Go Behind the Scenes of “Top Chef”'s First-Ever Caribbean Cruise Ship Challenge During the Semifinals (Exclusive)

PEOPLE stepped aboard Holland America Line's MS Eurodam as the Bravo series took its season 21 semifinalists away from Wisconsin for a history-making cook

• Bravo's Top Chef went below deck for its first challenge aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean

• Exclusive backstage access was given to PEOPLE aboard Holland America Line's vessel to document the history-making event

• Kristin Kish, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons will name the next Top Chef in the season finale on Wednesday, June 19

Top Chef: Wisconsin told its season 21 semifinalists to please pack their knives and go — to the Caribbean!

The Emmy-winning Bravo series moved its food competition from the Midwest to Curaçao for the June 12 episode. There they staged the final Quickfire Challenge in the streets of the Dutch Caribbean island before stepping onboard Holland America Line's MS Eurodam for an intense Elimination Challenge. (Read former champ Buddha Lo's full recap here.)

PEOPLE was on board to witness the filming of the penultimate episode back in November 2023, getting exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the making of the critically-acclaimed series.

Related: Chef Morimoto Cooks ‘Once in a Lifetime’ Dinner for Final Four Top Chef Contestants: ‘This Is Crazy’ (Exclusive) 

"This is the first time we've been on a cruise in the Caribbean in 18 years of making this show," Gail Simmons, 48, told PEOPLE, noting that cheftestants in season 10 went on an Alaskan cruise in their semifinal episode.

"It's a fascinating, enormous undertaking to cook on a cruse," she added. "You're cooking on a floating city in the middle of the sea. Most of us have seen enough professional kitchens now to know what that's like. This is sort of that on steroids. All the things that go into being a great chef, you have to do that while also thinking about feeding people and giving them great hospitality. So it's really fun to put the chefs in a situation that is so far out of the comfort zone. It's just another way to test their mettle."

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The semifinals also turned out to be a great way to celebrate Holland America Line's new Global Fresh Fish Program. The pioneering initiative allows the company to utilize a network of 60 ports around the world to source and serve 80 types of fresh fish to its diners eating at the ship's restaurants — with a promise of moving the fish from port to plate in less than 48 hours.

“We are highly focused on providing our guests with exceptional culinary experiences, and teaming up with Bravo’s Top Chef is an incredible opportunity to not only bring attention to our Global Fresh Fish Program, but to give a glimpse into cruising," Holland America Line President Gus Antorcha said in a statement.

Antorcha was one of the diners who had the opportunity to taste the food prepared by Top Chef's final four chefs: Danny Garcia, Dan Jacobs, Savannah Miller and Laura Ozyilmaz.

For the Elimination Challenge, the group was tasked by Kish, Colicchio and Simmons at working together to make an eight course fish tasting menu. Each course had to utilize a different fish and a different preparation — from raw, steamed, mousse and poached to fried, roasted, smoked, and blackened.

Prior to their cook, the foursome went shopping at Curaçao's famed floating market, where Venezuelan merchants come to sell their fresh produce.

It's one of the many destinations tourists flock to when visiting the island, known for its colorful houses, exclusive beaches and expansive coral reefs rich with marine life.

Danny, Dan, Savannah and Laura spent time in Curaçao, where they were challenged in their Quickfire to make a dish made up of gouda cheese and lionfish, an invasive species (with venomous spikes) that chefs in Curaçao are encouraged to cook with to help lower the population. It was a task modeled after Curaçao's national dish Keshi Yena, or spiced meat stuffed in a cheap rind, traditionally either baked or steamed.

Preparing their options for local chef Helmi Smeulders, the semifinalists went to work as locals and tourists looked on from Curaçao's swinging Queen Emma Bridge. A handful of other Top Chef season 21 contenders — Soo Ahn, Manny Barella, Kaleena Bliss, Amanda Turner and Michelle Wallace — also cooked alongside them, as to not spoil the identities of the top four.

Related: Top Chef Recap: Buddha Lo Recognizes Those Reactions from the Judges: 'Not Good'

After wrapping the Quickfire (which Dan won) and shopping, the team all boarded the MS Eurodam. Holland America’s first Signature Class ship, the 936-ft. long vessel can hold up to 2,104 guests. It features a number of luxurious amenities including world class entertainment offerings, multiple pools, bars, a casino, top-level decks to play pickleball, and a spa and salon with all the treatments.

