#2810 Top Chef S22E6 Part One: Pickle Your Poison

Summary

Watch What Crappens Podcast Episode #2810 Summary: Top Chef S22E6 Part One: Pickle Your Poison

Date Released: April 22, 2025
Hosts: Ben Mandelker & Ronnie Karam | Wondery

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Introduction

In Episode #2810 of Watch What Crappens, hosts Ben Mandelker and Ronnie Karam dive into the latest installment of Top Chef Season 22, specifically focusing on Episode 6: "Pickle Your Poison". Known for their sharp wit and unabashed love-hate relationship with Bravo shows, Ben and Ronnie dissect every crunchy detail of the episode, from the unconventional challenges to the dramatic eliminations.

Tour Announcements

Before delving into the episode, Ben shares exciting news about their upcoming tour dates:

• May 8-9: Performances at EMOS in Austin and the Texas Theater in Dallas.
• May 15: Their first-ever Vegas show at Wise Guys Town Square.

Ronnie encourages listeners to join their Patreon for exclusive content, including bonus episodes and access to their vibrant Discord community.

Top Chef Episode Breakdown

The Pickle Challenge

The episode centers around a pickle-themed challenge, much to the hosts' amusement and frustration. Kristen, the competition leader, tasks the remaining ten chefs with creating dishes that incorporate various types of pickles. The challenge is both a test of creativity and endurance, as the chefs wrestle with an abundance of pickled ingredients.

Ronnie Karam [04:15]: “She got a new show. CBS.”

Chaotic Dessert Day

Ben recalls the episode's controversial dessert day feature, where unconventional desserts like falafel ice cream were presented. The inclusion of a guest judge from the Beastie Boys adds to the surreal experience.

Ben Mandelker [05:00]: “I thought it was so silly. And also, like, he was like…”

Chef Performances and Critiques

The hosts provide a running commentary on the chefs' performances, highlighting both triumphs and disasters:

• Massimo: Continues to be a polarizing figure, receiving consistent negative attention.

  Ronnie Karam [07:24]: “...every time Paula did something, they'd cut to Massimo being like, never even.”

• Vinnie: Faces backlash for his simplistic approach to the pickle challenge, culminating in his elimination.

  Ben Mandelker [09:40]: “...this could be a race car? Is this a race car? No...”

• Tristan: Emerges as a strong contender by crafting an original and flavorful dish, ultimately winning the $10,000 prize from Chipotle.

  Ronnie Karam [35:46]: “...he won $10,000... that's pretty good.”

• Lana: Portrayed as the supportive team player, balancing cheerfulness with strategic cooking moves.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

Throughout their discussion, Ben and Ronnie sprinkle the conversation with memorable quotes:

• Ben Mandelker [08:57]: “I just wanna look at them. Okay. I feel great now. Thanks so much.”

• Ronnie Karam [09:26]: “They also never do it when they're happy. It’s never like, oh my God, I just won $10,000...”

• Ben Mandelker [25:19]: “Chili quiles.”

These quotes capture the hosts' blend of humor and candid critique, adding depth to their analysis.

Elimination Drama

As the challenge culminates, Vinnie’s lackluster performance leads to his elimination. Ben and Ronnie hilariously mock his attempts to elevate a basic cheese quesadilla into something gourmet, emphasizing the disconnect between his efforts and the competition's standards.

Ronnie Karam [33:36]: “I feel like there was a few succotashes that happened on this episode...”

Victory and Upcoming Challenges

Tristan’s victory is celebrated as a beacon of originality, overshadowing Vinnie’s misguided attempts. The hosts tease the next segment of the competition, hinting at even more pickle-related challenges that promise further chaos and entertainment.

Ben Mandelker [36:29]: “...we call that a streak here at Top Chef...”

Conclusion of Part One

The episode wraps up with reflections on the competitive dynamics and teasing the continuation of the pickle saga in Part Two. Ben and Ronnie leave listeners eagerly anticipating the next installment, promising more laughs and insightful commentary on the ongoing culinary battle.

Ben Mandelker [55:25]: “...ghost Padma is the one who's mean to Gale, and it's out of our….”

Final Thoughts

Watch What Crappens continues to deliver its signature blend of humor, sarcasm, and genuine appreciation for Bravo shows. In this episode, Ben and Ronnie excel at turning the chaotic pickle challenge of Top Chef into a source of endless amusement and insightful critique, ensuring that listeners are both entertained and informed.

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Note: This summary excludes advertisements, promotional segments, and non-content sections as per the podcast guidelines.

Transcript

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[Monica Lewinsky]

When a young woman named Desiree vanishes without a trace, the trail leads to Kat Taurus, a charismatic influencer with millions of followers. But behind the glamorous posts and inspirational quotes, a sinister truth unravels. Binge all episodes of Don't Cross Cat early and ad free on Wondery.

[Ben Mandelker]

Who cares what happens when there's so much that crappens? Hello and welcome to Watch what Crappens, a podcast about all that crap. Bravo. That we just love to talk about. I'm Ben Mandelker, and joining me today is the one, the only, Ronnie Caram. Hi Ronnie. How's it going?

[Ronnie Karam]

Good. What's going on with you?

[Ben Mandelker]

Not much, just ready to talk some Top Chef. We have three shows left on our tour. We may be adding two more, but we're not sure. We don't know what's going on. But for right now, we've got Austin and Dallas. Those are going to be happening on May 8th and May 9th. I'm sorry, May 9th and May 10th at EMOS in Austin and the Texas Theater in Dallas. And then on May 15, the following week, we have Wise Guys Town Square for our very first Vegas show. So come join us for last three shows of the tour and we're going to have the best time ever. Tickets [e-mail] and don't forget, you can also, go to patreon.com watchforkrappins and get all sorts of extra content to really fill out your entire watch for Rapids experience. There's bonus episodes, Crappins on Demand, where you can watch us. We just have a lot of fun over there. This nice Community. Discord Community, all the good stuff. So check that all out and, you know, live your life. Have fun with it. Be great. What's going on with you, Ronnie? How. What's. How's your day going so far?

[Ronnie Karam]

I'm good. Ready for a little Top Chef action, buddy?

[Ben Mandelker]

Top Chefy. Chefy.

[Ronnie Karam]

How you feeling about it?

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, it's good. I mean, I really like. I like everyone that's on the show. I'm glad that my. The curse of me continues to. Continues to really be strong, wherein I. If I really like someone or if I decide that they're going to go far and they're going to get. Make it to the finals, they get eliminated. So, you know, I'm glad I still have that power.

[Ronnie Karam]

I was not happy with this, as you can probably understand, but I didn't feel like it was undeserved. Although there was some controversy, so we'll see when we get to the end. But we start. And also, the whole episode was controversial. Pickles. I mean, I thought it was going to be like, pickled, pickled things. Same, you know, which would have been okay, but all pickles. No. This is. Why quit. You know, there's only so much you can take. At some point, you're just like, no, I have to eat 15 pickle dishes. No. Bye. I quit. I'm going to a different show. On what channel is it going to be on?

[Ben Mandelker]

Cbs.

[Ronnie Karam]

She got a new show. Cbs.

