‘Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen’ recap: Shocking twists and someone returns to competition in ‘Mid-Season Finale’ [WATCH]

Daniel Montgomery
·5 min read
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“Top Chef” hasn’t finished “Last Chance Kitchen” for the season just yet, but the second-chance after show has reached a major milestone. In the two-part “Mid-Season Finale,” host and judge Tom Colicchio sent someone back into the main competition. Watch part one above, and scroll down for part two.

Charly Pierre entered “LCK” this week after he was eliminated from the main competition in “Supper Club,” where the cheftestants had to team up to make traditional five-course Supper Club meals. Pierre was in charge of the fish dish on the losing team, and he drastically overcooked it, so he was cooked. “Being cut on ‘Top Chef’ sucked,” he said. Now as he sought redemption, “I’m doing it for Haiti, doing it for New Orleans, and my restaurant and my sous chef and my cooks. We’ll do it one challenge at a time.”

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The challenge this time was to face Kaleena Bliss and Soo Ahn in a battle tackling a different kind of club: a multilayered breakfast dish inspired by a club sandwich. And honestly it’s quite remarkable what the chefs are able to produce in 30 minutes on this show. When the time’s up they present the following to Tom:

Kaleena: Toasted Croissant with Bacon, Tomato Chutney, Poached Egg and Chipotle Hollandaise Sauce

Charly: Sandwich with Fried Plantains, Grilled Skirt Steak, Pikliz, Avocado and Harissa Cream Sauce

Soo: Breakfast Club with Pork Cutlet, Eggs, Fried Raisin Bread, Orange Marmalade, Cheddar and Mornay Sauce

In the end, Kaleena had the best dish, leaving Tom to decide which other chef would join her in part two of this “LCK” battle. But in the end he judged that Soo and Charly’s dishes were so close together in quality that all three of them should participate in the next stage to determine who would return to “Top Chef.” Kaleena looked a bit peeved by Tom’s surprising call. After all, she outcooked them both only to have to face both of them again. The good news for her was that Tom gave her an advantage for the second round: five extra minutes on the clock. That probably doesn’t sound like a lot, but Soo acknowledged, “That’s a lifetime here.”

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On to part two! And it was arguably the hardest challenge of all. This time the three chefs had to concoct one perfect bite of food to express who they were as chefs. On one hand, this might seem a bit easier since it means cooking less food. But to express yourself in one single bite, those have to be the best, most refined morsels you’ve ever put on a spoon in your life. “Tom, could you ever make this easy on us?” said Kaleena, who used her extra time to tidy her workstation a bit and gather ingredients; she was inspired by her experience foraging. She made a point not to rush, while Charly was concocting a pasta dish in his mind and Soo was stewing in too many ideas, eventually landing on something quite interesting for a one-bite challenge: Caesar salad.

“I f*cking hope this is the bite of my life,” said Kaleena with just seconds left on the clock before it was time to serve Tom …

Kaleena: Grilled Venison with Miso Sweet Potato Puree, Mushrooms, Daikon and Pear

Charly: Espagueti with Smoked Herring, Andouille Sausage and Egg Yolk Sauce

Soo: Caesar Salad with Black Garlic and Fish Sauce Dressing, Fried Anchovy, Pecorino and Aged Balsamic

Whew! I couldn’t fit all those words onto one spoon, let alone the ingredients. But the chefs managed to pack a lot of complex, sophisticated flavors and preparations into the smallest of spaces. Unfortunately for Charly, though, he was done in by something that has been the bane of many “Top Chef” contestants: imperfect pasta. That got him eliminated from the competition for good, which once again left Kaleena and Soo as the last chefs standing. So who did Tom decide would return to the main competition?

Both of them!

If I’m being honest, from the moment they introduced Soo as the secret 16th cheftestant starting out on “LCK,” I think it was pretty certain he would advance to the main show. I’m not saying the fix was in, but it would’ve been awfully anticlimactic to introduce him in “LCK” only to eliminate him in “LCK.” It’s just better TV to have him rise through the ranks and eventually surprise the rest of the competitors on the main show. I doubt Tom would’ve let him get away with presenting garbage on the plate, but if it’s a close call I could see him erring on the side of putting Soo through. One thing’s for sure, though: when Soo hits the “Top Chef” kitchen, he’s going to be hard to beat in a Quickfire Challenge.

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