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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.
Watch yourself.
In a game where sabotage is not only encouraged...
Forcing them to do their cooking
in the smallest cast-iron skillet I could find.
No way!
...it's for sale.
$7,700.
$8,000.
It's a game we like to call...
[ Laughs ]
..."Cutthroat Kitchen."
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
CHEF MICHAEL: I'm Chef Michael,
and I'm a catering chef in Seattle, Washington.
I am willing to just go all out.
Old age and treachery will win all the time.
I have the skills. I have the experience.
These young kids -- no problem.
CHEF SHANITA: I'm Chef Shanita,
and I'm executive chef in Kansas City.
I'm always on guard.
I'm always prepared. I'm always thinking.
I'm soft-spoken. I'm not loud.
But when I do speak, it's usually for the kill.
Where you coming from?
Kansas City?
They let you cook out there?
We do something like that.
CHEF CARA: I'm Chef Cara,
and I'm a chef-consultant in St. Maarten.
I know a lot of people look at me
and think I'm probably, like, this very arrogant chef
in the kitchen.
I'm very good at what I do,
and I like to prove that to other people.
I am an extremely competitive person.
I'm working as a chef-consultant.
Consultant.
Do you need some advice today?
No, not from you. Thank you, though.
[ Chuckles ]
CHEF JASON: I'm Chef Jason from New York City.
I'm super competitive.
I played sports my whole life growing up.
I don't like losing.
I have to do whatever it takes to win "Cutthroat Kitchen."
Other chefs better look out.
This is gonna be no problem.
I won "Chopped" last year, so for me,
I think this is a piece of cake.
Good thing this is not "Chopped," then, huh?
Hello.
You look all polished and happy.
Welcome to "Cutthroat Kitchen."
You're gonna take part in a culinary competition
composed of three rounds.
At the end of each round, one of you will be eliminated.
Before each round, I will announce a dish.
You will then have 60 seconds to shop for everything
you could possibly need for that dish
in our "Cutthroat Kitchen" pantry.
Then comes the fun part.
We have ourselves a little auction,
where I will make available some deviously wonderful devices
that, should you win, you could employ
to cause your opponents, let's say, discomfort.
Of course, if you're gonna be in an auction,
you're gonna need some money,
and I happen to have right here
$100,000 of cold, hard cash.
Each of you will receive $25,000 of these dollars --
yours to use throughout the competition.
But, listen, spend very wisely, chefs,
because at the end of the day,
one of you will walk out of here victorious,
but you'll only be carrying
the amount of money you have remaining.
Chefs, take your money. It's two bundles.
Chef Michael, two bundles, if you please.
CHEF MICHAEL: I got that money in my hand.
I'm just like, "Oh, so much possibility."
I'm just like, "Dollars, dollars, dollars.
Give it to me."
Chef Shanita, two bundles.
Chef Cara, two bundles, please, ma'am.
Awesome.
Heft them, caress them, smell them.
Heck, you can taste them if you want,
but don't get too used to them because most of that cash
will be returning to this case
during the course of the competition.
Now let's get down to business. Round 1.
I think I'm gonna give you a nice, long half hour
to make Thai coconut soup.
Coconut broth, traditionally flavored with,
you know, lemongrass and kaffir lime and fish sauce.
Everything else is up to you.
I'm sure you've made it a thousand times.
So let's just say
that that 60-second shopping time begins now.
Welcome.
CHEF CARA: I grab galanga. I grab cilantro.
I grab kaffir lime leaves,
coconut milk because that's the most important component
in Thai coconut soup.
Chefs, these gates will close in 30 seconds.
CHEF JASON: I'm just putting random things into my basket.
Vegetable stock, shrimp, eggs, cabbage, and vermicelli noodles.
I don't know what I'm doing in there.
I just black out.
6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
[ Exhales sharply ]
Well, chefs, it looks like everyone
had a reasonably successful shopping venture.
Let's see if we can shake some things up here with our auction.
Let's see what we have.
A lovely collection of coconut products.
I bet you know where this is heading, don't you?
[ Chuckles ]
All right, we have some coconut candy bars.
We've got some piña coladas, and even some whole coconuts.
Win this auction,
and you can force all three of your opponents
to give up their coconut milk or coconut cream
for one of these fantastic choices.
I feel like this is an opportunity for me
to hit my competition all at the same time
right where it hurts -- in the coconuts.
Ooh, Chef Shanita's in for $1,000.
$1,300.
$1,300 now the high bid.
$1,500 to Chef Shanita.
Do I hear $1,600? $1,600? $1,600?
Anybody in for $1,600?
CHEF MICHAEL: I stopped bidding on it
'cause this is the first item we're bidding on.
How much do I want to spend?
