#2883 Top Chef S22E13: Milan Dollar Baby

Summary

Watch What Crappens Podcast Episode #2883 Summary: Top Chef S22E13 - "Milan Dollar Baby"

Release Date: June 10, 2025

In episode #2883 of the "Watch What Crappens" podcast, hosts Ben Mandelker and Ronnie Karam dive into the exhilarating and often chaotic world of Top Chef Season 22, Episode 13, titled "Milan Dollar Baby." This episode offers a humorous and insightful recap of the culinary showdown set against the picturesque backdrop of Milan, Italy.

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Introduction to the Episode

Ben and Ronnie kick off the episode by promoting their live shows and exclusive Patreon content before transitioning seamlessly into the heart of the discussion: the semi-final challenge of Top Chef Season 22.

Semi-Finale Challenge: The Ultimate Risotto Showdown

The focal point of this Top Chef episode is the semi-final challenge centered around the quintessential Italian dish, risotto. Set in the culturally rich city of Milan, the contestants are tasked with crafting their own unique interpretations of risotto within a tight timeframe.

Contestants:

• Tristan
• Cesar
• Shuai
• Bailey

Contestants’ Approaches and Culinary Creations

1. Tristan's Ambitious Risotto:

   • Dish: West African-inspired risotto with dressed heirloom tomatoes and charred buttered greens.
   • Strategy: Tristan emphasizes bold flavors and cultural fusion, aiming to infuse his Afro-Caribbean heritage into a traditional Italian dish.
   • Quote: (15:23) Tristan remarks, "I really want to bring melanin to Milan," highlighting his intent to celebrate his background through his cooking.

2. Cesar’s Experimental Take:

   • Dish: Celery root risotto substituting traditional arborio rice.
   • Strategy: Cesar attempts to innovate by replacing rice with celery root to maintain creaminess, though this approach risks deviating from authentic risotto standards.
   • Quote: (13:28) Ronnie comments on Cesar’s dish, "Cesar, listen, I like you, but you got to make a risotto dish."

3. Shuai’s Adaptation:

   • Dish: Spaghetti squash risotto.
   • Strategy: Anticipating the challenges of traditional risotto, Shuai opts for spaghetti squash as a substitute, hoping to balance texture and flavor.
   • Quote: (17:21) Shuai admits, "I didn’t practice risotto... so if I have to make traditional risotto, it’s gonna be garbage."

4. Bailey’s Traditional Approach:

   • Dish: Red wine risotto with Parmigiano and Taleggio, garnished with gremolata.
   • Strategy: Bailey chooses a more conventional path, focusing on simplicity and authenticity to appeal to the judges.
   • Quote: (16:10) Bailey asserts, "I just want to do something that was fairly traditional."

Judging and Critiques

Gail Simmons and a panel of guest judges, including four Olympians, evaluate the contestants' dishes with a blend of culinary expertise and comedic flair. The critiques focus on authenticity, flavor balance, and presentation.

• Cesar's Celery Root Risotto: Criticized for deviating from traditional risotto, lacking the essential rice component. Gail remarks, "There's no rice. It just feels like... it's water, pepper, butter, salt and pepper."

• Shuai’s Spaghetti Squash Risotto: Received mixed reviews for its innovative twist, though some appreciated the texture. Gail noted, "Why have you killed me?"

• Tristan's West African Risotto: Praised for its bold flavors and cultural homage. Gail comments, "This is a great example of risotto with bold flavors."

• Bailey’s Traditional Risotto: Commended for its authenticity but criticized for being overly heavy with cheese. Gail states, "Polenta should have a lot of I'm sorrys in it."

Notable Quote: (34:03) Ronnie hilariously summarizes Bailey's dish, "We show Bailey serving it when she was serving that, it just looked like glop."

Outcome and Elimination

Ultimately, Shuai emerges as the standout contestant, winning praise for his innovative yet respectful take on the classic dish. Tristan also performs admirably but falls just short of securing the top spot. Bailey and Cesar face elimination, with Bailey’s lack of confidence and overly cheesy risotto costing her a spot in the finals.

Final Quote: (66:37) Ronnie declares, "So Tristan does a cartwheel, which I was shocked," emphasizing his surprise at Tristan's continued excellence.

Concluding Thoughts

Ben and Ronnie wrap up the episode by reflecting on the unpredictable nature of Top Chef, highlighting the blend of talent, strategy, and sometimes sheer luck that determines the outcomes. They express excitement for the upcoming grand finale and encourage listeners to join their live shows and Patreon for exclusive content.

Final Quote: (83:28) Ronnie optimistically states, "I think it's gonna be Tristan. He deserves to win," underscoring her confidence in Tristan's capabilities.

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Key Takeaways

• Authenticity vs. Innovation: The episode underscores the delicate balance chefs must strike between honoring traditional recipes and infusing personal creativity.
• Pressure and Performance: The high-stakes environment of Top Chef tests contestants' ability to perform under tight deadlines and intense scrutiny.
• Audience Engagement: Ben and Ronnie's humorous and candid commentary provides listeners with an entertaining perspective on the culinary competition.

Final Thoughts

"Watch What Crappens" delivers a lively and engaging summary of Top Chef Season 22's "Milan Dollar Baby" episode, blending humor with insightful culinary critique. Whether you're a fan of the show or new to the Top Chef universe, this recap offers a comprehensive look at the challenges and triumphs that define the journey to culinary excellence.

Transcript

[Ben Mandelker]

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[Ronnie Karam]

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[Ronnie Karam]

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[Ben Mandelker]

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[Ronnie Karam]

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[Ben Mandelker]

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[Ronnie Karam]

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[Ben Mandelker]

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[Ronnie Karam]

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[Ben Mandelker]

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[Ronnie Karam]

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[Ben Mandelker]

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[Ronnie Karam]

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[Ben Mandelker]

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.

[Ronnie Karam]

It looks like a giant gorgeous club with fabulous rooms. I cannot wait to go. Book now@virgin voyages.com or contact your travel advisor.

[Ben Mandelker]

Happens when there's so much that happens. Hello and welcome to Watch what Crappins. A podcast about all that crap on Bravo that we just love to talk about. I'm Ben Mandelker and joining me today is the hilarious and wonderful Ronnie Caram. Hi, Ronnie Howelli.

[Ronnie Karam]

Tunes. What you doing today?

[Ben Mandelker]

Just here to talk Top Chef with you. Before we dive into that, we have a show in Seattle this Thursday for we're recapping the Real Housewives of Miami. And then next Thursday we have our final show of the year. Live show that is here in Los Angeles. Come to our grand finale. We're most likely going to be recapping the Valley unless something changes, but it looks like it's going to be the Valley. Tickets to both shows are at watchwhatcrappens.com or I should say ticket links are if you are watching of those people, that's like I want to go but I can't get in my friends to come because your friends are stupid. Come alone. It's okay. You will meet friends and even if you don't, you'll have a great time solo. Things are really fun to do. So go get your tickets. We're going to have a great final two shows of the year. Also come join us on Patreon patreon.com Watch what crappens. We have all sorts of fun reward tiers. This crap is on demand where you can watch us not just listen and the crap is on demand. Stuff like, like this show for instance is crap ins on demand. After a week it will free and live on YouTube. But if you Want to get it fresh? It's with Crappens on demand. And even more fun is that we are doing for our bonus episodes, we're doing daily recaps of Love island on Patreon all season long. So we're having a lot of fun doing that. Talking all sorts of shit about those kids and we don't even care. We don't care that they're kids. We're talking shit. So go join us at Patreon. And that's basically it. And today we're talking Top Chef. And since this is our food oriented show of the week, I just want to give one final shameless promotion of my substack because I put my whole Norway trip up there on substack. So go to nbdfancy.subsack.com if you want to read about everything I ate in Norway. And with that, shall we get on to the penultimate episode of Top Chef, Destination Canada. Ronnie?

[Ronnie Karam]

Yes, I would love to, but I also want to take a second to thank our listener, Michelle. Michelle made an entire Google spreadsheet of all of our episodes. Time coded out, which is absolutely insane. We need to add this to our website. Can we, Daddy? Ben?

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, we can add that. Michelle, email us.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, she emailed it to us. It's here. Yeah, I answered it, so you probably can see it.

[Ben Mandelker]

Ben, check the email.

[Ronnie Karam]

I'll send it to you right now so you have it.

[Ben Mandelker]

Thank you.

[Ronnie Karam]

Okay, so this lady made an excellent spreadsheet. It has all the episodes. So if you're looking for any episode every season, we're trying to get our backlog put up on our site, but we'll definitely have this to supplement that because it even has all the old ones. When we would do like three different shows in one episode, it has time codes for like when we start what episodes and what we cover in those episodes. I mean, it is great. So, Michelle, thank you. Such, Michelle, such work went into this, so thank you so much. We'll see her in Seattle this week. So thank you. Michelle, you're a hero. You can also find that over on the Watch what crap and subreddit, which I believe she posted it on there too. So thank you so, so much.

[Ben Mandelker]

That's wonderful.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, that is fantastic.

[Ben Mandelker]

I'm always so impressed by our listeners. They do such amazing things.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, that's pretty amazing. Okay, so let's get on with it. We are in the semi finale of Chopper Chef. Why are y' all bringing Olympiads on here?

[Ben Mandelker]

Every two years they do the Olympics episode. It's always so Dull.

[Ronnie Karam]

Why? In the finale, it's like the end of the. This, like the most serious time, and you guys are like, let's have a bunch of people who don't know what they're doing around in the whole things.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, let's have the. Let's. Let's. Okay. Your future on this show. Cooking. The finale is all going to depend on how a bobsledder decides what you made.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. A bob slutter trying to figure out what the fuck broccolini is. Okay.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. Can we not. I mean, I know that NBCU always has to promote their upcoming Olympic games, but it's 20. What year is it right now? 20, 25. The Winter Olympics are not. Until they're not.

[Ronnie Karam]

Whatever year is. Is the final one of the world. Oh, by the way, something we didn't know. Finish what you were saying.

[Ben Mandelker]

No, I literally said that. It's like the Winter Olympics are, like, nine months away. Do we have to start promoting them on Bravo right now? On Top Chef at this moment? Please.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. Never mind. I'm not gonna say what I was gonna say.

[Ben Mandelker]

I want to know.

[Ronnie Karam]

So, yeah, here we are. No, no, I'll tell you later. I'll tell you later. I can't say it on TV.

[Ben Mandelker]

On.

[Ronnie Karam]

On YouTube, the biggest channel. Listen.

[Ben Mandelker]

World.

