The Taste (2013) s01e03 Episode Script

1 Thousands of cooks from across the nation competed for a place in one of our kitchens.
After a marathon blind tasting I'm gonna vomit with terror.
It's not for me today.
I don't think it came together.
La-la-la! You're the first one! - I'm a home cook.
- Yay! - Who are you a personal chef for? - Charlie Sheen.
Winning! It strangely worked for me.
Yeah! The teams are complete.
For the first time, the four kitchens go head-to-head.
Malarkey Team kicks Ludo's team's ass.
It's not just cook against cook.
I'm not starting with you.
Why you gotta fight about it? I'm a.
It's mentor against mentor.
We're coming for you, Ludo! I don't want to get infected by all the bully boys.
- Mac and cheese! - Aah! Place it! Place it! Keep the flavors simple.
We're judging The Taste blind - This is brash.
- Nigella.
So the risk in eliminating cooks from our own team is real.
- Oh, this is just unbelievable.
- Ooh! Two cooks will be sent home.
- I don't wanna go home.
- It's frightening.
This is a very bland dish.
It left me cold.
That was rough.
This is where the competition begins.
Your chef is not your friend in the kitchen.
I'm not your friend.
Brutal.
This dish is not making me comfortable.
It's making me wanna crash a Ferrari.
Yes! Yes! Yes! Mwah! Mwah! Yes! Welcome.
Congratulations.
All sixteen of you have earned your place on our teams based on just one thing The taste of your food.
Now here is where the competition begins.
This week's theme is comfort food.
We're gonna work with you in a blind team taste test where we hand over judging duties to some of the greatest chefs in America.
Joining us tonight the brilliant Gabrielle Hamilton.
Whoo! - Hello.
Thank you.
- How are you? For the team taste test, we'll each join our teams and help you create one amazing spoonful using at least one of these three ingredients Bacon, egg, and cheese.
Only the best spoon from each team will be tasted blind by Gabrielle.
The team that puts forward Gabrielle's favorite spoon will win the benefit of her help later.
Most importantly, the individual cook who made that spoon will win immunity, meaning we cannot send them home tonight.
Even though it is a team challenge, you're fighting for your own immunity.
I don't think that I need immunity, but let's be honest here I wouldn't turn it down.
Let's get cooking.
I love comfort food, and I know ways of manipulating it and making it palatable and tasty.
I'm not very comfortable with the comfort food challenge.
I don't like comfort food.
Very excited, guys.
The goal for us, guys, is the four of you in the final four.
That's it.
Ludo is a rebel.
He doesn't really follow too many rules.
He does what he wants.
I absolutely believe someone from this team is gonna win this thing.
We have a very smart team.
That's a huge, huge advantage.
We have an all-female team.
We sort of named ourselves "Team Fierce.
" We're a bunch of sassy ladies.
Three people on Ludo's team, I liked their food also, and they chose Ludo.
Malarkey kicks Ludo's team's ass - no matter what.
- No problem, chef.
No matter what, right? Yeah, Ludo! We're coming for you, Ludo! I love those other guys.
But you've heard them, and they're very, "Oh, we're gonna win," and da-da.
I feel the same, I just don't behave like that.
And I don't want an aggressive kitchen.
I'm getting such a great vibe from Nigella.
We automatically all just connected with her.
We have a kitchen that is absolutely stacked with all Williams-Sonoma stuff.
It's like the entire store's here.
It's the best of the best, all right? - Stoked.
- I love it.
There's only an hour.
There's not much time to cook.
I need to be an example for them.
I want to be a winner.
I take that very seriously.
I didn't come to eat some food and meet some friends.
I came to win this thing.
Our pride is certainly on the line.
Go.
Come on.
Let's go.
Let's go, guys.
Let's go in.
Come on.
This is the first time cooking together.
All right.
Take individual stations.
Everybody make a spoon, and then the team chooses which is the best one.
The winning spoon has immunity for the individual challenge.
That system's never gonna work.
Everybody has their ego.
Everybody wants immunity.
All right.
We got a broil here.
You 350? Walk me through this dish.
It's a little easy.
But, uh, grilled cheese, but with a tomato-bacon jam.
What if you had a little tomato soup? Chef Malarkey pushed me toward making a soup instead of my tomato jam.
I felt like the dish I was gonna make represented me a little more.
I'm gonna make a play off of mac and cheese, a little bit lighter.
Macaroni and cheese That's comfort for me.
I think that was all my dad cooked.
You're way overthinking that.
You're just making tomato soup right here, all right? - Yep.
I know.