So I'll save my money
to see what comes down the tube next.
Sold to Chef Shanita for $1,500.
Bring me my money, ma'am.
I feel like I got a steal.
I'm like, "Okay, well, thanks, guys."
You look like you could use a piña colada.
Oh, I could.
Ooh!
I like to have piña coladas.
They're lovely, sweet drinks,
but they're not for Thai coconut soup.
CHEF SHANITA: So, I think you'd like coconut candy.
Sorry, Chef Cara, you only brought one knife.
CHEF CARA: For me, it's very simple
to get the water out of a coconut,
so I'm not intimidated by that at all.
I've got more things available. Let's take a look.
[ Chuckles ]
I love this one.
This is actually kind of hard to find.
Check this out.
This is a traditional Thai krok pan.
It's a what?
ALTON: It is a pan that's made to fit
a very specific dessert in Thailand.
Whoever wins this auction
will be able to assign this to one of their opponents
and, say, "do all of your mixing and all of your cooking
for the entire challenge."
$2,500.
$3,000 to Chef Michael.
How about $3,100?
CHEF CARA: I have no idea what it is.
I've never seen it before,
but I'm not really worried about getting
at least, like, eight ounces of soup out of it.
$4,500 to Chef Jason.
$4,500 is the current high bid.
Going once. Going twice. Sold.
Tell you what, take this and deliver it to its new owner.
Take your time. Be strategic.
I think I'm gonna go right here with that.
Enjoy.
CHEF JASON: There's no way Chef Cara's gonna be able
to work with it.
Good luck with that.
Chefs, I have one more item up for bid in this round.
Let's have a look.
Oh, God.
Now, some of you may be wondering what this is.
Allow me to present a Buddha hand.
It's a citrus, of course.
What's really funny about it, though,
is that one of you is gonna have to hold this Buddha hand
in your dominant hand for the entire challenge.
$1,500. How about $1,600?
$3,000.
$3,400.
$3,500.
$3,500. $3,600? $3,600? $3,600?
$4,000.
$4,000. 4 grand for the Buddha hand.
$4,500. Do I hear $4,600?
$4,600?
Sold, ma'am. Bring up your cash.
What idiots.
ALTON: Revenge is sweet,
but it doesn't often lead to victory.
CHEF CARA: Yes.
The pan I can forgive
because it still has indentions,
so I can still make a soup in that.
The terrible coconuts that you gave me,
I can't deal with that.
Thanks.
Payback is a you-know-what.
All right, just in case you've forgotten in all the excitement,
you got half an hour to make Thai coconut soup.
Make it delicious...now!
CHEF JASON: It's time to start cooking.
I don't know where to start.
I'll start unpacking it and take it from there.
I have my shrimp here.
I figured I'd get the shells and bodies into a pot
and start making the stock with that.
Some leeks, carrots,
some smashed ginger, and some basil.
I kind of roast that in the bottom
and add a little vegetable stock to it.
Are you kidding me with these chocolates?
These coconut candy bars that Chef Shanita gave me --
I'm thinking about what I'm gonna do with this.
I throw them in a pot, try to boil the chocolate away.
I figure a little bit in the soup
will kind of add a sweetness factor.
I don't know how we're gonna do this.
I look at these candies.
I don't know how I'm gonna get coconut milk out of them.
There's chocolate everywhere.
I puree it with a little bit of vegetable stock
to kind of cream it up.
It may not be the closest thing to Thai coconut soup,
but this is gonna be awesome.
That soup looks great in the pan over there.
Are you really enjoying that krok pot I gave you over there?
CHEF CARA: Honestly, I'm not.
It sucks, but at the same time, it's not the worst.
Really want to know how you're gonna cook soup in that.
I immediately put my crazy pan on
because I need to get that extremely hot.
It's more important for me
to get all the aromatics into my broth
and then finish it with the coconut water.
So I basically chop up all of my aromatics,
try to get this, like, soup going on this pan
because I literally have to put the soup on,
infuse it and then drain it off and then put more soup on,
infuse it, and then drain it off
so that I have enough to serve the judge.
CHEF CARA: Yes?
When you're a mom,
you learn how to do stuff with one hand.
I'm mad at Chef Cara because she gave me the stupid Buddha hand.
I am right-handed.
I'm not all that left-hand-coordinated,
so this is not good.
So I'm making my broth.
I've got my chicken broth in the pot.
I decided to put a whole bunch of chives in the broth.
I've got the lime leaves in there.
I got my ginger in there.
I put a little salt and pepper, my red-curry paste.
I want everything to stay in the pot
so it all is, like, steaming and getting all married together.
Got to be sanitary. Want to keep my hand clean.
ALTON: 19 minutes.