[Ronnie Karam]

The largest network in the entire world right now. YouTuber. Okay, so Bailey's, like. Bailey's the first arrive at the Delta One Lounge. She's like, I'm so in disbelief. This is even my life. I've come back as new Bailey, still hunched over, still making lasagna, but although inside, the gears are turning different, I don't know what to tell you. I hope to find a way to make some penne pasta today.

[Ben Mandelker]

She's like, I've watched Top Chef since the first season with my mom, you know, Shuai was like, well, I watched it with my grandmother. Sway is just doing everything short of, like, bringing a little granny wig, like, dressing up like the grandma and into the woods. Right.

[Ronnie Karam]

Cesar's like, we didn't even have TV when I was growing up, so my grandmother reenacted every episode.

[Ben Mandelker]

My grandmother would invite three chefs over every single night and make them stand on each other's shoulders. And the one at the top was the Top Chef. She said, look at that. Now you're watching Top Chef.

[Ronnie Karam]

And then Cesar comes, and he's like, huh? Yeah. Like, it's hard to tell, like, gauging from day one where you're gonna fall, but I'm in the top four. I can't believe it. I'm here. I did it glow. Lights turn on under him.

[Ben Mandelker]

They're like, sir, are you growing a rutabaga under your bar stool? The Delta Delta One lounge is lenient, but not that lenient. We're gonna have to remove your rutabaga.

[Ronnie Karam]

So schweize next. And he's like, I've never been to Italy. Grandma, Grandma. Oh, my God. What I've heard is Italy has a lot of grandmas. I cannot wait.

[Ben Mandelker]

I hear they call grandmas nonnas in Italy, which is funny because I call my grandma grandma. Grandma. Grandma, Grandma.

[Ronnie Karam]

My grandma really makes me feel focused. I'm gonna kick everybody's ass.

[Ben Mandelker]

Tristan shows up, and he is more somber because his dad or his stepfather, who basically his dad, died in the middle of the season, so he had to sort of go home and deal with that. But now he's fighting for him. So now we have Kristen, who is here to say, I've been here in your shoes before, Gus. It's a lot. You're doing great. But it's actually her doing the whole spiel of, like, three. Three chefs remain. Saratoga, water, Chipotle, family of foods. BMW, the best car in the ent. And now one of you is going to win the title of Top Chef.

[Ronnie Karam]

So welcome to Milan, everybody. The last stop on the road to becoming Top Chef. Now let's go to our final quick fire of the season. If you've done your research, you know, here in Milan, there's grandmas. There are grandmas. And also lots of risotto. Okay. Rice and polenta are king, and the dish they're most known for is risotto.

[Ben Mandelker]

Now, as this is your last quick fire. Sorry, it's just. It's very emotional because it's the last quick fire we're gonna have. So it just. It gets me a little bit anyway. Risotto. So we're all gonna make risotto. And for your final quickfire challenge, we want you to make your very own risotto in 35 minutes. What? I feel like that's a very short amount of time to make risotto. Right? That is a bullshit. They are setting them up for failure.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. The time limits on this show make me crazy. Like, I don't care who can cook the fastest. I get. It's a competition. But why does it need to be a spe? Risotto needs time. Okay. It needs time. Sit. I want. I want to see so taking time.

[Ben Mandelker]

It's like in that famous play Glengarry Glen Ross, A, B, R. Always Be risotto wing. Okay? You can't just rush it. You have to take the time and always be doing it.

[Ronnie Karam]

Risotto is for closers. So Tom's like, what? You guys? Delicious doesn't wait for anybody. Okay? You know, it needs to be served right away. You know, risotto will not be. You will not see risotto sitting at a bus stop. It's not gonna wait. Okay?

[Ben Mandelker]

Risotto is unlike my son, who's just waiting for success to come to him. Instead of him going to success by being a mixologist, we're gonna.

[Ronnie Karam]

We're gonna cook it a five minute stagger, or as my son calls it, attention span, which is why he could never learn to cook risotto in the first place.

[Ben Mandelker]

Fun fact. My son is still in the middle of his five minute stagger. I said, okay, you could do the mixology for five minutes, and then you're gonna follow my footsteps. I'm not gonna get any younger. And somehow that five minute stagger is still going on.

[Ronnie Karam]

My son just actually removed the five minutes, and it's just stagger. My son is just a stagger.

[Ben Mandelker]

Mixed stagger over there. So Kristen's like, chefs, you should know that we aren't going to be taking this quick fire into consideration, determining who is going to be going home. So this is just an annoying process for you of having to make risotto on top of a building for some money that the audience doesn't care about. Okay, great.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, but you'll win 15 grand. So they're like, hey, okay, Cesar, start now. So he goes first, and he's like, wow, risotto, it's a dish, but it's also a lifestyle. You know, you can wash your hair with it, you can put it in your gas tank and drive around with it. Unfortunately, your car will break down. I learned that the hard way.

[Ben Mandelker]

I've. I've had some risotto under my grow light under my bed for three months now and hasn't really softened, but some things are definitely growing on it, so that's cool.

[Ronnie Karam]

So he's like, you know, I'm gonna use celery root as the rice component. Excuse me. You need to use risotto. Risotto, celery root. This is a risotto now. Cesar, listen, I like you. You've made a lot of crazy shit, and you're a weird little dude, and I imagine there's a lot of crusty socks on the floor of your room next to that grow light. That said, I like you, but you got to make a risotto dish. And you're not the only one. I'm looking at you. Shuai. What the fuck are you two doing? It's a risotto dish in Italy. You cannot just say, I'm gonna make a vegetable dish and call it risotto.

[Ben Mandelker]

Hi, everyone. It's the ghost of Padma Lakshmi. As you may know, I was recently killed when I was taking a very exciting, exclusive tour of Milan and climbed all the way to the top of a clock tower. Some idiot pulled on the string, and the bell hit me in the head, and I fell all the way out to the ground, and I died. Well, anyway, I'm back here to say.

[Ronnie Karam]

You know what's funny about that? I still made less noise than Gail does getting out of bed to pee at 2 in the morning.

[Ben Mandelker]

Wow. Well, I. It's funny because I always thought Gail would be the one to die by ding Dong, but it was me getting hit by the bell.

[Ronnie Karam]

Turns out Gayle's only fueled by them, as you'll see later.

[Ben Mandelker]

Anyway, it's so funny risotto, because that's always what I call Gayle. I always think she's full of riz. And I go, oh, no, she's just a toe, Riz. Oh, toe.

[Ronnie Karam]

All right, Tristan, you can start cooking now. So Tristan's like, oh, I'm gonna do. You know, I'm gonna go into this rice thing while adding all these umami flavors. You know, I really want to bring melanin to Milan.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. And Kristen's. And then Kristen's like, okay. That's a very emotional story. Okay, Bailey, your time starts now. You're the last person to have her time staggered. Sorry. I've been in your shoes before.

[Ronnie Karam]

It's a lot.

[Ben Mandelker]

So Bailey's like, well, I made risotto for the first challenge, and I did end up trying in the bottom for trying to incorporate too much into it. So I just want to do something that was fairly traditional. I'm gonna do a red wine ris. And, you know, my bank account has not opened up yet, so landing that 15,000 would be super rad. Well, I'll tell you who else's bank account hasn't opened up yet. Gail stylist hasn't quite been paid yet, as you can see, because Gail Styles hasn't used her. See what? We're trying to get a. Sorry. I'm still a little woozy from that bell incident.

[Ronnie Karam]

Debbie Reynolds was the first person to welcome me here. She actually started singing ring them bells. You gotta ring Them bell. I said, not funny, Debbie.

[Ben Mandelker]

Too soon. Anyway, if my humor, if my jokes are a little not quite right, it's because I'm learning comedy all over again from Moliere. He's here too.

[Ronnie Karam]

Listen, I could have gone the Marcel Marceau route.

[Ben Mandelker]

But Gail ate one of the Marcel's. Now he's just known as Marcel. She came up with Olivia Marcel makeup.

[Ronnie Karam]

She said, well, what? It has pancake written all over it. Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

Wow.

[Ronnie Karam]

So Cesar is doing a celery root thing. Okay. So now Shuai is like, well, I didn't practice risotto. Listen, my grandma taught me a lot, but she fell asleep on risotto day. Okay? No grandma risotto coming out today, so. And risotto's always failed on Top Chef, so I just figured there's no way they're gonna make us make risotto, and they are. So if I have to make traditional risotto, it's gonna be garbage. So I'm going to chop up spaghetti squash and call it risotto.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, that's if I. You know what? Now you go up to that clock tower and get knocked by that bell because, like, you're supposed to be making risotto. And if you serve me a bowl of diced squash and say, this is risotto, I will be furious.

[Ronnie Karam]

Both of these people should be kicked off right now, and it should just be Bailey and Tristan in the finals. And that's it. The show has gone soft.

[Ben Mandelker]

Like a bad risotto. I'm doing a search. What city is most famous for risotto? I would like to know. In Italy. And AI says Milan. So if these people had any brains, they would have said, huh, we're going to Milan. They know they're going to Milan. They've had time to access the Internet. Why don't you search for, like, what are the most famous Milanese dishes and what do they do? Not.

[Ronnie Karam]

Nothing. So Tristan is, you know, they're making their risotto. So he's talking about how he's, you know, getting the creaminess from adding the stock and constant agitation to coat coax the starch off the short grain dries. Wow. I've seen Gail do that.

[Ben Mandelker]

Constant agitation is kind of like when Gail wore woolen culottes.

[Ronnie Karam]

One day, Gail coax the starch off the short grained rice. Just with her words. She said, get off of that short grained rice fell right into her mouth. It's amazing.

[Ben Mandelker]

She's a real agitator. She agitates the starch right off that rice.

[Ronnie Karam]

All right, time's up. Utensils down. Get up here and serve your shitty excuses for risotto. So Cesar's first, and he's like, risotto. I look at risotto as a technique.

[Ben Mandelker]

Gail goes, so just to be clear, there's no rice. Also, just to be clear, there's no fashion with you. Gail.

[Ronnie Karam]

Listen, just because Gail uses risotto as a conditioner doesn't mean that it's a technique.

[Ben Mandelker]

Gail, stop. Stop trying to exfoliate with that fake risotto.

[Ronnie Karam]

And Cesar's like, well, there's rice stock. And Gail's like, oh, there's rice stock, but there's not actual rice. Watch out, she's about to blow.

[Ben Mandelker]

Wow. You thought you saw something with Mount Vesuvius, Italy. Wait till you see Gail Simmons. But she doesn't get her starches.

[Ronnie Karam]

Wait till Mount M' Kungrius goes off.

[Ben Mandelker]

Vesuvius. More like Vesuvi. Less Vesuvi. Payless. That's where Gail gets her shoes. Moliere said that would work. Sorry if it didn't. It's his fault.

