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I have $100,000
of cold hard cash in this case.
Four chefs get $25,000 each.
Yeah, baby!
If they want to leave this kitchen
with any of the cash,
they have to survive three culinary challenges
and each other.
Women stick together.
No, they don't.
In a game where sabotage is not only encouraged...
You'll be able to force one of your opponents
to do all of their cooking on a camp stove.
...it's for sale.
$2,500.
$5,000.
10 grand.
Ooh.
It's a game we like to call...
[ Gasps ]
[ Laughs ]
..."Cutthroat Kitchen."
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
I'm Chef Chris Henry.
I'm a self-taught chef.
I began cooking to cook for my family.
But if you really knew how cutthroat I could be,
you really wouldn't mess with me.
I'm a mom, but I'm not your mommy.
HI. I'm Chef Michael.
I went to Le Cordon Bleu in Boston, Massachusetts.
I'm like a New York-steak kind of guy --
classic, clean, everything's done right.
You're gonna have to get through me in order to win.
My name is Sandra Cordero.
I grew up in Amsterdam, Holland.
I was really fortunate to spend my summers as a child in Spain.
So that's where I really learned about seasonal cooking
and cooking with what's there.
Better watch out. [ Laughs ]
I'm Chef Jack.
I came from Vietnam when I was 10 years old.
It took me two weeks to cross the ocean.
Jack Tripper was my idol from "Three's Company."
I watched him every night.
He became a chef, and I became a chef.
So I'm Chef Jack Lee.
I'm gonna can all you guys.
Cutthroat time. Finish.
If you get in my way, you're gonna get smashed.
Greetings, chefs, and welcome to Cutthroat Kitchen.
Now, the rules are very simple.
There are gonna be three cooking rounds.
At the end of each one, a single chef will be eliminated.
During each round, you're gonna cook a dish
that I assign to you.
After I assign it, you will then have 60 seconds
to shop for all your ingredients in our Cutthroat pantry
And then the fun part --
We're gonna hold an auction where you will be able to bid
on some curious devices that you will be able to use
to discombobulate your fellow opponents.
CHEF JACK: I'm gonna eliminate these guys one by one.
Don't let this pretty face fool you, okay?
It's gonna get ugly.
If we're gonna have an auction, you're gonna need some money.
And I happen to have here $100,000 of cold, hard cash.
Each of you will get $25,000 that will be yours to bid with
throughout the competition.
But bid smart, because at the end of the day,
the chef left standing will only win the money
he or she still has in their possession.
Chef Chris, grab your cash -- two bundles, if you please.
There.
Nice.
Chef Michael, two bundles.
It's just unbelievable to hold $25,000.
And, Chef Jack,
the remaining two bundles are, of course, for you.
I think the first-round dish should be lasagna.
Lasagna in 30 minutes.
Your 60 seconds of shopping time begins right now.
[ Laughs ]
I know exactly what I'm doing. I'm doing a lasagna roll-up.
I grabbed some goat's cheese
and I grabbed a beautiful can of tomatoes.
I am feeling so confident right now.
I am gonna win this.
ALTON: 30 seconds.
I'm making a traditional lasagna,
so I need ricotta and basil for the sweetness
and tomato sauce because it's part of lasagna.
ALTON: 15 seconds.
I have to grab some protein to make the sauce.
I grab the Italian sausage.
I start grabbing green peppers, eggplant, zucchini.
I couldn't find lasagna pasta.
I don't have time to look for it, so I grab some angel hair.
ALTON: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Ah.
CHEF CHRIS: I have this perfect basket.
I cannot be happier.
[ Exhales deeply ]
Looking at the other baskets,
I realized that I forgot the pasta.
Thank God for the zucchinis,
because they can function as my lasagna layers.
Whew!
ALTON: Our first item.
This is a *** to an oven.
Now, if you win this item,
you will have exclusive use of the oven,
forcing all of your competitors to figure out
alternative ways of cooking their lasagna.
CHEF MICHAEL: The oven gives you dry heat,
and that's what you need to cook lasagna.
So I want exclusive rights to this.
$1,800.
Make it $2,000.
$2,000 bid from Chef Jack.
$2,500.
I got a $2,500 bid from Chef Chris.
Does anybody else want to go to $2,600?
CHEF SANDRA: It's like balancing
my half-Dutch and my half-Spanish part,
'cause the Spanish part would be like, "Go, go, go. Spend it."
But then I have the Dutch part of me that goes,
"Let them spend their money."
$3,000.
I got a $3,000 bid from Chef Jack.
$4,200.
$4,200 bid.
That *** is mine.
Anybody want to give me $4,900?
