Top Chef Las Vegas Episode Six Recap

In episode six of "Top Chef Las Vegas," the contestants found their scapegoat for the season. Robin, the self-taught chef and caterer, was at the bottom in the last challenge and the resounding sentiment at the beginning of the show was that she should have been eliminated instead of Mattin. According to the other chefs, she is not talented and talks too much.

Yet Robin proved that she can at least make a salad and dessert in the quickfire challenge in which the contestants were asked to make a duo representing their inner battles as chefs — sort of an angel vs. devil theme. Chef Michelle Bernstein returned as a guest judge and really seemed to identify with Robin's simple style of cooking, showcased in an arugula salad and apple crisp. Admittedly, Robin also provided a good story behind her plate, recounting to the judges her having to give up many types of unhealthy food in her battle with cancer.

Many other chefs took the healthy vs. greasy/salty/sugary route in developing their duos but were not as successful. Ash, Brian, and Laurine found themselves at the bottom with a half-finished custard duo, a botched dessert effort, and a boring chicken consommé, respectively. Michael, Eli, and Robin were the judges' favorites and Robin ended up winning immunity for the elimination challenge.

Of course, the catty-meter skyrocketed in a clip, shown right after Robin won the elimination challenge, in which Eli makes a comment about Robin winning because of what he seemed to be implying as her cancer sob-story:

"That's a good way to win," he said. "Tell people you have cancer. Weak."

The viewer versed in the Top Chef/Project Runway style of show would wait from this comment forth for Eli's reality-TV comeuppance -- for example, a low score in the next challenge -— but would also be disappointed to discover that it doesn't come about this episode.

The elimination challenge started out with a bang as magicians Penn and Teller performed a magic trick with a lime and plastic cups. The top chef hopefuls then learned that they had to prepare a reconstruction of a classic dish. For the benefit of the culinary non-cognoscenti, one of the contestants explained that a reconstruction of a dish is about taking apart all the elements of the dish so that the diner gets a dish that has a fresh feel with the familiar flavors of the original.

Of course, the Voltaggio brothers immediately establish that they are experts in the fine art of deconstruction. Jennifer, on the other hand, is thoroughly intimidated by the task of re-imagining meat lasagna. Well, every person has his hang-ups.

Jennifer ends up pulling it off, though, and finds herself in the top four with Ashley, Michael, Kevin and Jennifer. It seemed like "a labor of love" was the theme for the judging as Michael was lauded for his made-from-scratch brioche and Ron won because of his mole, the judges' praises being mostly about the fact that it was clear he worked his butt off to prove his Mexican cooking chops. In return, he received a full set of Celphalon non-stick cookware.

On the other end of the spectrum lay Laurine, Ron, and Ash. All three admitted to not having any experience reconstructing food, which seemed a convincing explanation but was unappreciated by the judges who chided the contestants for both not understanding the original dish, and not showing creativity in the reconstructed version.

"A shepard's pie is two-thirds mashed potatoes," said British food critic Toby Young chidingly to a remorseful Ash in speaking about the contestant's substitution of a pea sauce for potatoes.

But it was Ron who was sent home in the end for his non-reconstructed, overcooked paella. In a sense, he got the short end of the stick, having been assigned a dish that happens to be one of the featured plates in Bernstein's Miami restaurant Sra. Martinez. In fact, the judges' table got heated for a moment as the two had an argument about the way in which "paella" should be pronounced.

The scenes from next week's episode show a harried group of top chefs trying to cook for the judges in their very own apartment kitchen. Smells like a repeat challenge from a previous season.