#2892 Top Chef S22E14 Part 1: Fin

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1:38Ben Mandelker: Yeah, they have a massive library of audiobooks and ad-free podcasts. And it is really the perfect thing to turn on when you're taking a long drive, washing some dishes. Like, enrich yourself. New members can start listening with a 30-day free trial at audible.com slash WWC.

2:12Ben Mandelker: What happens when there's so much that happens?

2:42We're ever going to do it again this year. So come see us. We're going to be recapping the Valley. Also, we're doing Love Island every day that we record, which is three or four times a week, over on our Patreon. So if you're a Love Island person, be my person at our Love Island Patreon recaps. That's really fun. If you want to watch all our recaps and bonus episodes, you can do so at Patreon as well. If you want free videos of our regular episodes, you can find those on YouTube a week after they are released. Okay. So let's talk some Top Chef. How'd you feel?

3:19Ben Mandelker: Well, it felt good. I mean, it was pretty much the way I expected it. It was pretty good. It was pretty good. It was pretty good. announce the cast for the upcoming season of the traitors which i was very happy included like five real housewives including the return of dorinda medley love that lisa rinna i think she'll be great portia great choice candace we predicted great there's a fifth one i don't remember who it was but very happy with whoever it was i just don't remember who it was off the top of my head oh i know i don't remember who do you remember who the fifth one was while we think about that the reason I'm bringing it up is because Kristen Kish wound up as a cast member for the Traders.

4:07Ben Mandelker: How do you feel about that, Ronnie? I'm excited to see. I'm excited to see it. Aren't you? I mean, yes, I am. I just think it's like a weird choice. And this is not an anti-Kristen thing. This is just more like it's kind of funny to have a host of like, like Top Chef is like in the world of you know fine dining it's kind of like a prestige show for Bravo and I don't know to me it's kind of funny that they're having a host now being going back down to contestant level on a show that's like sort of trashier like it's surprising to me because she could it's kind of a risk right that they could have like their host beyond this show of accusation everything so I just was very surprised that they chose Kristen but at the same time it kind of makes sense because most likely the show will air from january until through the end of february or march and that's probably when the next scene of top chef is going to start so it's a good way to probably promote top chef but it was still like it was an odd casting choice to me well it's odd because she's not a huge personality you know but um i'm excited to see what her personality is like in that environment for sure yeah it could be very interesting what if she's like really bitchy and mean i would love that i would love that i would love that more than anything yeah she's probably gonna be like i don't want to have to accuse you of this but honestly i'm sorry i think that you're i think you're a traitor i think there'll be a lot of that she'll be like i was in episode one so here on episode two i can tell you how difficult episode one was and this is someone who's done this before it's not easy this is not the easiest part of my day um the other the other so the housewives are portia williams caroline stanbury candace that's it lisa renna and dorinda medley is getting another chance which is crazy and watch them get rid of her first again i won't be so i won't riot i they better not um i i think this is great because last season there were only three housewives and now we have five so there's like some insurance that we that they make sure that there's like some housewife housewife that will last for a little bit.

6:22Ben Mandelker: I hope that they do something where they protect Dorinda. They could either make her a traitor, but I honestly think that Dorinda will be best as a faithful. Maybe they'll do something where she comes in late in the cage the way Rob Mariano did or whatever. Anyway, I just had to bring that up because I just thought it was so surprised that they put Kristen on this cast. It just felt like a different like the world of Top Chef and the traitors did not seem like they were intersecting to me, but I guess we'll see how it goes. Yeah, I'm down for it. I'm down to see what that's about. And also, I'm down for them to bring Padma on.

6:57Maybe if they open up that door, we can get a little, hello. Hello, chefs. She just shows up at every round table like, hello, chefs. I really didn't like the lamb tonight. Like, um...

7:11Ben Mandelker: I don't think we should be murdering anyone. I think this is wrong. Padma's the game. I'll tell you what's a good game checkers i play it with my dear friend lean away all right so here we are um with top chef season finale it's the final it's all on the line guys and bailey is the first one she's like oh my god top chef is no joke it's like the hardest thing i've ever done do i even belong here Oh, God. I've learned to trust all the weird thoughts that I have, like lasagna today. Well, I wrote down my plan for the finale, and then I bruleed it, and now I can't read it anymore, but I feel like it was good, what I can remember of it.

8:04Ben Mandelker: And then we have Shui, who's like, well, I wanted to compete on Top Chef just for my business and for my grandma, and we're horribly in debt. Grandma's in debt, too. I didn't expect the competition to reawaken my grandma, but she's awake now and she's hungry. So I've got to cook for my grandma now. I sold my grandma to get the plane ticket to come to this show. And now I need the money to buy my grandma back or I'm never going to cook another thing because I only cook for grandma. Grandma! And then Tristan is like, chefs don't always get the acknowledgement that they necessarily deserve. but being on this experience is really special because I've been shown my point of view through creativity and it's been a really great, long, extremely emotional ride since losing my father, Russell.

