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On the bottom, we predictably have Michael and Ash, with their overcooked halibut and undercooked pancetta, and Ashley and Eli, with their disaster of a dish.

Michael and Ash take a beating first and though Michael is ready to accept criticism for the cooking of his fish, he's surprised to hear them take issue with the concept itself. Tom says that halibut was the wrong fish to try and carmelize against the pancetta. Toby wanted the flavors toned down to emphasize the flavor profiles of each ingredient. When the issue of the fish finally comes up, Michael blames the electrical issue but Tyler Florence rightfully points out that when you go out to eat in a restaurant, the diner doesn't care if the kitchen had an issue.

Finally, Padma asks Ash if he took a "second fiddle" position in this challenge and if he was okay with it. Ash takes this as an invitation to praise Michael to the sky, saying that he saw this challenge as an opportunity to "wash paintbrushes for Picasso." It's one of the more memorable, and more sickening, displays of fawning and boot-licking that I've seen on this show. This will definitely change the judges' opinions of Ash. I'm reminded of when Tom asked Miguel in Season 1," What does it say on your jacket? Does it say Top Sous-Chef? No, it says Top Chef." Ash certainly didn't sound like a Top Chef today.

As for Ashley and Eli, it's clear that their dish was much worse than Michael and Ash's. Not all the prawns were cooked, according to Toby, and the gnocchi was heavy. Ashley, totally disheartened, agrees that she may have left a few prawns a little raw as a result of trying not to overcook them and that gnocchi was heavy for an outdoor dinner. She also says that she knew the gnocchi was a little salty.

Ughhhhhhh, I find it hard to believe that anyone other than Ashley will be going home today. And that's sad because I was really starting to like her.

Finally, the judges give their final verdict. Tom says that when a dish in a team challenge comes out well, it's typically because two chefs worked together. When it doesn't, there's typically one chef responsible. Ashley undercooked the shrimp and made bad gnocchi. Michael had some conceptual problems with his dish and the halibut was overcooked.

And yes, Ashley is sent home. She takes it really well and I think she was half-expecting it. When she says goodbye to her fellow chefs, Jennifer gets teared up. In her final remarks, Ashley says that she just hopes that her performance on this show has illustrated that she's really a talented chef. I don't think anyone who saw the last two episodes would doubt that.

LEADERS AFTER 7 EPISODES:

Kevin: Four times in the top of the Elimination Challenge, two Elimination Challenge wins, two Quickfire Wins

Bryan: Four times in the top of the Elimination Challenge, three Elimination Challenge wins

Jennifer: Four times in the top of the Elimination Challenge, one Elimination Challenge win, two Quickfire Wins

Michael: Five times in the top of the Elimination Challenge, one Elimination Challenge win, one Quickfire Win

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