The final challenge begins right after the challenge ended, and the cheftestants have to create four courses of their best dishes. The first course is vegetable, the second is fish, the third is meat (with proteins chosen by Colicchio and Ripert) and the final course is dessert. And as usual, they get a sous chef from former winners; Ed gets Elan, Kevin gets Michael Voltaggio (a friend before the competition), and Angelo gets Hung.
The morning, Angelo realizes that he's really, really sick. The judges determine that he will work via phone with Hung to do the shopping and the first day of prep. So Hung is running around like an animal in the kitchen, working; meanwhile, Ed and Elan are butting heads a little bit. On the second day, Angelo gets cleared to cook. And here are the dishes:
First Course:
Angelo: pickled royale mushrooms, char siu bao pork belly, noodles and watermelon tea, and while the judges admire his flavors, they think that the dish needs work.
Kevin: terrine of eggplant, zucchini and peppers, pickled tomatoes, jalapenos, and black garlic puree, which is kind of boring but technically good.
Ed: chilled summer corn velouté with fried black cockles, which pretty much everyone agrees is the best of the vegetable courses.
Second Course:
Angelo: sautéed rouget and poached cuttlefish with Asian style bouillabaisse, which the judges think is a dish to remember.
Kevin: pan-seared rouget with cuttlefish "noodles," pork belly, cockles, slipper lobster and cigala, which gets decent marks from the judges.
Ed: stuffed rouget, glazed slipper lobster and cuttlefish with zucchini pesto, which the judges think is complicated.
Third Course:
Angelo: sautéed duck breast and foie gras with marshmallow and tart cherry shooter. While the judges like his dish, they don't see the point of the shooter.
Kevin: roasted duck breast with duck dumpling, caramelized bok choy and coriander sauce. The judges say that his duck was cooked the best of the three.
Ed: duck two ways: roasted breast and braised stuffed neck with baby spinach, and the judges like the layers of flavors.
Fourth Course:
Angelo: "Thai jewel," which is coconut-vanilla cream and crushed ice with exotic fruits, which the judges find comforting and tasty.
Kevin: frozen "Singapore Sling" with tropical fruits, which the judges call the new national Singapore dessert.
Ed: sticky toffee date pudding with fleur de sel crème Chantilly, which the judges differ on.
And the winner is the chef that the judges feel took the most risks and succeeded, and that is… Kevin! Damn, the guy I thought wouldn't even make it halfway through the competition ends up winning it all.
This episode picks up right where the last one ended, for extra drama! So we get to see Kelly walk out of Judges' Table again and announce that she's the one going home. Ed hugs her and then interviews that he's happy to have two wins under his belt in Singapore and he's feeling confident going into the final challenge. Kevin interviews that he's really happy that he's still in it, but he's tired and ready for bed after that exhausting day. I'm sure that the scene will be Kevin tucking into bed, head on pillow, ready to snooze. Right? Because I've never watched television before, so you guys tell me if I'm close with that prediction.
Wait, what? Kevin's not going straight to bed. Instead, Padma shows up and tells the final three that they are needed back at Judges' Table. More judging? Haven't they been judged enough for one night? Once they stand in the traditional row in front of the judges, Padma congratulates them for making the finale. Oh, whew! That's all. Padma just wanted to congratulate them. But I'm sure that they won't just start the challenge straight off, right? That would be CRAZY!
And then Padma says that the judges want them to have as much time as possible to plan their food, so they're starting the challenge... NOW! I've never heard of such a thing! Anyway, the final challenge is nebulous as always: create a four-course meal of the most amazing food of your life. It gets a little more specific, as their first course has to be vegetables, their second has to be fish, and their third has to be meat. Colicchio and Ripert are going to choose the proteins for them. Not sure why that's the case, because what if their most amazing food involves a protein that isn't in the offerings? Maybe Tom and Eric just wanted to go shopping. And then in a twist that no one saw coming except for anyone who has watched this show, or television, or lived in the world - the final course is going to be dessert. Just like the new series Top Chef: Just Desserts which coincidentally premieres on Bravo! It's like they planned it! I'm surprised that Gail doesn't say, "Here on Top Chef, it's not all about just desserts."
