Behind-the-Scenes of The Knockout | Top Chef Duels Photos

Behind David and Takashi's Friendly Duel

Ep 1 Marcel Vs. Brooke
Wolfgang greets the chefs and tells them they have one more chance to make it into the Duels Finale.

Ep 1 Marcel Vs. Brooke
Marcel and Brooke are ready to take on whatever Wolfgang throws at them, which in this case is some pretty weird combinations of high-end and humble ingredients.

Ep 1 Marcel Vs. Brooke
Marcel's challenge: mixing ramen with Stilton. This could get funky -- in either a good or a bad way.

Ep 1 Marcel Vs. Brooke
Marcel's picks for Brooke were rather difficult -- truffles (which are also slightly out of season) and canned salmon.

Ep 1 Marcel Vs. Brooke
But she tackles the dishes with aplomb, and Wolfgang is surprised that he's not more revolted.

Ep 1 Marcel Vs. Brooke
Note the nervousness on Brooke's face. There were a lot of options on that table that gave her pause.

Ep 1 Marcel Vs. Brooke
Nothing to stress about here, just Wolfgang Puck stopping by your station.

Ep 1 Marcel Vs. Brooke
Wolfgang's impressed by Marcel's odd-ball flavor combination. But is he impressed enough to give him the win?

Ep 1 Marcel Vs. Brooke
And Brooke takes the win!

Ep 2: Brooke Vs. Mike
And we're back in The Knockout kitchen, this time to see if Brooke can stop anyone else from joining the winner's circle.

Ep 2: Brooke Vs. Mike
But Mike's ready to take her head on.

Ep 2: Brooke Vs. Mike
As the winner, Brooke picks the first ingredient in the dish -- so duck and raspberries it is.

Ep 2: Brooke Vs. Mike
But nothing's ever that easy, Wolfgang is able to add ingredients to their challenge as time rolls on.

Ep 2: Brooke Vs. Mike
Brooke's approach was to use as few ingredients as possible, so she'd be ready for whatever Wolfgang threw at her.

Ep 2: Brooke Vs. Mike
Mike says he "can make anything at anytime, anywhere. Period.

Ep 2: Brooke Vs. Mike
And now it's time for Wolfgang to make his choice. The winner of Ep 2 is. . .

Ep 2: Brooke Vs. Mike
And then there were two. Mike is now the reigning champ of The Knockout!

Ep 3: Mike Vs. Stefan
Wolfgang welcomes Stefan to the kitchen with open arms.

Ep 3: Mike Vs. Stefan
Mike said it would be a lot of fun to knock out Stefan because "we definitely don't want to listen to this guy."

Ep 3: Mike Vs. Stefan
Stefan knew Brooke from working as her sous chef for Season 10's Finale -- but today he's got to take on Mike to get back into the Finale.

Ep 3: Mike Vs. Stefan
Mike wasn't to worried about taking on Stefan. "He's an arrogant guy. His food's old. He's old."

Ep 3: Mike Vs. Stefan
After taking a field trip to pick up meats selected by Wolfgang, Mike and Stefan focus on butchering and cooking the perfect piece of meat.

Ep 3: Mike Vs. Stefan
Wolfgang's not feeling the way Stefan cooked his steak.

Ep 3: Mike Vs. Stefan
Mike looks on as Wolfgang gives Stefan his critiques.

Ep 3: Mike Vs. Stefan
Stefan admitted that he "likes touching meat," but will that love be enough to win this challenge.

Ep 3: Mike Vs. Stefan
And the final judgment comes down -- Mike wins, knocking Stefan out of the competition for good.

Ep 4: Mike Vs. David
David enters The Knockout kitchen, ready to take on Mike to fight for a spot in the finale.

Ep 4: Mike Vs. David
David thought Brooke and Mike looked a bit intimidated when he arrived -- and, as he admitted, he's certainly been around a while.

Ep 4: Mike Vs. David
Wolfgang gives the chefs a tough competition -- cook with canned, frozen, processed, and jarred.

Ep 4: Mike Vs. David
David went the wacky decision to include processed cheese with the frozen calamari -- will it pay off?

Ep 4: Mike Vs. David
Wolfgang tries out his creative take on mac and cheese.

Ep 4: Mike Vs. David
Brooke was definitely rooting for Mike, "I don't want to go up against David Burke."

