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- [00:01]
Ronnie Karam
Hello, darling. How are you darling?
- [00:04]
Ben Mandelker
I do say, it never truly occurred to me how much I adore British television.
- [00:09]
Ronnie Karam
But seriously, British TV is so good.
- [00:13]
Ben Mandelker
And it's not all queens and crumpets.
- [00:15]
Ronnie Karam
It's the wardrobes, the witty little quips, the cute little villages where three people die a week. The reality show minus the melodramatic music.
- [00:22]
Ben Mandelker
They just do TV differently.
- [00:24]
Ronnie Karam
And BritBox is the place to get it.
- [00:26]
Ben Mandelker
They have so many amazing mysteries, comedies, crime thrillers, gorgeous dramas, the cutest little gardening sh shows way more than we realized. There's a good chance your next TV obsession will be British.
- [00:37]
Ronnie Karam
So switch it up and see it differently with Britbox.
- [00:41]
Ben Mandelker
Start streaming with a free trial@britbox.com Kisses, darling. One of the reasons we love watching Bravo shows is for the luxury. I mean, come on. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Most of the time I can just watch it for the shots of the gorgeous city and the houses.
- [00:59]
Ronnie Karam
And let's not forget Lisa Barlow's sixty thousand dollar ring that she lost.
- [01:02]
Ben Mandelker
Oh heck yeah. If you're listening looking for a way to experience luxury for yourself? Try Virgin Voyages.
- [01:08]
Ronnie Karam
Over $1,000 in value is included in every sailing. Everything they offer, from their menus created by Michelin star chefs to their cabins designed by top international firms is the pinnacle of luxury.
- [01:20]
Ben Mandelker
Virgin Voyages cruises are kid free and catered to adult tastes. And they have some incredible destinations. We're talking Caribbean escapes, Iceland and the British Isles. Miami, New York. You can even live out your below deck Med fantasy with their luxe voyage in the Med.
- [01:35]
Ronnie Karam
I am so excited to go on my first Virgin cruise. You know the idea of a kid free ship is very appealing to me. And all these menus, it's like definitely a boat made for Ben.
- [01:48]
Ben Mandelker
It looks like a giant gorgeous club with fabulous rooms. I cannot wait to go. Book now@virginvoyages.com or contact your travel advisor. Ladies, we all dream of thicker fuller hair, right? But that's all it is, a dream. Until now. With her's hair you can get thicker, thicker fuller hair in just three to six months.
- [02:10]
Ronnie Karam
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Ben Mandelker
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- [02:32]
Ronnie Karam
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- [02:40]
Ben Mandelker
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- [02:44]
Ronnie Karam
Start your initial free online visit today.
- [02:47]
Ben Mandelker
At fourhers.com crappens that's F-O-R-H-E-R-S.com crappins for your personalized hair loss treatment options for hers.com crappins individual results may vary. Compounded products are not FDA approved or verified for safety, effectiveness or quality. Prescription required. Price varies based on product and subscription plan. See website for full details, restrictions, and important SAFET information. Well, hello. Welcome to watch what Crabens. I'm Ronnie and that's Ben over there. Hello, Bing.
- [03:40]
Ronnie Karam
Hello, Ronnie. How are you?
- [03:43]
Ben Mandelker
Good. Welcome to top shelf Pizza Day, everybody. We're very excited to be here. We are going to be in Texas and Vegas very soon. We're in Austin next week and Dallas next week and then Vegas on May 15 for the mounting Hysteria tour. Get your tickets over at Patreon. Patreon. Get the F out of. Get your tickets over at watch what crappens.com youm'll find links in the calendar there for all of the cities. Also, that's where you find links to our patre, which is where you find this video recap right here and all of our video recaps and bonus episodes. This week we will be doing a below deck trailer trash, where we go over every second of below deck trailer for you. It looks like a good one, too. All right, well, welcome to the show. Ben, how are you feeling about Top Chef this week?
- [04:33]
Ronnie Karam
Well, it was. I thought it was quite entertaining. I enjoyed. Well, first. Okay, I enjoyed that we had a pizza challenge. I also enjoyed watching them all struggle to make pizza. And I also was laughing at the quick fire because it's just like it was so. It was so corporate tie in quick fiery that I just couldn't help but laugh at it. It was just so ridiculous. So, yeah, I enjoyed it. What about you?
- [05:00]
Ben Mandelker
They are ridiculous and they're struggling with finding things to have spot like people to sponsor them. They're like, wow. Welcome to the garbage tie quick tie. Today we're gonna cook in 30 minutes the best meal we can make with garbage twist ties for the trash. Like, what the.
- [05:17]
Ronnie Karam
I know. Here, smell this baked on crud and make a meal out of it. Sponsored by our friends at all a l l. That's all. No, I'm sorry. It was finish at finish at finished. You're never truly finished, which is why you're going to make a Meal out of stuff you thought you were finished.
- [05:34]
Ben Mandelker
With, never truly finished. What is this? Sex life at 49? That's what it feels like. Talk about never finishing. That's my life. So, yeah, they're like, yeah, here's some caked on grease. Make whatever that smells like into a meal. What the fuck did this show become? You got James Beard references all through this show.
- [05:55]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah. Meanwhile, Vinnie is. They gave Vinnie shit this week, which I really liked about cooking for, like, always talking about how he's cooking a recipe he learned at the Nomad. So what does he do? He cooks a recipe he learned from just someone else, his brother. Like, what are your recipes, Vinny Hunt?
- [06:13]
Ben Mandelker
Vinnie, you are just a soulless human being at this point.
- [06:17]
Ronnie Karam
You are just.
- [06:17]
Ben Mandelker
You are walking cardboard at this point, Vinny. But, you know, I don't, like, hate Vinny. Usually. Usually there's a character I hate. I don't hate Vinny. He's not mean or anything. He's just, like, a soulless learner, you know, like somebody who just, like, wants to do really good. And they go in there and they learn. And he's learned really well, and he's learned to copy things really well. But, God, you got to find your soul, man, because right now, you're just soulless. And then when he makes a mistake, guess what he does my favorite thing. He whips out the trauma. He whips out his trauma defense and starts crying about a dead guy. No, you don't get to cry about the dead guy when you're on top, not when you're on bot. Don't use the dead guy as a crutch, Vinnie. Yeah, now you're gonna use dead Nomad as your crutch.
- [06:59]
Ronnie Karam
No, I'm also loving Paola, like, more and more. I'm loving her. And you know what I also like about her? I feel like in an alternate. Like, in a parallel reality, alternate reality. I feel like she could be, like, a cartoon film critic, and I like that about her. Like.
- [07:16]
Ben Mandelker
Like John Levitt. Like John Levitt.
- [07:18]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah. I can imagine her, like, with a little pad and a pencil, like, emerging from a movie theater with her. With her, like, glasses on, because she always has these glasses on the edge of her nose, and she' and she could be talking about a performance that she thought was awful, you know? I mean, like, she'd have to have, like, a New Yorker accent, but, like, I could just see it, you know?
- [07:35]
Ben Mandelker
Meow. And then the other girl, I forget her name right now. I'll remember when the notes are in front of me. But the one who really who's who. I'm always saying is, like, cheering for everybody. Like, yeah, we're a team, and don't you forget it, guys. Lana. Yeah. So she's. Everything she says is like some kind of Gen Z thing. Like, she can't just react in a normal way if you're like, I'm making a tortilla. She has not a tortilla or. You know what I mean? I don't know how to explain it better than that, but every time she says something, it's like, not salsa. Not the salsa. No, you didn't just say it Cracks me up. But she's okay. I mean, I'm liking everybody so far. But you're right. This greased on challenge was really a stretch, even for this show.
- [08:21]
Ronnie Karam
Even for a show that has a chef who has a pity fridge dedicated to pickles from their parents. Yeah.
- [08:28]
Ben Mandelker
Lana, we did get not pickles. We did get. We did get alternate reality Padma, which I liked. And I'm sorry. I'm not saying alternate reality Kristen. It's not that I don't take Kristen seriously, but this was alt reality Padma. The Canada. The Canada host clearly hates everybody there, and I love that for her. She's. I love a good, dour host, and that's just what I needed. And she. They brought it to us with her. She even kind of, like, has posture where she's like. Like, when they first showed her, I was like, oh, my God, she's got Ronnie posture. Like, she's just like. Like, her whole vibe is like, yeah.
- [09:05]
Ronnie Karam
She shows up, and I was like, ugh, this is what we've been missing. She just is like. I'm like. But she sort of has, like, a different vibe of Padma. Her vibe is kind of like, yeah, like, I'm after this. I'm probably gonna hang out with, like, some cooler people, so you just cook some food or whatever. I'm probably not gonna eat it. And I really like that. Like, a little bit of vocal fry sort of looks like Idina Menzel. Ish. A little bit. You know, I just liked her. I liked her disgust. It was like, cool girl discussed. Honestly, I missed this on this show.
