Top Chef
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Were down to the final few challenges in Houston and only six chefs remain.
Ashleigh and Jae have also presented some great meals, but both women have seen pretty sporadic successes.
Super talented chefs plus end-of-season jitters plus LCK champ returning?
The potential is there.
The chefs will have a mere 45 minutes to shop at the market and cook their fajitas.
Padma teases Nick, bringing up his badass nickname, The Mississippi Baker.
Nick has made the most dough of anyone, claiming $25,000 so far.
Everyones amused by the nickname, but theyre also clearly frustrated.
No one will express just how pissed they are, but feathers seem ruffled.
Nick is very proud of it.
The Quickfire winner may not win immunity, but they will get a hefty $10,000 check from Chipotle.
Do you think they guessed this episode would be airing on Cinco de Mayo?
Heres an unprompted hot take: Farmers markets are overrated.
Theyre too overwhelming with too many colors and sounds.
This overwhelming vibe definitely ratcheted up the difficulty level of tonights challenge.
After a rapid-fire cook time, Padma and Claudette return for judging.
On top are, you guessed it, Evelyn, Nick, and Budda.
They were all pretty chill throughout the challenge, proving confidence is key!
Evelyn and Buddhas fajitas were both nearly perfect, but its the Mississippi Baker who claims the $10k.
Even in such a short time, Nick added a bonus to his dish by hand-making his tortillas.
With the Quickfire out of the way, were on to an amazing Elimination Challenge.
The chefs are off to the Johnson Space Center, a.k.a.
NASA Mission Control, to have a crash course in space food.
The winner will see their dish launched into space for the astronauts to enjoy.
Everyones excited and made nervous by such a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The two main guidelines the chefs have to follow are simple: no crumbs and no standing liquid.
The chefs arent stuck menu planning with such vague motivations, however.
They get the chance to video chat with astronauts on the ISS.
Once again, Evelyn, Nick, and Buddha have pretty smooth prep periods.
Its no surprise three chefs all end up on top tonight at Judges Table.
Her Tex-Mex pork stew was rich and heavily seasoned in the best way.
Many of the astronauts mentioned a dulling of their tastebuds and how important hot sauce becomes on the ISS.
She tried to make a homey, comforting dish and absolutely succeeded.
Nick went a similar route in terms of comfort food, making his famous Mississippi gumbo.
With collard greens, beans, and okra, this dish was an embodiment of Southern cooking.
But the big winner tonight is Buddha.
And for the first time!
Its a beautiful-looking dessert, and Im sure it tasted just as good.
Not a great excuse this late in the game, but very cute, IMO.
I dont even know if its disrespectful, Ive just never heard anyone else do it before.
Last Chance Kitchen finale tonight!
