
You know what, I don't blame him.
Get the nap in while you can.
He knows how to do it.
Now, mom and dad, when did you first realize
that Brooke was going to become a chef?
Well, most kids watch cartoons when they're five years old,
but she used to be watching The Galloping Gourmet.
- Me too. - [Laughs]
Thank you guys so much for being here with us.
I know it means a lot to her, and it means a lot to us.
Thank you.
Can you pass me a little butter?
Thank you.
All right, so just one, two...
Yeah, perfect.
I'm jealous, dude, I want to be down there.
Scallop? I have scallop.
Like so.
Sweet.
[Cheers and applause] One minute! Let's go!
Come on, guys!
[Cheers and applause]
Brooke, save one for me.
Save one for you? Aw.
Brooke's second dish has a lot of stuff going on,
but when you start with such a beautiful product,
you don't have to do much to it.
It's about highlighting it as opposed to covering it up.
Will you trade out a couple of the bigger ones?
I've never actually done this dish before.
It's a pretty risky dish in its flavor combinations.
But if I'm going to win Top Chef,
this is what I have to do.
30 seconds.
[Cheers and applause]
It's a matter of executing right now.
It's a matter of making sure the team is in step.
I mean, if you look at the last dish that came up--
I mean, she wasn't paying attention
to what CJ was doing, and CJ burned the pig's ears.
That first dish, the pig ears, that should have never happened.
And we saw it right in front of us.
Right, watched it happen, yeah.
All: Eight, seven,
six, five, four, three,
two, one!
[Cheers and applause]
[Dramatic music]
♪ ♪
Thank you.
Brooke, let's start with you.
I did a seared scallop over a salt cod puree,
crispy speck with a little black currant
and mustard seed vinaigrette.
There's something else on there.
A little-- and a little juniper.
- Romanesco? - Romanesco too, yeah.
Thank you.
And my scallop's overcooked.
When I look over there, all I see are them going...
- I think it's a tie. - These are both really good.
Picking apart our plates.
Ugh, that's always fun.
Brooke, I really enjoyed the combination.
I think we're getting used to you having a dish
that seems very-- sort of basic, but there's
one little sort of thing that's fighting.
But this actually works really nicely.
The scallop is perfectly cooked.
Nice dish.
Cool.
Were you worried at all about how early
you seemed to be cooking those scallops?
Um, I felt like getting a good, hard sear on both sides,
so they weren't raw in the middle
and overcooked on the outside.
I just wanted them to rest. Okay.
I mean, the flavor's great, and there's a synergy to it.
And there's an earthiness to it.
The flavors are really bright, really well-balanced.
Thank you.
Well, my background-- I'm a big salt cod lover.
Codit's, like, my favorite flavor in the whole world.
The combination of this just drives it home for me.
Thank you. Thank you.
Kristen?
I did a cured scallop with bitter orange, Meyer lemon,
and some apple.
Your dish is exactly what I expect from you.
It's really flavorful. It's really delicious.
Thank you.
There's nowhere to hide on this dish,
and you did these scallops really proud.
Thank you.
I just love the simplicity of what you did with it.
And you didn't overcomplicate it.
It's absolutely delicious, Kristen.
Thank you.
Brooke, you're already down one round,
so this is a very important vote for you.
Let's get the results for round two.
[Dramatic music]
♪ ♪
Judges, who served the best dish?
♪ ♪
Brooke, I thought the combination of flavor
with the brandade, romanesco, and that mustard seed
was perfect. Thank you.
Emeril, who served the best dish?
Brooke.
Okay, Brooke, one more vote, and you take round two.
Tom.
You know, I enjoyed them both, but I thought
Kristen's combination of sweet and sour and briny
just did a better job of highlighting
the natural sweetness of the scallop.
So I give it to Kristen.
[Cheers and applause]
Kristen served the better dish.
Hugh, it's two to two. You're the tie breaker.
So who served the better dish?
♪ ♪
Brooke. [Cheers and applause]
The wintery flavors were great.
The brandade was awesome.
It just--it worked as a dish, and I'm a sucker for romanesco.
Well, Brooke, you win and are back on equal footing...
- Whoo-hoo. - With Kristen.
[Cheers and applause]
This is intense.
The pressure is certainly building.
Next plates have to come out in 34 minutes,
so get back to the kitchen.
Mm, all right.
Can we clear all this stuff? I'm gonna get shallots.
We're gonna toss that.
- With what? - Super crispy chicken wings.
I need pots-- or pans on for the marrow.
Or you know what, super--
crank the oven to 500. We're just gonna blast it.
Brooke can throw down when she has to,
and now we're evened up.
