- Chefs must create a holiday stuffing dish with no utensils; catering the U.S. Open launch party.
- The group heads to the bar after a double elimination, to discuss the carnage. Casey is bummed that her buddy Dale L. isn't there any more. Tiffani is tired of being in the bottom. Mike I. thinks Angelo is his biggest competition.
Waiting for them in the kitchen the next day with Padma is Top Chef Master Tony Mantuano, owner of Chicago's Spiaggia.
Quickfire Their challenge is to make a good stuffing without knives or kitchen tools. The winner gets immunity and $20,000.
They have 45 minutes to cook. Everyone rushes to the pantry, except Carla who wants none of the chaos and ends up with quinoa. Casey starts tearing mushrooms with her hands and Richard uses the lid of a can as his spoon. Fabio grates cheese on a rack. Carla whacks an onion with a pan.
Tiffani butchers a quail with a pepper grinder. Tre freezes something with liquid nitrogen so he can break it apart.
Tiffani worries she has too much maple in her dish. Carla's quinoa is undercooked.
Casey made mushrooms with crispy chicken liver.
Jamie make a stuffing crepinette with pork, lemon oil and broth.
Carla made Thai inspired quinoa and calls it "un-done-te."
Spike made stuffed quail with raisins, herbs, port and apricot glaze. He plated with lemon grass spears.
Marcel serves whole squab with raisin brioche stuffing with cherries, currants and gravy.
Richard pressured cooked an onion in nitro and served it with broth and fennel.
Tre made southwestern stuffing with bacon, jalapenos, cheddar and cilantro.
Dale T. made Spanish influenced stuffing with crab oysters, chili lemon aioli, grapes and olives.
Tiffani serves soy maple stuffing with quail.
Fabio made polenta bread pudding with smoked bacon and his shelf-grated parmesan.
Tony's least favorites were: Carla, Tiffani F. (too sweet), Casey (didn't seem like a stuffing).
The best were: Tre and Marcel.
The winner is: Tre. He hugs Tony and Padma.
Elimination Challenge
They're cooking at the home of the US Open. The players are on a strict diet of healthy, high energy food. They draw tennis ball cans to get their colors -- orange or yellow.
Spike isn't happy with his team and on the other, Carla worries her teammate Fabio will overthink it.
They'll serve dishes head to head with each good for a point. The winning team is the first to four points.
They game plan for 15 minutes.
Dale T. tries to tell his team to go upscale for tennis fans, not sure about Carla's African soup plan.
Back at the house, the teams break up and continue planning.
The next day they head to Whole Foods. At the US Open kitchen they have three hours to prep.
The orange team is Marcel, Dale, Antonia, Blaise, Fabio, Mike I. and Carla.
Fabio is making gnocchi but the machine doesn't work so he makes it by hand.
Tre, Tiffany, Angelo, Jamie, Casey, Spike and Tiffani make up the yellow team.
Casey is cooking with farro. Angelo checks his mackerel and finds it "slimy" so he asks Tre for his salmon. Instead, Tre suggests Angelo asks Tiffany for her tuna.
Tom drops by to ask about strategy. The orange team won't talk, but Angelo and Spike tell Tom their plan to put their weakest up first against what they're expecting will be the yellow team's strongest.
Carla is chopping away when she accidentally hacks off half her fingernail. The medic wants her to go to the hospital, but she has him patch it up and keeps working.
Spike checks on his shrimp and finds his first batch isn't good so he tosses it and starts over. They start setting up out on the tennis court. Jamie is worried about her hard chick peas. Her teammates are ready to taste to determine the serving order, but she's not ready. Spike thinks that means hers is the worst and should go first.
The judges arrive.
Fabio asked to go first for the orange team, throwing off the yellow team. Jamie refuses to go first because her chickpeas still aren't soft.
Casey finally volunteers to take on Fabio. Pro tennis player Taylor Dent is guest judging.