My plan is one piña colada for me, the other for the dish.
Okay, party at your station.
Oh, yeah.
So I'm starting this cook
when Chef Shanita took away my coconut milk.
She gave me these piña coladas,
and I got to re-think my strategy here.
So I break down that chicken, get the chicken meat in there,
pour a little bit of the piña colada
so that can kind of reduce,
and then get the rest of it into a stock pot
and let that just get it stewing
while I work on the rest of the dish.
Hey, chefs, as you can see, I am holding a piece of rope
commonly used to tie things together.
Tie together, Thai soup.
Win this auction,
and you can force two of your opponents
to complete the rest of their Thai coconut soup
all tied together.
CHEF JASON: This is so insane.
Who wants to be tied to someone else in a kitchen?
This'll screw my day completely.
I am putting it on someone else.
ALTON: [ Laughs evilly ]
Bum-bum-bum
Hey, chefs, win this auction,
and you can force two of your opponents
to complete the rest of their Thai coconut soup
$1,000.
I got $1,000 bid for Chef Michael for the rope.
Who's gonna give me $1,100?
I'll go $2,000.
$2,000 the current high bid from Chef Michael.
You know what, I'm okay. Stick to the strategy.
Don't waste your money and your time on this one.
Let them have it.
$2,600.
ALTON: $2,600, and the high bid goes to Chef Jason.
Will you go $2,700? I have $2,700.
Will you go $2,800, sir?
CHEF JASON: I look around.
I see that I have most of my soup done.
I'm gonna stop bidding. I can do this.
Going once. Going twice. Sold to Chef Michael for $2,700.
Now, Chef Michael, give a little bit of thought here.
Who do you want to see me tie together?
Chef Jason and Chef Shanita.
Chef Jason and Chef Shanita.
[ Laughs ]
I'm just gonna kind of loop this over.
Let me get that over your Buddha hand, ma'am.
Stay right there. Stay right there. Stay right there.
CHEF JASON: Of course, he gives it to me and Chef Shanita.
Her station's on the other side of the room.
Our grills are on opposite sides.
This is gonna be such a pain.
In your pot, and then I'll get mine.
Strainer's there.
I just need a pot from over here.
So let's get the pot.
I get my soup strained. My shrimp's cooked perfect.
So I'm thinking about my plate-up.
I figure I'll put a little garnish in the bowl.
My grilled shrimp -- a little micro-basil, scallion,
and just some shaved cremini mushrooms.
I figured I'd put the broth in a separate container.
You get a nice aroma as it's pouring.
And it might hold the heat a little longer.
You know, the chocolate really helped my soup.
The sweetness -- It really just balanced everything out.
We're gonna sing "Kumbaya"
and braid each other's hair.
[ Laughs ]
I hope later on, you guys get to say
this was all for unity, right?
Yeah, this was fantastic.
Wait until I get you later.
So I decide to call my soup the Thai-waiian,
make a little pun on my piña colada broth.
I get the mushrooms out of the can,
Thai eggplants cut up, and I get those into a dice.
Then we're gonna get those sautéed up
so that those can go on top of the chicken,
make a little pile,
and then just try to get enough of that sauce around it
that would be the base.
I'm feeling like I can pull this off.
Thai cuisine is all about balance, okay?
You've got to have sweet, got to have salty,
you got to have sour, and you've got to have spicy.
Get any one of them off, and things go downhill very quickly.
I don't want to melt my Buddha hand, so...
I don't want your soup on my shoes.
Clock is ticking. I'm down to the wire.
I put my chives in the bowl.
I throw my mushrooms in the bowl.
At this point, I still got this stupid claw hand,
and I'm trying to awkwardly ladle things
and put things in my serving container
with my left hand, and then I finish it off
with some of the coconut cream and fresh lime.
And once the judge stirs the soup to give it a taste,
then it will bring all that together.
ALTON: Two minutes!
CHEF CARA: So I add the coconut water into my finishing bowls
because I didn't want to risk
putting the coconut water on the heat
because I have such little coconut water.
But, I mean, at this point, it's like, "What could I do?"
So I just kind of hope for the best.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Time's up. Challenge is over. Step away from the board.
All right, chefs, this is our judge for the day --
Chef Antonia Lofaso.
You may know her from Black Market Liquor Bar.
Antonia, how do you feel about Thai coconut soup?
I just think it's the perfect balance of aromatics.
Coconut cream -- I actually really love it.
We'll see how you like them today.
Chefs, please, keep in mind
Antonia has been locked away in a soundproof chamber.
She knows nothing of the horrible things
you may have had to endure during this challenge,
and, you know what, she doesn't care.
She cares about three things.
Tell them.
Taste, first and foremost.
Second would be plating.