Ep 4: Mike Vs. David
Mike thinks he can make anything taste good. Let's see what Wolfgang has to say about that.

Ep 4: Mike Vs. David
Brooke looks pretty terrified. . .

Ep 4: Mike Vs. David
Mike prepares to plate his dish. Here's hoping Wolfgang likes what he's tasting.

Ep 4: Mike Vs. David
Despite "swinging for the fences," Mike knocks David Burke out.

Ep 5: Mike Vs. Tiffani
After being defeated by Dale Talde in a Rob Zombie-approved vegan challenge, Tiffani Faison faces off again Mike. Can she beat The Knockout's running champ?

Ep 5: Mike Vs. Tiffani
Wolfgang announces that Tiffani and Mike must choose between two familiar Top Chef quandries: Top Chef Challenges or Top Chef Twist.

Ep 5: Mike Vs. Tiffani
After Mike chooses the challenge (one pot), Tiffani must decide what ingredient she wants to cook with. She goes for the cockscomb, leaving Mike with the pig's snout.

Ep 5: Mike Vs. Tiffani
With only 20 minutes to cook their dishes, Mike decides to grind up the snout and make it into a chili.

Ep 5: Mike Vs. Tiffani
Tiffani discusses plans for her dish: braised potatoes with a sauce made of chicken stock and cockscombs.

Ep 5: Mike Vs. Tiffani
With only 20 minutes and one pot, Mike races to finish on time.

Ep 5: Mike Vs. Tiffani
Tiffani works to cut up her "small cock."

Ep 5: Mike Vs. Tiffani
No chili is finished without the perfect topping. Mike chops up celery to make into into a fresh yogurt.

Ep 5: Mike Vs. Tiffani
Tiffani works to finish her chicken and dumplings-inspired dish.

Ep 5: Mike Vs. Tiffani
Wolfgang is impressed with Mike's end result, but is it enough to beat Tiffani?

Ep 5: Mike Vs. Tiffani
Tiffani's dish wins, and she joins the winner's circle, making her the third chef to win a chance to make it back into the Duels finale.

Ep 6: Tiffani Vs. Nyesha
Wolfgang and Lesley announce this week's challenge to the competitors.

Ep 6: Tiffani Vs. Nyesha
Nyesha is hopeful that she can redeem herself and make it into the Finale.

Ep 6: Tiffani Vs. Nyesha
Nyesha and Tiffani draw knives to decide the car they'll get into, which will decide what market they'll be shopping at for their opponent. Will sabotages abound?

Ep 6: Tiffani Vs. Nyesha
Wolfgang and Lesley judge Tiffani's dish: seared skate with brown butter and curry powder sauce and Southeast Asian herbs, pickled chili, and cucumbers to top it off.

Ep 6: Tiffani Vs. Nyesha
Wolfgang and Lesley think that Nyesha's salad made of charred red and green kohlrabi leaves, sliced apple, roasted figs, and basil is delicious, but is it enough to beat Tiffani.

Ep 6: Tiffani Vs. Nyesha
Tiffani races against the 20-minute timer to complete her dish.

Ep 6: Tiffani Vs. Nyesha
Nyesha takes her time picking out ingredients -- will she have enough time to prepare her dish?

Ep 6: Tiffani Vs. Nyesha
Tiffani is allergic to skate and struggles to prepare her dish.

Ep 6: Tiffani Vs. Nyesha
Nyesha hopes that her dish can "wow" Wolfgang and Lesley.

Ep 6: Tiffani Vs. Nyesha
Wolfgang and Lesley ultimately decide that Tiffani's dish is the winner!

Ep 6: Tiffani Vs. Nyesha
Lesley is excited to taste Nyesha's fresh produce recipe.

Ep 7: Tiffani Vs. Kristen
Kristen is back and ready for redemption. She's fought back through Last Chance Kitchen -- but can she win The Knockout?

Ep 7: Tiffani Vs. Kristen
Wolfgang surveys the current winner's circle -- no one is particularly interested in having Kristen join their group, as they know she'll be tough competition.

Ep 7: Tiffani Vs. Kristen
Wolfgang tells the ladies their challenge -- to make one of his favorite dishes, the omelet.

Ep 7: Tiffani Vs. Kristen
But because it's The Knockout, it's not all up to Wolfgang. The ladies get to select either vegetables, protein, technique, or time to make things a little more complicated.

