Nicholas has been given yet another chance. When will enough be enough? Shirley lightheartedly calls him an asshole in the stew room, and we learn that Nicholas's father has Parkinson's and it still doesn't really excuse his asshole-y behavior. Carlos is feeling like the dark horse of the competition, but he's "not here to make friends." Yes, people are still saying that without irony.
The Top Four walk into the kitchen to see Padma, Tom and Gail. This means it's a big deal. Padma says it's the last QuickFire in New Orleans and while immunity is off the table, they're giving away a car. "Another car?" Shirley asks, having won the last one. This QuickFire will have two parts. Gail and Tom have each devised a challenge. Gail's is an amuse-bouche challenge: creating the perfect bite on a cocktail fork. It's crazy! That challenge will eliminate two chefs. The other two will move on to Tom's challenge.
The chefs get to work in their 20 minutes. Nina starts in on a marinated shrimp bite. Nicholas calmly works on a take on steak and potatoes. Shirley is also working on steak, but hers will be with a sweet and tart cherry sauce, among other things. Carlos is constructing a spicy shrimp. Nicholas grills Shirley about whether or not she turned up the fryer and he's being such a dick for no reason. Carlos adds mango as everyone struggles to add every ingredient to these tiny cocktail forks.
Carlos is first, with a grilled mango with shrimp and chili glaze. Nick has a beef deckle (haha what is that) with aged balsamic and purple potato chips. What a fancy guy. Shirley's Jenga game quickly falls apart as the judges lift their forks. She made tataki style flank steak with black pepper cherry and crispy onions and mint. Nina presents a shrimp escabeche with potato aioli and pickled shallots. The judges liked all of them, but Shirley's wasn't on top and Nina's was a little greasy. Gail sends Carlos and Nicholas to Tom's final round.
Tom's macho battle of the ages is to feature either pepper or eggplant, Tom's favorite vegetables. Nick and Carlos race to the plate to claim their produce and Nick gets the eggplant and brags about being on the track team. Ugh, he's such an ass. He gets to work on eggplant two ways. Carlos is making roasted red pepper soup, promising to call it Red Toyota Corolla Soup on his menu if he wins this challenge. How humiliating for everyone involved. Have some dignity and don't call it that, Carlos.
The chefs finish and Nicholas dogs Carlos for his lack of technique. The judges try the soup first, with Tom's eyebrows raising because of the heat in it. Nicholas's eggplants don't look good, but Tom says the textures and flavors are good. Tom's feedback for them is harsh, but fair. Carlos had good pepper flavor, but lacked creativity. Nicholas roasted his eggplant well, but it could have used more seasoning. In the end, Carlos wins the car, Nicholas loses and there's a soup named after a car on his menu now.
Padma says the final three chefs will move onto the finale in Hawaii. The last challenge in New Orleans is to infuse the local flavors and styles they've experienced into their own food for a dish that could end up on Emeril's menu. It's the "make your mark" challenge. Anyone else missing that arrogant food truck guy? Anyway, Emeril invites the chefs to his restaurant for one more meal that he cooks for them in hopes that they'll get emotional and open up about their lives. Carlos drives the chefs in the Toyota Corolla as each chef reflects on what they've learned and experienced. This is basically the clip show episode.
The chefs shop for their ingredients, then head to Emeril's flagship restaurant for dinner. He serves them at a chef's table in the kitchen; presenting barbeque shrimp that inspires all the chefs, then crawfish, filets, and dessert. Everyone raises a glass to Emeril and hugs him, thanking him for everything.
The girls get ready for this final New Orleans challenge as Carlos calls his family to tell them about the car and Nicholas sulks, presumably. They head to the kitchen with a final push of energy. They all reflect on their time in New Orleans, and what it has taken for them to get here. Shirley thinks Nicholas is thinking too much with an overly complex dish. Carlos is making a seafood tamale, thus going Mexican yet again. All the chefs raise their eyebrows about Carlos's culinary consistency.
Tom and Emeril swing through to check in on their final four. Nina explains her fancy biscuit/dumpling dish to them and Tom has high expectations. Shirley shows them her seafood stock, which she will combine with celery to create the feeling of floating on the Bayou. Shirley admits she hopes to open her own restaurant with her newfound confidence after this.
Tom and Emeril tell Nicholas, gently, that he has had a lot of "ups and downs" and Nicholas says this time he's going to keep it simple. Tom is surprised to hear that Carlos is doing a tamale, but pleased to learn it won't involve corn or traditional Mexican flavors.
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The judges sit down at Emeril's (with Greg Achatz, Andrew Carmellini and Douglas Keane). Tom says this is one of the main points you don't want to be eliminated at, alongside the first challenge. With the clock winding down, Nina plates her dishes elegantly and carefully, but without her fancy Italian dumplings. She calls this a big mistake and admits she wants to flip a table.
Nina reluctantly presents her speckled trout with vegetables and barbecue sauce. Tom asks about those little guys and Nina is sad to admit it didn't make the plate. Tom tastes the dish and says it doesn't need ricotta or anything extra. They're still impressed.
Nicholas brags on his boldly flavored dish, saying it demonstrates how he has progressed through the competition (by the skin of his teeth!). The sauce is poured in front of the judges as Nicholas explains his charred cobia, roasted bass and tuna confit with herbs and fried rice. The judges love his broth but think the fish falls a little flat.
Carlos's corn-free tamale goes out , filled with steamed seafood, saffron cream sauce and pickled okra. The judges love the concept and the execution, in spite of Emeril's hesitance.
Shirley is up last, presenting a black drum with black vinegar butter sauce, braised celery and mushrooms. The judges love her concept, the medley of Chinese food and the Bayou, and the flavors. They just love Shirley.
Back in the kitchen, Nina is still frustrated about those little Italian dumplings. She insists they were the focus of the whole dish. She stresses over it once again at Judges' Table. Tom tells her the dish maybe didn't need it and Gail affirms that it almost doesn't matter because the dish was great in its simplicity. They loved it anyway. Speaking of things they love, Shirley hit it out of the park again. Tom says they liked the look of Nicholas's dish and his broth. The fish is just under-seasoned compared to the broth, though. While impressed by the concept of Carlos's dish, the judges wished it had a little more acid and that the mousse wasn't broken up.
It's a tough call, but Shirley and Nina are in the clear with the top dishes. The winning dish that will go on Emeril's menu is Shirley's salute to the holy trinity. Finally, it comes down to Carlos and Nicholas. One of them will not continue and the other will not have him to blame. It's time for the judges to nitpick.
Both dishes are strong, but Carlos's should not have combined the mousse with the seafood, and Emeril's dish wasn't as warm as he would have liked. Tom notes that Nicholas's dish needed some salt and Padma can't take it anymore, cutting in with, "what does it mean that we're sitting here in the final challenge and we're still saying Nicholas's dish needed a little salt? It's basic cooking 101." Back in the stew room, Nicholas wonders how long it will take them to flip a coin.
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Finished splitting hairs, the judges bring Nicholas and Carlos back for the results. Padma seems reluctant, and looks sorry and constipated when she tells Carlos to pack his knives and go. You can tell she didn't want this. No one did; Nicholas is a douche. Also, he needs to salt his food, apparently. Padma groans to Tom that that was tough, but Tom is as unfeeling as ever.
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