"Top Chef" contestants never know who they'll have to impress next. Sometimes they have to pull out their pans for celebrity chefs. Sometimes there's more than one famous face to feed. Heck, once they even had to create tasty treats for furry friends from "Sesame Street." But none of the past guest judges prepared the latest batch of competitors for the star they met on Wednesday night's episode.
In fact, when they learned their quickfire challenge would involve pancakes, most assumed the esteemed guest would be a kid -- and they were almost right, as it turned out to be everyone's favorite big kid, Pee-wee Herman.
Paul Reubens brought his beloved "Playhouse" alter ego to "Top Chef: Texas" and never broke character as he asked the chefs to right a classic Pee-wee wrong: In the 1985 film "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," he was led to believe his prized bike was hidden away in the basement of the Alamo. The problem? The Alamo doesn't have a basement.
To restore Pee-wee's faith in the Alamo, the chefs had to deliver a meal (on their own red wheels) capable of washing away the bad bike memories. Several of the contestants rose to the challenge, but one simply didn't have what it takes to please Pee-wee's palate.
In the end, Grayson, who dared to offer him runny-egg-stuffed chicken (heavy on the Gorgonzola), packed her knives and pedaled back home.
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