[Ronnie Karam]

He's like, well, I've done vegetable risottos before. And Kristen's like, okay, so you cooked it in the exact same method you would risotto? No, he didn't boil it. I mean, what? No, he didn't. He's like, yeah, you know, I've been doing well with vegetables, so that's what I feel comfortable with. And Gail's like, well, I've been doing comfortable with rayon, but I wouldn't serve it to you.

[Ben Mandelker]

Just. Then make a risotto with vegetables. Make a vegetables. It's like what I told my son, you may feel comfortable drinking a beer doesn't mean you have to have a whole career out of it. Be a chef. Follow your date.

[Ronnie Karam]

This is ridiculous. And so schweize. Next. And he's like, well, when you make traditional risotto, the rice releases starch, but I'm not doing that. So I'm gonna use butternut squash, because that has some starch. So. No, that is gonna be wet. And wet butternut squash. Get the fuck out of it.

[Ben Mandelker]

That's a wash. Yeah, I agree. Add the butternut squash to the risotto.

[Ronnie Karam]

Oh, my God.

[Ben Mandelker]

The other thing is that you're doing all this. You were outraged. You're doing all the same work as a risotto. So you subbing in to avoid the pitfalls of risotto. Just make the risotto.

[Ronnie Karam]

I'm also triggered because of the Butternut squash, that's spaghetti squash, right? Is it different?

[Ben Mandelker]

Butternut squash is different than spaghetti squash. Spaghetti squash is literally like if you, if you take a fork to it, it kind of like makes spaghetti. So that's why it's called. I think that's why it's called that. Or I'm just full of it. But butternut squash is like sweet and, you know, looks like a penis, right?

[Ronnie Karam]

So does this, doesn't it?

[Ben Mandelker]

I guess.

[Ronnie Karam]

No. But butternut squash is not the same. Butternut squash is known for its smooth, slightly sweet, nutty flavor, while spaghetti squash is known for its stringy, spaghetti like texture. So there you go. You're correct.

[Ben Mandelker]

There you go.

[Ronnie Karam]

But I don't like when people take the squat and I'm talking about spaghetti squash. So this is why I was triggered and it's invalid. But I don't like when people are like, you can substitute with spaghetti squash. No, you can't. It's not the same thing. And stop telling little fat kids.

[Ben Mandelker]

And neither are zoodles. And neither are zoodles even though they have especially zoodles.

[Ronnie Karam]

Those are even wetter.

[Ben Mandelker]

They're so wet. They're so wet and stupid. Zoodles are stupid. Well, don't tell that to Gail because she's wearing them as clip ons. So.

[Ronnie Karam]

It'S time for a commercial. It's time for a crappin's commercial.

[Ben Mandelker]

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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 safety information. One of our favorite streamers, Britbox, just came out with a brand new original drama, and we are obsessed. It's called Outrageous, and trust me, the title is no exaggeration. We're talking drama, scandal, aristocratic chaos, and a whole lot of jaw drops. It's based on the true story of the Mitford sisters. Think Kardashians if they were aristocrats in the 1930s with wildly clashing politics and a flair for international scandal. And chances are you've never heard their story. It's stunning. It's delicious. It's very British. So check out Outrageous streaming only on Britbox. You're welcome. All right, well, Tristan's up next to serve, and he does a West African inspired risotto with dressed heirloom tomatoes and charred buttered greens, which, at this point, I don't even give a. It was poo. Poo risotto. You're not gonna be. You're gonna get first or second because.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, because you're using.

[Ronnie Karam]

Tried.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. So Gail's like, are you happy with what came out? Wow. Is Gail trying to do a full Padma. Excuse me. Let the professional do it. Did you mean to have your rice come out as stupidly as Gail's face?

[Ronnie Karam]

Tom's like, well, you know what? The texture's right on this. One thing Gail's never heard in a dressing room.

[Ben Mandelker]

One thing a person has lads never said about Gail's hair.

[Ronnie Karam]

One thing's never. Gail's never been told how to back wax.

[Ben Mandelker]

One thing Gail's never been told when someone's attached her brassiere made out of. Whoa.

[Ronnie Karam]

Sorry. I shouldn't have let Shecky Green take over.

[Ben Mandelker]

Back to Moliere. Get out of here. You're setting me up for failure.

[Ronnie Karam]

Tristan is happy about it. And so meanwhile, Shuai's like, something smells burnt. And Beta's like, yeah, my nuts are burning a little bit. Really not sure what to do about. I burnt all my nuts, so. Because I'm gonna have to redo those nuts. Oh, God.

[Ben Mandelker]

So she serves hers, and she's like, well, I did a pretty traditional red wine risotto with a little bit of Parmigiano and Taleggio and the rice. And I made a little gremolata on tap. And Tom's like, oh, why'd you go in the red wine direction? Was this a reference to the fact that my son works in the world of spirits and alcohol? Because I really don't approve of that. He's like, no, I just. No, it was like very northern Italian. Basically. I was look. Aiming at. I was looking at the north, and I thought, okay, I'll just say it's northern Italian.

[Ronnie Karam]

I don't know.

[Ben Mandelker]

I just put the red wine.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. You know, I just wanted to make something from Milan. Hope you like it. You probably won't. Should I just apologize now? I'm sorry. It's gotta. Been better. I don't even know what I'm doing here. Who am I?

[Ben Mandelker]

So then Shuai is done early because he's not using, you know, arborio rice or short grain rice. So he's done. He's ready. So he's Plates.

[Ronnie Karam]

Look at that.

[Ben Mandelker]

Who would have thought? And they just are watching him, watching his plates for like, 90 seconds. And then, you know, it's probably totally fine, but, you know, they're thinking, oh, it's seizing up. It's cold. It's getting cold. It's 90 seconds colder now. So they're all pissy by the time it gets to them.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. And so he comes over and he made squash risotto with heart, winter squash, chanterelles, veggies, stocked with saffron, a little parmesan, and toasted hazelnuts. Not burnt like mine, but toasted. So Gail's like, oh, so no rice? Did I do something in a past life that is getting in the way of me being served rice? No, it's your current life, Gail. You have a heaven, and you have an angel in heaven now, Gail, I'm just trying to help.

[Ben Mandelker]

So schwa is like, yeah, no, there's no rice. Just a little bit toasted rice in the stock. It just feels like, also, honestly, like, I feel like it's a missed opportunity. He does so much grandma cooking now that doesn't his grandma have, like, some classic Chinese rice dish? Like, Tristan pulled in, like, a jollof rice dish and turned it into risotto. Like, it felt like a missed opportunity for Shuai.

[Ronnie Karam]

Exactly. Your whole country that you talk about every episode is built upon the back of rice.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, yeah. Rice is such a big part of Chinese cuisine, so it's just a little surprising. And then he's like, butternut squash. So then Tom, now Tom can't deal anymore. He's like, you know the word risso means rice risso.

[Ronnie Karam]

The word por favor means please. I love this game.

[Ben Mandelker]

I used to live in Italy. I don't know if you guys know it, but if you listen quietly, you can hear my voice on the wind going, exacto, exacto.

[Ronnie Karam]

I haven't thought of that one in a while. Exacto.

[Ben Mandelker]

Exactly. Prego.

[Ronnie Karam]

So Gail's like, well, he did use rice. It just wasn't risotto.

[Ben Mandelker]

Exacto. Okay, you don't have to say it again so soon.

[Ronnie Karam]

Okay, time for judging. All right, first, let's clear something up. Risotto. It's not whether it's a rice or a technique. The word risotto means from rice. Okay, so, wow. That's it. There were some tasty dishes, and I just thank you that none of them were cosmopolitans or anything drinkable.

[Ben Mandelker]

I'm just gonna let that little factoid about risotto and rice just hang in the air for a moment. You can think about it. You can think about the implications. I won't say whether or not it's being used against you, but you can pretty much guess I'm not a happy camper right now.

[Ronnie Karam]

Welcome to Taste the Heaven. Who did we steal rice from?

[Ben Mandelker]

My first guest is someone literally named after it. Ryza Gorbachev. Welcome.

[Ronnie Karam]

Also a little hand named Risaroni.

[Ben Mandelker]

The San Francisco treat.

[Ronnie Karam]

Rodney Dangerfield won't stop shoving him down his pants. I'm sorry, Errone. I'm sorry.

[Ben Mandelker]

Fun fact. When Gail Simmons was a child and her family went on a vacation to San Francisco, they lost track of her for a good afternoon because she was chasing so many streetcars, hoping there'd be rice on the other end. She never got that San Francisco treat.

[Ronnie Karam]

She finally found a food truck serving pizza, and she calls that street called street card called desire. It's really poetic. Okay, well, risotto rice there. Boom. Not a technique. All right, Gail, what did you think of Bailey's risotto? Your nice was actually. Your rice was actually right there. It was al dente, as it should be. The wine and Taleggio lent a really intense sour note to your dish. You're a boring person with no self confidence, but at least you used a carb, so thank you.

[Ben Mandelker]

And also some fat to balance out the sourness. Could have really helped, but I think the rice was cooked beautifully. Gail, what did you think of Cesar's Cesar? By the way, welcome to Milan. You could just say, now, there are a lot of different Cesars in the world, but right now, you're the one in Milan, so I think we can call you Cesar. Milan. Anyone?

[Ronnie Karam]

Anyone? Boo.

[Ben Mandelker]

That was stupid. It was gonna be my next joke.

[Ronnie Karam]

Absolutely beautiful flavors, seasoned perfectly texturally. I didn't get the bite. I didn't get the bite because There was no rice, and I think that's part of the pleasure of risotto. Oh, God. Let's not stop talking about Gail's pleasure with risotto. This isn't time to jerk off, Gail.

[Ben Mandelker]

All right? I heard that Gail once went to the pleasure chest and said, do you guys have a bowl of risotto here? Wrong story, wrong time. Gail.

[Ronnie Karam]

Gayle uses penne pasta as an diaphragm. I'm sorry. It doesn't make much for a television.

[Ben Mandelker]

Show, which really is very illogical in so many different ways. At least use ravioli.

[Ronnie Karam]

Or chat to anybody.

[Ben Mandelker]

Oh, God, a shell. Come on, now.

[Ronnie Karam]

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't teach it the proper cob to use as a. As a condom.

[Ben Mandelker]

Tom, what did you think about Schweize risotto? Well, the flavors were good, seasoned nicely. I really appreciate how you took the risotto and spelled out grandma in it with your finger. That was nice. You waited so long, it's hard to seize up. Wow. Seizing up. Sort of like Gail when confronted between a culotte and a capelet. What to wear.

