Top Chef: The Phantom Menace

Last night's episode of Top Chef: Las Vegas was pretty bland. The quick fire challenge was based on TV dinners. Really? Each contestant was given a television show and was supposed to make a TV dinner based on that show. Kevin won the challenge with a meatballs with polenta, roasted cauliflower, and roasted pear dish inspired by the Soporanos.

The elimination challenge moved the contestants to Chef Colicchio's restaurant in Vegas where they were to cook any dish of their choice using the restaurant's great selections of meats, or so they thought. Right before the competition began they were visited by celebrity guest judge Natalie Portman who declared that she like all kinds of flavors but was a vegetarian. The chefs essentially had to cook a vegetarian dish on the fly for her and her friends. Once again Kevin came out on top with a duo of mushrooms, smoked kale, candied garlic and turnip puree.

That about sums up the episode for me. Here are this week's other observations:

Kevin is really taking command of the competition. Beating out everyone else regularly with the exception of the restaurant wars fiasco last week; however, he was the strongest member on his restaurant team. I still think more than ever that he's going to win it all barring some catastrophe.

Michael Voltaggio proved himself to be classless yet again with his reaction to Kevin's win, saying if he had chose to cook a simplified dish like Kevin he could have won the elimination challenge. He was imaginative with his banana polenta concoction, I will give him that but there's no reason to act like a child.

Eli also finished in the top three of the elimination challenge. I guess he's a big fan of Natalie Portman from her work in the Star Wars prequels (craptastic movies, thank you George Lucas for ruining fond memories of my childhood). Of course he is! As with most Star Wars nerds he lives in his mommy's basement. He's wrong though, Portman's best work was in V for Vendetta. After acting like a human being last week it was good to see Eli revert back to his usual douschbaggery.

Jennifer, Robin and Mike I. all finished in the bottom of the elimination challenge. I could really care less who would be picked to go home. Mike I. has been a tool from the get go but he has rarely been at the bottom of the pack. Jennifer's constant whining and self doubt is really starting to get under my skin. Obviously the pressure is getting to her. I found her to be more annoying than Robin this week. Again, Robin was being Robin. Her crystal meth inspired, rambling explanation of her food in the elimination challenge was truly cringworthy. Ultimately it was Mike that was chosen to go home much to his chagrin. Whatever, whatever. Maybe there is a god? Bye bye.

Hopefully next week we'll see Eli bite the dust but I have to imagine that Robin should be next!