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Greg uses his first pick to grab Doug. While Doug’s TC credentials are clear, I wonder how motivated and or clear-headed he’ll be after his recent devastating elimination. Mei, predictably, goes with Melissa. “Duh, I want Melissa,” she says, explaining her selection. I laugh out loud.

As his second sous, Greg goes with George, who he praises for his grasp of flavor. Mei, in somewhat of a surprise choice, goes with Rebecca. Expounding on this selection, Mei tells us that she plans on making a dessert and wants Rebecca’s pastry skills in her kitchen. A smart, strategic choice.

Padma offers the closing instructions. The two teams will have an hour to shop and then five hours to prep and cook the next day. Mei will serve first, followed by Greg. The judging panel will be Padma, Tom, Gail, Hugh, and Richard Blais. Also in attendance will be a number of highly-respected chefs like Traci Des Jardins. There are audible gasps from the finalists as Padma reels off the names of the other diners. Mei says she’ll need to put out the best food of her life.

Greg and Mei immediately start discussing their menus on the way to the supermarket - clearly, they’ve already put a lot of thought into what they want to make. Greg notes that he did a lot of Asian dishes while in Boston, but has now become enamored with all of the Mexican ingredients he’s seen, tasted, and used during the finale. He’s going to make all new dishes with those ingredients for his final meal, displaying his diversity and showing that he’s not a one-trick pony.

As for Mei, she’s going to do dishes that represent her as a chef and showcase her Chinese heritage, while also integrating ingredients from Mexico. Additionally, in a HUGE risk, she’s making a dessert.

Alarm bells immediately go off in my head. Dessert has frequently been the downfall of great chefs - we’ve so often seen chefs doing all savory dishes triumphing over others who opted to do a dessert instead of another savory course. Mei acknowledges that dessert is not her specialty, but says that she worked the pastry station at Brian Voltaggio’s restaurant in preparation for the finale and got inspired. “It’s go time,” she says, “I’m ready to bang out a dessert.”

Oh boy.

Once the shopping is done, the sous chefs take responsibility for making dinner. Mei and Greg head out to the back patio to talk about their respective plans and menus for the finale. Mei notes that Greg, through his menu, is pushing himself in a different direction, doing mostly Mexican-inspired dishes. She knows that she’ll only be able to win by showcasing more flavor and technique.

Before we know it, the cooking has begun. Melissa starts breaking down some duck while Rebecca is tasked with dessert. Mei reminds the two that this has to be the best four-course meal of all of their careers. Over the season, Mei says, the judges have characterized her food as subtle and clean, but today she wants to feature bold flavors, the kind that the judges have not seen before from her.

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