Sorry this is late. This is a recap, so if you don't want to know, don't read yet.Quickfire-Everyone draw knives, all knives are blank except Mike V and Jen, whose knives say 1st/2nd choice. Jen gets to choose first, and seriously considers splitting up the brothers, but elects to go with Kev instead. Teams shape up with team volt-Mike, Bryan, Eli, and Robin(chosen last overall). Team Jen- kev, mike I and Laurine. Quick fire is a relay challenge, everyone cooks in 10 min legs, not allowed to talk, blindfolded when not cooking. Wow. Thats some serious trust you have to have in your teammates. Jen/Eli go first, then laurine/Robin, then Mike I/Bryan, then Kev/Mike V. I wonder if that last pairing will appear in the finals? 1st leg picks protiens and starts sauces. Jen has a very definite direction, while Eli allows for more latitude. Next goes Laurine/Robin, who basically just keep cutting vegetables and setting up more options. Then comes Mike I/Bryan. This is where you start to see the dishes taking shape. I find it interesting that Mike chose Bryan to follow Robin because, "He can fix anything that's wrong." Then Kev and Mike V finish up. Both very good dishes, guest Judge Rick Moonen has a hard time deciding, but ultimately picks team Jen d/t her fantastic sauce that she started and no one ruined. Team win $10K to split, but decides to let it ride on restaurant wars.
Elimination-Good news, no one is responsible for decor, and they only have to do 3 courses. I'm guessing this is due to having to coopt Rick's restaurant, and they only have 1 night. There's supposed to be some catch about only using sustainable seafood resources, but it wasn't really an issue, nor did the show spend much time on it. Team Jen immediately decides that dessert is a bad idea and forgoes it. They also make another interesting call in deciding that mousy Laurine should be the front of the house. Hmmm. Team Jen calls their restaurant Mission to evoke the simple yet elegant architectural style.
Mike V takes control of Team REVolt, and boy does he ever. When planning the menu, Bryan offers to make a dessert, Mike says bad idea, Judges didn't like it earlier. Bryan tries to assert that the execution wasn't there that day, to which Mike says, "You can do the same dish only good?" Now, his point isn't invalid, but boy does his delivery suck. Bryan looks as if every expletive known to man and a few new ones are brewing, but as calmly as possible says yes, it's on his own menu, he's confident he can execute it. Now, what to do for another dessert? Mike looks to Robin and says, "They liked your apple crisp, what can you do with it?" Robin, initially pleased that he is seeking her input, thinks a pear crisp would be better with the other dishes. Then mike sort of twists the dessert into something that fits better with the concept of the restaurant, but is not really entirely Robin. This understandably has her on edge. Set up for later.
Everyone goes shopping and gets set up in the two levels at Ricks. Laurine leaves her lamb dish in Kevins hands, Eli leaves his with Bryan. Right away, you see that the amount of prep work needed for Missions food is above and beyond what they are capable of accomplishing with only 3. Jen is getting more and more frazzled with her own workload and is unable to ride herd on anyone else. Not the Kev or MikeI should have needed it, but things are starting to look like the Alamo. Lots of guests, Eli handles things well, but Laurine does not. Laurine does not communicate the timing of the dishes, Jen is trying to steam to order, and its not coming out right. And then, in what is probably the biggest let down of the night, Kev, Mr Meat himself is having trouble with the lamb. Laurine has already told Tom that if it's not right, she'll send it back, but the wait has already been too long, so she lets it come out. It gets called Lamb Jello. Ouch. Padma asks for salt for Mike I's dish, and he's totally confused. Jen's sauce is broken (I assume that means it separated?) and the only good dish is Kevin's pork.
Mike V is keeping REVolt's kitchen running smoothly, although not nicely. The editors show more clips of him goading Bryan, but Bryan knows how to dish and take. But poor Robin. When Mike thinks she is putting too much food on her plate and not doing it the way he had invisioned, she snaps. She is thinking if she lets him push her around and they are the losing team, she'll go home. And she'd be right. However, in trying to be assertive, she goes about it the wrong way and swears at him. Mike is seeing red at this point and a lot of unintelligible yelling happens until Bryan take control and orders Mike to plate and Robin to keep prepping. This snaps Mike out of his rage and tries to reassure Robin (Relax, relax, Reeeelaaaaax!) he just wants the dish's plating to fit the concept, but she's too far gone to hear it. But the whole exchange has now put Bryan over the edge as well. Not a happy kitchen. But luckily for everyone involved, the foods great, the service is well timed and Robins dessert is the toast of the night.
Judges table: Team Mission knows their lamb is cooked. Kevin can't explain the raw lamb, Laurine is ashamed of her FOH performance (rightfully so, she had to be asked multiple times for the dishes to be explained), and Jen, upon hearing the her sauce was broken, said, "I'm feeling pretty broken right now." Mike I pulls a Spike and keeps his head down. Team REVolt-no big surprise, when judges ask Robin re her dessert, Mike answers that he "gave her the recipe" which she executed. Robin can't contain herself and rolls her eyes, judges asks why, and in a very controlled response she simply says, "There's a big difference between being lead and being dominated." Mike doesn't try to dispute that. Padma announces this was the best restaurant in all 6 seasons. Mike wins the $10K that Mission let ride from the quickfire. In an effort to acknowledge the rest of the team, he offers to split it, but Bryan's not having it. In his confessional he says, "I'm sick of seeing his bad behavior being rewarded." When Mike tries to get him to say why he's upset, bryan will only say, "you won it, you keep it." Laurine goes home for doing a terrible job as FOH and for not ensuring her lamb dish was right.
I have to say that Team mission was probably the biggest disappointment to me in all 6 season, even worse than Casey, CJ, Tre. I think that I've said pretty much all I want to on the subject of the V brothers, but I have to throw this out there. Robin, when Mike, the executive chef and one of the two best platers in the competition, says that you need to make your portions smaller, do it. I know where you're coming from, but GDit woman, just do it! That is all.
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