By Kim
Quickfire Challenge: The challenge is based on Modernist Cuisine by Nathan Myhrvold (guest judge), and they have to create the best modernist dish. Is that Microsoft Nathan Myhrvold? [frantically Googles, ironically] Yep. Chris Moto thinks he has it wrapped up, because he's Mr. Molecular Gastronomy. Ty, Sarah and Chris Moto are the top three, and Ty wins. Ooh, Chris Moto has got to be destroyed -- he came up with this whole miracle berry pill and a super complicated dining experience.
The elimination challenge is to cook barbeque for three hundred guests at the Salt Lick. They have to form teams of three and no one wants to work with weirdo Beverly. They have to cook chicken, ribs and brisket along with two sides, and they get all night to cook. After spending a night breathing in wood smoke in the heat, Sarah has a spell because she's having trouble breathing and paramedics take her out on a stretcher. She's out of the challenge, leaving her teammates Ed and Ty to finish and serve the food on their own. Here is what each team serves:
Blue Team (Grayson, Lindsay and Paul): Asian spare ribs, chicken, brisket, Brussels sprouts and watermelon salad. Most of the judges like the different flavors, although Tom thinks the brisket is underseasoned and the Brussels sprouts are undercooked.
White Team (Beverly, Chris Hollywood and Chris Moto): beer can chicken, brisket and Dr. Pepper glazed pork ribs. I guess we don't get to her about their sides. The judges think the chicken is good, but it's more of a roast chicken than a barbeque chicken, because it has no smoke. The ribs are too salty and the brisket is kind of chewy, but everyone likes the coleslaw. I think their other side was a watermelon lemonade? Which was unremarkable.
Red Team (Edward, Ty and Sarah part time): Sarah returns during service and Ed is a total dick to her, at first refusing to let her jump in and then yelling at her when she does. After a little service, Sarah takes a break and sits down, which Ed also hates. They serve Texas chicken, Kansas City style pork ribs and smoked brisket with poppy seed coleslaw and pinto beans. The judges like the chicken, and think the flavor of the ribs is good but the texture isn't great. And they like Ed's brisket, but they wish it hadn't been sliced early. (They had to slice early since they only had two people at service.)
The judges declare the Blue Team the winners for trying something untraditional and cooking and seasoning everything well. As the winners, they get to split $15,000, and Paul is at a total of $35,000 for the season.
The other two teams all have to face the judges, and every single one of them made a mistake big enough to potentially be sent home. In the end, they decide to eliminate Chris Hollywood because he made a seasoning rub that was overly salty and essentially ruined all the proteins that his team made. At least going forward I can just type Chris instead of having to differentiate which one I mean. And week is Restaurant Wars, men versus women.