#2893 Top Chef S22E14 Part 2: Fin
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Hi, everyone. Welcome back. This is part two of a two-part recap. If you're wondering where part one was, well, go check in the feed and be sure to subscribe. So that way you always get your episodes. But enough of that. Let's get right back into the episode.

- Shuai, Shuai, what did you make for your first course? He's like, well, I wanted to showcase what my grandma once made for me and I wanna show that Chinese food can take many forms. Sort of like my grandma shopping for different looks and outfits. So today we're starting off with a little pani puri with a cured scarlet red shrimp, ahi verde, salsa matcha, and then on the side, a little photo of my grandma. Enjoy.

And Tristan is like, well, I always looked at my own cuisine as something that wasn't really revered and valued at tables like this. You're damn right. You're damn right. But that's only because I have no idea who you are. I refuse to review anyone who I've never heard of.

So he said the black sauce is bakala mango, something that he grew up with and was disrespected. And so they're like, so how did you cook the fish? And he said he steamed it in a little bit of epi sputter.

mm-hmm so they like all the food Richard is saying he's this guy Richard Richard blaze oh he's like well if this was a fight they all came out and punch each other in the face hard I love Bailey's use of the octopus and the mozzarella because it's dumb and it's brilliant Wow sort of like your hair but that's just dumb

Wow, they sure did come out and punch each other in the face. Wish they'd aimed a little to their left. Stupid Richard Blaze and the stupid haircuts. I can't take it. I've died and I still have to put up with Richard Blaze hair? God.

Fidas Hassoun and I were chatting and he said, the worst thing I can imagine is someone who went from faux hawk to side hawk. And there you are. I had to shield him from this episode. So Kristen liked the mozzarella. She said it helped tamper and tame the char, balance out the sweetness. I think that's what Gail always tries to do when she rubs corn on the cobs all over her face. It does not tame and tamper anything, Gail. The last thing Gail tampered with was a

a snack machine at the motel. So Claire's like, schweissdisch, just like flavour explosion. Crunchy, lovely acidity, that wonderful heat coming through. It's like, why do you sound like you hate it? You're saying, your words are saying you love it, but your face is saying you hated it. It was absolutely disgusting. I loved it. Um...

The gazpacho verde chutney had such beautiful herbal notes. Oh really? Then why are you wearing it in your hair, gal? It's not a hat.

And Santiago is Santiago. Oh, Carlo is the one who's like Tristan's dish. Very simple, but very, very perfect. Every time he eats something of Tristan, he's like, this has changed my life. This is a chef who has come out. He's stolen my heart. He stomped on it. He put it in a little brulee. He cracked the top. I ate it. It was delicious. Please kill me and turn me into food. I love him. I'm obsessed with him.

And there's this guy, Santiago, who's like, well, I do think my fish was a bit under. And Tom's like, no, no, the fish looked undercooked. But since we've already decided that Tristan's going to win, I will declare that it looks undercooked, but it didn't eat undercooked. So if you're watching at home and say that looks undercooked, guess what? It's perfectly cooked. It's the most perfect fish I've ever eaten. Congratulations. He's like, it was just right on the border, right on the border of undercooked and not cooked at all. But you know what? He's on the border of winning and we're about to cross it. So everybody shut up.

So Tristan is like, you know, Gregory's like, Tristan and I are aligned in ways that we want to elevate certain cultures of food. And he did it great. He's like, yeah, that was so good. You know, I'm going to go in and give him a little encouragement. Hi, chefs. It's me, Tom. Guys, be more like Tristan. Too late. Okay.

bye yeah i like gregory gregory's kind of like yeah i uh i did kind of do this already on the show so and you guys didn't let me win so i just want to remind everyone i was here first so yeah so zubara is a zubair is pan frying the shrimp and he's like oh my god you know my favorite thing this whole night is shrimp toast but done with an era the size of the moment is getting more real

So, Shwia is like, you know, the texture's not really right on the ravioli. I'm just nervous about the dish. But I can't linger on emotions right now. What am I, a grandma? I'm just kidding. I love you, grandma. This is your fault, grandma.

It's my Everest. So then, yeah, Schwa is like, he's pivoting with his raviolo because he has to poach it now. It wasn't what he wanted to do. Now it's time for the second course to come out. So Bailey's like, all right, everyone, who wants some rhyming? Because guess what? You just got an Annalena Alpini, right? If that sounds like a girl you went to elementary school with, you're correct. She's a quirky friend of mine from when I was eight. Annalena Ampullini. She also was the star of children's literature.

