Quickfire Challenge. The cheftestants have to create a holiday meal in forty-five minutes using only one pot, and the guest judge is Martha Stewart. The bottom three dishes are Jeff's potato risotto, which is too heavy, Eugene's Korean pork stew, because he used cornstarch to thicken it, and Fabio's polenta and duck breast, due to the grayish color. The top three are Hosea's shrimp and chicken paella, Jamie's sea scallop with kale, and Ariane's filet mignon with cauliflower puree. The winner is Ariane, who gets a copy of Martha's new cookbook as well as immunity.
Elimination Challenge. They will be catering a fundraiser for AMFAR with 250 guests. The Harlem Gospel Choir comes in to help introduce the theme -- each chef pulls a number from one to twelve, and their dish needs to be inspired by the matching verse in "Twelve Days of Christmas." Natasha Richardson (celebrity co-host) and Michelle (professional chef) will be the guest judges. They only have three hours to prep after shopping and at the end of the day, put a bunch of hot and steamy food in the fridge. The morning, they discover that one of the fridges was left open overnight, so all the contents have gone bad. Hosea and Radhika both had meat in there, so they're screwed. So the other cheftestants pitch in and help them to remake their dishes, and it's actually quite touching. Or maybe I'm just in the holiday spirit.
So here are the assignments and what they created:
Twelve drummers drumming: Stefan makes a creamy chicken pot pie
Eleven pipers piping: Hosea makes pork loin with chipotle mashed potatoes with apple brandy jus
Ten lords a leaping: Jeff makes seared Halloumi and Kassiere cheese with roasted beets and pears
Nine ladies dancing: Fabio makes sweet corn and roasted pepper crab cake
Eight maids a milking: Melissa makes gorgonzola and NY strip steak on sourdough crostini with cranberry vinaigrette
Seven swans a swimming: Jamie makes crudo of sea scallop in vichyssoise
Six geese a laying: Ariane makes deviled eggs six different ways
Five golden rings (people coming in from other rooms for that part): Eugene makes poisson cru with pineapple ring and Yukon Gold potato chip
Four calling birds: No one
Three French hens: Leah makes braised guinea hen with butternut squash on brioche
Two turtledoves: Carla makes braised chicken with duxelles and mushroom cap
A partridge in a pear tree: Radhika makes braised duck leg on brioche with pear chutney
Judges' Table: Hosea, Jeff, Stefan, and Radhika are the top four. The winner is Hosea, who got the most votes from the crowd as well as the judges. The bottom three are Eugene, Melissa, and Jamie. Jamie is criticized for her lukewarm scallops, Melissa is told she had too much cheese, and Eugene is told his fish dish was too sweet and you couldn't taste the fish. All of the judges agree that none of the dishes were outstanding, and there were many who could be in the bottom three. Colicchio goes back to the Stew Room and scolds the cheftestants for cooking not to lose instead of cooking to win, and tells them that since they all pulled together to help Hosea and Radhika, no one is going home. Aw, Christmas.
The morning after the last elimination, Ariane wakes up without an alarm, and feels great because she's won the last two challenges. She thinks the key is to keep it simple. Eugene, on the other hand, feels like he's "dodged a bullet" because he's been on the bottom a few times now, but he knows he can do better. He thinks he needs to cook what he knows, which is Pacific Rim cooking, and cook from the heart. We'll see how that works out for him.
The plucky strings of humor let us know that it's time for another round of "Those Wacky Euros, Starring Fabio and Stefan!" Stefan thinks they are "the dynamic duo" but Fabio doesn't know what that means. Then Stefan jokes that he woke up and found a shoe in his ass, after the ass kicking the judges gave him. He finishes his breakfast task, which is carving a frowny face in a watermelon, and says it represents how he felt yesterday. Fabio thinks the watermelon looks like Stefan, because it doesn't have hair. And this has been another installment of "Those Wacky Euros Starring Fabio and Stefan". See you week.