Ep 7: Tiffani Vs. Kristen
Wolfgang complained that Tiffani's dish wasn't pointed enough, but is that the point of this challenge?

Ep 7: Tiffani Vs. Kristen
Wolfgang had a lot of questions about Kristen's omelet eating past -- did she grow up on the good stuff or on the brown rubbery types of diners past?

Ep 7: Tiffani Vs. Kristen
Tiffani is worried that there's too much breakage to her omelet, but will her flavors save her?

Ep 7: Tiffani Vs. Kristen
Kristen isn't going to run or rush, even if she only has 15 minutes to make her dish.

Ep 7: Tiffani Vs. Kristen
Tiffani was strategic and selected time and black beans to shake up Kristen's usual cooking style. Will it be enough to shake her confidence down so Tiff can get the win?

Ep 7: Tiffani Vs. Kristen
In the end, Wolfgang didn't mind that Kristen's dish wasn't as beautiful -- and she's moving on through The Knockout.

Ep 7: Tiffani Vs. Kristen
Wolfgang was suspicious of how much cream Tiffani was putting into her omelet, but that's just her preference.

Ep 8: Kristen Vs. Art
Art is our newest competitor in The Knockout. When he finds out he's versing Kristen, he can't hide his nerves. Will he prevail against his tough competitor?

Ep 8: Kristen Vs. Art
Wolfgang is impressed with Art's dish, especially the spaghetti, even though the meatballs are too salty.

Ep 8: Kristen Vs. Art
Kristen presents her raw beef stroganoff. As usual, it is plated perfectly thanks to her trusted tongs.

Ep 8: Kristen Vs. Art
Wolfgang is ready to try Art's spaghetti and meatballs with homemade pasta. Pretty astounding for having only 20 minutes.

Ep 8: Kristen Vs. Art
Although Wolfgang enjoys the presentation and texture of Kristen's dish, it isn't remniscent enough of beef stroganoff. For this Knockout, Art is the victor!

Ep 8: Kristen Vs. Art
Kristen looks right at home while creating this dish, never faltering. She is inspired by the difficulty of this challenge.

Ep 8: Kristen Vs. Art
Today's challenge is recreating a classic dish either raw or vegan. Art isn't too excited about his vegan spaghetti and meatballs, being that a vegan dish got him eliminated from his season of Top Chef Masters.

Ep 8: Kristen Vs. Art
Kristen's challenge is raw beef stroganoff. She begins by cutting up beef, seemingly creating tartare.

Ep 8: Kristen Vs. Art
Art decides to use portobello mushrooms and tempeh in place of beef for his meatballs.

Ep 9: Finale
It's time to finally find out who will be competing in the finale of Top Chef Duels.

Ep 9: Finale
Art observes that everyone seems to be creating delicate and refined dishes, while he resolves to embrace the vibrancy of Spain.

Ep 9: Finale
For this final challenge, each chef chooses one required element of the dish. After all that picking, they must create a Spanish-style dish using spot prawns, potatoes, branzino, and a smoked element.

Ep 9: Finale
The chefs all have a determined glint in their eye -- no one wants to be the loser in this battle.

Ep 9: Finale
Mike is anxious about his sauce, as that is usually what Wolfgang tastes and critiques first.

Ep 9: Finale
Wolfgang seems to enjoy Mike's Prawns a la Plancha...although he does say he wishes the sauce had a bolder branzino flavor.

Ep 9: Finale
Art is more confident than ever, using the momentum from his previous win to push him through this all-important Knockout.

Ep 9: Finale
Are you ready Wolfgang? A very important verdict is resting on your shoulders.

Ep 9: Finale
As soon as she chose potatoes, Brooke began formulating the idea of creating a Tortilla Espanola.

Ep 9: Finale
Tiffani has created Bacalao, which is a traditional Spanish peasant dish. She paid the utmost attention to bringing out the sweetness of the spot prawns. Will that be enough to sway Wolfgang?

Ep 9: Finale
Wolfgang is impressed with the flavoring of Brooke's dish, but the branzino isn't quite crispy enough.

Ep 9: Finale
Art encourages Wolfgang to use his hands for this dish, and he is all too happy to oblige.

Ep 9: Finale
Wolfgang appreciates Kristen's modern interpretation of Spanish food, and her interesting presentation. But who will win? We'll have to watch the Duels Finale to see.