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The methodology for the first six courses is that each team prepares their meal for the judges in a randomly determined order. There is a catch, too. The other contestants will determine the three teams who will be up for elimination, making this something of a popularity contest. This is another bad sign for Beverly and Heather since the former woman is not particularly popular while the latter woman has leveled up into Bond villainy territory over the past few days. She is making her opponents wish that Marcel Vigneron were there instead. I swear to God. Marcel.

Chris C. and Lindsay are the first ones to go in front of the judges with their boar dish. It doesn’t go perfectly as not all the meat is cooked through but they are fortunate in that they have enough of it to provide a full cut to the judges. The roasted wild boar with kohlrabi slaw and faro fried rice is well received although not much beloved. Tom summarizes it thusly, “It’s a nice plate of food, just not exciting.” They are probably safe although they may wind up with one of the bottom three teams if a couple of the other duos deliver delicious meals. With six teams, 50% of the players involved will be on the bottom this week.

Heather must have pissed off the camera crew every bit as much as the other players as her every atrocity is highlighted. The logical outcome of this is a five-spice duck breast dish featuring creamy polenta pickled cherries that is much more Heather’s decision than Beverly’s. One humorous moment leading to this result involves Heather berating Beverly. Then, she finishes with the statement that the two of them would “have to compromise." Heather’s definition of compromise is getting her way in every manner possible. What will be funny is if they wind up on the bottom (an almost certain eventuality), Heather will blame Beverly for the dish. Heather is a 100% out of control raging bitch. Also, her duck sucks.

The problem that Grayson and Moto Chris face is an unimaginable one for her but one that has become his constant this season. Chris allows his imagination to get the better of him. He embarks upon a complicated sweet potato chain. He claims he has done this a hundred times before, which would make for a terrible Top Chef decision in and of itself. Originality is an imperative in the competition. Worse yet, he discovers that the links of the chain are too weak. His sweet potato dish will not work.

Instead, Chris produces a sweet potato rectangle with a solitary sweet potato fry inside. Grayson finds the appearance of it ghastly as do the judges. Padma’s plate hasn’t even hit the table yet before she criticizes the appearance of the dish. Fortunately, their juniper roasted elk and bouquet of citrus greens prove popular and given that this is a game challenge, they should be safe, albeit one of the bottom teams. Moto Chris is his own worst enemy and his mistake has placed Grayson in danger as well. This is the precarious nature of a double elimination challenge where a single team goes home. A great chef may be jeopardized by someone else’s incompetence.

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