Hosea uses the product-placed cell phone to call home and check in on his father, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Hosea's sister answers and doesn't really say much, probably because she's on speakerphone, but also because what can you say? Hopefully, this is not the only opportunity Hosea has had to get news on his father's condition; this is just the only one he allowed to be filmed for the cameras. Hosea explains that his father didn't want him to miss this opportunity, so he came to New York, but after the show has ended, he hopes to go home and be with his family. Does his family live in Colorado? Or are they elsewhere? Hosea wants to do well because the competition is a positive force in his life right now, and probably sort of distracts him from something he can't do anything about right now anyway.
Quickfire Challenge. The cheftestants walk into the kitchen, which has been decorated for the holidays. Padma explains that their challenge is to create a holiday dish in forty-five minutes using only one pot. Radhika is freaked out, because she says that she usually uses like ten pots. Padma brings in the guest judge: Martha Stewart. The cheftestants are impressed and surprised. Ariane is especially psyched, because Martha does it all, AND she's from Jersey like Ariane. I feel like Martha would like to forget that she's from Jersey. Not that there's anything wrong with Jersey, but it doesn't really fit with Martha's creation myth, you know? Leah also likes Martha Stewart, because she's "bad-ass." Is it just me, or does Leah looks stoned most of the time? ["It's not just you." -- Angel] Martha tells the cheftestants to "make it simple, but not too simple." What does that even mean? That's one of those things that sounds profound but if you asked Martha to give a specific example of a dish that fits the mantra, she probably couldn't. And since when has Martha ever kept it simple? Martha claims to be a fan of one-pot cooking, like she has to do her own dishes. If I didn't have to do my own dishes, I'd be making elaborate meals every night.
Time starts and everyone runs to the fridge to look for their proteins. Jamie grabs some scallops (Top Chef disaster, ahoy!) and plans to serve them over a stew. Hosea looks for sausage because he wants to make paella, since he has worked in a Spanish restaurant, but he's nervous that he won't have enough time. Jeff explains the two strategies at play: you can either cook something all together, or cook one item, then dump it out and cook the . That second way kind of seems like cheating, no? Jeff is making a potato risotto. Ariane decides to make a cauliflower puree with grilled filet mignon, and she claims the puree is great for tricking kids into eating their veggies. She's a regular Jessica Seinfeld, or at least that woman that Jessica Seinfeld ripped off. Jamie and Ariane are BFF, and love to cook to each other and work together, helping each other. Jamie explains that they have different styles: Ariane is more traditional and classic, while Jamie takes more risk and innovates. That's Jamie's nice way of saying that she thinks Ariane cooks grandma food, while Jamie herself is a true artiste. Fabio tells a little tale about how he was evil as a little boy, so his grandmother used to make him stir the polenta all day to keep him out of trouble, so he decided to make that. Eugene is making a pork stew that his grandmother used to make, but he has to use cornstarch to thicken the stew since he doesn't have the time to let it cook and reduce. Padma calls five minutes and people start running about the kitchen. Melissa interviews that she finished in plenty of time, but is concerned that Martha will be a tough judge.
Martha and Padma survey the dishes. They start by tasting Eugene's spicy Korean stew, served with cilantro sour cream and wonton chips. Were the chips and dip created in the same pot as the stew? Because otherwise that seems like cheating too. I need a rules clarification here. Martha immediately recognizes that Eugene thickened the sauce with cornstarch, and she clearly disapproves. Stefan made veal Celtic goulash with potatoes and chanterelle mushrooms. Martha and Stefan bond over the mushrooms. Hosea made seafood, chicken, and chorizo paella. It looks delicious, and Martha and Padma both like the seasoning. Hosea interviews that Martha's praise made him "the happiest little chef." They move on to Melissa, who was inspired by the apple orchard that she had behind her house growing up to make pork tenderloin with braised cabbage, apple, bacon, orange, and fennel. That's a lot of ingredients for a simple one-pot dish. Martha likes the flavors.