- Just a tomato soup.
You know how to make tomato soup.
Lauren, have you got what you needed? Uh, I'm working on it.
Nigella is step-by-step helping me figure out what I'm gonna make.
- This is, like, blood pudding.
- Ohh.
- What you could do is do your chicken soup - Uh-huh.
And then fry a couple of discs of that.
- Okay.
- Gabrielle will love this.
Okay.
I am making an egg-dipped cured ham and gruyere cheese sandwich.
It doesn't get any more comfortable than that.
I'm making stuffed chicken breasts - with potato croquettes.
- Croquette is too fancy.
- You're with mashed potatoes, man.
- You got it.
Mashed potatoes screams comfort food.
I've never second-guessed Ludo.
He is awesome.
C'est bon.
Smell.
Smell.
You smell? Smell good, that? Eh? I'm in.
You don't high-five me? The chef is not your friend in the kitchen.
I'm not your friend.
I am making mac and cheese.
Who doesn't love that? Work on the meat Juicy, and the skin crispy.
I think we can crisp up the skin separately and put it on there.
So put the skin in the oven.
Throw the skin in the oven, quick.
I take Ludo's advice even though I'm completely positive that this is gonna go terribly.
Uh, Sarah? Your station is very, uh, Baghdad, eh? Oh My work station disaster zone.
I'm gonna be like your fiance.
- Clean all your mess, eh? - Yeah.
Careful, you're going to burn your rouxla.
You're going to burn it.
Be careful.
Nobody's more intimidated than Sarah.
She's on a team with three professional chefs.
Careful with the salt, eh? I feel for the girl.
I'm making a ricotta gnudi.
I'm going to add some almonds and just a drop of orange.
I'm also adding a fried sage leaf so there's something a little bit crunchy.
Part of being a chef is knowing your audience, okay? I know who Gabrielle Hamilton is.
I'm the only one that's probably read her book front to back.
This came out a little bit loose.
- Mm-hmm.
- So I have two tries.
- If the first one comes out and explodes - Yeah.
- Then I got a backup.
- Make sure we're okay.
Thirty minutes, guys.
We have thirty minutes, guys, okay? Little bit more? - We say "Oui, chef.
" That's it.
- Okay! What!? What!? What!? What!? I can't understand you! Yeah, we are cooking French food.
- Good food, okay? - Oh-ho ho-ho-ho! You know, Malarkey, the difference between you and me? I never put my hands like this in the kitchen.
- Never.
I'm never like this.
- You are right now! - You are right now! - You stand here like this, bro, like this I'm not even listening.
I'm not into this chest-beating.
This is why I'm glad we don't have any men on our team.
We don't suffer from that affliction.
Exactly.
You want a gentle bubble that's not gonna break up that very delicate raw egg.
Go light on that.
Keep the flavors simple.
Make sure you don't have too many things - going on at once.
- Okay.
I'm doing toasted Israeli couscous with a little walnut pesto.
So what's your plan? What are you making? I'm actually going to make a meatball with pork and beef, and I'm doing a red pepper sauce.
My meatballs are amazing.
It just they're they're They're They're amazing.
Fifteen minutes, ladies.
- No one wants flabby chicken skin.
- No.
Guys, I need it on the spoons now.
So, guys, we have to We have to figure out which one - before the time goes off, yes? - Yes.
Yes.
What are we thinking, guys? It's good.
It's not our winning dish, though.
I'm leaning towards Jeff right here.
The old-school mac and cheese has it really going on.
It's a group decision.
I just made it.
Love me, hate me.
Let's go.
So Jeff's dish is going forward because, um, Chef Malarkey said so.
Everyone else had a great dish.
Just so happens mine may have, you know, been a little bit better.
Don't make it too pretty.
Appearance is nothing to do with this.
I just tasted Nina's.
To me, it was, like, a poorly executed couscous.
We gotta make a decision.
Let's put it to a vote.
I like the meatball only because it's closer to what she's bringing for in terms of the authenticity.
She'll be very happy with that, but she's not gonna go berserk.
I think this is gonna be the taste that's gonna work.
I'm very excited, and it looked like Anthony was also excited to present my spoon, which is totally great.
I feel like the couscous should not go up.
It shouldn't.
Okay, listen, we're gonna have to decide whose plate it is.
Oh, that's wonderful.
After tasting Lauren's chicken stew, all of us felt that this is the dish.
- Okay, it's yours, Lauren.
- Honestly.
I feel honored that my team members are excited about my food.
It's a winner.
We have five minutes, guys.
Five minutes to plate.