So I'm gonna step up and kick ass.
Up next, the chefs choose any dish in their culinary arsenal
to showcase their talent.
Welcome back.
A new Top Chef will be named tonight
and take home $125,000
furnished by Healthy Choice.
- Ooh, can you pick parsley? - Yes. Parsley, coming right up.
Just, like, the nice, little, tiny leaves.
Being tied with Brooke right now
puts fire under my ass.
So my goal is to try to hit
as many different flavor profiles as possible.
My third course is crispy bone marrow,
celery root puree, mushroom, and veal au jus.
Doesn't have a lot of sweetness,
but I wonder if that's okay 'cause, I mean, we don't want--
- Wanna add a little more sugar? - A little more sugar? Okay.
Yeah.
My third dish is
vadouvan-seasoned fried chicken wing.
I really want to redeem myself
from the fried chicken challenge.
But the risk of this dish is that maybe it's too playful,
maybe the judges don't want to be eating chicken wings
with their fingers.
Here you go.
- Good. - Are you sure?
Yeah.
[Indistinct chatter]
Chicken? I'll do chicken.
Chicken? Okay.
Sheldon, with that broth
for the crispy bone marrow,
we're shooting just for, like, super umami.
You got it.
You know, I think they're fairly evenly matched.
They have very different approaches to food.
I think Brooke-- think of her
doing more home-cooked things, but then I think
about dishes like the squid stuffed with lamb.
- Frogs' legs and mussels. - Frogs' legs and mussels, yes.
Kristen--her stuff is a little more subtle, artistic.
And sometimes maybe trying to make fancy plates
when you're cooking for 68 people
can get you in a little bit of trouble.
Who's got an eye on marrow? Someone?
They should be able to just bake up in the oven.
We're gonna do a coating after they are already crisp.
Vadouvan, honey, and apple cider vinegar.
- Sheldon. - What's up?
Three minutes, those bones should be ready.
And then can you just grab the hazelnuts out?
Yeah.
Ooh, it's getting hot.
You think you can win Top Chef?
If I didn't, I wouldn't be here.
The past year and a half, I've been very fortunate
to work for Chef Barbara Lynch.
She has taught me how to trust my vision.
Steph, you here? I have my crab down there.
Stephanie and I met seven years ago.
She is my best friend.
We bonded over the fact that we both were getting boob sweat
because we were the only two girls on the line.
It was so hot.
Next thing you're gonna tell me you're roommates too, right?
Oh, almost.
We live in the same apartment building.
A lot of lesbian rumors because of this,
which we're not, just to clarify.
Stephanie, please pack your knives.
Being a chef and cooking is the most important part
of my life.
I tried to, like, channel my photographic memory.
- Mm-hmm. - Kristen is the one to beat.
My hat's off to Kristen on a perfect onion ring.
I just think it's a perfect bite.
I couldn't wait to go back for another one.
- The heat is on. - The heat's on, but you know...
[Groans]
You're up about $35,000 right now.
- Josie, two more orders. - Coming at you right now.
Right now.
Going into restaurant wars, my concept, my food,
I'll take responsibility for it.
But I don't want anybody [bleep] it up for me.
All right, keep-- please keep going.
You guys didn't get enough sauce.
She sauced your plate, I--
There's a lot of things
that would have been done differently, absolutely.
Kristen, please pack your knives and go.
As leader, you take on the responsibilities,
whether they come out good or bad.
Hey, Kristen, this is Last Chance Kitchen.
I think a lot of people are shocked to see you here.
I was definitely eliminated too early.
I have to step up, even more so now.
I did a "bouillabaisse" broth, finished with smoked butter.
The winning chef is...
Kristen.
The winning chef is...
Kristen. Oh, really?
[Cheers and applause]
Kristen, wow. I think this was redemption.
Karma.
So the winner would walk through those doors
and right into the Top Chef finale.
The winner of Last Chance Kitchen is...
Kristen.
I will do everything in my being to win.
Definitely with a portion of the money,
I'm gonna take a trip to Korea.
I was born there, but I was adopted
and moved to Michigan when I was four months old.
The one thing I do miss is seeing two people
that look like me, you know?
I just need to see, you know, where I came from.
God, I just want to win. I just want to win so bad.
You have your marrow? Yeah?
So, uh... Just a little bit.
All right, team Kristen. She is doing so well so far.
You guys must be really excited.
- Of course. - Oh, yeah.
John, how is it feeling to watch your sis
compete like this?
Did you ever imagine that you'd be here for the finals?
No, it's amazing.
I remember dropping her off in Boston with nothing
but a suitcase of clothes and dreams.
And now she's this big city girl all over the world
and teaches us what's going on.
So, dad, it must have been heartbreaking
to watch her get voted off that first time.
What went through your head?
Well, I was really sad that she got kicked off,
but I texted her afterwards and said,
"Kristen, you're my Top Chef."
- Aw. - Yeah.
[Coughs]
Two minutes.
I think there's more meat on this one.
- You think so? - Very good.
I had the last one. Very good.
- Crispy bone marrow. - Delicious.
What is Kristen doing?
I don't know, but it smells like some mushroom with soy
umami bomb.
One minute, Kristen!
- She looks really stressed out. - Both of them.
Yeah.
Two more courses after this. Holy crap.
Kristen's dishes are always beautiful,
but if the judges are more interested in the flavor
than the concept, I'm confident that I have the ability
to win this.
And you hit everything with salt?
- Yeah. Everything's got salt. - 30 seconds!
- This looks like a lot of fun. - Yeah.
A lot of fun.
That's too fine.
Some of these over here need a plate wipe too.
Right here.
15 seconds.
All: Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five,
four, three,
two, one!
[Cheers and applause]
[Dramatic music]
♪ ♪
Brooke?
I did a vadouvan fried chicken wing
with a sumac yogurt-tahini sauce
and a pickled kohlrabi fattoush.
I forgot the wet naps. Yes.
Sorry.
Dude, I'm digging the chicken wings.
- Yeah. - That's [bleep] ballsy.
That is ballsy. I like that.
I was not expecting this.
I was not expecting chicken wings.
There's a reason behind the chicken wing.
Explain the reason behind the chicken wings.
Um, I felt like I needed to redeem myself
with some chicken on the bone...
Yes. Okay, good.
And fry it properly and provide some flavor.
You know, Brooke, works for me.
It's delicious, really delicious.
I get why you're doing it,
although I'm still not sure why you're doing it.
That said, the vadouvan
is really nice with the chicken wing.
Um, I like that.
I'm not sure about this other salad here.
But I'm not quite sure how it all works together.
[Clears throat]
♪ ♪
Kristen?
I did celery root puree with mushrooms, bone marrow,
bitter greens, and some barely cooked radishes.
I love all of the earthy tones of this dish.
Absolutely, I love it. It's delicious.
Thank you.
Um...
I was wondering why you decided to stew the mushrooms like that
as opposed to getting some roasted flavor out of it?
'Cause I think that I wanted the bone marrow to kind of
do all of that for it, and then the mushrooms
were just an undertone. Okay.
I just wish it was hot.
Yeah.
It wasn't.
Kristen, I thought the puree and the mushrooms
were so velvety, and that bone marrow
just sort of cut through it all,
just like I wanted it.
Brooke and Kristen, you're even with one round each.
Now it's time to find out who wins round three.
[Dramatic music]
♪ ♪
Emeril.
Kristen's--
Kristen, you served my favorite dish.
I just loved all of those earthy tones.
Just really well executed.
I have to give this one to Kristen.
More developed flavor.
Uh, at this point in the competition,
I think it's just a much more interesting dish.
Padma, what did you think?
You know, this one was a really difficult decision.
Kristen, you served my favorite dish.
You win this round.
[Cheers and applause]
Brooke, it is all or nothing
with the next dish, so get back there, guys.
[Cheers and applause]
Jesus Christ!
- This is it, yes? - Yes, yes, yes.
My fried chicken was a crucial mistake,
and I can't make another, but it is not over yet.
My fourth course is gonna be a tough one to beat.
- I'll take this. - Okay.
And you start-- start those please.
Need to get the collard greens out
and dress those in lemon juice and fish sauce.
Lemon juice and fish sauce, yes.
How are you? What happened?
We won--they won one, you won one?
She won two, I won one.
We'll kill this one.
Coming up,
both chefs' technique will be put to the test
as they prepare red snapper in round four.
My advice to Brooke and Kristen is to really relax
the mind and just be yourself.
Brooke, Kristen--
I don't know, I was gonna say something
incredibly clever, but I [bleep] blew it.
Do what you do well.
I know it's not a very descriptive answer, but...
I hate to try to use the sports analogy,
but it's about not, you know, fumbling the football.
Try to make something that doesn't suck.
This is your moment. Let it go, girls.
Go out there, rock it.
Think about lots of, like, really empowering,
don't listen to everybody that has advice for you.
[Laughs]
Keep your adrenaline in check.
Yeah! Yeah!
[Glass shattering]
[Indistinct chatter] Yeah!
In this round, red snapper's on the menu
for both chefs.
Kristen is ahead of Brooke by two to one.
Cabbage is stirring, beets are in.
