We are down to just four chefs, the seemingly preordained winner, John Tesar, Sheldon, Shirley and Brooke. The top four walk in to the kitchen to see that the work stations have been partitioned. It’s clearly the challenge where they have to cook while telling an unknown partner how to replicate their dish. Generally, the partner ends up being a family member. They seem to be pretending they don’t know how the challenge works. Brooke admits she remembers the challenge from Top Chef Masters. Both people cooking have to tell their partner what to do and they will be judged by how similarly the two dishes are prepared. Each pair will have the exact same ingredients.
They guys and Shirley are cooking with their spouses. Brooke is cooking with her sister. How do you not recognize your spouse or sister’s voice. Sheldon recognizes his wife’s voice. He makes a simple dish because he knows that her cooking skills are not great. Sheldon is really good at explaining what to do. Shirley is very loud and it’s annoying Brooke. The winner gets $10,000 and everyone is highly motivated by that. Only Sheldon knew he was cooking with his wife. Again, how is that possible? Sheldon won.
The elimination challenge is to make a dish representative of the chef’s experiences in Charleston. Brooke is recreating some of her favorite dishes. One is representative of her radish challenge. Since the radish episode aired I have been to two Whole Foods and Trader Joes looking for any radish other than the basic red one. I found nada. I am now on a radish mission. I have no plan to actually do anything with these radishes. I just for some reason want to buy a weird radish. Clearly, the crazy is getting more intense.
Sheldon is making a dish that includes okra. Tom hates okra. Sheldon has never had a win, why use okra when you don’t have to? The winners get to cook their own menu at the James Beard House. They all want this very badly.
After the chefs do their prep work, the come home to have dinner with their family member at the house. Padma does the cooking. Apparently, she sells some organic rice in the freezer section. Who knew?
John’s dish is a sofrito crusted scallop in a leek broth. It’s a very simple dish and he is worried about its simplicity. He tries to sell it by talking about the saltiness of the broth and tying it to the ocean and he also mentions the influence of Edna Lewis. The judges things John captured the ocean well. But they were not happy he didn’t peel the peppers. That was a deliberate choice John made in the kitchen. It’s odd to me that the chefs always mention something while cooking it that the judges later dislike.
Shirley’s dish is an oil-pouched grouper with a meat and bone green tea consomme, with collard greens and cracklings. The judges love Shirley’s dish. Shirley gets teary-eyed by the heavy praise.
Brooke is not happy with her dish. Braised pork shoulder and pork tenderloin with smoked island sweets with her radish and an egg yolk. The radish was a hit. Overall it seemed to go well. Until Brooke left and then there were a few criticisms. Um what are island sweets? Anyone? Bueller?
Sheldon’s dish is Carolina gold rice chow fun noodle with pork belly, okra, annatto seed and turkey neck broth. One judge he is happy to finally get some okra. Tom just shakes his head. Sheldon better not go home for the okra. Everyone seemed to love it. Tom ate all of his okra! YES!
Overall, all the James Beard folks dining with the judges were extremely pleased with the meal. I think Brooke is out.
The Judges Table
The judges two favorites were Shirley and Sheldon. Sheldon was very humble. Tom told him that while it is great to be humble, Sheldon will soon take his place among some of the world’s greatest chefs. Very high praise from Tom. Sheldon gets his first win. He is overcome. I am so happy for him. He gets to cook at the James Beard house. It’s a dream come true for him.
Brooke has a breakdown in the boiler room as she awaits her fate. If she goes now, she doesn’t go as far as she did on her first try on the show.
Brooke is sent to pack her knives. She still has a shot at last chance kitchen. However, I am all caught up on LCK and the person still there is a big competitor. She will have to bring her A game. Please don’t spoil LCK for those who want to be surprised. Thanks.
So Tesar, Sheldon and Shirley are headed to the finale in Mexico. It seems that Tesar is the predetermined winner, and he got a redemption season. However, I’m pulling for Sheldon. I don’t think whoever returns from LCK will win.
Who do you want to win? Who do you think the judges will pick? Thanks for watching this with me all season. I really enjoy this show WAY more than the housewives. I really enjoy hearing your thoughts.