[Ben Mandelker]

Wow. Hi, I'm Padman Lakshmi. I'm so sick and tired of hosting food competition shows, which is why I'll be the new host of America's Culinary Cup. Coming soon to cbs.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. So she's gonna do that because she didn't want pickles. And I don't blame her. There's too many pickles, and they get such important people to talk about the pickles. Like, and here we have the president of the Culinary Institute of the James Beard, founders of founding chickens. And what do you think of pickles? She's like, let me tell you what I feel about pickles. You know, that lady did not want pickle day. You know, that lady was so pissed off when she found out she was stuck on pickle day.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, that was like, the time that we got to go to top. Top Chef. Just desserts, and we got to be with the crowd that tasted everything. And we had, like, the unconventional dessert day where we had that, like, falafel ice cream or something. Everything was terrible. There was that guy from the Beastie Boys that was on that. Wasn't he in the Beastie Boys? Who was. I don't know. It was so shocking.

[Ronnie Karam]

I think so, yeah. That was a weird one. He was the guest judge, right? He was one of the guest judges.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. That's what it was. Yeah. We got stuck. We got stuck with some really bad desserts that day.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. There were a lot of like, this is a panna cotta ham and cheese sandwich. I'm like, what? No, that does not work.

[Ben Mandelker]

It was. It was crazy. So. So here we have Kristen. Ten chefs remain to compete in the ultimate culinary showdown. The grand prize will be Saratoga spring water and the official top water of Top Chef. Delta Sky. Delta Medallion. She really does the corporate thing very well. I noticed that with Kristen. Like, that's kind of. I'm like, what is Kristen's personality? I'm like, oh, her personality is saying corporate taglines. With Saratoga water, you were hydrated, and you were family. Everything is just like. She's so good at saying them.

[Ronnie Karam]

She's like, pie chart, pie chart, Excel spreadsheet. So we start in the house where people are, you know, wacky. Cesar is dropping. Is drawing faces on fruits because he needs friends, you know, Cesar. And he's scared. He's scared of humans, so he's talking to. To bananas.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. And then Lana is like, that was a hard challenge. I'm like, yeah, because you just have to deal with someone who want to put hollandaise sauce in the middle of your chicken. Kama sutra, not karma sutra. So I can imagine if she's a little bit like, I'm just glad I got out of that alive.

[Ronnie Karam]

Lana has this way about her where she's just either cheering on everybody, which is nice, right? She's like, go team, let's go, team. Or she's saying really obvious things, or she's trying to get other people to have you noticed. And it's not. By the way, it's nothing that's even annoying about her. I think she's a really nice girl. I just don't know much about her. And here she's leading again. She's like, so you guys had a team that maybe had some moments, And Paula's like, yeah, you know, this elimination challenge. Massimo. Oh, my God. We started amazingly. But honestly, I just need to leave it behind. I need to just leave it behind. And we didn't get any cuts of Massimo being like, no, no. More reduced, More reduced, reduced.

[Ben Mandelker]

However, throughout the entire episode, every time that Mossimo did something, they would cut to Paula being like. And every time Paula did something, they'd cut to Massimo being like, never even.

[Ronnie Karam]

Making a face, which cracked me up. But they kept cutting to him and going, guts. This is my other top.

[Ben Mandelker]

The. Sorry. The favorite Paula would be like, well, chefs, I made you some cottage cheese. He'd be like, really? Cottage cheese? Yeah.

[Ronnie Karam]

So she's pissed. But it has lead onto the other chefs. Like, they all hate Massimo now. And you can tell because I have to pick team soon. But Paula's like, my biggest disappointment is. Or, sorry. My biggest fear is disappointing people. Oh, my God. You got to get over that one. You'll start to enjoy it after a while.

[Ben Mandelker]

So naturally, that segues into, well, I just have to think about my boys. And now, everyone, it's a I draw strength for my children segment from a chef. The chef. Yeah, that's what I love. My favorite thing, by the way, is these chefs come onto the show every season, every episode, sometimes twice in an episode like this one, where they talk about, oh, they draw strength from their kids. Draw strength from the kids because, you know, they have to say this because when they're not on this show, they're at that restaurant the entire time. They see their kids, like, once a month, probably because they're in that kitchen because the restaurant industry is so demanding. So they have to be like. Like, let me make a public announcement to save my kids some therapy later on when that's when he tries to blame it all on me.

[Ronnie Karam]

They also never do it when they're happy. You know what I mean? It's never like, oh, my God, I just won $10,000 in a quick fire. Oh, my God, I can't wait to shower my children with gifts. I miss them so much. They. They're the reason I won this because I have kids. It's never that. It's always when they're getting kicked off or about to get kicked off or they're pissed off or in their bad mood. That's when they're like, but my kids, you know, so it's a depression thing. It's not like, share the happiness. It's like, I'm depressed. It's because I have fucking kids who are bringing me down, you know, cut the cord.

[Ben Mandelker]

If I'm on this show, you're gonna see me get on the phone and be like, okay, I'm just gonna. I just wanna. I'm gonna FaceTime with my board games. Just. Just put the board games up. Dom, can you just aim the camera at the board games? I just want to look at them. Okay. I feel great now. Thanks so much.

[Ronnie Karam]

So Lana's like, yeah, you know, you've got kids, and you're really leading by example. Your kids are never gonna get someone. Your kids are going to never let them have someone else. Force them to reduce a sauce more than it needs to.

[Ben Mandelker]

So she talks about how her son was born with Mobius syndrome and that he was not supposed to be able to talk or eat or walk, and he can do all those things now, and that he's resilient. And she wants to be resilient as well, which is a great story. Love to hear that. I also think it's funny when, like, this kid is dealing with, like, the challenges of this kid, this young child's life. And she was like, I just want to make a really good thing for Chipotle today. Be resilient.

[Ronnie Karam]

It's all worth it. I love my child. I left my sick child behind, but now I'm going to get to reinvent a cilantro flavoring.

[Ben Mandelker]

I will be resilient, too. So then they. They walk in to the kitchen, I should say, not the test kitchen. And there are a bunch of chipotle bags there. And Vinnie's like, hmm, Chipotle. Do we get to put hollandaise on a burrito? Please tell me, please. I did that. The Nomads so many times.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, he's definitely like, you mean Nomad play? That's what we call it at the Nomad.

[Ben Mandelker]

Okay. I remember once for lunch at the Nomad, I was like, I could really go for a burrito. So I grabbed a bowl, and I filled it with hollandaise sauce. I said, well, it's as close as I'll get. God, I love the Nomad.

[Ronnie Karam]

And Kristen's like, okay, chefs, today we are going to keep it in the family with our guest judges. Please welcome Top Chef master Susan Lee Cerser Lee and his son Jen Bentley Jet Bentley. Sorry. And they come in, and Katya is like, when I think of Canada, I think of size early.

[Ben Mandelker]

Okay?

[Ronnie Karam]

That's the first fucking thing I think of. And here he is. It's crazy. I remember being a young chef, and when I ordered and I waited and I received his cookbook, because this was before motherfucking Amazon. All right, Anybody ordered his book on a Kindle, you're a loser. I waited by a mailbox.

