By Kim
The final four arrive in New Orleans. Jamie, Leah, and Jeff return to compete in the Quickfire Challenge for a chance to get back into the competition. They have an hour to create a dish using crawfish. Good thing Carla's not in this competition, since she already did a crawfish dish. Guest judge is (who else?) Emeril Lagasse. Leah makes a crawfish soup. Soup? Not stew or gumbo? Jeff makes crawfish and grits. Jamie makes a corn cake with poached egg with crawfish and andouille cream sauce. Emeril announces that Jeff is the winner, and will be rejoining the competition for the elimination challenge. Padma tells him that, in order to make it to the finale, he'll have to win the challenge.
The Elimination Challenge is to cater a Masquerade Ball for the Krewe of Orpheus. Each of them has to create two dishes and one cocktail, and one of them needs to be Creole style.
Hosea's menu: duck, andouille and chicken gumbo, pecan-crusted catfish, and a hurricane with Grand Marnier and rum.
Carla's menu: oyster stew, shrimp and andouille beignet, and non-alcoholic cranberry spritzer. She has to shuck a hundred oysters for her stew.
Stefan's menu: duck and rabbit gumbo with grits, apple beignet, and black cherry and rum cocktail.
Jeff's menu: fried oyster with handmade sausage (cooked to order), crawfish pot de crème, and cucumber mojito.
Fabio's menu: sausage and rabbit maque choux with grits, crawfish and crab stew with caserecci pasta, muffuletta bread, and bell pepper martini. Yes, that's four dishes.
While tasting, the judges don't really have any negative comments about any one's food, except that they mention Fabio's food wasn't spicy enough. At Judge's Table, they announce that two chefs will be eliminated. Jeff, Hosea, and Carla get all compliments. Fabio is told his food wasn't spicy enough. Stefan's cockiness doesn't impress the judges, and his food was good but not great, especially since his roux wasn't cooked long enough.
When the cheftestants return to find out the results, they all get praise for their cooking, and Emeril announces that Carla is the winner. In addition to going to the finals, she also gets a car ["If 'Survivor' curses apply here, that means she's not going to win the big prize." -- Angel]. So that means Jeff is going home, since he didn't win. Hosea moves on, leaving either Fabio or Stefan to be the second eliminated cheftestant. So finally Padma tells Fabio to pack his knives and go. Aw. Well, we had a good run. I'm really surprised that Stefan stayed though. The judges seem really sick of his attitude, especially when he's not cooking the kind of food that allows someone to pull that. week: the finals!
New Orleans street scenes: paddleboats, streetcars, the airport. The airport? I guess it's better than the levee. Anyway, Hosea rides down an escalator as we hear him voicing over that this is his first time in New Orleans, but he's been studying up on Cajun and Creole food. Fabio is at the baggage carousel, wearing a bright pink scarf, because he's Italian, and thus not afraid to express his feminine side? Oh, wait, that's because he's European. It's like that old Blair Magazine game, Gay or Eurotrash. Not that I think Fabio is trash. The scarf just reminded me of that website. Fabio has, however, acquired a mohawk, in true Top Chef tradition. He says that his restaurant is doing really well, and now he wants to win more than ever.
As Carla walks through the airport, there's a Dixieland Jazz band playing "When the Saints Go Marchin' In." Of course there is. Don't you expect that happens all the time in New Orleans? Like when you're in Dallas, they play "Deep in the Heart of Texas"? And everyone does the claps and sings the line together, like Pee Wee Herman? Maybe it's just me. Carla also has straightened her hair, which is a little disconcerting somehow. But she's still goofy old Carla, dancing through the airport and giggling about how proud she is to be there. She thinks Southern food will be right up her alley. I would have thought so in week two, but then she turned into classically trained chef, so who knows which Carla will show up this week? While Fabio and Carla acquired new hairstyles, Stefan acquired about twenty pounds. The camera pans over his new gut up to his bloated face. He's nearly unrecognizable. What happened? The final four greet each other outside the airport. Stefan interviews that he wants a Team Euro final, but he alone will win in the end.