I have a $4,900 bid from Chef Chris.
Going once for $4,900.
Going twice for $4,900. Sold to Chef Chris for $4,900.
Yes!
That was some serious bidding. [ Laughs ]
I spent $4,900 on an oven ***, but it represents so much.
So I have this killer basket. I've got the oven ***.
I'm, like, golden.
ALTON: Eggs and flour --
two of the key components for making pasta.
Whoever wins this
will be able to walk over to one of their competitors,
take away all their dry pasta, hand them this, and say, "Here.
Make your pasta from scratch."
By the way, we've taken all the pasta makers
and rolling pins out of the kitchen.
Let me be clear about this.
If you buy this item and you don't have pasta,
you don't get to keep it.
You would still have to give it away to someone else.
You think, "Okay. I can make homemade pasta.
That's easy."
But when they take away the pasta machine and rolling pins,
that makes it a little more difficult.
$2,100.
ALTON: $2,100 is the current bid.
$3,500.
I got $3,500.
$7,000.
Chef Michael's gonna give me $7,000 for this opportunity.
$7,200.
$7,300?
$7,400.
ALTON: $7,500?
$8,000.
$8,000 for flour and egg? Are you kidding me?
[ Clicks tongue ]
ALTON: $8,100? $8,100?
Sold to Chef Michael for $8,000.
Come on up, sir, and bring me my money.
CHEF MICHAEL: I'm gonna give this to Chef Chris.
She already bid on the oven, so she's trying to stick it to us,
and I'm gonna pay her back.
This is totally gonna throw her off her game completely.
CHEF CHRIS: I know how to make pasta,
and I am gonna find something to flatten it with.
Come on. Game on.
Green tomatoes.
Green tomatoes.
Kind of underripe.
If you win these, you will be able to go
to one of your opponents and give it to them
and take away all of their tomatoes or tomato products
and say, "Use this in your lasagna instead."
It's a terrible, horrible thing to do to another cook.
CHEF JACK: I don't want to be on the receiving end
of the sour tomato,
so I've got to win it so I can give it to somebody else.
$3,000.
ALTON: Anybody want to go $3,100?
I have $3,100. You want to go $3,200, sir?
$4,000.
$4,000 for the tomatoes.
CHEF CHRIS: I'm not that scared.
I'm thinking I can work with those green tomatoes.
Going once for $4,000. Twice for $4,000.
Sold for $4,000 to Chef Jack.
Sir, come on up and bring me my money.
I will make your change for you.
You decide who you are going to gift these wonderful tomatoes --
so fresh that they're not even ready.
CHEF JACK: Sorry, Chef Chris.
Double whammy. [ Laughs ]
Thank you.
CHEF CHRIS: The boys are ganging up on me
because they see me as the threat in this competition.
But that's okay, because I can do this.
Hopefully, in all this fun and excitement,
we haven't forgotten our mission --
your take on lasagna in 30 minutes.
Your cooking time begins now.
Chef Michael took all of my pasta.
My mind is racing, and I know I have to get the pasta made
because the pasta should be resting,
but it's gonna really have no time to rest.
So I pour the flour
and I put the eggs in the well and I start mixing it up.
They were scared when they saw me walk in the room.
Yeah. I was petrified.
I'm totally amped up to make lasagna,
because I know I got this
and nobody else is gonna beat me doing this.
I'm doing a basic lasagna,
a family recipe that we've been doing for years,
just a simple ricotta lasagna.
First thing I have to do is get my lasagna in the pasta water
so I can get it cooking.
I need to start chopping up the garlic
and getting it in the pan and sautéing that
and then crushing my tomatoes and chiffonading my basil
so I can get the sauce going.
CHEF JACK: I just have to improvise and do what's best.
I don't have any lasagna pasta.
I have angel hair.
So I got to grill zucchini and the eggplant,
and I'm gonna use these as my lasagna pasta.
And then I heat up the saucepan, oil in,
little bit of chopped garlic, some Italian sausage,
just let it sit, slowly reduce
to create that beautiful sauce for my lasagna.
Oh, how do you like the tomatoes?
Yes. Thank you, Jack. Appreciate it.
Oh, she's loving those.
[ Laughs ]
The green tomatoes are staring at me.
I am gonna chuck these green tomatoes in
with some red peppers.
I'm gonna try to calm their taste down --
actually make them disappear.
ALTON: 22 minutes remaining, chefs.
You can do some delicious things with green tomatoes.
You like those?
You can have them, honey.
No, thanks. [ Laughs ]
I was a little bummed that I forgot the pasta.
But lasagna, to me, resembles layers.
So I figure I can grill the zucchini
and then make the sauce and then just build layers.
