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Thank goodness they are finished in Kentucky because I will never again have to see that smug, knowing look on Sara’s face when something Kentucky-related is mentioned. I am sad that Justin lost but he succumbed to the siren song of a dish made 2 ways. Timing is tricky, I’m sure, but before you make raw fish, consider what will happen to it under the heat lamp. How in the world is a plate of food “feminine?” Does it have ovaries? One of the things that bugs me a little about Top Chef is its self-importance and its need to inject deeper meaning into every component on the plate. I just want to see them cook good food.

So it’s back to being called Kentucky Fried Chicken instead of KFC? The product placement is so ham- handed this season. The local table and chair rental company even got a mention and a shot of their truck. I always enjoy the blindfolded taste test. I would be lucky to name salt and pepper correctly. I’m old enough to remember Muhammad Ali in his prime and I also loved the moment when he lit the Olympic flame in Atlanta. I thought this challenge was kind of contrived but I was very happy for Eric. It clearly meant so much to him. NotGail needs to tone it down a few hundred notches. She is so loud and seemed to dominate the judges’ table. I’m going to need Gail back asap. I think Nilou (is that her name?)is auditioning for her job. I wonder what this “gala” was? It seemed to be only white people in the crowd.

It was really good to see Ed Lee again. I liked him on his season and l’m glad he’s doing well. I did not like the elimination challenge. Too much like Food Network garbage. I thought the taunting was way over the top, even when it was directed at heinous egomaniac Sara. Another aspect I didn’t like? Featuring John Calipari, who somehow slithered out of the consequences of being the head coach of dirty programs at Umass and Memphis. I usually have a favorite well before this point in the season, but I have finally settled on Eric. I hope that doesn’t mean he’ll be out next week. I can live with anyone winning except Sara.

For the second week in a row, I was completely grossed out that people had to eat the food that Adrienne prepared. Someone who has recently vomited should not be touching other people’s food. I do not like these personal challenges because, like tonight, they often devolve into sob stories. I really just want to watch them cook. This season’s group just does not seem as talented as chefs in other seasons. None of the dishes in the elimination challenge looked very refined to me. And it seems as if they’re using a lot more beef. I guess it’s more available in Kentucky than fresh seafood?

I adore Dmitri but that outfit was all kinds of fug. Few people imo would like to wear a completely see through top/nipple band aid combo with bonus tulle shoulder tumor. Do better, Dmitri. At least outlast Michele, who may be my least favorite PR contestant ever. Saying that, go fuck yourself right back to 1875, Jasper. I generally only watch the beginning to find out the challenge and then skip to the runway, so I missed his instructions on how women should walk. I had to rewind to make sure I really heard him say”behind every great man there’s a great woman.” Tell that to Nancy Pelosi, asshole. It’s not even possible that that hideous lattice skirt/peplum schmatta won. Perhaps it would be the cheapest to mass produce? Although I don’t think the masses are clamoring to buy that.

Who wants to eat roast pork on a boat in stupendously hot weather? Brian and his highly inflated opinion of his own skills needed to go. Eddie is such a downer of a person. I’m certainly no fan of Kelsey, but as she kept reminding us, this is what she does for a living. It seems like it was a no-brainer to pick her. When the challenge is to throw a party, why choose Michele and Adrienne? They are fine chefs but seem super introverted. Brian is just a weirdo. David is just there. If I were a guest, I would not have wanted to eat anything Adrienne had touched. And it looks like Justin may have come down with the same thing.

So much eye rolling was done by me during this episode. Eddie continues to bug. He tells his toddler that he’s going to “kiss the shit” out of him when he gets home? I guess I’m old, but who talks to a child like that? And when he started talking about having a spiritual experience watching the Italian butcher work? Come on. Sarah can leave asap. A professional chef, and owner of beef cattle, puts that repulsive little turd on a plate and serves it? They actually all showed what a mediocre group this is. I didn’t think anything looked good. And all Brian talks about is his part time butcher gig, and he hacked the crap out of that meat. Not only are they mediocre, they’re pretty nasty, judging by the way they celebrated Brother’s elimination. I could never judge a quickfire, because it would gross me out too much to have to eat off the same plate as someone else.

I hope they don’t do a three team Restaurant Wars again. Usually I have picked a favorite cheftestant by the time this episode comes along, and I feel more invested in the outcome. At this point in this season, I have barely learned everyone’s name. It was just too chaotic. Nini was clearly the right choice to get the axe. She was foolish to make a dessert that was so labor intensive when she knew she would be FOH. It was painful to watch her wander back and forth from the kitchen without any idea what was happening. I can’t really disagree with eliminating Pablo. That beige smear on the plate looked very unappetizing even though the scallop looked delicious. Justin really dodged a bullet, though. He ran a terrible kitchen and the texture of his bisque looked awful. Kelsey continues to be one of the nastiest cheftestants that I can recall. I was actually surprised when she tried to stick up for Nini, but that didn’t excuse talking to the servers the way she did.