8:53Ben Mandelker: I'm working on his determination and now I'm just going to bust my ass even more and if you try to make fun of me, I'm just going to remind you my dad died during this and you can't make fun of me because of that. Because it's too mean. You can't make fun of me. so bailey's like um this is insane we're like looking at the last supper painting together and it is the last supper and i just wondered did jesus eat lasagna i just feel like this is such an important lesson which is that we could be throwing our food at the wall it could be considered art right now why aren't we doing that i'm just gonna brulee this painting if no one minds yeah she's like you know i mean this has been done a million times the last supper and so that makes me think of my food it's just stuff that's been done a million times but you know you got to get quirky with it you know jesus i don't know he had long hair and liked you know carbs made bread for people so i don't know i'm really trying to tie this last supper thing to my own life quirky just like jesus and schweiler's like you know leonardo da vinci had the grandmother and um she literally does link it he literally says he's like hold on every second guys i've got something i've got to say about leonardo da finci you know what he made something spectacular that's lasted through generations and that's how i feel about food all these things i'm taking from my mom my grandma i'm like wow it's amazing fun fact my grandma was the mona lisa sorry everyone sorry to keep that secret for so long i just didn't want to be judged by having a super famous painting grandma but that's the truth she did it she's mona lisa oh yeah so um he's like i can't wait to share my food to the world of top chef grandma that's my grandma legacy grandma so then tristan is uh reflecting on the fact that judas is the antagonist of the painting and is also the only one who is dark skinned and how stereotyping has been around for a long time.

10:59Ben Mandelker: And so that's why it's his mission to increase the value of black food across the world. And he's ready for this. So they are like, wow, great painting. So Kristen then shows up and she's like, good morning chefs. Congratulations. I'm sorry to interrupt you. It's just funny to think about because basically they look at it. They all look at the last painting and Bailey is like quirky. It's quirky. And Shuaia's like, Grandma. And Tristan's like, Judas. I never even knew the thing about Judas. That's pretty fucked up, actually. I never even knew that about the painting, did you? I don't know who all the people in the painting are.

11:42I'm more of like a star-centered person. So I just look at Jesus. Everybody else, I'm just like, Like, why are those people like, leave Jesus alone? Can the man have a meal? Everyone's like, Jesus, Jesus. He's like, can I eat? I haven't eaten all fucking day. I just spent 40 days walking through a desert, not eating anything. And you guys aren't going to let me have my last fucking supper. Are you fucking kidding me with this?

12:07Ben Mandelker: I was just like, I don't know who these people are. I was like, I don't know. It's a dinner party somewhere. Where's Anna Garten? Yeah. So Kristen's like, good morning. By the way, them staring at this painting was about 15 minutes long. They're like, well, we've got an hour and 15 minutes to watch three people cook something, so let's stretch it out. Well, that is always the curse of the Top Chef finale, isn't it? They're like, okay, everything that you said this season, just kind of get your shtick and just repeat that over and over. So Bailey's like, quirky, insecure, grandma, grandma, grandma.

12:38I do it for the children.

12:41Ben Mandelker: You know, someday I want to paint a painting, but it'll be my second to last dinner because that's kind of a little quirkier. Well, we were going to have Gail paint her version of The Last Supper, but unfortunately, we don't know how to paint never.

12:58Ben Mandelker: Hi, this is Ghost Padma. I was alive until very recently when Ghost Judas ran me over with his Ghost BMW X7. What a great vehicle. You know what's funny? I'm just sitting here in heaven with Leonardo da Vinci talking about The Last Supper. You know, he said he meant that to be a light-hearted rob Why are you all taking it so seriously? So I was talking to Leo, that's what I call him Because we're like friends now And he said, you guys are taking this way too seriously This was just an ad for olden times Nutrisystem, The Last Supper He was the first influencer of heaven Haven't you seen his selfie?

13:40Ben Mandelker: Jeez so Tristan so Kristen comes out and she's like congratulations on making it to the finale one of you is going to walk away with a grand prize of$250 ,000 furnished by Saratoga Springwater I just want you to know I had some Saratoga the other day it was delicious but the bottle is empty and it was a beautiful moment and I've been in your shoes before being thirsty wanting some water so good luck good luck to you all wow so sad for your season that you only have Saratoga Up here in heaven, Leo's drinking Pellegrino I heard that Gail can't get into many parties Because she often shows up as Gailatoga Am I right?

14:21Ben Mandelker: Let's go get a dress Saratoga Otherwise known as Gail's dress designer

14:34So today's challenge Is to make a four course progressive meal Of your life we want rights across the board. I want all of your, I want abortion rights served to me.

14:51Oh, progress. I want healthcare for everybody in an appetizer form.