The cheftestants ride to their first location. Carla interviews that she thinks New Orleans is a great spot for the finale because of the mishmash of cultural influences, and the great food that is produced as a result. Hosea says again that it's his first time there, and Stefan says he has a suitcase full of gumbo. That sounds messy. At first, I thought he said he had a suitcase full of gumballs, which would also be messy. It would be like when I was a senior and a kid brought in his collection of bouncy balls and let them loose in the senior hallway.
Hosea gives a promotional interview for the location of the Quickfire Challenge, which is at a historic plantation. The cheftestants arrive and find Emeril Lagasse hanging with Tom and Padma, and there are only three prep tables set up. My spellcheck wants me to change "Lagasse" to "Largesse", which would actually work in more ways than one. Carla wonders in an interview if someone is going to be eliminated right now, which would kind of suck. All that travel and preparation to go home? Anyway, spoiler: they don't do that. Stefan apparently forgot to check weather.com and isn't wearing a jacket, and he seems to be freezing. Carla has a kick ass raspberry short trench on and looks awesome. I forget that we usually only see these guys in chef's jackets or casual clothes at home, so it's nice to see something else.
Padma gives Emeril a big introduction, and I know a lot of people blame Emeril for changing the Food Network to the Personality Network (Sometimes With Food), but he does have a respectable track record, even if he currently kind of looks like the Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon version of himself. Padma and Emeril give a little pep talk about how awesome the spirit of New Orleans is now and always has been, and then Padma introduces the first Quickfire in New Orleans. Padma tells them all to relax, because they won't be competing. The cheftestants are understandably perplexed, especially Fabio, who's probably unsure if he translated her statement in his head correctly or something. Padma draws out the suspense a little longer and then introduces the chefs that will be competing in the Quickfire instead: Leah, Jamie, and Jeff, the last three eliminated.
After everyone has been reunited, Leah interviews that the returning cheftestants haven't been filled in either, as they don't understand why they are in their jackets, holding their knives, while the final four are in street clothes. Colicchio talks about how close the contest has been, and since New Orleans is experiencing a rebirth since Katrina, these three will be given another chance. Wow, most awkward allusion to a disaster that killed Louisiana residents ever. Our piddly, basic cable, cooking contest is sort of like the spirit of the people who lived through a hurricane, and subsequent flooding and government bungling! Leah interviews how unbelievable this all is while Fabio can't believe it either, except he doesn't want to believe it. He thinks it's kind of horseshit that these guys got kicked out once and now they're getting another chance. I agree and wonder if Colicchio fought for this so he could get his girlfriend Jamie another chance. And now the update that everyone has not at all been waiting for: Leah and Hosea. Leah pulls a face at Hosea and he interviews that it's "a little awkward, a little weird" to see her. That's it! Hope your coverage of the romance of the century is satisfactory.
Padma explains that Leah, Jeff, and Jamie will be competing for a chance to rejoin the cheftestants. Hosea is kind of bummed, because he worked hard to get there. Well, they all worked just as hard as he did, minus one or two challenges, right? Hosea does take care to blame it on the increased odds of winning if someone rejoins, and not any sort of inherent unfairness. Padma finally explains what the challenge is: they will have to create a dish using crawfish, and Emeril will judge the winner. Leah interviews that she's never worked with crawfish. She's clearly never worked with the health department either, because you'd think she'd tie her hair back if she's going to cook. Jeff really, really, really wants to win, mostly to earn back the good name of the Dildo Beach Club. It's been tarnished. Mostly by me.
Padma calls time and the cheftestants start cooking while everyone else scatters to the four winds. Leah reminds us that she was the last one eliminated, although I don't know what that has to do with anything. She's decided to make a gumbo, even though she's never made one before. Great idea! Serve gumbo to the gumbo expert! Stefan yells over and asks Jeff what he's making, and Jeff says he's doing crawfish and grits. Jeff interviews that he got eliminated during the Super Bowl Challenge, and didn't think he should have been eliminated for his dish. I do think that challenge was horseshit in terms of the least talented person getting eliminated because that didn't happen. And I don't know why Jeff's arrogance comes off as whininess to me while Stefan's makes me laugh. Maybe it's the European thing. Maybe it's the bald head. Jamie interviews that she's psyched to have another chance, and she decided not to do gumbo, because it's so typical. She's making corn cakes with a poached egg and sauce. Not sure where the crawfish factor in.
