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I have $100,000
of cold hard cash in this case.
4 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.
$5,000.
10 grand.
Ooh.
It's a game we like to call...
[ Laughs ]
..."Cutthroat Kitchen."
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
CHEF GREG: I'm Chef Greg.
I'm the executive chef/owner of Eat Events Los Angeles.
After graduating culinary school,
I started teaching at the Art Institute.
Not only am I gonna win this battle,
but I'm also gonna have the best hair in the kitchen.
CHEF MA-LE: I'm Chef Ma-Le,
and I'm a sous chef in New York City.
I became a professional figure skater at 17 years old.
I get to apply my discipline
from figure skating in the kitchen.
Listen, I wouldn't unpack so many knives
'cause you're gonna be packing them quick.
All right.
I may be small, but I don't mess around.
CHEF KELLAN: I'm Chef Kellan, executive chef and owner
of Kellan's Kitchen based in San Francisco.
I didn't attend culinary school, so I'm a self-taught chef.
Sweet hair, bro.
Thanks. I get a lot of compliments on it.
Take a mental picture 'cause you won't be here too long.
Oh!
I'm going to win this to prove
that I can compete with the executive chefs out there.
CHEF DeCARLO: My name is Chef DeCarlo.
I'm the co-owner and executive chef
at Grub Restaurant in Hollywood.
Pleasure.
So, my plan is to make the other chefs think
I'm so sweet that they can't do anything mean to me.
[ Laughs ]
Bring it on, buddy.
Hello, chefs.
Hello.
Welcome to "Cutthroat Kitchen,"
a culinary competition with a twist.
The rules are simple.
There are gonna be three cooking rounds.
At the end of each round,
one of you will be eliminated by a judge
who is currently sequestered off-kitchen.
Before each cooking round,
I will assign a dish to be prepared.
You will then have 60 seconds to shop for that dish
here in the "Cutthroat Kitchen" pantry.
Then, the fun part --
We're gonna hold an auction.
During the auction, you'll be able to bid
on some very interesting devices
that, should you win, you could use
to cause your competition considerable consternation.
Of course, if you're gonna have an auction,
gonna have to have some money,
and I happen to have here $100,000.
I'm gonna divide this between the four of you.
That means $25,000 apiece,
which you can spend throughout the competition.
But spend wisely because at the end of the day,
when one of you is left standing,
you're gonna win the cash you have remaining.
Chef, take two bundles.
CHEF MA-LE: My plan going into this
is be aggressive and make sure they know that I'm here to win.
[ Laughs ]
If you wish.
ALTON: Now, let's get down to business.
I want you to make me a perfect burrito.
Growing up in California, I know burritos very well.
If you don't know how to wrap a burrito,
you're kind of out of luck.
I'm gonna give you half an hour to do it.
So, let's say that your 60 seconds of shopping time
begins now.
My plan is to recreate a California breakfast burrito.
I'm thinking bacon, eggs, potatoes, salsa components.
ALTON: 30 seconds.
CHEF DeCARLO: I think they're gonna try to trick us
and gonna tell us that we're not gonna use tortillas,
so my idea is to do a burrito,
but I'm gonna wrap it in lettuce.
So I decide to do red-pepper salsa,
so I grab multiple colors of the red peppers.
I grab an onion. I grab garlic.
I'm just grabbing stuff.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Nice.
[ Exhales sharply ]
Time now for the fun part.
We're gonna have that auction.
See what we have up first.
Hmm.
ALTON: Here we have two chef's knives.
Now, there are four of you.
So, if you win this item,
you can keep one of these knives for yourself
and give the other knife to one of your fellow competitors.
All of your own knives are going to be taken away.
Who will give me $500 for this?
Let's do 5 G's.
Let's do 5 G's! Let's do it!
CHEF KELLAN: In this first round,
I'm really just observing the other chefs
to see how much they're gonna pay.
ALTON: $5,000 for the knives. Who's giving me $5,100?
I got $5,100. I got $5,100.
Let's do $5,200.
Let's do $5,200.
$5,300? $5,300? I got $5,300. $5,400?
CHEF GREG: You know what?
I can find something in the kitchen that I can dice with.
I got my $5,300.
Going once for $5,300.
Going twice for $5,300.
Sold for $5,300 to Chef DeCarlo.
Chef DeCarlo, madam, please bring me my money.
CHEF DeCARLO: I would've spent all my money on those two knives
'cause I knew I was gonna make salsa.
Well, it needs to be cut fine. You need a knife.
ALTON: Decide who else is going to get to use a chef knife.
All right. I belive in girl power.
Ugh, I saw that coming.
CHEF DeCARLO: Sorry, boys.
