COMPETING WITH KNIVES

Anyone For "Trout With Deconstructed Bearnaise?" A Top Chef Recap

IT'S A NEW DAY AND THE CHEFS REFLECT ON what they have been through, what's ahead for them in the game.

Mike I. doesn't think he should have been on the bottom of the last challenge but he's going to outshine everyone. Robin s nervous that the girls are getting kick off one-by-one and hopes she's not next.

For the Quickfire Challenge, guest judge Daniel Boulud will decide which chef has the best dish on making snails/escargot as the main protein. Jen says that whoever thinks snail looked good to eat must have been really f***ing hungry. For this challenge the winner will get $15K and immunity, and the loser gets an early exit! What a twist! Suddenly it's not about winning but trying not to lose.

The winner of the challenge: Kevin with his Escargot fricassee with mushrooms, brussels sprouts and candied bacon jam dish. And three in the bottom of the challenge were Jesse, Robin and Ashley. The girls get a final round before one's kicked out of the kitchen for good. The task: to make one final amuse-bouche to please the judges and win their way back into the game. After a bland tuna tartare with sorrel, gooseberries, fried quail egg and fried bread, Jesse packs her knives and goes.

Another female is gone and now it's time for the Elimination Challenge. The girls have to step it up or give up and just let the guys win.

The chefs drew knives with proteins and sauces written on them. The six chefs with the sauces must pair up with the six protein chefs to make a dish. Frenchy Mattin feels like the challenge was made just for him. But Bryan wins with a warm cured trout with deconstructed bearnaise dish.

And the losing teams are Hector and Ash and Mattin and Ashley. Oops, Mattin, I guess you're not French enough to impress judges with your oui oui French cooking.

And in the end, due to his lack of perfection when it came to cutting meat, Hector is told to pack his knives and go.

Nicki R. is a Southern girl living in the big city of Chicago. She loves quiet evenings a home watching horror films with her dogs Jezebelle and Zombie. Check out her blog, Hey, Look Behind You!