Episode 2: Night at the Museum
Padma and Joe Jonas
Top Chef All-Stars had a very interesting and competitive first episode. Now Elia is gone and we've established that Anthony Bourdain is this season's special guest judge. Some chefs, like Stephen and America's favorite Italian chef Fabio, are off to a
slow start. Others, like last week's winner Angelo, are off to a strong start. Elia had history repeat, for she was eliminated for the same dish twice. Richard is emerging strong, but he needs to pay attention to the clock.
Night At the Museum, episode 2, aired on December 8, 2010, just a week after episode 1. As you can imagine, the chefs will be at some sort of museum cooking for lots of people. But first, they must face a difficult quickfire challenge.
slow start. Others, like last week's winner Angelo, are off to a strong start. Elia had history repeat, for she was eliminated for the same dish twice. Richard is emerging strong, but he needs to pay attention to the clock.
Night At the Museum, episode 2, aired on December 8, 2010, just a week after episode 1. As you can imagine, the chefs will be at some sort of museum cooking for lots of people. But first, they must face a difficult quickfire challenge.
Quickfire Challenge
The chefs arrived at the Top Chef kitchen to find hostess Padma standing next to American rockstar singer Joe Jonas of the Beach Boys. Jonas was the guest judge for this challenge. As Richard said, it's got to be hard to please the "advanced pallet" of a young rockstar. Dale Talde said he wasn't sure who he was....in fact, he thought he was a pastry chef. Antonia said that her daughter, of whom she talks so much, would be excited to see her mom cooking for Joe Jonas.
Jonas announced the chef's second quickfire challenge. The challenge was to create a kid-friendly snack for kids spending the night at the New York Natural History Museum. He joked, “You have thirty seconds!” After Carla's shriek and Antonia's curse of relief, the challenge began. Immediately chefs whipped out simple foods for children. Some people, like Richardand Tiffani, rushed to the liquid nitrogen. Others prepared simple lunches or candies like Stephen, who made snickerdoodles. Some chefs, especially women, have a more home-style cooking, so they could potentially do well with this. A lot of chefs made dessert and salty snacks.
At one point, Dale T took the sugar for himself, which annoyed many chefs. He claimed it was an accident, but some chefs were resentful. Even Tiffany, as polite as she is, warned "Don't do that again Dale."
Dale L. said his snack of sweet tart nuggets was like a child's drugs. Jennifer was overly confident that her beacon ginger taffy would actually go over quite well with Jonas and the kids. Think again, Jennifer!
Here is what each chef prepared:
Spike made Homemade Potato & Carrot Chips with Mascarpone & Marshmallow Dip
Dale T. made Corn Cake with Dried Cherries & Whipped Maple Topping
Tiffani made Rice Crispy Treat Snowball with Malted Milk & Graham Crackers
Fabio made Apple with White Chocolate, Caramel, Blueberry, Marshmallow & Candied Ginger
Angelo made Fried Dough, White Pepper, Old Bay Spice & Cheddar Crumbs
Richard made White Bread, Spiced Apples with Whipped Honey & Crunchy Chocolate
Jennifer made Bacon Ginger Taffy & Honey Grilled Peaches
Dale L. made Sweet Tart Nuggets & Caveman Boulders with Chocolate Sauce
Marcel made Ants on a Log
Casey made Chocolate & Bacon Lasagna with Apple Juice & Candy
Tre made Cracker with Cranberry & Cherry Jam, Apple Smoked Bacon
Jamie made Mini Cheddar Biscuits with Homemade Cinnamon Apple Sauce
Antonia made White Chocolate & Cherry Muffin with Cinnamon & Allspice
Carla made Carrot, Ginger and Oatmeal Cookies with Carrot Chips & Granola Clusters
Mike made Chocolate Coconut Corn Bar & Coconut Horchata Chaser
Tiffany made Coconut Rice Pudding with Grapefruit Sauce
Stephen made Snickerdoodle with White Chocolate, Coconut Ganache, Apricot & Mint
Jonas and Padma sample each chef's kid snack and decided upon three bottom entries and two top entries. The bottom three were Mike, Stephen, and Tiffany. Mike was upset because he'd never been on the bottom of a quickfire before. Stephen now has an unbroken record - he's aways been on the bottom this season. As for the top, Jonas decided on only two snacks: Spike and Tiffani. The winner of immunity is.......it's a tie for Jonas! But the two winners must go head-to-head and present for children staying the night at the New York Natural History Museum. They team up and begin to cook and plate their snacks.