- [09:36]
Ben Mandelker
Yeah, I miss it too. So here we are. So Top Chef. So let's see. So we're in the stew room in the back after judging, and we find out that Katiana went home, and they're like, oh, my God, we thought she was winning. We thought she was winning. And Henry's saying, oh, God, I was really Expecting to hear my name. And Bailey's like, yeah, you're pretty used to that, huh? Saying that all the time.
- [10:03]
Ronnie Karam
Thanks.
- [10:03]
Ben Mandelker
You're right. I'm always expecting to hear your name, too. But here you are. Old Bailey wouldn't have said that. But guess what? New Bailey's got nuts of steel. She doesn't give a fuck. We're all surprised you're still here, Henry. Okay.
- [10:14]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah. New Bailey learned some things in Last Chance Kitchen. She's not afraid to say it. We don't know how you lasted this long, Henry. And Henry's like, I've had this wall up for, like, a really long time in this competition. And then, in turn, I wasn't giving anything out either.
- [10:28]
Ben Mandelker
I can't wait.
- [10:28]
Ronnie Karam
And that wall worked both ways.
- [10:30]
Ben Mandelker
I had a wall up. Fuck off with your wall, okay? Fuck off with your wall. Henry. Don't. Don't start. My walls are up. You're making shitty food, Henry. That's it. It's not because you've got some insecurity. You're doing shitty work, Henry. I'm sorry. It's time to just tell you. I like you. You seem very nice, but bottom, Henry. No, stop.
- [10:51]
Ronnie Karam
Stop with bottom, Henry.
- [10:52]
Ben Mandelker
No, no.
- [10:53]
Ronnie Karam
The walls are not up.
- [10:54]
Ben Mandelker
The walls are.
- [10:55]
Ronnie Karam
You're just. You're boxed in.
- [10:57]
Ben Mandelker
Your walls can't cook.
- [10:58]
Ronnie Karam
Said Vinnie is like. Vinnie is in full sock puppet face. He's like. And he's like, I embarrassed myself and the person I wanted to impress the most the whole season. And we see a flashback to Danny who won last season, and Danny's. Because Danny worked with Vinnie at the Nomad, because the Nomad has a strict policy of only hiring chefs whose last. Whose names end with nny. And Danny is like. Well, the roulette itself was probably. The rest part was probably, you know, exactly what we did at the Nomad, but like, a worse version of it so kind of sucks. I'm gonna tell everyone at the Nomad that Vinnie kind of. Kind of a failure. Yeah.
- [11:34]
Ben Mandelker
Basically, at the Nomad, this was something that we would cook, and then people would eat, and then they would poop out and put on a plate. So it kind of had the flavor of the Nomad, but also the other waste products in a person's. But it was nasty. This was Nomad shit. Okay? This was Nomad chat. They just serve that.
- [11:52]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah. It's funny. We used to make this roulette at the. At the Nomad all the time. But one thing we'd always. We'd call it the. The Don't Give it to. Don't give it to Vinnie to make roulette, because he famously would always destroy it. And it's good to see that he. He's still destroying it. Really terrible. And the pool of hollandaise doesn't. Didn't really help. I don't know why he did that on this. He doesn't have to put on God.
- [12:11]
Ben Mandelker
Wish we had him back. Peeling onions, though. He was really good at that. It was a great onion peeler. That's what I want to find out about Vinnie. That he was, like, the. The prep cook or something.
- [12:20]
Ronnie Karam
He was the coat check. He's the coat check. And he's been. He's been Cerno de Berger acting the whole season.
- [12:30]
Ben Mandelker
Just nomad to someone. So, yeah, Tristan's like, can I do a brutal honest with you? And Tristan's always got this look on his face like, ew, like he's smelling a fart. He's like, can I just do a brutal honest with you? You had a conundrum in your head, like, I'm gonna cook my food. But you're not cooking your food. No. Like, that's where you worked. Okay. Like, I've worked at Chili's. Do I make an awesome blossom every day? No, do something else. And I love that he told him that.
- [13:00]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah, it was good. Although I'm sure that's the last thing Vinnie wants it to hear from. The person's winning over and over and over and again. Like, you just know it's not about where you worked. It's about who you are. Although in my case, I can actually cook from, you know, really well from where I worked because I know how to cook properly. Vinny's like, yeah, yeah, I got it and everything. He's like, yeah, flex. You don't flex other people's accomplishments.
- [13:23]
Ben Mandelker
I felt so stabbed for Vinnie because. Poor Vinnie. It's like being told in that way. Could have stopped at, like, no, you know, just don't just cook things from where you work. And he's like, you're correct. And then he goes, yeah. Then he's like, flex. You don't flex other people's accomplishments. Ouch. Oh, ouch. And yes, good for you, Tristan.
- [13:43]
Ronnie Karam
And also stop adding hollandaise to things. So Vinny's like, yeah, I worked for James Kent for quite some time, and he's played a huge influence in my career, and unfortunately, he passed away earlier this year, and he basically made me who I am in the last few challenges, and I've been cooking for him, which is probably not what he would want. So naturally, I'm doing myself. I'm going to impress him anyways. I'm going to start cook. Cooking from me. But first, I will cook a recipe that my brother taught me.
- [14:07]
Ben Mandelker
I'm gonna cook now. I'm gonna cook from a restaurant called Mad. No. Okay.
- [14:11]
Ronnie Karam
Spicy.
- [14:11]
Ben Mandelker
Call it Nomad. Kind of switched around. Who cares? I'm gonna put the holidays on the bottom from now on. Okay? So, yeah, don't bring your trauma into it. You have just been doing bad things. Not for somebody else, because you don't know what to do. Stop with the dead person crutch. But also, Rip. Person that passed away.
- [14:30]
Ronnie Karam
God bless you, Rip. But also, Vinny, next time, like, maybe you should adopt a child before you come on the show so that way you can miss a child.
- [14:38]
Ben Mandelker
This is Top Chef. I don't. You can't. You can't cry about stuff like this. You have to cry about, like, missing your child. Like, I was cooking for my child. That's why I've been making everything with Cheerios and applesauce. But no more. No more. One day, I'll be able to see that child again. If ever I pay child support.
- [14:57]
Ronnie Karam
Well, this is probably why he's heroin.
- [14:59]
Ben Mandelker
I mean, Helen.
- [15:02]
Ronnie Karam
This is why he's. This is why he's faltering, because he does not have a child. He can call up and say, when I'm having a tough day, I just, like, call up my child, and I just remember, like, the strength that that child gives me. And I'm, like, ready for the next day. I'm refueled. He has no one to refuel. Who does he call up? He calls up his brother, who's like, oh, what are you gonna do? Make my Reuben pizza.
- [15:28]
Ben Mandelker
Okay, so now we go to the quick fire kitchen, which is the same as every other kitchen. It's got that big maple leaf. Also. I'm over the maple leaf entrance. Okay, we get it. You're in Canada. This is so tacky. I feel like you guys are such tourists. You're like, oh, it's Canada. Make a maple leaf. We can walk through. No, just. Just have a door. Canada also has just regular shade doors. We have fucking leaf bakers.
- [15:50]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah.
- [15:51]
Ben Mandelker
By the way, why am I so evil today? I don't know, but it doesn't matter.
- [15:55]
Ronnie Karam
It's okay. It's a good feeling. Also, when are we gonna hit the road? I mean, I love Toronto, but, like, I feel like we need to start seeing some other places. Oh, I guess we do Go on a road trip for no good reason today. So I guess there's that. So they walk in, and there's a bunch of dirty dishes set up. As soon as I saw the dirty dishes, I was like, okay, this is gonna be a corporate thing right now. There's no. Like, this is gonna be a detergent. I. I'm ready for it. And so they see it, and Kristen's like, oh, good morning. Good morning. Please welcome our. For your very special guest today, the host of Top Chef Canada, Eden Greenspan, who, hilariously, her name is not Greenspan. It's Green Greenspan.
- [16:37]
Ben Mandelker
She's just. She's like a Greenspan, but she's in a much fouler mood all the time. She's a Grinchpan. Okay?
- [16:44]
Ronnie Karam
And it's so funny because, like, when you look at her, I don't look at. Look at someone and say, this is someone whose last name is Grinchpan. I think this is, like, someone whose name is, for sure, Eden. Like, but it's like, Eden. I don't know. Eden Vanderberg or something like that, but not Grinch man. And I think that's probably why she hates people so much, because she's like, yeah, I'm like a Grinch man. And, like, people, like, it's, like, really hard to work through because people think I have a certain sort of personality, so I just have to, like, push through that and, like, hang out with cool people, because my name is, like, working against me right now.