ALTON: Oh, chefs,
I have yet another fantastic item to auction today.
I'm sure that all of you would like to have
some fresh grated Parmesan cheese with your lasagna.
Whether you need it or not, if you win this item,
you'll be able to force one of your fellow chefs
to take this Microplane
and grate all of this Parmesan cheese.
They've got to grate the whole thing,
and they've got to stop cooking until they get it all done.
No. That's horrible.
That's gonna take forever.
CHEF JACK: I'm in good shape.
I can spend a bit little more
so I can start eliminating somebody.
I don't care who. Somebody.
So sorry. [ Laughs ]
Whether you need it or not, if you win this item,
you'll be able to force one of your fellow chefs
to take this Microplane
and grate all of this Parmesan cheese.
$2,000.
Chef Jack will give me $2,000.
Unh-unh. I don't want to grate this.
I need all my time to cook, so I have to win this bid.
$2,400.
ALTON: $2,400 down here, Chef Jack.
You want to go $2,500?
I got a $2,500 bid from Chef Jack.
Chef Sandra, you want to go $2,600?
Yes, yes, yes.
I have the $2,600 bid from Chef Sandra.
I immediately continue with what I'm doing,
because I'm not concerned about that at all.
I've grated hundreds of blocks of cheeses.
Who wants to go $2,700?
Chef Jack will go $2,700.
CHEF SANDRA: I was bidding,
but then I realized it was wiser to save my money.
$2,700 is the current high bid.
$2,700 going once.
$2,700 going twice.
Sold to Chef Jack for $2,700.
I won again. [ Laughs ]
I gave it to my neighbor, Chef Sandra,
'cause I love thy neighbor.
Chef Sandra, you got cheap at the wrong gosh-darn time.
CHEF SANDRA: That's no good.
I just got to go to grating.
Grate, grate, grate, grate.
CHEF CHRIS: All right. Hail Mary.
The pasta is not looking good at all,
and I take it out, and it's very ugly.
And I'm thinking, "Okay. The filling's delicious."
Come on. Move. Move. Move. Move.
So I fill the pasta with the goat cheese and the filling.
And the pasta's undercooked.
But I have the ***, so get it in the oven.
So I roll it up and I squish it together the best I can.
And I get it in the oven.
Please cook. Please cook. Please cook. Please cook.
This wedge of Parmesan is about this big.
Almost as big as my face.
And it's horrible. I'm, like, seriously sweating.
ALTON: Chefs, you have 10 minutes.
CHEF MICHAEL: Chef Chris has exclusive rights to the oven,
so I think I have a pretty ingenious idea
of building this kind of Dutch oven.
I do know that creating the steam environment
obviously isn't the ideal cooking situation for lasagna.
But I know I can still make lasagna with it.
Hi. You about done?
I think so. What do you think?
I'm willing to call that done.
Thank you.
I really, really need to move very fast.
I'm melting the cheese in a pot with a little bit of heavy cream
to make it like a quick sauce
and get the spinach on so it warms up.
And I just start grilling the rest of my zucchinis
because I'm not gonna get to use an oven.
I'm definitely worried about the time.
Knowing I cannot use the oven, I already grill all my veggies.
So all I have to do right now is melting my cheese
and incorporate all the flavor together.
Not yet. Another minute.
I cut up the zucchini
and make them into a little rectangular shape
and tie with the angel hair to make it into a nice ribbon.
I used a cookie cutter to make the sauce right in the center
and garnish it with some Monterey Jack cheese.
Two minutes.
If you're not plating, odds are you're doomed.
CHEF CHRIS: I don't have anymore time.
I get it out of the oven and I plate it.
But I look down and I see these clunky,
undercooked lasagna roll-ups.
I don't know if I'm gonna get through this.
I need to build the layers
and try to keep it looking good and not all over the plate.
I'm running out of time.
CHEF MICHAEL: What a disaster this turned out to be.
The pasta's sliding all over the place,
and I just can't believe
that this is how I'm gonna plate this.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Put it down. Step away.
Challenge is over. Nothing else hits the plate.
Nice. Everybody survived.
Chef.
Alton.
Chefs, this is Antonia Lofaso. She is an author.
She's the executive chef
at Black Market Liquor Bar in Los Angeles.
We've got lasagna, ma'am.
I have been eating lasagna
probably since I was in the womb.
[ Laughter ]
Let's eat some food, huh?
Chef Chris, Chef Lofaso.
Please tell her about your take on lasagna.
This is a rainbow lasagna roll-up,
and it's prepared with fresh pasta,
goat's cheese, pancetta, and some lovely green tomatoes,
which were sautéed with some garlic and some olive oil.
