Every season, someone has to be the first eliminated.
This year, it's Caitlin.
- This was pretty much the only thing my boys said don't do.
- "Last Chance Kitchen" is her chance for redemption.
- Oh! [ laughs ]
- But she's gonna have to defeat these hungry vets to get it.
- Brother... - Last season, I didn't
walk away with that win, so, I'm here to finish some business.
- Jim... - I'm ready for the challenge
of fighting through "Last Chance Kitchen."
- And Carrie... - To call myself Top Chef
would be everything.
- This should be fun.
This is "Last Chance Kitchen," brought to you by...
♪♪♪
- I'm very excited for "Last Chance Kitchen."
I understand what I did to mess up.
I'm not mad at the judges.
But I did not rearrange my life to come to Kentucky
for one challenge.
- Hi, Caitlin. - Hi, Chef.
- Welcome to "Last Chance Kitchen."
- Thank you for having me. - It's never easy
being first to be eliminated, huh?
- Character-building. - Character-building?
- Yes. - [ chuckles ] Okay.
- Well, any idea who you think
you're gonna go up against right now?
- Based on how you guys usually roll,
it's probably a veteran.
- Oh! - I feel like you guys don't
make things easy. - Okay.
Let's see. - Okay.
- Ah. - Oh. [ laughs ]
- Your first competitor is Brother.
What's up, man? - Hey.
It's good seeing you.
Who could forget the "Last Chance Kitchen" Boogeyman?
- Brother Luck is a big guy. He's the "Last Chance" king.
He went through the entire cast, almost, of "Last Chance Kitchen"
last year, only to lose in the very end.
So I know that he came to play.
- Let's see who else you're competing against.
- Oh! [ laughs ]
- It's a barn door. Slide it. - [ laughs ]
- Doors--you know. - You know, Jim, you're
from Alabama, you should know your way around a barn door.
- [ laughs ] That's true. - Come on.
- How you doing? - Great. It's great to be here.
- Welcome back to "Last Chance Kitchen."
- Oh, I'm so excited. - Good to see you.
- When Jim walks through the door,
my first thought is, "I could beat him at basketball.
He's my height."
- We're not done yet. Come on in.
Ah, look who it is. - Hi.
- Hi, Carrie. - Nice to see you, Chef.
- How's it going? - Good, thanks.
- In comes Carrie. She's legit. Her flavors are bold, so,
for her to walk in, I'm like, "Holy sh--balls."
Things got real.
- This should be fun. - [ laughs ]
- So, why'd you guys all come back? Carrie?
- You know, if "Top Chef" asks, you go. I'm honored.
Like, I want more. - Oh, good. Jim, I know
you're a "Top Chef" superfan. - Yes.
- You kind of study this show, right?
- Absolutely. - Okay. What's your plan?
- My plan is to make well-seasoned food
that tastes good.
- In 16 seasons, someone's finally figured it out.
- [ laughs ] - Well-seasoned, good food.
- That's my plan. Well-seasoned, executed nicely.
I'm definitely a "Top Chef" superfan.
I don't think any chef has prepared as much as I did
before "Top Chef: Charleston."
My preparation for "Last Chance Kitchen" this go-round,
definitely involved re-watching
all of the previous "Last Chance Kitchens."
I have a plan. And, uh, I--I'm gonna stick to it.
- Brother? Back for more? - I'm back for more.
You know, the only loss that I took was to Joe Flamm,
so, back to redeem that. - I knew that this wasn't
gonna be easy. So, game on. Let's go.
I'm just anxious to start cooking.
- So, there's four of you here, but only three of you
go on to the next round.
If you hang on long enough, and you beat out
each eliminated chef from the competition,
you'll earn a second chance at the title of Top Chef.
- Caitlin is freshly cut. She was the first one out.
So, Caitlin, why don't you tell me what happened with your dish?
So I made a tomato cobbler
with salt and pepper biscuits on top.
And my biscuits were soggy.
- I hate when that happens.
- Did you, uh, make biscuits yesterday?
How'd they turn out for ya? - Um, good.
The only thing I'm nervous about is getting a crusty...
- Caitlin knows her way around a biscuit, and she should know
that if you have something that moist,
essentially, you're steaming your biscuit.
- Mm-hmm. - And she ended up getting
you know, biscuits that were soggy.
People love light, fluffy, but crisp biscuits.
not a soggy, wet biscuit.
But...there is one exception.
Any guesses?
It's a Southern classic.
Biscuits and gravy.
- Ooh. - Yeah.
- Look at that.
It's a big welcome to Kentucky. We have two tasks for you today.
One--make me an outstanding biscuit,
and give me accompanying gravy.
Now, gravy to me, growing up, was tomato sauce.
I'm an Italian-American, so gravy was Sunday gravy.
So, I'll keep my mind open here.
You have 40 minutes, and your time starts now.
♪♪♪
- I think that whenever there's a challenge
that Southerners should be good at,
it makes me worry a little bit. That's oftentimes
the "Top Chef" kiss of death.