Third is does it remind me of a Thai coconut soup?
Let's find out if they did.
Antonia, allow me to present Chef Michael.
CHEF LOFASO: Chef.
Well, this is called a Thai-waiian soup,
and it's got some braised chicken thighs,
a little coconut-pineapple broth with some Thai eggplant,
some mushroom, and a little bit of Thai basil and ginger.
There's a beautiful flavor of coconut.
I love the addition of the chicken thighs.
They're cooked beautifully.
The overall balance of the dish is just off.
It's just very sweet. I'm just getting a lot of sugar.
Thank you, Chef.
CHEF SHANITA: In my mind, I did a cartwheel.
Yay, me. Yay, me.
[ Chuckles ]
Antonia, allow me to present Chef Shanita.
CHEF LOFASO: Chef.
I have here a Thai coconut soup --
Chicken broth fortified with aromatics,
finished off with lime zest, coconut cream,
and sautéed mushrooms.
It's really nice.
Thank you.
I think the coconut, the lime, which is so important,
is standing right in front.
I love the addition of the mushrooms.
I just really wish that the spice
was a little more pronounced.
But all in all, really beautiful.
Thank you, Chef.
Let's move on down the line, shall we?
Hello.
This is Chef Cara.
Nice to meet you.
I made a version of Thai coconut soup
with galanga, Thai basil, ginger, lemongrass,
and then I finished it
with a little bit of coconut and lime juice.
I really love the heat in this dish.
I feel like you nailed it.
The aromatics, the fresh herbs in there, are lovely.
I'm missing coconut.
I'm missing the flavor --
that creaminess of the coconut cream in it.
But this is a lovely attempt.
I think your flavors are really nice.
I was just really hoping for that cream.
Absolutely.
CHEF MICHAEL: She had a whole coconut.
If you can't get the actual flavor of coconut
out of a coconut, maybe you're going home.
Antonia, this is Chef Jason.
CHEF LOFASO: Chef.
So I made a roasted-shrimp and sweet-coconut broth,
a little Thai grilled-shrimp garnish
with some scallion and sweet basil.
I'm just gonna pour it right over there.
That's it.
There's a really nice flavor of the shrimp.
The broth is nice.
There's a little bit of acid that I'm getting from it,
but I really wish that you kept the elements
true to a Thai coconut with coconut milk.
It is a beautifully flavored soup.
It just doesn't remind me of Thai coconut.
Thank you, Chef.
Thank you, Chef. Antonia, let's step over here.
CHEF CARA: For the first time probably ever in my life,
I'm extremely, extremely nervous
because I had so many flaws in my coconut soup.
I mean, I know it's very close.
All right, Antonia, you've had your soup.
It is now time for you to decide
which one of these individuals to march on out of here.
So the elements that I'm always looking for
in a Thai coconut soup are that creamy coconut element,
red Thai curry, aromatics, lime juice.
And there were just two chefs
that didn't give me that creamy coconut.
So the chef that I'm going to have to eliminate is Chef...
All right, Antonia, you've had your soup.
It is now time for you to decide which was not superlative.
I need one of these individuals to march on out of here.
The chef that I need to eliminate is...
...Jason.
I'm sorry.
Your soup just didn't remind me of a Thai coconut.
Chef Jason, I'm sorry, sir.
I'm gonna need that cash back in this case.
Valiant effort, sir.
Thank you very much for being here.
Thank you. Thanks, Chef.
CHEF JASON: You have to be kidding me.
I'm definitely a better chef, in my eyes,
than everybody else here.
But, hey, it happens.
Chefs, congratulations on surviving into this,
the second round here in "Cutthroat Kitchen."
For you, the competition continues immediately.
So, what's it gonna be?
I think I'm gonna give you 30 minutes to make...
chimichangas.
Yes!
I love chimichangas. I get them all the time.
This is gonna be fun.
Hopefully, you know what this is.
We're essentially talking about a deep-fried burrito.
What could possibly be wrong with that.
Now, typically, this is the part of the show
where I would open up the pantry for you to do your shopping,
but not this time.
You see, I've got a special pre-shopping item
to auction off.
Curious, aren't you?
[ Chuckles ] Very.
Well, this is a first in "Cutthroat Kitchen."
It is not a basket swap.
It is a shopping swap.
You win this auction,
and you can force both of your opponents
to shop for each other,
meaning they won't know what they're gonna be working with
until they exchange baskets after the shop.
Each chef will be required to grab a protein and tortillas.
No one's doing my shopping. I will pay whatever it takes.
$3,000.
$3,000 to Chef Cara.
$5,000 to Chef Shanita.
$6,000.
CHEF CARA: The more that I keep bidding
and the higher, like, the dollars signs keep going,
I start thinking that maybe I can live with this.