[Ben Mandelker]

I love that she gave us the full arc of that experience. I remember I ordered, and I entered in my credit card, and it expired. It's time to look up another credit card. And I had to reenter my password just to verify that was me, because I had a new payment method. And then I put my credit card away and then said, what's your security code? So I got the security code, and then I waited, and then it arrived. That was what you call a Canadian book purchase. It's amazing.

[Ronnie Karam]

And Jet is like, oh, you know, Top Chef Master is definitely my favorite show. I've never been on a better show than this one. What a show. And Surcer is the son is like, it's the sun.

[Ben Mandelker]

No chat is the son, and Susur is the Is the dad.

[Ronnie Karam]

Oh. So he's saying, this is the best show my dad's ever been on. And then the dad's like, yeah. And when I walked in here, I said, I'm ready to go.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, chefs, it's time to unwrap. Wrap your next challenge, brought to you by Chipotle and the family of Chipotle brands. Please enjoy. So then we then Kristen says, has anyone here ever come across Suser and Jet on your social media feed? Which, of course, none of them have. But then some of them like, yeah, sure, we'll just say yes. Oh, hey, thanks for watching, guys. And they're like, yeah. So how did you guys wind up going viral? And were you underwritten by a corporate sponsor? Because I know some great ones that would love to work with you.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, and jets, like, you know, so many kids these days are called Nepo babies. So I didn't really want to go into my dad's footsteps, but I also wanted to profit off of his work. So I just started filming him cooking. And I would say, you know what? I brought some home, some takeout. Make it something different. And he would. So basically, great. I've gotten around the Nepo baby thing. We've got a great following, and I still don't have to do shit. So it's win, win.

[Ben Mandelker]

That's actually very wonderful. So the other day, Chefs, you ordered from a local Chipotle here in Toronto for lunch. Featuring ingredients you can pronounce and flavors you can't forget. Each of your orders are on the display. Please take a look. And so Tristan's like, what?

[Ronnie Karam]

This is so wrong. This is such an invasion of privacy. Why is porn. Why is revenge porn not okay? But this is okay. If I ever walked a room, and they're like, hey, Ronnie, here's your latest door dash order. I would be so humiliated. It's not pretty. I'll tell you that right now. It's not pretty.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, also, they think they're off the clock and they're just getting some, like, whatever, throwaway Chipotle order. But it turns out it's a trap because it's going to be used against them. But I'm actually okay because this gets used against Vinnie. Vinnie is now at the bottom of the list for me was Nomad Holland.

[Ronnie Karam]

Just hate him if he says the Nomad one more time.

[Ben Mandelker]

One more time.

[Ronnie Karam]

It's just so gross. Like, wow, you have a cool job. You did not do. You did not invent the Nomad credit. It's like, oh, my God. I worked at Disneyland once. I'm Mickey Mouse. I'm iconic. No. No, you're not.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, I'm glad you remembered your orders, because, like, suser and jet do. You'll have to create a new dish, but not to worry. You don't actually have to use the prepared food to cook with. Instead, you'll have access to the real ingredients that make up your order. And to be exact, Chipotle uses 53 real ingredients on their menu, because every bite has a backstory built by hand, sourced with heart.

[Ronnie Karam]

Okay, so the original people take fast food or take whatever delivered food and recreate it into something creative. And you're just giving these people fresh ingredients. How is this the same thing? This is? I don't like this. This is a stupid challenge. You should have got their exact order and been, like, there. You got some chips and salsa. Make that into something good.

[Ben Mandelker]

I agree, I agree. Because, like, Vinnie got, like a. Got, like, a quesadilla, so he should just. That. To me, I know that there's 20 ingredients in that because they say so, but, like, I don't really see 20 ingredients. I just see tortilla cheese and chips, and I think that's all he should have to work with.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, I would love to see that. So Vinny goes sick. So then she's like, okay, so all you're gonna have access to for this challenge are those ingredients, you know? And you won't find a can opener or a freezer at Chipotle, so those are both off limits. It's like, do we find telephones? Do we find pens and paper? Like, why the fuck do we have to become cavemen, Chris? That's actually a better challenge. Remake. Reinvent a cheese quesadilla for caveman, Caveman Quesadilla.

[Ben Mandelker]

I'd be into that. I'm pretty much down for any quesadilla. So basically, whoever does the best remix of the original order is going to get $10,000. And so it's exciting. So they all go start doing their thing. So Tristan is saying that. He's like. He' he says, I usually just get beef and all the sauces, but I must have been alone that day, so that's why I got dairy. He had some. He had some tooting going on there.

[Ronnie Karam]

He was ready for a farty party. And Henry and I like that. This poor guy. Tristan's like, I'm usually healthy. Just get beef. No, stop doing that to yourself. The diet industry has lied to you. So then Henry is. He's. He just wants to eat his Chipotle over in the corner, you know, and he always gets the same ones. And he's like, but what the fuck do I do with this? I guess I'm going to make a queso fundida. So now this is where they all kind of lose me. Because 90% of these people just make Mexican food out of Mexican food.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yes.

[Ronnie Karam]

Come on.

[Ben Mandelker]

I thought this was so silly. And also, like, he was like, there's almost too many ingredients. I was like, it's like onions and peppers. You could. I feel like you can make it work. There's. I think there's a path forward. And he chooses the simplest thing. Queso fundido. That's like melted cheese. Really? That's the best you can do?

[Ronnie Karam]

So then queso bordido. Bring the fun. Where's the fun? Put the fun in the fundido, sir.

[Ben Mandelker]

And he says, I'm definitely pitching. Vinny's like, I'm definitely pigeonholed in this one. Like, all the flavor profile is just chili peppers and tomato. I'm like, oh, oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. That chili peppers and tomato is just not enough of a flavor profile. Just like, two bold, punchy flavors for you. I guess that they didn't have those at the Nomads.

[Ronnie Karam]

Well, you know, last week he got screwed in his mind by Indian food, and this week, he's being screwed in his mind by Mexican food. Vinny is just too white. Vinny. Vinny, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you. And even as a white man, I have to tell you, you are too white. Just please go home already. You're embarrassing.

[Ben Mandelker]

He's like, actually, I don't. I don't identify as white. I identify as Hollandaise.

[Ronnie Karam]

So Massimo is I identify as Nomad.

[Ben Mandelker]

I. It's hard to know where I'm really from in this world. I sometimes just call myself a. I don't know, a nomad.

[Ronnie Karam]

So like, it's really, really tough, you know, now with passport restrictions to even get my gender put on there. I mean, I'm trying to put gender Nomad and they're, they're not happy. It's time for a commercial. It's time for a crappin commercial.

[Desiree]

At 24, I lost my narrative, or rather it was stolen from me. And the Monica Lewinsky that my friends and family knew was usurped by false narratives, callous jokes, and politics. I would define reclaiming as to take back what was yours. Something you possess is lost or stolen and ultimately you triumph in finding it again. So I think listeners can expect me to be chatting with folks both recognizable and unrecognizable names about the way that people have navigated roads to triumph. My hope is that people will finish an episode of Reclaiming and feel like they filled their tank up, they connected with the people that I'm talking to, and leave with maybe some nuggets that help them feel a little more hopeful. Follow Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to Reclaiming early and ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts.