14:57Ben Mandelker: Yeah, you know what? Because Da Vinci's creativity knows no limits. That's why we want to see from you today and your final meal of the season. So you see what we did there? We had a tenuous link to Da Vinci and a challenge on Top Chef. Da Vinci knows no limits. Almost like astronauts. When they go to the moon, they also know no limits. Tom, that was from two seasons ago. Give it up already. It didn't make sense now, and it doesn't make sense now. I mean, it didn't make sense then or now. God, I can't believe I flubbed my words right in front of Da Vinci. So to help you prepare and cook your final meals, we've asked you to choose your sous chef.

15:35And in walk, Lana, Paula, and Zubair. I hope you're planning on making some spicy fried chicken because that's Zuber's thing. I will never forget Zuber's thing because remember when he made his amazing spicy chicken Chicago winning best sandwich of all time and then he went home the next week. He's like, I won. I finally used my fried chicken recipe. And now you can go, Zuber. Leonardo DiCaprio hated your follow-up dish to your spicy chicken. Goodbye.

16:04Ben Mandelker: You're a one trick pony. I'm sorry. And I say that as someone who's friends with Annie Get Your Gun Lady. So Lana is saying, I'm back. This is awesome. I mean, if I can't be here myself in the finals, then it's literally the most perfect next best thing is to be here for Bailey to overcook her final dish. I'm so excited. I can't wait to ruin her fish. And why? Why'd you choose Paula? And he's like, you know, because I've just thought about her ever since restaurant wars. You know how much she sacrificed for all of us. I just wanted someone like that by my side. Today I plan on making something with possibly a sauce that consists of unchopped almonds.

16:54Ben Mandelker: He's like, you know, Paula, she does such great work and she's got these children and just made me realize that maybe someday she'll be a grandma, like my grandma. So anyway, she's going to be my grandma today. She's like, yes, I got you. I'm your grandma now. Tristan's like, okay. Tristan picked Zubair because he is one of the only people who would get the spices. And so he's like, so we're going to get the flavor down. Okay, well, now that you've got your sous chefs and a jar of pickles. Thank you so much, Lana. That's so nice. It's from my pickle fridge. American Airlines did not want me to keep it as carry-on, but I insisted it was a service refrigerator.

17:43Ben Mandelker: I got a doctor's note. They have 2 ,000 euro to shop at a variety of local markets, followed by five hours of prep and cook. And then tomorrow, you'll have an additional two hours of prep and cook before service begins at Michelin's hour restaurant. Correcto. Cracko. Named after Gail's backside. Wow, pull up your jeans, am I right? Named after Gail when she steps into Ross. Watch out, here comes Cracko. Clear the aisles. She's pulling everything off the rack. Gail's standing up on the bus. Wow, release the Cracko.

18:22Ben Mandelker: You'll be serving us judges and an impressive lineup of guest diners, including the owner of restaurant Cracko and mistress or star chef, Carlo Cracco. Chef and star, owner of Santo Palato in Rome, also Carlo Cracco, and also the owner, the host of Italian Wheel of Fortune, Carlo Cracco. Wow. The inventor of one of the most famous candies in Italy, Cracker Crackos. Cracker Cracco. The inventor of the beloved 1960s board game Racco, it's Carlo Cricco. Wow. And, you know, we know we're missing the disappointment on Padma's face this year. RIP Padma. Thanks, Tom. Leonardo DiCaprio says if you had a wig, you could be in the Last Supper.

19:12Okay, that's enough of that. But we know that you've all been missing the disappointment in Padma's voice, so we've brought back three Michelin star chef, Claire Smith, to be disappointed all over again.

19:24Ben Mandelker: Wow. Claire, Claire, how does it feel to be named after a boutique for little girls? Disappointing. How do you think it feels? I love Claire. It's just like, mmm. That was delicious. Like, you liar. Why do you keep saying things are delicious? You look like you want to spit it out, Claire. And that's what I love about Claire. I know. She's the best. She's like, this was absolutely delicious and life-changing. For a raccoon. Get it out of my face. It's time for a commercial. It's time for a Crappens commercial. Losing weight can be like trying to roll a wheelbarrow up a hill. You can do it, but it's so much better and easier with support.

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22:19I wear, I'm so excited that the temperatures are dropping so I can start wearing that again.

22:23Ben Mandelker: Find your next fall favorites at Quince. Download the Quince app for app exclusive offers or go to quince.com. Get free shipping on your order and 365 day returns now available in Canada and the UK too. And when Quince asks where you heard about them, let them know it was Watch What Crappens. It's the best way to support the show. So Tristan is going to do a progressive African or Afro Caribbean cuisine and a little history lesson as well. Delicious. Sounds delicious. I love history. One time I ate Christopher Columbus.

23:02Ben Mandelker: One time Gail went to the library and ate all the history books in there. that was a lesson that she learned on the toilet for weeks. So Shouai's like, yeah, I have a grasp on what I want to do. I'm going to do Chinese techniques and dishes that I feel like have influenced me by my grandma.

