So far, this season of Top Chef has been peaches and cream — a bit saccharine and very collaborative. Long gone are the days of Marcel Vigneron (and his fellow season-two contestants who drunkenly pinned him down and attempted to shave his head), Mike Isabella, Tiffani Faison, and all the other notorious wild cards and bullies who have graced our screens throughout Top Chef’s 19-season run so far. In recent years, there’s been a very commendable effort to celebrate chefs who break out of the egotistical, narcissistic, boys’-club mold that instantly comes to mind when we think about chefs. But despite this truly well-intentioned casting, my devilish side misses the drama. While I can’t say I liked all of these antagonizers, I don’t think we can ignore the fact they spiced up the show. I miss the fighting and cursing and rivalries! After last season’s winner added to an unfortunately high number of Top Chef alumni accused of misconduct, I’m not surprised our chefs in Houston are a bit subdued. But there must be a line between reality TV troublemakers and real-life abusers, right? Is there no one who could shake up some onscreen drama among our current roster of chefs without being an absolute monster behind the scenes? As the cast dwindles, I’ve got my fingers crossed that something heats up soon. For now, it’s yet another week centered around a team challenge.
Before we get to our elimination, up first is another delicious-looking Quickfire.
The chefs are introduced to Chris Williams, chef and owner of Lucille’s. This challenge is inspired by Williams’s grandmother and his restaurant’s namesake, Lucille Smith — who’s credited with inventing hot roll mix and is hailed as one of the first Black female business owners in Texas. Her legacy lives on through her grandson and his renowned restaurant in Houston. For the challenge, the chefs have to make a meal featuring biscuits. The winner will earn an undisclosed advantage in the next immunity challenge. It’s yet another strong showing for the chefs, and Demarr, Jackson, and Evelyn are praised for their well-conceived and tasty biscuits. In an attempt to redeem his crispy-cheese fiasco from the queso challenge, Jackson adds fried cheddar to his ostrich sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich. These risks pay off, and Jackson wins the challenge. Although he’s bummed he doesn’t win immunity here, he still gets the advantage in the Elimination Challenge.
In what seems to be a season trend, our contestants are once again forced to put their fate in each other’s hands. As the winner of tonight’s Quickfire, Jackson earns the right to pick his partner first, and before even knowing what the challenge is, he chooses Buddha. This is a safe and smart pick, as Buddha’s been a solid front-runner despite landing in the bottom last week. Tonight’s Elimination Challenge is a big one, and a double elimination will send the entire losing team to Last Chance Kitchen.
Our guest judge and inspiration for tonight’s elimination is chef Wylie Dufresne. Dufresne is notoriously kooky and a familiar face in the Top Chef kitchen. Known for embodying the idea of playing with your food, Dufrense presents each pair of chefs with two dishes that look identical. As the chefs dive in, they’re surprised to find the plates have entirely different flavor profiles. Dufresne has created a pair of doppelgängers — one savory and one sweet — and it quickly becomes apparent that tonight’s elimination will push the chefs further than they’ve been pushed so far. Working with their chosen partners, the chefs have to collaborate to create their own pair of doppelgänger dishes.
Because the chefs have worked with each other so often, it’s no surprise these pairings are a bit predictable. Jo and Evelyn, Robert and Sarah, and Luke and Ashleigh have all worked together this season and reunite for this challenge. That leaves Demarr and Monique, Jae and Nick, and, of course, Buddha and Jackson. This challenge is super fun to watch, from the planning stages all the way to Judges Table. The chefs are clearly very inspired by Dufrense, and the challenge forces them to think about food in a different way. It’s difficult for some to conceptualize, like Jo, who exclaims, “Real cooking, that’s my shit! Not shapes!â€
This rare lack of confidence paralyzes Jo. She and Evelyn struggle to pull their matching dishes together in a cohesive way, and they find themselves in the bottom two. Jo tearfully describes how badly she wants to be here and how it will weigh on her if she’s the reason Evelyn goes home. For their visually similar dishes, Jo makes a pork belly and daikon relish to pair with Evelyn’s cheesecake and apple crumble. All the judges agree that the poorly cooked pork belly stood out from both meals. Joining Jo and Evelyn at the bottom are Sarah and Robert. These two work well together, too, and it’s painfully evident all four chefs are concerned with being the reason their partner goes home. This pairing also struggles in concept, and the resulting dishes miss the mark texturally, despite being praised for their flavors. Robert’s strawberry panna cotta is too loose, while Sarah’s matching shrimp terrine is too dense. These conflicting dishes, unfortunately, result in both Sarah and Robert’s elimination. As much as I’ve rooted for Sarah, I’m relieved to see Jo and Evelyn live to cook another day.
In happier news, Ashleigh and Luke have finally made it to the top. After a few unfortunate trips to the bottom, Ashleigh is relieved to leave a positive impact on the judges. Luke and Ashleigh go for two savory dishes, a decision that’s commended by Tom. Her scallops and melon pair well with Luke’s mushrooms and cucumber, both in flavor and appearance. But it’s Buddha and Jackson who win this challenge with their extremely unique dishes inspired by an everything bagel. Conceptually inspired and technically flawless, Jackson and Buddha are the clear winners of this challenge. Maybe Jackson’s claim to have lost his sense of smell really is a way to save face if he ever gets sent home, but either way, he continues to ride a wave of success this season. You never know, maybe next week it will finally catch up with him.
Musings From the Stew Room
• I’m pro-choice, but maybe drawing knives would’ve added yet another layer of excitement to tonight’s Elimination Challenge.
• It feels like everyone I like bites the dust! I loved Sarah’s self-deprecating sense of humor and her wise parting words: “I don’t think this competition could hack the iceberg that is my self-doubt, but I’ve gained a lot from this experience.â€
• This was by far the best episode of the season so far, and it seems like the judges really enjoyed this wacky challenge. More in this vein! More!!