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The deadly porkchop bone: https://www.flickr.com/photos/scaredykat/451600131/ Edited to fix broken links.

Thanks for bringing that article over, ProudMary. Isaac sure is being a gentleman about Marjorie - his mama raised him right - because in my mind trash talk is something that's done to a competitor's face to unnerve them and take them off their game...not behind their back! Yes, I'm biased towards Isaac. I'm a NOLA girl and unless he actually does beat someone up with a porkchop bone, I'll be typing my support for him all day long, cher! P.S. Gumbo is not hard, it just takes time because of all the chopping and of course, the roux.* There's a lot of depth of flavor in Cajun and Creole cooking and depth of flavor is something the judges seem to yammer on about all the time. I'm truly not surprised that Isaac is doing well on Top Chef. Marjorie may be a little ticked that rustic cooking has such flavor...and no tweezers are required in its plating. Bonus! *So many of the recipes I was taught by my mama started with her saying, "first you make a roux..." Not true. First you chop celery, bell peppers and onion :)

This. Does Marjorie not realize that Isaac worked for Emeril Lagasse for ten years? Emeril certainly does more than braise, stew and make gumbo - Isaac can as well, f'true! He's simply choosing to do what he knows best, thereby showcasing his restaurant, as many chefs before him have done. How many times have we heard cheftestants admit that what they've cooked is on their menu? Phillip may even have set a record for it this season... I mean, she's a Mike Isabella protégé, for goodness sake! Where's the arrogance coming from? Oh wait - never mind.

This was a premise that, from the very beginning, seemed so farfetched I wondered how many seasons it could support. And still it continues...(while I'm forced to mourn psych and watch my dvds. USA, you are twisted) Every time someone uttered a variation of "Harvey doesn't lose", "Harvey's the best closer" last night, both the hubs and I said, well except for that time he... How can Pearson, Spector, Litt still be practicing law after all their tomfoolery? Every episode not centered around "the secret" has them failing at something. I used to love Louis, but he's got no pokerface whatsoever. And as an engineer, not a lawyer, I just don't understand all of the admission of guilt and deal/offers going around with Gibbs. How can everyone associated with PSL basically admit they knew about 'the secret" to try to get a deal, then recant when said deal isn't good enough?!

Thanks, JanetLand - Geaux Isaac! So glad his flavors are being appreciated, even if we're not getting to see it on teevee

After all these years of eating countless foam topped, scallop, pork belly, crudo, and now carrot dishes, I think the judges are over the moon to just get a frickin' piece of bread. Still shaking my head at Marjorie dismissing Isaac's talent and then being a little slow to congratulate him on his win. Guess good food better be pretentious or it simply doesn't count...unless it's monkey bread of course, which may be the least pretentious food ever. But it's still way better than cornbread, obvs. From the Toups Meatery website: [isaac] Toups represents the new guard of Cajun chefs for his updated sophisticated approach to a cuisine that’s best known for deep rustic flavors. His culinary style is the direct result of his New Orleans fine dining experience and growing up Cajun (Rayne, La, in the heart of Cajun country). Since opening Toups’ Meatery with his wife Amanda in 2012, Chef Isaac Toups has twice been named a James Beard Best Chef of the South Semi-finalist, and earned other notable accolades. Interesting that he - and obviously somebody else somewhere who's handing out accolades - feels that he cooks with some sophistication. And from this episode, less ego than some...Marjorie. At judges table, Isaac states that their team checked their egos/personalities at the door in order to function well together. Tom immediately cuts him off and then pretty much gives the same spiel while condemning the red orange team. Hmmm...

As a former soccer mom (baseball too!), I feel qualified enough to say that she'd be welcomed with open arms...because most moms would be dying to hear all the inside scoop about her stint on the Bachelor! I can see parent-teacher night being one big gab-fest :)

And if it was Lauren B, then Lying Leah was right about her! Still a liar, sadly, since she didn't have the gumption to admit she'd tipped off Ben. Odd that Emily acknowledged Lauren's strong connection with Ben during the girl talk segment. Guess Amanda's stroking of her arm was truly calming. Amanda must really miss her girls

I, too, clicked on Totale's link above and took the NYT test - it placed me as being from New Orleans, Baton Rouge or Jackson, MS. So to the authors of that test, I say: Yeah, you rite! :)

Just sounds like home to me, y'all! The New Orleans area has it's own unique accent - not a Southern twang at all. It almost sounds like folks are from New York, only it's softer somehow because we tend to drop letters from words and then substitute others. For example, dat, dese, dem, dose instead of that, these, them, those - there's a whole "yat-speak" that creeps back into my speech pattern every time I'm home. It's hard to shake and even harder to imitate, f'true! Our unique accent is why actors in movies/tv series set in NOLA sound so goofy (see NCIS:New Orleans - I'm lookin' at you Scott Bakula!) Still hoping for an Isaac / Marjorie faceoff at final two with the "unrefined" chef beating out Miss Priss - possibly with a porkchop bone

I love Lauren H - funny faces, retainer and all. To me, she's the most real girl there, even more so than frontrunner Lauren B who is professing undying "like" already. Wish she had a shot at being the next B'ette. She'd be as fun to watch as Jillian... ETA: thought it was hysterical that the editors showcased a cricket prior to the group date - during which some of its brethren were featured crispy fried atop Ben and Olivia's entrée. And, count me unimpressed with Jojo - which is gonna make it difficult to watch the next season of the B'ette if she's named to the role. Oh, man - ETA again: Ben says on the way to the restaurant on the group cooking date , "Who doesn't like to eat food on a date? Answer: every contestant on the Bachelor or Bachelorette, ever!