- [17:17]
Ben Mandelker
Yeah. And Matsuma's like, eden, she's cool. I mean, I like her a lot. You know, some of the nicest hair in Canada. I love hair. Yeah. Under one roof. Me, Me and her, huh? Hey, how's it going, Greenspan? I have hair too. Am I right?
- [17:33]
Ronnie Karam
Ew. I don't know this person. Can we have him removed from the competition, please? Thank you.
- [17:38]
Ben Mandelker
She's like, this feels familiar, but with grosser Americans here, so fun for me. So now we see all chef dishes, these dirty dishes, and our friends at Finish ultimate have identified and can clean the 10 toughest stains in America. Wow. I love talking about food. Food stains in a food show.
- [18:05]
Ronnie Karam
Also, we're in Canada, so, like, can we stop like this? This is the most American thing we can do. Go up and shoot a show in Canada, all about Canada. Be like, well, guess what? Here are the most American stains. Huh? Where are your pussy Canadian stains? Was that a pout? Poutine. Oh, is poutine the number one thing? Because in America, the number one stain is pasta sauce.
- [18:28]
Ben Mandelker
So we have to use the stains as inspiration for our dishes. So they literally have to come grab a dirty dish with stains cooked onto them, and then they have to. Or dried onto them, rather. And then they have to sniff it. Guess what it is, and make a dish based on the sniff.
- [18:48]
Ronnie Karam
Hi, it's the ghost of Padma Lakshmi. I'm back with someone talking about scratching and sniffing stains. Enough about Gayle's love life.
- [19:01]
Ben Mandelker
So then Kristen's like, don't lick them out, so.
- [19:07]
Ronnie Karam
God.
- [19:08]
Ben Mandelker
So also, this chef. I'm sorry, Top Chef has too many spinoffs. Because when I go onto the peacock to watch Top Chef, I keep clicking on the wrong thing. There's cooking with Kish, and there's. There's Last Chance kitchen with Tom, and they all say, top Chef. Top Chef, Top Chef. Just show me the Top Chef. Put this shit back on the Internet where it belongs, okay? I don't need to see 5 million choices. You barely getting people to watch the Top Chef. Make me. Make me. Make it available to me. That's what I'm saying. Don't confuse me.
- [19:37]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah, yeah, I agree. It was very hard to find on peacock when I tried last week. So Bailey. Bailey spies a plate that has a whole bunch of green stain on it. And so she's like, she. She's drawn to that one because she's hoping it's pesto, you know, because when we're talking about the top 10 stains in America, pesto clearly has to be a top 10 stain in America.
- [20:01]
Ben Mandelker
Still, even stain.
- [20:05]
Ronnie Karam
It does oily. It, like, really cleans off nicely.
- [20:10]
Ben Mandelker
I was. Yeah, it feels, like, oily enough to clean off, but I don't know.
- [20:14]
Ronnie Karam
So America.
- [20:15]
Ben Mandelker
Massimo smells his, and he's like, I smell tomato. I smell basil. Pasta, finally. Pasta.
- [20:21]
Ronnie Karam
Yes.
- [20:22]
Ben Mandelker
And he's very excited. And then Lana, she's like, I might have the pan that made whatever Massimo has on his plate. Not pasta. She has burnt on greasy meat sauce.
- [20:37]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah, that's correct. It is GRE is greasy meat sauce. And Caesar, what do you have? Caesar? Caesar. Oh, Cesar. Holding onto my leg. Hold on one second. Caesar, do you want to tell the group what you have? You want to tell the group what you have?
- [20:48]
Ben Mandelker
He's like, please stop yelling at me. It's like, okay, Caesar, it's okay. You can do it. And Eden's like, I'll tell you this fucking wuss. You've got guacamole. Okay. God damn. Could someone get him out from under the table? He's like, I can't. I can't. Take the yelling.
- [21:05]
Ronnie Karam
Actually, Caesar has coffee and it's Bailey who has guacamole.
- [21:10]
Ben Mandelker
Oh, you're right.
- [21:10]
Ronnie Karam
Stupid Bailey. You're right. That one. And Bailey, I mean, that is a swing and a miss. If you think you're going to be making a pesto dish, it turns out you got guacamole. Oops, little, little bit off.
- [21:22]
Ben Mandelker
And she's pissed because who wants guacamole, you know, besides Amanda from Summer House? And sh got Mac and cheese, and Henry got barley and oats or oatmeal, I guess, to be more specific.
- [21:36]
Ronnie Karam
And then Vinnie got eggs, egg yolks. I'm like, vinnie, if you make a hollandaise, I'm going to. I'm going to push you off. Off this show right now.
- [21:45]
Ben Mandelker
He does. You're right.
- [21:48]
Ronnie Karam
He does.
- [21:49]
Ben Mandelker
He make a Benedict.
- [21:50]
Ronnie Karam
He does.
- [21:52]
Ben Mandelker
Maybe. I can't.
- [21:54]
Ronnie Karam
I didn't even put that together. And then Tristan got yellow rice and Paola got lasagna. And Paula's like, well, it's virtually impossible to do lasagna on a quick fire. I mean, how are you gonna rest the dough? I mean, I've got to figure out another way. Oh, I've got an idea. Why don't I just kind of steam a bunch of things and pile them on top of each other in the middle of the plate? Yeah, I think that'll work.
- [22:17]
Ben Mandelker
Well, why do you have to make the dough fresh? You just have to boil the lasagna, don't you? Can't you just boil the lasagna noodles? And, I mean, you don't have to bake it.
- [22:25]
Ronnie Karam
I kind of think you could do this in an hour. I actually do think you could do this. I think you could boil those lasagna noodles.
- [22:31]
Ben Mandelker
Yeah, an hour's enough time to boil lasagna. But I like that. She's like, it's a quick fire and I have to make my own dough. No, just boil the pasta. But whatever. It's time for a commercial. It's time for a Crappin's commercial.
- [22:46]
Ronnie Karam
It's springtime. I've got a travel itch, which works out well since we are actually traveling for tour and being on tour for our show, that means I've got to come up with a lot of good looks for myself because I want to try to look as cool as possible on stage. And thankfully, I have been able to find all sorts of first class quality stuff at an economic price tag from Quince.
- [23:05]
Ben Mandelker
Yep, Quince. Quince is where it's at. Lightweight shirts and shorts from 30 bucks pants for any occasion, comfortable lounge sets.
- [23:12]
Ronnie Karam
And the best part? All Quint's Items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands.
- [23:17]
Ben Mandelker
By partnering directly with top factories, Quint cuts out the cost of the middleman and passes the savings on to us.
- [23:23]
Ronnie Karam
And Quint only works with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices. I love that. And you know what I also love is that not only do I get great apparel there, you can also get like luggage and duffel bags and things like that. So like, it's truly like a great place to go for your travel needs.
- [23:40]
Ben Mandelker
For your next trip, treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve from quince. Go to quince.com crappens for 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order. That's Q U I n c e.com crappens to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quints.com Krappins At 24 I lost my narrative.
- [24:02]
C
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 Ruby 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 in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts Guests.
- [25:01]
Ben Mandelker
So then Kristen explains I have to make a new dish and first we got to get the dirty dishes into the dishwasher to get them cleaned. So they didn't make them use these dishes, right?
- [25:14]
Ronnie Karam
No, no. Instead we just watched Kristen and Eden like put the dishes in Eden's like ew, gross. I have to touch someone else's dishes.
- [25:23]
Ben Mandelker
Thanks. Thanks for letting my guest spot be a fucking do the dishes spot. Oh by the way, this reminded me my friend. I don't know why I'm telling you this, it's not important, but my friend was gonna have a pot start a podcast a couple years ago with her husband and asked me to write like, some random song. And so it's called do your dirty dishes. I've actually got a song.
- [25:44]
Ronnie Karam
Do you remember it?
- [25:46]
Ben Mandelker
Yeah.
- [25:46]
Ronnie Karam
Do you remember how it goes?
- [25:48]
Ben Mandelker
Yeah. Do you Dirty dishes. I'll put it at the end of this podcast so people can hear. I'm sure everyone's excited. Stay tuned, guys. You're gonna get to hear an orig.
- [26:00]
Ronnie Karam
It's also the exact quote that Heather Dubrow yells at our staff. Do your dirty dishes. If I have to walk in here again and see another speck of my nobu dishes, you're all fired.
- [26:11]
Ben Mandelker
The winner of this gets $10,000. The price of an apple, basically. So start now. So everybody runs around, and Paula's like, well, I can't make my own dough, so I guess just go with butternut squash. Fortunately, pasta takes five hours to boil.
