This week on BRAVO TV’s Top Chef: Las Vegas the stakes are higher than ever, as the remaining fourteen chefs sharpen their knives for another round of challenges. On the heel’s of Preeti’s dismissal, Robin is fretting that so far all the eliminations have been women, and Mike “I” is incredibly upset about being on the bottom during last week’s judges’ table. Before they can let the ramifications of the last challenges settle in, however, Tom Colicchio is on the scene with French chef, Daniel Boulud for a High Stakes Vegas Quickfire Challenge.
***SPOILER ALERT***
The Quickfire
The object of the quickfire in this episode is for the chefs to work with the classic French protein: escargot, adding a unique spin to impress Boulud.
The winner of the challenge will receive immunity, as well as a special prize, while the challenge loser is sent home. This shakes the chefs up before they even enter the kitchen, and many are nervous about their lacking knowledge of snails. As they finish up the challenge, the chefs present their dishes to Tom and Daniel three at a time.
Their three favorite dishes come from Kevin, Jennifer and Mike “I”, while their three least favorite dishes belong to Ashley, Jesse and Robin. Robin frets again about another woman being sent home, but Tom gives the three ladies one last chance to redeem themselves. They have twenty minutes to put together a stunning amuse-bouche, and they race back into the kitchen. All three of the amuse-bouche are impressive, but in the end, Jesse’s dish is found wanting, and she is sent home, leaving both Ashley and Robin shaken.
The Elimination Challenge
You can always guarantee that the elimination challenge will be closely related to the quickfire, and this week’s episode is no different. Tom announces that the chefs will be cooking for a host of famous French chefs, including Joel Robuchon. They’ll be cooking in Robuchon’s Vegas restaurant, and as part of his quickfire win, Kevin is granted complete immunity and a place at the dinner table with some of the most influential French chefs in the culinary world.
After pulling knives which pair the chefs together with classic French sauces and protein dishes, the chefs are given a $200 budget and thirty minutes to shop. They shop and begin prep-work, then head home for the night. Everyone is visibly nervous, and with good reason.
In the kitchen the following afternoon, one of the greatest challenges the chefs seem to be facing is their inability to practice effective teamwork. This doesn’t ring true for all of the pairings, as Mike I and Bryan communicate well with one another, and the same goes for Jennifer and Mike V. Teams Ron and Robin and Mattin and Ashley seem to be the worst when it comes to communication, and this becomes evident as they begin serving their dishes to the judges table.
Dish one is up. Ron and Robin and they don’t impress the judges much at all. Comments include noting that the frog legs were overcooked and many of the natural flavors were masked by overflouring. They do mention that it is an original and creative idea, which keeps Ron and Robin safe for the moment. Mike I and Bryan present dish two, Trout Bearnaise, which everyone agrees is simple, yet sophisticated. Eli and Laurine’s lobster dish is up next, but the table complains that the lobster is tough, the sauce is bitter and the overall flavor lacking in creativity. Mattin and Ashley fail to impress with the Poussin and Veloute sauce, their evident lack of teamwork foiling the execution of their dish. Mike V and Jennifer dazzle the judges with Lapin and Chausser. Last, and probably the least impressive of all, Hector and Ash serve Sauce Au Poivre with Chaute Briand, but their meat is poorly cooked and the sauce all but invisible.
Joel Robuchon is impressed overall, and pleasantly surprised by the outcome of the dinner, and Gail admits that during any other season they would never have had been able to pull off such an elaborate showing so early in the season.
Judges’ Table
Padme calls in the favorites first, pulling Mike I and Brian and Mike V and Jennifer. Praise is high all the way around, but in the end the winner is Bryan. He is granted a week long stay in Stodge with Chef Joel Rubochon. The send out the winners, and ask for Mattin, Ashely, Hector and Ash. The four are judged as least impressive, and after asking them about their choices, the judges deliberate and decide that Hector’s poor handling of the steak, which the judges agree should have been the easiest dish on the menu, is reason enough for him to be sent home.
I’m wondering who’s going to roll snake eyes next week while the chefs put their campfire cooking skills to the test out in the desert.
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