[Ronnie Karam]

Oh, my God. I have a personal thing I need to discuss with you. Sorry, audience. Fast forward one minute. So the bug guy came to my house and said, I just wanted to show you a picture that we caught a rodent. I don't want to see a picture of a dead rodent.

[Ben Mandelker]

What the fuck is that?

[Ronnie Karam]

Can I sue somebody for that? It's a little mouse. Now I feel terrible. Now I want them to take those things out.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, that's a mouse. There are tons of them. Don't worry.

[Ronnie Karam]

They're cute. You shouldn't kill them.

[Ben Mandelker]

They are cute. Well, just tell them not to send you photos. Just say we've. We've reduced. No, just have him tell you that they've relocated the mouse population.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, don't send me that. I want to see that. That's horrible. I'm a murderer. Jesus Christ. Isn't that, like. What do they call death porn? Where you watch people get killed? That's like, death porn. I don't want to see that.

[Ben Mandelker]

Oh, you mean like a snuff film or something?

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, it's like a snuff film. You sent me snuff pictures. I should be able to sue him for that. That's. That's disgusting.

[Ben Mandelker]

Wow. Wow. Well, I'm sorry. I know that last week you were very triggered by the ants being killed, so I can't imagine how a mouse is.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, they're so cute.

[Ben Mandelker]

They are really cute.

[Ronnie Karam]

All right. So everything's okay. I'm still okay. I'm a man.

[Ben Mandelker]

You're okay. All right. You're okay.

[Ronnie Karam]

So, Gail, absolutely beautiful flavored, but I love risotto. So Tom's like, yeah, you know, I mean, you plated it way too early. So it sat there, and it started to really seize up. Whoa, whoa. That non rice. Whoa. Look at. Look at how that non rice seized up. That's crazy. Look at how that butternut squash. See, the butternut squash did not seize up.

[Ben Mandelker]

Stop this. Yeah, I think this was over the top. So then. Well, the. The biggest. Okay.

[Ronnie Karam]

So.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, it was the texture. You know, it was just like a. It was like a nice, soft squash side dish, so.

[Ronnie Karam]

Okay.

[Ben Mandelker]

Gail, what did you think about Tristan's risotto? I thought the flavors worked really well together. Oh, yeah. And the texture of the rice was al dente on the side, and that's just. That's what I like in a risotto. It's just. It's really emotional having a risotto that's like that. It's just what? Exactly. I like it. Exactly. It's beautiful.

[Ronnie Karam]

Wow. You know, I really think you put yourself in the dish, which was kind of disgusting. I mean, I hope you bathed, but the flavor was good. You know, it was a bit on the salty side, but who's not? Am I right?

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, I guess that just supports the idea that you put a little bit of yourself in this dish. It's a little salty.

[Ronnie Karam]

I got a little hair on my teeth. I guess that was the u that was in there, but otherwise pretty good.

[Ben Mandelker]

Gail, who do you think had our favorite risotto of the day? The chef that gave us what we think was the best example here in Milan of risotto, which is a dish made with rice, which some of you gave us and some of us didn't, was also giving us really bold flavors. And the winner is. No one. Just kidding. Of course it's Tristan. Do you even need me to say these things anymore? It's Tristan. He's going to win the till the end of the the show. Right. Do we have to say his name.

[Ronnie Karam]

Anymore to Kristen and save us some bad food eating? That would be great. So they give him 15 grand, and he's like, wow, 15 grand on risotto. Nailed it. I brought black people risotto to Italy, and I won. That's right.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah.

[Ronnie Karam]

Suck it.

[Ben Mandelker]

So Kristen says, chefs, are you ready for this very next crucial step in your journey to the finale? And they're like, yeah. All right, now, have you ever watched a bobsledder on tv?

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

And have you ever thought, imagine if that bobsledder were in control of my life and career and maybe earning a lot of money? Yeah. Well, guess what? You get to live that dream right now. Please welcome four Olympians who have questionable palates. Are they coming out? No. Are they not coming out? Okay, they're not coming out.

[Ronnie Karam]

While we wait for the Olympiads, let me just tell you. Have any of you ever seen Gail bob sled on a hot dog down a hill? I have. Was hilarious. She actually slid off. I was like, you shouldn't have put so much mustard on your sled, stupid.

[Ben Mandelker]

Gail claims that she does the luge, but it turns out she just takes a slip and slide and puts a bunch of mustard and ketchup on it and relish and slides on down the lawn. That's not a loose gal.

[Ronnie Karam]

Well, guess what? We've got the Olympic. The Paralympic. Olympic and Paralympic Games, Milan, Cortina, 2026. Okay, so guess what? This is amazing. The winner, the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games will have two hubs, Milan and Cortina. That's crazy. One of those sounds like a sandwich and the other sounds like a place in Zelda.

[Ben Mandelker]

For your elimination challenge, Milan, you'll have a very straightforward process. Okay? You'll be cooking, competing in the ultimate culinary matchup. It's a three part head to head tournament featuring greens from Milan to Cortina with seven salmon greens in between. In wrap one, you'll take on palenta. Cooking and eating. Polenta is so widespread around Milan that sometimes the citizens here are called polentoni or the palenta eaters. Wow. Okay, let's think about how we could work with this. The polenta eaters. Why don't they just call them gales?

[Ronnie Karam]

That's why we call Gail breadface.

[Ben Mandelker]

I just want to say polenta is made with corn, everyone, since apparently working with the grain that we've been telling you to work with is not so easy to do. So corn, corn and polenta. Thank you.

[Ronnie Karam]

I can't wait to see what you guys use instead of polenta. That's going to be fun. Anybody planning on making flip flop, flip flop dishes today? That'd be great.

[Ben Mandelker]

I know. We're gonna grind up some flip flops into cornmeal. Quote, unquote, cornmeal, make some polenta. Just give us a heads up.

[Ronnie Karam]

So the panel is going to judge their dishes, and the winner of the polenta round goes to the finale. But then it's like, they have to keep going. They have to competing, keep competing round to round until only one person stands and one person goose. Hu.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. Because after polenta, if you don't win in the polenta round, you have to play in the kazoon says yay round, which is like a moonshine ravioli that has a beat filling. So it's gonna be a beat round. So they're like, okay, that's kind of funny to me. Like, it's basically just like, cook something beats. But we're gonna, like, tenuously tie this in because there's a pasta that has beaten it. So you have to make a beat beat round. And if you don't make it to the beat round, you go to the gorgonzola round. If you don't make it to the gorgonzola round, you know what? Then after that, what's the next food after? What do they have to make after that? Is it just. Is it just beaten gorgonzola? Wasn't there another thing in there? Does it matter? Do we care?

[Ronnie Karam]

There's three rounds.

[Ben Mandelker]

Only three rounds.

[Ronnie Karam]

I thought there was four rounds because there's four people. So there's three rounds because one of the people loses. So then these were weird choices, I thought, though. The beet especially, I thought was odd, but whatever. So, chefs, every decision you make, every ingredient you choose to put in your dish must be selected with the intention of going inside my mouth. Do you understand?

[Ben Mandelker]

Every ingredient you choose, every breath you take, every move you make, I'll be eating. Wow. So.

[Ronnie Karam]

Oh.

[Ben Mandelker]

And since it's the last challenge before the final finale, Delta, the official airline of Team usa, has brought in some reinforcements to help you, Sarah Gail. Oh, sorry, Sarah Gail. The reinforcements are not shoop waffles. They're actually Olympians.

[Ronnie Karam]

We've brought Delta here because they're amazing with their culinary feats, as anybody who's ever flown on Delta and eaten their food knows. Absolutely. Do I have to read this? Can we just stop pretending Delta has decent food? Okay? Let's just move on. And to bring in some professional help, we're bringing in the Olympians. Here they are. Wow.

[Ben Mandelker]

Kristen goes. Who better than 4 Team USA Olympians and Paralympians who know what it's like to compete at the highest level with world. With world watching, I was like, who better, literally anyone, than four Olympians? How about some chefs?

[Ronnie Karam]

How about we put these four chefs to make these fuckers compete in the Olympics? Bags. We'll be like, okay, have fun on your bobsled. Tristan's gonna push you like.

[Ben Mandelker]

I know. Yeah. Would the. Would we. Would they really appreciate if the roles were reversed? Okay, sir, before you. You are. You are a world class snowboarder. And before the Olympic qualifiers, I just want you to know that you're also gonna have to have Tristan prepare your snowboard for you. It's like, no, no, don't. Don't put chefs in my competition.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. Okay. So let's welcome Alana Myers Taylor, five time Olympic medalist in bobsled. Red Gerard, Olympic gold medalist in snowboarding. Declan Farmer, three time Paralympic gold medalist in sled hockey. And Oksana Masters, 19 time Paralympic medalist in para, cross country skiing, parabiathlon, para cycling, and para rowing. Got a lot going on.

[Ben Mandelker]

And please also welcome Gail Simmons, one time gold medal champion for parachute pants that she wore to the Emmys.

[Ronnie Karam]

So, Oksana, how do you push yourself to keep going? She's like, well, I train in 19 different things and I push. That's how. You stupid. You idiot. You non sporty bitch. Why are you talking to me?

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, how do you prepare yourself mentally to get into the competition? And Alana's like, well, it's pretty similar to cooking. It's all about the preparation beforehand. So when you get out there, you're ready to go and you know how the cooks were like, it's nothing like what we have.

[Ronnie Karam]

It's literally nothing like it.

[Ben Mandelker]

But, okay, last time I checked, when you have to make polenta, you don't have to run. You don't have to run into. You don't have to jump into the polenta pot and then slide down a dieting course.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. Okay, so they. They pair off by choosing knives. And then they will have €750 and 45 miles minutes to shop for your ingredients. And then they'll have two hours to prep and cook for all three dishes. And once the two hours is up, they move to the courtyard, and then they have a station, and then they have 30 minutes to finalize your dishes for the panel.

[Ben Mandelker]

And they're. And one of the members of the panel will be, from Top Chef World All Stars, Ali, who we loved. So they're gonna start getting cooking and everything. And, oh, by the way. So get to know each other, have fun shopping, and we'll see you tomorrow. Just want to say, this is the last line of this moment here of the quick fire. Okay, go ahead. So now they have to go. Like, it's gonna be like a lot of shopping, but also chatting with Olympians.

[Ronnie Karam]

So they're trying to make small talk. And Kristen, Tristan is like, oh, gosh. You know, it's just so crazy, this pressure you put on yourself as an Olympian. Just like me, I'm still trying to learn how to deal with all this pressure. And Alana's like, well, one of my mentors told me pressure's a privilege, and people who feel too much pressure are pussies. Tough enough. Okay.

