by Gina Scarpa

 

On tonight's episode of Top Chef: Texas, the cheftestants meet up with Padma and guest judges Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, the co-owners of Border Grill (and former competitors on Top Chef Masters). The Quickfire challenge is to create a dish with a chili pepper - the hotter the pepper, the bigger the prize if you win.

 

Beverly, Richie, and Chuy fall to the bottom for either not doing enough with the chilis or doing too much. Heather, Grayson, and Paul, on the other hand, impress Susan and Mary Sue. Paul, who went all out and chose the hottest chili in the world for his Chilled Coconut Soup with Kaffir Lime and Ghost Pepper Relish, walks away from this challenge with $20,000 and immunity!

 

The chefs are about to compete in a Texas tradition: a chili cookoff. They pull colored aprons from under the table which determine the teams they'll be working in. Considering chili takes a long time time to cook, there is no time limit - they have all night AND they must cook back at the house. That sounds great but fatigue and stress may get the best of some of these chefs!

 

The teams and dishes are as follows:

Blue Team (Heather, Paul, Edward): Smoked Brisket Chili with Summer Pickles

Black Team (Beverly, Nyesha, Richie): "Chili Mole" with Cornbread

Green Team (Chuy, Sarah, Chris): Chili Con Carne

Red Team (Chris, Whitney, Dakota): Braised Brisket and Short Rib Chili

White Team (Ty-Lor, Lindsay, Grayson): Three Bean & Three Beef Chili & Poblamno Corn Bread

 

After a night of figuring out where everyone is going to cook, drinking beer that's meant to be cooked with and not consumed, and some interesting behavior, it's time for the cookoff. The cowboys are the ones who are deciding the winners and some of these dishes seem a bit too complex for them... they're just looking for some good, old fashioned, traditional chili!

 

Tom felt the green team's chili started slow but eventually grew on him, Gail liked the smokiness of the red team's chili but it didn't go over well with the kids attending the rodeo, and the judges thought that the blue team's chili had some components that worked and others that didn't. Susan loved the black team's cornbread which is great, except for the fact that this isn't a cornbread challenge, and the panel were left split over the acidity of the white team's chili.

 

Personally, I think I would've liked the blue team's chili best but the cowboys go with the green team.  Looks like Sarah's Texas roots paid off this time!  The black team ends up with the worst dish but before the judges send someone home, they give them a second chance - take that losing chili and make a winning dish.  Richie's Frito-encrusted pork tenderloin didn't end up leaving a lasting impression and he was sent to Last Chance Kitchen to face Keith.

 

Top Chef: Texas airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Bravo.

 

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

 

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