I agree with Tess23 and Lillybee - chicken quarters or turkey legs both have natural handles and would have been more appropriate for the occasion than Philip's tiny lamb tomahawks. Plus,this was the week for Kwame to work some jerk seasoning magic but it was just too soon after his epic broccoli fail.

Help me remember, because I'm not sure Jeremy can actually cook proteins. He's done well with raw fish and now sides, but didn't he get dinged the only other time he put a protein in a pan and applied fire? Still hoping for an Isaac - Marjorie final 2...with Isaac edging her out.

NOLA girl, here. I'll bet Isaac couldn't do a crawfish boil because Whole Foods didn't have raw crawdads in stock. One thing I've learned from Top Chef - Whole Foods doesn't carry the stuff you need to cook your dinner. Not sure that was the company's intent when they asked to be featured in every episode! Anyway,I felt really bad for Isaac's sausage getting dinged and agree with HunterHunted who said: I'm glad Isaac stood behind his food, because he serves that sausage in his restaurant and the judges sneering at it could affect his livelihood. Also, it was interesting that Chad was eliminated after being shown as the only cheftestant who questioned the challenge...

Loved seeing Michael V! Glad he fixed his hair since his last TC appearance and it was quite nice to see him smile :) Loved seeing Jason pack his knives and go! Stay away, Jason. Loved seeing Philip's face fall when he realized he'd miffed Tom. Get a clue, Philip and just cook your food - that's probably what got you here. Duh. Did not love Marjorie copping an attitude towards Isaac! Girl, being sour towards others may translate to your food and I want you to finish in the top 2... But I love me some Cajun cookin' (it's where I'm from y'all) so Geaux all the way and win this thing, Isaac!

I do like Ben - but his dinner with Jubilee smacked of way too much producer machination and seemed more like interrogation than conversation. To me, she clearly didn't want to go into as much detail as he was urging her to do. The "Take your time" and "What kind of guilt?" as she was talking about losing her entire family seemed so very pushy. Then once the producers got their sound bite, Ben actually asks Jubilee: "Do you understand what you have done in life to bring you here?" Like, you've cheated death in Haiti and possibly, in war, to bring you to...The Bachelor? Really? I hope all that was because Jubilee is seriously being considered for the next B'ette!

After Ren kills his father (no surprise there - in this series, all fathers and/or mentors must go), I fully expected Rey to lop off his hand during their tussle. Big surprise when it didn't happen, but then again the ground did split open to prevent it. Guess the writers are waiting for Rey to be fully Jedi-fied before they allow her to chop limbs off of a bad guy...who is undoubtedly a relative of hers.

STFU, Padma. If Isaac had served crab salad - with banannaise! - on a cracker, he'd had have been gone. I continue to despise Jason. Do the judges really see someone so sour and entitled (yes, even moreso than Philip) as worthy "of the title of Top Chef?" I fail to see how he inspires in his restaurant kitchen. Though last night, he did inspire my gag reflex...

Ugh, Jason. When you feel out of sync with a group, it's probably not a great idea to pipe up and start talking smack to / about people in front of the diners and judges. Tool. This, in the same episode where affable Isaac says he doesn't play well with others. Isaac for the win!

Lauren B = Emily Kinney from the Walking Dead - anyone else see it? I think the fact that the cameraman seemed to be hiding behind the shrubbery in an attempt to film her time with Ben was very telling, like they were already trying to get "alone" time. Ben's learned from the worst and is being careful from the get-go. Looking forward for a very polite and sincere season - gentlemen are so appealing.

It's lovely that Chef Andrés brought solar cooking devices to a disaster site, but how unfortunate is it that they are so fragile? Dinner will be served shortly...no, wait. It won't; the durn oven just exploded and the solar stove tipped over! Still loving Isaac 'cause he's from my hometown (as opposed to that wannabe New Orleanian Justin Devillier, who made me cringe so hard during the NOLA season). Wanted to reach through the teevee and shake him when he didn't heed the judges blatant advice about adding more grapefruit. Pay attention bro!

Finally saw this - while I thought the premise was terrific and the acting/action/comedy were superb, I just didn't think the excessive profanity was necessary. Still hope there's a sequel, though my straight-laced dh won't be accompanying me to see it. *sigh * Now all you kids get off my lawn...

See, I just figured Philip was introducing himself to the diver so in future he could tell everyone who will listen that he knows the West Coast sea urchin supplier! ETA: Bogus that Karen got away with telling the judges that one piece of fish didn't make it to the plate when the camera had clearly panned to a piece of raw fish sitting near her station. She forgot to cook all the fish - liar, liar, etc

I agree, Merneith. I think that's why Isaac wasn't included in the judges' top three, though he made the critics' top five - so it wouldn't appear that Emeril was showing favoritism right out of the gate. That, plus Tom sniffed and sneered at Isaac using his MawMaw's courtbouillon recipe. Darn Yankee! :)

I agree, PepperMonkey. Tim torpedoed Edmond by telling him to include those pieces, when Edmond was scrambling to "fix" his collection. Once a beloved mentor, Tim has sold his soul to TPTB...