- [26:33]
Ronnie Karam
I don't love this as a choice already. I just.
- [26:36]
Ben Mandelker
No.
- [26:37]
Ronnie Karam
Okay. All right, all right, Ronnie, if you are not going to use pasta, what alternative are you going to use to make your lasagna? Layers.
- [26:45]
Ben Mandelker
Tortillas.
- [26:47]
Ronnie Karam
Yep.
- [26:48]
Ben Mandelker
Or, I don't know, something, you know, like. Maybe like a. A Mexican, like, casserole type layered thing. I don't know.
- [26:57]
Ronnie Karam
Or you do it like a. You do like a play on lasagna, Like a. Maybe a deconstructed lasagna where you can like, make a. Make like a quick. Make like a quick pasta of some sort.
- [27:07]
Ben Mandelker
And you know what would be good? To slice potatoes really thinly and then layer that with cheese and all that and then bake that. That would be delicious.
- [27:15]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah. Like, I think that would hold it better. And I don't. Yeah, I actually don't think you want the sweetness of the butternut squash either.
- [27:22]
Ben Mandelker
No butternut squash. No. Gross. Yeah, so. And it's too wet. It's just too wet for.
- [27:29]
Ronnie Karam
It's not. It's not firm. You need the starch. Yeah. Okay. So Massimo is gonna be cooking. You know, cooking Italian food. And he's like, what is the toughest quick fire? It's when you pick up your kids from school and have 15 minutes to make them food. And I'm channeling that. You know, his wife is like, when did you last pick your kids up from school?
- [27:46]
Ben Mandelker
School? I know. His wife's like, you literally never did this, and that's why I left your ass. What are you talking about? When the kids had to go to your work, they were living off, like, cans out of the pantry. Let's. Let's stop. So he's like, you know, you don't Need. You don't have enough time to make a dough in 30 minutes and rest it and do all this. So I made a ricotta gnocchi. So that's smart. I think also an easier version of gnocchi. I've never really thought of doing that. Have you ever had a ricotta gnocchi?
- [28:15]
Ronnie Karam
I don't think so. Maybe at some restaurant somewhere.
- [28:17]
Ben Mandelker
I do straight up potato gnocchi every time, but this sounds a lot easier. Actually, today I'm making a sweet potato gnocchi because fart. Fart.
- [28:27]
Ronnie Karam
Delicious.
- [28:28]
Ben Mandelker
I gotta fart. I love farting because part of my weekly food prep when I'm trying to lose weight, which is always, is sweet potatoes, because you can just throw them in the microwave and they're easy. And so I have those in a plastic bag in the fridge already cooked. And so I just eat those in different versions every day. So today I'm going to squeeze all the potato out and I'm going to do a gnocchi with it.
- [28:51]
Ronnie Karam
Wish me luck. You know, I have not attempted gnocchi since about 2005 or 6. Early on in my cooking, cooking journey, I decided to attempt gnocchi and I pulled up a Giada de Laurentiis recipe and I followed the instructions and I made my, like, ropes and I chop, I made, I cut them up and I did the fork thing and everything on it to give them the ridges. And she said, you know, like, put them in. You know, you boil them for like two minutes or something like that. It's really short. But you probably know better since it sounds like you do them more often than I clearly have. But like, you do them for like two minutes or so. And I remember I made them and I was like, two minutes. That, that's clearly wrong because my experience had only been dried pasta, which is takes like 12 minutes or something like that. So I boiled those gnocchi for like eight minutes and they came out like just little soppy, buttery, sagey pillows of potato.
- [29:52]
Ben Mandelker
So wait, you mean the actual gnocchi you were boiling for two minutes?
- [29:56]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah, I like dropped those gnocchi. No, no, no. The gnocchi themselves were supposed to boil for like two minutes because they're not supposed to need a lot of time.
- [30:03]
Ben Mandelker
Right. But you potatoes, before you made the gnocchi?
- [30:08]
Ronnie Karam
Oh, the potatoes were cooked. Potatoes were cooked. I'm saying like once.
- [30:11]
Ben Mandelker
So you're saying, you're saying you boiled the actual gnocchis for too long?
- [30:16]
Ronnie Karam
I, I, when I once I made the proper dough, which I Did. And I put it.
- [30:20]
Ben Mandelker
Oh, yeah.
- [30:21]
Ronnie Karam
In there.
- [30:22]
Ben Mandelker
Sorry.
- [30:22]
Ronnie Karam
I dropped the gnocchi into the.
- [30:24]
Ben Mandelker
Just wait till they float.
- [30:26]
Ronnie Karam
No, they floated, but I was like, this is too soon. I was like, something's wrong. And I. I mean, I boil. Like, I will never forget this. The weird, soppy flavor of the. Because I was like, well, I gotta eat them. And they were so bad. And I've not been scared, but I just always think about that. And I recently, I was gonna to climb the gnocchi hill again, but I haven't. But.
- [30:46]
Ben Mandelker
Oh, I make it. I make gnocchi often. I like gnocchi. I make it. It's like family. A family dinner thing. Although it takes forever to do for family dinner because it's like each individual little thing. But, see, I learned it from the lady on Food Network with the Guy Fieri hair. What's her name?
- [31:02]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah. Anne Burrell. She's great.
- [31:03]
Ben Mandelker
Yeah. I love Amber El. So I learned it from her. The trick is a ricer. Put the potatoes. Put the potatoes through a ricer, then chill them.
- [31:11]
Ronnie Karam
Them.
- [31:11]
Ben Mandelker
You have to do that part. And then you put the dough, you put the flour and everything, and then. Yeah, just. You just boil it till they rise to the top of the water, and then you take them out and you can eat them that way. But I like to do that. Dry them off and then put them through. A quick pan fry.
- [31:27]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah, I feel like you're supposed to do a pan fry. Well, I was supposed to a pan fry, but mine were so gelatinous and waterlogged that that was just not an option. I just remember.
- [31:36]
Ben Mandelker
Yeah.
- [31:36]
Ronnie Karam
Like, it was really horrific.
- [31:38]
Ben Mandelker
The big secret step. Because a lot of times, like, especially when I go to Italian restaurants that are like, we do a homemade gnocchi. It's very soft. It's just like a mashed potato kind of thing. And I don't like it.
- [31:48]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah.
- [31:48]
Ben Mandelker
You want to have a little chew to it?
- [31:50]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah, no, I like a pan. Well, maybe I'll make a gnocchi soon, because this is inspiring to me today.
- [31:58]
Ben Mandelker
I can't wait. I'm very excited about it. Actually, I wasn't planning on doing that at all until we said it today. I was like, I'm doing that. I'm doing it.
- [32:06]
Ronnie Karam
Massimo has infected us. Meanwhile, you know what Vinny's gonna do today? Hollandaise. He says, I'm just gonna double down on everything egg. And by everything egg, I mean everything nomad. I'm gonna make some breakfast. Can you guess what I'm making? And Tristan Oh, I didn't. I didn't even pick this up. Tristan goes a hollandaise.
- [32:24]
Ben Mandelker
Tristan keeping his foot on Vinny's neck. I love to see it. He goes a hollandaise, and he goes a Benedict, which is served with a hollandaise. Vinnie, you've even got Tristan over here. Truth telling to you, and you're still just ignoring it. Lame.
- [32:38]
Ronnie Karam
This is hilarious. So Bailey, meanwhile, says, well, I don't want to make. To just make a guacamole. I want it to feel refined. So I'm going to make something that has the components of guacamole. So she's going to make avocado salad.
- [32:53]
Ben Mandelker
Avocado and lime and cilantro. Sounds delicious.
- [32:57]
Ronnie Karam
I don't know how that's more refined.
- [32:59]
Ben Mandelker
It's not.
- [32:59]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah, yeah, it's not.
- [33:01]
Ben Mandelker
It's just unmatched. Wouldn't mashing make it more refined?
- [33:06]
Ronnie Karam
I feel like there's. There's got, like. I think it. There's got to be a way to, like, you can still make guacamole and have it part of an overall larger, refined dish.
- [33:16]
Ben Mandelker
You know, I thought she was gonna do, like, an avocado mousse on something.
- [33:20]
Ronnie Karam
You know, or, like, almost like something that sits amongst, like, a. Like, almost like a guacamole style sauce. Right. You know, or. Yeah, like, maybe a nice piece of, like, salmon with, like, a green. You know, a little green, you know? You know? You know, you know, I'm doing. I'm making a little gesture of, like, a sauce cascading down the sides of the salmon. Nice and green and velvety.