Tiffani ended up with Dale L, Jennifer, Jamie, Antonia, Tiffany, Casey, and Tre.
Spike ended up with Richard, Angelo, Mike, Marcel, Fabio, Dale T, Stephen, and Carla.
There is some optimism in Tiffani's team. Dale L said the other team is bound to lose because they are "only a bunch of boys and their babysitter Carla." However, Jamie had a more negative atitude towards her team, saying that she doesn't care about helping someone else. Real team player.
Aside from Jaime, both teams seam to be coming along pretty well. Everyone but Jaime really cares about their team leader winning, and pleasing children's pallets.
When they arrive at the museum, the children go crazy! As the contestants on Tiffani's team serve, the kids go absolutely nuts for the sugar. While Antonia was reminded of her daughter again, Tiffany simply said "we did that." Jaime negatively and sternly said in an interview "I have no interest in having children. Ever."
The chips on Spike's team excite some children, but it's clear that Tiffani's drove them crazy! When Joe Joans appeared with Padma, the children went insane over the rockstar and pretty much forgot about the food. Padma told them to be quiet, then a
look of horror passed over her face. She looked as though the next ten years of her life were ruined. She recently had a child, so maybe she was hoping it would not be like this. She said she thought she would be attacked!
When Padma finally got around to having the kids cheer for their favorite, only a few clapped for Spike's chips. As Padma said Tiffani's dish, the crowd roared with approval. Tiffani was the clear winner of both the challenge and immunity. Her team earned a little credit for the win, but none but Tiffani got the prize of immunity.
Jonas announced the chef's second quickfire challenge. The challenge was to create a kid-friendly snack for kids spending the night at the New York Natural History Museum. He joked, “You have thirty seconds!” After Carla's shriek and Antonia's curse of relief, the challenge began. Immediately chefs whipped out simple foods for children. Some people, like Richardand Tiffani, rushed to the liquid nitrogen. Others prepared simple lunches or candies like Stephen, who made snickerdoodles. Some chefs, especially women, have a more home-style cooking, so they could potentially do well with this. A lot of chefs made dessert and salty snacks.
At one point, Dale T took the sugar for himself, which annoyed many chefs. He claimed it was an accident, but some chefs were resentful. Even Tiffany, as polite as she is, warned "Don't do that again Dale."
Dale L. said his snack of sweet tart nuggets was like a child's drugs. Jennifer was overly confident that her beacon ginger taffy would actually go over quite well with Jonas and the kids. Think again, Jennifer!
