Top Chef recap

First things: Should I keep recapping "Top Chef"? What's the interest level here?

The Thanksgiving episode with the Foo Fighters didn't leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling. It smelled too much of stunt casting.... Do you care what rock stars have to say about food? Not me. Even if it is Dave Grohl. Who is sometimes spotted in Delaware. (Rehoboth and Dewey beaches.)

Stick with music, my friend. Leave the food critiquing to the professionals, especially when you describe something as looking like spit. (Which, actually, was kind of funny.)

What also was funny? The beginning of this episode opening with the long, rambling letter - scribbled on loose leaf paper (what is this grade school?) - that Mr. Spitty S'mores left for Tattoo Girl and Engaged Guy. (Sorry, but I can't remember anyone's name besides the European Union of Fabio and Stefano.)

When they started crying, I couldn't stop laughing.

This. Is. A. Reality. TV. Show. No one is dying, dude. You made and served spitty s'mores for rock stars on national television. For Thanksgiving. No wonder you're gone. And where did you find loose leaf paper?

Last night's breakfast amuse bouche Quickfire Challenge was cool. I'm not a huge breakfast eater - kind of like Fabio and Tattoo Girl - so this appeals to my inner "just-give-me-coffee-and-don't-talk-to-me-until-10 a.m." chick.

Some of these chefs need to go back and page through their "Food Lover's Companion" for the definition of this culinary term: An amuse bouche is a single bite. Little, itty, bitty thing. As in, one chomp, you're done, now hand me a napkin.

Rocco DiSpirito, the former pusher of gourmet cat food , was back as the guest tasting tongue. The Big Rock used to have so much street cred. Anyone remember his late great Union Pacific restaurant? Sigh. Then he started doing really stupid things like starring in an ill-conceived reality show called "The Restaurant" and stinking it up on "Dancing with the Stars." Heavy sigh.

Flirty Girl - Leah, maybe? - wins by making something you can pop into your mouth. This is not rocket science, people. Little, itty, bitty bite. But how lame is it that Big Roc gives her one of his even lamer cookbooks as a prize? Oh, just go take another dance lesson will you?

Elimination Round was about cooking and talking on camera for 2 1/2 minutes. The three winning dishes get to be tasted by the ladies on the "Today" show. Having "the ladies" taste your food? Man, that's so D-List. No Al Roker? Guess that gosh-darn pesky gastric bypass operation has curbed Al's tasting abilities...

OK, this challenge is much harder than it sounds. I'm not great at camera work. First time I did a taped segment, I mispronounced my own name. The camera man laughed so hard we couldn't finish taping for a good 10 minutes.

Ariane - someone I remember! - kills it with her tomato, watermelon, feta cheese salad. (A salad for the ladies? No brainer. Please, that's like giving peanut butter and jelly to kids. Game over.)

Fabio goes with a tuna crowd-pleaser and scores some points. But Dumb Blonde Guy makes some kind of "gourmet" cabbage roll that makes Kathie Lee Gifford, the most annoying woman on the planet, spit it out on live TV. Do you trust a woman who frequently referred to her old man as the "Love Machine" to know good taste? I don't. (Ugh, and isn't it hard to get that image of Frank "Love Machine" Gifford out of your head now?)

The laughs just kept coming this episode.

Who got axed?

Engaged Guy. He made a soupy creme brulee which caused Chef Tom to give the Big Face Frown.

Uh oh. The Face Frown is never a good sign.

And soupy brulee is a sin against man. Well, on television anyway.

Goodbye, Engaged Guy. Enjoy the reception.