[Molly]

Some people get a wild haircut or book a spontaneous trip when life throws them a curveball. But Molly, well, she dove headfirst into a world of no strings attached sex, secret rendezvous, forbidden affairs and unforgettable adventures. And together we tell every juicy detail in Dying for Sex, Wondry's award winning podcast that's now streaming on a TV near you, starring Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate. And to top it off, we're dropping brand new bonus episodes where I sit down with the cast to spill all the spicy secrets, desire, friendship, self discovery, and the ultimate bucket list of pleasure. This is a story that had everyone talking. Listen to the original Dying for Sex and brand new episodes on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge the original series before anyone else and completely ad free on Wondri.

[Ben Mandelker]

So Massimo's like we do a tostada at my restaurant and that's actually the secret course. Kata Paolo be like hushing and yes, and in my humble opinion, that dish is the best thing on the menu. And it's not even on the menu. I'm like, could you please stop yelling at me? We get it. You make a tostada on the side.

[Ronnie Karam]

He's got a secret tostada on his menu. Secret tostada, Massimo, secret weapon. The hidden tostada on the menu is gonna do Mexican crazy. No. He says the obvious choice is Mexican. He's like, but I'm gonna do an Asian style rice bowl. And so hopefully they'll appreciate at least one person doing something maybe different and ambitious. So that might be.

[Ben Mandelker]

So here's what I'm gonna do with my 30 minutes. I'm gonna cook some brown rice that takes longer than 30 minutes and see how that works out.

[Ronnie Karam]

Brown rice, how long does that take? 22 minutes, right?

[Ben Mandelker]

I don't think it. So I don't think it takes a full 30 minutes, but it obviously does take longer, and I feel like it is a quick fire. So why are you going for, like, the longer cooking version of something? I don't know if I think that's a risk. And it winds up burning, you know, backfiring in his face.

[Ronnie Karam]

Also. Is that how street bowls are made with brown rice? I just feel like brown rice every. You know, like, we order it, but I don't think there's a person who orders brown rice that's not thinking, oh, I'm gonna take the healthy option. It's brown rice. You know what I mean? It just sounds gross. Like, if you're an eating competition, use the full flavor stuff.

[Ben Mandelker]

Use the white. White rice. Yeah. He's probably like, well, I really like the. The nutty flavor of brown rice. So Tristan says that he's. He, however, is also gonna translate the ingredients to a different culture. He's gonna do a West African thing. And then Cesar is doing something in the blender, and he's like, well, I ordered a salad because I like salad. So I'm making a Cesar salad because my last name is Cesar. Oh, my God, Stop yelling at me.

[Ronnie Karam]

It's like, I love plants. I really love plants. And in my apartment, I have these little plant babies. I draw faces all over them. The rude Vegas talk back to me. I grow them under my bed. I have a plant light under there, and they show his bed. And he actually does have grow lights under it. Looks like. Actually kind of a stud, right? Like, welcome to my bedroom. It's like, welcome to my bedroom. Oh, my God. Don't. Let's not do this too hard. I have rudabake under there with a face.

[Ben Mandelker]

If we get too freaky in this mattress, we could wind up smashing The Rudabaker's face. Yeah, it kind of looks like alien, you know, like they always. You know how an alien. There was, like, backlight, though, all those eggs. Like, with an egg. There's an egg. There's an egg on the alien. There's alien. Alien egg on the planet. Kind of looks like he's got that going on under his bed. Or like, poltergeist. A little scary. Yeah.

[Ronnie Karam]

To have the lights coming out from under. So he's gonna. He's going for. But just to put this in clear English for everybody. He got a salad, so he's gonna make a salad. Okay, so then.

[Ben Mandelker]

But the pun is worth it for the pun. Worth it for the pun. Yeah, worth it.

[Ronnie Karam]

So Tristan is. He notices that everybody's using the grill, so he. Instead of fighting for space, he's gonna do a tartar. And.

[Ben Mandelker]

I don't know. He used to work for Marcus Samuelson, so he learned a lot from him. And thankfully, he did not take on the habit of wearing a small little hat all the time. And then we have Massimo, who is just. He's like, I'm glazing, I'm grilling, I'm glazing, I'm grilling, I'm glazing, I'm grilling. And like, you see Paula being like, I can't do enough. She's like, glazing, grilling. I have to cook here. I can't keep doing strong faces.

[Ronnie Karam]

He's like, there needs to be a pep. There needs to be a pep of flavor. Is he losing his hair throughout this competition? Did you notice that today he looked patchy? And I'm a bald person. I'm not hair judging anybody. It's not that, but he looks like he's lost literal patches of hair since the last episode. He's getting stressed.

[Ben Mandelker]

Maybe. Maybe. Yeah.

[Ronnie Karam]

So Vinnie's like, I hope I'm making $10,000 chili keylies because I've won no money. Just like, how he. I hope I'm making chiliquilies, right? I'm a broke ass bitch. So they have five minutes, by the way.

[Ben Mandelker]

Chiliquiles. I just want. Sorry. Chiliquiles. Delicious. Universally adored. But you're on Top Chef, and so you're gonna take. Okay, you're gonna take these ingredients and just make the dish that you make. When you have, like, leftover ingredients, can you try to, like, elevate it a little? I mean, I know you can do an elevated chiliquiles, but he. It feels like he's making, like, the, like, the chiliquiles. That you make when you have leftover tortilla chips and you need to use them up. Like, instead of making something fresh and new and exciting.

[Ronnie Karam]

I just like that chili. He got chili as an ingredient, and it fucked his head so much that he literally went to something called chili. He's like, what do I do with chili? Okay, there's chili. There's bean chili. I don't have beans. There's chiliquilies. I'm doing that. Chili chili kilis with a hollandaise.

[Ben Mandelker]

Chefs, you have five minutes left. That's five minutes left where you can enjoy the fact that this isn't fast food. It's food fasts, sponsored by our friends at Chipotle. Thank you.

[Ronnie Karam]

So, utensils down, and now it's time to try it out. Henry's first, and he's like, oh, you know one of my favorite things? Queso fundido. So I made a queso dia version, which is a cheese just that with some tortillas.

[Ben Mandelker]

He made a cheese quesadilla and an.

[Ronnie Karam]

Avocado sour cream mousse.

[Ben Mandelker]

You ate a cheese quesadilla? No, actually, I'm sorry. It was Vinny who ate a cheese quesadilla. But so you. If you put quesofadido in a. In a quesadilla, doesn't that just make. You just made a quesadilla, right? Like, I don't see this being dead. What?

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, you just made a quesadilla. They make everything sound so fucking fancy in here. But you just made a quesadilla, sir.

[Ben Mandelker]

You made a quesadilla.

[Ronnie Karam]

So I don't know that what they were expecting, but it. This is what they're getting. So Kristen's like, do you know how many ingredients you had? He's like, a lot, which is why I use three. Enjoy. So Massimo is like, I grilled chicken thighs and then grilled tomatoes and oregano, avocado, griddle, cilantro. And let me tell you what else.