[Ben Mandelker]

Geez.

[Ronnie Karam]

Geez. Okay.

[Ben Mandelker]

Cesar's like, I really love what you said about not. You're not actually doing it for the medals. Oksana's like, yeah, I was being sarcastic. Of course I'm doing it for the medals. Okay. Look at me. 19 sign medalist. Hello. If you're just focusing on the. On the end goal only, you're going to miss all those small details. But then you also are probably going to get a medal. Like, I have. Hello? Got medals.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, listen, I don't do it for the medals. Get the out of here. Of course I do it for the medals. Whilst you. And the money and the. And the ad deals. Okay. And anybody else tells you different, they're lying to you. Okay. It's just what you tell the press.

[Ben Mandelker]

So Cesar's like, yeah, this is just like the Olympics. Anyway, I want to do a dessert with the palenta, something I can execute. I'm like, wow, this is. It's really. Baseners watching the Olympics.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, just. Just execute prisoners.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. So then schweizen gonna do. He's. He's stumped on the gorgonzola because he's. He wants to do something. Puff pastry because he wants to. A caramelized onion and fennel tart. But. But, like, you know, he's just hoping he doesn't even have to deal with the gorgonzola in the first place.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. So then we go to him having his discussion with Declan, and he's like, so how long have you been a Paralympian? And he's like, oh, Sochi First Games, 2014. I was born with this disability, so I started playing pretty young. And everyone's got different challenges they face. Like, for example, I faced that, so I had to learn to work around it and become a Paralympic champion. And you, who have built your entire career and life around rye, was faced with a rice challenge and didn't use rice, so it's basically the same thing.

[Ben Mandelker]

And then Alana's like, by the way, what's it like being on the show? And Tristan's like, well, we. We looked at past seasons, and everyone was always at each other's throats. And we're nothing but hugs and tears. We just, we just love each other so much. I'm like, I'm sure everyone behind Tristan's back is like, fucking Tristan winning everything again. How are we fucking gonna take him out?

[Ronnie Karam]

Whatever. You watched way past seasons of the shows. Cause that show, this show hasn't been like that for a long time. You guys. Pretty much the modern version of this show, which is like, I only do it to inspire the children. That's the only reason I do this. And then list your traumas for 20 minutes of the show so you're pretty. You guys are doing the modern version of it. Don't worry. Don't you worry.

[Ben Mandelker]

You're doing the whole chef thing of like, we're in the trenches together, guys. Everyone always acts like they just came back from Vietnam.

[Ronnie Karam]

I don't even care about cooking. I'm just here to inspire children.

[Ben Mandelker]

Thank you, Cooking. Save me. Which is why I have mise en place tattooed on my forearm. Commercial.

[Ronnie Karam]

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[Ben Mandelker]

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[Ronnie Karam]

The best part, everything with quints is half the cost of similar brands.

[Ben Mandelker]

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[Ronnie Karam]

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[Ben Mandelker]

I have to say, I'm a big, big fan of Quint's and I have actually put in an order for a flow knife breeze performance pocket tee that I'm very excited to rock around LA this summer.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, we both love quints. We wear it all the time. I even use quints to buy stuff for my father because he's trying to get more fashionable and quints is the way to do it.

[Ben Mandelker]

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[Ronnie Karam]

But before you tell us to clock out of our shift, at the rumor mill, we have proof that this kettle of tea is not only piping hot, but 100% true.

[Ben Mandelker]

So, yeah, sometimes it pays to be a little nosy, but it always pays to Discover.

[Ronnie Karam]

Based on the February 2024 Nielsen report. Learn [e-mail] credit card.

[Ben Mandelker]

So they're. They're shopping and shopping and shopping, and they can find some things. They can find not. They can't find other things. And the Olympians are like, oh, this is crazy. Well, I'm just, like, emotionally support. I'm an Olympian. Emotional support. I'll just stand here with a card, et cetera.

[Ronnie Karam]

So, yeah, they're basically just getting in their way and being annoying. And I, like. At one point, Bailey's like, well, I don't know. Here's what I do. I just walk in, put shit in the basket, and figure out how to use it later, because I'm probably not gonna win anyway. I mean, let's face it. Hopefully. But maybe it won't even be that good. So here's what you do. Go around the meat counter, and then the. The dairy. We'll just go to every counter and go, I'm sorry, and see what they hand you. Make that into a dish.

[Ben Mandelker]

Bailey is gonna. She wants redemption for her bruleed gorgonzola that she did a few weeks ago. So she's gonna do it again, which I' a chef tries to get redemption on this show. They never do it. They never succeed. So I'm like, don't do this. This is dangerous.

[Ronnie Karam]

I actually yelled at the tv. I was like, bailey, God damn it, how many chances are you gonna get? And you're gonna pull the same bullshit again. Get it together.

[Ben Mandelker]

It's. Please stop relaying the group. You can relay the gorgonzola for me, because I will like it, but they're not gonna like it, so don't do this. Okay?

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. And it turns out we were dead. We were dead wrong, and we were wrong. Sometimes it actually does work out. But, man, when this happened, I was like, God damn it, Bailey. I try to root for you. It difficult sometimes.

[Ben Mandelker]

So Cesar has a story for us. He's going to be making a black walnut ice cream, and he's like, over the break, I had a chance to visit Oriana's orchard in Illinois, and she's 80 years old and a single farmer, and there's black walnuts everywhere. And I wanted to bring something for people that inspire me to become a better. Boring. Boring. Wow. Congratulations. You met a lady who grows nuts. I met Polly Walnuts here in heaven. So I guess my story is a little bit better because mine involves a famous person.

[Ronnie Karam]

Sorry, an 80 year old single farmer. Why would any of us want to eat Gail's future? So also, he needs to kind of stop with the. Did you say ice cream? Yeah. Polenta cake with black walnut ice cream. I know he did well on that ice cream and he's still trying to hold on to it. That pickle ice cream. But I think in general, chefs look down on dessert. We know they do from watching this show. We know they do. So why are you doing that to yourself if you don't have to?

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, I agree. Let's. Let's re it in a little bit.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

So Schwe. They get to the hotel, they're Radisson blue.

[Ronnie Karam]

And we paid for it with the Wells Fargo swipey day card. And then we put a couple of bottles of Pellegrino in their face just to say you to Saratoga held out for a little extra money. Am I right?

[Ben Mandelker]

Fun story. I'm actually staying at the Radisson even more blue. It's just like a better version of the Radisson blue. I don't know what's exclusive up here in heaven.

[Ronnie Karam]

I took the Sarah out of toga. I'm just walking around in a toga around Italy saying, why have you killed me Belle.

[Ben Mandelker]

Etoo Sarah? That's the first part of the toga. I don't know if you got her following.

[Ronnie Karam]

I'm dumb, Padma. I don't get jokes like that. I'm too stupid.

[Ben Mandelker]

I just. By the way, my dear friend Julius Caesar, we were having dinner last night. I said, did you know there's a. There's a salad called Caesar salad, but it's not named after you. And he said, what are you talking about? I'm Julius Caesar. I said, no, it's some guy in Tijuana who invented it. And then that guy showed up and he said, yeah, it's my salad. And Caesar was so embarrassed. He was hilarious. Anyway, what famous emperor have you guys been hanging out with? None. Oh, that's too bad.

[Ronnie Karam]

Caesar was so upset. And then Little Caesar came over to the table and said, pizza, pizza. And I said, guess what? Here's someone that was based on you. And then Caesar stabbed himself eight times.

[Ben Mandelker]

Little Caesar was so happy because he said, pizza, pizza. And for the first time ever someone gave him the pizza without Gail eating it first.

[Ronnie Karam]

So now people are in their amazing BMWs on the way to the kitchen, and Tristan's like, none of my past wins or successes mean anything in this moment, and that is not lost on me. At one point, the. He's. He tells the. He tells this Olympian. He's like, yeah, you know, like, how do you just keep yourself going when you're already winning everything? And they're like, the wins don't matter. He's like, yeah, I'm trying to tell myself that. It's like, come on, Tristan, get over yourself for five fucking minutes, dude. Jeez.

[Ben Mandelker]

So they're. They're in this, like, this old, beautiful building that has a courtyard and everything, and they're doing their cooking. And Bailey's strategy is she's gonna put her first. Her most effort into her first dish and her last dish. So she's like, fuck the beats. And then Shuai is like, I still feel very inspired by the athletes yesterday, and we're just gonna cheer each other on. But you know what? I. I was a little disappointed that none of them were dressed like Vicki Lawrence and Mama's family, because I just really want some grandma energy as well. But that's okay. They were still.

[Ronnie Karam]

Hopefully Gail wears paisley today. So Bailey's like, why polenta with porcini parm butter and, I don't know, I guess maybe roasted beets with ricotta smear and then, you know, corganzola something or other. I'm sorry. So Cesar is gonna. Is excited for his first chorus dessert.

[Ben Mandelker]

Sorry, did you get another photo of another mouse?

[Ronnie Karam]

I heard knocking, and I looked down, and Bueller just, like, got on his back and started kicking the cabinet. Okay. Ben, read what Caesar's making.

[Ben Mandelker]

Okay. He's like, for dessert, it's different. It's all about the cake, so I need to nail this recipe. So for the beet dish, I'm making a tostada, because there was a famous one in Mexico City. And then the gorgonzola dish is just gonna be a squash casserole with cheese sauce, and it's gonna be nice and funky. Yeah, so tell them funky.

[Ronnie Karam]

Hey, Chefs. So polenta, huh? What are we doing for polenta? And Tristan's like, yeah, I'm gonna go with my roots. I'm gonna make something called cuckoo couscous. No, Cuckoo. Who's cuckoo? Cuckoo. It's a dish, Tom. It's a. It's from where I'm from. Oh, sounds good. Okay. What am I.

[Ben Mandelker]

Be careful. If you say cuckoo too many times, Gail's gonna burst through the wall and say, for Cocoa Puffs.

[Ronnie Karam]

I've never had cuckoo before. Is it good?

[Ben Mandelker]

I don't think I've had it.

[Ronnie Karam]

Well, I'm not gonna. You can't go wrong with cornmeal porridges. I mean, sound sounds.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, that's sounds good. I'm down for some cuckoo. So then Tristan's just. He's. He's basically putting it. He's banking on polenta. He wants. He's putting all his effort on the polenta, and if it doesn't work out for him, he's hoping that he just wins in the first. First round, and then he doesn't have to do the other dishes, which, in a weird way, I almost wanted him to. I felt like there was, like, a hubris about that that made me want to be like, oh, I hope you mess up, and then you have to, like, reap the consequences of your actions. But I miss Tristan. He's not gonna mess up. Of course it's gonna be delicious, and of course he's gonna go through in the first round.