Here is what each chef prepared:
Spike made Homemade Potato & Carrot Chips with Mascarpone & Marshmallow Dip
Dale T. made Corn Cake with Dried Cherries & Whipped Maple Topping
Tiffani made Rice Crispy Treat Snowball with Malted Milk & Graham Crackers
Fabio made Apple with White Chocolate, Caramel, Blueberry, Marshmallow & Candied Ginger
Angelo made Fried Dough, White Pepper, Old Bay Spice & Cheddar Crumbs
Richard made White Bread, Spiced Apples with Whipped Honey & Crunchy Chocolate
Jennifer made Bacon Ginger Taffy & Honey Grilled Peaches
Dale L. made Sweet Tart Nuggets & Caveman Boulders with Chocolate Sauce
Marcel made Ants on a Log
Casey made Chocolate & Bacon Lasagna with Apple Juice & Candy
Tre made Cracker with Cranberry & Cherry Jam, Apple Smoked Bacon
Jamie made Mini Cheddar Biscuits with Homemade Cinnamon Apple Sauce
Antonia made White Chocolate & Cherry Muffin with Cinnamon & Allspice
Carla made Carrot, Ginger and Oatmeal Cookies with Carrot Chips & Granola Clusters
Mike made Chocolate Coconut Corn Bar & Coconut Horchata Chaser
Tiffany made Coconut Rice Pudding with Grapefruit Sauce
Stephen made Snickerdoodle with White Chocolate, Coconut Ganache, Apricot & Mint
Jonas and Padma sample each chef's kid snack and decided upon three bottom entries and two top entries. The bottom three were Mike, Stephen, and Tiffany. Mike was upset because he'd never been on the bottom of a quickfire before. Stephen now has an unbroken record - he's aways been on the bottom this season. As for the top, Jonas decided on only two snacks: Spike and Tiffani. The winner of immunity is.......it's a tie for Jonas! But the two winners must go head-to-head and present for children staying the night at the New York Natural History Museum. They team up and begin to cook and plate their snacks.
Tiffani ended up with Dale L, Jennifer, Jamie, Antonia, Tiffany, Casey, and Tre.
Spike ended up with Richard, Angelo, Mike, Marcel, Fabio, Dale T, Stephen, and Carla.
There is some optimism in Tiffani's team. Dale L said the other team is bound to lose because they are "only a bunch of boys and their babysitter Carla." However, Jamie had a more negative atitude towards her team, saying that she doesn't care about helping someone else. Real team player.
Aside from Jaime, both teams seam to be coming along pretty well. Everyone but Jaime really cares about their team leader winning, and pleasing children's pallets.
When they arrive at the museum, the children go crazy! As the contestants on Tiffani's team serve, the kids go absolutely nuts for the sugar. While Antonia was reminded of her daughter again, Tiffany simply said "we did that." Jaime negatively and sternly said in an interview "I have no interest in having children. Ever."
The chips on Spike's team excite some children, but it's clear that Tiffani's drove them crazy! When Joe Joans appeared with Padma, the children went insane over the rockstar and pretty much forgot about the food. Padma told them to be quiet, then a
look of horror passed over her face. She looked as though the next ten years of her life were ruined. She recently had a child, so maybe she was hoping it would not be like this. She said she thought she would be attacked!
When Padma finally got around to having the kids cheer for their favorite, only a few clapped for Spike's chips. As Padma said Tiffani's dish, the crowd roared with approval. Tiffani was the clear winner of both the challenge and immunity. Her team earned a little credit for the win, but none but Tiffani got the prize of immunity.
Elimination Challenge
Dale Talde prepares to serve
The Chefs faced an elimination challenge within the museum. Tom announced the elimination challenge: make a breakfast inspired by a Dinosaur's diet. That's right. Tiffani, as quickfire winner, was honored with a choice. She could either cook Brontosaurus food or T-Rex food. Tiffani chose T-Rex. This means that she could only cook with meat, since a T-Rex is a carnivore. Apparently Tiffani didn't know that when choosing. She assumed that it was an omnivore. The chefs on her team were disappointed when they reached the kitchen, and Tiffani was forced to get creative. She had to use meat and eggs.
Team Brontosaurus, Spike's team, was whipping out parfaits, gnocchis, and all sorts of vegetarian foods.
That night, the chefs slept at the museum. No one got any sleep. Dale L, Marcel, Dale T, Richard, and Fabio explored the museum in the dark to find all sorts of cool exhibits. Dale L even said that a monkey in the museum looked like Casey when up early back in season 3!
During the night, team T-Rex paired up. Here were the partners:
Tiffani and Dale L.
