Padma Lakshmi: 'Beverly Had So Much Heart and Fight in Her'

What was the unkindest cut for Top Chef judge Padma Lakshmi this season? It might have been saying adieu to Beverly Kim. "It was really sad to see Beverly go because I felt she had so much heart and fight in her in spite of how the other chefs felt about her or treated her," Padma blogs.

(See how Beverly fought her way back into the competition in Last Chance Kitchen.)

But, alas, the show must go on, even if Padma herself experienced a few oopsy moments behind-the-scenes. "We stopped on the way for Indian food as there's a big Asian population [in Vancouver], which lead us perfectly to our first Quickfire challenge: create an Asian-inspired dish with an Asian culinary master," she says. "I was terrified I would mispronounce Takashi Yagahashi's name! I kept saying it under my breath and Emeril was cracking up and making me laugh too."

Hold on, there's more. "What you didn't see is that I smashed the little window that Emeril and I were looking into as I opened it—almost right over Anita Lo's head! How embarrassing," the Emmy-winner confesses.

(See what else hit the cutting room floor in our exclusive Top Chef outtakes.)

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