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I have $100,000
of cold hard cash in this case.
4 chefs get $25,000 each.
If they want to leave this kitchen
with any of the cash,
they have to survive three culinary challenges
and each other.
See this ice pick in my hand?
I wouldn't mess with me.
Ooh!
In a game where sabotage is not only encouraged...
You'll force one chef to build their own fire.
No way.
...it's for sale.
$3,000.
$5,000.
10 grand.
ALTON: It's a game we like to call...
[ Gasps ]
[ Laughs ]
..."Cutthroat Kitchen."
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
CHEF EMMANUEL: Hi. I'm Chef Emmanuel.
I am an organic private chef.
I don't usually do fried food.
How do you think I get these?
[ Grunts ]
CHEF KORENN: I am Chef Korenn.
I incorporate a lot of molecular gastronomy in my cooking.
So, sometimes, it's not easy
for me to relate to traditional cooking.
It's almost like asking Pablo Picasso
to make a smiley face.
CHEF GREGORY: I am Chef Gregory from Portland, Oregon.
The extremeness of my personality
plays into a lot of different things.
I'm extremely competitive.
I've been known to run 30 miles
just on a casual Sunday afternoon.
I just like putting myself through Hell
and coming out on top.
"Cutthroat Kitchen" seemed like the perfect place to do that.
CHEF BRYAN: I'm Chef Bryan.
I'm a cheftender in Washington, D.C.
A cheftender is taking a skill set of a chef
and mixing it with bar knowledge.
Every aspect of food and drink has a science to it.
Everything happens for a reason.
My strategy is I'm gonna take everything that's thrown at me
and twist it to my advantage.
CHEF GREGORY: So, where are you from, Chef Bryan?
Washington, D.C.
All right.
So, you came all the way here to lose?
Came all the way here to beat you
in that Baby Gap chef shirt you got on.
[ Laughter ]
Ah, a quartet of new, shiny chefs.
I love that.
Well, allow me to officially welcome you
to "Cutthroat Kitchen,"
where we soak the hopes and dreams of chefs
in a salty soup of tears.
Let me tell you how things are going to work here.
You are going to cook your way
through three culinary challenges.
At the end of every one of those challenges,
one of you will be eliminated.
At the very beginning of each challenge,
I will name a dish that you will prepare.
You will then have 60 nice, long seconds
to shop for everything you need
in our "Cutthroat Kitchen" pantry.
And then we have a little auction.
During this auction, you will be able to bid on some items
that, uh, you might just use
to cause your opponents discomfort.
Of course, if we're gonna an auction,
you're gonna need some money,
which is why I've brought $100,000 of cold hard cash.
Each of you will receive $25,000.
That will be yours to use throughout the competition.
But spend very, very wisely,
because at the end of the day, one of you will be victorious.
But you're only gonna walk out of here
with the money you've still got left.
All right, chefs, $25,000 a piece.
That's two bundles, if you please.
What a nice way to meet your idol.
ALTON: Feel the heft of it.
Smell it. Touch it.
Thanks, Alton.
Love on it.
He gives you $25,000 in cash.
Cheers.
Final two for you, Chef.
ALTON: Good.
Now, I'm gonna give you half an hour
to make jalapeño poppers.
Yes.
They're not just for gas stations any more.
The most important thing about a jalapeño popper
is having a crispy exterior, a delicious filling,
and something to dip it or even drink it with.
So, there's no reason to dilly-dally.
Let's start that 60-second shopping time, let's say, now!
CHEF KORENN: I definitely want to reinterpret what a jalapeño popper is
and give a Mediterranean twist on it.
I have to grab some eggplant,
garbanzo beans, some tahini.
You've got 30 seconds remaining, chefs.
I was just doing my thing.
I mean, whoever was in my way just didn't matter.
I was bumping into everybody.
I just didn't even feel it.
I was just in the zone.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Ugh!
CHEF BRYAN: I'm looking at my basket.
I have tequila.
But I don't have eggs for my breading.
Now, I'm nervous.
Well, now, it's time for some fun -- the auction.
Let's see what we've got.
I have here pickled jalapeño slices,
some shrimp-stuffed jalapeños,
and smoked, dried jalapeños, also known as chipotles.
Win this item, and you can swap out
all of your opponents' jalapeños
and assign them one of these to use instead.
CHEF BRYAN: Pickled peppers, dried peppers.
I think I can use it to my advantage.
So, I'm actually gonna let somebody else win this.
$700.
Who wants to go for $800, $800?
$800? Pretty cheap.
Nobody's gonna pay me $800 for these jalapeños?
My strategy is to hold on
to as much money as I can in the first round.
Really? I don't think you guys understand how this works.
But you're about to learn.
Going once. Going twice.
I'm very confident I can handle any jalapeño that comes to me.
So, you know, I'm gonna keep my money.
Sold for $700.
Chef, bring me $700, please.