23:22Ben Mandelker: I'm going to do something quirky. I'm going to keep it quirky. I'm going to be quirky. Quirky about Bartogamous. My appetizer's going to be calm. Do I even belong here? I'm going to make a dessert for my appetizer so it feels really awkward. People are like, what is this doing here? I get it, tiramisu. I get it. The whole vibe is giro stravagante, which means eccentric turn in Italian. Wow, because Gail's whole vibe is giro in my mouth, eh? Especially when she goes to Little Greece. I just want to be whimsical, so I'm going to serve everything in cracks. cut to cut to tarzan the actor still shaking in the corner being like she told me it looked like tiramisu but it was savory

24:15so bailey is telling lana that she wants to feature different artisans and chefs that have influenced who i am that sounds like a copycat meal i'm not gonna lie and it is weird when she presents it she's like all right well this was my favorite chef boyardee um the spaghetti

24:30Ben Mandelker: in shapes of letters enjoy everybody on this next soup you'll notice that there are little ufos and meatballs as asteroids thank you very much to my childhood enjoy yeah so tristan tristan gives us some history he says that italy tried to invade ethiopia so he wants to give a nod to that bit of history. Yum. Delicious. So he's going to do something called Durango. Durango is short for Doro Watt, which is the national dish of Ethiopia. And then there's the Northern Italian dish, Southern French dish called chicken Marengo. So he's going to do new, he's going to do it with oxtail. So it's going to be chicken Marengo meets Durango.

25:19Ben Mandelker: And all I can think of is casino the morango. But that's on me. It's like when Gail hasn't washed her hair for a week. You'd put your fingers through it and you'd say, what is this? Meringue? Oh. He's also going to do moxtail Milanese. I'm so glad you're doing a dish about when Italy tried to invade Ethiopia. Someone should try to do a dish about when Gail tried to invade Dress Barn. I've got an idea. How about someone invades Gail with a comb?

25:56so dristan says risotto milanese and also bucco is a staple dish so he's going to use oxtail which is the poster child for trinidadian cuisine

26:05Ben Mandelker: and shawai says well we're in italy so we have to do some pasta right so i'm going to make a grandma grandma grandma grandma ravioli by grandma but it can taste like soup dumplings but it'll also taste like grandma and the third course i'm you know I was doing research in Milan and I was thinking about Asabuco and my mom makes this delicious tangu, which she must've learned from my grandma. So I'm going to do grandma pork ribs and polenta grandma. Yeah. I'm, you know, I'm really thinking about my grandma today. So I'm going to make a pasta dumpling as big as a child, small child. I don't really know how those things go together, but it's going to be big.

26:46It's going to be like a human head.

26:48Ben Mandelker: I'm going to make a ravioli and on the inside is going to be a pork filling and on the inside of the pork filling is going to be a little button and you can press it and say, I've fallen and I can't get up. Just for grandma. So Bailey is going to do my second course. I'm going to do an Annelini Alpini just because I like the sound of it. Annelini Alpini, Annelini Alpino, Annelini Alpini. so that's that's gonna be fun do you think that sounds quirky enough do i belong here hey if you could vote for me to win would you vote for me to win or would you just send me home right now okay i'm leaving all right the third course is gonna be okay quirk alert blackened redfish oh my god crazy that is nuts it's black and it's red hey what's black and white and red all over my dish falling down a staircase.

27:40Ben Mandelker: Get it? Oh, I forgot the white part. Now's dessert time is part tiramisu, part zucca, like pasta, but it's made with pizzelle cookies. What do you think of that? You like that? Is that stupid? I don't even know. You know, I don't know if you know this, but the original name for pizzelle cookies was quirky cookie. Yeah, it's a pretty quirky dessert, pizzelles. So Tristan has a dessert. He calls it truffle roots. It's basically carrot cake without carrots, he uses parsnips instead. And then he's going to do a coconut milk veil on top. Coconut milk veil? Wow, what are we recreating? Gail's wedding?

28:23Ben Mandelker: Bride of Eatonstein. So, I mean, a parsnip cake instead of carrot cake is, that's cool. I've seen it. I'm not saying it's original. I've seen it many times before. The thing that annoys me is the coconut coconut milk veil you know tristan i really like tristan i'm rooting for him uh but he does do very chefy things like when he's always like i just want this to be kissed by the flame kissed by the flame he's definitely the sort of chef that's like i'm making a soil and now when he says a little coconut milk veil on top oh please yeah it's coconut milk it's a foam it's probably because he doesn't want to say foam so he's gonna call it a veil yeah well i'm glad he didn't call it a foam.

29:05I don't know that I love veil more, but I don't know what a coconut milk veil is. So, you know, part of that is my own ignorance.

