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Impressed with how well Gin & Bake is doing, I really didn't think they would last long in the finals. Thrilled that Geanina and George got 2nd this week!

Brioche is perfect on its own, but you can't serve it to Benoit and Cherish! Pithiviers do look delicious, although I would prefer a filling other than almond. I thought it was interesting that the voiceover said that doing rough-puff was a better option given the timing. If I were competing, I think I'd be afraid not to do full puff.

I love them so much! I was really worried about them, but pleased they ended up with third place this week.

I think Dawn's time management woes come down to her not being willing to compromise her flavors, which everyone seems to love. As she was saying to Gabe at the end of this episode, each of her components has a lot of elements/ingredients/techniques that take time even on a seemingly "simple" dish. She's not really cut out for timed competition, and the idea of editing her dishes to fit within the imposed parameters of Top Chef is hard. She probably did not realize how difficult this would be when she signed up, and I think she has actually improved a bit within this short time frame even though it's still a struggle for her.

I do like that Raph seems to come up with unusual color and/or fabric combinations and design ideas, but I'll be happy with either him or Serena winning. Rebecca is okay, but I feel the other two have been much better and more consistent over the series.

I wondered if they wanted to make sure Rebecca didn't have such a glaring problem because they wanted to be sure Farie would clearly be last.... [/conspiracy_theory] I really liked Farie but she is not a good fit (pun intended!) for timed competition sewing at all.

I don't mind the hosts but I am not a fan of the judges! Cherish especially bugs me but they both try to be so over the top in their reactions, they seem like caricatures.

I agree with this and also we need to remember that producers are asking her questions that lead to these responses, and editors are choosing what segments to air. It feels like she's talking about things more than Gabe is, but that's only because the editors are not showing Gabe's talking heads nearly as much as Maria's. They are creating the storylines they want us to see.

I assume they are talking about the Top Chef Amateurs preview that followed the regular episode.

Yes, that was the crux of it in that episode. I think it also added to her personal outrage that rich women have access to clean, proper medical facilities for their abortions while the women in Poplar are relegated to dirty back alleys.

It was Sara who said the dessert should have seaweed.

I feel the same about Dan. His design style is nothing special, even if things are generally well made. I actually loved Tamara's pearl earrings, and thought the design was interesting and not like anything I've ever seen. I loved the movement and all the different elements. Overall, Hugo was my favorite of the series and I'm glad he won.

I think it may partially be related to her being bilingual. I realize not all bi- (or multi-) lingual people do anything like this. I can imagine if you are trying to convey something and your brain is trying to sort through words in multiple languages but you want to get your point across, you may resort to sound effects. She's a fast talker, too, so she's not giving herself time to come up with the right words.

Right??? How was that practical at all? I was shocked that Damien's shower curtain worked, and that he didn't get reamed out for using the magnets to attach the hood. Loved all the "romping" and most of the transformation challenge results - so fun!

YES! That's what is missing - like GBBO technical challenge and Sewing Bee's pattern challenge.

I wonder about the times allotted for the challenges on this show. It's easier for me to understand how much time is feasible for things on GBBO since I love to bake, but I have no idea how realistic it is to make a piece of jewelry with the provided materials in 4 or 5 hours. I wish we heard the judges or contestants address it by saying "if I had more time, I would do x/y/z, but I've adjusted my design so I can really get it done within these parameters." I really liked Tamara's cuff, but agree the engraving could have been a lot better. Was that an issue of timing or skill? I feel bad for the clients in the Bespoke challenge, who end up with a rush-job version of what they want as a real keepsake piece of jewelry. I didn't love any of the rings, but probably would have picked Hugo's. Agree with @ElectricBoogaloo that I've seen versions of Dan's ring in malls forever. I think it was Hugo who mentioned wanting lots of light to shine through the stone, which is what I would want if I had a diamond that big.

Paul was the complete MVP of the whole race for me, and the main reason I wanted team North America to win. I also relate to Mindy on some level, and I liked Dave despite all his bluster, but Paul... He was absolutely the reason they did so well and is such a great leader and human being.

Marilina impressed me over and over, so I am very happy for her. If team North America didn't win, I'm glad team Southeast Asia did. I was shocked that team Russia's navigation was so bad, and they didn't realize they were going the wrong way when they saw team NA on the course. Interesting how Autumn's wrist wasn't bandaged in any way during her talking heads, and she was moving it effortlessly. Whatever "injury" she had couldn't have been that severe. Marilina shake off a dislocated finger, and Angie work through her knee injury - those are some badass women.

They recycled a plot they've used before: "midwife makes bad impression, but is the only one available when patient is in labor and rises to the challenge/saves the day." I'm reserving judgement on the student midwives for now. Very happy for Lucille, and nice to see Cyril realizing the mistake he made in not discussing his plans with her. I think they are totally setting up Trixie with widower dad, and I think I'm OK with it. He is gorgeous and seems like a really good man. I liked the subtle way she was drinking orange juice while everyone else had champagne. I did like the storyline with Phyllis and Doctor Turner, even if it was maybe a bit anachronistic. There had to be some medical professionals and parents who didn't condemn homosexuality and stood by their sons. I love the way they rescued him from the clinic. Don't mess with Phyllis when she's on a mission!

Agree with all of these critiques. Rebecca hasn't made anything that wowed me at all yet, she's very forgettable to me. I don't understand why Andrew would waste so much time lining his top with fabric that served no purpose and wouldn't be seen. Use that time to finish that embroidery detail and really get your whole look together. Hated everything about Damien's look - color, style, lace "eyebrow" - ugh. Cathryn's overlay obscured the Russian doll fabric too much. If you don't get any "peek-a-boo" looks, what's the point? I loved Farie's because to me it was the most "inspired by" without trying to copy a huipil or other obvious look. I liked the energy of it.

Jodie won both of those - her Moroccan lighthouse and Wolf/Moon water feature. I agree that Adam's fairy house was so magical and should have won that episode.

I hate both beer and coffee, so that whole challenge was a big NOPE for me! Coconut is the other thing on my "Things I will spit out immediately" list.

I also had endo, and was in tears after listening to her narrate chapter 2 of her book. Such a good description of the impact and issues around endometriosis. I definitely applaud her for this work.

I listened to the audio version of her book, which she read, and it was soooooo painful with lack of and/or wrong inflections and pronunciations.

I think the first day for them was getting to the wall, climbing halfway up, then spending the night on the ledge. Second day was climbing the rest of the way up.