Seriously, guys?
You get it, don't you?
I get it.
I don't think they do.
Go ahead and knock some reality into them.
CHEF GREGORY: Just sliced ones for you, Chef.
Oh, I hate you so much right now.
Have fun with that.
I give Chef Emmanuel the sliced jalapeños
because I want to know how much of a threat this guy is
right off the bat.
The smoky ones for you.
Okay.
Can I have your jalapeños, please?
You're done.
I gave Chef Korenn the dried chipotles
because I definitely want to take her out
right from the beginning.
And for the bartender,
you get some shrimp-stuffed jalapeños.
I give Chef Bryan the whole peppers
because I don't really think he's that much of a threat,
and I don't those peppers are that hard to work with.
Chefs, I can understand
you wanting to keep hold of your cash.
Understand, you only get to keep it if you win.
Let's take a look at our second item up for auction.
[ Knocks ]
This is a big roll of aluminum foil.
Purchase this, and you can force one of your opponents
to give up all equipment except things that make heat
for the entire challenge.
That individual will make everything they use
out of aluminum foil.
ALL: $500.
$600.
$1,000.
$2,500.
$3,000.
Apparently, everybody now understands.
$6,000.
CHEF EMMANUEL: This is intense bidding.
And I'm thinking I have two chances out of three
to not get it.
So, I'm hoping I won't.
8 grand.
$8,100.
$8,400.
$8,400, all in.
How about $8,500?
Mm, I probably shouldn't spend this much more money
for the first round.
And I just let it go and pray for the best.
Sold for $8,400 to Chef Bryan.
Sir, bring me my money.
I'm glad to see that we all understand how this works now.
All right, let's see.
Here you go, Tin Man.
Ah, of course. Thank you very much.
I'm giving the tin foil to Chef Emmanuel.
He's big. He's bubbly. He's easily confused.
I think he's gonna fold under pressure.
All right, chefs, that was fun.
But now, you're gonna have real fun,
because it's time to cook jalapeño poppers.
You've got half an hour to make them.
And that half an hour begins now.
So, I'm making a very traditional jalapeño popper
with fried bacon wrapped around it.
I'm sautéing my garlic
and adding that to my peppers and my cream cheese.
I'm totally feeling confident.
I got this in the bag.
What's fresh peppers like?
It's a joy to have, actually. [ Chuckles ]
CHEF BRYAN: Chef Gregory actually did me a favor
giving those shrimp-stuffed jalapeños to me.
The peppers are already pickled.
They're already soft all the way through.
I don't have to cook it for a long time.
Alls I have to do is focus on getting some good flavors.
I'm taking the shrimp, and I'm gonna mix queso fresco
with the cream cheese to kind of cream it out for the filling.
How's that tin foil working out, dude?
I hate him so much right now.
So, the first thing I do when I arrive to my station
is to make all my hand tools out of aluminum.
But my biggest concern is the sliced pickled jalapeños.
You cannot use it as a vessel for your jalapeño popper.
So, you have to incorporate it in the filling somehow.
And I'm gonna do all the chopping in the food processor.
So, I'm doing my mascarpone cheese ball.
I'm using bacon.
I'm using mascarpone.
I'm using Monterey Jack.
I'm using pepper jack.
I'm using cheddar.
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
There we go.
They're coming pretty good together.
So, I do one try on frying my cheese balls.
Too much cheese.
Oh, my god. It's not working at all.
The mascarpone is too soft,
so it's just melting in the deep fryer.
I think the French guy has been sabotaged.
ALTON: 20 minutes remaining.
I'm attempting to make a hummus dipping sauce
for my Mediterranean-inspired jalapeño poppers.
My fresh jalapeños are gone.
And in place, Chef Gregory has given me dried chipotle peppers.
So, I need some sort of wrapper.
I'll melt down the mozzarella cheese
and use that to encase some charred eggplant,
some really nicely roasted red onions.
I want to get some red pepper in there.
Will that pass for a jalapeño popper?
To me, absolutely.
Chefs, if I could have your attention, please.
I notice that no one is taking advantage
of the ice cream machine, the anti-griddle,
or even the liquid nitrogen over there.
One of you can change that.
You win this item, and you can force the chef of your choice
to incorporate a frozen component into their dish.
CHEF EMMANUEL: So, I look at the competition, and I see their evil smiles.
[ Laughs evilly ]
And that's when I realize that "Cutthroat Kitchen"
really brings out the dark side of people.
You're going down, bro.
Laugh while you can.
Win this item, and you can force the chef of your choice
to incorporate a frozen component into their dish.
$500.
I have a $500 bid from Chef Gregory. I've got a $600.
$6,000.
$6,000.
I know I won't have time to do anything frozen.
I really, really, really don't want it.
$6,100.
Chef Gregory's in for $6,100.
$7,000.
I have a $7,000 bid.