CHEF KELLAN: Screw it. You two girls can have at it.
I don't need a knife.
ALTON: Now we're gonna move to our second item of the day...
...frozen pigs-in-a-blanket.
Oh, God. How are we gonna use these in a burrito?
ALTON: If you win this item, you'll be able to force
one of your opponents to replace their main protein
with these little, pastry-covered weenie things.
CHEF MA-LE: I do not want to make a frickin' burrito
out of cocktail weenies.
Not happening.
They need to go to somebody else.
Bidding begins at $500.
3 grand.
I got 3 grand now offered to me
for the frozen pigs-in-a-blanket.
$3,500.
Oh. I got a $3,800 bid.
I got a $5,000 bid from Chef Greg.
$5,200? I got $5,200 from Chef Ma-Le.
Who wants to go $5,300?
If she wants to give me the cocktail weenies,
I'm gonna deal with it.
ALTON: Anybody? Anybody?
Sold for $5,200 to Chef Ma-Le.
Come over and bring me your money, madam.
Think about who you're going to give
this wonderful culinary gift to.
[ Sighs ]
I gave my cocktail weenies to Chef Greg
because I feel that he has the most experience.
Ow!
So, Chef Ma-Le takes my chorizo out of my basket.
I really have to come up with a new game plan
and make something happen.
Thank you.
CHEF MA-LE: I don't think Chef Greg is a weenie,
but I think he'd have a lot of fun with the little weenies.
Let's move onto our third item of this round.
[ Laughter ]
Straight from the mini-fridge
of college freshman everywhere --
frozen burritos.
Buy this item and you can force one of your competitors
to forfeit their tortillas...
Oh!
...or whatever they were
actually gonna roll their burrito in
with these rock-hard frozen burritos.
I can't even imagine trying to finagle these without a knife.
The shell always breaks.
The filling on the inside is usually super salty.
CHEF GREG: $5,000.
$5,000.
Whoo!
I want to be smart about the money.
The frozen burrito is something that I could handle.
$5,500? $5,500? $5,500?
I'll go.
Chef Ma-Le's in for $5,500.
Screw it. 6 grand.
$6,000 for four frozen burritos.
It's going once for $6,000.
Twice for $6,000.
Sold for $6,000 to Chef Kellan.
Come on over and bring me my money, sir.
Decide who you're gonna gift this to
and make sure you take away
whatever they might have been planning
Got you.
When I walk over to Chef DeCarlo's basket,
I see there's no tortillas, and I think,
I can't give this girl tortillas to make a burrito.
CHEF MA-LE: Ugh.
I'm like, "You've got to be kidding me."
CHEF KELLAN: I give the frozen burritos to Chef Ma-Le,
because she is unscathed during the auction.
I want a perfect burrito.
You've got 30 minutes to make it.
That time begins...now.
CHEF GREG: Let's see how it works.
First thing I do is get the cocktail weenies on a sheet tray
and pop those in the oven.
Ugh.
Using, you know, different sharp instruments in the kitchen.
So, trying to be resourceful right now.
The no-knife thing is difficult,
but I'm trying to make my cuts
as accurate as possible, so it looks nice on a plate.
I'm using an offset spatula right now to cut.
I start making my pico de gallo with cilantro, red onion,
a little lime, and the yellow heirloom tomato.
Kellan, guy power!
[ Chuckles ]
CHEF DeCARLO: I thought the tortillas would be taken away,
but that didn't happen.
So my plan is to make something
that's a little out of the ordinary.
I'm doing a lettuce-wrapped burrito.
I chopped up onions, garlic.
I love having this knife.
CHEF KELLAN: California burrito is coming up.
I believe a perfect burrito
is actually what we call a California burrito.
Protein, potatoes, eggs, salsa in a perfectly toasted tortilla.
Let's get creative!
Because I don't have a knife, I get a shredder,
and I'm furiously shredding these potatoes
to make hash browns.
My next focus is the protein.
It is a slab of thick-*** bacon.
I look at the avocado, and I grab an oyster shucker.
I'm having fun without a knife. It's like camping.
Hey, can you microwave me one of those burritos?
I'm kind of hungry.
CHEF MA-LE: Oh, you can starve, for all I care.
[ Laughs ]
So, I'm trying to deal with this burrito.
Put it in the microwave for about two minutes.
I finally open up the burritos.
It's got this, like, bean/rice paste in the middle.
I try to scrape out the inside
and, like, throw it in the garbage.
Then I'm like, "Ew."
Ugh.
I don't know what the hell that is.
And I now I have a disgusting, inferior tortilla shell.
Ew.
Oh, chefs, I've got one more item
I'm willing to auction in this round --
this lovely pair of oven mitts.