- [33:43]
Ben Mandelker
So then Caesar got coffee, so he's like, oh, my God, Coffee. It's nice and roasty. So that makes me think of a dish at a place I used to work. Nomad. No, no, please stop yelling at me. We did salmon crudo with coffee oil, so I know that works. Coffee oil. Okay. But you're not pouring coffee over the salmon and then turning it into a cappuccino.
- [34:07]
Ronnie Karam
Caesar's really going whole hog with. With, like, with bitter brown powders this week. He really is just. He. You know, he has that thing that happens sometimes where he has. He does, like, one out of the box dish really well, and it's a huge success, and now he wants to do it all the time. And, like, you be careful, because wasn't it last season there was someone crazy every time? Yeah, there's someone named, I think, Rasika last season, who was, like, a front runner because she did some out of the box Stuff. But then she got addicted doing out of the box. And then she flew too close to the sun and got herself eliminated when she was actually. People thought she was going to win the whole thing. So Caesar, just pull it back. Okay. Coffee and cocoa. Let's keep it in our cups.
- [34:52]
Ben Mandelker
So Lana agrees. She's like, oh, yeah, I don't see the vision, but, you know, he did it. Piss pickle custard. And that was one of the best things Tom's ever eaten. So who am I to question him? So Tristan is going to do a what?
- [35:08]
Ronnie Karam
Who am I to question him? Just a girl with a pickle fridge and resentment from her parents.
- [35:17]
Ben Mandelker
So what's Tristan doing? A jollof rice. How do you pronounce it?
- [35:21]
Ronnie Karam
Jollof rice. So it's a West African, super iconic West African rice dish. So he's gonna make that, and then Shawai is going to make rice cakes instead of dry pasta because he loves the texture of a rice cake because it's chewy. And then Henry is similarly going to go chewy. He's toasting oats, and he's making a rice ball, but with oat flour instead, which is something that he grew up eating. And his mom makes it a lot. So he's gonna do it. So he is. He's gonna fill with sesame and butter and sugar and all sorts of good stuff. And meanwhile, Lana's talking about how she basically hasn't earned any money so far, and the prize money would help her with travel. And she says, my boyfriend lives in Sicily. It's literally a world away. He says, quote, anything to get away from the stench of that godforsaken fridge you keep dragging around.
- [36:16]
Ben Mandelker
He says he'll move to America when I get rid of the pickles. No way. Listen, I'm gonna say, love is love. I love people finding love. That's great. That's great. Sicily's too fucking far. I'm sorry. Like, what's. What's going on? Who's cheating on who? Because that's too far.
- [36:33]
Ronnie Karam
It's too far. I think we're sketching. I think this is actually. We're setting up Lana to go to the finals. You know why? Because this little bit of, like, texture in her life that she has this boyfriend who's far away. Usually you see this if someone's gonna be at the top or the bottom of the. Of the episode, and she was neither. She wasn't in danger, and she didn't excel, which was like, well, why are you giving this piece of information now? Which meant to me, it's a building block for building the case for her being someone we root for later on in the season. That's my little.
- [37:07]
Ben Mandelker
I don't see that happening, but I don't know.
- [37:11]
Ronnie Karam
Well, I just.
- [37:11]
Ben Mandelker
On your idea, I just. I just. I just can't see it happening. I just. It's not that she's bad. It's. I don't remember anything she's made. Do you?
- [37:21]
Ronnie Karam
Not really.
- [37:22]
Ben Mandelker
She's a standout. But you know what? You don't have to be a standout to make it to the finale. Right? Especially if there's three. Because a lot of times, like, how'd that person get here?
- [37:30]
Ronnie Karam
I know, but see, I feel bad.
- [37:32]
Ben Mandelker
Even saying that about her because it's not like she sucks. I just maybe unmemor.
- [37:37]
Ronnie Karam
Well, I will say that a lot of the. A lot of the people who I assumed were just going to be in the finals have been going home. Like Katiana and Zubair and etc. Yeah. I hope so.
- [37:49]
Ben Mandelker
She'll be back 100. I still believe.
- [37:52]
Ronnie Karam
I still believe.
- [37:54]
Ben Mandelker
Yeah. So this is my favorite thing about Top Chef's notes. Sentences like this. Paula struggles with squash.
- [38:08]
Ronnie Karam
She over blanched her squash, and now it's, like, slimy. And she doesn't have time to blanch anymore. I've blanched too hard, and I've blanched too long in my life, and I can't blanch anymore. It's a great song.
- [38:24]
Ben Mandelker
So Henry is gonna cook Chinese food. He says that he has avoided cooking it for way too long because it's seen as something cheaper. But now he's gonna highlight it, and so good for him. And Caesar is gonna do little cappuccinos out of salmon, which sounds terrifying. So they've got five minutes.
- [38:42]
Ronnie Karam
And why, Caesar, why? Listen, I love both those things. And I very frequently will have have smoked salmon for breakfast with some coffee on the side, but not in the same bite. Don't do that together, Caesar. So Bailey is loving her salad. She is like. She's like, it's giving guacamole without being guacamole. I'm like, so you made an avocado salad?
- [39:07]
Ben Mandelker
She made an avocado.
- [39:07]
Ronnie Karam
Avocado and onion.
- [39:09]
Ben Mandelker
She put an avocado and, like, two pieces of lettuce. So Paula's like, this sucks. This is the weirdest thing I've ever made. And utensils down.
- [39:19]
Ronnie Karam
It's very barfy. All right, so we start judging. And so. So, you know, they're serving their stuff and then Paula brings her stuff up, and she's like, well, this was an adventure. Enjoy. And Kristen's like, is this a lasagna? She was like, ugh, I know. Yeah, it's a lasagna. I'm like, well, that doesn't sound promising.
- [39:39]
Ben Mandelker
Masuma serves his gnocchi. Bailey does the salad with the trumpet mushroom, celery, and avocado and a very light agave cumin vinaigrette.
- [39:53]
Ronnie Karam
And then Shuai has made his Mac and cheese thing with a. With a rice. The rice. Rice. I forget the rice things. And. And it has so much cheese in it. He's like, so I put bechamel and cheddar and fontina and aged gruyere. Like, wow, it sounds like girl's toothpaste.
- [40:17]
Ben Mandelker
So she's like, what kind of cheese would you make with your. What kind of cheese would you use with your thing? Eden. And Eden's like, I would use, like, five cheeses. Yeah. So we're still playing scratch and sniff. Gail.
- [40:34]
Ronnie Karam
Wow. Henry, what did you do with your oatmeal? Well, if he's like, gail, put it in his hair.
- [40:41]
Ben Mandelker
H. Grier. Wow. That was what they said under Gail's yearbook picture.
- [40:49]
Ronnie Karam
He's like, well, today I made a glutinous rice ball. Wow. Stop talking about Gail. Am I right? It's just so easy sometimes. Sorry. Continue.
- [40:58]
Ben Mandelker
Sorry. Gluten. Are we talking about Gail's lube on national television?
- [41:04]
Ronnie Karam
Gluten rice ball, also known as Gail.
- [41:07]
Ben Mandelker
Senior superlative glutinous rice ball filled with maple butter, toasted oats, and oatmeal broth. Okay, you're losing me at oatmeal broth, but you're winning me with glutenous. The fact that in 2025, that someone is actually trying to sell something as glutenous. I hope you win this whole show. I'm sorry for every mean thing I said about you in the beginning, and I called you terrible. Thank you for trying to bring gluten back to the streets. Okay. We deserve gluten.
- [41:33]
Ronnie Karam
H. So Eden is like, so, like, how did you make the rice balls? You've got five seconds, because I'm already bored.
- [41:41]
Ben Mandelker
It's like glutenous rice flour. She's like, okay with the gluten trauma.
- [41:44]
Ronnie Karam
Okay. Yeah. You don't have to, like. You don't have to brag. And so he's like, yeah, Glutinous rice flour, a touch of AP and warm water to get a chewy. Don't. I. I can't I don't know why. When he said a touch of ap, I was like, oh, that's so cheffy. Stop it.
- [42:00]
Ben Mandelker
It is, but also. Also, nothing will outdo this oatmeal broth. Sorry, I have to just say that again because what? Stop it. Oatmeal broth.
- [42:12]
Ronnie Karam
Kristen's like, tastes like my childhood breakfast, Finney. He's like, well, I made you eggs Benedict carbonara hollandaise with a poached egg, some arugula, arugula hollandaise, and an egg yolk vinaigrette made of more hollandaise and then served on challah, which is really just frozen holidays in the shape of a bread slice.
- [42:31]
Ben Mandelker
As you'll notice, I use this Benedict to spell out the word nomad on the plate, so I hope you enjoy it. Tristan did his golden rice with clams, peas, and some charred shishito. And Lana did a meat sauce. Eggs in purgatory, she calls it.