Would anybody like to go for $7,100?
Going once, twice, sold to Chef Emmanuel for $7,000.
Chef Emmanuel, who will you assign this dreaded task to?
I'm gonna assign it to you.
Me?
It's gonna cool you down.
[ Laughs ] He's got jokes.
He just spent $7,000
on making me make a frozen cocktail, what I do best.
Not a big deal.
Everybody loves a cocktail with poppers.
I'm starting out in the blender with the tequila, sugar,
citrus, with tomato.
I start dumping in nitrogen.
It starts to freeze immediately, just as planned.
Make sure it's ice-cold, okay?
Oh, you don't worry about that.
ALTON: It's 10 minutes remaining.
Chef Emmanuel, you've obviously worked
with aluminum foil extensively.
Chef Bryan took away all my knives,
all my hand tools, all my bowls, all my pans.
And I have to make everything from the aluminum foil.
Hope that works out for you, brother.
Yeah.
Chef Gregory took away my fresh jalapeños,
and he gave me those pickled sliced jalapeños.
You only have jalapeño slices.
How are you gonna make that into a popper?
Hopefully, I make a good one --
a French one, my French version.
Oh, so, by -- by virtue of being French, it's good?
Well, being made by a French chef, yeah, maybe.
Oh, being made a French chef makes it good.
I cannot wait for the judging round.
So, when I realized that frying my cheese balls
doesn't work at all,
I decide to flatten my cheese balls
to make it cook through in the oven.
And then I decide to put some tortillas in the oven
to bake them so I can use it as a vessel
for my jalapeño poppers.
It's coming together, Alton.
Yes, well, I don't -- I don't see anything
that actually looks like a popper yet.
You just wait.
I'm making a Mediterranean-style
chipotle-mozzarella jalapeño popper.
I love Mediterranean food, so it's natural for --
What's Mediterranean about a jalapeño popper?
I'm gonna show you.
[ Chuckles ] I'm gonna show you.
I have my mozzarella cheese.
I'm stretching it.
And I take the ricotta cheese and blend it
with the chipotle peppers to make my filling.
I want to stuff it with some charred eggplant,
my red onions, and my poblano peppers.
How do you like it?
It's super delicious.
So, my filling is really, really simple --
just cream cheese, garlic, and sweet peppers.
Simple, creamy, sweet, tasty.
I'm gonna wrap these in bacon
and then try to fry them, as well.
It is really hard to wrap with slab bacon.
It's not long and skinny.
And all the pieces kind of fell apart.
I'm so nervous and the clock is ticking.
I just throw everything in the fryer
and try to get my bacon as crispy as possible.
ALTON: Holy smokes. We're down to 4 minutes.
CHEF BRYAN: My dish is pickled jalapeño peppers
with a shrimp and queso fresco filling.
And I went for a standard breading procedure,
but I didn't grab eggs from the pantry.
So I'm hoping the heavy cream's gonna be enough
for it to actually stick to the outside.
I drop them in the fryer.
The breading is all over the fryer,
anywhere but on the peppers.
I don't have eggs.
And it's really screwing me right now.
Luckily, there's shreds of some of the breading
on the outside to at least provide some type of a crunch.
And they look kind of cool, so I'm like, why not?
ALTON: And chefs, you now have 2 minutes to plate.
CHEF KORENN: At this point,
these vegetables are just gonna have to go in as is.
So, I got a -- a decent chop on them.
I put it inside the stretched mozzarella
with the chipotle ricotta cheese.
And also, as a garnish, I have salted lime popcorn.
And I don't know, maybe it'll fly.
Maybe it'll fly right out the door.
[ Laughing ] We'll see what happens.
Crunch time. You guys good? You want a hand?
[ Chuckles ]
So, I'm making my sweet and spicy dipping sauce.
I'm using Sriracha. I'm using red vinegar.
I'm using a touch of fresh orange juice.
I don't see anything that looks like a popper here,
nothing at all.
Yeah, it's in the oven.
So, I take it out of the oven.
And I use this aluminum spatula
to grab my flattened cheese balls
and put it on top of the tortilla.
So, I have all the components of the classic jalapeño popper.
I have the gooey-ooey, cheesy filling
and I have the heat of the sliced pickled jalapeño on top.
Whoo-hoo-hoo.
CHEF GREGORY: Chef Emmanuel has made nachos.
Whatever he calls it, it's freaking nachos.
So, my plate looks pretty good.
ALTON: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6,
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Time's up. Challenge is over.
Whoo!
Step away from your work station, please.
Chefs, say hello to Chef Antonia Lofaso.
She is a food writer, executive chef, also,
of two of LA's hottest restaurants,
Scopa Italian Roots and Black Market Liquor Bar.
And the most important thing for you to know
is that Chef Lofaso here is unaware
of what you have to go through.
She doesn't know about the sabotages,
and she doesn't care.
