Top Chef

- It's the Top Chef: Texas reunion.

- There's nothing overtly sexual in their intent.

- It all comes out. - It is hot in Texas.

Has Sarah accepted defeat?

I think it's really

That it's being brought up now.

- The mean girls try to save face.

Sometimes in a restaurant

you go off the handle a little bit.

- And will Beverly finally stand up for herself?

- I did feel I wasn't treated fairly sometimes.

When it's about my work ethic, that gets personal.

- Do you think that you owe Bev an apology?

The Top Chef: Texas reunion starts now.

Hey, everybody, I'm Andy Cohen,

and welcome to the Top Chef: Texas reunion.

It's great to see everybody.

Let's say hi to our judges.

Hi, Gail Simmons. - Hi, Andy Cohen.

- Tom, how are you? - Hi, Andy.

All right. - Hi, Padma.

- Hi, sweetie. - Emeril.

Andy, how are you?

And the Hugh-Nibrow.

How are you?

Hugh Acheson.

Let's say hi to the fantastic chefs

of Top Chef: Texas.

Hey, everybody.

- Hey. - Hello.

Let's congratulate

our newest Top Chef.

Paul.

== sync by elderman ==

Paul, has it sunk in yet?

Um, not quite.

- What did it feel like to win?

It was just a huge release.

It felt really, really good.

It definitely gives me

a huge sense of accomplishment.

Sorry. I'm just a little nervous.

Or a lot nervous.

- Okay, well, let's take a look at Paul's journey

to Top Chef.

- I'm just super-nervous right now.

I started cooking

later than most people start--

between the ages of 15 and 22.

I'd sell weed for my friends

so I could have extra money.

And I just woke up one morning,

my apartment's trashed,

and I decided that I needed

to do something with my life.

That's when I started to pursue

a culinary career.

And it's helped shape me

into a stronger person.

Come and get the jacket.

Thank you so much.

You can win this.

I think you will win.

- Every single time I do a service,

I criticize myself.

The passion gets the better of me.

It looks beautiful, Paul.

Thank you.

I always want to push

to make sure that I can do better.

'Cause that's the only way I can evolve.

- Pickles, pepper. - That's hot.

- A million scoville units? That's all right.

I'll stay away from that.

Paul is like the king of cool.

He just gets in there, he's got a quiet confidence.

Wow.

- Foie gras and bacon, strawberries.

- I hope he was wearing a glove

when he put his hand on the plate.

- But, see, you're scared, and that's good.

You're worried.

The person we felt

that just completely hit it out of the park

was Paul.

Paul.

That would be Paul's.

Paul.

- You can take something so simple

and make it so revelatory.

That's an amazing, amazing gift.

- Welcome to Whistler. Welcome to British Columbia.

- I'm very proud that I'm here

in the finals.

There has been a lot of battles fought,

and there's been a lot of battles won.

But it's about winning the war.

Paul, you are Top Chef.

It seems so surreal.

I'm still trying to find words to describe

how I feel right now.

I'll take this experience with me

for the rest of my life, and it's pretty amazing.

Amazing.

- Cool. Thank you.

- Tell me what it felt like

having your parents there.

- It was huge, 'cause I feel like I've never made

my mom or my dad proud ever.

Just seeing 'em there so happy,

it definitely touched my heart.

What did they say to you?

- That they were just really proud of me.

And I guess I've probably been waiting

to hear them say those kinds of words

for a very, very long time.

So it felt really good that I got to do it

on Top Chef.

- What's your grand total of winnings?

I think it's $185,000.

Wow.

- And a trip to Costa Rica.

And a Prius. Yeah. - Wow.

Tom, what did it come down to in the end?

- It was as difficult a decision as we ever made

because Sarah

went sort of really outside her comfort zone

and pulled it all off.

But Paul gave us a near flawless meal.

- Sarah, you seemed visibly shaken

at the end when Paul was named Top Chef.

- Really, really great work. - Exceptional.

- What was going through your head?

- It was just shock, you know.

You want it so bad.

You know, you put your heart out into that food.

And I told myself I wasn't gonna cry.

Sorry, guys. - Well, it's emotional.

But this is my life.

So I felt really accomplished,

no matter what was gonna happen.

- Do you think you were robbed?

No.

- Talk to me about that night.

Because I heard from someone in production

that you actually told a judge

in the heat of the moment to "eff off."

I don't believe that.

- You don't believe that? - No.

- I mean, you were-- you were there.

- I did not say that. - Okay.

All right.

I was really emotional

and really sad,

but I don't remember saying that,

and, if I said that, I didn't mean that at all.

And I think it's really

That it's being brought up now.

What do you want me to say?

Emeril is, like--

he's the chef that I grew up

looking up to.

And I felt like through the whole competition

he was really, really pushing me.

And I love him. I mean--

I love your food.

Thank you, Emeril.

- Seeing how Sarah, from the beginning of the competition

to the very end of the competition,

it was just a complete evolution.

And at the end,

you were doing stuff that I was like,

"wow, is this really gonna work?"

But you pulled it off.

Thank you.

- Nice to hear from your culinary idols.

Absolutely.

- Okay, our first viewer question comes

from Shannon in New Orleans,

who says, "Were the chefs mad when they showed up

"and found out 29 chefs were starting the season,

and they had to cook their way into a Top Chef coat?"

- I was a big fan of, you know, showing up

and seeing everyone.

I've watched the show in the past

and formed my own opinions

that maybe certain people are on just for the personality.

So I thought this actually gave

all of us a chance to prove to the viewers

that we're on the show 'cause we can cook.

Bonnie from Chicago,

she says, "I love Bev,

"but is she emotionally stable?

"She cries so much.

Is it a medical condition?"

Bev, you're a crier.

- I was totally the crybaby of the season.

That's fine.

I really feel that, like, the emotions

helped me really put myself on the plate.