Top Chef Texas Episode 13: This Is the Best Pancake I've Ever Had

Image via Bravo

By Kelly Dobkin

Just when you thought Top Chef had basically done it all - in walks Pee-Wee Herman - a guest who would have been seemingly more appropriate if the year was say, 1987? The beloved funny man of decades past was on hand as guest judge last night, donning his usual red bowtie, grey suit and white tennis shoes and making his entrance, natch, on a bright red bike. For the quickfire, the cheftestants were greeted by Padma and an enormous stack of pancakes - which suddenly seemed much less baffling once Pee-Wee was introduced as the guest of honor. The challenge, obvs, was to create a sophisticated pancake dish, Pee-Wee's favorite food. Upon tasting the chefs' creations, Pee-Wee remarked: "I have to say, this is the best pancake I've ever had" to every cheftestant except for Grayson. Ooh...burn. After some more ridiculous Pee-Wee quips, Ed is declared the winner and it's on to the elimination challenge.
We have to say...this was one of the most bizarro challenges that Top Chef has ever done. The chefs were assigned to cook a "family-style" lunch for Pee-Wee at the Alamo using ingredients they scrounged up via bike while riding through town, and, prepared in a random restaurant kitchen nearby. Given only $100, chefs had to barter, borrow and budget on almost every item they used. So what was the tie-in? Apparently in Pee-Wee's Great Adventure, Pee Wee had a mishap involving the Alamo and the goal of the challenge was to change his negative memory of the historic locale. Really?

Chaos ensues - everyone buys chicken and squash and Lindsay and Sarah practically claw each other's eyes out after Sarah beats Lindsay back to the kitchen she originally claimed. Grayson keeps her egg yolk-stuffed chicken breasts in her hand while biking back to the Alamo to prevent the yolks from slipping out. When all was said and done, Sarah gets scolded for her under-seasoned egg salad, Lindsay is declared the winner for her beef cheeks on zucchini boats and Grayson is sent packing for her ingredient-heavy dish that doesn't quite hit the mark. Next week, we'll find out which "Last Chance Kitchen" cheftestant will re-enter the competition and face off against the final four. Stay tuned!