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The chefs show up at Plymouth and are dumfounded. Not only will their ingredients be limited to those that were actually available in 1600s, but so will their kitchen tools. There are spit fires, old iron pots, dullish knives, big wooden spoons… this is gonna be interesting.

The chefs divide up into two groups for purposes of cooking and serving. Keriann wants to do a “free form blueberry pie,” which is amongst the worst ideas I’ve heard this season. Not only is it a dessert (always a danger), and not only is it tried and trite (who hasn’t eaten a blueberry pie before?), but it’s free form. That’s the kind of description used when a dish falls on the floor and has to be smooshed back together into some marginally palatable form.

Thankfully for her, Keriann realizes that her dough won’t come together without ice. She changes her dish to be venison with a (repurposed) blueberry sauce.

Katie, meanwhile, is doing a bizarre-sounding stuffing with a heavy inclusion of blueberries. She says that she’s ready to take a big leap because she has immunity. More power to her.

Mei is doing another bizarre-sounding dish: roasted cabbage with trout vinaigrette and duck fat. Every season, Tom asks some chef “Did you honestly think you could win with X and X dish?” His point is typically that you are not a “Top Chef” if you serve up middling dishes that lack imagination and innovation. I can already hear him saying to Mei at Judges Table, “Did you honestly think you’d win with roasted cabbage?” I decide to trust that Mei knows what she’s doing.

As the cooking continues, the chefs start to complain about the heat. Greg says that he feels sweaty and gross. Keriann can’t wait to take a shower that night. I start to laugh. This is obviously not Boston in the week before Thanksgiving. There are few in that city who complain about heat at the end of November. The judges and diners sit down at their table. It is quite obviously midday in the summer, and the guests are all baking in direct Boston sunlight. Again, I laugh out loud. Who in their right mind eats outdoors in Boston around Thanksgiving?

Meanwhile, Stacy is plating a clam dish. She’s squatting in the dirt, pulling clams out of her iron skillet and adding garnishments. Adam wonders from a hygiene perspective whether that’s a good idea.

The first group is up and they’re an unambiguous hit with the judges and diners. Doug’s spit-roasted rabbit gets raves. Katsuji has a roasted butternut squash with lobster and Tom loves the pairing. Stacy has ramp-smoked claims with butternut squash and Tom is thrilled to see her serve up “dirty food” - meaning that she allowed the dish to look rustic and focused on her flavors (though Gail and Padma note some strange sage-y, unpleasant aftertaste). Finally, Melissa has a roasted vegetable medley side dish. Tom wishes that the zucchini were cooked a little more but states that the dish had a lot of flavor. He then compliments the entire group: “You all really brought it.”

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