We started off the second-to-last night of "Top Chef" by seeing Marjorie, Isaac and Jeremyarriving in Las Vegas. The chefs were greeted by Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio and then they found out that the winner of Last Chance Kitchen is Amar, who had beaten Jason and Carl along the way.
Soon enough the time came:
CHALLENGE 1 –For this challenge, they had to create a dish inspired by their limited pantry that would be worthy of getting into the finale. They drew cards to see what pantry they got. The winner of this challenge earned a spot in the finale.
- Jeremy –Merchants
- Marjorie –Royalty
- Isaac –Clergy
- Amar –Peasants
Marjorie was allowed to use any of the pantries, being royalty. They had to cook for 150 people and had 3 hours to do so. To help them, they got a sous chef (who doubled as an eliminated chef). Marjorie picked Karen, Isaac picked Carl, Jeremy picked Kwame and Amar got Phillip.
The chefs got started on their dishes and things were hectic, to say the least. Before long, the judges and guests were arriving and the tasting began.
TASTING –
- Amar –The judges said it was well-seasoned and perfectly balanced and a good start.
- Jeremy –They said the crunch was great. The grapes provided a "eureka" moment.
- Isaac –They said it is a fatty fish, but the olives helped cut through that. Not exactly a rave review.
- Marjorie –They said it was nicely cooked and loved the brightness of the salad.
RESULTS –The judges seemed to love all of the dishes, but the winner of this challenge was Jeremy. He moved on to the finale, with $25K large in his pockets.
ELIMINATION CHALLENGE –Now the remaining three chefs had to compete for that other spot in the finale. They were joined by David Copperfield. (Yes, that David Copperfield.)
But first, the chefs took in Copperfield's show and then began working on their ideas for the dish.
TASTING –
- Marjorie –She used liquid nitrogen and had some struggles along the way, but the judges seemed to like the finished product. Regarding the dish, they said it was a beautifully presented plate.
- Isaac –He put chicken skin on the steak, which I guess makes it chicken fried steak, and then did a magic trick. For the dish, they said it tastes fantastic.
- Amar –Padma said it was beautifully plated.
JUDGES’ TABLE –The judges seemed to enjoy all of the dishes, but they did say one of them stood out. The winning dish came from Amar, which came as something of a surprise, as the judges appeared far more enthusiastic about his competition's dishes. Even so, he is headed to the finale to take on Jeremy. Marjorie and Isaac have been eliminated.
Neither Amar or Jeremy are sure things here. Both have had rocky roads to the finale. the beauty's going to be in whatever assistance the chefs get in the end - if any. If one of them has Kwame by his side, look for the action there. Otherwise, this is a coin toss, with my money on Jeremy.
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