[Ben Mandelker]

Is like, okay, so. Oh, this is nice. Use the grill. And it's like, yes, I. I prefer to cook maybe a bit more primitively, just like the way Gail dresses. Hi, Ghost. Padma's back. I was watching the whole time. I just didn't want to say anything because you're all too stupid.

[Ronnie Karam]

And Cesar, he's like, I only got salad. So I made a Cesar salad. And they're like, oh, my God, that is so cute.

[Ben Mandelker]

So he made a salad with romaine. It actually looked very nice. It was like a composed salad. And he like, Grilled the avocado. When he put it together, it actually looked quite beautiful.

[Ronnie Karam]

His looked beautiful. He made like a. A little sculpture with the avocado kind of around the edge and then charred it. Yeah, his looked. His looked good at least. And then Jet is like, do you regret just ordering a salad that day or what? And he's like, no, no, I love salad. I usually put faces on salad. I like when salads talk back to me.

[Ben Mandelker]

So then Lana's like, I made a marinated grilled pork shoulder and avocado cream and corn succotash, some crispy tortillas and paola. Made like a tostada with pork shoulder and everything. And Cesar likes the use of serrano. And then Tristan brings up his thing, which looks amazing, which is like a steak tartare flavored with obiata. And he says it's like a. It's an African curry sofrito, et cetera.

[Ronnie Karam]

With a green harissa. He says he made a green harissa, but that looks like some enchilada sauce. It's like really liquidy. But, yeah, his looked pretty good. And Vinnie did a grilled pork and roasted tomato chili. Keely's, everybody. And Jet's like, is this your normal chipotle order? And he's like, no. I mean, normally I'd get some tacos with a different meat in each one. And, you know, normally I just go up and I just say, guys, make me whatever you want. Do it like Nomad would. And then as I eat it, I just say, this is not Nomad. And then I leave a star on yellow and go on with my day.

[Ben Mandelker]

So Katiana makes a. She got. She ordered a high protein salad. So she made a grilled lettuce chicken and sofritas. And Susur's like, I like the way you treated the romaine. She's like, yes, thank you. I like the way you wrote a book that took a very long time to arrive at my house. I waited a long time. Very long time.

[Ronnie Karam]

It arrived on a goat. A goat brought it to my house. That's how male was back in those days. And so Shawei says that his was inspired by his favorite Japanese dish. And it's a rice bowl with protein on top. And he's like, it's more like a tortilla soup thing. So they ask him about the rice, and he says he used water and the rice wasn't cooked, which we find out later.

[Ben Mandelker]

But that's why they're asking, goes, did you use stock or water? And goes, I Use water. Excuse me. Hi. Sorry to interrupt from beyond the grave, but the way to ask that question is, did you mean not to use stock and have flavorless stupid rice?

[Ronnie Karam]

I mean, this is Top Chef. Gail even takes baths in stock. No one uses water here.

[Ben Mandelker]

That was a ghost. Sigh. So then, Bailey, the afterlife is so hard. It turns out, like, even people when they're ghosts still don't know how to dress. Disgusting.

[Ronnie Karam]

And Bailey did a grilled steak with a sweet corn succotash. You know, I really thought succotash would be great vehicle to highlight a lot of the ingredients. I am serious, serious Bailey. Now. I came back a new person. I'm a very serious person who enjoys succotash. Old Bailey would have said that. New Bailey would not say that. It's a very serious succotash.

[Ben Mandelker]

I feel like there was a few succotashes that happened on this episode, and I think there was a succotash that happened in Last Chance Kitchen, which I actually watched this week. Is succotash the new. Is that the new? Like, oh, I have a lot of ingredients I've got to incorporate, so I'm just gonna call this a succotash. I could throw it on the plate. Yes, yes, pretty much. I'm on to you guys.

[Ronnie Karam]

So Sisar and Jet get to pick the top winners. And Jet goes, oh, well, you know, look. Sister goes, yeah, it tastes. They both compliment it. She goes, wait, who did they say is their best?

[Ben Mandelker]

The first they say they're like, oh, we've got some. Some. Some are good, some are bad, whatever. And so Kristen's like, well, actually, a few of the dishes did fall a little bit short. Susur, can you tell us who had one of your. One of our least favorite dishes? And normally they say, like, they just go through some of the bottom four, But Susur's like, well, Vinnie is my least favorite. And Vinny's like, oh.

[Ronnie Karam]

He goes, there's one ultimate loser today, and it's you, Vinny. And Vinnie goes, oh, well, that's unfortunate. He goes, yeah, the dish could be crispier. It needed more flavor, needed to be a bit melted. I mean, how could you serve a quesadilla that's not melted cheese, sir? Come on, Vinny. They need to just get rid of Vinny. I can't with this guy.

[Ben Mandelker]

Jet, who else had some of your least favorite dishes? And Jet's like, ah, Chef Henry, unfortunately, while we appreciate the sauces, the filling was a bit basic compared to some of the other competitors. You made A quesadilla. You made a cheese quesadilla for us, and you're on Top Chef.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, you're a basic bitch. Okay. Yeah, you're a basic bitch. And Kristin's like, oh, and another of the least favorite, although not the worst. Right, Vinnie? But that was. You know, I like the fat of your broth, but the rice was not quite cooked properly. And of course, you know, it's rice and can't cook rice, so that's pretty bad. Okay? So. Oh, by the way, did I mention that your rice wasn't cooked? Because that's hilarious.

[Ben Mandelker]

But even your rice being uncooked and basically being raw and giving. Breaking all of our teeth still tasted better than Vinny's. Am I right? Worse one.

[Ronnie Karam]

God. Wow. Vinnie lost to an uncooked rice. God, that must hurt. Vinny, am I right?

[Ben Mandelker]

Hashtag chili. Chili kill. It's more like chili kill us. They were so bad. Okay, now we have. Now let's talk about some of our phrases. Excuse me. We all know what you're supposed to say is, and now time for some good news. Jeez, don't even know how to.

[Ronnie Karam]

I'm a comedian now. Okay, back to the. Back to the other good news. Back to the good news that nobody cares about.

[Ben Mandelker]

Back to the good news that pertains to unfamous people cooking on a show that I'm not on anymore.

[Ronnie Karam]

Chef Mossimo. Like, the chicken cooked perfectly, and the grilling really makes it clean tasting. God, I love a clean tasting chicken. Jesus Christ. Did you like dawn on. That was one of your ingredients. Dawn dish soap. Because this was the cleanest chicken I've ever had.

[Ben Mandelker]

I like a clean chicken almost as much as I hate whatever Vinny cooked for me.

[Ronnie Karam]

Jet, what's your favorite dish? And he goes, chef Caesar, we loved your Caesar. Still love saying that. It was a Chef Caesar salad. That is crazy. You have a future on the Internet. Do you have a famous dad? No. Okay, well, good luck.

