Dave also makes it easily, but Candice is too slow and fails after ten minutes. Brian, with his five years of experience, is told that he's doing things well but not fast enough. He's gone in nineteen minutes. Next comes Stephen and his seven years of experience. Keller tells him, "Stephen, you better stop now because you're slowing down the line. Just stop it." Yeah, Stephen, just stop it!

Harold interviews that his thirteen years of service and comfort behind the line didn't seem to matter when he saw others return in defeat. Camera in his face, Harold greets the other cooks in Spanish. Harold says aloud that he's shaking for no good reason as he squeezes out droplets of balsamic syrup on a circle of basil oil. Keller gives Harold another chance to get his shakes under control but when he examines the plate again, Keller fails him out for nerves after seven minutes.

Lee Anne and her eight years of experience are very comfortable with everything. She calls out commands, plates and cooks with ease, and passes. Keller even asks if she would stay another ten minutes.

Finally we have DonKen and his twenty brogue years of experience. He majorly fucks up when he sticks his finger in a sauce to taste it. Keller tells him now they have to throw out the sauce and start it all over again. DonKen is failed after one minute for "unsanitary tasting." Heh. Colicchio underscores that unhygienic hijinks just don't fly in Keller's kitchen. Outside, DonKen swaggers about his fail, boasting, "I always use my finger." Which, gross. On just...so many levels. My instructors always told me that when you stick your finger in to taste something, it's as if you're sticking your entire mouth in. Even worse, because your finger is probably much dirtier than your mouth. Except, maybe, in Cynthia's case. You always carry around a tasting spoon in your pocket and that spoon never dips into the pot. Using another spoon, you pull out a taste, drop that taste in your tasting spoon and taste. Then you toss the first spoon into the wash. It complicated but it's clean. Different restaurants and different chefs have different standards but the point is, you cook and perform to the standards of the kitchen you are standing in, regardless of how you've done it before.