Ad-Rock, Light Up the Place
Hubert Keller appreciates what the Beastie Boy brought to arguably the most brutal challenge yet.
What an amazing episode last week! Katzie, won gold for the second challenge in a row, and Amanda did not make the cut!
Now eight chefs remain. Who'll have the skills to win the next episode? The Quickfire Challenge with guest judge Jordan Kahn, who is known for his wildly ambitious and creative use of unlikely ingredients in his desserts, was fun to watch. Coming up with a root vegetable dessert in such a short time (one hour to cook) is a huge challenge, and for sure some of the chefs demonstrated some pretty amazingly creative skills. The excitement built when Gail announced that the winner will walk away with $5,000 … everybody’s pulse was pounding! And the cheftestants became even more competitive, like when Sally said that Katzie’s dessert looked like a melty blob! Seeing Chris make a mental error by adding fried jicama after the time ran out was surprising.... I loved Gail’s reaction when she said, “Chris you cannot win this challenge." She's tough!
On the other hand, Sally showed pure imagination by creating a Mango Pudding with Turmeric & Curried Popcorn with Thai Basil. Talk about a mind that was racing. By looking at that dish on the big screen, knowing the components, I could almost taste it!
Elimination Challenge, four hours to cook, what a tour de force! Having Ad-Rock make an appearance was definitely a big plus to spice up the competition was cool! Incorporating savory Beastie Boys pantry items into a dessert was a great idea! In my opinion, that was one of the wildest and most difficult challenges since the beginning of TCJD2! As a chef, you truly had to push yourself beyond the limits! Using a chicken in a creative way to make it work into a dessert? I loved the challenge and adding on a “sabotage” ingredient was brilliant! The ingredient chosen by one chef and given to another chef was mean and brutal, but the chefs are here to compete, not to socialize! Poor Sally -- she got the chicken!!! It was interesting to see Chris and Matt coming pretty close in this competition. Chris realized that by giving Matt the mashed potatoes and gravy, which sounded funny at the time, Matt could potentially go home. And what was Chris thinking by picking the pesto pizza and the pork and beans? That was definitely very adventurous and embraced the challenge. Did Orlando truly get tipsy by tasting the rum during a very important challenge?All together, the chefs entered in a very good spirit and truly showed their talents!
And where did Marcel came from? And the banana game... hilarious!
Congratulation, Matt. You nailed it with the Cornbread & Mashed Potato Cheesecake, Whiskey Caramel & Gravy Foam... really, gravy foam. And, good-bye, Rebecca.
You got to love this episode and have to give Matt credit! The most difficult combination of the night turned out to be the best. Bravo to all the cheftestants.