What does she care about? Tell them.
Exactly what you guys are serving me.
What is on the plate, by the way, jalapeño poppers.
Oh, it's like the high school late-night specialty.
Let's head on over and pop away.
CHEF EMMANUEL: It's my lucky day.
I definitely do better with the ladies.
Chef, an honor to cook for you today.
Thank you.
So, I did a molten deconstructed jalapeño popper.
The sauce is actually a sweet and tangy dipping sauce.
[ Crunches ]
I like the way you do it.
That's what they all say.
[ Laughs ]
So, I'm getting more nacho than I am jalapeño popper.
And I'm not really tasting jalapeño throughout the dish,
just in certain parts of the dish.
But all in all, if I was in high school
and it was late night and I had this as a snack,
I'd be happy.
Okay, thank you. I'll take that as a compliment.
Thank you very much, Chef.
Thank you, Chef. Let's move on down the line.
Chef Emmanuel definitely played to Chef Antonia's childhood.
So, maybe I can make a play off of that.
This is a graduated jalapeño popper.
After you get out of high school,
you want a more sophisticated taste,
or you at least want things to look a lot better.
It's wrapped in mozzarella cheese.
And over here, you have some hummus
and popcorn with a little bit of lime on top.
You should enjoy the textures.
So, I love the, like, the creative flair
that you've got here.
I do like the use of the chipotle pepper in there.
I'm getting, like, a nice sort of smoky and heat from it.
But I'm not getting a lot of jalapeño.
And the eggplant,
it's a little underseasoned, and it's a little hard.
Okay. Thank you.
Thank you, Chef.
Let's move on down the line.
Chef Gregory, please tell her
about your take on the jalapeño popper.
Absolutely.
It's a fried bacon and jalapeño popper
with a little Korean chili in the sauce.
So, I love the flavors that you have going on here.
I really do.
I love the cream cheese.
I just think the execution is a little poor right now.
I really feel like, had you wrapped the bacon properly
around the jalapeño, it would have helped.
Just, in general, just hard to eat.
Chef Gregory kind of had his way with the dish.
He didn't have any sabotages, anything going against him.
He was the only one allowed to use fresh jalapeños.
I can't believe that that's what he came up with.
Tell her about your dish.
Okay, so, one of my favorite
traditional kind of Southern dishes is fried pickles.
So I found some pickled jalapeño peppers,
whipped it up with some queso fresco,
cream cheese, and deep-fried it lightly
so it's nice and crispy on the outside.
It really didn't take much.
And then, what we have on the side for you
is a delicious frozen tequila cocktail.
It's kind of gonna balance out the flavors for you.
CHEF LOFASO: I love the plating and I do like
the pickled jalapeño as opposed to the fresh,
because I'm getting, you know, the vinegar and the heat.
The drink was very nice.
Thank you. I appreciate that.
Thank you. You're welcome.
CHEF GREGORY: I think Chef Bryan is going home first.
His peppers kind of look a little soggy.
They weren't holding their breading.
Fail.
Chef Lofaso, I know that you know the drill.
Whose jalapeño popper did you like the least?
So, I got four very different versions of the jalapeño popper,
three that worked well, one that didn't.
And that chef is...
So, four very different versions of the jalapeño popper,
three that worked pretty well, one that didn't.
And that is Chef...
Korenn.
ALTON: Chef Korenn,
I'm sorry to see you go so early, ma'am,
But I'm afraid I'm gonna need that $25,000.
I did tell you that most of that
would be coming back to the case.
And, indeed, that has come to pass.
Thank you so much, Chef. Good luck, guys.
CHEF KORENN: I didn't bid anything this first round.
It was my strategy.
I wasn't gonna come out of the box until the second round.
Hence, you have to make it to the second round
to come out in the second round.
Chefs, congratulations on making it to the second round
here in "Cutthroat Kitchen."
Your second challenge --
You're gonna have half an hour to make quiche.
[ Chuckles ]
CHEF GREGORY: So, with quiche, two things are super important.
One, a very crispy, flaky crust.
And, two, a really delicious, creamy filling.
So, that 60 seconds you have for shopping will begin now.
With the quiche, I'm gonna keep it simple.
I grab egg, cream, and milk.
I grab chorizo. I also grab potatoes.
I feel that I can lightly fry them,
make something with some crunch to it.
ALTON: Chefs, you have 30 seconds.
Quiche Lorraine is a very typical French dish.
My plan is to use my mom's recipe.
Take my eggs, cream, gruyère.
I take my bacon and my dough.
And I'm grabbing arugula to make a salad on the side.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Whoo!
So, I get back to my station and I realize, "Oh, crap.
I forgot the fricking cream."
Epic, epic, epic fail. [ Sighs ]
As always, it's now time for the fun part, the auction.
Let's see what we've got.
Oh, I hate this part.
Fresh apple pie and some frozen beef pot pie.