Great series of books. And obsessed with peony, which is why she was so popular in high school. So the filling is roasted porcini, a little bit of shallot, you know, raviola, parmigiano, a little ricotta. Am I boring you? Okay, listen, we're in the mountains of Calgary, and that was the most important challenge. You know, it built confidence for me because now we're in North Italy near the Alps, and porcinis are in season. So mountains, mountains, porcinis, porcinis. Is anybody following me? I'll just be quiet.

quiet and just eat it or don't. I don't care. Whatever you want to do. I just wanted it to be a little quirky. So in honor of Canada, I did do some minced up Celine Dion cassettes. And I also added some Andrea Bocelli cassettes in honor of Italy. It's just a quirky little touch, a little crunch. Okay. Enjoy.

Gail's like, so why have you ever made this size of soup dumpling before? Did you mean to make a human head size dumpling, you dummy? He's like, I never have. But I know my grandma used to love bowling. And this is to honor her, her favorite sport. OK, well, OK, that's great. So Tristan now presents his Durango, which is short, as we all know, for Dorawat Durango.

So it's the chicken poached in Niter Kibbe and it's an Ethiopian fermented spice butter and then the shrimp toast and the jam and the butter and everything. And Santiago, he's like, oh, it's just next level. So wonderful. And someone named Jeannie is like, my chicken was cooked beautifully, but I think the star was the shrimp toast. I love the crispy chew.

And Tom found a couple of the great, he said, the seasoning's right up to the edge, you know. I mean, some are salty, a couple of few, it's not seasoned, you know. So he's playing his game and he's doing it really well. Some are salty, some aren't. Some are great. It just all mixes. It's perfect. Basically, this tastes like an award that we're giving to Tristan. So can we go now? It's the season finale of Matlock. Gotta get home. God, I love that Kathy Bates. What a talent.

Bailey's dish is really wholesome. I love the fact that she's using porcini. They're in season here, and I'm loving that she embraced that, because I was wondering, how could someone take an ingredient that's so wonderful and make something so disgusting out of it? Get this out of my face. She's not the only one that's embraced a porcini. Have you seen Gail's cotillion pictures? You know, she took a trumpet mushroom to prom once.

So Sarah's like, if I close my eyes, I remember the broth that my grandma made. Grandma's yes, nailed it. I'm winning this thing. No, you're not. Go back to the kitchen, please. Thank you, Shwai. Yeah, really hit the grandma bullseye on that one. And then Gregory is like, you know what? I'm still at three restaurants and I'm still having a great time. Okay.

Oh, gosh. Thanks again for not making me win our top chef. So now Lana is like, okay, so I'm going to pull the fish when it's a little under, right, Bailey? And Bailey's like, no, mid-rare. I mean, no, no, don't do that. And she's like, okay. And Lana's like, yeah, I would have pulled the fish, but I don't know. I'd probably want to cook all my proteins, but whatever she needs me to do, I'll do it.

Yeah. This is a fatal flaw for Bailey, who wasn't going to win anyway. But the mid-rare call winds up to be something that is not well done for her. So Bailey's like, well, I'm noticing that the fish is over, which is not very quirky, but we don't have time to refire it. So I can do the quirkiest thing I could ever do, which is serve overcooked fish in the finals of Tap Chef. Yeah. Dun, dun, dun.

So Bailey's presents hers. This is black and styled Orana with a Calabrian chili crunch and whipped tahini. It's kind of inspired by Seth Monteverde. And by inspired, I mean I stole it from her. Because she grew up fishing redfish with her grandfather. Wait a minute. Was her grandfather married? I think so. Grandmother, yes. I'm winning this thing. Okay.

so i was like wait a second she can't take my grandparent gloria okay here i go this is tangu osabuco with long beans radicchio burgundy truffles sweet and sour sauce and i guess it was inspired by you guessed it my grandmother for growing up used to make me this sweet and sour for sake man

You know, there's so many other people in his family and his life who are like, "Uh, hello, I'm here too." Like, what about your wife? Hasn't your wife made anything that's inspired you? Come on. - I know. So Tristan is like, "This one's so close to me. It's very West Indian, but it's the structure of Milanese. In the middle, it's oxtail braised with whole, and on the bottom are Carolina gold rice grits with the curry butter, and on top, more bone marrow with cremallata."