[Ronnie Karam]

But hubris. Tristan definitely has that. You know, I find him to be a little up his own ass. But that said, he's also extremely talented. He's so, you know, what are you gonna do? I feel like if it was a chef that didn't have so much talent, I would be constantly annoyed. But he's good. Like, he delivers.

[Ben Mandelker]

So, yeah, like, you can't really die.

[Ronnie Karam]

And in competition shows, especially with chefs, you know, I'm more forgiving of that kind of stuff because you kind of have to have it. It's like, I'm gonna go in there. I'm the best. I'm gonna kill it. And I guess that's kind of how you have to do it, you know? But he's. He's fantastic. He's gonna win this whole shebang.

[Ben Mandelker]

And Tom, this is where that moment happens, because Tom is like, you know, you've done really well. You've won more challenges than anybody else. And he's like, yeah, you know, I asked my Olympian today, like, if you're already at the top, how do you just keep at the top? You know? And then he said, pressure is a privilege. Wow. Well. Well, we have to remind Gayle that every time she's sitting on the toilet. Huh? So then.

[Ronnie Karam]

It'S hard not to get annoyed with him. Like, come on.

[Ben Mandelker]

Like, so then talk to my Olympian.

[Ronnie Karam]

What's it like basically being the chef version of a Gold winning Olympian. And they were like, it's a. It's like, be grateful. So I was like, okay, I'll just plan on making one dish.

[Ben Mandelker]

Pressure is a privilege. So Bailey is. Tom's asking Bailey what she's doing, and he's like, you know, you're an anxious person, and if you don't make it through the first course, which I'm sure you. And he's like, she's like, you're sure what? Well, you sure you think you're gonna do that? You're gonna do that, right? Do you think you're really gonna go.

[Ronnie Karam]

Through the first course?

[Ben Mandelker]

You know you're going up against Tristan, right? Yeah. Well, I don't know. Then I guess I'll do some thing with the beats, put them on a plate, and you guys can put a vinaigrette on it. I don't know. Know. I'm just trying to get to that. Gorkonzola.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. He's like, so, you know, being a Italian chef, what's that like? And she's like, well, I mean, it gives me an advantage, but, you know, I'm an anxious person. He's like, huh? An anxious person. That's one way to put it. Okay. Hey, turn that frown upside down. Just kidding. Don't. I like your friend. It's nice. You forgot to say something. I'm sorry. Okay, that's it. That's all I needed. I'll move on now. Thanks.

[Ben Mandelker]

Hey, Schwai, talk to me about your ingredients here. Well, I know that you're thinking that Tristan's going to win the first course. So to counteract that, I'm just going to make a pa. Grandma for the first chorus, and we're going to Palenta. Going to do a grandma barbecue. Little grandma barbecue duck. Grandma.

[Ronnie Karam]

Grandma.

[Ben Mandelker]

Grandma. Grandma says grandma. I just can't help. I just want to say yes. You win. You win, Top Chef. Say grandma one more time. Say grandma to me.

[Ronnie Karam]

So he's gonna do barbecue duck in Chinatown style. And. And then what? What are you gonna do with the beats? He's like, well, I haven't done a dumpling yet. Oh, I thought you were gonna say grandma polenta.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, you know what? I'm gonna do the beats. You know, my grandma likes to dance to many beats. Oh, yeah. Grandma dancing to beats. I love it. I love it already. Doesn't even make sense as a dish. I just want to say yes, you win. You win it all.

[Ronnie Karam]

Grandma beats. And then for gorgonzola, he's gonna. He's like, well, you know, there's not a lot of dairy in Chinese cooking, but I'm gonna do roasted butternut squash. Okay, stop. And also, Bailey, polenta again. This is the top chef. And you guys, you're gonna do butternut squash and polenta again. Both of you. Shame on you. Make an effort.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, you know, it's funny. There isn't a lot of dairy in Chinese cooking. Just like how there was no rice in Arizona. I'm woken up from the grandma spell.

[Ronnie Karam]

Well, there's not a lot of dairy and Chinese cooking. Thank God we're in Italy.

[Ben Mandelker]

All right, Cesar, Cesar, you can come out from under the table. Don't be scared. Okay, so what are you gonna make? He's like, well, I'm gonna. I'm gonna make a beets and I'm gonna do a beat tostada and then tortillas, and I just want to make torsa tortillas in the kitchen and I'll be fine. Tortillas. All right, well, that sounds not great. Okay, well, you're giving us the chip.

[Ronnie Karam]

That sounds great. Well, it seems like you find your inspiration from the ingredients and you don't know what you're going to make until you see everything. So some of that works. Well, you know, sometimes it's just like, huh, what the. This guy have crusty, crusty socks on the floor and eggplants under his bed. And then I found out. Yep, yep. He sure does. He sure does.

[Ben Mandelker]

Good luck. 20. 20 minutes left. Cesar is. He's dressed. He doesn't have time to prep, and he knows there's only one. We're only one minute one. I have to say, I'm not even joking or being silly. I have this big ass coffee cold brew that I've been sipping all day because we've already recorded two episodes. But for whatever reason, the caffeine is like hitting me now and I, like, I cannot see straight. I'm looking at my notes and I'm.

[Ronnie Karam]

Like, you still get the high from the caffeine that's so crazy.

[Ben Mandelker]

If I drink it too quickly, you know, because I drink it relatively slowly, so it's like a micro dead thing. But now I'm like, it's not even a high. It's just like I am, like deranged right now. I am at the moment.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, keep snoring it down, buddy.

[Ben Mandelker]

Storing the cafe.

[Ronnie Karam]

Snort it down.

[Ben Mandelker]

So Cesar is behind.

[Ronnie Karam]

So Cesar's stressed. Yeah, he's stressed. So Tristan's like, I'm panicking with this Gorgonzola. Did. Thank God. I'm not gonna have to make it. And then now the guest judges are brought in. And thanks for being here for our final elimination challenge. Can't wait to see how you enjoyed the second course of butternut squash.

[Ben Mandelker]

I know. Alaina, Declan, Oksana, Red, Andrea, Ali. A little bit of Monica on the side. Thank you for being here. This is like turning into mambo number five, just doing names. A little bit of Erica in my life. A little bit of Elena. I might with my strife. A little bit of Gail falling off her chair. Sorry.

[Ronnie Karam]

A little girl in granny underwear. So Oksana is like, oh, my God, it was so stressful. I just get so stressed in grocery stores already. And then you put a time on it and you put it in a foreign language. I mean, what the frick, people?

[Ben Mandelker]

Tristan's like, yeah. Again, thank you for. For having my Top Chef life hang in the balance of this girl who gets stressed in his supermarket and can't read anything that is on the shelves. Thank you again, so much. All right, chefs, you have just 30 minutes.

[Ronnie Karam]

30 minutes to compete. Your palenta and your time starts now. Whoever wins the most votes wins. So Shai is like, oh, my gosh. Palenta is often loaded with. With butter and cheese, but since the duck's also fatty, I'm just going to season it with kosher salt and a little bit of butter. And I was like, oh, no, this is going to fail miserably. You can't just. You can't put that in palenta. Palenta needs the. In it. Okay.

[Ben Mandelker]

It needs the. It needs the.

[Ronnie Karam]

I thought. I mean, I was wrong this whole episode. Not that that's a same. Every. Every time I got upset about something, it turned out I was wrong every time. They tricked me. They tricked me.

[Ben Mandelker]

I was like, this is schweize last stand. He's going home. So then Tristan, he's made a sauce, and it's, like, very spicy. He. Which is important to know for in a few minutes. And then Bailey's. Yeah, Bailey's. She's not seasoning too much of her stuff. And so they're all eating. They're all cooking. 15 minutes left. Cesar is behind. He's got ice cream. He's just pouring liquid nitrogen over. It's just everything is very stressful, etc. And so the timer. Okay, Tristan, can you tell us about your polenta dish, please? And so he's made this cuckoo and has. I don't know how you pronounce this. Poisson non sauce. I don't Seuce. Basically, and eel and marinated mackerel. And he wanted to connect his Afro Caribbean heritage to this. And Gail sitting there, she's like.

[Ronnie Karam]

People couldn't eat it. There were. One of the Olympians was like. And so was Gail. Gail was, like, coughing. It was.

[Ben Mandelker]

Gail was like. She had, like, tears in her eyes.

[Ronnie Karam]

Like.

[Ben Mandelker]

What is this?

[Ronnie Karam]

Look at Gail trying to release food. Her throat just won't let her do it.

[Ben Mandelker]

Wow. Wow. Gail looks almost as choked up as I was when my dear friend Ali Wong won another award. What friends have of yours? Do you guys all have famous friends who won awards? Anyway? Anyone, raise your hand if you have a famous friend who won an award, dead or living? No one. Just me. Oh, that's too bad.

[Ronnie Karam]

Everyone put your hands down, John Wayne. I'm not talking to you. I'm telling you. So Gail's like, what pepper did you use, Tristan? I mean, did you mean to almost kill. Kill Gail, Tristan?

[Ben Mandelker]

Wow. It's too bad I couldn't be alive and on this panel, because I would have then said, I love spice.

[Ronnie Karam]

All right, Caesar, what did you make for yours? And he's like, I did polenta cake with a black walnut ice cream and a candied prosciutto, because who doesn't want prosciutto? That's candy.

[Ben Mandelker]

And the Bob's letter, Alana is like, what made you decide on ice cream? He's well, I think it's a good pairing with a nice plant, a cake or something like that. Hold on one second. Helana. Hi, this is Padma Lakshmi, famous person from beyond the graveyard. Next time, when you ask your question, why don't you try it like this? Did you mean to make something stupid like ice cream for our first course there? Try it out.

[Ronnie Karam]

So then Shwai serves his ode to Chinatown barbecue duck seasoned with five spice on some creamy polenta. And Gail's like, what did you add to the polenta? Schwei. And again, I thought, he's gonna get caught on putting nothing in the polenta. Gale hates it. No, I was wrong. I was wrong again. And he's like, water, pepper, butter, salt and pepper. Kept it simple. And so then Bailey serves her polenta. She's like, I just feel like polenta should have a lot of I'm sorrys in it. So there's that and then butter and then roasted mushroom, thyme, rosemary, you know, hazelnut chive. It's boring. I hope you don't fall asleep while you eat it.

[Ben Mandelker]

And Ali is like, what kind of cheese did you use, Bailey? Yes, I believe I'LL answer this for her. I believe the cheese that she uses is called. Called stupid. Stupid cheese.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yes.