Most importantly, there’s restaurants of all varieties, offering everything from casual burgers, hot dogs and pizza to authentic Italian and Asian cuisine to upscale steak and seafood dishes (and all one could want in-between). A team of 141 chefs and cooks aboard prepare the food, said Sinu Pillai, Holland America Line's fleet executive chef.

Top Chef's semifinalists didn't waste time getting food. Once checked into their staterooms, they headed to dinner at Nami Sushi, a sushi bar within the ocean-front Tamarind restaurant. There, they were surprised by award-winning chef Masaharu Morimoto, who collaborated with Holland America Line on their Global Fresh Fish Program and is serving as the brand's fresh fish ambassador.

Morimoto's presence left the chefs speechless — so much so that those watching in the show's "video village," which was set up in the other room, wondered if they had recognized him. "Is this really Morimoto? I never thought this would be someone I met in person, he's an icon," Savannah said, as Laura said, "I cannot believe he's in front of me."

The group was able to dine on Morimoto's food, including the Halibut XO — a dish he created especially for Holland America Line that is available fleetwide on the dining room menu. Those who want the full Morimoto experience can dine at Morimoto By Sea, the chef’s namesake specialty restaurant aboard Holland America Line's Nieuw Amsterdam, or one of the pop-up experiences on the remainder of the fleets.

Sadly, Morimoto didn't stay for the Elimination Challenge dinner but he did give the chefs advice, encouraging them to cook from the bottom of their hearts every single time and signing their menus with a motto that translates to "only one time chance."

"We only have this one opportunity to win Top Chef and for me, this is what this about today," said Savannah.

Related: Top Chef Recap: The Blind Taste Test Returns and the Chefs Say Goodbye to Wisconsin

Going into the Elimination Challenge — which had a prize of $10,000 as well as a 10-day cruise anywhere Holland America Line sails to — the chefs seemed organized and prime to do well. But it was an off-day cooking for all of them.

"It's disappointing," Simmons told PEOPLE after the meal. "On days like this, you go into judging with high expectations because you know what they're capable of. And when they perform below that, you're upset for them because you know they're harder on themselves than we're ever going to be — even though we seem pretty hard."

Was it the setting that changed this? "No," Simmons said. "Today wasn't so much about being on a cruise ship as it was about being at this point in the competition."

"Stress is high, the stakes are high, and there are four big personalities who have spent a lot of intense time together," the cookbook author continued. "They got a bit of a break, and now they're back and they want to come in guns blazing, so to speak, because there's no time to waste. And sometimes, that just gets the better of them."

Added Simmons: "We can all see there's energy and emotion at play, and it just didn't necessarily translate to great food today."

Ultimately, it was Danny's night to be triumphant, the judges (including guest judge chef Ed Lee) and diners — Pillai, Marisa Christenson (Holland America Line's director of dining and beverage operations) and Mark Trembling (Captain, Holland America Line) — praising his "brilliant," "nearly-perfect" smoked trout with pumpkin and plantain purée dish.

Going home was Laura, though she did with her head held high.

"I wish this is not the way I was leaving the competition but I feel good to be a a part of this, to have the opportunity to work with amazing chefs [and] to learn from other people," she said, expressing her gratitude for being in the competition. "I want to make sure I'm cooking food that's delicious and that brings people together and is not separating people. That's what it's all about."

Danny, Dan and Savannah will now battle it out for the title of Top Chef in the finale, which will feature those former cheftestants (including Laura) returning to help the final three cook their last dishes for the judges and guest Emeril Lagasse.

But before cameras went down, Kish — who won Top Chef back in season 10 — gave the remaining trio an emotional pep talk.

"Have fun with it. This is going to be the one time in your life you get to do it. It's f---ing awesome," she said, choking up. "It's a fantastic moment that you are going to remember for forever, so have fun with it, truly. It's really amazing."

The Top Chef season 21 finale will air Wednesday, June 19 (at 9 p.m. ET) on Bravo. Previous episodes can be streamed on Peacock.

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