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It quickly appears that it’s going to be bust, as Carl is instantly in the weeds during the first part of his three hours. There’s no time to cure the foie gras as he typically would, so he’s instead going to do a foie gras en gelée. His fellow chefs look at him with equal parts mad respect and utter bewilderment.

Tom and Hubert enter the kitchen and saunter over to Marjorie’s station. She instantly seizes up. Never a relaxed or amicable chef, she’s even tenser than usual. Instead of chatting about her dish, she babbles about how much pressure this challenge will be given the setting, the diners, the stakes, the competition, the finale, the - oh lord, just put her out of her misery already.

Tom and Hubert head over to Isaac, who’s trying to do his version of a duck ballotine. Tom is surprised and asks whether he’ll have time to finish the dish. Isaac notes the risk but has his eyes on the reward.

Jeremy is next and notes that his old boss, Jean-Georges, would be severely disappointed in Jeremy if he didn’t at least make it to the finale. His former prodigy, Gregory, last season’s runner up, at least made it to the final two.

Carl is last, and Tom cannot believe that he’s attempting a torchon. “A torchon? In three hours?” Tom asks, aghast. Carl explains why he was drawn to the dish and declares that he’s “cautiously optimistic” that it’ll work out.

The diners start arriving. It’s an assortment of amazing chefs like Michael Chiarello, and Top Chef-related chefs old (Harold, winner of Season 1) and new (last year’s finalist, Melissa). What an amazing group of people to cook for.

Their first dish is from Isaac, who has his duck ballotine with beluga lentils, broiled figs, and an aged balsamic cherry gastrique. Hubert and Tom enjoy the flavor, but Emeril notes that the skin on the ballotine didn’t get crispy because it was cooked at too high a temperature. Tom also finds the dish too dry and wishes there were more sauce.

Marjorie is next up, and she’s still freaking out. She paces back and forth, trying to figure out when to start cooking her lamb. She knows that she could cook this dish with her eyes closed back at her own restaurant, but the size of the moment is getting to her. Finally, she serves up a roasted lamb saddle with artichoke purée, an artichoke barigoule, and roasted squash, tomatoes, and olives. Tom criticizes the dish for not having meat roasted on the bone. Hubert agrees that the meat was not cooked correctly. Emeril, who’s also at the judge’s table, says that while the dish could have been perfect with a few tweaks, it wasn’t there.

Taco Dude is next up with a decidedly non-taco dish: a filet de loup de mer, truffled potato purée, pommes soufflé, and heirloom tomatoes. Padma absolutely adores it, declaring that Jeremy “nailed” the dish. Gail agrees that the small details in the dish really take it to the next level. Tom says it’s “technically great.”

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