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Carrie’s food is met with a stifling yawn. Frankly, Tom doesn’t like the dish before he even puts it in his mouth. That’s never a good sign. He eventually notes, “If we were doing a challenge for the Louisiana Cucumber Council, it would be great.” Other local chefs are also critiquing it. I’m pretty confident Carrie will finish in the bottom group for the first time tonight.

There are no surprises with regards to the Judges Table announcement. After generic discussion, the obvious three people are called to the back. Stephanie, Brian and Nina are the best three players during the Elimination challenge. There is a surprise with the winner, at least to me. I am a bit incredulous when Stephanie is announced as the winner because she had received less glowing praise than her counterparts. Then again, I would rather the editing be misleading with regards to who wins the challenge than with who is voted out.

There are also no surprises with regards to the bottom group as Nick, Carlos and Carrie are called to the back. By process of elimination, we also know that Shirley finishes exactly in the middle of the seven remaining participants. The judges note that all of the day’s dishes were quite good, indicating that the chefs have once again all performed admirably. Season 11 of Top Chef is shaping up to be one of the most tightly contested finishes ever. Only Nina seems to stand above the rest, and if she fails to win, I could envision any of the other remaining players winners, perhaps with the exception of Brian. Then again, Brian has gotten hot since the Hip Tang Ascension.

One of the bottom three players will have to earn a spot in the finale via the Loser’s Bracket, though. I am again unsure of how to distinguish the three potential victims. Nick seems to have avoided the mistakes that Carlos made while also demonstrating more technique. Carrie has never been in the bottom group before, and that means she could potentially be given a mulligan as transpired with Nina last week. On the flip side, she did seem to have the least desirable food for the second time in a row. Despite having immunity last week, the judges may hold that performance against her. For his part, Nick was “too Chef-y” himself today, and that already cost Justin his spot on the show.

As the judges dissect the mistakes of the players, there is not a lot of negativity given the stakes. Padma compliments Carrie for the perfection of her croquette but then immediately mentions that the fish got buried in the process. Tom notes that she miscalculated the highlighting of the fish. Carlos is criticized for his technique as well as delivering “a peach dish, not a fish dish." Nick failed with the texture and acid. His issues seem less serious than the others. I believe that the choice comes down to Carrie versus Carlos.

And Carrie is eliminated during her first appearance in the bottom group, something of a rarity for Top Chef. Padma seems strongly against the vote but Hugh instantly mentions her when the judges discuss the flavors of the dishes. With Tom and Hugh against her, there simply isn’t enough support to extend her stay. One of the two most consistent players this season is suddenly out of the competition. It is a brutal reversal of fortune for Carrie.

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