Why did they have to diminish the visit of my beloved Eric Ripert with perennial douche bag Richard Blais? Eric can carry the guest judging by himself, thanks. And while I don’t dislike Brooke Williamson per se, she didn’t add any interest. I think pretty much everything she said began with either “I’m a big fan of...,” or “I’m not a big fan of...” I was glad Nini won again. Her brother’s death was very sad. Not a fan of Kelsey and her death threats. None of the desserts looked all that great to me. I really was hoping Brian would be eliminated. It’s bad enough not to practice at least one dessert when you are chosen for Top Chef, but then to be so dismissive is just obnoxious.

I get that they have to pay the bills, but the product placement for the bourbon was egregious. When Eddie got to the checkout and saw how much the lamb cost, could he not have replaced it with another meat? He bugged me because he knew right then that he was kneecapping his teammates. Instead of fixing it he chose to look like a sad sack and apologize constantly, but he still got to hog a third of their budget. Jerk. I felt bad for Natalie but I don’t know how she thought that dessert would work in that heat and humidity. The quickfire made me realize how much I will miss Gail this season.

Boo. No offense to white men out there, but enough is enough. Adrienne had the best course they’ve ever had, and their worst criticisms of her were not enough banana flavor and some crushed up beans? Bullshit. And I like Joe Flamm, but come on. She should have won. What a lovely bunch of contestants this season. I thought the vibe in the kitchen was so relaxed and encouraging. Yay to seeing Jonathan Waxman and hearing Eric Rupert, but I would have rather seen him. And kudos to the judges for wearing Planned Parenthood pins. A great cause.

I would like to agree with you but I can’t.

I actually hated both challenges. If I had to catch a trout, I would still be in the pond. It was too reminiscent of chopping ingredients out of the ice in the Texas season. And it annoyed me that the chefs were doubly handicapped in the elimination challenge: no protein and then having to cook on the cowboy cauldron. I am thrilled that Adrienne pulled it out. She didn’t allow Bruce to overwhelm her with all his ideas and I appreciated that she mentioned how people assumed that she was the sous chef because she’s a woman. I hate that we still have to put up with this garbage. I was worried for Joe Flamm because I don’t think anyone has ever done well using baby vegetables. I like this final two, but I am rooting for Adrienne all the way.

I’m so happy that Adrienne is coming on strong at the end. She and her mom were so cute together. Adrienne for the win. I really felt for Joe Sasto. It’s so hard to lose your mother at such a young age. Joe Flamm’s grandmother was what all grandmas should be, and if Adrienne can’t win, I hope Joe Flamm takes it. And I was never a fan of Carrie, but she went out with class. My boo Bryan Voltaggio looks great and I have to admit that I am still a little bitter that he lost his season (the best season) to Michael, whose neck tattoos are very off-putting. On the other hand, Michael showed more personality tonight than I have ever seen before. I gagged at the thought of eating testicles. And where is Gail? I hope she is there for the finale.

Too bad. Chris seems like a better chef than Miss Toast. I agree that Tom is on team Carrie and I will be bummed if she wins. Adrienne’s dish looked so good. She should have won the challenge. Mustache Joe’s pastry puff was too hard, per the guest judge. And what kind of chef doesn’t know what a profiterole is? Gail and Padma looked ill. I wonder if the altitude got to them. I was getting a little nauseated myself when they were on the gondola.

Bruce’s head, understandably, wasn’t in the game. I also got the feeling that he was a little embarrassed to be competing on Top Chef with much younger contestants and being judged by his peers. But also, screw Padma for her mixed signals. One day she tells him she’s sick of his pasta and another day she criticizes him for not making what he loves. Carrie bugs me- I call bullshit on her tater tot dream- but if I had to choose between Carrie and Joe, she wins. I really want Adrienne to win. I loved her note taking. That really helps to make sense of things. Who was the super pretentious judge who loved the “capriciousness” of the seasoning? Stfu, dude, and that also applies to Padma, who of course has felt the air thicken in haunted hotel rooms. Give me a break.

Of course they boot the woman when it seemed like they hated mustache Joe’s Mac and cheese more. He really is such a wanker. I did not need to hear him make kissing noises to his girlfriend or to hear that he “forages “ illegally in a public park. I didn’t mind Joe Flamm’s elimination but I thought it was so touching that Fatima and Adrienne were so upset. Tom was grumpier than usual and I always miss Gail. I hope Fatima nails it in LCK.