[Ben Mandelker]

Do you have a dad who can take your puns and cook them and make them gourmet? Be perfect for you? No, but I have a rutabaga under my bed with a smile on it. Okay. Susur's like, yes. You charred the avocado. It was great. Oh, and Chef Paula, hold on. Massimo, would you like to respond to that? All right, Chef Paula, I really. I really love the serrano chili and also the saute of the pork. Okay. And we even had a fourth. We just want to say we want. We don't normally have a fourth one. That we love. But we just wanted to highlight how bad Vinny's was by showing another person who was actually so awesome.

[Ronnie Karam]

All right, guys, we wanted to just say to everybody whose dish was 500 times better than Vinnie, and that is 14 of you. Congratulations. You're not Vinnie. Okay, you all won. You all. But it's. Chef Tristan is the fourth. You know, you took such a risk using Mexican ingredients on a Mexican ingredients challenges, but also, you strayed away. You strayed away because to find another cuisine that uses peppers and onions is difficult. So good. Good for you.

[Ben Mandelker]

It felt like the most remixed dish and not another version of the dish that you already had. Like, you know, Vinnie over there with the chilaquiles. Am I right, everyone? Okay, everyone, we'd like everyone now to stick out your fingers. Okay, now rotate your arms and point them all towards Vinnie. There we go. Just point and shake your heads.

[Ronnie Karam]

And the winner is Tristan. And he won because of originality, so good for him, you know? So he won $10,000 from our friends at Chipotle. So he's won 15 grand, which is pretty good.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, he's killing it. Yeah. Three wins in a row. We call that a streak here at Top Chef, much like the streak that Chipotle has serving fresh food at affordable prices.

[Ronnie Karam]

So yay. So now the guys go. The guests leave. And now the next elimina challenge. Let's hope it doesn't leave you in a pickle. And they're like, oh, my God, what could this mean? What do you think? Do you think it's about race cars? Is this a race car? No. Do you think it's a steak challenge? I hope it's a steak. It's about pickles. Like, oh, my God, pickles.

[Ben Mandelker]

And she's wearing. Kristen's actually wearing a pickle themed outfit that no one really picked up on, but it was, like, a dark green bottom and a light green top. She's like, see? Pickles. Pickles. Wow. Thank you, Kristen. Thank you so much for wearing something that's themed like a pickle. And, like, G, who actually showed up wearing pickles on her outfit. Thanks, Gayle. Everyone appreciates that.

[Ronnie Karam]

Well, last time we had a chicken pickle challenge, when I was there, Gayle just showed up with relish all over her face. I said, was that for the pickle challenge? And she said, what pickle challenge? I said, oh, Gail.

[Ben Mandelker]

One time, Gail put a canoe in a bathtub full of salty water and claimed that that counted as a pickle. I was like, that's still a canoe. She ate the thing anyway. But I was like, just because it's long and salty doesn't mean it's a pickle, Gale.

[Ronnie Karam]

She said, I want a pickle. I said, no, Gail, you just want to be picked. It's not happening in this challenge. She cried. It was fun. So Kristen's like, so, Tristan, you hate pickles. Do you hate them more than figgy Duff?

[Ben Mandelker]

That's a call back, everyone. That's a call back. That's. We call that a Kish callback to Figgy Duff. The episode, remember?

[Ronnie Karam]

So, Chefs, please welcome a very special someone that knows exactly what it takes to be in this competition and win it. Top Chef Wisconsin winner, Danny Garcia. Danny Garcia. Does anybody recognize Danny Garcia?

[Ben Mandelker]

Danny Garcia, the winner of one of our strangest seasons of Top Chef. Top Chef Wisconsin, where people made curd balls for three weeks straight. All right.

[Ronnie Karam]

That really was the season. They're like, okay, today the secret ingredient is cheese.

[Ben Mandelker]

Remember how we entered that season on a cruise ship in Aruba? All right, it was a weird. It was a weird one. So Danny is like, that was.

[Ronnie Karam]

That was a farty party. Every freaking challenge was like, here's how we're gonna reinvent cheese today. Today. Don't worry, guys. Today we're not just using cheese. We're using cheese curds. They're like, you.

[Ben Mandelker]

So, Danny Garcia, recognize anyone? He's like, yeah, Vinnie. We spent some time working together before at the Nomad. At the Nomad. It was at the Nomad. Just want felt good to say nomad. It's been 10 minutes since I said Nomad. Yeah, we worked at the Nomad.

[Ronnie Karam]

Okay, well, we're going to go way, way back for this challenge. Pickling. That's one of the oldest method methods of food preservation.

[Ben Mandelker]

Danny's like, I personally used a lot of pickles last season. Wow. Congratulations. So does Gail every time she brushes her teeth.

[Ronnie Karam]

Oh, I like that. Kristen goes, you did?

[Ben Mandelker]

So for this, I remember.

[Ronnie Karam]

This. This time they're working in teams of five. No, they're working in two teams of five. Right. Creating a five course progressive pickle menu.

[Ben Mandelker]

I used to. When I was a kid, there was a series of books called Sweet Pickles, and I loved it. Did you ever read those books, Sweet Pickles?

[Ronnie Karam]

There was a book about pickles. Like, the characters were all.

[Ben Mandelker]

No, they're all, like, they're all animals, but for whatever reason, it's called Sweet Pickles. It was great. They should have been on this show.

[Ronnie Karam]

No, but my favorite side character of New York is pickles.

[Ben Mandelker]

Oh, What? Never forget pickles.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, intern pickles. Okay, so Lana's like, I've always been a pickle girl. You know, I would go up to my mom at the fridge and I'd go, oh, my God, more pickles. But, you know, my parents ended up getting a new fridge, and they were like, you can put your pickles in here. So, yeah, I got pickles. Finally, we get some Lana backstory. I think this is the first Lana backstory we've ever had. And it's like, I really liked pickles as a kid.

[Ben Mandelker]

She's like, my backstory is that I have a pity pickle refrigerator. We got you a fridge for all your damn pickles, Lana.

[Ronnie Karam]

So the first course must include cornichon. The second course, a full sour pickle. The third course, a dill pickle. The fourth, spicy pickles. And the fifth course, any guesses? It's going to be bread and butter pickles. Okay, guys.

[Ben Mandelker]

Any guesses? I don't know why that annoyed me. I was like, any guesses on what pickle it could possibly be? Sweet bread and butter. Well, sorry, gherkins, you're out of. You're out of luck. I guess gherkins and cornishons are kind of the same, but they're not really so off. Gherkin.

[Ronnie Karam]

Oh. Danny's like, that's my favorite bread and butter pickles. Huge, huge lover of that. And Kristen's like, yes.

[Ben Mandelker]

Okay, so whose favorite is bread and butter pickles? I mean, they're nice.

[Ronnie Karam]

That's a child's palette. That's a child's palette that you've got bread and p. Bread and butter pickle lover.

[Ben Mandelker]

They're just. Those are basically the pickles that just go on top of a burger, right?

[Ronnie Karam]

They're the sweet ones, right?

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, they're sweet little discs with the ruffles. I mean, they're fine. I just don't think, like. I just feel like in a world where you have, like, a dill pickle or, like, a full sour, like, why would bread and butter be the one that you choose?