Could add a little more garlic to the milk solids? - Do you want me to - Tastes good.
No, it tastes perfect.
I mean, tastes good.
It's great.
I think Sarah's is probably the best.
I think she did a nice job.
No, but really? Mine's the best.
I burnt my chicken skin.
I knew he was wrong.
Now there was no chance in hell for me to win immunity.
Now we have to pick what spoon we're going for.
Everybody needs to taste the food, quick.
What do you think? Mac and cheese? That? Or that? That is comfortable.
It's good.
I like it.
Okay, let's go, let's go, let's go.
Uh, mac and cheese.
Oop, mac and cheese.
- Mac and cheese! - Aah! Plate it! Plate it! Plate it! - If it's not down, it's not down! - Go! - Aah! - Plate it! Plate it! Plate it! - Come on.
Put it on the plate.
- Go! If it's not down, it's not down! Did he really choose mine? Did that just happen? - Good job.
- Whoo! Yeah, well done.
Let's go! Let's go! - Good job.
- Thank you.
- Good job.
- Good job.
Good, guys.
Don't feel bad about it.
Don't feel bad, Gregg.
Don't feel bad, guys.
I didn't wanna come off and be the douche, and be like, "No, dude, mine's the best.
Mine's the best.
" Because It's too early for that.
My dish is definitely better than mac and cheese.
I think that Ludo made the decision under pressure just because, and I I think and I think it was the wrong decision.
Okay.
Go, girls.
I may not be as vocal in my competitiveness as the other mentors, but I want to win just as much as they do.
Oh! I did see what I thought was Ludo's team, and it is literally a mac and cheese that looked exactly like mine.
When I see Malarkey put a mac and cheese across, oh, my God.
I hope he's not going to win the challenge, I'm going to lose against him.
Look, I like to win.
Who doesn't? But Gabrielle Hamilton is tasting the team challenge, blind.
So anything could happen.
The whole team is maybe a little bit disappointed that, you know, their dishes didn't get picked.
But for me, you know, the only home cook, it was very humbling.
I tasted everyone else's dish, and they were good, but I really believed in mine.
Down the hatch.
It's really nerve racking.
- I hope that - that she likes it and that this takes it.
Taste macaroni and bacon fat.
Something very chemical that I can't find.
It's something very plastic-tasting here.
We all tasted it, obviously, before, but we don't know, like, why it was tasting that way.
I should have go with Shawn.
I did a mistake.
I believe in myself, but at the same time, like, there's a lot of stiff competition here.
- Mmm.
- For mac and cheese It's on the lighter side.
More creamy.
Not so dense and heavy.
I like what she's saying.
She sort of hit every note that I was going for.
I'm resisting the urge to jump up and down and scream and shout, because I want this immunity so bad.
Mushrooms Some braised bacon or a piece of pork.
Oh, and that was the fried egg.
It has a really pleasant finish.
Ninamarie, I thought her dish, it really stood out from the rest.
Hers was a winner.
Wow.
Like, what is going on here? I don't know what that was.
I think if the meatball went up, we'd have a better chance of winning.
I really tasted them all.
I got them.
Um Well This is the one.
Nigella.
Aah! Oh, my God! Lauren! I'm pissed off as all hell right now.
Because Lauren won! She won.
Bee de-ba de-ba de-bee ba! You know, you just wanna kind of pick her up and turn her over and shake her upside down, like, "Stop smiling.
" What was going on here? I was inspired by coq au vin.
I used a lot of marsala wine.
And I used some, uh Bacon was my key ingredient.
And then a crisp, deep-fried chicken skin on top.
Wow.
Congratulations.
It was really tasty.
Thank you.
I'm the youngest one in this competition and I've won the first challenge.
It's a huge deal.
I can't even believe it.
I can honestly say that I'm feeling just fabulous about winning the first challenge.
Thank you, Gabrielle.
You may now join Nigella's winning team.
Lauren, you get immunity.
You go into the solo taste test - without fear.
- Yes! You're not going home.
But I'm afraid we must send two cooks home tonight.
The theme is still comfort food, but this time there are no limits on your creativity.
There is, however, a limit on time.
You have just one hour.
We will judge you on just one bite.
And we'll always taste blind.
So we could easily send one of our own team members home.
Since the four of us are gonna be tasting this thing blind, we gotta get out of here.
Bonne chance, guys.
- Good luck! - Let's go! Let's go! Let's go! All right, off to the races we go.
First solo challenge.
It's nerve-racking.
We possibly could get eliminated.
The odds are good.
Only two of us are going home today.
