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Last up is Doug, who says he’s feeling the most pressure he’s felt in his whole life. He knows it’s a big risk to roast whole loaves of foie gras, and is even more nervous given that he didn’t have enough time to rest them. Serving the fois gras alongside roasted peaches, Tom finds the protein both over-seared and undercooked. He chastises Doug for not cooking his meat slower and providing more time to rest. Jacques calls the foie gras flabby and uncooked inside.

With two initial successes and three foul outs, it seems pretty clear which of the chefs will be on top and which will be up for elimination. Judges Table bears this out. Tom opens by saying that Julia Child was not about making a personal mark with her own style, but about teaching people about basic French technique… and that while the food was overall good tonight, technical flaws held some chefs back.

On top, predictably, are Greg and Mei. I’m not surprised. I’m sure everyone following this season knew from the very first episode that Greg and Mei were the class of the bunch, and thus it’s wholly appropriate to see them on top this far into the season.

Tom says that Greg made a straightforward coq au vin, while Mei took inspiration from standard duck a l’orange and put her own spin on it. He asks Greg why his dish should win, who responds that trying to recreate what Julia actually made is the “highest form of homage.” When asked why she should win, Mei says that she sought to pay homage but also to find a way to put a little bit of herself into the dish.

In announcing the judge’s unanimous decision, Jacques says that the two dishes were classic and displayed proper technique - Julia would have enjoyed eating both. However, all of the judges agreed that Mei should win. Mei is overjoyed, as Julia Child was a huge inspiration to her growing up.

Tom does the honor of indicting all three of the bottom dishes, noting that each one featured an underdone protein. George knew that it would be tough to get a proper braise done in three hours. Jacques chides him for taking the meat out of its cooking liquid and them putting it back in - that dried out his protein. Melissa says that in retrospect, she would have chosen a different protein. Jacques didn’t like her that meat was crusty on top but not “melty” inside. Finally, Doug admits that he didn’t have enough time to properly prepare his foie gras. Hugh Acheson says that his meat was “all charred on top and all raw inside.”

Surprising no one, Doug is being sent home. Tom says that the challenge was about “mastering the art of French technique” - something Doug did not do. He says that Doug’s foie gras was “not just undercooked, it was practically raw in the center.” Doug looks on, totally stunned. You can see the devastation on his face, even as his fellow chefs hug him goodbye.

“It was an ambitious dish that just didn’t work out,” he laments in his departing commentary. “Disappointment doesn’t even come close to describing” what he’s feeling. He vows to get back into the competition, though, via Last Chance Kitchen. Good luck to him.

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