Padma says they only have twenty minutes, and Jeff explains that he's focusing on finishing one dish, instead of his usual more scattered approach. Leah explains that she's using the trinity (onions, pepper, celery) for her gumbo, as tradition dictates. Stefan tells the other finalists that Leah can cook things even when she's never cooked them before, which he thinks is the sign of a good chef. Jamie thinks her dish is coming along well. Padma calls five minutes and everyone starts plating. Time is called.
The judges head to Leah's table first. She introduces her dish as a crawfish soup with andouille sausage. I don't know why it's not gumbo anymore, unless it just didn't turn out thick enough. The judges don't offer much in the way of commentary after tasting. Jeff made crawfish and grits with andouille and beer. Jeff interviews that the judges all had poker faces after tasting. Jamie introduces her dish, which is a corn cake, greens, a poached egg with tasso, and andouille and crawfish cream sauce. Normally, I'd say that she'd win based on the relative sophistication of her dish compared to the others, but this season has been all about keeping it simple, so maybe not. Emeril nods like he appreciates the dish, and I totally thought Jamie had it locked up at this point.
Everyone gathers to hear the results. Even the people already in the finals look nervous. I would have liked to hear who each of them was rooting for; did they want the best chef, or a friend, or the worst chef? Anyway, Emeril announces that he chooses Jeff as the winner. Jeff barely smiles and interviews that he was shocked. Padma gives him the twist; in order to advance to the finals, he has to win the Elimination Challenge. Padma says with a smile: "Jamie and Leah, you won't be going any further." Do you feel like Padma was probably a mean girl when she was in school? Leah and Jamie depart and Jeff joins the other cheftestant finalists. Stefan interviews that Jeff is from the South and he knows New Orleans food. I really feel like Southern food and New Orleans food are totally different, because New Orleans food has such a French influence. I guess they're both influenced by soul food, though. Anyway, Padma says that the Elimination Challenge will be the day, and Emeril invites them all to eat at one of his restaurants tonight after giving Jeff a copy of (what else?) his new book. On the way out, Jeff fake-tackles Fabio because he really wants to hug him but that's not allowed, unless you're both European.
The cheftestants check into their hotel and get a welcome gift basket from the New Orleans welcoming committee or something. Hey, New Orleans needs all the tourism help it can get. That's one product I don't mind placing.
After getting settled, the cheftestants head to Emeril's restaurant for dinner. Over appetizers, Carla notes that the new Top Chef is sitting right at that table. Jeff interviews that he has the added pressure of needing to win the challenge, not just avoid coming in last. Fabio interviews that he wants to win so he can use the money to help support his mom, since he's vowed to always support his mother no matter what. Carla interviews that she's quiet during dinner because she's thinking of her husband and stepson, who have given her nothing but support. I hope so, since she gave them her tickets to the Super Bowl and all.
Hosea and Jeff discuss the food they are eating, which Hosea thinks is Cajun but not heavy. Stefan argues that it's classic French and Hosea just rolls his eyes. In an interview, Hosea says that when Stefan feels threatened, he tries to get inside your head and mess with you. Hosea adds that he's not there to make friends and he wants to win. Yeah, it's not Top Friends, it's Top Chef! I expect Fabio to bust that one out any minute now. Stefan adds in an interview, "It's not a butt rubbing competition." You know Bravo just licensed that idea and it'll be on the air in about six weeks, hosted by Andy Cohen. Project Butt Rub. Hosted by Mario Lopez.
