- Eighteen past contestants return to compete in New York City-based culinary heats. They are challenged to re-create the ill-fated dish that caused their elimination during their previous stint on the show.
- Let us begin with a deep breath to review the list of cheftestants making their returns:
Elia Aboumrad, season two final four; Stephen Asprinio;, season one top five; Richard Blais season four finalist;Jennifer Carroll, season six final four; Tiffany Derry; Season seven, top five; Tiffani Faison, season one finalist; Carla Hall, season five finalist; Mike Isabella, season six, top seven; Jamie Lauren, season five, top seven; Dale Levitski, season three finalist; Antonia Lofaso, season four, final four; Spike Mendelsohn, season four, top five; Angelo Sosa, season seven finalist; Dale Talde, season four, top six; Casey Thompson, season three finalist and fan favorite; Marcel Vigneron, season two finalist; Fabio Viviani, season five final four and fan favorite; Tre Wilcox, season three, top eight.
We're in New York with Tom, Padma, Gail and Anthony Bourdain. Padma tells us there are $500,000 in cash and prizes at stake -- including $200,000 to the winner.
Tiffani is the first in the house and runs into Stephen. She vows to fight her "nuts" off, he tells us he's not nervous, because he never is. Elia arrives, and tells us she was "angry" to lose. She hopes Marcel "matured."
Richard thinks most people remember his season for him losing -- and he's probably right. Spike arrives in a t-shirt and backward baseball hat, announcing he's "bloomed."
Dale T. arrives with a produced montage of his freak-outs. Jamie claims people came from all over the world to meet her. Fabio tells us he's not looking forward to seeing Marcel, who was a snot to him at a reunion. He gets off the elevator and is face to face with Marcel.
Jen Carroll arrives and Blaise singles her out as the strongest competitor.
Angelo comes back after falling short in his finale with a bad illness. "I brought a lot of Advil this time," he says.
Off to the kitchen.
Tom and Padma are waiting. She tells them about the loot on the line and the biggest grand prize ever -- this appears to be news to them.
Quickfire Challenge
Chefs will be teaming by season to represent the city where their season took place. It's a battle for bragging rights. The winners get immunity.
(Stephen A. is wearing a tie under his chef's coat.)
Season four goes for sausage dogs and Dale T. sets out to make sausage in 25 minutes. Season seven goes for crab cakes. Jamie suggests apples for New York and they eat make their own dish.
Season three for Miami goes with pork, plantains, etc. Marcel and Elia go for fish tacos for L.A. People are running like whirling dervishes.
Stephen A. explains that season one is making cioppiono. Vegas (6) decides to go with the Italian mobster scene, as Isabella puts it.
Blaise, naturally, is using liquid nitrogen to make mustard ice cream.
The cameras miss Stephen walking into Angelo, causing him to drop his fish on the floor. Tre's pork won't cook. They all struggle to get food on the plate.
Time's up.
Tasting time. Season two's shrimp tacos have an apple wrapper. Isabella thinks Marcel still has the mentality of a "spoiled brat."
Season four's deconstructed hot dog has pork and black pepper sausage with mustard gelato.
Padma tells season 5 they have "interesting flavors."
Tom announces the failures: Marcel and Elia (their shrimp was under-flavored and the apple was too thin), and Tiffani and Stephen (waaay too much raw garlic) and season 5 (whose dishes didn't go together). All Jaime gets from that is that he liked her soup. Also season 7, who had a tiny bit too much salt.
The good ones: Miami, Chicago (inventive, and he liked the mustard ice cream) and Vegas.
The dish that won was Chicago (season four).
Elimination Challenge
Waiters bring in giant silver platters, which they open with some chagrin. "I see the reason I did not win Top Chef staring me in the face," Dale L. says.
They have the ingredients that sent them home. The challenge is to make the dish they went home for. Tom clearly loves it.
They have three hours tonight and two hours tomorrow at the Russian Tea Room.
The bustle begins. Spike gets frozen scallops again. Dale acknowledges that Bourdain was right about his scallops with butterscotch the first time around being a horrible concept.