- [42:50]
Ronnie Karam
Wow, that's like Gail's closet, which I call fashion purgatory. Also with sausage.
- [42:57]
Ben Mandelker
And Cesar introduces his salmon cappuccino with cured salmon celery root that's been pickled with coffee. Coffee mustard, and coffee crumble. You're going to be driving a salmon cappuccino bus home, because this is crazy. They should have changed the rules just to fire you right now, because this is. This shit's crazy. Go back to your under the bed heat lamp, you fucking weirdo.
- [43:24]
Ronnie Karam
Kristen, this is when I do need you to be more like Padma, because she's like. Like, how did you arrive at bringing those two together? No, ask it like this. Why did you do this to us? Ask it like that. Because he's like, it felt right. Hm. Well, Eden, how did our chefs do with these tough stains? Fantastic. I mean, sort of, like, lame, but, like, fantastic. I'm truly, truly impressed with everyone except the people in this room. He's like, okay, great. Well, unfortunately, there were a few. There were a few stains that may have been tougher than they look. Do you see what I'm doing there? Because Finish. Etc.
- [44:01]
Ben Mandelker
Go ahead and be mean to somebody for me, Eden. Eden's like, paula loved the cashew ricotta. Unfortunately, your lasagna fell apart. It was. I hope it dies. I hope you die with it. I hope you choke on it and die. Okay, who's next? Bailey wanted to get guacamole from your dish, but licking the actual dry guacamole dish was better than whatever the fuck you just served me. Okay. I hope I would die as well.
- [44:29]
Ronnie Karam
I would Literally. Rather choke on the giant ass nut inside of an avocado than eat your wretched salad one more time.
- [44:39]
Ben Mandelker
Unfortunately, it felt more like avocado was the star. Oh, were you looking at Gil's tick tock again?
- [44:49]
Ronnie Karam
Okay. It was a good salad, though. No, Kristen, you just leave it as it sucked and then. Okay, and one more. Eden, can you just shit on one more person? Yes, Caesar. Okay. Hello. You're named after a salad. Like, why don't you make a salmon salad? Because instead, the coffee and the salmon, it wasn't really a great pairing. Oh, yeah. Sort of like Gail and any dress she's ever worn. Yeah, exactly.
- [45:13]
Ben Mandelker
Wow. That went together like Gail and George.
- [45:19]
Ronnie Karam
It just felt a little bit too rich. Unlike Gail's fashion sense. Wow. Can you see me? Are you like that little boy in that movie about the census?
- [45:31]
Ben Mandelker
About the census?
- [45:32]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah.
- [45:33]
Ben Mandelker
There's a movie about a boy in the census.
- [45:36]
Ronnie Karam
It's called the Sixth Sense. I'm actually friends with Haley Joel.
- [45:41]
Ben Mandelker
I thought you said the census. This, like, how many people live in your home or whatever.
- [45:47]
Ronnie Karam
Wow. Seems like a very. Sounds like the gale of movies like no one wants to watch it.
- [45:51]
Ben Mandelker
God, poor Haley Joel. He's going through a rough time. So anyway, Kristen's.
- [45:56]
Ronnie Karam
He was. I think he was. I think he said. Well, he did something, I think problematic. Right. He was drunk, and he was, like.
- [46:03]
Ben Mandelker
Drunk in public and on coke or something. Like coked out in public allegedly. And went on a tirade calling people the K word. It's not good.
- [46:16]
Ronnie Karam
No.
- [46:16]
Ben Mandelker
Yes. Like, he went crazy and then he.
- [46:19]
Ronnie Karam
Has anti my people.
- [46:21]
Ben Mandelker
Yes. Oh, he pulled a Mel Gibson.
- [46:26]
Ronnie Karam
Oh, wow. Wow.
- [46:29]
Ben Mandelker
Haley Joe Dunzo. Here comes one right now.
- [46:39]
D
Everyone has that friend who seems kind of perfect for Patty. That friend was Desiree. Until one day I texted her, and.
- [46:48]
Ben Mandelker
She was not getting the text. So I went to Instagram. She has no Instagram anymore. And Facebook. No Facebook anymore.
- [46:56]
D
Desiree was gone. And there was one person who knew the answer.
- [47:00]
Ronnie Karam
I am a spiritual person, magical person.
- [47:05]
D
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. I'm calling to check on the two missing Brazilian girls.
- [47:25]
Ben Mandelker
Maybe get some undercover crew there.
- [47:27]
Ronnie Karam
The family are freaking out.
- [47:29]
Ben Mandelker
They our law.
- [47:30]
D
I'm Chico Felitti. You can listen to Don't Cross Cat on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [47:38]
E
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 Wondries 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 Wonder Plus.
- [48:36]
Ben Mandelker
So Kristen is like. But a plus for creativity, though. That salmon, basically, that salmon cappuccino was Haley Joel Osmond on a bender. Okay, we don't need any more of that. So then Massimo is one of the tops because Eden loved the beautiful gnocchi dish. Loved that.
- [48:56]
Ronnie Karam
I have to say that in like 30 minutes. I'm so impressed with just how much you could annoy me in such little time. Congratulations. Brava.
- [49:07]
Ben Mandelker
They loved that. And Henry's mochi ball. Mochi ball was very unique and very nostalgic. Eden's like, guys, I haven't had a mochi ball like that since I was never so. God, I remember that growing up. Just remember growing up and not eating gluten, but wow. Good try. That was delicious, though. Loved it.
- [49:29]
Ronnie Karam
The mochi ball, that's like. It was. That's, like, really nostalgic. It reminded me of last year when I threw one of them at Dan Levy's face at the net at the Emmys. I was like, get out of my way, four eyes. Love that.
- [49:41]
Ben Mandelker
I want to eat a mochi ball. I'm going to learn how to make that. I've never made anything like that. That looks actually kind of good at.
- [49:47]
Ronnie Karam
This point, by the way. I was like, oh, Henry's at the top. Maybe this wall thing, you know, he talked about his walls were down now, and he's like, now cooking the thing that he likes. I was like, okay, maybe he is having a turnaround. Because a lot of times on Top Chef, they're like, not happy until you cook from your heritage. And they're like, finally you're cooking what you know.
- [50:04]
Ben Mandelker
Yeah. And then Tristan did the baked on rice dish, and she loved it. She just loved it. So Kristin loved the heat, loved how the rice was cooked, and the chef that really wowed us was Henry. Henry, you did it. Your oatmeal broth saved the day. I cannot believe they let something win that had oatmeal broth.
- [50:29]
Ronnie Karam
He's like, I'm in shock. I'm excited. I needed this. Everything will be smooth sailing going forward. Henry, you just won $10,000 from our friends at Finish ultimate so you can remove the stain of all the other terrible food you've cooked for us all season long. Congratulations.
- [50:45]
Ben Mandelker
So Henry's like, oh, my God. Gluten. Gluten won me ten grand party. Can't wait to tell my mom when I get home in the morning. So Kristen's like, okay, Eden, thanks for being here, grouchy pants. Can't wait to see you tomorrow. Okay, please leave. So, okay, tomorrow we're gonna have our first ever pizza party.
- [51:05]
Ronnie Karam
Bailey's like, pizza might seem simple, but it is truly an art form. And you'll see when I destroy mine later in this episode. Okay.
- [51:15]
Ben Mandelker
She's like, not everything can be deconstructed. Guacamole. Am I right? Yeah. She's correct, though. Pizza is not easy. I went through this time where I water fasted for 43 days. I did not eat anything. I only drank water. Do you remember that?
- [51:34]
Ronnie Karam
Yes, I do.
- [51:36]
Ben Mandelker
Looked absolutely insane. My eyes were even vacant. Like, my eyes were completely. Anyway, it was like some trend. I know it sounds like an eating disorder, and I guess it was thinking back on it. But at the time, I was, like, really into this Reddit that was about fasting. And I had watched a Netflix documentary that was like, oh, my God, fasting changes your life and it fixes depression. So it's like, I'm in. So Anyway, I lasted 43 days, and you don't get hungry. But, man, by the end of this, all I was doing was watching YouTube food videos because I was like, I'm gonna learn how to cook so much better now. And when I come out of this, I'm gonna really respect food. And one thing I've always wanted to know how to make is pizza. Can I tell you, I never made a damn good pizza. And I tried 40 pounds later, by the way. Cause I gained it all back immediately and still cannot make a pizza. That shit is hard, Ben. It's hard.