[Ben Mandelker]

She's a big fan of it.

[Ronnie Karam]

Bailey used Gail's perfume for her cheese today. Robiola and parmigiano.

[Ben Mandelker]

Exacto.

[Ronnie Karam]

Left on the counter for a week. Tom's like, well, that. That. That felt really good. Whoa. Whoa. Yeah, the polenta. Oh, God, that polenta is really. Oh, oh, oh, oh, good. I just. Okay. I just can't. That was robiola and polenta. Thou. Wow. Oh.

[Ben Mandelker]

All right, judges, we're gonna be voting for our favorite dish on the count of three. All right? One, two, three. Three, two, one.

[Ronnie Karam]

Oh.

[Ben Mandelker]

Oh. So now it is basically schwai shuai wins, which is out of nowhere. None of us expected that. So I thought it was gonna be Tristan for sure. So, in fact, I. For. I. I not only was so expected to be Tristan that before when we were talking about Tristan, I actually just. In my mind, he had won the first course.

[Ronnie Karam]

And I followed you on that because I thought, oh, maybe that is what happened, because I remember that thing.

[Ben Mandelker]

I was like, I hope he doesn't win that first one. I wish he hadn't won that first ones. That way he would have had to deal.

[Ronnie Karam]

I don't think you should have. Because of that chili.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, no, the chili was. I forgot. I forgot it was Shuai who did it.

[Ronnie Karam]

So he took it. He took it with his unseasoned polenta, though. It worked. They loved it Worked with the. With the stuff from the duck, so they loved that. So he's psyched, and I'm psyched for him. You know, we give him.

[Ben Mandelker]

That sounds delicious. Yeah.

[Ronnie Karam]

I'm psyched for him.

[Ben Mandelker]

I love that.

[Ronnie Karam]

Even though he brought butternuts, he was going to bring butternut squash out again, but whatever. You didn't do it, so good for you. So then they all, you know, give it compliments and stuff. They loved it. And then they move on to Tristan's stuff and. And wait. Oh, no, I'm sorry. Yeah, they do move on to Tristan. Right. Because Elena's like, they love the spice.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. They like the heat. And then Kristin says, bailey, I thought your polenta dish was really, really homey. It was very hearty. The polenta, to me, though, was almost too much cheese. It was quite heavy.

[Ronnie Karam]

Oh, man. They showed Bailey serving it when. When she was serving that, it just looked like glop. I mean, I make a lot of polenta, and I know it's her. It's easy to fuck up.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah.

[Ronnie Karam]

And put Too much shit. It looked like she was about to make a statue of something. I can't believe she got away with that. That was. That did not look good.

[Ben Mandelker]

Wow. Hi, everyone. I just want to say I just spoke to my new dear friend Leonardo da Vinci, and he said he totally would have made a statue out of it if given the chance. If only. Only he still had a corporal presence. Okay. Gonna hang out with more icons.

[Ronnie Karam]

I just said, you know how many of your penises have fallen off things? It's crazy. I went to the Vatican. I actually filed a report and said, where are the dicks? They've all fallen off. I mean, poor Michelangelo. What did that man ever do to anybody? Give him a new dick.

[Ben Mandelker]

I did. I did pull Leonardo to the side. I said, listen, I love your work, but what's the deal with all the arms and that man? How about you? Not just one set of arms, one set of legs. It's too much.

[Ronnie Karam]

Okay, so Tristan only got one vote, so he's embarrassed, but he's gonna make it. He wants to do it for that little black kid at home who's watching and needs inspiration. And so, Kristen, what were you gonna say?

[Ben Mandelker]

Oh, I was just inhaling, actually.

[Ronnie Karam]

Oh.

[Ben Mandelker]

I was inhaling loudly, but I was not. There was actually no statement to be made.

[Ronnie Karam]

Tristan's only doing it for the children. Okay, so now there's 30 minutes to complete your beat dishes. Now, I know that the audience is sitting on their edge of their seats because nobody is more excited about beats than an American audience. Get to it, guys.

[Ben Mandelker]

Beats. So Cesar is. He's doing his tostada, but his masa is dried out, and he didn't. Didn't have time to rest. It's. It's. It's drama over there. And Bailey, she does. I don't think she even has any plan. Plan, because she said she was not even going to focus on this dish. So Tristan's the only one who actually has a plan of attack, and he's. He's. He. One thing that happens is that he's grilling all his pork, and then he takes off the pork. So then Bailey takes over, but then now he wants the grill again, and he can't. He can't grill his. His pork because he just wants the pork to be kissed by the fire, which is all he says all season long. He's like, I just want this to be kissed by the fire. And so he has to fry it instead. So then I was like, oh, God, the fryer. So he's gonna be I thought so too.

[Ronnie Karam]

I thought for sure he was gonna be on this. And Shuai is like, oh, my God, this is giving me so much anxiety. And Bailey's saying that grilling is taking longer, so I don't know if my mushrooms are gonna be ready. Oh, God. I just wish I had some uncooked peas to cook up for them to give them to eat. That'll pass me.

[Ben Mandelker]

So time's up. Tristan serves his. These are beets that were brazed and glazed in a shadow. Benny a piece smoked beet puree and beet picklies and pork belly that's been glazed in the reduction of the beat. And schwei is on the side. Like, I feel like Shy was sad that he couldn't tell a grandma story right now. He's like, I'm happy that I'm in the finals, but I'm sad that I can't add some grandma content.

[Ronnie Karam]

One time I came home with a C in school, and my grandma beat me. I could have totally saved that story for today.

[Ben Mandelker]

So, Mia, Tristan's talking about how he smoked it like he and then Cesar made his his beet tostada. He says, it brings a smile to my face. You guys all eating it with a knife and fork. Well, it's better than Gail's normal method, which is dumping it on her head and saying, it's shampoo.

[Ronnie Karam]

I know you didn't just serve them a tostada with grilled beets and chipotle mayo in the semifinals. Come on. Mayo. You can't serve the mayo in the semifinals. Why are you doing that? So then Bailey did grilled beets dressed with balsamic and sherry brown. Get the fuck out of here, bro.

[Ben Mandelker]

She made a salad, and it just was, like, a mess on the plate. Kristen's like, how did you cook your beets? Did you cry into them? Because I'm about to right now. And Bailey's like, well, I roasted them, and I grill them. I don't know. I didn't even realize we had a beat course to do until about five minutes ago.

[Ronnie Karam]

All right, Tristan wins this one by far. He gets six votes, Cesar gets three, and Bailey gets a zero. That's embarrassing. Bailey. Damn. But you made a salad also. Bailey, I'm getting very frightened. Can you tell? I'm getting very frustrated with these. The semifinals. This is just not good enough. All of you go home and start again. Bring back Katiana. I just want to see what Katiana would make. I want to watch her poke little flowers out of dough.

[Ben Mandelker]

Okay, well, Billy you know, I liked where you're going with this, but the big flaw was that this was more. More cheese forward than it was beat forward. Yeah. Like, gal at her prom trying to dance. They're like, why'd you bring out the cheese cart for this. This dance? They're supposed. They're beats playing. Be more beat forward, Gail.

[Ronnie Karam]

Oh, yeah, Bailey, I'm sorry. Two cheese forward. And so Andrea voted for Caesar, and she's like, yeah, beetroot was cooked very, very nice. That's it. Okay, Cesar. Kristen enjoyed it. She found the tostada to be on the greasier side, and the beetle feet was getting lost, so it was just a little bit thicker. Okay. Okay. Goodbye. So Tristan does a cartwheel, which I was shocked.

[Ben Mandelker]

Surprising.

[Ronnie Karam]

I was like, is that cgi? That was amazing.

[Ben Mandelker]

I didn't know anyone on Top Chef ever could do a cartwheel, but they did it.

[Ronnie Karam]

I never thought I'd see Tristan do a cartwheel, but he did a great cartwheel.

[Ben Mandelker]

It's great. It's beautiful. I can't do it. I've never been able to do a cartwheel.

[Ronnie Karam]

Me neither.

[Ben Mandelker]

I used to be able to do somersaults, but now I can't do somersaults anymore because I feel like I'm going to break the my neck.

[Ronnie Karam]

I can't even bend over to reach the soap when I drop it.

[Ben Mandelker]

So Bailey's like, well, no votes. But, you know, I was in Last Chance Kitchen. I'm not going to let that stop me. So let's do this. So now it's time for the gorgonzola showdown. So Cesar is going to do this squash casserole with mor sauce. Rebecca, which is named after Rebecca de Mor, I'd like to add. It's her contribution to the culinary world. Rebecca de Hornay, please welcome my dear friend, non Oscar nominee and person who was famous for a little bit in the 90s, and also sauce pioneer Rebecca De Mornay.

[Ronnie Karam]

Sorry, Rebecca, I'm welcoming you from up here because you're not dead yet. Hey, can someone walk Rebecca over to the bell?

[Ben Mandelker]

Hey, Rebecca, congratulations. I found your career. It's up here in heaven because it died a long time ago.

[Ronnie Karam]

So they get Bailey's. They're seeing Bailey bruleeing her gorgonzola, and Kristin's like, is she bruleeing gorgonzola again? It didn't work the first time. Don't do it the second time. Yeah, that's what I told Gail, but she wore that dress again.

[Ben Mandelker]

Fun fact, Gail actually brulees her deodorants with her armpit. Hot, hot pit coming forward. It's funny because when I turned on the HBO Max television show the Pit, I thought I was just gonna see Kale's underarm.

[Ronnie Karam]

So, Kristen, time's up. Utensils down. Time to serve. SSR butternut squash casserole. I know you guys haven't had enough butternut squash today, so. And then I made a gorgonzola casserole. Delicious, right? Semifinals. On the side is pesto made with sage and gorgonzola. So it's an ode to the Midwest, you know, which is probably something really popular here in Italy. Why.

[Ben Mandelker]

Why would you do an O? Like, your. Your Top Chef career hangs on this, and you're like, this is the moment. You're gonna do an ode to the Midwest.

[Ronnie Karam]

And then if that's not bad enough, he's like, like. And this isn't even my. This isn't even my recipe. It's my chef de cuisine. And I'm always thinking about him because I know he's working his ass off right now, you know, like, really living that casserole life. And this is one of his recipes. So I wouldn't be here without him. I would. I would just be serving, like, chip chips and not soggy chips. So I hope that you like this stolen recipe. Enjoy, everybody. Cesar, why don't you just fucking go home now? You've been trying.

[Ben Mandelker]

I have. Have. I have no doubt that a butternut squash and gorgonzola casserole is absolutely delicious, but it just doesn't feel like the right thing to serve right now. Maybe it's.