And a guy was like, Tristan, how did you, say it again? It's a gremolata veil. It's a gremolata veil. Someone's like, Tristan, how did you keep the individual grains of rice separate? And he's like, I cooked it more like pasta and then I mounted it. Curry butter. Amazing.

Well, chefs, your final course on Top Chef is about to be played. So get back there and we'll see you in a bit. And just remember, take this all in right now because it's a special time. I've been there. I've been in your shoes. Do it. Do it now.

So the judges talk and Jeannie is like, my fish was overcooked, but I did appreciate the creaminess of the tahini. And Gail's like, you know what? It just didn't have that brightness that I wanted to. I wanted it to basically say Tristan in big, bright letters. It didn't do that. Yeah. Yeah. It wasn't this. It wasn't the sunny, happy food that I know Bailey is used to making.

Wow, Gail. Gail wants sunny, happy food. Well, I spoke to Leonardo da Vinci, and he says, sunny, happy food is stupid. Wow, way to get on the wrong side of history, Gail. So then Gregory loved oxtail. He's like, we have been historically underserved oxtail here. Okay. And Tristan took the time to pull it, create the beautiful, huge, maybe too big a portion of oxtail here.

and then cover it with that gremolata, dare I say, veil. Okay? And he didn't forget the marrow. That is very, very smart. Carlo, do you have anything you'd like to add? Maybe a critical thought? No, it is perfect. I can die now. I just creamed my pants. So good. So good. The best.

They liked schwa. Clara's like, schwa's dish, it was rustic. And by rustic, I mean stupid. Why is this being served to me? I've got three Michelin stars. I don't need to be served any stupid granny porridge out of my sight. Kristen thinks the amount of dairy in the grits took over because she wants her richness from actual osso bucco. So now it's dessert time.

And Shwai is like beside himself that he's going to serve ambrosia salad to some of the best chefs in the world. He's like, I am so wacky. This is literally crazy. They're going to go nuts. Bailey is also bruleeing again, by the way. This is her thing. She's like, I'm quirky. So here comes the blowtorch. Okay, Lana, turn around. I'm just going to, I'm just going to brulee your calf. If you don't mind, just going to get a little test brulee going.

So she likes Zucca. That's one of her favorite pastas. So, you know, I'm wearing my line. So I decided to try and make a Zucca and a true dessert. You know, roasted squash filling, pizzelle cookies, mascarpone cream, and an espresso staccia della gelato. And Shwai is doing his, he's talking about his ambrosia, but he's going to elevate it with like pears and goji berries and Italian meringue and...

you know, just a little bit of polydent, just something really special to honor grandma. A little served on a reader's digest magazine. And Tristan serves his carrot Coke made carrot Coke, carrot cake made with the parsnip or pwn basically. And he's like, you know, I paired it with different roots that I found here. Sunchoke, sweet potato, garam masala,

Can I have some ice cream? This is dessert. But there's a casserole sorbet, though, with a sunchoke veil, maybe. So Kristen is... They serve it, and Kristen... I don't want sunchoken roots for dessert. No. Everything else looked amazing, but this I will say no. No to. Yes. I actually recently had an ice cream that was served on a sunchoke chip, and it actually worked surprisingly well. I was like, wow, sunchokes with ice cream? But...

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So, Kristen is like, she actually is holding back tears now, and she's like, "Well, I hope you all feel very proud. I want you to brace it all, feel it all, and celebrate all of your accomplishments." Wow. Get it together, Kristen. It's just, well, you're just watching three normies. They aren't even famous yet, and you're crying over them? Don't waste your tears. Chess, before you go back and realize that you never had a chance unless your name is Tristan,

I just wanted to say, you know, it's amazing having such food. You know, last night our chefs cooked and Gail made a salad. LOL. Just wanted to get that in there. Stupid Gail. Okay, go back. All of you are better than Gail. Okay. Chefs, I just want to say from heaven, it's been a pleasure watching you all season think that you are somehow going to become famous after this. Congratulations on your delusion. Goodbye.

None of your hair is stupid enough to be on the Food Network. Am I right, Richard?