So, first thinking of a roll-up, I like the idea.
I'm from New York,
so eggplant rollatini kind of brings me back there.
The goat cheese has a really nice creamy flavor to it,
but the lasagna dough is extremely thick
and not cooked very well.
It just seems like a big mishmosh.
Thank you, Chef.
Thank you. We'll move on down the line.
CHEF CHRIS: So I'm looking down the line,
hoping that someone else screwed up worse than I did.
Chef Michael, please tell her about your dish.
CHEF MICHAEL: This is a simple ricotta lasagna
with some chiffonade basil
and San Marzano tomato sauce with a little bit of garlic.
Just off the bat,
I got to knock you a little bit for the plating.
I think you got more lasagna
on the outside of the plate than we did on the inside.
I think the noodles are cooked well.
I think there's a nice ratio of cheese to noodle to sauce.
I feel like the tomatoes could have cooked a little bit longer.
I'm getting a little bit of raw-tomato flavor to it.
But to be honest, it's extremely generic.
CHEF CHRIS: Basically, he made the lasagna 101.
And I'm thinking to myself, "I might not be going home."
Chef Sandra, why don't you tell the chef
about your take on lasagna, please?
CHEF SANDRA: This is what I call the ultimate vegetable lasagna.
It has grilled zucchini and then leek, spinach, tomato
with goat cheese and mozzarella fondue.
And some Parmesan.
[ Laughs ]
I love the layering of the zucchini.
It's cooked really well,
and it's very reminiscent of a lasagna.
That being said, since you're giving me a vegetable lasagna,
don't skimp on the cheese.
CHEF SANDRA: I could have just added a little more cheese.
I have plenty more.
I really think, all in all,
just a really nicely put-together dish.
Thank you.
Good job.
CHEF JACK: Say what?
She liked her zucchini pasta
'cause she hasn't tasted mine yet.
Chef Jack, please tell Chef Lofaso about your dish.
I have prepared for you zucchini-eggplant lasagna
and topped with Monterey Jack cheese.
I do really like the sauce on the dish.
I like the addition of sausage.
The use of Monterey Jack is just way out there for me.
I would never use Monterey Jack
in any kind of Italian preparation and food.
So I'm not really getting the whole kind of lasagna feel.
Wrapping it with a little bit of the capellini
might make it look pretty, but to be honest,
it's just kind of making me want pasta.
Thank you, Chef.
Thank you.
Chef Lofaso, this is not your first time
here on "Cutthroat Kitchen."
You know the drill.
Somebody's money needs to go back in this case.
Who's it gonna be?
CHEF JACK: She was pretty brutal.
I'm a little worried now.
CHEF CHRIS: My heart is just pounding.
Then I'm thinking to myself,
"There's all these technical flaws down the line."
I'm just hoping that I can make it through.
CHEF LOFASO: In the end, I'm gonna have to go with Chef...
Who was least successful here today?
There were a couple lasagna that really felt like lasagna,
tasted like lasagna,
and one that was just a little bit more unsuccessful.
And that was Chef Chris.
Ah, Chef Chris. Terribly sorry, ma'am.
I'm going to need that money back.
$20,100.
Glad to have you.
Thank you. Thanks.
CHEF CHRIS: I'm super disappointed.
I was pretty sassy, pretty confident,
but "Cutthroat Kitchen" was much harder
than I thought it would be.
Congratulations on surviving to round 2 of "Cutthroat Kitchen,"
where things are gonna get a lot easier now.
[ Laughter ]
You're gonna have 30 minutes to create a perfect bowl of chili.
I have no problem making a good chili,
because that's what I love.
I'm completely 100% confident that I'm gonna kill this.
As always, you'll have 60 seconds to shop
for every single item you need to complete that bowl of chili.
And that shopping time is gonna begin right now.
So to build my base, I'm gonna grab tomatoes and beans.
I'm also gonna get some protein I'm gonna put in there,
and I grab some ground turkey.
I get paprika. I get cayenne. I get cumin.
End of the day, bottom line,
chili has to have that chili flavor to it.
ALTON: 15 seconds already gone.
I have a good plan going in to make a Tex-Mex chili.
Nice ground beef, little chilies in there,
you know, some hot peppers.
15 seconds.
Coming from Europe and all, I don't really like chili
because I like my vegetables crunchy.
And I don't really have a recipe for it.
Panic.
What goes into a chili? Beans. Chilies.
Tomato? Spices?
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
CHEF SANDRA: 60 seconds are killing me!
I forgot the meat.
That's no good.
Let's get to our first auction item for our chili round.
A lovely set of tasting spoons.