Win this item, and you can switch out
both of your opponents' doughs
and assign one of these items instead,
they will have to use as the basis for their quiche.
CHEF EMMANUEL: I want to make my mom proud on this round.
So, I'm gonna make a perfect quiche.
And I don't even want to deal with a crust swap.
$3,000.
$6,000.
$6,000 to Chef Gregory.
I don't want to spend too much money.
I figure, even if I get one of these, not really a big deal.
Who will give me --
$7,000.
$7,000. Oh, yeah. See, he's thinking it through now.
Who wants to go to $7,100?
$7,800.
$7,800, current high bid.
$7,900.
$7,900. I got my $7,900.
You want to go $8,000?
Apple pie, I'm a little concerned,
because the crust is already cooked.
But I'm thinking I can actually use that beef pot pie crust.
Sold to Chef Emmanuel for $7,900.
CHEF EMMANUEL: $7,900 for the crust swap.
Totally worth it.
I give Chef Bryan the apple pie,
because I think that Chef Gregory
might be able to pull off something
with the sweetness of the apple pie.
So, I give Chef Gregory the hard-as-a-rock beef pie.
There you go.
All right, chefs.
Let's see what we have up as our second item in this auction.
A common pastry cutter.
If you win this item, you will be able to hand it
to one of your opponents and have them use it
as their sole utensil,
their only hand tool and their only knife.
Who's willing to pay me $500 for an opportunity like that?
$2,500.
$2,600.
I'd like $2,600, and I get it from Chef Bryan.
Anybody want to go to $2,700, $2,700?
$4,000.
CHEF EMMANUEL: I am not bidding,
because I know I don't have to chop that much,
only the gruyère and the bacon.
$5,500.
I've got a $5,500 bid, Chef Bryan.
$5,600, $5,600?
$5,700.
$5,700.
$5,700. Who wants to go for $5,800?
Gregory and myself are going back and forth.
He doesn't look like he's gonna back down.
So, I decide to back out.
Going once for $5,700.
Going twice for $5,700.
Sold to Chef Gregory for $5,700.
Sir, please bring me my money.
CHEF GREGORY: There it is.
Let's see.
Who's got more to chop?
Revenge is fun.
I still hate you.
Even more now.
Ugh!
So, once again, I have no hand tools at all.
But at least I have my pots and pans.
ALTON: Gentlemen, I've saved the best for last.
I have a whole bunch of kitchen waste here
that I just can't stand to see it go.
It contains, oh, everything from bell pepper tops to leeks
to -- I got some cheese rinds in here.
That looks like salmon steak
and maybe some old leftovers of pork chop.
Ugh.
CHEF EMMANUEL: This item is scary.
Like, that is scary.
Purchase this bucket, and you'll be able to give it
to one of your opponents and say, "Here!"
"Use this instead of the protein,
vegetable, and cheese you are currently in possession of."
That's evil.
CHEF GREGORY: Yes!
Someone needs to get sabotaged way hard.
This is what it's all about.
It's "Cutthroat Kitchen."
Purchase this bucket, and you'll be able to give it
to one of your opponents and say, "Here!"
"Use this instead of the protein,
vegetable, and cheese you are currently in possession of."
CHEF GREGORY: It's like compost.
Fish bones, pork end pieces, and, like, leek tops.
So gross.
$4,000.
$4,100.
ALTON: $4,100. Do I hear $4,200?
CHEF BRYAN: I'm looking at this bucket of scraps.
I see some usable things.
I could probably use it to my advantage. Why not?
$4,300.
ALTON: Does anybody want to go to $4,400?
So, I stop bidding on this item,
because it's getting way too expensive.
Going once for $4,300.
Going twice for $4,300.
Sold for $4,300 to Chef Gregory.
CHEF EMMANUEL: When Chef Gregory wins this item,
I can feel it's coming.
Ugh, don't come to me.
[ Sighs ]
ALTON: Take your time. You've earned it.
A gift for you, my friend.
Hey. One man's trash is another man's treasure.
You've got half an hour to produce quiche.
And that half an hour begins now.
CHEF EMMANUEL: Good luck, guys.
Let's see if real men can do quiche.
[ Laughs ]
So, once again, I have no knives, no hand tools.
I just have this pastry cutter.
I'm totally good.
So, I'm making my mom's signature dish, quiche Lorraine.
So, the first thing I have to do
is to chop my bacon into lardons,
which is pretty much bacon stripes.
Oh, it doesn't cut.
Is that how they show you how to cook in France?
Yeah.
I'm putting everything I have to cut the bacon.
I'm very lucky I'm a very strong man
because anybody else could not chop the bacon
with a pastry cutter.
All right. So, I'm making my custard.
I just added three eggs with my gruyère cheese,
which is the traditional way to make a quiche.
And the fun part --
I'm gonna stir it with my little thingy.
There's no way he can make a quiche
with his luck or his tools.