Jennifer and Jaime
Casey and Tre
Antonia and Tiffany
Team Brontosaurus paired up as well:
Richard, Marcel, and Angelo
Spike and Carla
Dale T. and Mike
Stephen and Fabio
In the kitchen, Team T-Rex started out competitive, Casey said that T-Rex eats Brontosaurus. She is also happy to work with her friend Tre, whom she competed against in season 3.
When slicing meat, Jaime cut her thumb. A medic rushed over and bandaged it, and concluded that she needed two stitches. Jaime foolishly agreed, and announced that she was leaving to get two stitches. Everyone was in shock. What? She was leaving to get only two stitches? Are you kidding? Jaime from season 5 never would have done that. What happened? Her head is just not in the game. That must be the reason.
Everyone on the team but Jennifer was annoyed at Jaime. Jennifer was Jaime's partner, but she was very self-confident. When they were ready to plate, Casey tasted Jennifers meat and said it tasted like wet beacon. She didn't tell Jennifer, who was extremely proud of it. Meanwhile, Tre was making sauce for Casey's salmon, which also didn't seem to be a star dish.
Though the challenge was much easier for Team Brontosaurus, there was some drama among them. Marcel, being as seemingly-nasty as he is, left huge plums on the Banana Parfait he made with Richard and Angelo. Angelo told Carla to cut the plums, but Marcel was confused why. He tried to kick up a fight with Angelo over it, but eventually gave up and hoped the dish
would work.
Guest Judge Katie Lee Joel was the hostess in season 1. She would decide the winning dish and help decide on a loser. She sat with Padma and Gail outside the museum. Children and Museum workers dined. Team Brontosaurus served first.
Here are the dishes Team Brontosaurus created.
Richard, Marcel, and Angelo made Banana Parfait with Seasonal Fruit & Tandoori Maple
Dale T. and Mike made Fresh Corn Grits, Stewed Peppers, Salsa Verde
Spike and Carla made V9 Gazpacho with Fruits & Vegetables
Fabio and Stephen made Potato Gnocchi with Leeks, Spinach & Mushrooms
The entire Team Brontosaurus hade great reviews. As team leader, Spike had done quite well managing. Angelo, Richard, and Marcel's Banana Parfait got very good compliments. Fabio's famous gnocchi was also a star. Fabio was very loving, kissing fans and being his usual charming self. Stephen helped with that dish. Dale T. and Mike's Grits were good, as were Carla and Spike's reasonably simple Gazpacho.
Team Brontosaurus, Spike's team, was whipping out parfaits, gnocchis, and all sorts of vegetarian foods.
That night, the chefs slept at the museum. No one got any sleep. Dale L, Marcel, Dale T, Richard, and Fabio explored the museum in the dark to find all sorts of cool exhibits. Dale L even said that a monkey in the museum looked like Casey when up early back in season 3!
During the night, team T-Rex paired up. Here were the partners:
Tiffani and Dale L.
Jennifer and Jaime
Casey and Tre
Antonia and Tiffany
Team Brontosaurus paired up as well:
Richard, Marcel, and Angelo
Spike and Carla
Dale T. and Mike
Stephen and Fabio
In the kitchen, Team T-Rex started out competitive, Casey said that T-Rex eats Brontosaurus. She is also happy to work with her friend Tre, whom she competed against in season 3.
When slicing meat, Jaime cut her thumb. A medic rushed over and bandaged it, and concluded that she needed two stitches. Jaime foolishly agreed, and announced that she was leaving to get two stitches. Everyone was in shock. What? She was leaving to get only two stitches? Are you kidding? Jaime from season 5 never would have done that. What happened? Her head is just not in the game. That must be the reason.
Everyone on the team but Jennifer was annoyed at Jaime. Jennifer was Jaime's partner, but she was very self-confident. When they were ready to plate, Casey tasted Jennifers meat and said it tasted like wet beacon. She didn't tell Jennifer, who was extremely proud of it. Meanwhile, Tre was making sauce for Casey's salmon, which also didn't seem to be a star dish.
