After the elimination of Richard Sweeney in week three’s Foo Fighter challenge, thirteen chefs are still competing to win the title of Top Chef and the competition’s grand prize. Ariane Duarte begins the episode on a positive note, after having received good feedback from the judges. However, Alex Eusebio was already missing his friend and roommate, Richard. A letter that Richard left behind brought several of the chefs to tears.
Quickfire Challenge
The chefs enter the Top Chef kitchen and discover host Padma Lakshmi with this episode’s guest judge, celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito. They give the contestants this week’s Quickfire Challenge -- creating a breakfast themed amuse-bouche. An amuse-bouche is a dish consisting of a single bite that begins a meal, and is a showcase of a chef’s talents. Rocco mentions that he is a huge fan of bacon and the chefs are given 30 minutes to cook.
After Rocco and Padma taste all the chefs’ dishes, they begin by giving the bad news. Danny Gagnon’s cornflake-crusted zucchini blossom and Fabio Viviani’s brioche and banana dish were chosen as the bottom two. At the top of the pack were Jamie Lauren’s breakfast BLT, Stefan Richter’s huevos rancheros, and Leah Cohen’s quail egg bite were named the top three. Leah was named the winner, as one of the only contestants to create a real amuse-bouche, and she received immunity for the elimination challenge. She also receives a copy of Rocco’s new book, Rocco Gets Real, for her second consecutive Quickfire Challenge win.
Elimination Challenge
Being a modern chef is often about more than just the food, as this week’s Elimination Challenge suggests. For a chef, media exposure can make the difference between the success and failure of a new restaurant. Rocco and Padma announce that the chefs will be creating a dish for a two and a half minute television presentation that they will be performing for the judges. The chefs were each given 30 minutes to shop at Whole Foods Market with a budget of $100. They returned to the Top Chef kitchen where they had one hour to prep their dish before the presentation.
Each chef gave their presentation surrounded by host Padma Lakshmi, guest judge Rocco DiSpirito, judge Gail Simmons, and Top Chef head judge Tom Colicchio. The judges peppered the contestants with questions during their presentations. While several chefs did not finish in the allotted time, others had technical issues with their dishes. After all the chefs had presented, Padma announced that Ariane, Fabio, and Jeff McInnis were the top three. Alex, Jamie, and Melissa Harrison were at risk for elimination.
The three winning chefs encountered an unusual surprise when Tom woke them up at 2 AM the following morning. They were told that they would be cooking their dishes for the hosts of the Today Show, who would be selecting the ultimate winner. After some deliberation on the part of the hosts, Ariane was ultimately named the winner for her beefsteak tomato salad with watermelon & feta cheese.
Judges’ Table
The judges begin by speaking with the winners, and Ariane receives extra prizes for her win. She will present a dish on the Today Show the morning after the episode airs and also was given a tool kit of Rocco’s favorite kitchen tools. The losing chefs were called in and critiqued for their dishes. Melissa’s shrimp dish contained habanero peppers that were too spicy for all the judges. Jamie’s duck egg did not set up and she was visibly frustrated with the judges during her demo. Alex attempted to be different by choosing a dessert, but the allotted prep time was not enough.
The chefs waited in the stew room, where it seemed that Melissa was ready to throw Alex under the bus. Meanwhile, the Top Chef judges deliberated over the flaws of each dish. Ultimately, Alex was asked to pack his knives and go for his crème brulee, which did not set up during the prep time.
Stay tuned to see who is asked to pack their knives and go in the week five episode, “Gail’s Bridal Shower.” New episodes of Top Chef air on the Bravo Network, Wednesday nights at 10 PM. Visit the Top Chef: New York Page for cast profiles, episode summaries, and more.
