Before the credits, we get some backstory about how Marcel was pissed at Dale after the Dim Sum challenge, because Marcel thought he should have won, of course. And being Marcel, he has to be an asshole about it. Gross.
No Quickfire Challenge this week. Instead, they jump right into the Elimination Challenge, where they go fishing in Montauk and then have to cook what they catch for a beach party. They're working in teams of three, and it's a double elimination. The guest judge is Kerry Heffernan, a local chef.
There's a lot of drama around the fishing segment in terms of which teams actually catch fish, but it turns out to be a non-issue by the end. After fishing, the teams all shop at a local farm stand for their other ingredients (although that must have been supplemented by a pantry or other shopping trip, since farm stands in New York don't typically carry crème fraiche or tortillas, for example). The big deal is that Marcel, Blais and Fabio decide to make just one dish while most of the other teams do two or three, as noted below.
Antonia, Jamie and Tiffani: Jamie made striped bass, watermelon salad with fresh dill, shaved radishes and cucumber water. Tiffani made smoked blue fish with tomato, roasted corn and zucchini ribbon salad. Antonia made open-faced porgy po' boy with Old Bay mayo and cabbage slaw. Jamie's food doesn't impress the judges, and Tiffany's isn't their favorite, but they do like Antonia's.
Dale, Carla and Tre: Dale makes a fish taco with bass, corn and avocado relish, crème fraiche, radishes and cabbage Carla makes a smoked blue fish lettuce wrap with pickled watermelon rind, radishes and bagel croutons. Tre makes striped sea bass with gazpacho salad, tomato and avocado. The judges like all three dishes.
Tiffany, Mike, and Angelo: pickled blue fish, spicy watermelon, shallots, red chilies, confit potato and dill, and also striped bass with corn puree, tomato, Aleppo spice rub and watermelon. The judges seem mixed about both dishes, finding nothing to really hate, but only a few things to love.
Blais, Fabio, and Marcel: sea bass, succotash, corn puree, tomato confit, Concord gastrique and jamon air. The judges are kind of underwhelmed.
And yay, Carla wins the challenge! I really thought it was going to Dale, but I think both of their dishes were good, except Carla's was a little more creative. I mean, making a fish taco on the beach, even though it was perfectly executed, is not so outside the box, and Carla's tribute to New York with the bagel and smoked fish was awesome. When Carla bursts back into the Stew Room ecstatic, Marcel makes her feel like an ass, since he reminds her that means that his team is on the bottom, and totally deflates her legitimate excitement. Shut it, Marcel.
So the bottom two teams are Blais, Fabio and Marcel, along with Jamie, Antonia and Tiffani. Blais's team tries to argue that it really was a team effort, making it nearly impossible for the judges to pick one of them to eliminate. The judges pick some issues out with their teamwork, though. Tom tells Antonia that, if she had been on a stronger team, her dish probably would have won. Ouch. But they really, really hated Jamie's bland food and Tiffani's overly fishy fish.
So in the end, the cheftestants going home are Tiffani and Jamie. Well, Jamie was overdue, and Tiffani has really struggled. I thought she would do better, honestly, but she definitely has had a reputation rehab. Jamie, um, not so much.
And next week! Restaurant Wars! Bourdain returns! Angry Dale returns! Looks awesome.
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Want more? The full recap starts right below!
Before the opening credits, we get some new footage from the previous episode. While in the Stew Room, Jamie confessed that she thought her name was going to be called, not Casey's. But the judges called Casey's food "inedible," which is the kiss of death. Antonia points out that Casey at least tried something different and didn't just "put up a dumpling." Um, burn? Meanwhile, Marcel is complaining because apparently Dale only made eight good portions (the ones for the judges, I guess?) and still won. So when Dale was talking about calling people out for not working last week, he was talking about himself? Or maybe Marcel is exaggerating? Anyway, Marcel feels like he was robbed, AS USUAL. Dale interviews that Marcel should count his plates, so I guess Dale is denying it.
That night, the ladies all go to sleep, but some of the dudes are upstairs drinking on the roof. It's Marcel, Tre, and Dale. Marcel is swigging gin straight out of the bottle, and he gets all up in Dale's face, claiming that Dale is a pussy who gamed the system for the win. The most embarrassing part is that Marcel has put on his "street" persona to issue this proclamation, and it's just sad. Dale deals with it calmly and then wisely gets up and leaves. Marcel's drunk; there's no reasoning with him. Dale interviews that it's a good thing he took anger management classes, or Marcel would be getting a beating. I'm glad. Dale could win this thing, and he doesn't need to get sent home for kicking Marcel's ass, no matter how much Marcel deserves it. Tre has one of the greatest interviews of the season when he says that, over the weeks, he's noticed that "Marcel is kind of an asshole." Heh.
The next morning, the cheftestants have to wake up at 4:30 AM for a mystery activity. I love how they show everyone groaning and pulling the covers over their heads, and then Carla is all calmly frying herself an egg in the kitchen while drinking coffee. She would be the best roommate. She would probably make you breakfast, and you know she's tidy. Anyway. The cheftestants report to the kitchen and find no Padma. Tiffany jokes that no one woke Padma up that early. Maybe her baby did. Anyway, they find a note and a map telling them to go to Montauk, which is allllllllllll the way out at the end of Long Island. No, further. No, FURTHER. Like, go until you can't go anymore, and that's where it is. That would be quite a drive. No wonder they had to get up early. There's also a sign on the table that says, "Gone Fishing," so the cheftestants know what they're going to do once they get there. Obviously, hunting wild game, right? So then there's a commercial for their vehicles as they drive out to Montauk.
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