If you win these, you'll be able to hand them
to one of your opponents,
and they will have to wear them for the rest of the challenge.
It is almost impossible to roll a tight burrito
wearing oven mitts.
CHEF MA-LE: I am not going to get stuck
having to do everything with oven mitts.
I cannot have that happen
'cause I know I will be the first person to go home.
Oh, chefs, I've got one more item
I'm willing to auction in this round --
this lovely pair of oven mitts.
If you win these, you'll be able to hand them
to one of your opponents,
and they will have to wear them for the rest of the challenge.
Who will give me $500 for these oven mitts?
Here.
Chef Ma-Le's gonna give me $500.
1,000 bucks.
$2,700.
I got $2,700 from Chef Greg,
whose hands may not even fit in these gloves.
CHEF DeCARLO: I don't want to waste my money on that
because I'm almost done with my dish,
so I thought I'm just gonna speed up my chopping process.
I'm just chopping, chopping, chopping.
I was kind of worried
that if one of the boys gets those mitts,
they're gonna give it to me
'cause I've already done something kind of against them.
ALTON: I got the $3,200.
Who wants to give me the $3,300?
$4,000, the current bid.
I hear Chef Ma-Le and Chef Greg going back and forth,
and I'm totally staying away from their little battle.
$7,000.
I got $7,000 for these gloves.
Chef Ma-Le, you want to go to $7,700?
Yeah.
$7,700 going once.
Twice.
Sold to Chef Ma-Le for $7,700.
Here are your gloves, ma'am.
Give them to whoever you wish.
Kellan was the one who so nicely gave me this frozen burrito,
so I just felt I had to return the favor
and give him oven mitts.
Naturally.
CHEF KELLAN: I can't believe I'm cooking in oven mitts,
but safety is good.
I should just get my eggs scrambled.
I just use a spoon to scramble the eggs.
Nothing fancy.
I check stuff on the oven, and my hands start to sweat,
but the oven mitt's very absorbent.
I'm able to slide the tomatillos into the blender
without a problem, but then,
I can't quite get the garlic into the blender.
I look down at the blender,
and I try to hit "power" with my fingers,
and I realize I can't turn it on.
And I'm going, "What do I do?"
You have 10 minutes remaining from right...now.
CHEF GREG: I pull my cocktail weenies out of the oven.
They're not quite cooked yet,
and I throw them in the deep fryer.
I start to make
this refried black bean with some chayote squash.
Everything is just layers and layers of flavor,
and I'm really, really excited.
You know, I'm not used to being picked on by girls.
Well, I guess you better get used to it.
So, I did the onions, the garlic in with the meat.
Put a little pepper jack.
I did a red and yellow pepper salsa with onion, some Cayenne.
Then, what I did from that is roll it into the lettuce leaves.
Tasted great, it had a little kick to it.
I'm thinking that mine's different
and that I will stand out.
I'm gonna caramelize some onions.
I'm gonna cut up some peppers, throw it in all together.
I'm seasoning my chorizo with some paprika.
Biggest challenge right now
would be trying to mask the old burrito taste.
So, I put my onions, my green peppers.
I put my chorizo meat right on top.
I wrap it up very, very delicately and slowly.
Burrito just busted open. That's awesome.
You watching, southern girl? This is how you fold a burrito.
Might not look pretty,
but that's what a burrito looks like.
CHEF GREG: My refried black beans are done.
I go back and check on my cocktail weenies.
I take them out of the fryer,
pulse it a couple times to get some texture.
I make sure before I plate it up that I taste it a little bit,
and it was actually -- dare I say? -- delicious.
ALTON: 8, 7, 6,
5, 4, 3,
2, 1.
Put it down. Step away.
Challenge is over, and everyone survived.
And, look, here comes the judge, Chef Jet Tila.
He's a restaurateur, executive chef.
Nice.
I grew up with a Mexican aunt.
These better be good burritos.
All right. Let's taste.
Chef Greg, please tell Chef Tila what you have done.
So, today, I did a hot-dog burrito, spelled h-a-u-t-e.
There's some Jack cheese in there, a refried black bean,
and some pico de gallo made with yellow heirloom tomatoes,
some cilantro, and some red onion.
All the components of a burrito are in there.
I've got my cheese. I've got my protein.
But I'm not really understanding the protein inside.
It's not coming through as a certain flavor profile,
like a Mexican -- like a taco meat.
It's really coming through like pastrami,
so it almost tastes like a pastrami burrito.
Thank you.
Chef Ma-Le, please tell Chef Tila about your dish.
Today, we have a chorizo-based burrito, and on top,
you have a very light tomato and jalapeño salsa with cheese.