$7,000.
Chef Michael's like, "$100 million!"
I was like, "Unh-unh."
If I try to keep up with him,
I'm gonna get to the last round with $10. No.
Going once. Going twice.
Sold to Chef Michael for $7,000.
Bring it on over, sir.
I am excited about the idea of being able to shop for her.
My plan for Chef Cara's basket is to just fill it up
with a whole bunch of random foolishness.
She said she won "Chopped." She's a "Chopped" champion.
Chef, I hope that this will end up being money well spent.
[ Laughs evilly ]
Your 60 seconds begins...now.
CHEF CARA: I'm shopping for Chef Shanita,
and she's shopping for me.
I open up the fridge.
There's smoked salmon, and I also grabbed kani kama,
which is imitation crab.
I mean, who in their right mind
wants to eat an imitation-crab chimichanga?
Like, nobody. [ Scoffs ]
CHEF SHANITA: I was like, "Oh, okay."
You're gonna give me crab?
Well, guess what, boo? You gonna get crab, too.
So put crab in my basket with some tofu and some Greek yogurt.
So, there, she can figure it out.
That's not my problem.
3, 2, 1.
So, at this point,
Chef Cara and Chef Shanita, please switch baskets.
Merry Christmas to you.
The die is cast.
I got one more item up for sale right now.
[ Knocking ]
This is one of my favorites.
[ Chuckles ]
CHEF SHANITA: What in the H-E-double-hockey-sticks
are we doing with a paper shredder?
That's right. It's a paper shredder.
Win this auction,
and you can walk over to one opponent,
take all their tortillas,
and shred them.
[ Chuckles ]
CHEF MICHAEL: This is just evil.
This is, like, beyond evil.
It's a little masochistic.
Who will give me $500?
ALTON: $2,000.
$3,000.
$3,000 current high bid for the shredder.
I hear $3,500. How about $3,600?
$3,600?
$4,000, Chef Cara says.
$4,000 now the high bid for the shredder.
$4,000. $4,000 going once.
$4,000 going twice.
Sold to Chef Cara for $4,000. Come on back, ma'am.
I'm thinking Chef Shanita gave Chef Cara imitation crab.
She's gonna give this to Chef Shanita.
I can feel the steam coming off of her ears
on the side of my face.
I know she is pissed about this swap.
I don't know.
Sorry. I'm gonna give it to...
Decide whose tortillas you want to shred and bring them over.
CHEF CARA: Yeah, I'm looking over at Chef Michael's basket.
I mean, he did this, like, terrible thing to us
by making us shop for each other.
And he's, like, chilling over there.
I just don't really feel like I like you very much right now.
So go to town.
All you got to do is drop that bad boy right down in there.
[ Shredder whirring ]
Bye-bye, little baby.
Really?
I mean, you didn't even get one of those,
like, old-fashioned paper shredders
that just makes the long strip.
You got one of those cross-cut shredders.
The last one. Let it live.
No, no, it's for the best.
Well, I think that'll just about do it.
Off you go.
Murderer.
Well, I think that now
things are gonna be much more interesting
once the cooking begins.
In case you've forgotten, 30 minutes, chimichanga.
Time starts now.
Chef Cara did my shopping, so I'm feeling a little [groans]
because she's got a couple weird things in the basket
like quinoa, an orange.
I am extra-super happy.
Can't you tell?
First thing I need to do
is get the sauce on the stove.
And this sauce is very simple.
Adobo, orange, and the peppers that are in there.
For my filling, I'm gonna chop up the onions.
I'm gonna chop up the garlic and the cabbage,
I'm gonna sauté it up.
I'm gonna add some nice julienne pieces of orange pepper
that I had.
I think that that sweetness of the pepper --
I think it's gonna go really well
with the salmon and the crab.
Chef Cara can kiss my butt right now.
Seriously.
My basket's so similar to yours.
I didn't think that you would be so upset.
CHEF CARA: My original plan is just to make chimichangas.
So whatever that means,
it means putting a protein inside a tortilla
and deep-frying it.
But I have imitation crab, so I'm, like, scared.
I'm legit scared.
Thanks to Shanita, I have no cheese.
Then I see that I have tofu and Greek yogurt.
So I blend it up.
I put a lot of lime juice inside
to make it basically a sour cream.
Look at these lovely tortillas.
This is my little jigsaw puzzle that I'm gonna be doing later.
Right now I'm just gonna try
to get all my ingredients set up.
Get the steak cut,
get it macerating into the lime juice,
get the sauce going, puff up those peppers.
In goes some of the cilantro.
And just kind of work that over.
This will be no problem.
ALTON: 14 minutes.