[Ronnie Karam]

I have many doubts that that is delicious. First of all, gorgonzola and butternut squash casserole. Gross. Give it. And why are you serving it?

[Ben Mandelker]

What, you think that sounds gross? Yes, I think it sounds wonderful. Sweet. And gorgonzola. I'm into it.

[Ronnie Karam]

You know, I don't love cooked gorgonzola. I love blue cheese, but I don't love it, like, hot.

[Ben Mandelker]

The truth comes out.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, I don't.

[Ben Mandelker]

Truth comes out. Well, yeah, it can be a lot of casserole.

[Ronnie Karam]

It's just wet and gooey, and I don't know. I don't like that. I don't like that for my gorgonzola, and I love gorgonzola, but, you know, I. I hold it in very high regard and how it should be eaten in. In a casserole with butternut squashes or any casserole at all. No, it's a.

[Ben Mandelker]

It's a number. So Bailey is like, well, I made polenta gratinata with gorgonzola dolce brulee. And they're like, oh, God. Well, why did you choose to do the brulee Gorgonzola again? Did you not remember that? We all gagged. Even Gale gagged. Wow, that was a good one, Kristen. I didn't even think you were on team Anti. Gale. Love to see it.

[Ronnie Karam]

And Ylenia's like, well, Declan doesn't even like gorgonzola, and his plates are cleared. Oh, well, hand her the medal. Declan liked it.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. Declan, it's like, yeah, I think I like gorgonzola now. Wow. That's like me saying, I like the full Rebecca De Mornay back catalog now. Never gonna really happen.

[Ronnie Karam]

You can like it more than Gail. We call Gail Gal Gonzorla.

[Ben Mandelker]

Exacto.

[Ronnie Karam]

Both these dishes felt like the two of you. So whatever happens, you guys have done. Done a great job. Okay? Wow. Olympians. Get the fuck out of here. We don't need you here anymore. Go back to your real careers. Okay? Be more fascinating there than you were here. Okay, thanks.

[Ben Mandelker]

So Bailey's saying, you know, she's worked so hard to be where she is, and she's just trying to mentally prepare for whatever happens. So now they're. They're. Now they're debating. So Kristin's like, well, both Bailey and Cesar made unique dishes, which is my way of saying, what a shitty final dish before our finale. Am I right, everyone?

[Ronnie Karam]

Two shoes? Yeah, pretty much. And Gail's like, whoa. They were so rustic, Very comforting, and they were warm. They were actually, you know, they didn't sit for 90 seconds like Schweize. So they should win both of them.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, I guess that explains why Gail's shoving her dish into a duvet cover. Wow. Really thought they were warm and comforting, didn't you?

[Ronnie Karam]

Well, I thought it was composed. It was interesting. It was creative. Even though it looked homie. You know, it looked homie. Why are we saying homie so much? Can we stop saying homie?

[Ben Mandelker]

They're really trying so hard to sound like this was very elevated.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah. I think these judges are like, what do we do? This is. We've done this to ourselves, and now we're in a finale, and all this food is shit. So what do we do?

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, the squash was cooked beautifully, and in. In those two very different ways. They were lovely. Lovely. They were lovely in a homey, sad, soup kitchen kind of way. You know? You know, when you go to soup kitchen, you think Isn't this nice? We're serving people who are less fortunate, and it's lovely. That's kind of what this food tasted like. Soup kitchen food.

[Ronnie Karam]

Okay, so Kristen's like, it's going to be tough to send somebody home, but we have to, and we've made up our minds. Let's bring the chefs out here. You know what, Chefs, you were eliminated. Some of you were eliminated this season. Oh, both of you. Both of you sucked at some point this season. And then this. This need for more money came in, called Tom last Chance Kitchen, where I get to stay and let you get another chance. And then I almost gave it to Katiana, who probably was more worthy than both of you, and I let her go to give the pickle ice cream guy another shot. Wow, what a mistake. So I guess you can blame me or you can blame yourselves. I don't really care. I get paid anyway.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, Cesar, please break your knives and go. We didn't also mention that. I mean, Kristin was so out of control with the tears even before. Even before the judging, when she was like, you guys both cooked tremendously. And also, I just want to say to our Olympians, it was an honor having you both here, all four of you here, and we want to wish you the best of luck in Milan. I will be cheering you on. And ugly crying as I'm like, the Olympics are not for nine months. Kristen, he's just like. And an honor to be around you, knowing that you'll be in that bobsled soon enough. Yeah.

[Ronnie Karam]

Kristen cried this whole final part of the thing. She wouldn't stop, like, all right.

[Ben Mandelker]

Every single thing. It's like. And to the electrician who came to fix that light that went out during the judging. You did great work. Great, great work.

[Ronnie Karam]

To the gorgonzola itself. I really. I didn't think that you were gonna make it. I was mad about having to eat Uber late again, but you did it, buddy. You did it. Congratulations, Morgan, Zola.

[Ben Mandelker]

And Gail's like, I just want to say, Cesar, thank you. Thank you so much. It's been an incredible journey getting to know you also. Wow. Even you're crying, Gail. No, I just still have some of that spicy sauce that just made me and me haven't really gotten over it.

[Ronnie Karam]

And Caesar's like, I'm just telling myself over and over, like, how proud I am of me. You know, I got to go to Europe for the first time. I got to see myself grow as a person. I'm just bummed, but what are you gonna do?

[Ben Mandelker]

Right.

[Ronnie Karam]

Maybe not tell everybody that you're not even cooking your own casserole. Cesar sake, bro. So Bailey is gonna go. I was shocked that Bailey went. I have to say, I'm shocked. I don't think Bailey sucks. I think the thing that sucks the most about Bailey is she has this lack of self confidence. That is because I think it's hard to take her seriously on something like this. And, like, a lot of the comments I read about her online are not nice. And I think if she was a really confident, especially male chef, let's be honest, but if she was like a Massimo type coming in and cooking house, she is like, I was amazing. I did polenta two times because I fucking wanted to, because polenta's amazing. You know, she had that kind of attitude. She'd probably be, like, winning this hands down. And it was. Wouldn't feel like such a shock. But I think because of her, like, yeah, it does seem shocking. I'm shocked that she. She's in the. In the finals.

[Ben Mandelker]

I'm shocked because she started off the season so badly. I mean, when she got. When she got eliminated earlier in the season, it seemed like, well, we knew that was coming because she was sort of really flopping. So then when she actually won Last Chance Kitchen, it was like Bailey on Last Chance Kitchen, because, remember, she went up against that guy who made the chicken sandwich who seemed like he was. He was really good in the beginning of the season, and then he had, like, that one bad dish. So I was shocked that she came back and then she kept on doing well. She had some moments where she did really well and some moments where she was, like, mediocre. It just was surprising that Bailey's made it all the way to the finals. I was actually even surprised Cesar came back from Last Chance, Last Chance Kitchen, too. I thought for sure be Katiana. So.

[Ronnie Karam]

Yeah, me too. I don't know.

[Ben Mandelker]

Surprising. But we have the finale. The grand finale is going to be this week, so we'll see who wins.

[Ronnie Karam]

And watch Bailey win the whole thing. You never know. This show's crazy. You never know what could happen on this show. There have been a lot of winners that have been like, Tristan doesn't win.

[Ben Mandelker]

That'd be a. That'd be a shocker if Tristan doesn't win. But I don't know. There could be a. There could be a Bailey upset. You never know. Or the Schweize has been on a hot streak recently. In the middle of the season, he kind of like, it's. It started to feel like, okay, Schweize out of his depth. He was sort of really good in the beginning, and then in the middle, he just sort of started to become mediocre. I was like, okay. He, like, went as far as he could go, but now the show is getting to be too big for. For him, and suddenly he's come back. And they do love. They do love a comeback story, but I think it's gonna be Tristan. I mean, who. Who will be fooling? It's gonna be Tristan, right?

[Ronnie Karam]

I think it's gonna be Tristan. But Tristan is so confident to the point of overconfidence that they might pull the rug out from under trust, because that's what the show does. I mean, he's very overconfident, and I feel like the audience is very confident for him. I mean, I think he's gonna win. I think it's gonna be a huge upset if he doesn't win. And I think he deserves to. To win.

[Ben Mandelker]

I think he deserves to win too.

[Ronnie Karam]

You know, and it's like, I know. You never know.

[Ben Mandelker]

I mean, that would be so cruel. This guy did not even go to his father's funeral to stay on Top Chef. And if it's not that, like, you deserve to win because of that, but, like, you know that on some level.

[Ronnie Karam]

It'S a food competition. I mean, if you're. You know, if you have to cook the food. So we'll see.

[Ben Mandelker]

We will see. Okay, well, everyone, thanks for being here. Join us for a crappy hour later tonight. We've got a lot of stuff to talk about if this is actually up in time. Or you can listen to the replay and go to watchcraft.com to get your tickets to our final two shows of the year. Get them before it's too late. Bye, everyone.

[Ronnie Karam]

Bye.

[Ben Mandelker]

Watch what Crappens would like to thank its premium sponsors. Ain't no thing like Alison King.

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[Ronnie Karam]

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[Ben Mandelker]

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[Ronnie Karam]

It's always a good time when you're wasting time with Bravo. She ain't no shrinking violet Cootard. 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.

[Ben Mandelker]

Every big moment starts with a big dream. But what happens when that big dream turns out to be a big flop? From Wondery and ill Media, I'm Misha Brown and this this is the Big Flop. Every week, comedians join me to chronicle the biggest flubs, fails and blunders of all time. Like quibbing.

[Ronnie Karam]

It's kind of like when you give yourself your own nickname and you try to like get other people to do it.

[Ben Mandelker]

And the 2019 movie adaptation of Cats. Like if I'm watching the dancing and I'm noticing the feet aren't touching the ground, there's something wrong with the movie. Find out what happens when massive hype turns into major fiasco. Enjoy the big Flop on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to the Big Flop early and ad free on Wondery Plus. Get started with your free trial at Wondery.com Plus. Every successful business starts with an idea. And on the Best Idea yet, we're obsessed with those light bulb moments. Like how a bored barista invented the Frappuccino during his downt and then it got acquired by Starbucks. Or how Patagonia's iconic fleece was inspired by a toilet seat cover. On the Best Idea yet, we dive into the untold origin stories behind the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk takers who made them go viral. These are the wild ideas and insights that made Birkenstock the best selling sandals since Jesus and made Super Mario the most played video game in the history of attention span. Yeah, Nintendo almost became a ramen company until Super Mario saved it. New episodes drop every Tuesday. Follow the best idea yet on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad free right now by joining Wondery Plus. And if this podcast lasts longer than 45 minutes, call your doctor.