[Ronnie Karam]

I don't know. I have no answer for that. I think because bread and butter is just good, I don't think they should be allowed to be called bread and butter pickles, because that's like taking. That's like taking the deliciousness of other food and, like, claiming that you own part of that. No, you don't. You're not bread and you're not butter. You're a pig.

[Ben Mandelker]

Exactly. I'm telling you, this is like, the thing I Always say, I don't like when people name their dogs after other animals or just their pets in general. Like. Like, if there's a dog named bear, like, why are you doing that?

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, yeah. Or a cat named fish. You're, like, weird.

[Ben Mandelker]

So a fish called tarantula. Like, why? Why would you do that?

[Ronnie Karam]

Right.

[Ben Mandelker]

Commercials.

[Molly]

Here comes one right now.

[Monica Lewinsky]

Everyone has that friend who seems kind of perfect for Patty. That friend was Desiree. Until one day I texted her, and.

[Ronnie Karam]

She was not getting the text.

[Ben Mandelker]

So I went to Instagram. She has no Instagram anymore.

[Ronnie Karam]

And Facebook. No Facebook anymore.

[Monica Lewinsky]

Desiree was gone. And there was one person who knew the answer.

[Ben Mandelker]

I am a spiritual person, a magical.

[Monica Lewinsky]

Person, a gorgeous Brazilian influencer called Cat Torres, but who was hiding a secret from Wondery. Based on my smash hit podcast from Brazil comes a new series, Don't Cross Cat, about a search that led me to a mystery in a Texas suburb.

[Ronnie Karam]

I'm calling to check on the two missing Brazilian girls, maybe get some undercover crew there.

[Ben Mandelker]

The family are freaking out.

[Ronnie Karam]

They are lost.

[Monica Lewinsky]

I'm Chico. Felipe. You can listen to Don't Cross Cat on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ronnie Karam]

So they're going to be going head to head in this, and only one chef in the winning team can take the prize, which sucks because especially in this challenge, the winning dishes are not on the winning team. So what do you do? Tristan and Bailey, as the winners of the last elimination challenge, you both won immunity. So you get to choose teams for this challenge. Tristan. So Tristan takes Katya. So they basically start picking and they do not want some people. And they start talking about it too difficultly. And Danny's like, oh, my God, this is like the schoolyard. And Kristen goes, yeah, I don't like this. You're the one who made them pick teams. So if you don't, like, pick, are they not picking teams, you know, maturely enough for you? Picking teams is a shallow sport. Don't make them do it and then act like you guys are morally above this. You started this.

[Ben Mandelker]

I agree. I totally agree. So basically, the bottom two, it winds up being, like, Henry and Massimo, because Henry, like, Henry seems so nice, but he's kind of, like, sucked all season. Like, he's been in the bottom. Like, like he said last week, he's. He's the bottom queen, and he's been in the bottom, and he always is in the bottom, so he's last. But Massimo is kind of like, Massimo has been good, but he's been sort of on a losing streak recently. So he's really like, he's like, oh, my God, I can't believe it's the first time I've ever been chosen last for something. They probably didn't see me.

[Ronnie Karam]

Ah, yeah, that was sad. I felt bad for him. He's like, they probably didn't see me. It's like, yeah, they saw you spilling soap into dishes, yelling about, you know, reducing a sauce. Massimo, you're doing this to yourself.

[Ben Mandelker]

Breaking cutting board.

[Ronnie Karam]

Although you're by far the most entertaining person on this show, so I don't hold it against you. So Kristen's like, okay, you know, you have 15 minutes to plan before heading to Whole Foods. And then tomorrow you're going to Dico. And guys, I'm really sorry we ran out of underpasses, but we're going to an actual restaurant.

[Ben Mandelker]

And joining us as a guest judge will be the James Beard Foundation CEO Clare Reichenbach, who also has an adorable British accent. Not just a standard one, but like an Angela Lansbury one. So you'll, that'll be a real treat for all of you.

[Ronnie Karam]

She also pulled the short stick and got stuck with pickle day. So fuck her. Am I right, everybody?

[Ben Mandelker]

We're like for the CEO. For the CEO of the James Beard foundation that oversees every single important award of which there are many with James Beard. We've given her pickles. Unfortunately, Dana. Dana from Food and Wine took the good, the good episode. So guess what? You get pickles.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. So bala is like, oh, I have to work with Massimo again. Jesus. So Massimo's like, oh, I could do sour, I could do spicy. I could do Cornish shown. Whatever you want. Last pick, right? More like person who knows pickles the most. Am I right?

[Ben Mandelker]

So they're all choosing. They're, they're all, they're in teams just talking back and forth of what they're going to choose. And it's actually a pretty conflict free moment, I think, because, like, the majority of the women were on one team. So there we didn't have that typical moment where a female chef says, oh, I have this, like, really amazing idea of what I could do with a sour pickle. And I have a complete vision. I know what to do. I've made this a million times. It's a huge hit. I was nominated for a Michelin star based off of this dish. I'd like to make it. And then some guy goes, yeah, but I want to do a tartar with it, so I'll do it instead. So luckily we avoided that entire scenario. And then the woman gets sent home because it happens every single season on this show. That made me happy.

[Ronnie Karam]

I mean, fortunately, the great equalizer on this challenge is y'all get a pickle. You know what I mean? Like, no one really wins. So then Lana's like, I want my team to win. You know, it's my end goal. Wow, that's a great end goal. Lana, we are learning so much about you. You love pickles, and you want to win competitions.

[Ben Mandelker]

And don't forget the fridge. She has a whole fridge of pickles that her parents got her sick of her pickle. Her entire overpopulation of Vlasic items in. In her fridge.

[Ronnie Karam]

The Cesar decides he wants to do pickle dessert, and they're like, what the. And he's like, I just want to pull it off. I want to just tell my rudabaga I pulled off a pickle dessert. Crazy.

[Ben Mandelker]

Like, okay. And so Massimo. Massimo's, like, across the street from my restaurant, there's one of Gail Simmons favorite restaurants. Oh, really? Is it 1, 800 mattress? God, watch out when she gets into that store. Bite marks everywhere.

[Ronnie Karam]

Wow, you found one of Gail's favorite restaurants. Was it all of them?

[Ben Mandelker]

Oh, so your restaurant's across the street from the Charleston Shoe Factory.

[Ronnie Karam]

Someone in comments last week said, God, you guys are so harsh on Gail. Yeah, welcome to the show.

[Ben Mandelker]

It's not what we do.

[Ronnie Karam]

Dead Padma. Okay. Padma died in the last episode when she heard it was a pickle episode coming up, and she tried one and choked on it and died. So this episode killed Padma. Okay. Yeah, blame her.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. We love Gail. We think Gail is wonderful, and we think she's beautiful, and she's so, so smart and sharp and great. It's. Unfortunately, it's ghost Padma is the one who's mean to Gale, and it's out of our.

[Ronnie Karam]

Although Gale does have a terrible wardrobe. That's true. That comes from me. Gale cannot figure it out in the wardrobe department, but I still love Gal.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. It's our responsibility as podcasters to dutifully report on what happens on the episode. And unfortunately, this is just the stuff that ghost Padma said. That's it.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. So Henry loves spicy, and his first thought is Korean barbecue. And then Cesar is saying, you know, since bread and butter pickles have more sugar, he's lucky. And they also use turmeric, so he's gonna use that. And it makes him think of a curd. A very tart, pungent curd.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yes. That's what I wrote to Gail up for her Christmas card. I Said, dear Gail, you make me think of curds. Have a great holiday, dear Gail.

