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Ms. Hagerty requests that the chefs create a dish that honors her ancestry. The cooks are to create a sweet and savory holiday dish using some product placement that supposedly tastes like sugar but does not. Because this is Top Chef and the producers cannot help themselves with regards to “twists”, the competitors are asked to draw knives. Lizzie believes she is the big loser because her knife is blank. Instead, this is the lucky blade. Lizzie is the only person whose knife will be used during the competition. The others must borrow said cutlery from her or use whatever sharp object they can find to prepare their dishes. Since Lizzie is a nice person, this is not a huge constraint on the others.

The judging portion of the Quickfire challenge is the reality show competition equivalent of a Participation Trophy. Everyone receives a verbal hug from Ms. Hagerty. The closest she comes to criticizing a dish occurs when she informs Micah, “You’ve created something rather unusual.” She later irritates him when she refers to his tamale as a “taco." Suffice to say that Micah doesn’t win. The other player on the bottom is Bart for creating a dish with too many components.

Conversely, Padma refers to Brooke’s dish as “homey." Brooke appears close to another crying jag. Moments later, Brooke is identified as the winner, marking yet another instance wherein a food that reminds a judge of home leads to an inane yet sincere compliment. This is the first sign that Brooke is the high caliber chef I believe her to be as I had mentioned in the most recent power rankings.

Joshua’s johnnycakes and Stefan’s combo of Salmon Tartare and potato latkes are the other dishes in the upper portion of the Quickfire challenge. Stefan also absorbs the sole zinger from Ms. Hagerty. When he informs her that he was married to the same woman twice, she gently but firmly states, “That doesn’t show a lot of imagination on your part.” I’m ready to fire Tom Colicchio and replace him with Ms. Hagerty…and I LOVE Tom.

The Elimination challenge features a Hollywood couple. Chris Pratt and Anna Faris are both from the western Washington area. They have planned a homecoming dinner with their families; the cheftestants will be preparing the meal. Faris was many months pregnant at the time of filming and the happy couple comes across as wrapped in bliss throughout the episode.

I have loved Pratt since his days on Everwood, a show nobody watched that somehow lasted four seasons anyway. I have relished watching his celebrity rise over the past couple of years thanks to performances in Moneyball and Zero Dark Thirty. And Faris is one of the funniest actresses in Hollywood. I love this duo and I am relieved that I only like them more after watching the episode, which is rarely the case with most celebs.

The chefs are provided an opportunity to grill the actors regarding their favorite foods. Since Faris is very pregnant (she had the baby within weeks of this segment), she is up for anything. Pratt reveals that he is a carnivore of epic proportions. He bonded with Faris’ brother by devouring squirrel heart together. Yes, Chris Pratt is the mortal enemy of squirrels everywhere, establishing him as Dug’s favorite celebrity. It’s funny because the squirrel is dead.

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