I know that Chef Tom's expectations of my biscuit
will be high, and I've gotta bring it.
Did you see where the baking powder was?
That's what I was in here looking for.
- Baking powder, baking powder, baking powder.
- That looks about right. Right? [ utensil clatters ]
- So, Chef, are you making the same biscuit that, uh,
you're getting redemption on?
- Yes. I'm going hard. - Nice.
- There's no chance of these being soggy.
- Go hard or go home, right? - Right.
- Literally. [ chuckles ] - My first thought is,
"Get the biscuits in the oven." That's all I need to do.
Don't have a soggy biscuit.
So, I get my biscuit dough going.
At home, I can bust out my biscuits in 30 minutes, easily.
But this is "Last Chance Kitchen,"
and time is never your friend.
It's the hardest part of this entire challenge.
What flour are you using? - I'm going all-purpose,
uh, straightforward biscuit, buttermilk,
but I'm gonna take a Southwestern spin on it.
Tom said he wants biscuits and gravy.
But I wanna put my own flair on it.
I grew up eating chorizo and eggs.
So, I'm gonna make a sausage and fuse it
with lots of chilis and spices.
- 30 minutes!
♪♪♪
- Jim, how long do your biscuits cook?
- Um, mine take about 20, maybe 30-ish.
So, you're going drop biscuit, huh?
- I'm going drop biscuit.
I'm gonna make two different sizes for safety.
I just don't want to give Tom a regular biscuit.
I want it to stand out. I want it to be different.
I want to have a ton of flavor.
I'm going to do chive and cheese,
and drop biscuits so I can make them small.
If I can make 'em smaller, they're gonna cook faster.
♪♪♪
Carrie is doing drop biscuits. What drop biscuits don't have
is a nice flake.
And for me, I want my biscuits to be able to pull apart
and flake the right way.
So, I'm gonna roll them out, get them in a cast iron skillet,
and into the oven.
♪♪♪
- [ exhales deeply ]
♪♪♪
- Hey, Jim. - Hey, Chef.
- Biscuits in the oven? - Biscuits just got in the oven.
- All right, so what's in your biscuit?
- Buttermilk, heavy cream, shortening,
mascarpone, and butter. - Okay.
And your gravy? - Yeah, I'm gonna do, like a--
One of my favorite dishes to serve
is oyster stew over biscuits.
- Okay. - Um, and so I'm gonna do
like a fish gravy over biscuits.
Oh, okay. Fish gravy over biscuits.
Fish gravy? I like fish, and I like gravy.
I don't know if I like the two together.
- Brother, what do you got here? - Chorizo, uh...
- Okay. - ...cheddar fondue.
Gonna take the place of the gravy.
- Biscuits are in the oven. - Okay, what's in your biscuit?
- Buttermilk. - Buttermilk. Okay.
Now, how was it after the season?
- Absolutely amazing. - Yeah.
- You know, I--I've had the opportunity to work
with a lot of at-risk youth, really trying to get those kids
on the right path. Been a--been a highlight.
- Oh, cool. All right. - Hi, Chef.
- No, you're good. - So, what are you making?
- Um, I'm gonna actually kinda, like, go hard on redemption.
- "Hard on redemption." Okay. - So, classic biscuits,
reduced tomatoes, and then I'm gonna do a corn gravy
with bacon-fried eggs. - Okay. Okay.
- I know that Tom likes assertive flavors.
So, I'm going to go with a more veg-forward gravy
by doing a tomato element with harissa-stewed tomatoes,
and smearing that on the biscuit.
- So, tell me what-- what are you making?
I'm doing a chive and Gruyère drop biscuit.
- And this is just a plain, white gravy?
- No, this is a Mornay sauce. - Mornay sauce.
Do a cheese sauce. Okay. - Yep. And then
this is gonna be a soft scrambled egg,
so I'm making you a beautiful breakfast dish--
- You're making me breakfast. Oh. Great.
- Should I get you a cup of coffee?
- Sure. You have time. - I have so much time.
I'll just brew it right here. - Okay.
- [ chuckles ] - Looking forward to it.
- Awesome. See you in a minute. - Breakfast.
♪♪♪
- I check all my biscuits. They should be ready
to come out of the oven. And seriously,
they are not even halfway cooked.
- Sometimes you gotta improvise, Chef.
- What happened? - Uh, they're just not done.
- They're not done? - They may be in time,
but I've got a plan "B" in the works.
The Southerner inside me steps forward and says,
"Okay, the deep fryer. Let's go."
This is how we roll. Sorry, Carrie.
- Three minutes, Chefs, three minutes.
♪♪♪
- So, I have two trays of biscuits,
the ones that are cooked well, but they're flat.
My second biscuits-- they're not done.
And I would rather take a flat biscuit and I'll figure it out.
[ sighs ]
I'm hoping that Tom doesn't ask me why I crumbled my biscuit,
but if he asks me, I did it on purpose.