The morning, the cheftestants head to a mystery location to find out about their Elimination Challenge. Carla explains that it's some sort of warehouse with signs all over about Mardi Gras. When they walk inside, they are surrounded by tons of extravagant floats from the Mardi Gras parade; this is where they are stored. Padma and Emeril greet them and Padma lays out the challenge: the Crewe of Orpheus will be holding the annual masquerade ball the night, and the cheftestants will be catering it. They each have to create two dishes and one cocktail for a hundred people, and one of the dishes has to be Creole. Emeril explains that Creole is the city version of Louisiana cooking, and it combines French, Spanish, and African-American cultures. Hosea interviews that it's all about the flavors, and letting food simmer for long periods. Padma says they will have five hours to prep in the kitchen of one of Emeril's restaurants, where they'll have access to the finest ingredients. Padma reminds them that if Jeff wins, two of the others will be eliminated. Yikes! I hadn't really considered that part. And then Padma introduces the prize for this round -- a new car! Just like The Price is Right! And, you know, every other season of this show. Fabio interviews that his "car is a piece of...[long pause]...poop" so he needs a new one. Padma wishes them all luck and sends them off.
Weird interstitial. Stefan tells the tale of when he went to visit Fabio at his restaurant on Halloween, and Fabio was dressed in drag. So Stefan decided he just needed to leave town. Fabio says he always dresses as a woman for Halloween: Catwoman and Wonder Woman most recently. He thinks it takes balls to dress like a woman. Hosea jokes, "Well, they can't be too big or they won't fit in the thong." HOSEA! Showing some personality. Now, if you've read many of my other recaps, you know that the whole idea of men dressing as women being hilarious irritates me. I mean, there's drag, which is spectacular, and then there's drunken frat boys borrowing their girlfriend's bras and wearing a skirt and thinking it's the height of comedy. It's so easy and so cheap and... ugh. It makes me think less of Fabio, frankly.
Fabio explains that they went to Emeril's kitchen and he had every type of tool, equipment, and ingredient you could ever want. Hosea notices that there's turtle meat and veal in the walk-in. So then each chef reveals his or her menu, and here they are:
Hosea's menu: duck, andouille and chicken gumbo, pecan-crusted catfish with Tabasco buerre blanc, and a blood orange hurricane with grand Marnier and rum.
Carla's menu: oyster stew, shrimp and andouille beignet, and non-alcoholic cranberry spritzer. Carla was hoping the oysters would come pre-shucked, but no such luck. She sticks with the oyster idea even though she just learned how to shuck them a week ago, and she has a hundred to shuck.
Stefan's menu: duck and rabbit gumbo with grits, apple beignet, and black cherry and rum cocktail. Stefan claims he didn't have much of a plan going in, and he wanted to just "cook, get this over with, get into the final three, and that's it." Do you think Stefan is overlooking the importance of this round? Maybe?
Jeff's menu: fried oyster with handmade sausage (cooked to order), crawfish pot de crème, and cucumber mojito. Hey, did you know that Jeff has to win the challenge to stay in it? Hosea jokingly reminds him, and then rips on Fabio for getting a Mohawk right before the challenge, since it's such a Top Chef cliché. When did Hosea get a personality?
Fabio's menu: sausage and rabbit maque choux with grits, crawfish and crab stew with caserecci pasta, muffuletta bread, and bell pepper martini. Yes, that's four dishes. Fabio hopes by doing a little extra, he will stand out. Or fall flat on his face. One of the two.
Carla is struggling with her oysters. Hosea and Stefan are both making gumbo, and gumbo starts with a roux, which if you don't know is butter (or other fat) and flour, and in Creole cooking, it's cooked until it turns almost black. That means a lot of constant stirring and monitoring to make sure it doesn't burn or stick to the pan, and it takes a long time. I made a dark roux once, or tried to, but I got so bored that I gave up when it turned slightly darker brown. I'm not very patient. Hosea thinks that Stefan seems to be wandering around and that indicates that Stefan thinks he's got the competition wrapped up, so he might be overconfident. Stefan heads out for a smoke. Jeff interviews that he thinks if Stefan was taking smoke breaks, he wasn't putting everything he could into his food. For example, Stefan used pre-made sausage, whereas Jeff made his own. Stefan holds up his sausage and tries to make dick jokes to Hosea, who has no time for that.
