Andrew Zimmern & Kelsey Barnard Clark

Andrew Zimmern made his career eating things other people would not eat. Kelsey Barnard Clark won Top Chef Season 16 cooking the Southern food she grew up with in Dothan, Alabama, where she now runs KBC. Together, against Bobby Flay on the Thanksgiving episode, they brought a braised turkey that did the unthinkable: it made everyone forget about the bird in the middle of the table.

Zimmern's contribution was the spice work — he has eaten more turkey, in more contexts, in more countries, than possibly any human alive. Barnard Clark's contribution was the technique: a fast brine, a hard sear, then a low slow braise in shallots, garlic, butter, and a splash of cider. It is, structurally, a French braise applied to a bird that is usually roasted whole and underseasoned.

Bobby roasted his whole. Of course he did. He always does. He always loses.