Fabio serves his whole wheat gnocchi with pork loin ragout, caramelized fennel and zucchini. Casey serves grilled pork tenderloin over a salad of farro, cherry and peas. Taylor, Fabio and Tom all choose Fabio's dish.
Marcel was supposed to go second, but Dale's dumpling are ready to go. He made edamame dumplings, spicy carrot froth and crispy soy nuts. Tiffani goes next for the yellow team. She serves sashimi of black bass, avocado and ponzu vinaigrette.
Tom says it's two strong dishes. Gail takes Tiffani, Padma takes Dale, but Tiffani gets the rest for the point. The teams are tied.
Marcel goes for the orange. He serves cauliflower couscous with pomegranate seeds, golden raisins and yellowfin tuna. Angelo serves smoked tuna, yuzu gelee, red onion and capers. Tom says he can't taste Marcel's tuna and Angelo wins across the board. "Angelo takes the point and I am crushed. He always plates on a spoon, are you f---- kidding me?" Marcel says.
Antonia is next for yellow.
Jamie hopes her team can win before she has to serve. Tiffany serves next for the yellow, with spiced tuna with fennel, peppercorns, coriander and lentil salad.
Antonia has scallop on Indian lentil puree with mini and herbs. They each get votes. Tom gives the tie break to Antonia.
They're tied again.
Richard and Spike are head to head. Angelo gets nerves and starts futzing with Spike's food.
He adds uzu gelee to Spike's dish. He serves tomato tamarind soup, olive oil poached shrimp, pineapple and tomatoes. Richard serves his take on tabbouleh, called "Thai-bouleh" with lamb, herbs and yogurt.
Tony says the protein was the downfall of each dish. The shrimp was bland and the lamb was gamey, but he takes Richard, as does everyone else. Spike is bitter and angry Jamie is MIA.
Only Tre and Jamie are left on yellow and they take Tre.
Angelo offers to help and Tre lets him cook his fish.
For the orange team Carla serves African groundnut soup with baked sweet potatoes, adzuki beans and peanuts.
Tre serves salmon on parsnip puree with olive oil sauce with citrus, tomatoes and olives. Tony loves Carla's soup.
Gail says the salmon is a little overdone, Carla gets the point and the orange team wins. Tre reports back that his fish was overcooked. Jamie knows she got really lucky. "I felt bad, but it just kind of happened that way," she says.
Killing time in the stew room we're treated to a dance-a-thon, with Mike I. playing the spoons.
Judges' Table
Spike things Jamie should be up for elimination since she had the worst dish.
Padma comes for Fabio, Carla, Richard and Antonia.
Padma tells them the winner gets a trip to Italy. Gail says theirs was some of the best food they've been served across seven seasons.
Tony calls Carla's soup a "surprise." Tom loved Richard's tabbouleh. Tony tells Fabio that light gnocchi is a "miracle."
Tony announces the winning dish was balanced and elegant: Carla. She gets a five day, four night trip including a vineyard tour.
Back in the stew room they send out Tre, Tiffany D., Casey and Spike.
When they leave, Richard notes that Jamie has an odd "story" because she hasn't cooked.
Tom quickly figures out their strategy backfired. Spike claims he was over-taken by Angelo. Tom asks Tiffany if she thinks Angelo was trying to sabotage. She doesn't really answer.
Gail tells Tiffany her salad was overdressed. Tony tells Tre that his was their least favorite and the fish was overcooked and oily.
Padma tells Casey her dish was too heavy.
Back in the stew room, Spike repeats his "too many hands" complaint. The judges discuss. Spike's soup needed salt and Tiffany's lacked depth.
Verdict time
Tom recaps their sins. Tom says Casey's was good, but her competitor was better.
The knife picker is: Spike.
"It was a good run. I got f---d, I got screwed. I'm totally bummed for leaving early, I feel there are a couple of chefs that are a little bit worse than me," he says. "I'm pissed Jamie didn't serve her food at all and she's getting to stay. Listen Jamie, this is a competition and at some point you're going to have to compete." "Do I think I'm still the best of the best? You bet your a--."
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