Stephen was eliminated for not spending enough time in the kitchen and focusing on wine. He has to make three dishes that he never made.
Elia thinks there was nothing wrong with her dish the first time. She's stuffing the snapper with bacon. Jaime went home for Eric Ripert's black bass with braised celery -- which she hated. She's making celery hash this time.
Richard is intrigued by Angelo as he makes noodles. Dale T. messes with the nitro and makes muffins because he has immunity.
Mike I. tries to make his vegetarian dish good. Carla blames Casey for suggesting she sous vide her meat in the finale -- but says she doesn't blame her.
We see Elia shaving her head on a dare from her season and Marcel freaking out when they try to shave his.
At the Tea Room, Tom shakes things up by telling the chefs they'll be cooking in groups of nine and tasting each other's food. And, he announces the winner gets $10,000.
Group one cooks. Stephen struggles to finish his three dishes. Tiffani hustles him along. He finishes his dish after time has been called. Richard also adds foam as the food goes out.
There's a closed circuit TV in the kitchen. Elia hears them complaining about scales in her dish.
Richard made braised pork belly with butter radishes, mirin and cheddar. Jen says nothing came close to it.
Mike I and Jen rave about Angelo's, as does Bourdain. Tom says Dale L.'s scallops were good. Bourdain proclaims Dale T. "unf---d" the dish well. Jen picks apart Tre's salmon.
They say Stephen didn't solve the food's issues. Bourdain says he "hated" Fabio's whole dish and it "looks like an inside-out animal."
Elia hides in the kitchen as they get to hers. They aren't fans. Time for group two to cook.
Spike's scallops are still frozen.
Jamie and Mike I. don't like their dishes.
The first group feels awkward sitting next to people who just critiqued them. "This is like the beginning of the most uncomfortable Thanksgiving ever," Tiffani says.
The food is served.
The second group is crestfallen to realize the first group was watching their critiques.
Richard and Tre love Antonio's, but Tiffany doesn't like it. Bourdain says Spike's dish was good but didn't need the scallops. Tiffani points out that was the idea. "Correct me if I'm wrong," Bourdain says, "but is this the craftiest motherf-----r that's ever been on this show?"
Tom thinks Jamie succeeded in making Ripert's dish her own. They like Mike's veggies. Dale T. knocks Dale L.'s dumplings.
Angelo got nerve endings in Carla's meat. Gail says Casey redeemed herself with her pork belly. They find technical errors in Jen's duck dish -- she's shocked.
Back in the stew room, they mention that Richard was plating after time.
Padma comes for Spike, Jamie, Richard and Angelo.
Judges' Table
Tom tells Richard he made a great dish, but went over his time. Tom reviewed the tapes and tells Richard he's not eligible.
Bourdain again commends Spike for dealing with his frozen problem.
Tom says they all agreed on the winner: Angelo.
"I'm feeling really honored that I won," he says.
Dale T. thinks Richard shouldn't have been disqualified. The judges want Fabio, Stephen and Elia.
In front of the judges, Stephen says he wasn't around much the first time the dishes were made. Tom tells him the portions were off in his dish. Gail tells Elia her fish was raw. Elia is surprised and acknowledges she didn't test it.
Fabio says he was trying to take into account their "too light of a stew" comment from before. Gail says it was overdone. Bourdain says it was brown, wet and "horrifying looking."
Fabio calmly addresses him : "Sir, I'm telling you something: I agree to be criticized in a constructive way. I don't like to be made fun of and that's what you did through the meal. Some comment that you did about my food, if we weren't in this situation we would have different problem."
Tom says the individual flavors didn't stand out. After Padma sends them away Elia tells them not to eliminate her because she has more to do.
They leave.
Tom says Elia refused to improve on the dish. Tom says Fabio lacked nuance. Gail thinks Stephen didn't have a grasp of his food.
Verdict Time
Tom recaps.
The knife packer is: Elia.
She takes a moment and says "OK."
"I'm really, really upset. I came here sure I was gonna make it really far and this is a huge slap in the face. The first to go home is almost not worth that you came," she says.
In the stew room, she gets hugs and says she's humiliated. She leaves, wiping away tears.
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