Noelle Myers recaps the 8th episode of season 5!

This week’s Top Chef Masters was weird and crazy – in a good way.  The Chefs walked into the kitchen to some strange accordion music.  Curtis introduced the musician as their Quickfire guest judge, the author of the Lemony Snicket books, Daniel Handler.  He was absolutely hysterical, and strange.

The strangeness continued as Curtis told the chefs that he did not have a Quickfire challenge for them.  Instead, the Master Chef whose Sous Chef won the Battle of the Sous Chefs would get to choose the theme for the days Quickfire.  Paul – Douglas’s alternate Sous Chef, walked through the door as the winner.  Douglas had 10 minutes with his Sous Chef to come up with a theme for the Quickfire.  They searched through the pantry, and then Douglas saw it…Ketchup….Sang hates ketchup, and will not serve it in his restaurant.  So to get a little extra dig in at Sang, Douglas chose ketchup to be the theme for the day’s Quickfire Challenge.

The Chefs had just 20 minutes to highlight ketchup in their dishes.  As expected, Sang was not too happy with Douglas!

Jenifer made scallops with ketchup sauce, fermented black beans avocado and blood orange.  Daniel Handler and Curtis choose this as one of their favorites.  The black bean and ketchup sauce was phenomenal.

Despite his angst Sang was also one of the judges favorites with his Japanese style karaage fried chicken with sweet chili and ketchup sauce and grilled enoki mushrooms.  He still had a few choice words for Douglas, all in good humor of course.

Douglas got bit by Karma – as his duck breast with ketchup and mustard miso with blood turnip and scallions landed him in the bottom of the Quickfire.  He didn’t mind, as long as Sang didn’t win.

David also didn’t fare well with the Judges.  His grilled cheese and scallop mousse sandwich with ketchup soup and ketchup dressing, just overwhelmed their palates with too much ketchup.

Bryan was also on the top of the Judges leader board this week with his buffalo chicken wing with celery emulsion and buffalo cheese snow.

In the end, Daniel Handler chose Jenifer to be the winner, and she took home another $5,000 for Work Options for Women.

Curtis reminded the chefs that with only 5 of them left, the stakes were now higher than ever.  Because Paul won the Battle of the Sous Chefs, Douglas had immunity.  Jenifer and Sang’s Sous Chefs were on the bottom this week so Sang and Jenifer had an obstacle during the Elimination Challenge.

The weirdness continued as three men came into the kitchen, one in a chicken mask and suit and another in a mask.  They were obviously Mexican wrestlers!  Curtis introduced a few of the players from Lucha Vavoom.  A combination comedy/Mexican wrestling/burlesque show!

For the Elimination Challenge, The Master Chefs had to come up with 2 Mexican inspired dishes, to be served ringside to 300 guests.  They had 4 hours total to work on their dishes, and they would have their Sous Chefs for the entire time.

After a whirlwind shopping trip at Vallarta – a specialty Mexican market.  The chefs got busy for their 3 hours of prep time that night.

The next day, the Chefs had one hour to finish prepping their dishes.  Sang and Jenifer found that because of their “obstacle” they had to switch Sous Chefs.  Yikes!

Bryan really got into the theme of things and decided his wrestling name would be “El Pollo Loco –  The Crazy Chicken.”  A nickname he had years ago.

Soon it was time for food service and the show.  The critics tonight were Curtis and Gail, along with Jane Goldman and Leslie Suter.

Douglas was getting a lot of flack for choosing to do a cocktail as one of his dishes for the evening.  His bloody maria with spicy tequilla, tomato and citrus got some mixed reviews.  For his second dish, Douglas made a chorizo and corn fritter with fermented cabbage sauce, and scallion and garlic aoli.

Bryan made a fun Mexican twist on shrimp and grits with his first dish, poached shrimp with plantain and yellow corn porridge, finished with a Chorizo viniagrette.  For his second dish, he impressed everyone with his chili masa dumplings, braised beef tongue, salsa verde and avocado.

Sang struggled a little working with Jenifer’s Sous Chef, but he pulled it out in the end and made Thai style shrimp cocktail with avocado foam and tortilla strips.  He also made pork barbacoa with sweet corn and potato sope and a cabbage radish slaw.

Jenifer enjoyed working with Sang’s Sous Chef, and made a delightful shrimp, bass and scallop ceviche with papaya, pineapple and mango, and plantain chips, as well as a guajillo chili posole with cumin, shaved cabbage and lime.

David made a shrimp and chorizo quesadilla with chipotle and watermelon for his first dish.  His second dish was a red snapper veracruz with pumpkin seeds and cactus.

Douglas and Bryan got into the theme of things and climbed into the ring for an impromptu wrestling match.

Once again, Curtis asked all of the Chefs to come to the Judge’s table.  The top two Chefs this week were Jenifer and Bryan.  The judges felt that Jenifer’s posole was fantastic comfort food, well balanced with deep and rich flavors, and her ceviche was very nice and tropical.  Curtis felt that Bryan’s beef tongue was perhaps the best dish he ate all evening, and all the judges felt it was cooked perfectly.  They also loved the dumplings.

Jenifer was declared the winner and won another $10,000 for her  charity.  She has now won a total of $30,000 for Work Options for Women.

That left Douglas, David and Sang on the bottom.  Douglas had immunity, so David and Sang were in danger of going home.

The judges felt that Sang’s shrimp cocktail was a tish muddled, and that the fish sauce overwhelmed the other ingredients.  His dish was supposed to be Mexican themed and it fell short.  His barbacoa was good, but too salty.  The concept was okay, execution not quite up to par.

David’s quesadilla was not really a quesadilla, and the judges began calling it a flautadilla.  There was too much wrapper, and it was a little dry.  It felt like easy party food you could buy in a frozen section in the grocery store.  His second dish was overwhelmed by the olives.

It was a tough choice, but the judges decided to send Sang home.  He had earned $30,000 for the World Wide Orphans Foundation, and was very proud of his performance in the competition.

Next week – The final four and revenge is served?  Sang returns as a judge, and who becomes a teacher’s pet?