Fresh off the back of both Hector and Jesse’s dismissal, the remaining chefs are focused on the road ahead. Mattin is fairly shaken by his performance on the last episode, since he is French and failed miserably in the French culinary challenge. He knows he needs to focus if he wants to redeem himself in this round of Bravo’s Top Chef: Las Vegas.

***SPOILER ALERT***

The Quickfire

Padme introduces Chef Tim Love, who will act as this episode’s guest judge, and announces that this Quickfire Challenge will be a high stakes challenge, meaning the winner will receive $15,000, but no immunity from elimination in this round.

She also lets everyone know that the audience was allowed to choose the challenge via a poll, and they want to see the chefs work with cactus. They are given 45 minutes to put together a winning dish featuring cactus as one of the main ingredients.

Nearly everyone is a leery about using cactus because it tends to be slimy and most of the chefs aren’t familiar with preparation techniques. Mike I. is confident however, as he has cooked cactus in the past, and he sets out dehydrating the cactus with salt before cooking to help reduce the sliminess of his dish.

Padme and Chef Love circulate and taste the dishes, and in the end Ash, Michael and Ron were on the bottom.  Laurine, Mike I and Mattin were the favorites, and for his execution, presentation and technique, Mike I. was awarded the $15,000 prize.

The Elimination Challenge

The chefs will be preparing high end lunch meals for a group of cowhands on the the Sandy Valley Ranch. One of their greatest challenges will be having to cook outdoors, but they have no idea just how challenging that will really be until they arrive to find ground pits to cook in and a chuck wagon pantry station full of cookware and supplies. After camping outdoors in tents, the chefs rise in the scorching morning heat to face their greatest challenge yet.

They have an hour and fifteen minutes to prepare their dishes, and as they begin prepping, everyone expresses mixed feelings about the conditions. Some have reservations about camping and think cooking under such conditions is asinine, while others grew up camping or in harsh conditions that required ingenuity and creativity so they feel comfortable in that element. Mike V.’s greatest issue is that he doesn’t want to compromise his food and cooking style because of the people they are cooking for, because you wouldn’t alter your restaurant menu to suit your customers needs.

The cowhands come out and the chefs begin serving their dishes. As the judges take their first round of food, the find Mike I’s sandwich to be boring and uninspired. Laurine’s grilled flavor hits the spot, but Eli’s tuna sandwich is severely lacking. They move on to the next group of chefs, and as they start tasting Mattin’s tuna ceviche, Tom actually gets up from the table and spits the food out. It is rancid and too raw for consumption. Following that disappointment is another, as Robin’s shrimp has a harsh, chlorinated taste and no one even wants to try the rest of her dish. They enjoy Ash’s succotash, but his chicken is less than desirable. Bryan’s dish inspires the judges, who find it nicely cooked and appropriate for camping. The think Jennifer’s slaw is excellent and her dish creative. Ashley’s take on the club sandwich is her best dish yet. Of the final three chefs, the judges think Ron’s ceviche is okay, but the rest of his dish is a nightmare. Mike’s dish is very high end, unexpected for that environment, but it’s refreshing and very good. Kevin’s duck is nicely cooked, but they all agree it’s time to get the chefs out of the heat of the desert and into the fire of judges’ table.

Judges’ Table

Laurine, Ashley , Michael V, Bryan are called in for discussion. They are named the judges’ favorites. Bryan’s dish was focused, restaurant quality but perfect for outdoors. Ashley’s dish was the best dish she’s had to date. They like the way Laurine used the grill, and the simplicity made the dish shine. Michael’s dish was an unexpected surprise. The winner is Bryan, who’s won three out of five of the elimination challenges to date.

They ask to see Robin, Ron and Mattin. Robin knows her dish is bad, and she faults herself for not tasting it before she served it. Mattin doesn’t understand what was wrong with his dish, but guest judge, Tim Love, claimed he got sick after eating it. Ron’s ceviche was great, but his drink horrid and his presentation was off. After they excuse the chefs, it’s down to Mattin and Robin.  Robin’s dish was uncomposed and the shrimp was sour, which ruined the rest of the dish. Mattin was clueless about how bad his dish was, and in the end it is Mattin who is asked to pack his knives and go.

The magic and high stakes of Vegas continue next when Penn and Teller make a Top Chef: Las Vegas appearance. You won’t want to miss it!