29:14Ben Mandelker: I just get annoyed sometimes with the Chevy things like this. Yeah. That sounds amazing. I have no idea what any of that means, but sounds amazing. And Shuaia's like, well, I'm going to make one of my favorite desserts, ambrosia salad. And I was like, girl, that's from Luby's. That's a Jell-O salad with some fruit in there. man that's what that's he's doing it he's going for it and uh paula's like yeah i never would have thought you were like that i mean that's what grandmothers eat exactly exactly he's like i feel like it's so me because it's trashy and it's something that's playful i'm like okay so uh trashy while trying to win top chef sure sounds like that will definitely work out also he keeps calling his food trashy i don't find his food trashy it's a defense I don't think he's calling his own food trashy I don't like it stop that Schwe stop it stand tall on your ambrosia salad so they go shopping at the fish market and Schwe's like oh my god this smells like ocean that's the same thing I say every time I walk into Gail's closet to try and fix it that's what I say about Gail after she applies her her deodorant which of course as we all know is a fresh red snapper is a blackened.

30:32Shut up, Bailey. No one's talking to you, weirdo. Just had a lot of quirk potential.

30:41So he's going to make...

30:44Ben Mandelker: By the way, for the record, yes, it is blackened. She has blackened deodorant. I can't... Kale's blackened redfish deodorant.

30:57Ben Mandelker: It's from the brand Sure, but you pronounce it like this. Sure, girl. So he's going to make a panapuri. It's his favorite bite in the whole world. And his eyes are caught by the scarlet red shrimp. My God, it's just glowing red. Give me that shrimp. And Bailey's like, I'm going to be making a polipoymats. Polipoymats. Polipoymats. Polipoymats. Nutrient felucis. You know, it'll be this beautiful grilled octopus. but I'm going to make sure all the octopus legs are sort of like going like because quirky octopus and then mozzarella I want the octopus to be doing like walk like an Egyptian remember that song?

31:39Ben Mandelker: because it's quirky Octopus and mozzarella it's inspired by my first line cooking job at an azakaya style restaurant youth show and people say you're not supposed to mix cheese and seafood together but rules are meant to be broken sometimes Food Network would murder you because the Food Network really hates that. I've never seen a network hate that more than the Food Network. And doesn't even crazy-haired Richard, isn't he today like, hey guys, how do we feel about fish and seafood? Because I'm on Food Network most of the time. And by the way, I still have stupid hair. It's not a faux hawk anymore, but it's still incredibly stupid.

32:20I'm addicted to stupid hair.

32:22Ben Mandelker: Thank you. It's my thing. his hair is basically just like a ramp. He now is like, I stand next to the buildings. That way people can get to the next floor. I've literally never seen somebody so committed to like, this is my thing. Stupid hair. I'm Richard. Chef. Who, who's giving him positive feedback about it? Who said that this is your thing? Like, it's just, it's always been terrible. And no one's ever been like, God, I love that quirky hair. Quirky. It's never been good. But yeah, Food Network hates fish and cheese. I don't think fish and cheese is so verboten. I mean, look, people put clams on pizza.

32:58Ben Mandelker: They put anchovies on. Tuna melts. Tuna melts, crab dip. I mean, I don't think, I think fish and cheese. McCormick and Schmick has like a. Octopus and mozzarella doesn't sound good. I'll say that. I'm open to it. It's too much rubber. Too much chew in the same thing. I wonder if it's quirky. Nothing. I know nothing. What about a quirky octopus? What about a quirky mozzarella?

33:30Ben Mandelker: What about a quirky mozzarella and a quirky octopus walk into a bar? And guess what happens? They're quirky together. So Tristan, his first course is going to be bakala mongol. And he's on a hellbent mission to find really good quality cod. and he's like that monkfish looks really good so he can't ignore that and you know he doesn't know really what he's going to do with that for now but he's just basing it on ingredients and one thing is for sure he's going to call something a veil one of those fish will come out with a coconut veil on it so get ready and then Shua is saying how Bailey is such a beast she's like the Italian queen she makes Italian food that I've never seen done before because it's quirky there I said it And, you know, Tristan, we use all these beautiful stories about his food with all the ingredients he uses.

