Pack Your Knives

With a thrilling Last Chance Kitchen finale in the books, Kevin and Tom dive headfirst into the Galveston episode and emerge with a boatful of praise. We welcome back a cheftestant and revisit our chef vs. the field prop with some new information. Finally, Tom, inspired by the show, lets Kevin indulge in the ultimate VRBO parlor game: if you could go on vacation anywhere in the world for $10,000, where would you go? We ask our listeners to send their scouting report to our socials @PackKnives on Twitter and @PackYourKnives on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The cheftestants go to space (in theory) and the Earth-y dishes raised lots of questions from Tom and Kevin. We discuss a shaky performance from an otherwise sturdy cheftestant and debate whether we'd take one chef over the field. Also: a deep-dive into crumby foods. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Pack Your Knives, Kevin and Tom recap a heartwarming episode where the judges taste the rainbow and do some soul searching. Kevin reveals a personal story of his classroom etiquette and his favorite restaurants on his recent travels while Tom struggles with the quirky scoring. Finally, Producer Mayes surfaces a Top Chef Reddit post that sparks serious domestic debate from the PYK panel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Restaurant Wars! Our friend and restaurant consultant Hershy Ash stops by for our annual Restaurant Wars viewing. Kevin, Tom and Hershy break down the Restaurant Wars experiences from Matriarc and No Nem while scratching our collective heads at a certain chef's performance. Hershy offers a lighthearted conspiracy theory and makes a prediction about the winner of Top Chef. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We dig into this week's episode with our PYK pal Joe Flamm, winner of Top Chef Colorado and guest judge of the Jurassic World challenge. Flamm shares some amazing behind the scenes details from his experience on Top Chef Houston and some old callbacks to Season 15. We also discuss best movie scenes involving food and get the goods on the actual winning individual of the challenge. We get Kevin's lowdown on Nigerian cuisine, tier-out the remaining cheftestants and get ready for Restaurant Wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Top Chef welcomes back an eliminated contestant from Last Chance Kitchen, Kevin and Tom dive into Episode 6's drama -- or lack thereof. The competition show brings in trailblazing women to honor trailblazing women and the chefs deliver satisfactory meals, but hardly anything transcendent. With the help of producer Anthony Mayes, Tom and Kevin try to untangle their feelings about this season of their beloved Top Chef and wonder if its recent softness is a symptom of a broader cultural shift. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A tentpole challenge is presented on this week's episode, but Tom and Kevin are trying to figure out why this season doesn't seem to be hitting its mark. Tom mourns a surprising elimination, which prompts Kevin and Tom to do a mock redraft of contestants. Who goes No. 1? And can a Last Chance Kitchen juggernaut jolt the season into shape? Five episodes in, the PYK crew are hoping that's the case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Tom unpack what goes down as one of their favorite challenges of Top Chef in Pack Your Knives history: doppelgänger dishes! But first Kevin and Tom reveal their favorite biscuits in America and then praise a sense-deficient cheftestant’s rise. A terrific double-elimination challenge cripples one of the fantasy teams and Mayes’ squad provides hope to resolve Kevin’s lone complaint about this season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Tom recap the Asian night market episode and survey the landscape. Kevin unveils his night market power rankings, dominating Tom’s impromptu trivia. The two discuss Sam the Potato Man’s polarizing behavior. Meanwhile, trade discussions continue as producer Anthony Mayes picks up his very own cheftestant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom and Kevin break down the second episode of Season 19. With Evelyn on the mind, Tom investigates hometown advantage. A trade is proposed and the two are officially engaged in negotiations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a season premiere chock full of surprises, Kevin and Tom take part in their fifth annual PYK draft of cheftestants. Who went No. 1 overall? And which pick created the most controversy? Kevin and Tom give their first impressions on the cast as another season of Pack Your Knives gets underway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

And we’re back! With the season premiere of Top Chef Season 19 Houston around the corner, Kevin and Tom give a scouting report on Houston and the 15 cheftestants. Which cheftestants seem to have a leg up? Which Top Chef alumni are returning? And what’s the dirty little secret about bone marrow? Kevin and Tom dig in and get ready for another season of Top Chef. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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After the penultimate episode of Season 18, Tom and Kevin debate the merits and joys of hunting for seafood. A Top Chef judge's table scandal has Kevin and Tom fuming. Did Gail, Padma and Tom fail in their duties as judges? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Tom break down the final four as we head into toward the coast. A discussion about Dawn's gougères veers into a love letter for cheesy bread at various establishments and other gluttonous exploits. Speaking of exploits, Tom and Kevin indict chefs for taking advantage of one of their own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Tom are blessed by the presence of Top Chef judge and culinary expert Gail Simmons, who makes her long-awaited debut on the podcast. Gail takes us through a most dramatic episode of the season and pulls back the curtain on her new Top Chef Amateurs show that launches July 1. Also, our mission to get Kevin on Top Chef Amateurs is one step closer to becoming reality, but he's still mentally two years away from being two years away. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Chef is coming down to the final five and Kevin and Tom are locked in. This week they discuss Kevin's horrific cooking injury, Tom's frustration with the scoring format, a double feature of Last Chance Kitchens and wish that the show would solve its only issue: not being able to taste the food. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recipe books take center stage as a Top Chef twist rattles the cheftestants and sends an overmatched chef home. While Kevin expresses disdain for complicated instructions, Tom proposes a theory on elimination tells on social media, and they unite to discuss various milks, hipster or not. Plus: which cheftestant is the Jen Carroll of this season? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's time for the Restaurant Wars. Or is it Chef's Table Wars? Tom and Kevin gather themselves after a shocking elimination and compare the upset to a certain NBA Finals stunner. Kevin coaches up one of the teams on their concept and Tom blasts the hard taco movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two-time Top Chef contestant Brian Malarkey joins the show to reveal his Top 10 power rankings and also gives his surprising prediction on who's going to win the competition. Kevin and Tom have their minds blown when chef Brian explains his rationale. Also, Brian offers some behind-the-scenes intel on his rally in Season 17 and sets the record straight on his much-debated net worth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom and Kevin quarrel about the quality of the movie drive-in episode and marvel at how flattened the race has become. New contenders emerge while the juggernauts experience an absolute horror show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Chef superstar Richard Blais returns to the pod to help Kevin and Tom recap the fruit-filled episode. We discuss Richard's amazing hair and geek out over TopChefStats.com as Richard takes us behind the scenes in Portland. Plus, finally, Richard gets to be in the same sentence as LeBron James. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Tom recap Episode 3 of Top Chef Season 18: Portland while reminiscing about Friendly's peanut butter sauce and revisiting last week's big trade. One thing is clear: Kevin means business this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Tom recap the second episode of Season 18/Portland and debate the game theory of choosing teams in the Top Chef schoolyard. Also, after much deliberation, a four-chef trade is completed between the two PYK teams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom and Kevin take part in their fourth annual PYK draft. A trade is made. The teams are selected. Top Chef Season 18 has begun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part 2: Tom and Kevin are joined by Top Chef alum and Portland’s own Gregory Gourdet. The Season 18 host and judge talks about his new restaurant, Haitian food, the infamous back injury and whom he’d want as a White House chef. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the season premiere of Top Chef Season 18 Portland on the horizon, Kevin Arnovitz and Tom Haberstroh set the stage for another round of Top Chef and scout the new 15 cheftestants. What's new? What's staying the same? The new season of Top Chef is upon us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Tom bust out the scorecards and judge the final courses of the three finalists of Top Chef Season 6. Who deserved to win? Controversy ensues. Finally, a request from our Pack Your Knives audience as we look ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the cheftestants leaving Las Vegas for wine country, Kevin and Tom break down part 1 of the finale, discuss wine vs. beer and bid farewell to a stellar chef. Also, Kevin explains his new upcoming diet and asks Tom for some advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Kevin and Tom recap the Vegas hotel episode, write a love letter to Thousand Island Dressing and debate the virtues of breakfast in bed. When a certain chef goes home, Kevin and Tom cry foul. Also: chicken wings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom and Kevin break down the Natalie Portman episode, reminisce about TV dinners and go deep on vegetable protein stats. A controversial chef goes home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Restaurant Wars! It's time for Kevin and Tom to bring in PYK's Senior Restaurant Wars Correspondent guest Hershy Ash to break it all down. Who should have gone home? Who was right in the Robin-vs.-Michael spat? Plus, halfway through the pod, a surprise guest appearance from one of the cheftestants on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Tom are joined by Chef Ash Fulk from Season 6 Las Vegas. The Hillcountry Barbecue Market chef takes us behind the scenes on the season and reveals the secret breakouts from elimination island, the real story behind the amazing "Oh, I forgot flavorrr" line and takes us on a tour of Texas barbecue lore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom and Kevin debate their favorite elevated snack food and break down Episode 8, which bids farewell to a chef that hurt our sides from laughing so hard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Tom recap Episode 7 with the help of Chef Jen Carroll who talks about her flu game, the surprising beef between Chef Kevin and Chef Bryan, and the lowdown on Chef Robin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom and Kevin deconstruct the Penn & Teller episode of Top Chef Season 6 and dish about Eli's pressure cooker incident, Toby Young, the Eli line and an unfair linguistic disadvantage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom and Kevin recap a hot ‘n spicy episode of Season 6 and break down Tom Colicchio’s famous spit-out in the desert sand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Tom break down a French powerhouse episode and debate the benefits of kitchen technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom and Kevin break down Episode 3 of Season 6 Las Vegas and serve up some praise on the challenges. Tom rants about greek salad and offers a mea culpa to Kevin. We look forward to Episode 4, where the real fun begins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Tom get their bachelor party on and break down an episode full of cringe. Kevin and Tom bid farewell to a cheftestant and debate Top Chef's ability to identify and groom successful chefs. Also, Kevin pitches his new bachelor party consulting biz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Tom hop into a time machine and rewatch the season premiere of Season 6 Top Chef Las Vegas, starting a new chapter of Pack Your Knives. The hosts break down how all the surprising ways that the show has changed and take in a heavy dose of Top Chef nostalgia. Which chefs stand out? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Tom preview their upcoming rewatch of Season 6 Las Vegas and discuss their memories of the star-studded season. @packknives on Twitter packyourknives on Instagram www.countthedings.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Tom bring in Magical Elves executive producers Doneen Arquines and Tara Seiner to take us behind the scenes on Top Chef. Plus, Kevin and Tom's big announcement about PYK's next chapter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom and Kevin are joined by Top Chef Season 17 All-Star finalists Melissa King, Stephanie Cmar and Bryan Voltaggio to review the epic season, get the inside scoop on their music video and learn about their future endeavors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Tom recap the Season 17 All-Star finale and debate the winner's placing in all-time Top Chef ranks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom and Kevin sit down with Top Chef Season 17 All-Star Kevin Gillespie to talk about his run on Top Chef, what viewers didn't see about his pork coppa, his Atlanta community service initiatives and his decision to re-join Top Chef after his cancer battle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Tom review Part 1 of the Finale, debate the merits of Voltaggio's home game and assess the critiques of the Italian chefs. Plus, Kevin and Tom share their picks for Top Chef Season 17 winner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices