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Sheldon delivers a dessert that is way too bare for my taste. I want a stack of calories to look like a stack of calories. Sheldon’s dish looks like three apple slices served with miniature scale trees. It is a white chocolate mousse with apple & fennel. I would be hard pressed to point out where the white chocolate is on the plate. Apparently, the raw fennel overpowers the dish completely. Unless I am reading the tea leaves poorly, the difference between Brooke and the other contenders tonight is fairly dramatic, which is amusing since she has been on the verge of tears all night over her performance.

Judges Table involves much celebration of Brooke’s talents and even more criticism of the other two players. Everyone goes out of their way to point out that the old Sheldon was much better than the new and improved Sheldon. They question his decision not to roast his nuts, his usage of fennel and many of his other choices. Overall, Sheldon cooked good food but he did not provide the dazzling flavors that the judges had grown to expect from him. I am reminded of Kevin Gillespie’s struggles during the finale of Top Chef: Las Vegas.

The defining moment of Kristen’s Judges Table experience occurs when Padma mentions that she wanted to dip Kristen’s tuna in Brooke’s sauce. Ouch! Brooke smiles at this while Kristen looks as if she has been slapped in the face. Kristen also knows that her dessert is a train wreck. When Emeril defends the flavor of the dish, Tom makes a face and mumbles under his breath about the madness of such a statement. Kristen may be in trouble after all.

As the judges prepare to announce the eliminated player, Tom recoils at the idea of losing one of these three cheftestants. Only Top Chef: Las Vegas featured as strong a trio at the end, and that group was not as likable (nothing personal, Voltaggios…I still have your granola bag stuck on my refrigerator) as these three extraordinarily pleasant people. Padma fights back tears as she announces that Sheldon will not be competing in the finals. Kristen vs. Brooke, the match-up everyone wanted, is a reality. Still, I feel horrible for Sheldon, one of my favorite contestants ever.

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