‘Top Chef’ 21 episode 6 recap: Soo and Kaleena went from ‘Last Chance Kitchen’ to confounding ‘Chaos Cuisine’ challenge

Charly Pierre was eliminated from “Top Chef” last week in “Supper Club,” leaving nine cheftestants on the main show competing for a chance to win a feature in Food and Wine magazine; an appearance at the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen, Colorado; and $250,000 in prize money: Manny Barella, Kevin D’Andrea, Danny Garcia, Dan Jacobs, Savannah Miller, Laura Ozyilmaz, Amanda Turner, Rasika Venkatesa and Michelle Wallace. Except no, there weren’t just nine chefs left in the competition. This week not one, but two entered the show from “Last Chance Kitchen.”

So what happened in “Top Chef” season 21, episode six, “Chaos Cuisine,” when the size of the cast actually grew?

The episode begins with some “power bottom training” in the gym with Manny and Kevin, who have become close over the course of the season, bonded over exercise much like Danny and Rasika, but also bonded over their struggles in the competition. Manny has had one of the judges’ bottom dishes twice and Kevin has gotten low marks three times counting Quickfires and Elimination Challenges. But unlike Manny, Kevin hasn’t won a challenge, and he hasn’t been one of the top chefs in an Elimination Challenge. “I’m struggling a little bit,” he admits. “I really need to adapt better.”

“I have a sneaking suspicion that something is going to happen today,” says Dan, gathered with the rest of the chefs in their hotel. Cut to Kaleena Bliss throwing open the door: “Hey, bitches!” Soo Ahn is there too, leaving Manny to wonder, “Who is this guy? Why is he helping her with her luggage?” Dan recognizes him from Chicago, but he too wonders, “Why the hell is this guy here?” But Rasika realizes, once he formally introduces himself, “He must be pretty badass” if he fought all the way through “Last Chance Kitchen” and made it all the way into the competition. But Kaleena says what everyone is probably thinking in the back of their minds: “I know you’re happy, but you’re also like, now I have to eliminate this bitch again.”

Quickfire Challenge

“I love when shit gets shaken up,” says host Kristen Kish when the 11 cheftestants enter the kitchen. But there’s another shakeup. Because Tom Colicchio sent two chefs into the competition from “LCK,” the judges would then have the opportunity to send two chefs home sometime over the course of the rest of the season depending on how they do. So no formally announced double elimination, just the constant looming threat of a double elimination, which is probably even worse.

Kristen then introduces the chefs to two-time James Beard Award winning chef and founder of Milk Bar, Christina Tosi. She comes into the kitchen rolling out a table covered in dairy-based desserts. That’s what the chefs will be making. And they’ve got 45 minutes to do it, with $7,500 in prize money on the line. Manny considers it a “personal challenge” because desserts aren’t in his comfort zone as a chef. He decides he doesn’t want to reinvent the wheel. He’ll keep it relatively simple. Dan is also going that route, making a chocolate pudding — except his recipe is for vegan chocolate pudding, so this dairy preparation could bite him in the ass. Soo, meanwhile, is kinda stunned by how much more chaotic a kitchen is with 11 chefs running around in it as opposed to just two or three. And Amanda decides to channel the “Pokemon” theme song: “I want to be the very best like no one ever was.”

Danny’s married to a pastry chef, so he’ll never live it down if he messes up this challenge. Michelle admits she doesn’t have much experience with dairy desserts, but honestly every time she says something like that she ends up knocking it out of the park — I don’t believe you anymore, Michelle! Dan is annoyed by Laura again, though. He asks for dark chocolate, no one speaks up, and it turns out Laura had it her station the whole time and never offered it to him. He gives her the benefit of the doubt and assumes she was just in her own head as opposed to deliberately messing with her competitors.

Kristen and Christina return to the kitchen as time runs out, and the tasting begins with the formally eliminated chef …

Kaleena: Salted Caramel and Rum Custard, Rum Caramel, Mascarpone and Creme Fraiche Whip

Manny: Fried Churro with Orange Blossom and Lemon Whipped Cream and Strawberry Compote

Amanda: Cheddar Biscuit Shortcake with Banana Pastry Cream and Vanilla Chantilly

Rasika: Shrikhand with Saffron

Soo: “PB&J” – Brioche Puree, Brioche Shards, Peanut Brittle and Pasilla Pepper-Blueberry Jam

