Top Chef Las Vegas: Preeti Mistry's Pasta Salad Not So Pretty

This week's Top Chef started off with a spud Quickfire Challenge being judged by one of the Top Chef Master's Chefs, who's name I do not remember, but I know he is quite famous in culinary world.

With all sorts of spuds to choose from, the chefs came up with quite a variety of what looked like good things to eat. In the end Jen won again. The guest judge did not like Jesse's extra spicy sweet potato soup, or the potato thing that Ron cooked.

Jen did not win money, just immunity.

For the elimination challenge a military guy marched in and told the chefs they would be cooking for 300 returning and leaving military people and their families, out at Ellis Air Force Base.

The night before, the chefs had decided to pair up, with each pair cooking one dish. Jen was in charge of running the kitchen.

Jen did a good job. She is one sharp cookie.

In the morning the chefs were taken to the base where they learn they'd be cooking using mostly canned goods found in the mess hall kitchen. A poorly equipped kitchen with limited ways to heat food and no blenders. Somehow a variety of proteins were available, including shrimp and a slab of bacon.

It was interesting watching these talented, well a lot of them are talented, chefs come up with tasty stuff with their limited ingredients and means of cooking.

So, the food gets cooked and delivered, along with the chefs to a plane hangar, where they set up a buffet line.

The judges arrive, then the troops. The army guys are liking what they are eating.

There was a bit too much isn't this wonderful that we can do something so wonderful for these soldiers who are keeping us safe (fighting in 2 unnecessary wars). It all seemed a bit too self-congratulatory. I mean, all they did was cook a lunch buffet.

And why did Ashley not object to cooking for a military in which she can not openly participate?

With the lunch done, the chefs were dismissed by the military guy who had inducted them, but not before giving the Chefs a rousing well done and thank you.

Back at Judges' Table it was the team with the younger brother, Michael Voltaggio, teamed with the other Michael and the team with disturbingly bearded, Kevin Gillespie and Eli Kirshtein, who were the top teams.

Kevin and Eli wowed the crowd and the judges with their pulled pork, done BBQ southern style, with potato salad. They liked Micheal and Michael's take on pork belly, but they were not so keen on the shrimp salad.

After some questioning the guest judge picked young brother Michael as the winner. Then Padma told Michael to send back two of the other chefs, but for Michael #2 to stay. Michael #2 did not take this too well.

Laurine Wicket and Preeti were sent to face the judges, along with Michael. Michael was quite upset. Michael had made his shrimp mess all on his own, leaving the other Michael to get full credit for the winning dish. It was Michael's #2's dumb idea to do the second dish. And do it badly with undercooked shrimp.

But, in the end it was the bland pasta salad and Preeti's total lack of awareness of how bad it was, that got her told to pack her knives and get the hell out of there.

I read elsewhere that at the end Tom Colicchio and Padma seemed to be in major PMS mode. They did look pissed. Made me wonder if Michael #2 did not have a bigger hissy fit than what we saw.

And, back to those brothers. The younger one is starting to seem, possibly, the better cook of the two. The older brother, Bryan, seems so wooden, I read him described as giving off a serial killer vibe. They always show him acting so serious. And then there was that short bit when he was talking to the non-brother Michael, who was telling him about the guest judge commenting that he looked pissed off and Bryan was laughing and seeming to have a sense of humor. That's the first indication of that we've seen.

I am liking this edition of Top Chef. But where is the drama, the fighting? There is no Carla, no Fabio, even the lesbians are tame, usually the Top Chef lesbians are very angry, like most good lesbians are. The French guy can be a bit amusing. But he's not a lesbian and he never seems to get angry.