I would be very happy with Sheldon or Shirley winning regardless of who comes back from LCK. I feel like both of them took chances this season and had so many bright moments. I feel John has gotten lucky and coasted at times.
Anyways, I don’t watch LCK but it looks like in the promo for next week that aired in the credits they gave it away! Don’t watch the credits if you don’t want that spoiled.
I’m hoping for a Sheldon win too. No offence to my elders – you are never too old to find your passion – but I think this is a competition to find the next great chef. Tesar is what, 5 or 6 years away from retirement age? Whereas someone like Sheldoncould take this and really run with it and do great things in the culinary world for the next 30 years. I am interested to see who won LCK – I got really sick of the peanut gallery but it was a cool season.
I’m so glad The Colonel didn’t think that way or we wouldn’t have KFC.
Oh and Ms T – I can’t stop thinking about radishes either. I want those pretty ones in the picture! They would then sit in my kitchen and go soft whilst I procrastinated on what to do with them, as does all unusual produce I find.
Yes, that is what I would do with them too, if I ever find any.
I heart Sheldon, so he’d be my first pick, then Shirley. They both seem to create complex, tasty dishes and show a lot of heart. John seems less of a risk taker, both in his choices and in drawing on his experiences. It’s great that he has sought to change himself, but the man totally fell apart in restaurant wars.
I thought it was totally bogus that they didn’t recognize the voices. Please! Again, I thought Sheldon showed patience, while Shirley was wound tighter than a kite. Brooke seems like a great chef and a good leader. Somewhere along the way, she lost her enthusiasm.
John definitely got his redemption edit this season, ala Roxxxy Andrews on RPDR AS2, but like Roxxxy I don’t think he will win.
I also don’t think Shirley will take it.
I am predicting Sheldon or the returning chef from LCK.
Love this show. It actually feels good to watch as opposed to the housewives. I want Sheldon to win. He is so sweet, so humble–well seems like he is.
Sheldon for the win and if not him, Shirley. The comment Tom made about Sheldon being a great chef made me tear up.
How cute is Tesar’s wife??
I totally agree… How do you not recognize you wife, husband, sisters voice?
Brooke seemed a little off and confused this season.
I don’t really care who wins LCK as long as Sheldon wins the title of Top Chef.
I’m rooting for Sheldon all the way he has humility and discipline in editing his execution of a dish that makes the mark plus he produces a great dish every time.
Now that Brooke is out, Sheldon is who I’m rooting for. I honestly liked all of them, but was partial to Brooke. Sheldon is top notch though, so talented, humble and likable. I also thought it was bs they didn’t immediately recognize their loved ones’ voice. Sheldon did, but the rest didn’t.
I totally understood Brooke’s frustration, Shirley, however sweet, has a pitch and speed of voice that goes right through me. All that damn screaming would’ve broken my concentration too.
So sick of Tesar.
The shitty thing about LCK final episode is you don’t get to see who wins, nobody knows, the person just shows up in the finale .
I practically had a heart attack when I saw that John and Shirley couldn’t recognize their own spouse’s voice! I mean seriously, I would recognize my better half’s thru a tiny wall partition. You could have played a drinking game to how many times sheldon said “hawaii” or “hawaiian” and got really drunk. I’d like to see Shirley win, but I have a feeling it’s Tesar.
Jim Smith (?) from Alabama was my early favorite. Since then, Sheldon has won me over. (Please, no jinx!)
I don’t remember Shirley being so loud. I really liked her during her season. She’s wearing on my nerves this time around.
I love this show, too, Tamara. I’ve watched every season. Have a good weekend, Everyone!
It’s crazy that they didn’t recognize their loved ones voices. I haven’t watched last chance kitchen for a few weeks but I’m rooting for either Tatted Veggie guy or Brooke. Oh, shoot, no, Sylva! I loved him!
I don’t remember his name, but the judge who owns the super famous restaurant in Charleston, when he was on a Anthony B’s show, I became mildly obsessed with his style and personality. He seems a total stoner but his passion for food and drink is unreal.
