- Quick Fire Challenge: Chef Ming Tsai tested competitors' abilities to distinguish between high-end and average ingredients in a blindfolded taste test. Elimination challenge: Create a first course for the Meals on Wheels Chicago Celebrity Chef Ball incorporating aspects of the four elements: earth, air, fire and water.
- The morning after the movie-inspired challenge, some of the bottom finishers, including Antonia and Zoi, were fired up to get back in the kitchen and prove themselves all over again. Zoi's partner Jennifer got a little defensive about Zoi getting called out the night before. Foreshadowing?
Quickfire challenge: Chef Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger restaurant in Boston was the guest judge for the blindfold challenge that would test the chefs' ability to distinguish high-end food products over average ones. Ryan went in first and correctly identified three items correctly, including maple syrup and bacon. Stephanie preferred $5 per pound crab meat over the $25 per pound alternative. She wound up scoring just 6 out of 15. Ryan and Jenn were tied for runners up behind Antonia, who scored 12 correct out of 15. She was safe in the elimination challenge.
Elimination challenge: The chefs had to create the first course for the Meals on Wheels Chicago Celebrity Chef Ball, which was being catered by the city's best known chefs. The competitors were asked to set the tone for the night's meal by preparing the first course. They were asked to work with themes of earth, water, fire and air, depending on which knife they drew. With 15 minutes to plan their menus, the chefs got to it quickly.
Team Water started talking about fish. Jen, on Team Air, suggested birds that fly in the air, but Valerie wasn't having it. Team Earth started discussing a squash soup, but Antonia put the kibosh on it based on the quickfire challenge being based on high-end products. Spike said he felt vulnerable being on Anotonia's team because she had immunity. Team Fire discussed grilling techniques that use fire, and went from fire to devils to deviled eggs. Lisa wasn't crazy about the idea, saying it seemed too simple, and Dale worried that Lisa is just a negative person. Lisa said she wanted to change the dish completely. Lisa wanted to make something Asian for Ming Tsai, but the team continued on its path.
Meanwhile, Spike became more annoyed with Antonia's emphatic insistence on the use of high-quality ingredients, saying that she should take "slightly a back seat" if you have immunity, like she did. Lisa's team stepped back from its carpaccio idea after seeing another team doing it, but it allowed them to regroup and come up with something with grilled shrimp. Lisa was on board.
Antonia, on Team Earth, explained her team's dish, beef carpaccio with wild mushrooms, sunchokes and mache, and vowed to compete 100 percent, despite having immunity. Spike said it wasn't quite the dish he wanted to do, so he had to show he was as enthusiastic about doing this dish as he was about his butternut squash soup. Team Water worked on a poached wild salmon with a vanilla puree, a salad of watercress and radishes, and the now famous "faux-caviar" made with tapioca.
Dale explained that his team ended up going with a prawn and bacon with a chili rub on it. The team settled on Asian, which made Lisa feel better, but she still hoped it was enough to "wow" Ming Tsai. Ryan of Team Air explained his team's dish, including duck breast and herb salad, with a shot of Prosecco with pomagranates. Lisa was on a bit of a rampage, throwing other people's pans and equipment out of the way.Tom rolled through the ktichen and wasn't particularly impressed with Team Water. He said Team Air didn't seem to have a clear idea of what they were going to do.
Team Water found a couple scales in their salmon, which they were trying to remove on the spot as the filets were on the cooking pan and ready to go into the over. Andrew found more scales later. Ming Tsai was annoyed when he found five scales in his fish. That won't bode well.
Judges' table: Padma asked to see Team Fire at the judges' table. They won. Ming Tsai was asked to choose the chef most responsible for the win, and that chef would win a five-night vacation in Italy. Lisa was picked for the award, which bothered Dale.
The judges wanted to see Teams Earth and Water, their least favorites. Richard of Team Water was put on the defensive quickly, having to answer to why there were so many scales left on the fish. Mark had to defend why there were parsnips on the plate. For Team Earth, the judges thought every part of the dish was under-seasoned. Spike mentioned his butternut squash soup idea, which prompted Antonia to reiterate how adamantly against the idea she was. Spike was angry with himself for not fighting for the soup.
Tom wanted to get rid of both Spike and Zoi because Spike didn't fight for the soup and Zoi for messing up the mushrooms. But only one would go home. Zoi was asked to pack her knives and leave. She said she was disappointed, and her partner Jen was upset by the news.
But the drama wasn't over. A shouting match ensued between Antonia and Spike, who said Antonia should have stepped back on the challenge. They shouted at each other for a bit, before Jen jumped in and shouted at Spike in anger over Zoi going home. Dale then jumped in and Lisa said he was just making it worse. Suddenly, Dale was shouting at Lisa (remember, these two were on the winning team together!). Then, Jen kicked a chair. And ... scene.
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