While the onions and garlic and cabbage
are kind of sautéing on the stove,
I want to take the crab -- wink, wink --
and the salmon and chop those up
as fine as I can possibly get it,
add the warm cabbage and the warm onion to it.
Then the smoked salmon will kind of melt,
and it'll go well with the smokiness of that sauce.
I wanted to do a seafood chimichanga,
but not this kind of seafood chimichanga.
But, you know, the people in Hell want water,
and they're still thirsty, so...
CHEF CARA: We're already, like, in this situation
where we have to make, like, fake-crab chimichangas.
I have to, you know, make my protein sexy
because it's not sexy at all.
So I put a little bit of the Greek yogurt,
I make a little bit of sautéed vegetables.
I mix that, make, like, a crab mixture.
I rub that in the tortilla, deep-fry it,
and then I took them out so that I could put them in the oven
to make sure that they were very hot
because I did not want to serve cold chimichangas to the judge.
What is this over here -- paper-mache, you're making?
It's arts and crafts time at this table.
Arts and crafts?
I didn't hear what your plan is exactly with that.
CHEF MICHAEL: All right, I'm gonna try to reconstruct
the baseline of a tortilla.
I'm gonna just put some water into some of that cornstarch,
get it kind of pasty.
Getting it brushed in there, getting it ready,
so at least as it rolls, they're sticking together
based by that cornstarch.
You see I got the plastic wrap underneath it?
We're gonna roll that up nice and tight,
get it into the pan, bring it out, see what happened.
Once it starts frying,
now those tortilla shreds will kind of lock in together,
and I'm gonna actually pull off the shape.
ALTON: Four minutes.
CHEF SHANITA: We're in the 11th hour at this point,
so I just need to make sure that everything is together.
And I thought, "You know what,
I'll use the tequila and the lettuce
and a little of the orange zest, some olive oil,
some salt and pepper, and make a little salad.
You're being so quiet, Chef Michael.
Are you making it rain back there?
It's like a chimi hash.
A chimi...? Oh, wow.
Oh.
It made it into one unit.
Is this a breakfast challenge?
We will make this work, trust me.
CHEF MICHAEL: I got these chimi hash creations.
I kept hearing the clock.
7, 6...
And I'm like, "Don't start anything else."
ALTON: ...3, 2, 1.
Time's up. Challenge over. Back away from the board.
Hi, Alton.
I'm great. Thank you.
The theme of this round is chimichanga.
Oh, it's like a fancy fried burrito.
Let's give a taste, shall we?
Antonia, you remember Chef Michael, I'm betting.
Welcome back.
Chef Michael, explain your chimichanga.
This is the chimi hash.
And we have it here with a variation
on the tortillas with some flap steak
and a little bit of a Guajillo pepper sauce
and some pepper jack cheese.
So I think this is a really inventive way
to do the chimichanga.
It almost has kind of a fluffy texture to it.
So well done.
The inside is bland, okay?
I wish that there was a little bit more seasoning --
lime, herbs.
I just wish that there was a lot more of it inside.
Thank you, Chef.
ALTON: Thank you, Chef.
Let's move on down the line.
Chef Shanita, please explain your chimichanga.
So, I made a mini seafood chimichanga.
Citrus, adobo sauce, and light salad.
The outside has a beautiful crispy texture to it.
Initially, it almost felt like an egg roll, the inside.
I was almost mad at it,
but then the sauce underneath brought me back to Mexico.
Thank you.
CHEF SHANITA: I'm praying to God that I don't get sent home
because she thinks it's an egg roll.
It looked like an egg roll, but it tasted like a chimichanga.
Chef Cara, what you got?
I made a kani kama and sautéed-vegetable chimichanga.
The outside of the chimichanga's absolutely delicious.
I'm not sure the choice in the crab.
The long shreds of piece of it
is just reminding me of what it is.
Had maybe they just been chopped up a little bit more,
it would have just reminded me less
that it was not a fresh ingredient.
Thank you, Chef.
CHEF CARA: I mean, there's a couple things on my dish
that I know that she likes,
but you never know what's gonna happen,
especially in "Cutthroat Kitchen."
All right, Antonia, you know my problem --
I can only take two chefs into the final round.
One of these folks needs to go.
All of you guys made chimichangas,
and you guys all did a really great job.
The chef that I have to eliminate is...
All right, Antonia, you know my problem --
I can only take two chefs into the final round.
One of these folks needs to go.
The chef that I have to eliminate is...
...Chef Michael.
I'm sorry.
I just wish that there was a stronger, bolder flavor.
Oh, Chef Michael, I'm sorry to see you go, sir,
but I'm afraid I'm gonna need that cash back in this case.
Well-played. Well-played.
Thanks.
It doesn't hurt me to lose the money.
It hurts to lose the contest.
It hurts to know that that sauce was right there.
I could have just spooned some more of it out.
Maybe that would have taken the prize.
Maybe that would have kept me in the game.
The flavor's there. I didn't put it on the plate.
I didn't do it.
Chefs, congratulations on making it to this,
the final round, here in "Cutthroat Kitchen."
Round 3, I'm excited. I need to go home with a W-I-N.
CHEF CARA: I'm so excited that I'm in the final round,
and I know 100% that I have the skills
to win this thing for sure.
The final round.
What do I want?
You know what, I think that we're gonna do 30 minutes --
marshmallow crispy treats.
I know that you've already got your grocery list in mind,
so let's not waste time.
Your 60-second shop begins, let's just say, now!
I grab like six different types of cereal.
I grab marshmallows.
So I'm thinking to myself, like,
"Of course, frying quinoa
gives it, like, a really crispy texture."
Now it's on.
You've got 30 seconds remaining. Shop up.
My plan is to stay classic, throw a little chocolate on it.
I grab some rice.
I grab two sizes of marshmallows.
I just throw all that stuff in my basket,
and I'm ready to run out.
...2, 1, and your 30-minute cooking time begins now.
I have my ingredients.
I have both my hands, and I'm feeling okay.
My plan is just to make a marshmallow crispy treat.
For most people, it has so much nostalgia attached to it.
I just don't feel like it would be a good strategy
at this point to deviate from that.
So first thing I do is I want to melt the chocolate
and dip the bottom of the marshmallow-cereal treat
in the chocolate sauce.
Hey, chefs, the cereal in marshmallow crispy treats
should be crispy,
but these four bowls are full of cereals
that are anything but crispy.
In fact, they've been soaking in milk for the last 24 hours.
Win this auction, and you can force your opponent
to swap their crisp cereal for this soggy mush.
$5,000.
I'll do $8,000.
$8,000 for the mushy cereal.
I'll go $8,500.
$8,700.
$8,700. Will you go $8,800, ma'am?
I'm not gonna let this girl, like, take all my money.
No.
No.
Sold to Chef Shanita for $8,700.
I guess that's for me, yeah.
And I'll just take this and this and this.
That was so worth it to me
because I know I just took $8,700 from her.
Well, my plan was to use perfect crispy rice treats, you know,
but this is -- Now I have a new plan,
so I'm gonna try to dry this out
and then use one of my other ingredients
to make it very crispy.
So I have a soggy cereal, and I take it into the pan.
I just turn the heat on low, and I'm trying, basically,
just to, like, dry the cereal out as much as I can
because my idea is to mix it with the crispy quinoa.
And I know frying quinoa
gives it, like, a really crispy texture.
It almost puffs up like a rice.
I know if I take that and combine that
with, like, whatever cereal mixture I have,
it's gonna be okay.
That's so funny. It tastes kind of like crispy treats.
Chefs, may I have your attention?
Uh-huh.
[ Laughs ]
Win this auction, you can force your opponent
to forfeit all their marshmallows,
and the only ones they'll get to keep
are the ones that they can shoot
into the mouth of the painting that's supposed to be me.
I've got plenty of marshmallows,
but you'll only get to keep what goes into this basket.
I'm already dealing with soggy cereal,
so I'm not gonna deal with my marshmallows getting taken away.
$600.
$700.
$700. Do I hear $800?
$800.
$800. Do I hear $900?
I'm trying to melt my chocolate. Alton's over here --
"Yakkity, yakkity, blah, blah, blah,
shoot the this or that or the other."
I'm honestly not even really paying attention.
Do I hear $900? High bid is $800.
$800 going once. $800 going twice.
Sold to Chef Cara for $800.
What just happened here?
All right, here you go.
Just stand right here and go ahead,
and anything that you can shoot in there, you get to use.
Oh, sorry. Okay, reload.
It's hard to shoot the gun because I don't have any aim.
I can't shoot anything.
I really should have been paying attention this time.
Ohh.
It was horrible.
I was sweating and I couldn't concentrate
and I wasn't getting it.
I had more marshmallows on the floor than I did in the basket.
I was like, "Five-second rule? Does that apply?
Can I use these, too?"
It's taking forever, and so I'm like,
"You know what, I just need a sample."
That's eight. Eight marshmallows!
Two more.
10. You got 10, Chef.
All right, Chef, there are your 10 marshmallows.
Thank you so much.
You're so kind and so generous.
I have my marshmallows. I'm back at my station.
And I have lost a lot of time.
I get a glass bowl, spray the bowl with pan spray,
put the marshmallows and the butter in there,
stick it in the microwave and melt it down.
I mean, it didn't take long.