up is Jeff, who made a potato risotto with crispy pork and Brussels sprouts. Padma asks if there's vinegar on it, and Martha says it's "pungent." That's probably not a compliment, and Jeff knows it. Jamie introduces her scallops and fried sage over potato and kale stew. Padma asks if scallops are really a winter dish, but Martha totally defends it, saying that they go diving for scallops in Maine in January. I'm so sure that Martha pulls on a wetsuit and jumps in the ocean in January. Girl, please. They finally get to Ariane, and after the requisite Jersey bonding, Ariane introduces her cauliflower puree with filet mignon. Martha thinks she tastes a lot of butter, and Ariane says there's no butter, only cream. Martha is impressed that she was able to make it taste to smooth and rich without using a lot of butter. Carla made a brined turkey breast with apple and cherry stuffing. Martha finds it "tasty." Fabio made roasted mushroom polenta with seared duck breast. It's not the most appetizing-looking dish -- it kind of looks like turds on top of a pile of cat puke. I'm sorry, but it does.
Time for judging! Martha thinks that most of the cheftestants kept it simple, but some were too simple. Martha goes on to announce the bottom three dishes. The first is Jeff's potato risotto, which is too starchy and heavy. Martha also disliked Eugene's Korean pork stew, because he used cornstarch to thicken it and didn't get the flavoring right. Eugene protests in an interview that he thinks a lot of housewives and grandmothers use cornstarch. Maybe he didn't cook the dish long enough after adding the cornstarch? I've used cornstarch as a thickener before and if you cook it long enough, I don't think you can taste it anymore. The third bad dish is Fabio's polenta and duck breast, because you couldn't see the mushrooms in the polenta, and had a grayish color. I told you it looked unappetizing! Fabio interviews that his grandmother will be ashamed of Martha, so clearly he disagrees with her assessment of his dish.
Martha moves on to discuss the top three. The first is Hosea's paella (hey, that kind of rhymes), which Martha feels is truly meant to be a one-pot meal, and was executed well. Jamie's sea scallop with kale gets praise for having a perfectly-cooked scallop and using a winter vegetable. Also, Martha liked Ariane's filet mignon with cauliflower puree, because the beef was cooked well and the puree was "smooth as silk" and fooled her with the lack of butter. Martha thinks all three did a great job, but the winner is Ariane, who gets a copy of Martha's new cookbook as well as immunity. The product placement with the cookbooks is getting a little over the top. ["Because every chef that is encouraged to push the envelope really is in need of a cookbook for recipe ideas." -- Angel] Jamie interviews that she feels like she never wins, and she's going to go home without having won a single competition. Maybe she needs to step it up if that's such a concern? Padma thanks Martha for coming, and Martha leaves. Oh, I was hoping she would be a guest judge. I would love to hear her argue with Colicchio on panel.
Elimination Challenge. Padma explains that they will be catering a fundraiser for AMFAR, and there will be about 250 guests. Ariane interviews that it's a huge crowd, especially since they have to cook, serve, and chit chat with the guests. In the past, when she's done a similarly sized event, she's had at least three helpers. Padma says that to inspire them, she's calling in some help, and then the Harlem Gospel Choir comes in to help introduce the theme. They're rocking "Twelve Days of Christmas" and the cheftestants could not look more confuzzled. Except for Carla, who is bobbing her head and grinning. The lady who sings the "five golden rings" part does Eddie Izzard proud, because people are practically running in from other rooms to sing along. The chefs clap along but still look extremely befuddled by this turn of events. The cheftestants draw knives to learn their theme. Stefan goes first and draws twelve, and this woman from the choir busts out "Twelve drummers drumming!" Everyone giggles. Fabio pulls nine and a lady sings, "Nine ladies dancing!" This continues, with each chef drawing a knife, until Padma explains that they have to make a dish inspired by the matching verse in "Twelve Days of Christmas." She adds that they'll have three hours to prep tonight, and then have one hour on location to prepare before the guests arrive. As much as the addition of the choir was sort of unnecessary, it did make for a much more interesting explanation than if Padma had just told them. Natasha Richardson will host the party, and she will judge along with chef Michelle Bernstein. Carla interviews that the amount of time for prep and the number of people they have to serve seems insane to her, and she doesn't know how they're going to do it.