34:22Ben Mandelker: It's incredibly good. His is about like, oh, Italy invaded Ethiopia. And mine's kind of like one time I went to Chipotle and I really liked the tortilla. So I'm making a quirky tortilla to go around this pasta. So his story is much better than my story's. Turns out traumatic history is delicious. But is it quirky? I'll leave that up for the judges. Pretty sure it's not that quirky. so we get to the kitchen and Tristan breaks the cutting board and Shui's like whoa calm down Massimo male laugh but you know Tristan was like you motherfucker how dare you compare me to Massimo so Shui is going over his second course he's going to make a pork and king crab soup dumpling ravioli kind of Chinese kind of Italian might be awesome or he'll never be allowed in either country ever again we'll see yeah it's yeah it's a lot like that's his thing yeah and so uh paulo's gonna work on the osapuco and everything and then he literally says and guess what my grandma used to make me sweet and sour pork rib okay dude let your just let your grandma have a night off you know what i mean is she sick of being dragged around this stage just leave her alone bro well the second course for me is gonna be an alpini you know quirk on quirk right with a porcini filled pasta with brown butter pecan i was gonna do regular butter pecan but i think brown butter is quirkier and this is a dish that draws inspiration from the mountains of canada which i think is a pretty quirky mountain range those canadian mountains right so we're gonna do that has a mountain and there was a mountain in italy so if you have a canada mountain and an italy mountain it totally makes sense in italy yeah um and then i'm gonna do uh my next thing is a third it's gonna be a nod to sarah grunenberg who was on top of the steve gutenberg it's gonna be steve it's called a gutenberg grunenberg people are gonna see and go wait a minute do i recognize this where's this been god i haven't seen this since the 80s but didn't even notice it was missing jeez i'm gonna call the dish three men and a little lady and the little lady will be me, but like made out of Annalini.

36:37Ben Mandelker: Annalini Albini specifically. Oh, okay. I remember this chick, Sarah Sarah Grunberg. I didn't remember her. I didn't know that's who she worked for. I thought I looked it up because I was like, oh, I thought it might have been Sarah who was from Kentucky who was actually on there earlier this season. And then it turns out it was just a different Top Chef contestant. But yeah, I don't remember anything about her except I think I liked her. I don't remember anything either. I remember her face, but I don't remember why. But I'm on her Instagram now, and it says Sarah Grunberg, listen to your vegetables, my first cookbook.

37:12Ben Mandelker: No, I don't want to listen to vegetables. I listened to my vegetables last night. I knew what they said. Please don't eat me. Can I go back to the dirt? My vegetables said get a pizza. My vegetables said thanks for sticking me in the back of your non-crisper. Now I'm half frozen, half wilted. Thanks a lot, Dick. That was my experience last night. I'm going to give this in tribute to her because, you know, she likes to make blackened orada because of her upbringing in Houston, fishing with her grandfather. So basically, I'm just going to go ahead and snipe her off memories from other people and call it quirk.

37:49Ben Mandelker: Tristan is now talking about how he's going to do his Durango, his Ethiopian-Italian hybrid with the Nijera shrimp toast. And he's going to do his oxtail milanese to pay tribute to the Caribbean and Milan. So, and then he puts in like a million hot spices and they all start choking. So Tom comes in. Oh, hey, hey, Bailey. What are you making? Please tell me. It's not quirky. Guess what? Bad news. It's quirky. It's quirky. It's not about a quirk. I really wanted to create a menu that consists of all the people and places that have inspired me on my cooking journey. Okay. That sounds really boring.

38:25Ben Mandelker: So you're going to do a dessert? And will the dessert actually be a savory dish? Because Tarzan wants to know. Well, it's going to be a torta de pizzo. I'm going to layer it with mascarpone, sucro filling, make a little ice cream. Okay, well, I'm bored. Okay, good luck. Bye. You're not winning this. You have no shot at this. But bye. It was good to see you here. Last chance kitchen, everybody. Watch it after this show. Usually, that's where she came from. No one cares. Okay, bye, baby. So Tristan is Hubert. So let's talk about your menu, okay? and Tristan says he normally gets discredited a lot trying to do his own stuff in his classical training spaces so fuck it he's doing it today he's like I'm gonna do a parsnip cake instead of a carrot cake alright well congratulations the next winner of Top Chef is Tristan but Tom too early you've gotta at least let them cook their foods alright fine okay well I'll let you guys get back to it Hold on.

39:23Bailey, did I talk to you already? You did. Want to do it again? I don't. Wow. That was a good brain. My brain trying to help me out there, and I just won't let it work. Okay. So let's go talk to Shui. Shui, what about your grandma? Well, my grandma. Okay. I'm done. I'm leaving. Bye. Gotta smoke. Gotta smoke.

39:42Ben Mandelker: Gotta smoke. All right, chefs. Have a good job. And just remember, two of you don't really have a shot at this, but it's fun to see you cook anyway. All right. Thanks very much. You know, it's been a great journey for me. It reminds me of, why are we here? Because Tristan won this already. Okay, that was a good one. Okay, everybody. I'll be out. Bye. Well, I know that if I don't win Top Chef, at least I have a chance at last Quirk Kitchen.

40:13So Tristan is like, I don't know if I'm going with monkfish or cod for my first course, but I'm going to treat them the same way. I'm just going to leave the cooking, all the fish to test tomorrow. So this could either work or could not work. We'll see. So Bailey is like, well, I just hope I can do it perfect. So, okay, let's see. What's going to happen tomorrow? We don't know.

