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5) Travis
This ranking was tough for me in that I believe Travis is easily the most likely player to be eliminated tonight. If he is, I do not give him much of a shot against Louis in Last Chance Kitchen, either. Why do I have him ranked this high? I have to acknowledge his greatness as Front of the House during Restaurant Wars. I also have to allow for the possibility that I have misjudged him as a chef because I dislike his immaturity and selfishness. He doesn’t act 27, but he is the youngest player remaining this season. He deserves some slack if he does come across as bratty at times because there may be a younger brother dynamic at play that isn’t being highlighted by the editing. I think he is out of his depth at this point in Top Chef. I still want to reward him for an absolutely amazing performance last week, though.

6) Stephanie
She had very little presence overall last week, which speaks more to the chaos in the other restaurant. All we saw from Stephanie was what I would imagine we would see if we were ever in her kitchen. She was organized, respectful and precise. I honestly do not know where Stephanie ranks among the best players this season. What I can say with confidence is that she is one of the most likable contestants to date. She is also possibly the most human. She strikes me as a deeply insecure person. I find that strange because as a casual observer, I am amazed by how comfortable she is in her own skin when she talks on camera. Stephanie is goofy, sarcastic and absolutely hysterical.

7) Carlos
I feel like I am picking on Carlos by dropping him this far after elevating him to second place last week. Here is my thinking. Yes, Carlos was the one person who appreciated that a restaurant without a meticulously planned menu would lose. Unfortunately, his food was the worst on his team other than Sara, whose emulsion broke. Also, I struggle to give Carlos a pass for knowing that his teammates were screwing up but then allowing himself to be shouted down on the topic. In allowing Justin to be the alpha without more of a fight, Carlos doomed Found. He is a nice man and a wonderful chef. His desire to get along was costly in Restaurant Wars, though.

8) Justin
Hoo boy. After a strong start, Justin has fallen on hard times the past two episodes. He could have been sent home either time, and the New Orleans chef knows it. Even though the editing all but shouted “IT’S SARA” the entire episode, Justin still believed he was the ultimate loser of Restaurant Wars. His decision making was shaky the entire episode, starting with the odd fixation on design rather than food. While Sara shared the blame for the ticket firing fiasco, Justin did not express his will effectively to his wait staff. More than any other mistake, that was the one that doomed Found. Justin took on too much and he almost suffered the same fate as Kristen Kish last season because of it.

9) Brian
I briefly considered slotting Justin last of the remaining players in the winner’s bracket. Eventually, I settled upon Brian for the obvious reasons. Thus far, his hip tang is all that prevents him from being a non-winner. No, I do not count the challenge where he served Nina’s dish as his own. With regards to Restaurant Wars, yes, Brian was on the winning team. Had Fin lost, however, he was the definitive choice for elimination. His mistake was understandable yet it would have been fatal. At this point, Brian and Travis both strike me as being in the “happy to be here still” category.

10) Louis
Two wins against stellar opponents keep hope alive for Louis. The heads up battle seems better suited to his natural talents. Louis is prone to defer to the will of others while in a group. At Last Chance Kitchen, he is on an island with no help forthcoming. I do not believe his greater success in this format is coincidental. I also believe that a couple of the “lesser” remaining chefs would not match up well against him, meaning Louis could stick around for a while.

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