There’s a big shake up in the rankings this week. That’s right, Kevin came back from LCK, Stephanie and Bryan ended up on the top of a challenge, Melissa won a quick fire but was on the bottom for the elimination, and Gregory was surprisingly on the bottom for under-seasoned rice, and Brian Malarkey might be quitting? Let’s rank.
6. Brian Malarkey- We’ve seen the previews, and there’s a tease of Malarkey quitting. I don’t think he will quit, but I think this at least hints that he’s going to be on the bottom. I think this means that he’s the most vulnerable, as I just can’t see Melissa or Greg going. It may be Malarkey’s time to say goodbye.
5. Melissa King- Melissa won a quick fire, but quick fires now don’t really matter, as it didn’t give her immunity. If you look at her past three elimination challenges, she has been on the bottom: from Restaurant Wars to a bad leafy green salad, to crab shell in her dish. She’s a good chef, but she seems to have been on the decline the past few weeks. I just think, amongst top dogs like Bryan and Gregory, and recent hot-streak contestants like Stephanie and Kevin, Melissa may be the fifth lowest of this bunch. Which I can’t believe. I hope this week brings back Melissa’s strengths, but it seems that the RECENT stats overtake the seasonal stats in her case.
4. Gregory Gordet- I said that Gregory wouldn’t leave the top spot until he royally F’ed up. Well, he did. He not only placed low on the Japanese challenge, serving under seasoned rice, but he also lost to Kevin in the special LCK challenge, which gave Kevin a spot in the final six. This was Gregory’s first time truly on the bottom, but I still worry that he may just be hitting a speed bump right now, which is what keeps him from the top. I do think he’s been more consistent than Melissa, and stronger overall than Malarkey.
3. Bryan Voltaggio- Bryan has been on a hot streak with elimination challenges, winning the one from a few episodes ago, and being the only other person next to Stephanie on the top this past one. He also was the only person who beat Kevin in LCK in his three-part returnee challenge. He’s definitely a contender.
2. Stephanie Cmar- Do I give Stephanie the top spot for having a kick-ass dessert? Between Restaurant Wars, a quick fire win, and this win, I actually think Stephanie could be a contender. I didn’t expect it, but I definitely feel like she redeemed my doubts this past week. The only thing holding her back from the top is the Last Chance Kitchen returnee.
1. Kevin Gillespie- Let’s be clear, yes Kevin was eliminated, but he was eliminated on Restaurant Wars, which put a lot of the burden of his team’s loss on his shoulders. He was still one of the strongest chefs at the time, and proved it in Last Chance Kitchen. For anyone who didn’t see, Kevin beat so many contenders to come back, including Malarkey and Gregory, who he had to beat in his final LCK challenge. I think it’s clear that Kevin was sent home too soon, and coming off of so many LCK wins, I really think Kevin stands a good chance of being stronger than ever. I don’t see him coming back just to go right back out.
Kevin came back, and I feel like he’ll be stronger than ever. Stephanie is on a hot streak (completely redeeming herself from being a nearly finite boot), and Bryan also seems to be gaining speed. Contenders like Melissa and Gregory may be in more danger than I thought, while Malarkey seems to be the obvious boot. I really hope it’s not Melissa. My gut is saying Melissa may be a shock boot, but my head is saying Malarkey. I’m sticking with my head.
1. Kevin (n/a)
2. Stephanie (+4)
3. Bryan (-1)
4. Gregory (-3)
5. Melissa (-2)
6. Brian (-1)
Biggest Rise: Stephanie (+4)
Biggest Drop: Gregory (-3)