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Undoubtedly the most creative approach is taken by Brian. He builds a chicken soup (!) using his drumstick. I think that is in the conversation for most original idea on Top Chef this season, possibly ever. Alas, Questlove is stone faced during the sampling. He announces that Nick used too much salt, Justin was too boring, and Carlos overcooked his dish. Carlos also used a knife to hack at the bone of his bird, which caused Padma to swallow a shard (!!!) of bone. Suffice to say that she was displeased.

The best three performers in the Quickfire are Carrie, Nina and Brian (nice poker face, Questlove). Carrie had been saddled with quail, which every other chef had avoided like the plague. Her presence in the top group is a total shock. Nina is praised for the cooking technique of her game hen. And Brian is correctly complimented for the creativity and confidence of his dish. Given what Brian has accomplished, I switch from thinking Questlove didn’t enjoy his dish to believing that he has won right up until Carrie is lauded as the winner. Clearly, Questlove is an enigma to me. More important, Carrie has immunity during the elimination challenge, which means that everybody else has a one in seven chance of going home.

The Elimination challenge is entitled Back to School. Louisiana State University is enjoying Fall matriculation. With freshman orientation ongoing, the chefs will be required to cook a meal for the new batch of college students. That is a batch of 500 freshmen who have never been away from home and will suddenly be tasting haute cuisine. Even better, the chefs will spend the night in dormitories to complete the college experience. The winner of the challenge will get a Toyota RAV4, which is a much better prize than they have given out lately. I say this because most of the winners this season have gotten absolutely nothing. What’s up with that, Top Chef?

We learn a lot about the Top Chef contestants as they discuss college. Carrie became a chef because she didn’t like college so she dropped out to start culinary school. Then, she dropped out of culinary school. Carrie’s parents probably had some anxious nights. Brian’s situation was altogether different. He was a tennis player for UCLA, which means Brian could humiliate you on a tennis court. Finally, Justin never went to college and he sounds a bit bitter about the situation.

Next, we hear Carrie mention that she may have a baby if she wins the RAV4. I don’t completely understand the underlying logic supporting the idea, but I love Nina’s query of whether the baby will be named Padma or Tom. I wonder if there is a Subreddit for people who have named their babies after Top Chef contestants.

Brian recounts a story about how he received a scar. I don’t mean just any scar, either. He has one that would make your average 10-year NFL veteran wince. Apparently, Brian used to get drunk and stoned a lot, and he once put his arm through a car window, causing the skin to flap open. What does Shirley take from the story? Brian talks too much. Yes, *Shirley* is bothered by someone’s incessant chattering.

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