The Quickfire this week involved communication skills. Each of the four remaining chefs are given a mystery teammate, hidden behind a partition, that they must direct in creating the same dish he or she is creating with the small selection of ingredients provided at their stations. Little do they know their partners in crime are family members: Naomi's dad, Toby; Mary Sue's sister Chris; Floyd's sister Debra; and Traci's brother Mitch.
Apparently the partition is sound-proof, or noise was piped into the kitchen, because the chefs literally had to shout at their partners. In the case of Naomi, who was frustrated, she ended up yelling at her dad. And boy did she feel bad after the reveal!
Ultimately, the chefs did a good job of directing their family members, who each produced a pretty reasonable facsimile of their dishes. Curtis did the judging himself and chose Traci and her brother to be the winners.
For the Elimination Challenge, each chef was tasked to create a celebratory buffet for 100 people that included a main and two side dishes. The occasion? A homecoming for a US serviceman from each of the four armed forces. Each chef got paired with the relative of a serviceman who gave them the skinny on food preferences and bugaboos before they planned their menu and went shopping.
Used to lots of help in the kitchen, these Masters all had a bit of difficulty preparing so much food alone. Floyd in particular had a worrisome situation, as he chose to make beef tenderloin, which he would end up cooking in a toaster oven at the venue.
All went extremely well. The servicemen and their families seemed happy. The judges seemed happy. Happiest of all was Mary Sue, who was awarded her fourth win and a spot in the finale. At this point the judges split hairs with the remaining three chefs. Floyd's dish was safe and his salad was muddled, Naomi's didn't all quite go together and her shrimp was undercooked, and Traci's meatloaf was salty to James Oseland. The surprise eliminee was Naomi Pomeroy, who I think everyone was pretty sure would make it to the finale, if not win.
So what did you think about this episode? Please leave a comment!
Posted on AllTopChef.com
5 comments:
I was hoping for an all girl finale, though I do like Floyd. I think Ruch Reichel was Naomi's nail in the coffin. I'm pulling for Mary Sue.
I thought it unfair that Chef Mary Sue got a Latin themed meal since that is her specialty, whereas Naomi and Tracy had to cook outside their comfort zones.
Sad to see Naomi go--she seemed to have he most passion about winning (more like a regular top chef contestant). Rooting for Mary Sue!
I was shocked when Naomi left. Like what Curtis Stone said at the end of the episode, Naomi has always pushed her boundaries, never playing safe. While Mary Sue is perhaps the sweetest and most professional in the bunch, Naomi consistently went all out, taking all sorts of risk. Sad to see that Hugh left early and I had high hopes for George, being that he's all about the techniques. My guess is that it'll be between Mary Sue and Tracy. And most likely Mary Sue for Fan Favorite (Do they have those for Top Chef Masters?), either Mary Sue or Hugh. By far the best Top Chef Masters season!
I think the challenge was great, but I think it was poorly placed in the season. The challenge was too restricting for the chefs. Both Tracy and Floyd were scolded for cooking exactly what was asked of them.
The challenge that puts the chefs into the final should let the chefs shine, not restrict them (at least not this much.)
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