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In Fine Form: Gregory and Bryan Voltaggio

Another day, another fine performance by Gregory where he very nearly wins the Elimination Challenge. He has yet to turn in anything close to a mediocre dish. He’s basically lightyears ahead of the rest of the chefs. But joining him near the top, for the first time, is Bryan Voltaggio, who finally delivers the performance we all knew he was capable of. A Gregory vs. Bryan finale would be must-see-TV.

Stuck in the Middle: Melissa and Karen

At least one BOPer was sure that Melissa was going home last episode, as she served the single worst dish of the 14-dish brunch buffet. Lucky, she was saved by her congee. This makes the second episode in a row where Melissa has been in the “bottom,” with her team losing Restaurant Wars. Melissa is still likely to make the finale, but this is the most precarious situation we’ve seen her in so far. As for Karen, she performed great last week and showed why she’s a James Beard Award-winning chef. If she can stave off the mental and physical fatigue, she could very well snag the fourth finale spot.

Dangling on the Edge: Stephanie and Brian Malarkey

Stephanie and Brian seem perpetually on the verge of elimination. Stephanie seems to deal with at least one sizable mental block every episode, and Brian, apart from his annoyingly manic persona, has only excelled when skills other than cooking (front of house during Restaurant Wars and pitching a restaurant concept) are required. I’m not sure how either of them has lasted this long. If one or both were to make it to the finale, that would be thievery on the scale of grand larceny.