Two people should be going home today.
It just brings me closer to winning.
Today's challenge is comfort food.
I don't know if we're gonna make it in in an hour.
I am making an apple butter crumble.
Being from the South, I grew up with apple trees, and so you would go out and make desserts using the apples that you had.
Making a dessert is a risk.
Anthony does not like desserts, but I'll take my chances.
Give yourself some space to work.
I'm so glad that we won the challenge.
Gabrielle is a huge asset to our team right now.
I was thinking of doing a rib eye stew.
- Mm-hmm.
- Or a really yummy pasta.
Does one of these mean more to you? Well, I mean, I grew up My mother used to just make incredible beef stew growing up.
- I think you should make that.
- And this is like So what are you making? Korean dish? Oh, you wanna start? - You wanna start playing? - I'm not starting with you.
I'm just asking what you're making.
- Korean dish.
- Why do you gotta fight about it? 'Cause I'm a I'm an So I've been told.
I am making a rendition of a Korean dish, which is a bibimbap, so it's gonna be, like, with, uh, sesame, pea shoots, um, kimchi, bean sprouts, rice, and obviously, a Korean kalbi that goes on the top of that with the quail egg.
Today I'm making a roasted chicken with a chimichurri sauce with a little bit of citrus.
It's homage to my mom.
She's always made roasted chicken for us, and it's one of my favorites as a kid.
- How's it going? - Hey, chef, how are ya? You know, when I first met Jeff, I I didn't like the guy whatsoever.
He kind of won me over.
And and since then, we've We've kind of palled up a little bit.
Oh, it's good.
- Yeah, it's good, isn't it? - Yeah.
I like that.
I am making shrimp and grits.
I think this dish is gonna get me through because it's comfort food.
I mean, that's the challenge.
I'm worried about Sarah.
She's kind of a a damsel in distress sometimes.
Oh.
I'm on fire.
What do I do with it? What do I do with it? At the risk of sounding like a punk, I am trying to manifest the direction of the energy of the group.
I'm getting people on my side.
I'm building their trust.
I'm letting them get to know me, that I'm not, you know, out to get them.
Gregg thinks he knows everything.
He goes around to everybody else and asks them questions and saying, "Do you need help?" And trying to, you know, put his input in.
I don't need you on my station, okay? Excuse me.
What are you, the statue of liberty, or what? Yes! I am cooking, today, uh, curry chicken, west Indian curry chicken.
That's my My heart and soul meal right there.
Oh, my God! It keeps happening.
- I gotta get that away.
- Not in the trash can! My shrimps are in there.
Yeah, she's got, like, 5,000 fires going.
- I'm so hot, I'm on fire.
That's what it is.
- You know what I'm saying? Is that what it is? I'm gonna do shepherd's pie.
It's an experiment for me.
I've never done it.
Now that's not a good idea.
You should do something that you know very well.
Well, I can't get eliminated today, - so that's the beauty of it.
- Oh, you're right.
- Ah.
- See? I'm trying new things.
- I like Lauren a lot.
- She has a lot of potential.
But she also has a lot to learn.
I'm working on a Mediterranean, uh, tomato stew.
It reminds me of a A family dinner that I had many years ago, uh, before my dad passed away.
It's a take on a seafood chowder that my mom used to make.
Being in the Philippines, it's a A floating island, so we used to get fresh coconut milk and whatever catch of the day, and my mom would just toss it in there with fifty more ingredients, and just let it simmer.
I am going to make a sticky chicken wing and then I'm doing a som tam, which is a papaya salad, to go with it.
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Always friggin' talking about something over there.
Diane heckles me.
She is aggressive in the kitchen.
I mean, she's a bitch on wheels.
How'd you do? It's a little more acidic than I would like it to be at this moment.
I was doing so well, and now I'm cutting it down to the wire, 'cause I have to restart from scratch.
I quit my job to be here.
And, uh, if I get put up in that, um, hatch, then, uh, I'm kind of screwed.
Tonight's Hellmann's Blue Ribbon Moment, where Lauren brings out the best in her dish.
- Get the chicken skin off there.
- Ohh! Fry it in a lot of oil so you've got crisp chicken skin - to go on top.
- I love that.
- I love that.
I love that.
- Okay? Mmm.
That's heaven.
Now to celebrate their 100th birthday, Hellmann's and The Taste want you to share your blue ribbon recipe, using Hellmann's as the ingredient that takes your dish from good to the best.
Submit your recipe in the Blue Ribbon Challenge by visiting abc.
com/thetaste for your chance to prepare your dish right here with one of us on The Taste.
I'm very worried about time right now.
There's about 3 minutes and 30 seconds left.
I have my spoons going.
I'm praying that Nigella does not pick me for elimination.
If I end up in the bottom four, I will be humiliated.
Yeah, if Malarkey sent me home today, I'd feel bummed.
That time just goes like that.
You're like, "Oh, my God.
I got, like, five minutes left.
" - I'm dying for you to get that into the spoon.
- Okay.
Okay.
She's not gonna make it.
She's not gonna make it.
Oh, God.
Go, go, go, babe.
When that hour's up, that hour's up.
There's no going back.
High-five it.
What's up? Team Fierce! Team Fierce? I'm gonna guarantee that this has more flavor than half the Going on in these plates over here.
Are we Team Diane instead of Team Fierce now? It's not Anthony's kitchen.
It's Diane's kitchen.
Yeah, but whenever you put the word "fierce," it's always talking about me, right? So Team Diane? Yeah, for sure.
I don't think I'm gonna go home today.
But you never know.
I did good today.
Ludo would be proud.
The competition's stiff in this thing.
Might as well have fun with the leftovers.
I love how relaxed you are.
When I cook in a kitchen, I'm very calm and serene.
Even though everything is chaotic around me.
I'm a little worried.
I'm not super confident right now.
Hopefully, uh, I will not be in the bottom.
My dish didn't come out the way I wanted it to.
Hopefully, there's someone that did worse than I did.
We'll see.
Here's how the tasting works We taste every spoon.
We have no idea who cooked it or what we are eating.
Each mentor must select which spoon was our best taste and more importantly, our worst taste, to put in the bottom four.
It's anybody's game.
It's me on a spoon.
We're all in the same boat.
Anyone could have their mentor send them home.
I am more nervous than I've ever been in my life.
Lord, please.
Please, please.
Interesting.
The crisp skin.
- Lemon.
- I've got pepper and I've got lemon.
It's lemon.
Garlic? - Yeah, I have lemon.
- Lemon, garlic.
"Lemon.
Garlic.
" It's got tang.
I don't know what that means! - What is it? - Any thoughts? - Chicken? - I'm thinking pork.
- It's a protein? - Pork or chicken, I can't tell.
But it's slightly too much acid for me.
Acid for you? I like the flavor.
Whether I would describe it as a comforting taste - I don't know.
- Yeah, it is comfort food.
- It is.
- I'm comforted.
This takes me someplace.
I know where I am.
While they're judging my food, anxiety level up to, like, up to here, man.
I don't care what it is.
I just want another mouthful.
Voila.
Here we go.
Southern food just really represents Americana, comfort.
And shrimp and grits is the perfect way to represent that.
Shrimp and grit party.
- Shrimp is cooked perfectly.
- Yes.
My problem is, this is brash.
Nigella.
You understand? It's very comfortable.
- To me, it isn't.
- English people, eh? At least three of them did really like it.
I look at my spoons and I'm really proud of them.
I really think that all the flavors are gonna be there.
I don't know what that is.
It's not a comfort dish that you can identify.
It's not the feedback that I want to hear.
Chicken and dumplings is very comforting.
I'm really hoping that they are able to interpret the dish.
Someone's copied Lauren's crispy skin.
That's pretty bold, somebody's throwing the same dish that won a, you know, uh Bold? Maybe derivative? They weren't able to put their prejudgments aside and just taste the spoon of food.
I have immunity and I'm still freaking out.
I'm not happy with my spoon at all.
Which, at the end of the day, hurts worse than having to go home.
I love this flavor.
For me, it's a lot of memory.
There's The cheese is overwhelming.
Oh! The cheese! I like a little cheese.
- That was not a little cheese.
- That was a lot of cheese.
I absolutely know I'm gonna be at the top because I'm just good at food in general.
Comfort food is easy.
It doesn't have to be some greasy-ass, cheesy dish.
It could just be something that makes you go Ahh, ahh! Bring me another spoon of this.
Yeah.
Me, too.
I'd be very comfortable eating this every day.
It hit such high notes with everyone, except for It's one of my least comforting things.
The style of it, the bitterness.
Malarkey.
I would actually add a little sweetness to it.
Comfort food is something so geared toward a home cook, so I'm feeling really good.
If I gave this to my children, they'd be very happy.
They addressed the challenge head-on.
I'm confident in this dish as far as flavor.
People know Indian curry, yet not too many people know West Indian.
So it's a risk for me to take, and hopefully, it pays out.
- It is a curry, isn't it? - I believe it's a Southeast Asian.
