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The morning of Stefan’s 40th birthday, the contestants all arrive at historical Pike Place Market in Seattle, a local icon for over a century. They are informed that the Quickfire challenge will pair teams of two in a breakfast challenge. The participants must purchase the cooking equipment requisite to prepare a meal for Seattle residents on the go as they rush to work. The catch is that the food must be on a stick. Are corndogs a breakfast food?

The pairing up process reveals that if a person competes on Top Chef, they must have a game plan even for the moments when they are just standing around. Most of the groupings wind up being those of convenience as people turn around and go, “Oh hey, I guess we’re a team.” The notable exception is that John Tesar (accidentally?) shuns previous teammate Sheldon in favor of Joshua, who would rather work with Jack the Ripper.

Also, Eliza isn’t quick enough to grab a musical chair before the song stops, so she winds up stuck with Josie. We already know from a previous challenge that their cooking styles do not mesh. So this should be a combustible situation. The other tandems are Sheldon and Bart, Danyele and Lizzie, Brooke and Stefan, CJ and Tyler and Micah and Kristen.

This Quickfire challenge is more combative than most. Because there are so few prime ingredients such as eggs, some teams wind up without their desired food choices. Danyele and Lizzie are forced to reboot because they are late to the pantry. Similarly, the chefs who rush to the store wind up elbowing one another as they push to reach the needed cooking appliances. Bart tries to run over CJ, who pays his irritation forward by grabbing an item right in front of Brooke. She desperately tries to flirt/play/tease him in hopes that he’ll be a gentleman but CJ is feeling the pressure after several lackluster results.

The team dynamic is engrossing. Kristen and Micah have a natural chemistry that he believes stems from their being the youngest players on Top Chef. Tyler just does anything CJ says. Josie behaves like a petulant child when Eliza does not immediately bend to her will. John Tesar continues to demonstrate impressive teamwork, easily his most commendable trait thus far. And Bart and Sheldon get along great. Alas, Bart is a bit clumsy. He drops the expensive appliance he just purchased. Even if he were allowed to return it, they do not have time to do so. And yes, the machine does tear up as they try to cook their food.

Padma and special guest judge Daisley Gordon of Marché are largely impressed by the results. The notable exceptions are Danyele and Lizzy and Josie and Eliza. The former team is unsurprising given their inability to acquire the appropriate ingredients. Their final product is too slight for the amount of time they were given to prepare a dish. Both players had feared this would be the case although they liked the taste of the food enough to hope for a better fate.

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