The composition of what's inside is really good.
I get the chorizo meat, the peppers, the onions.
They all really work, but I'm getting a lot of salt.
Chef Ma-Le's tortilla is super salty.
$6,000 of frozen burritos well spent.
Chef, please tell Jet about your dish.
We have a real, traditional California burrito --
roasted tomatillo and jalapeño salsa
and queso fresco with a little bit of lime zest.
It looks like a breakfast burrito
from a dude in college at 3:00 a.m.
Burrito is street food, but you can still at least elevate it.
You had some other competitors that grilled them,
tucked the seams in really well.
Dude, I had to make it with oven mitts!
Like, give me a frickin' break!
Thank you very much, Chef. Next.
Nice to meet you.
And if you go ahead and tell him about your burrito.
All right. I did a very unconventional burrito.
I did Italian sausage,
and then I wrapped it in the butter lettuce,
and then I did a fresh pepper salsa
on top of fried potatoes.
Um...okay.
So, it doesn't meet my expectation as a burrito,
but for what the components are, it's refreshing.
I have a play on textures,
but I'm not tasting any flavor development.
I get salt, I get a little pepper,
but I'm not tasting any other layers of flavor in there at all.
Thank you very much, Chef. Chef Tila, this way.
So, Chef Tila, I have a dilemma.
I have one too many cooks.
Who puts their money back in the case?
You know, it was four tasty dishes,
but this one was pretty easy.
You know, it was four tasty dishes.
Some had composition issues.
Some had some seasoning issues,
but this one was pretty easy.
Chef Tila, whose money goes back in the case?
I'm sorry, Chef DeCarlo.
Chef DeCarlo, I'm afraid I'm gonna need
that $19,700 back.
A valiant effort, ma'am.
CHEF DeCARLO: The other plates look like crap.
I'm telling you, I put that burrito on a menu,
I can guarantee you it would sell.
Chefs, congratulations on surviving to round 2.
I think it's time for dessert.
You're going to make me a dessert pie.
CHEF KELLAN: I just hired a pastry chef.
I don't even do desserts anymore.
Now, things are gonna get tough.
I'm gonna give you a luxurious 30 minutes
to complete this task,
and I'm gonna give you 60 seconds to do your shopping.
Let's get it done. Go!
Welcome.
I see a basket of lemons, and lemon curd pops into my head.
That's gonna be my pie.
CHEF KELLAN: I think I'll do an oatmeal crust
because that's something I know I can do in 30 minutes,
and hopefully that will be passing for a pie crust.
ALTON: Hmm...15 seconds.
I go straight for the dairy fridge,
and I look for dough,
and lucky there is fillo dough right there,
so I immediately take it,
and I grab strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
ALTON: 5, 4,
3, 2, 1.
Barely.
Now we get to do the fun part, which is the auction.
It's round 2, and I'm going out guns blazing.
Let's see what's thrown our way this time.
Our first item up for today is...
Interesting.
Hmm.
The winner of this item will earn the right to shop
for one ingredient in each of his or her competitors' baskets.
CHEF GREG: I'm buying this basket.
No one else is getting this basket
because I cannot have anyone take my lemons.
Let's just cut to the chase. Let's do 3 grand.
3 grand.
Ooh.
$4,100.
$5,000.
$5,000.
$5,000 going once.
$5,000 going twice.
Sold for $5,000 to Chef Greg.
Chef, bring me your money, sir.
Yes, sir.
I'm sorry. Bring me my money.
Thank you very much.
Absolutely.
One ingredient, but all of that ingredient.
So my biggest target is Chef Ma-Le.
She's a New York City chef. She's pretty badass.
I need to get her out of here.
You get something from each of them.
I'm gonna grab your puff pastry.
Of course you are. That's awesome.
Once she's gone, I know I got him.
And you know what?
I'm good with him 'cause he helped me out last round,
so I'm just gonna take the puff pastry.
Swish!
I'm showing Chef Kellan some respect
because he didn't give me the burrito in the last round,
but you only get one free pass from me.
[ Laughs ] Thanks, bud.
CHEF KELLAN: It was a bold move on his part.
He was underestimating my skills
by not stealing anything from the basket.
ALTON: Let's go for our second item up for auction.
Hmm.
ALTON: If you win this,
you get to force one of your opponents
to forfeit all of their knives and hand tools
and replace them with this pie server.
All hand tools, all knives, replaced by a pie server.
I had my knives go in the first round.
I'm definitely keeping my knives in the second round.
I'm bidding on this for sure.
$500?
$1,000.
$2,000.
Ugh!
I got a $2,000 bid.
$2,100? $2,100?
You got it.
Can we just do $3,000?
