Top Chef season 21 episode 3: Who went home tonight?

On Wednesday, April 3, 2024, Top Chef season 21 aired its third episode, titled Take It Cheesy. Viewers witnessed the contestants facing a new set of challenges, each one determined to move closer to the ultimate prize. Unfortunately, for one of the chefestents, their journey in the competition came to an end.

According to the summary of the episode,

“The chefs must make a dish featuring Door County cherries and a mystery ingredient; for the Elimination Challenge, the chefs put on a Cheese Festival where each chef will be responsible for creating a dish featuring one of 13 different cheeses.”

During the elimination challenge, the contestants were assigned different types of cheeses by drawing knives and had to cook with them. They then presented their dishes to over 100 guests at a cheese festival. Unfortunately, the judges found Kenny, Manny, and Kevin’s dishes to be the least impressive and as a result, Kenny was asked to leave and pack up his knives.

The next episode of Top Chef season 21 will air on Bravo next week, on Wednesday.

Delicious Dishes with Cheese: Recap of Top Chef Season 21 Episode

Following a quickfire challenge, the competitors on Top Chef season 21 prepared dishes for the elimination round. Chef Kristin Kish revealed to the chefs that there was one thing the people of Wisconsin absolutely could not go without – cheese. She was accompanied by renowned cheesemakers Andy Hatch and Pam Hodgson, in line with the episode’s cheesy concept.

The contestants of season 21 were instructed to cook with cheese for 100 people as part of the cheese festival. They were informed of their assigned type of cheese by drawing knives.

Rasika was required to use Dunbarton blue cheese, Manny was given cheddar curds, Kaleena’s assigned cheese was Merlot Ballavitano, and Savannah was given Oaxaca. Dan was given Sancho Cruz to work with, Alisha chose aged brick cheese, and Kevin opted for triple cream brie. Charly selected Canela, Michelle was given Pleasant Ridge Reserve, and Amanda chose Mount Rachlette as their cheese options.

Kenny used glacier gorgonzola in his dish, Laura had gouda reserve aged for over 1000 days, and Danny worked with 15-year-old cheddar. The contestants of Top Chef season 21 hurried to collect their ingredients before starting the cooking process.

During the challenge, most of the participants chose to make croquettes. As the night of preparation went on, the chefs were bustling around the kitchen. However, there was a disagreement between Dan and Laura, which was sparked when Laura accidentally spilled some of her ingredients on the floor. Dan, also slipping in the mess, dropped some of his gnocchi. He expressed his frustration towards Laura and reminded her that she wasn’t the only chef in the kitchen.

“Having Kennedy’s disease, I fall enough on my own, I don’t need anyone else’s help. The other chefs don’t have to worry about the physicality of what we’re doing in the same way I do. I don’t want to lose out because I got hurt,”Dan told the cameras.

The next day, the contestants of Top Chef season 21 were tasked with completing their dishes at the outdoor cheese festival. Despite the challenging heat, many of the chefs persevered.

After the competition, the three highest-ranking chefs were Michelle, who prepared a dish of coconut curry collard green saag with Pleasant Ridge Reserve Potato Fritters, Kaleena who cooked bellavitano mac and cheese with merlot mushrooms and bread crumbs, and Dan, who crafted Sancho Cruz manchego potato dumplings, cheese foam, and olive tapenade. It was Michelle’s culinary creation that ultimately secured her victory in the elimination round.

The three contestants with the lowest scores were Kenny, who prepared a crab rangoon salad with gorgonzola creme fraiche crema, luxardo cherry relish, and rice paper chip, Kevin, who presented a brie croquette with mornay, ham, and truffle, and Manny, who cooked a potato croquette with gravy and cheese curds.

In the third episode of Top Chef season 21, it was ultimately Kenny Nguyen who was eliminated and sent home. Fans can look forward to the next episode of the cooking competition show on Bravo next week.