First off, these "super-sized" episodes are killing me. It ended after 11:15 p.m., and I didn't get to bed until after 11:30 p.m., which made it difficult to get up this morning, which meant I was late for work. Was it essential for me to find out that Stefan stopped by Fabio's place on Halloween to see him in his superhero drag costume? (He's gone as Catwoman, Wonder Woman, and what sounds like a mix of Black Canary and Cheetah.) No, it was not. Funny, yes. But essential, no. I need my beauty sleep, Padma!

Anyway, last night the Final Four briefly became the Final Five, and then ultimately, the Top Three. With the Quickfire came a curveball, as Carla, Fabio, Stefan, and Hosea were told they would not be participating, and instead Jaime, Leah, and Jeff got trotted out to compete for one last chance to get back into the competition. "Project Runway" employed this twist a couple times, most notably in Season 3 when the show terrorized the nation with the possibility of Vincent or Angela making it to the finals. So it's not really that big of a shock. What was surprising, however, was the result: stupid guest chef Emeril Legasse picked f'ing Jeff as the winner, meaning that chud had a shot at the finals, with the stipulation that he had to win the Elimination Challenge. GAH!

I suspect that this was the producers' way of getting Jaime back into the competition, where she arguably belongs. Jaime has gotten so much screen time this season, and did so well throughout it, that she was seemingly a lock for the finals up until her abrupt elimination three episodes ago. Unfortunately, it backfired, and somehow we had Jeff - JEFF - back in the mix. Honestly, I would rather have Leah instead of that guy. I'm sure Jeff is a talented chef, but he just reeks of douchebag. His food is always overcomplicated and fussy, and he has an air of smarminess about him at all times. (I also don't like the fact that he bashed Tom and others in interviews after the show wrapped; that shows a real lack of class.) Not that it matters: Jeff learned nothing from his elimination and once again over-conceptualized his dishes, and did not win the challenge, so he went home. Thankfully.

The challenge was to create a catering menu for some Mardi Gras-themed event in New Orleans. Emeril served as guest judge, and Gail was back, replacing the obnoxious Toby Young. All of the chefs seemed to do pretty well, and it ended up with Stefan and Fabio in the bottom and Carla - CARLA! - winning the challenge.

Let's stop for a minute to discuss Carla. How did this happen? How did SHE happen? It wasn't long ago that I was dismissing her as mid-season chaff, the kooky lady who can churn out a few good dishes but who didn't have a shot in hell. Then a few weeks ago I came to love her as a character, a sweet, charming iconoclast who is probably a hoot (or is that "hootie"?) to hang out with, and a damned solid cook. And then this episode I found myself actually nervous for her (when she started shucking those oysters I thought her downfall was imminent), and then literally cheered and applauded when the judges referred to her food as a home run. I am rooting for Carla! I love her and think she's amazing! How did this happen? I guess she's like Dave from Season 1 - the folksy down-home dark horse who makes amazing comfort food - but with less tears and more love.

Once it was down to Fabio vs. Stefan it became pretty clear who was going home. I enjoy Fabio. I think he makes good TV, and he has clearly created several fantastic dishes during his run. But Stefan is our Bad Guy this season, and the obvious chef to beat. As he himself said in an interview, he's won something like 10 challenges this season. That's extraordinary. They've been setting up the Hosea/Stefan rivalry since basically episode 2, so a face-off in the finale is inevitable. And I know Hosea is supposed to be the one we're rooting for (the editors really went out of their way to make Stefan look like an over-confident prick this episode), but I'm sorry, I don't. I like Hosea. Think he's a decent guy. But when's the last time he won a challenge? He's been middle of the pack for a while now, while Carla has been exploding. So even though I suspect Stefan will take it next week, my heart is with Carla. And Hosea is just kind of...there. If he wins it'll be pretty disappointing from where I'm sitting.