How about we do just $3,000?
$3,000 right here and now.
Going once for $3,000.
Going twice for $3,000.
$3,100!
Nope. Sorry. Closed out. Too late.
$3,000 to Chef Greg.
I really thought I got in before he said "sold."
Very well. Thank you for your business.
There you go, bro.
Yep. Saw that coming. Thanks, dude.
Oh, really? Wow.
CHEF KELLAN: I'm like, "Oh, no,
I can't believe this is happening again."
This looks like a bro competition now.
We do have one more item up for auction.
What the hell is that?
Ladies and gentlemen, toaster pastries.
[ Laughing ] Yeah.
The winner of this fine tray of toaster pastries
will be able to hand it over to one of his or her opponents
and say, "Hey, make your crust from this."
It's pretty much the death knell.
CHEF KELLAN: I am so frustrated. I'm so angry.
I am not losing anymore. There's no way.
I'm winning this item. Period.
Who's gonna give me $500 to not have to cook with these?
$500, please.
$500 is the current bid from Chef Kellan.
$1,000.
$2,500.
$4,000.
$4,000 for the toaster pastries.
5 grand.
Ooh!
Good.
Going twice for $5,000.
Sold for $5,000 to Chef Kellan.
Come on over, sir.
Bring me my money
and take these fantastic pastries away from me
before I eat them all.
With Chef Greg took my dough, and having to make my own,
I really did not want to get stuck using a toaster pastry.
This is bad.
I really wish that I had thought
about bidding a little bit higher.
Whoever gets stuck with these
is definitely in some serious trouble.
Gift them to your favorite person.
Gift them to your favorite person.
Excellent. Thank you.
And I'll take whatever crusty-type products
that they might be in possession of.
CHEF GREG: I get my toaster pastries.
I have a plan in my head exactly what I'm gonna do with them,
and I'm very, very ready to go.
And I'm expecting pie.
I'm giving you half an hour to make it.
That half an hour begins now.
Kellan, can I borrow a whisk?
Yeah, dude. It's underneath my station.
Want two? You got them.
I can't believe I'm going into a second round without knives
and now all hand utensils.
My plan is to make a blackberry and blueberry pie
with oatmeal crust and a vanilla crème fraîche.
I am trying to get my berries in
'cause I know that's gonna take the longest.
I crack open the orange with the pie scraper
and get the orange juice in there,
throw some vanilla, throw some sugar,
get that on the stove, let that cook and reduce,
and become filling.
I don't know what he's doing,
but it looks like he's having fun with it.
Looks good, Chef.
I get my toaster pastries from Chef Kellan.
I kind of want to do
this lemon-curd baked Alaska, if you will.
I have never worked with toaster pastry
other than inhaling them.
First thing I do is I get my toaster pastries,
I add some walnuts, a little bit of flour, some butter,
and I make a quick, little crumble pie dough.
And I put the pie dough into the molds
and pop them right into the oven.
I need to get my berries going.
Then I try to start in on my dough.
When Chef Greg took my dough,
it was kind of like a slap in the face.
I was really depending on that pre-made dough.
I'm going to do kind of like a oatmeal crumble as a crust
with some berry reduction, toasted almonds.
I start with oatmeal.
I mix oatmeal and brown sugar and butter.
Yes.
'Cause you should.
Let's see what happens when I put this in the oven.
Let's try to make some brittle.
Hey, chefs. I've got eggs and I've got milk.
And guess what -- If you win it,
you can give it to one of your opponents
and say, "Hey, make your pie à la mode."
That's right, these ingredients will be used to make ice cream.
If this lands on me, I'm screwed.
$1,000!
And we got a $1,000 bid from Chef Kellan.
$2,400.
ALTON: I got $2,400. How about $2,500?
You gonna go $2,500?
$2,500. It's going for $2,500 once.
Going for $2,500 twice.
Sold to Chef Greg for $2,500.
I took too long to think, and I didn't bid up higher.
You deliver it to whoever you want to have it.
And I kind of just lose focus on the auction
'cause I'm focusing on my dessert,
and I hear it went to Chef Greg, and I'm just going,
"Oh, God, I just hope he doesn't give it to me."
I have a little milk-and-egg love for you.
CHEF MA-LE: This is bad.
I'm already having my own issues with my dough,
and to put that on top of it.
She's just really good, so I got to throw a curveball.
Kill them with kindness over there.
Where's your ice cream at?
I'm making then base now,
so hopefully it will be done in time.
All I have is heavy cream and eggs and sugar,
so that's the only things I'm gonna have
to try and make an ice cream out of in like 10 minutes.
When's the ice cream ready, man? It's hot in here.
ALTON: 12 minutes remaining.
