Top Chef: "Give Me Your Huddled Masses"

Remember when I said a few weeks ago that the Top Chef competitors seemed to be confused as to what reality show in which they were participating? Well, it seems as if the producers are a bit confused too, what with the tearful family reunions this week being a page right out of Survivor's book. If only the husband, wife and mothers had to compete in the challenge rather than acting only as passive judges. Nonetheless, I thought this was an all-around great episode of Top Chef. Here's the Good, Bad and Ugly from "Give Me Your Huddled Masses."

The Good:

• The quickfire. The design of this quickfire was great. I really liked seeing the chefs being constrained to a limited number of ingredients and cooking methods. I also loved that they weren't given a specific time for the challenge. Instead, they had to whip up an edible dish in the time it took for their ferry to travel from dock to dock. Now that's a true test of a chef's creativity. I have to say, I may start wearing a bracelet embroidered with the letters WWBD, for What Would Blais Do, because the man has a solution for pretty much every culinary conundrum that comes his way. Though his ego usually anoints himself the king of every challenge, I d agree that his hot dog creation should have won over Carla's carrot-juice-soaked oranges. Richard was resourceful and creative, the key to winning almost any quickfire challenge.
• The elimination challenge. Maybe it was just an excuse for the producers to spill the beans on Mike and Antonia's shared branch of their family trees, but I really liked the concept and execution of this week's elimination challenge. Antonia's "good nose" may have been able to sniff out Padma's perfume at the chefs' apartment earlier in the day, but when she hazarded a guess on the elimination challenge (base jumping off a building and frying an egg before hitting the ground), she was a bit off. Regardless of Antonia's inability to sniff out the family reunion challenge, though, it was fun to see the frazzled chefs getting a chance to pore over their ancestries with a loved one. Surprisingly absent was any mention of Carla's Fraggle lineage, but we did discover the roots of Richard's competitive spirit and Tiffany's laugh (so piercing that my dogs actually stopped what they were doing to stare at the television). And apparently, the added pressure of cooking for family helped each chef execute a near-perfect dish. I feel an idea for a new series coming on -- Top Chef: Families. Each chef is paired with a member of their family who is not nearly as skilled with a knife. It could work. Call me, Andy Cohen.

The Bad:

• Padma's big trick. Okay, it was no surprise to the viewers that Padma wasn't really telling Richard to pack his knives and go, but she almost gave the poor guy a stroke for no good reason! If you've ever wanted to see someone's heart break right before your eyes, this was your chance. I hope that Top Chef will have medics at the ready for the next few eliminations, because if Blais reaches the end of his road, a defibrillator might be necessary.

The Ugly:

• Indecisive judges. I thought for sure that the photo of Mikey's flaming dance costume and the burning towel at his feet in the kitchen were foreshadowing for his ultimate demise. But evidently a good nose must run in the family because Antonia's mom suggested that the judges have a final five and -- what do you know? -- it came to be. There are three ways the judges could have arrived at the decision to send all of the contestants to the finale: 1. They truly value Antonia's mom's opinions (not likely) 2. They had planned on sending all five chefs to the finale, regardless of the results of this challenge. 3. The chefs really did make such good meals that sending anyone home would have been a case of splitting hairs. Though I think option number three is the most likely of a choice for how this decision went down, it's still a bit disappointing. Maybe I just feel that Tiffany has worn out her welcome, and I'd like to see her two-step it back to Texas. But even if Carla had gone home instead, at least it wouldn't have been a cop-out. Top Chef has to have winners and losers. There is always a dish that is dubbed inferior to the others. If I wanted to see a trophy awarded to all participants, I'd go to a kindergarten T-ball tournament. I wish that Tom and crew had been a little less wishy-washy and followed the challenge protocol rather than taking the easy way out.

So now it's off to the Bahamas with a cast of five. Any predictions on the winner of Top Chef: All Stars?