I need a refresher on restaurant terminology. Is the executive chef always the expediter? And if they have to keep tasting the food, no wonder so many chefs are on the chubby side. I was sure that Chris would be eliminated and I was very pleasantly surprised when Claudette was let go. Show a little class, woman. I don't remember anyone ever stomping off so ungraciously. I can't decide if Chris was being Machiavellian by taking neither EC nor FOH for himself, thereby hiding in plain sight, or if he's not a take charge kind of person and recognized that others would be better in those roles? I also thought Fatima would be better as FOH. Maybe I'm reading into it, but I wonder if she was starting to lose some energy because of her illness. Bruce and Joe once again dominated the discussion while their team was debating their menu and decor. Adrienne and Carrie were pushed aside. I guess it's the times we are living in, but the women need to push back against that crap. I can't remember whose dish was salty, but if it's too salty for Tom Colicchio, that's pretty freaking salty.

I lost a lot of the good feeling I had about this season tonight. I really liked Tanya but she must have known going in that she would be judged on certain skills or techniques that she doesn’t use in her own restaurant. If she was classically trained in Paris, then she probably should have known the proper temperature for lamb. And she absolutely should have brushed up on her knife skills because there is often a mise en place challenge. I wish corpse-lipped Claudette had gone, though. She just brings a bad vibe to everything. Why was Tanya the one who had to do all the grunt work for Claudette? Where was Chris? I agreed with Tanya about the blue team monopolizing the conversation. I am really sick of their loud and obnoxious douche-bro behavior and mustache Joe needs to get off my tv. I did not need to hear Brooke’s story about making crepes on Sunday with her son again. I feel like that was played out in her previous two appearances.

I didn’t mind the outdoor cooking per se, because it is Colorado, but way too much time was spent shopping and setting up the tents. I want to see cooking. Claudette has been my least favorite cheftestant this season, so I was rooting for Kwame to come back. I did not watch season 1, so I don’t know much about Leann, except that I really enjoyed the blog she wrote on the Bravo website after each episode when she worked behind the scenes. All I wanted to do was sleep during my first trimesters, so good for her for toughing it out and making a great dish. This is such a good group that there are only a few that I won’t be sorry to lose - Claudette, the two Joes, Carrie - and they aren’t even that bad. They don’t approach Lisa Fernandes levels of dislike for me. I liked Tu a lot but Gail was right. Nobody succeeds on Top Chef doing something three ways. And Fatima is hilarious.

I may be in the minority, but I didn’t like the Quickfire. Mostly because of the ridiculous twist of using tiny utensils, but also because I found the kids to be annoying. I like kids, I have kids, but these three came off as condescending little twerps. I’m not sad to see Tyler go. I think that he and the rest of the bears have an inflated opinion of their own talent. I think I want the final four to be Tanya, Fatima, Adrienne and Chris. And if Chris comes to my house to make chicken and biscuits, I will move him up to number one on that list.

So far I like Tyler, Tu, the other Joe, Fatima and the bald woman. I’m glad Tu had immunity because I would have hated to see him punished for being a nice guy. I think Melissa was the right choice to go. It’s hard to screw up mashed potatoes but she managed. I already loathe mustache Joe. First of all, anyone who takes the time to cultivate ridiculous facial hair is probably a creep in my opinion, and second, “Padma can’t fit my meat in her mouth”???? Stfu, dude. Also, the Alaskan bugs. So happy my favorite show is back!

I knew Brandon wasn’t going to win when they showed him sleeping. Sleeping=overconfident=loser. My eyes started to glaze over after the fourth or fifth flamingo print came out. Ayana’s last gown was stunning. It’s too bad most of the rest of her collection was so dull. Modest clothing does not have to be frumpy. Margarita’s collection was way too over the top. And the crowd’s reaction to the plus size model in the bathing suit was so condescending. Sit down, Nina. I really like Kentaro and I’m glad he won. The first outfit with the tulle was dramatic and beautiful.

Margarita works my last nerve and I am sorry that Tim brought her back. Her trumpian-gold bustier was just tacky. I didn’t love anything to be honest, but Kenya should have won. I thought she was closest to the spirit of the challenge without being too literal. Who knew there was a Utah fashion week? It must be hard enough to learn you have breast cancer without then having to become a “warrior woman.” Too much pressure to make other people feel better about your disease. It’s important to have a positive attitude, sure, but there are days when you just can’t put on a happy face, and that’s okay.

Can we just call Kentaro the winner right now? I liked his look the best, although it was a little oversized on his petite model, and that beautiful pleating was covered up by the jacket. I really hate the manufactured drama and the cliffhangers. Margarita is a passive-aggressive pain in the ass. Kenya is a lovely person but holy crap that outfit she made should be burned. Just hideous. And as someone who doesn't warm up to new people quickly, I have to say that all the hugging and all the tears between the designers and their models astounds me. I get that creative people are often dramatic, but come on. Kenya knew this woman for several hours, and already thought of her like a mother? Please. And finally, the twin who won was smart enough (or maybe lucky enough) to come up with the fabric design that was probably the easiest to reproduce onto a coffee cup. You have to play the game, people. Or at least you did until Project Runway went full Lifetime channel and all it entails.