‘Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen’ recap: Shocking decision leads to unexpected head-to-head after ‘Restaurant Wars’
Kaleena Bliss was eliminated from “Top Chef” for a second time at the end of “Restaurant Wars,” which brought her back to “Last Chance Kitchen” to face reigning “LCK” champ Kevin D’Andrea. Would she be able to fight her way back into the competition again?
… The short answer is no, but not because she lost the “LCK” battle against Kevin. When she entered the kitchen and addressed him and host Tom Colicchio, she announced, much to their surprise, “Unfortunately, I’m not going to be competing today. One of the hardest things I think that I’ve had to learn in my journey of being a chef is that I need to put my mental health first before everything else. My heart’s telling me that if I were to step into this kitchen right now, I wouldn’t be able to give either of you my best.”
Tom tells her that he respects her decision and bids her a fond farewell, but that leaves a whole lot of dead air where an episode of “LCK” was supposed to be. So what’s a host to do? Well, Rasika Venkatesa, whom Kevin beat last week, is sitting right there, so why not have her cook again for another chance to return to the competition. But fair is fair. Kevin already beat her in last week’s “LCK,” so Tom decides to make it a best of three. If Rasika wins this challenge, they move to a tie-breaker. But if Kevin wins again, she’s gone for good — again.
The challenge: To come up with their own restaurant concepts and create two dishes — one savory and one sweet — to represent those restaurants. Kevin’s idea is a French bistro, while Rasika once again decides to rep for South India. Alas, Rasika’s heartfelt cuisine was outdone by Kevin’s French mastery. It was a close call, though. Tom hardly had a negative word to say about either chef’s dishes, and he tells Rasika, “The flavors are really fantastic. I could see this in a restaurant. I hope you actually get your dream to do this because this is great.”
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