So now the chefs leave and everyone claps and Claire goes, "Wow, what an end. I think Bailey really brought it home all that quick." And I kind of really can see Bailey's style quite clearly now. And her style is terrible, terrible food. Congratulations, you lived up to your promise. - Yeah, Tim really liked a schweiz. He said, "Every time you dig in there, there's like something different. It's all successful."

And they all actually loved Schwein's dessert. They thought it was really good. And then it goes, it comes back to Carlo. And he's like, Tristan, chapeau, what a chef, what a chef.

Richard is like, well, I think it's interesting, but to me, this is where the whole thing got off the tracks here. I mean, I don't want to effervescent ice cream. I think it's too spicy. It's interesting, but is it delicious? I mean, this is stranger than that thing. What's it called? Kimchi. Oh, no, he's been at the Food Network too long. Yeah, he's talking about Tristan's dessert, and they do not take kindly to any criticism.

of Tristan. Kristen's like, um, well, I don't have a strong opinion of like or dislike, but appreciate 100%. You fucking heathen. Who let this person in here? We've already given him the win. Please say nice things about it. So Tom's like, well, this is the future of food. I mean, well, let's face it. It'll probably all be freeze dried. The world's ending. But, you know, they're doing great things. And I mean, wow. Ravioli. Am I right? So, you know, wow. We've done it, guys.

So they send them home and then they send the guests home. And now it's time for the judges table. And by the way, I'm so, so glad that Richard Blaze was not part of the final judging. I was really worried that he was going to be sitting there at that table. I was like, please don't. Please don't. Yeah, he's the worst. He's, you know, from the second he's come on TV, he's been the worst.

He's shown a lot of talent. You know, he won this, right? Didn't he come in second the first time and win his season the second time? He lost to Stephanie Izzard, who went on to become very acclaimed. But then he came back for an All-Stars and won All-Stars. And he is very talented, but like...

he's been terrorizing us with that faux hawk for nearly 20 years and it's like the the hair i mean it's just yeah he bought you know he was it was just really when he went to food network and he became media trained he just really became insufferable that was that was the turning point yeah

So they bring the chefs out and Tom's like, well, you know what? I don't have much of a poker face. If I'm not happy, I'm not happy. But I was happy. And I will say this. I do have poker face on my peacock saved because I love that girl. She can really solve the mystery. Tristan, you won. I'm going to go watch poker face. Bye. I just have one to say. While I was eating this food, I was definitely bluffing with my muffin. Poker face. So...

Bailey, can you explain your first course? Well, you know, I was just like, I've been working on my confidence. So, oh, gosh, I just thought, like, who am I outside of Monteverde? I don't know. A person who comes to Top Chef and cooks all the recipes from Monteverde, apparently. So, I'll give this one.

I just thought it'd be kind of fun to do octo and matz together. I mean, who are we to judge them if they're happy together living their lives? I have to tell you, all my life I was like, I want to do something crazy someday. Let's cook octo and matz. You know this girl, like she's like, I just wanted to see who's my personality outside of the place I work. That's why I came and just presented recipes from people I've worked for. What the hell?

the Bailey come on man I think this is a terrible pov for this final challenge I don't think terrible honoring other people and putting your own spin on it like I understand the vibe that she's going for but ultimately what it's saying is you don't have your own vibe even though the the act of adding your own spin to it is showing your vibe I think it like you're setting a ground level um limit to how

How high your scores can really be because you're going to build in this idea that like, well, it is her own spin, but it wasn't a wholly original idea. And I think that was. Yeah. And they don't know what the spin is because they haven't had the original dish from your restaurant. So they don't know that you're spinning. All they know is you're walking out there and telling them it's somebody else's dish. So it's just a stupid move on her part.

In my opinion. So Tom's like, well, you know, I think it showed extreme confidence from the chef who originally came up with it. You know, the idea of putting those two things together. I mean, wow, you made it work. You made it work and you are not going to win. Claire's like, yeah, you know, from the octopus, there's like lots of little elements of like pickled things. And it's just, it kept popping in my mouth, popping, furious about it, but it was great. What a great dish. Yeah.

So, I guess no Italians were harmed in the making of that dish. Gail, I just spoke with Elaine Boosler. Actually, she's still alive, but I haunted her house, which actually wound up me being the one who was more scared by it. Anyway, I ran that joke by her and she says, do better. It's a message from Elaine Boosler. Thank you.

So, Shwai, I wanted to start with a little snack. You're not the only one, am I right? Gail just pulled trail mix out of her purse. By the way, for the record, Gail, the tablecloth is not a snack. You can take it out of your mouth now.

He's like, you know, I knew the meal was going to be heavier. So panipuri, that's that little explosion of textures and flavors. And they love that one. And the technicality was on point. And

And so now Tristan's first course, it was subtle. It was beautiful. Everything was wonderful. Only question. Okay, this is going to be controversial. So I'm going to nip it in the bud right now. The cooking of the fish. It looked undercooked, but it didn't need undercooked. What were you thinking with that fish? And he's like, oh, I like monkfish almost like scallopy. So it was undercooked.

Tom's like, "Oh, good answer. Perfect answer. Love it. Love it. That's what I needed to hear. Everybody, it's going to cross the country now. Everybody's going to eat undercooked monkfish. You started something." - All right. So now we've learned a trend. If you ever go to a seafood market and you see fresh scallops and fresh monkfish, get the fresh monkfish and undercook it so it tastes like the scallops that you could have bought in the first place. Love it. Love that concept.

All right, Bailey, what about your Adelini Panepini? And she's like, well, being in Calgary, I mean, that worked out, you know, so I wanted to transfer them to the Alps of Italy. It's like me being in Calgary, but being in Italy with another chef's recipe. You know what I mean?

You know what? It was vile and disgusting. Why do Canadian Alps when you've got the Italian Alps right here? I mean, it was just a silly, stupid, poorly consumed dish. I ate every single bite of it. Thank you. Love that.

So Kristen's like, wow, comfort and bowl. Am I right? Okay. Schwy, talk us through your grandma. Cause you're going to, let's do the soup dumpling this time. He's like, well, you know, I struggled with the steamer. So I decided to grandma it. Okay. Um, I poached it and it's not the texture I wanted. And Gail's like, the dish was there. It's just that one piece. It was so big, you know, then with chicken soup, I mean, I just had trouble figuring it out.

Wow. Struggling with the steamer. That's like Gail when she locks herself in the bathroom and is on that turret for 15 minutes. If you know what I'm talking about. It's called fiber, Gail. Look into it.

I mean, whip it in, but, you know, maybe cut out the gelatin and put it on top. And Shwai's like, where were you while I was making that? I couldn't use that. Couldn't use that advice. They're like, ha, ha, ha, ha. Okay, Tristan, your chicken dish. Well, you know what? Working. The reworking of chicken morango. Just brilliant. Wow. Chicken morango. Part two. Who says sequels don't work?

Yeah. You know, a lot of people sometimes talk a good game and they can't execute. I don't know. Like, just thinking top of my mind, my son saying he wants to have a career, you know? But you nailed it. You absolutely nailed it. Well, the shrimp toast, there was a snap. There was a crunch. There was a binger. That was a binger. That had riz. That had riz, your fish. Wow, okay. It was a snap, crackling pop. Okay? It was great. All right, Billy, how did you cook your fish? I don't know.

And she's like, well, I seared it on the top side, which is the quirkiest part of the fish. And then I finished it on the skin side. Thought about adding some more octo and matz because, you know, friends should be friends. But I just decided to keep it a blackened redfish. And Claire's like, you know, it was blackened, sort of charred, robust flavor there. It's supposed to be dry. It's blackened. And Kristen's like, um, yeah, well, 80% of mine was overcooked. So...

Well, the first two courses were so unmistakably Bailey. And then you told a story about Sarah and you may not remember this, but we eliminated her for a reason. And it felt like this was a dish for her. Who's not even famous. That was for you, Padma, as opposed to a dish that showed us more of you.

Yeah, I'm glad someone said that to her because that whole thing was ridiculous. And Kristen asked about Shwe's Asubuko. And he wanted, I guess, I can't with this guy. It's like it reminded me of my grandma. We fucking know for fuck's sake, man.

So Kristen's like, I love the flavor of the grits and I love the flavor of the osso bucco, but marrying them all together with the truffles and salad, I mean, it's just like, it was a lot. It was very confusing. Tristan, what about your oxtail Milanese? So he says he called it oxtail Milanese, but he just really wanted to make a Caribbean kind of flavor. The curry grits really did pay respect to Milan. But when you took a spoonful, you were absolutely in Trinidad. It was amazing.