The interstitial this week is each contestant singing the part of "Twelve Days of Christmas" that they've been assigned. Or in some cases, speaking it, because they refused to sing it. Unsurprisingly, Ariane sings it with the most gusto. Also unsurprisingly, Jamie looks like she can barely bring herself to say the words, much less sing them. She's kind of a sourpuss.
Shopping trip. They get forty-five minutes and eight hundred dollars at Whole Foods. Carla interviews that she's terrified of this challenge, because you can't fudge for this many people. If you forget an ingredient, you're screwed. Hosea agrees that this is a huge deal. He drew eleven pipers piping, so he's planning to smoke something, because you smoke a pipe. I don't think that's the kind of pipe the verse was talking about, but okay. I don't know what else you could do. Maybe something with, like, asparagus, since it looks like a pipe or a flute or whatever? Which would be wildly out of season and probably really tough? It's a great thing that I'm not on this show. For oh so many reasons. Jeff has the ten lords a leaping verse, and his first thought was frogs' legs, but the store didn't have any. So he spots some cheese from the Greek isles, and then decides to prepare different kinds of cheese and say that he's leaping from island to island. Stefan has twelve drummers drumming, so he's going to make chicken pot pie. I guess because drumsticks? And a pot pie kind of looks like a drum? He doesn't really explain his thought process.
Leah has three French hens, probably the easiest verse to interpret. She's not going crazy with it, and is doing braised hen with a puff pastry and butternut squash puree. Fabio cannot figure out what to do with nine ladies dancing. He decides that you dance with your legs, so he's doing crab legs. Ariane has six geese a laying, so she's going with deviled eggs. Is she catering the AMFAR summer potluck picnic? Because that's the only time I think that dish might be appropriate. But she's doing six different toppings! Don't care. Still not appropriate for a gala fundraiser event.
They return to the kitchen and start the three-hour prep. Stefan explains that you have to unpack, unwrap your food, prep, and pre-cook everything, which takes a long time with the volume of food they are preparing. Jamie has seven swans a swimming, so she is cooking scallops once again. Really? Two in a row? She plans to have them "swimming" in vichyssoise. I guess a lot of other people are doing poultry, but that seems like the obvious choice for her. Melissa has eight maids a milking, so she is combining Gorgonzola cheese and steak on toast points, as a reference to the cow (beef and dairy -- it took me a minute to figure that one out). Melissa has been in the bottom two for two challenges, so she feels she has something to prove. Radhika has a partridge in a pear tree, and she realizes the only way she is getting an actual partridge is hunting it herself. That's not happening, so she's substituting seared duck breast and serving it with pear chutney. I think I like her interpretation best thus far; literal but not TOO literal. Radhika explains that she's breaking down her ducks, but she's not the fastest at it, so it takes a while.
Fabio is using his crab legs to make a corn and bell pepper crab cake, which sounds delicious. He wants to make something that people will find comforting and not too fancy. Eugene has "five golden rings" so he's making poisson cru which is fish mixed with lime juice and coconut milk. He's bringing the rings in by serving the dish with a pineapple ring and a Yukon gold potato chip. Eugene knows that he's been in the bottom a lot, so another bottom three finish will probably mean he's going home. Hosea gets his pork on the grill to sear it, but all the marinade creates a lot of smoke, and everyone gets smoked out of the kitchen. Jeff interviews that he's seeing people make pork loin, deviled eggs, and crab cakes, which are really simple dishes. Jeff obviously feels they are overly simple and he hopes the judges notice how hard he's working. This isn't Top Hard Worker in the Kitchen, it's Top Chef, and I think it's the end result that matters. Everyone starts putting his or her ingredients and cooked foods into containers for overnight storage. There's not nearly enough room in the refrigerators, and people are just trying to jam stuff in. Hosea interviews that he notices a lot of hot food going in, which isn't ideal, but it's what they have to do. Everyone finishes up, and they all leave for the night as Radhika firmly closes the fridge door. Or does she?