Michelle: Corn Cake with Mascarpone Cheese, Basil Cream and Lemon Zest

Laura: Chocolate Muhallebi, Espresso Whipped Cream, Butter Crumble and Caramel

Danny: Cream Puff with Black Sesame Pastry Cream

Savannah: Floating Island – Creme Anglaise with Meringue, Apple and Cranberry Vinegar

Kevin: Shortbread Cookie, Strawberry and Basil Jam, Cream Cheese Vanilla Chantilly and Butter Tuile

Dan: Dark Chocolate Pudding, Macerated Plums, Basil and Fried Baguette

The unsuccessful chefs for this challenge are Manny (he doesn’t look surprised) because his churro was too moist and didn’t have enough crunch, Dan (he does look surprised) for a pudding that had too much of a peanut butter texture and needed something to lighten it up, and Danny (he seemed to see this coming too) for a cream puff that just needed more time in the oven.

The best desserts belong to Kaleena for her smart and savvy caramel custard, Michelle for bringing in elements that contextualized dairy nicely, and Amanda for approaching dairy in a variety of different ways and providing the perfect salt balance with the cheddar. Kevin looks surprised when Amanda’s name is called, maybe because he thought her cheddar/banana biscuit would fall flat or maybe just because he thought he’d be in the top three. Guy can’t catch a break. But the winner of the challenge is Michelle. Once again, Michelle hustling us with her “I don’t have a lot of experience with this” modesty before absolutely bodying the rest of her competitors. I see how it is, Michelle.

Elimination Challenge

The next guest judge is a chef, restauranteur and actor: Matty Matheson of “The Bear” fame. And then Kristen tells the chefs, “It’s time to let loose and embrace chaos cuisine.” Matty explains, “Chaos is an amalgamation of where did you come from, what have you learned, where are you going, what’s your culinary voice. Chaos is every single day.” He wants them to break things, use new techniques, deconstruct them. Everyone’s confused, and so am I. Kristen then explains the explanation: “We want to see dishes that break the mold of culinary convention.”

… Still confused here. Danny is also trying to wrap his head around it. Amanda says this challenge is actually in her wheelhouse, but what house is the wheel even in? Chaos! To give the chefs the chance to have fun with the challenge, they’re getting 20 minutes and $150 to spend at specialty markets. Then they’ll cook in the “Top Chef” kitchen where they’ll have access to the entire “Top Chef” pantry.

Rasika is pretty confident because she has already made winning dishes this season that were somewhat chaotic and innovative. This time she’s going to explore African spices and flavors. Dan starts conceptualizing a kind of Japanese-style funnel cake. Savannah’s making a sweet-and-savory dessert with mustard greens. Kaleena will take the flavors of a burrito and incorporate them into a stuffed pasta, inspired by one of her favorite dishes that her mom used to make. “Hopefully this is chaos cuisine?” she says. Soo, unfortunately, has no idea what to do with his dish, even after shopping for ingredients. “In ‘Last Chance Kitchen,’ I didn’t have time to pivot, I didn’t have time to change my mind. I feel like a deer in headlights.” Welcome to the wonderful world of overthinking, Soo. One of the great pitfalls of “Top Chef.”

Laura also has a “Top Chef” pitfall going: she’s making rice. Michelle had never heard of chaos cuisine before this challenge, which naturally means she’s going to win it. But she’s right that with such broad parameters, there’s “more room for error.” That’s one of the reasons I’m ambivalent about these kinds of abstract, conceptual challenges. You could make a great dish and land at the bottom if you’re not seen as adequately interpreting the challenge guidelines. But Amanda seems to have that part down. Her own modern fusion food has been described as chaos cuisine.

Tom and Matty visit the cheftestants while they’re cooking and express some concerns. Manny’s dish doesn’t seem chaotic enough. Rasika is trying to stuff crab into eggplant. Danny is making stuffed cabbage but may be boiling his cabbage too far in advance. “We have to trust,” says Matty. “We’re trust-falling hard right now.”

Meal Service

The next day, as the chefs finish their cooks, Tom and Matty sit down at the dinner table with Kristen, Gail Simmons and a couple more special guests: chef Phillip Foss and chef, writer and recent Daytime Emmy nominee Sophia Roe. Kristen still needs help understanding exactly what the spirit of this chaos cuisine  challenge is, but if the food is good, I don’t think she’ll mind.