Fabulous dish. Fabulous. So let's go to dessert. Are you sarcastic, Claire? No, I meant it. I loved every goddamn bite of that awful thing that went down my throat. Wonderful dish. Amazing. Now are you being sarcastic? No. Now are you?

I can't do this anymore. Fucking Americans. All right, Bailey, tell us about your dessert. Well, I love Fratell DeZuca. So does Sarah. So I made hers. And it was, you know, like pasta, dessert. Who knows what it is? Is it a detective? Is it a cat? I mean, I don't know. It was disguised. It could have been anything. It was undercover. It was tiramisu pretending to be a pizza working for the government trying to get your tax money. You know what I mean? Quirky.

That's our Bailey. That was the Bailey that I lost for a second. And then I got her right back. Well, the gelato was fantastic. This felt like you. It felt like you. Confusing. Stolen. I don't know. Tristan, you're the winner. Tom, come on. Poker face. Great show.

Shwai, will you tell us about your ambrosia? Yes, I'd like to say this was my first time having ambrosia. I lived all my life being a three-star Michelin chef without having to taste one of the terrible concoctions that you Americans make. And now here I am having to degrade my taste buds with your disgusting, mayonnaise-y, sour, creamy, whatever the fuck this thing is in front of me. And guess what? I loved it.

It seemed like this was their favorite thing of the night. I mean, they loved it. They went crazy. They jerked off all over this. And Tom's like, whoa, that was amazing. And Kristen's like, yeah, that was the dish of the night. It gave me giddy smile, small childlike playfulness. You're still not going to win now. But good job.

"You know, Tristan, yours was so complex for dessert. Well, you know, a lot of the ingredients are just simple roots, but they're put together in a way where it just has your head spinning. I mean, to some people, maybe a little bit too much, aka, first your blaze, but you know, not everyone can deal with complex concepts, sort of like my son. That's why he's a mixologist." And Claire's like, "I've never had anything like that. The sunchoke, the sweet potato, the pineapple. I just wished it tastes more like charred fish."

Claire's the only one standing up for Bailey. Claire loves her some Bailey. So Kristen says that Chef Carlo came all over the table like he loved it. And we have a lot to discuss. So leave. So, you know, they delivered. Tom's like, well, it has everything you can ask for a finale. We tend to go course by course. But, you know, looking at their meals are just so different. Everyone wants to see that in a finale. All of us enjoying food.

Gale dying at the end. Gale dying at the... Wait a minute. Where did that come from? That was Ark. You know, normally we do head-to-head with each dish, but, you know, since Tristan was better than them and everyone, it's sort of dumb to do it that way, so you just want to, like, you know, let's just talk through the menus, you know?

And so Tristan saying like how he's a dweeb and he looks up stuff and, you know, he's worked in town restaurants. And sometimes he's like, sometimes when Bailey and Bailey and them start talking about food and everything, I'm like, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm so simple. Suddenly Tristan is doing the, like, I know nothing, even though he's like, well, I worked in Sweden under Marcus Samuelson and here's a coconut veil and here's a foam and dah, dah, dah. And now he's playing the, yeah, he vacillates between those two for sure all the time. Yeah. Yeah.

And so Bailey's like, well, you know, sometimes you talk about things. I don't know what you're talking about either. So come on. And Tristan's like, I'm going to go stage at Monteverde. Tristan's being so nice. Tristan knows he got this thing. He's in such a good mood. And he deserves it. He's being very humble. So Tom's like, well, yeah, what a great dish. And Gail's like, on paper, a lot of the things shouldn't work. But then I ate the paper. And I even liked the paper. Yeah.

Bailey's octopus course, the mozzarella with the octopus and the tomato dashi. I mean, there's just layers and layers of depth and one little humble bowl of food. Reminded me of season one when I was just that little humble bowl.

Yeah, you know, the problem I had was the fish. I really wish it had been more undercooked like it should be, you know? I mean, it just felt like such a departure from the other two dishes. It was just so out of place. Like, where was the fish? Why was the fish even on a plane? Shouldn't fish be at the movies or something? I mean, what was it even doing sitting on a plane? A fish? A fish on a plane?

Well, I really liked the chilli factor. I liked the flavour she created, but overall, the dish didn't work much like Gale's ensemble right now. Wow. Team Clare. Thank you for taking that one, Clare. I'm trying to teach Leo DiCaprio how to sink his iCloud. I'm sorry, Leo Da Vinci. But Leo DiCaprio also, because we were friends while I was alive. He's famous and I'm famous. Just happens that way.

Um, so Kristen's like, but she brought it back home with dessert. It was Bailey through and through. And Claire's like, it was well-made. I love the layers. It was so clever. Yeah, it was like pumpkin spice tiramisu, but in a good way. And yet it wasn't tiramisu. Wow. Hole for two with the actual tiramisu. Tarzan, don't tell Tarzan. He's gonna be traumatized. I felt like I was walking into hipster Nona Central.

Good one. You know what I mean? She knew who she was. She went with it. Okay. Wow, you're like dripster Nona Central, Gail. Are you wearing a shawl to the finale or is it just figurative? Gail, I feel like you might be walking into hipster no Central. As in, mm-mm, Gail, you're not allowed.

So Gail's like, you know, Tristan came in with such a mission. Every single ingredient on every single plate had so much of an every single story to every single tell. It made it stand out. I love stories. Did you know that Italy tried to invade Ethiopia? Wow. You can never forget about that perfectly cooked chicken breast. I'll never forget it. And then the shrimp toast. Genius. Everyone at this table, remember this. It's going to be important. It'll stick with you.

I was like, that's so interesting. It was so innovative. It was so flavorful. Yeah. And as much as I love this chicken dish, the oxtail was just, it was just so well done. I mean, being able to see individual pieces of rice, I mean, the hair that goes into it, it's just extraordinary. Oh, I feel like my mentorship really just did wonders for Tristan.

Yeah. Oh, and Kristen, Kristen is like, yeah, you know, and Tristan's dessert. I'm straight down the line of just complete appreciation. I don't know if I like it still. So outside Tristan is talking about how Shwa always makes great broths. And then back in the judges, Kristen saying, did anyone else feel like Shwa was maybe just a collection of dishes as opposed to a through line of a menu? Yeah.

And they're like, yeah, no, it was great, but it was just, it was delicious, but that's it. There was no story behind it. Shirai is probably like, how many times do I have to say my grandma for there to be a story? It's my grandma. Yeah. So, um, like, uh, Kristen is saying, you know, the progression was, was clunky and he had two dishes that were the highlight for a lot of people. So that's something, and they love the panipuri, um,

And Tom's like, you know, that bite was so sophisticated. What a balance. What a balance. You know, I just wish he had more stories. Well, you know, I just need I need to eat stories. I loved them. Did the panipuri invade anybody? That's what I need to know. Schweiss raviolo was like a great love letter in the wrong envelope. Gail, it's not a love letter if it's a Reese's piece of peanut butter cup. I've told you that so many times.

So they think that everybody accomplished something really special tonight. But you know what? Someone delivered very distinct flavors and a distinct point of view. And I can't get it out of my head. Can't get you out of my head. Okay, let's bring them in. Okay, we know who the top chef is. Bring them in here. It's Tristan. Okay.

Uh, chefs, this entire season, we got to see the three of you just really blossom and define yourselves and finding your mission and just cooking with a lot of joy. And while each of you deserve the title of top chef, I think it's been about six weeks now that we knew you already won it. So you shall be really proud of yourself for cooking almost as good as Tristan. Tristan has already shot his first Saratoga ad. So, Padma? Padma? It's Tristan, stupid.

Even Monet knew it was Tristan. Exactly. So Christine says, the next top chef is Tristan. Of course, we already knew that. And everyone's like, oh my God. And cheers and hugs and everything. And Gail goes over and hugs Bailey. Gail's always on. They always make Gail go and hug the runners up first. Gail's like, you did some great work. You did some great, great work, but you failed ultimately. Good job.

So, yeah, that's it. I mean, look, he deserved it. I mean, he was amazing all season, and he was amazing all to the very end. He only had like two dishes that were like mediocre at best or at worst. So well-deserved. Yeah, I think he did a good job. It wasn't the most exciting ending because, you know, obviously we've known forever who's going to win, but it was a deserved win. Yeah, and it was actually quite lovely because he did –

Like he did sacrifice a lot to, you know, with his dad dying. And so great food the whole time. He really, yeah, it was great. So that was it. That's the end of top chef. Another season in the books, season 22 done and dusted. Thanks everyone for being here. We always appreciate you and we'll catch you on the next episode of watch what crappens. Bye.

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