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Marjorie, Chad, and Carl are announced as the judges’ favorites. Padma loved the flavors in Chad’s ceviche, which was deliciously seasoned and fresh. Marjorie’s dish was in recognition of how “green” she was as a chef ten years ago, but aside from the color, Tom declares that there was nothing “green” about the dish. Finally, Gail really appreciated how Carl’s dish allowed the judges to enjoy “classic, timeless French cooking.”

Michael says that the winner today is the person who embraced the challenge the best and, quite simply, cooked the best plate of food. While that leads me to think Carl will take home the honors, it’s Marjorie who gets her second Elimination win of the season. Can you say “dark horse”?

Kwame, Philip, and Jason are called up as the judges’ least favorites - leading me to wonder whether Jeremy got a pass simply because he was immune. Kwame blames his dish on the fact that he has few positive memories from 10 years ago - a fact that showed up on his plate. Michael notes that he perhaps made this challenge bigger than it needed to be and simply didn’t get past it. Ya think?

Padma found Philip’s dish just underwhelming, as the sweet potato purée overwhelmed any acidic components. Philip says that he erred by not keeping in mind the fact that the judging panel likes spice. Tom has had enough with this “I can’t seem to cook in a way that pleases the judges.” He tells Philip that the judges “don’t want any of that, we just want good food.” Padma advises Philip to go back to his roots for inspiration.

Finally, Gail just never found that the components in Jason’s dish came together. “I get that 10 years ago, you were cooking in a different place,” she says, “but I was still expecting to see the current you giving us inspiration from 10 years ago.” Tom asks Jason “what’s going on? You seem to be really tight, it feels like there’s no joy in your food right now.” I’m stunned by how personal Tom is getting - a rarity, to be sure.

Jason responds that he simply hasn’t felt like himself. He left his restaurant before starting on Top Chef, trying to change things up to find some joy. Tom says, “I get that. You sacrificed a lot trying to figure out what’s worth it. It’s a tough place to be.”

It’s about to get even tougher cause Jason will be leaving the show. That almost feels like a double blow. This guy is trying to find himself and it’s not gonna happen with the assistance (or forum) of Top Chef. While Chef Shirley Chung was able to find herself by running the culinary gauntlet of Top Chef last season, Jason is getting cut off at the knees.

He says in closing that he’s always believed that life is a state of flux - that people have to keep moving from one place to another. Though people are sometimes afraid of change, it can be exciting. Hopefully Jason will be able to find is footing in whatever he chooses to do post-Top Chef.

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