Well I’ll be damned. Emily was clearly the front runner, and now she’s out. Which clears the path for way more people to take the prize now. Will it be Cesar, Bowen, Ashley, Farhan? Someone else? We’ll find out now.
8. Shanika Patterson- Shanika is sending people out left and right in these pressure tests. But there’s a reason why she’s in the pressure tests. Because she doesn’t help teams win challenges and always has to do them. Another pressure test could be the end of her road. She’s been successful thus far, but I think she’s one of the most vulnerable of the pack.
7. Samantha Daily- Samantha got in a rut twice. Once when Cesar told her to cut the asparagus the wrong way (which she got in trouble for) and again when Shanika kept throwing her under the bus (again, which she seemed to get more slack for than Shanika). Though I think Sam has proven herself time and again, I still think she’s one of the weaker ones left.
6. Julia Danno- Julia was never going to go home. Taylor really sunk her ship. Though it is a mark on her record in the MC Kitchen, I don’t think it reflects poorly on her, for she was obviously leading the ship. She is still undefeated in big team challenges (if you don’t count the tag team), so that gives me a glimmer of hope for Julia.
5. Bowen Li- Bowen did not start off too strong, but Cesar whipped him into shape. I don’t think he’s the most seasoned or talented of the bunch and had he done the platter on his own, I think Bowen may have been on his way out the door. But he learned from Cesar, and pulled off an amazing dish.
4. Gerron Hunt- Gerron started off weak, but has been killing it lately. In almost every challenge for the past few episodes, Gerron has been knocking it out of the park. I’m proud that he’s able to finish stronger than he started, and one more good week could put him at the very top of this whole list.
3. Ashley Mincey- Ashley and Farhan worked effortlessly together, despite not putting out a perfect dish. I think her mystery box dish was also impressive (I’m a sucker for a delicious duck dish). Ashley definitely isn’t the most technically advanced but she definitely proves herself again and again and again. One of the front runners.
2. Farhan Momin- Farhan had another amazing week. In all honesty, Ashley or Farhan could have also won against Gerron in the mystery box, and I’m glad he got to cook alongside Ashley. Though their platter wasn’t by any means the best, their teamwork really shined. If anyone is going to win another team challenge, it’s going to be the one who works best with others. Farhan is that guy.
1. Cesar Cano- Cesar and Bowen had the best platter, and while their teamwork wasn’t always pretty to watch, Cesar clearly led that team to victory. I think his initial team performance wasn’t perfect, but hey…he led his team to victory TWICE in a row. The winner of the week and probably THE front runner with Emily gone.
I think with Emily gone, the playing field has evened a bit. Cesar, Farhan, Ashley, Gerron, Bowen, and Julia all honestly have shown enough to garner a win. Julia’s screen time has me a bit nervous, but it seems like Shanika and Samantha have found themselves on the bottom the most. So I think one (or both) of them will go.
Well I’ll be damned. Emily was clearly the front runner, and now she’s out. Which clears the path for way more people to take the prize now. Will it be Cesar, Bowen, Ashley, Farhan? Someone else? We’ll find out now.