‘Top Chef: Charleston’ episode 5 preview: Katsuji being Katsuji

There are a few things that we know about Katsuji Tanabe through over a season of watching “Top Chef,” with it first and foremost being that this is a guy who probably makes the food that we’d most want to eat out of almost anyone. (Hey, we love Mexican food and could eat it pretty much all day long.) Also, we know that he has a tendency to have a big mouth and like to troll other people on the show. It’s a part of who he is! There are people who love him because of it and people who can’t stand him. He’s not winning any popularity contests.

With that said, is he trying to get under Emily’s skin in the sneak peek below from Thursday’s episode? It’s an interesting point of contention, mostly because we don’t think it’s all that clear if he was trying to stir the pot or just honestly failing at keeping his thoughts to himself. In this challenge (which is part of the elimination challenge), all of the remaining chefs are taking part in a BBQ-themed cookout. Beans are of course a part of that. He uttered a certain swear word when he tried Emily’s, which she already knew to be undercooked. This bothered her, which is why Sheldon told her to tune him and his nonsense out if she could.

The irony that we see in all of this is that apparently, Katsuji is also having some problems of his own when it comes to beans and his being cooked properly. Based on this edit, we could easily see the two of them being in the bottom and one of them going home.

If Katsuji does leave tomorrow night, it would put him against Sam in “Last Chance Kitchen,” effectively guaranteeing for the first time all season that we lost a returning chef from the competition. We’ll see what happens…

For some other news regarding “Top Chef,” including our most-recent episode review and our take on the most-recent “Last Chance Kitchen,” be sure to head over to the link here! (Photo: Bravo.)