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Carlos is preparing pork belly. While I believe his days on the show are numbered, I immediately decide that he is fine for this week once I see the product he is handed. The grocery store has some of the finest pork belly I have ever seen. If he blows this dish, it is an unforgivable affront to the pig that died so that the judges may have deliciousness.

Now is the moment on the show when we remember that Nick and Carlos have a Moonlighting kind of thing going on. Nick, the Cybill Shepherd in the relationship, has placed three pots in a certain location. Carlos, that inconsiderate David Addison archetype, does not heed the request/demand to leave Nick’s pots untouched. What follows is repetition of the word “pot” until it loses all meaning. Seriously, if I had a Bitcoin for every time Nick says “pot” or “carrot” in this episode, I would have a million dollars. No wait, now it’s eight hundred dollars. Anyway, he says those two words a lot.

The mistake of the day belongs to Nick. After demonstrating how fastidious he is with regards to pot placement, Nick places a pan of quinoa in the oven. His intention is to cook it at 275 degrees. The temperature gauge clearly shows that it is set to 500 degrees instead. When Nina smells something burning, Nick instantly recognizes that his quinoa is ruined.

Nick accusingly mentions that he set the thermostat to 275, hinting at sabotage. Hopefully, he apologized to his fellow competitors after the episode aired because this mistake was 100% his own. Nina commented earlier in the episode that Nick has a quick trigger temper. His behavior here reinforces her belief. Nick is having a bad couple of episodes.

This week’s challenge is a case of the haves and have nots. Shirley is one of the haves. She presents a plate of seared snapper with crustacean broth, silken tofu & napa cabbage. The judges collectively lick their lips with joy. “This is really delicious,” says Tom Colicchio. That statement alone identifies that Shirley has a strong chance of winning the challenge. The better compliment comes from Gail Simmons. She adds, “I’m like drooling on myself at this point. It’s sooo good.”

Nina is also a have. She provides a marvelous looking plate of fettuccine with charred calamari, pine nut gremolata & crab meat. I don’t like 75% of those ingredients yet I would take a bite of this. The plate is that appealing. Tom gives her the best compliment possible. “At this stage of the game, this is how they should be cooking.” Since Shirley has immunity, Nina is one of the four players up for elimination tonight. Her meal’s quality is bad news for the three men who have yet to provide their dishes.

Brian is the first of the three remaining men to present his dish. He provides a chicken anticucho with twice cooked potatoes & feta walnut pesto. And here is the problem with his dish. Brian had his choice of any protein for this particular meal. He oddly chose skinless chicken breast, something you can find for $5 in the frozen section of your grocery store. The other chefs were aghast at this decision, preferring refined proteins.

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