[ Laughs ]
Oh, my. Disgusting.
CHEF GREGORY: I am very happily watching you...
Soak it up, bro.
...sift through the compost.
Soak it up.
Chef Gregory has given me a bucket full of scraps.
Wonderful.
I see some pepper tops,
Parmesan rinds, cooked salmon.
Awesome combination.
Salmon and apple pie.
I've never put them together for a reason.
Biggest thing I want to do is start my eggs and my cream.
I want to steep the Parmesan rind in here with some saffron,
try to get some good flavor out of some of this scrap.
How's that compost coming along, Bryan?
It smells better than what I saw
from you guys in the first round.
[ Laughing ] Oh!
So, now I'm feeling good.
I got the two dudes around me sabotaged
and running around like nuts.
So, the first thing I have to deal with
is these frozen beef pot pies from Chef Emmanuel.
What does it look like? Show me.
Oh, my god. It's going to be horrible.
We're gonna cook this taste out, though,
make it nice and delicious.
I cut off the tops, scrape out the beef,
and I put it into my tart molds
and get it into my oven as fast as possible
at the highest temperature setting.
I'm hoping that it gets nice and flaky,
because I still have to add my eggs, my filling,
and get it on a plate.
ALTON: Chefs, you have 17 1/2 minutes remaining.
Okay.
Oh.
Are you rolling out your dough with the plastic wrap?
Is that how your grandmother does it?
[ Laughs ] Not exactly.
So, I roll my quiche dough.
And then I put it in my tart dish.
The custard is beautiful.
I'm pouring it on top of the lardon in my pie shell.
Come on, baby, cook.
Everything is going the way I want.
Cook, cook, cook, cook, cook.
Why did you let this happen to you?
You had enough money to not have this happen to you.
And now it's happened to you,
because you let it happen to you.
Chef Emmanuel gave me an apple pie as my crust.
I cut in the pie crust.
It's kind of flaky, so it's falling apart.
I find a couple usable pieces.
I've got flaked salmon on top of that.
I've got bell peppers.
I add my cream and egg mixture
and get it in the oven as fast as I can.
CHEF GREGORY: Mince up some shallots.
Cook up some ham.
It's easy-breezy just like Sunday morning.
I've just got to focus on making my quiche a quiche
without any cream, ugh!
I'm thinking beat my eggs up nice and fluffy,
try to get a creamy texture out of that.
Also, I'm using more cheese,
some pepper jack and some Fontina,
and I fill it up.
Ugh, what are you making?
It's quiche.
Heard of it? It's from France.
Without cream?
Just, like, raw eggs?
So, next, I'm doing my beautiful little salad.
It's probably gonna not work at all.
There we go.
Just kind of smashing it.
And it gives, like, nice little slices,
but not as good as I'm used to.
I know I have to plate my quiche,
so I take it out of the oven.
Come on, baby. Come to Papa.
It looks beautiful.
And I'm like, "Yes!" My mom's gonna be proud.
How's the quiche looking there, Chef Gregory?
It's looking quiche-y.
It's looking quiche-y?
[ Laughs ]
CHEF GREGORY: I know that I don't have much time,
but I can make a little salad,
'cause I don't want my plate just to be a sad little quiche.
We have some simple tomatoes, some sliced red onions,
add a little bit of salt, and a little olive oil.
ALTON: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Time's up. Challenge over.
Whoo!
Back away from your station.
Good job. Wow.
I see quiche, ish.
[ Laughs ]
Hello, Chef.
Hello.
How are you?
Great, thank you.
The challenge is quiche.
Okay. [ Laughs ]
Let's have a bite.
Chef Emmanuel, please tell Antonia
about your take on quiche, please.
So, I made for you a recipe that is very close to my heart,
because that's my mom's recipe.
So, that's her quiche Lorraine.
And I did on the side a salad of arugula and shallots
and a little bit of heirloom tomatoes,
you know, to add some acidity,
and you have a fresh salad on the side.
I think a really nice attempt.
The flavor and the creaminess of the inside is really nice.
The biggest problem I'm having with it
is the bottom of the dough just being severely undercooked.
Of course.
I fought so hard to keep this dough for me
and I couldn't cook it all the way.
Ugh.
Chef Gregory, I'm sure you remember Chef Lofaso.
Go ahead and tell her about your take on a quiche, please.
CHEF GREGORY: We have a ham and pepper jack and Fontina quiche.
Fig tomato and red onion salad.
Nice and simple for brunch or a light supper.
I mean, overall, things are seasoned really, really well.
What this is lacking for me is just that idea of a custard.
It doesn't have a lot of cream.
It doesn't have a lot of egg.
It's really just kind of the filling and cheese.
Thank you, Chef. Let's move on down the line, ma'am.
Chef Bryan, tell Antonia about your take on quiche.