And of course, the cheftestants get some help. But instead of getting to choose from eliminated cheftestants, these finalists are going to be assisted by whatever former winners they could dredge up and fly to Singapore. So their choices are Ilan (sorry I spelled your name wrong in the recaplet, dude, but not actually that sorry, because you're kind of a dillweed), Michael Volt, and Hung. Kevin laughs because he and MVolt are bros from way back. So Kevin wants to have MVolt as his sous chef, and so does Ed. Angelo wants Hung, because they have similar cooking styles. They draw knives, and Ed gets Ilan. He interviews that he doesn't know much about Ilan other than that he won Top Chef. Yeah, and no one likes him. Kevin gets MVolt and Angelo gets Hung, so they are both thrilled.
The cheftestants and former winners head back to the hotel to chit chat and strategize. Angelo reveals that he's starting to feel really crappy, so as much as he wants to impress the former winners with his inspirational sayings, he has to go to bed. He makes sure to shake hands with everyone first, to spread the germs around as much as possible.
The former winners give some advise to the cheftestants which ends up consisting of "Do you." MVolt tells them to make sure the judges know who made which food just by looking at the plate, and Ilan adds that they shouldn't try anything crazy, but just make their best food. Ed says that he's been waiting for ingredients like rabbit, frog, or foie gras. Haven't they already had the chance to use both frog and foie gras? It's the end of the season; I get confused. And then there's a segment where they all talk about how proud their families will be if they win. Except Angelo. His mail-order bride might be proud, but since he's half-dead, we don't get to hear from him.
The morning, Ed and Kevin are eating breakfast and talking about how sick Angelo is, and how he was up all night. Cut to Angelo in bed, talking about how his body aches. You guys! I think he has the bird flu! He probably got it from eating in the Singapore market. This just morphed from Top Chef into a bad made-for-television movie about a flu pandemic. Ed delivers the news alert that Angelo really wants to compete. Kevin says that he hopes Angelo will be okay and able to compete in top form, because Kevin doesn't want to win only because Angelo was on the verge of passing out the whole time.
The doctor shows up (house call!) and even has a little bag! Like Doc Baker! Angelo says that he started vomiting out of the blue. The doctor says that there are some medications that might help but won't shorten the duration of the illness. Angelo wants to cook the day, and the doctor gives him a twenty percent chance of doing that. DRAMATIC!
Colicchio and Ripert show up to reveal the proteins. Tom starts off with a bit of business, explaining that Angelo is really sick, so their solution is that Hung is going to work with Angelo over the phone to do the shopping and prepping, and they'll see how Angelo feels tomorrow. Ed gives an interview that's kind of like, "He should suck it up," and I get where Ed's coming from, but I also can see why Angelo is going to rest during prep day and try to cook during cooking day. That does seem like the best solution, as long as everyone feels that Hung will honestly be carrying out Angelo's wishes and not coming up with dishes on his own. And since there are cameras following their every move, I think that's a safe bet.
So Tom and Eric are ready to reveal their proteins. And they are...red millet (fish), cuttlefish, cockles, and slipper lobsters. Ed is worried because the red millet has a lot of tiny bones, which is a lot of work to prep. Tom got them pork belly and a duck. Tom explains that the second course has to be either the red millet or cuttlefish, and the third course has to be duck. But they do have to use each of the proteins in at least one dish. Kevin is happy that they are starting out on a level playing field, and each chef's technique and creativity will have a chance to shine.
To the market! Kevin and MVolt peruse the produce, and Michael seems to be offering suggestions about how best to spend his money. Meanwhile, Ilan is pestering Ed about the corn soup he's planning for his first course, because Ilan thinks it won't be rich enough. Ed pretty much ignores him, and if it were anyone but Ilan, I would laugh. Ed learned the lesson of Carla, where she listened too much to her sous chef and lost, but he might be going too far in the other direction where he isn't taking advantage of whatever expertise and experience Ilan has to offer. HA HA HA! Ilan! Expertise! That was funny. Hung is on the phone with Angelo, discussing dishes and letting Angelo know what's available. Things seem to go smoothly.
They return to the kitchen and have three hours to prep. Hung is running around like a crazy person, as usual. He takes all of the foie gras that's available in the pantry, leaving none for the other people. Ed wants to use some to stuff his duck neck, so he has to reconfigure his dish to work without it. Ed comments that even with Angelo out sick, his shenanigans are felt. Kevin explains how he's going to make noodles out of the cuttlefish by freezing it and slicing it. Where did this technique come from? I'm going to be generous and assume that Kevin spent his time off before the finale learning cool techniques, and not assume that MVolt told him what to do. Even though that technique has Voltaggio written all over it. Kevin and MVolt banter and give each other shit while prepping, and things seem loose and easy between them.
Then there's a montage of Hung working his ASS off. Just running around and chopping and butchering and cooking. Ed tries to let Ilan be his sous chef but he also knows that ultimately, it's his ass on the line. So you may not agree with Ed's general tone and the way he speaks, but I do see his point. Ed explains that he's going to let Ilan do the dessert, even though he got such high marks on his dessert in the last challenge. So Ed is kind of just giving up on a quarter of his meal, which seems really dumb. Meanwhile, the doctor is giving Angelo a shot in the butt which as a three percent chance of helping him feel better. At this point, I would tell them to do whatever it took so that I could feel marginally better for like twelve hours, and then collapse when it's all over. The doctor doesn't seem to think there's much chance that Angelo will recover in time to cook, though.
It's the day of the final challenge. Ed interviews that he's anxious and stressed out. Ed and Angelo eat breakfast and still don't know what's up with Angelo. So we cut to Angelo, who is dressed and showered and looking a bit better. The doctor comes in and checks Angelo out, and finally clears him to cook. The doctor advises Angelo to take in lots of fluids, and Angelo says that he's really relieved. Ed comes by to check in and finds Angelo sitting up, planning out his meals. Angelo imagines that Ed is upset that he's better, and Ed kind of confirms that in an interview. The three finalists head out for the final day of competition.
They have three hours of prep before service. Kevin, unlike Ed, is happy that Angelo is there to compete, because as he said before, he wants to beat the best. Angelo has to take time to get caught up with Hung, and Angelo is grateful that Hung did so much, but he also knows that his dinner could be better if he hadn't missed the prep day.
Ilan is working on his dessert, and Ed is worried about how much to trust him. Kevin interviews that he's taking a risk with his food, and is making food better than anything he made before he got to Singapore. Which is kind of suspicious, I think, but anyway. Maybe he really did just get a ton better at meal planning and technique. Who am I to say? Angelo has drawn his usual plate diagrams to show Hung what he has envisioned, and Hung seems to have caught on.
Kevin and Angelo both mention that Ed's dishes tend to be overkill and have too many components. Ed, in his defense, says that his plating may not be as artistic as Angelo and Kevin's plates, but he thinks that his food tastes better. They all start plating and get ready to serve as the judges and other diners arrive. Things are tense in the kitchen as the chefs try to get everything ready and perfect, and then time is up.
The three finalists come out to the dining room. Padma welcomes them and introduces the panel, which includes the regular judges and a number of powerhouse chefs. And it's time for the first course:
Angelo made pickled royale mushrooms, char siu bao pork belly, noodles and watermelon tea, and the judges admire his flavors, calling them extreme and traditional of Singapore. But, they think that the dish needs work. Kevin made terrine of eggplant, zucchini, and peppers, pickled tomatoes, jalapenos, and black garlic puree, which is kind of boring but technically good, and one diner thinks that it takes "a lot of balls" to make that dish. Ed made chilled summer corn velouté with fried black cockles, which pretty much everyone agrees is the best of the vegetable courses. After all three dishes are consumed, Tom says that all three dishes had some restraint, and it's a good start.
The chefs prep and serve their second course. Angelo says that he's worried about dehydration, but he's not too sick that he can't poke back, when Ed teases him. Angelo made sautéed rouget and poached cuttlefish with Asian style bouillabaisse, which the judges think is a dish to remember. Kevin made pan-seared rouget with cuttlefish "noodles," pork belly, cockles, slipper lobster, and cigala. The judges think the fish is nicely cooked, and one says that he would never pair rouget and pork belly, but it totally works. Ed made stuffed rouget, glazed slipper lobster and cuttlefish with zucchini pesto, which the judges think is complicated. So what Kevin and Angelo were saying about Ed's food is true; he does have too many components at times. The judges do respect his efforts.
After another quick round of prep, it's time for the third course. Kevin worries that he doesn't have enough time to make it perfect and Ed is concerned about cooking the duck breast perfectly, since a minute one way or the other can be disastrous. Angelo made sautéed duck breast and foie gras with marshmallow and tart cherry shooter. While the judges like his dish, they don't see the point of the shooter. Kevin made roasted duck breast with duck dumpling, caramelized bok choy and coriander sauce. The judges say that his duck was cooked the best of the three, and they liked the contrast of the dumpling, as well as how he cooked the bok choy. Ed made duck two ways: roasted breast and braised stuffed neck with baby spinach, and the judges like the layers of flavors, and the contrast. After the first three courses, Ripert says that they have made remarkable food, and it's no surprise that they made it to the finals.
