Everyone gets to shucking. Brooke has trouble with the brittle shells, and ends up chipping off shell more than popping them open. Micah can't believe he gets to cook for Emeril, who is one of his childhood heroes. He must have been a weird kid. John is also an expert on New Orleans, and all of the restaurants therein, so he's making a play on the way a famous New Orleans restaurant serves oysters but he's using a foam instead of a heavy cheese sauce. Stefan is smoking his oysters and I don't know why I thought it would be more complicated than blowing smoke into a plastic bag with oysters in it, but that's pretty much it. Josie is making a sauce that breaks, and she struggles to reincorporate it.

Time's up! Emeril is ready to eat some oysters. I am so grateful that no one is talking about the alleged aphrodisiac properties of oysters, I can't even tell you. Kristen made oysters hot with caramelized honey, tomato broth, celery leaves, and chili. Emeril liked the celery leaf. He would. Stefan made cold smoked oysters with potato vinaigrette and flash frozen salt. Emeril likes the crunch of the salt. Look at Stefan getting all molecular gastronomic on us! Josh served cold oysters with pickled cucumbers, white soy, cilantro, and red chili. Emeril asks if he shucks a lot of oysters as he picks oyster shell out of his mouth. Welp, Josh won't win.

Lizzie made cold oysters with crushed currant juice and crushed pink peppercorn. Those are some pink oysters. Emeril liked the drizzle of olive oil and Padma grins that the red currant worked. Brooke made cold oysters with salsa verde, cilantro, horseradish, and red chili. I am super into horseradish right now. Thought you might like to know that about me. Anyway, Brooke also has shells in her oysters, so no go for her. John brags about his New Orleans restaurant knowledge and Padma has the greatest, "Oh-kaaaaaaaay" in the world, so he made oysters poached in garlic butter with Swiss chard and garlic parmesan foam. Emeril likes that the cheese isn't heavy, and Padma agrees that it was smart to do a foam.

Speaking of things that are heavy, Josie has made wood-roasted oysters with chorizo and cilantro cream. She has drowned those poor oysters in this ugly, awful bright orange sauce. They look like oyster nachos. It's so Guy Fieri. The nicest thing Emeril can say is that the chorizo is not overpowering. Since the whole challenge was to highlight the oyster, Josie added two more strong flavors. She has no subtlety.