The day, the cheftestants wake up and prepare for the challenge. Fabio works on the story he's going to tell the fundraiser attendees about his dish. Hosea makes fun of him for writing such a long story. Hosea interviews that he's sure he's going to win this, "unless everybody is just serving hundred dollar bills on plates." That would be an interesting strategy. Probably not a winning one, though.
The cheftestants arrive back at the kitchen and have one hour to prep and pack. As soon as they walk in, Melissa realizes that the fridge is warm. Carla interviews that someone left one of the fridge doors open, so all the food that was in there has gone bad. Turns out that Radhika's duck and Hosea's pork were both in there. Hosea uses a thermometer to check the temperature of his pork and realizes that he can't serve it, unless he wants to kill all of the guests. They all tell Radhika that she can't serve her duck either, so she starts crying and pacing around. Ariane and Jamie try to console her, and Jamie offers to help her when they get on site. Radhika wonders if she should just throw in the towel now. Melissa had some cheese in the fridge, but she was able to find some other cheese to substitute pretty quickly. Carla interviews that they all want to help Hosea and Radhika. So then Hosea finds some more pork in the kitchen and everyone helps him prep and cook it. Radhika has some duck legs left over, and everyone helps her to get the meat off them. Carla interviews that everyone is chipping in to help. Everyone starts dicing up mirepoix for Radhika. Even Stefan is helping. Aw, his heart grew two sizes that day. He explains in an interview that he doesn't want to beat someone because of a refrigerator mishap; he wants to win fair and square. So maybe not with the heart getting bigger thing. Radhika interviews that she's incredibly stressed and she knows the judges won't care about her sob story about the fridge.
The cheftestants arrive in the ballroom and literally sprint in to set up their tables. They have to create three hundred plates alone. Radhika explains that she hasn't pulled her duck out yet, and she doesn't even know if it's cooked, but as soon as she opens it, she knows it's going to be good. The cheftestants get to cooking and prepping as the guests begin showing up. Stefan interviews that Natasha Richardson, the guest judge, has a great voice. Really? She's wearing a dress with her boobs falling out and he's listening to her voice? Natasha gives a little speech asking people to donate to AIDS research, and also explains that they've each been given an AIDS ribbon to pin to their favorite dish. That seems a little... exploitative isn't the right word. It cheapens the symbol a little? I've already mentioned what everyone cooked, but here's a handy guide for you, in the order they were presented on the episode, along with comments from the guests and judges.
Twelve drummers drumming: Stefan makes a creamy chicken pot pie with English peas, white asparagus, thyme and parsley. Stefan explains that the pot pie is the drum and the drumsticks are the chicken legs. The judges think it tastes good, and at least one of the guests comes back for seconds.
A partridge in a pear tree: Radhika makes braised duck leg on toasted brioche with pear chutney and toasted pistachios. Radhika thinks the dish is even better than it would have been pre-fridge disaster, and she hopes to be on the winning side again. The guests love the flavor combinations and the judges think it's seasoned well.
Two turtledoves: Carla makes braised chicken with duxelles and mushroom cap. She serves her dish to designer Kenneth Cole and jokes that she hopes he drops some shoes off at her booth. The judges like the mushroom flavor but think it's too salty and one-note.
Five golden rings: Eugene makes poisson cru with pineapple ring and Yukon Gold potato chip. He spins a tale for his guests that his grandmother used to tell him about a young boy who sailed from Hawaii to the South Pacific Islands and back, and it was called The Golden Ring. Eugene says he's having fun and selling his dish. The judges think his dish was too sweet, and Michelle Bernstein can't even believe that Eugene tasted it before serving, or he would have adjusted the seasonings to make it less sweet.
Nine ladies dancing: Fabio makes sweet corn and roasted pepper crab cake. Fabio tells them a story about how the lady crab dances around to lure the male crab or some such bullshit. The judges think his crab cakes are too greasy and dense.