Gotta get out.
This is the dish that I feel the most confident with.
I actually practiced it before I got here.
It's red snapper with a shellfish nage, uni,
little gem lettuce, and leeks.
Where are the shellfish? You have not cooked those yet?
- No. - Okay, perfect. Awesome.
Where is the garlic?
They're not over there?
Knowing that the next dish could be the deciding factor,
it's definitely weighing on my nerves.
But it is not over yet.
You want a rectangle or a square for the judges?
- Square. - Cut off here?
Like this? Watch.
I decide to pair the snapper with a pork cheek
because I've had a pretty good track record
with surf and turf.
Yeah, that looks good. Yeah?
Yeah.
Okay, I'm gonna strain the shrimp stock right now.
Okay, and then add one can of tomato paste
and let it reduce down.
Brooke, is there any spices?
Caraway seed? Anything like that?
- Peppercorn. - Yeah, what else?
Chili flake.
I see a lot of pressure cookers out there, man.
That's smart though, man.
I mean, that's the only way to braise meat, really.
Like, if someone does a braise,
I feel like it's a big advantage.
These are the nine previous winners of Top Chef.
Take a look at all they've accomplished.
You are Top Chef.
- What? Really? - Congratulations!
Over nine seasons, Top Chef winners
have gone on to incredible success.
Whoo!
I don't even know what to say right now.
I'm ready for a cocktail.
Season one winner, Harold Dieterle--
three renowned New York restaurants,
two stars in The New York Times,
and New York magazine's top 100 restaurants.
Cheers. Cheers.
Season four winner, Stephanie Izard--
two Chicago restaurants, Food & Wine magazine's
best new chef, and two James Beard nominations.
Winning Top Chef just gives you so much more exposure.
I mean, it's a whole nother world,
but it's awesome and flattering and amazing and fun.
You are Top Chef.
Season nine winner, Paul Qui--
James Beard winner, Best Chef Southwest,
and Food & Wine magazine's top ten empire builders.
My heart's, like, over there!
It's a big opportunity for a chef to compete on Top Chef.
I'm so excited.
It can really jump-start your career.
- Congratulations, Hosea. - Yeah!
There's the emotion in waiting for Padma.
Top Chef takes what we do, and it introduces it
to a whole new demographic.
It's made eating out cool.
- You are Top Chef. - I am?
That was the best reaction ever.
What?
- Congratulations. - Thank you.
Winning Top Chef has definitely changed my life.
I have hung out with the First Lady
of the United States.
I worked with Bill Clinton Foundation.
Pretty big.
You are Top Chef!
These nine past winners have opened 17 new restaurants.
Only one chef will join this elite group.
Who will be the tenth?
Yeah!
So, Harold, I wasn't there when you won,
but it's pretty much like this, right?
Uh, not quite.
[Laughter]
Stephanie, you now will not be the only female chef.
There are so many amazing female chefs out there,
and it's great that finally another one's
gonna win Top Chef.
And, Ilan, what was it like watching yourself on TV?
I looked really fat.
[Laughter]
Um, hair always looked like crap, I was oily.
Nothing has changed then.
[Laughter]
Whoo!
I'm the only one at the table who knows how it's gonna feel
for both competitors tonight at the end of the day.
The verdict either way, it's gonna be life-changing,
and it's a special night.
Michael, like Brooke, you're an L.A. chef.
She's down two to one right now.
Do you think she can pull it off?
There's definitely a style to Brooke's food.
You look at it, and you're like, "there's no way this is all
gonna make sense," and then you start to taste it,
and it's like an adventure in each dish.
It's wonderful to see how all of you have done so much.
Thank you for ten seasons of awesome food.
Thank you.
This fourth dish is creative.
I'm pairing a lot of different flavors
that you don't often see paired together.
Ooh, la la. Perfectly cooked.
I'm ecstatic about the way the fish is cooked,
and I believe this is a dish to tie the game.
Huh?
[Laughs]
Pay attention to the job, not the girls.
I'm waiting. I wait until you're done.
Can you make sure the sauce is hot?
The challenge is making sure
everything's executed perfectly.
All I can keep thinking is I hope that fish
is perfectly cooked.
You want to do that? I can do this.
[Cheers and applause]
Holy [bleep] [Bleep] show.
- Hot, hot, hot. - Dude, it's intense down there.
They're, like, battling it out.
[Dramatic music]
This is a $125,000 dish.
That's it. It's a $125,000 dish.
You need to sauce those plates right now.
- I'm happy with this. - You are?
- Yeah. - You should be.
These flavors are sick, and that slaw is very, very good.
Let's get this course and be done with it.
