Matthew Petersen took a risk and it didn't pay off. Far from a showpiece specialist, the Top Chef: Just Desserts finalist opted to make a sugar showpiece instead of a chocolate one — which he was familiar with — in the finale, only to have head judge Johnny Iuzzini criticize him for taking the gamble. "I needed to do that to have a chance," he tells TVGuide.com. "It's not something I do. I make plated desserts. I don't make showpieces. ... But I was totally stoked [with how it turned out]. It was standing! It looked good and more importantly, I was proud of it." See what else he has to say about being the underdog, why he didn't want sous chefs and blowing Gail Simmons' mind with speculoos.
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How tough was it for Orlando Santos to get the boot from Top Chef: Just Desserts one week shy of the finale? "Between Judges' Table and the stew room, I think I had completely lost every feeling that I had," he tells TVGuide.com. "When I got to the stew room, seeing everyone just brought back the emotions and all the effort and time it took to get me where I was. It was very, very difficult. When I left off-camera, it was even harder, just walking away knowing I was so close to the finale, and I just broke down."
Santos was shown the door for his dessert-in-disguise paella — the critique of which he found "a little disturbing." Find out why he disagreed with the judges, if he considers himself this season's villain and why he worships Cat Cora.
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The chefs must find that certain Je Ne Sais Quoi in Sin City. The contestants are put to the test when they must pair up to make the perfect French dish for some of France's culinary greats: "Chef of the Century," Joel Robuchon along with culinary superstars Daniel Boulud, Hubert Keller, Laurent Tourondel and Jean Joho join the competitors at Joel Robuchon for this French-tastic fine-dining challenge. watch