Toaster-pastry crust for my pie.
Smells like third grade -- warm toaster pastries.
I go and grab a mixer,
add my egg whites to it, and start my meringue.
I think the biggest challenge with lemon curd
is keeping an eye on it because there are eggs,
and you definitely don't want to get your eggs too hot,
because they'll scramble,
and then you have to start over again.
I grab my blueberries, a little bit of sugar,
some coconut, a little bit of mint,
and you have a really great, little compote
that's gonna work awesome with the lemon curd.
ALTON: 6:30.
CHEF MA-LE: I'm looking at my dough,
and I knew some of my ingredients were a little off.
Hey, can I get some of that filling?
I finally put the filling in it.
I put a couple of strips on top,
and I'm trying to finish it in the oven.
I go back to the ice-cream maker,
and it's overchurned.
It's pretty frickin' hard.
I just try and take whatever I can out --
just enough so that I can kind of mold it
into a small shape that I can put on my pie.
ALTON: That looks more like a cobbler than a pie,
but, hey, it's up to you to sell it.
I'm sure you can.
If Alton Brown keeps calling it a cobbler,
I'm gonna take the crust off the top and just go from there.
The lemon-curd flavor came out delicious.
I wish I could have made it a little bit thicker,
so it'd give it a little more body and stand up a little bit taller.
I add the meringue, torch it,
and there's my dish.
Whew.
ALTON: Chefs, you now have 60 seconds.
I know my fruits taste really good,
and at least my presentation is there.
Like, it looks like a pie.
And I did the ice cream, so it is pie à la mode.
ALTON: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
And put it down and step away.
The challenge is over.
And here comes the judge.
So, this round -- pie.
[ Laughs ] Something sweet.
Let's go have at it.
CHEF TILA: Thank you, Chef.
Chef Greg, please tell Chef Tila about your pie.
So, my pie is a little bit of a lemon-curd baked Alaska.
For the crust, I used some toaster pastry
with a little bit of toasted coconut,
and then underneath, there's some macerated blueberries
and then just a meringue on top.
Mm-hmm.
I mean, toaster pastry -- really, really smart.
CHEF KELLAN: That one stung a little bit --
$5,000 for something that actually made his dish better.
Greg, you're welcome.
The lemon curd itself is done very well.
You know, I'm tasting the lemon.
I'm tasting that custardy aspect.
The top -- I see you brûléed it like an Alaska.
What I don't like about it -- it's really flat.
When I want pie, I want a nice layer of crust,
a nice layer of filling.
CHEF GREG: I know if I had those few extra minutes
to really kind of thicken up that lemon curd,
it would have given it a few more inches of height.
Thank you, Chef. Let's move on.
Chef Ma-Le, please tell Chef Tila about your pie.
Chef, today we have just a very thin tart.
Inside is a mix of strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries,
and then a very simple ice cream on top.
CHEF TILA: Let's start with the filling.
The filling is very refreshing.
The berries' flavor come through,
and you used enough sugar
to balance out the acid of the berries.
You say it's a simple ice cream, but it's got flavor.
Problem is your pie crust.
There's no substance there that reads pie crust.
So overall, you made a pie -- really nice filling.
But the actual crust -- it tasted like a dry cracker.
Thank you.
I wish I could have given him the puff pastry,
but unfortunately, that got taken away from me.
You know, he liked my filling,
and he liked the ice cream, but I am definitely nervous.
Chef Kellan, please tell Chef Tila
what you've done here with your pie.
We have a blueberry-blackberry pie
with a vanilla crème fraîche.
We got some toasted almonds and a oatmeal brittle.
I do like the brittle a lot. I think that works.
It's falling apart beautifully. It's crunchy.
The en glaze or the cream works for me, too.
But this is not a pie.
It's a bowl full of fruit, topped with a crumble.
That's not a pie. That's a cobbler.
Thank you, Chef. Chef Tila, walk this way.
Yes, sir.
So, Chef Tila, whose pie was the best?
You know, this one is easy.
So, Chef Greg, good pie, good composition of pie.
I was very happy. I would eat it again.
Good. Thank you.
Chef Greg, you're going to the final round.
All right.
That leaves me with two chefs,
one of which will be putting their money back in the case,
and I need to know who that person is.
Mm-hmm.
But unfortunately, today,
the chef that's gonna be going home will be...
It is time now for you to decide
which one of these fine individuals
will not be moving on into the final round.
CHEF TILA: You know, I've done this a few times already.
Mm-hmm.
I have one chef who gives me pie,
but with such a bad flaw, I don't know if it's excusable.
I have another chef
that gives me a very loose interpretation of pie,
but the components work.
So it has to come down
to what I'd want to take another bite of.
I'm sorry, Chef Ma-Le. It's not your pie.
Aw, Chef Ma-Le,
I'm afraid that I'm going to need that cash back.
$12,100.
But it was lovely to have you, ma'am.
Thank you.
If it wasn't for Chef Greg
taking away my doughs and giving me ice cream,
I would definitely still be in this competition right now.
I really wanted to win. It still sucks I lost.
Gentlemen, welcome to the final round
here in Cutthroat Kitchen.
One of you will be leaving here with a stack of money.
The other will just be leaving.
CHEF GREG: Chef Kellan's going down in this round.
I am gonna crush him.
The bro code is no mo'.
Things are gonna be a little different this time around.
After you are done with your shopping,
you will move directly into the cooking,
and I will auction off items during the cooking.
Even though I'm not classically trained,
I know I'm crafty, and I know my skills.
It's me against Greg.
Gloves are gonna be coming off. Let's go. Let's play.
Game on.
ALTON: So, what to cook.
I'm thinking, gentlemen, of a teriyaki rice bowl.
CHEF KELLAN: I'm half Japanese.
My grandma taught me how to make it.
I am ecstatic.
ALTON: You're going to have 30 minutes to do so.
As always, you will have 60 seconds of shopping time.
Your shopping time starts now.
Oh, you ***.
CHEF GREG: So, I'm pumped about this dish.
I need to give it my own flair to it,
so I go over -- boom, right there, flank steak.
I see farro -- perfect. I got this.
Gentlemen, you have 15 seconds remaining.
I know I need soy sauce, ginger, mirin, some sugar.
I know I need some sesame oil.
I'm thinking I want skirt steak.
I don't see any red meat.
I see salmon, and I think,
I've been cooking a lot of salmon this summer.
Time to cook salmon.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Your cooking time begins now.
Rice takes about 25 minutes, maybe even longer.
I run to the back sink, I wash my rice,
get it onto the stove, and I'm like, boom.
Rice is on. I think it's gonna be finished in time.
Oh, my God. I get to use a hand tool.
This is like a luxury.
I am going to be pretty traditional,
just like Grandma used to make.
I worked at an Asian restaurant for a couple years.
Yeah.
CHEF GREG: My plan is a little bit outside the box.
It's a SoCal teriyaki bowl
with some shiitake mushrooms,
some saki-marinated flank steak,
and some pan-fried farro.
Hey, you know farro's not Asian, right?
Oh, my God.
So, gentlemen, auction item number one --
I have here whole coconuts.
Whoever wins this item
will be able to give it to his opponent and say,
"Here, cut these open and harvest all the water
"that you will use for cooking during this challenge,
"including the rice that you've already got cooking
and would have to pull and re-cook in this."
Holy crap. I do not want to stop my rice.
There's no way I can harvest the coconut water to make rice.
There's no way. I'm winning this item.
ALTON: $1,000.
How about 3 grand?
$3,500.
The funny thing about this basket of coconuts
is there's a huge ax in it, so I'm thinking to myself
it's gonna take some time to crack these things open.
So I'm winning this bid.
$9,000.
I got my $9,000. How about $9,500?
I got my $9,500. How about 10 grand?
10 grand I got.
$10,500.
$10,500. I got $10,500. Go $11,000, $11,000, $11,000?
$11,000, $11,000, $11,000.
I got my $11,000. How about $11,500?
$11,500? $11,500?
Going once for $11,000. Twice for $11,000.
$11,500 [bleep]
I am not paying attention. I am so focused on my sauce.
I hear "to Chef Greg for $11,000."
[ Sighs ]
ALTON: Everything you're going to cook
has to be cooked in liquid coming from those.
You're restarting your rice. That's good.
Anything else with water's got to come out.
Okay.
This is insane. How am I going to get this to work?
CHEF GREG: I see Chef Kellan
struggling with these coconuts to open them up.
For a split second, I did feel bad...
God! Come on!
...but then I got over it.
CHEF KELLAN: I feel like I am Tom Hanks
in whatever that movie was called.
I look down at the coconut water in my bowl,
and I'm thinking, "This has to be enough to make rice.
I pour it into the rice,
I throw some sesame oil in it and stir it up.
Come on, rice.
That was evil.
Gentlemen, as promised,
I have another item here up for auction.
Chopsticks.
The winner of this item will force his opponent
to forfeit all knives and utensils,
in exchange for this set of chopsticks.
I know that I only have $3,500 left,
and chances are I'm gonna be stuck with those.
So quickly, I take my flank steak out of the marinade
and then just start slicing it as quickly as I can
'cause I know my knife is about to go away.