I come from a curry-eating nation.
"In England, we do a lot of curries.
" Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
This is not Nothing like that.
You know what I'm saying? This is not that.
I need a bit more salt.
Yeah.
Underseasoned.
Shawn didn't listen to me.
He didn't add any salt.
I could use a little more salt.
It's only got one note.
This is my heritage and where I come from.
And maybe you don't understand it.
Nerve-racking.
You know, being on those rails, having their backs turned on us, you don't really see the facial expressions.
I'm never 100% confident, 'cause you just may never know.
Mmm.
Mmm.
Uni.
Uni.
- Boom.
- Wow.
- Uni.
- Mmm.
- Uni - Shrimp.
- Truffle, shrimp.
- Shrimp.
I shouldn't like this, but I really do.
I just have one problem with this dish.
For me, is not enough comfort food.
Back in the day it was It was a peasant food.
I mean, you had the shellfish, you know 200 years ago.
There There is an argument - for a sense of a comfort food there.
- Comforting food? This dish is not making me comfortable.
It's making me want to order a very expensive bottle of wine and crash a Ferrari.
- I want another bite.
- It's just amazing.
I went with fried chicken and and coleslaw.
I gotta think big.
I can't just make fried chicken that the home cook's gonna make.
I wanted to kind of wow the judges.
I like the chicken.
Just the cabbage or the slaw that was underneath it.
Just a little bit more, because I got a lot of heaviness.
I want to differentiate myself from other contestants on the show.
The spicy chicken wing personifies my personality.
It's spicy.
If it were my last meal, that's what I'd want.
I don't know the the spice.
I don't know what is this.
Chili.
There's a bit of chili there.
To me, it tastes very small-town Americana.
Oh, I'm not second-guessing myself at all about the halibut dish.
Comfort food to the "T.
" You know, you eat it, you wanna take a nap.
That's comfort food.
Fish? It's, um, fish in a white wine sauce.
It's quite English nursery food, funnily enough.
What? Yeah, but we We put wine in our children's food.
We don't have the American thing of No alcohol for children.
I have a lot of confidence.
My team is coming off a victory from the last challenge.
I feel awesome.
I'm ready.
What the Is this? Oh! - Apple crumble.
- Mm-hmm.
You gotta take risks if you want to step out and improve on your things.
But I'm afraid the apple's not quite cooked enough.
I take that back.
I do wish I had immunity.
- I don't know.
I don't like it.
- I'll say this.
This is comfort food for vast swath of America.
And I'm in that swath.
I absolutely loved it.
Rice pudding, to me, is, like, one of the most comforting foods that you can eat.
Classic Lebanese.
It was in 2006, I was caught in Beirut in a war And, uh, while that wasn't exactly comfortable, my daughter was conceived the day, uh, the day I got out.
- Oh, right.
- And, uh, so for me, - it brings back some powerful memories.
- Good story.
I'm so relieved.
Thanks so much for what you cooked for us today.
You guys can go back to the break room, and we'll see you later.
Thanks.
From those sixteen spoons, we have to choose our best and our worst.
And this is gonna be particularly tricky, I think - For the worst.
- Because of Of all of those sixteen, nothing sucked.
I I was almost hoping that would happen today just to make the choice easier.
I didn't taste anything that was just a bomb.
I'm so nervous about potentially being up there in the hatch.
You're not gonna be in the hatch.
So the weight of the world is on me.
Uh, I quit my job.
The first challenge didn't go so well for me.
I can't imagine being put into the bottom four 'cause of a dish that's so important to me.
I still feel like I'm gonna be probably one of the bottom four.
I feel like I wasn't on my "A" game because I know I can't be eliminated.
- I cannot wait to see what your team did.
- I know.
You're right.
We haven't had enough time to cook with them in the kitchen - No.
No.
- To really get to understand who they are.
- Their style and - But I don't think we should.
I mean, that's what's so interesting, 'cause the The taste has been compelling enough.
If my team listens to me, they're not on the bottom.
And if they're not on the top, I'm fine with that right now.
I'm feeling, like, a million butterflies in my stomach right now.
- You know what? - The hatch, not knowing whether they loved or hated your dish I don't want to be up there.
I do not want to be up there.
I put my heart and soul into my dish, and I can only hope that the judges liked it.
It's more frightening than waiting for my own exam results.
You could, without knowing it, put someone from your own kitchen as the bottom.
Guys, we've tasted a lot of food tonight.
And we really have no idea - None.
- Totally.
Who's in the hatches.
I guess it's time to find out who's who.
