Top Chef 5: "Down on the Farm" Recap

This week on Top Chef 5, the chefs are going “Down on the Farm,” which means they'll have access to some excellent raw ingredients. Of course, that would be way too pleasant all by itself, so we can expect some extra impediments thrown in our chefs' collective way.

Last week, both Melissa Harrison and Eugene Villiatora were eliminated, and with fewer chefs in the house, the strong personalities have less buffering. What does this mean? Stefan Richter's special Teutonically-flavored irritating power is even more concentrated!

And he's getting on Hosea Rosenberg's nerves. Hosea seems him as one of his main competitors, but Stefan doesn't seem to see anyone else as much of a threat, gleefully pointed out how many wins he's had.

Well, there's always a new challenge to try to take someone down a notch. The chefs meet with Padma Lakshmi in the kitchen, and the guest judges for this week's Quickfire, previous Top Chef winner Hung Huynh. Padma tells the chefs that it's easy to make great food from fresh and seasonal ingredients…so they're not going to get any! She reveals their pile of ingredients for this challenge: a bunch of canned and boxed food. And in honor of their guest judge, Hung, who is known for his speed, they only have fifteen minutes to do it in.

After a battle for ingredients and a speedy prep, some chefs find they can't rise above the limitations of time and resources. Radhkia Desai and Jamie Lauren both get called out in the bottom for not doing much more than creating a bread-based appetizer that didn't work with the ingredients enough. Leah Cohen is also in the bottom for a waffle that didn't do much of anything for the judges.

Hosea's sweet pea soup with crispy pork rinds and spam, Stefan's baked bean soup and grilled cheese, and Jeff McInnis's breaded conch with a pina colada land in the top. Stefan wins, gaining immunity to the chagrin of his irritated competitors.

The chefs then have to split into teams of three, based on a knife draw naming a particular protein. Team Lamb is Ariane Duarte, Hosea and Leah. Team Chicken is Jamie, Stefan and Carla Hall. Team Pork is Jeff, Fabio Viviani and Radhika. Each team will have to make a fresh and seasonal family lunch for sixteen people.

The chefs work together on their plans that evening. Team Chicken tries to navigate between Stefan's ego, Jamie's irritation (which Stefan finds adorable) and Carla's discomfort with the clash. Team Pork decides to set aside each chef's own style (in Fabio's words, they are “Indian…Italian…[and] overthinking”) to come up with something simple and seasonal. Ariane is mildly annoyed to find herself in the middle of the lovebirds, Hosea and Leah, whose synergy seems to preclude allowing in outsiders.

The next day, the chefs head out to shop, but soon learn they'll be sourcing a little closer to the earth than Whole Foods. They are driven out to Stone Barns, and meet with chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill, who is known for his focus on agriculture.

The chefs get the chance to walk around the farm, seeing their protein in their live state, and pick up some fresh produce. While this is an excellent opportunity to taste some delicious produce, the chefs have to quickly regroup and revise their dishes. Jeff is pleased to see some green tomatoes. Being from the South, he's knows just what to do with them, and thinks he'll be the only one using the ingredient.

Team Chicken has had to navigate the tricky waters of Stefan's stubbornness, but Jamie and Carla were able to get him to compromise on a lighter consommé option than the heavier soup he'd picked originally. Their final meal is Chicken Soup with Chicken Ravioli, Lemon Herb Whole Roasted Chicken with Heirloom Tomato and Red Onion Salad, Chicken Cutlets with Fresh Corn and Grape Tomatoes, Nectarine and Strawberry Tart with Sweet Lemon-Thyme Cream

Team Lamb is challenged a bit with their protein. Ariane , was put in charge due to her lamb success before, but she's never worked with baby lamb, and never done the roulade rolled dish they've picked. Leah had to jump in to help tie, but she doesn't seem to do a very good job herself. Their final meal is Roasted Baby Lamb with Roasted Potatoes and Vegetables, Lemon Trifle and Pastry Cream.

Team Pork is fairly harmonious, but Fabio does wonder why it took Radhika one hour to roast ten ears of corn. Their meal is Grilled Corn Salad with Green Beans and Bacon, Fried Green Tomatoes and Jam, Sausage Ravioli, Wrapped Pork Loin and a Lavender Crème Brulee.

The chefs serve, and Team Chicken's food seems to be the most successful, even though the heat of the day makes even the lighter soup questionable. Carla's stone fruit tart dessert – which once again showcased her pastry talent – goes over especially well, with Dan Barber, the judges and guests appreciating her use of thyme and lemon and restraint with the sweetness.

The other desserts are not so successful. Team Pork's crème brulee seems a little too sweet and rich for the day. Team Lamb's trifle is called “airplane food.”

It's not surprising that at judging, Team Chicken – Carla, Jamie and Stefan – are called the winning team, and all three are named the challenge winners.

All of the others are called to the carpet for being the bottom. The pork is criticized for being cooked off the bone and having the tasty fat removed. Tom Colicchio is also baffled by Radhika's lack of output for the time she had.

But it's the butchered butchering of the lamb that is deemed the worse offense, and it's clear the Lamb team is in greater danger. Since Ariane was in charge of the task she is top of the list, but the judges aren't too pleased with Leah's contribution to the tying effort or Hosea not stepping in when he had more butchering experience.

In judging Toby Young guns for Ariane, while Padma points out she's done well before. Toby counters that they are not supposed to take that into account. So, ultimately, Ariane is sent home from Top Chef 5 for her mangled lamb.

We'll be talking to her on Friday, so come back here and leave any questions you have for the chef in the comments; I'll see if I can get an answer for you!