40:39Ben Mandelker: I like Schwy saying, he's like, I'm really worried about my raviolo. Soup dumplings have always been my Everest. This is chefs. Yes. So then, so now, all right, wait, Tom is coming back in time. I just want to say something to all the finalists. After you're done, you get to come to have a special dinner. And to the rest of you, we left you some leftover eggs from the Hyatt Place Breakfast. So enjoy your dinner tonight. I like that they do this every year now. It's pretty cute. I do miss the Padma ones where she'd You're like, okay, chefs, here's what I've prepared for everybody. It's a plate of my fingernails.

41:18I really don't eat dinner.

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44:08Ben Mandelker: so uh they go to this this residence uh where um tom is like like he's like basing like a porchetta or something like that he's always basing a big meat and gail is always making a salad every single every single year that they do this gail makes a salad and then makes some sort of like rustic dessert and tom always has a big protein and kristin this time was making She made like a little pasta thing and some broth or whatever. And Tom has his glasses on. Like, oh, welcome. Welcome to our little dinner. We do still know how to cook. It is true. We know how to cook. Yeah. And they serve their stuff.

44:43And Gail's like, yeah, salad, anchovy, and salad. Simple, simple, simple. Wow. F for effort, Gail. Wow, you put two Fs in effort. Jeez, Gail. That's worse than my fingernail plate. Jeez. Try.

45:00Ben Mandelker: Oh, by the way, I was speaking to Da Vinci and he said, Wow, Gail, you really Michelangelo'd up that salad. He doesn't like Michelangelo. It was a diss, Gail. Sorry, I guess you have to be friends with... It was a Michael Fadgelo. Maybe if you're friends with Renaissance people, you would understand, like, the nuances of that diss. But since you don't, I guess it just went over your head. You know what? Monet just came up and said, Wow, Gail's a real Monet Isn't that rude? I think it's actually a compliment coming from Monet It's not It's not By the way, Klimt called He said, stop biting my frames You really shouldn't eat those frames, Gail His was a legitimate complaint Pollock's just excited to see you try and Make one of his pieces As you drip things all over your shirt all night By the way, Grandma Moses and I had a conversation.

46:03Ben Mandelker: I love Grandma. And she says...

46:09Ben Mandelker: She says she just disavows this entire season for so many different reasons. Does she know how to make dumplings? Shwa, stay out of it. You already stepped on my joke.

46:23Ben Mandelker: Oh, my God. So they're like, how does everything feel? You guys feel good? and they're like, great. And Gail's like, have you ever been to Milan before? And Billy's like, no. I mean, the northmost I've ever been is Amelia Rockman. You know, I didn't get on a plane until I was like 20. It was amazing. It's the quirkiest thing ever. It was like a bus, but then it started flying. I was like, this is a quirky bus. I said, this is a plane, ma 'am. And what? The best part was how they had that video of Todrick Hall doing the safety instructions. I was like, this is a quirky video right here. Well, the energy that you guys brought to this season, and I say this without an ounce of smoke blowing.

47:05Well.

47:08Ben Mandelker: Based on the scent in that room, something was blowing. Something's blowing. First day, you walked into the kitchen. The three of us turned to each other and we said, Tristan's winning this. Am I right, guys?

47:22Ben Mandelker: You know, we looked at each other and we're like, they've got the juju. Oh, really, Gail? Because every time you walk into a convenience store, you always say, they've got the Charleston chews. They've got the juju and you've got the juju. So Kristen's like, yeah, we're truly getting to know you by your food, but your personalities. They're just like, every time you come there, you have your personalities. And it's just such a joy because you're people that say things. And they're like, oh my God, Kristen, this is beautiful. Don't ever lose that. Okay, don't lose that. Okay, earn this. earn this so bailey's like well i like to keep it humble and a little bit quirky on the side and i'm also really proud of what i've accomplished to get me here i mean there was the time i tried black and red fish my old boss and i was like this is disgusting i'm gonna serve it in top chef you know it's a journey um so now we get gail's poached pear crostata and uh kristen's like yeah everybody's gonna change their dessert.

48:26Wait, what'd she say? Everybody's gonna change their dessert. What does that mean?

48:29Ben Mandelker: Kristen's like, well, everybody's gonna, everybody's gonna change. No, she's saying like, this dessert is so good. It's so good, I know. Everyone's gonna change the dessert now. Okay, because we're all here in this moment. I know what it's like to be a crostata, folded over some fruit. It's tough, but you could do it. It's special. So, just why I was like, wow, this is still exciting for you guys after so many seasons and it's like tom's like absolutely not you know i get to mentor in a way a bunch of young people and um my book why i cook um by the way that's why i do this every season why cook my book why cook my book i didn't cook my book it's just my book called why i cook why you know what i really never realized how difficult that would be to plug we're going to change the name you know what i love i love mentoring in a way and by mentoring i mean i walk into the kitchen, look at what you're doing about three times a season and go, huh?

