'Last Chance Kitchen' brought in a new competitor who made a fish fry to try and get onto 'Top Chef: Wisconsin'

On Wednesday the first episode of "Last Chance Kitchen" dropped online, with two cheftestants going head-to-head to earn a spot on "Top Chef: Wisconsin."

Notice it doesn't say get "back" in the main competition. That is because for the first time, "Top Chef" brought in a 16th cheftestant who could be introduced to the "Top Chef" competition for the first time if he wins all five "Last Chance Kitchen" battles.

That new chef is Soo Ahn, executive chef at Adalina in Chicago.

David Murphy, who was the first cheftestant eliminated, was not in the episode, and "Last Chance Kitchen" did not explain why Murphy was not back in the kitchen.

Instead, Soo went against Valentine Howell Jr., who was eliminated in Episode 2, "Living the High Life."

The challenge in "Last Chance Kitchen" was pretty much the opposite of what Howell and the cheftestants were asked to do in Episode 2, where the challenge was to take simple bar snacks and incorporate them in an elevated dish.

"Last Chance Kitchen" host and judge Tom Colicchio gave Soo and Valentine high-end ingredients like lobster and caviar and asked them to make a comfort meal that would pair well with his beer.

"Last Chance Kitchen" incorporated few scenes and flavors of where it was filmed, but the newcomer cooked up a very Wisconsin plate: a fish fry.

"When I think of an ice old beer I think of fish and chips," Soo said.

Instead of cod he used lobster, and he used Champagne in the breading. With the time restriction (30 minutes), Soo made crispy rice noodles for the "chips."

Howell made a play on a New England lobster bake, with lobster, sausage, potatoes and a corn puree — an attempt to redeem himself from the corn dish that handed him a loss and a spot in "Last Chance Kitchen."

Despite having "really good flavors," Colicchio said, Valentine's corn puree was too thick, the same issue he had with his corn soup during the "Top Chef" challenge that he lost. This miss unfortunately made his dish Colicchio's least favorite, so he was sent home for good. Soo is staying, and four more wins on "Last Chance Kitchen" will earn him a spot on "Top Chef."

To watch "Last Chance Kitchen," visit bravotv.com/last-chance-kitchen or stream on Peacock.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 'Last Chance Kitchen' brings in 16th cheftestant for the first time