With 18 chefs left, we can’t possibly even begin to know them. 12 is a good starting place, 18 is too many. After Ramon’s elimination, Padma walks into the pressure cooker or boiler room or whatever they call the holding area for chefs on this show. She says she knows they’re all probably tired (and sticky from the swamp) but it’s time for the first Quickfire. Already!
For the Quickfire, the chefs have to make gumbo. We’re in New Orleans, so we have to get all the gimmicks out of the way as soon as possible. Padma says a good gumbo takes a while to make and often tastes better the day, so the chefs will start their challenge that night back at the house, and will have 15 minutes to finish it the day in the Top Chef Kitchen. This is technically more time than ever, and the winner will receive immunity for the elimination challenge.
Aaron, who was nearly eliminated in the first challenge, has never made gumbo before. So you know, it’s looking really good for him. The chefs hurry back to the house to crowd the kitchen and pour their ingredients into a pot out on the patio or whatever. At nearly midnight, the chefs are still working. Aaron has decided on an Asian fusion gumbo. Ahhhh, I don’t know.
Hot Jason from Pittsburgh is Polish. His mom died when he was three. Neither of these facts are very relevant to his gumbo, except that he’s using potatoes. None of these gumbos will be traditional, but they are all brown. It’s hard to say whose won’t suck. Michael -- one of the chefs from New Orleans -- hates his gumbo, but this is nothing compared to his battle against cancer. Chefs are people, too.
Back in the Top Chef kitchen, the chefs heat up their gumbos. One of the dishes turns green, but its creator hopes for the best. The viewers say this Quickfire is 7/10 tough, according to the polls. I assume I’m not the only one trying to execute these challenges alongside the show in real time.
The guest judge for this round is Leah Chase, who is a renowned chef and looks like Ms. Claudette from Orange is the New Black. Michael’s "drunken chicken gumbo" from 1 AM is up first and Leah Chase just thinks everything is great. Shirley, Janine and Aaron all made Asian-style gumbos. At that point, Justin’s traditional gumbo is a welcome change.
Patty -- who worries us anyway -- made a Puerto Rican style gumbo with plantains. Bret made a chowder gumbo, whatever that means. Carrie’s gumbo is green, but Iowan and Trinidadian. I can’t speak to the taste, but it looks funky. The gumbos keep marching in: Carlos with his chipotle gumbo, Jason’s stewed cabbage gumbo, Nina’s yucca-based gumbo and Louis’s lamb gumbo. Sara brings in another Asian-inspired tofu gumbo, served on a plate. It’s only a matter of time before Sara tanks it, right?
Chef Leah Chase dislikes Jason’s beet gumbo and tells him if he had made the beets into a borscht it would have been better. Jason says this is bullshit. Leah Chase also doesn’t like Michael’s and Patty’s dishes. Michael didn’t have enough time and Patty is just not on her game. Gosh, Leah Chase is so kind to all of them.
She likes Aaron’s shrimp gumbo, Carrie’s green gumbo and Shirley’s Asian gumbo. Justin, the local, didn’t make the cut. Carrie wins the first Quickfire and immunity for her green weirdness.
For the elimination challenge, Padma brings out acclaimed New Orleans chef Susan Spicer. Padma says New Orleans is constantly evolving, and part of that evolution is the food truck. It’s a stretch, but let’s get those chefs in some trucks, shall we? Shirley admits she owns a food truck, but couldn’t get the proper license. It’s a team challenge to feed Habitat for Humanity, who is continuing their rehabilitation of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The Habitat people don’t get a fancy four-course meal, but these food trucks will probably serve good stuff.
The chefs don’t draw knives -- they are just organized by Padma based on location. The teams run to their trucks to start planning and saying "ceviche" as much as possible so we can all get our drinking game started at home.
Brian, Carlos, Carrie, Travis and Aaron are the Yellow Team and their concept is a taco truck, plus ceviche and pie dough. The team is Jason, and who else matters who isn’t Jason? It’s Patty, Nicholas and Bret, if anyone gives a fuck. Their theme is "surf" and they are the Blue Team. The mostly-ladies Green Team -- consisting of Louis, Sara, Shirley and Stephanie -- is doing Mediterranean. They are banking on Louis’s smile. The final team is the red team, consisting of Justin, Bene, Michael, Nina and Janine. The Red Team has a lot of ideas, but no one is hearing Bene’s pitches. Maybe he’s annoying already.
Patty is from Puerto Rico, just in case you didn’t hear her talking about it the first three or four times. They also have hurricanes in Puerto Rico, so Patty is excited to be helping the volunteers. I wonder if they’ll have to cook in the Superdome. Oh, by the way, the viewers eat at a food truck an average of two times per week! The more you know.
Just for fun, Michael is throwing a crayfish bar for all his competitors. New Orleans style. Jason tells the other chefs that he will be working the truck window since he has the looks. That will influence who gets the beads this round, they think. You know who is over Jason already? Nicholas. Nicholas is not impressed.
So how many times do you eat at a food truck per week? Just kidding, nobody cares.
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