49:21Ben Mandelker: And then they say, what's wrong? And I go, I don't say. I'm not allowed to tell you what's wrong. That's the sort of mentorship that I think really is impactful. Yeah, because Tom doesn't really mentor. He's not like Podman. I mean, well, no. He's not like a Tim Gunn. He's like, well, I wouldn't change those pounds. You know, he doesn't do that kind of thing. He's just like, well, I mean, is this how you normally do your rice? Well, okay. Well, well, good luck. back to writing my book why i cook which is funny because you never see me cook on the show except for once a season when i based a porchetta so so my follow-up book is going to be called why i bugma you know and tristan's like i mean it's so amazing when you can be around so many people at the same exact goal especially now in restaurants well you know you you make that happen you hire the people that you want to be there you inspire them there well you know when i worked at raquel which was thomas keller's restaurant in the city the conversation the kitchen was never about what movie did you see or what bar are you going to or do you ever want to be a mixologist because if you ever said that people just laugh in your face because who would ever want to be a mixologist i mean only an idiot wants to be a mixologist all we talked about all day long every second of our lives was food well tell me about it i've made the mistake of picking up the phone one time and Gail called.

50:44Ben Mandelker: Schwein's like, wait a second. So you didn't talk about your grandmother's? No. Only food. Gail's like, we are so proud of you. So they all give a cheers. And now it's time to go to Krakow. Whatever, Krakow. So Tristan is like, I mean, it's like the last day of Top Chef. So I've got senioritis, you know. It's like, you know, it's the last day of school. it's going to change your life forever I don't know can I leave at lunch I'll tell you when I had senioritis I was like I can't wait to skip class and make a make a root cake with a coconut veil so then Tristan's like okay I can tell the rain's coming in my knees

51:33Ben Mandelker: so Tristan is still having he's like a love island like he's like a Love Island fuckboys still deciding between two bombshells. He's like, I don't know. Monkfish is easier to overcook. Cod has less texture. They're both my type on paper. Which one am I going to choose? Which one of you is my people? So six minutes. And Bailey's like, oh, I need to get a really nice char on that octopus and balance it with the creaminess of the mozzarella, which is cork overload. Watch out. Corking coming through. Although I think at one point, Bailey is very chef-y, and she's like, let's get a char on that octo and get the mozzerati.

52:15Ben Mandelker: I'm like, it's octopus and mozzarella. No, it's octo. Octo and mozz. Get that octo with the mozz. Can we get the octo with the mozzerati? So the judges come in, and Tom's like, well, you know, we know at this table, the most important thing once you get to a certain level is finding your own style, because you've got so much money, you really need to learn to dress better. Am I right? Gale I didn't say that I did Da Vinci did too So did Pollock So did Monet So did Picasso And that man really doesn't even care We all agreed Gale is the worst And then I said Exacto So then So then Chris is like Everyone Let me To emphasize this I'm going to Play the piano with one hand on the table And I'm just going to say I think we're in For a really big treat especially you Claire I think you're gonna enjoy this Claire you're gonna try to smile no okay you don't smile Claire's like this is miserable this entire experience cracko my asshole I would give back all three of my Michelin stars not to sit here for one second longer so now chefs are starting to plate food and now Tristan decides with monkfish he's like I'm going with monkfish now because it's got a lobster texture so it's a little late but you know he gets it done I guess and Zuber is like sauce directly on the fish he's like north of the fish north of the fish chef north of the fish yes chef so time to present so Bailey's like well my menu is paying homage to the people that have influenced me especially the quirky ones and then I want to put a spin on their own food so I want to play around with my first line cooking job from a Japanese background it was called Benny Hanna and we had grilled octopus.

54:07Ben Mandelker: So, Gail, I'm going to ask you to open your mouth and I'm going to just flip this octopus mozzarella ball into it. Oh, whoops, got you in the eye by accident. Sorry about that, Gail. Wow, you missed her head, but somehow she ended up with an octopus on top of her head anyway. Oh, I'm sorry, is that your hairstyle? Da Vinci is literally LOLing. That's when you're laughing out loud. Stupid Da Vinci. He's very humorless, actually. So it's octopus, mozzarella, tomato dashi, and giardiniera. Sort of like the star-crossed lover situation if those star-crossed lovers were quirky and not quirky. Am I right?

54:51Ben Mandelker: That's not going to work out. The mozzarella just got left at a restaurant by the octopus and it didn't know what it did wrong. Okay, well, that's enough about my love life. Enjoy it. congratulations you've reached the end of part one of a two-part recap for part two go look for the recap that says part two see you over there suckers well hello and welcome to watch what crappens this is part two of a two-part recap if you're like hey wait a minute i didn't hear part one guys it's because we put out a lot of recaps Go back and listen to part one, okay? It's before this one. Bye. Enjoy the show.

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