Hey, it's the Colicchio kitchen check! I've missed that in the last few episodes. He starts by wondering if Fabio might be at a disadvantage, since he's not as familiar with regional American cuisine. Fabio thinks there are similarities to Italy in terms of ingredients, and he has studied the Creole flavor profiles. When Fabio says he's doing some Italian food with Creole flavor, there's a weird cymbal crash on the soundtrack that makes me think it's a bad idea. Colicchio moves on to Jeff, who says he knows the food and the area, so he's not too worried about his food. up is Stefan, and Colicchio is surprised to hear he's doing dessert. Colicchio kind of rolls his eyes behind Stefan's back, which cracked me up, because I bet that happens to Stefan a lot. Stefan interviews that he doesn't get why people think dessert is so risky. , Hosea interviews that even before Colicchio got to him, he was already second-guessing himself in his head. I think that Hosea's downfall is going to be his lack of confidence, just like Stefan's might be his overconfidence. Anyway, Hosea points out his roux, and Colicchio pulls a face. I think Colicchio had too much caffeine today. Finally, Carla explains about her oyster stew and Colicchio watches dubiously as she tries to shuck one. He comments, "Guess you don't have a lot of experience shucking oysters" and then wishes her luck.
So what's Colicchio's take on the dishes? He's not sure how Fabio's dishes are Creole. Jeff seems to know the dishes and flavors of the region, and expectations on him are low since no one expected him to be there. Colicchio doesn't know why Carla didn't steam her oysters to pop the shells open. I feel like this oyster thing is going to be important, because they've only mentioned it like a million times. Right? Like everyone else, Colicchio thinks Stefan is too cocky, and he worries that Hosea won't make his roux dark enough, and the locals eating it will know right away whether or not it's authentic.
Carla says there are thirty-five minutes left, and everyone runs around trying to get their food packed up to transport it to the venue. Hosea interviews that he knows his food is good, but everyone else seems happy with their dishes too, so who knows? People are just running around with trays of food and stuffing them in coolers. Carla tells the camera that she's stressed, but all of her food is done. Except for the oysters. She still has A LOT to shuck, and she doesn't have a plan. The coolers are loaded and everyone exits the kitchen.
They arrive at the New Orleans Museum of Art with one hour until service begins. Fabio reminds us in an interview that winning this challenge means going to the final. Carla tells the camera that her soup is done, except for the oysters, and only a third of them are shucked. She gets to work trying to shuck. Each cheftestant gets a bartender to serve their cocktail. They each give instructions to their bartender, with Fabio emphasizing that he's going to be mixing his own drinks, and the bartender will just be serving. Carla is a little worried about serving a non-alcoholic drink in New Orleans, but she doesn't drink herself, so she can stand behind her choice.
Padma, Colicchio, Emeril, and GAIL arrive for judging. Carla is particularly psyched to see Gail, clapping and pointing at her, calling out, "GIRL! Love you!" Padma says the service will begin in fifteen minutes, so last-minute preparations begin in earnest. Jeff borrows some cream from Carla, and Hosea realizes that he didn't bring enough serving utensils. Carla yells out that everyone is asking for stuff from her, but no one is helping her shuck oysters. Stefan calls out, "One second, honey" and Carla retorts that all men say that. When did this show turn into an episode of According to Jim?
The guests begin arriving. It's not clear how much time has passed between the last challenge and this one, but it's clearly enough for Stefan to pack on the pounds, and also for the first few episodes to air, as the guests recognize the cheftestants. Carla comments on the beautiful gowns the guests are wearing, and says it's like Mardi Gras but you don't have to flash. You know Carla has totally flashed during Mardi Gras. Fabio has nudity on the mind as well, except he thinks that the masks everyone is wearing are like an old porno movie he saw once. Eyes Wide Shut? Or some obscure Italian film? Or maybe just a regular old porno, because it's not like I've seen every porno ever. Shut it! I haven't!
Jeff interviews that it feels like there are a ton of people there, and they all have huge appetites. The judges arrive at Jeff's table first, and try out the cucumber mojito. Jeff brings over their food. First up is the fried oyster with arugula and sausage, and then a crawfish pot de crème. The judges like the mojito, and Emeril thinks Jeff is a really refined cook.