Seven swans a swimming: Jamie makes crudo of sea scallop swimming in vichyssoise. The judges think the scallop is raw but not cold, and just terrible. I can't imagine anything less appetizing than a giant, raw, room temperature sea scallop. Cheyenne Jackson, Broadway icon, says that he found the dish to be slimy.
Eight maids a milking: Melissa makes gorgonzola and NY strip steak on sourdough crostini with cranberry vinaigrette. Melissa interviews that she's feeling really confident about her concept and her execution. The judges claims that they can only taste cheese when they eat her dish, and no steak at all.
Three French hens: Leah makes braised guinea hen with butternut squash on brioche. Natasha Richardson doesn't get why the brioche is there, and Colicchio agrees that it's really dry and unnecessary. I'm assuming it was necessary so that the food could be a portable bite that you could pick up? I can appreciate trying to make your appetizer portable, so people don't have to carry a fork around, but I guess that doesn't work when it makes your dish taste bad. Just guessing.
Six geese a laying: Ariane makes deviled eggs six different ways, with ingredients including crab salad, balsamic vinegar, salmon, etc. Natasha thinks they're great, but Colicchio is bothered by the idea that someone could win the competition with a deviled egg of all things.
Eleven pipers piping: Hosea makes pork loin with chipotle mashed potatoes with apple brandy jus. Colicchio thinks the pork is cooked well, and Michelle Bernstein thinks that the seasoning and flavors are great. The guests seem to like it as well, and some of the female guests really like Hosea, as they stand there and flirt with him while he's trying to cook. They even start pinning their ribbons on his sleeves instead of in the designated spot. They love him. Leah gets all jealous and jokes that she's going to beat up the women that were flirting with him. Maybe she should leave that opportunity to Hosea's girlfriend? Then again, the girlfriend might want to beat Leah up. Or Hosea, since he's not exactly discouraging her attentions.
Ten lords a leaping: Jeff makes seared Halloumi and Kassiere cheese with roasted beets and pears. Jeff thinks his station was "a mosh pit" with a huge line all day. Michelle Bernstein likes the flavors and combination of ingredients. Hosea thinks Jeff is his only competition, and Jeff's looks and presentation will earn him some votes.
No one for four calling birds! That's just mean. If they had to eliminate one verse, they couldn't get rid of one of the harder ones? Various guests express their preferences, and the opinions are spread out among various cheftestants so far. The judges gather for their preliminary discussion. Natasha is impressed with the difficulty of this task. Colicchio says it is tough to cook for so many people without assistance. Padma gets the judges to leave so they can convene officially at the judges' table. Meanwhile, the cheftestants celebrate the end of the event with some champagne. This goes on for like five minutes. Good thing they tacked on an extra fifteen minutes to this episode! Otherwise, we would have never known that the cheftestants drank champagne at the end!
Judges' Table: Hosea, Jeff, Stefan, and Radhika are called out first. Remember at the beginning of the season when they used to call out the top and bottom people all at the same time? What happened to that idea? Anyway, these are the top four. Radhika explains what happened with the fridge. The judges don't look surprised, so they must have already known. Natasha is glad that Radhika used duck legs instead of duck breast, because it was juicier. Stefan says that at his first Christmas in America, he was served chicken pot pie, so that's why it popped into his head. Michelle wishes that he had used some sausage or other ingredients as well, but Colicchio says that everything was cooked well and his vegetables didn't get mushy. Jeff got a good response from the crowd. Michelle liked the nuttiness and the spices in his dish, and thought it was memorable, but she didn't think he needed the two cheeses. She does acknowledge that the two cheeses from the Greek Isles were pretty much the only thing he had that tied his dish to the theme, though. Natasha agrees that the cheese was a bit much. Hosea says that, unlike Radhika, he didn't think his protein was as good as it would have been without the disaster, but Tom thinks the pork was well-cooked. Natasha gets to announce the winner. This person was both the crowd and judges' choice: Hosea. He interviews that he came back from near-disaster and still put out good food. Hosea wins Michelle's book. Seriously, enough with the books! Hosea is gracious enough to give props to his fellow chefs for helping him out, and they all get copies of the book too. I'm sure they'll be thrilled.