- The gravy's on point. It's got lots of unique depth.
I'm hoping those flavor profiles will really show Tom
that I understood the challenge
and I was able to deliver something flavorful and tasty.
- One minute left.
♪♪♪
- My biscuits look delicious,
but they're not as cooked-through.
But I don't have an option. I would much prefer
to have something on my plate. I do not want to be that girl
who can't bake a biscuit on TV.
♪♪♪
- Caitlin is struggling. "Last Chance Kitchen's" not easy.
She's crumbling, like that biscuit.
- 30 seconds.
♪♪♪
- Can I borrow some salt? - For sure. Here you go.
♪♪♪
- Four, three, two, one, time is up.
- Oh, [bleep]. - Whoo!
- Hey, Carrie. - Hey, Chef.
- What do we have here? - So, what I made for you
is a biscuit and gravy scramble. - Okay.
- Underneath is a broken biscuit, soft scrambled eggs,
a sauté of cremini mushrooms and onions.
And then, a classic Mornay sauce.
- The drop biscuits are a little flat.
They don't really-- - Maybe my moisture, 'cause,
there's not moisture in Colorado
and it's all moisture here. [ laughs ]
- Hmm. Thanks. - Thank you, Chef.
♪♪♪
- Jim. - Hi, Chef.
- So, tell me about this fried biscuit here.
- Those biscuits are made with shortening, buttermilk,
all sorts of good fat. The sauce underneath,
there's, uh, bacon, there's cod, there's smoked cod.
- Obviously, the original, you were baking biscuits.
- I was baking biscuits. - I gotta say,
this is a good recovery. - You know, sometimes,
you gotta know when to cut your losses and move on.
- Uh, my biscuits are in the oven.
I'm sure they're awesome right now--
- I'm sure they are. - Uh, but those--
I like those a lot, and I'm proud of the way
they turned out. - Thanks.
- Thank you, Chef.
- Hey, Brother. - Chef.
- So, it's like old hat for you. - Hey.
- So it'll feel like you never left.
- It's a Mexican chorizo cheddar fondue.
The biscuit as a buttermilk biscuit,
and then I finished off with pickled peppers,
tomatoes and corn.
- The heat's definitely there. - Yes, sir.
- That was good. Thanks.
♪♪♪
- Hey, Caitlin. - Hi, Chef.
- What did you make? - Um, I did a harissa...
kinda stewed tomatoes, and then, an over-easy egg
with a corn, jalapeño gravy.
- Mm-hmm.
Do you always make your biscuits this light?
- No. I also have more time. They're blonder
than I want them to be, but-- - Right.
The biscuit has great flavor.
I like the hot sauce. Thanks. - Thank you, Chef.
♪♪♪
- Overall, that was fun. First one.
You know, obviously, it's a challenge,
getting biscuits done in 40 minutes.
Some handle the time a little better than others.
All in all, I think you guys did okay.
There was a couple missteps along the way,
but the winner of this biscuit and gravy challenge...
is Carrie.
That drop biscuit worked, man.
It was crispy, it cooked in time.
Your scrambled egg was really nicely done.
It was my favorite bite. - Thank you, Chef.
I won! Ha ha!
I feel great going into the next round.
I'm warmed up, and ready for more.
- Next chef that's safe--Brother.
The stew was really good, a lot of flavor.
You brought the seasoning level right up to where it should be.
- I get called out for second. I'm okay with that.
It's a marathon. I've got to really just take it
one step at a time.
[ exhales deeply ]
♪♪♪
- So that leaves Jim and Caitlin.
You know, you both had problems here.
Jim, clearly, you couldn't get the biscuit done in time,
but the recovery was, I gotta say, great,
because the biscuit was really good.
The stew was...not so good.
The fish was kinda ragged. I mean, it was--
it was really sloppy.
Caitlin, your--your biscuit was, uh--just--it was raw.
You gave me a beautiful sunny-side up egg, though.
I mean, that was as good as an egg as you can cook.
But this was a biscuit and gravy challenge,
and one of you had problems with the biscuit,
and one of you had problems with the gravy.
♪♪♪
Jim, you're in. Caitlin, I'm sorry,
but this was your last chance.
- It's okay. Thank you, Chef. - Thanks.
- Thank you. - Thanks.
- Thank you, thank you.
I think the hardest part about being the first eliminated
is that I'm missing out on all the opportunities
of growth, learning new techniques,
and learning from the other chefs.
But I won't regret a second of this whole experience.
♪♪♪
- Congratulations. You three are moving on.
You've got a long way to go, but good job.
We'll see you next week. Thanks. - Thanks, Chef.
- Oh, jeez Louise. [ laughs ]
I know that I have dodged a bullet this round.
- It's hard. I'm gonna cry. - Good job, man.
- Oh, yeah. Me, too.
It may not be the first impression that I wanted,
But I have a chance to make the second impression
to get it right.
- It was really hard.
- [ chuckles ]