by Kylene Hamulak

 

"In and Out of Africa"

 

As the chefs board their flight to Marrakech, the excitement is building for their first non-European destination. Chaz says he's hoping not to be teamed with Avery for this round because, "she takes credit for a lot of other people's work." Hey Chaz - let me introduce you to two of your own tools: Pot and Kettle.

 

The Course: Visit the medina, the old town of Marrakech. "Watch out for the snakes," warns Curtis. Cat tells the chefs that the winners of this course will not only win the Exceptional Ingredient, but also $15,000.

 

The chefs will be broken down to three teams of three, to be decided amongst themselves. Each team will then board a horse-drawn carriage, within which are instructions they will need to reach their destination.

 

The first team to assemble is Black Team Nookie, Avery and John, with Chaz, Gary and Nick making up the White Team, and Jenna, Nicole, and Liz forming the Red Team. The Course begins with the challenge of finding the Ben Boubker Spice Shop within the medina, and Black wonders if Red, being all women, may have some difficulty in the market.

 

All three teams are disoriented by the medina, as there are no maps to go by. Most of the chefs take the approach of simply yelling out Ben Boubker and hoping to be led to the right direction. Ultimately, Black is the first to find the shop, with Red following pretty closely behind, and White arriving last.

 

The next challenge is to find the nine spices found in the Ras El Hanout spice blend. It seems pretty easy, except this isn't your mom's spice rack, neatly organized with labeled containers. All the spices are in large, unmarked barrels. Surprisingly, White is the first at the counter, but tempers start to heat up as Nookie attempts to push his way to the front.

 

The final part of The Course is to find the El Waha Restaurant, and all three teams are racing neck and neck towards it. Their challenge once they reach the rooftop is to fill all the tea cups using proper technique. If their technique is off? They get hit with a stick. And Liz informs us that it's not very fun getting hit with a stick.

 

Meanwhile over on Black, Nookie is once again strategizing. And once again? It pays off. Literally, this time - the team wins $15,000 and the Exceptional Ingredient, which, for this destination is a guide to the food and culture.

 

For the Takeover, the three teams will be at Palais Soleiman preparing a Moroccan tagine and two additional dishes. While the winning team will be safe, the bottom two teams will be at risk for elimination.

 

Black meets Ahmed, who will take them to a local restaurant to learn, first, how to make a tagine. The Red Team is also looking for a guide, but as the all-women team, they're being hissed at in the medina and having a tougher time.

 

Black seems to be having a terrific session tasting and learning about the food, including the importance of using the right spices. White's leisurely meal seems to be going well too, while Red is tasting and making notes for their menu.

 

After a hard day of completing The Course and preparing for The Takeover, the chefs find themselves staying in a beautiful Four Seasons suite. I'm not sure it's a fair trade off for being hissed at in the street, but it comes pretty darn close with that gorgeous pool. While Jenna Skypes with her fiancé, White Team is strategizing - seems their alliance is aiming for Avery if given the chance.

 

As the chefs arrive in the Takeover kitchen, everything seems to be running fairly smoothly (and civilly) until Avery's beets go missing. At first it seems as if someone may have simply moved them, but as time is ticking, Black is in no mood for games. Gary steps in to ask the staff (because he's the only one able to speak French) about the missing beets, and when they are found, explains to the staff that they should not move anything on that counter.

 

Which pisses Chaz off. Because it's not Gary's job to help ALL the teams. And then Chaz starts fighting with Avery. And Avery fights back. Hey guys - looks like 80 Plates just got an added layer of interest....

 

The diners begin to arrive, which include Chef Moha, who discusses the nuances of Morroccan cuisine and how important it is to stay in control of every aspect.

 

The Black Team is the first to serve. On their menu:

 

Nookie - Beef & Vegetable Tagine: At least one diner said she did not like the tagine, though the judges seemed to think the mix of spice was perfect.

John - Saffron Stewed White Beans: One diner asked John why the beans were so hard - that can't be a good sign.

Avery and John - Trio of Moroccan Salads: The diner who did not like the tagine did say she enjoyed the salads.

 

Black seems a little nervous with how their food turned out and begin their own strategy - looks like they're ready to go after Chaz, and I can't blame them.  The White Team serves next. Their menu:

 

Nick - Chicken Tagine: As soon as the tagine is presented, someone questions whether that is a tagine - again, that can't be a good sign. The chicken, however, is described as good and delicious by the diners, though the spicing seems off.

Chaz - CousCous with Roasted Vegetables: Curtis doesn't really like the couscous, and Chef Moha wonders if something got confused in the kitchen.

Gary - Chickpea, Carrot, and Tomato Salad: One diner did describe the salad as "good."

 

Everyone seems to have confidence issues, as post-serve the team is discussing who they will lean towards voting out. It's still Avery, by the way. She seems to be a huge target right now.  Finally, we have service from the Red Team, which includes the following:

 

Jenna - Lamb Tagine: The first table to react to the tagine is delighted, saying "It's getting better by each new dish." Once dining, however, at least one guest said it was not her favorite.

Liz - Saffron Couscous: Cat enjoyed the team's couscous, and Chef Moha says, "Everything is perfect."

Nicole - Rice Pudding: The dessert also gets positive reviews...so good, in fact, that the dessert is in demand, additional plates are prepared for the diners.

 

As the judges speak to diners, we learn what they thought. Black's tagine is criticized for looking like s stew. The Red Team appears to get an overwhelmingly positive review on their dishes.

 

Cat and Curtis address the teams, and we find out that Avery's salad was the best reviewed dish on the Black Team. When Chaz brings up the beets incident again, Gary ends up requesting an apology from Avery for the escalation of the situation. She DOES apologize, and welcomes

White to apologize as well. Unfortunately, all she hears is crickets.

 

The team that the diners overwhelmingly preferred was the Red Team. The ladies are excited to win after a particularly challenging experience, and Liz is named Most Valuable Chef.

 

While the teams deliberate, Chaz is bringing up resentments from two cities ago. Nookie is strategizing again to turn people against Chaz - one alliance may have to break. The votes are as follows: the entire Black Team (Avery, John, and Nookie) all pick Chaz, while Chaz goes after Avery, with Nick and Gary doing the same.

 

Because there's a tie, Liz - after winning Most Valuable Chef - is forced to be the deciding vote. She chooses to go with Chaz, who, correctly, deduces that he's going home because someone didn't like him. Maybe that's because you were kind of a jerk and yelling all the time, Chaz.

With the remaining chefs decided, Cat reveals the next stop - Florence, Italy! I'm salivating already....

 

 

Around The World In 80 Plates airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Bravo.

 

(Image courtesy of Bravo)