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This entire episode is fast paced. We skip straight to the judging. A very pregnant Gail joins the other judges at Louis’ table. He has prepared grilled opah with sweet potato & coconut sauce. “Flavor wise, I won this,” he says confidently. Another diner notes that Sam Choy made this dish famous in Polynesian cuisine so he is a tough judge to critique this meal. His comments are positive. Tom notes that his dish is undercooked, noting that there is inconsistency across the plates. Louis may be someone who is better preparing a single plate of food for a single judge than a large batch of food to a group of diners.

Nina is the next chef to plate. She delivers an exquisitely minimalist dish of grilled opah with taro root & coconut puree. Padma confirms that the presentation is divine. Tom notes that the flavors are on the spicy side. Gail loves everything about it. I like Nina’s chances.

The third to present is Nick. He has crafted opakapaka with jalapeno & crispy chicken skin. One of the diners assails jalapeno, and Tom surprisingly defends the dish as being perfect. Padma adds, “Maybe Hawaii relaxed him a bit.” Tom and Gail both describe Nick’s food as successful. If Nick earns a spot in the finale, one of Nina or Shirley is going home. And that would suuuuuuck.

Shirley plates honey-glazed pork with sweet potato & turmeric puree. She had been happy the previous day when she noticed that she was the only person planning a pork dish. That should be a huge hit with the locals. Her only concern is that the pork is “a little on the sweet side.” Right on cue, all of the judges note the sweetness of the dish. Uh-oh.

Judges Table is awkward. Everyone recognizes that they must eliminate two exceptional chefs tonight. The comments are honest yet they are seasoned with compliments. All of the players are informed that their dishes were excellent. Nobody failed; it’s simply that two dishes were better than the rest. Most of the critiques underscore what was already said. Louis did not present consistent plates. Nick’s jalapeno was too much for some. Nina’s spice “overpowered the fish a little bit." And Shirley delivered a “really flavorful” plate before Tom again notes that this was too sweet.

Once the players are called to Judges Table, there is another batch of heavy praise. Nick later describes it as “the most positive Judges Table” in which he has participated. Meanwhile, the judges make their final decisions. Perhaps the most surprising one, at least the most disappointing, is that Nick wins the challenge. With that victory, he will receive an advantage during the finale. Don’t get too excited, Nick. The advantage regularly comes with heightened expectations from the judges. It can be an albatross as much as an asset.

The next person to stick his neck on the chopping block is Louis. As foreshadowed earlier, he does not quite make the cut. He has the face of a man whose one great hope in life has been taken away from him. Louis, you earned your bones this season with the most dominant run in the history of Last Chance Kitchen. Any time a chef bests Kirsten Kish, they accomplished something extraordinary.

Stating the obvious, one of Nina or Shirley will not join Nick at the finale. As such, most of Bravo’s viewing audience will be disappointed by the result. That goes double when Padma, with a choked voice, informs Shirley that she will note be participating in the finale. Noooooooooo! The best chef this season is out of the game. It is a brutal reversal of fortune but only the latest example of how a change of scenery helps inferior players against superior competitors. Shirley cooled off while Nick got hot at the right moment.

With only two players remaining, there is not a lot of point to doing a standalone column for Power Rankings. Suffice to say that this is the finale that I felt had been hinted throughout the season. And Nick does not deserve to be there. I would say that Nina will crush him except that the commercial includes dialogue stating that this will be the closest finale ever. Nick is a coin flip to win Top Chef. I guess that makes it official that he won his feud with Carlos. Go get him, Nina! Claim your throne, Red Wedding style!

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