Ohh! The seven of you cooked our best and worst dishes.
Of course, we still have no idea who cooked what.
We are as nerve-racked as you are.
Two people are going home tonight.
Come on.
Drop the hatch.
Let's get this over with.
I wanna know what they have to say.
This is where we reveal our best and worst spoons of the evening.
And so with a press of this button, we are gonna know who my two choices are.
Are you ready? Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Mwah! Mwah! Yes! Shawn, sorry about that, but It's all good.
When your own team chose you as favorite dish, - that's nice, nice work.
- Yes.
I was very surprised, guys, about the the good job everybody did on the challenge.
So, okay, guys.
Let's go see.
Yes! , yes! That's my girl! She's here again! I, too, have, of course, a A best and a worst.
Let's see who they are.
- Okay.
- Ooh! Nicely done.
Nicely done.
Now wait a minute.
Lauren has Yeah, she has immunity, right? Immunity.
Lauren's not going anywhere no matter what.
Choosing a worst spoon was really difficult.
Choosing a Best spoon was, uh, relatively easier.
- Whoa! - Oh, this is just unbelievable.
Whoa! Think me not rude, Renatta, but I am very excited that it's her own team member.
Renatta, I know you're an incredible cook.
Very, very painful.
I find this very difficult.
- I don't want to gloat about the fact that - Ah! One of you mean team members has got two up there, and Well, a lot of us picked our own people, right? - But - That's pretty good.
Come on, give me five seconds of gloating.
- Ugh! - One, two, three I feel better now.
Okay, for better or worse, Micah, Shawn, Lauren, Renatta, you're the bottom four.
But before we talk about your dishes, let's find out a little bit more about what we liked so much.
We were all pretty impressed with these candidates.
The, uh, the uni dish That was Khristianne.
I grew up in the Philippines, and my grandmother, she would just husk coconuts, and she would use the coconut milk to stew whatever my mom brought in.
And so that was a more refined version of it.
In what world is this comfort food? - Who gets to grow up eating uni? - That's a world I want to live in.
I was like, "That's where I wanna live.
" The shrimp and grits was - Sarah! - Sarah.
Hello, Sarah.
I really love it.
Seriously, I mean, your sauce was amazing.
Very comfortable food.
- You put in alcohol? - Bourbon, yeah.
- Nice.
- Excellent.
- Thank you very much, chefs.
- So, Diane? For me, comfort food is usually Chinese, Vietnamese, or Korean, so with the five-spice, the sriracha, and the bean paste I am in need of comfort right now.
Thank you.
Winners, clearly, you have nothing to worry about.
If you could step back in the hatches? And we're going to, uh, address another issue.
Team Diane is in the house! Whoo! So you're all there, everyone's lined up in the hatch, and then it opens.
And then they were looking at me like Like, "This bitch can cook? No.
" For better or worse, Micah, Shawn, Lauren, Renatta, you're the bottom four.
Let's take a look at the dishes that got you here.
They just need to see the difference of the spoon and the whole plate.
Okay, the apple crumble.
- That would be me.
- You, Renatta? Tell us was it apple crumble? Tell us a little bit about that.
Yes.
Sometimes it was the easiest thing to make.
When you didn't have a lot of money, you could pick your apples from the tree.
And then you always had oatmeal and butter and brown sugar, so it was comforting to me.
As a general principle, jaded palates, chefs, are gonna be a little less, uh, little less friendly towards, uh, sugar.
- Micah, tell us a little bit about your dish.
- Yeah.
It brought me back to a place where, uh, before my dad had passed away, and we had a friend come from Israel and, uh, started cooking this really delicious chicken stew.
Those flavors really bring me back to that point in my life where it It was all about family.
I have to say, I was discomforted by it.
Okay.
I mean, this why it's, in a way, just as well that the tastings are blind because your story is moving.
A A lot of the food we eat is freighted with our family history.
- Mm-hmm.
- But the gift is is in making it talk to someone who doesn't share your past.
Mm-hmm.
I did not see any or taste any protein for me.
I was very confused.
It was very bland.
I mean, really no flavor.
It left me cold.
Shawn, uh, could you tell us about your dish please? This is a, uh, West Indian Trinidadian curry.
My dad's family is from Trinidad and Tobago.
And I make this dish a lot, so I'm surprised that this dish is on the table, to be actually honest with you.
Trinidad has some of the best food in the Caribbean, and this is a dish that should've knocked us all out.
It, uh, was badly in need of salt.
That curry is pretty much spot-on from where that's from.
I'm very, very surprised to see you here.
- I I agree.
- I mean, for me, you're one of my best, uh, guys on my team.
My choice for least favorite was yours, Lauren.
What is it? Tell me, please.
Well, I figured I would try to do something that I've never made before.
And, uh, we ate a lot of shepherd's pie growing up, but it all came out of the freezer.
So I figured I would try to do my own twist and take some liberties as to what I was putting on the plate, um, including massive amounts of cheese.
What cheeses did you use? Just cheddar.
Now can I ask you Lauren, Lauren, Lauren, I love starch and I love fat.
However, you can't just throw one thing at it.
It's like just putting ketchup all over something.
I don't mind some cheddar cheese, but now when I dissect the dish here, I really see how misappropriated everything is here.
It breaks my heart to see you because I know that you're better than this.
Today was a very, very good day for you to have immunity.
We'll be seeing you next time.
That was rough.
Oh! What happened? Come here.
You're here.
We just stand there, and they talk about how awful it is, and then you just keep standing there.
You know? Oh! Oh, God.
Come on.
They ripped Micah really bad.
They said his food is bland.
Everything agreed it was bland and tasteless.
Bland and tasteless.
Bland and tasteless.
Two of you guys have to go home.
Step back in the hatch and back to the break room.
We have a decision to make.
You guys think Micah's gonna go home? Yeah, I'm I hate to say it, but I think our Our buddy's going home.
Why do you guys have a smile on your face? You're just not a good person.
- Were you roughed up? - Yeah, it's pretty rough.
Now they're making a decision of two out of the three, who they want to send home.
I didn't have a lot of difficulty choosing my least favorite, uh, initially.
I mean, I was very surprised to see Shawn here.
They told me my food was bland, underseasoned.
We'll see what happens.
My hand on my heart, I cannot say this was better than this.
You didn't like it at all? You did not like it at all? I thought the apple pie was really good.
It's just a matter of cultural differences.
We're supposed to be making our decisions here based on the taste, as I understand it, okay? These two clearly taste worst for me.
Of course I wanna see the competition to the end.
I hope next week, everybody brings their game on.
We made our decision.
Yeah? Yes.
Let's bring them back.
Well, we've made our decision.
It gives us no pleasure to send perfectly good cooks home.
But unfortunately, it's the nature of the game.
Two of you will be going home tonight.
Micah I'm afraid this was not your night.
You'll be going home.
Thank you for the opportunity.
Micah, you had some fun.
We had a great time getting to know you.
It wasn't that your dish was awful.
You're just not ready for this, my friend.
We appreciate you coming and cooking your heart out for us, all right? Thank you so much.
Thank you for the opportunity, everyone.
- It was a long road getting here.
- Good for you.
- Really appreciate it.
- Best of luck, my friend.
Best of luck.
Let's see if I can, like - Mmm.
Good luck.
- Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm pretty upset.
I came here wanting to give my all, and now I'm going home.
But I've made it this far, and that, for me, I'm super proud of myself.
I know my family, my wife is probably If you don't take a risk in life, then you'll never get a reward.
So, you know, I may not have won this competition, I may not have even got past the first grouping, but, you know, there's a reward at the end somewhere, and I'm gonna find that.
Brutal, huh? I know.
This seems brutal.
Shawn, Renatta, this was a tough choice.
Again, two very talented people.
Ultimately, though You'll have to do a lot worse, Shawn, than you did tonight to be sent home.
Which means that, Renatta, - We're gonna have to say good-bye to you.
- Okay.
We wish you the very, very best.
Well, I love your food.
I'm sorry it turned out this way.
- And I know you'll always cook - Mwah.
- And make people happy with your food.
- Thank you.
- And carry on.
Bye, darling.
- Mwah.
Bye.
No! Bye-bye.
This experience is so awesome.
Like, this is a memory that will be embedded for as long as I have breath.
So Shawn, it's a competition.
It's time to wake up for you.
- Oh, I'm - You know, I fight for you here tonight, but if I see you again here, I will let you go.
You are lucky everybody was fair on this table.
I I appreciate everybody.
Thank you.
I mean, not not Not Malarkey, of course.
You know I don't I don't trust him.
You can go back and join the other cooks, and we will be seeing you next time.
- I appreciate that.
- Thank you.
Thanks to all of you.
It is a good and noble thing to cook well.
We really appreciate it.
You must be tired.
It's been a long night.
Thank you, guys.
You're all right, guys.
You're all right.
Let's cook some good food to taste.
Just fourteen of you remain in the competition.
You have one hour.
All right, let's do it.