If you purchase this item, you will earn the exclusive right
to taste your food during the cooking time.
No other chef will be able to taste their food
in any way, fashion, or form for the whole challenge.
To make chili without tasting it is almost impossible to do.
It's about developing flavors.
If you can't taste chili when you're cooking it,
you don't know if there's enough heat,
if there's not enough heat,
if there's any other flavors that you need.
So I'm absolutely bidding for this item.
$1,100.
He's got $1,100. Who gives me $1,200?
$1,200?
$1,300.
She got her hand up. $1,300.
$2,100.
$3,000.
$3,000 now the high bid.
$4,000.
$4,000 for the tasting spoons.
'Cause I haven't made chilies in years.
So I need them spoons.
I need it.
$4,600.
ALTON: $4,600. Chef Sandra got $4,600.
Who wants to go $5,000?
Chef Jack will give me $5,000 for these spoons.
Anybody want to go $5,100?
$5,100? $5,100? Going once for $5,000.
Twice for $5,000.
Sold to Chef Jack for $5,000.
Chef Jack, bring me your money, please.
CHEF JACK: Sorry, chefs. You can't taste the food.
So sorry. [ Laughs ]
All right. Let's move on to our next auction item.
Canned roast beef.
The winner of this item will be able to confiscate
one of their opponents' meats
and replace it with these cans of roast beef,
which they will be forced to use in their chili.
$1,500.
$2,500.
For a second, I'm thinking, "Maybe it is good to have meat."
But canned? Yeah.
No good.
$2,500 is the current high bid, to Chef Sandra,
for the roast beef.
$3,000!
$3,100.
CHEF MICHAEL: I want to keep this money,
so I immediately bow out of the bidding.
ALTON: $3,500 for the canned roast beef.
Who wants to go $3,600?
$3,600.
Chef Jack may very well take it home for $3,600.
Going once for $3,600.
Going twice for $3,600.
Sold for $3,600 to Chef Jack.
Chef Jack, come on over and give me your money.
Ah, more money.
ALTON: I can't wait to see how this plays out.
Do you know who you're gonna give this to?
Yes.
Go deliver your goods
to whoever you think will enjoy it the most.
Chef Sandra has no protein on her basket.
I don't want to give her the beef
to help her have protein for her chili.
Chef.
Thank you.
ALTON: Make sure you get all of his meat products.
Love this stuff.
This is disgusting.
And now time to get a little retribution, perhaps.
What?
This is a toolbox, ladies and gentlemen.
What are we building?
Inside this "Cutthroat Kitchen" toolbox
are some of the most useful items known to man.
I have here screwdrivers.
I've got here pliers in several different sizes.
Look what I got down here.
I got a saw and I've got a hammer.
If you win this toolbox, you'll be able to give it
to one of your opponents and say, "Here.
"Use this instead of your knife kit
and all of your hand utensils."
$3,000.
$3,000.
$4,000 even.
$4,000 for the toolbox.
I really don't want this, so I start bidding.
$4,500.
$4,700.
I have a $4,700 bid from Chef Michael.
$5,000.
$5,000 bid from Chef Jack.
$5,000 is the current bid.
$6,000.
$6,000 for the toolbox.
$6,000. $6,000 is the current bid.
How about $6,100? $6,100? $6,100?
Going once for $6,000. Going twice for $6,000.
Sold for $6,000 to Chef Michael.
Come on up, sir.
And I feel like I can't really have another disadvantage.
I'm worried.
Let me have that money.
You go decide who you want to gift that to.
And I just pray that he won't give it to me.
You go decide who you want to gift that to.
A lot of money.
I'm gonna give it to...
Chef Sandra.
Thank you.
That's a lovely gift.
Sure, I'll make chili with a hammer and a saw.
ALTON: Don't forget what you're doing,
which is making a perfect bowl of chili in half an hour.
That time begins now.
Bye-bye.
So the first thing I need to do is go through the toolbox.
And I see a hammer, different kind of pliers,
a few screwdrivers, and a saw.
Saws are good.
It's just like a very big knife.
Ah! A saw works great, guys.
CHEF MICHAEL: You like it?
Seriously, it's awesome.
And I do realize that I forgot my protein.
So I'm thinking, "I'm just gonna make this delicious sauce base,"
and then I have beans and these different kinds of peppers,
like bell pepper and poblano pepper.
I'm gonna make crispy tortilla chips,
and I'm adding tomato paste and chocolate.
That should be close to a chili.
Here we go.
So I get the can of roast beef from Jack.
And now I'm pissed because I got to put this in my food.
I open up the can and I smell that, and I'm like, "Wow.
This smells like low-grade dog food."
So I take it immediately over to the sink,
I squeeze all the juice out of it
and try to get as much of that nasty flavor as I could
out of it.
It's gonna work out.
I got to start flavor development on the chili,
so I start cutting my peppers.
I take the tomatoes, I crush them up,
and then I get all my different seasonings
that have to go into the chili.
Now, big problem here -- I can't taste.
So I'm going based on smell.
Hey, chefs.
Got an interesting item up for bid.
Whoever wins this auction
will be able to force one of their opponents
to create an edible bowl to serve their chili in.
They'll be able to go back in the pantry
and get whatever they need.
CHEF SANDRA: Okay.
Chef Jack is allowed to taste his food,
so I need to slow him down a bit.
Who will give me $500 in order to force one of their opponents
to make an edible bowl for their chili?
I will.
Chef Sandra, seeking retribution, will give me $500.
Who will give me $600 to not be that person?
CHEF JACK: Make an edible bowl?
I don't want it. So I have to win this.
I have to win this bid.
$1,000.
ALTON: I got $1,000 from Chef Jack.
$1,900.
"$1,900," said Chef Sandra.
$2,000, please.
CHEF MICHAEL: Let them deal with it.
Once I'm in the cooking mode and I'm doing my thing,
I'm out of the bidding mode.
$2,000 is the current bid. Chef Sandra, you have $2,100?
$2,100. Yeah.
Does anybody go $2,200? $2,200? $2,200?
Going once. Going twice.
Sold for $2,100 to Chef Sandra.
Whoo-hoo!
Who gets to make an edible bowl?
Chef Jack.
Chef Jack.
CHEF JACK: What the heck?
I need all my time to perfect this chili.
So Alton takes me into the pantry room.
And I saw bread. I'm like, "Yeah."
Something easy, something fast, because I'm running out of time.
You're gonna go with bread. Didn't see that coming.
CHEF MICHAEL: Jack, I think you were slacking a little bit
and not stepping up to the plate.
Taking the easy way out, Jack.
We'll see.
CHEF JACK: I've got no time.
I got the bread, rip out the middle part,
and just dump everything in the oven.
Everything is coming along.
I got my flavor going.
Adding a little bit of cinnamon and the paprika.
Add a little bit of adobo chili
to make it a nice bowl of chili compact with heat.
ALTON: Seven minutes.
Hey, Chef Mike. Check it out.
Oh, that looks good, huh? How's it taste, though?
Mmm. Tastes good.
Oh, it does?
You think that spoon was worth the money?
Of course.
We'll see.
So I'm tweaking as I go, and I'm smelling it.
I'm saying, "It's not smoky enough."
Add a little more smoked paprika,
a little more cumin, a little salt, little pepper.
The smell is definitely there.
CHEF SANDRA: I can't taste my chili.
I'm worried about the chips.
I'm worried about the chili.
I'm really worried.
You have 60 seconds.
Oy.
CHEF JACK: Boy, that is a big bowl of bread.
Houston, we have a problem.
ALTON: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Put it down. Step away. The challenge is over.
Here comes our judge back from her high turret tower.
For this round, the subject is chili.
Oh.
Just a bowl of chili.
This way, madam.
Okay.
Going to the judging, I know my chili tastes perfectly
because I was able to taste.
And they couldn't taste, so I know this is it.
I'm going for the final round, baby.
Chef Michael, please tell Chef Lofaso about your chili.
So today I have created a rustic chili for you.
It is topped off
with some red and yellow grilled broula of peppers.
So there's a nice fragrance automatically coming from it,
but it just kind of falls flat.
I kind of wish
that there was a little bit more balance of flavor.
I have to be honest.
It really reminds me of chili out of a can.
[ Laughs ]
His chili is flat and no taste. [ Laughs ]
The one word I would use is just a little boring.
Okay.
Thank you, Chef.
Thank you.
CHEF MICHAEL: The not-tasting thing just came up and bit me.
If I could taste it, I would've knew which flavors to adjust.
Chef Sandra, please tell Chef Lofaso about your chili.
Yes.
I've made for you a meatless chili,
but it's not vegetarian,
because it actually does have some beef stock --
beans, roasted peppers.
I tried to give it a little bit of depth
with some chilies and chocolate.
For a vegetable stew with beef broth, it's actually not bad.
But for a chili, I'm just not getting any of those flavors.
Okay.
Thank you, Chef.
Thank you.
CHEF SANDRA: A veggie stew with beef stock.
Brutal.
Chef Jack.
What I made for you is the Tex-Mex chili
with grilled rainbow peppers
and in a bread bowl so you can dip with the bread.