[Ronnie Karam]

Or shall I say pungent curds. So Tristan worked in Sweden for a while, and Canada and Scandinavia is like almost the same latitude so the same preservation methods can be used. So he's going to treat the mackerel like a Swedish treat.

[Ben Mandelker]

Herring Made me very happy to hear that because I love herring. So then you don't like herring? I love.

[Ronnie Karam]

No, I'm not a tinned fish person. I'm not a tinned fish. That's like a huge thing. Everybody's into their tinned fish. I just.

[Ben Mandelker]

No, I love a pickled herring. Love it. So Katiana buys tofu from Whole Foods because she likes it as a backup. She says, I just always like having tofu around. When I was waiting for Suzer Lee's cookbook to arrive, those were a lot of long, cold nights where I had nothing to do but just hold that tofu close to my chest and just pray that the cookbook would come in the next day. I don't know what I would have done without it.

[Ronnie Karam]

I used to open blocks of tofu and slice them really thinly and then pretend there were words on them that he had written. By the time his book actually came. I was just so surprised. I mean, it was. What a nice surprise to read words. It was great. Thank you, tofu, for everything you've ever done for me.

[Ben Mandelker]

So they're done cooking, they're done with that and then they. Schwai says he wants to start the menu on the lighter side. So I'll be making a fried pickled mushroom with steak tartar and Dijon. Yes. Sounds light as air. A deep fried mushroom.

[Ronnie Karam]

How's a chicken fried mushroom light?

[Ben Mandelker]

You know what? I want a breaded thing that is locked in lots of oil for a nice light touch to start the meal.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. And Massimo is like, I'm making fried pickle cannolo with classic French stick tartare. Okay. It's a risky classic when you have to be a beacon in the sky that you can compare it too. I love Massimo.

[Ben Mandelker]

Relax.

[Ronnie Karam]

It's so difficult to be a beacon.

[Ben Mandelker]

Vinnie's like, well, I'll be making a smoked salmon roulette with variations of pickles. And it's going to be difficult. Cuz when Tristan doesn't like things in his competition, he tends to do things really well. But the good news is I once made salmon at the Nomad, so I feel pretty good about this.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, I'm literally going to make another nomad dish. So Katiana is like, you know what? I play on duality of pickles. Just kidding. Are you guys still rolling the cameras? Is this a real show? Show? This is ridiculous.

[Ben Mandelker]

She said duality pickles. I was like, katiana is, like, one of my favorites. But when she said duality pickles, I was like, I'm gonna have to. You're gonna have to go down a notch now because he said that.

[Ronnie Karam]

So she's gonna grill some cucumbers dressed in a dill pickle vinaigrette with some opened clams. And she's like, it's fresh pickle dressed in pickle, which I get. I thought. I thought it was a good idea.

[Ben Mandelker]

But it sounded nice.

[Ronnie Karam]

I'm the only one. Yeah, it sounded. It sounded good. So then here's the pickle.

[Ben Mandelker]

That's the problem. Pickles are inherently not fresh. So if she's trying to make a fresh pickle. She is.

[Ronnie Karam]

You're just in trouble.

[Ben Mandelker]

You have a cucumber. Yeah.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. So then Lana is telling us that she's nervous to go up against Katiana because Katiana is, like, probably the favorite to win at this point. And she's like, I'm keeping it simple. You know, I'm doing Brian Scallop, dill pickle, burblan. There we go. The end. You know, you don't need a million things in order to get a win. All you need is one shelf in a refrigerator dedicated to you. That's all I need.

[Ben Mandelker]

Wow. That's the first time I've heard our daughter say she doesn't need a million pickles to get something done. So her sassy. Her sassy parents watching, getting out, taking on the spirit of Padma a little bit. That was good parent. I like that. Shading your own child. It's your fault, though. You were the one who encouraged her. You're the ones who did buy that refrigerator, after all. Don't forget it.

[Ronnie Karam]

So Henry's gonna do a braised short rib with pickle jus, and Cesar is doing a bread. You know, we know he's doing. He's gonna do the bread and butter pickle curd, mustard seed tart with dill ice cream, and some fresh cucumber, which sounds absolutely fucking horrifying, But I really like Caesar, and at least it's creative.

[Ben Mandelker]

You know, I'm sort of intrigued by it. I actually can see how bread and butter pickles could work as an, like, in. Like a. In, like a dessert. And also, I feel like somewhere along the line, I did have dill Ice cream at some restaurant. And it worked out really well. So I was like, I'm down for his vision. I was down for his vision and I'm gonna support him. And he's also so cute and sweet and like. Yeah, I just feel like I see him trembling. It's like a little. A little cute animal trembling in someone's hand. A little baby animal. It's like whiskers are going like this, you know, trembling. And I'm just like, I just want to support and make it happy.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. Okay. So then we go to back to the apartment and Massimo, we learn a little bit about Massimo. He's FaceTiming his kids and his ex wife. And he's like, you know, I have a bit of an ego and I think my price is my worst enemy in this competition, you know? So I'm. I'm trying to remind myself why I'm here. And over a year and a half, I'm separated from my wife. We're together 16 years and she's like, how is everything? It's like I have to listen to other people. It's terrible. She's like, oh, God, I'm so glad I left you. Yeah, the kids are still climbing around over there. Hey, kids, it's your dad. He's lost more hair. Poor guy. You want to say hi? Like, no, say you to dad. It's like, okay. The kid said you. He's like, who cares? Have you ever tried to make ice cream out of pickles? Crazy guy over there.

[Ben Mandelker]

Massimo. Yeah, it's so funny because when he got onto FaceTime, they like show like the FaceTimes. They show like his face and the FaceTime thing. But I thought it was. I didn't realize that was like him again. I was like, oh, he has a. I literally was like, oh, he has a twin brother. I was like, this is a nice change up from calling the kids. He has a twin. He's calling his twin to get support. And I was like, oh, no, it's just reverse Massimo. It's mirror Massimo. The kids are still there.

[Ronnie Karam]

His ex wife is so funny in how she deals with Massimo because she just has a smile on his face. On her face. Like, God, thank God I'm not married to you anymore. I'm still amused by you, though. Your kids are little miniature youth and I can't take them full time. But God, God, can't believe I was ever in the spot that I married you. So how's it going?

[Ben Mandelker]

Hey, everyone. This is the end of part one of this recap. For part two, keep an eye on your podcast feed. It is coming up in just a moment. Thanks so much for listening. Catch you on the second half. Watch what Crappins would like to thank its premium sponsors Ain't no thing like.

[Ronnie Karam]

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A It's Kelly B We love him.

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[Ronnie Karam]

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[Ronnie Karam]

Tamla playing It's always a good time when you're wasting time with Bravo she ain't no shrinking violet Coutar we love you guys. If you like, watch what crappens. You can listen ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey.