Top Chef

Previously on Top Chef...

Ugh.

- I'm sorry, we need to get someone here, please.

This is very, very important.

Oh...

- Why didn't you guys stand up for the freakin' shrimp?

The point is to cook the shrimp.

- Lindsay, she over there talking.

I'm feeling alone.

If she had an opinion about something, then say that.

You love driving the bus, hitting people.

Keith.

Please pack your knives and go.

- Thank you for the opportunity.

15 chefs remain,

all hoping to win...

A feature in Food & Wine magazine,

a showcase at the annual Food & Wine classic in Aspen,

$125,000, furnished by Healthy Choice

to bring their culinary dreams to life.

And the title of Top Chef.

== sync by elderman ==

- It definitely was an eye-opening experience

for all of us.

- Did you guys talk about the shrimp?

Was that in there at all?

Yeah--I mean, I had to.

- You guys turned against each other.

- I don't feel that we turned against each other.

Do you, Sarah? - I was honest.

- The reason why he went home was not because of the shrimp.

Keith stood by the flour tortilla

and said that's the only way he's had enchiladas.

And the team lost.

I'm okay admitting my faults but in a group challenge,

I gotta watch out for myself.

- Either have something really good to put on the plate,

or shut the up.

- Tonight I definitely see people's true colors come out.

It's, like, turned cutthroat all of a sudden.

It's not so...

Fun anymore.

- Walking into the kitchen, I see this big board of chilies

and temperatures and dollar signs.

The beginning of my career was in southwestern cuisine,

so I love working with chilies.

Good morning, chefs.

Good morning.

- Please welcome our guest judges,

two hot tamales and chefs and owners

of the Border Grill restaurants--

Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger.

- Good morning, chefs. - Welcome.

Hola.

- Mary Sue and Susan from Top Chef Masters

are a breath of fresh air.

This is why I'm here on Top Chef,

to be able to cook for esteemed chefs like this.

This challenge is designed to reward those of you

who have the confidence to take risks.

Beside me is a table full of chili peppers.

A range in degree of heat from mild...

To incendiary.

Like the ghost chili...

The hottest chili in the world,

according to the scoville scale.

- The scoville scale goes from 2,000 to millions.

Some of these things are like eating a pile of fire.

- Your task is simple-- create a dish

highlighting one chili pepper.

There's up to $20,000 on the line here,

furnished by tabasco brand pepper sauces.

The hotter the pepper you choose,

the more money you stand to win.

To really find the balance

and use those super-spicy chilies

without destroying the palate,

that takes a lot more skill and talent.

- Just want to remind you all,

we have to eat 15 of these dishes

so be careful.

Your time starts now.

- As I'm tasting the chilies, the Anaheim is the one

that has the most refreshing flavor,

and it's definitely something you can eat raw,

like a crudités.

So I'm not doing it for the money.

I'm doing it to make the best tasting dish.

- I grabbed the Fresno pepper, because on the scoville unit,

it's one hotter than a jalapeno.

I'm not a spice fan.

So for this challenge, it's something that I feel

apprehensive about.

- Whoo! Sorry, guys.

- Do you want me to move? I'll move.

- Do you mind? - Nope.

- You know those people that go "aagh!"

And they put the fire strip in their mouth?

The ghost pepper's a lot like that.

- Hey, I got a big box of Kosher, friend.

Usually I'm a "go big or go home" type person,

but my stomach kind of has issues with spicy, spicy foods.

So I went for the 7,500 manzano.

Come on, chef, burn your hands.

I really hope that because I don't choose the ghost pepper

it's not gonna bring me down.

I'm praying to win that 7,500. That buys a lot of diapers.

Coming up, coming up.

20 minutes, guys!

- I decide to make a date and pistachio couscous.

I want to use the Thai chili and some sort of pickling,

because it's going to highlight the chili itself

without overpowering the dish.

Hot!

I could win $10,000, but more importantly,

for me, I can win immunity.

I'm going for irs payback.

I am definitely a spicy guy,

I got a spicy personality.

I choose the habanero because it's my absolute favorite.

In my family it's one of the only chilies that we use.

I have enough cans of habanero in my apartment to last me

through the next nuclear fallout.

Um, I have habaneros.

I have to take down the heat, so I'm gonna cook it in syrup.

Ten minutes!

My mom's side has a Korean background,

and I grew up eating spicy food.

I wanna do a habanero vinaigrette

with big, bold spicy flavors.

What I like to do is triple blanche it

and sort of remove some of that spice,

and you still keep the flavor.

I choose the ghost chili because the last quickfire

I was in the bottom, and this time

I wanna impress the judges.

- That's hot. - - Yeah, man.

- I'm the only one that grabs the ghost chili pepper.

I think everybody else wants to play it safe.

- Have I told you you're amazing lately?

The ghost pepper.

A million scoville units?

That's all right, I'll stay away from that.

- Five minutes, you have five minutes left.

- Whose pan is this? I accidentally turned a knob.

- Coming around, arriba, arriba.

Cutting board salad.

Hot nuts!

- I'm noticing I'm the only one who didn't cook my chili,

and I'm worried about how that could stand out

in a bad way.

- Tasting my dish, it's not as spicy

as I thought it was going to be.

Which worries me, 'cause it is a chili challenge

and you want heat.

Hands up!

Utensils down.

Aagh!

- Okay, don't touch your eyes.

I want a hug.

- Hi, Beverly. - Hi, how are you?

I put the Anaheim in the ssamjang.

This is like a cream crudités.

Are the chilies cooked?

- No, I wanted you to really enjoy the freshness

and the beauty of the chili itself.

- Great. - Thank you so much.

Thank you.

I used the Fresno chili

that are a little more mild.

So it's a salmon belly seared with a Fresno chili

herb balsamic relish.

I needed one last bite.

I hope I don't have chilies on my hand now.

- I hope you don't too. - Well, that's all right.

I wanted to sort of balance with sweet and acid.

So you have a pineapple curd, a Fresno chili

sort of slaw, seared bay scallops,

and then a sweet and hot glazing on top of it all.

- Yeah. - Thank you, Richie.

Thank you very much.

- So what this is is buffalo hot wings.

You have tabasco sauce and celery with seared chicken,

manzano vinaigrette.

I like the fruitiness of this chili.

I used Thai chili.

So I just did a coconut soup,

fused it with the Thai chili.

Kaffir lime, sour cream, yuzu broth, so it's vegetarian.

- And did the money have anything to do

with the chili you picked?

- Kind of, sort of, but I really like Thai chilies.

Thank you.

- I made date and pistachio couscous

and I did a quick pickle of cucumbers, red onion,

and the Thai chilies.

So it's gonna give you a little bit of a kick.

- It's interesting, 'cause you definitely feel the heat.

I picked the habanero.

As a kid, my dad grew 40-50 pounds