- [52:26]
Ronnie Karam
I agree. I went to a pizza making class actually last year, and I feel like. And I, I. I feel like I learned. I feel like I now I feel like I actually can make a good pizza. And I've been wanting to Make a pizza ever since then, and I haven't done it, and I'm worried that I'm gonna lose all the lessons that I learned. But it is hard. There's an art to it. There's a difference between a flatbread and a pizza. And that's why we all. We all know. We all know. Well, I mean, we always say, oh, well, even bad pizza is good pizza, which is true. But we all know the difference. We all know the difference. We've been there.
- [52:53]
Ben Mandelker
Yeah, we've been there. I can still just even. I tried again during COVID I was like, well, you know, maybe the world's ending, so I'm gonna learn how to make. Still couldn't do it. Still cannot do it. I can only make, like, a really thin, like, flat, crispy. I can make that kind, but I don't. Whatever. I want to make, like, a chewy, glutenous pizza crust. Just can't do it.
- [53:17]
Ronnie Karam
Well, maybe someday we'll get there. Anyway, everyone, what's a pizza party without a few more friends? Chefs, please welcome the owner of Stretch Pizza, Gail Simmons. Oh, I thought you meant stretch pants. Continue, Kristen.
- [53:33]
Ben Mandelker
Stretch drayon. Gail Simmons. Gail.
- [53:41]
Ronnie Karam
James Beard award winner and Michelin star chef Wiley Dufresne. And also Top Chef all star owner and former innovator in small hats, we the pizza Spike Mendelsohn. So here comes Spike, who looks like he's 40 years older, which was crazy, but, you know, it's crazy. He has. He. When he first came on the show, it was like 15 or 17 years ago. So he comes out very like Vincent.
- [54:07]
Ben Mandelker
D'Onofrio, Criminal Minds or whatever that show is. You know, he looks kind of like Vince these days, but it was, I guess, good to see him. I don't remember if he was evil. Was he a villain?
- [54:17]
Ronnie Karam
No, I think we all. I really liked him. It was. Remembers him and that guy Andrew, I think they were. That was a great season. He is back, and. And he says the thing that is now becoming a cliche of alums returning to Top Chef, which is, it's nice to be back. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't full of anxiety right now. Wow. Being back in the quick fire kitchen. Wow. It's really bringing back feeling. Lots of anxiety. This is, like the third person this season that said that, like, the joke is over. We get it. We get it.
- [54:46]
Ben Mandelker
Yeah. It's hard. But I will say, Wiley Dufresne, thank you for cutting your hair. I don't know how many Years it's been. But I remember Wiley would come on the show, and I was like, oh, congratulations on using liquid nitrogen and, like, ox piss for whatever you're doing, but could you please cut your hair?
- [55:03]
Ronnie Karam
Okay, could you please, like, abandon the girl who works at the info desk at the student resource center in college? Haircut, soul style. But soul style is like, you have to walk up to him, and he's going to point you in the right direction to someplace that's just so specific but true.
- [55:26]
Ben Mandelker
So I don't know why he's here for this. I mean, I know he has, like, a famous pizza place and stuff, but Wiley's usually here for, like, the gastrointestinal challenge or whatever. I was like, my stomach hurts. It's like, because you just ate a puppy. You just ate a puppy turned into a chocolate pudding that looked like a boob. Why? Who made this?
- [55:45]
Ronnie Karam
Okay, here's what I'm mad about with stretch Pizza. I've never been. I'm sure it's excellent because it's. While I do frame, but I just. First of all, the name Stretch Pizza, I don't love the name stretch Pizza. And then I. I looked it up just now, and I see that. I see the signage of it, and it has, like, real kind of like, fast casual signage. And I'm like, this is clearly a fast casual play. I'm assuming that there are. I don't know if there's more than one location. I guess there's only one location. But, like, you don't make a pizza place and give it this font without hopes that it becomes a fast cat. Like, it becomes, like, franchise. And I'm already mad because it probably will be a franchise and it'll be very expensive for what it is. I'm just saying that right now I'm mad that I'm gonna go to a mall someday and go to stretch Pizza and say, this is very expensive for what it is.
- [56:37]
Ben Mandelker
Yeah, it looks like they have. Oh, no, this is from somewhere called PMQ that has caviar pizza. No, with that. Get that the. Out of my way. I think the stretch pizza looks pretty. Damn. I have to say, I googled it as well. I'm looking at this. This is the crust I like. It looks like a whole hoagie roll around that. Look, it's huge. And you can tell it's just so chewy. I'm into it.
- [56:58]
Ronnie Karam
Look, I'm looking around. I'm on their. I'm on their order online. Do their pizzas look absolutely fucking delicious? Yes. Do I want one right now? Yes. Does the Caesar salad look great? Yes. But it's also $19. See? I knew it. Overpriced. I knew it. Well, the Caesar salad. A caesar salad is $19. And here's the thing. You put that font up, that big, goofy, sans serif, bubbly font up, like, oh, I'm just your fun neighborhood pizza place, but I'm going to charge you $19 for a Caesar salad. I know. I'll be mad.
- [57:31]
Ben Mandelker
Yeah.
- [57:32]
Ronnie Karam
And I am mad.
- [57:33]
Ben Mandelker
Yeah, me too. Yeah, they're even doing. They're even charging that much lately, though, for, like, acai bowls. Like, there's a bowl placed by me, and I. Or I was like, I'm gonna order a bowl. And they were like, that's 19. It's like an acai bowl with the. What's in it? Stem cells. Send me a acai bowl.
- [57:51]
Ronnie Karam
Well, yeah. Wait. Should you. Well, we'll wait to the Valley till we address the word acai.
- [57:58]
Ben Mandelker
Was that not proper?
- [58:00]
Ronnie Karam
No. Remember last week you said you heard something, and people were like. They said acai and like, all weekend long.
- [58:07]
Ben Mandelker
Long.
- [58:08]
Ronnie Karam
All weekend long messages. So I also want to say one last thing about stretch pizza. Is that one of the pizzas on here? It's a bacon, red onion, tomato sauce, and mozzarella pizza. And for some reason, it's called the DL. And I don't know why it's called the DL, but do they know what DL means in our culture?
- [58:26]
Ben Mandelker
It's like, dick. Dick on the down low.
- [58:30]
Ronnie Karam
Do we need to. Do you. Do we need to have a conversation with this pizza?
- [58:34]
Ben Mandelker
I'm into a closeted pizza. Yeah, bring it. Nah, I'll pay $19 for that. Okay. So then we go to intros, and they're like, oh, wow. And Wiley Dufresne brings on his wily charisma, where he's like, hi, I'm Wiley Wily Dufresne. I cook things out of stomach acid.
- [59:02]
Ronnie Karam
So, Kristen, Chris, can I say something? Also, I was gonna wait till later in the episode, but in the previews for this week, they showed Wiley and Spike and everything. And later on, when they announced the winner for the challenge, Spike and Wiley clasp hands, but Wiley is also wearing sunglasses. Cause they're outside, and when they show. They showed this moment, they said they showed this moment of them clasping hands and him in the sunglasses. And in the context of this episode, it was actually kind of like a. I think they were being jokey, but in the context of the preview, it looked like a very serious moment. And I. I literally built a narrative in my head where I said, did Wy du Fran lose his vision? And was like, this was Spike helping him with his hand right now. And I was like, oh, my God, what happened to W D fr? And I had this whole vision in my head all week long that W. Dufresne had lost his vision, his eyesight.
- [59:57]
Ben Mandelker
Poor Wiley. Jeez. I don't think so. Because he got a good haircut.
- [60:01]
Ronnie Karam
He hasn't. No, he hasn't at all. He got a haircut.
- [60:04]
Ben Mandelker
Yeah. Yeah, I think. And that doesn't mean people with that vision don't get good haircuts. It just means. I think he was like, it's time to get my haircut. It's like, I need a cuter haircut. So then, let's see. So. Oh. So Kristen's like, okay. One might be thinking, why pizza in Canada? Well, who here has heard of Hawaiian pizza? And they're like, oh, gross. Hawaiian pizza is disgusting. But it was made in Canada, so watch your tongues.
- [60:35]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah, yeah. Seriously. Otherwise, Eden Greenspan is going to come back and moan at you.
- [60:42]
Ben Mandelker
Yeah.
- [60:42]
Ronnie Karam
So then we hear everyone talks about who likes pineapple. Some people like it, some people don't. But it turns out it was. It was invented in Canada by a Greek immigrant, which I had no idea about. And then Wiley's like, you know, motivate, but he just gets the history of it. Like, literally no one cares. And so then they talk about it for a very long time, because guess what? This is gonna be a Hawaiian pizza challenge. No, it's not. They just talk about it for a long time, and they really do.
- [61:07]
Ben Mandelker
I've. I went down the same road you did. I was like, that everyone has to make Hawaiian. Wasn't it enough that they all had to make pickles last week? Come on. But no, it was. That's just something that was conceptualized here. And then someone else, Chef Carol Oshada, started experimenting with sushi, and he made a sushi pizza. So we see a picture of an actual rice, not rice flour, but, like an actual rice crust with sushi on top of it. So it's a creative pizza challenge. Ooh.