I agree with the poster who said that John is a bit too old and has coasted through a few challenges. I’m rooting for Sheldon and Shirley, unless Sylva comes back. No John. He better not win.
Who does everyone like for Fan Favorite? We can vote on the Bravo website. I’m all in for Alabama Jim! (The fellow who is the chef for the Governor’s Mansion.)
I’m rooting for Sheldon for Top Chef. He’s humble and exceedingly talented, and that’s a winning combination. Shirley is too shrill- but I admit that is my own bias- and that she’s also super-talented. John Tesar seems to skate by, as has been noted by several others.
Oh definately Alabama Jim Smith. Is voting open?
You do a great job of recapping this show. I want Sheldon to win, I like him so much and feel he is genuine. If not him, than Shirley. She can be a little abrasive but she is a helluva chef.
If Sylva comes back, I vote for him.
I want Shirley or Sheldon to win. They are both my favorites and always seem to be cooking with love. Shirley’s tearing up esp cos she was in a sense cooking for her grandparents and was honored–it was a great moment. Sheldon is so humble, peaceful, and seems to want to make the people eating his food happy.
I like John, but thought he should have gone home sooner. I loved Brooke on her season, that Asian girl who won (that is who Tom crowned winner) got on my nerves. Someone said it above, and I agree, that Brooke seemed to lose her stride earlier on this time around.
I can’t wait to find out who’s coming back from Last Chance Kitchen. This is my first time not watching it.
I thought Brooke would stay thru the whole season, but the pressure got to her. And in spite of making some mistakes in a few challenges, Brooke still hung around for a while (anyone else feel like Tom favors her?)
I think this is Sheldon’s time. Hope Sheldon wins it all! He will lead a Filipino/Hawaiian food trend… And I hope Shirley is 2nd. Two really decent people. (–I really don’t like the concept of Last Chance Kitchen, it’s a competition–if you’re out, you should just be out) I’m enjoying this season!
LOVED Silva…if this season had all newbies, and not veterens, he would have slayed it.
I dont know who is winning last chance kitchen, hoping to be surprised, then will watch them back online. I love this series, am sad that it is ending for the season soon. I hope it’s going to be Shirley and Sheldon, with Sheldon for the win, but we will see who the 4th is. Not John to win though, he has made too many mistakes and I am still pissed he was not voted out on Restaurant wars. Hope Brooke comes back!
I definitely think the season has predetermined John Tesar as the winner. Not only have some of his dishes seemed mediocre or just bad compared to others, what happened at Restaurant Wars with Katsuji & then again with Jamie/Emily with the team/giving up immunity thing, all contestants seemed to think John should’ve gone home over anyone else.
There have been other times I’ve been confused as to who they picked as the winning dish. One time they gushed over Sheldon’s dish more than Silva’s (with more time spent on it, more compliments) then they go ahead & pick Silva’s as the winner. It left me feeling like, WTF?? Same as why John is still skating by with blah brunch dishes like octopus hash. Nope! Sounds like mush city to me.
I do watch for the food, but I used to think the best food won. This is the first year I’ve consistently felt this isn’t true anymore. And I’m disappointed but I’ll keep watching, dammit. Just like the damn Walking Dead, even though Neegan just talks me to sleep now.
For what it’s worth, I ate at Jaime’s place in Charleston, 5 Church in early Dec & it was yummy. Beautiful inside as well. Definitely worth trying. Real individual hand towels in the bathroom.
Smoked island sweets are pickles.
Tamara, why do you think John is the “seemingly preordained winner”? Because of the edit he is getting or from what the judges have said? I don’t get that vibe at all.
I want Sheldon to win. Shirley is going to be tough to beat though! No matter who wins, this has been a great season.
Because he should have been eliminated several times, but they never seriously consider him to be sent home,
I really hope it is Casey who comes back from Last Chance Kitchen to cook in the finale but I’m thinking it is producer driven and it will be Brooke who wins it all.
Brooke for the win is my guess.
I agree. The way the promos for the show always played up Brooke before the season even started made me think she’s the winner.