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(S06E04) If the names Joël Robuchon, Daniel Boulud, Hubert Keller, Laurent Tourondel and Jean Joho don't strike fear in your heart, you are probably not a Top Chef contestant. Even Tom Colicchio seemed über-impressed by these French chefs. This season the producers have really turned up the heat on Top Chef, pushing the chefs to truly earn the title of Top Chef as never before. This challenge -- cooking for the aforementioned master chefs -- was the most difficult in the series yet.

Those names at the top are the most respected French chefs in America and probably the world. They are the creme de la creme and after a cut throat quickfire that saw Jesse finally get told to pack her knives -- and that doesn't happen in quickfires -- the remaining contestants were split into teams of two and assigned to cooking for those French all-stars.

That wouldn't have been so bad if they were asked to do dishes in any cuisine, but they weren't. They had to create classic French dishes for classic French chefs using classic French ingredients! It was like asking the Little League World Series winners to play the pros in the new Yankee Stadium.

Back to Jesse for a minute. She was really in over her head and had been at the bottom a few times already. I felt for her, but clearly her food was not cutting it. I don't know how it's happened this go-round, but the ladies have been just dreadful with the exception of Jennifer. She seems to be the only one who can keep up with the men. She's likely to be the only one in the final four, and if I were predicting now, I'd say the other candidates would be Kevin and the two brothers, Bryan and Mike.

Kevin won the quickfire, which wasn't a surprise when Daniel Boulud suspected that the bacon jam had been someone else's recipe it was so good. When Kevin said it was something he had been making in his restaurant, Boulud was wowed. Kevin has consistently shown that he's a fine chef. As a bonus for winning the QF, he even got to dine with the French chefs and while intimidated to a point, he didn't do anything to embarrass himself.

The dinner had highs and lows. Bryan was the winner thanks to his inventive trout preparation, which blowhard Mike – thankfully -- didn't try to accept credit for. That guy ticks me off, but he has skills. I just wish he wasn't so misogynistic.

It was somewhat stunning that Frenchie Mattin really blew it with the velouté sauce (too much bacon), but not that Ashley didn't throw him under the bus when she had the chance. She needs to get out of the bottom rankings, though, or she'll be the next to go.

When Hector was axed, it was probably fitting. Gail suggested that he'd used an axe on the chateaubriand. Really, how could he cut the meat so badly? Then again, he's the say guy who deep-fried a rib eye in week one. He doesn't respect the beef!

Overall, the high stakes promised in the first episode has been delivered upon. This is the best Top Chef season yet.