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As final preparations take place in the kitchen, the diners start to arrive. I wonder aloud how much I would dislike attending a dinner in black tie attire only to be told that there are no napkins and I'll be eating with my hands. I suppose that this crowd, unlike me, doesn't usually fret about the cost of dry cleaning.

The Green Team of Philip, Jeremy, and Amar are up first. Philip says that after his “therapy session” with the judges, he feels free to be himself. Thus, at a BEEFsteak event, he offers a New Zealand rack of lamb with prune jam. The bone has been Frenched, so diners are able to take hold with one hand and start gnawing. Unfortunately (for me), everyone appears to enjoy the jam. Amar has a roasted halibut with mustard vinaigrette that most diners find too “dainty” for the Beefsteak. Jeremy finishes off with two sides: fried brussels sprouts with sweet and sour sauce, and roasted carrots and spiced yogurt. Tom declares that everything was seasoned and cooked well, but wishes that the meal had left more of a mess at the end of it.

Next are Isaac, Chad, and Marjorie. Isaac plops down a plate holding a huge coil of chicken and pork sausage, winding and twisting around itself. Imagine the excesses of Nicki Minaj's “Anaconda” video and apply it to a plate of chicken sausage and that's pretty much what's served up. The diners love the look of the dish but Hugh criticizes the taste and the fact that it lacked fat.

Chad has seared tuna with citrus and microgreens. That brings derision from everyone. “What the hell are microgreens doing here?” Padma yells as she flings her microgreens across the table.

Finally, Marjorie has her two sides: assorted pickles vegetables and milk bread, which is intended to be used as a vehicle for sopping up food, as a napkin to get food off of one's fingers, etc. I worry about Marjorie falling into the trap of doing something too modest for a challenge, but everyone loves her dishes. Whew.

The last team starts off with Kwame's peel-and-eat Cajun shrimp, which he's made before and knows will be a huge hit. The diners love the fact that the platter is piled high with shrimp, but the mood quickly turns sour. The shrimp is overcooked and far too salty-Padma makes a disgusted, I-really-want-to-spit-this-out face that says it all.

Karen and Carl collaborated on a roasted NY strip loin with romesco-the only beef in the entire meal. It's declared delicious but again, too hoity-toity. The judges want more of a “caveman” approach to the meet.

Finally, Karen has two side dishes: asparagus with chorizo, and potatoes with olives. No one offers any comments one way or another on them.

Back in the Stew Room, the chefs are all a bit relieved to hear that each group struggled with making food appropriate for the occasion-that everyone still seemed to have a “tweezified” hangover from the Quickfire.

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