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Heather blows up at Judges Table.

Heather is the worst casting choice in the history of Top Chef.

The judges deliver an indictment of all the contestants during Tom Colicchio’s back-handed slap toward Heather. After she hilariously states that they should not be there, she adds that the reason for their presence must be that they were on the top during the last challenge. Tom quickly states that the three teams chosen are exactly the ones who deserve to be there. Moto Chris’ sweet potato and Dakota’s raw venison are the reasons for them. The problem with Beverly and Heather’s dish is that A) the duck wasn’t crispy and B) it felt less like a dish and more like a collection of ingredients. This is the statement that causes Beverly to lose her damn mind.

As expected, Heather blames Beverly for everything. She assails the smaller woman for her lack of work ethic, particularly in the previous challenge. Obviously, this has nothing to do with the current situation. It is also wildly offensive. I am heartened by the fact that Dakota, Grayson *and* Nyesha, all of whom could be sent home tonight, vocally disagree with this assessment. Nyesha in particular provides a vociferous defense of Beverly. Heather’s behavior is frankly grounds for her dismissal from the show independent of her cooking. Bullying of this level is legally actionable.

The shock is that Heather and Beverly are not the ones sent home. As Tom states, the personality conflict between the two women is irrelevant to their cooking and their cooking is not the worst. As I had feared all along, messing up the game in a game challenge is a fatal mistake. Dakota and Nyesha, two of the coolest chicks in the history of the show, are eliminated in infuriating fashion, thereby allowing the Beverly/Heather conflict to continue. This is an abomination.

“All Dakota had to do was cook the venison properly. That should never happen at this level.” – Nyesha, bluntly stating the cause for her team’s elimination

“I thought the entire dish was delicious. I liked the components. But this was a game challenge and that venison was really, really undercooked.” –Tom Colicchio, once again positively describing a dish that has led to an elimination

Power rankings after episode 7:

1) Paul

While his team was up for elimination last week, Paul was clearly not to blame for any of the issues. Sarah acknowledged that they were all of his doing. He also demonstrated natural leadership in biting the bullet and starting the debate over which teams should be voted on the bottom. There is a lot to like about Paul personally and professionally.

2) Edward

After struggling to win his chef’s coat, Edward has proven to be a capable chef with a true gift for plating. While he had an unfair advantage with the game challenge last week (his restaurant holds a bi-annual game night), he and Ty still knocked it out of the park. Compare that to someone like Sarah, who states that she makes sausage every day yet she struggles in the heat of an elimination challenge. Edward’s combination of skill and desire has moved him up in the competition.

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