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Looks like Laurine is the only hit so far.

Next we have Bryan, Jennifer and Ashley. I notice that Bryan and Jenn always cook together if they can help it. I appreciate that. I really admire both of them and would like to see them get married. They would have talented, beautiful children.


Anyhow, Bryan has a roasted pork loin with dandelion greens and polenta. Tom thinks that it's perfectly cooked and Gail says that she would feel comfortable camping with Bryan. Jennifer has snapper with duck confit plus a salad of dikon and carrot. Again, it's perfectly cooked according to Tom and Gail found it to be thoughtful and different. Ashley wanted to play with the flavors in a club sandwich, making a seared halibut and avocado mousse. A mousse sounds like a strange component for a hot Vegas lunch but the judges find it flavorful. Everything tastes good and the consensus is that this is the best dish that Ashley has made on the show.

In the last group, we have Ron who has made a coconut mango and lime ceviche, which is a little sweet, and a Haitian mojito, which is roundly criticized as disgusting. Kevin has a roasted duck breast with mole and tequila watermelon, which is perfectly cooked. Michael has a dashi with miso and a mirin-cured black cod. This sort of high-class food seems way out of place at a ranch but the judges love the dish. I guess good food is good food, no matter where it's served.

Clearly, the bottom two will include spit-out-the-food Mattin and chlorine-prawn Robin but I'm not sure who else. I'm thinking that Bryan and Michael will make it in the top for the third time, but I'm also hoping that Laurine sneaks in there, too.

In the stew room, Padma asks for Laurine, Ashley, Michael and Bryan. Wow, four chefs in the top. I'm excited that my three made it in but slightly surprised that Ashley beat out Jennifer.

The judges are quick to explain why these four were in the top. Ashley had a tricky job of cooking her halibut over the flame but did well and it was her best dish to date. Bryan made a restaurant-quality dish that felt perfect for eating outdoors. Laurine excelled at the way that she incorporated the flavors of the grill and the simplicity of the dish made it shine. Michael brought some flavors that were unexpected but worked together perfectly.

I'm hoping that Laurine, with her truly outdoors-y dish, will win but it's BRYAN who takes home a third Elimination win. Over five seasons, only seven chefs have ever amassed three or more Elimination wins and none have done so this early in the game. It took Bryan five episodes to win three Eliminations. The chef that comes closest to that feat was Tre in Season 3, who won three Eliminations by the eighth episode.

On the bottom, as expected, are Robin, Mattin and Ron. Robin knows exactly why she's there. She starts describing the thought process that went into the dish and Tim Love stops her to remark that it doesn't sounds like she's describing the dish that they ate. Gail says that the shrimp was not good, almost to the point where they were scared to eat it. Tom says that there was a good dish among those ingredients, she just couldn't make it.

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