You know, Alton, let's cut to the chase.
I will give you 5 grand 'cause I don't think he has it.
I got $5,000 from Chef Kellan.
Tell me, Chef Greg,
will you give me $5,100 for the chopsticks?
Oh, you don't have $5,000! Sold!
Sure enough, I get stuck with the chopsticks,
but I had all my prep work done,
so it really didn't affect me at all.
If I say, "It really didn't affect me at all,"
I'm probably lying just a little bit.
CHEF KELLAN: How's your utensils working out?
Horrible.
It's not very fun
to try to take meat off a grill with chopsticks.
Hey. Thank you.
ALTON: You have 10 minutes
to get your teriyaki and rice in the bowls.
Ooh, it's gonna be close.
It's time to focus on the protein.
And since salmon's a delicate fish,
I want to make sure it is perfectly cooked.
My grandma will slap me with chopsticks
if I don't get this right.
CHEF GREG: So, I'm making my sauce.
I'm gonna use mirin and chilies and a little bit of soy sauce,
lots of herbs, some fresh ginger, fresh garlic.
ALTON: Gentlemen, 5 minutes to plate.
CHEF KELLAN: Onions and broccoli stems are good.
I look at my sauce. My sauce is perfect.
I'm pulling the salmon to let it rest for 45 seconds.
Rice -- not done yet, though.
CHEF GREG: I pan-fried the farro to emulate,
like, this stir-fried rice, made sure it was seasoned,
and then my flank steak is delicious.
CHEF KELLAN: Grab my rice, throwing it in the bowl,
didn't even taste it.
It's just got to be on the plate.
ALTON: 10, 9, 8,
7, 6, 5,
4, 3, 2, 1.
Put it down and step away. The challenge is over.
This is it, for all the money.
Here you go, man.
This prize is mine.
The challenge is over, and here comes the judge.
Alton.
Ooh!
I've been making teriyaki for 30 years...
...so you guys better bring some serious teriyaki.
Going into judging, I'm feeling really confident.
I know my sauce is good --
something my grandma would be proud of.
But I am just praying that my rice is cooked.
Chef Kellan,
please tell Chef Tila about your teriyaki rice bowl.
CHEF KELLAN: What you have here
is a teriyaki salmon rice bowl
with coconut-water rice and a mirin broccoli.
I can understand that you've made this before
because you understand the soul of the dish.
It's not really goopy like a lot of teriyakis are.
Your fish is cooked really well.
Your rice is done well, which I really, really appreciate.
The issues I have with this dish --
the broccoli is almost like an afterthought.
It's literally dry, undercooked,
and just kind of thrown there
because you needed something green.
Overall, a very well-done teriyaki,
true to what it's supposed to be,
but there were some technical issues.
Fair enough.
Chef Greg, please tell Chef Tila about your dish.
Chef, so, what you have is a SoCal teriyaki bowl.
It's marinated skirt steak with some farro,
shiitake mushrooms, and then some bell pepper.
CHEF GREG: I'm super comfortable with my Asian flavors,
and I love this dish.
Hopefully, he'll really enjoy my interpretation
of what I think a rice bowl should be.
Another good teriyaki.
I like that you did farro.
Farro is a really -- is a great grain to play with.
Protein's well-cooked.
The issue I have with the sauce
is there's a lot of heat through the sauce,
and a real traditional teriyaki would have zero spice.
So, overall -- a really good California teriyaki.
Is is Japanese teriyaki?
Overall -- a decent dish.
I'm not worried one bit. This dish is great.
CHEF TILA: Mm-hmm.
Tell me which one of these gentlemen
puts their money back in the case.
Well, we've got two really good takes on teriyaki,
so I have to break it down by components.
The rice -- really good on one side.
And I'm okay with farro.
It's a really good substitution -- really smart.
Both proteins -- really cooked well, well seasoned.
So it comes down to sauce.
And one of these sauces was just a little too overpowering.
I'm sorry, Chef Greg.
Whew.
Chef Greg, I'm afraid I'm gonna need
that $3,500 back in the case.
There you go.
Thank you.
Thanks so much, Chef.
Thanks, man. Good work, dude.
It came down to the sauce, but I disagree with that.
I thought the sauce was delicious.
I thought I had it in the bag.
That means, Chef Kellan,
that $9,000 is going home with you.
Congratulations, sir.
Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.
Yes, it was.
CHEF KELLAN: Man, they threw everything at me today --
no knives, not utensils,
a pie cutter, a whole coconut.
Didn't stop me.
I was crafty, I scrapped through, and I won,
and it feels awesome.
And I was wearing oven gloves for half a battle!
ALTON: Hungry for more "Cutthroat Kitchen"? Go to...