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The chefs return to the Stew Room in total consternation while the judges discuss things further. Michelle Bernstein reveals that her least favorite dish of the evening was Jaime's raw, smushy scallop. Tom confesses a total displeasure at the dishes presented that evening, saying that yes, Jaime and Melissa and Eugene were at the bottom but any of the other four chefs could have easily been there, too. Natasha Richardson, who sits on the board of amFAR, tentatively says that she was "a little disappointed with the food," to which Tom responds, "There was not a single dish tonight that I wanted to go back and try again. Not even the winners."

"But I did like the way that all of the chefs banded together in the face of the kitchen crisis," Natasha pipes up.

"Maybe that is something to consider," Padma admits.

"I'd like to talk to all of the chefs together about the quality of the dishes that they're putting out there," Tom grumbles. He's definitely looking like an angry bear that got roused out of hibernation by someone before the end of winter.

After a couple quick edits, "So we're all agreed?" Padma asks. Everyone is. Tom heads to the Stew Room. *BUM BUM BUM* Insert ominous music.

The chefs are all mildly terrified when Tom enters the room. This seems to me to be the equivalent of your boss stepping into your office and closes the door while you're having casual lunch with a co-worker. Nothing good can come of this.

Tom, in a gruff but honest way, tells them that they need to step it up. They need to start cooking like top chefs. They need to stop making little throwaway canapés.

"You mean like mine?" challenges Leah.

"Yeah, basically like yours," Tom responds. "And not to single you out," he gestures to Ariane," but you're not going to win with deviled eggs. You need to cook to win...you need to remember the food that got you here."

It's harsh but exactly what the chefs needed to hear. Mediocre food should never come out of the Top Chef kitchen and I'm frankly glad that Tom gave them the butt-kicking that he did. Then he drops the bomb.

"In the spirit of the holidays, no one is going home tonight." In effect, because most everyone's food sucked but acknowledging that everyone banded together to make sure that each chef had a dish, the group gets a free pass. No one's packing their knives and going.

The chefs look relieved. They stumble out of the Stew Room pledging to cook better food moving forward. I certainly hope so. In season two when the judges decided to not send anyone home, they sent two chefs home on the very next episode. I don't know if that will happen this time around, but I think that the chefs have some very good reason to be worried about the consequences about messing up again.

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