It's finally time to serve the fourth and final course. Ed mentions that Ilan's cake isn't very intricate, and the whipped cream he made might be too salty, so he's worried. NOW, he's worried? It's a lame dessert, and it shows no real connection with the other food he cooked. Obviously, I don't know how it tastes, but it just doesn't make any sense to me. I don't know if he just ran out of steam or what. Angelo made a "Thai jewel" which is coconut-vanilla cream and crushed ice with exotic fruits, which the judges find comforting and tasty. The judges are a little confused because his dish is almost savory. Kevin made a frozen "Singapore Sling" with tropical fruits, which the judges call the new national Singapore dessert, because he reinvented a drink as a dessert. Ed (or Ilan) made a sticky toffee date pudding with fleur de sel crème Chantilly. One diner wishes he had put a twist on what is a fairly straightforward dish. Gail and another diner call it a "fuck you," which I don't get. Because he didn't want to make dessert so he just made a really basic one? I'm obviously missing something. Tom and another diner differ on whether the salty whipped cream is any good, also. It's a controversial dessert. Gail thinks that overall, all three of the finalists broke the Top Chef dessert curse.
The finalists hang out in the kitchen and taste one another's food. Ed thinks that Kevin could win, and Kevin thinks that anyone could win. Angelo thinks he's going to win. The sous chefs leave (but not before MVolt gets one more jab in about how this was the second-best food the show has ever seen) and now it's time for judging.
Judges' Table. I would like to again take the opportunity for thanking production for finally adding that missing apostrophe. The art of the apostrophe is lost in this culture. The judges start with Angelo, who they think took technique that he already had and added local touches. Padma has an issue with the cherry shooter, which was hardly a palate cleanser, and Angelo starts to instruct her on how to eat it, but Tom says (rightly) that dishes shouldn't require a user manual. They move on to praise Ed's duck, but question his dessert. Gail thinks it was typical Ed: it is what it is and either you like it or you don't. Tom liked it okay, but he thought the finale deserved something a little more interesting, especially given the competition. Ed wonders what he was supposed to do, and explains that he was worried about screwing up a more complicated dish. That's a dumb thing to say in the finals. It's one thing to play it safe early on, but the finals is where you make something great. The judges talk to Kevin. There are some issues with the spiciness of some of his dishes, but they call his other food "smart and well done," and have nothing but praise for his dessert. The finalists are excused so that the judges can talk.
Gail thought it was all excellent food, and Padma liked seeing each finalist's take, since they started with the same ingredients. The first complaint is that Angelo's vegetable dish wasn't a vegetable dish, and that Kevin's dish was too timid. So Ed wins the first round. In the second round, they thought Ed's dish was unfocused and confusing, and he didn't feature the rouget, while Kevin's dish has harmonious ingredients, and Angelo's dish was great, and Gail thought that the broth was "lovely." Moving on to the third dish, the judges think that Angelo's dish needed a little more refinement and planning. They liked Ed's stuffed duck neck, but his duck was a little overcooked. And Kevin cooked his duck perfectly and took a lot of care with the details. And finally, they liked Angelo's dessert, but were underwhelmed by Ed's dish, and they didn't like his comment about being scared of screwing something up. And Kevin's dessert was complex and tasty.
The judges ruminate on the three finalists, but decide that there is a clear winner. Who is it? Let's bring the cheftestants back and find out. Tom explains that the winner is someone who took the most risks but also cooked the best meal. So Ed is out. And the winner is...Kevin! Watching this back, it totally makes sense, but when he was initially named, I was confused. Looking at the season as a whole, Kevin may not have cooked the best food overall, but he obviously cooked the best food that night, and that's what the judges look at. Oh, Ed. If you had only made a real dessert, it sounds like it would have been closer. I think Angelo just didn't have enough time to plan and cook everything, and he's been on a bit of a downward spiral with his overthinking anyway. So it's Kevin. So that happened.
Watch the episode below, then discuss it in our forums.
Want to immediately access TWoP content no matter where you are online? Download the free TWoP toolbar for your web browser. Already have a customized toolbar? Then just add our free toolbar app to get updated on our content as soon it's published.