I do like the freshness of the raw tomato on top,
but the entire chili itself
just has a very sort of strange flavor to it.
There's, like, some kind of cinnamon.
And the bread bowl --
There's just so much bread and so very little chili.
CHEF JACK: I tasted the chili.
I didn't taste that much cinnamon.
Thank you, Chef.
Thank you.
Chef Lofaso really tears him apart on the bread bowl.
Maybe I will survive this round.
First comes the dining, then comes the deciding.
[ Latches click ]
The case awaits.
Yes.
Chef Michael, you gave me a convenience-store chili.
Chef Sandra, it's not really a chili.
It's more of a stew with just very little flavor.
And, Chef Jack, this was a chili that was really overpowered
by cinnamon and a huge piece of bread.
So whose money is actually going back in this case?
In the end, I'm gonna have to go with Chef...
The case awaits somebody's money.
Yes. [ Laughs ]
Honestly, I have to say my least favorite
was the convenience-store chili.
Chef Michael, I'm sorry.
Chef Michael, I'm afraid I'm gonna need that $11,000 back.
In the end, not being able to taste your own chili
may have not been the easiest way to go.
Thank you, Chef.
Thank you. Appreciate it.
I'm completely floored by what just happened,
because mine tasted like chili, and the other two --
One was a beef stew.
The other one had loads of cinnamon
and whatever else he put in it.
I was by far the strongest competitor in this competition
and deserved to go to the end.
Chefs, congratulations on surviving to the final round
here in Cutthroat Kitchen.
One dish between you and your stack of cash.
I'm very excited to be in the final round.
It took a lot for me to cross the ocean,
so this competition is nothing.
I can overcome anything.
The gloves have come off, and this is getting real.
CHEF SANDRA: It's all or nothing now.
I can see the end. Bring it on.
Things are gonna be a little bit different this time.
We are going to shop for a dish
and then immediately move into cooking.
I will auction off items during the cook time.
The dish that will be cooked -- chicken cordon bleu.
Chicken cordon bleu, I'm sure I do not have to tell you,
is when you take scallops, if you will, of chicken,
stack some ham and some cheese in there
and then bread the whole thing and sauté it.
You're gonna have 30 minutes.
So let's just say that your 60 seconds of shopping
begins now.
Hiya!
[ Laughs ]
It's go time.
To win this competition,
I just have to cook something magical.
I didn't see any ham, so I grabbed prosciutto.
I saw Swiss cheese, so I grabbed that.
ALTON: 30 seconds.
CHEF SANDRA: It's chicken cordon bleu.
Chicken, ham, cheese -- a classic.
A little bit heavy.
I just want to make it a little lighter,
so I got some kale and cherry tomatoes.
Your cooking time begins in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Cooking begins now.
CHEF JACK: I'm back in my station.
I look at my basket.
Holy cow. I forgot bread crumbs.
I'm just hoping that he has something in the auction
that I can buy.
Chef Jack, it was nice to meet you,
but now I have to finish you.
We'll see about that.
Can't get rid of you, huh?
Got to get rid of you once and for all.
So the first thing I do is to cut up my zucchini,
carrots to create a lot of different colors
for the filling,
and I just need to get started with my chicken.
Oh, chefs, as you can see,
I have here a basket full of canned meats
and a variety of processed cheese products.
Whoever wins this
will be able to turn to his or her opponent and say,
"Hey, why don't you use this to replace all the ham and cheese
you brought out of the pantry and use it in your dish?"
CHEF SANDRA: Chef Jack has a lot of experience.
But I have a big advantage with the money,
and I know I need to use it to win.
I'll give you $4,000 for that basket.
Ouch.
Oh, man.
Four grand. Will you give me $4,100, Chef?
I will give you $4,500.
$7,000.
$7,000 from Chef Sandra for the basket.
How about $7,100? $7,100? You gonna go there?
You gonna go there? Ooh, no.
$7,000 once. $7,000 twice.
Sold, madam, for $7,000.
Thank you.
You may gift those to him.
Here's some nice prosciutto and some nice cheese.
Was this all you had?
Yes.
Well, look. You got so much more now than you used to have.
CHEF JACK: Processed ham is not presentable.
So my strategy is to julienne it and sear it.
It's not pretty to look at, but it's gonna taste pretty good.
Using the nacho cheese -- gonna add to my cream sauce.
It is what it is.
Oh, chefs,
I have yet another fantastic item to auction today.
Since you're making chicken cordon bleu,
how would you like to be able
to make your opponent's chicken blue
by replacing their breading component
with crumbled-up cookies
that have kind of a Smurf-like tone to them?
