- The chefs set sail for the Bahamas, and each participates in a culinary duel against the person who was crowned the winner during their first stint on the show. Later, they create meals for Bahamian royalty, but it's a royal pain with limited cooking equipment.—Anonymous
- After some time off, the FIVE finalists regroup in the Bahamas. Antonia thinks as long as she stays focused she can win. She's there for the title, not the money. Richard still feels like he choked last time. He's worried about missing the birth of his daughter. Carla is determined not to let her sous chef talk her out of cooking her food for the finale. Mike says he took his time off to learn new techniques, including pastry. Tiffany says she feels like an underdog. They head into historic Fort Charlotte, where some familiar faces are waiting for them -- past Top Chef winners including Michael Voltaggio (season 6), Kevin Sbraga (season 7), Stephanie Izard (season 4) and Hosea Rosenberg (season 5). It's the winners of the finalists' seasons. Padma and Tom are there with Eric Ripert. Quickfire Tom explains they're going to head to head with the chef that won their season. Richard says this is his chance to prove he's better than Stephanie. The winner of each head-to-head wins $10,000. Tom has given them each a secret ingredient. Season 4 gets veal. The Mikes have a whole duck. Hosea and Carla get lamb. Hosea is eager to prove to the "haters" that he deserved to win. Tiffany and Kevin get pork. They're cooking outside on tiny stations. Stephanie is against Richard and Antonia, with the chance to win $20,000.
Mike I. thinks Mike V. is going nuts using all the complicated machinery available. Richard, not surprisingly, his worried about everything. Antonia and Carla keep having burner issues. Carla has to put her rice in with her stew, which she knows won't work. Time's up.
Kevin serves bbq pork with salad. Tiffany made pork stew with potatoes, peppers. Tom says they're both good, but takes Tiffany. So does Eric. She wins. It's her first win of the season.
Hosea made braised leg of lamb and goat cheese polenta. Calra made jollof rice and harissa lamb with peppers and onions. Hosea wins easily given Carla's undercooked rice.
Stephanie made veal scallopini with tampenade. Antonia made roasted veal with leek, almonds and mushrooms. Tom says Antonia's flavors, but the veal is tough. He doesn't like either. Eric says Antonia's is dry and he doesn't get Stephanie's, but she gets his vote. Padma breaks the tie and gives Stephanie the win. She'll settle for winning on a crappy dish. She goes against Richard's. Tom and Eric easily give it to him.
Michael V. made citrus cured and smoked duck breast and duck leg in bacon vinaigrette. Mike I. made cashew duck and spiced duck breast. Padma takes V., Eric takes I. -- Tom gives the win to the person who handled the duck better: Isabella. Richard is impressed that Mike I. beat Michael V.
They say their good-byes.
Elimination Challenge Tom tells them they're cooking for Bahamian royalty tomorrow night. But first it's off to The Cove at Atlantis. Tiffany and Carla stay roommates.
Richard tells us that for his prep he cooked every single fish that swims within 100 miles of the island. "I would be prepared to go chase down a goat. And kill it. And cook it," he says.
The next day, they have 2 ½ hours to prep in the kitchen.
They start cooking furiously. Richard is making spiny lobster with pulled pork and pickled turnips. Antonia is making lamb with bacon and Brussels sprouts. Carla has worked in the Bahamas a couple times and is making pork medallions and apple chips. She's having doubts after being on the bottom for the Quickfire. She gets choked up talking to Antonia about her anxiety.
Mike I. thinks the ladies are playing it safe. They pack up the food. Police escort their SUV down neighborhood streets. Suddenly they come upon a street festival. They're not going to a palace. They get out among street performers in costumes, playing music like it's Carnivale. They all prepped for four star dining. Tom introduces them Bahamian royalty, the King of Junkanoo, a festival like Carnivale in the Bahamas. Antonia thinks her food won't play.
They're cooking in a restaurant kitchen. The kitchen is tiny with a microwave, fryers and flat top. Antonia dumps plantains into the fryer and then worries as it smokes. It keeps smoking and she keeps worrying. She says it's going to catch fire. It catches fire.
Richard immediately covers it up with a cooking pan. Richard worries the 35 gallons of oil will catch fire. They cover the food before clearing out. "Everyone was more worried about their food than their own personal safety," Richard says.
They clear out. Richard tries to mess with Antonia, trying to get in her head, telling her to go with her gut. Firefighters put out the grease fire. Tom surveys the scene and announces the food is contaminated and they can't cook in there. They're doing it all over again -- that night. They're allowed to change their dish. Tiffany thought she had a leg up and doesn't like the new plan.
They head back to the hotel kitchen to re-prep. They're already tired. Richard decides to do a new dish. Now he's doing cannelloni of pickled turnip with braised lamb. Antonia changes hers to shrimp and grits to take it less formal. They pack up the food all over again and head back to the same restaurant. There are countertop fryers in place. Carla decides to fry her apple chips and pork in the fryer -- something that she never does.
She cuts open the pork and sees that the center is raw. "I have to MacGyver this," she says, putting it on the grill.
The King, Percy, meets the judges. They settle into a cozy booth with beers. As she's plating, Antonia doesn't think her dish feels like her. Carla tries to talk herself into liking her own.
Carla serves fried pork loin with sweet potato puree and fried apples. Gail's pork is raw. Antonia serves fried shrimp with grits. Eric thinks the shrimp is overcooked. Gail thinks it lacks flavor. Mike I. serves sous vide chicken with lobster hash. Padma likes the sauce. Tom likes that there's a lot going on. Gail thinks the white meat is dry but the dark is delicious. Richard made roasted lamb loin with braised leg of lamb and a roasted cannelloni turnip. Eric thinks it's delicate. Tom loves the cannelloni. In the kitchen, Richard tells himself his food is disgusting. Tiffany made roasted pork with dirty rice with gizzards. Gail likes it, but doesn't think it's exciting. Tom thinks it's simple.
Antonia wishes she hadn't changed her dish. For our mini-segment, Richard compares nuts to music (almonds are like ballet, peanuts are rock and roll, pistachios are pop).
The stew room is the lounge in their hotel room. They obsess. "I just hate everything I f-----g do, that's the problem. It's a bigger issue than right now," Richard says. Padma comes for everyone.
Judges Table Padma opens by telling them the meal as a whole missed the mark. Padma tells Carla her apple chip was too sweet. Gail mentions her raw meat. Eric says his was perfectly cooked.
Antonia talks about changing her menu. She says she wasn't proud of what she served. Tom tells her adding meat to the grits was "odd."
Eric tells Tiffany her dish wasn't very complex. Mike says he liked his dish. Tom compliments his sauce.
Richard tells Padma he hates everything he does. Tom says his dish needed another element.
Eric announces the winner had the most harmonious dish: Mike. He thinks he now has the mental edge on Richard. Padma immediately tells Richard he's also safe from elimination. They're sent back to the stew room. The ladies sweat.
Richard says based on the comments he thinks it's Antonia.
Tom says that any one of them could go home. Eric said they all made mistakes. Tom's angry at Carla's sweet apple chip. Padma thinks Antonia had issues with her shrimp and her grits. Tiffany's was middle of the road, Gail says.
Verdict Time Tom recaps, saying their food was basic. The knife packer is: Carla.
"Thank you so much, this has been amazing and I appreciate it," she tells them. She says the judges made the right decision. Tom says the undercooked pork did her in. She says good bye. "One of the best things about being here is the personal growth and self-acceptance. Doing 'Top Chef' again, hands down I'm a better chef. It will change me personally just because there's been a sense of doing what I want to do and acceptance of myself, which for me is some kind of personal victory."
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