- [61:37]
Ronnie Karam
So I think this is limits. Yeah. I think this is their way of trying to explain why they were doing a pizza challenge in Canada, because they're like, yeah, yeah. The audience will be very confused about why we're doing this. So they have to make a. They have to make a. Like, a really innovative pizza, essentially. And it's going to have to be Spike Says it's something that sparks a conversation, a debate, and tastes delicious. Like, God, because who. When I eat pizza. You know what? I love a pizza that's going to spark conversation.
- [62:07]
Ben Mandelker
If I don't debate over my. My pizza, I'm out.
- [62:10]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah. Yeah. So that's. They're gonna have to cook for, like, a whole, like, a ton of people, 70 people, and they're gonna cook there. It's all gonna take place at Niagara on the Lakes Ravine Vineyard. So that's what they're gonna do. And by the way, we're sending you to Niagara Falls, so don't get too wet for this challenge. That has nothing to do with Niagara Falls. How do they not come up with, like, a waterfall inspired something another. Like, how do they not make a Niagara Falls base challenge?
- [62:38]
Ben Mandelker
Well, I don't know, but they do. And I guess it makes sense because Niagara Falls is wet and pineapple pizza is also wet. So I don't know.
- [62:46]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah.
- [62:46]
Ben Mandelker
So then Vinny's like, oh, my God, we gotta cook for Wiley. Fuck me. Does he even like Nomad? So they all go to Whole foods. They've got 250 bucks, and we see them run around getting stuff. But the big issue is they get to the kitchen and. Well, we see Henry checking out and he's like, do I have enough money? Am I gonna make it? You got the flower, right? But he left one of his bags of flour on the bottom of the cart. Dun, dun, dun.
- [63:16]
Ronnie Karam
Dude, look. Just look at what's in your cart. Just look at what's in there and say, what else here do I need? He takes out a basil plant and he's like, don't need the basil plant. And I just assume everything else here is basil. Look at the cart. Just look at it.
- [63:32]
Ben Mandelker
Yeah. Oh, my gosh. So Massimo's doing a standard pizza. I guess he's right. He's doing something kind of.
- [63:39]
Ronnie Karam
Well, he's like. He's like, for my pizza, I'm going to put clams and mussels on it. I'm like, ooh, a clam pizza. Really, really, really reinventing pizza there.
- [63:50]
Ben Mandelker
Oh, I forgot that he did that. For some reason. I thought he just did kind of like a margarita standard type thing, but.
- [63:54]
Ronnie Karam
Okay, we'll put, like, clams and mussels. I mean, he was doing like a. He later on says, it's like a chowder without, like, the chowder part. But I'm like, I think clam pizzas are kind of like, pretty iconic. It's like the best pizza a Lot of times, what's considered the best pizza in America is a clam pizza out of New Haven. So I'm like, really?
- [64:14]
Ben Mandelker
I've never heard of that. But that's interesting that it is, because then the judges later were like, ooh, fish and cheese.
- [64:20]
Ronnie Karam
What?
- [64:21]
Ben Mandelker
And they have a debate over that. But if that's a famous pizza, shouldn't they know that?
- [64:26]
Ronnie Karam
I know. I was confused. I'm like, it's a really famous pizza in New Haven. Like, a really famous one. So it is shocking that they're confused about that. They're like, wow, cheese and seafood on a pizza. Who would have thought?
- [64:40]
Ben Mandelker
And I actually hadn't heard. I'm sure they have mentioned this on Top Chef before, but I remember it being a big deal on Food Network on some competition show. Someone was like, cheese and fish. Disgusting. This is automatically a loser. Everybody knows not to put cheese with fish. And they were like, yeah, cheese and fish. And I was like, have you people never had a tuna melt? Like, when did this become.
- [64:59]
Ronnie Karam
That's what I always say. Yeah.
- [65:02]
Ben Mandelker
It's just so weird to me that they act like it's just so crazy. I mean, there's lots of things in fish.
- [65:08]
Ronnie Karam
Yeah. I feel like that's, like, an outdated idea. I think that fish and cheese not only can work well together. I think they do work well together. I want to put it right there. I think it just, like, somehow we got this idea that we can't do it, but we 100% can, and I'm all for it. 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.
- [65:37]
Ben Mandelker
Squirrels fly when the moon stops shining diamonds in the street but they're certain where they're mining Flip on the boo bay snack A Scooby doo ya dirty Two shelves rains roar and the mustache twirling Pour it in your pocket but your choppers are apparent Dancing and tears build up a booze no thumper lose do your daddy dishes.
- [66:08]
Ronnie Karam
Watch what crappens would like to thank its premium sponsors. Ain't no thing like Allison King Our.
- [66:14]
Ben Mandelker
Way is the amber way it's the.
- [66:16]
Ronnie Karam
Foster and the furious It's Amanda Foster it's always automatic with Ashley auto Ashley.
- [66:21]
Ben Mandelker
Savoni she don't take no baloney Put.
- [66:24]
Ronnie Karam
Your hands together for Carly Clapp. Catherine D. Bernardo has our hearto.
- [66:29]
Ben Mandelker
Get on the right foot with Chrissy Offutt. Dana C. Dana d. Do she's not just a Sheila She's a Daniella Etchells we never miss her call It's Diane.
- [66:37]
Ronnie Karam
Call Aaron mcnicholas She don't miss no Trickolas Hava Nagila Weber. You'll never hide from Heidi Eleanor Jones. I go, you go we all go for Hugo Jamie she has no less Namey we could all learn from Jennifer.
- [66:52]
Ben Mandelker
Kearns she's our kind of mess It's Jennifer Messer Sipped some scotch With Jessica.
- [66:56]
Ronnie Karam
Trotch Knock, knock, knocking on Katie Mannock's store She's our favorite streamer Caroline Peacock.
- [67:02]
Ben Mandelker
Kristen the Piston Anderson Get a bee in your bonnet With Lacey B. Rigging.
- [67:07]
Ronnie Karam
The funk It's Leslie Plunkett she gets.
- [67:09]
Ben Mandelker
A name from us It's Lindsey D. Let's give a Kisserino to Lisa Lino Fresh as a daisy It's Maisie McHenry we love her on the rocks It's Melissa Cox Megan Berg. You can't have a burger without the.
- [67:22]
Ronnie Karam
Berg this is living with Michelle Michelle.
- [67:25]
Ben Mandelker
Vivian I love Aya Olivia Williamson Tastier than Flanderson It's Rachel Manderson she sure is swell It's Raquel, yes, we can.
- [67:34]
Ronnie Karam
It's Savannah Cast a spell with Shannon Spellman let's share with Sharon Eldridge the.
- [67:40]
Ben Mandelker
Bay Area and our super premium sponsors She's VVIP It's Amanda V Can't lose when you're with Amy Baldwin somebody get.
- [67:50]
Ronnie Karam
Us 10cc's of Betsy MG we're taking.
- [67:53]
Ben Mandelker
The gold With Brenda Silva let's get real with Caitlin O'Neal don't get salty With Christine Pepper can't have a meal without the Emily sides Let's go into the woods With Guy Tubbs who, what, why, where? And Gwen Pentland it's our queen It's.
- [68:09]
Ronnie Karam
Queen Laifa Nobody holds a candle to.
- [68:12]
Ben Mandelker
Jamie Kendall Know your worth With Jason.
- [68:15]
Ronnie Karam
Kurth we got our wish It's Jen Plish she's not Harsh Marsh She's Jill Hirsch She's a little bit loony Juni, my favorite Murdo Karen McMurdo, she gets.
- [68:25]
Ben Mandelker
An A It's Kelly B.
- [68:27]
Ronnie Karam
We love him madly It's Kyle Pod Shadley we're ride or die for Lisa Ryder Baron She's a whiz It's Liz Sarthy always killing it It's Lola Alkalani.
- [68:36]
Ben Mandelker
The incredible edible Matthew Sisters she eases our woes it's Melissa St. Rose we're on the floor with Molly Dorsey it give him hell Ms. Noel, there's a chance of meatballs. It's Rebecca Cloud.
- [68:49]
Ronnie Karam
She's the queen bee. It's Sarah Lemke. Shannon out of a Cannon. Anthony let's take off with Tamla playing.
- [68:56]
Ben Mandelker
It's always a good time when you're wasting time with Bravo. She ain't no shrinking violet. Cootar we love you guys.
- [69:09]
Ronnie Karam
It.
- [69:47]
Ben Mandelker
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 survey@wondry.com survey.