CHEF BRYAN: So, what we have is a layer of salmon,
then some roasted bell peppers over the top of that,
egg-like custard with saffron and Parmesan.
So, I think it's a good idea.
The addition of salmon is nice.
I think it's flaked really well in there.
But I think with the salmon and the saffron,
it's just all getting a little muddled and lost.
The bottom seems to be well-cooked.
But it is just kind of floury
and a little bit gooey down there.
Yes.
Thank you, Chef. Antonia, let's step over here.
At this point, it's really anybody's game.
She had words for everybody.
And I'm worried.
All right, Antonia, tell me this.
Which of these chefs will not be going into the final round
and will just simply leave the premises empty-handed?
The chef I'm going to have to cut is...
The chef I'm going to have to cut is...
Chef Bryan.
I felt that your filling was a little too soupy,
and the flavors were a bit muddled.
Chef Bryan, I'm sorry, sir.
It's tough.
But I'm gonna need that cash back in my case.
Thank you. Very, very, very much.
Chef, off you go. Good luck to you.
Bye, Chef Bryan.
CHEF BRYAN: I did my best. I did what I could.
I feel like I took the sabotages and made the best out of it.
It was my technique that was my downfall in the end
and there's nobody I can blame but myself.
Chefs, congratulations.
You're one step closer to walking out of here
with a fistful of cash.
But there is still one thing in your way,
and it's standing right next to you, if you get my drift.
CHEF EMMANUEL: I'm so confident right now.
I can taste victory.
Boom. It's on.
Things are a little different in the third round.
I'm going to name a dish.
You're still going to have the standard 60 seconds
to shop for it.
But then you're gonna go
directly into your cooking period.
And then, if I desire,
I shall auction off items during that cooking.
It's just me and Chef Emmanuel.
I know that I'm going to do whatever it takes
to take his French butt down.
ALTON: Now, the challenge.
You're gonna have 30 minutes
to make a perfect plate of steamed mussels.
Ah.
Yes!
Your 60-second shopping period begins now.
CHEF EMMANUEL: So, for this one, I'm gonna do
a classic French moules marinieres.
I grab my mussels. I grab the white wine.
I grab the garlic. I grab the shallots.
And I grab some heavy cream.
So, right off the bat,
I know that I'm gonna make coconut curry mussels.
I'm gonna grab my coconut milk, curry paste,
lemongrass, chilies, and all of the beautiful herbs.
Simple, easy, done.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
And your cooking time begins now!
All right, good luck, brother.
Okay, good luck.
What's up with all this French food?
Unfair.
All French, all French, baby.
The best food on the earth.
CHEF GREGORY: I know that I'm going up against a French guy,
so I'm not gonna do a classic French interpretation.
I'm gonna do something really different.
I'm gonna use signature Thai flavors.
I'm cooking jalapeños. I'm mincing lemongrass.
I'm adding my curry paste and reducing my coconut milk.
It's a risk.
If Chef Antonia's looking for something super traditional,
then my mussels are probably not gonna be what she's looking for.
Chefs!
Win this auction, and you can force your opponent
to use the iron and the steamer from my trailer
as their only means of heat...
Ah, you're kidding me!
...for the remainder of the challenge.
Hell, no.
There's no way that I have time
to mess around with figuring out to how steam mussels
and cook all my bread on an iron.
$3,000.
$4,000.
$4,000.
$5,500.
I've got $5,500.
It's a good steamer.
And the iron is awesome.
I would give anything I have.
I would sell my soul to Alton to get this item.
How much do I have?
You've got $10,100.
That's as far as you can go.
Yeah, go $10,000.
I got a $10,000 bid. Can we get a $10,200?
Yes.
It's yours for $10,200.
You outbid him. He didn't have enough money.
Here's this. Here's this.
You can give it to Chef as you wish.
Ugh.
But look at it this way, Chef.
If you win, you're gonna win a lot of money.
Yeah, I will.
I suggest that you plug up that steamer really soon, though.
It takes a little while to get cranked up.
Can I just use this kitchen normally just for one round?
Thank you very much, Chef.
How are you doing, Chef Greg?
I'm doing all right.
How are you doing?
I'm good. I still have some money, so I'm happy.
Yeah, but the money doesn't do any good
if you don't win, though.
I plug the steamer in and make it work.
And I take my new best friend, aluminum foil,
and I'm creating an aluminum pouch.
And I'm putting my mussels in the pouch.
And I'm adding my white wine, my garlic,
my parsley and my shallots.
And I'm sticking the head of the steamer into it.
So, I steal them up, and I let the heat build,
hoping that it's gonna be hot enough to steam the mussels.
I hate you even more. I really hate you.
You already told me that today.
So much.
CHEF GREGORY: So, I'm looking over at Chef Emmanuel.
I know I'm way ahead of him, and I'm really stoked about that.
I'm really happy with my sauce.
It's thick. It's creamy.
