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The next day, the chefs are brought to a big warehouse where they see some ginormous Mardi Gras floats. They are told by Padma that their Elimination Challenge will be catering for 100 guests at a Masquerade Ball to be held at the nearby Museum of Art. They must each prepare two dishes and one cocktail. One dish must be in the creole style of cooking. Emeril tells them that they will be cooking at his restaurant and that his pantry is stocked with everything they could possibly need.

Oh yeah, and the winner gets a brand new Toyota Venza. Wow.

The chefs pile into the kitchen and start preparations. Carla has decided to make an oyster stew but finds no shucked oysters in the pantry. Guess she'll be shucking all the oysters herself - something that she apparently has little experience with. Sounds like she's violated Top Chef Rule #1: Don't try and use a technique (in this case, shucking oysters) that you're not proficient in.

Meanwhile, both Stefan and Hosea have decided to do gumbos. With two gumbos in the Quickfire and two more in the Elimination, I'm thinking that gumbo is the new scallop.

Jeff is nervous because he knows that he either has to win or he'll go home. He seems to be throwing everything but the kitchen sink into his dishes, with a bunch of ingredients and a variety of different cooking techniques, which seems like a trepidacious move considering the fact that he WON the Quickfire for focusing on one good dish and was ELIMINATED three episodes ago for doing far too much. One move that might benefit him, however, is the fact that he's making his own sausage from scratch while Stefan grabs a pre-made one in the freezer.

The two gumbo-makers (and rivals) are doing everything in their power to annoy the other person. Hosea is seriously pissed off with the fact that Stefan doesn't seem to care that his roux (an essential thickening agent in any gumbo) is the wrong color and the wrong consistency. Stefan shows how much he cares about Hosea's opinion by stepping outside of the kitchen for a smoke.

I hate Stefan.

The chefs have used up their five hours and start loading their food into their carts. Carla (and myself as well) is slightly stressing out because she'll only have an hour on-site to prepare her dishes and she only has one third of her oysters shucked. I'm worried that the only chef left in the competition that I like will be sent home.

At the museum, everyone is scrambling. And I mean scrambling. Jeff needs two extra cups of cream from Carla. Hosea forgot a whisk and begs for someone else to give him one. Carla pointedly remarks that the men are asking for help but no one is helping her shuck oysters. Stefan graciously volunteers and helps her finish.

I still hate Stefan.

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