It was announced as a semi-final in three acts, but the epilogue will take the place of fourth act where everything unravels. First the tests. Three candidates, each his own, namely each to challenge his opponents according to his rules, imposing on them the theme and the time allotted. In known territory for one, in unknown territory, he thinks, for the others. It's about destabilizing them, leading them astray... The one who proposes the challenge, advantaged, can not score points while his competitors, if they manage to beat him, open the mark.
At this game, Danny the red hits hard from the start, bringing them to the field of molecular cuisine. He asks to revisit a French classic using three techniques of this chemical and playful cuisine: spherification – enclosing a flowing heart in an airtight layer – gelling and sublimation which consists of making foam and bubbles of a preparation ... "Thank you Danny, you're brilliant... Danny Brilliant! ", seems to be amused by Glenn Viel, orange but especially green of the theme.
Hugo and Mathieu struggling with his molecular cuisine
"I'm in the, I don't know," slips his foal Mathieu. "There are two of us in the, neither do I," admits the coach. While the braided man walks around with his mozzarella tomato, Mathieu is lost and fumbling for his orange duck. "How many grams is it per thingee?" asks Glenn Viel as his protégé foathers the sauce. "We do by eye," says Mathieu... It will work and he will still tinker with a sphere of juice that will not break three legs to his duck ...
Hugo is doing better, even if for his leek vinaigrette, he opts for an unorthodox method of spherification... "A witch who prepares us a magic potion" or "a bubble bath sauce" for one, a "sublimation that sublimates nothing" or "indefinable" for the other... The preparation and its bubbles amused but did not convince François-Régis Gaudry and Paul Pairet. Led to judge the dishes blind, the duo allows Danny to pull out of the game. Zero everywhere. The ball to Mathieu.
"So Mathieu, are we going hunting?" says Danny. The hunt no, the rest yes. Pheasants arrive served on trays, to be plucked, emptied and prepared before making a pie. "Mathieu is the Cro-Magnon 2.0 man," Danny whispers. He never did. And especially does not have in mind the proportions of the dough. Hugo does not boast. He could. In a previous place, pheasant pie was on the menu for a good part of the year. And here he goes like a bomb. "I'm going to pluck you guys," parades the orange candidate. "We're going to put lead in their thighs," adds Glenn Viel, as excited as his flock who is already blazing his bird butchered with brandy. Faced with the emerging panic of her Red, Hélène Darroze tries to remobilize him. But his tongue forks: "There are no solutions, only problems." And to recover. And to save him, too, the bet by catching up in extremis the pot of juice that he almost spills. Pfff.
The second finalist chosen blindly is Hugo!
The survivor of "The Hidden Brigade" is doing well. Even better, he manages to beat Mathieu. Hugo too. One point each. The New Zealander was caught at his own game. "I fought myself," he can only observe. It's up to Hugo to stick the friends with his secret weapon: endive root, one of the bitterest foods in the world that he makes them taste. "Infamous", "Disgusting", the verdict is unanimous. They have 55 minutes to tame it. "What rubbish you make!" says Mathieu. All fire all flame, he runs, he runs in all directions, this is his last chance to reach the final. "I have already lost 6 kg since the beginning of the competition," he tells the camera.
In the race too, Danny does not avoid the juice worries, which he burns this time. He relaunches one quickly and manages in extremis to garnish his sauce pot ... In the end, three beautiful plates, including that of Hugo "who jostles and challenges", for Gaudry when Pairet, him, is "amazed".
The result is long overdue. After 14 weeks, we can savor the imminence of the outcome with this ceremonial where each of the candidates, with his brigade leader, must raise a bell to know if the doors of the final open to him. A moment of emotions and confidences between mentors and champions. Glenn Viel says "ça va bro!" to Mathieu. But the "bro", the real one, Jacques, is there for surprise. "We're just the three of us and it's a wonderful moment," whispers the candidate with a smile. "Your fate is below this bell it's horrible," notes the brother.
" READ ALSO "Top Chef", season 14, episode 13: the surprise reintegration of Danny, Sarika on the verge of "cracking"...
Is something wrong? Yes for two of them, Mathieu and Hugo, equally. Mathieu managed to beat him on his home turf. "And!" plagues Etchebest. For Danny, it's a green ticket to the final. "Bravo champion, Danny the legend!" jumps Darroze who relishes to reach the final with his Highlander of "The Hidden Brigade". "It's going to make me, but it's tears of joy," he smiles. I feel like my whole life is spent on Top Chef, it's a sick thing."
The second finalist will be chosen blindly by Paul Pairet and François-Régis Gaudry, based on the three plates of the evening. And that's Hugo. Who exults. "At the gates of victory, it's quite hard, admits Mathieu. Well done Danny! Hugo you are too hot, each of them deserves the victory and they will give it their all, he blows very handsome player. I leave proud, with a smile. I lost but I won everything."