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And so has his dish. Tiffani and Padma name Adam’s dish as one of the worst three in the Quickfire. Tiffani says that it wasn’t cohesive and lacked cranberry flavor. Joining him in the bottom is Katsuji (whose NY strip steak tartare was far too tough) and Stacy (whose cauliflower with pepper cranberry relish lacked seasoning and was “clunky”). Stacy is extremely unhappy. She says that, as a local chef, she uses cranberries all the time in her cooking and is tired of being on the bottom.

On the top, we have Doug, Katie, and Mei Lin. Seems like the first time in a while that Greg hasn’t been part of the top group. Doug’s bourbon and cranberry pork tenderloin, Tiffani says, demonstrated why we love to eat cranberries in the fall. Katie’s cranberry borscht - which, frankly, was the color of Pepto Bismol - was luscious and demonstrated a high degree of difficulty, using cranberries instead of vinegar. Finally, Mei Lin’s sweet and sour pork was “super complex and elegant” - something that Tiffani says she would be happy eating all day.

But in the end, the difficulty and creativity of Katie wins the day. She’ll have immunity during the Elimination Challenge.

Padma notes that with the cranberry sauces out of the way, it’s time to serve up the rest of Thanksgiving dinner. Since the very first Thanksgiving was held in Plymouth Rock, just forty miles south of Boston, the cheftestants will be serving up a Thanksgiving meal straight out of the 1600s. They’ll need to create a traditional feast using only native ingredients and ingredients brought over on the Mayflower, and they won’t get a look at the kitchen or the kitchen equipment until they actually arrive in Plymouth. Sounds daunting. Participating as a guest judge will be Ken Oringer (an iconic Boston chef), and descendants of the Wampanoag Tribe and the Mayflower colonists will be the diners.

Back in the loft that night, the chefs discuss their memories of Thanksgiving. And with such a diverse cast, it’s a multicultural affair. Katsuji notes that they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Mexico, but it’s an American tradition that he loves. Mei comments that during Thanksgiving, her family eats a big duck stuffed with sticky rice. Melissa chimes in that she’s had the same experience.

Off on the side, not really interacting with the group, is Stacy. Greg thinks that she’s upset with always being on the bottom. He’s right. Stacy is taking her loss in the cranberry Quickfire hard (“I should have had that Quickfire!”) and feels really alone. She Facetimes with her Marine Corps boyfriend, who’s deployed overseas, and cries. She describes her increasing vulnerability as “turning into a little bitch.” She says that the conversation helped her morale. I’m not so sure.

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