I don't see producer intervention here. The biggest complaint about Stefan's food was that no local chef would ever put gumbo over grits - nobody said it didn't taste good.

I also thought (a) his drink was way too sweet (though Fabio had a similar problem) and (b) his beignet wasn't liked by some of the judges.

My impression was that his beignet was good, but Carla's was better.

I think he and Fabio were about even on the drinks.

My impression was that his beignet was good, but Carla's was better.

Jessica's impression is about the same as mine. In fact, before the judging even started I said, "Well, looks like Fabio's gone, and Stefan if Jeff wins."

Very happy to see Carla be so strong at the end of the game.

I missed a bunch of the episode - why was Jeff back?

The Quickfire was a competition among the last 3 eliminated to get back in the game.

Ah! Thanks, Jess!

Don't you think the producers would have kept Fabio? If anything, I bet Tom was arguing based on the season of cooking, not just the one meal, which they aren't supposed to do still, right?

Don't they need a villain at this point? Stefan brings the villainy.

Exactly. And, much as I love Fabio, I think that Stefan is the better chef, especially if he brings his A game. His cockiness will be his undoing. But, he's been called on it, so maybe he'll step up in the finale.

Aww, Fabio!

But I'm not shocked at the results. I have real hope for Carla; she's really peaking at the right time. I would have loved to see Stefan head home right before the finale just to see the expression on his face, but his season-wide food probably was better than Fabio's. Yeah, I think they say they're not supposed to judge on the whole season, but you know they do.

Jeff had a real shot, which would have knocked out both Fabio & Stefan. I was throwing out configurations for D. Would it be worth it to get rid of both Stefan & Hosea if you had to have Jeff back? A: No.

Hee. Fabio will definitely win fan favorite. He's adorable. And we were saying, boy needs to get his own show, with his personality.

So. It's all about Carla for me now!

I like that Carla is showing terrific range. Last week's green egg and ham had humor and apparently great flavor, we've seen her pull out her classic French technique, and now she nails Cajun cooking.

Whereas Fabio can do wonderful Italian, but when he was asked to do Cajun, he does an Italianized version of Cajun--not what they asked for. And that lameass defense of his drink was stupid. "Well, I like sweet, so that's what I served." No, you don't do overly sweet drinks at a spicy-food dinner, no matter what you personally like!

Speaking of the drinks, I liked Carla's option of a light and refreshing non-alcoholic beverage instead. Yes, that's what she prefers herself, but she made it suit the cuisine being served instead of fighting against it.

Oh, totally. I loved that Emeril was not sold on the idea, but loved the drink itself. I thought it was a huge risk on her part, but she had a position and stood by it, and really made it work.