The top four walk back into the Stew Room and say that the judges want to see Eugene, Melissa, and Jamie now. Ariane advises them to stand up for themselves and fight. Jamie gets out there and says that she really liked her dish, and didn't see a problem with the temperature of the scallop. Michelle explains that both the scallop and the vichyssoise were lukewarm so they weren't crisp and cold. Jamie can't explain how that happened, and blames how busy she was, and also brings up the possibility that the judges were served some dishes that had been sitting out for a while. Michelle thinks she should have seared the scallop to give the dish more texture. Colicchio suggests that she not serve raw scallops, period, and I agree. When researching what crudo actually is, I see that it's quite trendy right now, so I'm sure that's why Jamie was all about it, but it still sounds grody to me. Especially in a catering setting, where you don't have much control over how and when your food gets consumed. On to Melissa, whose dish had way too much cheese, which overwhelmed the beef flavor. Michelle explained that the cheese coated your tongue, and you couldn't taste the other ingredients at all. Melissa tries to say that the guests really, really liked her dish, but Padma shuts her down and says that she had one of the lowest numbers of ribbons. Damn. Michelle tells Eugene that his dish was way too sweet with no other flavors or seasoning. Eugene says he didn't add any sugar to the batch the judges ate, and he thought it was tart. Colicchio gives him a "Really?" Heh. Maybe he could take Amy Poehler's slot on Weekend Update, because he delivered that quite well. Eugene says he doesn't know why he's in the bottom three, and he's going to stand by his dish to the end. Michelle points out that he only got eight ribbons, and that has to cause him to think there may have been a problem. She thinks her job as a chef is to fix the dish and please the guest if they're unhappy, even if she originally thought it was a good dish, but Eugene obviously doesn't agree. He looks pissed.
The cheftestants go back to the Stew Room so that the judges can talk. Michelle says that the scallop dish was her least favorite. Colicchio is annoyed that Eugene couldn't see that his food wasn't good, especially when the professionals and non-professionals all agreed that it was bad. They all think that Melissa's dish was just bad. Colicchio is frustrated that there were so many bad dishes tonight, and claims that there were many others who could have landed in the bottom three. Natasha admits that she was a little disappointed with the food overall. Michelle was looking for "a great palate-pleaser," and she didn't get it. Colicchio thinks the chefs are freezing up somehow, and he wants to talk to them as a group so he can let them all know that just because they weren't in the bottom three, the food was still pretty bad. Natasha brings up how awesome it was that they all pitched in and helped when needed, though.
Back in the Stew Room, Eugene insists that he's the one going home, and he doesn't care because he was proud of his dish. No one argue with him. The judges come to a decision. Colicchio heads into the Stew Room and sits down. He tells the cheftestants that their food wasn't inspiring and they need to step it up. Leah says that it may not have been amazing food, but it wasn't terrible. Colicchio tells them that the judges are looking for amazing food, not "a little throwaway canapé." Leah asks if he's talking about her dish, and Tom says hers does fall in that category. He encourages them to cook the food that got them on the show in the first place instead of just cooking safe dishes to stay out of the bottom three. I have to say, I understand where he's coming from, but when they make them do these ridiculous challenges with huge constraints, they shouldn't be shocked at the results. After everyone looks at one another for a few minutes, Colicchio says that because they all worked together after the kitchen disaster, and because it's Christmas (even though this was filmed in, like, August), no one is going home tonight. No one looks that happy. I think they all wanted to get rid of Eugene. Radhika interviews that she's thrilled they all got another chance. Eugene says he knows he needs to step it up, and so does Melissa. So now we have two weeks off for the holidays, and I'll see you guys in January!
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Kim plots world domination, one domain at a time, at her blog Fresh Hell. You can contact her at reedkim@gmail.com.