All: Ten, nine, eight, seven,
six, five, four, three,
two, one!
[Cheers and applause]
[Dramatic music]
♪ ♪
Kristen and Brooke, how are you feeling?
Nervous. Sweaty.
Nervous, but, um,
I'm happy with the way my dish came out, so...
Let's start with you, Brooke.
I made a braised pork cheek with crispy red snapper,
a pine nut cream, a collard green slaw,
and sorrel puree.
Well, enjoy, everyone.
I knew it was gonna be bouillabaisse--
Thank you.
Brooke, I think the snapper's perfectly cooked,
and, you know, if collards are the new kale,
I'm all for that.
It's all good.
I liked the combination of the pork cheeks and the snapper.
The sorrel brings a nice brightness to it.
You've got some crunch from the pomegranates.
All in all, it's a very nicely put together dish, yeah.
Brooke, I love how you added the sorrel.
Just sort of perked it all up. Well done.
Yeah, I actually really love the play
between the pork cheek and the snapper.
And the pomegranate gives that perfect, little amount
of juice and just a little bit of tartness
that you need in the dish.
This is Brooke's.
It's the cheek. [Indistinct chatter]
I like the fact that Brooke's dishes
are more exciting and mixing different layers of flavor.
Like, it's-- it's good.
Kristen, what did you make?
I have snapper with leeks, little gem lettuce,
tarragon, uni, and a little bit of shellfish nage.
Kristen, I think the snapper is beautifully cooked.
There's a great depth of flavor in the shellfish stock.
The little gems are crisp but still succulent.
It's a very nice dish. Thank you.
The texture was spot-on. The uni was beautiful.
And you left it alone, which I really appreciated.
You did something that I found sort of interesting
and actually a little hard to eat.
Um, Kristen, your leeks, because you left them
long and stringy, sort of made it
a little difficult to get to cut,
um, and then to eat.
So I thought the uni pairing was really nice.
It was really balanced.
I love that leek-- that braised leek.
I wasn't bothered by the fact of using a knife.
I'm good with the knife, so it was a really good dish.
Thank you.
Chefs, the upcoming vote
will potentially decide who wins Top Chef.
Kristen, at one point, you were out of the competition.
Did you think you would get--
you know, get back in at this point
where you are one vote away from winning right now?
Well, being here now, I kind of forgot
that I was ever out of it, um...
[Laughs]
Brooke, you won more challenges
than anybody this season.
I did. Um...
I feel like I want to win this to prove
that I wasn't winning because Kristen wasn't there.
Clearly this is a very crucial round.
The title is so close. I can feel it.
And I want it.
These are the most important dishes
that I've ever cooked.
If she wins this course, I will be done.
Kristen, you are one winning dish
away from the title.
Brooke, you have to win here to force
a fifth and final round.
For either of you, these results
could change your life.
Let's find out who wins round four.
[Suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
Gail. [Sighs]
Kristen...
Your flavors were just a little more harmonious,
and I just couldn't get enough of the uni.
Thank you.
Emeril?
Brooke or Kristen?
Kristen.
Um, I just love the whole combination.
The fish was cooked perfectly.
Perfectly.
Kristen, you're up. Two, zero.
If you get Tom's vote, you are Top Chef.
Tom.
- Kristen. - Kristen, you are Top Chef!
[Cheers and applause]
Yeah, I won. [Laughs] I won Top Chef.
Where are the balloons?
Wow.
This win means absolutely everything to me.
Being the second female Top Chef is fantastic,
but at the end of the day, I just wanted to win regardless.
[Laughter] Nice job.
Am I disappointed? Yeah, I'm disappointed.
It's hard to have been through so much
and, um...
And still not have gotten there.
But I think I've made myself proud,
and I'm really proud of myself.
Aw, monkey. Tired boy.
Thanks, Dad.
[Cheers and applause]
I'm gonna go back to work 'cause I absolutely love it
and make myself a better person and make myself a better chef.
- Congratulations. - Thank you.
- Welcome to the club. - Congratulations.
Congratulations. Thanks a lot.
And in the very near future, a trip to Korea for me.
Thanks for having this whole Last Chance Kitchen thing.
[Laughs] It kind of worked in your favor.
- Yeah. - But you know what?
You were actually able to hold your head really high
when you left and fight your way back,
and so congratulations.
- Wow. - It just was...
- Oh, my God. - An exceptional season.
- You won. You won. - I can't--
being able to have done it in front of family
and my best friends, it's amazing.
I'm proud that I got to make them so proud.
Never a doubt, right? Never a doubt.
Thanks, Dad.
== sync, corrected by elderman ==