Our internal Top Chef All-Stars expert, Loren Means, sent along her latest recap last Thursday (my apologies for the lag in posting). Take it away, Loren:
Compared to the insanity on last week’s show, episode six seemed like a day at the beach, which is to say that the remaining 12 All-Star chefs escaped the kitchen to soak up some fresh air at beautiful Montauk Point. They spent the early part of the day at sea, fishing and yukking it up, then wrapped up with an early evening fish fry on the beach. While it sounds like a mini-vacation, the competition was fierce (this is still Top Chef, after all). Although there was not a Quickfire challenge on this episode, the Cheftestants fought for the win from the beginning. The Elimination Challenge involved two parts for each team: first, catching enough fresh fish to serve a hundred people, and second, cooking the fish they caught on the beach that evening. So, not only was one loser going to be sent home, but the chefs were facing a double elimination.
jump for the full recap…
Immediately, after arriving in Montauk, the chefs were divided into four teams of three. Team One: Tre, Dale and Carla; Team Two: Mike, Angelo, and Tiffany. Team Three emerged as the clear runt of the group with Jamie, Tiffani F., and Antonia. Last, but certainly not least, Team 4’s good ole boys club consisted of Fabio, Richard “Blaze”, and Marcel.
Teams One and Three set off on one boat while Teams Two and Four set off on another. Teams One and Three had a grand time when Dale caught a fish right out of the gate (figuratively speaking). Soon after, everyone on the boat was catching fish, laughing, and high-fiving. Things were not so jolly on the other boat. Two hours in, teams Two and Four had still not caught a single fish. With only five hours left to catch their fish, they were a bit panicked. Fortunately, things improved and all four teams caught ample amounts of fish. (Unfortunately, Jamie did not fall overboard.) Back on the shore, Dale claimed bragging rights as not only did he nab the first catch of the day but he also caught the largest fish. Since it’s not his style to brag, I’ll do it for him. Go Dale!
Judges Table declared Teams One and Two as the favorites. Dale’s sea bass fish tacos were a major hit along with Carla’s Bluefish lettuce wrap. Tre’s sea bass with gazpacho salad was popular as well. Team Two’s sea bass with corn puree and pickled bluefish won over the judges. Alas, a winner must be chosen and that winner was Carla. Carla, who now will not only be spending five nights in Italy (hopefully with her new best friend, Loren) but will also spend six nights in Amsterdam.
After Carla’s victory dance, the bottom two teams were brought to Judges Table. Antonia was grouped with Jamie, Tiffani F, Fabio, Blaze, and Marcel, although the judges said her Porgy Po-boy was the best dish of the evening. Her demise can be attributed to the dead weight she was teamed up with. The judges were less impressed by the other five. The judges criticized the dish created by Blaze, Fabio, and Marcel because the succotash was too overpowering for the fish and the texture was a bit off. Jamie’s dish was watery and bland, and the judges lambasted sweet Tiffani for leaving in the dreaded bloodline of the bluefish, which caused it to be very fishy and unpleasant. After much back and forth, the judges sent Jamie and Tiffani packing. I would have made the same decision.
Best of luck Tiffani; you had a good run.