It has heat. It's wonderful.
I'm simply throwing the mussels into the coconut reduction
and gonna cover them and let them steam.
I know that technique and perfectly cooked mussels
are gonna really help me execute a winning dish.
ALTON: 10 minutes, chefs. You have 10 minutes remaining.
CHEF EMMANUEL: I put my iron upside down.
And so I'm making my crostinis.
I'm slicing my French baguette.
I drizzle it with a little bit of olive oil.
And it goes on the iron.
So, I'm starting on my hoi sauce.
I'm throwing in the blender the roasted bell pepper,
garlic, chili sauce, Sriracha.
And I start blending it.
I think it's gonna go very well with my steamed mussels.
Oh, that sucks.
So, my crostinis are not toasting fast enough.
So, I decide to flip the iron,
put the crostinis on my board, and just iron it.
[ Laughs ] This sucks.
Are you happy?
Yes, I'm happy.
Oh, you're good?
Come on! [ Laughs ]
I'm slicing my baguette,
coating it with lots of great olive oil and salt,
and getting it in the salamander.
I want it crispy and quick.
I'm feeling great.
I pick a few mussels,
make my bowl and my herb trinity --
basil, mint, and cilantro.
I leave the herbs whole for a full flavor bite.
I think it's delicious.
How are you doing?
The steamer actually is working pretty good.
I can hear the mussels opening.
So, it's a good sign.
It's working. So, they are cooked now.
Ah, I'm so happy it's working!
So, everything is coming together.
I can't believe I made this happen.
It's magic!
ALTON: 10 seconds.
9, 8, 7, 6,
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Time's up. Challenge is over.
Step away from your station, please.
So, the challenge, steamed mussels.
Okay.
Chefs, if you would please bring your dishes forward.
CHEF GREGORY: This dish is a really excellent portrayal of what I cook.
My flavors are exotic. They're unique.
And I think it's gonna be just what the judge wants.
Chef.
CHEF EMMANUEL: I went so far in this competition.
And I want to win so bad, I can taste it.
Chef Gregory, please tell Antonia
about your take on steamed mussels.
Yes, Chef, thank you.
We have coconut-steamed mussels
with curry, citrus, and herbs.
I think the balance in the sauce is really nice.
There is a nice amount of heat.
I'm getting a beautiful sense of coconut.
I think the mussels are cooked really well.
I wish the herbs were just a little bit smaller.
The bite of the basil and the mint and the cilantro
in that large of a piece can be a little overwhelming.
All in all, well done.
Thank you very much, Chef.
Thank you, Chef.
Chef Gregory has all herbs on the plate.
And, for me, it's a rookie move.
Chef Emmanuel, if you'll now tell Chef Lofaso
about your take on steamed mussels.
Very simple -- It's moules marinieres,
which is a French way to steam mussels with a dry vermouth.
And I made with it a crostini
with a little bit of roasted bell pepper,
garlic and chili sauce.
So, really nice presentation.
The broth is delicious.
Absolutely delicious.
The crostini is delicious.
There's the perfect amount of heat and acid to it.
A beautiful freshness from your herbs.
I think that there's just technical flaws with this.
We've got mussels that are not opened.
Just kind of not cooked all the way
and not kind of taken out, if they don't open.
Antonia, you have dined well.
Yes.
One of these gentlemen is going to walk out of here
with a fistful of cash.
You have to decide who that is.
Chefs, I have to say,
two exceptional mussel dishes today.
Thank you.
Thank you, Chef.
In the end, I'm going with the dish
that I really just fell in love with.
And that chef is...
...Chef Gregory.
Ah.
Congratulations.
Whoo!
The balance of flavors between the coconut and the curry --
I really fell in love with the dish.
ALTON: Sorry, Chef Emmanuel.
That means that the remainder of your cash,
I'm going to need it back in the case, I'm afraid.
Sorry about that, Chef.
Merci.
Thank you, Alton. It was a pleasure.
Thank you very, very, very much.
It was an honor to meet you and cook for you.
Thank you.
CHEF EMMANUEL: When you watch "Cutthroat Kitchen" at home,
it looks easy.
And you're like, "Oh, yeah, you know,
I would have done that like that."
But then you have all those sabotages
that are thrown at you.
It's very tough.
[ Sighs ]
$4,100.
Yeah, I'll take it.
That's not altogether too bad.
I am the winner of "Cutthroat Kitchen."
I just fought and cooked my way out of Hell,
and I came out on top.
What up?
Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
Chef Emmanuel didn't even get to use a knife or any cutlery
or any hand tools throughout the whole game.
So, I think I might use some of winning money
to send Chef Emmanuel some cooking utensils.
[ Laughs ]
Whoo! Ha ha!
[ Laughing ]
Yeah, baby.
ALTON: Hungry for more "Cutthroat Kitchen?"
Go to FoodNetwork.com/Cutthroat.