Though the challenge was much easier for Team Brontosaurus, there was some drama among them. Marcel, being as seemingly-nasty as he is, left huge plums on the Banana Parfait he made with Richard and Angelo. Angelo told Carla to cut the plums, but Marcel was confused why. He tried to kick up a fight with Angelo over it, but eventually gave up and hoped the dish
would work.
Guest Judge Katie Lee Joel was the hostess in season 1. She would decide the winning dish and help decide on a loser. She sat with Padma and Gail outside the museum. Children and Museum workers dined. Team Brontosaurus served first.
Here are the dishes Team Brontosaurus created.
Richard, Marcel, and Angelo made Banana Parfait with Seasonal Fruit & Tandoori Maple
Dale T. and Mike made Fresh Corn Grits, Stewed Peppers, Salsa Verde
Spike and Carla made V9 Gazpacho with Fruits & Vegetables
Fabio and Stephen made Potato Gnocchi with Leeks, Spinach & Mushrooms
The entire Team Brontosaurus hade great reviews. As team leader, Spike had done quite well managing. Angelo, Richard, and Marcel's Banana Parfait got very good compliments. Fabio's famous gnocchi was also a star. Fabio was very loving, kissing fans and being his usual charming self. Stephen helped with that dish. Dale T. and Mike's Grits were good, as were Carla and Spike's reasonably simple Gazpacho.
Antonia, Tre, and Dale L plate for team T-Rex
Team T-Rex was now ready to serve. Here is what each pair prepared for the judges:
Tiffani and Dale L. made Steak & Eggs with Hollandaise
Casey and Tre made Salmon with Shrimp & Apple Smoked Bacon Sauce
Antonia and Tiffany made Mini Frittatas: Bacon & Cheddar, Ham & Cheese, Chèvre
Jennifer and Jaime made Braised Bacon & Hard Boiled Eggs
Team T-Rex got mixed reviews. Tiffani and Dale L's okay play on Steak and Eggs was not so great, but was the star of the team. Next in line was Antonia and Tiffany's runny frittatas. Their oven wasn't working, so it wasn't their fault. The bottom two dishes seemed to be Jennifer's Bacon and Tre's Bacon sauce. Casey's salmon with shrimp was okay, but the sauce ruined anything good about it. Jaime could possibly be nailed for not competing, or Jennifer could be blamed for her dish's downfall. Jennifer's plates also were complained about by Tom.
So now the chef'testants are ready to be judged.
Tiffani and Dale L. made Steak & Eggs with Hollandaise
Casey and Tre made Salmon with Shrimp & Apple Smoked Bacon Sauce
Antonia and Tiffany made Mini Frittatas: Bacon & Cheddar, Ham & Cheese, Chèvre
Jennifer and Jaime made Braised Bacon & Hard Boiled Eggs
Team T-Rex got mixed reviews. Tiffani and Dale L's okay play on Steak and Eggs was not so great, but was the star of the team. Next in line was Antonia and Tiffany's runny frittatas. Their oven wasn't working, so it wasn't their fault. The bottom two dishes seemed to be Jennifer's Bacon and Tre's Bacon sauce. Casey's salmon with shrimp was okay, but the sauce ruined anything good about it. Jaime could possibly be nailed for not competing, or Jennifer could be blamed for her dish's downfall. Jennifer's plates also were complained about by Tom.
So now the chef'testants are ready to be judged.
Judges' Table
Richard, Angelo, and Marcel's Winning Banana Parfait
Neither team knew whether they would win or loose. The audience knew that the clear winner was Team Brontosaurus. Sure enough, Padma summoned them to judge's table.
