Hector looked like a good chef. I really think that they just did not want to kick another female off of the show this season.

Also, I thought that the comment about the higher level of the chefs this season than any other by this point was funny. Are they really that much better? A few of them are excellent, but most seem just Ok. Too funny that the real competition seems to be between the brothers. There are a half dozen this year that are solid to this point. This is fun. I am glad that TC6 is bringing it this season.

Wow! What a group to judge this week. That must have been fun. ^

Jenn C continues to kick .... Fantastic!

The Volt. brothers are really creative. Very impressive.

Add Kevin and they'd make the final 4. Too bad they're all in this season...they would surely have won if they were in the previous seasons separately. It's like night and day compared to the previous "winners" like Ilan and Hosea...*blech*

Don't really need a translator, I'd listen to Chef Robuchon all day long if he can talk that much! :D

Has anyone else noticed that when they talk, nothing moves but their mouths and then barely. It's as though they have had massive amounts of plastic surgery.

I thought Ashley was gone when Frenchie (who screwed up the sauce with the bacon) lied about not vetoing the asparagus in the sauce. Nothing worse than a liar. I hope he goes next.

I'm still a bit confused about the whole asparagus thing. When Ashley asked about it in the store he DID veto it saying something about how it doesn't go with veloute sauce, and she walked away without it. Then it wound up on the plate anyway. Maybe I blinked and missed something.

Maybe I misunderstood. I thought she wanted it in the veloute sauce as (I thought) Tom suggested at judges table. I thought that is what he was vetoing. Anyway, it's deleted now! :D

I'm a big fan of Kevin, though the brothers and Jenn are amazing as well.

You HAVE to be able to roast and carve a tenderloin to have a hope of lasting on this show.

That being said, I thought Ashley would have been voted off (perhaps there is something to the 4 females in a row would have unbalanced the show).

I was also amazed that the frog leg dish didn't make it to the chopping block. It looked blah and unappealing.

I was floored by both of the winning dishes tonight. Deconstructed Béarnaise! Wow. That rabbit looked fantastic as well.

Agree with all the comments about last night's show.

My only addition is that I do not like an elimination on a quick fire challenge. As Collicchio (sp?) himself said, it's hard to send someone home after one small taste.

Actually, he had more than one small taste. The escargot dish was a pretty good indicator of which one really deserved to go home.

I sometimes wonder if it's just about the food or sometimes is about the personality of the chef or prejudices of the judges (e.g., I didn't like what this person cooked the last two weeks so I'm not going to like this either).

Agreed, that's how I read the situation as well.

Based on the judges' blogs (even on past seasons) the producers have only intervened once or twice (Marcel's headshaving attempt and maybe the refrigerator failure). The judges really don't care if it's a male or female chef leaving.

If you look at the accolades and caliber of chefs of this season compared to all the previous seasons, you'll notice that this season's cast is noticeably stronger. It seems like half of this season's cast has received or been nominated for some James Beard or Food&Wine award. Most are head/executive chefs. Stage/training/worked at top restaurants worldwide.

My only minor issue with the casting this season is that aside from Hector and possibly Preethi, the cooking is pretty homogenized to American/French styles.

I absolutely love this show, and I think the contestants are a mixed bag. Quite a few people who have been sent home already I had to wonder how they got onto the show in the first place. That being said, Jenn, the brothers and Kevin are quite talented. And Michael from the brothers is quite cute ;)

j

Bingo! We have a winner!! ^ ^

Couldn't agree more.

Noooooooooooooooooooo! Hated seeing Mike I. win $15K.

Mike V. is hanging out with Mike I. too much...starting to act and sound like a sore loser.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees! Another win for Bryan. The only dish that fit in the theme AND seemed delicious.

What's with using seafood on a desert ranch? 3 ceviches?!

As soon as Tom spit out his food I knew the french guy was done.