‘Top Chef’ recap: Ding dong, Josie’s gone!

Wednesday night’s judgment table on “Top Chef” was a long time coming. The loud-mouthed, obnoxious ball of annoyance, otherwise known as Josie Smith-Malave, was finally given the boot. When Padma Lakshmi told her to pack her knives, I did a fist pump.

For the quickfire challenge, master sushi chef Katsuya Uechi challenged the chefs to make a sushi dish. Stefan Richter won with his yellowtail and grilled shiitake mushroom dish, but instead of immunity, he took home $5,000.

Tom Colicchio was in the mood for fried chicken, so he asked the chefs to make the fried bird for the elimination challenge. The chefs took over the kitchen at Colicchio’s rented home in Seattle and cooked for John Shook and Vinny Dotolo from Animal, Michelle Bernstein, Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse and Momofuku’s David Chang. Talk about an intimidating table!

I wasn’t surprised that Josh “The Stache” Valentine and Sheldon Simeon made the best dishes. “The Stache” smoked his chicken before he fried it and Simeon did a umami-style chicken and a Momofuku-style. Being absolutely insane for fried chicken, I wanted to lunge at the TV screen. “The Stache’s” smoked, fried chicken gave him the win and a year’s supply of Terlato wine.

I was surprised at how poorly Brooke Williamson and Richter did. Williamson dried out her chicken breasts and Richter somehow thought making cordon bleu (something you learn in the first year of culinary school) for a fried chicken challenge would be a good idea. Thank goodness the judges decided Smith-Malave’s greasy chicken was worse and finally sent her packing. The entire episode, I couldn’t help but wonder what Kristen Kish would have made.

Best, worst moments:

“The Stache” putting tempura bacon in his sushi for Katsuya. Talk about missing the mark!

Richter teaching Smith-Malave German on the way to the challenge. That voice in German? Even worse than her English!

Colicchio calling Smith-Malave out on her time issues and Lakshmi finally sending her and that headband home. Good riddance!

ALSO:

‘Top Chef’ recap: You’ve got to be kidding me

‘The Taste’ recap: Could go back for a second bite

‘Rachael vs. Guy’ recap: Daddy ‘D’ Dean McDermott strikes again

Follow Jenn Harris on Twitter or Google+