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The excitement during the Quickfire challenge again involves Sara, whose authoritative nature undid her team in the most recent Elimination shopping trip. Sara grabs lamb that has already been plated in order to cook it a bit further. She does this with exactly one minute to go in the competition. Suffice to say that this maneuver scares the stuffing out of her teammates. They rightfully worry about their ability to plate the dishes in time. Somehow, they manage to beat the buzzer.

During the early portion of the season, I rarely describe individual dishes because the editing doesn’t focusing on them enough. This Quickfire challenge requires it in order for everyone to appreciate the madness of blind ingredient selection. Team Lakshmi starts with a surprisingly understated plate of clams poached in fish sauce with coconut cream. That sounds like a real food. There is also snapper & branzino papillote with mustard vinaigrette. I don’t see that one becoming a hot item on the menu at Cheesecake Factory any time soon. The other dish they present is a soup with beans, carrots, chiles & okra with cherry chutney. There are people who eat out of garbage dumpsters who are more selective about their flavor profiles than this one.

Team Simmons counters with lamb & fonduta with sharp cheddar & roasted mushrooms. They also present red snapper papillote with rice pilaf. They finish with compressed buratta with pickled apples & balsamic sabayon. This entire challenge is like one big game of Mad Libs featuring largely unknown food terms. The real bravery during the Quickfire is not performed by any of the contestants but instead by the judges who serve as guinea pigs during a round of heretofore unknown dish sampling. They manage not to spit out any of the food, so that’s a positive. They eventually declare Team Lakshmi the winners, earning those seven chefs a split of $10,000.

The Elimination challenge is seasonal in nature, albeit not timely at the moment of filming. Glee star Lea Michele, a self-professed superfan of Top Chef, is hosting a Halloween-themed party during what would have been late June or early July in New Orleans. I actually love this idea. Candy acquisition should be a constant goal in life.

Some of the contestants are particularly happy to see TV’s Rachel Berry in person. Stephanie says something that would seem right at home on Glee’s Facebook wall, albeit written by a 13-year-old. “I’m really excited. I love Glee. Lea Michele’s adorable. We can hang out. It won’t be creepy at all.” Even though she says it in jest and is good-natured about the absurdity of the comment, I still get a Single White Female/The Roommate vibe from Stephanie. I half expect her to start styling her hair like Kristen Kish if she struggles at some point during the competition.

Fear not, Stephanie. The overshare prize for the episode will not be yours. A love of teen drama combined with random bursting into song is tame compared to what News Orleans local Michael confesses. “I dressed up as a pregnant nun once. Got laid.” Like 80,000 therapists all wake up screaming during that statement. The obvious two questions are A) Why would a man decide that dressing up like a nun isn’t enough so he adds pregnancy gear? B) What kind of woman (?) would see that guy at a party and think, “I gotta have a piece of the Transvestite in the Fat Suit Who Fictitiously Cuckolded God.”?

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