Rochester native Lorene was doing a lot of talking right from the beginning, and that had me worried. Typically when one of the non-pimped contestants is heavily interviewed in the episode it means they're in danger. Which she was. But I was pulling her since she's a hometown girl, but also because I think there are still several chefs in this race who need to go long before she does.

The guest judge was restaurateur/ cookbook author Mark Peel, who also recently participated in "Top Chef Masters." Peel was the vegetable guy back when he was a cook (with that last name, he kind of had it coming), and the Quickfire Challenge was to make an out-of-this-world dish featuring potatoes in 45minutes. The chefs were provided with a huge table full of all kinds of different taters, which made me hungry. I love potatoes, so I was all about this challenge.

Many of the chefs went with sweet potatoes, and several of them did the infuriating "______ three ways" that chefs do every year, and always get dinged for because they made three mediocre elements rather than focusing on one really great one. There was a mix-up during the food flurry when Preeti inadvertently blanched her asparagus in Ashley's boiling water, leaving Ashley in the weeds with her potato gnocchi, and Ashley got a little cussy. Hilariously, Jen said that if Preeti had done the same to her, she wouldn't have been as nice. Oh, Bitchface Jen. As if you could ever be nice at all. You don't come equipped with that emotion.

After tasting Eli got busted for his yams with faux marshmallows, which was too sweet; Ron's sweet potato-wrapped yellowtail was bland; and Jesse's sweet potato soup was way too hot due to an overuse of cayenne. That put her in the bottom again, for like the fourth consecutive challenge, and she was clearly starting to lose it - she actually started smacking herself in the head at one point saying, "I hate myself." Girl. Pull yourself together.

Coming out on top were Jen, with mussels bathed in a potato broth; Ash's sweet potato custard got praise even though it was a failed dish - it was supposed to be ice cream but the machine didn't work; and Ashley pulled out her mushrooms and gnocchi in just the knick of time. The winner was Jen, who didn't get any money (first time this season for a Quickfire win), but she did get immunity. Jersey Mike was pissed, alleging favortism. No, she just knows how to cook. Deal with it, asshole.

Elimination Challenge: the chefs had to cook a meal for 300 airmen at a nearby air base, many of whom have just returned from or are about to leave for combat overseas. Cue the snare drums and the patriotic soundbytes. The chefs all had to work together as one unit, but hey did not know their ingredients or what kind of equipment they had to work with until they got to the premises. Quickly the group decided that Jen, who had immunity, would act as the head chef, while the other 14 chefs paired off to work together. The teams were: Preeti and Lorene (doomed!), Eli and Kevin, Ash and Ashley, Mike and Michael, Mattin and Bryan, Robin and Hector, and Jesse and Ron.

When they got to the base, they found the kitchen loaded with canned food - very little in the way of fresh ingredients -- and a bunch of huge industrial equipment but few fine instruments. There wasn't even any burners! Just a giant wok and one huge skillet that all the teams had to share, which was causing some serious waiting for some of the teams, especially Jesse and Ron. Jen did an amazing job keeping everyone on task - if she doesn't make the finals I will be stunned.

Before serving Preeti and Lorene started to question their decision to make a pasta salad. No shit. Look, I love pasta salad, but to borrow a phrase, you don't make friends with salad. And you sure don't win "Top Chef" with a pasta salad. Meanwhile, Jesse and Ron were getting stinkeye from the other teams for choosing to do a clam chowder on a 100-degree day in the Nevada desert.

Brian and Mattin had a hit with their beef dish. Lorena and Preeti's salad was knocked for being salty, safe, and uncreative. Hector and Robin's chicken chili was praised. Ron and Jesse's chowder was deemed yummy, but also too rich for a hot day. Kevin and Eli's braised pork shoulder and mustard potato salad got big ups. Mike and Mike did slab bacon braised and wrapped in a lettuce leaf, which the judges loved, but they hated their Greek shrimp salad. Ash and Ashley's chocolate/peanut butter read pudding was called dense, but very flavorful.

Team Mike and Team Bear (Eli/Kevin) were in the top. Those judges like their pork, I guess. Both teams were celebrated for their abilities to adapt to challenging circumstances and ingredients, and the winner was Mike B for his slab bacon dish. I think I underestimated him going into this competition. At this point he's even outshining his older brother a bit.

Hilariously, the Bottom 3 ended up being Preeti, Lorene, and...Jersey Mike! He went from the top to the bottom in the span of five minutes after stupidly giving all the credit for the pork dish to the other Mike, and taking all the credit for the bland Greek salad for himself. Mike was extremely pissed off, to the point where the judges were put off by his intense nervous energy. He didn't stand behind the dish, and he just unraveled. But Preeti and Lorene bore the brunt of most of the judges' comments, with Preeti got downright lippy in parts. Lorene probably sealed her fate when she admitted that she forgot about the competition and went with a dish that was merely serviceable instead of a winning dish. When asked as to whether one or both of them should go home, Preeti said she didn't want anyone to go home. And Padma hilariously said, "Well that's not going to happen." BURN!

Ultimately it was Preeti who got cut, and that was totally the right decision. She has been a disaster since the first episode, and seemed generally clueless throughout. I'm also glad Lorene was spared. She has done some interesting stuff thus far (the bacon donuts in the first episode, the potato burger in this Quickfire), and while she doesn't always succeed with her inventive dishes, Preeti didn't even seem to know what a clam was. Ah, well.

Next: Elimination Quickfire!