Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen 4

The rules are the same. If you get booted from Top Chef Texas, you have one last chance to redeem yourself. The rodeo is gone, the chili has passed and the tears have been whipped away. There’s only food and Tom Colicchio as judge.

Beware, there are spoilers below!

The last battle ended with Keith defeated the follicly flamboyant Richie in a Thanksgiving duel. This episode picks up where Top Chef Texas episode 5, Don’t Be Tardy to the Dinner Party, left off.

Chuy was on Team Entrée and didn’t impress the judges or guests with his mealy goat cheese stuffed in an overcooked salmon.

Chuy readily admits he’s a funny guy, but after being told to PYKaG, he comes to a sad revelation: he thought he was good under pressure, but finds that he really isn’t. Sometimes you just don’t know until you’re tested. Chuy packs his stuff and finds a note from Tom that says, “I’d like to see more of what you can do.” So would I.

The challenge is simple. The cheftestant must butcher 5 bone-in rib-eyes and perfectly cook one medium rare. The pair is sent to a butcher and bring back their huge chunks of meat. It’s a battle of opposites, the petit Chuy versus the gentle giant Keith.

Both cheftestants are comfortable butchering their meat, but there are some differences to note.

Keith had 2 ‘tight’ rib-eyes with one a ‘little off’. His steak is cooked medium rare, but was cooked a little more on one side than the other. It’s almost perfect.

Chuy took the cap off of his rib-eye and cooked the steak perfectly. Tom tries to bring a little suspense but almost perfect versus perfect and we have our winner. Keith puts his extra, extra large chefs coat on the tiny Chuy who wins and becomes the Last Chance Kitchen Reigning Champion.

The next episode will have the Last Chance Kitchen’s Reigning Champion, Chuy, against the next eliminated in Top Chef Texas episode 6.