'Top Chef: Just Desserts' Recap: 'Death by Chocolate'

After trying to impress the Beastie Boys, Rebecca was eliminated. The contestants woke up and Katzie was disappointed that Rebecca was no longer around; she was also upset that Sally only hung out with the guys. Chris and Matt hoped that their friendships would keep them around and promised to help each other out.

The contestants arrived for their Quickfire challenge. The guest judge was Mark Israel, doughnut master, and explained that the challenge was to create the perfect doughnut and a cup of coffee. The winner would receive $10,000, but no more immunity. In a twist, Johnny arrived and announced that the contestant that made the worst doughnut would be eliminated. With two hours to cook, the contestants were nervous by the elimination knowing that pressure was on. Megan knew that she should make a cake doughnut because of the timing. Carlos, on the other hand, tried a yeast doughnut. Sally wanted to make a doughnut stick so it fits in the coffee cup. Orlando used a family recipe in hopes that it would keep him around. Megan made a caramel glaze in hopes that it would be perfect. After minor finishing work, the three judges arrived.

Katzie was first and her Beignet got criticized for being a bit too high-end visually. Carlos's dish had a nice flavor and texture. Orlando's beignet lacked a bit of flavor. Megan's cake doughnut stuck to the plate. Chris's churro was soft and had texture. Sally's espresso doughnut matched the coffee well. Matthew's beignet was too dry. The top doughnuts were Sally and Carlos, but the winner was Carlos. The least favorite doughnuts were Megan, Matthew, and Orlando. Orlando tried to argue his point, but was shot down by both Johnny and Mark. After a dramatic commercial break, Megan was eliminated after making stupid mistakes.

For the Elimination Challenge, Gail announced a Chocolate showdown. There would be two teams of three doing a showcase. This was a real test of skill because there were no limitations about how to use chocolate. The contestants took a cookie from the jar to pick teams. It would have been interesting if Chris and Orlando were on the same team. There was a big twist: The contestants would have to judge each other.

Blue - Orlando, Carlos, Sally
Red - Matthew, Chris, Katzie

The contestants had 15 minutes to plan their dishes. Sally and Carlos agreed on flavors. Sally suggested an "Evolution of chocolate" as the concept for the showpiece. On the other team, Katzie thought of a bookcase but got shot down. Chris suggested a modern piece and with every extra suggestion, Katzie got shot down. The contestants have five hours to work and the teams don't get to see what the other team was doing during the challenge. Orlando had to start immediately on his showpiece. Chris wanted to do a contemporary chocolate sculpture that seemed focused on bending chocolate. He knew that Orlando would be close on his level of experience, so the challenge would be harder. Orlando agreed on Sally's concept with evolution of a cocoa bean.

Matthew liked simple desserts and he knew that Chris needed as much help as possible. Carlos wanted to do another chocolate-banana-peanut butter dish. Orlando pointed out that they've competed in a prior sugar competition. Matthew arrived and talked to Chris and they realized that Carlos and Sally would be making a dessert for Orlando. Katzie wanted to make her own dish as Chris and Matthew worked on the showpiece.

Carlos wanted to make a sorbet and it was too gummy, Orlando was worried that his team would mess up his dish. Just make your own. With 15 minutes left, they had to secure the main parts so it wouldn't fall apart overnight. After night passed, the contestants only had three hours to finish on day two. While Orlando was happy, he was nervous about Chris and vice-versa. The other contestants tried to finish their dishes. Matthew was happy about his dish so he helped out Chris on his project. Sally decided that she needed to make sure Orlando aced everything. Chris made a simple dessert for himself; he wasn't intimidated by the fact that Carlos and Sally use so many ingredients. The contestants finished setting up and the judges arrived.

Along with Gail and Johnny, were Dannielle Kyrillos, and the famous molecular gastronomist Wylie Dufresne. The two teams revealed their centerpieces and both were happy about both showpieces. Orlando explained the evolution of chocolate. Chris explained the contemporary theme that had no story line or plot. I think he should have been criticized for his lack of imagination in the concept creation. The red team was first to serve, meaning that the blue team sat with the judges. Sally and Orlando appreciate the flow of the sculpture, but there wasn't light from it. I think they actually meant that the pieces were too dull and lacked shine. Johnny liked the depth without color. The red team had 15 minutes to finish and finalize their dishes. Katzie wanted her dish to be perfect cubes, but they weren't. The three explained their dishes, with Katzie rattling off a long shopping list of food. Carlos thought Chris's dish was undercooked. Orlando criticized Matthew's dish dissecting every part. Sally thought Katzie's dish was too big, Carlos called it dull. Orlando criticized everything about Katzie for a tirade for 20 minutes. Sally wanted to shut him up. He went on to point out that the ingredients she mentioned like jasmine couldn't be tasted.

The teams swapped places, but Orlando was the most nervous about the elements that Carlos and Sally made for him. The teams flipped and first talked about the showpiece. While Katzie liked the idea, Chris was too critical with his critiques. The three explained their dishes and Carlos was worried about professionalism. Starting with Carlos, Chris thought it was too sweet, but Matthew decided to keep his mouth shut. For Orlando's dish, Chris bashed it as well. Sally's dish seemed to be the most balance of the three, which made it sound like she was generally safe.

The judges deliberated and the judges loved the skill of the showpieces. Both Orlando and Chris were generally talking. Both teams arrived at the judging table and Johnny congratulated both groups for doing a great job. Gail announced that the winning team was Team Blue (Carlos, Orlando, and Sally). Orlando was ecstatic for finally beating Chris. Chris tried to defend his dessert, but the textures didn't work and the dish came off strange. Katzie's dish was proportions from the size to the flavoring. Matthew's dish sounded too basic and didn't have nuance and his tart was too sweet.

The red team stood in front of the judges and each was criticized for their lack of finishing work. Gail announced that Katzie was eliminated. She was disappointed that she couldn't hang tough longer than she did. It made me wonder how much of Orlando’s tirade made a difference for Katzie’s elimination. One could argue that his big mouth did her in.

Next Week: Freezers, Chaos, and Confusion.