I had like three marshmallows in there.
I add the crispies to it and stir it in.
So I like chunks of marshmallows in my marshmallow crispy treats,
so I threw those in there.
You know what, just keep it simple.
You don't have any time to be dealing with nothing else.
I'm happy that I grabbed the quinoa.
I'm happy that I incorporated the soggy cereal.
My marshmallow is, like, super gooey.
It's coating each one
of my little, like, quinoa truffles that I made.
I mean, for me, I'm like, "This is great."
So then I just add a bunch of, like, fillers.
It's just adding some different components to my plate
so I'm not just putting rice and marshmallow on a plate.
You coming for me with your soggy cereal?
Okay.
It looks like someone ate it
and put it back in the bowl and gave it to you.
Well, I didn't spend $8,000 for it, so...
I am not worried, Chef Cara. I have cereal.
I dip the marshmallow crispy treat into the chocolate,
and then I put it back into the blast chiller
to set the chocolate so it's kind of hard.
So you have one minute.
I don't have anything else on the plate.
It's just a chocolate-dipped marshmallow crispy treat.
At this point, I don't have anything else.
It is what it is.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Time is up. Challenge over.
Step away from the board.
So I'm actually really proud of my plate,
and then I look over at Chef Shanita's plate.
She has literally a 99-cent bake-sale
marshmallow crispy treat with chocolate smeared on top.
I'm just, like, at this point, I'm freaking out.
And Chef Cara's plate looks like, you know, bam-boom-pow.
And I got a chocolate-dipped cereal bar
on a chocolate stripe.
Whoopee.
Thank you.
How do you feel about marshmallow crispy treats?
Fantastic. My daughter's been making them since she's 5,
so they're pretty hard to screw up.
[ Chuckles ] We'll see.
Chefs, bring your dishes forward, please.
CHEF SHANITA: At this point, I'm second-guessing every decision
that I've ever made in this competition.
I'm thinking that I did the wrong thing.
By the looks of her plate, I'm going home.
CHEF CARA: I'm super pumped-up because I'm looking at my plate,
and I'm really proud of it.
And I'm like, "You know, this is awesome."
Very well, Chef Cara, please tell Antonia
about your take on marshmallow crispy treats.
CHEF CARA: I made a marshmallow crispy treat
with a reduced raspberry sauce
and with a chocolate-peanut-butter sauce,
crispy quinoa, and marshmallow.
Chef Cara, I can really appreciate the plating here.
I think it's very playful. It's just very vibrant.
I don't know if you used cereal, but if you did, it's lost here.
I'm not really getting any other texture
but sort of a softer, overcooked version of quinoa
in the center and a crispy quinoa on the outside.
Thank you, Chef.
Let's step over this way.
CHEF SHANITA: Okay, maybe there's a saving grace for me.
At least I have rice cereal in mine.
At least I have marshmallows, and at least mine is crispy.
So please let that work to my advantage.
Chef Shanita, tell Antonia
about your take on marshmallow crispy treats.
I just did a simple, old-fashioned,
chocolate-covered marshmallow crispy treat.
The plating did look a little thoughtless.
It's just kind of a swipe of chocolate.
Trying to maybe make it look a little bit more appetizing.
But it definitely looks like a classic marshmallow treat.
Chef Shanita, I really do like the consistency,
but it's very overly sweet.
I'm so happy she says the plating looks like garbage 'cause it does.
You made something really simple,
and you didn't even make it well.
CHEF SHANITA: Hers definitely looks better than mine,
but hopefully she'll appreciate the fact
that mine tastes like what it's supposed to taste like.
And I'm keeping my fingers crossed at this point
that that's gonna work.
All right, Antonia, you've had your dessert.
It is now time for you to decide
which one of these chefs is gonna walk out of here
with a fistful of cash.
Sometimes the easiest dish becomes a challenge,
and I think that's what happened here today.
I'm gonna give the win to Chef...
...Shanita.
Thank you.
This is definitely the closest to the mark.
So, Chef Cara, I'm sorry, ma'am.
The remainder of that cash will need to return home to the case.
Sorry, ma'am.
Yes, thank you very much.
CHEF CARA: It sucks to walk away with, like, no cash.
Hands down, I should have won.
I was the better chef all day long,
every round, every sabotage.
Like, at least I can walk away knowing that I pushed myself.
It just wasn't my day.
My advice to you is that you spend that all in one place.
Congratulations, ma'am.
Thank you.
Whoo! That was a close one, but I will take it.
I'm super excited. I just won "Cutthroat Kitchen."
Money feels really good right now.
It feels really good.
I don't know what I'm gonna do with the money,
but I'm sure my children have plans.
ALTON: Hungry for more "Cutthroat Kitchen"?
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