Judges' Table. The cheftestants walk in to face Padma, Tom, Gail, and Emeril. Paul starts by saying that he wanted to hit the required concept while also giving a lot of shellfish flavor. He hoped that his ice and Pernod looked like snow. Emeril says that he hit the concept spot on, and his cocktail was good too. Padma thinks it could have been a bit more spicy. Tom liked the idea and the broth but had issues with the arugula. Paul says it was supposed to add fresh greens and peppery flavor. Tom felt it was an afterthought, and should have been better incorporated. Padma asks why he belongs in the finale. Paul says that he wants to cook the best meal that he can for the judges, and he also jokes that he can't go back to Texas if he loses Top Chef: Texas.

Gail asks Sarah about the concept behind her dish. Sarah says that the baked pasta was the heat, and she thought about putting ice cream on pasta, which she recognizes as crazy, so she made it into a mousse. Gail says that the pasta was beautiful, but the mousse was so frozen that it was hard to eat together. Tom thinks her dish was brave, and he could tell that she went out of her comfort zone. Emeril says that her cocktail reminded him of the hot days in Texas. Padma wants to know why she thinks she should go on to the finale. Sarah says that food has a place and a memory for her, and she wants to tell that story in the finale.

Gail thinks Lindsay's elements of her dish worked well together. Lindsay says that the warmth of the soup represented fire, and then she made the tomato ice. Tom thought her sauce overpowered the fish a bit. Emeril thinks the fish was cooked perfectly, but her cocktail separated a bit. Tom thinks her dish worked with her drink the best. Padma asks why she belongs in the finale. Lindsay says she has more to show, because she's learned about herself as a chef. Padma tells them all to be proud and get the fuck out. Well, she's nicer about it, but she does tell them to leave.

Back in the Stew Room (which looks like a Stew Train Compartment), Sarah says that they all just needed to make one tweak that they would have caught in a normal kitchen. Paul didn't use enough Thai chiles because he was scared, Lindsay used a whole jar of spicy paste, and Sarah's mousse got too cold.

Padma thinks Paul's dish was great, and Gail liked that he took the challenge to heart, and she also liked the cocktail. Padma thought the dish was lukewarm, so she lost the contrast between hot and cold. Tom loved the concept but can't stop harping on the piece of arugula. Look, Paul's not going home for misplaced arugula. Can we just drop it?