Top Chef – Episodes 8 and 9

Hi friends!

I feel like I have lots I want to be blogging about, but time got away from me on Thursday and Friday… time to start getting caught up on some posts I’ve been wanting to write.

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I missed a week of my Top Chef re-caps, so this is going to be a combo post of episodes 8 and 9 (episodes 6 and 7 can be found here and here, if you need to get caught up).

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Episode 8

Ten chefs remained at the start of episode 8. The episode kicked off – as usual – with a Quickfire Challenge. This time, the chefs had to make either a hot or cold oyster. (They determined who made hot and who made cold by choosing red and blue colored aprons). The winner was Micah, who made a crispy fried oyster (yum!), and he walked away with $5,000 for his win.

For the Elimination Challenge, the chefs worked in twos and were paired with a member of the Seattle roller derby team, Rat City Rollergirls. Each of the girls had a unique name – for example, Teriyaki Terror and Jalapeno Business – and the chefs had to create a dish inspired by their name.

The winners of episode 8 were Brooke (my current favorite!) and John, whose dish – thai beef with lobster jasmine rice – wowed the judges.

Bart had to pack his knives and go this week after he and his teammate, Josie, presented the judges with an under-seasoned dish (if you’re a fan of the show, you know the judges hate that!).

Episode 9

The competition is getting tighter as only nine chefs remain. For the Quickfire Challenge the chefs were put through a knife skills test. First, they had to sharpen a dull knife to the point that it could slice paper. (Note to self: sharpen your knives.) The second round of the Quickfire required chefs to tourne 50 potatoes, and finally, those who remained had to break down two rabbits.

The winner of the challenge was Micah (for the second week in a row), and his prize was a custom knife made by Bob Kramer, as well as immunity from the Elimination Challenge.

After the Quickfire, each chef was given a Kindle Fire on which they would view a memorable moment/dish from the past nine seasons. Chefs then had to recreate the dish and try to make it healthier. The winner would walk away with $15,000 and their dish would be used to inspire a Top Chef Healthy Choice dinner.

The top three for this challenge were Brooke (woohoo!), Kristen (another favorite!) and Joshua. Kristen got the win for her healthy recreation of Carla’s (season 5) chicken pot pie. I’ll definitely be looking for the Healthy Choice version at the grocery store this week.

The bottom two contestants were John and Lizzie. In a surprise twist, the chefs were given the option to cook one more time – this time recreating a dish from earlier in season 10 – in an effort to save themselves. They each had to cook a burger, and the vote was unanimous. Lizzie was in, and John was out.

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I’m especially excited for next week… it’s restaurant wars! Here’s a preview of what’s to come:

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If you’re watching this season, who is your current favorite? I really like Brooke and Kristen – it’s been a while since there’s been a female winner!