Muffin – Moonen thinks it was a perfect job, and the insides were almost molten. Ripert liked the spiciness of the sauce and easy to eat. Tom found it tidy.

Tiffany – Tom says it was not messy, and Tiffany agrees that if it is not messy, she would not trust it. Tom liked the cumin seed, Moonen felt you needed to wrestle it but it was fun.
Muffin wins. Tiffany took both last week, and now Muffin. This team is good. Muffin wins Moonen’s book and a trip to Australia. Just stay off Oceanic Airlines.

Amanda – Tom liked the chance taken and Ripert says the oxidized fish gave the impression of spoilage. Amanda says if not in the challenge, she would make this dish at the last possible moment. Tom thinks she still had time to do that properly. She should have cut it herself, not a grinder.

Sbarro – The idea didn’t come across well. Ripert gets him on the skewer length and the sogginess from the fries. Sbarro wanted all the flavors in one bite, and Tom says it was not necessary.

Kelly – Moonen felt she treated the crab with respect, but a little soft. It needed a crunchy vegetable. Ripert agreed about the crab, but the bacon was too thick and too fat.

Angelo – The pork was good but the bread not so much according to Padma. She felt the amount of bread and sugar flavor was too much. Ripert said the cabbage only added to the sugar amount.

In the end it was clear that Amanda was doomed. The fish was clearly the worst dish of the day. She lasted a lot longer than anyone thought she would, as she said, she was the last sous chef standing. The other five are all older pros. So, good job Amanda. You should do well over time. Maybe Rep. Schock is ready to call.

Quickfire Hits
• The food must have inspired Dunn – in the highlights of the game we see he takes Atlanta’s Tim Hudson deep for a homer.
• I love the dumb fight between Sbarro and Angelo – “Chill out.” “I’m not gonna chill out.” “Ok, you’re the bad boy on the show.” Bad Boy? Sbarro?
• Angelo reads Anthony Robbins books, chants mantras and taped up photos of Four-Star Chefs growing up. Dude. Is a Freak.
• Amanda on Adam Dunn – “These were the largest men I have ever seen, Tom, you and your tree trunks need to leave!”
• Sbarro as the fans start coming in – “It’s gonna start getting ugly in here.” Muffin – “It got ugly the minute you walked in.” I would pay to see the comedy stylings of Muffin and Sbarro.
• Kelly on the ballplayers – “They were really cute, they make a girl weak in the knees.” Hey now. That whisky-mailing husband is home watching.
• Angelo talks to his Russian girlfriend on the phone for five hours a day. Verizon’s best friend. He wants to win in order to pay for her visa. Um, the prize is $125,000 – is he planning to bribe some immigration officer?

Next week – I will be on a boat. So you get the brilliance of Hell’s Kitchen writer, SusanF (Thanks for the help!). And just two weeks after I went to NASA in Houston, I miss a chance to review Top Chef’s NASA challenge with Buzz Aldrin. Damn.

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