Stefan serves up his food for various guests and then interviews that he thinks he deserves to win because he's won ten challenges, and he's not going home over gumbo. At that moment, I really wanted Stefan to lose. We all love to see the cocky giant taken down a few notches, don't we? The judges come over to sample Stefan's gumbo with grits, and apple beignet. One of the guests doesn't think the roux was dark enough. Gail thinks the grits are creamy. Tom also thinks the roux was not dark enough, but Emeril thinks he got the gumbo flavor right.
Fabio is flirting with ladies and angering husbands, as usual. Fabio explains his bell pepper martini to the judges. Are they drunk or what? They're drinking a lot of cocktails. Fabio explains his maque choux and also his pasta dish, as well as his muffaletta. The guests like the pasta. Gail enjoys the crawfish flavor to the pasta. Emeril and Tom both like the maque choux, but agree that it's missing heat from the flavor profile.
Carla tells everyone why she's serving non-alcoholic beverages, and a lot of the guests want to do Hootie Hoo with her. The judges arrive to taste her savory beignet and oyster stew. Carla tells Emeril that she's cooked Southern food before, so she understands soul food. The judges freaking LOVE her food. Emeril thinks the beignet is awesome, especially the batter, and Tom says that the oyster stew is even better. Gail thought the oysters were perfectly cooked. So all that stress about getting the oysters shucked amounted to nothing in the end.
Hosea explains to the camera that he's really studied up on New Orleans, and he thinks his gumbo is the most authentic of all. The judges arrive, and he serves up his version of the Hurricane, and follows with his gumbo and pecan-crusted catfish, which he's cooking right at the table. Since they went to Hosea's table last, he almost ran out of food, but managed to save some for the judges. Various guests comment on how good the gumbo is. Emeril loves it too, and thinks both of his dishes captured the spirit of New Orleans.
All of the cheftestants bid the guests goodbye. They get hugs and kisses from the guests, as well as bead necklaces. Stefan gets someone to say that his gumbo was the best. As they're cleaning up, Jeff comments that he thinks he's back for a reason, although it does suck that he has to win to go on. Fabio thinks everyone made good food, so the judges will have to be picky. Hosea is worn out and tired, but is heartened that everyone loved his food. He's still worried, though. Stefan thinks that there are different versions of gumbo in New Orleans, but he thought Hosea's gumbo sucked. Carla thinks she did well. They all toast to New Orleans and finally get to have a drink while waiting to talk to the judges.
The cheftestants return to their suite to wait for judging. Padma arrives and asks them all to come in to the Judges' Table together. They start by talking to Jeff, who has the extra burden of having to win. Jeff learns that his cocktail was the favorite of the night. The judges have nice things to say about his pot de crème as well. Emeril liked the oyster dish, and compliments Jeff on his decision to make his own sausage. The camera flashes on Stefan and Hosea, who didn't do that.
Moving on to Fabio, Emeril compliments an Italian chef making Creole food. Gail thought the flavor was kind of muddy, and she couldn't taste the components. Padma wanted the pasta to have a bit more heat, though Fabio thought the maque choux was spicy enough for both. Padma says that the drink smelled great but didn't deliver with taste. Fabio thought the drink should have been sweeter, but the judges are unanimous that the drink was almost too sweet already. Fabio says he often errs on the side of too sweet, and he'll take that criticism.
Stefan seems downtrodden already, although it could be faux humility. Emeril questions the use of grits with gumbo, since he's never seen that before, but admits that the grits were good. Gail liked the flavor of the gumbo, but thought it needed to be darker and deeper. Emeril liked the beignet but thought that, combined with the cocktail, it was all too much sweetness. Stefan blushes and apologizes. He really blushes! Colicchio brings up Stefan's overconfidence, and Stefan says defensively that he's thirty-six years old and he doesn't care if this works out or not. Colicchio doesn't look pleased at his dismissal of the competition.
Colicchio asks Carla about her dishes. Carla thinks the oyster soup was a little heavy on the bay leaf, but Colicchio grunts in disagreement and then says with a twinkle that there was nothing wrong with that soup. Carla's face lights up with a grin. Even Hosea looks happy for her. Emeril says he was put off at first by the non-alcoholic cocktail, but he tasted it and was won over. Gail loved the beignet, because it had a lot of different flavors. Emeril liked that she cooked them in batches too.