Tom explained how they had all done very well. Six chefs were hand-picked as on the official top. They were: Angelo, Marcel, Richard, Stephen, Fabio, and Spike. Katie Lee Joel was very happy with all of them, but there could only be one winning dish. Spike was only up on top because he was team leader. The winning dish was...........the Banana Parfait! Congrats to Richard, Angelo, and Marcel! Three strong chefs who all won! Marcel was sure he would have been the one winner, but that's not true because he almost messed up the dish before.
The winners summoned the losing team: T-Rex. Eight chefs faced the judges. Most of them were on the bottom. However, the flavors of Tiffani and Dale L's play on steak and eggs was acceptable. They were both deemed safe and sent back to the stew room. When the judges questioned Antonia and Tiffany, they were well-armed with the excuse that their oven wasn't working. They, too, were safe after cooking runny frittatas.
Now we are left with Jennifer, Jamie, Casey, and Tre facing the judges' negative comments. Jennifer faced the fact that she was cooking alone. She disagreed with the Tom no matter what he said. She just kept on attacking. She said she tried all of Team Brontosaurus's food and disliked it. She just insisted that her bacon was better and that she was shocked to be on the bottom. When Tom questioned the idea of dumping everything onto one plate, Jennifer came back with this answer: "You guys are smart enough, you're the judges, ask if you can get a different plate for this!" Tom snapped that this was their responsibility. When the judges asked if Jennifer had trouble without Jaime, she said "no trouble." That may have made Jaime feel bad, but she wasn't talking because she left to get two stitches. Antonia, however, said that Jaime didn't need to go to the hospital - she said she should have bandaged her finger and kept going. Tre's sauce was also said to be awful. It ruined Casey's salmon and shrimp.
The judges discussed and decided upon a loosing dish. They called back Team T-Rex, and Padma said "Please pack your knives and go" to.......................Jennifer.
Tom explained how they had all done very well. Six chefs were hand-picked as on the official top. They were: Angelo, Marcel, Richard, Stephen, Fabio, and Spike. Katie Lee Joel was very happy with all of them, but there could only be one winning dish. Spike was only up on top because he was team leader. The winning dish was...........the Banana Parfait! Congrats to Richard, Angelo, and Marcel! Three strong chefs who all won! Marcel was sure he would have been the one winner, but that's not true because he almost messed up the dish before.
The winners summoned the losing team: T-Rex. Eight chefs faced the judges. Most of them were on the bottom. However, the flavors of Tiffani and Dale L's play on steak and eggs was acceptable. They were both deemed safe and sent back to the stew room. When the judges questioned Antonia and Tiffany, they were well-armed with the excuse that their oven wasn't working. They, too, were safe after cooking runny frittatas.
Now we are left with Jennifer, Jamie, Casey, and Tre facing the judges' negative comments. Jennifer faced the fact that she was cooking alone. She disagreed with the Tom no matter what he said. She just kept on attacking. She said she tried all of Team Brontosaurus's food and disliked it. She just insisted that her bacon was better and that she was shocked to be on the bottom. When Tom questioned the idea of dumping everything onto one plate, Jennifer came back with this answer: "You guys are smart enough, you're the judges, ask if you can get a different plate for this!" Tom snapped that this was their responsibility. When the judges asked if Jennifer had trouble without Jaime, she said "no trouble." That may have made Jaime feel bad, but she wasn't talking because she left to get two stitches. Antonia, however, said that Jaime didn't need to go to the hospital - she said she should have bandaged her finger and kept going. Tre's sauce was also said to be awful. It ruined Casey's salmon and shrimp.
The judges discussed and decided upon a loosing dish. They called back Team T-Rex, and Padma said "Please pack your knives and go" to.......................Jennifer.
Jennifer's Elimination
Jennifer Carroll Eliminated
Jennifer was pissed about her elimination. She said that her father always said that second to best is still loosing. She wondered what he would think about second to last. She swore on her departure, crying and cursing as she left. A defeated Jennifer packed her knives. Wow. We all thought she was strong, but it can be assumed she simply had a bad day.
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