Laura: Tahdig, Yuzu Kosho Sauce, Quail Eggs, Salmon and Seaweed Salad

Amanda: Black Garlic Pappardelle with Cumin Lamb Ragu, XO Sauce, Celery Leaf and Shrimp Chips

Sophia wishes Laura’s dish were more flavorful. And the flavors were side-by-side on the plate rather than really coming together, according to Phillip. Matty thinks the plating was too contemporary and orderly as well. Amanda, meanwhile, didn’t have a great pasta texture; Tom thinks she used too much flour to roll out the pasta, which dried it out. The lamb ragu is flavorful, though. And again, the judges felt it was just a nice pasta dish without any of the necessary chaos.

Soo: General Soo’s Shrimp with Salsa Verde and Salsa Roja

Manny: Esquites “Risotto” with Burnt Tortilla Aioli

Phillip really liked Manny’s dish with its similarity to risotto and burnt tortilla adding uniqueness to it. Matty thinks it’s very balanced texturally. Tom thinks it’s a little too safe, but Matty thinks the simplicity can be the chaos element … Okay, now I’m confused again. Soo’s dish is more chaotic, and Sophia could eat 600 of those shrimp.

Kevin: Potato with Raspberry, Tarragon and White Chocolate

Michelle: Vietnamese Shrimp and Pork Arayes, Puffed Rice and Herb Salad

Kevin’s dish finally made Kristen understand the whole chaos cuisine concept. Matty thinks it’s chaos because he’s confused. It’s raspberry with the texture of potato. “At least he went for it,” says Tom. Meanwhile, Tom thought Michelle’s dish was “meh.” Phillip says it was very Vietnamese focused without anything else coming out of it. Kristen stopped eating after one bite because it was undercooked. Tom’s was overcooked, however. Damn, could she actually be eliminated?

Dan: Okonomiyaki Funnel Cake with Seafood, Bacon, Pickles, Caviar and Herbs

Rasika: Crab and Eggplant with Mushroom Conserva, Dukkah and Garlic Tahini

Phillip thinks Dan was ambitious taking a dessert and making it savory. Sophia is obsessed with it. Matty thinks it could be on the menu at a lot of restaurants. High praise! Gail thinks the funnel cake was a great vehicle for all the chaos. Sounds like another potential win for Dan. Kristen thought she missed something when she took a bite of Rasika’s dish because it had no flavor. Gail thought steaming the eggplant made it a bit slimy. Sophia calls it “slug-like.” Ouch! Kinda shocked that such consistent chefs faceplanted on this challenge.

Kaleena: “Trash Burrito” Agnolotti with Ancho Chile and Morita Crema

Savannah: Potato Souffle with Golden Milk, Tropical Fruit and Mustard Greens

Danny: Scallop Chou Farci with Yuzu Kosho Foam

Savannah’s dish surprises Tom and Matty because she actually succeeded at incorporating the mustard greens. Sophia wants to eat it every day. Gail commends her for making bitterness work in a dessert. I take it back. This sounds like the winning dish. Danny’s dish is beautiful, technical and luscious, could have gone wrong in so many ways, but succeeds. Kaleena did a good job of replicating the flavors of a burrito, but it was technically imperfect because it felt too heavy.

Judges’ Table

The judges start by singling out Soo, Savannah, Danny and Dan. Obviously the top, and indeed Kristen tells them they had the best dishes of the challenge. But the winner of the challenge is … Danny! Really not the outcome I expected. I thought it was between Dan and Savannah for how well they executed the chaotic element of the challenge. Danny’s plate was pristine, but I guess chaos can be beautiful. “This is just a little bit more gas in the tank, so I’m just going to keep focused and keep going,” says Danny.

Okay, now the bottom chefs: Rasika and Michelle. That’s it, just the two of them. Nobody else. One or both of them will be eliminated, but I’m really stunned because they’ve both been virtually unimpeachable up to this point this season. In the end, the judges decide to send home Rasika, which surprises me a little because they admired her technique even though the flavor wasn’t there. This is also the very first time she has had a bottom dish. I thought Michelle’s lack of imagination and overcooked/undercooked pork would doom her. It’s not lost on me that I said earlier, tongue firmly in cheek mind you, that Michelle was hustling us whenever she’s being modest. Clearly anyone can have an off day — a way off day.

“I’m gutted,” says Rasika in her exit interview. “I’m very disappointed in myself for not producing a better dish, and I have produced dishes the judges have loved. That’s the beauty and ugliness of this competition. I’ve learned maybe I take bigger risks than I should sometimes. But I feel like I haven’t showed a quarter of what I’m capable of. You have not seen the last of Rasika.”

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