by Gina Scarpa

 

The drama in the stew room isn't over quite yet on Top Chef: Seattle. There's no reason for John to throw his two cents in about Kuniko's elimination but he does and it really rubs people the wrong way, particularly Josh, who calls him out for being hated, irresponsible, and having failed restaurants. There's no need to go there, is there? John can't stand being labeled the Most Hated Chef In Dallas but if he wants to change that perception, he's going to have to do some work.

 

This week's guest judge is James Beard winner, and Top Chef Masters alum, Naomi Pomeroy. In the Quickfire, the cheftestants will have to butcher their own meat and showcase what they can do with their favorite cut in one hour. I fought off the sick feeling in my stomach, watching CJ chomp on some raw meat to try it out. Tyler was feeling flustered after landing in the bottom last week but if Kuniko proved anything, it's that things can change very quickly. Going into judging, Micah was feelin' pretty good about himself and like he had this one in the bag.

 

Unfortunately for him, he landed right in the middle of the pack. At the bottom stood Lizzie, Eliza, and Tyler. Okay, so maybe things aren't changing JUST yet for him. CJ, John, and josh were the favorites but John ends up being a cut above the rest (see what I did there?) and is named the winner.

 

For the Elimination Challenge, Brian and Mark Canlis of the famous Seattle restaurant Canlis ask the cheftestants to recreate their father's original menu from 1950. The good news is that the winner will receive $10,000. The bad news is that this is a double elimination so the pressure's on. Before everyone gets to prep and cook, they speculate about whether or not there will be a Last Chance Kitchen this season. (There will be.)

 

Josh takes french onion soup, probably because John bragged about how much experience he had with it. Carla gets stuck with squab but can't even get into the room to cook it herself because it only holds two, so she has to rely on Bart and Sheldon to pull it off for her. We find out that John isn't very good at calling tickets, so I'm not sure why he chose to do it but hopefully, the meals get out to everyone smoothly.

 

Tyler's crab cocktail goes over well, and perhaps he's finally starting to redeem himself, but Josh's french onion soup falls flat. Hugh thought it was too salty, while Brian and Mark felt it was too much work to eat it and not guest friendly. Though Hugh liked Brooke's seafood salad, Naomi thought the beans were not cooked enough. Chrissy's salad looks like it was drenched in dressing, when it should be crisp and fresh. Naomi calls Lizzie's marinated herring her favorite thus far, and Tom feels John's steamed clams have great flavors.

 

Next up is Sheldon's mahi mahi, which Brian and Mark love. Hugh found Micah's mixed vegetable to have some issue, with some of the veggies being underdone, while others were overcooked. Carla's squab gets sent back for being too rare from the diners so when she tries to make adjustments to it, the panel thinks it's now too well done. Naomi says that Stefan's liver and onions perfectly capture the time period, and Tom complains that CJ's lamb kebabs are underseasoned and that the pilaf that came with it was disappointing. Emeril calls Bart's New York strip steak just okay, while Padma wishes Josie put more oil on the skin of her potatoes. Kristen's side dishes of mushrooms and crispy onions are both a hit, which brings us to dessert.

 

Danyele makes vanilla ice cream and a Hawaiian Surprise, which Naomi liked very much. Brian and Mark feel the vanilla ice cream was the most successful of all the desserts. Hugh thought Eliza's mint sherbet and Hawaiian parfait was fine, but Tom defended it saying, "What more do you want?!"

 

Tyler, Lizzie, Kristen, and Stefan are the standouts of the evening and Kristen ends up winning $10,000 for some onions and mushrooms. It just goes to show you that you don't have to overthink and overdo every dish in order to be noticed. Carla, Chrissy, CJ, and Josh are in the bottom group, and everyone (with the exception of Carla) makes a hundred excuses about their dish, and blame John for his bad expo skills.

 

In the end, Carla and Chrissy are eliminated and send to Last Chance Kitchen where they go up against Jeffrey and Kuniko. Everyone is asked to redeem themselves using the ingredients from the dish that got them eliminated. Kuniko, not surprisingly, is able to turn things around and lives to see another day, while the other three are now officially out.

 

Top Chef: Seattle airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Bravo.

 

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

 

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