Hosea explains that he wanted to make food that was classically New Orleans but put his own twist on it. He thinks his downfall was timing, because he ran out of food and worried that his cocktails were watered down. Emeril tells a story about how you go to bars on Bourbon Street and have to wait for a Hurricane in a crowd, and they're usually watered down. Thanks for sharing, Emeril. Hosea obviously feels better though. Gail compliments the roux in Hosea's gumbo, and Hosea admits that the roux took half the night. Emeril thinks his gumbo was worthy of any restaurant in New Orleans. Colicchio admits that he had his doubts about the catfish dish, but it really worked. Emeril and Gail agree that the flavors worked really well together. Padma dismisses the cheftestants so that the judges can confer.
Gail starts out by saying that the cheftestants really did a great job cooking an unfamiliar cuisine for a local crowd. Emeril agrees that it was a tough venue. They all liked Jeff's dishes, and thought he made smart choices and brought out the flavor of his ingredients. Colicchio reminds us (AGAIN!) that Jeff has to win, and thinks he should be in the top three. They all think Carla's oyster stew was a home run, and the beignet was a home run as well, because her food had both care and sophistication. Hosea was also considered to be strong, and his gumbo was the best of all. Emeril is impressed that Hosea managed to cook his catfish on site.
Moving on to the least successful dishes, the judges agree that Stefan and Fabio were in the bottom. Team Euro! Emeril says that Stefan's gumbo wasn't bad, but that's hardly high praise. Gail says that she wouldn't go back to Stefan's table for more gumbo, and Tom says he wouldn't go back for the beignet either. They also think Stefan's cocktail was too sweet. Gail bottom lines it -- his food had no soul, and they all agree that Stefan has a bad attitude and acts like he doesn't care. They move on to Fabio. They think he should have served his maque choux over toasted bread. They were also disappointed in the pasta sauce, because it didn't have depth of flavor or tang. While they admit that baking bread with only five hours to prep is a gutsy move, they think the cocktail was lacking. Colicchio informs us that Stefan and Fabio have been great competitors, and they're going to lose one or possibly both right now (if Jeff wins). Drama! Cliffhanger! Commercial break!
After the cheftestants have returned, Padma says that there was a clear winner. Emeril thinks they all represented New Orleans well, but the winner had balance, flavor, temperature, simplicity, and creativity. And the winner is... Carla. Jeff looks sad, while Carla grins. And don't forget that she also get a car! Carla is cleaning up: first the Super Bowl tickets and now the car. Carla sniffles a little bit in an interview and says that her husband and friends will be proud. Padma tells Jeff that means he won't be moving on. Jeff interviews that he's really proud to have cooked for Emeril in New Orleans and received many compliments. Carla and Jeff leave the room.
Hosea, Stefan, and Fabio are left. Tom tells Hosea that he had a strong performance, so he can leave the room. Now it's down to Team Euro. Tom tells them that they seemed to understand the food. Stefan's food was good, but others did better, and he was cocky and didn't deliver. Fabio's flavors just missed the mark. Colicchio hates to see one of them go, but that's the deal, so Padma tells Fabio to pack his knives and go. Man. I really thought somehow it was going to be Stefan, which would have been a real shocker two weeks ago, but not as much now. Fabio thanks them and tells Stefan he really has to win it now. They kiss and hug goodbye. In his exit interview, Fabio says he's disappointed not to compete in the finals, but he made it further than a lot of people, and he knows Stefan is going to win now that he's out. He says it with a smile. Back in the suite, Fabio tells Hosea that he thinks the judges made the decision for him, since he couldn't possibly beat two Europeans in the finale. Hosea doesn't look very amused. Fabio promises us that although he didn't win, this isn't the last we'll see of him. I don't doubt it. Dude belongs on television and someone will snap him up. week: the finale. With surprise guests! And more fighting between Stefan and Hosea. And Carla loses it! And there's a twist!
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