I know the dish is called cordon bleu, but with blue cookies?
This is nuts.
$5,000.
$5,000. He cuts to the chase.
$8,400.
I got $8,400.
Do I hear $8,500? Do I hear $8,500?
Do I hear $8,500? He's done.
Sold to Chef Sandra. The blue cookies are yours.
Deliver those to your opponent.
Oh, be sure to confiscate any bread crumbs
that he might have or any other breading.
Take a moment to look for that.
I don't have it. [ Laughs loudly ]
CHEF SANDRA: The evil laugh won't help you this time.
Damn.
I got blue cookies.
Let me taste this.
Oh, my God.
I pound up the cookie crumbs.
I'm gonna try to balance the sweetness with some salt
to make it like a savory dish.
The cookies taste really sweet, just like me.
CHEF SANDRA: Got my chicken.
Butterflied it so I could stuff it
with the prosciutto and mozzarella cheese.
I get the panko crumbs to stick with a little bit of oil.
I need to get a good sear on this chicken
and throw it in the oven
to make sure it gets cooked all the way through.
Jack, what are you cooking? Smurf cordon bleu?
Yes.
Hope it doesn't ruin our newly found friendship.
Oh, it has.
[ Laughs ]
Chef Sandra's driving me nuts!
But the chicken was going to be perfectly cooked.
The sauce is wonderful, so I'm in good shape.
45 seconds.
CHEF SANDRA: I'm doing good.
My kale-tomato mixture is coming along nicely.
My only concern is that Chef Lofaso wants
a very traditional cordon bleu instead of my version,
which is lighter and more modern.
CHEF JACK: I'm using blue cookie as my decorations.
My plate has a sauce.
And wow.
I mean, the cheese sauce was really good.
The blue color goes well with my orange sauce.
It looks beautiful, just like me.
ALTON: 4, 3, 2, 1.
Time is up. Put it down. Step away.
Challenge is over.
Whew!
Whew!
Chef Jack got pretty creative.
I have to give him that much.
I was forced by evil Chef Sandra to improvise,
but I'm very, very satisfied at this point.
So I'm like, "Unh-unh. I'm gonna win this."
Chef Lofaso, good to see you again, madam.
Down from the tower, I see.
The subject of this round is chicken cordon bleu.
Okay.
Please bring your plates forward.
CHEF SANDRA: Chef Jack's plate, it looks fun,
but not like something I would really ever want to eat.
All right, Chef Sandra.
Please tell Chef Lofaso about your dish.
This is a Mediterranean-style chicken cordon bleu
with some prosciutto, mozzarella,
and a nice local kale with cherry tomatoes.
The chicken is cooked absolutely perfectly.
It's really soft, beautifully moist,
but the cheese is getting a little lost.
And that's actually, like, usually my favorite part
of a classic of the chicken cordon bleu.
The kale is nicely cooked,
but I'm not registering the cordon bleu.
I think it's a beautiful stuffed chicken.
I'm just not having that connection to cordon bleu
with this dish.
All right.
Chef Jack, please tell Chef Lofaso about your dish.
CHEF JACK: I have prepared for you the chicken cordon bleu,
white-wine reduction with a little bit of cream
and cheese sauce.
This is blue. Okay.
First looks at the plate -- Seeing something so bright
and literally blue on the plate, it's a little scary.
I'm not gonna lie.
[ Chuckles ] It looks scary.
The chicken is cooked very nicely.
I really love the crunch on the outside of the chicken.
There's a nice moisture to it.
I don't know if this is a processed ham.
The cheese doesn't really taste like much.
All in all,
I do think the dish is playful and definitely adventurous.
Thank you, Chef.
You know what I'm gonna say.
Yes.
One of these fine individuals
has to put their money back in this case.
CHEF JACK: Came all this way, I fight to the final round,
and I want to win it.
I really do.
I think at the end of the day,
what came down for me was the execution of the two dishes
and who didn't hit the mark.
And that would be Chef Jack.
When it comes down to the classics,
technique is extremely important,
and this is not a technically sound cordon bleu.
Sorry, Chef Jack. I'm gonna need that $9,700.
Goes back, but thank you very much for playing.
Thank you, sir.
We appreciate it.
CHEF JACK: I can't believe it!
You know, I was so close. [ Groans ]
I got sent home for nacho cheese and the canned meat.
Oh, my God.
[ Groans ]
Chef Sandra, it seems that you have won $7,500.
Fantastic. Thank you.
Congratulations.
Sorry, Jack.
I love you, but you had to go.
You're a nice guy, but somebody had to win, and it was me.
ALTON: Hungry for more "Cutthroat Kitchen"? Go to...