Top Chef: Houston goes Jurassic- Contestants seek inspiration from dinosaurs for their elimination challenge

Bravo's Emmy-winning culinary show, Top Chef, premiered on March 3, 2022 and has been a classic fan favorite ever since. The reality cooking competition saw 15 talented chefs in the country compete against each other by experimenting with challenges inspired by Houston's predominant dishes.

Episode 7 of Top Chef aired on Thursday at 8.00 pm ET on Bravo and was Jurassic Park-themed. Titled Swallow The Competition, the episode featured contestants preparing a three-course menu for the judges, in an elimination round inspired by the movie Jurassic World: Dominion. They had to first go through the Quickfire Challenge, where chefs had to prepare dishes in half an hour, with the winner receiving immunity and other rewards.

Last week's episode saw Monique Feybesse get eliminated from the show, with Ashleigh Shanti returning to the competition. The contestants who remain to compete include Evelyn Garcia, Damarr Brown, Luke Kolpin, Nick Wallace, Jae Jung, Jo Chan, Buddha Lo, and Jackson Kalb. However, one of them will be eliminated in tonight's episode.

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Fans react to a Jurassic Park themed episode of Top Chef

Fans of the reality cooking competition were intrigued by the elimination challenge based on the Jurassic Park movie and took to social media to express their opinions and put their own spin on the challenge:

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Top Chef Season 19 Episode 7 introduced contestants to Nigerian flavors

This week's episode consisted of a Quickfire Challenge and an elimination round. The former challenge had local chef Ope Amosu and all-star Kwame Onwuachi introduce the contestants to Nigerian flavors.

Actress DeWanda Wise made a special appearance for her upcoming movie, Jurassic World: Dominion. The elimination challenge also saw Top Chef: Colorado winner Joe Flamm join the panel of guest judges. He divided the participants into teams of three and gave them the task of creating menus with dishes of adequate proportions.

The official synopsis of Episode 7 reads:

“The chefs expand their horizons in a master class on Nigerian flavors guided by local chef Ope Amos and all-star Kwame Onwuachi. They’ll have to pay close attention because for this Quickfire Challenge they must create a stew that perfectly pairs with traditional Nigerian swallows.”

The contestants took on the challenge of cooking with unfamiliar flavors, cooking techniques, and pressure to accurately capture the ethnicity of the dishes. The regular panel of judges included Gail Simmons, Tom Colicchio, and host Padma Lakshmi.

The bio states the following regarding the elimination challenge:

“Then, 'Top Chef Colorado' winner (and part-time paleontologist) Joe Flamm challenges the chefs to dig deep and dominate the competition. They’ll work in teams of three to create a progressive menu of jurassic proportions to serve the judges, as well as a special guest from the upcoming film ‘Jurassic World: Dominion.’”

The contestants were divided into Jurassic Dinosaurs from Air, Water, and Land (three teams) and had to make a full three-course menu inspired by one dinosaur from each team. Buddha Lo has immunity from the Quickfire Challenge, therefore the other contestants have an equal chance of going home.

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With one more elimination tonight, the competition only gets tougher. The contestants will be put in much more dire situations and be given hefty challenges to test their mental strength and culinary abilities.

Readers can tune in to Top Chef every Thursday at 8.00 pm ET on Bravo.