By Jennifer Larson

In this episode of TOP CHEF, we got to see tantrums, sweat and tears; there was even some food thrown into the mix.

The mayhem began with a Quickfire Challenge that had the chefs pairing appetizers with gin-based cocktails. Guest judge, Jamie Walker — the global master mixologist for Bombay Sapphire Gin — prepared a variety of exotic mixed drinks for each contestant. The challenge was to come up with an appetizer that would blend well with the flavors of the drink.

Now, after watching every season of TOP CHEF, I believe myself to be somewhat of an expert on food, and I thought the chefs were all very creative and thoughtful in their choices of what to make. Of course, in reality, I can barely boil an egg, but that’s the beauty of a show like this; it really does make you feel as if you know what you’re talking about, even when you don’t. Perhaps the biggest shocker of the challenge was the fact that Casey won it. Not that Casey is a bad chef, but then again, who knows whether she is or isn’t since the previous three episodes have been mostly devoted to the men.

This episode finally showcased the women. But, now that I’ve seen them in action, I know why so much of the first three episodes were devoted to their counterparts. Other than Casey — who we now know has quite an attitude — the men are just more interesting. You can’t tell me that watching Hung question the authority of a global mixologist isn’t good entertainment. Of course, until tonight, I had no idea there was even such a thing as a global mixologist, but I’m thinking he’s a pretty big deal, being global and all. I thought Hung was on the right track, adding cream to his dish to go with the sweetness of his drink, but apparently Hung and I were both wrong, because he ended up in the bottom for it.

For the elimination round, the chefs divided into groups of three and had to make a trio of dishes with the same ingredient. The best part of this challenge was the fact that Howie and Joey ended up on the same team. The weirdest part about this challenge was the fact that Howie and Joey got along fine, but had major problems with their third teammate, Casey. Because the magic of these reality shows is in the editing, I honestly don’t know if Casey is as difficult to deal with as she looked, or if Howie and Joey drove her to insanity. Either way, it may have affected her performance, because she went from first place and cocky in the Quickfire Challenge to the last place and weepy in the elimination round. In fact, winning immunity probably saved her from leaving tonight. Instead, it was Camille — with her rubbery pineapple upside-down cake — who was asked to pack her knives and go.

We didn’t see much of the favored Tre or Brian, and I think the only reason we saw what we did of Hung was it was too good to cut out. But, once again, they put out solid and delicious-looking food. In fact, the one complaint I have about TOP CHEF is the fact that I can’t taste what the chefs are making. I’m usually starving by the time I finish watching, and the soda crackers in my pantry just don’t cut it. I’d even settle for something Joey made.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure Joey is an excellent cook — temper tantrums aside. I’m just saying he seems to be in the bottom three an awful lot. At this point, I think Joey is just sliding by. Each week, a seemingly better chef happens to have an off night and messes up his/her dish badly enough to keep him safe. That can only last for so long, though. For that matter, Howie seems to be a bit inconsistent as well. And, I have to say it: watching the sweat roll off Howie’s face and presumably into his food was funny the first time, but now it’s just gross.

In the end, Lia won the elimination challenge, so it appears it was the ladies’ night all around. While I’m happy for the women, I’m hoping to see the men rebound next week, if only for the entertainment value.