Tonight, there are five chefs competing for two spots, so apparently they don't have to team up. That doesn't seem quite fair, to make some contestants compete as a team and not others. Then again, this isn't the Olympics or something. Anyway, the first chef is Marcus Samuelsson, who I remember as a judge from Top Chef. I mostly remember because he has such a Swedish name, but he's Ethiopian, which must make for some interesting food combinations. Next is David Burke, who has seven restaurants, so he must be busy. Monica Pope, from Houston, is next. She claims she doesn't do "high-falutin'" food, and this is reflected in her attire, which kind of looks like pajamas. I guess if you own the restaurant, you can dress how you like. The fourth chef is Carmen Gonzalez, a Puerto Rican chef cooking in Manhattan, and known for her "huge flavors." And finally is Thierry Rautureau, who apparently is known for always wearing a hat, since they call him "chef in a hat." Also, he cooks French food.

Quickfire Challenge: Kelly welcomes the five chefs to the kitchen. Thierry interviews that winning could generate five hundred thousand meals for his charity, and asks, "How much do I want to win? Who do I have to kill?" Maybe he could sell off his hat collection to raise some money. Kelly explains that with all of her food-related hosting duties, she gets to eat a lot of cutting edge cuisine, but her favorite food is the simple grilled cheese sandwich. So the judge for today's challenge will be Kelly! The chefs actually look relieved, maybe because they figure pleasing Kelly won't be as tough as pleasing a rock band, or children, or firefighters, or whatever. I would like to judge that contest. I would automatically eliminate anyone who put bullshit in there like caviar or spinach or something. I want good bread and good cheese with a crispy outside and a gooey inside. I would accept certain additions, such as ham or certain vegetables, but it would need to taste good. Man, I'm really jealous of Kelly right now. Carmen explains that the way to tell a great chef is to order the most simple dish on the menu, so this challenge makes sense. Kelly details it: the chefs must make a grilled cheese in twenty minutes.

Time starts and everyone takes off running. Monica explains that it seems like they have a long time but they are unfamiliar with the kitchen layout so they have to take time just to figure out where things are. David does something with roasted peppers and prosciutto that looks yummy. Monica thinks she is at a disadvantage because she only went to cooking school for three months and hasn't had as long of a career as her competitors, but her advantage in this challenge is that she has a seven-year-old daughter who loves grilled cheese. While chopping, Carmen manages to chop her finger and bleeds all over the place. She mentioned earlier that she hoped she still had her knife skills; presumably, she's at a stage in her career where she doesn't have to do her own prep work anymore. Thierry explains that he became a chef at his mother's suggestion, and he thinks his mother would appreciate his sandwich. Time runs down, and everyone begins plating as Kelly enters the kitchen.